School's Out For Summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So Stella has officially completed Grade 1 Math and Language Arts. We're still working on a few science and history lessons, but for the most part, our first "official" year of homeschooling has come to an end!! The first pic is of Stella mastering her Philistine warrior "Fierce Face." The second pic is her holding her Math workbook, the third is her showing us she finished all the lessons in that math workbook, and the last picture is her with a Chinese dragon she made for our lesson on Ancient China.....This year has been challenging, exciting, eye-opening, educational, thrilling, scary, frustrating awe-inspiring, and fun. I learned more in this school year than I have my whole life...I hope Stella can say the same...Wish us luck as we continue our great adventure into a second year of homeschooling.....following a much deserved break, of course!!!

This Is My Backyard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my backyard following a morning visit from my friendly, local Verizon Yard Destroyers!!!! If I wasn't convinced my grandma reads this blog I would have a few choice words to say in the name of FIOS progress( Gosh...did I even get that acronym right...I'm sure Jay will quickly correct me if I'm wrong)......ugh....Can the Internet ruin ONE more aspect of our lives????.......

PS--If you're looking...Here is the link to donate to our CHKD 8K:

https://www.active.com/donate/09runwalkforthekids/JDoak1

CHKD 8K, Saturday June 13th...Donate To An AWESOME Cause

I don't know why I agreed to this BUT Jay has signed us BOTH up for the CHKD 8K run! Many of you know I am NOT the athletic type by any means, but I have really gotten into running. After my surgery in February I wanted to find a way to get into shape and running seems to be as good a way as anything else...only problem with running is....well, it's extremely difficult. Especially for someone like me who has never really worked out regularly in their entire life!!! I seriously, in the beginning, could not even run to the end of my street without thinking I was going to drop dead. I'm still not sure if I can actually run for the entire duration of the 8K, but I am fairly certain I can make it to the end of the race alive (gosh, I hope I can)...

Jay has been determined and passionate about this race. He really wanted to give back to the hospital that has given us so much. Quinn was there the first two weeks of his life in the NICU and little Ashlyn had eye surgery twice last year @ the hospital. Those were the most stressful times of my life, but I believe my kids were in the best hands @ Norfolk's Children's Hospital. We are blessed to have such a wonderful facility in our area! I remember when Quinn first got transferred over to KD. He was not even one day old. Jay and I were terrified. We didn't even know if Quinn would live. We saw things in those ten days @ the CHKD NICU that we will never forget including, the healing of our precious little boy. So, please consider donating to our team! We hope to raise $500, but would be thrilled with more!! We will forever be indebted to the doctors and nurses at CHKD. This is our tiny way of giving back......

Here is the link to our team page where you can make a donation!!!!!

https://www.active.com/donate/09runwalkforthekids/JDoak1

WOW!

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kris actually won, people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Obviously the Doak house was thrilled last night with the results of Season 8's American Idol!!!! Did Stella call it waaaaaaay back in the early weeks, or what???? That kid may have a talent in the music industry!!!

For some reason the finale show didn't seem as painfully long as the ones in years past. I was actually enjoying it! Some highlights:

Kara outsinging Bikini Girl...and then STRIPPING! Ha! I'm sure she didn't win any haters over with that act, but I kind of thought it was funny...Ryan's joke about Bikini Girls implants....not so much....

Kris' duet with Keith Urban...pretty awesome!

Adam Lambert's mom wearing leather, fingerless gloves in support of her son...go Mom Lambert!!

Megan Joy actually sounding not horrible while performing with Michael Sarver and Steve Martin???

Allison's duet with Cyndi Lauper....totally awesome!!!!

and of course...Kris WINNING!!!!!!!!! How sweet and adorable was the shot of him hugging his wife and bawling his eyes out...sweet, sweet sweet!! I think America got it right. I don't think Kris is mediocre despite what some people say. And despite that horrible first single he has to work with, I think Kris will make a name for himself...I don't think Adam will have any problems in that department either!!!

It's been great chatting about the Idol this year. I'm sad it's come to an end so quickly!!!!

I Guess There Are Worse Things To Be Addicted To

Ok...people this is SICK!! I went BACK to Farm Fresh with ANOTHER set of coupons this afternoon......Here is what I got.....

Velveeta Shells and Cheese--(4)--FREE

Easy Mac Macaroni and Cheese (4)---FREE

Miracle Whip 32oz (2)---.50 cents each (these are HUGE)

Kraft Salad Dressing (2, Ranch and Caesar)---FREE

Chinet Paper Plates 36 count (2)--$1.00 each

Crystal Light Drink Mix (2)--.50 cents each

Maxwell House Coffee (4, 11oz bags)--$1.50 each

A1 Steak Sauce (1)--.99 cents

Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs (yes MORE 4)---.50 cents per pack

Cool whip (2)--FREE

Breakstone Sour Cream (2)--.33 each

Idol Chat...

Coupon Report

Hey Everyone:

Here is what I saved this morning @ Farm Fresh double coupon Wednesday!!! So excited!!!

Kraft BBQ Sauce--Free

Kraft Mayo 32 ounce (2)--.50 cents each!!!

Juicy Juice =--.50 cents

Pringles Potato Chips (2)--.89 cents each

Mission Tortillas--$1.19

Snyders Pretzel Pieces (2)--$1 each

Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs (4)--.50 cents each!!

Turkey Hill half gallon ice cram-.88 cents!!!!

Kraft Cheese Singles (2)--.50 cents each!!!!!

So I spent a total of $15.67 (got a few items like milk and bananas without coupons) and got 44.53 worth of stuff...That's a savings of 66%.....obviously just got a few things that had great coupon deals...I will hit the store again on Friday for my weekly shopping...Take care!!

A Quick Take

Ok!!

I don't think either Kris or Adam changed any opinions after last night's American Idol so I really think it's down to who has the most fans! The Kara song was pretty bad....Adam sounded shrill, Kris sounded winded.....I am eagerly anticipating tonight's results....I think I'll be happy either way....It's nice though that it's an actual competition this year...I'm going to miss this season's contestants....even Anoop Dawg....I'm predicting Kris with an upset....

Also did anyone catch Glee after Idol? It was actually pretty clever even though that dang Journey song is stuck in my head now!! Take care and have a fantastic day...I'll post Stella's stunning video commentary later!!!

Quinn Makes A Mess

So this is what happened today while I was trying to run on the treadmill.....

American Idol Has Driven This Family Crazy

So, good luck to Kris tonight!!! I'm really looking forward to both guys performing...It should be a great show! Check out our video commentary...Can someone PLEASE tell Quinn that Danny is OFF the show!!!!

The Black Eye

As we all know, black eyes tend to look much worse when they are healing...Here are a few pictures of poor little Quinn the second day after he got his black eye...

New Moon Is Going To ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG!!!! I can not wait until New Moon hits the theaters in November. Here's a look @ the first official ad for New Moon!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So exciting!!!!!!!!! Got this pic off twilightersanonymous.com!!!!!!!!

My New "Interest"....This Is A Good One!!!!!!!!!!

So, I was @ a birthday party last Saturday and I met this super mom, Stephanie...As we started talking I realized she was really into clipping coupons. I dabbled a little into coupon clipping last summer, but never really got the AMAZING results I heard other people on TV talking about! I was happy if I saved $20 a week, but couldn't believe some stories of women walking out of the store with hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise for only pennies!! So anyway, I was chatting with Stephanie when she told me she spent a jaw dropping $200 per month on her groceries (that's including toilet paper, people!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and she doesn't do Wal-Mart or Sams club........ She has three kids like me and needless to say, I was inspired. So, this morning armed with a few tips Stephanie had given me and my coupons, I hit Bloom for triple coupon day!!! My results were AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got $141.09 worth of merchandise for.....drumroll please......$51.89!!!!!!!!! How cool is that? Very, right? So here is a list of what I got in case you are skeptical that I purchased actual food products!!!! The price beside the item is what I paid for it!

Utz Ripple Chips (2)---$4.00

Eggo Waffles (2)---$3.79

Perdue Perfect Portions bnlss/sknlss chicken breast 24 oz (2)--$6.74

Ground Beef 3lbs---$5.82

Betty Crocker cake mix--$1.00

Betty Crocker icing--FREE

Knorr Pasta Sides noodles (2)--FREE

Maruchan Yakisoba Japanese noodles (5)---FREE

3lb bag of apples---$2.99

French's Fried Onions (5)---FREE

Bananas 1.22lbs--$.47

Red Grapes 2lbs.----$2.07

French's Worchester Sauce (2)---$.40

French's Yellow Mustard (5)----FREE

Minute Maid Cherry Limeade (2)--$1.58

Tyson Chicken Tenders (5)---$6.75 (that's $1.35 per box!!!)

Edward's Key Lime Pie (3)---2.25

Edward's Pecan Pie (2)--1.50

Dannon 6oz yogurt (6)--$1.20

Old Orchard Juice 64 oz (2)----$2.00

And finally...my only mistake of the shopping trip was

Kraft 2% milks singles (2)---$8.38 (very bummed about this one...the flavor cheese I got was NOT one of the ones on special...a newbie mistake for sure)....

GRAND TOTAL before tax---$50.94

Needless to say, I am thrilled with my results....I'll keep you all posted on my future shopping trips...K-Mart is having SUPER-DOUBLE coupons starting Sunday so I am all over that one....Wish me luck and take care!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Final Two!!!

Excitement reigned supreme last night in the Doak house!!!! Congratulations Kris.......and Adam!

Yipee!!!!!

My favorite moment of the night was when they announced Kris' name and they panned to Simon with a shocked look on his face!! Ha! Nice to know people have minds of their own and don't vote for people they are told to vote for!!!

May the best Kris....I mean, man win!!!

We Discuss

It's Gonna Be A Close One

Hey Everyone:

Ok so, last night's Idol was interesting to say the least...Couple of things to think about...

Does Adam have to include "the note" in EVERY performance?

What is Danny, like 54? "You Are So Beautiful To Me???? COME ON!

And do you think Kanye West will buy Kris Allen's first album?

All three of the guys did really good last night and I'm sure each one really pleased his fans.

The real question now though is--who will Danny Gokey's fans vote for next week...Kris or Adam? (Ha!!!!) I really think now it's just down to personal preference...So, who did you vote for and how many times? Bet you didn't beat me!! I voted for Kris 363 times...top that people....I have a secret weapon that allows me to vote an obscene amount. So, if you voted more than that and you actually dialed the number I take my hat off to you!!! It's going to be a close one. Definitely will come down on the number of times each person watching voted....or didn't!!!

May the best man come in second next to Adam! Good luck Kris and Danny!

One more thing...We all know I am biased, BUT Kris' Kanye cover was perfect...just awesome and I think it was his best performances (other than Falling Slowly) of the season!!!!!!!! You didn't see Adam up there without "the note," special effects, or funky camera work....Kris is so authentic....In fact, if he leaves tonight I will not be sad...He's so much bigger (ha!) than American Idol!

Poor Quinn

Our poor little Quinn took a tumble today while Stella was @ piano...He landed on brick steps...Luckily he checked out fine at the doctor's. Here are some pics of the poor little guy's black eye!!!!

I Don't Know Who's Weirder...Me or Jay...

Check out Jay's new version of the picture....look closely....

This Is Almost Better Than The Edward Blanket

Jay totally did this...no prompting required...love, love, love it....I think we make a cute couple....thoughts?

Mother's Day aka I Don't Know Why These People Insist on Taking My Picture As Soon As I Roll Out of Bed Day

We had a very nice laid back Mother's Day here yesterday! Jay had taken the kids up to Pots and Paints the week before. This is what they made.....





Very cute and really sweet!! Jay insisted on photographing me opening the present (which, of course, the kids insisted on giving to me as soon as I woke up)...needless to say...not a pretty picture...at least of me...Jay is darn lucky I didn't photograph him on the Slip n Slide later in the day.....

Sorry Honey But...I Slept With Robert Pattinson!!!!!!!!!

Ok everyone!!!!!

I got my fantastic Edward blanket in the mail on Saturday!! I ran to the door screaming, "Edward!!! Edward!!! Edward!!!" I'm sure the Fed Ex guy had never seen a more excited customer!!!! I ripped that bad boy open immediately!!!!!! I was thrilled...so much so that I really wanted to cancel all my plans for the day and curl up to spend some quality time with my sweet Edward....BUT I had to get a grip and function normally until bedtime (BTW is 4:00pm too early for bed?)....Unfortunately for me (and Edward), I had plans for the evening and didn't end up crawling into bed until a ridiculous 12:30 in the AM....I won't revel too many details, but it was definitly worth the wait!!!! Have a great day!! xoxo

American Idol Spoiler Alert...Judges Picks Have Been Announced!!!

Yipee!! Some of you may not like spoilers, but I am all about them and I just so happen to know this week's judges picks for each of the final three American Idol contestants. Stop reading now if you want to wait for tomorrow night's show!!!

Simon picks for Adam and he chose "One" by U2

Paula picks for Danny...she chose "Dance Little Sister" by Terence Trent Darby

Randy and Kara pick for Kris...they chose "Apologize" by One Republic

Once again...Go Kris!!!!

The three contestants will each perform one other song (their choice)!! So excited to see what they will all pick.

And I'm going to end by saying this...You people TELL me you are fans and you want ______ to win, but are you out there voting like a crazy person for your favorite or do you roll over and go to bed when the show is over???!!! You can't say you want Adam to win and then not pick up the phone for the boy!! So don't be mad when Kris takes the title this year cause us Kris fans are hard-core and guess what people???...WE VOTE!!!! Adam...you are going down , my friend.....Tiny people unite.....vote for Kris, ya'll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Band is Back Together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ha! Jay reunited with his old band Highwater for a show @ Lendy's in Virginia Beach this weekend. The occasion was to celebrate his friend Scott Kell's 40th birthday!! In true rock star fashion we missed curfew (sorry Sue), staying out waaay later than we normally do! Jay and the guys sounded great. The inner rocker in Jay definitely came out quickly....Here's some video of the guys playing one of their old songs, "Aunt Tessie."

Another Opinion

Hey Ya'll:
Before this becomes obsolete....here is some video commentary from Stella (and Ashlyn) regarding last night's American Idol..I wish I had thought to do this earlier in the season cause it's hilarious!!! Enjoy

Just wanted another excuse to fit a Rob Pattinson pic into my blog

Apparently I am driving my sister-in-law crazy cause she doesn't know if I got my precious Edward blanket or not for my b-day!!! And of course there is a story to be told so I will share it with everyone....why not, right?

So, even though I am obsessed with Twilight and Robert Pattinson I, for the most part, am able to function normally throughout my daily routines and do a pretty darn good job of making most people think I am a fairly stable person (maybe hard for some of my blog fans to believe, but in my real world I rarely drool over vampires).... So, my darling hubby really didn't know that I was serious when I told him I wanted that Edward blanket (or maybe he hoped I wasn't). He discovered my dirty little secret @ the same time as all of you...When my Edward blanket blog entry was posted! Needless to say he quickly got to work searching locally for my birthday present, only to discover that I am not the only CRAZY girl obsessed with Twilight (and/or blankets?). The blanket was sold out everywhere locally.

SO...how does this story end? Well, we ended up ordering my blanket online last night (you can track it here: http://www.fedex.com/us/?link=1 ....order number 722836576962818) And it should be here as early as tomorrow!!!!! So a belated birthday present, but eagerly anticipated nonetheless.....

And The Top 3 Are......

How nerve wrecking was the Idol last night everyone!?!!! I was on the edge of my seat and couldn't even breathe until they announced that Kris had made it into the TOP 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woo Hoo!!!! Go Kris!!!!!!!!!!! Once they told him to put his cute little (he really is tiny) self into one of those seats I was able to somewhat relax since I really didn't care who got the boot out of the remaining three!!! The first part of the show was somewhat unbearable....Did Paula really need to perform? Did Gwen Stefani really need to jump around stage until she was out of breath (or did she just come on stage that way)? And seriously, did anyone else find it strangely odd that Slash was a mentor, and then got up on the American Idol stage and performed with Danny Gokey of all people? To quote little Kris, "It's all very surreal."....I digress.....

Ok, so it was definitely a sad night for Allison fans, but she had been teetering on the brink of leaving for weeks now and at least she left on a high note (pun intended). I had a feeling it would be her, simply for the fact that she talked back to Simon following her performance.....It's clearly the kiss of death (Carly Smithson...anyone?)....

So, we are heading into the homecoming show and I personally can't wait to see all those little church ladies pinching Danny's cheeks, the clueless (and I do mean in an ironic way) girls screaming and crying @ the sight of Adam...we may even find out if Conway, Arkansas breeds tiny people or if Kris simply has a little bit of leprechaun in his blood......he certainly did get pretty lucky this week!!! Ohhhhhhh fun ya'll!!!! Have a great week!!!!!

My Birthday

Last night we celebrated my 35th birthday! Jay and the kids made a fantastic pineapple upside down cake for me!!! It was AWESOME!! We had so much fun!

Here I am making my wish (that I wasn't wearing this hat--kidding..kidding)

Credit Where Credit Is Due

I grudgingly must give credit where credit is due and say that Adam and Allison definitely rocked last night on American Idol. Adam's Led Zeppelin cover was pretty dang good despite the obligatory tongue close-up while he belted out his signature squelch. The definite highlight of the night was the Adam/Allison duet. Those two ruled Rock Night on the Idol! Kris and Danny did struggle..especially poor Danny...What was with that last note of his solo??...It was extremely hard to bear! For the record, I thought the whole duet thing was annoying and particularly biased toward Allison and Adam.....Of COURSE those two were paired together...ugh...So even though I admit that Adam and Allison did the best last night I will tell you all that I voted for our favorite- Kris for one straight hour (so embarrassing). Just not ready for that cutie to go home......

Tornado Hits Great Bridge

And that' s the truth....last night we got quite a little surprise in this neck of the woods when a tornado blew through the 'hood about 7:30pm. In typical Cheshire Meadows fashion we all rushed outside after the worst was over to---what? you may ask...gossip about it of course! It's how we roll here in Great Bridge. We had to talk about whose fence was falling down (Sharon's) who lost a pear tree (Rachel) and whose nailed down canopy blew into their pool (sorry Sarah). Luckily no one was hurt including Stella's newly cocooned caterpillars who were valiantly rescued by Jay just as the eye of the storm passed over our house (hmmm)...So, all is well here. My fantastically hardy tomato plants survived the brouhaha, but we must all keep our fingers crossed still for those guys...They have survived a brush with Mother Nature, but can they survive a season with Donna Doak as their caretaker? This remains to be seen. Have a beautiful day!

My Birthday...ok not really...Edward again!!!

So my birthday is coming up next week and other than peace on earth and good-will toward all what I REALLY super-want (as Ashlyn would say) is an Edward blanket. What, you might ask is an Edward blanket? Well it's a blanket with a gigantic picture of Rob Pattinson who plays Edward in the Twilight movie plastered all over it...and it is simply the most gorgeous, lovable, huggable blanket any girl could ever ask for. I am seriously serious. I don't know why...I can't explain it...but I want that dang blanket more than I have ever wanted any other material possession...ever..really. Weird, right? So why not go out and just buy the darn thing for myself? Well in my world/mind--you should come visit sometime it's really fun--that would just be WEIRD...I just can't bring myself to walk into the store and expose myself like that. It would not be a pretty sight to see a nearly 35 year old mom walking into a local Hot Topic store shaking with excitement as I slap down my credit card and purchase such a thing from a nose-pierced, tattooed 18 year old. I can just see myself dragging Stella with me as a beard.."Oh, ok Stella I don't really approve, but since you've worked so hard and saved all your money I just can't say no to that silly Edward blanket..." And Stella would of course, sell me out and totally tell that sales person, "Mommy, you're crazy...that blanket is for you."

So you all know I have this....ummm thing... for Twilight and my BFF Sarah can swear to you that I also have this thing for blankets...REALLY...I love blankets. I haven't ever really analyzed this, but I'm sure it has something to do with my obvious troubled childhood--kidding, dad--mom....just grasping here..... So here we are: My obsessions have converged....Twilight and blankets all rolled together into one. A better birthday gift could never be given.....That pillowcase wouldn't be turned away either....

There's A Party Up In Here.......

Today Stella threw a Jonas Brothers party in honor of Disney Channel's new show starring well....the Jonas Brothers. Stella is "unconditionally and irrevocably" into those Jonas Brothers in a way that would rival any teenagers' infatuation with any celebrity. She loves their music and I suppose the boys themselves....At first, I was a little alarmed...my sweet little five year old (she was five when this obsession began) already into a boy band...how could this be? But her obsession seems fairly harmless as far as obsessions go so I haven't discouraged it quite yet (although come to think of it, I may not be a great judge of that-hmm). But anyway, we had the party today to celebrate the show's premiere and we had a blast. Stella had printed invitations off for her sister and dad (yes Jay was invited and in attendance...such a sweet daddy). Our menu consisted of fruit kabobs, smoothies, and peanut butter and Jonas sandwiches...how funny is that last one?). Everyone got a backstage pass and we played Jonas Brothers BINGO and pin the microphone on Nick (Stella's idea)....Definite fun was had by all...Sorry you all had to miss it, but this party was extremely exclusive only the Doak Family Five in attendance....Here are some pics of our fun afternoon! Enjoy!!