Beautiful Wirlwind

2009-11-23T22:32:00.002-05:00

I've Moved!!

come visit me at http://thelittlemisterandhissister.blogspot.com

It's Monday!

2009-06-29T18:19:00.009-04:00

Are you feeling guilty for pretending not to notice as your child sucked toothpaste out of the tube? Feel like a slouch for wearing your husband's big, baggy t-shirts all day? We'll don't! Not Me! Monday was born out of a desire to admit some normal, run of the mill momma's imperfections and reveal a few moments that she'd rather forget. You may find it therapeutic to join in and do the same thing,I know that I do!

I most certainly do not have a pack of oreos.in my bedroom. I also did not wake up in the middle of the night to find an oreo in the bed with me, and proceed to eat it. Who would fall asleep before eating all of their cookies, or worse yet eat it after sleeping with it?

Also, I did not not skip a shower at all this week. Because I'm an all together new mommy. Yep, how gross would it be to go 3 days without a shower?

I also have not procrastinated at all this week. I've worked all of my time during normal hours. I definitly have not found myself working at 2am. Nope, not me. Also I've not worked most of my hours with my girl laying somewhere on my body. Never!

You can ask my hubby, it definitly wasn't me who stepped on his newly-operated on toe. Never. Also, I remember watching the surgery but I know that it was not me that almost hit the floor. I've got a stomach of steel.

I have not found myself eating horribly this week. Never!! I'm a well balanced nutritous girl.

Never would I decide that this would be a great time to curl up on the couch with my baby girl and enjoy the quiet house and Cake Boss.

Good night all!
Have a good week!!!

I'm Back!!!

2009-06-23T10:57:00.002-04:00

For real this time!! I have a slight problem though.... I hate picking back up something that I feel like I've failed at before. I like fresh, new clean starts, kinda like that feeling that you get at the beginning of a new school year when you get a new notebook or a new box of crayons. I thought of starting a new blog, but in my new-mommy brain, that just requires too much effort. So, as much as everything inside of me is recoiling at starting to write again on this blog, I'm goin' to do it. Sorry just a ramble.

If you didn't catch it earlier.... my amazing, precious daughter is here! Big brother loves her dearly, but in his own words, 'just doesn't know about all that crying that she does'! Big brother is in 'tucky according to him for 10 weeks. Really he's coming back at the end of this week or next. I miss him like crazy though.... the only one that he is missing is his sissy. Seriously, the boy gets on the phone, then just as quickly he's gone with barely a word. It's cute though, and I'm glad that he's having an awesome time!

Ta-Ta for now my friends!!

2009-05-25T22:31:00.005-04:00

2009-05-25T22:31:00.003-04:00

2009-05-25T22:31:00.001-04:00

2009-02-26T23:32:00.001-05:00

Life's been crazy here! I'm still alive, and still pregnant! So hey that's a victory right? More to come soon :)

2009-01-05T21:04:00.003-05:00

Oh, the fun! I've been reading "not me Monday's" for some time now, and I finally have the nerve to jump in! So, what is it? Let MckMama explain....

Are you feeling ashamed for letting your child go to bed without brushing his teeth...again!? Did you eat a Snickers bar during a meeting without anyone knowing? Do you pretend that my Tweets are really urgent messages when you receive them on your cell phone? Are you feeling embarrassed that you kicked the dog? We'll don't be. Not Me! Monday was born out of a desire to admit some of our imperfections and reveal a few moments we'd rather forget.

Why?

Well, for one, because it's just plain fun to pretend that we really did not do the things that we actually so did do. And, two, because reading through great tales of other people's Not Me! Mondays each week is a great way to level the playing field. We're all human, we all take embarrassing shortcuts, and so we may as well show each other that we're all in good company!

So, with that being said....

I most certainly did not throw away things this week simply because I didn't want to deal with them anymore... and am definitly not tempted to do it some more.

When little man wondered into our room, I most certainly did not pretend to stay asleep so that daddy could get him back into his bed to go to sleep.

Caller id has not dictated when or when I did not answer the phone this week....when it was my mil or the crabby guy that keeps calling work.

I did not actually consider cereal as a viable, and ok answer for supper to avoid the melt down. I also did not hide (and then fib about)mashed potatoes being mixed into the stroganoff.

I did not plant the idea that little man wanted to go to grandpa's after church on Sunday. Then I most certainly did not take a long nap..... i cleaned and packed.

I did NOT do the happy dance when I found out that someone at work was going for her 2nd interview!

Finally, I have not cried at silly tv shows this week!

If you would like join in (or if you're perfect and would just like a good chuckle) go visit http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2009/01/not-me-monday.html While you're at it, if you have a few extra minutes, sit and read through this mamma's life. YOu'll be changed. I promise!

String....not just for tying things up anymore!

2008-12-26T07:32:00.003-05:00

I found myself off of work early on Christmas Eve, and decided to head to the mall near where I work. Some one should've shot me in the foot for even heading in that direction!! In the midst of the chaos, i decided to pamper myself some by getting my eyebrows done. I found a cute, new little place which was different, instead of using wax they used thread (it's actually called threading)

It boasted claims such as "no pain" and "virtually no redness" and "all natural", plus it just looked pretty darn cool to boot. There was a little uncomfortableness at a couple of times, but it was way better than the pain from tweezing! I also didn't have the tell tale red uni going on after about 10 minutes(it doesn't take off skin layers like waxing does, that is why the redness goes away so fast). Also, it is supposed to last longer and your hair should grow back finer.

I'll definitly be going back! My brows look better than they ever have :) The lady who did mine learned to thread when she was 5 (5!!) years old. I find it super cool to be able to witness a true skill, which was passed on from her mom, sisters, and grandma. She had actually never even heard of wax or tweezers until she came to America!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T18:19:00.001-05:00

2008-12-13T23:31:00.003-05:00

Hi. My name is Ang. Apparently I have a blog. You know, one of those things that many actually update farely frequently. Um. I apparently have had a problem with that.

Everything is going fairly well. Life is bustling and all is in the norm, except lil man announcing at a restaurant in a loud voice that he hadn't wiped his but well and that it hurt. It's amazing some of the things that kids come off with! Then again, apparently I did alot of similar things when I was younger. My poor mom and dad. I'm definitly reaping the reward of my ~~hyperness~~ calmness as a child.

Christmas is fast approaching, and my hormonal self is really getting in the way of my holiday cheer. Usually, not a lot of money at this time of the year doesn't bother me, but this year it's horrid. I find myself crying at the drop of a hat, and getting upset at the silliest of things.

For a cookie exchange tomorrow, I and a 2 friends baked approx. 20 dozen cookies today. I don't think that I really want to look at another snickerdoodle, white macadamia nut, or cake cookie for a long time. Oh, wait. It's an exchange... tomorrow I'll have approx 9 dozen cookies in my home. Heaven help me. and my thighs.

oh vey.

2008-11-06T21:45:00.001-05:00

Everything is going great with the peanut!! He/She is just over an inch long and is expected to arrive around May 30th!

Only 15 years late!

2008-10-25T19:35:00.002-04:00

So, I totally had a thought provoking blog going about the joys of being preggo, and the the other awesome things going on in my life, but it'll have to wait till another day, cuz y'all the b**b fairy has visited me! Can I get an amen! Imagine my surprise when I had to get a big honkin' D cup today!! Yay for pregnancy!!

Girls Weekend!

2008-10-10T07:05:00.001-04:00

Chrissy and I (along with our 3 munchkins) are off on a road trip as soon as work is over today!!!

God Knows

2008-09-30T06:24:00.002-04:00

the deepest desires in our hearts, however sometimes he tells us to "wait" (btw, to me is harder than having a "no"). Patience is good and extremely hard though when you're waiting on 2 pink lines............

WHICH WE GOT YESTERDAY!!!!

2008-09-17T17:11:00.010-04:00

Aren't these just the 3 cutest little ones?!? Both are Mikey's "girl friends" and he's their "boy friend". My oh my?!?

They had an absolute blast spurlunking at Carter Caves, and you can just tell that they absolutely wore themselves out! I think that they all konked out in the camper in less than 5 minutes that night!! Which made for 2 happy mommas! (Don't look at the mushroom hair...!)

Almost but Not Quite...and a WFMW

2008-09-17T16:41:00.004-04:00

I simply could not stay away for a month. Almost, but we know that only applies to a select few things in life. I've been down physically and mentally, and just stepped back from a lot of things in my life. I'm finally getting some of my zest back. Thank God for renewals. That, and of course the electricity coming back on. And medicine.

I had actually went Grocery shopping late last week and bought a freezer full of meat (we had all kinds of other staples in the house) so I was very excited (I hate shopping all at once). Never did I imagine that we in Ohio would be effected by Ike. Imagine my shock when the power went out, and I realized that we didn't have any really non-cookable items in the house besides cheez-its, peanut butter, and candy. Luckily camp stoves came in very useful. You can believe that on my next shopping excursion I will be stocking up a little section of my cabinet with non-perishable edibles. (Can anyone say spam?!?) That's what would've worked for me!

See ya soon, peeps!

Wow.

2008-08-24T14:10:00.002-04:00

This has been a whirl wind weekend....in my head and activities.

Friday I went to the dr, and have massive inner ear infections... hence the spinning. Never will I laugh at someone with an inner ear infection again! My world has been spinning whenever I turn my head. Vertigo on the top of a ferris wheel is no fun I tell ya!! Especially when they stopped.

Last night, this commercial was on during prime time. Tee Totally amazing. I now believe that the next time I need a car battery I will have to find me an Interstate Battery.

I sat out in my front yard and listened to Keith Anderson live. in concert. Then Hubby drove me down the street so I could go get Fried Cheese on a Stick, and I got to lay eyes on him! How cool is it that he did a free concert in our little biddy subburb festival.

Fried cheese on a stick is absolutely dee-lich-ous! Yum Yumms.

Tilt-A-Whirl...

2008-08-21T20:30:00.003-04:00

I feel like I'm on a continual carnival ride right now...since this am and it's progressively getting worse.... don't know what's up, do any of you ladies care to take a guess?!?! To save some time, my bp and sugar are normal as of just a few minutes ago. Oh, and there was only 1 pink line. GRrrr.

Be back soon!

And The Winner Is....

2008-08-02T12:02:00.002-04:00

of a customized bracelet is *drum roll please* Preppy Mommy! Thanks to all who entered!!!

It's Carnival Time!!!!

2008-07-28T23:49:00.005-04:00

The Bloggy Giveaways Carnival is finally here and I've found myself in 7th Heaven going through looking at all of the beautiful and thoughtful things that people are giving away!! Hubs had a great idea- he wanted to know why I wasn't jumping in on all the action,especially since I'm shy about selling my creations... I'd rather give them away! So, I've decided to give away a hand-crafted beaded bracelet made especially for you, made by yours truly! ***UPDATE: Due to popular demand I am going to keep the bracelet a suprise!!! I know I love suprises, and I hope that you do too!!***

Just leave a comment (be sure to leave an email addy if you're not a blogger) and I'll pick one lucky winner at noon on Sat Aug 2nd!

Gods Big Backyard!

2008-07-27T21:51:00.002-04:00

Night 1 of VBS down. 4 to go. Tonight the turn out (23 kids)was ok, but as word spreads I know that numbers will go up. Our church is in the south end ghetto of Cbus, and word is the best spreader of fun things for kids around here...that and the fact that there are snacks and all is FREE.

If ya know us, you have undoubtidly heard of our 'struggle' in being able to *gasp* use a projecter during worship on Sundays , for the past 3 years as well, there has been,um, resistance in using the actually VBS songs that come with the program (the old classics, Father Abraham, the BIBLE,etc... where considered 'hip')...put it this way, the preachers wife refused to help us this year, but God lead someone to step up and volunteer in her place. She decided that she likes the idea of us using the music AND the projector, and let me tell you-it added a demension that I haven't seen out of our kids in a loooongg time. They weren't the normal bumps on the log. They were dancing,and doing motions, and SINGING!!!

Here's my dilema. It's one of many, but is really really bothering me. One of my old regulars came tonight, and announced to me that she was baptized today at a differant church which she has been going to. We have a tradition that we give all new believers a new Bible after their Baptism. I happily told our preacher about her baptism, and he was actually disappointed that she was baptized at a church of a very similar denomination. I asked him if he wanted to give her a Bible (one I might add, the church did not pay for, we did-I say this not to glorify us, but to tell why I'm upset by his response), and he responded NO the proceeded to ask if she is a regular member at our church!! Almost all of our kids come from non-churched homes, and often they are very needy. How can a preacher of all people deny a child a Bible? HOW?!? I'm very upset by this, and I really am contemplating how I should handle it. Especially if he has a problem if someone was baptized in *the very similar denomination* church, because if that is the case, he's really going to have a problem with me since I was baptized in that same denomination. Do you think that I'm overreacting, or do you think my point and my hurt is valid?

My Name isn't Betty!

2008-07-17T23:20:00.004-04:00

Tonight is proof positive that I should NEVER let anyone know when I plan on being a domestic diva. Especially when people are *yikes* looking foward to it (yeah, doc was thrilled, and asked me to bring him some). Obviously he has never ate any of my experiments.

Earlier this week my mil and I picked zuccini from the garden. She then made loaves and loaves of wonderful bannana and zuchini bread. The best part of it was that Mikey absolutely LOVED the zuchini bread (don't forget that he's officially picky)! The recipe looked simple enough. I could do it. Wrong!

Strike one occured when I asked my mil if there is a differance b/w baking soda and baking powder- why oh why would we need both of them? Bonus points for me asking her if I needed to peel the chini like you do a cucumber.

Secondly, everything bubbled over. My oven is a mess and my house is filled with meangering smoke that refuses to leave. That's ok though.... the bread will be worth it, or so I thought. Strike 2.

I knew I should've went with my gut instead of sticking to the recipe! On second thought, I doubled the recipe but I'm questioning if I actually doubled the sugar. It didn't come out nearly sweet enough.

Now it's 11:30, I'm hungry for zuchinni bread and my smokey house is making my eyes water. And I know that my perfectionist mil will never let me live this one down!! This may rank up with the dry beans in the chili from our newlywed days.

Betty Crocker I am not.

I Should Be Sleepin'

2008-07-16T00:21:00.004-04:00

Hubs is gone this week, and I'm finding that while I'm normaly the 1st to fall asleep ~~most~~ all of the time, I'm having a hard time falling asleep now. I know I shouldn't be complaining, it's only a week, and others are currently or will be seperated from their spouses for longer periods of times for various reasons. However it's after midnight, and my brain turned to mush about an hour ago. Yet 2 very special children are wrapped around my mind and heart tonight, and I wanted to share.

My heart is heavy tonight for a young man and his family. They've gone through more than anybody should have to, yet they're still praising Him in the storm. Please keep the Nischan family in your prayers as they walk down yet another unplanned road, not knowing the course, yet following Him who has laid it before them. Trust me, I don't know of anyone who's met this family who hasn't been encouraged and blessed.

Also, keep Ash and her family in your prayers as well! Ash is accomplishing great things, and is proof positive that He has everything under control! What a spunky little girl, and world watch out 'cuz she's going to be a firecracker and do BIG things in her life because of the work He has done to her!

God's doing something in my heart through these 2 families, is it because of my own grappling with my faith as we deal with cancer in our family, and as we deal with infertility? I don't know, I'm scared to find out, but I do know that He is in control.

Let's show Granny!

2008-07-12T18:30:00.003-04:00

Look at what I'm making for ~~tonight~~ a potluck tomarrow! I must resist the urge!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the ride home from Target today, the following convo took place in the van:

Mikey: I can't wait to see granny in 'tucky!

Me: I bet! We'll go see her soon!

Mikey: You know what I want to show her?

At this point I should have cringed

Mikey: I'm going to show her how high I can make my pee go. It goes way high!!

Oh brother, our next trip down should be a hoot!

2008-07-01T23:45:00.002-04:00

So, I'm finished with my little blog hiatus. Yeah, I didn't tell anyone I was leaving for a while, and I truly doubt that anyone has really missed me. There's been a lot going on in my world, and honestly I just haven't had the time or energy to sit down and write anything coherant lately.

Since so much time has lapsed, let's see what happened... some of the highlighs include:

-Mikey went to KY for a week to see my parents. Hard time leaving my little man there... actually not so much. He was having a great time, and was actually waving at us when we pulled out of the driveway. Don't forget this is the same boy who won't stay w/ the in-laws 5 minutes away...

-My father in law started radiation and spent a little over a week in querentine because he was radioactive. Found out that his thyroid cancer has spread, he has lung cancer... will find out if it's spread further here in about the next week. I'm having a hard time dealing w/ it, and it's causing me to struggle in my faith.

-Have spent a lot of time w/ close friends! I thank God for all of my friends, but I'm especially thankfull for my closest friends who I can be myself around and we mutually encourage and inspire each other.

-Have been bombarded with the "let's ask mom 5,003 question" game, and after each answer imediately have to repeat myself.

-Had a teenager move in with us. I'm sooo not prepared for a teenager. I think that's why God made babies babies (not to mention that'd hurt a whole heck of a lot if they weren't)--that way mommies and daddies can grow with them.

-Found out that 4 miles is a loooong way when you have the emergency brake on.

-Worked a whole heck of a lot, doing way more than I have time for.

Probably lots more, but I need to go wash the color out of my hair! Look for the changes in my blog coming soon!!!!!

Gaagggg.

2008-06-13T18:17:00.003-04:00

Yesterday the doctor dropped me off at my van, and as soon as I opened the door a nasty smell came floating through the air. It was just a little obnoxious, so I continued on to work. No big deal right? 3 hours later when I went to leave, an odor so hideous that it made my nose hairs curl hit me. I couldn't for the life of me figure out where it was coming from. So here I am going down the interstate taking off my shoes checking to make sure that I hadn't stepped in barf or crap or anything else. Then I started to wonder if the dog did something on our trip to KY a couple of weeks ago? Needless to say, when I got home I tore my van to shreds cleaning. I could come up with absolutly NOTHING. I finished and went to take the trash can out of the console when I saw it... Mikey apparently threw his leftover milk in the trash can,open lid and all,the last time he got W*ndy's....atleast a few a weekS ago!!! OH MY WORD.

Summer Time Fun

2008-06-08T22:07:00.003-04:00

This weekend has been pretty much perfect, an absolute lovely way to spend a summer weekend! Hopefully there will be tons more like it this summer. No real plans, but going w/ the flow!

Friday Hubs, Mikey, and I went to eat Chinese and then decided to go to the drive in movies. Can I just say, I love the drive in? There was no makin' out in the backseat(although that may have been fun!!), but sitting outback of the van we joined many others enjoying good quality family time enjoying Kung Fu Panda. Mikey settled down in the back of the van and fell asleep, so we decided to stay for the 2nd movie (Indiana Jones). I watched bits and pieces, but happily slept lying w/ my head on hubs lap (we had taken the back seat out of the van, so we had nice comfy seats).

Saturday, the 3 of us ventured to the kick off of our Library's summer reading program. At times I wanted to chew my right arm off, but watching Mikey giggle at the magician/ventriloquest/juggler guy and then falling in absolute love with all those books!and movies! was enough to make this momma heart glad to be there sweating my butt off. Then good food with good friends in the evening :)

Today was a great Sunday w/ a much needed nap, some cleaning, then swimming in the in laws pool with our friends and a cook out.

How much better could it get? Honestly? I loved every minute of it!!

Pleasure to my Ears

2008-06-06T00:02:00.004-04:00

Too bad that I can't go onto any other websites other than the one that I work with daily, b/c ya'll I would really love to keep this on. All.Day.Long. Not only does it have really cool, uplifting music but it's also has artist goodies...blogs, pictures,interviews,etc....

But maybe just maybe I may win a fantabulous brick of CD's which would be super useful, especially since I spend no less than about 3-4 hours in the car daily! A girl may wish, right?!?

I'm Bored!!

2008-06-04T18:01:00.002-04:00

I thought that I must be going bonkers the other day, my baby, in all of his 3 year old wisdom, announced to everyone that he was bored. BORED at 3!! He's never bored!! He has definitly been listening to his cousins :)

HOw about finger painting?

I cringe and want to curl into the fetal position when I think of fingerpaint (Mind you that ColorWonder by Crayola is a gift straight from Heaven though pricey), but how many kids do you know that feel the same way?

Instead of pulling out the paint, head to the bathroom and grab the shaving cream. Yep. Fun, cheap, relatively clean 'finger paint', best of all it disappears on its own!

That's one sure fire trick that I know to help beat boredom, and I'm planning on stocking up with more ideasso that when I hear Mikey or the nieces and nephews holler that they're bored, I can easily help them figure out something fun to do!!

Hallelujia!

2008-06-03T19:28:00.003-04:00

When I turned 28 this year, I laughed when people joked that I was getting old..."no big deal, I'm still in my 20's" I told myself. It hit me this weekend, that I'm ~~old~~ no longer a teenager.

I remember when my sister was prego with my neice, and I remember the joy that I got when I read to Steph via my sister's belly button. I even remember her being born quite vividly...waiting what seemed like 'forever' in the bland waiting room, and eventually being ushered out the door w/ my aunt (who let me stop at the carnival in the parking lot of the hospital) to spend the afternoon with her and my cousin. Steph was born about a month premature and was rushed to Louisville to a children's hospital in a "baby buggy" a pint sized ambulance. Her first few weeks were spent there hooked up to many machines, and I got to watch her from the other side of the window, all except when one nurse "snuck" me back into the NICU so I could touch her little hand.

Steph has grown, just like all kids do. I remember not only when she was a baby, but through the toddler years on. Even though I was insanely jealous of her when I was little, I am in awe of her now, at the young lady she has become. A very talented musician, a great friend, a devoted sister in Christ, funny, compassionate, and so much more. This past weekend she was able to add yet another description, Honor Graduate.

(the booger turned in her honor cords before I could ~~hog tie~~ convince her to take pictures)!!

Here's to New Beginnings!!

Coming out of Lurkdom!

2008-05-27T22:01:00.004-04:00

I wish that I could be this thrifty w/ the whole CVS savings rage. It just makes my head hurt.badly. Jess, could you dumb it down for me? :D I kind of get the concept but, how do you end up w/ so many ECB's?

I can't help but to pee my pants just a little when I head over to A Womb at the Inn(Sane). I know that Kadi loves being a mom dearly, but also isn't into sugarcoating it all the time. Many thanks to her for showing that it's ok to laugh at the sometimes not so fun and/or funny side of being a momma. Also, it's OK to be honest when sometimes you just wanna pull your hair out. Be forwarned, she's not for the faint of heart!

While our family is smack in the middle of life living with cancer, I find great encouragement in knowing Nick and Heather's story. One I know, one I do not however both of their stories shows me far more than I could have ever expected. I have been blessed by them. Please go read their stories, be encouraged, and lift them up to the Great Physician, and know that we serve a Great God!

I totally feel better about letting Mikey in on the secret of the 'bug who lives in your nose' after reading this. Hey. Whatever works right?!? What is the one thing that you've told your child (or maybe you were told) that would qualify you for the mother of the year award?

Triad of Stupor

2008-05-16T06:39:00.002-04:00

You know that you are sick when you are expelling more bodily fluids than the nursing home residents that you are working with. I finally drug my butt to the dr yesterday... yeah, I've got a lovely little cocktail of bronchitis, sinuitis, and run amuck allergies.To say this week that I feel like poo is an understatement, and the fact that I look like h*ll just tops everything off.

Yesterday I also had a yuck dr apt, blchhh. I go for an ultrasound today to see if there are any reasons to be found for my out of control aunt visiting, or anything that is keeping us from getting prego. Seriously, I'm ok w/ waiting for God, but I kind of imagine Him laughing his head off, asking me if Mikey isn't the equivalant of 2 children energy wise!?!?

We received our Bush Money last night, and I almost hit the floor when I saw the balance in our bank account! It hasn't looked that good ~~ever~~ in a looong time!We've already ordered replacement cavas for the camper from h*ll, but hmmm, what to use the rest on?!? What are you planning on spending yours on?

Hey Hey Hey

2008-04-26T20:51:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I haven't had the mental energy lately to write anything remotely coherant... much less anything else. My house is more put together now and I'm functioning so much better, so here's to a new bloggy beginning :)

Some random things that I've thought about lately, just remember that you have been warned!!

~I secretly think that Avon and MaryKay are some secret sect of a obscure cult. Have you ever tried to get away from these ladies after purchasing something from them?

~I'm starting to do some really cool photography :) which makes me very happy!

~The Cherry trees, Magnolas, and Dogwoods are in the midst of their blooming extravaganza right now- beautiful.

~My office manager and I have been passing croup (yeah, that nasty beast that usually only kids get) back and forth to each other. Now that I'm out of the office on the road every stinkin day we are both getting better. Finally.

~I'm resigned to wearing capris and dresses this summer. My upper legs are not summer ready.at.all.

~My white legs could serve as a beacon in the dark. Some tanning bed therapy is in order.

~My hubby almost had a heart attack when I opted out of MommyWear for date night last week. I forgot how it felt to dress it up, and make him swoon.
~hmmmmm....when did my boobs get so lopsided?

~My best friend had a miscarriage earlier this month. I hope that I never have to deal with what she and her family are dealing with (and I hope that I won't have any more friends walking this path). I can not even imagine.

~Running out of gas stinks.

Is There an Amen in the House?

2008-04-12T16:45:00.002-04:00

The Doc that I work w/ told me about what I missed on Idol Gives Back, and I couldn't believe it. But it's true, and it rocked. So, I have to post it here. Enjoy!! DISCLAIMER: I don't know why Ben Stiller's act was included in the clip, but it was-- so just turn your ears off after the music ends.

Whether it was done in sincerety or a publicity stunt, I really don't know nor do I really want to. Watching some of them actually worshiping blessed me tremendously, and hopefully it touched someone else... maybe someone who would never normally enter a church.

Prayer Needed

2008-04-09T20:06:00.002-04:00

Please be in prayer for one of my closest friends. She and her family lost a baby (whom we had nicknamed 'Simey') today. She was in her second trimester, and already had a 'belly bump'. Please, Please keep them in your prayers.

WFMW! I'm Back :)

2008-04-09T00:01:00.002-04:00

I thought that I had run out of ideas that really worked for me, so I've been on hiatus. Something simple that I've been doing has really been a lifesaver at times, so I wanted to share. If you already do this, you can ~~shut up~~ humor me ;). Just playing. Sort of!

You know those mini m&m's that come in a tube? Instead of throwing them away they make the perfect size crayon holder. I think that I have one in every purse, as well as each vehicle that we have. Each one holds 3-4 crayons, and keeps them nicely in one conveniant spot (and doesn't add splashes of color over everything that you own).

The crayons come in very handy in places like restaurants (our fave mexican joint has paper placemats, and one Italian Cafe has butcher paper on the table),at the DR's office (Mikey loves to color on the table paper), grocery lines, friends houses, etc...!

So that's my brillant tip for this week. For more (even better ideas) go visit the uber-real and hillarious Shannon!

I hate mornins!

2008-04-08T08:23:00.002-04:00

Have you ever searched your house high and low for a while looking for your keys? Yeah, I just did. Finally I decided to just snag Hub's keys.... yeah guess where mine were. Locked in the vehicle. Great. I hope that this isn't an idication of how my day is going to go.

Blaahhh

2008-03-26T13:15:00.002-04:00

So here's a quick update of the past week:
*Nieces and nephews got sick...pediatrician said the flu
*Mikey got sick... trip to pediatrician... dx: virus
*Got called home from Maunday Thursday... Mikey had temp of 103.5
*Left Good Friday services for trip to urgent care..dx:flu (did you know that they can actually test for this?)
*Saturday, sil got letter from County Health Dept... her daughter had salmonella which the pediatrician did not tell them... so probably not the flu had been going around, but salmonella in that household.
*Trip back to dr to get speciman bowl to test Mikey for Salmonella
*Trip to Dr for me for severe sinus infection and strep throat last night.
*Leaving for Tennessee today w/ in-laws.

Talk to you all Monday!

Now, Where Does the Oil Go?

2008-03-16T14:07:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I pulled my hiney out from my nice comfy bed earlier than I had planned, and woke up a sleeping 3 year old, so that I could chaperone a boy scout trip to the auto show. Mind you, Sat is my only day to sleep in, so I figured that this trip had better be good (or atleast involve a cafe mocha from Tim HoHo's)!! Understand, I know pretty much close to nothing about cars (and base my oppinion on a vehical by it's looks) I knew that this was going to be an experience.

My favorite parts of the show were the concept cars (way cool), the interactive Ford Robot that Mikey got to dance, and winning an ipod shuffle!! Yep! Me who never wins anything!!! The funny thing is I won it by playing a trivia game about Hundai's new safety measures, actually, their "Passive Safety Measures" (how much does that make me sound like i know what I'm talking about?!?!)! Whooohoooo!!!

The really cool part is that I've been wanting one of these because of their size, but could not justify buying one since Shawn had bought me one of the original ones 2 years ago. This one I'll be able to use oh so much more effectively!! AND I won't have to be scared to death that I'll loose it or break it, as is the case w/ my original one!!!!!

Blizard Update '08

2008-03-09T21:42:00.002-04:00

That's right folks, the foot of snow that I talked about yesterday morning is a thing of the past. We have a grand total of 20 whopping inches of snow!! It is the perfect makings for a perfect playground. I honestly don't mind it. Really, I was tired of hoopla over 'snow' and then only an inch or so would appear! So this really made my weekend!

The only thing that sucked was the fact that our furnace went out yesterday. Good thing the family trade is HVAC! So between my hubby w/ his back (still bad...) and my father in law still recovering from surgery, they took off to go get the part that they would need.... 2 hours later they made it to the supply house, got the part, and made the treck back home (should have been an hour trip at the most on a normal day)! We had to pay $50 for them to open up the supply house, but that was nothing considering we didn't have to pay for labor!

Today we went outside and had a ton of fun with the cousins! Mikey built his first snowman... and had so much fun, even though he could barely stand up!! Pictures will come as soon as hubs shows me how to download them!!

SNOW DAY!!!

2008-03-08T05:57:00.002-05:00

We have about 12in on the ground folks. Yes!!! Now, must restrain myself from taking more pics, or going outside to play, I need to go back to bed (it's not even 6am yet) these cramps are horrible!!!

Such A Random Thought....

2008-02-23T00:00:00.002-05:00

Have you watched the J*rry S*pringer show lately? I have, not by my choice though. The dr and I stopped to see a patient the other day, and the nurses had turned this spectacle on for the patient to 'watch'. It was hard to not smile and remember how freshman year of college, my roomie and I (and alot of the rest of the girls in the South West Quad) would often turn this show on, turn on mute, and watch Steve try to pull swinging maniacs off of each other. Steller entertainment. But oh how the show takes the cake now.... I started to notice a guy (why he was there, I'm not sure, but the only thing I can think of was that he was to move chairs around)who had nothing below his torso. All that I could think of is, how funny it would be to see someone either pick him up and throw him like they do chairs, or to kick him like a football. (Don't worry the Dr assured me that I was going to hell for that one!!)So, next time it's on, take a peek and tell me what thoughts run through your head when you see him!!

Prayer Is A Powerful Thing!!

2008-02-12T06:51:00.000-05:00

One thing that I know for sure is that the power of prayer is amazing. Please pray for little Ashley and her family right now. I've never met the little pickle or her family but my heart hurts for them right now! Go, get to know her story and flood Heaven w/ our prayers.

IT SNOWED LAST NIGHT. INCHES of snow. It's still falling too!!!

Back And Better Than Ever!

2008-02-02T10:12:00.000-05:00

You know how sometimes you keep looking at a task before you, knowing that it needs to be tackled but yet somehow you can't seem to take charge of it? January brings that out in me every year. This year I almost avoided it, but it caught up with me. Luckily though, I was able to stay pretty much on top of it. So I had to set my priorities straight so that I could get through my days. So I had to neglect bloggy love, but now I'm back with renewed energy!!

I have kept up reading others blogs and I got a chuckle when I read this post by one of my college friends. Jess, I hate to tell you, but the woman at church was right!! We have a small deep freeze in our kitchen, that we get into occasionally (it is kept more for the things we don't eat, or the things that we don't eat quite so often... 15 pizza doughs and a couple of packs of meat, for example) that a certain unnamed 3 year old unplugged. We don't know how long it had been unplugged, but let's just assume by the smell that it had been a few ~~weeks~~ days. Hubby ~~and I~~ scrubbed and finally got it back into orginal shape out in the 10 degree weather (at midnight)! Oy Vae!

Death warmed over

2008-01-20T17:51:00.000-05:00

Remember when I said that I work with older adults....all.day.long? and the fact that I'm in their faces? all.day.long? Yeah, maybe I should have had the flu shot. I have been a walking mess for the past two weeks. I'm on the mend, but my house is horrendous right now. Mikey started to get sick too. Luckily it's not the flu, but it is a sinus infection,poor guy.

Just A Country Girl at Heart!

2008-01-06T16:21:00.001-05:00

I just woke up from a glorious 2 1/2 hour nap! My mind and body needed it after the weekend I've had (I am most certainly not complaining!)

Friday night Shawn and I had a bonified get-dressed-up date, with no kids (ours or anyone elses). This never happens!! Shawn's parents had given us a gift card for a fancy shmancy steak restaurant, which we happily used. This was not a restaurant that we would normaly have the funds for, and probably won't happen again! The waitress I knew had to have been reeling in her head when I giggled a little when she explained that the 8oz "True Japanese Kobe Beef" (which was $135) was beef raised in Japan that had their own personal masseuse, and that their diet was high in beer. Yep you read that right... cows that get a daily massage and get to drink beer! No, we didn't order it.

The rest of Friday and most of Saturday consisted of movie w/ friends (only a true friend can you show up on her doorstep wearing a sweatshirt and pj pants) and sitting in two ER's w/ my SIL. THEN last night I got to go to Monster Jam!! It was fantastic!! I forgot my camera, but hopefully some of hubby's cell phone pics will turn up. This video does NOT do it justice!! Trust me!

Wasn't that fun to just watch! It definitly does not do the experience justice! The truck in the video is GraveDigger during the freestyle event... he rocked last night! He ended up stuck up in the air w/ his tail gate on top of the cars (that rarely happens) then later on he broke a tie-rod and ended up on his side doing donuts (he knew it was broke and decided to end w/ a bang)! Mikey loved it too, and I think everyone he came into contact w/ today at church heard about it!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T21:48:00.000-05:00

To the guy at LifeWay Christian Store,
Thank you dear sir for helping me to realize that it would be foolish for me to come up with some kind of commitment for 2008. I know that it's amazing that someone just may want to look at devotional material prior to purchasing it and I do apologize if you thought that I may keep you in the store for 1 more minute.

Here's a helpful solution to this problem in the future. Don't wait until the last moment to lock the door! Brilliant idea I know, you may thank me later.

Also, It was very thoughtful when you said, "hurry up, we'd like to leave" when I started to look at the devotional that I had in my hand. Maybe it would have the more productive solution could have included you deciding to run a register with your co-worker to help move the line a little quicker. I promise that I would have made it to the register before even half of the line was dealt with.

I would like to thank you for singling me out when I asked you for help instead of aimlessly wandering the store trying to find Beth Moore. I do hope that the 3 other shoppers around me took your plea and concluded their shopping trip a little more ~~slowly~~ quickly. Lastly, thank you for laughing when I said that I was sorry and that I would take my business elsewhere.

It is because of your stellar customer service skills that I suceeded in breaking my New Years goal of attaining a great Bible Study and beginning it on Jan. 1st. Also, I now would rather have the pain of a 100 hot pokers in my eyes than visit you or your store again.

Sincerely,
Ang

Tis the Season!

2007-12-26T21:16:00.000-05:00

Overwhelmed isn't the word to describe how I feel right now, I feel buried under a mound of things that have yet-to-be-done, and it keeps on growing, but seemingly there isn't enough time to accomplish everything. Holiday's are usually hard for me, but the Christmas season this year has been really a ~~good~~ fantastic one. So this calls for a celebratory list of a smathering of great things from the past couple of weeks.

*Naps. I forgot how great a nap feels at your parents house. You know the kind of peace that you get from the fact that the kids are being entertained and you don't have a mile long list of things that you think that you should be cleaning, straightening, or organizing. Yep enjoyed that tremendously. everyday.

*Good health. Hubs back injury aside, we were all healthy. My future SIL had emergency surgery for an appendicitis on Christmas Eve (which ended up being a lot more serious than that... part of her intestine had to be removed), but is at home recovering... something that could have very well have killed her was taken care of.

*Mikey playing the part of boy Jesus. Too Cute.

*Watching whispered convo between my FIL and Mikey during church makes me realize how precious family is, and how we take people for granted. Relationships are so precious. I want my boy to grow up learning from his grandfather, but it hit me that this may not be the case.

*Mikey declaring that it is Jesus' birthday, and that He lives in our hearts. Some things are sinking in, building that foundation.

*Laughter. Family. Friends. Food.

2007-12-20T07:04:00.001-05:00

I'm really crappy about actually hitting publish after I write anything ~~great thought-provoking~~ mediocre at it's best. Stomach bug is finally almost gone. Nope it's not the 9 month flu.

Things have been super busy as I feel like I've been working 25 hour days, and travelling all over the better half of Ohio. Vacation was supposed to start yesterday, but I find myself getting ready to leave for work right now. Luckily vaca will begin this afternoon and we're headed south to see my parents and celebrate Christmas early.

Our first Christmas program went great Sunday, and I'll have to download pics at some point. All of the kids did great, and my FIL's rocking chair didn't leave him in a pile on the floor.....it really almost did.

Hi ho hi ho, it's off to work I go!! See ya Sunday w/ my 99 tidbits too much about me in honor of reaching my 100th (actually published) post!

and it continues....

2007-12-13T06:28:00.000-05:00

I'm still here, barely functioning, but I'm here. This stomach bug is kicking my heiny! I did manage to get the tree up and decorated last night, so score one for me!! I've never been one to put the tree up too early, but I've waited entirely too long this year, and mommy guilt was getting to me. The tree may just have to stay up until after the New Year :)

I got the strangest phone call last night from my dad... my dad doesn't normally just call for the fun of it. He's not a phone type of guy. It was actually very funny, b/c he was calling to find out if I really have a stomach bug or if I had a secret. He has one of his "feelings". The thing of it is, he's always been right on about his hunches in this area... even questioning my cousin before she even knew. So now I'm wondering, will I be watching 2 pink lines soon? and racking my brain to try to find out when I last started. Do I dare get my hopes up?

WFMW: I Don't Wanna Cook Tonight

2007-12-05T18:12:00.000-05:00

*Edited* This was supposed to be posted last night, but since I ended up in the ER w/ my SIL until 5am this morning, and am now up at 7am to go to work, this is the best that it's gonna get!

I have these nights fairly often, and living on a shoe string budget makes this night much harder-considering most 'easy' conveniant foods cost more. My hubby and I fell in love with one of the easiest (and quickest) recipes I've ever stumbled upon (and use it weekly) !

Ang's Soup
2 cans of Progresso Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Soup
1 can Black Beans
1 Block of Cheese

Put in a pot and heat!

Now tell me that's not easy?!? If I have it in the house I'll make a pan of cornbread to go with it. Yummy!!

Is this thing on?

2007-12-04T00:41:00.000-05:00

Yeah, so my name is Ang, and apparently I have a blog... which involves me actually sitting down and writing at some point and time! Let's just pretend that I get an A for effort. It's been a crazy ~~week and a half~~ 3 1/2 weeks around mi casa. I don't even know where to start, so to make me feel more in control, here's a list.

* Computer totally crashed and burned, not once but twice now! Not a happy girl. Lucky hubs is bored out of his mind and I found the system disks.

* Hubs back is still way out of wack. Let's do the math here ladies 8 percocets daily x 27 days= a whole heck of a lot of pain meds. Hubs doesn't do pain med well... but if he doesn't take it he can't move. Today the DR tells us that he's killing his stomach, liver, and kidney's (how the heck do you pluralize that?!?)....hello captain obvious, but yet your nurse basically yells at me when I let her know that he skips doses every now and then, just to see if he can 'handle the pain'.... let's quit putting a band-aid over the problem, and just fix it.

* Calling a lawyer tomarrow. BWC doesn't want to cover any treatment for herniated disc... they think it's a pre-existing condition. grrr. Also scheduling apt. w/ surgeon for consult.

* Finding "presents" of the liquid variety in odd places.

* Have unburied my house, atleast the 1st floor! Now, to tackle my bedroom before donation day Thursday. Only having one closet in the house stinks.

* Counting down days till vacation...14... which I didn't know that I had any coming to me. Suprise, Suprise, Suprise. Use 'em or Loose 'em. Aye Aye captian.

* It snowed today!!! Bring it on. Plus hot chocolate.

* Miracle of all miracles, I have sucessfully kept a balanced checkbook for 5 days. I've avoided shut-down mode.

* Have made paper chains, attended parades, saw Santa, practiced w/ our youth for their 1st play, drank countless cups of hot cocoa, read the Christmas story to Mikey many times, and watched countless Christmas cartoons.

When I feel overwhelmed, I go into shut-down mode, hence my dissapearing from la la land. Now that I've done my list I feel more in control, not so overwhelmed, and I can now comence w/ my blog w/o feeling like a total failure at it.

Black Friday

2007-11-23T01:39:00.000-05:00

If a store is starting it's door-buster sales at midnight on Thanksgiving, it's going to be a mad house. As a matter of fact, the special $10 off coupons for the 1st 500 customers will be gone long before you hit that front door. I'm just saying. Not that I'd know or anything. Can I just say that I love my MIL?

WTC??!

2007-11-20T10:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at work we came to a sad realization, radio stations have started to switch over to Christmas music. all.the.time. Hello? Can we make it through Thanksgiving first? (I love Christmas music, but by pete, wait till after Thursday!!) Sadly, this music has propelled me headlong into a funk. A big one. Please pray for me if you're the prayer type. Thanks.

Just lurking

2007-11-15T23:36:00.000-05:00

It's been a crazy week here in the E household! Hubs back is still hurting, and unfortunately I was told today by the ortho neuro doc that since relief has been minimal w/ the pain meds and muscle relaxers that probably nothing would do any better, so hopefully workers comp will OK the epidural pain meds. Either that or he's going to go stir crazy in the meantime and take me w/ him.

I find myself discouraged at the fact that money is going to be tight w/ only one income, that I often forget about all of the blessings that we do have, and I'm really trying to focus on those things.

It seems like around the Holidays I get so stressed out about the whole visiting family issues that hubs and I have, so this year even though I'm sad that we can't travel for Thanksgiving, I am thankful that I have to slow down, relax, and enjoy the holiday.

Tonight things got too quiet in our house, after a struggle over a little boy wanting to eat chicken nuggets over what I cooked You know, the kind of silence that you actually get up to go investigate. First thing I notice is that the halloween candy bag is in the middle of the kitchen floor. So I sneak up the stairs amd find him eating suckers in his bed, because "i like em more than your food". Yep.

Heaven Help Us.

2007-11-11T14:55:00.000-05:00

I always dread when my cell phone rings while I'm at work. It's hard wired into my mom brain somewhere I think. Wednesday I was fiddling w/ my new work cell on mine and the dr's way to the nursing facility about 45 minutes away when I realized that I had missed a call from an unknown number, since it wasn't attached to any name in my phonebook I didn't worry too much when I checked the voice mail that was left. I should have been. It was Shawn's boss letting me know that at that moment that he was being loaded up into an ambulance and that I should get to the hospital. He hates to even go to the dr at all, so I knew it was a bad sign that he was actually agreeing to go w/ a squad.

My hubby is a big guy. To see him in tears when I got to the ER Wednesday, spoke volumes to me. After a lot of pain med that really did no good, x-rays, and an MRI it's been determined that he has a herniated disc in his lower back. Not good. at. all. Right now they're trying to avoid surgery, but honestly I'm not sure that it's a good thing. His nerves are still being pinched as evidenced by some of the manifestations that is going on. They're talking about doing an epidural of steroids staight into the spinal column. He can't move very well at all, and can't do a lot of basic things like shower by himself, get dressed, or lift the toilet seat up. Please keep us in your prayers, for his quick healing!

WFMW: The Backwards Edition!

2007-11-07T20:14:00.000-05:00

Shannon has flip flopped how we normally do "Works for Me Wednesday", and is encouraging us to ASK a question rather than GIVE a helpful little nugget of 'wisdom'.

Today, while sitting in the ER w/ hubs, I was thinking about this and picked something that I think that I need to hear from others, and also can be quite fun for us as well.

I've been in a spiritual rut lately. Even though I'm busy w/ my childrens ministry, I have found myself not being ministered to, and have rather neglected my relationship w/ my Abba. So, what I'm asking from you ladies today, is how do you refresh yourself when you find yourself in this position, and what is your favorite Bible verse that you find yourself going back to over and over again?

Shopping w/ Hubs

2007-10-31T06:28:00.000-04:00

Give me super-mega Wally World w/ a 3 year old ~~any~~ most days, and I can handle it. The thought of going into the black hole w/ my hubby makes me hypervenilate just a little though. It's just not pretty. Not only am I subjected to the areas that I stay away from, but we end up coming out w/ things like an egg carrier for camping (wtc?!?). Which broke the first time we oppened it and haven't even used. So w/ reluctance I went w/ him to exchange photo paper and ink the other day. We decided to pick up candy for tonight, and while I'm doing the practical "most candy for the least price" thing, hubs throws a bag of Hershey candy bars in.... did I really need to tell him that this will not last through 2 days in my sight before Halloween, or that it'd take a small fortune to buy enough? But, by sweetness, he was actually doing it as a ~~peace offering~~ nice gesture for me! I'm happy to report that there's 3 2 candy bars left :)

Insta Make Over

2007-10-27T17:04:00.000-04:00

Wednesday I was handed a horrid, horrid piece of torture. My official badge for work... including a ~~great~~ horrible picture. Im talking worse than a drivers license photo. My minimilistic beauty regiman was very apparent by my ghostly appearance and no lip gloss, plus way undermaintained eybrows, and a bad hair day on top of it and you have my picture. Not a pretty sight.

I've been determined to step up my beauty regime a little bit. I'm a fan of lipgloss but I actually went and bought lipSTICK the other day, which I haven't done in about 5 years (seriously). I love the CG 'TrueShine' line now! It makes picking a color almost goof proof, as long as you can decide rather you have light, medium, or dark skin tone.

Then I found some time yesterday after I got off of work early while noone was expecting me to pick up the boy or be at home and I went and got my brows waxed. I seriously love that feeling of the hot wax and the tingling of skin afterwards. I hate pain-I find tweezing to be a situation that I want to curl into a fetal position and weep, but I love me a good brow wax.

With my neat clean brows and some lip color and I'm feeling like a new gal! I wonder what I'd have to do to be able to take a new picture or atleast how long I should wait until I "lose" it?

Monday Morning Blues

2007-10-22T06:42:00.000-04:00

I really, really don't want to go to work today!! Hubby's parents, 3 nieces/nephews, and us took off Friday for the beautiful foothills of the Appalacian Mountains in Eastern KY. It was a great weekend for camping, and there were a ton of things for the kiddos to do (they even trick or treated one night). An added bonus was getting to see a ton of friends that we had to leave behind when we moved north.

All parents have learned the hard way that kids will do anything in their little power to totally humiliate you. Mikey made me turn redder than I have before this weekend. He along w/ 2 little girls were playing on the playground in the camp ground, when all of a sudden I look up to see Mikey pull down his pants (up I jump, and try to sprint up the 'rock climbing' side of the equipment--the fastest/easiest way up). Needless to say, I was too late, and my dear son was on a mission w/ his hose.... to see what all he could hit! He definitly has range when it comes to this so that made it that much more ~~hillarious~~ apparent that he's had practice at this. What do you do in a situation like this? Luckily the other father on the playground handled the situation w/ his girls really well, and didn't get mad at us.

I'm Just Saying

2007-10-19T06:32:00.000-04:00

If by some strange notion you decided to be nice and rub hubbies foot down w/ Ben-Gay, for the love of pete, DO NOT touch your face. Let alone, rub the sleepies out of your eye. Just don't. It's not pretty. Promise. I'm just saying.

I'm providing some good laughs for my co-workers, but I'm so glad that I work for an eye doctor!

Better Late than Never!!!

2007-10-18T23:45:00.000-04:00

My mom, sister, niece, and I took off for annual pilgramage to Gatlinburg TN last weekend(well, technically 3 now), and absolutely had a blast. It was a nice break away from 'real life' for a few days, but I really wish that it could've lasted longer. My sister and I even *almost* got the tattoos that we've been talking about for some time.... so much as to checking out the prices. Common sense won out though, and we're totally going to get them done closer to home *just in case*. Ladies, I have not eaten that much in a loooong time (no wonder I was asked the other day if I was prego w/ my 1st or 2nd baby) Also, randomly my BFF from childhood spotted me on the street down there. How great is that. Her and her little prego belly were just about one of the highlights for me. (Also, what's up w/ every other lady being preggers in TN?? Seriously though, it was tough for me to see, and to realize that my hearts desire isn't happening.

I'm going to stop rambling now. See you tomarrow.

Vacations are Great!

2007-10-09T06:20:00.001-04:00

I'm slowly getting back in the groove after my weekend getaway... will be back later today!

Mommy of the Year Award (NOT!!)

2007-10-03T20:40:00.000-04:00

Ok, ladies :) I seriously need your oppinions and tried and true tips! I can barely get my 3 yr old to eat anything besides chicken nuggets or hot dogs!!! No fruits. No veggies. Nothing!!! (Well besides mac and cheese and fettucine alfredo) How do you get your kids to eat a variety? Try new things? Heck, I'll even go for how you trick them into eating something else, ya know, healthy?!?

2007-10-02T21:50:00.000-04:00

Isn't she just a cutie?!?! These are actually her senior pics that her friend took for her. :) I can't believe that she graduates in December!!!

Do What?!?!

2007-10-02T06:36:00.000-04:00

I love popcorn balls :) I have good memories of my BFF's grandma (so in essence she was my gramma, too) making us popcorn balls and putting them into our full sized brown bag (one for each of us!) that she filled up for us with all kinds of goodies on Halloween. Hey... we lived out in the boon docks, so trick or treat was a slow tedious process of getting in and out of cars between being scared to high heaven by teenage boys.

I hardly ever eat popcorn balls anymore, because frankly I hate eating them like I'm eating an apple. I just don't. Yesterday though, I found out that there is proper etiquette for eating a popcorn ball. Did you know this? I most certainly didn't.

You smash it, then you eat it piece by piece (Just don't forget to open the bag before you smoosh it. I'm just sayin'). Yeppers.

That's the way to do it!

Padded Room Anyone?!?

2007-09-28T06:23:00.000-04:00

This week at work we've been instructed to rearrange our office space.... to not only accomadate a new 'marketing person', but to cram 4 of us into one tiny office. You've seen the cabnits that hold medical charts... yeah 3 of us gals decided to move those bad boys instead of waiting for someone to help because we're ~~impatient~~ super strong. You can see where this is headed right... straight for trouble! I ended up looking at my pinky wedged between the moveable shelf and the side of the cabinet.stuck. The only way to get it out was for my boss to yank my hand downward. To say I'm a wuss when it comes to pain, and queesy when it comes to blood is an understatement, and I proved it.

Then last night Mikey decided to drop a broken cinder block on his little foot and lob off a hunk of his toe. Have I mentioned that I'm a wuss when it comes to blood? No stitches ended up being involved, but he basically fileted his big toe. :( ouchee!

Yeah. We're just going to move into a padded room for a while.

Stupid Lights

2007-09-24T18:11:00.000-04:00

I am such a ~~airhead~~ busy woman at times that I do a lot of dumb things. ~~Once~~ ~~Twice~~ I quit counting on how many times I've left my headlights on, while I went to do other things.

Often times I meet up w/ the dr that I will be working w/ at a pre-planned location and then I'll ride w/ him to our facility for the day. Not once now, but twice I've left my lights on at the drop off location, hence no loving co-workers to turn them off for me. Today though was my lucky day and I didn't have to go in search of jumpers while trying to contain my laughter (the dr did come back that day when he realized I wasn't leaving the parking lot)because I was working with super doc who had jumpers hidden under a panel in his car!!

oy vei

2007-09-22T13:36:00.000-04:00

Time for a Change!

2007-09-21T19:20:00.000-04:00

Forget the 90 degree weather today, it is officially Fall for me!! I've finally figured out how to put a photo up... mind you it's from last year, and we both look totally differant :) , but I love this photo taken on the balcony of our hotel in the Great Smokey Mountains.

So w/ the crispness that we experienced this past weekend tent camping w/o a sleeping bag because somebody forgot to pack it, but I'm not going to name names, just remember that I was in charge of food and clothing. Not tents, campstoves, air matresses, or SLEEPING BAGS!! Oh, sorry! Where was I? OH, Happy Fall!!!

I'm Baacck!

2007-09-17T08:42:00.000-04:00

Fall is definitly in the air! We went camping w/ the boyscouts this weekend, and were actually wearing heavy jackets at points!I knew that it was cold especially when we pulled away from the campsite yesterday it was only 57 degrees, but then realized when I watched the news this am that it hadn't even hit 70 at all this weekend!

I often groan at the thought of spending a weekend w/ the boys, in the cold, w/ no showers and just a double seater privy, but I really enjoyed myself this weekend. We took the boys fishing Sat. and had a pretty good hike to get to the lake, and I really enjoyed it, but did not like the snake that we saw swimming through the sunshine covered water.

We came home to find our furnace had broken down, so luckily we had a savaged unit stored in our garage that fits our house perfectly, so hubs and my FIL replaced our furnace yesterday afternoon. It should actually be more efficient then the old one. Thankfully my FIL had the foresight to save that unit when he had installed a newer one for someone (he owns his own HVAC company), and I'm grateful that we were able to install it ourselves, b/c we definitly don't have the funds for that kind of expense right now.

Last night at church we started the 2nd year of Sunday night classes/activities. I'm so thankfull to have my little ones again. Mikey even told me our story (Jesus walking on water) on our way home from church!

2007-09-08T10:33:00.000-04:00

So sorry if you read that last post. I read it this morning and you can definitly tell that the meds had stripped all ability to write coherently! I have a sinus infection, and I feel like poo on a stick when I'm not taking the meds.

Yesterday was a day of Dr's for us. Me for a follow-up of another issue (and a quick check of my sinuses) and Mikey had his 3 year check-up. Is it bad when the doc looks and is relieved when the patient isn't wearing cowboy boots? Last year he got upset w/ her, and much to my chargrin kicked the doc. Here's the thing, Mikey hasn't really been sick (and the few times he has, I've had to take him to the ER)-thank the Lord, but a 'speech problem' has been overlooked ('what the crap?!? I understand him just fine' was my gut reaction)

Maybe it's because I am mom, and I'm with him all of the time and the fact that he has an extensive vocabulary and a great ability to come up w/ complex sentences, but evidently she was concerned. He's tongue tied, but wouldn't stick his tongue out or unclamp the jaws of death so that the dr could look, so that may be an option, if she ever gets to take a look. I guess we've taught him too well that it's not nice to stick your tongue out!

His ped in KY, when he was born, had told me to keep the fact that he's tongue tied in the back of my mind when he learned to talk, and I totally spaced. So now it's wait and see.

Also, Shannon has started a great discussion dealing w/ modesty and it's place, or lack thereof, in todays society, so go check it out!! You'll be so glad that you did.

WFMW~ Brand Edition

2007-09-05T21:35:00.000-04:00

I'm a very good bargin hunter, but I've found a couple of things that I really don't mind paying the extra price for.

One of my little pleasures is buying good fabric softener...I love me some extra good smelling clothes :) What I can't figure out though, is how even when I buy the exact same detergent and fabric softener, how come my clothes never smell as good as my moms (or my MIL)?

Also, I have to buy good conditioner for my hair, so usually it's Pantene. Shampoo can be anything, but the conditioner is a no budge for me!

Another thing is my travel coffee mug made by OXO. I absolutely love it! It was worth the $10 that I paid for it! I have dropped it, kicked it, shut it in a car door, carried it upside down, and shook it to mix my cream and sugar and it is truly LEAK-PROOF!! All new moms I know are going to get one of these puppies in with their gift. Have I told you how much I love it!!

So, these are the things that I absolutely love and works for me!! for more ideas, go visit Shannon :)

I <3 Me a Good Thrift Store

2007-08-29T21:06:00.000-04:00

Here's what I got today during my monthly voyage to 1/2 price day at the thrift store:

*4 pairs of pants for hubs (1 is Levi's and 1 is Polo Jeans... brand new w/ tags)Mind you, hubs wears Big and Tall, so all 4 pairs together were less than one store bought pair.
*1 pair of Old Navy jeans for me... too bad they didn't fit when I got them home :(
*2 shirts for Mikey
*1 pair of tennis shoes for Mikey (good condition)
*1 pair Ambercrombie lounge pants for me
*2 sports bras (Nike)
*1 Victoria Secret bra still w/ tag attached
*1 Corduroy jacket for fall from St. John's Bay
*1 cheap bag of junk as bribary

Grand Total < $35

Rivetting I know...I just love finding good deals! I could really care less about the brands, but take it from someone who has never bought name brand tennis shoes, and typically shops thrift and Wally World... it's a thrill to find high quality for low prices :)

WFMW

2007-08-29T05:41:00.000-04:00

There is nothing like seeing a little underweared tush running across the room! I've notice that at times it can make me choke up a bit b/c my lil boy is growing up, and I've caught myself telling hubby more than once, "look at how cute it is", while a spiderman toosh is up in the air.

Mikey doesn't have many accidents (I think the total is 2 in the past month!!!) but we seem to leave spare pairs EVERYWHERE... granny's, mammaw's, baby sitter, Aunt M's, church..... and find ourselves often running low at home. So last night I went to our mega thrift store and bought 12 pairs for $4!! I'm talking almost brand new here...of course I check for stains and such *eewww*

Of course if I had waited until today, they would have been 1/2 off(last Wed of every month everything is half off), but I knew by the time I'd get home from work today, the goods would have been gone... that's just my luck. But you better believe I'm going there before coming home tonight!!

For more great tips visit Shannon's place!

Oh Be Careful Little Eyes What You See...

2007-08-26T15:12:00.000-04:00

I about lost it in church this morning when we sang this song for youth day.

Yesterday at the yardsale, we were wrapping up w/ a few of the last customers when one lady came up to me and asked if the adorable little boy running around was mine. Well, apparently he had walked up to her and patted her on the heiney. She turned around to ask him if 'he liked her heiney' (just in good natured fun) and he proudly replied 'yep!!'.

Hubs doesn't go around doing PDA's very often at all, but evidently Mikey caught him one time!!

15lbs later...

2007-08-25T22:51:00.000-04:00

Part of Squashfest is the fact that my MIL lives on the main street of town and has an annual yardsale. I cleaned out the garage last night (well, a part of it at least) and added to the sale (I made some teens very happy when I way under priced a speaker of some sort... I sold it for $5 to hubs dismay). We always take this money and use it for the Squashfest, since ya know the prices are crazy and we eat way to much. Supper tonight consisted of a corndog, a blooming onion, and a fried snickers bar (on a stick). Add to that 2 games and a ride (M only wanted to ride one, he absolutely had no use for the rest of them, and it was going to be heck to pay if he didn't get to ride it)!

Tomarrow lunch may be grilled corn... and fried oreos.

CANDY!!

2007-08-25T15:55:00.000-04:00

Every year we have a festival in our little community, just like every other town in Ohio. Ours is Squashfest. Everyone looks forward to this time every year there is a mini fair, a parade, and car show. Today during the parade Mikey and I found us a good spot---no other kids were right around us. Imagine my surprise when Mikey didn't want to jump out of his stroller to grab candy being thown in our direction, but oh you better believe that not one single piece of candy was left on that ground. OH yes ma'am I did! I made sure that every last piece was picked up. Ya know, I just couldn't imagine myself littering, because that's what it would be considered if I had just left it lie. I'm just saying. Did I mention that DQ hands out Dilly Bars on the parade route? They sure do, and boy are they good :) I know, because I had to eat 1 1/2 of them. Remember how M hates to have his hands dirty? Yeah, melting ice cream falls in that catagory. Let's just say, I love me a good parade.

Fish Kisses and Gorilla Hugs

2007-08-23T21:53:00.000-04:00

Today was Mikey's first day w/ a new babysitter. Meaning, not family and w/ kids his similar age. It went pretty well, w/ only a few incidents of 'the lone child' selfish-ness, that let's face it, is completely normal. The thing of it is, I was pretty much OK with it :) Mrs. C is an awesome lady with tons of love that just seems to overflow out of her. One of our good friends has had her children w/ her since 3 and 7 months old, but *sniff* they have to part ways now due to kindergarten. Mikey's excited about going back tomarrow!!

Tonight, we made a family pilgramage to Wally-World to return a duplicate toy from the birthday bonanza. M picked out a really cute book to go w/ his new truck. It's too cute and has super shiny pages, but may have just added another 1/2 an hour or so to bedtime. I don't really mind though. I fondly recall my parents reading bed time stories to me each and every night, and I hope that M will remember these times as well. Story time and prayer time are such a special moment in our home.

:)

So glad to be home...

2007-08-20T06:31:00.000-04:00

It's been a whirl wind week around here! I have so many jumbling thoughts going on right now, so I'm goin' to hit the high (well probably low as well)points from this week.

*I being the klutz that I am, fell down the stairs the other night (3am), catching my arm on some hidden nail in the carpet. When asked why I didn't go get the stitches that were obviously needed, I told a little white lie... yes, I wanted to go back to sleep, but in all actuality I'm a sissy when it comes to pain (and I saw how painful it was when my hubby got stitches... and he's a big guy w/ a huge threshold for pain)

*'It's my birfday' has been seared into Mikey's noggin... now everyday is his 'birfday'. My little man turned 3!!! Where'd the time go?

*Remember my 'favorite' camper Yeah, it's still a POC, now maybe hubs will think of the blown tire at 12:30am and stop to listen when I say, 'let's just stay w/ my parents instead of paying to camp!'

*Depression is rearing it's ugly head again in our family... I just can't fathom having children and trying to take your life multiple times, just don't get it. I know it's an illness, but honestly I want to shake her and say, 'quit being selfish!'

*Did you know that dogs may actually eat gravel, then puke it up at various points in a car trip, and you'll be examing the puke to find out what in tarnations is going on?

*A special couple came to Mikey's birthday party at my mom's... my great aunt and uncle!! I was so excited to see them,it's been 4 years since I saw them at my wedding. Uncle H is turning 91 next month, looks not a day over 70, and still goes out and cuts and bales hay. His wife is a breast cancer survivor,was always my cheerleader growing up, and truly one of my greatest inspirations.

So there you have it. Exciting week huh??!

Amen Brother Ben!

2007-08-13T22:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I saw a differant side of my father in law, Mr. E.

Mr. E wears many hats. Husband, father, co-worker, elder, mentor, boyscout leader, teacher and friend. Above all else, he is a child of the King. He's also a guy that if you ever hear him yell, you take head because, well, he doesn't do it that often (so you know something big time is going on). He's the hardest working man I know, often working 16+ hours a day. You would never know that he's battled thyroid cancer, and had an industrial air conditioning unit's fan blade richochet off his chest causing him to have a heart attack. He's one of the few people that can calm my hubby down when he's upset, and he gently reminds me often to be a peacemaker when hubs and I are upset w/ each other. Thrifty is a virtue to him. He's my son's hero, as he is to his other grandkids (and to each of his own children).

One thing that I've rarely seen him do is tear up. Yesterday, he teared up, and had me boo hooing, along w/ half of our congregation. It happened when he was praying right before he served 3 (!!!)of his grandsons their first communion after he baptized them yesterday. To say that these 3 young men are rough around the edges is an understatement, but my father in law was the biggest arrow pointing the way to the cross, not by preaching at them, but simply by loving on them, and sharing as they've opened up to it.

So, it's celebration time in our family! I'm so happy for the boys, and I can tell that a change has already started to take place. I know that the road for them will be rough at times, but ya know I honestly know that they're ready for the ride that will take them through their own journey of faith. My prayer for them is that they embrace it, and drink HIM in, b/c ya know that's the bottom line... HIM. \o/

Amen!!

Fun Times!

2007-08-11T12:59:00.001-04:00

Another fun contest!! I'm hoping that I'll win something ;)

WFMW:Portion Control and Ice Cream Goodness

2007-08-08T06:29:00.000-04:00

My boy loves to snack. In all of his finnackyness though, he will not ever eat anything w/o a plate or bowl. Not even goldfish crackers. Yep. He has to have something. Of course I don't want to add to the dish load, and paper plates are too big (and there's no way I'm spending extra on the little paper plates that are more expense than the larger ones) so I've come up w/ the perfect solution. I use the little cupcake papers (ya know, the ones that you make cupcakes in) to hold his dry solid snacks. They also let me control his portion better, and he doesn't think that he's being short changed. Best of all they're really cheap! This really works for us.

******ALSO, my mom used them for a cook out they had recently to serve ice cream. The day of or before, she took and softened her ice cream and scooped some into the liners lined on a cookie sheet. She then set the sheet back into the freezer and she didn't have to mess w/ scooping the day of her event (ya know b/c it's either going to be rock solid or it's going to be a melty goopy mess if you do it when you're ready to eat.)She then took and prettied them up w/ drizzled chocolate and stuff. I know it doesn't sound like a lot of ice cream, but it was great w/ kids and those that wanted, 'just a little bit.'

For more great tips go visit Shannon!! Don't forget to join in!

Smells like Teen Spirit

2007-08-07T22:37:00.001-04:00

oh, who am I kidding. Pride really does come before the fall. Here I've been so proud of Mikey and his potty training (and I still am), and have bragged about how I really haven't had to clean up too many messes (none of the solid variety), until tonight.

It started when I ran to Kroger and Mikey decided to see how much toilet paper could be put in the potty. Shawn knew something was amiss when all became too quiet, and took care of the situation before I got home.

Then, I was cooking supper and Mikey announced that he had to go. right. now. So, I told him to 'go'... yeah, he ran in, didn't turn on the light, flopped down on the potty and began to pooooo. ALL OVER THE TOILET SEAT! I really did have to stiffle a laugh. Mikey HATES to be dirty (remember this is the child who won't eat ketchup b/c it gets his hands dirty), so this accident was especially upsetting to him. So, maybe for a while we'll just have to make sure not to turn off the lights :)

It's 463 degrees outside today

2007-08-07T00:43:00.000-04:00

and I decided that today would be the ideal day to run out of gas less than a mile from my house. I still say though, that if it hadn't have taken 13 minutes in the Sonic drive thru then I would have made it home. My fruit/berry slushie and I had a nice time waiting for my dad to come pick us up (he stayed here for a couple of days while on layover.) So then I got to hear the 'I spent how much money to send you to college' speech. Yeah dad, I know common sense isn't always my strong suit :) BUt to my credit the car hasn't been driven in a couple of months, so it wasn't like I've avoided filling the gas tank, I just didn't pay attention.

That was bad, but then aparently I decided that sitting in the heat wasn't good enough, that I'd actually like to walk in the heat too.

My dad and I decided to drive my car, which broke down on me Thursday (but then started perfectly fine Fri morning and I've boycotted driving since)to go get Mikey from grandma's not even a mile away. It quit again. Seriously frustrated I huff it 3 blocks home to get the now gased up car, and lo and behold when I get back to my dad he had coaxed my car to start stubbornly. He drove it home in 2nd gear, whatever that means.

Oy vey!

What a Weekend

2007-08-05T22:19:00.000-04:00

Shawn, Mikey and I headed out Friday to go camping in our $500 fixer-upper (which hasn't been fully fixed up yet) pop up camper for the annual E Family camp-out. Let's just say this weekend will be retold many times in the future w/ the prologue, "when we were young and poor...."

Yeah, we lost a 'leg' to the camper, got pulled over, got lost, got given the wrong directions and got even more lost... all by midnight Friday!! We back tracked and found the leg though :) Let's just say that about midnight, I had already uttered the words, 'pull over or find a hotel...'about 3 differant times. No hotels exist in the country of NW Ohio.

Yesterday, Mikey discovered the joy of peeing outdoors. No big issue though (as long as he doesn't fullfill my FIL's prophecy of this happening at church)- I was raised in the country, and I've answered natures call many of time in some discreet location (heck I pondered it today when we stop to fix that stupid 'leg' again). Honestly I'm just glad he's out of diapers :) About dark o thirty this am Mikey wakes me up saying he has to go potty. right. now. Did I mention it's pouring the rain? So, me being wise, took Mikey outside, stood under the canopy and told M that he could just go right there. There was no way that he would do it, so off we go in the rain, to the potties way down yonder.

Have I mentioned that it's raining by now? By morning we have found out exactly where all the camper is leaking. Yeah for a mostly dry bed though (one that we could contort our bodies around the wet spots)!

Maybe it'll be fixed before we go camping next time :)

Bye Bye Hair Elastics...

2007-07-28T22:53:00.000-04:00

You know it's time to change something when you realize that you're wearing a ponytail or some variation thereof...every.single.day.

Today, I decided to do something about it. I had intentions on having my hair straightened (almost 2 years ago I committed the ultimate hair tragedy... I got a perm and it was clinging on stubbornly), but the nice lady suggested to forget that and just cut my hair to avoid chemical radiation to my mostly healthy hair and to avoid the possibility that it could just revolt and fall out. So i took the plunge...gals, I cut my hair.

Atleast 6 inches. Maybe more. I went from hair to the middle of my back to right at my shoulders. I almost cried when I realized that it was shorter than what we had originally discussed. But, man, I feel like a new woman. sexier. more confident. Plus the cut is just too cute, and what I have left of my hair is healthy. No frizzies, poofies,or anything.

Now as long as the urge to keep cutting it shorter and shorter doesn't emerge. My friend Wendy and I proved this in college... you cut your hair short and suddenly it is not short enough, so you cut more, and then the cycle keeps repeating. It's true.

Mind you, I haven't cut cut my hair since Demon and I broke up...7 1/2 years ago. (Just a little background... Demon was the Russian I dated who turned out to be psycho possesive, and wouldn't let me do anything to my hair w/o his approval)When I broke off the engagement I went one day after classes and cut my hair to my chin as a rebellion, 'just because I can thing.'

So to say today hasn't been an emotional day would be a lie. When I saw my hubby and he proclaimed that he loves it though, made it very worthwhile!

Now, if I can only make it look this good on my own ;)

We Have a Winner!

2007-07-27T15:27:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I never got that photo put up :( but thanks for leaving comments galore anyways!!!!

To pick the winner, I used the higly scientific method of the fatinator-determiner-I looked at the fat content on the label of what I was eating at the moment (bite size Hershey's Special Dark chocolate)and used that number to count backwards from the end of the comments! So the winner of the original bracelet is Kristi!!!! She's the mom of 2 awesome little guys and I'm having fun reading her blog!

It's Carnival Time!

2007-07-23T21:01:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned earlier, I recently began a new hobby which would provide a great giveaway during the Dog Days of Summer Blog Giveaway, so I'm excited to announce that my new hobby is...drumroll please....jewelry making! So far, I'm only doing bracelets, so if you're looking to add a piece of jewlery to your collection, be sure to leave a comment! Just so that you know, the bracelets are beaded, and are very cute! I'll draw a random winner Friday after dinner!

(I'm actually very pleased w/ the bracelets that I've made, my batteries in my camera are dead at this moment, so a picture will come tomarrow!)

Stay Tuned!

2007-07-20T18:14:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I decided that I needed a hobby, and set off on a mission to figure out what I could do that I could do well and didn't have to do w/ my role as wife or mommy. Let's just say that I'm fullfilling something that I've wanted/wished that I could do for a while ;) and I'm actually a little bit good at it! So stay tuned, because Monday I'm going to unveil my new hobby by participating in the 'Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway'! So, stop by Monday after 8am to find out what all of the excitement is about! Plus, don't forget to click on the super cute button on my sidebar to explore all of the fun!

TGIF! i think.

2007-07-20T06:36:00.000-04:00

So I woke up this morning and I almost feel like a human being again. Then I remember, that I have a dr's appointment today. Not just any dr mind you, but the yuck doctor. If that wasn't bad enough, that means that I'll have to shave in my whole *3 minute* shower this morning. Hubby hit the bathroom first this morning, and he takes longer than any female that I know! So, by the time he gets out, I'll have approx. 3 minutes to finish my shower routine, allowing me a few minutes to get ready and head out the door to face traffic. I may just have to be a few minutes late today. :p

My father in law and I went to get our girls from camp yesterday. It was a beautiful drive, and we had some great conversation. I feel bad for the Amish guy riding the bicycle though... after we passed a few minutes later it started pouring. Oh, how much fun our girls had a camp! My favorite quote came from A who said, "i found a really cool page in the Bible"...yes!

Where'd the weekend go?!?

2007-07-16T01:09:00.000-04:00

Shawn and I took our last group of kids to camp today, and something amazing happened on our way...

Every since we've moved to Ohio, I've been fascinated w/ the Amish, and have been wanting to visit Amish Country. After I woke from my typical Sunday afternoon nap (hey, I can nap anywhere! doesn't matter much too me as long as there's no bugs)I looked up and saw a horse and buggy! It's the small things in life folks! :)

Since it's 1am and I just now got home from the grocery and sat down to eat my dessert that hubby brought home to me I wanted to share some of the blessings from my busy day:

-Church this morning: We always do communion in Jr Church... One of our youth, A, was baptized last week, so she got to partake in her first one.
-After church we headed out w/ 2 of our girls for camp. Hearing them laugh was music to our ears for the trip
-Watching the girls run away (yep they ran) ready for the week to begin. Both are home bodies and are prone to homesickness, so let's hope they make it for the week.
-Excederin Migraine: 'nough said
-Round trip w/ no accidents 'cuz momma forgot the diaper bag
-Seeing my sister in law off of the vent tonight laughing and talking to us.
-Hubby cleaning the kitchen and doing laundry, just because.
-A God who loves us

My New Friend

2007-07-12T10:28:00.000-04:00

I always love making new friends! I think that Maggie may just well be on her way to becoming my BFF :) Let me tell ya about her. I never knew that I needed a friend like Mags. She seems so out of my league, but luckily one of the docs and my office manager introduced us. Before I met her I always quized my hubby about why my need for a friend like her for?

Let me tell ya why.... my total ability to miss a very well marked interstate, and continue to travel for 30 more minutes before I want to admit that I'm in the wrong place, on the wrong interstate. Yep. Sure did. They don't call it the outter belt for nothin'.

Maggie has led us on all sorts of adventures, and has saved my heiny when I've gotten off the planned course. I think w/ her help I may find Cbus a less stressful place, and may just venture outside of my comfort zone.

If ya can't tell I love my new GPS system! It's awesome, cuz I'm getting her for way cheap (my office manager got it, then less than 2 months later they took a trip to Canada, and found that it doesn't have Canadian maps, so they have to re-invest)PLUS where I travel for work, I can count it as a business expense! Whoo hoo :)

Yay!!! Titles are back :) Works for Me Wednesday!

2007-07-11T06:29:00.000-04:00

Since potty training is going so very well for Mikey, I've recently found something new that works for me! Every night right before bed we do our bedtime routine of bath, prayers, and potty time. Even though Mikey is mostly night trained as well we still use a pull-up at night (aka 'night underwear'). I've found that when he wakes up dry in the am, when we take off the pull-up, we don't throw it away... we save it for another wearing that night (usually we'll use the same one for 2-3 nights). Hey, those suckers are too expensive to throw away perfectly clean ones!

***BONUS TIP*** I found out through another WFMW post early in the summer, that those swim diapers can actually be reused too if no pottying took place! (We still use those right now... just in case!)Just ring it out if need be, turn it inside out and lay it out to dry! This is great for us since our in-laws have a pool, and we swim quite a bit!

For even more (and better) ideas head over to see Shannon for other great WFMW tips

2007-07-07T23:05:00.000-04:00

Today was a nice leisurely day spent swimming, napping, and then shopping. I had planned on getting Mikey's hair cut but lo and behold they were already shut.... so on a whim we decided to walk down to the pet store (Mikey picked out a parakeet that he wants), then to Michaels (I found a kit to make 30 foam banners for Sunday school on sale for $5, but it rang up for .01!!!), then I realized that I needed to run into Wal-Mart. I made near-record time going through the grocery section and headed up to check out(only 1 person in front of me!!!) Here's when I almost lost it gals! We're checking out and Mikey is doing his usual, "wantta ride the firetruck mom. I been good" pleading when the cashier looks at me and said, "What did he say? I couldn't understand that Jap-talian language he was speaking." WHAT THE CRAP. I politely told her that that was a very rude thing to say.... that he was speaking English (ya know the same language we speak every day). Now, I'm at a loss for what I should do. I spoke w/ a very unconcerned manager, but I am still angry. Should I contact corporate? We're very much American (Mikey likes to scrunch up his face and his eyes do narrow), so it wasn't a direct attact against our nationality, but I'm still really angered by this.

Hiatus Be Gone!

2007-07-02T22:57:00.000-04:00

My crazy-on-the-go-nonstop-week-from-h@ll has ended, so I can indeed return to bloggy land! (why oh why did that just turn into a link?!?!) Jess has tagged me for the 5 random things meme, so I'm mighty glad to oblige! The rules? Simple, she posed 5 random questions for 5 differant bloggers who then answer, come up w/ 5 random questions for 5 more lucky people....and so the cycle of the meme continues on and on! So, Jess, thanks for your creativity as always! :)

1. If you could return to a certain stage in your life, what would it be and why?
I would love to turn back the clock to just a few years ago at college. This is the one time
period that I have a lot of fond memories, and also a lot of regrets. BUT I must say that I
would want to do it all again w/ the knowledge that I have now. I think that I would have
taken my classes a little more seriously, and enjoyed friendships a lot more. I would have
spent more time eating ice cream w/ the gals, more nights under the stars out at sex rock (no
not having sex...), and more time listening to God, I would let Him use me more and help
refine my soul, I'd spend less time trying to be who others wanted me to be, and more time
being me. I'd break loose from unhealthy relationships, and cling harder to some of the most
awesome friends I could ever ask for.

2. What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?
Do you really want me to answer that?!? I've eaten lots of interesting things, thanks to
mission trips and a dad that encouraged me to try lots of things. The strangest thing though
would be cow tongue. It's actually really good if it's cooked correctly.

3. What is the longest you have gone without sleep and why?
Yeah, I'm a girl that's gotta have sleep. I think that I've maybe stayed awake about 24
hours while on the way to Mexico.

4. What is one goal or dream you have that few people know about?
I've always been an anxious person and am socially phobic..... I'd love to be that confident gal
that you see and look up too.

5. If you could meet any fictional character who would it be and why?
I'd love to meet Raven on That's So Raven... I think it'd be fun to see snipets of the future.

So here's my 5 questions for Leslie, Linda, Ellen, Kim, and

1. You are given the chance to produce something that would help moms around the world... money and outlandishness not an issue... what would it be?
2. You can star in anything you want (stage, radio, tv, etc...) what would your dream role be?
3. What's a *secret* talent that you have that would make you the life of the party?
4. What was one of your biggest successes? failures?
5. Name something you despise doing, and what creative excuse/method do you use to get someone else to do the dreaded task,

Wild Woman!

2007-06-23T10:04:00.000-04:00

Last night I spent the evening w/ a group of wonderful women that I worked with! kid.free. Ya'll I haven't done that since..... well, since.... I'm not sure. Boy did we laugh.and eat. A LOT. After a wild couple of stressful weeks at work we all needed it.

Potty training is going extremely well... a lot better than I thought that it would.... Diego undies are working wonders ;) I find myself tearing up when I see that little diego clad hiney running pass... where did my baby go?

Big Butter Jesus

2007-06-21T19:53:00.000-04:00

Jess posted about the Big Butter Jesus earlier this week...I'm so glad she forwarned me. Unknown to me that I would be passing it, I seriously think that I would have had an accident if I hadn't have had a clue. Not to be irreverant or anything... the statue really looks like Jesus is made of butter! I laughed and laughed some more!

Potty training is going OK.... as long as our boy is butt n*ked. Even underwear is being treated like diapers, so slow goes it. Seriously though, Mikey is finally ready (thank goodness after hearing my MIL give me the 'all of my kids were potty trained by 2 1/2' speech. 3 days and only a handful of accidents :) Now if he's in underwear by the time he's in kindergarten!!

Happy Time!

2007-06-19T18:41:00.000-04:00

I've been tagged by Jess for this fun meme! Oh, and this is the first time that I've been tagged, so I'm really happy right now. Time for a de-relaxer from my day!!

5 Snacks I enjoy
*my mom makes incredible and beautiful homemade candy which are utterly delicous.
*Reese's
*Cheez-Its... they're addictive... no joke there is no less than 4 boxes open of 'em in our office at
any given time!
*Salsa and cheese in a flour tortilla.
*Potato chips w/ ketchup on them (don't laugh, try it...)

5 songs that I know all the lyrics
*The theme song from Handy Manny
*Most praise songs
*The Spanish Alphabet (the ONLY song that would calm Mikey down when he was little...
don't know how I figured that one out)
*My Alma Mater
*A lot of songs from the Wiggles

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire
*Share w/ my family
*Go on a huge vacation to somewhere warm and sunny
*Send my parents back to Alaska (OK, so I'd have to go too)
*Help a dear friend adopt her *little boy* from Mexico
*Fund my child's and someone else's college education

5Bad Habits
*Fiddle-ing when I'm nervous
*Popping zits
*Talking too fast/too much when I'm nervous
*Being so black/white on issues
*Clicking my ink pen

5 Things I would Never Wear Again
*Tapered Pants
*80's hair
*Tye-dye
*Spandex
*Bannana Clips

5 Things I Like to do
*Play w/ my son
*Laugh w/ my hubby
*Make others happy
*Walk bare footed
*Be w/ friends

5 People I Tag:
*Umm, since I'm not sure who reads on a regular basis, consider yourself tagged if you're
reading this... I double dog dare ya :) Don't forget to leave a comment!