People will buy anything

My friend sent me this tonight. I laughed soooooo hard.




My blessing today is that I have good friends who send me stupid you tube videos that make me laugh. Thanks Picasso!

Bug's play opened tonight...I'll have more to say about that tomorrow.

Blessings, Day 2

My blessing today was my son. Actually, he's my blessing most days, so it seems a little unfair to use him, but I'll explain. (My girls are too, but for much different reasons. They'll get their days too.)

The monster was the "miracle" baby. I have endometriosis, and had been on Lupron (a drug that puts you into a menopausal state) for six months. I was transitioned onto birth control pills to manage this condition, and was taking them back to back so that I only had a period once every 3 months (I know, TMI...sorry, it's important). In January of 2002, hubby and I both started new jobs and moved into a house on base. We had the 2 girls, and we were reasonably sure that our family was complete. We even contemplated making that decision permanent, but hadn't quite reached that point. It stood to reason, with all that I was going through, that getting pregnant would be quite difficult (when I went on the Lupron, I asked the doctor if I needed to use some sort of birth control. He laughed. Hard. Informed me the odds of me getting pregnant were slim to none.) In May of that year, I turned 29, and was moping about it. The following week, I suddenly woke up one morning and took stock. My breasts itched all the time, I was expanding slightly, but not gaining weight, and I was so exhausted all the time. I could have slept for 20 hours a day and still be tired. This epiphany came when PB told me I was going to give her a baby brother. I laughed at her. She was 3, we were almost done with sippy cups and nighttime pullups. I was ready to leave baby and toddlerhood behind. I took a home pregnancy test and said not nice words.

When hubby came home from work that Sunday evening, I had the girls in bed, handed him his dinner, and then announced that I thought I was pregnant. I remember telling him that it could still just be a false positive, (I was hoping), but that I would be calling the doctor the next morning.

I called my doctors office the next morning and asked for a referral to the lab. The nurse asked the date of my last cycle. I told her June...it was May. She literally said "Well you should have had that baby by now!" I quickly gave the little speech about my condition and medications, and the nurse put me on hold so that the doctor could come talk to me. I was sent immediately for blood work. The next morning, they called to confirm my pregnancy, and sent me for more blood work. This was to determine how far along I was. It came back somewhere between 5 and 12 weeks. I wanted to hit someone.

I had an ultrasound just after my first appointment. This was late May...I was 11 and 1/2 weeks pregnant. I was numb for the first week. My hubby was ecstatic. I won't bore you with the details, but PB was a long, horrible birth experience that after 18 hours of labor 2 hours of pushing ended with a C section. Nurses cried and apologized to me. My MIL threatened people. It was not a happy time. So I wasn't thrilled with the idea of another delivery.

When I had my next ultrasound, we found out it was going to be a boy. I had started to bond with this baby, and was truly finding a way to be happy about it. We agreed on his name, and the meaning was perfect.

He was born in December by scheduled CSection. All was going well until I was moved into my room. Something was trying to collapse, there was major blood loss, and the nurses were trying to comfort my husband with "we'll take good care of her now." I was one point away from requiring transfusions, and had so little blood that they required the doctor to take the blood samples. The lab techs refused.

I have more funny (now) stories to share from his birth, but that isn't the point tonight.

From the day he was born, this little boy has brought so much joy and laughter into our family. He is truly adored by everyone that meets him. He has a vivid imagination, and isn't afraid to share it with everyone. He loves to laugh and wrestle and pretend and live. He loves his animals (stuffed) and tries to be a good "daddy" to them every day. He makes me smile each and every day. And sometimes, he's so sweet I want to eat him. He reminds me of all the good in the world on a regular basis.

He truly is a blessing from God...the baby we didn't know we needed, and didn't think we could have. And I thank God every day for giving him to us to love.

Count your blessings

I've written this post 15 times (at least) in my head today while in assorted vehicles. Let's see how it comes out now.

"God blesses every day, we just have to look for it." That's what the mug on my desk says. I've decided that I'm going to find the blessings in each day, and since I'm attempting to post on here every day, it just makes sense to post that here too. Some days may just be a post about my blessings, and other days they might just be postscript to the longer post. I'll try not to resort to the simplistic one word answers very often.

Thinking about this post all day helped me to remain positive, even when I felt the Grouch monster creeping in. I tend to be a positive person, but I try to temper that...nothing is more annoying than when you're totally frustrated with your job, and someone says "Well at least you have a job." However, I do try to find the positive to whatever is happening in my life.

So today's blessing is that I can notice and appreciate my blessings, and that my life is full of them.

Fun Monday

For today's Fun Monday, Angela says "continuing in the spirit of "being interested in people", I would like to know, or see, what's on, in or under your bedside table! So open those draws and bare your soul to us! Is there anything special there that has a story or a memory that you can tell us about? Books that you keep there to delve into from time to time? Trinkets that you don't know where else to put? Let's see!"
There it is, in all it's storage tower glory. Lots of books. Some lotion, a watch, a candle, the phone and my alarm...pretty much all there is. Oh yeah, and chap stick...must have chap stick at all times.

In the middle shelf's basket, there's paper, pencil, journal, cross stitching, and keepsake cards and such. This is my miscellaneous entertainment basket.

In the top basket, there is lotion. Several types. I have severely dry skin.

And the infamous junk drawer. Lotion gloves and booties, some notecards, a Matchbox 20 CD, and a little gingerbread man bag with lotion.

I'm so boring :)

Things overheard

Melts my heart
Monster to Daddy "your my bestest buddy, Daddy."

Monster to his sisters "I just wuv you guys sooooo much...group hug!"

Makes me smile
Monster received some large, white and black fake money in the goody bag from a birthday party last weekend. He told me he was going to sell it to get more money. One of his sisters pointed out it's fake. "It's FAKE???!!??" he cries.

Makes me believe in magic
Monster's telling me about his friend, Dragon. "He has lots of cool stuff...like his own radio station, and he let's me go there with him. He's an awesome friend mama."

Are we in Sunday School or Social Studies?
We are talking about Moses in Sunday School. One of the boys was trying to impress us with his knowledge, and told us about Moses and the tablets. Another boy said, "oh yeah, that was the ten Commendments."

I need to pick a hobby

I really need to pick one hobby to learn at a time. At the current time, in addition to the mazillion other things going on in my life, I'm trying to learn to code my website and quilt. So I'm sorry that my site isn't pretty right now, but the quilting class will be over at the end of Feb, and I might actually be able to spend some time here then :)

Today's quilting class was fun. It was one of those classes that you get there, and you're all working, and all of the sudden you only have 10 minutes left. So we have lots of homework, and I need to get back to it.

Tomorrow you all!

Another word for poop

Last night, PB couldn't get picked up from After School Care until 5:00 and Bug had to be back to school at 5:30 for play practice. It snowed, and I was going to be the person having to eat cold dinner after playing taxi cab...this is to say I was borderline grumpy. I had realized that I needed to call home and remind Bug to go ahead and start eating, when she informs that after school activities were cancelled. Deep breath.

PB, Monster and I traipsed into the house and PB immediately went into the powder room. Monster is running around crying about how he has to go, but he can't go upstairs because NO ONE IS UP THERE!. I'm trying to drop all the backpacks, my coat, purse, lunchbox, etc in the right places and Daddylang is yelling about someone closing the front door while he's trying to get dinner on the table.. Chaos is reigning. I head upstairs with Monster so he can go, and I can change clothes. 1 minute later, he's yelling that he can't flush the toilet. So I go in to see the problem. It's poop, and toilet paper, and very little fluid. It's poop and paper that has been sitting there for quite some time. I flush. The toilet slowly starts filling. I get the plunger going. Water is starting to slosh, and my not so good this week stomach is roiling. I holler that I need the other plunger and get "we can't hear you" (this toilet has a weird shaped "neck"...I hate it.) I finally get the correct plunger, and plunge some more. Now I'm mad...I have to clean the bathroom with bleach after this because of all the poop water. Yuck.

I go get rags and Clorox Clean up, fill the tub with water and bleach, put the plungers in there, and dump some Clorox Clean Up in the toilet. I close the door and label it closed until further notice. I loudly declare to every other family member that it is a haz mat zone and must be avoided. We sit down for dinner.

Apparently, while I was upstairs dealing with the poop, my husband was downstairs dealing with it as well...and also the toilet paper that was piled on the floor. After we say our grace (which includes a prayer for my children to learn to flush properly) we begin to eat. Hubby begins to inform the children that their slovenly ways are going to have to end. Conversation ensues, and they don't seem to be understanding why we would be upset about a little poop.

At this point, my will power gets up and goes to bed for the night...it's too tired to fight anymore.

I explain to my children the joy of plunging poop (however, I did not use the p word hear...I used the S word quite succinctly) that is not your own. Poop that has sat and festered all day long. Poop that splashes all over the toilet and floor and you. Poop that causes me to have to decontaminate my entire bathroom. I explain to my girl children that if you must poop right before you get in the shower, you should either flush or use a different bathroom. And I inform them all that once they stopped wearing diapers, I stopped cleaning up their poop. Much laughter ensues, once they realize that I'm not going to come across the table and smear them with poop.

And the monster during this whole discussion? He's pointing out that you should flush after you poop, poop, poop. And then he threw in a few more poops for good measure.

And the answer is...

I've been hooked on this site several times, and keep forgetting to blog about it (because I get caught up playing it instead.) Free Rice is a word game with a cause. It's very simple...your given a word and four possible meanings. You choose the right word, you get a harder word. You choose the wrong word, you get an easier word. The system tracks your level as you answer. The best part is, that for every word you guess (right or wrong) 20 grains of rice are donated to the United Nations World Food Program. So you can while away some time and support a good cause. And the person who designed the site is from my former home town, Bloomington, Indiana, so I find that really cool as well.

Wishing we were here...

Hubby has pneumonia, and PB has permanent whine and stomp syndrome. I'm still not feeling better, and I am oh so sick of winter already. I want to lay in that chair with a girly frou frou drink, watching the younger two splash in the shallow water and just soak up the sun. Unfortunately, that won't be happening this year. Guess I'll just have to be happy remembering a breezy, cool Fourth of July resting in the hammock with the boy.

I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired

Yes, I still feel icky and my hubby is sick. I drove an hour and walked across a college campus (15 minutes one way) to a meeting that was cancelled 10 minutes after I left my office (yes, my employees tried to call me...my cell phone was in my coat pocket and I couldn't hear it.) Then I drove back to the office and took the rest of the day to come home and sleep. Now I'm wishing for a few more days to sleep.

Okay, I'm done whining. I was given the opportunity to purchase PhotoShop Elements 5 for a realllllly low price, and so far, I'm loving, loving, loving it. I spent the majority of the day yesterday playing with pics and printing them. I'm hoping to feel better soon so I can scrapbook.

Daddy and PB are playing the Wii, and she is kicking his butt in pool. She can do no wrong in that game tonight, and it's killing him!

Off to veg a bit more before it's time to get Bug.

Fun Monday again

We're off today, and I totally forgot about Fun Monday in my ill induced haze.

Catch the Light says:

It all started with "Your View". I wanted to see what you see when you look out your front door. (I'll link back to that post later.) So for this Anniversary Fun Monday lets do it again!
Here's the assignment. For those of you who did NOT post a picture of your view from your front door, then your assignment is to post a view from your front door. To do this you stand in your doorway looking outside and take a picture. That simple. We (I) want to see what you see when you look out your front door.
For those of you who DID post your view, link back to that post you posted a year ago, and then re-list your very first post ever. We want to see how far you've come baby! Also, if you can, post the comments you received on that post.

The view from my front door is of two other houses, which are pretty enough. But I think mine is prettier...especially in the spring. So I'm posting a picture of my house the first spring we lived here. We've added a few touches, like dark green rockers on the front porch, but it's home sweet home.

Home Sweet Home

Bedtime?

OMSH has asked us to share heartstrings moments of family love via pictures. Since I'm not comfortable posting pics of my family yet, I've decided to just write about them.

Our bedtime rituals provide one of those heartstrings moments. Bedtime requires certain things for each child. Now that bug is a teenager, she's happy with just a quick kiss, good night and I love you. PB's is a little more involved. I have to give her a butterfly kiss, then she has to give me one. After that, there's Eskimo kisses, then the real kiss. And at some point, I have to give her a little lick. The location of this lick changes each night...sometimes the tip of her nose, other times her forehead, maybe her cheek or chin. This started one night when I was trying to cheer her up during bedtime, and now she expects it and giggles when we do it. The monster requires some wrestling, a "smackdown" (I pick him up and toss him lightly down on his bed" and then hugs and kisses. There's usually a request for a drink of water that requires a quick trip into the bathroom, and then snuggling into the blankets. Some nights, daddylang or I will lay down and cuddle with one of the younger two, scratching their backs and talking quietly. I always know when the monster is really tired, cause he hates for me to scratch his back...it makes sleepy time come faster.

Another heartstrings moment for me occurs at random times. I love when I walk into the living room to find all three kids laying on the couch, arms and legs entwined through each others. Or the Monster laying on the Bug...those moments show me that regardless of the bickering and fighting, they truly do care for each other.

Back among the living

I'm feeling somewhat better now. Short run of the stomach flu, but wow was it strong. I managed to make it to my quilting class this morning. It was very nice...only 2 other students, so plenty of hands on time. This evening my mom and I went and bought the fabric I need. Then I went to see I Am Legend with my hubby. Let me start by saying that I do not usually go see thrillers/scary movies. And I remembered why after abut 20 minutes. It was a very good movie, but I hate the whole suspense thing. I was very happy when it ended.

I have to post about our bedtime rituals...I'll do that tomorrow. Night!

We interrupt this blog for some whining

I don't feel good...I'm tired and slightly nauseous, and it's taken several attempts to get that sentence typed. My first quilting class is tomorrow and I'm excited, and worried now that I don't feel so good. So off to bed with me. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow.

and the weirdness continues

Today we had rain, then snow, then rain again. The temperature is higher now than it was 4 hours ago. It's crazy.

I went to my monthly night out tonight...an wow what a few weeks it's been for a lot of my friends. I am so looking forward to a 3 day weekend, with the leaving of the house being kept to a minimum...maybe I'll be able to play with code some more. I got a couple of books at the library the other night. I can't wait to spend some time delving into them.

Hope you all have a great Friday tomorrow. Yay! It's Friday.

What a week

This has been a very interesting week. A friend of ours had her car stolen and wrecked earlier this week. Today that gremlin hit here.

Right after 1st period today, my oldest was assaulted by another girl from that class. She apparently didn't like the way my daughter answered her, and chose to show her displeasure by yanking her by the hair and punching her several times. Luckily, Bug wasn't really harmed, teachers witnessed enough of the attack to know that she had done nothing wrong, and the whole thing was caught on tape. She was allowed to leave school for the rest of the day, and will be permitted to take her midterm tomorrow. The attacker was suspended for 3 days, and her parent(s) will have to come to the school before she can return. My husband was a kind soul, and chose not to press charges at this time (I'm not sure I could have been so kind.) He figures that this child will be punished enough by the fact that she will be missing all of her midterms, as well as losing additional points in each of her classes this week. I'm hoping she doesn't target Bug again. The school has assured my husband that they will do their best to ensure her safety. I'm willing to put my trust in them a little longer.

This really does go to show that bad things can happen anywhere. We live in a very good school district. They are always ranked high academically, and the crime rate there is very low (yes, the publish crime rates for the schools here.) Our state has system called "school choice." You can apply to attend any school in the state. Our school district has seen a large percentage of growth in recent years, and houses in this area sell for more than many houses in other districts. The schools here have had to close their school choice, because they just can't handle any more students. Of course, this just causes more houses to be built for the people willing to move into the school district. It's a very bad situation. However, somehow, the school still manages to maintain their high standards, not just academically, but also in the extra-curricular activities and day to day behaviors.

Min over at Mama Drama wrote a post today about parental involvement in school. It really did strike a chord in me. When we went to parent information night at the school, it was amazing to see the difference in the parents attending the different classes. In her first period class, 2 students parents were there. I know for a fact that Bug's attacker did not have a parent in that classroom, which means they probably weren't there anywhere else either. I know that alone doesn't mean they aren't involved in their child's life (I remember having to work at night, and my husband doesn't always make it because he may be deployed), but it does make me wonder. I also know that involved parenting doesn't always make for well behaved children. And now that the drama has passed and the anger has cooled (some), I find that I do have some sympathy for this girl. I wonder where that much anger comes from...what has happened to her that she feels this sort of attack is warranted, just because another person said something she didn't particularly care for. I truly hope that she learns something from this experience and moves on. And I hope that Bug processes it and can find a comfort level in school again.

Then to make my day complete, my son puked red koolaid and brussel sprouts all over me in the bathroom, then slipped and fell into it. About 20 min after his shower. Fun times. I believe it's about bed time.

A day late and...

Sorry, y'all. I just didn't have it in me last night. So, without further ado...

For today's Fun Monday, Ann over at For The Long Run wants to hear about a web site that's changed your life. A web site that you can't live without. A web site whose inventor you'd like to see win a McArthur Genius Grant. A lot of people have said that they didn't think they could narrow it down to one, and that's okay. A top-5 list or a top-3 list is completely acceptable.

I was going to list just one, but then I realized that it wasn't enough. So I have 3, but 2 of those are for the same person.

Before I ever heard the term "blog", I was reading one over at Babycenter.com. It was called a journal, but I made sure to read it every week. It was by Catherine Newman, and it was called "Bringing up Ben and Birdy". I was never a huge fan of Babycenter, but I read this journal religiously. And so did hundreds of others. Most of the journals on that website span a year, maybe two. This one lasted for 4 years. When she left, we all mourned...but not for long. She began her own blog: Ben and Birdy. I didn't want to comment as anonymous, so I registered...and thought, hmm...a blog. And this site was born.

I can not tell you how much I enjoyed reading those journals. They helped me learn to be a better parent. Reading it showed me that things my kids did were usually normal kid behavior. And this blog has introduced me to some amazing people in the blogosphere. Maybe some day I can meet some of them.

One of my favorite bloggers is my third site. I stumbled upon OMSH (not even sure how, now), and was struck by the similarities in our families. I love her honesty, and that she isn't afraid to show her faith, and her wonderful sense of humor. Reading her daily has inspired me to commit to blogging this year. I wanted to do more with this page, but it was another task to push off. I realized that it wasn't going to suddenly get better unless I did something. And I'm doing it, thanks to her inspiration.

So there you have it...my inspirational blogs. Thanks for hosting, Ann!

Please excuse the mess...

I'm trying to learn coding...and I figure the easiest way to learn is to start playing. So, the site may be ugly for a few days...if I can't make what I'm doing tonight work before it's too late, I'll just revert to some horrible template until later. Thanks for your patience.

I'll try and get my Fun Monday post up tonight...we'll see.

ETA
Woo Hoo! I figured out how to code it to three columns. Tomorrow night I'll work on the colors and where stuff is. I'm learning something. Go me!

My son is sleeping with who?

My husband and I went out last night to a dinner function with some other members of our church. We came home much later than we intended, and found that the children had put themselves to bed. We entered our son's room to find him in bed with Miffy, and this note attched to his headboard:





My son's already sleeping with a chick named Miffy? Should I be worried?

On a steeck

OMG, I have a vague memory of seeing this back in college. My husband brought home a video of him with several other characters, but this one has always been on of my favorites. I'm posting this for my bestest friend Jackie.

I wanna be a pirate...

That doesn't do anything.

I am so glad it's Friday. I need some sleep. It's going to happen very soon.

We sojourned to the mall tonight to watch the new Veggie Tales movie The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. It was a cute movie with the good lesson for the kids. The best part of going to these movies and listening to the little kids in the theater. I love to her the giggles and comments they make. It's great to hear them enjoying themselves while watching something that's good for them. And heck, even my 14 year old enjoys it. We had dinner in the food court before the movie, I took brown paper bags to divvy out popcorn to all, and we bought two drinks to share, and everyone was happy. Going to the movies doesn't happen often around here (we're talking about $70 every time we go), but this was a special movie for us, and we had three free passes. Also, our theater is doing a promotion that all movies between 4 pm and 6 pm are $5.75. Couldn't beat that.

We have been Veggie Tales fans since the 14 year old was 4...we have every movie they've put out, and my kids still love to sit and watch them. We have several of their CDs, and it's music we can all listen to. I really do enjoy when my 9 year old "gets" what we're talking about in church and can make the connection to the movie that tells that story.

Some who have watched from the beginning may complain that this movie shows that the Veggie Tales creators have "sold out" and that it doesn't have the religious aspects that their other movies do. And I'll agree that the religious aspects are toned down in this movie...but they are still there if you pay attention. And if they have to "sell out" a little to get the good messages out to a larger crowd, then I'm not going to complain. People that have not been previously exposed to Veggie Tales (do these people exist? I'm not really sure that they do) may buy some of the previous shows after seeing this movie. That can never be a bad thing.

With that said, I do miss the little ditty at the end with QWERTY, and the lack of Silly Song is always sad for me. They are some of the most entertaining parts of the shows for me. But we will still definitely buy this CD. I love that the music is fun for the whole family, and not "dumbed" down for the young ones (but that's another post for another time...lol).

All in all, it was a good night. And now, it's time for bed. Good night, internet.

It's Miffy!

Jennie over at Preteens, Toddlers, and Newborns, Oh My! had a grand giveaway on 12/03. Ty's Toybox offered up a free 28" Miffy doll for her to give away...and I WON! I was so excited. She looked so cute in the pics. So I sent off my info, and then forgot all about it.

One day recently, I came home to a huge box sitting in my entry hall. Daddylang informed me it was for me, and just couldn't even think about what it might be. Yep, it was Miffy. And a wand and a beautiful Holly Hobby print. But Miffy is awesome.

I love the colors. My kidlins love to dance with her, and toss her between them, and lay on her. But they all know, she's mine. And for some reason, she makes me smile. Better than a pet, this Miffy. She sits beside me hanging out, and requires absolutely nothing in return. The kidlins swing her around, and she just goes with the flow. I do believe she's going to stay awhile.

Too tired to think

After work, I had 30 min to kill before getting the kidlins, so I ran home, and enjoyed a 20 minute nap. Awesomeness. However, something in my kitchen reeked...so once we all got back home, cleaning ensued. And the house smelled better, and dinner got cooked, and then I gave the girls a little beauty treatment time (painted their nails).

I've begun adding labels to my posts. Gonna take some time to go back through them all.

Now, I'm off to bed. Just not feeling any topics today. Sweet dreams all!

Just a Spoonful of Sugar

I had a relative that used to drive me crazy (I know...but bear with me here). She would always tell little ones that she could "just eat you up with a spoon." That grated as much as being called "cute" as a teenager. But since having my son, I understand what she meant. He is just so sweet, and seeing as how you scoop sugar by the spoonful, the saying makes sense.


This morning, I asked PB what she had for breakfast yesterday morning (she chose to eat at the Youth Center instead of finding something at home). She answered toast, and I asked if that was all. Turns out that breakfast was cheese toast yesterday (not a fan of that, that one.) The Monster pipes up..."I had that too. It was so yummy. mmmm good cheese toast. I ate mine all gone. It's just so yummy." all while rubbing his tummy and throwing in a few lip smacks. Silence for about 2 minutes...and then he begins again with his description.


I would say that cheese toast is high on his list of foods, but the problem is, most things are. There are very few foods that the Monster just won't eat. He hates squash, but still takes his "try-me" bite every time we have it, and has even started claiming it isn't too bad. I worry about when he grows a bit more...I see my grocery bill tripling and the runs to the grocery store becoming more frequent.


He's also exploring his career opportunities lately. Apparently, he isn't content with deciding what he wants to be when he grows up. He has jobs already. Somedays, he is the "doorman" at the youth center (complete with a story about his break and who's coming through the door...etc). Other days he's the "rocket ship builder." Yesterday, I came out and watched them play for a bit on the playground at "school" (please do not call it daycare...he will kill you). It's so funny to watch the kids play at this age. He finally spotted me, and came running over, proclaiming " I got a new job today Mama! I'm in charge of the gym. I have to open it in the morning, and close it at night!" I asked where the gym he worked at was located. He pointed to the empty corner of the play area and pronounced "Right there! Isn't it cool!?"


I will really miss this stage when he outgrows it. We have dinosaurs and dragons and tigers and lions and giraffes and snakes and robots and who knows what else living with us. If all of his imaginary friends and animals were real, we wouldn't be able to live in this state let alone this town or house. And every day, he reminds to look for the wonder in the world.

Fun Monday

Lisa's Chaos is hosting this week's Fun Monday and she gave the following assignment:

Let’s meet your pets. I think most of us have at least one pet and I would like to see your fluffy or scaly pal. If you don’t have a camera you can tell us about him/her/them. If you don’t have a pet tell us about a pet you had or a pet you want. If for some weird reason you hate all animals we want to know why gosh-dang-it.

The only pets I have in my house are the two legged mess makers called children. Being more than slightly allergic to most animals precludes that. However, I do love animals. Today, I'll introduce you to the cutest pain in the hieny you will ever meet.




This is my MIL's baby, Bunny. She is the most spoiled, demanding cutie you will ever meet. But we love her.

Bunny spent a week with us last month. I figured it would be a good reminder for my children of the work involved in pet ownership. They all agree that visitation with a dog is better than ownership. The need to go out, whining to play, food, and the havoc on my schedule (goodbye lunch hour...had to go home to let her out since we wouldn't be home until late due to the kids activities) was more than enough to remind them. Also, the having to clean the dish from the moist dog food and cleaning up little doggie turds...EWWWW :)

But, she knows she is loved in our house. She has toys and a water dish that stay out for her visits. And she goes on car rides with us sometimes. Most importantly, she provides companionship and purpose for my MIL. All in all, she's a keeper.

MMMMMM, Nachos

One of my favorite snacks is tortilla chips with 2% mexican blend (it's a blend of cheeses, not mexican flavored) shredded cheese melted on top. We spread the chips out on a plate, sprinkle the cheese, pop them in the microwave for 45 seconds...cheesy, yummy goodness.

Surprise!

Tonight, my husband, his sister and I threw a surprise birthday party for my MIL. And guess what...we managed to get her in with it remaining a surprise! We had more than enough food, everyone had a good time, and more people showed up then we expected...pretty good for starting the real planning 2 days ago! In less than a week, she leaves for her first cruise...what a great start to the new year, and her new life. I'm glad she's feeling the love.

This party was the perfect gathering of friends and family. There were at least two kids there at every age level, and they all ran around like banshees, singing bad karaoke and playing with balloons, screeching as only little kids can. They were hot and flushed and exhausted by the end of the evening. And all the parents and grandparents sat around, talking and catching up, meeting new people. Best of all, no one complained about those kids and their noise level. It was loud, hot, and fun. I remember a lot of those kinds of events as a child, and sadly, they don't happen as much any more. Maybe we need to find a way to start having them more than every 10 or so years.

I'm exhausted, it's late, and I have to throw together a Sunday School lesson on the fly tomorrow...yay me! So I'll sign off...night and happy Saturday to you all1

Finally Friday

Okay, I really don't understand how such a short work week could last so long. I'm very glad it's over though. Today was my MIL's birthday...she doesn't read blogs, let alone mine, but Happy Birthday to her anyway. There was a time not so long ago that we weren't sure she would make it to 60, but today she proved that wrong. Way to go.

I really have to take some pictures from our Holiday crafting bonanza...lol. That will give me some more fodder for my blog.

I'm looking for photo/graphic software...any suggestions? (besides the one opinion I've already solicited...thanks OMSH!)

On a another note, I just gotta say, I love my hubby. He's the best fit for me, and I'm really happy that the military changed their collective mind to allow him to spend some more time home with us :) Love you!

And it continues

I'm hoping that as I do this each day, I'll get into the habit of making notes of things I want to blog about. And then I'll have tidbits and info to make real posts, not these long random thoughts.

I actually do have another post started, but it needs time to be worked on. And I started a list of things I might want to blog about. Now I have to find the time to do them justice.

Thursday...one more day of work, one more day of an employee that has caused me a lot of heartburn, one more day until I can hopefully sleep.

Craziness...Day 2

Today it was back to work. It went pretty well. I think I'll enjoy a 3 day work week. Unfortunately, there's a lot to cram into that work week, including a jaunt to the base to get a new ID card, and a trip to the docter for Princess Bear. She has had a nagging cough for several days, and I was hoping that a few nebulizer treatments would take care of it, but it's getting worse.

I had lunch with mom today. It was nice being able to do that...we haven't been able to for so many years.

My mom bought both the girls American Girl dolls for Christmas. The Bug got an older Samantha doll from her mom, and a new one from my mom. The look of joy on her face when she opened it today was priceless. The sqealing and screaming was the girliest I've seen her in a while. When PB opened her Joesphina doll on Christmas, she snuggled with the box for 30 minutes until we could safely remove it from her hands and take her out. I'm hoping to take them to the American Girl store in New York sometime this year. I think it could be an awesome fun trip for all of us...there are other places I want to take both the girls and the Monster.

All three of the kids got Ipod shuffles this year, each a different color. The monster is totally attached to his...last night he was dancing around in his tshirt and underwear, looking like Tom Cruise in Risky Business. I could watch him for hours, he's such a ham. He didn't want to take it off for school today...he could listen to music for hours.

On Christmas morning, he got his Ipod one gift before PB. The look of disappointment and anger on her face was so stinking funny. She was so sure that he was getting one and she wasn't. Then hers came next...a shiny green (her new favorite color) and she about jumped out of her skin with excitement. Sometimes, suprises happen when you don't plan them, and that was one of those instances.

All in all, we had a very good Holiday. We spent a lot of time in our home, just hanging out and being together. The perfect Holiday vacation.

New Year Part 2

I've totally lost my mind. I signed up for the 365 challenge...blog every day. Let's see if I make it through January. I've wanted to get myself motivated, so here it goes.

I updated the blogroll some, but look for it to really be renovated soon. I'm also looking into web design class...I want to learn how to code this website and make it what I want. I think I can get one paid for through work, but I have to work on that aspect.

This is the year of me apparently. My hubby bought me a brand new laptop for Christmas. Not one to share, but all my own. It's very pretty and shiny and I love it. Hopefully that will make posting easier. My mom and grandma signed me up for a quilting class I wanted to attend. And I've joined a stamp club that will meet once a month. I know my hubby is going to be away a lot over the next year, and I'm looking at this as a way of making sure I get some breaks.

I made some really cute things for Christmas this year, and I hope to share a few on here in the coming days. I've also signed up for Fun Monday. Who knows what else I may decide to do...gotta get those posts out somehow!

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2008!