It's A Girl!

For all of you out there that have been on the edge of their seats about what my sister was having....it is a girl! Olivia Jewell Bogle was born on October 16th. I think that she was pretty comfortable in there and not in any hurry to come out to meet anyone. Here is a photo of the little cutie at the hospital.

This past weekend I joined my parents and traveled down to KY to visit my new niece and my sister and brother-in-law. Other than a little lack of sleep, I think that they are doing great. :-)

Where oh where have we been?

So, you may have been wondering if we have completely dropped off of the face of the planet. Have no fear, we are alive and well. Deep into football season and our newest adventure called pregnancy. Yes, you read that right, pregnancy. I am currently in my 15th week and I think that I'm finally starting to "shake off" some of the sickness. I can only say "some" of the sickness because it is really touch and go sometimes. But, I admit, I wouldn't change it for anything. We consider ourselves very blessed to be expecting our little bundle of DiSandro joy and are very excited about the months and years to come.
Our good news is starting to trickle out to all corners of our world, so what better time than now for our coming out? :-) Hopefully I can keep up with future posts and let you know (on a more regular basis) how things are going and looking (for all of you curious about the growing girth of a pregnant woman's figure). We might get a new photo on here sometime in the near future...so stay tuned.

Monica's Baby Shower

Better late than never right! :-) Hopefully that is not the case when it comes to when Monica delivers her little Bogle Baby! Here are some photos of Monica's shower that we threw her on the 10th of August. It was definitely an "all hands on deck" weekend. Thanks to everyone who helped!

Monica and me at the shower.

The cake table with Baby Bogle's first pic.

It's a cupcake cake!

"Thank you from Monica's little Bun in the oven."

Mmmmmm...food.

If you look closely, you can see my hand-crafted table runners (which Monica will be shredding to make homemade wipes). There were also supposed to be balloons, but for some reason they were all on the living room floor when we got up on Sunday morning. Oh well...what can you

do about that?

Crafts, Kettle Korn and Dragons...Oh My!

A couple of weekends ago Beth, the boys, and I all made the trek to Centralia to see their annual balloon festival. I had seen an article on it in a magazine and thought that it would be a fun activity to do since the guys are so busy with football in August. It was a great day and we arrived with just enough time to walk around the vendors, find a seat, and start watching the balloons either fly in or get blown up right in front of us. The best part though, was the balloon glow right before we left. The balloons all wait until it gets dark and then they all light up at once. It was pretty neat!

What it's the last day of July!!??

Where oh where did summer go? Oh, it is probably still very much around for some of you but for Jeff and I, it's pretty much over. *sigh* Looking back, I realize how full our summer was. We tried some new things and made some great memories.
Some things that may have not featured on our blog:
Jeff worked many camps this summer but he also got work with a lot of great coaches and kids. He also completed his last class towards obtaining his MS in Education at SIUE. Yeah! I'm so proud of him and all of his hard work, late nights, and many papers that he completed to get here. I'm also proud of his achieving his goal of competing in a triathlon this summer. He has been working really hard, training for most of the year and dropping A LOT of weight (you may not recognize his new, lean physique). He and Jesse competed in the Lake in the Hills mini-tri on July 19th. They both finished really well and I think they are both now addicted to tris. Stay tuned for a post from Jeff and maybe a picture or two on their experience.
Jeff and I also got to be a part of several of Justin and Anna's pre-wedding events like Justin's bachelor party and Anna's shower. They were great memories where we got to relax and spend time with family. We are really looking forward to the wedding at the end of next month!
This summer has also been filled with long walks with Mickey. Jeff always says that summer is his favorite time in Greenville because the streets are always empty (for the most part) and its nice to walk in the evenings.
Last weekend, Jeff planned a "date" for us. He had been wanting to go see the Lee and Grant exhibit at the MO History Museum in Forest Park. It is a traveling exhibit that was only in STL for certain period of time. We both enjoyed the museum, the Lindbergh room was especially interesting. We then headed to a favorite little grocery store that some of you may also frequent, Trader Joes, before heading to The Hill for a little Italian cuisine. We went to a place called Favazza's and after a length wait (50-60 min) we were finally seated. Boy, it was good though! It was a great last hurrah before Jeff began football again. So, alas, I am a widow yet again...or at least for the next several months.

Mickey's little friend...or not.

On Sunday, I let Mickey out on her line for a little sunshine and exercise. Since we don't have a fenced in back yard we put up this zip line thing that keeps her in the yard but lets her move around a lot more than a stake in the ground. Well, she had only been out maybe for 30 minutes when she started barking. I figured it was one of two things; she wanted to come in or there was a cat out there teasing her. When I went out to check on her I saw something in the side of the yard. It was a raccoon! What surprised me most was that it was out in broad daylight. They usually only come out at night. After I took a few pics, I decided to chase it off since I didn't want Mickey mixing with the likes of a raccoon. :-) It didn't seem too scared of me so I had to up the ante a little and beat a big stick against the ground while I was walking towards it. I guess that did the trick because it turned and slowly walked away, so I guess I'm not too intimidating.

BBQ, 5K, and KY Lake

We had quite the jam-packed weekend over "The 4th". After dropping Mickey off at my parents' house Jeff and I headed to Carbondale for a brief stop at a bike shop on the strip. A couple of weeks ago, Jeff had found a bike that he really liked while we were out bike shopping. The only problem was that they didn't have it in his size. So, I knew that this place in C'dale had that same brand so we decided to go and check out what they had in stock. Lucky us, they had the exact same bike and size that we were looking for. Jeff took it for a test spin and was greatly impressed with its smooth ride. So, long story short, we left with a brand new bike. The poor guy had been riding my bike for the past couple of months in order to train for his upcoming tri.

We then went south to Paducah, KY where we met my sister and brother-in-law for dinner at Whaler's Catch. Jeff and I hung out down by the river while we waited for them to arrive. We were quite amused by the many elderly couples parked on the riverfront watching people through their binoculars.

On Friday, we hung out at the house for a while and then went into Murray for their annual Freedom Fest. It was our plan to have some genuine southern BBQ while we were down there. After walking through the Fest we all decided to each choose a different BBQ vendor to sample. We would choose a BBQ dish and split it between the 4 (well actually 5, counting the babe) of us. Jeff got the pulled pork/rib dinner, Monica got BBQ nachoes, J.B. got pulled pork sandwiches and I ordered a whole slab of ribs. We were a little let down by the vendor Jeff chose, they seemed to be all glitz and glamor and lacking in the BBQ department.

Monica's nachoes were quite unique and had a good flavor.

I loved the pulled pork sandwich. It was so moist! And the ribs were amazing! They were falling off the bone and mmmmm so good. I think that the group agreed that they were the winners. In fact, Jeff thought that they were so good he had to get his pic taken with them. :-)

On Saturday, we got up at the crack of dawn and headed into Murray for the Fest's annual 5K race. J.B. and Jeff were all set to race. They both did really good and finished 3rd and 2nd in their age/gender group. Jeff ended up finishing 34th overall out of 124 racers. He averaged around a 7min 30sec mile.

After the race we had b'fast, went to the store, and then headed out to the lake. Monica's boss, Tony, has a boat and lakehouse at KY Lake. We ended up going out a couple of times with the guys trying the wake boarding and Jeff having a little open swim time. It was a great weekend!

Shower Time!

Justin and Anna's wedding is fast approaching! We had their shower last month on June 28. It was great. My MIL had booked a great spot that Anna's mom had picked out. It was in the waterfall room at Keywester in Naperville. It turned out to be a beautiful day to boot! Anna and Justin got lots of great stuff for their new place.
Jeff worked a Bear's camp in Bolingbrook that entire week so I took time off and Mickey and I went up with him the Sunday before the shower. It was great to relax and visit with family. When he wasn't at camp, Jeff was working on his final class assignments or training for his mini-tri while I did some work for GC and tied up some loose ends for the shower.

The beautiful bride with one of the shower games.

Shower favors that my MIL and I came up with.

They're out there again?!

Okay so, you may know what I'm talking about when I say "lawn fanatics". Hey, you might even be one. Don't get me wrong, Jeff and I love to be outside and don't really mind mowing our lawn (I try to leave this chore for Jeff as much as possible though). But don't you just hate it when you mow your lawn and then the next day your neighbor (or the service that they hire to take care of it...ahem) mows theirs and makes yours look like you haven't touched it. I admit that with all of the rainfall recently, our lawn is growing like it is near some kind of nuclear facility. So, it is currently in need of a good trim, but I am gaining an appreciation for our "meadow" look. Alas, I know that our post-lawn care satisfaction will be short-lived once the lawn jockeys unload their supped up equipment next door. Maybe we could get on the same schedule...nah! P.S. The pic is NOT from our yard but a good example of what I'm referring to.

Fun With Photos

I kind of stumbled on this really cool site called Big Huge Labs the other day. I followed a Father's Day gift idea link and there it was...the land of endless possibilities. Well, I'm sure there is an end out there but I definitely won't ever reach it. This site is associated with Flickr. The CD case/cover (see pic on left) was what caught my eye first. I thought that this personalized gift would be a great addition to the gift that Jeff and I were planning for his dad. Aren't we so cute! What dad wouldn't love us? :-) I suggest that if you are looking for a creative, fun, and free gift then this is the site for you. Have fun playing with all of the fun options!

What does it have to do with candy?

Okay, so I admit I am conservative but in the grand scheme of things I would probably be labeled more on the liberal side of the conservative family tree. But when it comes to advertising sometimes we just have to ask the question, "When is enough, enough?". My prime target being the recent M&M advertisements that you can find online, on TV, on billboards, in print ads, etc. Since when do you need sexual innuendo to sell chocolate candies? Seriously. Why do they think that they have to jump on the sex sells bandwagon in order to sell bags of good quality candy? After seeing some of their ads, and the tactics that they are using to get America's attention, it actually makes me not want to buy any more of their product.

Why candy? You would think that their largest target audience would be kids and families but what kind of message are they sending, really? I realize that every company is battling for a "piece of the pie", but to stoop to sexual innuendo to sell their product is a little much for me to handle. What do you think?

What would you do?

Recently, a 78 year-old man was the victim of a hit-and-run in Hartford, CT. This made big news but not for the reasons you think. No one stopped to help him. People just kind of stood there watching or slowed their vehicles and then sped away. I asked myself what I would do in this situation. Would I just stand there in shock or call 911 or run out in traffic to help? I guess none of us really know how we will react in a situation until we are in it. But will we be prepared, that is the big question.
I like to think of myself as a fairly calm and rational person. One who can think clearly when the 'ol adrenaline is pumping but who knows, each situation is different with many angles and points of view. I have seen accidents happen right in front of my eyes and come across several driving. I've always called 911 or stopped to offer assistance if I was able. But I have never been in a position where it was just myself and someone who was really hurt and needed serious lifesaving attention.
An incident that happened at the Cracker Barrel we were eating at yesterday really got me thinking though. Most Cracker Barrels are set up with the same basic floor plan. You go in through the store then there are two large, separated dining rooms that are open to traffic (the people kind) on the ends. Well, we were sitting along the wall closest to the store and looking over our menu and talking about our recent visit to the Magic House when a woman started screaming. She was all of the way across the building along the wall of the other dining room. I had noticed the couple earlier, just because they were both eating with their sunglasses on and I thought it was odd. (hmmm) Well, I guess it took the 2nd or 3rd scream before it registered that something was wrong. It was relatively loud in there and I was in the middle of trying to understand what Gwen was saying (I need a lot of concentration to decode sometimes). But, once it registered I found the source and got up and started moving towards the couple...there just so happened to be 10 people already in front of me though. So I guess I just kind of watched and made sure that all points were be covered: someone calling 911, someone tending to the people, and someone getting the manager. At first I thought that the guy had choked and needed the Heimlich. I don't really know what I would have done if we were seated next to those people. Would I have known what to do? Later, we found out from our waitress that he had a seizure. Definitely wouldn't have known what to do for that. Maybe that should be one of those things everyone must learn, like changing a tire or balancing your checkbook. Basic emergency care. You can't always count on the cars to stop or for people to call.

Oh to be a kid again...

Yesterday, Gwen (my 5-year-old niece), Mom, and I made the trek out to the St Louis Magic House. It is a children's museum that my siblings and I just so happened to visit when we were in kindergarten. I think that Gwen had a pretty good time. She was definitely enjoying the many hands on activities that they had for kids of all ages. Her age almost seemed like the perfect age to get the most out of almost all of the exhibits.
It was 20 years ago but, I did remember some things about the Magic House. The actual structure of the building used to be an old 3 story house but it has been expanded by more than 100% and they are currently adding on another annexed building which will again more than double the museum's size. I only remember a couple of other parts; the wall where you can push the little plastic needles through to make shapes, the rubber band wall, the static ball that made your hair stand on end, and the best part the big swirly slide at the end. Gwen had to go down the 3 story slide twice (she flipped over somehow the first time). I had to give her credit, she was a little shaken up, but she got back on it to do it again. Afterwards we told her that her daddy had gone down that same slide almost 25 years ago. She didn't seem to want to believe that. (Hee hee). Some new parts that I think we all enjoyed were the Lewis and Clark trail (kind of Indiana Jonesish), the Waterworks, and the craft room on the basement level. I would definitely recommend the Magic House to anyone with young children through grade school. There is something there for everyone and yes, even us adults are amused and entertained at the Magic House .

Yes...I know...I'm one of "those" ladies now.

So, with the crunch from higher gas prices, food, etc. I've decided to have a go at this trend that is sweeping the nation: no, not hitching up the mules, but a little something called CVSing and couponing. I've only dabbled a little in the CVS world and am by no means an aficionado. I'm kind of more like a parasite actually, I take others ideas (from blogs and websites) and use them for my own benefit. But, that is what they are out there so I don't really feel bad about it. It's a great little deal where you can spend little to no money on everyday essentials. My problem is that I have to tell myself, that we can only use so much toothpaste so I don't have to get every deal. It is just the two of us and Mickey so I don't bother buying stuff we won't use unless I can get it for free and then all bets are off. I'm sure I can find someone to take it!

Now couponing, I think I've got a little better handle on. It's pretty easy; clip your coupons (online, paper, etc.) and again visit a few sites to help with your list and voila! You've got a ton of free stuff (see pic for my free goodies from last week's trip to WM). Wal-Mart is a great example of a place to go with coupons that cover the entire cost of an item. With their low prices and a good coupon you may even have overage. Not every store will give it to you but if they do, that extra $ then goes towards the balance on your bill. So if you plan it right, have the right coupons, and don't buy off your list then there you go: MONEY SAVED! My trip last week, was extremely long, but was very rewarding. My starting total was around $140 and I only ended up paying around $55. I did run into one issue though. Apparently there is a coupon limit at WM and I must have hit it because the checker had to call a CSM over to help the transaction along. When asked, she didn't really know the limit but jeez. I counted and I had used 43 coupons. Not bad right? But yes, I could tell by the looks of the those in line behind me...I was one of those ladies. Price you gotta pay though right?

la la la la...

There are moments in every one's week or month when something so great happens that you could just sing. I had one of those moments this past weekend when I found gas at $3.85 a gallon. It's kind of disgusting though that I've been conditioned to believe that is a good price for fuel. I'm sure that one more blog post on the high cost of gas won't really amount to much either (other than relieving some of the disgust that I've been harboring).

With most of the towns around here having gas at $4.05 or higher it's enough to make you become a hermit. But life has to go on and people have to get out, right? So I recommend the following site for all of the latest tips on cheap gas: http://www.gasbuddy.com/.

Mmmmm...strawberries

This past weekend was full of a flurry of activity for both Jeff and I. Jeff left Friday for his annual Offensive Line clinic in Cincinnati, OH. It was only a two-day event but quite the long drive. It was also commencement weekend at GC and I had to work events on Thurs, Fri, and Sat. So, that passed the time quite nicely while Jeff was out of town.
On Sunday we met my parents and niece and nephew at the annual St. Patrick's Strawberry Festival in Ruma, IL. The fresh strawberries with ice cream was amazing! Jeff and I played a little with Guinevere at the playground and the kid's games. Boy, was it tough picking out a prize though. (Who knew snaps weren't for little kids?) With a little supervision from Uncle Jeff though, she got to enjoy her prize.

Gwen and Uncle Jeff's swinging contest.

Brrrrrrr!

This past weekend Jeff and I attended one of Greenville's crown jewel events, Agapefest. This festival of Christian music draws around 5K men, women, and youth (I think that 4K of them were jr. highers) from various parts of the Midwest. For those of you who are not familiar with this GC event, it is a weekend filled with camping, funnel cakes, and great Christian artists sponsored by Greenville College. Jeff and I had never been before, so we declared this year to be "the one". Our first Agapefest experience. We went through the schedule and picked out all of the bands that we wanted to see and we were set to go.
Well, we didn't really make it out on Friday night. Got a little sidetracked (or I guess you could call us too lazy). So we finally decided to go walk around on Saturday. Wow, it was crazy with all of the youth groups running around. First off, you have to understand one thing about Jeff and I, we aren't really concert people. We really aren't even crowd people. So after about one lap around the festivities we were ready to hit it. Since we live less than a mile from the fairgrounds we had the luxury of coming and going. After dinner we went back out with our camping chairs and blanket (it was COLD) to listen to the final two shows of the evening. It was great to see so many young people and adults in communion together. That is what I think we both enjoyed most about the weekend. Just being one voice (a loud one!) with other Christians in praising God. We look forward to going to more events like Agapefest and hopefully even taking our kids' youth group to events like it in the future.

How many words do you know?

So, you may know this already but last month we celebrated our "daughter", Mickey's second birthday. We have been Mickey's adoptive parents for the past two years while she has gone through all of her wonderful puppy stages. A little background of Mickey: her mother was a Cajun and was rescued after Katrina. A co-worker of mine heard we were looking for a puppy and got me in touch with her vet, who made the rescue. We think that she is part border collie and beagle. In short, we were united with our little pal right before we moved to Greenville.
Well, the other day, Jeff came home talking about this border collie named Rico. He was explaining to me that this dog was super smart and knew over 200 words in multiple languages. Wow! If you think about it, that is super smart for any animal. So one night last week at dinner, we started writing down all of the words that Mickey knows and responds to correctly (80% of the time). She knew 20 words! Since we have not done any formal training with her, I think that is pretty good. Who knows where her vocab will be 5 years from now. She may be able to finally recite those prepositions.

Sew Nice!

For the past three Tuesday nights I have been slaving away, over a sewing machine that is. This winter my parents got me a brand spanking new Singer sewing machine. Nothing too fancy or complicated, just the basics. I was determined to figure that thing out and make something with it. Well, opportunity finally crossed my path and I seized it! A local sew/quilt shop was starting a beginner's sewing class and it fit the bill with what I was looking for. I made sure that those ladies knew that I knew absolutely nothing about that machine, just in case there was another class that was for the level below beginner. I'm not quite sure what that would be called though. Anyways, two of the other coaches' wives and I signed up and that was our entire class. We picked out a pattern and fabric, got familiar with our machines (I named mine Susie)and got to work practicing. I was amazed at all of the science and engineering behind sewing. And I thought it was just a needle going up and down. Well, to sum it up, I don't know how many homemade outfits that I will be making in the future but Susie and I will definitely be working together again. You may even find yourself as one of the lucky recipients of one of our "projects"...

Going to give it a good effort...

Well, I'm going to give this blogging thing a go. Who knows, it may be a big hit out there in blogger world and I may even develop a fan following. Wouldn't that just be something? Well fans, stay tuned as I build up the site, then just sit back and enjoy the ride while you are entertained beyond your imagination. (Ha!)