(I'm on a posting spree today! lol)
I've been coming up with my resolutions/goals for 2006 list, and this is what I've come up with so far...
-lose 20 lbs/eat healthier/exercise more (still trying to shed the last of the baby fat)
-continue to have monthly date nights with Joe
-have family fun weekends once a month
-make my FLYlady routines a habit to keep the house under control
-declutter basement (and other areas as needed)
-find and join a church
-be a better and happier wife & mom
(I think I had very similar ones last year...shows how much I did NOT accomplish in 2005! LOL)
Friday, December 30, 2005
Looking Back at 2005...
Looking back at 2005...
Well, another year is coming to an end. I spent much of the year stressed out, and trying to adjust to having 2 kids, while working full-time and keeping up with household cleaning and such. But there certainly were fun and good times too. I’ve enjoyed watching the boys grow and learn more every day. And I feel like I’ve learned a few things too, even if some of them were the hard way. Here are some of the highlights from 2005:
* My biggest highlight of 2005 was completing a personal goal that I’ve had for many years. When I was about 11 or 12 years old, I made the goal that I would go to all 48 continental states before I turned 30. Well, I started 2005 with only 2 states left to go- Minnesota and North Dakota. So in May, I jumped in my SUV and drove to Minnesota & North Dakota by myself (against Joe’s wishes, but there was no way I was gonna give up on my goal when I was so close to completing it!). I’m proud to say I completed my goal! (and Joe got over it). Now I hope to eventually visit Alaska & Hawaii too, sometime before I die. But for now I'm content with having completed my goal (especially since I'm about to turn 30 in March).
* Over the summer I took both boys for a day trip to Onondaga Cave while Joe was out of town for work. I had a great time with the boys, they both loved the cave (even Adam who was only 7 or 8 months old at the time! He rode on my back in a baby backpack and just looked around and giggled). After the cave tour, we played by the river for awhile before heading back home.
* In October I took Brendan out for a "Mommy and Son date" as part of an early birthday present. We went to McDonald’s and sat at the big aquarium and looked at fish, and then we went to see "Dragon Tales Live". It was a great show! I enjoyed it much more than I expected! They did a great job and had cool lights effects, and lots of singing and dancing. It was so cute to see all the little kids in the audience dancing & singing at their seats. I’ve never seen so many happy kids at once. Brendan really enjoyed it.
* Also this year we went as a family to the Black River area for a fun weekend. We played in the river, went to Johnson’s Shut-Ins, Elephant Rocks, and cooked hotdogs and smores over the campfire. Even though it was terribly hot, we had a great time and Brendan still talks about it.
* Joe had to do some traveling to Nebraska and Iowa with his job this year. He was gone about 4 different times, for a week at a time. Besides our water heater going out the first time he was gone, and our water being shut off (mistakenly) another time he was gone, and the electric company coming and cutting down a bunch of our trees when they only had permission to cut down 3 while he was gone another time, it actually wasn’t too bad. lol
* We started having monthly date nights this year, the first Monday of every month. That was really nice. We knew we’d never get around to it if we didn’t set up a schedule for it, so that’s what we did. We lined up our babysitter for all those Mondays and enjoyed time as a couple without the kids once a month. Most of those we ended up at a local restaurant & brewery because they have all-you-can-eat crablegs on the buffet for only $5.95! But we also saw a movie or two and ate some other places some of the time.
The rest of 2005 was basically just the daily grind of working, house-cleaning, and hanging out around the house with the boys.
In some ways 2005 flew by, and in other ways it seemed to drag on. Either way, I’m looking forward to 2006 and eager to see what the new year will throw our way.
Well, another year is coming to an end. I spent much of the year stressed out, and trying to adjust to having 2 kids, while working full-time and keeping up with household cleaning and such. But there certainly were fun and good times too. I’ve enjoyed watching the boys grow and learn more every day. And I feel like I’ve learned a few things too, even if some of them were the hard way. Here are some of the highlights from 2005:
* My biggest highlight of 2005 was completing a personal goal that I’ve had for many years. When I was about 11 or 12 years old, I made the goal that I would go to all 48 continental states before I turned 30. Well, I started 2005 with only 2 states left to go- Minnesota and North Dakota. So in May, I jumped in my SUV and drove to Minnesota & North Dakota by myself (against Joe’s wishes, but there was no way I was gonna give up on my goal when I was so close to completing it!). I’m proud to say I completed my goal! (and Joe got over it). Now I hope to eventually visit Alaska & Hawaii too, sometime before I die. But for now I'm content with having completed my goal (especially since I'm about to turn 30 in March).
* Over the summer I took both boys for a day trip to Onondaga Cave while Joe was out of town for work. I had a great time with the boys, they both loved the cave (even Adam who was only 7 or 8 months old at the time! He rode on my back in a baby backpack and just looked around and giggled). After the cave tour, we played by the river for awhile before heading back home.
* In October I took Brendan out for a "Mommy and Son date" as part of an early birthday present. We went to McDonald’s and sat at the big aquarium and looked at fish, and then we went to see "Dragon Tales Live". It was a great show! I enjoyed it much more than I expected! They did a great job and had cool lights effects, and lots of singing and dancing. It was so cute to see all the little kids in the audience dancing & singing at their seats. I’ve never seen so many happy kids at once. Brendan really enjoyed it.
* Also this year we went as a family to the Black River area for a fun weekend. We played in the river, went to Johnson’s Shut-Ins, Elephant Rocks, and cooked hotdogs and smores over the campfire. Even though it was terribly hot, we had a great time and Brendan still talks about it.
* Joe had to do some traveling to Nebraska and Iowa with his job this year. He was gone about 4 different times, for a week at a time. Besides our water heater going out the first time he was gone, and our water being shut off (mistakenly) another time he was gone, and the electric company coming and cutting down a bunch of our trees when they only had permission to cut down 3 while he was gone another time, it actually wasn’t too bad. lol
* We started having monthly date nights this year, the first Monday of every month. That was really nice. We knew we’d never get around to it if we didn’t set up a schedule for it, so that’s what we did. We lined up our babysitter for all those Mondays and enjoyed time as a couple without the kids once a month. Most of those we ended up at a local restaurant & brewery because they have all-you-can-eat crablegs on the buffet for only $5.95! But we also saw a movie or two and ate some other places some of the time.
The rest of 2005 was basically just the daily grind of working, house-cleaning, and hanging out around the house with the boys.
In some ways 2005 flew by, and in other ways it seemed to drag on. Either way, I’m looking forward to 2006 and eager to see what the new year will throw our way.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Christmas wrap-up
Okay everyone...take a deep breath...Christmas is over! Whew! We sure had a whirlwind of celebrations the last several days.
Day before Christmas eve: dinner at my cousin's house (about 1.5 hrs west of our house)
Went well, but was crowded and had people from other sides of her family that we didn't know.
Christmas eve: Grandma's (about 1.5 hrs west of our house again)
We went to church service with them at their church. I was very nervous about this, as I wasn't sure how my boys would do. But I'd say for a 5 yr old and a 1 yr old they did amazingly well! Adam was so funny, every time we'd sing a hymn he'd start dancing. lol Then we went back to Grandma's house, had our traditional appetizer-type-foods "meal" and drinks, and opened presents. My 2 nephews (ages 5 and almost 3) were there too, and when all 4 boys get together they get so hyper and loud. So it was chaotic and loud, and I was somewhat frustrated, but overall went well. We didn't get back home until almost 1:30am and then "Santa" still had to come. So it was a late night.
Christmas morning: Santa and our presents at our house with the boys. This went well. We had a nice morning, and the boys had fun playing with all their new stuff. And, there were actually presents for me this year too (including stocking!). That was so nice, as there have been Christmases in the past when Joe didn't get me anything, and he has never filled my stocking until this year. He got pretty much what I told him I wanted and had suggested last week when he said he wasn't sure what to get me. And he seemed pleased with the pole saw/pruner (and other things) that I got him. He's been wanting one for the last few years. But we didn't have very long as we had to pack up and rush off to the next celebration...
Christmas afternoon: Celebrate with Joe's family (about 2 hrs east of our house)
This went fine. Not everyone was there, they had celebrated on Christmas eve while we were at my grandma's (long story) and so not everyone could come again. But we had a nice time visiting, and the boys got more gifts that they enjoyed. Joe's mom, dad, and siblings enjoyed seeing the boys and playing with them. Then off again...
Christmas night: Spend night at my Dad's house (about 1/2 hr west of Joe's family's house)
We stayed the night at Dad's house because we were going to be celebrating there the next morning and we certainly didn't want to drive 2 hours home, and then 1.5 hrs back the next day! That night wasn't so great. They had my Grandma (dad's mom) staying there too, as well as one of my step-mom's daughters, so sleeping arrangements were tight. We put a pack-n-play in their massage room for Adam, Joe and I slept on a futon in the finished basement, and Brendan slept in the same area as us on a fold out chair thing. Adam was not happy and screamed for about 10 minutes before finally laying down and falling asleep. Joe & Brendan did fine, but I couldn't sleep. I laid there awake and heard my step-mom's daughter come in around midnight, and Joe was snoring away, and then around 3am my grandma was up coughing and coughing (she has had a chronic cough my whole life). I finally went to sleep around 4am and Adam was up at 6:30am. So, I was pretty tired.
Day After Christmas: (still at Dad's)
My sister and her family arrived around 11:30am and we all opened gifts and had food. I developed a terrible headache that stuck around for the whole day. We still had fun though. Around 5pm we left and headed home.
Thank goodness I had the foresight to take Tuesday off from work! OMG I don't know what I would have done if I had to go to work the next morning after all of that!
So, yesterday (Tues) the boys went to daycare, Joe went to work, and I had some much-needed down time. Well, time at home anyway. I undecorated our tree, put it outside for Joe to dispose of, went through all of Adam's toys to get rid of a bunch of them to make room for the new ones, cleared some stuff out of Brendan's room to make room for his new stuff, did 6 loads of laundry, and finally moved some of my summer clothes downstairs that were taking up room in my closet.
Today I'm back at work and have several things that need tended to. So, I better wrap up this for now and get back to work.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!
Day before Christmas eve: dinner at my cousin's house (about 1.5 hrs west of our house)
Went well, but was crowded and had people from other sides of her family that we didn't know.
Christmas eve: Grandma's (about 1.5 hrs west of our house again)
We went to church service with them at their church. I was very nervous about this, as I wasn't sure how my boys would do. But I'd say for a 5 yr old and a 1 yr old they did amazingly well! Adam was so funny, every time we'd sing a hymn he'd start dancing. lol Then we went back to Grandma's house, had our traditional appetizer-type-foods "meal" and drinks, and opened presents. My 2 nephews (ages 5 and almost 3) were there too, and when all 4 boys get together they get so hyper and loud. So it was chaotic and loud, and I was somewhat frustrated, but overall went well. We didn't get back home until almost 1:30am and then "Santa" still had to come. So it was a late night.
Christmas morning: Santa and our presents at our house with the boys. This went well. We had a nice morning, and the boys had fun playing with all their new stuff. And, there were actually presents for me this year too (including stocking!). That was so nice, as there have been Christmases in the past when Joe didn't get me anything, and he has never filled my stocking until this year. He got pretty much what I told him I wanted and had suggested last week when he said he wasn't sure what to get me. And he seemed pleased with the pole saw/pruner (and other things) that I got him. He's been wanting one for the last few years. But we didn't have very long as we had to pack up and rush off to the next celebration...
Christmas afternoon: Celebrate with Joe's family (about 2 hrs east of our house)
This went fine. Not everyone was there, they had celebrated on Christmas eve while we were at my grandma's (long story) and so not everyone could come again. But we had a nice time visiting, and the boys got more gifts that they enjoyed. Joe's mom, dad, and siblings enjoyed seeing the boys and playing with them. Then off again...
Christmas night: Spend night at my Dad's house (about 1/2 hr west of Joe's family's house)
We stayed the night at Dad's house because we were going to be celebrating there the next morning and we certainly didn't want to drive 2 hours home, and then 1.5 hrs back the next day! That night wasn't so great. They had my Grandma (dad's mom) staying there too, as well as one of my step-mom's daughters, so sleeping arrangements were tight. We put a pack-n-play in their massage room for Adam, Joe and I slept on a futon in the finished basement, and Brendan slept in the same area as us on a fold out chair thing. Adam was not happy and screamed for about 10 minutes before finally laying down and falling asleep. Joe & Brendan did fine, but I couldn't sleep. I laid there awake and heard my step-mom's daughter come in around midnight, and Joe was snoring away, and then around 3am my grandma was up coughing and coughing (she has had a chronic cough my whole life). I finally went to sleep around 4am and Adam was up at 6:30am. So, I was pretty tired.
Day After Christmas: (still at Dad's)
My sister and her family arrived around 11:30am and we all opened gifts and had food. I developed a terrible headache that stuck around for the whole day. We still had fun though. Around 5pm we left and headed home.
Thank goodness I had the foresight to take Tuesday off from work! OMG I don't know what I would have done if I had to go to work the next morning after all of that!
So, yesterday (Tues) the boys went to daycare, Joe went to work, and I had some much-needed down time. Well, time at home anyway. I undecorated our tree, put it outside for Joe to dispose of, went through all of Adam's toys to get rid of a bunch of them to make room for the new ones, cleared some stuff out of Brendan's room to make room for his new stuff, did 6 loads of laundry, and finally moved some of my summer clothes downstairs that were taking up room in my closet.
Today I'm back at work and have several things that need tended to. So, I better wrap up this for now and get back to work.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Baby Jesus
We've been trying to tell Brendan (our 5-yr-old) about the real Christmas story, and every few days reminding him that Christmas is a celebration of Jesus's birthday and we've read him a few stories about it all, tried to explain the manger scene, etc. So now everytime we pass a manger scene he says, "look Mommy it's baby Jesus in there" This morning we had this conversation...
B: Mommy is it Christmas yet?
Me: Almost! Today is Christmas eve
B: Today is Christmas?!
Me: No, tomorrow is Christmas, today is Christmas eve, that means the day before Christmas
B: Oh. So tomorrow is Baby Jesus's birthday party?
Me: Yes, Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus's birthday. Do you think we should make a cake?
B: Oh yes! And then we can take it to Baby Jesus's birthday party tomorrow!
Me: (trying not to laugh) We can make a cake to celebrate Jesus's birthday here.
B: But when will we see Baby Jesus? I want to see him.
Ummm....how to answer that question? lol Luckily he was just then distracted by "Postcards from Buster" on tv and forgot his question. Have to admit, I was stumped for a quick and clever way to answer that one! lol
Friday, December 23, 2005
Doing the happy dance...
Yea! I'm DONE DONE DONE with all gifts...they are bought, wrapped and ready to go. House is mostly clean, food is made, Christmas music is on, laundry is almost done, and I still have 2 hours before I need to be anywhere. Tonight we are going to my cousin's house, just a get-together with appetizers, no gift exchanging there. Then tomorrow night (Christmas Eve) we go to my grandma's church service and then to her house for yummy food and gift exchange. Late Christmas eve night after that, Santa comes at our house! Christmas morning the boys see what Santa brought and get to play for a little while. Then it's off to drive again, this time the other direction to Joe's family in the afternoon/evening for visiting and gift exchange. Then we'll drive to my dad's house late, sleep there, and visit and exchange gifts the day after Christmas with my dad, his wife, and my other grandma who will be there at their house too. Then drive back home Monday late afternoon or evening. Lots of celebrating (and driving around) packed into these next few days! But at least I have everything ready and don't have to be stressing over anything now! Yippee!
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Getting closer...
I'm getting closer to be being DONE with all the Christmas preparations! I'm off today (woohoo!) and have had a productive day. I actually woke up at 4:15am and couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up, ate breakfast, emptied the dishwasher, and made a list of what all I needed to do today. Then when the rest of the house woke up I got the boys ready and made Joe's lunch, got the apple cake packed up that I made last night for Joe's work, scraped frost off both of our cars, and then it was off to daycare. I had 2 trays of goodies to bring in for the teachers & staff, so Joe brought the boys in while I brought in the trays. Then he went to work and I went to try to finish up Christmas shopping...mainly stocking stuffers. Went to the bank, Walgreens, and Super Wal-Mart and was back home by 10am! Then the wrapping began. I've been a wrapping fool today! Almost done...only 3 more things to wrap. Got Brendan, Adam, and Joe's stockings stuffed and hidden, unwrapped Santa gifts hidden, other gifts wrapped. My bedroom has wrapping paper, bows, tags, and boxes ALL OVER the place right now. lol House is a mess, but hey, at least the gifts are getting done! I just need to get one more thing for my mom at Michael's when I go in to town to pick up the boys later. Then, dare I say it, I think I'm completely DONE! Woohoo! So, tomorrow will be dedicated to cleaning the house & car.
Joe even said it was nice to see me looking "bright eyed and bushy tailed" this morning. And then when he went outside and saw I had scraped off both cars too he said, "well aren't you little miss go-getter today!". lol
Okay, back to wrapping...
Joe even said it was nice to see me looking "bright eyed and bushy tailed" this morning. And then when he went outside and saw I had scraped off both cars too he said, "well aren't you little miss go-getter today!". lol
Okay, back to wrapping...
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Are You a Slacker Mom?
Are You a Slacker Mom?
Here were my results:
Your quiz results make you a Zen Mom
How do you do it? Even when explosions are all around, you are able to take a deep cleansing breath and chant your mantra "this too shall pass." You are a calming influence on your kids in a hectic world.
(note from Courtney: normally I would agree with these results, however this past year my influence has been anything but calming! Let's hope I can get back to being my usual "Zen Mom" self from now on!)
Are You a Slacker Mom?
Take this free personality test by going here
Here were my results:
Your quiz results make you a Zen Mom
How do you do it? Even when explosions are all around, you are able to take a deep cleansing breath and chant your mantra "this too shall pass." You are a calming influence on your kids in a hectic world.
(note from Courtney: normally I would agree with these results, however this past year my influence has been anything but calming! Let's hope I can get back to being my usual "Zen Mom" self from now on!)
Are You a Slacker Mom?
Take this free personality test by going here
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Favorite Things...
Okay, if you watch Oprah then you know about her famous "Oprah's Favorite Things" show she does each year of things she owns that she loves, and gives everyone in her audience that day everything on her list. (See Oprah's 2005 list here) On a group I'm on we did our own "favorites" list, so I thought I'd share mine here, just for fun.
I'm sure I'll think of things later that I should have put on here, but here's mine...
"Courtney's Favorite Things"
(in no particular order)
I tried to post pics of all of these, but it screwed up the layout of the whole blog so I'm trying it now just as a list without the pics.
1. Canon Rebel EOS GII camera
(love my Rebel)
2. My black leather jacket!
3. Enstrom's ALMOND TOFFEE - MILK CHOC.
(oh my gosh, this is so yummy! My mom's bf sends a box to us every year in December and it is the best! It tastes so much better than what it sounds like. lol)
4. Black and Decker EHC650 Ergo 3-cup Food Chopper
(love this thing! So quick, quiet, and easy to clean!)
5. Pond's Cool Calm and Perfected Pore Shrinking Gel Toner
(cool calming effect feels great to make me feel refreshed in the mornings!)
6. Stacking Recycling/Storage bins w/ angled front with flip lid from The Container Store
(love that you can still open lids while they are stacked)
7. Snack & Dip container from The Container Store
(great convenience for bringing veggies & dip in my lunch)
8. Oxo Good Grips 3-quart Mixing Bowl (or any Oxo products for that matter)
9. Matfer Exopat Nonstick Baking Sheet
(this is great so your cookies/rolls/whatever don't burn on thebottom!)
10. Creative Memories scrapbook albums
11. George Foreman Champ Grill with Bun Warmer
(great for a quick hamburger fix)
12. Whitney Design 3-pack Magic Storage Cubes
(love that these can fold flat when not in use! I use these as laundry baskets now, because I was so fed up with bulky laundry baskets laying around with nowhere to store them. These fold flat and slide in behind our hamper out of sight!)
13. Mary Kay bronze eyeliner
14. Tastefully Simple: Nana's Apple Cake, Absolutely Almond PoundCake, and Cheesy Pepper soup...to name a few!(fast, easy and yummy)
15. Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar body lotion
(Normally I don't like too many scented things, they give me a headache, but I do love this particular scent of body lotion)
16. Ray Lynch: Deep Breakfast cd
(kinda new-age type music, but nice and relaxing and kinda funky all rolled into one! Hard to explain. lol)
17. Collin Raye: I Think About You cd and Collin Raye: In This Life cd
(I love Collin Raye! Awesome songs with great lyrics. He was never a huge star, but he should have been...best kept secret in country music!)
18. Kelly Clarkson: Breakaway cd
(Yes, I've become a fan of Kelly Clarkson this year. Love the first 5 songs on this cd)
19. And of course I can always go for a cold Bud Light beer!
Okay, now it's your turn! I challenge anyone reading this to come up with a "favorites" list of your own (if you want to and if you have time).
I'm sure I'll think of things later that I should have put on here, but here's mine...
"Courtney's Favorite Things"
(in no particular order)
I tried to post pics of all of these, but it screwed up the layout of the whole blog so I'm trying it now just as a list without the pics.
1. Canon Rebel EOS GII camera
(love my Rebel)
2. My black leather jacket!
3. Enstrom's ALMOND TOFFEE - MILK CHOC.
(oh my gosh, this is so yummy! My mom's bf sends a box to us every year in December and it is the best! It tastes so much better than what it sounds like. lol)
4. Black and Decker EHC650 Ergo 3-cup Food Chopper
(love this thing! So quick, quiet, and easy to clean!)
5. Pond's Cool Calm and Perfected Pore Shrinking Gel Toner
(cool calming effect feels great to make me feel refreshed in the mornings!)
6. Stacking Recycling/Storage bins w/ angled front with flip lid from The Container Store
(love that you can still open lids while they are stacked)
7. Snack & Dip container from The Container Store
(great convenience for bringing veggies & dip in my lunch)
8. Oxo Good Grips 3-quart Mixing Bowl (or any Oxo products for that matter)
9. Matfer Exopat Nonstick Baking Sheet
(this is great so your cookies/rolls/whatever don't burn on thebottom!)
10. Creative Memories scrapbook albums
11. George Foreman Champ Grill with Bun Warmer
(great for a quick hamburger fix)
12. Whitney Design 3-pack Magic Storage Cubes
(love that these can fold flat when not in use! I use these as laundry baskets now, because I was so fed up with bulky laundry baskets laying around with nowhere to store them. These fold flat and slide in behind our hamper out of sight!)
13. Mary Kay bronze eyeliner
14. Tastefully Simple: Nana's Apple Cake, Absolutely Almond PoundCake, and Cheesy Pepper soup...to name a few!(fast, easy and yummy)
15. Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar body lotion
(Normally I don't like too many scented things, they give me a headache, but I do love this particular scent of body lotion)
16. Ray Lynch: Deep Breakfast cd
(kinda new-age type music, but nice and relaxing and kinda funky all rolled into one! Hard to explain. lol)
17. Collin Raye: I Think About You cd and Collin Raye: In This Life cd
(I love Collin Raye! Awesome songs with great lyrics. He was never a huge star, but he should have been...best kept secret in country music!)
18. Kelly Clarkson: Breakaway cd
(Yes, I've become a fan of Kelly Clarkson this year. Love the first 5 songs on this cd)
19. And of course I can always go for a cold Bud Light beer!
Okay, now it's your turn! I challenge anyone reading this to come up with a "favorites" list of your own (if you want to and if you have time).
Christmas shopping, last weekend, etc
I don't like shopping. I can't stand crowds. I am annoyed by people who sit in the way in the parking lot waiting for someone to load their car and back out of their space. So, this time of year I am really frustrated when I attempt to go to the store! lol I tried to run out to get a few things on my lunch break today, and it took forever! And then, I didn't even find a couple things that I needed, so now I have to stop AGAIN at another store after work (when the crowds are even worse). Gotta love it. But I'm still smiling and still playing Christmas music :)
I'm sure everyone knows the song "The 12 pains of Christmas". That came on the radio while I was in the car...haha!
I'm almost done with Christmas shopping. I still need more for my mom, but today I got the things I needed for Brendan & Adam's daycare rooms and kid exchange and teacher gifts, except for the ingredients to make up a big tray of crackers, cheese, and treats for the rest of the staff there. I was going to try to bring that in tomorrow, but I don't think I can do all of that tonight after work, especially since Joe won't be there to help with the boys until later tonight. Guess that'll have to wait another day (or two).
Oh, I don't think I posted about the weekend. Saturday Brendan went to a birthday party for one of the little boys in his daycare class. Then later that night we went to a Christmas party at my boss's house. It was nice, but not many people were able to come.
Then on Sunday, we celebrated Christmas at my mom's house Sunday. It was chaotic with the 4 boys (ages 5, 5, 2, 1), but still fun. Brendan is loving his new games for the Leapster we bought him for his birthday. He's been playing with that thing almost every spare minute, and in the car on the way to and from daycare. He also has been begging for Madagascar and has been asking me every day if we have it, etc, etc, and we finally got it from my mom, and last night I thought he'd be so excited when I said lets watch it, but no...he said "aww, I don't want to watch that". Kids! *I* wanted to watch it, so I did. You know, I was really disappointed. I thought it was going to be such a good and funny movies, but I guess I got my hopes up too high. It was cute, but I think they could have done a lot more with that storyline than they did. Oh well.
Tomorrow is my last day of the work week- I'm off Thursday, Friday, Monday & Tuesday! Woohoo! Looking forward to that!
I'm sure everyone knows the song "The 12 pains of Christmas". That came on the radio while I was in the car...haha!
I'm almost done with Christmas shopping. I still need more for my mom, but today I got the things I needed for Brendan & Adam's daycare rooms and kid exchange and teacher gifts, except for the ingredients to make up a big tray of crackers, cheese, and treats for the rest of the staff there. I was going to try to bring that in tomorrow, but I don't think I can do all of that tonight after work, especially since Joe won't be there to help with the boys until later tonight. Guess that'll have to wait another day (or two).
Oh, I don't think I posted about the weekend. Saturday Brendan went to a birthday party for one of the little boys in his daycare class. Then later that night we went to a Christmas party at my boss's house. It was nice, but not many people were able to come.
Then on Sunday, we celebrated Christmas at my mom's house Sunday. It was chaotic with the 4 boys (ages 5, 5, 2, 1), but still fun. Brendan is loving his new games for the Leapster we bought him for his birthday. He's been playing with that thing almost every spare minute, and in the car on the way to and from daycare. He also has been begging for Madagascar and has been asking me every day if we have it, etc, etc, and we finally got it from my mom, and last night I thought he'd be so excited when I said lets watch it, but no...he said "aww, I don't want to watch that". Kids! *I* wanted to watch it, so I did. You know, I was really disappointed. I thought it was going to be such a good and funny movies, but I guess I got my hopes up too high. It was cute, but I think they could have done a lot more with that storyline than they did. Oh well.
Tomorrow is my last day of the work week- I'm off Thursday, Friday, Monday & Tuesday! Woohoo! Looking forward to that!
Monday, December 19, 2005
I've been tagged
Okay, I was tagged by Kdubs, so I had to comply! lol
The rules for this particular meme are as follows:
Remove the blog name in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add yourself to the bottom slot.
1. Hanuman
2. Running2Ks
3. Queen of Spain
4. Kdubs
5. Courtney
Then you get to select five people to pass the love on to.
1. Carolyn
2. Kathie
3. Daphne
4. Janet
5. Cathy
6. Beth
Now, on to the questions!
What were you doing 10 years ago?
Well, lets see...10 years ago, I was in college and engaged. That’s all I can think of! lol
What were you doing one year ago?
One year ago I had recently given birth to my 2nd son! I was on maternity leave from my full-time job, and getting ready for Christmas.
Five snacks you enjoy:
1. brownies
2. tortilla chips and salsa
3. hot wings and beer
4. Cheetos (the crunchy ones, not the puffy ones)
5. Doritos
Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1. All I Need by Jack Wagner- LOL! This was one of the first songs I knew all the words to way back when. Too funny.
2. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor (sp?)
3. Several of Collin Raye’s songs
4. Several kids’ songs
5. Oh I don’t know, there are too many to name! lol
Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Pay off any and all debt
2. Put money away for my kids’ college educations
3. Pay cash for the addition on our house
4. Get a newer car- I love my Kia Sportage suv, but it has over 150,000 miles on it!
5. Travel whenever and wherever I want (in the USA)
Five bad habits:
1. Too much time on the computer
2. Being a martyr when I’m stressed
3. Procrastinating
4. Being late to work
5. Mountain Dew ;)
Five things you like doing:
1. Scrapbooking
2. Camping/Canoeing
3. Traveling in the US
4. Playing cards/games
5. Taking pictures
Five things you would never wear, buy, or get new again:
1. leg warmers
2. tight-rolled pants
3. tights
4. oversized sweatshirts hanging down to the knees
5. granny panties (I’ve never owned any and don’t plan to, I went straight from little kid undies to bikini ones)
Five favorite toys:
1. Computer
2. Canon Rebel camera
3. Digital camera
Ummm...don’t really have any others, I guess the
DVD player and CD player lol (can you tell I'm not really up with the times in the way of technology toys? heehee)
The rules for this particular meme are as follows:
Remove the blog name in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add yourself to the bottom slot.
1. Hanuman
2. Running2Ks
3. Queen of Spain
4. Kdubs
5. Courtney
Then you get to select five people to pass the love on to.
1. Carolyn
2. Kathie
3. Daphne
4. Janet
5. Cathy
6. Beth
Now, on to the questions!
What were you doing 10 years ago?
Well, lets see...10 years ago, I was in college and engaged. That’s all I can think of! lol
What were you doing one year ago?
One year ago I had recently given birth to my 2nd son! I was on maternity leave from my full-time job, and getting ready for Christmas.
Five snacks you enjoy:
1. brownies
2. tortilla chips and salsa
3. hot wings and beer
4. Cheetos (the crunchy ones, not the puffy ones)
5. Doritos
Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1. All I Need by Jack Wagner- LOL! This was one of the first songs I knew all the words to way back when. Too funny.
2. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor (sp?)
3. Several of Collin Raye’s songs
4. Several kids’ songs
5. Oh I don’t know, there are too many to name! lol
Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Pay off any and all debt
2. Put money away for my kids’ college educations
3. Pay cash for the addition on our house
4. Get a newer car- I love my Kia Sportage suv, but it has over 150,000 miles on it!
5. Travel whenever and wherever I want (in the USA)
Five bad habits:
1. Too much time on the computer
2. Being a martyr when I’m stressed
3. Procrastinating
4. Being late to work
5. Mountain Dew ;)
Five things you like doing:
1. Scrapbooking
2. Camping/Canoeing
3. Traveling in the US
4. Playing cards/games
5. Taking pictures
Five things you would never wear, buy, or get new again:
1. leg warmers
2. tight-rolled pants
3. tights
4. oversized sweatshirts hanging down to the knees
5. granny panties (I’ve never owned any and don’t plan to, I went straight from little kid undies to bikini ones)
Five favorite toys:
1. Computer
2. Canon Rebel camera
3. Digital camera
Ummm...don’t really have any others, I guess the
DVD player and CD player lol (can you tell I'm not really up with the times in the way of technology toys? heehee)
Not listening...
Not only do my kids and husband not listen to me, but I tried to log on to my home email from work this morning and got this message:
"An internal error occurred. Please try again later and contact yourISP if the problem persists. Description: The RPC server is not listening."
Figures. LOL!
"An internal error occurred. Please try again later and contact yourISP if the problem persists. Description: The RPC server is not listening."
Figures. LOL!
Friday, December 16, 2005
My poor beloved Black River area!
As you may have heard (it made national news!)...
LESTERVILLE, Mo. — Water poured through a breach at a hydroelectric plant's rural reservoir in southeast Missouri on Wednesday morning, washing away homes and vehicles, authorities said.
*sigh* This is our beloved Black River area. This area is such a special place for me and Joe. No, we don't live there, we're probably about 4 hours away, but gosh we spend a lot of time there. We use to go there about every other weekend in high school for camping and float trips, c
ontinued to go a few times a year through college, and now years later we still try to go at least once or twice a year...truly some of the best times of my life! This is also where we baptized both of our boys, in the Black River, because it holds such special meaning and memories for us, and it's such a beautiful area.
The top photo is of the reservoir that broke, but the other photos here are of what parts of the area looked like BEFORE this incident. Isn't it a nice area? I just love it.
We were just there a few months ago...we took the boys for a family trip to the Black River, Johnson's Shut-Ins, and Elephant Rocks. All in that area. Actually I believe I posted about that trip, so it's probably in the archives of my blog. Yes, here it is.
Joe and I would like to be able to go down and be of some help somehow, but considering the time of year, working full-time, and what would we do with the boys, well, it just isn't very possible for us. But our hearts are definitely there!
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Christmas Lights
LOL, have you seen this website? Here's a blurb from the site...
UGLY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.COM
"This site is here to show those houses where the residents are likely celebrating a happy holiday, but have no sense of decency in how they choose to celebrate. We will show the garish, the ugly, the weird. For your own sake, and the sake of your neighbors, do not try this at home."
Click HERE to go to the website
UGLY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.COM
"This site is here to show those houses where the residents are likely celebrating a happy holiday, but have no sense of decency in how they choose to celebrate. We will show the garish, the ugly, the weird. For your own sake, and the sake of your neighbors, do not try this at home."
Click HERE to go to the website
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Let's Talk Christmas CDs...
John Nilsen: A Midnight Clear
I have had this Christmas cd for many, many years. It is my favorite. Actually my Mom had it first, and I loved it so much that I bought my own copy when I moved out many years ago. It's a nice relaxing instrumental cd of Christmas music. There aren't a whole lot of instrumental cds I like, but there's just something about this one that I love.
Kidz Bop Christmas
I just bought this cd tonight at Wal-Mart for $9.97, and played it in the car for Brendan and Adam on our drive home. It's great! Very fun, upbeat cd of all the great Christmas songs that kids tend to like...Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Frosty, Jingle Bells, Run Rudolph Run, and more! Brendan loved it, and I have to admit I enjoyed it too! Definitely a keeper!
NOW That's What I Call Christmas
Wow, this cd has all the classics that I remember my parents playing as I was growing up, and all on the same cd! And by classics I mean they actually have the right artists singing it, not a remake. Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby, Elvis, Nat King Cole, Beach Boys, Carpenters, and even Bruce Sprinsteen's famous version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town...mixed in with current things too. This is a 2-disk set, the whole first cd is classic stuff, the REAL Christmas music. The 2nd cd has some classics mixed with some more recent artists such as Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Luther Vandross, Boyz II Men, etc. I'm not as crazy about those, too R&B sounding for my taste. However I got this cd set for only $9.97 at Wal-Mart and the first disk and first half of the 2nd disk is so worth it. Wow!
John Berry: O Holy Night
John Berry sings the best, most powerful "O Holy Night" I've ever heard. He has a nice voice on all the songs, but "O Holy Night" is the one he especially shines on.
Saying Goodbye to our Awesome Babysitter :(
Last night was a mixed bag. For our date night we started at a local bar & grill and pigged out on hot wings and a pitcher of beer. Unfortunately it was really crowded with college students though. Guess we should have known better than to go there on finals week huh? Oh well, I felt kinda old in there, but we still enjoyed ourselves. Then we headed to the mall. I had the hardest time even finding anything I wanted to try on! I'm so shopping impaired. lol I need a fashion expert to show me what would look good on me. Where's Sam when you need him?! (Extreme Makeover fashion guy). I did find a pair of brown pants on sale for $9.99 and a silky button down shirt for $7.70. That was it! After 4 different stores, that's all we bought. And the shirt and pants don't even go together, so not even a complete outfit! LOL *sigh*
It was kinda sad when we got home, because we had to say goodbye to our babysitter. That was the last time she will be babysitting for us :( She graduates from college this week, and is moving. I am so bummed out, especially for Brendan's sake because he absolutely LOVES her!!! He always cries when she leaves, but usually he can be consoled by telling him she will be coming back again. This time, she won't be coming back. We did give her a little gift and a Christmas card with the boys' pictures in it. Brendan made her a snowman ornament. And we took a picture of her with the boys. When I get the pictures developed I will put one in a frame in Brendan's room for him. Luckily her friend will be taking over as our babysitter, so I can at least introduce her to Brendan as "Mary's friend". He'll like that much better than just some random stranger.
Actually, Mary was also one of my part-time employees at work, so I need to hire someone to replace her at work too! I will miss her. She's a great employee and a wonderful babysitter!
It was kinda sad when we got home, because we had to say goodbye to our babysitter. That was the last time she will be babysitting for us :( She graduates from college this week, and is moving. I am so bummed out, especially for Brendan's sake because he absolutely LOVES her!!! He always cries when she leaves, but usually he can be consoled by telling him she will be coming back again. This time, she won't be coming back. We did give her a little gift and a Christmas card with the boys' pictures in it. Brendan made her a snowman ornament. And we took a picture of her with the boys. When I get the pictures developed I will put one in a frame in Brendan's room for him. Luckily her friend will be taking over as our babysitter, so I can at least introduce her to Brendan as "Mary's friend". He'll like that much better than just some random stranger.
Actually, Mary was also one of my part-time employees at work, so I need to hire someone to replace her at work too! I will miss her. She's a great employee and a wonderful babysitter!
Monday, December 12, 2005
Tis the Season to be BUSY
It's been several days since I've been on to write much of anything! Suddenly I was busy busy. Thursday was our 2nd snow of the winter. Unfortunately this time it was going on during the morning commute to work. There were so many accidents on the highway! I went by 4 just in a 4 mile stretch. One of the accidents happened right in front of me. Some idiot went flying by in the passing lane and just then we topped a little hill and traffic was backed up from another accident. The guy couldn't stop, he tried to go on the shoulder and then swerved back into traffic and caused a 3-car accident just two car lengths ahead of me. Luckily noone was badly injured, and all 3 cars almost immediately got over to the side so that everyone could go by. It was such an emotional drive in to work that morning. I could see all these accidents, and every few minutes all sorts of police and ambulances would go by with their lights flashing and sirens screaming. Eventually I got up to the main accident, and they let the car in front of me go on, but stopped me and the line behind me of traffic. This put me just feet away from the scene, I had a perfect up close view of the car up on it's side, and the person being pulled out on the back board. What a shame. I had tears streaming down my face for most of the drive in that morning. I felt so bad for all the people involved in all the accidents. How quickly you can just be driving along fine and then wham, life throws a curveball. Yet another reminder of how precious life is and how we should never take it for granted.
But, on a happier note, Saturday was a cookie share and potluck type gathering with the moms group I'm in. That was nice. Brendan had fun playing with the other kids, and there were even 2 other little ones that Adam kinda played with too. Food was yummy, cookies were yummy, and it was nice to get together with friends and their families. That night at home we watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Brendan. We do the Blockbuster online thing, and that was one of the movies that came in the mail. It actually was pretty funny! I wasn't expecting to like it at all.
Sunday was the monthly scrapbooking crop. I actually got a few pages done! lol Again, got to visit with a few of the ladies in the moms group that also scrapbook. Then after I got home, Joe hunted for a little, and then we settled in for Sunday shows. I was so disappointed that Desperate Housewives wasn't on! But we enjoyed Grey's Anatomy as usual.
OH NO!!!! Just this instant I just realized I forgot to watch the Survivor Finale last night!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe I did that!!!! *sigh* SShhh...don't anyone tell me what happened...I need to see if anyone taped it! Oh man, I am just kicking myself!
*sigh*
Oh well, anyway, tonight is our date night. It was supposed to be last Monday, but we were sick, so we rescheduled with the babysitter for tonight. Last night in bed Joe asked me what we wanted to do for our date night. I said I don't know, maybe see a movie? And then I asked if he had anything in mind. He said he was kinda wanting to take me shopping. Huh?! That really surprised me since he knows I don't like shopping and I know he hates spending money! lol He laughed at my startled reaction and said he knows that I've been wanting new clothes and he wanted to get me some for Christmas, but he didn't dare pick out anything for me. Now, you have to know my husband or have heard me talk about him before to realize what a sweet gesture this was on his part! Lets just say, there have been years that he didn't get me anything for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, etc, etc. He's kinda hit and miss. So the fact that he is thinking about what to get me for Christmas and it's still 2 weeks before is a huge thing! lol So, we're thinking we might just grab something kinda quick for dinner (Chinese buffet?) and go shopping for some clothes tonight. Like I said, I don't like shopping, but I am in such terrible need of clothes that I will gladly go this time.
This whole week looks to be busy, we have places to go several nights this week after work, and then we're celebrating Christmas at my mom's on Sunday, so I better get a move on finishing up Christmas shopping too! Tis the season!
But, on a happier note, Saturday was a cookie share and potluck type gathering with the moms group I'm in. That was nice. Brendan had fun playing with the other kids, and there were even 2 other little ones that Adam kinda played with too. Food was yummy, cookies were yummy, and it was nice to get together with friends and their families. That night at home we watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Brendan. We do the Blockbuster online thing, and that was one of the movies that came in the mail. It actually was pretty funny! I wasn't expecting to like it at all.
Sunday was the monthly scrapbooking crop. I actually got a few pages done! lol Again, got to visit with a few of the ladies in the moms group that also scrapbook. Then after I got home, Joe hunted for a little, and then we settled in for Sunday shows. I was so disappointed that Desperate Housewives wasn't on! But we enjoyed Grey's Anatomy as usual.
OH NO!!!! Just this instant I just realized I forgot to watch the Survivor Finale last night!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe I did that!!!! *sigh* SShhh...don't anyone tell me what happened...I need to see if anyone taped it! Oh man, I am just kicking myself!
*sigh*
Oh well, anyway, tonight is our date night. It was supposed to be last Monday, but we were sick, so we rescheduled with the babysitter for tonight. Last night in bed Joe asked me what we wanted to do for our date night. I said I don't know, maybe see a movie? And then I asked if he had anything in mind. He said he was kinda wanting to take me shopping. Huh?! That really surprised me since he knows I don't like shopping and I know he hates spending money! lol He laughed at my startled reaction and said he knows that I've been wanting new clothes and he wanted to get me some for Christmas, but he didn't dare pick out anything for me. Now, you have to know my husband or have heard me talk about him before to realize what a sweet gesture this was on his part! Lets just say, there have been years that he didn't get me anything for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, etc, etc. He's kinda hit and miss. So the fact that he is thinking about what to get me for Christmas and it's still 2 weeks before is a huge thing! lol So, we're thinking we might just grab something kinda quick for dinner (Chinese buffet?) and go shopping for some clothes tonight. Like I said, I don't like shopping, but I am in such terrible need of clothes that I will gladly go this time.
This whole week looks to be busy, we have places to go several nights this week after work, and then we're celebrating Christmas at my mom's on Sunday, so I better get a move on finishing up Christmas shopping too! Tis the season!
Which Reindeer are You?
| You Are Blitzen |
 Always in good spirits, you're the reindeer who loves to party down with Santa. Why You're Naughty: You're always blitzed on Christmas Eve, while flying! Why You're Nice: You mix up a mean eggnog martini. |
LOL! Found this cute quiz thanks to KDubs blog
Friday, December 09, 2005
What Have You Done?
I got this from Carolyn's blog. Here's another quiz making the rounds! Which of these have you done in your life so far? My answers are marked below...
( X ) smoked a cigarette
( ) crashed a friend's car
( ) stolen a car
( X ) been in love
( ) been dumped
( X ) shoplifted
( ) been fired
( ) been in a fist fight
( ) snuck out of your parents' house
( X ) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back?
( ) gone on a blind date
( X ) lied to a friend
( X ) skipped school
( X ) seen someone die
( X ) been to Canada
( ) been to Mexico
( X) been on a plane
( ) purposely set a part of yourself on fire
( ) eaten sushi
( ) been skiing
( X ) met someone from the Internet
( X ) been at a concert
( X ) taken painkillers
( X ) love someone or miss someone right now
( X ) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
( X ) made a snow angel
( ) had a tea party
( X ) flown a kite
( X ) built a sand castle
( X ) gone puddle jumping
( X ) played dress up
( X ) jumped into a pile of leaves
( X ) gone sledding
( X ) cheated while playing a game
( X ) been lonely
( ) fallen asleep at work/school
( X ) used a fake ID
( X ) watched the sun set
( X ) felt an earthquake
( X ) slept beneath the stars
( X ) been tickled
( ) been robbed
( X ) been misunderstood
( X ) petted a reindeer/goat/kangaroo/deer
( X ) won a contest
( X ) run a red light/stop sign
( ) been suspended from school
( X ) had braces
( X ) felt like an outcast/third person
( ) eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
( X ) had déjà vu
( ) danced in the moonlight
( X ) liked the way you looked
( X ) witnessed a crime
( X) questioned your heart
( X ) been obsessed with post-it notes
( X ) squished mud through your bare feet
( X ) been lost
( X ) been on the opposite side of the country
( X ) swam in the ocean
( ) felt like dying
( X ) cried yourself to sleep
( ) played cops and robbers
( X ) recently colored with crayons
( ) sang karaoke
( X ) paid for a meal with only coins
( X ) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( X ) made prank phone calls
( X ) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( ) caught a snowflake on your tongue
( X ) danced in the rain
( X ) written a letter to Santa Claus
( X ) been kissed under the mistletoe
( X ) watched the sun rise with someone you care about
( X ) blown bubbles
( ) made a bonfire on the beach
( ) crashed a party
( X ) gone roller-skating
( X ) had a wish come true
( ) jumped off a bridge
( X ) smoked a cigarette
( ) crashed a friend's car
( ) stolen a car
( X ) been in love
( ) been dumped
( X ) shoplifted
( ) been fired
( ) been in a fist fight
( ) snuck out of your parents' house
( X ) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back?
( ) gone on a blind date
( X ) lied to a friend
( X ) skipped school
( X ) seen someone die
( X ) been to Canada
( ) been to Mexico
( X) been on a plane
( ) purposely set a part of yourself on fire
( ) eaten sushi
( ) been skiing
( X ) met someone from the Internet
( X ) been at a concert
( X ) taken painkillers
( X ) love someone or miss someone right now
( X ) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
( X ) made a snow angel
( ) had a tea party
( X ) flown a kite
( X ) built a sand castle
( X ) gone puddle jumping
( X ) played dress up
( X ) jumped into a pile of leaves
( X ) gone sledding
( X ) cheated while playing a game
( X ) been lonely
( ) fallen asleep at work/school
( X ) used a fake ID
( X ) watched the sun set
( X ) felt an earthquake
( X ) slept beneath the stars
( X ) been tickled
( ) been robbed
( X ) been misunderstood
( X ) petted a reindeer/goat/kangaroo/deer
( X ) won a contest
( X ) run a red light/stop sign
( ) been suspended from school
( X ) had braces
( X ) felt like an outcast/third person
( ) eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
( X ) had déjà vu
( ) danced in the moonlight
( X ) liked the way you looked
( X ) witnessed a crime
( X) questioned your heart
( X ) been obsessed with post-it notes
( X ) squished mud through your bare feet
( X ) been lost
( X ) been on the opposite side of the country
( X ) swam in the ocean
( ) felt like dying
( X ) cried yourself to sleep
( ) played cops and robbers
( X ) recently colored with crayons
( ) sang karaoke
( X ) paid for a meal with only coins
( X ) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( X ) made prank phone calls
( X ) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( ) caught a snowflake on your tongue
( X ) danced in the rain
( X ) written a letter to Santa Claus
( X ) been kissed under the mistletoe
( X ) watched the sun rise with someone you care about
( X ) blown bubbles
( ) made a bonfire on the beach
( ) crashed a party
( X ) gone roller-skating
( X ) had a wish come true
( ) jumped off a bridge
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Feeling better
Why do saltines and Sprite taste so good when you're sick? lol I don't especially like either of those any other time, but man did they taste good yesterday while I was sacked out on the couch all day! I'm so happy to report that I'm feeling much better today! Thank goodness it was a short-lived virus (or whatever it was). So I'm back at work today.
Adam has really been blossoming (for lack of a better word) this last week or so. He is getting better and better at walking, faster smoother steps now (instead of one step, then stop, then another step, then stop). He is also doing very well eating with a spoon by himself. He does more dipping in the spoon rather than scooping up the food, but he has definitely gotten the hang of the concept, and likes to feed himself (yes! more independence eventually= easier time for mommy! lol) He has also been trying harder to say more words than just mama, dada, hi, no, and uh oh. He's been saying cheese, feet, and he attempts to say several other things. He loves our cat. We keep him outside most of the time, but the last few days we've been letting him in for short periods of time so he can "warm up", and Adam just goes nuts when he sees the cat. He'll squeal really loud, bounce up and down, and giggle. And he'll follow the cat around saying "hi". It's so cute.
Well, I gotta run out with my co-worker to pick up some stuff from another facility, so I need to end for now.
Adam has really been blossoming (for lack of a better word) this last week or so. He is getting better and better at walking, faster smoother steps now (instead of one step, then stop, then another step, then stop). He is also doing very well eating with a spoon by himself. He does more dipping in the spoon rather than scooping up the food, but he has definitely gotten the hang of the concept, and likes to feed himself (yes! more independence eventually= easier time for mommy! lol) He has also been trying harder to say more words than just mama, dada, hi, no, and uh oh. He's been saying cheese, feet, and he attempts to say several other things. He loves our cat. We keep him outside most of the time, but the last few days we've been letting him in for short periods of time so he can "warm up", and Adam just goes nuts when he sees the cat. He'll squeal really loud, bounce up and down, and giggle. And he'll follow the cat around saying "hi". It's so cute.
Well, I gotta run out with my co-worker to pick up some stuff from another facility, so I need to end for now.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Sick...
Well, I guess it was my turn...I'm sick. After Brendan getting sick last Wednesday, Adam started throwing up/diarrhea on Friday and lasted until yesterday. Joe then caught it Sunday night through Monday. So, now it's my turn. At about 1:30am I woke up feeling terrible, and I've been sick all day. So, you might want to spray your computer screen with lysol after reading this message. LOL I'm hoping to be back tomorrow, but we shall see.
Friday, December 02, 2005
I need a laugh today
lol!
I needed this giggle today! So, just thought I'd share in case you did too!
Thursday, December 01, 2005
It's December already!
Today is December 1!!! Wow, December already! I can hardly believe it! This year has been such a blur to me. Time rushes by so fast.
Well, Brendan seems to be feeling better. After getting sick on the way to daycare yesterday, he pretty much laid around on the couch all day watching cartoons. He even took a little nap, which he rarely does when he's at home. He drank Sierra Mist and ate some popcorn, and that's all he would take all day. Towards evening he was back to his loud self, running around and playing. This morning he still seemed perfectly fine so I took him in to daycare. He was really excited to see SNOW on the ground this morning. This is our first dusting of snow this year. (I'll post pics on my photo-a-day blog later tonight). We had flurries earlier this week but nothing stuck on the ground until this morning. Funny, I was just wearing shorts and a t-shirt on Sat & Sun! I guess December 1 was a good time to have snow though.
Not a whole heck of a lot going on today. I'm looking forward to watching Survivor tonight after work. I haven't gotten into the characters as much this season, but I'm still enjoying it. Thursdays use to be my favorite tv show night, but now Survivor is the only thing I watch on Thursdays. Sundays are my favorite tv show night now! I like Extreme Makeover Home Edition, and LOVE Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy! I don't like to sit on my butt in front of the tv for 3 hours, but the Sunday line-up of those 3 shows is soooo worth it to me. lol
Well, I'm just rambling about nothing, and only have 10 minutes of my lunch break left, so I better end.
5 Things to be Happy About Today
1. Survivor is on tonight
2. I got my exercising in this morning before Adam woke up
3. We are interviewing an art instructor later today that (on paper) looks to be a great addition to our program!
4. Joe happily agreed to pick up a few groceries on his way home, so that's one less errand I have to run.
5. I don't feel as exhausted today as I have the last couple days.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Sick day
This morning Brendan was stalling big time on getting himself dressed and ready. I was rushing around like usual trying to get ready for work. Adam was fussy, crawling around following me and crying. Every time I rushed by Brendan I would say "Brendan, get your clothes on!" "My tummy hurts, I can't" was his response each time. This is an excuse he has used before when he doesn't want to do something, so I figured that was the case again. "Brendan, get your clothes on, we need to go" After about 5 times I finally helped him get his clothes on, and we rushed out the door, got him and Adam strapped in the car and took off. I gave Brendan some water and crackers for in the car on the way to daycare. About 10 minutes down the road I realized I was VERY low on gas. I almost went on and tried my luck thinking I probably had enough gas to make it there, but at the last moment I decided to go ahead and take the exit and get gas. Good thing I did! As soon as we pulled up, Brendan said he needed to "swallow". (for some reason that's what he said instead of throw up). I still thought he might just be saying that, he's done that before and pretends to throw up to be silly. Well, just in case I did unbuckle him and told him he could stand outside at the pump with me. "Where can I swallow?" he asked. It's then I realize he just isn't letting this go, he must be serious. I pointed to the trashcan, but poor little guy, the trash can was too tall for him, and just then BLAAAAHHH he puked all over the ground. Ewwwww! Thank goodness it was outside and not in my car. lol Okay, so now I feel like a bad Mommy for not believing him this morning when he said his tummy hurt! I wiped his face for him, and asked if he was okay. He said he was. We got back in the car and I drove the rest of the way to daycare to drop Adam off (don't want him around a sick Brendan all day). Then I turned around and brought Brendan back home, and called in to work. So, we are here at home today. He is watching cartoons on the couch for now. So far he seems okay, and he hasn't thrown up again yet. We shall see how the rest of the day goes! Poor little guy :(
This is me...for now
I decided to post a picture of me and change my profile pic to one that is recent (keeping myself honest I guess), instead of the photo I did have on my profile (which was from about 3 or 4 years ago, about a year or two after I had Brendan, before Adam existed!) I took this photo of myself this morning on our porch. I am so startled by what I look like in photos. Who is that? I hardly even recognize myself. Even though I've lost a lot of the weight from having the 2nd child, I still have a ways to go. I don't like what I see, but I guess photos don't lie, huh? I guess I need to stop living in a fantasy dream of wishing I still looked like I did 11 years ago in high school! I can't wait until I lose another 20-30 lbs of "baby fat" so that I can post a new photo of the thinner me...like I use to be and was intended to be! The part that strikes me the most odd about this picture (besides the extra weight) is how the shape of my face is different and how loooonnng my face looks! LOL So, anyway, I hope to be able to post a better updated photo after a couple more months, but for now...this is me!
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Tired, but not stressing :)
Wow, am I tired! Adam woke up at 2:00am and really never completely went back to sleep. After feeding him, he still didn't go back to sleep, so we pulled him into bed with us, thinking maybe he was cold? From then until 5:00am he kinda dozed off and on. But at 5am he wanted no more of that! He was ready to be up. So, I got up with him again and took him downstairs so that Joe could sleep a little longer. Now here it is almost the end of the work day and I am beat! I could go to sleep right now if I didn't have to wait until the boys go to bed tonight! lol
Tonight is the finale of The Biggest Loser. I can't wait to see everyone's "after" look. So amazing the complete transformation that those people accomplish on that show! More proof that people can do anything they put their mind to.
Well, another work day is coming to a close, so here we go:
Tonight is the finale of The Biggest Loser. I can't wait to see everyone's "after" look. So amazing the complete transformation that those people accomplish on that show! More proof that people can do anything they put their mind to.
Well, another work day is coming to a close, so here we go:
5 Things to be Happy About Today
1. Even though I really wasn't wanting to supervise one of our programs for one of my employees this morning, it did give me a chance to just sit back and go through some of the magazines/catalogs I've been meaning to look through! lol
2. Treated myself to yummy chicken and dumplings soup for lunch, which really hit the spot on this blustery cold snowy day!
3. My kitchen is clean right now! lol
4. My bedroom is not clean right now, but I am not stressing about it and know that I will get to it when I can.
5. I am enjoying a cup of hot chocolate right now at my desk, and getting ready to go home.
Great Thought from M. Scott Peck
"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers". -M. Scott Peck
Holiday "tag"
Holiday tag from Carolyn's blog, here are my answers:
Do you celebrate Christmas? Yes
What are your favorite "holiday" colors? Red and green
Favorite Christmas song? "O Holy Night" and "The Gift" (by Collin Raye)
Favorite Christmas movie? I enjoy the funny ones :)
Favorite Christmas cartoon? "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "The Year Without a Santa Claus"
Real tree or artificial? Real!
Special family traditions? We get our tree the Fri or Sat after Thanksgiving every year. We haven't really established very many other traditions yet that are "ours". We still have some lingering traditions from when I was growing up. And Joe and I actually talked about this the other day, and we're planning to carry on the tradition with our boys of having a birthday cake for "baby Jesus" on Christmas each year. This was something my grandma use to do and Joe's mom use to do sometimes, and we like the idea of the boys being aware and reminded that the day isn't all about them!
Travel or stay home? We go to my mom's about a week or so before Christmas, to my grandma's on Christmas eve, to see my dad, step-mom, and other grandma sometime around Christmas, and Christmas morning at our own house with our children. On the even years we celebrate with Joe's family on Christmas afternoon/evening, and on the odd years we celebrate with them whenever it works.
Does Santa wrap presents? He didn't when I was a kid, but he did wrap gifts in Santa paper for my kids last year. We're still trying to work that out as to whether he will or not from now on.
Do you do an advent calendar? no, but we probably should
Do you send Christmas cards? yes
Store bought or handmade? store bought
Christmas letter? Yes, but I only put it in the cards going to people far away or that we haven't seen frequently throughout the year.
Pictures? Sometimes
What do you put in stockings? small toys, candy, underwear, socks, crayons, stickers, etc
Typical holiday meal? nope!
Are you done shopping yet? nope Have you started? yep
Do you celebrate Christmas? Yes
What are your favorite "holiday" colors? Red and green
Favorite Christmas song? "O Holy Night" and "The Gift" (by Collin Raye)
Favorite Christmas movie? I enjoy the funny ones :)
Favorite Christmas cartoon? "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "The Year Without a Santa Claus"
Real tree or artificial? Real!
Special family traditions? We get our tree the Fri or Sat after Thanksgiving every year. We haven't really established very many other traditions yet that are "ours". We still have some lingering traditions from when I was growing up. And Joe and I actually talked about this the other day, and we're planning to carry on the tradition with our boys of having a birthday cake for "baby Jesus" on Christmas each year. This was something my grandma use to do and Joe's mom use to do sometimes, and we like the idea of the boys being aware and reminded that the day isn't all about them!
Travel or stay home? We go to my mom's about a week or so before Christmas, to my grandma's on Christmas eve, to see my dad, step-mom, and other grandma sometime around Christmas, and Christmas morning at our own house with our children. On the even years we celebrate with Joe's family on Christmas afternoon/evening, and on the odd years we celebrate with them whenever it works.
Does Santa wrap presents? He didn't when I was a kid, but he did wrap gifts in Santa paper for my kids last year. We're still trying to work that out as to whether he will or not from now on.
Do you do an advent calendar? no, but we probably should
Do you send Christmas cards? yes
Store bought or handmade? store bought
Christmas letter? Yes, but I only put it in the cards going to people far away or that we haven't seen frequently throughout the year.
Pictures? Sometimes
What do you put in stockings? small toys, candy, underwear, socks, crayons, stickers, etc
Typical holiday meal? nope!
Are you done shopping yet? nope Have you started? yep
Courtney needs...
Okay, so here's a fun little game I got from Carolyn's blog. Go to Google, and search for your name followed by the word "needs" and see what comes up.
Here are 11 of mine:
1. Courtney needs to think global, not local
2. Courtney needs to promote her next movie
3. Courtney needs a parent, or parents that will be willing to have patience with her... Courtney needs possibly go to a spa, get a manicure, a pedicure, etc. ...
4. Courtney needs to have him in her life. ...
5. Courtney needs to die in childbirth... (geez that's a little harsh and disturbing!)
6. Courtney needs to be in an all adult home because she can be snappy around children. (LOL!)
7. COURTNEY NEEDS TO BE CUT SOME SLACK
8. Courtney needs no explainin’
9. Courtney needs to go home.
10. Courtney needs help getting rid of me...
11. Courtney needs to enlist the help of Jack Osbourne.
Here are 11 of mine:
1. Courtney needs to think global, not local
2. Courtney needs to promote her next movie
3. Courtney needs a parent, or parents that will be willing to have patience with her... Courtney needs possibly go to a spa, get a manicure, a pedicure, etc. ...
4. Courtney needs to have him in her life. ...
5. Courtney needs to die in childbirth... (geez that's a little harsh and disturbing!)
6. Courtney needs to be in an all adult home because she can be snappy around children. (LOL!)
7. COURTNEY NEEDS TO BE CUT SOME SLACK
8. Courtney needs no explainin’
9. Courtney needs to go home.
10. Courtney needs help getting rid of me...
11. Courtney needs to enlist the help of Jack Osbourne.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Feeling great!
Wow, I feel great! I don't know what happened exactly, but I have let go of a lot more of the stress, frustration, and martyrism that I've been carrying around with me the last several months (honestly, about a year!). I think I just decided I was tired of being stressed and annoyed, it's too much work. lol I've been doing better for a few weeks, but now I really feel like my soul is lighter or something! Joe and I even cuddled on our love seat recliners and watched a movie Sunday while Adam took his nap. It's been a loooong time since we did that. Usually if we watch a movie I'm folding laundry or something while we watch. It felt so nice just to lay there with his arms around me, not worrying about anything else. Which, for me is a big deal. I am not a huggy-kissy person (except for obvious times at night in bed). I also did not let any "lack of help" annoy me this weekend. I think the fact that Joe's brother was staying with us actually helped me adjust my attitude. I happily fixed simple meals for them, and cleaned up afterwards without even thinking twice. I did laundry, cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed, took care of the boys, put up the outside Christmas decorations, and so on without feeling any resentment or annoyance. Go figure. I use to always "preach" the popular saying "Don't sweat the small stuff...and it's all small stuff" but I haven't been practicing that much lately. Why have I been lingering on things that just don't matter and making myself and everyone else miserable with my attitude? So what if he doesn't jump right in and help with everything? So what if I take care of 90% of Adam's needs? So what if the house is never perfectly clean and picked up? So what if we don't see exactly eye to eye on some issues? So what if the boys are a little loud and annoying sometimes? So what if I can't do all the things I'd like to? So what if I have to pick up after others? So what if I clean, do all the laundry, and bathe the kids while he relaxes in front of the tv? and so on and so forth. Do these things REALLY matter in the large scheme of things? Probably not! Are they worth being pissed off and moody all the time over? No! I've been making mountains out of mole-hills and I'm just plain tired of it...I'm annoying myself! lol That's not the type of person I am, and I don't like being that way. I'm ready to be happy and to stop resenting him for little things. I'm ready to go back to being a happy, pleasant person to be around. I'm ready to enjoy being a wife and mom again instead of being resentful for the things I no longer am. I'm ready to focus my attention on making life enjoyable again. And I feel great!
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Our Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend
Well, we had a nice Thanksgiving. We spent it with Joe's family this year at Joe's older sister's house. Lots of yummy food and we enjoyed visiting with the family. Joe's brother came back to our house Thanksgiving night, and has been here ever since. He's hunting in our woods all weekend. While he was out today, one of our neighbors who has property that backs up to ours was out training his dog, using a shotgun. He didn't know Joe's brother was out there, and he was really close to our property line...he accidentally peppered Dan with his shotgun spray! Luckily it wasn't bad, but Dan sure didn't expect to be SHOT while he was hunting! Geez!!!
We did get our Christmas tree Friday (see pics here of us decorating it). Today it was so nice outside! Low 60's in late November!!! Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer. I was outside in shorts and a t-shirt putting up our Christmas greenery, lights, & bows! LOL
The rest of the weekend it's pretty much just cleaning, cooking, laundry, and watching the boys. Then Monday I'm hostessing a Big Yellow Box party at my house after work. It's one of those home-business parties, I usually do not do those, but I had never heard of Big Yellow Box (by Crayola) parties, so I'm doing it out of curiosity & to help another lady on our moms' group who is the consultant. So, we shall see how it goes!
While I'm here, I'll do my happy stuff...
We did get our Christmas tree Friday (see pics here of us decorating it). Today it was so nice outside! Low 60's in late November!!! Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer. I was outside in shorts and a t-shirt putting up our Christmas greenery, lights, & bows! LOL
The rest of the weekend it's pretty much just cleaning, cooking, laundry, and watching the boys. Then Monday I'm hostessing a Big Yellow Box party at my house after work. It's one of those home-business parties, I usually do not do those, but I had never heard of Big Yellow Box (by Crayola) parties, so I'm doing it out of curiosity & to help another lady on our moms' group who is the consultant. So, we shall see how it goes!
While I'm here, I'll do my happy stuff...
5 Things to be Happy About Today:
1. I love looking at our Christmas tree lights in the dark.
2. The greenery outside worked out perfectly in length, without me having to redo it over and over to get it right.
3. We enjoyed 2 meals using meat from Joe's deer today.
4. Adam went to bed without crying tonight.
5. Even though I've been off for 3 days, there's still 1 more day off for this holiday weekend!
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Happy Thanksgiving (the Sesame Street way)
Okay, okay, so everyone has probably seen this cartoon before, but it still cracks me up, so I had to post it. LOLHAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
First "Bad Word"
Brendan said his first "bad word" the other day. I honestly am very surprised that he made it to age 5 before it happened. Sure, he says words like poop and butt and booty and things he thinks are funny bad words, but I don't consider those as swearing or cussing (whatever word you use where you're from). The other day I was in the kitchen, Brendan was playing nearby and talking away to himself/his toys as he often does. All the sudden I hear him gasp and say "What the hell is that?" while he's playing. He said it so naturally that I almost didn't think twice. I looked at him and said, "what did you say?". He looked up and said "nothing". I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, because then he might say it more to get a reaction out of me, but I also didn't want to just let him say it. So I told him, "Brendan, you can say what the heck is that, but please don't say hell...that's not a nice word." So he went back to playing and talking to himself and continued on his play-scenario, picking up with "what the heck is that?". The next day I was telling Joe about it, and I didn't know Brendan was listening. Part way through the story, Brendan chimed in "Yeah Daddy, we say what the heck is that, not hell. Heck, not hell". lol
So anyway, since I seem to be on a posting-spree today I think I'll add my happiness report now, so I don't have 4 posts in the same day!
So anyway, since I seem to be on a posting-spree today I think I'll add my happiness report now, so I don't have 4 posts in the same day!
5 Things to be Happy About Today
1. I got a new hairdryer (mine started shooting sparks out the cord yesterday!)
2. I actually got to work EARLY today! Usually I'm about 10-15 minutes late, and today I was 10 minutes early!
3. Today and yesterday flew by fast at work!
4. Good shows on tv tonight (Biggest Loser, My Name is Earl, etc)
5. Tomorrow is the end of the short work week!
French Name Quiz (my results)
Your French name is
~Nuit~
It means 'night'.
You are a quiet person who enjoys being alone.
Unlike Congele, you are accepted, you just like
to have time to yourself to think. You
especially like the nightime, because looking
at the stars makes you think of how small we
all are in the world, and how much there is
about the universe that we don't and can't
know...
What is your French name?
brought to you by Quizilla
~Nuit~
It means 'night'.
You are a quiet person who enjoys being alone.
Unlike Congele, you are accepted, you just like
to have time to yourself to think. You
especially like the nightime, because looking
at the stars makes you think of how small we
all are in the world, and how much there is
about the universe that we don't and can't
know...
What is your French name?
brought to you by Quizilla
Almost Thanksgiving already?!
Wow, Thanksgiving is in 2 days?! It's so hard to believe November is almost over. And then December...and then a new year again. This year we'll be with Joe's family at his older sister's house on Thanksgiving. I absolutely LOVE Joe's mom's stuffing...can't wait to eat it Thursday. I never even liked stuffing until I had hers. lol It will be interesting to see if Joe's niece shows up this year. She is Joe's older (adopted) brother's child, but she lived with Joe's parents for the first several years of her life, and then lived with Joe's older sister & her husband for many years...until this year. She was becoming really hard to deal with, didn't treat them with respect, wouldn't clean up after herself, etc, and she took off the day she turned 18 to live with her boyfriend. That was in August, so we'll see if she bothers to show up for Thanksgiving. For Brendan's sake, I hope she does. She use to really love Brendan and always play with him, and he loves her. I know he will ask where she is.
On Friday I am going to try really hard to not go anywhere! lol I hate crowds. I don't like shopping. Great sales or not...I do NOT want to be anywhere near the stores on Black Friday!
Saturday we will get our Christmas tree. Every year we go get our tree (real one) the weekend after Thanksgiving. Then we will decorate it that evening, while having snacks/drinks, and breaking out the Christmas music. It's our "kick off" to the Christmas season each year. Even though it doesn't feel like it's time for the holidays yet, I am looking forward to it. I just love to sit in the dark and look at the twinkle of little Christmas lights on the tree at night :)
On Friday I am going to try really hard to not go anywhere! lol I hate crowds. I don't like shopping. Great sales or not...I do NOT want to be anywhere near the stores on Black Friday!
Saturday we will get our Christmas tree. Every year we go get our tree (real one) the weekend after Thanksgiving. Then we will decorate it that evening, while having snacks/drinks, and breaking out the Christmas music. It's our "kick off" to the Christmas season each year. Even though it doesn't feel like it's time for the holidays yet, I am looking forward to it. I just love to sit in the dark and look at the twinkle of little Christmas lights on the tree at night :)
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Joe's first deer!
Well, it finally happened...Joe got his first deer today! He is sooo happy! See a photo here on my photo-a-day blog. He has been so frustrated every year in the past for not getting one, but now his time in the woods this year paid off. He loves his new gun even more now that it got him his deer. lol
The Potato Soup Recipe
Okay, here's the recipe for the potato soup we like (that I mentioned in my previous post). I got this recipe from Sheila D., and old online friend, several years ago...
POTATO SOUP
6 potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
4 chicken bullion cubes
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
5 cups water
1 tsp. pepper (we only use a sprinkle or two)
1 Tbsp. salt
1/3 cup butter
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
chopped green onions (optional)
Cook potatoes in 5 cups of boiling water in a large pot for 25 minutes. (It looks like it's not enough water, but it's enough. Don't add more.) Add onions, carrots, celery, bullion cubes, salt, pepper, butter, parsley & evaporated milk. Simmer until carrots are easily pierced with fork (about 20 mins.) Serve with green onions sprinkled on top, if wanted.
Alternate Option: You can also add all the ingredients to a crock pot and cook on low for 10 hours.
POTATO SOUP
6 potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
4 chicken bullion cubes
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
5 cups water
1 tsp. pepper (we only use a sprinkle or two)
1 Tbsp. salt
1/3 cup butter
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
chopped green onions (optional)
Cook potatoes in 5 cups of boiling water in a large pot for 25 minutes. (It looks like it's not enough water, but it's enough. Don't add more.) Add onions, carrots, celery, bullion cubes, salt, pepper, butter, parsley & evaporated milk. Simmer until carrots are easily pierced with fork (about 20 mins.) Serve with green onions sprinkled on top, if wanted.
Alternate Option: You can also add all the ingredients to a crock pot and cook on low for 10 hours.
Friday, November 18, 2005
time is dragging on!
Oh my, this has been the loooongest day! Usually the work day flies by...today it is dragging on and on and on. It is finally 4:30...I can leave soon. But ever since 2:00 I've been ready to leave. It's Friday. This weekend Joe will be hunting again during the days. Saturday night I will be going to the mom's group Mom's Night Out, so at least I will have a little time away. During the day on Saturday & Sunday I'm really hoping the boys are good. I have so much I want & need to get done around the house. I need to go through some stuff and get rid of stuff. It just never seems to happen, I can't seem to work it in. There is a girl on freecycle who left a bad situation and is starting over with basically nothing. She has a child and is pregnant with another. She needs everything. I have a bunch of baby clothes and items that Adam has outgrown that I'd like to give her...I just need the time to go through it and set stuff aside for her. Hopefully I can at least accomplish that this weekend.
Well, anyway, I don't really have much to say, just killing time til I can go home. No point in starting on anything on a Friday afternoon! So, time for my daily happiness report:
Well, anyway, I don't really have much to say, just killing time til I can go home. No point in starting on anything on a Friday afternoon! So, time for my daily happiness report:
5 Things to Be Happy About Today
1. It's Friday
2. I'm making potato soup tonight- it's a recipe Joe & I both love
3. My cough seems to be finally going away (after 4 weeks)
4. I cleaned out and reorganized the instructor files in one of my filing cabinets at work
5. It's close enough to 5:00 that I can leave work now! Yea!
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, November 17, 2005
A fun time waster
(Lifted from this random blog that I somehow accidentally stumbled
across)
1) My mother once: ran a red light with me in the car (she was talking,
not really paying attention, and came to the red
light...stopped...looked both ways...and went! LOL)
2) Never in my life: have I broken a bone (*knocking on wood*)
3) When I was five: I threw up on the floor of my Kindergarten
classroom, and was SO embarrassed!
4) High school was: the best I've ever looked and felt
5) I will never forget: the births of both of my sons
6) I once met: Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton
7) There's this person I know who: got rid of her "pet" mouse by holding it by the tail and whacking it against the ground. (No, this is not a close friend of mine, it's just a girl Joe works with who apparently has a psycho streak in her.)
8) Once, at a bar: I thanked our friend Kevin for some "advice" he had given Joe (won't go into details, as that would be way TMI).
9) By noon I'm usually: done eating my lunch at work (I just get so
hungry before actual lunch time! lol)
10) Last night I: was in a pissy mood.
11) If I only had: time at home by myself to get things done!
12) Next time I go to church/temple: it will be long overdue.
13) Terri Schiavo: shouldn't have been the public's business at
all, in my opinion
14) I like: time alone, by myself (which is extremely rare these last few years).
15) When I turn my head left, I see: the left side of my desk/office,
printer, phone, piles of papers, etc.
16) When I turn my head right, I see: the right side of my desk/office,
cabinet, piles of papers, piles of stuff on the floor, etc.
17) You know I'm lying when: I can't keep a straight face
18) In grade school: I was part of a large group of friends, and we
would always get in "fights" with each other so that we could go to
the school counselor's office to talk out our "problems" and miss class. Haha
19) If I was a character written by Shakespeare: I have no clue who I'd be.
20) By this time next year I: hope the addition to our house is almost
complete (wouldn't that be a miracle!)
21) A better name for me would be: ???
22) I have a hard time understanding: how I can spend all weekend
cleaning only for the mess to be back within hours.
23) If I ever go back to school I'll: be amazed! I have no intention
or desire to go back to school, ever.
24) You know I like you if: I continue to communicate with you.
25) If I won an award, the first person I'd thank would be: my
parents.
26) I hope that: I will master FLYing soon (see Flylady.net if you
don't know what I mean)
27) Take my advice: into consideration, and then do whatever you want
and feel is right for you!
28) My ideal breakfast is: biscuits with "Granny's Groovy Gravy"
and sausage.
29) A song I love, but do not have is: "100 Years" by Five for
Fighting and "I Can Only Imagine" by Mercy Me
30) If you visit the town/city I live, I suggest: you be very alert
when driving around because the college students will walk
out into the road right in front of traffic and look at you like how
dare you be driving there. (There are 3 colleges in our town too, so
there are TONS of college students wandering around)
31) Tulips, character flaws, microchips & track stars: Tulips- are my
favorite. Character flaws- are part of life. Microchips- No comment.
Track stars- run fast. lol
32) Why won't anyone: pick up after themselves in this house
33) If you spend the night at my house: you'll have nowhere to
sleep...my youngest son doesn't even have a bedroom, so you *know*
there's no guest bedroom either!
34) I'd stop my wedding: it's 8 years too late for that!
35) The world could do without: wasps...couldn't it?
36) I'd rather lick the belly of a roach than: be stung by a wasp
37) My favorite is: drinking around a campfire with my husband and
friends.
38) Paper clips are more useful than: tits on a bull (lol, sorry, old
expression my granny use to say)
40) And by the way: I believe everything in life happens for a reason.
41)The last time I was drunk: we were on a vacation with several of our
couple-friends and everyone's kids, and I forgot that I had not eaten
anything since breakfast, and after about 6 beers I was suddenly
reminded! Normally 6 beers wouldn't make me sick, but on an empty
stomach, it was not a pretty sight. I threw up, and then was too weak to walk, so Joe had to help me to bed, and I stayed there until the next
morning. No hangover, but was a little embarrassed!
42) My grandmother always: amazes me. She's in her upper 80's and
still runs around in shorts (and looks good in them!), and takes care of
her house, her huge property (not sure how many acres, but it's a
lot), sews, fishes, paints, makes dolls, cooks, goes out with her
friends, drinks, tells dirty jokes, is fun, and is just a great lady.
She has also out-lived 3 husbands!
across)
1) My mother once: ran a red light with me in the car (she was talking,
not really paying attention, and came to the red
light...stopped...looked both ways...and went! LOL)
2) Never in my life: have I broken a bone (*knocking on wood*)
3) When I was five: I threw up on the floor of my Kindergarten
classroom, and was SO embarrassed!
4) High school was: the best I've ever looked and felt
5) I will never forget: the births of both of my sons
6) I once met: Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton
7) There's this person I know who: got rid of her "pet" mouse by holding it by the tail and whacking it against the ground. (No, this is not a close friend of mine, it's just a girl Joe works with who apparently has a psycho streak in her.)
8) Once, at a bar: I thanked our friend Kevin for some "advice" he had given Joe (won't go into details, as that would be way TMI).
9) By noon I'm usually: done eating my lunch at work (I just get so
hungry before actual lunch time! lol)
10) Last night I: was in a pissy mood.
11) If I only had: time at home by myself to get things done!
12) Next time I go to church/temple: it will be long overdue.
13) Terri Schiavo: shouldn't have been the public's business at
all, in my opinion
14) I like: time alone, by myself (which is extremely rare these last few years).
15) When I turn my head left, I see: the left side of my desk/office,
printer, phone, piles of papers, etc.
16) When I turn my head right, I see: the right side of my desk/office,
cabinet, piles of papers, piles of stuff on the floor, etc.
17) You know I'm lying when: I can't keep a straight face
18) In grade school: I was part of a large group of friends, and we
would always get in "fights" with each other so that we could go to
the school counselor's office to talk out our "problems" and miss class. Haha
19) If I was a character written by Shakespeare: I have no clue who I'd be.
20) By this time next year I: hope the addition to our house is almost
complete (wouldn't that be a miracle!)
21) A better name for me would be: ???
22) I have a hard time understanding: how I can spend all weekend
cleaning only for the mess to be back within hours.
23) If I ever go back to school I'll: be amazed! I have no intention
or desire to go back to school, ever.
24) You know I like you if: I continue to communicate with you.
25) If I won an award, the first person I'd thank would be: my
parents.
26) I hope that: I will master FLYing soon (see Flylady.net if you
don't know what I mean)
27) Take my advice: into consideration, and then do whatever you want
and feel is right for you!
28) My ideal breakfast is: biscuits with "Granny's Groovy Gravy"
and sausage.
29) A song I love, but do not have is: "100 Years" by Five for
Fighting and "I Can Only Imagine" by Mercy Me
30) If you visit the town/city I live, I suggest: you be very alert
when driving around because the college students will walk
out into the road right in front of traffic and look at you like how
dare you be driving there. (There are 3 colleges in our town too, so
there are TONS of college students wandering around)
31) Tulips, character flaws, microchips & track stars: Tulips- are my
favorite. Character flaws- are part of life. Microchips- No comment.
Track stars- run fast. lol
32) Why won't anyone: pick up after themselves in this house
33) If you spend the night at my house: you'll have nowhere to
sleep...my youngest son doesn't even have a bedroom, so you *know*
there's no guest bedroom either!
34) I'd stop my wedding: it's 8 years too late for that!
35) The world could do without: wasps...couldn't it?
36) I'd rather lick the belly of a roach than: be stung by a wasp
37) My favorite is: drinking around a campfire with my husband and
friends.
38) Paper clips are more useful than: tits on a bull (lol, sorry, old
expression my granny use to say)
40) And by the way: I believe everything in life happens for a reason.
41)The last time I was drunk: we were on a vacation with several of our
couple-friends and everyone's kids, and I forgot that I had not eaten
anything since breakfast, and after about 6 beers I was suddenly
reminded! Normally 6 beers wouldn't make me sick, but on an empty
stomach, it was not a pretty sight. I threw up, and then was too weak to walk, so Joe had to help me to bed, and I stayed there until the next
morning. No hangover, but was a little embarrassed!
42) My grandmother always: amazes me. She's in her upper 80's and
still runs around in shorts (and looks good in them!), and takes care of
her house, her huge property (not sure how many acres, but it's a
lot), sews, fishes, paints, makes dolls, cooks, goes out with her
friends, drinks, tells dirty jokes, is fun, and is just a great lady.
She has also out-lived 3 husbands!
Okay, now it's your turn to answer all of these on your blog!
The addition discussion, Adam's fall, and cranky me!
My mood overall has been so much better lately...that is until last night. Ugh! I was really irritated and frustrated from several things, Brendan was testing my patience, Adam was fussy, and well, even though I'm generally a quiet person, for some reason I can't keep my mouth shut when I'm irritated & frustrated! lol So basically I just made everyone else more upset too. Then after the boys were in bed, Joe and I got in a "discussion" about the addition we want to do on our house. I am about to go crazy in our little bitty house with no doors, and nowhere to "get away" ever. Yes, I love having 10 wooded acres, but wow that house is just not meant to have a family of 4 in it...especially not with a little one that can get into everything. Anyway, Joe keeps putting off moving forward, because he's afraid we can't afford it, and a bunch of other fears of his. I say lets take the first few steps of planning, getting some real plans on paper, and get some estimates so we can FIND OUT if we can afford it! We can sit on our butts and daydream about "someday" for the rest of our lives, but if we're going to get it done we have to DO something about it! We need it now...Adam doesn't have a room at all, and he's too young to share with Brendan. Not to mention Brendan's room is too small for 2 kids anyway. Our bedroom has no doors, it's an open loft. The rest of the house is open floor plan, which looks kinda neat, but wow I had no idea how annoying it would be to have no doors to shut, and nowhere to hide! LOL We have a small living room, tiny kitchen, Brendan's small room, tiny laundry room, bathroom, and master bedroom & bath. That's it. That's our whole house. The addition we'd ideally like to do would add: New master bedroom (and our current one would become an office/guest bedroom), laundry room (our current one is really supposed to be an entrance-way), a living room (our current one would become a dining room), and another bedroom for one of the boys (the other boy will be in Brendan's current room). Oh, and a garage. If it turns out that there's no way we can afford the addition, then we need to look at ways to work with our existing conditions, and/or a smaller addition to get us by. But we still have to take the first steps to even find that out!!! I have no doubt that if I had never said another word, that Joe would continue to keep this addition as a "someday" and it would never happen. He admits that that is possibly true, even though he really does want the addition. He's just not the type to jump into things without totally analyzing and agonizing over them and thinking of all the reasons we shouldn't, and how money is too much an issue, and how all the conditions aren't right, etc, etc. Conditions will never be perfect for anything in life, so if he's waiting for that, it's not happening. I've had to push forward on everything we've ever accomplished/done to get anywhere, because he just won't take any leaps of faith on his own. He even admitted that everything in the past that I've pushed for and taken leaps of faith on have always worked out fine. But he was also defensive and taking things personally in our "discussion", so I guess I wasn't being as nice as I could have been. But dang! Nothing ever gets done if I don't keep on it. *sigh*
To add to the frustration, this morning we overslept, and then while I was getting ready, Joe forgot to put up the baby gate on the steps and he went out of the room for a minute...Adam climbed up the steps and I hear a series of bangs and bumps, followed by Brendan yelling that Adam fell, and Adam started crying...I ran in there thinking Joe was already in there to find Joe nowhere in sight and Adam had tumbled down from near the top of the steps (according to Brendan, and I believe him since I heard it as Adam tumbled down!) and was upside-down on the next to last step. Scared the crap out of me! I scooped him up and gave him lots of hugs and kisses. Turns out he is perfectly fine, no signs of any injuries or anything, thank goodness! Then as I'm rushing around, already late, I go outside to the car and it is covered in frost. Ugh! Had to stand out in the 16 degrees and try to scrape the windshield while already so late, while Joe sat inside on the couch eating his cereal. Grrrr. My arm is still sore from the flu shot yesterday, and I'm achy all over, tired, cranky, etc. (Gee, can I whine any more? LOL) So this morning I was still not in a good mood. But, I'll get over it.
Not sure I can come up with the 5 things to be happy about today without a lot of thought! lol But I'll try...
To add to the frustration, this morning we overslept, and then while I was getting ready, Joe forgot to put up the baby gate on the steps and he went out of the room for a minute...Adam climbed up the steps and I hear a series of bangs and bumps, followed by Brendan yelling that Adam fell, and Adam started crying...I ran in there thinking Joe was already in there to find Joe nowhere in sight and Adam had tumbled down from near the top of the steps (according to Brendan, and I believe him since I heard it as Adam tumbled down!) and was upside-down on the next to last step. Scared the crap out of me! I scooped him up and gave him lots of hugs and kisses. Turns out he is perfectly fine, no signs of any injuries or anything, thank goodness! Then as I'm rushing around, already late, I go outside to the car and it is covered in frost. Ugh! Had to stand out in the 16 degrees and try to scrape the windshield while already so late, while Joe sat inside on the couch eating his cereal. Grrrr. My arm is still sore from the flu shot yesterday, and I'm achy all over, tired, cranky, etc. (Gee, can I whine any more? LOL) So this morning I was still not in a good mood. But, I'll get over it.
Not sure I can come up with the 5 things to be happy about today without a lot of thought! lol But I'll try...
5 Things to be Happy About Today
1. I was finally able to get badly-needed groceries on my lunch break today
2. I was able to use 8 coupons on our groceries (not a lot, but better than none!)
3. It's Thursday again, so Survivor is on tonight again
4. I actually did my menu planning for the rest of this week, and next week like I'm supposed to do as part of the FLYlady system.
5. ????
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Almost forgot...
Almost forgot to post my 5 things to be happy about today! So here goes...
5 Things to be Happy About Today
1. Enjoyed a yummy (& free) Thanksgiving meal at the boys' daycare
2. Brendan was so excited to see me and Joe when we ate lunch with him...always makes me feel good when he's happy to see me :)
3. It's sunny today (Even though it's turned cold, at least it isn't raining like yesterday!)
4. I finally got 3 boxes to the post office today that I've been needing to mail since last week!
5. I found out today that the Taekwon-Do class (which is in my area of supervision at work) made the front cover of our Department's book of winter activities & classes. (Usually they put a photo of parks, or aquatics, or something like that as the cover, and my recreation classes rarely make the cover photo, so that was a nice surprise).
Okay, gotta run- time to go home! Yea!
Turkey Feast at preschool
Today was the "Turkey Feast" at Brendan & Adam's daycare/preschool. I guess they wanted to have it early to avoid the busy holiday week next week. So, Joe and I went there for lunch today. Brendan was so excited when we arrived! It was kinda fun to eat lunch in the 5-yr-old room, on little bitty chairs and a little bitty table. heehee. They had turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, macaroni & cheese, rolls, and a few other typical Thanksgiving foods. And then there were all the yummy desserts...pumpkin pies, brownies, cakes, cream puffs, etc. Now I'm sleepy, and still have 4 hours left to work :( They gave us a card that has Brendan's picture on the front, and the inside of the card is a turkey made out of Brendan's handprint. So cute! I'll scan it in tonight and post it on my photo-a-day blog, and I'll also upload a pic I took while we were there. Adam was taking a nap, so we didn't even go back to his room at all. Really we were hesitant to anyway, because we were afraid he would get upset and cry if he saw us and then we left him there for the rest of the day. So it worked out well that he was sleeping anyway.
Well, time to get back to work, so I'll end for now.
Well, time to get back to work, so I'll end for now.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
The Nerd Test...I passed...or failed...or however you want to look at it! lol
>
LOL! Saw a link to this on Kathie's blog, and had to take the test! Above icon shows my results! I am somehow not only a non-nerd, but says I also despise nerds! lol Not true, I married one! Heehee...just kidding! But anyway, just a fun little test, that I have to admit I was nervous to take, as I thought it would be my luck it would come out 100% nerd! lol Okay, who else has the nerve to take the nerd test?
LOL! Saw a link to this on Kathie's blog, and had to take the test! Above icon shows my results! I am somehow not only a non-nerd, but says I also despise nerds! lol Not true, I married one! Heehee...just kidding! But anyway, just a fun little test, that I have to admit I was nervous to take, as I thought it would be my luck it would come out 100% nerd! lol Okay, who else has the nerve to take the nerd test?
Catching Up Again
Okay, so the annual Christmas shopping trip went just fine. My sister & my aunt got a lot done, and the rest of us got a few things done. I was able to get my 2 nephews finished, a couple little things for my Box Project family, and 2 shirts & a pair of pants for myself. I am always in desperate need of clothes. Since I don't like shopping, and since Joe doesn't like it when we spend money, I just don't end up with many clothes. Casual Corner is going out of business, so I was able to get a $50 pair of khaki pants for only $24. Also found 2 shirts at Sears.
Joe hunted Saturday and Sunday, but didn't get a deer. He's planning to try again this coming weekend.
Sunday we had planned to take the boys to the free showing of Madagascar at the local theater, but they were out of tickets so fast we missed it. Brendan was so upset, he busted out crying, poor little guy. We felt bad, so we took him to Burger King to eat and play on the indoor Play Place instead. He had a lot of fun, and Adam was in awe of all the bright colors and such. Both boys behaved VERY well the whole time we were there! If I had known we were going there, I would have brought my camera along!
Last night I went to another Tastefully Simple party. I love their stuff. And the parties are fun because you get to sample all sorts of the food! lol I ordered several more things for my family, and also a gift pack for Joe's mom, so I spent quite a pretty penny. Ssshhh...don't tell Joe. lol
I didn't think I was going to be able to go last night, because during the day I had this really weird sudden on-set of extreme dizzyness, followed by nausea and got really hot & sweaty. It took everything I had to make it home and collapse into bed! I passed out for 3 hours, and felt much better when I woke up. Very weird.
Today it is raining like crazy, and the temperatures are dropping as the day goes on. This morning my drivers side windshield wiper all the sudden stopped working. What timing! It was pouring down rain, and here my windshield wiper isn't working! Yikes! The other one was, thank goodness, so I'm leaning over trying to see out that side of the windshield while driving. Ugh! Joe came by my office to take a look at it during lunch, and he just got done fixing it.
Well, that's about it, I think that catches me back up to today!
Joe hunted Saturday and Sunday, but didn't get a deer. He's planning to try again this coming weekend.
Sunday we had planned to take the boys to the free showing of Madagascar at the local theater, but they were out of tickets so fast we missed it. Brendan was so upset, he busted out crying, poor little guy. We felt bad, so we took him to Burger King to eat and play on the indoor Play Place instead. He had a lot of fun, and Adam was in awe of all the bright colors and such. Both boys behaved VERY well the whole time we were there! If I had known we were going there, I would have brought my camera along!
Last night I went to another Tastefully Simple party. I love their stuff. And the parties are fun because you get to sample all sorts of the food! lol I ordered several more things for my family, and also a gift pack for Joe's mom, so I spent quite a pretty penny. Ssshhh...don't tell Joe. lol
I didn't think I was going to be able to go last night, because during the day I had this really weird sudden on-set of extreme dizzyness, followed by nausea and got really hot & sweaty. It took everything I had to make it home and collapse into bed! I passed out for 3 hours, and felt much better when I woke up. Very weird.
Today it is raining like crazy, and the temperatures are dropping as the day goes on. This morning my drivers side windshield wiper all the sudden stopped working. What timing! It was pouring down rain, and here my windshield wiper isn't working! Yikes! The other one was, thank goodness, so I'm leaning over trying to see out that side of the windshield while driving. Ugh! Joe came by my office to take a look at it during lunch, and he just got done fixing it.
Well, that's about it, I think that catches me back up to today!
5 Things to be Happy About Today
1. Joe fixed my windshield wiper!
2. Got to smile this morning seeing how cute Adam looked in his hat & mittens
3. Got to laugh this morning when I dropped the boys off at daycare, and took Brendan's hat off...OMG his hair was sticking up and out in every direction possible, it was hilarious!
4. Biggest Loser is on tv tonight
5. Both boys were good this morning
Monday, November 14, 2005
Quiz
Lifted from Carolyn's Blog (who lifted it from Amy's blog)
2 - names you go by: Courtney, Mommy
2 - parts of your heritage: German, Welsh
2 - things that scare you: wasps, all bees
2 - of your everyday essentials:
computer/internet, Sugarfree Red Bull in the car on my way to work.
2 - of your favorite bands or musical artists:
Collin Raye, Kelly Clarkson
2 - favorite songs: I can't pick just two! lol Two *of* my many favorites that pop in my mind right now are, "I Volunteer" by Collin Raye, and the first 5 songs on Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" cd. lol
2 - things you want in a relationship (other than real love):
respect for me and my goals/dreams, feeling and acting like a team
2 - physical things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex):
eyes, smile
2 - of your favorite hobbies: scrapbooking, camping
2 - things you want really badly:
To be happy inside & out, a clean/organized house with all our excess stuff and clutter gone, and I have to add a 3rd one here...getting the addition on our house built ASAP!
2 - places you want to go on vacation:
back to Wyoming and/or Colorado (I love mountains!), and would like to take the boys to Disney World in about 5 years.
2 - things you want to do before you die:
see my boys grow into adulthood, see Alaska & Hawaii to finish visiting all 50 states
2 - ways that you are stereotypically a chick:
I ask my husband to kill wasps & big spiders for me, and I don't know much about cars
2 - things you are thinking about now:
Hoping I don't start feeling dizzy & nauseous again, wondering what the UPS guy just left on my doorstep! (I'm gonna go see, be right back! lol)*
2 - stores you shop at:
Wal-Mart, Michael's
2 - people I would like to see take this quiz:
anyone that sees this
*(By the way, if you're wondering what the UPS guy brought, it was a gift for Adam from my aunt...Vtech Sing & Discover Piano from our Amazon.com wishlist! It's so cute & fun, he will love it!)
2 - names you go by: Courtney, Mommy
2 - parts of your heritage: German, Welsh
2 - things that scare you: wasps, all bees
2 - of your everyday essentials:
computer/internet, Sugarfree Red Bull in the car on my way to work.
2 - of your favorite bands or musical artists:
Collin Raye, Kelly Clarkson
2 - favorite songs: I can't pick just two! lol Two *of* my many favorites that pop in my mind right now are, "I Volunteer" by Collin Raye, and the first 5 songs on Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" cd. lol
2 - things you want in a relationship (other than real love):
respect for me and my goals/dreams, feeling and acting like a team
2 - physical things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex):
eyes, smile
2 - of your favorite hobbies: scrapbooking, camping
2 - things you want really badly:
To be happy inside & out, a clean/organized house with all our excess stuff and clutter gone, and I have to add a 3rd one here...getting the addition on our house built ASAP!
2 - places you want to go on vacation:
back to Wyoming and/or Colorado (I love mountains!), and would like to take the boys to Disney World in about 5 years.
2 - things you want to do before you die:
see my boys grow into adulthood, see Alaska & Hawaii to finish visiting all 50 states
2 - ways that you are stereotypically a chick:
I ask my husband to kill wasps & big spiders for me, and I don't know much about cars
2 - things you are thinking about now:
Hoping I don't start feeling dizzy & nauseous again, wondering what the UPS guy just left on my doorstep! (I'm gonna go see, be right back! lol)*
2 - stores you shop at:
Wal-Mart, Michael's
2 - people I would like to see take this quiz:
anyone that sees this
*(By the way, if you're wondering what the UPS guy brought, it was a gift for Adam from my aunt...Vtech Sing & Discover Piano from our Amazon.com wishlist! It's so cute & fun, he will love it!)
Friday, November 11, 2005
We took time to stop and smell the...cows?!!! LOL
Sooo...I think I'm going to try to incorporate doing something a little out of the ordinary every day that I can, to keep things interesting and kinda fun. Not a big thing, just little tiny things that maybe I wouldn't have otherwise done. This morning, that was stopping along the way to daycare/work to take pictures of cows!!! LOL! I decided that my photo-a-day blog was getting a little too predictable with photos of my boys, so I wanted to shake it up a bit. Every day on my way to daycare/work we pass by fields of cows...so, I thought I'd take a quick pic of some of the cows we drive by every day. Heehee. Brendan thought it was really funny that Mommy stopped the car to take pictures of cows. Then he said, "Mommy don't forget to take pictures of all the birdies and snakes and snails too!" LOL If I didn't have the boys in the car, I would have ventured closer to the cows, but I didn't want to get far from the car, so they are not close ups of cows or anything like that, but they are cows! I will upload them tonight to my photo-a-day blog. And, we counted the properties that had cows, and wow I had no idea we passed by SIX different fields of cows every morning on our commute! If you had asked me yesterday, I would have guessed maybe 3. So, see there...I learned something today too! lol
I need to hurry this up and leave work, but before I go for today:
I need to hurry this up and leave work, but before I go for today:
5 Things to Be Happy About Today
1. It's Friday, and I can leave my office in 5 minutes
2. I made Brendan smile this morning by taking pictures of cows
3. Brendan still loves playing with his Leapster that we bought him for his birthday
4. I treated myself to roast beef sandwich and yummy chicken & dumplings soup from Lion's Choice today for lunch.
5. I have 3 more Christmas gifts done, thanks to a few quick clicks on Amazon.com, including Joe's dad who is usually very hard to buy for!
Christmas shopping (ugh!)
Yes, it's that's time again. Every year as far back as I can remember, the ladies on my mom's side of the family have gotten together one Saturday in November for the annual Christmas shopping trip. Tomorrow is the day. So, tomorrow me, my sister, my mom, my aunt, my cousin, and my grandma will get together at the mall. Usually we end up going to the city my mom lives in, but this year we're actually going right here in my town. (That helps, because Joe will be hunting seeing as it is opening day of deer season, and there's no way we would have been able to go out of town and miss that! lol) So, I *am* very much looking forward to seeing the relatives and eating lunch & dinner out with them...it's the shopping part I'm not looking forward to. I am not crazy about shopping. The appeal of wandering around for hours around a crowded mall looking for things to spend money on is lost on me. Actually, there are many "stereotypical female" type things that are lost on me, but I won't get sidetracked on that right now. For me, if I need to buy something, I want to go quickly, go in, get it, pay, and leave. That's it. Online shopping is my favorite. I can just sit down for a few minutes and get 3/4 of my Christmas shopping done in just a few minutes and few clicks. Then lo & behold several days later boxes are delivered to my door and, viola! Shopping done. See, now wasn't that easier? But alas, once a year I give in and go shopping for hours on end in the name of family tradition. Wish me luck tomorrow. LOL Seriously though, I *am* looking forward to seeing my relatives, no matter what we're doing, so for that reason I will enjoy it.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
If You Give...
Okay, for those of you who are moms, and are familiar with the books like "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" and "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" and others in that series, then perhaps the following will make you chuckle like it did me when I accidentally ran across it on another blog...
IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MUFFIN
If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her
she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook
("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The check book is in her purse
that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two-year-old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her
that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are... If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.
~author unknown
(where I found it...posted by KDubs on her blog)
IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MUFFIN
If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her
she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook
("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The check book is in her purse
that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two-year-old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her
that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are... If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.
~author unknown
(where I found it...posted by KDubs on her blog)
I think I thrive on change & new experiences
I've had bits and pieces of random thoughts & revelations these last few months, and one of the conclusions I've come to is...I think I thrive on change and new experiences. So many people fear change, but I think I crave it. I am pretty laid-back and quiet most of the time, and I got to thinking how I haven't really felt excited about much or felt passionate about anything much lately. And I know I use to. Thoughts of "maybe I'm depressed" passed through my mind several times this past year, but then an episode of Dr. Phil (or was it Oprah?) a lady was talking about her situation and she said her doctor told her, "you're not depressed, you're just bored!". This lady needed shocking excitement in her life to keep her happy. I laughed, because it kinda clicked inside me. No, I don't need "shocking" excitement, but when I think about the times I am the happiest, it seems to always be centered around times of change and/or new experiences. We have really fallen into the daily grind so much these last couple years, and I think I'm bored! In a way I can't believe the word BORED is even in my vocabulary right now...as on one level I feel totally overwhelmed with the responsibilities of every day life, lol, but I think my soul is bored. Does that make sense? I need to be rejuvinated and experience new things and keep myself excited about life. I've actually been feeling pretty good (except for being sick) lately, and I think it's because I've been busy planning for both boys birthdays & party, which is something out of the ordinary daily grind, and with the holidays coming up, I'm starting to PLAN for upcoming things. I am a born dreamer & planner...so if I have something to plan for it keeps me (and my brain) entertained.
So, now, how to work new experiences and excitement in to my every day life? How to keep myself (& soul) excited and alive. I will be working on that. (see, that gives me something to PLAN! lol)
In the meantime, I think I'll start keeping a daily "5 Things to Be Happy About Today" list on my blog :) Corny? Maybe. But hey- it's my blog and I can do whatever I want, right? lol
So, here we go:
1. Brendan made his bed, got dressed, and fed the cat this morning (his 3 morning chores) without us having to yell.
2. I've already finished 14 of my employees timesheets, and they aren't due in until next Thursday.
3. Survivor is on tv tonight.
4. Tomorrow is Friday already.
5. It is not too hot or too cold today, it's cool like it should be for mid-November.
So, now, how to work new experiences and excitement in to my every day life? How to keep myself (& soul) excited and alive. I will be working on that. (see, that gives me something to PLAN! lol)
In the meantime, I think I'll start keeping a daily "5 Things to Be Happy About Today" list on my blog :) Corny? Maybe. But hey- it's my blog and I can do whatever I want, right? lol
So, here we go:
5 Things to Be Happy About Today
2. I've already finished 14 of my employees timesheets, and they aren't due in until next Thursday.
3. Survivor is on tv tonight.
4. Tomorrow is Friday already.
5. It is not too hot or too cold today, it's cool like it should be for mid-November.
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