Happy commerce day! Y'know, if they are going to keep annointing this day with an aura of holiness (for shopping) then I want all the trappings of a full blown religious holiday. I want a nativity scene with wise men presenting credit cards and T-bills, a money tree decorated with overdrawn bank account notices and a fat guy in a suit laughing at us...for going into debt.

Emma's 3rd Birthday

I always wanted a birthday party at McDonalds when I was a kid. So it was with some relish that I threw Emma a McDonalds birthday party. She has been looking forward to this for some time now. And she was VERY excited that it was at McDonalds (she loves chicken nuggets).

I invited all of her daycare class and none of them showed up. Fortunately, some friends brought their kids, so it wasn't another party with people she was related to. Having had no nap beforehand, she was a bit cranky to start the party, but quickly turned her frown upside down. She laughed and played and generally had a good time. Her favorite part of the party? Blowing out the candles. She has been asking me if she can blow out the candles on her birthday cake for at least two weeks.

My new ride

What you see below is the culmination of a very stressful week. My Jeep died last Saturday. Just up and died. I shouldn't put it like that, though, as the ol' girl served me well for a very long time including a trip to Chicago and back. Still, her time had come. After much scrambling and phone calling (and not a little praying), I was able to secure a new ride. Shiny, isn't she? (I always refer to my vehicles as females. They are tempermental creatures and you have to pamper them or they will leave you high and dry). Very clean and MUCH better gas mileage. The kids like it too because they can get in and out of the car without having to put on climbing gear (my Jeep sat a little high off the ground). More bells and whistles than I can possible figure out in one sitting. And very fun to drive.