Mall + Santa = NEVER AGAIN!

Normally, I take Randi to downtown Spotsylvania on the morning of our annual Christmas Parade to meet and spend some one-on-one time with Ole Saint Nick...He rides at the end of the parade in a big red fire engine. Since we know where the fire engine is staged, we take the opportunity to get there early, chit-chat about her year, propose her ideal Christmas presents, and take advantage of the photo op....however, this year I was running a bit late and promised Randi I would take her and punks to the Mall so she could hand off her Christmas list get her picture taken......stoopid me....I've never experienced this before, and never hope to again....we arrived at noon, when Santa 'opened for business'...about an our later, Santa went to lunch.....for an hour......and we waited.....and waited.....and waited.....all three of us.....thank goodness I'd packed a few bottles and diapers! Anyways, it was not until about 3pm that we finally stepped passed the gatekeeper and entered Santa's humble abode.....

All that aside, I'm glad the little brat got to pass off her Christmas list and get some much needed Santa-love....she would have waited days for the experience and been none the worse for it!

...and that CJ got his first visit with the big man. Unfortunately, CJ had fought through his nap time and was less than chipper come his special moment in front of the camera, but he wasn't intimidated by Santa at all.....that's my boy!

Sophie, on the other hand, was terrified.....which was to be expected....she is our tender, sweet, and easily intimidated child....the photographer did a great job of distracting her long enough to capture a not so terrified mug shot....

...but once she got a good look at that scary old man....

All bets were off! This is an honest photo though....one that I think captures the true personalities of my punks....silly kids.

Needless to say I'll be waiting for Santa in downtown Spotsy bright and early in 2011! I'm a big fan of the personal and prompt Santa experience!

Happy Holidays!

The Roehl Punks

Party Time!

Tis' the season for Holiday Parties!!! My dear husband's Christmas party was last weekend and we always have a really great time....good people, good food, and good music guarantee that! It was a bitter-sweet occasion though, as his company recently announced their sale and this will be the last company-wide function we will attend as MTCSC.

My company held it's annual Christmas Dinner this weekend. VNE is a small company owned and led by former Marines....Employees are a close-knit group of like minded souls...in other words, a hell-raising bunch of folks! Dinner was fabulous and the President even had a few kind words to say to the raucous crowd. It gets better every year!

Happy Holiday Parties!

Leah

Not MY kids!

I love ice cream.....I MORE than love ice cream....let me explain.

When I was pregnant with Randi more than 5 years ago my doctor told me to increase my Calcium....but I am not a milk drinker, so he suggested ice cream! A man after my own heart! So I took him up on that suggestion....all in the name of health, of course! Except that after Randi was born I did not stop....I mean, if it was GOOD for me, why stop, right? You would be hard pressed to come to MY house and look in MY freezer and NOT find a carton of the calcium fortified frozen yummy goodness!

That said, imagine my surprise when after dinner one night I offered the punks a little taste of my ice cream and was met with denial...my own flesh and blood! How could it be? Well, see for yourself....

Who implanted these little imposters into my home? They could NOT be mine! Sigh.....well, at least I can rest assured their will always be plenty for me!

Happy Health,

Leah

Troy-Bilt Big Red Tiller FOR SALE!

UPDATE: Congrats & Merry Christmas to Jerry!

Troy-Bilt Big Red 20-Inch 305cc 4-Cycle Briggs & Stratton 1450 Series Rear Tine Garden Tiller with Electric Start

LIKE NEW: Used less than 5 times over the past year and stored inside
PURCHASED FOR $3000 in 2009 from Dickenson Equipment

"Big Red" Horse is the flagship of the Troy-Bilt fleet of rototillers. The "Big Red" is fully equipped for the heaviest-duty jobs in gardens over 2,500 square feet. Perfect for soil preparation and groundbreaking, the "Big Red" tiller has the power and durability to tackle all of your garden challenges.

• Forward-rotating tines for premium garden soil preparation
• Cast-iron transmission with bronze gear drive
• Standard electric start for easiest starting
• 4 forward, 1 neutral, and 2 reverse speeds
• 20" tilling width
• 12" tine diameter
• Adjustable tilling depth up to 8"
• Standard power take-off (PTO)
• Just One Hand operation for easy maneuverability
• Factory-installed full wrap-around front bumper included
• Full-sided tine shields for operator protection
• 16" ag tires
• Accepts a wide variety of optional attachments
• 2 year limited manufacturer's warranty - refer to online owner's manual for exclusions
• Limited lifetime warranty on transmission
• 305cc/14.5 ft-lbs gross torque* Briggs & Stratton Powerbuilt engine with 2 year manufacturer's warranty
• *ft-lbs gross torque per SAE J1940 as rated by engine manufacturer @ 3060 rpm

SOLD

Happy Holidays!

Leah

Roehl Family Photos: 2010 Edition

Jamie Lynn Photography

It's hard to believe the last time we pulled the lot of us together for family pictures was 6 years ago! After seeing the amazing job that Jamie did for a friend of mine, I just couldn't wait another day! We've added 3 whole punks to the family since then! Couldn't wait to get a few new shots framed, and Jamie has not failed to deliver....one of her proofs is shown here with her permission....you can see more at her website using the link provided above. The mother load of proofs is in the mail and headed our way...just in time for Xmas! Will share some more as soon as we settle on our favorites....

Happy Holidays!

The Roehl Family

A rite of passage...

It's like she knew what was coming....


...when we started to mark her ears.


7 months is how old her big sister was when she got her first set of earings too.....she can relate.

...and she got over it just as quickly.

Happy Bling, Baby!
Ma

My man is on the roof...

My man is on the roof
Oh I hope he does not fall

My man is on the roof
Lordsy Mercy ain't it tall?

My man is on the roof
...and I've never seen him madder

Then when he realized his dear wife
had gone and moved his ladder!

Thanksgiving Greetings!

For the first time in several years we celebrated Thanksgiving at our own home. Traditionally, we travel to California where we get to catch up with my side of the family over some entertaining discussions and great food....although we had to cancel the trip this year, we were still lucky enough to have Gma Kathy and Gpa Craig around to enjoy the feast with us!

I haven't stopped eating since 9am....the banana pudding is calling to me as I type!

Lots of love and well wishes from our family to yours this Holiday season!

Here's a little clip that most of the world can relate to as mother nature litters our yards....Leaves happen!

Happy Holidays!

Leah

What the????

I thought I might take a few minutes this week to do a little analysis on my website statistics. I like to see how bored people have to be to find themselves poking around my complete failure of a blog...the endeavor never fails to confuse, annoy, and completely entertain me!

The results of my keyword analysis tell me that the highest percentage of unique visitors to my website (those that arrive by chance using search engines) come here looking for: WARNING ADULT CONTENT

What the? Seriously? I can only imagine the total disappointment when they arrive at my blog and are forced to look through all my family pictures and farm rehabilitation stories...not quite the content they are most likely expecting! I can only speculate that THIS post is the culprit...naughty me!

Next, and as equally dumbfounding, are my MULTIPLE visitors who arrived here looking for: FAT CHICKS ON TRACTORS

Is that really something people desire to see? Is there an audience out there for this sort of visual? Because I can totally make this happen! I'm not getting any slimmer these days....I might just buy myself a new domain and capitalize on this one...I'm serious!...I blame THIS post. Whodathunkit?

I'd like to apologize to my visitor from Targu-mures, Mures, Romania, who did not find what he/she was looking for (0 returning visits)....I'd love to know how you found me!

Thank you, StatCounter, for your endless documentation of all things statistically intriguing.

Happy Trails,
Leah

Teething X 2!

Lordsy Mercy! Why didn't anyone WARN me about this! We have BOTH punks now in full out teething mode.....Little Man had his toofers come through this weekend, but the Princess is yet to present her pearly whites....a little prayer for my sanity, please.....as well as those that share my dwelling....times iz tough!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

Leah