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Is is Spring yet?

Mimi thinks it is summer already. I understand it. I wish it were warmer too.

Lately I have been getting a lot of these:

She loves to make these. I bet I get at least a dozen a day. My mailman seems confused by them, since I let Mimi put them in the mailbox....I try to remember to get them out when she isn't looking, but I don't always get them out.
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Mimi has suddenly turned into a great colorer.
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Moe let me cut his hair. He said he wants a mohawk. I did my best. He squirms a lot.
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Our garden. Nothing is planted yet. We are still having frost advisories, so we are holding off for a couple weeks. I can't wait to take pics of it overflowing with veggies.....YUMMERS! I will be making curried butternut squash all summer long! :)

Have a great week!
~Karen

So Long! Adios! Auf Wiedersehen!

This week has been a lot of fun! Our good friends John, Amanda, Mary, and Ellie were in town visiting! The kids had a great time playing!

Mimi is pleased as punch! She has her good buds in town from northern Indiana.
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The gang loved the popsickles.
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Miss Ellie sleeping! Oh, how I miss having a wee one. Thank goodness I have friends who do! I can get my lovins in on them!!!! :)
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Goodbye sweet friends! We enjoyed your visit and miss you already! Hope the ride home was a good one! :)
~Karen

Broken CFLs...What to do?

I admit it. I can be kind of lazy about some things. I knew when we switched all of our light bulbs to CFLs that I would some day investigate how to properly dispose of them. I figured I had another 5 or so years to learn. Today Moe managed to break one. So, I took to the internets and found the answer:

(The following is take directly from the Energy Star Customer Service Q & A)

Because CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal guidelines:

1. Before Clean-up: Ventilate the Room

• Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
• Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
• Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

2. Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces

• Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

3. Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug:

• Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

4. Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding, etc.:

• If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be discarded. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
• You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you happened to be wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
• If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.

5. Disposal of Clean-up Materials

• Immediately place all cleanup materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
• Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
• Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.

6. Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Ventilate the Room During and After Vacuuming

• The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window prior to vacuuming.
• Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.

Hope this helps someone!
Have a great week! ~Karen

Chad Vader the Dayshift Manager

And for the real nerds out there, click here. Love Wikipedia!

I am afraid to say it out loud...

SO, I will quietly whisper it here:

Moe is potty trained!

We took the changing pad off and put the shelf on his dresser. He was so proud. He put toys on the lowest shelf.

...even his beloved Oscar car...
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Mimi is in her swim suit. She thinks I am lying when I tell her it is too cold to set the play pool up. She offered me a penny in exchange for her pool to be filled. :)

Our kids are growing up!

Have a great day!
~Karen

Addition: Please say this is NOT true:
The NFL's season is about to get longer
Blech. I HATE football.

Magpie Art

Please go here and check out my friend Maggie's pencil portraits. She is amazing. I have never seen an artist capture a person as well as she does in her pencil portraits. Maggie always seems to capture that thing that makes a person unique. I think this would make a wonderful gift. If you are interested, she is taking orders.

~Karen