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

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.

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.

I need a laugh today

lol!

I needed this giggle today! So, just thought I'd share in case you did too!

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.

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!

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:

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

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.

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!

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...

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!

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. LOL

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

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!

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

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 :)

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.

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:

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!