The McFadden's

SO...

2010-07-03T11:22:00.002-04:00

We have 3 beautiful, clean, well-behaved, relaxed, easygoing, wonderful cats.

And one CRAZY cat. It turns out that our little "Tiger" is like a real tiger cub: NUTS!! He wants a playmate, but none of the other cats are interested, so he finds a playmate in virtually anything and everything. Toilet paper, my hair, candy wrappers, plastic bags (we have to watch closely when bringing in the groceries because he loves to get completely inside plastic bags to play)... I love the little guy, and he can be cuddly when he wants to, it's just that I wish he wanted to be cuddly more of the time.

Our cable is out, and it's been out all week, but as you can tell we have had plenty of entertainment anyway.

Other than all that excitement, we are just relaxing and enjoying the summer. Hope you are enjoying yours as well!

Ketchup

2010-06-11T21:57:00.004-04:00

As I have told my Dad, who might be the only person who reads this blog- "I have enough trouble keeping up with life, not to mention writing about it on a blog and in my journal."

Love you Dad! Here you go:

Katelynn turned the big 1-0 on May 30! She celebrated with a sleepover with some friends from school and a barbecue with the family. We had two cakes, and if anyone likes vanilla cake with white icing, we are still in abundance. Here are some pics from Katelynn's party with her friends:Luckily, Katelynn's birthday usually falls around Memorial Day, so there are twice as many reasons to celebrate!

This past weekend, I participated in my 12th recital with Motion n' Dance. We had a great time, and although it was extremely hot (you know how hot it was last weekend, plus the air conditioning wasn't working, plus we had stage lights on us, plus we were running around like mad men between performances because of quick changes). Even with the heat, all the dancers did wonderfully and we all had a lot of fun.

On Tuesday, we adopted two new members to our family! We just brought them home yesterday- two kittens which we adore! They are adapting well, love having room to play around, and like having all the attention on them! We named our orange and white cat "Tiger" because (we have figured out he is a "he" even though all his paper work said he was a "she") he is very playful and looks like a tiger cub. We finally settled, after many names, on calling our grey cat "Stretch" because she loves to stretch out and relax. She can get very big when she stretches out, and prefers to be left alone so she can sleep more.

Until next time!

Georgia!

2010-05-11T10:04:00.005-04:00

Last Wednesday, we left around 11PM towards Georgia! It took about 14 hours traveling, and we stopped at a Cracker Barrel, so in all the trip was about 15 hours.

We stayed in the beautiful Dillard House! My grandparents were in Eddie's Cottage, which was very cute!The House was like a Southern plantation or a ranch. They had a petting zoo with a Longhorn bull, a pig, a sheep, a llama, and a bunch of goats. They even had some baby goats which were adorable! Also on the grounds were stables, and we got to go horseback riding! That was a great experience, and we even got to ride in the river for a little while. It's hard to take pictures on horseback, so we don't really have many from the actual ride.

We got to visit with our family from all around the country. We surprised my Uncle Jesse at bingo (he calls bingo at the local VFW Hall) and played for the night. I even won a game! It was a lot of fun and we had many laughs.On Friday, we all got together at the Dillard House's restaurant which serves you family style. That was a great time! Friday night we went to Uncle Jesse's daughters' mountain house for some s'mores. Their house is beautiful! It is completely wooden and it was built recently. They have a big porch where you can just sit on a rocking chair and enjoy the scenery. The only trouble was getting there! Have you ever played Mario Kart Wii on the ride in the gold mine? Those hills that go straight up and straight down with a drop on both sides? That's what it was like in real life! REALLY scary!

On Saturday morning, we stopped at one place which is called "Goats on the Roof". They have REAL goats on the roof! There is one souvenir shop, and one shop where you can get ice cream. In the back of the ice cream shop, there are troughs with water where you can pan for gemstones. You can buy a bucket, and they turn on the water so you can pan through the dirt! We got some beautiful gems! Also, there is a little bike where you can fill a can with goat food and pedal it up to the goats. Katelynn pedaled the goats up some food. The goats knew as soon as someone sat on the bike what was coming, and they bucked the tracks until the can got up there!

After that, we went to my Uncle Jesse's house for some Southern BBQ! Great food and great company! We took some family pics while there.

After that, we headed home! It was a wonderful weekend and we all had a great time!

You May Have Noticed...

2010-05-03T11:12:00.001-04:00

The "mishap" posts are now "missing". I made a new blog for them: Slip-Ups and Other Mayhem

Georgia!

2010-05-03T10:36:00.004-04:00

I know I have been clogging up the posts with my "mishaps" posts, and I think it is time for a real update!

We are going to Georgia this weekend! It is my grandpa's brother's 70th birthday, and although it is a surprise party, I doubt he reads my blog! So we will be in Georgia having fun all weekend! We're leaving late Wednesday night to get there Thursday late morning/early afternoon. It's better to drive through the night on the highways, and especially when you have a jibberjab like Katelynn in the family. She will wake up right in time for the "are we there yet?" phase of the trip! We are stopping to see Southern Virginia's campus on the way down, and I might get to go horseback riding because we are staying in a hotel that has stables! It should be a fun time, and I think we are all ready for the vacation!

I took my SAT's this past Saturday! Hoping to get my score back ASAP!

Happy New Year!

2010-02-22T18:17:00.004-05:00

I haven't posted since the LAST DECADE! I kept checking everyone's blogs, and I would come to ours, and it always said the same thing. I would tell myself, 'When that person posts, I will.' I am thankful that some of the blogs I check haven't been posting, because it meant I had an "excuse" not to. But, since pretty much everyone else has updated their blogs since the new year...I figured I should write something. In no particular order, here are some "goings on" from the McFadden world:

WE ALL LOVE AND MISS ELDER MCFADDEN VERY VERY MUCH!!!
Katelynn and I will be dancing in both Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando this October! We are super excited to perform, and see the new Harry Potter land!
I am still teaching dance on Saturdays, and although we have had a few rough patches, I still think this will be the best recital yet! I am still learning and having a great time every week! This year our theme is DISNEY MAGIC!
Our family was recently slacking off and eating out at McDonald's/Burker King/KFC/whatever was closest on the way home WAY TOO MUCH. This new year, we have resolved to sit down as a family and eat a good dinner together every day. So far, we are doing great! It feels so good to get up from the table feeling FULL, and knowing I am full of GOOD stuff!
Katelynn and I participated in the Faces of the Future Talent Competition this past January. I competed in modeling formal wear, swim wear, sports wear, and novelty wear and won GOLD for all of them. I also danced 3 times with my teammates, and Katelynn danced once with her teammates. We won GOLD for those as well! Katelynn can't wait for the next competition, because she gets to try modeling next time!
We have NOT enjoyed the snow very much at all. Daddy had to stay close to work during the storms, so we missed him and stayed cooped up for practically a week. Even Katelynn only went out to play in the snow once. I am hoping for one more very SMALL snow storm so we can go sledding, because we never got to go.
I decided not to return to Sesame Place for this season, mostly because of the distance. I LOVE the job and all the people there, but it is just too far to travel every day all summer. The past season was a great experience that I will never forget.
Mom is so hard at work planning our performance team's trip to Disney, taking care of dance costumes, helping to plan TWO recitals, and MORE that I don't know when she would have time to sleep if she had a full time job!
I got a 4.0 GPA for this semester of high school! SEND THAT TO BYU!

I think/hope I included everything. Until next time!

A Year in Review 2009

2009-12-14T15:28:00.002-05:00

I know that Darlynn is the usual keeper of the blog, but I thought for the holidays I'd provide this update and "year in review".

2009 started off great with a trip to Orlando. Greg did all the driving and we made it from Philly to Florida in under 16 hours. We had a great time on what will be our last "family" vacation for a while seeing Disney, Universal and Sea World.

February saw Bob make a job change to Marriott leaving Best Buy as soon as the 52" Flat Panel TV he won for being an awesome salesman was delivered. He took his talents to the Front Desk at the Towne Place Suites in Willow Grove and was so much happier.

In March the girls both performed at halftime at a 76ers game and at month end I left Idearc Media, however unlike Bob I am still unemployed. Greg continues to work at both Sunoco and delivering papers to keep the family afloat, and hopefully in 2010 I will find something too.

April was host to the 2nd annual Simply Darlynn Dance recital with the theme "Christmas Everyday". The show went well and the kids were fantastic. This program has been so beneficial to so many and we are really blessed because of Darlynn's talents. We have started again and her group of students has really grown and this year's recital promises to be just "Magical".

In May Katelynn turned 9 and celebrated with a "Make-your-own Pizza" party at Uno's and then a mall shopping trip. It was quite a day as she is really growing into quite a young woman.

Soon Darlynn completed 10th grade and Katelynn finished 3rd, both with all A's. The girls danced a beautiful duet, along with all their other many dances in another fantastic Motion n Dance Recital. This recital also was a success for me as I completed my first year teaching Musical Theater and both my classes gave wonderful performances.

July started with Darlynn traveling to New York for the Hill Cumorah Pageant, and the girls dancing in Wildwood and ended with Darlynn turning 16. She celebrated by taking flying lessons and her Aunt Penny throwing her a huge 'Sweet 16" at her home in Bensalem. Even the DJ commented that it was bigger then some weddings he had worked at. Darlynn spent most of her time changing like a host of the Academy Awards with a new special custom made outfit for each activity change. And from the glow in the dark margarita glasses to the sparkler filled singing of "Happy Birthday" the Stars were really out that night.

In September Bob turned 19 and submitted his mission papers. Darlynn started school and was placed on a fast track doing both 11th and 12 grade work so she could graduate a year early in June of 2010. I returned to teaching Seminary, this year the topic of study is the Book of Mormon. I also must have done okay at the studio because I am also teaching Musical Theater again, this time with 3 classes.

The next few weeks went quickly as we shopped and prepared for Bob's departure. He entered the MTC on November 18th to begin serving in the Utah- Salt Lake City South Mission. We are so very proud of him, but can't wait until 11/11 when he can return home to us again.

Now we are at the holiday season with it's hustle and bustle and are working to enjoy a busy 2010 with Darlynn's graduation, dance performances aplenty and all the adventures Bob will be having. So you'll want to keep in touch.

We hope everyone has a wonderful, healthy and successful 2010. Happy Holidays. Patty.

I'm a Working Girl!

2009-10-17T18:05:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted in a while, but things have been fun here at the McFadden home. Most importantly, me! lol I got a job at Sesame Place, and I'll prove it. Here's my very first "real" paycheck!And here are some pictures of me hard at work :)

I am pretty much best friends with all the monsters on Sesame Street! I know it's a tough job, but I guess somebody's got to do it...

Is It Over Already?

2009-08-31T17:26:00.002-04:00

Today my summer ends as I am "attending" my first day of school tomorrow. I had a fun summer mostly at my grandparents swimming in the pool, riding my bike, driving my Grandpa's John Deere tractor around, and spending time with my grandparents, but sadly the summer has to end. This first week of school will be the worst because we have all sorts of orientations and online meetings that I have to attend at certain times, so I have to be on their schedule, but after that I will be back in the swing of things with a little bit of school in the morning and a lot of fun the rest of the day! I love cyberschooling and the freeness it brings- so although the summer is over, the fall has just begun!

Sweet Sixteen!!

2009-07-27T08:53:00.009-04:00

My sweet sixteen was AWESOME!!!! I think MTV should have been there to show how cool my party was. I had a great time!! Everything went by really fast that night, probably because most of the time was spent getting into a new outfit!! My family is the best that I could ask for to do all this for me. Here are some pics from the party!! Check my FB for the rest.

My colors were blue and silver. My theme was "The Stars Are Out Tonight". We had stars everywhere! It was beautiful.

My aunt just got this amazing pool put in, so of course it had to be a pool party!

This is just a picture showing all the tables and decorations inside the tents.
One of the tablesThis is one of the table settings. We got real silverware because my mom says she needs a real fork to eat dinner. lol And the plates were this disposable plastic but they looked really cool! And the napkins were printed with my "logo" that was on the favors, glasses, and other things.
FOOD was catered by Georgine's. It was soooo yummy.
My Grandmom ordered desserts from this fancy bakery where she wanted my cake made. In the end, she made my cake, but we still had all this yum stuff!!

My Sweet 16. All candy!! I love it!!And she did an AMAZING job on the cake too!!
I love food, I had to throw in another picture.
My aunt loves balloons! We had balloon stars, balloon pillars, balloons everywhere!! She got a helium tank that fills 500 balloons and just kept filling!!

I asked my mom to make this board for me. She made one for my baptism and I still look at all the messages from the people I love. Another cool thing was while we were looking for something to prop this up, we found Penny's board from her Sweet 16!! That was fun to see.
Everyone held sparklers while singing Happy Birthday. It was an amazing sight to see.
This was my favorite dress that my aunt got for me. It was custom made!
We danced the night away!

I hope everyone had as much fun as I did!! This definitely was a night to remember, and I thank everyone that was there for a great time!

Watch The Skies!

2009-07-05T22:43:00.003-04:00

Because I'm flying!
That's right, I actually flew an airplane. It was an early birthday present from my wonderful grandparents!! I loved it! And my instructor said I am a real natural. So I could be flying everywhere any day now! If...getting a private pilot's license didn't cost $10,000. (then you have to worry about an actual plane) In the end, I loved the gift, and I loved loved loved flying in a real airplane even though I was terrified to be really controlling a machine that was 2,000 feet in the air. It's an amazing experience, and if you ever get the chance, don't be afraid like I was!! You won't be disappointed!

What to Say? We've Been MIA

2009-06-17T16:46:00.007-04:00

P.S. (Pre Script) This post is way too long for the average human to read in one sitting. Read in parts or your brain will overload.

Hey, that rhymes!!
Well, mom has been bothering me to update on here for a while now, so I guess I have to eventually. I think I've been dreading blogging because so MUCH has been happening here that there isn't enough time or blog space anymore to get all the details. Plus, my mom's laptop has a virus, so either Mom or Dad who usually use the laptop have been on my computer, or I'm too lazy to come upstairs and use my computer since usually I can go on my mom's laptop, eat, and watch TV at the same time. (Ya, that's really what I do when I'm bored.)

Okey dokey, let's start in...May? Doesn't seem too long ago, but if you were here for everything, you would not believe it's only been two months.
MAY 30~Katelynn turned 9!! She was talking about getting to make her own pizza at Uno Chicago Grill for weeks before, so her and a friend got to go and have lunch there. Then, we went to Neshaminy Mall, and then Katelynn and her friend played together for a while at home. It wasn't really a party, but Katelynn enjoyed it and I'm glad she had a good day.
Just FYI, I currently have NO pictures, so this is a completely boring and all words post, but I either didn't take pictures or (maybe??) lost them in the virus, sorry.
JUNE 7~ I graduated from seminary! Not really, but I did give a talk at the graduation, and my name's gonna be on the "Pennypack Plaque" (sounds cool when you say it, go ahead and try) for this year!
Katelynn died her hair!! It's still blonde, and it's not really all that different of a shade, but Aunt Penny wanted to do an experiment with hair dye and Katelynn was all for it. I think everyone noticed at dance, school, and church, Katelynn loved all the attention. My mom totally doesn't care, she says, "It's hair, it will grow back."Even the roots will be that color by the end of summer, since her hair lightens up from playing in the sun all the time anyway.
Speaking of being out in the sun...
JUNE 10~ (totally a guess since I was MIA and only got to see the finished pool)My Aunt Penny got a pool!!!! It's amazing!! 4 feet deep on one side and 5 feet deep on the other. I guess it's about 20 feet long? Am I exaggerating for the extreme fun we're going to have in it this summer?!!
JUNE 12/13~ Our Motion n' Dance (the studio I take class at) recital. We spent pretty much that whole week getting all the costumes, makeup, and hair stuff ready, Thursday was the dress rehearsal, and we had 3 shows between Friday and Saturday. Recital is always the most stressful thing of the dance year, but I enjoyed it, and so did Katelynn. We were supposed to get our dance pics on Thursday, but the line was too long, so now we have to wait for the proofs to be shipped, or they would be in this post. I just can't wait to see how the DVD comes out, I think everyone did really well!!
(By the way, if you didn't get a Simply Darlynn Dance Recital DVD and you want one, email me.)
JUNE 14~Ward Conference, we have a new bishop! I know he will do a good job and the Hiltons will definitely be missed, along with the Molens. :-( I'm not even ready to think about the Lawrences and Hamiltons and other families leaving this summer. Please stay!! I love you guys!!
JUNE 16~ Happy Birthday Poppy! Love you!

And now we're planning for my SWEET SIXTEEN!! It's going to be amazing, by the way. My aunt, grandmom, and mom are just awesome. Every time I see my aunt and grandmom, I get more and more excited!! And every time Katelynn sees them, she gets to go in the pool, so she doesn't even care. :)

All done!

2009-05-09T19:14:00.001-04:00

I uploaded some pics from the recital to my Facebook. Go check them out!! I hope the recital DVD will be done soon, too!

Say What?!

2009-05-01T22:12:00.001-04:00

I just was looking at the pictures on my camera, months after I said I would upload, and I realized I have like NO PICTURES!! That did NOT work out as planned. I have pics of my decorations, but there are none with people in them, or at the actual recital. Please send pics! I NEED some!!!

Christmas Everyday!

2009-04-22T18:02:00.002-04:00

We had another GREAT recital this year!! All the kids were soooo cute! And they all did great, even the little pre-dancers, just being cute made them perfect. :-D It was a great night! I think everyone had a good time. Plus, the show ran much smoother this year.
I have pictures, but I haven't uploaded them yet. I will have them up as soon as I can.

Thanks to all the families for the flowers and GIFT CARD!!! I just got back from spending some of it! Thanks!!! You guys are awesome!!

I WIN!

2009-04-17T16:41:00.002-04:00

The only two people who commented on my contest post can't come to the recital tomorrow!! Come on guys!! Well, I guess I will just take up the whole front row! See ya soon!
CORRECTION: Since Tricia and I were up until about the same time last night for stuff to do with this recital, I have compassion, and Tricia, you can have some front row seats. Congrats! (a little late) ;-)
P.S. Natalie and I were just talking about how you get always those Red Box movies back late!! lol And you are so funny Mallena!

Recital Stuff

2009-04-11T16:02:00.003-04:00

I'll be doing the drawing for the front row seats on Friday. The seats will be reserved at the recital! Good luck to everyone who's entering!!
If you didn't get your tickets today, comment this post and we'll work something out for you to get them before Saturday.
By the way, the dress rehearsal went great today! I'm so glad we had a chance to test out all the audio before we had trouble during the recital again. :-) All the dancers did a wonderful job! Can't wait to see them for the real recital next week!

Contest!!!

2009-03-29T11:07:00.002-04:00

I haven't had a contest in such a long time!! Or posted, for that matter...things have been crazy in the McFadden house!

But you guys are going to love this one! It's that time of year again-I'm giving away

FRONT ROW SEATS TO THE SIMPLY DARLYNN RECITAL!

Anyone who can get to Philadelphia on April 18th to see this event can enter! Leave me a comment on this post as your entry. Good luck!!

I'm Sorry!

2009-02-17T14:34:00.002-05:00

I know I said there would be tons of new stuff here, but alas, the family is not as blogger savvy as I am. As you can see, I've tried to change as much as I could, but no one else wants to write a picture story! If you have me on Facebook, just check out all our pictures there.

I'm also sorry that I never comment on anyone's blogs! You might see a weird comment occasionally from me, but those comment forms never seem to work on my computer. I wish I could reply to your posts and questions, but I can't. I'm not ignoring you, I promise! Especially you, Mallena, I see your comments on all of my posts, and I'm really sorry I don't comment back, and I can never tell you about it since you're not here!

Ok, that's all. I'm sorry.

My Picture Story: The Best Things About Vacation!

2009-02-03T12:14:00.003-05:00

Here are some of the things you reeeeaaaaaaaallllllllllllyyyy appreciate when you finally can go on a vacation!

Lots and lots of laughs!

Someone else makes your bed!

You get to meet cool new people!

You see great places!

You don't have to cook your own food!

There's no school, no chores, no laundry, nothing but fun!! I loved this vacation. It was much needed, and I'm so glad we were able to have a great week together. Now, I just have to convince Mom and Dad that we need to see California!

We're Back!!

2009-02-01T16:16:00.003-05:00

You are going to love all the fun new stuff on this blog when I get it all up! Everyone in the family's going to write a picture story about what was their favorite part of the vacation! There will be a new background, new pics, and lots of posts! I know, you can hardly wait. :-)
Now let me go get all the pics uploaded!!

Finally!!

2009-01-19T13:11:00.002-05:00

We're getting some good from all this freezing weather! IT'S SNOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope some of it lays and we can have some fun soon!

Happy 2009!

2009-01-12T13:47:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year! It's back to the daily grind now that holiday breaks are all over, and things have been too crazy! I hope everyone had a happy holiday. May you all enjoy the freezing weather of Philadelphia winter! I hope at least we get a good snow storm soon...

Lights at the Temple

2008-12-22T18:17:00.003-05:00

I know this is a little late, but two weeks ago, we went down to Washington D.C. to see the lights at the temple. It was amazingly beautiful. Here are some of my favorite pictures!

The reflection of Jesus in the glass makes it look like he's at the temple!

And here are some funny pictures of Bobby in the visitor's center...

Here's my mom in front of her favorite Christmas tree.

Bob also thought it was funny that one of the screens in the visitor's center wasn't working...

We're Going to Disney World!!

2008-11-30T18:24:00.004-05:00

Mom and Dad booked our trip, so it's official! We'll be vacationing this January! The special was stay 4 nights in Disney, get 3 nights free, so we're going to stay right in the park, too! I'm so excited, I can't wait! And the best part? After being in Orlando 5 times, I finally get to go to Sea World! I have no idea why we never went before while in Orlando, but this time I was firm in my Sea World demand, and Orlando here we come! Well...in 2 months, that is.

Can you believe I will wake up tomorrow and it's already going to be December?! Good thing I only have to Christmas shop for a few people and most of my shopping's already done!

Hope everyone's well!

It's freezing!

2008-11-19T10:07:00.004-05:00

It's literally freezing outside right now: 32 degrees. The wind chill is 21!!!!! I'm not sure if it's gotten this cold before this season. Even though I was hoping we would have "fall" weather for a little longer, I love winter! Freezing temperatures means it's time to pull out the 2008 ice rink! That picture is from last year, if you don't recognize it. I think we're actually going to do a bigger rink in Bensalem at Aunt Penny's house, because she has more space for an ice rink that you can actually skate on!
Enjoy winter, 'cause it's already here!!

ONLY 9 1/2 MORE DAYS!!!!!

2008-11-11T13:37:00.006-05:00

Until Twilight comes out!!!! I am so so so so excited!!!!

I took the Twilight character quiz, I'm an ESME!
Plus, just as a warning...Fandango and Movie Watchers have already been selling out of tickets in some places. I gotta get my mom to pre-order some!

Yes, I Know

2008-10-27T15:21:00.006-04:00

I haven't blogged in ten whole days! And there are a LOT of things I've forgotten in recent blogging anyway. So here's my hugely long catch-you-up.

I got a new pair of black heels! They're from Macy's, and although they were a splurge, I couldn't pass up a pair of beauties like that. (BTW, I did mop the floor after seeing this pic and realizing how dirty it was.)

I made a marble cake, and because I think they are the coolest looking cakes ever, I decided to share a virtual slice with you! Yummy! Actually, this is a cake I made for Briana Evigan's birthday, but she didn't get any. But that's why the frosting is orange, it's her favorite color.

I got a new purse! I was sad that I didn't win in the contest, but I got something anyway!

Mom got surprised with a new dining room set. I'm really bad at taking surprise pictures, so Katelynn is beaming here and Mom still hasn't realized what happened. Here's what it looks like: (The dining room is finally done!!!)
Just FYI, our house is not full of orbs, our camera's lens is messed up from rain damage because of my hurricane obsession.

Here's a little behind the scenes extra: Bobby cooking! Actually, I made him pose for a picture when he agreed to help me chop butter with a fork for apple crisp. He's really mad in this picture because he doesn't understand why he has to get his picture taken just for trying to help.

Hey!

2008-10-08T14:06:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to remind everyone that comes to dance that the schedule will be different from now on. Don't come at your previous time because it will not be your class!

9:00-9:45 Ballet for all ages
9:45-10:15 Creative Movement/Tap for 2 year olds
10:15-11:00 Tap for all ages
11:00-11:45 Jazz for all ages

Also, for future reference:

11:45-12:15 Finale for everyone
12:15-1:00 Mommy/Daddy Tap

Those two classes are not starting this week, but we will be starting our finale in a few weeks, and if there is enough interested we'll also be starting the Mommy/Daddy tap.

Hope to see you on Saturday!

Dance Classes and Green Grasses

2008-09-30T11:09:00.006-04:00

Gotta love the fall! I love the leaves and it's not too cold or hot. It's perfect. Another fun part of fall is that dance classes start again! Unfortunately, we have to go back to school, too, but dance pulls me through. I'm loving the dance classes at church, guys! Thanks for so much wonderful support! I know we will have a good year, and trust me, I already have amazing ideas (well, at least I think so). I can't wait for the leaves to start changing, I love how beautiful it looks!! And, just so this post isn't all about me:

Dad's been busy with work. Work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep. There's his schedule.
Mom is liking seminary and loving dance classes.
Bobby needs to get a job! Just kidding, he's going to start with Best Buy any day now, as soon as they can get their computer server fixed to check his drug test results. You'd think Geek Squad would fix it, but they're too expensive, teehee.
Katelynn LOVES school! It's so awesome that she doesn't complain about getting up in the morning to get ready or doing her homework.

Happy First Day of Fall!

2008-09-22T10:14:00.004-04:00

I love fall! The leaves are beautiful and the weather is great!

Have a happy day!

Experimentationalphying

2008-09-15T10:41:00.003-04:00

My favorite thing to do is take a complicated meal, make it homemade the simplest way I can think of, and serve it so people think I spent the whole day in the kitchen. (Well, not my family, they know better.)

My most recent quick fix is chicken pot pie. You would not believe how easy one of these is to make with food storage! You just drain a can of chicken, 3 cans of veggies, take a can of cream of chicken soup, and two pie shells and it's done. Lay out the pie shell, put in the veggies, soup, and meat, pour half a cup of water over everything, and put the other pie shell on top. Cook that for half an hour at 400, and you've got a dinner that no one will guess only took you 5 minutes to prepare. I love it!

Tonight, I'm going to make beef and noodles, another half hour dinner. But I don't think I'll fool anyone into thinking I spent extra time making this one...

Seminary, Daily Study Edition

2008-09-11T12:54:00.002-04:00

Our first week of seminary is over! Yippee! We had a good first week, considering it's early morning now.

Yea, we got through the first week. Barely, but we got through. Now we just have to get some more people on board! Chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga SEMINARY!

Hop on board, my mom needs some more people who are actually awake in the morning! haha

Hurricane Hanna Hit My Hometown!

2008-09-09T10:59:00.011-04:00

I think I've become obsessed with the sky. Every time there is a big storm, I'm outside taking pictures of it. My neighbors are used to seeing me outside in a tornado warning, pointing my camera towards the sky. All the time when we're driving, I'm constantly saying, "Mom, look at the sky!" "Mom, the sky looks so beautiful tonight!" I don't know what it is, but the sky never ceases to amaze me. I'm almost equally obsessed with the weather. So I was outside during Hurricane Hanna last week, you guessed it, taking pictures of the sky and the trees blowing in the wind. Once when I went to take a picture, I opened the door and it blew back and almost broke off the hinges! All the pictures from then on were taken from inside the door. I have a ton of pictures of the sky during tornado warnings and on sunny days, but here's how Hurricane Hanna went...

These are from Friday. The sky was absolutely beautiful, the blue was magnificent and the clouds were puffy and perfect. It was hard to believe we'd be having bad weather in less than 24 hours.

But, alas, the weather came. These first two are from the morning.

Then the rains came down and the wind sped up! I took the first one to show you that the trees were bending and the one below is to show you how fast the wind was. Look at that flag go!

I was taking this picture when the door flew open. I almost dropped the camera, so it makes everything look worse than it really was.

And then, Sunday morning. It's amazing how quickly the weather can change. The sky was blue again, and the sun was shining brighter than ever.

This is a video I took from Bobby's window. It kinda shows how the trees in our backyard were bending and blowing around.

By the way, it's also raining outside now, but I can't get a picture because I'm stuck doing schoolwork. I don't know that I'd want to be out there right now, though, anyway, it's really pouring!

Tag I'm It!!

2008-09-08T11:58:00.004-04:00

I'm so excited that Patty tagged me!!

Rules Once Tagged:
1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
5) Let them know they are tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger (who tagged you) know when your post is up.

Ok, here are my random facts: (Should I have written randomness about me??)
1. My two greatest fears are needles and roller coasters, yet they seem to pop up all the time. I am constantly going to the doctor's, and the rest of my family all love roller coasters and are bugging me to go on one.
2. I love LOVE LOOOOVVVVE cooking. My favorite part is that I can always think up something new and experiment, I don't have to have the same boring old thing every time I go into the kitchen, even if I always have the same ingredients.
3. I am one of Briana Evigan's biggest fans, although you've probably never heard me say that before or know who that is. When I say I'm her fan, people usually don't know who I'm talking about, and that makes me upset for her, so I only bring her up to people who do. (By the way, she was in Step Up 2.)
4. I am cyberschooled, and I hate when people ask me what school I go to because they think my mom teaches me when I say I stay at home, but I don't like explaining the school.
5. I am crazy about a billion TV shows. I have so many many many favorites that I can't miss, but there are so many that it's hard not to miss them. That's why we have TiVo!
6. My favorite hobby is dance. I am at my dance studio almost every day of the week, and I love it. I just can't stop dancing! I also love to share my love of dance with other people. I want everyone to feel the same way I do about it!

I only know 4 people that haven't been tagged already. :-( I need to expand my blogging circle.
Anyway, I tag Allison Taylor, Amanda Elmer, Casey Elmer (they both blog, ok?!!!), and Mandy Horrocks. Have fun!!

Happy Birthday Bobby!

2008-09-05T20:14:00.003-04:00

I made Bobby two cakes for his birthday. One was embarrassing, and one was more embarrassing. Love ya Bob! Too bad you don't like cake!

I mean to him, not to me!! I am pretty proud of myself on this one! In case you can't read it, it says, Totodile says Happy Birthday! And then it's a little Pokemon. He's like a little kid when it comes to Pokemon!

And this one says Happy 18th Birthday, you're growing old! I thought he would get a kick out of that.

By the way, I did mean to make it green and red, my red always comes out pinky though.

This is For You, Allison!

2008-09-03T12:38:00.002-04:00

Before I get back to school, here's an AWESOME casserole recipe I got from my teacher. It's soooooo good!

Here's what you need for 2 casseroles (one to eat and one to freeze):
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 cups of rice
2 sleeves of Ritz crackers
2 cups of sour cream
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
2 sticks of butter, melted
Celery
Onion

First, you chop the chicken and boil it in a pot with celery and onion. If you chop it, you only have to boil it for 20 minutes. If you want to chop it afterwards, it will take 45 minutes to an hour. Then, you take the broth from boiling the chicken and cook the rice in it. Next, you mix the sour cream and cream of chicken soup together. After that, you shred the chicken. You can just pull it apart with your fingers. Then you just have to layer everything! Put the rice on the bottom, the chicken on top of that, the cream and soup on top of that, the crackers on top of that, and pour the butter over everything. Remember, you only take half of everything and put it in two 9x13 pans. You bake them at 350 for 30 minutes.

I made this last week, but I forgot to take a picture. Try it though, you will love it!

Ahh...Those Were the Days...

2008-09-02T10:54:00.002-04:00

Well, I'm back in school. We're starting slow this week, but I can tell it's going to be a big workload. At least I don't have to go anywhere!!

Anyway, yesterday we really enjoyed our last day of freedom. Dad took us tubing on the Delaware! Unfortunately, everything gets wet when you're tubing, so I don't have any pictures.
I think tubing has become a family tradition. Mom hates it, Dad loves it, and the older siblings go along for the ride just to get to tease the youngest one and scare them about alligators, and somehow, hippos. Yeah, I was scared of hippos in the Delaware the first time I went tubing. I don't know who thought it up, but when the thought's in your head, those rocks sticking out of the water look like a pretty scary hippo! Anyway, we had alot of fun. This time, we all ended up out of our tubes in the deepest part of the river. Sure, when we're all trying to float on that one inch of water above the rocks, we won't get out, but when we can't see the bottom, we love flipping! Katelynn flipped out of her tube, so I thought it would be easiest to walk over to her and pick her up to put her back in. Not so! You may be going slowly when you're in a tube, but the current's really strong when you're not! So then Dad was trying to lean over his tube to help Katelynn and he flipped, too. Somehow, Bobby managed to stay in his tube while putting us all back in. Well, that was my last day of freedom, now I'm stuck here learning about all the tests I'm going to have to take this year. Ugh....

SONIC'S OPEN!!!! (But don't plan on going anytime soon)

2008-08-27T17:32:00.003-04:00

Yay!!!!!! Sonic's finally in Philadelphia!!!! And it's finally open!!!! Here's the proof from their website:

I was so excited to see people building that beauty right next to the Texas Roadhouse. That's why yesterday, I knew exactly what the surprise dinner was going to be. The Sonic was open!!! But, when we got there, there was a staging area that went behind the Golden Corral WITH 60 CARS WAITING! At least! I'm not even exaggerating. Well, I guess everyone else was as excited as me! I can't wait to get there as soon as the line goes down!! Can you?

Green Eggs and Ham!

2008-08-15T18:10:00.002-04:00

There were some ham steaks in the fridge that I'd forgotten about, and I didn't really know what to make, so I came up with green eggs and ham!

Once I had the idea, I couldn't wait to make it! It just sounds so fun!

It tasted really good! It's weird, though, when you cook the eggs and know that they are ok, but then you have to eat them when they're green and look so strange!
Katelynn really liked it! Mom did, too, but she's camera shy so this is the only picture.

You should try it sometime! Here's a warning, though, tell everyone what's going on before you put green eggs on the dinner table. Your kids/siblings will look at you weird if you don't! Luckily, Katelynn caught on quick. She couldn't stop asking how I got the eggs green!

Pictures

2008-07-21T12:19:00.005-04:00

I feel like every time I come on here to post pictures, I post an incredibly ridiculous ton of them. Oh well, here they are anyway.

Mom got a new calling, seminary teacher, and she decided that we will now 'enjoy' early morning seminary. I might complain alot, but I actually can't wait. It's an exciting change for everyone, like it or not.

These are some pictures of my first homemade chicken pot pie. We had pie crust in the fridge, so I thought, why not? We didn't have any cream of chicken soup, so I made my own. That was a first, too, and both turned out pretty good.

We got a wii!!!! I enjoy it so much. We have been enjoying the wii fit, and all the laughs it brings as we watch each other try to master balance or strength games. You might imagine my mom trying to beat the ski slope game, and me easily hula hooping thousands of spins. Bob likes faking the strength training exercises best, and Katelynn still can't figure out how to balance across the tightrope. I think I'll get some pictures up of that soon. I found out that even my Dad was trying it out while Bob and I were at the youth swim party!Here are the long-awaited dining room pictures. It really did take me too long to put these up. Well, here's the dining room with the paint worn-in!

Oh! And here's my oven, which I think came before the dining room was redone. It was so long ago, I forget! That's real bad... Anyway, isn't she a beauty? Yea, I was planning to make a cake with a mix. I'm a beginner, what did you expect?

Yup

2008-07-13T16:35:00.001-04:00

I finally got the template change to work for me. It's different enough that I don't think we'll have to change it for at least a week.

To Those That Have Been Asking...

2008-07-11T11:19:00.003-04:00

Since I reopened The Babysitter's Blog, I have had alot of calls and comments about babysitting.

Yes, I babysit.

That's my answer for all of you, because I didn't know whether I should comment back all of you and now I know that you all know my answer. Well, if you're reading this, of course.

I hope you are!

Anyway, call or email me about dates and times and stuff and I will get back to you asap. I am getting better about checking my GMail daily, I did when I was in school, but somehow in the summer I started the habit of only checking my AOL. Now, I can almost promise I will get back to you within 24 hours. (Sorry Kelsey)

Happy Fourth of July! (Is that late or what?)

2008-07-07T08:05:00.000-04:00

Another Monday has rolled around, can you believe it? I can't believe that every time I look at the blog it looks like before I changed it. I'm working on doing something about that....

So, this weekend. Yippee for the three day weekend!

Friday was a happy fourth. We went to a barbecue at a friend of my grandpa's like we do every year. He owns ALOT of property, it has a lake and a river and a pathway through a kind of forest and probably 50 acres, not exaggerating. We have alot of fun playing games and eating and enjoying the day.

Saturday passed by quick. To be honest, I don't remember at all what we did. Did you spot us anywhere? Let me know.

Sunday was great! We got to go to Souderton because Poppy was going and visit with the people up there. Afterwards, I was so tired that I barely got home before falling asleep. Not until this morning like last week, though, I did get back up and we relaxed for a bit before going back to bed.

Hopefully I will remember Saturday soon, replace that, and erase this. I might never, though. Isn't it strange that you can have a great day and forget it and then later you remember how great it was and you've already told someone it stunk?

Well, this Thursday is my grandma's birthday, so I'm sure we will be doing something fun this weekend!

I Don't Like Boredom

2008-06-16T10:46:00.004-04:00

I was thinking about my weekend and how crazy it was, and then I thought, "WOW, am I really that bored right now?"

Yes, I am. Well, here's the weekend when I wasn't bored.

Starting on Thursday because that's when it all began. Thursday was my dress rehearsal. Besides dancing, I was getting things together for my director's and teacher's gifts. My one teacher is retiring, she used to own the studio, so I was having everyone sign mat boards to go around pictures in a big gift for her, and the new owner's gift was a collage of pictures of all her new students.

Friday was our VIP Showcase show, where everyone got to perform their solos and duos and special numbers. It was really crazy, but still fun. When we got home, we were so tired.

Saturday we had two shows, a matinee with all the little babies dancing, then lunch, then the nighttime show with all the big kids dancing. Saturday was a long long day and a late late night.

Sunday was Father's Day! Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there!

Well, you would think I would write more being bored and all, but no, this is it.

Number 6

2008-06-09T10:56:00.002-04:00

I don't know how to open this post, so let's just get into the weekend!

Saturday was hot hot hot. I was outside at my studio selling lemonade for Alex's Lemonade Stand while Katelynn was on the corner with another girl holding signs to get people to buy lemonade. Mom was inside copying music for our close close recital. We raised $150 to a great cause and Mom probably messed up the music. But that's just her....

Sunday was hot hot hot, too! We went to church and then to my dance teacher's retirement party and then to the seminary graduation. I got two awards, 100% attendance with makeup work and reading the whole Old Testament and Bobby got his one year of seminary senior certificate.

I think we're in a heatwave now because today is so hot hot hot. I think it's supposed to go over 100 degrees here! I think I'll be inside alot today!

Anyway, this week starts the weekend. Good thing I'm done school! Thursday is our dress rehearsal and Friday and Saturday are the recitals for my dance studio.

Major Motion Pictures

2008-06-03T08:55:00.009-04:00

When you asked for pictures, you probably didn't know you'd get all this:

This is me dancing at a surprise 50th birthday party. We would have a picture of Mom dancing because she did, but who would have took it, everyone was on the dance floor!

A few weeks later Penny started cutting down the dead trees around her house. This is the before...

This is how happy she was that they were down without falling on her house...

And this is the after on one side...

And the other.

This is the beautiful bride of the wedding I was in.

And this is Katelynn, Penny, and I all very happy to have our picture taken. I thought we had taken better pictures, but I guess we didn't.

All I can say about these is I am so happy Patty Sampson is around to take some actually good pictures and I hope she never leaves.

These are pictures of Bob and his date before they went to prom.

And, knowing Bob, they couldn't leave without taking a funny picture or two.

Oh, and then there's what we did last night...

I was so scared, but...

My friend Penny flew down the stairs like there was nothing to it. This really hurts your butt and thighs. But it IS fun if you can get over that...

OK, all done! Credits roll!

MOVIE STAR: Darlynn
Funny Camera Stealing Guy: Bob
Cute Kid: Katelynn
Auntie Victorious: Penny
Bride: Melanie
Prom Kids: Dan, Kai, and Rachel
Friend Having Fun With a Sleeping Bag: Penny

Number 5

2008-06-02T14:05:00.001-04:00

Sorry I’m posting so late in the day, but I’ve been having some trouble with blogger. I’m actually typing this in a word document right now and as soon as I can get into my blog I’ll copy and paste this into it. If that makes any sense, congratulations! You are so smart to be able to follow through that that you now get to read about the McFadden’s weekend!

Saturday was a blessed day. Words cannot express the spirit felt at Katelynn’s baptism. It was amazing to watch my big brother baptize my little sister. I am glad we put out chairs because I wouldn’t have been able to stay on my feet.

On a less spiritual note, the sundae party afterwards was so fun! Everyone loved the ice cream and all the toppings, including me!

We finally found the camera, thanks to Mom (and Bobby in an indirect way)! Mom’s been moving all the stuff from our ‘lounge’ (the middle bedroom made into a playroom) to the basement to get ready for Bobby moving back home. (That’s his indirect involvement.) She was digging around one day and found it in the basement, although we have no clue how it got down there. We did take the camera to the baptism, but being so busy with everything else no pictures got taken, sorry. Prom pictures did get taken the day before, though, and hopefully you will be seeing them soon.

I think that’s a weekend and more in a nutshell. This week (no end, lol) I will be finishing school, with my lovely finals. Oh, happy day! Bobby will be moving back home because he’s finished school, and Katelynn is right now on her last school trip of the year and Friday she will be having her “Spirit Day”. This weekend, we have three graduations (not for each kid, for two kids and three things), a potluck, and hopefully a waterslide, but not in that order. More information if you check back next Monday!

Number 4

2008-05-27T07:54:00.002-04:00

Happy Memorial Day a little bit late, everyone! I hope you all had a good day honoring those who have served for us and this beautiful country!

This weekend was a good one! Three days of fun!

I was in a wedding on Satrurday! We got our hair done in the morning, then we did our hair and makeup and took pictures, then we went to the church, then we went for more pictures, and then we went to the reception. It sounds so simple when I put it like that! Well, this was my first time being a bridesmaid and I loved helping the bride! I was so happy to be a part of her special day. :-)

On Sunday, I went over Grandmom's and we had a lot of fun. At night, we roasted hot dogs on their fire pit and joked and told stories until late because we didn't have work or school in the morning!

On Monday, we brought some more stuff from their old house, it just keeps popping up from nowhere, and then we barbecued played in the sprinkler.

Now I'm back at school. At least now it's only a four day week until next weekend!

Number 3

2008-05-19T10:44:00.002-04:00

What a great weekend!

Saturday morning, we helped move even more stuff from Grandmom and Pop-Pop's old house. I just don't know where they keep getting it from!

Then, I baked some brownies for a birthday. After putting them on the plate, we were off to dance.

After dance, I went out to dinner with my cousin who is getting married this Saturday and her other bridesmaids. We had a great time! We messed up our orders so bad and confused the poor waitress! In the end, we enjoyed the time together, though!

Sunday, we had seminary, church, lunch, and a nap before going home for some more relaxing. Sundays are getting into a good pattern. I like it! But that means we are going to have something happen very soon to ruin it....

I hope everyone else had a great weekend!

I'm in a wedding this Saturday and seminary is luckily cancelled on Sunday so I can sleep in an extra hour. Yahoo!

Number 2

2008-05-12T06:53:00.002-04:00

Saturday was so much fun! In the morning, I student taught at my dance studio because two of the student teachers were sick. Then I had my dance practice.

After dance, we went home and got changed and went to my friend's singing recital.

Right after the singing recital, we went to a surprise 50th birthday party. The birthday girl wasn't too happy about it at first, but we eventually all were having a great time.

Sunday was Mother's Day! Happy Mother's Day a little bit late, everyone!

We gave Mom a bracelet and a necklace, but they didn't match her outfit so she didn't wear them to church. We were supposed to get her a top, too, so that wouldn't happen, but Bobby's work schedule didn't allow. (By the way, they made him work in his cast. It's off anyway, now, though.)

After church, we had Mother's Day dinner and gave Grandmom some flowers and then Mommy took a nap.

Can you believe Sunday this weekend was actually kind of boring? I know I wouldn't!

Don't miss Number 3!

Number 1

2008-05-05T08:22:00.002-04:00

This was not the best busy weekend, unfortunately. Sunday was good, but Saturday was....well...bad.

We got to sleep in Saturday morning, which was so great! We watched a movie, and then got ready and went for my dance class.

After that, we went to K-Mart to grab some stuffs and then we went home.

At about 5:00, we got the bad phone call. Bobby was on his way to the hospital. It turned out only to be a sprained wrist, and he only has the splint for about a week, but it was still a bad finish to the day.

Nope, I'm Busy!

2008-04-29T13:32:00.003-04:00

The title of this post is most likely what we will say to you if you ask if we can do anything from now until July. It's crazy! It's a good thing I ended dance classes in April because if they went into May they'd be cancelled every week!

We've got something every weekend-baptisms, weddings, birthdays, graduations, dance recitals, dance competitions, picture days, and oh so much more!

Plus, I've got to go shopping for Mother's and Father's Days!

It will be hard to find time to blog with all these fun things happening, but they are really fun, so I'll try!

While You Were Out: McFadden Family Edition!

2008-04-21T10:37:00.002-04:00

Having Dad working nights and me home all day can be dangerous! Mom finally settled on a color for the dining room and before she could change her mind, Dad painted it!

Monday night, Dad went to Lowe's and picked up the paint. We hid all the stuff in the basement overnight.

Tuesday morning, Mom left for work and her dining room was plain old white, and when she got home it was blue!

Unfortunately, I have lost my beloved camera so I don't have any pictures. The dining room's not done anyway, though. We're still deciding on a woodwork color and looking at new furniture. I'm sure I'll have pictures by then!

What A Weekend!

2008-04-14T08:03:00.007-04:00

This weekend has been the craziest, most stressful, most tiring, most wonderful, most rewarding, and best, weekend of my life. And that's an understatement!

I wish I could have gone to the sleepover Friday night, but we were too busy packing all the stuff for Saturday night and hanging curtains early Saturday morning.

Here's my crazy day:
Saturday morning, 9 AM, we sewed and hung back, side, and front curtains. Then, when I left for my practice at my other studio, my grandpa put up chairs and Katelynn made some signs. At 3 when we got back, we had a quick lunch, then we hung the signs, put up the stand for the camera, and blew up balloons. Right after finishing the balloons, Grandmom and Penny came with the food and hair and makeup stuff. Katelynn started her hair and Grandmom started making trays of cookies and treats for intermission, which she bought just to make the recital better. At about 5:30, Dad arrived with Mom's surprise flowers. At 6, Brother Hitchner arrived and started setting up the camera. When Katelynn's hair and makeup was done, it was my turn, but we were interrupted a few times because of people arriving and the projector and sound system being set up. When I was done getting ready, I helped some kids get ready and got into my costume. After a crazy last half hour, the show started. There were some bumps in the road, but I think everything was great overall.

I was so nervous for my tap solo, it was the first time I'd choreographed something for myself and actually performed it in front of people.

I was so proud of all the little dancers! They were so cute in their costumes! I know they were nervous and scared, but they all went out anyway and did their best! They were AWESOME!

Thanks to the Elmers, you were great! I thought your family presentation was hilarious, and I thought the fancy billy goats were so cute!

But after the show, things didn't end. After cleaning and loading up the car, I don't think we'll ever get everything back to the house. We left the church after 9, and didn't get home until 10:30 with other things we had to do. Brother Hitchner is still finishing the video, and I'm already thinking about next year. I hope things go just as well!

Oh, by the way, thanks for all the flowers! We had so many, we didn't have enough vases to hold them all! We were putting them in cups, buckets, pitchers, but we got them all in some water and now they fill the whole table. They're beautiful!

What a Week!

2008-04-04T06:37:00.004-04:00

Wow, what a boring week! No, just kidding!!

Here at the McFadden house, we are going crazy planning for two recitals. We are working for the program booklets (get your questionnaires in!), planning the program line-up, getting last minute costumes, putting together music, making sure everything's ready for the last class, and of course just sitting down sometimes because being that crazy can go to your head. I'm sure you guys have NO idea what happens when my mom and I are crazy.... ;-)

Yesterday, I had fun because Patty and I both ditched and went out for ice cream! Yummy! We took Katelynn, and let me tell you, never give a kid ice cream and then take them into a toy store. BAD IDEA. I feel so bad for Patty, I think she's now decided to never ever have kids. With all the TROY TROY TROY and BRATZ BRATZ BRATZ and DOLLS DOLLS DOLLS, well, I'm sure you have no idea what happens when a kid is crazy in a toy store, either.....

Bobby came home yesterday night, and that was fun. He's such a great big brother. We're always joking around and laughing when Bobby's home.

OK, I think that's enough of an update for me. I hope you guys had as great of a week as we did!

Happy (late) Easter!

2008-03-24T06:47:00.005-04:00

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter! I know we did here!

P.S. Every day, I'm going to remind you about my ongoing contest until it ends. Check it out! http://phillymcfaddens.blogspot.com/2008/03/contest.html

Hello...

2008-03-20T10:49:00.003-04:00

Well, it looks like I've posted almost every day this week even with Spring Break. I thought I wouldn't, but I did. Aren't you glad? ;-)

One of the most wonderful parts of Spring Break is the first day of Spring, which is today.

What a beautiful creation.

Another wonderful part of Spring Break is Easter. We went shopping for our Easter dresses yesterday and got great outfits. Easter is a huge holiday in my family. This year is going to be great because now that Penny's got alot of land, Katelynn can have an outdoor easter egg hunt. It's a first for everyone, and we're all excited.

I love Spring. I love Easter. I hope you do too!

P.S. Every day, I'm going to remind you about my ongoing contest until it ends. Check it out! http://phillymcfaddens.blogspot.com/2008/03/contest.html

My Visit to Montrose

2008-03-17T11:03:00.006-04:00

I realized today that I had forgotten to put up my pictures from my visit to Montrose way back when. Well, here they are!

Halfway through the drive, we realized it wouldn't be so bad.
It looks like we're going to drive right into it until...
We do! There's a tunnel through it, how cool!
View from my window on the way up...
Another view...
Our house for the weekend. ;-)

The gift shop was in the McDonald's!

The view from my teacher's house.

Another view. Behind the trees, you can see some houses where the rest of the families are.

This is my teacher's new house. It was beautiful. There he is standing in the doorway!

It was a great trip. There were beatiful views, the hotel was nice, and my teacher was great. It was so neat to learn from him in person! (He's the youth Sunday School teacher in his branch.)

My teacher's wife's grandfather bought a HUGE plot of land, and as their family grows they build new houses. It's great that her grandparents, her parents, her sister's family, and her family can all live so close together.

Ridin' On the Sick Train

2008-03-11T08:01:00.004-04:00

I hate this ride.

Unfortunately, we never get a choice whether we want to ride or not, we end up buckled in and already moving before we realize we've changed our minds.

I hope this train gets a brake quick because I am getting tired of this crazy weather and crazy health issues.

Katelynn got called home from school yesterday, isn't going today, and only has short days for the rest of the week. Lucky her! When I'm sick, Mom says, "OK, go lay down. I'll bring in your computer for you."

One of the benefits of going to cyberschool [NOT!].

Well, that's what's going on over here. I hope Katelynn gets better quick, before she can pass it on to any of us.

I'm Livin' for the Weekend....

2008-03-10T06:55:00.002-04:00

When I was 9, my favorite show was 'The Weekenders'. In the theme song, they said, "I'm livin' for the weekend!"

Well, I have recently learned that the weekend is not always the favorite day to live for. Of course, Saturday is one of my favorite days, but not when it's the kind of Saturday we just got through.

Every Saturday morning, Dad makes us a big breakfast, Bobby comes home, we have a great time. Well, with our oven in shipment, he couldn't make us what he usually does, but we did have homemade breakfast sandwiches and they were really good.

After breakfast, we were off and running. First, came my favorite part of every Saturday. You're probably already familiar with it. Simply Darlynn DANCE

After the three classes, I practiced with Giselle for a bit. Then it was time to run off again.

When I looked out the window, what did I see? A thousand gallons of rain falling and soaking me!

We ran to the car, and off to my tap class. When we got done there, we ran home to get some stuff we forgot. Then, we went back up to church to get ready for the spaghetti dinner.

Some of you know the power went out at the spaghetti dinner, but we still had a good time.

After the dinner, we went home and fell into bed.

I just can't wait until next Saturday, we are going to be twice as busy! I know we are going to have fun again, though.

Messiah

2008-03-07T09:21:00.003-05:00

Last night, Kelsey took me to see 'Messiah' by the Pennsylvania Ballet.

It was beautiful. I loved it. It was great to spend time with Kelsey, and to be able to see the ballet! Being a dancer, I enjoy and appreciate it so much.

I hope you all get the chance to go and see this show because it is truly amazing. The choreography is beautiful and it is such a perfect compliment to the spectacular music. The whole time, you won't know where to look because there are three amazing things happening at once.

Thanks again, Kelsey, I had a great time!

Mondays Are Boring

2008-03-04T06:58:00.002-05:00

Well, usually they are. But Mondays can't be boring when you have a crazy brother who has off and comes down for a visit.

So I was going about my usual morning routine when I heard the front door open. My first reacton was,"I thought Dad was home already?"

But then Bobby came bounding up the stairs. It would have been better if I had off school, too...

So, I finished up my schoolwork while Bobby played around on the other computer. When we finished, Mom invited us to lunch, so we drove up.

Lunch was yummy. I loved it. We went to Applebee's, and they have these little chicken sandwiches that are so good!

After lunch, Bobby drove me back home and then he had to go to work.

So I just went back on to my boring Monday. The good thing, though, was that I got to see Kyle XY. I am so sad that it is ending soon. I can't wait to see prom!

My Weekend

2008-03-03T08:19:00.002-05:00

I had a great weekend!

My mom, Katelynn, and I went up to visit with my LDS teacher in Montrose, PA. We had a great time.

We stayed at a hotel with a pool, and it was fun fun fun. They also had a free breakfast, so we had delicious cinnamon buns without breaking the sabbath on Sunday.

My teacher and his family were so nice, we had a wonderful time. He is also the teacher for the youth Sunday School, so I got to learn from him in person. It was neat.

They just built a house, and it was beautiful. They also had the same exact double oven I want (except in black and I want white)!

I took alot of pictures with the beautiful scenery we saw while driving. But I can't download them to this computer, so I will put them up later.

BENIHANA

2008-02-29T07:33:00.003-05:00

Last night, Dad took us to a restaurant called Benihana. It was so cool!

Benihana is a restaurant where you order your food and then a chef comes out to cook it in front of you! He does tricks and throws knifes, it was great!

When you go in, you have to wait until there are 8 people, and then you go sit around a grill. It was Japanese food, and it was GOOD!

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so no pictures. Maybe next time, we are definitely going back!

The Weather Report

2008-02-27T08:52:00.003-05:00

Today is going to be COLD COLD COLD, and tonight is going to be EVEN COLDER.

Isn't it great?

The ice rink is in it's prime this time of year. ;-) If it's not snowing, it's freezing (literally) and that's such a great type of weather for freezing ice.

Unfortunately, I think Katelynn is losing interest and sometimes she's the only one who can use the rink. I hope she starts liking to skate again.

I think I actually know why she doesn't like skating. When I moved the rink onto the cement to make it more level, it became less level. I tried evening it out with a wooden board underneath, but it doesn't really work because it's too far to one side. I have been trying a technique to build the low side up until it is taller that the high side and then I can fill up the high side until both sides are even and thick enough to skate on. If that makes no sense at all, I completely understand. It's hard to explain, you have to see it to know what I mean.

Anyway, Katelynn can only skate on one side of the rink, and with a teeny rink getting cut in half, that leaves barely any room for her to do the things she likes to do (go around the rink, spin, criss cross her feet to try going backwards). When I get the rink full and completely ready for her, I am pretty sure she will like it. Maybe I should get her an audience, too, so she doesn't have the choice of stopping....

Kyle XY

2008-02-26T08:05:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, after watching Kyle XY, I found out that there are only 2 more episodes until the season finale. It seems like all the good things in the world are coming to an end.

I love Kyle XY. On yesterday's episode, he made such a funny face that I was laughing at him so hard.

This isn't the face, but it is a picture from the episode.

I felt so bad that poor Kyle was sick. I was glad when Adam Baylen could help him. And it was so cool to see the secret message!

I hope you enjoy Kyle XY as much as I do!

My First Recital (For the Second Time)

2008-02-25T06:50:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I was sitting with my mom in Relief Society because we are together on the fourth weeks, and I heard about a youth temple trip March 22. Mom looked at me and said, "I guess we'll have to cancel classes that week, too".

It's funny how the first thing that comes to mind when I think about anything is those cute little girls in tutus and frilly skirts and those cute little boys in funny bug hats.

Anyway, once she said that, I started to count on my fingers the weeks and then how many more weeks we would have to practice.

It was a shock that I could count them on one hand. I almost fell over! It makes me feel so scared, but so excited. I only have 4 more precious weeks with those little kids to help finish their dances and get them ready! But that means I have 4 more weeks to wait until I see the beautiful outcome I know will come from this year!

This year has been such a wonderful experience and a wonderful time. I started out not knowing what to expect or how I was going to deal with kids for an hour, and came out like a true teacher (or how I view a true dance teacher), watching 4 kids showing their best kicks across the floor while taking attendance, talking to a parent about next week's schedule change and thinking about where I was going to hang curtains for the recital. Screaming at one girl to straighten her leg in the middle of having a conversation. People think we are crazy, but hey, that's what we do.

It's amazing how at the beginning of the year I turned to my mommy to help me with every little thing, and now she can go do her thing for three hours and watch occasionally as I teach with confidence. I know some of the parents must have been so skeptical of me, I was too. But through the year we have all worked together and worked hard, and you are going to see a great outcome in (AHH!) 6 weeks.

P.S. If you are wondering about the crazy title, this is definitely not my first ever recital. This is my first recital as a director or even a teacher. That's what makes it another first. It's going to be completely different than the chaos of being a dancer, it's going to be another new thing we are going to have to work hard to get through. Be glad you will turn into the audience door if you will be, anyone who goes behind that sign 'For dancers and their parents only' is stepping into a whole different world.

Dance Info

2008-02-22T12:40:00.001-05:00

I sent this email out to all the dancers, but I'm not sure if you got it so here it is again:

Hi! It's Darlynn writing to let you know we are going to have a little change of plans in the dance classes over the next two weeks.

This Saturday, there is a funeral at 11:00, so we will be having each class only 30 minutes long. The schedule will be 9:00-9:30 for tap; 9:30-10:00 for ballet; and 10:00-10:30 for jazz. Please do your best to come on time this week especially, because if you are 10 minutes late and take 5 minutes to get ready for class, you will have already missed half the class.

If you cannot come to class, this week or any other week, please call me or email me to let me know so I don't hold up class waiting for you. My phone number is 215-335-3022, my mom's cell phone number is 267-265-4001, and my email is phillytapdancer@aol.com.

In two weeks, Saturday and Sunday are stake conference, so all classes will be cancelled.

Please take these shortened class times and cancelled classes as opportunities to practice on your own as the recital is April 12 and fast approaching.

Also, since the recital is coming soon, you will be getting more and more information over the coming weeks about the recital. Be prepared!

As a quick reminder to those classes that have already recieved costumes, they are not for dress-up and they are not play clothes. Please keep your costumes clean and neat for the recital. After April 12, you can play in them, but for the recital in April we want to look our best and that means everyone should look their best.

Yipdy Skipdy!! YAHOO!!!!!!!

2008-02-21T21:19:00.006-05:00

We FINALLY got to go skating again! I was soo excited when I went out and the ice held me up! I've been looking and looking every day for the last two weeks, at the rink, at the current weather conditions, at the forecast for the next few days, I've been so ready to get back on the ice!

Can you believe it? You finally get to see me on the ice! Here are some more pictures of Katelynn, and even a picture of me! Not so much that I am proud I got to go on, I am proud of those beautiful bright white skates! Aren't they beauties?

Look at the feet! Look at the feet!

Don't fall over!

Take a bow!

It's also snowing outside which means it's really cold and wonderful! We might even get enough to go sledding! I love winter! Don't you?

Twilight Twilight! TWILIGHT!!

2008-02-20T07:28:00.004-05:00

The cast for the Cullen Family in Twilight the Movie has been announced on the Stephenie Meyer movie page!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, I can't save the pictures to this computer, and I can't copy them from the website, so I can't put them here. You can go to stepheniemeyer.com and get information about all the other stuff going on there, too, though!

Short on the entry for today, but no short on the excitement! I can't WAIT for the movie! Or the book!

Finally, A Good Adventure in Cooking!

2008-02-18T17:30:00.002-05:00

So, last night, I decided to make chicken noodle soup all on my own (well, with a recipe). I was a little wary at first with all the first time disasters I have had, but finally I had a good first result.

Wanna see? I was so proud I took some pictures. My mom was laughing at me the whole time because I am so great with this blog.

This is the soup, steaming, as my cooking always is. Seriously, I learned to cook from my Grandmom, she and I cook HOT.

Katelynn liked it, and she's the cutest, so I had to take a picture of her.

My Rachael Ray pot. I'm so dang proud of having it, I always have to show it off. Isn't it beautiful?

Anyone Going to Oregon?

2008-02-15T07:51:00.002-05:00

This Sunday in Portland, Oregon from 1 until 5, open casting calls are being held for extras, feautured extras, stand-ins, and photo doubles to be in Twilight. Oh, how I wish I could be there. Anyone going to Oregon this Sunday? Any chance I can tag along?

Also, the prologue and chapter 4 of Breaking Dawn are now posted on the Stephenie Meyer page: http://stepheniemeyer.com/. There is also more information about the casting calls if you really are going to Oregon. Even more information should be coming soon about other cast members for the movie. So check there all the time! (Or here, you know I will be talking about it alot.)

Thought I'd let you know because I am so excited I can't keep it all to myself!

Winter Blues and Jazzy Happiness

2008-02-13T08:16:00.004-05:00

The icy snow storm yesterday got everyone mad and upset, but it was probably the best day of this week. But that's only because it was cold. Because cold means ice. Ice. You get it?

Well, cold can make bad ice and good ice, and unfortunately enough it made the bad ice first.

I had to crack all the ice up from Sunday night because leaves were completely covering it and leaves are very bad for ice, they make it very weak. If there would have been no leaves, things would have been good, because the ice froze very very quickly, but I had to work hard to reverse the process. I moved the rink, too, it is now on the (almost very nearly) level cement instead of the bumpy grass and the bench that was on the patio is now facing the rink for fans of the skaters (or tired skaters, maybe even both).

After the rink was moved and settled, it was time to put in water, but as the ice originally in the rink had frozen so fast, the spigot where the hose connects had frozen even faster. I thought for a day and a half about what I would do, but didn't come up with anything until 2:00 yesterday. We were too late to give the empty big 5 gallon water bottles to the water man yesterday, so they were sitting there waiting to be filled. I attached the hose to our basement sink (our kitchen sink spigot can't attach to a hose) and filled them up. It took me 30 gallons to halfway fill the rink, and man were they heavy, but I did it. And hopefully it froze overnight. So I will add some more water today, and maybe before the end of this week we will see some skating going on!

The Twilight Series

2008-02-07T15:55:00.001-05:00

I first found out about this series from Mom going to the book club, and I am glad I did. These are truly some of the best books I have ever read. Now, I am really really really excited for the upcoming movie AND new book, all before this year ends!

A movie is being made from Twilight (and hopefully all the other books, too) and the release date for it will be December 12th. Only the people cast for Edward and Bella have been announced, hopefully more will be soon.

This is Robert Pattison, he will play Edward.

This is Kristin Stewart, she will play Bella.

August 2nd is the release date for Breaking Dawn, the 4th book in the series, and I can't wait until I get my hands on it! Even sooner will be the cover release!

I find all this information from stepheniemeyer.com, check it out all the time because there's lots of information coming out about the books and movie, and even more information coming out about other projects Stephenie is working on, like Edward's version of Twilight- Midnight Sun.

Contest

2008-02-05T08:05:00.000-05:00

Another jewelry contest!

Teresa is holding a new contest over at her personal blog. Those entering have a chance at winning a beautiful floral necklace created by Lori Jaclyn. She’s willing to ship the prize anywhere, so anyone is eligible to participate!

It's called a 'Diva Necklace', by Lori Jaclyn. Hurry and enter, no entries will be accepted past February 17th. This time you don't even have to have a blog to enter!

Nobody's Losing

2008-01-31T07:18:00.000-05:00

"One warm evening during the past summer months Sister Ashton and I enjoyed a professional baseball game. During the early part of the competition our attention was diverted from the action by a late arriver. As he walked by, he spotted me and asked, 'Who's losing?' I responded with, 'Neither one.' Following my answer, I noticed that he glanced at the right-field scoreboard, saw the game wasn't tied, and walked on, undoubtedly wondering about me. Seconds after he made his way to a distant seat, Sister Ashton said, 'He doesn't know you very well, does he?' 'What makes you say that?' I replied. She responded with, 'If he did, he would know you don't believe anyone is losing. Some are ahead and some are behind, but no one is losing. Isn't that right?' I smiled in approval with a warm feeling inside. Proper attitude in this crisis-dominated world is a priceless possession. Never before is it more important for all of us to move forward with conviction. We may be behind, but we are not losing if we are moving in the right direction. God will not score our performances until the end of the journey."
--Elder Marvin J Ashton, "Who's Losing?" Ensign, Nov. 1974, 41

The Tipping World

2008-01-30T07:23:00.000-05:00

Bobby got his hair(s) cut Monday, and afterwards he gave a $3 tip. Then he went around the rest of the night thinking (and saying out loud) "Did I give her a big enough tip? Should I have given her more?"

This happens to me sometimes. Like when I got the pictures done for Christmas, or when we get hot wings and I answer the door, or even when I go to the hairdresser's. I never know what kind of a tip to give. And when we ask Mom, she just shrugs her shoulders. Then, when we are far enough away, she admits that we should have given them more. Of course. Thanks, Mommy dearest.

Can I Talk About Anything Other Than Skating? NO

2008-01-29T08:24:00.000-05:00

One of the problems with starting so late in the season is that noone sells ice skates anymore. Katelynn was already set because she uses my old ones, but I needed something to use. I looked all over, and nowhere to be found were skates. We went to Target, Wal-Mart, Toys R' Us, nothing. Finally, last night, we went to Modell's, and of course they had a pair since most people that buy skates from them go to indoor rinks. So, finally last night I got to skate!!! I prefer not to share pictures, though, only Katelynn loves that. She was so funny again, from all the skating movies she has watched she has learned how the competitors interact, and she looked at me after my first skate and said, "That was an OK warm-up, amateur, but you'll never be better than me." I guess we need to take some ice time out to show her proper 'ice manners'. She's cute, anyway.

By the way, if you have skates, I would stop by some time. As long as you are brave enough to hope the ice doesn't crack beneath you, go ahead and give it a shot.

You might be wondering what people think of our mini rink. Most are skeptical until they see Katelynn out there twirling that it will hold anything up. Some wish they had skates so they could hop on. Others watch for a few seconds, say it's cute, and keep walking. I thought people would think we are crazy, I mean, what would you think if your neighbor pulled out a shallow pool in the middle of winter and started filling it it up?

Skating! (FINALLY!)

2008-01-28T08:39:00.000-05:00

The ice was finally ready yesterday! Well, not for me because I was afraid of breaking it, but for Katelynn! We went out, and she was skating around for a little, but I started to hear the crackles and I told her we would go on in an hour when it had a bit of time to strengthen again. We called and told Grandmom and Penny, and they were so excited they came down to see her! This time she showed off, doing spins and little jumps, and scaring us all silly that she would fall (or break the ice and go through, whichever came first). Anyway, the first time she skated the camera was being silly, and I only got two pictures, so I put it on the charger and when Penny and Grandmom came down I got a few more. If you can't see them that well, it was at 7:30 at night and we only figured out to turn the outside lights on after I had put the camera away. These two are her the first time she went out, she was doing more posing than skating.

Here's the rink, it looks smaller than it actually is.

These three are her skating. We were both so excited. In the one above this, her hands are that way because I caught her trying to balance herself. She had quite a few close calls, but never fell. At first she couldn't get around, but she quickly learned to push herself forward. Bad and good, we don't have walls around our mini rink. It's bad because Katelynn could fall since she has nothing to hang on to, but still good because she has to skate and not hold onto the wall the whole time.

She was so cute the whole time. We have little blue bracelets from a block party that are her 'skating tickets', and she had to put one on everyone's wrist before she got started. After her first skate, she came in and said, "Now that I'm a professional, can I have a treat?" I had to laugh, she is so funny!

Ice Skating

2008-01-23T07:53:00.001-05:00

It's amazing how all we have to do is nothing, and we have tons to write about in our blogs. At least I know that's how it is with me. You think, "Oh, things are so boring here, nothing ever happens, that family is cute, they have a lot going on, I think I'll read her posts instead of writing my own." Then, BAM, every day a new comedy comes along and I have something that I have to put up.

Today, ice skating. Ice skating has been a big thing in my family, all the attention being given after all the fun I had at the youth's combined activity 2 weeks ago. I loved ice skating since I was 5, even got a pair of skates, but they were never used since we didn't have ice rinks around here back then and we never considered making one of our own. So, the bright, sharpened, white skates remained untouched, and they still are in the same box. Either way, 6 years later, at 11 years old, I decided to try my skills on a rocking cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic. I LOVED it! And the next time I cruised, an ice rink was the first thing I made sure would be there. Unfortunately, I took a dangerous spill on the ice and injured my back the second day. It wasn't that bad, but I still never returned to the rink. 3 years after that, I went to the youth activity, a little nervous, and clinging for dear life to the wall at first. I didn't fall once, and I sped around the rink while most of the other youth slipped and bumped and, well, we all had a lot of fun. ;)

That night, I told my mom how much fun I had, and I begged her for a week to take my sister and I back. I begged for another week, although this time I knew she would say no and I was in the process of coming up with another idea.

Ice N' Go. The name thrilled me, but the price didn't. I had to find a way, though, this opportunity promised skate after skate after skate of pure joy! EBay sold them for 1/3 of the price, but still too much for a babysitter's budget. I searched through DIY information, and amazon, and google. I compared prices and planned and thought of what I would do. Have you figured out what I wanted? Of course, it was my own rink. My own ice skating rink, where I wouldn't have to beg my mom to take me to, because it would be at home. My lawn was too small, but I asked Penny. We planned together. Finally, I found the rink. It wouldn't have to go to Bensalem, but it was big enough for me to enjoy. It wasn't what I had planned for, but it was in my price range and it could be here soon! What wasn't to love? It's a circle, about 10 feet in diameter. It looked like a pool, and it was $40. Best of all, it's on it's way!

I feel like I've written you a fantasy for my post today, but that's the story. Now all I have to do is look for skates that will fit me, the ones from long ago will probably be too small for even Katelynn.

In the Kitchen (And Nothing Good's Coming Out)

2008-01-22T08:26:00.000-05:00

I am SOOO glad that people are reading and commenting on the blog! I'm sooo happy that you guys are happy! You guys make me want to be on here 24/7!

So, for today's blog, I decided to talk about cooking. Last night, I decided I was going to be a great daughter and make chicken fingers. I looked all over for recipes (even on the Smorgasbord) and I couldn't find anything anywhere that didn't involve me going to the supermarket for 20 more ingredients, so I decided to wing it and vowed to put the recipe up on here for the world to see how to make a good chicken finger with stuff you already have in the kitchen cupboard. Bad idea, really. Don't ever do that. It was probably the worst cooking disaster from me so far, especially because we all ended up eating cereal for dinner. I was nearly in tears when Mom came home, and I told her I had disgraced the chicken finger everywhere, when she brought in the greatest surprise ever! She found my dresses that have been missing for months! I thought they were all at Goodwill, but they were just hiding in the back of a closet at Grandma's! Good thing they are moving, or those dresses would have been lost forever!

Anyway, back to cooking. I am glad that I try new stuff all the time, because I am DEFINITELY learning. Almost every time I decide to try something new, a bad thing happens, but that just means I know how to do it differently for the next time. Maybe when I finally get my bakery opened up, I will know how to do lots of things right! And, if you find any easy recipes for me to try, I'll gladly accept them, but you might not see anything good come from it until about the 4th try!

High School Musical

2008-01-18T10:02:00.000-05:00

For the past two days, it has been really cold outside, so Dad told Katelynn yesterday to put on an undershirt, her uniform shirt, and a sweater. Today, she came down, all proud of herself, and said to Dad, "Do you want to see my undershirt?" He said, "Sure." She showed him that she had on her High School Musical nightgown. He said to me, "At least she will be warm." I never understood the obsession with High School Musical. Sure, watch it, sing along to the songs, but don't go as far as Disney has. Every movie before High School Musical that was a Disney Channel Original stayed on the TV. This one, though, has made madness! Katelynn has the DVD, the soundtrack, the shoes, the sheets, the nightgown, do I have to go on? Of course this was mostly Christmas, but why are the things being made in the first place? The next movie is going to hit theaters!

That's not to say that High School Musical and High School Musical 2 aren't two of my favorite movies, or that I don't sing and dance along.....