Pink about it

I'm Stuck...

2012-01-28T19:36:00.015-06:00

Yep! On Pinterest. I've become addicted to pinning. I've found a lot of inspiration! I have boards for craft ideas, quilts, gifts and just cute findings. Surprisingly, I have a recipe board! I cook only because starving isn't an option. So far the projects Pinterest have inspired are a baby quilt for my new niece, a mug rug, a cup cozy, a scarf organizer and a greeting card organizer. I don't really need any more craft ideas. What I need is more time to do the crafts.

I pulled out the kids scrapbooks and realized I'm "only" 5 years behind. That's more than half of the Beans life and Sissy graduates from high school next spring. It might be nice to have her scrapbook ready for a graduation party. A mom can dream *sigh*.

I have finished a couple of projects this winter. This baby quilt was inspired by Pinterest.

My first potato chip scarf, modeled by Sissy. It made its debut way back here.

Hopefully, with the help of Snapfish.com and my new friend at the scrapbook store in town, I'm going to get some scrapbooking done. I'm also still working on organizing the storage room.

Family Fun

2012-01-23T11:43:00.008-06:00

Last Sunday we decided to take the kids ice skating. Well, I skated, Honey took pictures. He's never been on ice skates - ever. Both the kids did really well skating (translation: no trip to the ER). It was Beans first time skating, Sissy has been before but not often. I was surprised how quickly they caught on.

Skating was followed by Starbucks! It helped ease my sore ankles and warm my cold...toes! Next weekend is the art museum.

I Heart Organizing

2012-01-16T19:14:00.007-06:00

I'm so excited I found this blog post! I've been looking for it all weekend! I knew it was floating around in cyberspace somewhere, also proves I'm not losing my mind...today anyway. I would have helped if I could have remembered it was on New Nostalgia but I couldn't even remember that much. Why am I so excited about this blog post? Because of the "Donation Station"! I have been looking for a way to organize my basement storage room, or at least reduce the chance of bodily injury while looking for other things. The biggest problem I have is organizing the things that come into the storage room and need to go out again, either to the Goodwill or recycle.

Here is the picture that inspired Amy at New Nostalgia. Isn't it wonderful! A place for every thing. My area isn't going to be as pretty, I get to hide it behind closed doors, but I hope it will be functional. Honey and I made a trip to Stuff Mart to get bins for my organizing project but the trip was a bust. They didn't have anything that would stack and be open in the front to put things in. I found this on Amazon with free shipping.

My plan is to have one bin for clothing recycle, one for clothing donations to Goodwill, the last one for stuff donations. I don't know if I'll be able to get my family on board or not. They may still just put stuff in the storage room but I'll have somewhere to put it until we'll be near a drop off location.

I'm pretty excited to get this project started, I'm tired of playing shuffle the piles in the storage room. The hardest part will be waiting for the UPS truck. Come back and visit for before and after pictures!

The Project One Year Later

2012-01-03T09:49:00.006-06:00

I can't believe it's the beginning of a New Year! What happened to 2011? I know what didn't happen. I haven't been at the Stuff Mart! For the past year I've tracked my trips and how much I spent. I'm glad I did this little experiment but I'm also happy I don't have to track the trips any more.

What I already knew was that we went to Stuff Mart way too much and picked up too many "extras". What I wasn't sure about was if we could not go as often. I had also hoped to save some money.

Surprisingly we could go to Stuff Mart less, we cut down our trips by 100 for the year! In 2010 we went made an estimated 171 trips (no, I didn't count all the trips I averaged a 4 month period) this year it was 71! We also spent less, average $100 a month. Does that mean we saved that amount? No! We spent it at other places.

What I learned was we could survive without running to Stuff Mart for every thing we think we need. I improved my list making skills. The less time I spent in the store, the less time I wanted to spend in the store. Less time spent seeing things I think I can't live without but didn't need or want when I left the house. It is possible to run out of plastic shopping bags!

This year my goal is to cut our spending and stay within our budget. The first step is to track my personals spending. Honey got me a weekly pocket calendar for Christmas because it has Mickey Mouse on it. I'm going to use it to track my spending. I also am very bad about keeping the checkbook up to date, that is step two. So far today I spent $1.20!

Happy Saving!

Fall Reading Wrap Up

2011-12-23T11:58:00.011-06:00

Happy Winter! I didn't start the Fall Reading challenge on time, no reason to end on time. My list for fall reading was very short (two books) and I finished them pretty early. Honey and I started reading the Steve Jobs book, Honey finished, I'm going to wait for the movie.

Here's a wrap up of the books I did finish...

A Voice in the Wind and An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers - loved 'em!

Grave Yard Games by Sheri Leigh - this one was ok, not great but it was free.

The Oak Leaves by Maureen Lang - also free and pretty good.

Pig Island by Mo Hayden - free, that's good because I didn't like it, I kept thinking this has got to get better, not so much.

The Christmas Dog by Melody Carlson - this would make a great Lifetime Christmas movie, short and feel good.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - loved it! Pie!

I'm not sure what I'm going to read next. I have a long "To Be Read" list maybe I should pick something from there rather than check out what's new on the shelves. But it's not to early to start my list for the Spring Reading thing. Thanks to Katrina at Callapidder Days for hosting these challenges! Happy Reading!

Rant and a Challenge

2011-11-01T14:45:00.011-05:00

The post-Halloween sugar crash just hit and my kids are already dreaming of sugar plums. The Star and the Bullseye stores are opening at midnight on Black Friday. But what about this guy?

Have we completely forgotten about Tom Turkey? Poor guy. I know he's not as cute as little ghosts and goblins and not as jolly as St. Nick but doesn't he still have a place on our calendar? We're done buying the costumes and candy, now on to garland and lights. I love Christmas as much as much as anyone else, my family might say more (I have been know to start watching White Christmas in August). Are we so busy planning and doing that we just don't take the time to be thankful? How can we appreciate what we will get for Christmas if we don't appreciate what we already have?

No, I won't be getting up at the crack of you-have-got-to-be-kidding to go shopping the day after Thanksgiving. I've done that. I just don't think the deals are worth fighting the crowds, hoping the store has what I went for, and standing in line for hours to pay. Have we forgotten the reasons for the holidays? Really, is all about who's getting what, who has the best costume, decoration, candy, football? Have we forgotten that holidays are about more? They are about family, friends, laughter and love. I'm done ranting now.

So, my Thanksgiving challenge for all of us is to post, tweet, facebook, write on the calendar, on a post-it note on the fridge, one thing we are thankful for everyday from now until Thanksgiving Day. That's 24 days, I know you can do it! Leave me a comment to let me know you are going to play along!

Today I am Thankful for my family; the one I was born into, the one Honey and I have created, our extended family and the friends who have become family.

Fall Reading Challenge

2011-10-25T20:20:00.004-05:00

It's one month into the Fall Reading Challenge (although I didn't officially join this year) and I finished my list! Yes, the list only had two books on it but I really didn't think I'd be able to "get into" them.

Both are by Francine Rivers the first was A Voice in the Wind. My friends kept telling me to "just keep reading, it gets better after chapter seven". It took me until chapter 11 to be able to read more than a page at a time. By the time I got to chapter 17, I couldn't put it down! It only took two and a half months and starting it three times to finish. The second book was An Echo in the Darkness. I finished that one in a week! They were great! As Sure as the Dawn is the third in the series. I'm not sure if I'm going to jump right into that one.

Honey and I just started reading Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. He's reading it on his iPad, I'm reading it on my Kindle. This is the first book we've tried to read together, should be interesting!

A Puppy's Tail

2011-10-13T15:10:00.011-05:00

Yes, I'm a dog person. I don't have anything against cats as a species, but when it comes to a companion, yep, it's a dog.

Max is my furry little companion animal. Honey is pretty sure I'd give him away before I'd give my dog away. Ummm...no comment.

Max was a puppy mill rescue, he was suppose to be put down but was saved along with 15 other puppies. It's been six years since Max adopted us. I found the rescue through Petfinder.com. I took both kids to visit two puppies the rescuers thought would work for our family. I told Honey we were just going to look, of course he knew better, I was bringing home a puppy.

When we arrived this little white fuzzy bundle of excitement met us at the door I couldn't get the Bean down to the floor fast enough for the loving to begin. Stumpy, as he was called, was all over us, jumping, wagging, wiggling, giggling (the Bean) and kissing. The puppy wasn't afraid of Bean grabbing at him or the noise a 2 1/2 year old can make. We visited with the other puppy too, he was a little smaller and a bit timid. I'm sure he would have worked for our family when he got comfortable with us, but Stumpy was a better match for our busy young family. So Maxwell Edison became part of our family.

Max had a few fears to over come, going through doors, walking in the grass and he was afraid of people in baseball caps. With patients, time and gentle guidance he's gotten over most of his fears one step at a time. I know, just like Max, with patients and time I can get over my fears and short comings too. It just takes one step of faith at a time.

September Project Wrap Up

2011-10-06T16:31:00.011-05:00

Wow! I can't believe it's October already! I've been tracking my trips to the Stuff Mart for nine months now. I'm surprised I've stuck with it this long.

The most significant change I've noticed, is that I don't automatically think "I need to run to Stuff Mart and get that". Sissy still thinks we should run up there every time she has a "need" but I'm getting better at telling her "not tonight". On those occasions she really needs something she's big enough to go in by herself. One less trip for me. She can only buy something if she has enough cash (because Mom's not there to buy her other stuff).

The Bean is a little better about saying "next time we go to Stuff Mart can we look at..". He has also found out you can check prices on the computer, so he knows how much money he has to save. Sometimes things are cheaper on Amazon, saves me another trip.

I have four more months of limiting my trips to Stuff Mart, I think after the first of the year it will continue to be more natural to just not go. In September I made 8 trips, the total for the year so far is 48, average of 5.3 trips per month! At this rate I'll be under 70 trips for the year! When I looked at that number I was surprised! I was sure we were going just as much as we did last year. Our monthly average spending is down by 40% for September! Now that doesn't mean we're saving that much, but we are spending less at the Stuff Mart and I hope supporting smaller local businesses more.

I've very excited to see how the last 4 months of this project will go. Wonder how I can save and track the money I don't spend at Stuff Mart next year?

Fall Reading

2011-09-29T13:12:00.007-05:00

Happy Fall! OK, I know I missed the first day of fall and the official start of Fall Into Reading hosted by Katrina at Calladidder Days. I'm not officially joining but I do like making my list and seeing what happens to it by the end of fall. I have a very short list, again but they're long (really long) books.

I was told that The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers is very good and I should read it. My friend loaned me the first two books and warned me that it takes awhile to "get into the story". I started A Voice in the Wind in August, then read a couple other books (one I requested from the library so I had to read it). I started it again at the beginning of September, and decided that I really just needed a lighter read. I read a couple more books. Now it's the end of September and after some friendly guilt, oops I mean, encouragement I'm starting again. Third time is a charm, right?

So without further explanation, here is my reading list.

A Voice in the Wind

An Echo in the Darkness

As Sure as the Dawn (well, maybe) All by Francine Rivers.

If I read those three then I can choose from one of these. I think that will keep my busy well into next fall, unless I find something else I just have to read.

Thank you Katrina for hosting the reading challenges and encouraging us to just keep reading!

Time for hot cocoa, my blanket and A Voice in the Wind. Happy Reading!

The "J" List

2011-08-30T15:45:00.007-05:00

The "J" list is like Oprah's "O List" only cheaper, much much cheaper! It's some of my new or new to me favorite things!

On the left is "The Green Album" cd! It's Muppet songs, sung by current popular artists! How can you not have a good day when you start it listening to Mahna Mahna? Bean thinks we should listen to it every day on the way to school and Sissy already has it on her iPod! (It's not on mom's iPod but that's a post for another day.) There's also a "Kermit Unpigged" cd!

The odd pink thing is a poo bag holder. I saw a diaper bag dispenser (just like this one just labeled differently) on Another Ten Miles blog. Heather pictured it on her "Baby Must Haves" post. I saw that and thought perfect "in the car" trash bags! They're small, contained and refillable! No more hunting under the seat for a stuff mart bag! Woo hoo! I found the pet version in pink at Target! Thanks Heather!

Turtle Wax Bug and Tar remover! We have big bugs and they leave big squish marks on the car. No more squish spots!

Greeting cards from the Dollar store! My friend Laurie told me about them! I'm very excited! I spent $14 on 3 greeting cards! That's crazy! I really want to be able to make card and have them ready on time (ha) but just in case that doesn't work out...Dollar store here I come!

Hello...Kettle?

2011-08-15T06:50:00.002-05:00

I've learned a lot from my kids, for example don't say "yes" to a child if you don't fully understand the question, toddlers like to color with lipstick, more about Polly Pockets and Clone Troopers than I ever wanted to know. I've learned about fashion, when Sissy says "that's kind of Mom-ish" I should put it down and walk away, she doesn't mean it as a compliment.

Yesterday I was listening to the loving sounds of my children interacting, oh no, wait that was Leave it to Beaver. I was listening to my kids argue on the way to church. Anyway, Sissy started to lisp when she wants to be cute. I find it less than adorable coming from a 16 year old. Bean likes to talk "baby talk" to the dog. Sissy finds this less than adorable coming from her brother. She told him to quit because it annoyed her. Strangely, I told her the same thing about her "lisp" just the other day.

Tonight, Sissy yelled at Bean because he didn't put his cup in the dishwasher. Her rant went something like "He's 8! He should be able to put the cup in the dishwasher! It's not that hard!" I told her "I know, I thought the same thing this morning when I asked you to put the cutting board in the dishwasher."

I was told once when you point a finger at others you have three fingers pointing back at yourself. I've learned that's true, the behaviors we dislike in others are often things we do ourselves. The next time I have the urge to complain about someone else I'm going to make sure I don't do the same thing. Then I'm going to keep my mouth shut.

Where Did Summer Go?

2011-08-08T16:00:00.015-05:00

I can't believe my kids go back to school in one week! I'm wondering what happened to our summer? Apparently we have been very busy. I took Bean shopping to finish up his school supply shopping and was surprised at how few supplies were left. I don't know what I'm going to do about Sissy's. She doesn't find out what she needs for her classes until school starts. Yikes!

Summer has passed with a blur of activity! June was spent at karate, karate camp and play group for the Bean. Marching band practice for Sissy and a road trip to my nephew's High School Graduation. Whew!

We were home two week (more band and karate) and left the beginning of July for a vacation in Texas. We went to visit Honey's brother and his wife. Honey's mom flew down to join us. We went to the Johnson Space Center, the Gulf at Galveston and did a little shopping. Texas has a lot of outlet malls! Bean's favorite thing, his uncle's magnetic toy and cable tv. Sissy's favorite was shopping. (Pictured in front Bean, L to R Sis-in-law, Honey, me, Sissy, Bro-in-law and Mom-in-law)

We left Texas and drove around the Gulf to visit my friend and her family! We met them at the Gulf in Florida for breakfast. The kids got to try out a boogie board and we saw dolphins! We visited some more, had lunch, said our good-byes and headed home. Honey was on vacation the whole week after we got back from TX/FL. I had no idea what day it was for those two weeks. We didn't have a schedule, no band practice, no routine.

August started out with an impromptu trip "home" for the weekend to the fist annual Homecoming. Honey left Sunday, Bean and I stayed so my sister and I could help my dad with some organize/purge projects he'd been putting off. The "girls" also went to do a little shopping at a flea market/craft sale/Amish market. That was a lot of fun, HOT but fun! All my "finds" fit in my trunk. Woo hoo!

The first week of August was band camp for Sissy. Our brave band director loads the kids up on a bus and takes them to a college campus for a week. They come home hot and tired but they learn a lot and really become a cohesive unit. Honey went for part of the week to be a chaperon, he came home hot and tired too.

This is our last week of summer, Sissy is volunteering at the hospital, Bean is squeezing in a little more play time with his friends. I'm just hoping I can get them back in routine with as few melt downs next week as possible.

Stuff Mart Project

2011-06-30T08:42:00.006-05:00

I can't believe it's the end of June already! I didn't think summer would ever get here and now the first month has passed too quickly with all the activities. The end of June is also the half way point of my Stuff Mart Project! I'm not seeing the results I thought I would but I am learning somethings from this project.

Some of the lessons I've learned are common sense or should be. Starting with the shopping lists, they do help when I'm shopping. They keep me focused and out of the clearance isle! The list also keeps me from making so many "oh, I forgot trips back to the store". The less time I spend in the Stuff Mart the less I wonder around "just looking". That just looking always costs extra! (Duh!) The time I spend in the Stuff mart is proportionate to the patients I have for being there, less time = less patients.

Location, location, location also applies to the Stuff Mart. When I go to a different Stuff Mart, I find things to look at, "oh, that's not at my store!". Item are not located in the same place in different stores (again, Duh!). It saves me time and frustration to just shop where I know where the stuff is located.

The most important lesson, DO NOT take all of my family to the Stuff Mart AT THE SAME TIME! 'Nuff said.

No drum roll here, my totals weren't as dramatic as I had hoped. The trips I made to Stuff Mart for the first six months are 27, total trips (sometimes Honey goes without me) 42. That's about half the amount we made in the same period last year. The cash out flow was the disappointing part, we are only down $200 from last years average. We are going less but spending more.

On to the next six months. I see some mindless shopping still going on, that's what I want to work on. I can already see that it will be a challenge with back to school and Christmas, but I'm ready for it!

Wrap-up

2011-06-20T19:40:00.001-05:00

Summer is here and it's time for Spring Reading Thing '11 wrap-up! I posted an update about the books I added to my list, but when I went back to review it, it was gone! It's still missing in the blogosphere somewhere.
The one book I didn't finish (or really start) was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak . I started it and decided it's going to take more concentration that I'll have with the kids home for the summer.

I only read two non-fiction books.
Do the Work by Steven Pressfield was short, simple, to the point, and didn't apply to my life at all. Good thing it was free.
One Simple Act by Debbie Macomber was okay. I don't believe I was in the right frame of mind to receive the book the way it was intended.

Now for fiction!
Knit Two by Kate Jacobs
These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf was a good book and a new author for me
Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber
Lady in Waiting by Susan Messiner loved it!
One Door Away From Heaven by Dean Koontz
Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen wasn't as intense as I thought it would be after reading Water for Elephants, but it was still a good story and I really enjoyed it.

These fiction books were added because they were free for a limited time on the kindle.
The Heart of Memory: A Novel by Alison Strobel and
Getting Away is Deadly by Sara Rosett were good stories, a little on the light side but still fun to read.
Thicker Than Blood by CJ Darlington I really liked the characters in this book and I wanted to get to know them better but I felt like a lot of details were left out. The story seemed a little flat and ended without really tying up the loose ends.

My original SRT list was three books. After two rounds of additions I read a total of 11 books for the challenge! Two non-fiction, 9 fiction and 6 were new authors.

Thank you Katrina at Callapidder Days for hosting the reading challenge!

Money Monday

2011-05-16T09:19:00.010-05:00

It's time for my April Project wrap up and budget update. What I've noticed this past month is that our shopping list is much shorter. I don't know if that's because the weather is finally getting warmer or because we aren't just wondering the isles at Stuff Mart we don't feel like we "need" as much stuff. Whatever the reason, I like the results - Saving! One area that less whats are obvious is the number of trips to Stuff Mart and the amount spent there. In April I went to Stuff Mart 4 times and spend 50% less than last years monthly average!

I was also $15 under our grocery budget for April. My goal in cutting back our grocery budget is to build up an overage so when I find a great deal (like skinless, boneless chicken breast for $1.39 a pound!) I can really stock up. So far in May I am $12 under budget.

Now for the bad news, May is the time to pay for Beans summer camps and Sissy's marching band supplies add that to Mother's day and graduations, oh my! This is why we have a budget and put a little away each month for one time activity expenses! I've heard this called a sinking fund. I don't like that name! I like to think of these funds as lifesavers! They help keeps us afloat when extra expenses pop up!

The progress each month is keeping me motivated to just keep working on it. Over all I am very happy with how we are doing on our budget! I know our budget will always be evolving because life changes. I hope budgeting and saving help us prepare for those changes.

I Remember Mom

2011-05-09T14:28:00.004-05:00

The sun is shining, the temperature is rising and I'm thinking about my Mom. Yesterday was Mother's Day so many people are thinking about their mom's but that's not why I'm thinking about mine. The windows are open and the shears are blowing in the breeze. A storm is about to arrive, soon I run around the house closing windows just like when I was a kid. Growing up in the mid-west we really only had two seasons, shovel and sweat. A cool spring breeze blowing through the second floor bedrooms was a welcome sign of spring. It also meant that when a storm came in quickly, we had many windows to close.

The spring breezes slowly gave way to the hot humid days of late summer. We didn't have air conditioning in the house, not even a window AC unit. We would sleep in front of the open sliding door on the living room floor, with a fan pulling in the cool night air. In the morning we'd wake up the heavy drapes would still be closed, we knew it was going to get hot that day. We'd spend the day at the pool (we had to be home in time to get cleaned up for dinner). On those mornings Mom would be up early making dinner, so she didn't have to heat the house up later.

Mom would make tuna salad with pasta shells for dinner, raw vegetables, (I remember a lot of cucumbers) watermelon, cantaloup and ritz crackers. It wasn't fancy, it wasn't special, Mom made it often as the summer days dragged on. I remember it well not because it was special or fancy but because it was a dinner that tied the summers of my childhood together. When got the tuna and pasta out for dinner tonight that was when I started thinking about my Mom.

Mom's been gone 11 years now but that simple meal keeps me tied to her. I wonder if she had any idea that something so ordinary would be such a special memory for me? I wonder too, now that I'm the mom, if I put too much effort it the "special" things? Maybe I should put more "special" in the every day.

Me, my Mom and Baby Sissy.

Craft Project

2011-05-08T14:47:00.004-05:00

It's a craft! It's an organizer! It's finished!

My necklace holder ended up being a bit of a group project, Honey had to help me find the right size screws for the knobs and drill the holes. I'm not allowed to use his power tools, I have enough trouble with my kitchen appliances.
Cute and functional! Love it!

Crash

2011-04-29T16:03:00.002-05:00

The big living room decorating project is finished! I had been planning and re-planning that project for years and now it's Done. Over. Finished. It's left me with a bad case of Post-Project Crash. A lot of energy and creativity went into decorating to the exclusion of other creative hobbies. So now what do I do? I don't have any other craft projects underway, or even planned, and the scrapbooks are so far behind it's overwhelming. One of my favorites quotes is "Where you mind goes your butt follows". My mind was creatively empty, stuck in a rut and so was my behind. The only thing I was creating was a dent in the couch!

How did I go about getting out of my rut? I did some immersion therapy at Hobby Lobby! Hallelujah! Ah (sigh) the inspiration! Just looking at the craft supplies, baskets, and flowers got my creative juices flowing. I came home with the supplies to start a necklace holder and a list of other ideas! No more putting all my creative eggs in one basket. When I clean up the craft area all the pretty things that inspire my creativity are out of sight. Not a good situation for a visual person. If that means my craft area stays cluttered with the things that spark my imagination, I'm ok with that! I hope Honey's ok with it.

Money (Not) Saving Monday

2011-04-11T08:56:00.006-05:00

I don't know how I could have forgotten this but I did. To save money Do Not Take BOTH Children shopping! It must have been the movie popcorn induced haze that lead me to take the kids (mistake #1) to the book store. Bean had a gift card from his birthday, Sissy didn't have any money, we know where this is going. Bean picked out his books, so did Sissy. Yes you guessed it mom was expected to pay for hers. I couldn't buy her a book without getting one for him. I know some moms can,k I'm not that good at turning off the mommy guilt. After that we went (mistake #2) to the shoe store, just to pick up a pair I saw last time we were there. While we're here we'll look at shoes to go with the (gulp) prom dress. Bean wanted to go look at the shoes in his size (mistake #3) I let him. A minute later he comes running back to me bare foot, saying "Mom you should see all the cool shoes in my size!" Twenty minutes later, 3 pairs of shoes and earrings to go with the prom dress we head home. Lesson learned.

Money Saving Monday

2011-04-04T15:47:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it's April already! April is a busy (and expensive) month for us. Bean and Honey have birthdays at the beginning of the month. That means gifts and party supplies hit at the end of March. I wasn't very optimistic about the March Project wrap up. When I looked at my totals I was surprised! I made four trips to the Stuff Mart and spent $100 less than last years' average! Pretty good for a pre-birthday month!

I have other spending/saving habits I'm trying to improve. I started coupon at the beginning of February and jumped in with both feet! I did fall into the trap of "chasing the deal" a little. Some deals were worth chasing, some weren't. In March my couponing mellowed out and focused more on getting what we used for less. That's working much better.

Another goal I have is to grow our savings. I haven't felt like this was going very well, new glasses, contact, tires...Oh My! I gathered my courage, covered my eyes, crossed my fingers and peeked at my savings. Woo hoo! The piggy banks are gaining weight! Not very fast but the numbers are going up! Progress!

My project for April is to make laundry soap! My friend Laurie gave me the recipe. If it works that will free up grocery cash (still working on cutting that by 10%). The Simple Dollar made a very similar recipe and figured the cost at 2 1/4 cents per load! They also compared the homemade detergent to a name brand and were please with the results. I can't wait to see how well it works for us!

My little steps are starting to pay off. I'm energized to keep making my lists and clipping coupons! If you have any more money saving tips, I'd love to hear them!

Fave Five and Coffee 4.1.11

2011-04-01T07:45:00.013-05:00

Happy Friday! It's time to look back at the week and pick some favorite things. Visit Susanne at Living To Tell The Story for the details. I'm also joining the Company Girls Coffee blog hop hosted by Rachel Anne at Home Sanctuary.

Here are the highlights from my week.

Time to read. I finished lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner. She is a new to me author, I heard good reviews about this book and I wasn't disappointed. It was really good!

Girl talk! My

friend Michelle from The Writtings on the Wallflowers came over for a visit. She brought this to show me. Michelle hand painted it! She also had a bird's nest and a flower! Amazing!

My furry friend. Max has me well trained. I was putting on my shoes to walk on the treadmill yesterday and he started whining at me. I asked him if he wanted to go outside and went to the back door.

He stopped at his toy box, where we keep his leash. I asked again, he didn't move. I told him I wasn't walking outside but he started prancing around and went to the front door. We walked outside. After one lap around the block I brought him back to the drive way to take him in the house. He wouldn't walk up to the house. At the end of the second lap he planted his feet and pulled backward as we turned up our street. We finally made it to the drive way, got half way to the house before he used all 20 pounds of his little body to delay going into the house. Yep, Max has me trained well.

Crossing things off the to do list. I didn't finish the projects, I just decided they didn't need to be done. The first was knitted net scrubbies. I used to find them at craft fairs and loved them. I thought I can make those, yes I can, but I don't want to any more. The other was re-hemming the living room shears. They don't hang perfectly in the window. By the time the kids and the dog push them aside to look out they aren't ever going to hang "perfectly" anyway, so I'm moving on.

Journals. I have had a journal sporadically for as long as I can remember. Sometimes more sporadically than others, but I made time this week to do some writing. Nothing important really, kind of like my blog. I enjoy physically writing in the journal, it's calming for me, helps me think through whatever is going on and I have a record of progress I've made with struggles.

Those are my favorite things from the past week! What were your highlights from the past week?

Thanks to Rachel and Susanne for hosting the fun!

Pollyanna

2011-03-31T10:30:00.009-05:00

When I got up this morning I really hoped one of these would have shown up,

or maybe this guy.

But no luck, just me. There is laundry to do, bathrooms to clean, party preparations to be made, bills to pay...The list goes on and just about the time I think I'm caught up, there is more.

I believe where your mind goes your behind follow. What I focus on I see, the good and the bad. This isn't new I heard a speaker talk about the same thing. His example was to have the audience close their eyes and asked them how much red was in the room. They said not much. When they opened their eyes and looked around there was a lot of red. They saw it because they were looking for it. When I remember where I heard that I'll pass it along. I think it was a Getting Things Done seminar Honey and I listened to.

I know many people poo-poo positive thinking, but some days I have to do whatever it takes! Today is one of those days. It snowed again yesterday, it's gray and dreary today. I'm ready for sunshine and warm days, sadly mother nature is not co-operating with my plan. So, I'm thinking positive! I know my attitude will change for the better!

How this works for me is putting a positive spin on every thing I can. Instead of groaning about the chores, I'm thankful we have clothes to wear, a home to clean and that I have a family to dirty it again. It sounds silly but it works for me! I focus on the finished chore and not the "fun" of doing the laundry.

What do you do to get motivated? What tips or tricks do you have?

Fave Five and Coffee 3.25

2011-03-25T10:12:00.010-05:00

It's Friday, time for Fave Five and Company Girl Coffee! (I missed all of last week due to the flu, we were all sick.) Time to list some favorite things from the past week and catch up with the Company Girls. Visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for the Fave Five details.

Here are my favorite things from the past two week. The snow falling outside my window is not one of my favorite things.

We got a surprise package in the mail! My sister made us St. Patrick's Day goodie bags! The kids were excited about their stickers and gold coins. I got coffee!
Warm sunny days! We've had a taste of what is to come and I can't wait! I love sunshine!
Everyone is healthy again! It was a very long week with everyone sick, but we are better now, the house has been aired out and disinfected. This is also the reason for my very short SRT list. My TBR list is growing daily!
Coffee! I was coffee free for seven days! Only partly by choice, I just couldn't stomach it with the flu. Coffee is back, happy dance!
A trip to the craft store! I found some clearance yarn for a scarf. It's a very easy scarf that spirals; I started a purple one and thought it would be pretty in this yarn too. I may even have them done by the time it's cold enough to wear them.
Baskets. I replaced basket A with B it was hidden in the closet. Basket A is now a collection point for things that need to be carried to the basement. It looks so much better than a pile of stuff sitting by the steps. The best part…$0!

Please visit Rachel at Home Sanctuary and check out what other Company Girls are up to!

Spring Reading Thing 2011

2011-03-20T15:24:00.007-05:00

Happy Spring! That means warm breezes, sunshine, flowers, and muddy children and…

I'm looking forward to the challenge this year for all the new books I'll find out about. My "to be read" list is pretty empty. I only have 3 books on my list, so far. I am reading two new authors and one old favorite.

Lady in Waiting: A Novel by Susan Meissner

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

One Simple Act: Discovering the Power of Generosity by Debbie Macomber

For all the details and to link up visit Katrina at Callapidder Days! Thank you Katrina for hosting! Happy Reading!

Money (Saving) Monday

2011-03-14T09:54:00.004-05:00

Today's money saving idea, have a child come down with the stomach flu on the scheduled Stuff Mart day. Add to that snow (yes, snow) and that makes for a stay home day for me! I'm sending Honey! How does this save me money? Well, Honey doesn't have to take the children (the children choose not to go, Dad says "no"), he's better at sticking to the list, and he doesn't "remember" what I forgot to put on the list.

Bean had this on Friday, Punkin started today, wonder who is next? It's all good as long as Honey doesn't get it. He has a BIG, HUGH project at work starting Friday, he can't get sick! So, with Lysol in hand, I'll be couponing, reading, maybe a little knitting and waiting to see what else this first day of Spring Break will bring.

Allowance update, I'm leaning to giving Punkin allowance. Giving her a few "must" do chores tied to privileges not money. That was she has money and we can start to learn some money management skills. I have very low expectations for this project to be successful but I hope to get the skills in there so she can draw on them when she gets older. A big Thank You goes out to Karen at Over the Back Yard Fence for sharing her ideas and kind words of encouragement!

Fave Five and Company Girl Coffee

2011-03-11T10:44:00.015-06:00

It's finally Friday! The sun is shining and the temp is suppose to go up a little today! Woo hoo!

It's time to link with Suzanne at Living to Tell the Story and have coffee with the Company Girls.

My favorite things this week were...

Today's sunshine! It does this body good!

I got 2 hand lotions and a can of ravioli free with coupons this week! Completely free, no additional purchase required!

Katrina at Callapidder Days is planing to host Spring Reading Thing 2011!

Time to be creative. I finished two shopping bags and have a third cut and ready to sew.

Quilt night. We did a little quilting, a little knitting and had brownies!

What were your favorite things this week?

Stop and have coffee with some other Company Girls! Hosted by Rachel Anne at Home Sanctuary!

Money Monday

2011-03-07T08:32:00.008-06:00

Allowance, to pay or not to pay? Cash for chores or entitlement? We are currently giving allowance based on chores. I'm question this because my teen is doing just enough chores to get the amount of money she wants in the moment. If she want $3 she'll do just enough chores to earn $3. She has to pay for her texting. When that bill is due she asks if she can do extra chores to pay the bill but often that's all she earns and has no cash for the rest of the week. I know she understands you have to work to earn money. I wonder if that is the lesson I need to be teaching her at 16 or if teaching her budgeting is where my focus should be?

On Friday she had money, by Sunday night she didn't have enough cash to buy a soda. I'm suppose to be preparing her for adulthood. When it comes to money management I'm failing. I know if I give her allowance she won't do chores, she complains about simple chores when she does get paid for them. Do I give up her helping around the house to be able to teacher her how to manage her money?

How do you handle spending money for kids? Do you micro manage how they handle money or let them learn by fire? Is it ever too late to teach money management? I would love to hear how you teach or were taught money management!

February Project Wrap-up

2011-03-03T12:13:00.005-06:00

I've survived my second month of not making daily trips to Stuff Mart. I've also learned a few more things this month.

It is possible to run out of Stuff Mart plastic bags.

We can get what we want/need without running out to the store every time we have a need. Bean and I learned this lesson because he can wear sunglasses to school tomorrow. He asked if we could go to the store to get a pair, I told him we could go on Wednesday. Having a plan seemed to defuse the urgency for him, and frustration for me, he didn't ask every day if we could go. Wednesday came, we went to the store got the shades, it's all good!

Using a calculator helps me re-think my need for those extras that run up my total.

Where my butt goes, so does my mind and my money. At home I make the shopping list of what we need and some of our wants. Then when I'm walking around the store, things I didn't know I needed at home end up in the cart. Sometimes I do remember something we need, most of the extras are just that extras.

The total trips to Stuff Mart for February are 4! Honey 1, Me 3! We eliminated 10 trips this month. The store didn't have to close it's doors and I don't feel the pressure to go just because some one wants something.

Money Monday

2011-02-28T06:38:00.000-06:00

I've been changing the way my family I shop. I could say it is because of the economy, college, teen driver, rising gas prices any of these reasons would be a good one. The real reason is that after looking at our spending last year, I was shocked. I do most of the shopping so I can't blame anyone else for my habits. I was motivated to make changes, the first was The Project. Then we looked at what we actually spent and up dated our budget. The only reason I wouldn't be able to stay with the guidelines of this budget is mindlessness. That's what I'm working on changing now. It started with fewer trips to Stuff Mart, making lists, grocery shopping once a week and couponing. My goal is to keep us with in our budget, not get 300 toothbrushes for $1.00; I want to work up to coming in under budget.

I just started coupon 3 weeks ago, in the 3 shopping trips this month I got an extra $60 worth of groceries from my coupons. I'm not calling it saving because I'm not to the point where I'm under budget, yet. This is coupon central; I got 2 Sunday news papers, I was given some more coupon inserts, and printed some from the internet. I spent about 3 hours over the month printing, clipping, sorting, and organizing.

I'm using a 3 ring binder with currency protectors to store the coupons. I ordered these from Amazon; they were cheaper than "coupon" organizing pages. I use coupons for items that we use, not buy something just because I have a coupon. I make the grocery list and then find coupons for things I'm going to buy. I also make a list of things that I would like to get if the budget allows. These are the things I can stock up, but until I'm under budget, stocking up only goes as far as the money allows. Yes, I do take the binder with me to the store.

I discovered some bonuses to shopping weekly rather than bi-monthly like I had been doing. We aren't wasting as much food especially fresh food or being completely out of items as often. I also don't seem to be forgetting as many things due in part to a shorter shopping list. This is a work in progress and I'm sure it will evolve as I learn more.

What are your tips and techniques for saving money?

Fave Five

2011-02-25T06:28:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday! That means it's time for Friday Fave Five! I really enjoy this blog post because it makes me see the good things that happened this week. Not the cold, gray, rainy days or the list of things that hasn't been done. Hop over to Living to Tell the Story for all the details. I'm also joining the Blog Hop at Home Sanctuary for Company Girl Coffee. So grab a cup of (insert favorite beverage here) and let's visit! Don't forget to leave a comment so I can come visit you too!

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#1 Semi-Homemade Chicken and Dumplings. Yesterday was cold and rainy (yuck!). It was a perfect night for comfort food. The chicken simmered most of the afternoon making the house smell wonderful. Bean even helped me with the dumplings!

#2 Quilting. On Thursday nights a few ladies get together to quilt. Some nights we even get some quilting done between the stories, laughing, and encouraging each other.

#3, 4 and 5 Color. The walls are (mostly) painted! The living room finally feels like we live here!

Wahoo!

2011-02-22T19:54:00.007-06:00

Before

After

The painter will be back on Saturday to finish up!
After 4 1/2 years we are finally moving into our living room!

Yikes! It’s Friday

2011-02-18T12:38:00.009-06:00

I've had a very busy week; volunteering at school, orthodontist, basketball practice, haircuts, karate, pep band. Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it! That's a mom's life; I wouldn't trade it for anything! Now it's Friday and that means Fave Five hosted by Suzanne at Living to Tell the Story and Company Girl Coffee hosted by Rachel Anne at Home Sanctuary. This week it's a Blog Hop! Hope I get the hop part to work.

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Without further rambling here are my favorite things for the past week.

#1 My kids are involved in the same activity! Punkin is the assistant coach for Bean's basketball team, with an eight year age difference, opportunities for them to be in the same activity is limited. Go Cheetahs!

#2 Punkin defended Bean when someone was picking on him. Apparently she is allowed to pick on him but anyone else that picks on Baby Brother BEWARE! Be still my Mommy heart!

#3 Bean was awarded a certificate at school for modeling good listening skills and participating in class. I got to be there when he got his certificate.

#4 Sunshine!

#5 We have finally picked a paint color for our living room!

The Project

2011-02-16T19:13:00.012-06:00

The Project was going very well until Sunday. Punkin (formerly Sweet Pea, she requested a new nickname) and I went to Stuff Mart. We forgot to make a return and purchase the allergy medicine. Honey said he would take my return and get the medicine for me. We made two trips to Stuff Mart in one day. The goal is to average one trip a week, so we are still on target. I could take advantage of the loop hole, because I didn't go two times in one day, but I'm going to count it. The point of blogging about it is accountability.

Making lists, lots of lists, is helping to cut down our trips to the store. I'm putting things on the list when we open the back-up stock of an item. That way I have some time to get the item before we run out. That also gives me time to look around the house to see if we have something that will work. I was able to cross a few things off the list and before I had to make a trip to Stuff Mart. I went to the grocery store and crossed more items off the list. By the time we did go on Sunday I had one item and a return. The main reason we were going was to get Valentine's gifts for Punkin's friends. Since we were going already we added a few things to the list that we would get there anyway, sweatpants for Bean and allergy medicine, which I forgot. I think Honey needed an excuse to make a trip to the store and I gave it to him. The Stuff Mart list is blank, maybe I won't have to go until March!

Friday's Fave Five/ Company Girl Coffee

2011-02-11T06:42:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday! Today I am participating in two Friday blogs. The first is Friday Fave Five hosted by Suzanne at Living to Tell the Story. The idea is to look back over the past week and pick your five favorite things. The second is Company Girl Coffee hosted by Rachel Anne at Home Sanctuary. It is an opportunity to meet with other Company Girls and catch up. This is my first coffee so it's a bit more of an introduction for me. For more details just click on the blog titles and visit Suzanne and Rachel Anne. Thank you both for hosting!

This week has just flown by! I'm having a hard time believing it's actually Friday! The weather has been better this week. (#1) The kids went to school 5 days in a row this week. It was pretty quiet here.

(#2) I had 2 "coffee calls" with friends this week. The first was with a friend who used to live a mile away so we would get together for coffee often. Even when we couldn't get together we'd call each other and ask "got time for coffee?" It stuck! Now that she lives a little further away we still have our coffee calls. The next was with a friend I have known since kindergarten or maybe even longer. She provided the winter scene photo for yesterday's post.

The "Project" (#3) is going very well! I haven't been to Stuff Mart since mid-January! Pretty amazing! What am I doing with all the time I'm not at Stuff Mart? (#4) Couponing! I've taken up serious couponing. My previous attempts at using coupons consisted of cutting them out, leaving them at home and finding them under a pile of other papers after they have expired. However, with coupons in hand I cut 12% off my grocery trip this week.

Today is date day! (#5) Honey is off work and we are going to go do something without having to pay a sitter or having Sweet Pea call every 5 minutes asking when we are coming home!

Don't forget to visit Suzanne and Rachel Anne! Have a wonder weekend!

Is It Spring Yet?

2011-02-10T09:23:00.003-06:00

Just like every where else it's snowy and cold and snowy here. Did I mention cold? I'm tired of it! I would really like to hibernate, snuggle up in my cave and just not go out. With two kids and Honey that's not possible. But I can do the next best thing curl up in my chair, with a blanket, a cup of (insert hot beverage here) and a book (sigh). Katrina at Callapidder Days hosts a fall and spring reading challenge, they are a lot of fun. (I wonder if book sales go up after Katrina starts her challenge?). I know I've found several books to add to my list. I'm looking to Katrina for inspiration for my own "Spring Can't Get Here Soon Enough" reading list. The picture was taken by my very long time friend Monica. It's beautiful!

I trudged through finally just finished American Wife: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld. I wouldn't say I disliked the book but, well it wasn't my favorite. I'm going to leave it at that. Now I'm ready to pick some new books, hopefully I'll enjoy my next selections. In no particular order here they are.

Finished A Vintage Affair: A Novel by Isabel Wolff

Lady in Waiting: A Novel by Susan Meissner For a good review check out what Suzanne at Living to Tell the Story has to say about this book.

Finished The Winter of Our Disconnect by Susan Maushart This is a book about a mom who unplugs her family,it's Non-Fiction, in our house totally fiction!

Finished The Face: A Novel by Dean Koontz

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel by Jamie Ford

I'm excited to get started on my list. Maybe the weather will cooperate enough to keep my kids in school so I can do some reading. With them trapped stuck spending quality time at home with me it's hard to complete a thought let alone get into a book.

Leave me a comment and tell me what you're reading or how you're surviving until spring. I love comments. Happy Reading!

January Wrap Up

2011-02-01T18:08:00.006-06:00

Here it is February 1^st and time for my first Stuff Mart wrap up. The month started with the kids saying "What do you mean we aren't going to Stuff Mart?" to "Mom, you didn't go to Stuff Mart did you?" No Sweet Pea, I went to the grocery store. I spent less on my fruit, vegetables and milk; and saved time, 15 minutes not an hour!

I did learn a couple of things (so far) from my project. First, I like being resourceful! I wanted a pocket protector for my purse (it's an organizational geek thing) to keep the pens separate from my phone. The solution was a nylon pouch from a reusable shopping bag and a safety pin. The cost – zero dollars!

Our next on the spot solution was to take pocket folders, fold them backwards and 3-hole punch the open edge. Instant pocket dividers for a 3-ring binder! Again zero dollars!

Along with being creative with what we have, we have also been "shopping" our house. The list of things we didn't buy because we had it or something similar that met our need is pretty long. The most dramatic is a jacket. I told Honey I wanted a fleece liner like he has for work, the one I had in mind is about $50. Honey was getting ready to tackle the ice and found and extra liner in the guest closet! That's real savings not spaving! (Spaving: spending money to save money. An example is buying 4 of something to get one free when you only need one.) I got that from Not Buying It, My Year Without Spending by Judith Levine.

I went to Stuff Mart (drum roll please) THREE times this month! Even though I wasn't at Stuff Mart every other day, they are still open! They will survive without me and me without them. I spent A LOT less than last years' monthly average. That makes Honey happy. I won't know until the end of the year if my project pays off, we have back to school and Christmas to get through. I'm already seeing some benefits and expect to see many more in the upcoming months.

Crafty Day 2.1

2011-01-25T16:10:00.005-06:00

Sunday's weather (more snow, more cold) lent itself perfectly to extend crafty day! This time Sweet Pea wanted to do a project. After a quick trip to the craft store Sweet Pea got started on her projects: decorative pillows for her room. Music and Hello Kitty! Sweet Pea made a paper pattern, pinned, cut and (be still my heart) sewed them!

Just a mere 3 hours later she had 2 pillow shams and a stuffed pillow! Congratulations Sweet Pea! You worked hard on your pillows and it shows! They look great!

Crafty Day

2011-01-22T17:40:00.006-06:00

Today I got to spend some time in my much neglected Happy Place...

My craft area!

The fabrics for my stadium blanket have been in the project basket since fall '09 ( no that's not a typo). There's also another blanket just waiting to be assembled. Maybe that will get done tomorrow. It might be a football game project.

Today's second project was a napkin holder cover. That project hasn't been on the list very long but it's a nice little pick me up for the table and me! Especially needed with the cold and snowy weather we've had the last two weeks.

Now it's time to curl up with my blanket, put on a movie and work on a dish cloth!

THUD

2011-01-14T06:15:00.004-06:00

Ouch! Yep, that was me falling off the treadmill – hard. This Holiday Season was very hard to stay on track with exercise and eating right. I have reasons
justifications ok excuses, here are just a few…

Not feeling well
Getting ready for company
We have company
Holiday shopping
Have to bake cookies
Have to wrap presents
The kids are home – Snow Day
The kids are at school

I know if I don't exercise regularly, I don't make good food choices. When I don't make good food choices, I don't feel well. It's two weeks post holiday season and I'm back on the treadmill. I haven't exercised regularly since, well…Is Labor Day part of the "Holiday Season"?

I wasn't able to just pick up where I left off. I'm a bit discouraged and I really want to just push myself. If I push too hard I'll either burn out or get worn down and get sick again. I'm setting my goals, mainly consistency, putting one sneakered foot in front of the other, and soon I'll get back to where I want to be.

WHAT!?!

2011-01-11T20:05:00.007-06:00

Thanks (or not) to technology I'm able to track my spending by payee. Yes, I figured out what I spent last year at Stuff Mart. WHAT!?!

That's not possible! I was shocked by the total. But the numbers don't lie. I am even more committed to be more mindful of our spending.

I'm not going to stop shopping, with young kids and trying to eat as much fresh food as possible, that just isn't a realistic goal. A realistic goal is to pay attention to what we are shopping for and not just running out to pick up every little "need". The first action step was to do a "stock up" trip on health and beauty products. When I get out the back-up item I can put it on the list. The next step is to make lists, lists and more lists.

I also found these stores in town, they're called grocery stores! They have food and cleaning items but no electronics, toys, clothes or crafts, all the areas that get me into trouble. I can go in get my groceries and get out! Woo hoo! This is another strategy I'm going to use to eliminate trips and extra purchases from the Stuff Mart.

Rude Awakening

2011-01-06T09:13:00.007-06:00

This was going to be a short sweet little post about my New Year's resolution to make fewer trips to the Stuff Mart. I know we go a lot, I put the receipts in the checkbook. Just out of curiosity, I took a sample of how many trips we make. I counted the credit and debit transactions for August through November. This count doesn't include my big bi-monthly grocery shopping, I don't go to the Stuff Mart for that. The average was 14.25 trips per month! That is 171 trips a year!

I don't know what each trip costs but if the average (denial) is $20 each that is $3,400 per year. Some of those were items we needed milk, bananas, ice cream... But seriously in 171 trips how many "extras" did we buy? My guess...A LOT!

Now that the shock and disbelief have started to wear off, my resolution has to be more serious that just make fewer trips to the Stuff Mart. I know this will be a painful change especially with a teen in the house. I also think it will be a great opportunity to learn some things about ourselves, like what is really important and, dare I hope, the difference between a "need" and a "want".

Here it goes...

My 2011 New Year's Resolution is to average ONE trip to the Stuff Mart per week!

Fall into Reading

2010-12-21T06:58:00.001-06:00

Well, here it is the end of Fall into Reading. I can't believe it. I'm not good at reviewing books, so I'm not even going to pretend I can. I'm going to keep it short (or at least try) with just a summary of how I did on my list. Here's what I had planned to read:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult

Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

Organizing Your Day: Time Management Techniques That Will Work For You by Sandra Felton & Marsha Sims

The Distant Hours: A Novel by Kate Morton

In the Company of Others by Jan Karon Release

Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen

I read two books that weren't on the list. Her Mother's Hope and Her Daughter's Dream by Francine Rivers. I liked the majority of the books I picked, I loved the two by Francine Rivers and the Kate Morton book. I didn't finish Organizing Your Day, there weren't many techniques that seemed to apply to my life style right now, and the ones that did I'm already using. That one went back to the library before I finished it. I haven't finished Handle With Care yet, I'm still plugging away at it. I just don't seem to be able to get into it. I loaded up my Kindle with samples, not a good sign that I'll finish it. I enjoyed the first book I read by Jodi Picoult, Her Sister's Keeper, but for now Handle With Care is going back on the shelf.

I started with 7 added 2, gave up on 1 and 1 is going back on the "to be read" list. Thanks for stopping by! Happy reading!

Busy, Busy

2010-12-19T18:41:00.009-06:00

The past week has been very busy! Despite the bad weather last Sunday we went to a local camp ground that puts on a fantastic light display. There are 20 miles of extension cords and 216 miles of lights! The kids love it! There was no waiting this year. Maybe because we were there earlier in the evening than usually or the weather, either way it was wonderful! We even went in the store to see Santa! Surprisingly the kids agreed to get their picture taken with Santa and do it together! The last pictures I have of the kids with Santa, they each were about 3. They are 16 and 7 this year, it's been awhile.

My Dad came for a visit this week. He was here to go to Sweet Pea's band concert and Bean's Christmas program. It isn't often we get to have extend family at activities, so this was very special for both of them.

I'm not sure how long it takes for an activity to become a tradition, but for

4 of the last 5 years the kids and Papa have decorated sugar cookies for Christmas. It happened purely by accident one year, Papa happened to be here and we made cookies. The next year the kids asked if Papa was going to come and make cookies again and a tradition began. I believe we got more icing on the cookies THIS year than in the children or on the table.

Along with the two school programs we also had 3 "inclement weather" days. School was canceled because of cold and ice. One of the days the kids were out of school Papa was here and we were iced in, so we got to spent the whole day inside with Papa.

I'll have two days without the kids before their Christmas break begins to

get a few last minute things done and a couple to just have some fun before Christmas eve. Looks like it's going to be another busy but wonderful week.

If Found...

2010-12-10T18:36:00.008-06:00

The trees are decorated, the shopping is done (I hope) and the Christmas carols are playing. But something is missing; my Christmas spirit. I've been known to start Christmas shopping in February, watch Christmas movies in July, and well a carol or two might be heard as early as October. Not this year, Thanksgiving arrived with barely a gift idea let alone a stash of presents.

I don't know where it went! I've looked under the bed and in the closets. I've even looked under the tree and it's no where to be found. I need to find it soon. Christmas is coming whether I'm ready or not. My kids are only going to be little (sort of) and at home just a short time longer. I want to create the memories and traditions they will take with them not regret what I didn't do. So, if you see my Christmas Spirit can you please send it home?

Lesson Learned

2010-11-29T21:20:00.003-06:00

I'm not sure if it's because I'm getting older and I'm running out of patients or because I'm just getting smarter. I'd like to think it's the later and because I'm simplifying my life and material things just aren't important, but well...I think I'm just losing patients. With what? Black Friday! I do love a bargain as much as the next girl but this is just getting ridiculous. Do I really need to go to "Cole's" to buy a sweater at 3 am? I was good with 6 am, 5 am that's pushing it, but 3 am really!

Saddly, yes I did partake of the Black Friday madness, not at "Cole's" but we did go the the "Bullseye" store. My Sweet Pea, my Sister, my Niece and me. There were 4, FOUR items on my list, one was sold out, one I couldn't find, and one I didn't like. That leaves one item, right? I came home with 2 bags, 1 small 1 large! Yes, I realize that is the point of the whole door buster sales tactic, I get it. What I question is my sanity when I stand in line for 3 yes THREE hours at the crack of "you have got to be kidding" to buy things that weren't on the list!

The lesson I learned, we can have quality girl time at 3 pm and shop the door busters...DOT COM at home in my pj's with coffee in hand!

Fall Into Reading

2010-09-22T21:00:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's that time of year cool nights, pumpkin spice latte and Fall Into Reading hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days. This year's reading list is well, short and a little sad but that's o.k. it's just for fun. I have a couple of new to me authors and a non-fiction book, well at least this is what the list is starting out with. After I read everyone else's list who know what might get added here and I know my "to be read" list will get much longer.

Here it goes!

1. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

2. Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult

3. Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

4. Organizing Your Day: Time Management Techniques That Will Work For You by Sandra Felton & Marsha Sims

5. The Distant Hours: A Novel by Kate Morton Release date 11/9

6. In the Company of Others by Jan Karon Release date 10/19

7. Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen

Happy Reading!

The Book Self, again

2010-09-22T20:33:00.002-05:00

I finished reading Life's Golden Ticket by Brendon Burchard over the weekend, more accurately I started Friday and finished Saturday. I had no idea what to expect when I finished reading the sample, but it sounded like something I'd like and it was available at the library.

Wow! It says on the cover it's "an inspirational novel" and it was right. It starts out as a love story that turns into a fantasy journey and along the way teaches some life lessons. It was entertaining and heart warming and fun to read. If I had known it was going to have a message, I don't know if I would have read it. Lucky for me I didn't read the description very well or the reviews. There aren't many books I really think "I'd like to read this again" but this is one I would.

Yes, I missed the Fall Into Reading kick off, but my list is coming.

The Book Self

2010-09-14T13:17:00.005-05:00

Today, today it's coming today! What's coming? Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks! I'm just a little bit excited about it. I don't think Safe Haven will make it to my Fall Reading Challenge list this year, I'm sure it will be finished by then. New book + working coffee pot + car repair appointment = Guilt Free Reading Time! Guilt Free because I can't see the dust, clutter, laundry...

Really?

2010-09-08T19:05:00.004-05:00

A blog (web log) is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Thank you, Wikipedia. I understand the origins of the word, I understand the concept but what I seem unable to grasp is the regular entries. It's been almost a year since I "blogged" anything.

I'm not a big believer in New Year's resolutions, if something needs to change today is as good as any. So, with renewed energy and excitement (and the kids back in school) I'm jumping back on the blog wagon! The next time I "epically fail" (yes, Miss J I got that from you) in the blogosphere there will be a good-bye post. I can't guarantee what "regular" will be, but let's just go with an absence of less than 10 months for now.

Fall Reading Thing is just around the corner, post coming soon.

Another First

2009-10-24T09:57:00.006-05:00

The Homecoming dance. It was a big night for the girls. They went to dinner before the dance and we stopped at the park for some pictures. During dinner they texted me to see if we could go to McDonald's. Dessert was "really expensive here". Yes, they did go inside in their dresses and heels. They had a really good time at the dance.I was really proud of the was the girls behaved. They are becoming beautiful young ladies.

Back to School

2009-08-18T08:48:00.006-05:00

It's that time again, backpacks, notebooks and tissues (for mom). Lauren started High School this year! School started 2 weeks ago, and so far she seems to be doing really well. We haven't had any drama, no calls from school and she only got lost going to English. Looks like we are off to a good start. This year Lauren is in marching band. She does seem to complain about it a little and she did say she misses her french horn, but I think she likes - just a little.

Caleb is in first grade! The first 2 days he wanted me to walk him into the gym where they wait for to be released to go to their classes. Wednesday he said he just wanted me to walk him to the outside door. on Thursday when we arrived on the campus the school had been evacuated and the police car with sirens was just arriving. One of us was a bit tramatized, but I'm better now. It was an "unscheduled" fire drill, a sensor went out. Whew!

He's loving 1st grade. He did have some concerns about only having 2 recesses but he is adjusting. Caleb's doing a great job with his reading, I worried he might have forgotten some of the sight words he learned in kindergarten have but that doesn't seem to have happened. I think he will have a good year.

The Book Shelf Again

2009-05-27T08:55:00.007-05:00

I finished reading Snow Flower and The Secret Fan by Lisa See this week. I didn't pick my last two books very well, so I wasn't sure I'd like this book either. I was wrong! I picked a winner this time. I really enjoyed this book. Here's what Publishers Weekly says on the Amazon website...

"See's engrossing novel set in remote 19th-century China details the deeply affecting story of lifelong, intimate friends Lily and Snow Flower, their imprisonment by rigid codes of conduct for women and their betrayal by pride and love. While granting immediacy to Lily's voice, See adroitly transmits historical background in graceful prose. Her in-depth research into women's ceremonies and duties in China's rural interior brings fascinating revelations about arranged marriages, women's inferior status in both their natal and married homes, and the Confucian proverbs and myriad superstitions that informed daily life. Beginning with a detailed and heartbreaking description of Lily and her sisters' foot binding, the story widens to a vivid portrait of family and village life. Most impressive is See's incorporation of nu shu, a secret written phonetic code among women—here between Lily and Snow Flower—that dates back 1,000 years in the southwestern Hunan province. As both a suspenseful and poignant story and an absorbing historical chronicle, this novel has bestseller potential and should become a reading group favorite as well."

When I finished the last page of the book I missed Lily. I think I enjoyed Snow Flower and the Secret Fan more than the last two books I read because it's a culture so different from a life I could imagine it grabbed my attention and held on. Lily fought not to be the woman her culture demanded her to be. In different stages of her life she was that ideal and used her position in that ideal role to reach beyond the limits placed on her by her society.

Snow Flower was definitely a "page" turner for me. I've found a new author and a favorite book. Happy Reading!

Book Shelf

2009-05-13T21:35:00.002-05:00

This is just my opinion on a couple books I've read lately, review sounds official and like I know what I'm talking about, so I'm not calling it a review. The first book is The Secret Life of Bees, a story of a girl who runs away from home and finds a family. As much as I liked the characters and understood the "divine female power" I didn't feel like I was going to miss anything if I put the book down. It just wasn't a page turner for me.

The second book is Dream When You're Feeling Blue, a WWII era story focusing on a family and the impact the war had on their everyday life. This wasn't suspenseful by any stretch but there were a few developments I didn't see coming. Dream When You're Feeling Blue isn't a book I'd want to read again, but it was enjoyable and entertaining.

Happy Reading!

Say Cheese!

2009-05-02T20:58:00.008-05:00

Caleb lost his first tooth!

It has been loose for awhile and we have been waiting (not patiently). Friday, in the van, Lauren told him to pull his tooth forward and down and it would come out. He tried it, and out popped the tooth! He was so excited! He couldn't wait to tell Dad and find out what the Tooth Fairy would bring him.

Monday at school he will finally get to put his name on the "Who Lost a Tooth" tooth.

Birthday Boys

2009-04-23T13:42:00.006-05:00

Both my boys had birthdays this month. We started with Caleb's. We took chocolate cupcakes to school for snack and had a family party on Friday (his actual birthday). I let the kids pick what they want for dinner on their special day, this year he picked hot dogs and mac & cheese (the shell kind), we followed that up with chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and ice cream. Grandma D. was here for his party making his day extra special.

On Saturday, we had Caleb's first "friend party". Caleb invited 10 of his friends to play games, make some crafts at his imagination station and have chocolate cake (again) and ice cream . The boys played hard and laughed hard. Most importantly Caleb had a really good time and nobody got hurt.

On Sunday we celebrated Philip's birthday. He turned that number I'm not going to mention, we're the same age and I'm not turning it. We had steak and baked potatoes for his birthday dinner, so glad he didn't pick buffalo wings, followed by pineapple upside down cake and ice cream. Grandma D. aka Phil's mom was able to stay the weekend and be here for his party too.

The "Party Weekend" filled with great memories, time for Phil and mom to catch up and lots of cake.

From the Corner of His Eye

2009-04-08T21:44:00.005-05:00

Here is my attempt to do a book review of From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz. I'm not very good at this so I use the term "review" loosely. It was the first Koontz book I've read. His style was described, very accurately, as similar to Stephen King only sunnier.

From an Amazon.com review, a "suspense thriller, which is chock-full of signs, portents, angels, and one somewhat second-rate devil, a murky and under characterized guy named Junior Cain who commits murder and spends the rest of the novel waiting for the retribution that will surely come. But not before a series of tragedies ensues that convince Junior that someone or something named Bartholomew is out to exact vengeance for that crime and the series of other murders that follow."

I liked the characters, except Junior, and how they interacted with each other. I knew enough about the characters to care what happened to them. There were enough twists and turns to keep me on my toes and guessing what was going to happen next. Including a few places I had to reread because I was so caught off guard I needed to make sure I read it correctly. It was a thumbs up for me and I'll be adding more of his books to my TBR list.

Spring Reading Challenge

2009-03-28T21:16:00.008-05:00

Happy Spring! Katrina at Callapiller Days is hosting her annual Spring Reading Thing. I participated in the fall challenge and had a great time reading other participant's lists, challenging myself to set a goal and trying new books. I'm a little late but I finally have my spring reading list together. I had a hard time deciding what I want to put on this list, too many good books to choose from. But for at least today this is my list…

From The Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz. A friend recommended this book and loaned it to me. It's over 700 pages and may be the only book I finish. This is the first book by Dean Koontz I've read. Dark creepy suspense thriller. (Finished 4/6.)

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. This one was recommended by a different friend and she also loaned me the book. The story of one motherless daughter's discovery of what family really means. (Finished 4/22.)

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel by Lisa See. The description of this book reminded me of The Good Earth and I loved reading it in High School. Period piece 19^th century China.

Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg. Another period romance this time WWII. (Finished 5/2.)

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer. Book two in the on going saga of teenage vampires. This one made the list because Lauren reminded me I need to finish the series.

8 Sandpiper Way and A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber. This is the 8 and 8.5 in the Cedar Cove series, the 9^th and maybe final book comes out in September. I'm sure that one will be on my fall reading list.

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks. I've read his first 13, so of course I'm going to read this one.

This is a long list for me because I'm a very slow reader. The title is Spring Reading Challenge so that is what I'm doing. Four of the books on my list are new "to me" authors. That's my list for now. Until I start reading other people's lists, I'm sure I'll add some titles to my TBR list. Happy Reading!

Runnin' on Empty

2009-03-16T20:47:00.000-05:00

Last night after Caleb's bath he climbed into the rocker with me. He snuggled up and sat with me for a few minutes. Then he said "Mommy, I think I'm almost out of love."

As he rubbed his chest and tummy he said "I imagine I have a love jar in here and it only has 2 or 3 loves left."

We can't have an empty love jar! There's only one way to fill a love jar, so I pulled him (all 60 pounds) onto my lap and loved on him. Then he decided he needed 10 kisses and 10 hugs, we counted out his kisses and hugs added a few extra just in case and finally his love jar was full again. Whew! Crisis averted! He now has love to share.

March Madness

2009-03-02T15:39:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it is already March. What happened to January and February? The last two months have flown by in a blaze of colds, doctor appointments and activities. For the last six weeks someone here hasn't been feeling well and for about 3 weeks it was me. Lauren also had to have a glad removed. It was minor surgery and she came through like a champ! Right now Caleb is sick, looks like we'll be on the "sick side" of the pediatrician's office tomorrow.

On other news, Lauren got a First on her band solo at contest on Saturday. Yay! Way to go baby girl! We also got her classes picked for (yikes) High School. She will have a meeting next month to see what classes she got and make changes but we are on our way to High School. Yes, driver's ed. was on her list, and for good or bad because of her birthday I'm pretty sure she will get it.

Caleb is busy doing boy things, he has discovered gross disgusting sounds and thinks peeing is hysterical. He's going to play T-ball this spring. Lucky for me the games are only 3 innings.

Philip has been busy with his classes. He is still only taking one at a time but there is a light at the end of the tunnel – he will finish in December. His knee is getting better, he can run a little on it now and goes back to the doctor in April.

I finally finished reading Lisey's Story. It seamed to take forever to read it because I wasn't feeling good I had a hard time getting into it, but once I did it was a good book. It was the first Stephen King book I've read, I can't say I'll be reading all his books but I wanted something different and a bit more challenging and it was. So, now I'm headed back to Cedar Cove (book 5) to see what they are up to. I'm also learning the purl stitch so I can knit mittens, with any luck I'll have a pair done for my Dad before next winter.

That's all the news from here at the ranch. Until next time (maybe sooner than 6 weeks) have a great day and thanks for visiting!

Surprise

2009-01-14T12:04:00.004-06:00

Saturday afternoon I think Lauren got hungry. She asked me a couple of times what we were having for dinner. I told her grilled cheese and soup as soon as I finished working on the check book. I guess she couldn't wait for fear of starving, so she did it herself.

Caleb and I decided it was the best grilled cheese and soup ever!

Weighing in

2009-01-06T19:35:00.003-06:00

Luckily, or not, my weekly weigh in today didn't reflect how poorly I've eaten since Thanksgiving and how many workouts I've skipped. My blood sugar crashed yesterday afternoon, it was a direct result of the bad food choices I've made the last few weeks. I know when my blood sugar is dropping because my eyes start to sweat, my bones feel like they're shaking, my legs turn to jell-0 and when it gets very bad like yesterday, I have a hard time concentrating. Unfortunately, by the time I feel the symptoms it's too late. I need to control my sugar level all day, everyday.

There have been two ways for me to maintain a steady blood sugar level. The first is to have a steady intake of sugar and simple carbs. The other way, the healthy way (that has worked for the past year and a half since my "health makeover") has been to make good food choices and exercise. Getting ready for the holidays I chose option A without exercise. Yesterday afternoon that choice came back to bite me. Several hours later I was still feeling the effects of the crash and I'll have to be very careful in the next few days to avoid another one.

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions. I figure if I need to make a change, today is the best time to start. So I'm making a January 7^th resolution to get back on "my plan". It's not a formal plan, it's bits and pieces of information that, through trial and error, work for me. The highlights of what I'm going to get back to doing are to limit "white stuff" (white sugar and flour), exercise, eat more small meals, journal what I eat and combine protein and healthy carbs for snacks. That sounds so simple but it isn't and it will take 2-3 weeks to get back on track.

I'm not saying I shouldn't have eaten any goodies (have I mentioned I love cookies?). But all the cookies, candy and junk I ate over the holidays weren't worth how awful I felt yesterday. Because I know that what I eat effects how I feel, I needed to be more mindful of what I eat and increase my exercise, not let it fall off the "to do" list. I thought I could just coast through the holidays without having to watch that closely – wrong! What I lost sight of is that weight/health maintenance is a journey, not a destination.

First Book of 2009

2009-01-03T21:31:00.004-06:00

I finished my first book for this year! I started it just before Christmas but just couldn't get it finished in '08. The book was Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum. I didn't know anything about it other that the excerpt from Amazon.com but it sounded good and it wasn't an author I have read so, I decided to give it a read. It was, I'll admit, not the flowers and sunshine I'm used to in most of the books I choose, it was a bit more "detailed". I tend to choose books that are safe, the same author and same style, this time I branched out. What got my attention was the setting of this book, it took place current day and in Nazi Germany during WWII. I'm a bit of a history buff, my favorite time period is the Civil War through the late 1940's. Not really a surprise this would catch my eye.

The story is about Anna's life in Germany with her daughter, Trudie, before they came to the US and the adult Trudie working on a history research project and finding her story along the way. It has a bit of romance, a bit of history, and the interaction/dysfunction of the the main characters. I really liked the story, this one goes on the "may read it again list".

Fall Reading List Follow up

2008-12-21T21:44:00.003-06:00

I finished my last Fall Reading Challenge book! I have read 24 books this year. That's a record for me. I'm a very slow reader and I picked some harder and longer books this summer including the never ending The Eight. I'm not sure what book I want to start next.

Maybe I'll get started on my spring reading list. If it stays as cold as it was today I'll have plenty of time to curl up with a good book. Happy Reading!

Friday's Fave 5

2008-12-19T10:04:00.005-06:00

Happy Friday! And only a week until Chistmas. Thank you to Susanne who is hosting the last Fave 5 of 2008 this week!Wow! Where has this year gone? So, I'm going to stop looking at the "to do'" list and think about the good things from the past week. So here are my favorite things in no particular order.

1. Christmas cookies! Did I mention I love Christmas cookies? These are special...they help create Christmas memories. They end up pretty tasty too!

2. Papa's visit. The weather co-operated with his travels! He made it safely to our house and back home. In between we had a lot of fun.

3. Done Christmas shopping! It was my fave thing for the 2 days I was done. Until... the last minute gift issue came up, but Honey is out taking care of that for me so I can get on with...

4. Wrapping packages! I do like to wrap gifts, I like bows, I like the look of the tree with packages wrapped in pretty paper under it.

5. No ice! We dodged 2 ice storms this week.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! See you again in 2009!

Friday Fave Five

2008-12-12T09:31:00.003-06:00

Happy Friday! Susanne is hosting this wonderful meme this week. I really enjoy taking these few minutes to slow down and focus on the good things of the past week, so here they are...

Christmas cookies! I love cookies and the baking is finished, tomorrow we will ice the sugar cookies with Papa. Then we get to plate them on my favorite red platter and eat them!

Papa coming to visit. My Dad is coming for a visit this weekend. He's going to get to see the kids belt ceremony, ice cookies, and watch kid movies. It's always fun to have Papa come and we have the guest room finished!

Christmas trees. Both our Christmas trees are up and decorated! The "big" tree has the traditional ornaments - baby's first Christmas, our first Christmas together - the other tree is just for fun it's all red and white. I didn't think I could get away with pink and white but it was tempting.

My "new to me" gadget. I got Honey's old blackberry to use, I don't have the phone or internet on it I'm just using the PDA features and I love it! I have my eye on my next phone the Blackberry Curve and only 18 months to wait to get new phones.

Christmas program. Caleb had his kindergarten program this week. It was so cute! The pictures are still on Phil's camera.

$1.56 a gallon! That is what I paid for gas this week. Phil paid $1.49 last night. I don't know how long it will last but I sure am enjoying it.

Don't forget to drop by Susanne's place to see other peoples favorite things or join in. Have a great week!

Time Well Spent

2008-12-10T17:00:00.000-06:00

Philip and I spent some quality time together over the Thanksgiving holiday, we had 10 hours in the van traveling, so we listened to a productivity seminar, Getting Things Done by David Allen, on his ipod. Considering my recent bout with OMS (Overwhelmed Mommy Syndrome) and things falling through the cracks I can use all the new ideas I can get. There are a few ideas so far that have really helped me feel more on top of things.

The first is to collect ideas when they pop into my head, capture them somehow, on paper or a napkin whatever works to keep the idea from buzzing around my brain. If it can't be taken care of right now then it goes in the inbox.

Processing the inbox, is the organizing part. Each piece of "stuff" is taken out of the inbox and dealt with. If it takes less than 2 minutes to complete I do it now. If it only takes one action but can't be done now it goes on the appropriate action list, home, computer, errand etc.

The last tool I have found to be very helpful is a "tickler" file I know where the info is and I don't have to think about it now. When I need it, it will show back up in my inbox.

What is missing from this system is a daily "to do" list, this has been the hard part for me, but so far this is working. All the little thoughts and "I need to ..." are not buzzing around in my head and I'm able to focus on the task at hand. By limiting the places I have information stored I'm not wasting time looking for things because the info is in one of 4 places the google calendar, the action list on the computer/PDA ( I inherited Honey's old blackberry), the inbox or the tickler file. An added benefit of the PDA is it syncs with Microsoft outlook, which syncs with the google calendar. Everything I need on the go in one place.

Even with the busyness of the holidays I feel like I have a handle on what I need to do and I'm not as stressed about it. I'm not worried about what I'm forgetting because for the first time in who knows how long I have a system that I can trust. Recovering from OMS is a good thing.

Friday Fave Five

2008-12-05T06:22:00.006-06:00

Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! I missed last week, I was away from my computer for 3 1/2 days. I survived but I was about 24 hours from going into withdrawal.

This is the time to slow down and look back over the past week and pick my favorite things.

1. Safe travels. We traveled for the Thanksgiving holiday and didn't have any problems on the roads. We did have a little snow on the return trip, I think the kids liked seeing the snow. Caleb played in it when we stopped for lunch and let Max out of his box for a few minutes.

2. Twilight. Lauren and her friends loved the movie! We pre-ordered the tickets for the 1:00 matinee but the theater wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be that was also a good thing. It was a good movie, there were a few changes from the book but it was a fun movie to go see. I didn't have to share my overly salted and buttered popcorn.

3. Doctor's appointment. Philip had his 2 month post-op check- up this week. The doctor was pleased with his progress and said no more brace and he can start exercising! By next month he should be able to start light jogging, there are physical requirements for his job so being able to get back to his workouts is a good thing.

4. Baby talk. I had a good meeting with Caleb's speech teacher this week. She said he is doing very well on his individual words but, we are still going to work on his connected speech. This wasn't a surprise sometimes he is hard to understand. Along with his teacher we came up with a technique to slow him down (talking too fast is one of his biggest issues) and we will both be using it. I'm trilled with the progress he has made and the help he is getting.

5. Christmas season is officially here. I can now watch Christmas movies out in the open. I have been known to watch holiday movies early, like July. Yes, that is my little holiday addiction, I like to watch the old movies. Especially It's a Wonderful Life, I know it by heart and still never tire of it.

Thanks to Susanne for hosting this wonderful meme. You can visit her blog to see other participants lists or join in! Have a great week!

No Wonder I Have OMS!

2008-11-25T14:19:00.001-06:00

This is my desk...well, it's under there, somewhere. This is where I'm suppose to "run my household". I think maybe this is contributing to my OMS. The 3 pound planner with all the stuff hanging out of it and the post-its stuck every where is suppose to help me keep track of information, who needs to be where and when. This is also where I should be able to keep the check book up to date and do my meal and grocery planning.

I agree with all those organizing experts who say that your space reflects what is going on in your life. I was getting overwhelmed by well, basically my job, and the system that was suppose to help me wasn't. I had notes tucked every where, I couldn't find anything and because I felt so out of control I was constantly double checking class times, lists and wasting time looking for things. All that just caused me to feel more overwhelmed.

I have been using a paper planner forever, various sizes and colors and it used to work. I'm not sure when it stopped working for me, but I'm guessing it wasn't over night. I was holding on to a system that had out lived it's usefulness because I didn't want to change. Even if my system wasn't working it was mine and I was used to it, it was comfortable. As hard as I knew it was going to be, I also knew it was time to change. I need a system that works for our family now not the one from 15 years (or more) ago.

So, the transition has begun. I now have a Google calendar that has replaced 3 others, I have daily calendar with my to do list and food log (some day I may give that up but not today). My addresses are on the computer and sync with my ipod, so I can take them with me. Other lists and notes are also filed in my computer with short cuts on the desk top so I can see them and get to them easily.

One pile of papers went to the shredder, a larger pile went to the recycle and my planner has been retired. It was harder to let it go than I thought it would be, it was like packing away a security blanket. Now that the changing is almost complete, I already feel calmer and more in control. Ready to tackle whatever comes next. There are still a few lists I'm putting into the computer, but now I have a space to put them on the desk and work, and room to sort the "to be sorted" folder.

As for my desk, I found it! I have a clean flat space to work and empty cubbies (those are behind the computer). Here is the after picture.

Fave Five Friday #13

2008-11-21T08:30:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday! It's that time again, too look back over the week and focus on the good things that happened. So here we go...

Today is my pretty little baby girl's 14th birthday! Her party is tomorrow, I'm taking her and a couple of friends to see Twilight! I pre-ordered tickets (love that) then back here for pizza, cake and a sleep over.

Phil's brother and sister-in-law came to visit over the weekend. They brought their Wii video game system and we played with the kids, watching Caleb bowl was hilarious. I know why those controllers have straps. The kids had fun with their Aunt and Uncle and we got treated to a impromptu rock concert. The "band" members range in age from 14 to 39. Loads of fun!

We had 2 night with no activities this week! It was nice to just be able to relax after dinner and not have to rush out or be rushed to get lessons in before dinner. Ahh!

I have made progress on re-organizing/streamlining of our calendars and how I keep track of information. Honey helped me get all my address loaded on my ipod! That's a handy little feature.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas... there is a chill in the air, itunes is loaded up with Christmas music ready to sync with the ipod, I have even bought a few gifts. But best of all I have a plan! Having a plan for the holidays is helping my OMS, so is the streamlining.

If you would like to participate in fave 5 or just see other peoples lists jump over to Living to Tell the Story to get all the details. Thank you to Susanne for hosting!

Have a great weekend!

Friday's Fave 5

2008-11-14T06:46:00.005-06:00

Wow! I can't believe it is the middle of November already! Christmas is only 40 days away. But it's also Friday so...Happy Weekend! I missed Friday last week, Honey and I went shopping and then I did a little scrapbooking and some how...well, I just didn't get to the blog thing. This week I decided I wasn't going to be last on Mr. Linky over at Susanne's blog Living to Tell the Story and I was going to get my blog up on Friday.

I'll start with Halloween. The cutest little evil villain ever...
and he was a very tired trick-or-treater. He almost smiled for me.
The kid's pumpkins all ready for their big night!

I did a little scrapbooking. I got 7 pages done (sides for those of you who do Creative Memories). I also learned how to upload my pictures to get them printed, and it only took 5 hours.

Cute new multi seasonal decoration. Now pumpkins, Christmas time gifts, January I'm thinking Teddy with his hat and mittens.

I learned all kinds of new things I can do with my google calendar to help get me organized. I had 5 different calendar for a family of 4. No wonder I have OMS!

Philip is off his crutches!!! Around the house he isn't even using a cane!!! He also had a new set of x-rays done and the doctor said everything in his knee looks good, just have to get the flexibility and strength back.

Oh, I almost forgot! No more political campaign ads! 'Nuff said.

If you've gotten this far thanks for sticking with me on this really long post! Have a great week!

I think I have OMS

2008-11-10T18:50:00.004-06:00

Overwhelmed Mommy Syndrome it's characterized by forgetfulness, inability to complete a thought, chronic misplacement of items, inability to complete a task. More advanced symptoms include not being able to spell or recognize your child's name, walking to a room and having no idea why you are there, forgetting what day it is.

Why do I think I have OMS, because I type Caleb's name on our calendar, (the online one that is suppose to make scheduling and organizing our family easier) and misspelled it. I looked at it and thought "that looks odd" but it didn't register that I spelled it wrong. Did I mention I had a brain freeze at the post office and forgot my address? Don't ask me where anything is I can't find it, but my guess is that it's under something, probably a pile of laundry. Except the list of birthdays I have been looking for...it was under the bed.

I wonder what the prescription for OMS is...take chocolate, turn off the computer and go to bed?

Friday Fave Five #11

2008-10-31T12:57:00.004-05:00

Happy Halloween! I can't believe this is the last day of October already! It is also Friday and time for Fave 5...

1. Phil went back to work full time this week.

2. I found a pumpkin spice creamer at the store I like.

3. A friend got very good news concerning an ongoing illness.

4. I finished reading 16 Lighthouse Rd, Charlotte was my favorite character.

5. Carving pumpkins with the kids.

They tooks some of the "guts" out of their own pumplins this year!

Going Paperless

2008-10-27T09:57:00.008-05:00

Or not. The question at hand is to kindle or not to kindle? The Kindle is amazon's ebook reader. I am totally enamored with this idea. I can take 200 books with me wherever I go in something the size of DVD box. Honey also let me know this morning that I can get my blogs, gmail, twitter and google calendar on it. This would greatly reduce the volume of what I take when we travel and just going to the dentist - I would have my calendar and a book right there - the size of a DVD. The internet features are very basic but that is all I need when I'm away from my laptop.

Of the reviews I've read 80% love it. Some complaints are the selection available, not really an issue for me, I did a little window shopping, I could read for a very, very long time before I ran out of titles and that is just part of what is available. One of the book giveaways I didn't win (not a surprise) this month, is available for the kindle. There were some comments about the placement of buttons but if you try, you can find something wrong with paper books also, like little tiny print. Some of that is just getting used to something new. I had these same issues when I got my digital camera and haven't regretted that.

The main reason I haven't ordered it... can't share books.

Friday Fave Five

2008-10-24T19:30:00.006-05:00

Happy Friday! I'm working on the better late than never plan again this week. I have a good reason, but you'll have to wait for it. Susanne at Living to Tell the Story is hosting Fave 5, go here to see what it's all about. Here we go...

1. Phil when back to work part time this week. He is going to aim for full time next week.

2. Coffee with the girls. Tuesday the "preschool mom's" invaded the local coffee shop. Always fun!

3. I took the day off! Ok, it's an odd idea for a sahm, but I did it anyway. I went to the mall - all by myself.

4. While at the mall, I tried on some clothes - all by myself. Even found one new top for fall. Yes it's pink... and gray.

5. Starbucks pumpkin spice latte and pumpkin loaf. I got Starbucks while I was out - all by myself.

I also took lunch to honey at work, that's what I did today and why my Friday post is almost a Saturday post. If I had my act together I would do this on Thursday night... maybe next week. I finished Twilight this week and started reading 16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber. I think that's 7 and 8, oh well. Have a Happy Weekend!

Twilight, not really a review

2008-10-22T21:11:00.006-05:00

I finished Twilight, the second book on my fall book challenge list. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't like it because I've heard about for so long from Lauren. But it was a really good story. I understand why the teens love it so much, it reminded me of the Judy Blume books I read as a teenager. It was fun and entertaining with a few twists I wasn't expecting. It is what it is, a fun scifi romance. Did I mention the leading man is a vampire?

Random Thoughts

2008-10-20T19:13:00.006-05:00

I was surfing the web for quotes, something inspirational, motivational or just something new when I found a quote I really liked. "It's better to get something done than to do nothing perfectly". Ok, that's not the real quote, that is my twist on it. Here is the real quote...

Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.
-Robert Schuller

But either way it got me thinking about perfectionism. Perfectionism is by Webster's definition, setting extremely high standards and being displeased with anything less. Sounds like a perfect set-up for failure. I wonder how many things I don't try because I think it won't be perfect or even good enough? Good enough for who? Who's standards am I trying to achieve? I wonder how much happier and relaxed I would be if I just let my best be good enough? Even when it isn't perfect.

These were all questions I asked myself while mowing the lawn. Some activities do lend themselves to multitasking. My kids karate class starts with them saying "be my best" not "be perfect". So, this week as a personal challenge, I'm going to let my best be good enough and see how it turns out.

No one is perfect...that's why pencils have erasers.
-Author Unknown

Fave Five Friday #9

2008-10-17T14:28:00.006-05:00

Happy Friday! Here has this week gone? If you want to know more about Fave Five you can go to Susanne's blog and get the details here.

1. Phil's post op doctor's appointment yesterday went very well! He got all the wraps off his leg and his staples taken out. So now he can work on getting the knee to bend better. Then he can drive!

2. I finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle this week! It was my first reading challenge book! It was a good book! I also started Twilight. I am surprised how many adults love this book. I 'm not far enough into to have an opinion yet but, I was reading it at Caleb's karate class on Wednesday and the lady sitting next to me just started talking to me about it. Amazing how easy it is to make friends over a good book.

3. Speaking of books, I won this week's book giveaway, A Promise to Believe In, at Callapidder Days yesterday! I don't have very good luck with drawings and giveaways, even my daring Lauren asked me why I enter drawings. Mainly I enter to improve other people's odds of winning. I was thrilled to see I won. I'll get it in the mail! I love mail!

4. Julia's post about dogs and cats. It explains beautifully why I'm a dog person, I have a teenager, I don't need an other living thing that I have to feed and clean up after plotting against me. (Meet Max my 3rd child.)

5. I got to hold a week old baby today. He was very tiny and all cuddled up and just as cute as could be. So sweet!

Have a wonderful week!

In My Heart

2008-10-13T21:20:00.010-05:00

On September 28, 2006, Congress passed H.Con. Res. 222 decaring October 15th as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Each year approximately one million babies are lost due to miscarriage, still birth and infant death. Many of these families never see their baby's face, some may hold their child, others hold their child while they slip silently from this world. As different as each family's situation is they have some things in common, they have lost a child that was very much loved and wanted. In too many cases they grieve in silence...alone.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is an opportunity for families to remember and celebrate those children, who for a very brief moment touched their hearts, if not their hands. It is also an opportunity for parents who have lost a child to reach out to others who may still be struggling with a recent loss and let them know they are not alone.

When you ask me how many kids I have, I say 2, because it's easier... but, we became part of those statistics in October 1997 (angel baby 12 weeks) and in May 1998 (angel baby 15 weeks) and again on December 13, 2001 when Alec was born at 7 months and passed away minutes later. Each time I felt at fault, guilty, angry and mostly alone. Very few people are willing to talk about the loss of a child, especially a child that wasn't held or that may not have cried. No one knows what to say and sometimes well meaning friends don't say anything. My friend Laurie gave us this poem by Gail Fasolo after Alec was born, her family traveled this path before us. It said quietly what we often wanted to scream from the roof top...

Just say "I'm Sorry"

You don't know how I feel - please don't tell me that you do
There's just one way to know - have you lost a child too?
"You'll have another child" - must I hear this each day?
Can I get another mother if mine should pass away?
Don't say it was "God's will" - that's not the God I know.
Would God on purpose break my heart, they watch as my tears flow?
"You have an angel in heaven - a precious child above."
But, tell me, to whom here on earth shall I give this love?
"Aren't you better yet?" - Is that what I heard you say?
No! A part of my heart aches - I'll always feel some pain.
You think that silence is kind, but it hurts me even more.
I want to talk about my child who has gone through deaths door.
Don't say these things to me, although you do mean well.
They do not take my pain away; must I go through the hell?
I will get better slow but sure - and it helps to have you near.
But a simple, "I'm sorry you lost your child" is all I need to hear.

In honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day please, light a candle at 7 pm (local time). Let it burn an hour to help create a wave of light to remember babies who are forever in our hearts. This is for our Angel babies and our precious little Alec, forever loved, forever remembered.

Websites:
Remembering Our Babies
Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support

Fave Five for Friday #8

2008-10-10T12:33:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday! This week really has flown by I can't believe it is Friday again. Thank you to Susanne is hosting Fave 5 at Living to Tell the Story, check out her blog and see what others have listed as their faves this week. This is a wonderful opportunity to look back over the week and see the good things when sometimes is easier to focus on the bad things. Here are my favorite things from this week.

1. Phil did great with his surgery on Monday!!! He has never had surgery or even a major illness beyond the flu, so we were a bit concerned at how he would do. He did great! He is still in some pain but that is to be expected, we did know it would be a slow recovery.

2. Phil is being an excellent patient. The weather is beautiful and he would rather be anywhere other than sitting with his leg propped up.

3. Block Party. Our neighborhood had a block party on Saturday evening. About 30 families came out for the chili cookoff, bonfire and pumpkin carving. It was a fun evening watching the kids play and getting to visit with neighbors we don't get a chance to see often.

4. Grandma visited. Phil's mom came to watch the kids while we were at the hospital. The kids had a great time visiting with Grandma.

5. Christmas Gifts. I ordered my first Christmas gifts today.

Have a great weekend!

Wired Wednesday

2008-10-08T14:10:00.004-05:00

Here it is another edition of Wired Wednesday. I'm working a slightly adjust schedule this week. No to do list, no agenda. Just make sure everyone is where they are suppose to be, feed and dressed, anything else I get done this week and next is just icing on the cupcake.

Philip's surgery went very well and he was able to come home on Monday, no over night stay at the hospital. His nerve block wore off yesterday afternoon so he was in a bit of pain last night, but we were able to get him comfy and with a dose of pain killers we both slept through the night. I stick to my theory that sleep is a good thing.

Something else I came across last week was a give away on 3P's Mama Says and entered so now I am attempting to increase my odds of winning. Alyson is having book week she has some great books and giveaways. Also a very cool book list. So go check it out.

Time to go get the little beans and the chaos to begin. Tonight we only have 2 karate classes and youth group and homework and well, you get the idea. Have a good night! See you Friday!

Fave Five Friday #7

2008-10-03T20:03:00.004-05:00

Here it is the end of another week and I'm working on the better late than never plan. I tend to work on that plan a lot. At least it's still Friday. Thanks to Susanne for hosting Fave 5! I better get this show on the road before I fall asleep on my keyboard. So here are my favorite things from this past week.

Movie theater popcorn! We took the kids to see a movie on Sunday afternoon I got popcorn! Lauren drew the short straw and had to share with me, let just say they think I put way to much salt and butter on my popcorn, but I love it.

Perfect weather! Not too hot, not too wet, just right. Sunny and 70 degrees for the high cooler in the morning - perfect!

Pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Made from scratch. I'm not a very good cook but I do like to bake, because I like to eat cake and cookies and pie...well you get the idea.

Our round-about is open! For the last 4 months the main north/south road in town has been closed. It is the main road that leads to karate, the bank, the stuff mart, church and the only direct link between Caleb and Lauren's schools. To get around the construction means taking smaller side streets that were not designed for such traffic. It was taking me almost 15 minutes to get from one school to the other, now (drum roll please) down to 4 minutes!!! Yeah! Happy dance!!

Due to our medical issues lately, many friends have been calling and e-mailing this week. Letting me know they are thinking of us and offering their prayers for Phil's knee surgery. I am not looking forward to Monday but I am grateful for all the support from friends near and not so near.

Have a happy weekend I'm going to get some sleep - I hear it's a good thing!

On the Right Track

2008-09-29T18:50:00.004-05:00

I have developed an obsession,oops I mean an interest in weight loss and healthy life styles lately. So, it's not a surprise that a weight loss segment on The Today Show on NBC caught my attention. Prevention Magazine was doing a story about losing those last few pounds. One of the ideas they shared was keeping a food log. Prevention said "dieters who jotted down what they ate lost twice as much weight as those who don't keep a record". I've done something right! It doesn't say if that continues to help keep the weight off, but I'm not taking any chances. Several times a day you'll find me jotting down what I've eaten in my planner. Prevention also offers a free online meal and exercise log here.

Just in case you were wondering, no, I didn't hurt my arm patting myself on the back.

Friday Fave 5

2008-09-26T08:43:00.007-05:00

I can't believe it's Friday again! Also, hard to believe I have done something consistently for six weeks, in a row! It's time for this weeks fave 5. For more information and to see other participants fave 5 check out Susanne's blog Living to Tell the Story.

Here we go...

Number 5 Upcycling (aka cheap creative outlet). I took 2 necklaces I don't wear, put them together to make bling for the mommy van, now looking at them together I may bring it back in and wear it.

Number 4 Fall. The first week of fall has been sunny, dry and 80 degrees! Love it! It has been beautiful this week.

Number 3 Fall into Reading. I got my list up on time, then spent the next two days reading other people's lists, so many great books...so little time. I did get started on my first book too.

Number 2 No new injuries, illness or dental emergencies!

Number 1 I saved the best for last. I got flowers. Caleb picked me these beautiful "undomesticated flowers" from the empty lot next to us.

Happy Friday! Have a great week!

Fall Reading List

2008-09-22T07:57:00.004-05:00

I am so excited about this reading challenge hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days! Mainly for all the new books I'll find out about.

I forced myself to finish Not Buying it: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine this week before I could start any new books. I had 50 pages left and it was sitting there taunting me, so I finished it! It was interesting but, because it wasn't what I expected, I didn't enjoy as much as I thought I would, probably why I had a hard time finishing it. The other book that was going to be on my list was The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, but I finished that on Sunday. So, here is the revised list.

1. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski because it's Oprah's new book club selection. Finished 10/12

2. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer my teenager told me, "Mom, you have to read this."Finished 10/21

3. & 4. 16 Lighthouse Road & 204 Rosewood Lane (Cedar Cove Series) by Debbie Macomber just because they're fun. Finished #3 on 10/27 #4 on 12/17

5. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates another Oprah book club. Finished 12/3

6. My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult recommened by my friend Laurie. Finished 11/7

It's a bit short, but I wanted to leave room for additions. Just in case I find something I just have to read on someone else's list.

Happy reading!

Fave Five Friday 5

2008-09-19T09:06:00.005-05:00

Happy Friday! It is time for Fave Five again. Susanne has provided a button for Fridays. It's adorable - Thank you! I'll just get right to it here are my 5 for this week...

1. Lauren is part of the karate leadership (this is an extra class she takes to learn leadership skills) and had to help at the Belt Ceremony on Sunday. They had planned some activities for the kids to do before the program started and it was wonderful to see her helping the younger kids. I don't always get to see that responsible side of her or how good she works with younger kids. It was a real treat to see a glimpse of the wonderful young lady she is growing into.

2. At Belt Ceremony on Sunday Lauren got her black belt. The students receiving their black belts were awarded them on stage. She did a great job with her demonstrations - she was able to break both of her boards in front of a large crowd - and with her leadership duties and I am very proud of her. I'm waiting for Philip to put the pictures on the computer from his camera. I was too busy cheering and forgot to take pictures.

3. At Belt Ceremony on Sunday Caleb received his orange dragon belt. The the activities the kids participated in before the ceremony began were karate olympics, they competed for medals in the long jump and the ninja throw. Caleb got a silver medal for the ninja throw. His ninja traveled 10 feet.

4. No broken child! Lauren started complaining of arm pain on Sunday, so we went to the doctor and got x-rays, after a very long wait for a call with the results, she is bruised but not broken. And already feeling better.

5. My fave fun thing for this week in blogging. I'm having so much fun finding new blogs to read. I got 2 buttons for my sidebar, the one for fave five and one for the 2008 Fall Reading Challenge at Callapidder Days. I can't wait for the reading challenge to start (yeah, another resource to find interesting books) I have my stack of books ready for Monday!

Have a great week! Don't forget to leave me a comment, I love to read them!

Wired Wednesday

2008-09-17T13:34:00.002-05:00

Here it is another Wednesday. I thought Mondays were suppose to be the hectic day of the week. Not at our house. It's Wednesday. It started off like any other day, neither of the kids wanted to get up, Caleb didn't want to go to school, Lauren's arm was still hurting and we seemed to be plagued with a rash of forgetting things this morning. I hadn't heard back from the doctors office, so I wasn't really sure what my plans for the day were going to be, add to that yesterday's to do list got moved to today and we started off one step behind.

But, unbelievably I am getting things done, the motorcycle parts are picked up, oil change done, groceries bought, and put away. Now I am headed to the stuff mart to get contacts and fill a prescription. I have no idea how I have gotten any of this done except maybe caffeine. Maybe my over scheduled Wired Wednesdays aren't so bad after all. I guess it is true busy people do get more done.

Medical update...After a very long 24 hours the doctor's office called, Lauren doesn't have a broken arm. Yeah! It took that long for the radiologist to get the report to the doctor's office. We are still waiting on an appointment for Philip's knee, hopefully we will get in sooner than the 2-3 weeks we originally thought it would take.

The resuts are in

2008-09-16T15:22:00.002-05:00

Philip had an MRI last week and we got the results yesterday, the good news is he does not have a torn meniscus. He has a torn ACL and a bone fracture. So, now we wait for the referral, it's coming in the mail, then we head to the orthopedist and see what they want to do. Probably another two weeks before we can get in...so we wait.

While I type this I keep checking my phone to make sure I didn't miss a call from Lauren's doctor. Lauren started complaining that her arm hurt on Sunday night. We spent our today in the doctor's office and getting x-rays because her arm is still hurting.

I am trying to wait patiently and keep things in perspective, but I don't wait well. I'll post when I know more.

Fave Five Friday

2008-09-12T13:50:00.002-05:00

Well, it's Friday again and I can't believe how fast the week has gone. Our days have been very busy with activities and homework but it has been a good week. So, here are my fave five, if you want to join in or see other peoples five check out Living to Tell the Story.

1. Stripes! Both the kids had karated stripe tests this week. The students have to earn 3 stripes to progress to the next belt rank. This week was the 3rd test. Caleb likes this test because they get to break a real board. Caleb will be awarded his orange dragon belt on Sunday. Sunday will also be a big day for Lauren, because she tested for her black belt last night and passed!
We are very proud of her. To get her black belt she has been in class for 3 years and the last 3 months she has had an extra class and requirments to complete. Sunday will be a very big day for her and I'm sure it will be on next weeks five.

2. Girlfriends! Our moms group invaded a local resturant for breakfast this week. We laughed, talked, ate, laughed a little more and cleared out just in time for lunch to start. I was also able to catch up with another friend, Monica and I have been friends since kindergarten, we were on the phone for an hour and a half phone call, but oh well, we had a lot to talk about. After all it had been about a month since we talked last. Last night I found another friend on facebook that I had lost touch with. We have both moved and emails change and so do phone numbers. I very excited to see how they are and catch up.

3. Scrapbooking. I love to scrapbook and haven't really had the chance lately to get much done, but this week I got the craft area cleaned up and the scrapbooks and pictures out. I didn't get any pages done, yet, but it was still fun to get the supplies out and look at the pictures. I am only a 1 1/2 years behind, not too bad, but my how the kids have grown.

4. Veggies. This week I was given home grown tomatoes and cucumbers! They were wonderful! I also tried Debbie Meyer Green Bags this week, my leaf lettuce has been in there a week now and no slim! Yeah!

5. Bling. Not for me, for the mommy bag (aka my purse) I found this key holder at the card store yesterday. It is u shaped with a cute thing (I got the pink and green flower) on one end and a hook on the other to hold your keys. You slip it over the edge of your bag, keys inside and pretty thing outside, to keep your keys from dropping to the bottom of your bag.

Whew...

2008-09-10T21:23:00.002-05:00

Today is finally over. It has been a very busy, over scheduled, hectic day.There was the to do list, the "I wish I could get to that" list, a trip to the stuff mart, volunteering at school, one after school activity, two karate classes and youth group. Somewhere in there we managed to squeeze in dinner (including a meltdown over cornbread) and homework. Believe it or not we were only late for one class, I got everything on the stuff mart list, one "to do" is being moved to tomorrow's list and I still had time for a cup of cinnamon apple tea, so over all it was a good day. I am going to do one thing on the wish list then get ready to start all over tomorrow.

Summer Reading

2008-09-07T13:49:00.001-05:00

I thought it might be fun for Lauren and I to have our own book club this summer. The only requirement was that it had to be an author neither of us had read. So we could branch out a little. I let her pick a few and then we made a choice. We picked The Eight by Katherine Neville.

The cover says it is "An absorbing thriller steeped in history". It's steeped in history alright, just about any historical figure you can think of is in this book, from Charlemagne to Muammar Khaddafi. I would describe it more as an adventure than a thriller, along the lines of Indiana Jones meets Thelma and Louise. It also has a cast of hundreds, unfortunately I didn't connect to any of them. I didn't know the heroins enough to want to root for them. The adventure held it's own in the story but there were characters and subplots that were disconnected and just seem to be fillers.

Lauren gave up at about page 100. I finished reading by pure stubbornness. I don't like to give up once I've started a book just in case in the end it is the best book I've read. I knew the story lines would all be tied up at the end and by page 300 I just wanted to get there.

Friday Fave Five 3

2008-09-05T19:37:00.006-05:00

I can't believe it is Friday evening already. Where has this week gone? I'm joining Susanne at Living to Tell the Story in Friday Fave Five. So here it goes!

1 Pink Party! My family gave me pink birthday party, complete with pink dinner ware and a basket of pink balloons!

2 Birthday Cake! Well, really any cake but this was my birthday cake, lemon cake that Lauren frosted with lemon icing for me and Caleb added a layer of sprinkles. Yummy!

3. Surprise Packages in the Mail! I got a surprise care package from my sister. Yeah! Thanks Sis.

4. Fall Decoration! I put out the fall decorations this week. I like the colors - gold, orange and burgundy - they make the house feel warm and cozy. Now I am just waiting for that little chill in the air.

5. All by Myself. I went grocery shopping all by myself. I hear someday I'll miss having "helpers". I'm just sooo not there yet.

Thank you all for your sympathy for my dental issues. It was greatly appreciated. Have a great week!

An Empty Inbox

2008-09-04T08:11:00.003-05:00

Almost. I was inspired by a blog I read on Callapidder Days to empty out my email inbox. My inbox doesn't have anything related to a job, mostly just updated address and schedules that should be put in my calendar anyway and a few pictures. So, why are they hanging around in my inbox, because eventually never gets here. I did have system set up to separate my emails, forwards, schedules, pictures, you get the idea. The problem is I don't go back and sort and empty. Let's face it I am not going to go back and read a forwarded email I was sent before my baby could talk.

I am now down to 3 folders I have to sort, one with pictures to put in a digital photo album, letters and that Oprah folder. I no longer have a schedule folder, that information is put on the calendar and the email deleted. No more searching through an over full inbox of for the date of whatever event I'm looking for. I was surprised how good it felt to only have 2 messages in my inbox this morning.

So, what's in your inbox?

Fave Five for Friday 2

2008-08-29T13:26:00.006-05:00

This week has been a real stretch to come up with 5 favorite things. It wasn't my best week, it started on Monday with a "short" dentist appointment that lasted over an hour. I should have been concerned when the dentist started working and asked if I was up for a challenge. My dental work is finished! The temporary crowns are off, the new crown is on, the filling is in and I can chew on both sides of my mouth.

So, on with my favorite things from this week...

1. Docking Stations. Honey put 2 new shelves in our under used hall closet. These are the kids docking stations, landing strips, whatever you want to call them, for their school bags, books and supplies. They are working great! Both kids have been putting away their bags and we haven't had to hunt for lost books. And the best part...the clutter is off my living/dinning room floor. I got this inspiration from the blog I'm an Organizing Junkie.

2. Reusable/recyclable shopping bags with handles. These are so great for grocery shopping. The handles are actually usable and they don't multiply in the cabinet like the cheap plastic bags do. I have store brands for the two stores I go to the most and pink one for other shopping.

3. Mail! I got mail with real stamps. I have to admit I do love to get snail mail, this week so far I have gotten 3 cards and a free vitamin sample. Yippee!

4. Quote. "Don't let what you can't do interfere with what you can do!" This came out of a fortune cookie, inspiration can come from anywhere.

5. Too funny. Yesterday saw an ad for Miche Bags on the side of a car, and being a purse girl, thought I'd better check this out, but just didn't get to it. This morning when I went to Living to Tell the Story, there was a link to these bags!! They are very cute, and are on the short list to replace the "Mommy Bag" when the time comes. They also come in pink.

Fave Five for Friday

2008-08-22T22:26:00.004-05:00

I came a cross a blog early this week called Living to Tell the Story, and last Friday Susanne wrote a blog listing her favorite 5 things from the past week. I thought this was a great idea and this week she invited everyone to join in so here it goes.

1. TWO great first days of school. Lauren thinks 8th great rocks and her teachers are awesome! Caleb is very excited about kindergarten they get snack and 3 recesses!

2. Lunch out with the girls. A group of us moms went out to lunch. Our kids all went to preschool together last year and started kindergarten this week. So we went out to lunch at a restaurant that didn't have toys with the meals. It was a lot of fun.

3. Date night. Philip and I had 3 hours without the kids, we went out for coffee and were able to carry on a conversation that didn't involve super heroes, or cartoon characters.

4. Quilting. Once a week I get together with 2 friends and we quilt and talk and laugh...a lot!

5. Flowers. Caleb and I planted sunflowers seedlings in the spring and not only did they not die they are blooming!

Ready or Not

2008-08-21T21:23:00.001-05:00

Kindergarten here he comes! Today way Caleb's first full day of school. He was very excited about his first day, especially when he found out they have snack! And three recesses! He did a great job going to school until we reached the gym where they wait for the bell to ring, the gym was very loud and Caleb got a little over whelmed by it. We didn't have any tears and he had a great first day.

School Day

2008-08-19T20:35:00.005-05:00

Today was Lauren's first day and if it is any indication of how our year is going to to it will be a good one. Apparently "8th grade ROCKS!". She only had good things to say about her teachers, she has friends in her classes, her locker is the first one in the hallway, more elbow room, and she has P.E. last hour. I am very glad she had a good first day, I hope we have many more like today.

Assembly Required

2008-08-18T21:03:00.004-05:00

One of the N.U.T.s I wanted to finish before the kids went back to school was to get shelving for their rooms. What prompted this "little" project was the crash heard round the block, Lauren's shelf fell off the wall, back at the end of June. Since then her trophies have been sitting on her floor in a laundry basket.

So, as a family outing, the last weekend before school started, we were going to get shelves! I decided free standing was the way to go it has a better flexibility factor, Lauren likes to move her room around a lot! The plan was hatched before Phil hurt his knee, so after a slight adjustment in my plan, I strapped on my fit flops, credit card in hand and headed out on my mission - shelves! Or in the event of failure - chocolate.

Success at the first store! I love Target! They had two bookcases, 72" high by 23" wide with 5 shelves, when these are full it is time to get rid of "stuff". They required assembly. I can do that I assembled my 2 shelf bookcase. After finally getting both shelves in the house, they are a bit longer than I am tall, I started working about 3:30. I got the first shelf done, fixed and ate dinner, then started on the second. I got 2 shelves put together, grouped my other pieces, pulled out the long sides and piece 8N was broken! Not a problem, well, yes it was but now that the boxes and shelf parts were all over the house there was no option but to finish the project, somehow. Half an hour of phone calls later another shelf was found and they would replace just the part I need, I didn't have to start all over! Back to Target (the newest one "in town" has a Starbucks in the store!). It was now 8:45, very close to my bedtime, I put my screwdriver in my pocket and went to work.

I finished the shelves, had them in place and ready to fill at 10:00 only 6 1/2 hours after I started. What I learned in the process, other than how to use a drill, was that deciding I could do this was the most powerful tool I had. At any point if I would have said "I can't do this" I would have been right and I the shelf parts would be scattered all over the house. Instead the kids have nice bookcases and they are starting the school year organized. That after all was the mission - mission complete!

Just For Fun

2008-08-07T07:33:00.003-05:00

It's in the bag, the mommy bag that is. That's the nickname for the bag that holds everything from my essentials to other peoples gum, candy, toys, phones, sunglasses and sometimes I think maybe the kitchen sink is in there. The mommy bag is now one year old. From someone who is an admitted purse junkie that is a long time for one bag, but I finally found a bag that I like the look of and love the function! I bragged on this purse so much my sister and my sister-in-law are both using the same purse in different colors. Just in case I can't find another one when this bag wears out I have a back up in my closet, and I got that one on sale!

It's a Home Run!

2008-07-09T19:36:00.008-05:00

Oh, sorry wrong sport!
Caleb's new catch phrase is "family fun thing". Finding a family fun thing with an eight and a half year age difference not always easy to do. So we tried tennis. Lauren and I got new tennis rackets, pink of course, and we headed to the courts. Philip played "the girls" while Caleb chased the wayward tennis balls. Boy, was he busy! Then we had some practice time. The kids did great! By the time we left Caleb was able to hit a few back to Dad and Lauren and I both managed to hit home runs over the practice board. It was a lot of fun out there just running around with the kids. Just another adventure on our "stay-cation"! That is one of Lauren's least favorite phrases, I use it every chance I get.
Catch it Lauren!