Target gets me every time.

Everytime I go to Target and think, "I just need ____ and ____." they have something new or cheap that I just cannot resist.
I saw it and it was the ONLY one and I HAD to have it.
Today's find:

Here's a linky if you like it too: Mossimo Tote

Lucky mom gets to watch this every day

So last week, just two days before he turned 9 months old, my little sunshine started walking. He's been teasing us for a few weeks, but now he takes off pretty much whenever he wants. Truly amazing.

How's that for a slice of fried gold?

So, for the first time in ages, I woke up before George and was able to do the whole wake up and get your coffee thing in peace. I had a full hour all to myself to check email, start some laundry and get my mind in gear. It was great.

Unfortunately, I did something truly dumb yesterday. Just to entertain George, we went around the house "knocking" on all kinds of different things to hear the sound it made. Guess that wasn't such a great idea because this morning my "knocking" knuckle hurts like hell. People who have arthritis probably shouldn't go around smashing their joints on things. I hope it calms down soon.

Whew!

After three summers, we have finally established a lawn! In my opinion, it is just WAY too much effort and cost here in the high desert, but it was already there.

We have aerated and dethatched, seeded and overseeded, fertilized and watered and it finally looks like a lawn!

Ummmm, that's not fog

According to my Google Weather Gadget:

85°F
Current:Fog
Wind: NW at 2 mph
Humidity: 10%

Pretty much wishing that it WAS fog. This was after the first full day of smoke:

I resemble that remark

So, my daughter and I were leaving Gold's Gym today and when we were waiting for M Night Shyamalan to cross the street (not really, but the guy kinda looked like him), we decided that in no way did I have any kind of resemblance in any way to any celebrity. I thought that was a very good thing since if there was some characteristic that one would recognize in me, it would likely not be a good one. "Hey, she's got a pooch that looks just like Roseanne Barr's!" Catch my drift?

Anyway, I suddenly remembered that the owner of a silk shop in Virginia City a few months ago was so intent on selling me a wrap, that when I was trying it on, he told me, "See! You look just like Angelina Jolie!" I think you will have to agree:

My Little Carnivore is 8 Months Old

Georgie doesn't really eat the meat; he just chews on it for a while-still doesn't have any teeth. Little dude is pulling up and walking all around the furniture and can crawl wherever he wants to go. Some serious babyproofing is going to happen here this weekend. It's been so long since we've had a baby in the house that it feels like a minefield now.
I realize that I sound like a really bad reporter, but George has become so demanding in the last few weeks, I am totally frazzled. He wants constant interaction and attention and it is exhausting. I know that this stage will quickly pass when he is fully walking, but I am drained right now.
I can't believe my little lamb is already 8 months old. It is flying by and as usual, I wish I was less tired and enjoying it more.

One less Son this Summer

My oldest son, Steven is leaving today to stay with his dad for the summer. We get to do this every year, but I never really get used to it. On one hand, it's nice not having to try and entertain an almost-17 year old boy, but it is also a constant nagging worry about where he is and what he is doing. Hopefully, he will take good care of himself AND have a good time.

See my Husband Get Nailed

Here he is in a commercial for AlphaFlex. (yep, he's the guy getting tackled-he had the nasty abrasions to prove it!)

AlphaFlex Commercial

An outlaw for my love...

I don't think I've ever heard another song that quite nailed down the early teen experience like this one. I stumbled across it when I was ripping CD's onto our new computer. I dont' know how I missed it the first time around, but I can't stop playing it now. It has a lovely, swoony melody. I can't find a sample of it since it was from a compliation CD called "Double Take," but here are the lyrics.

Thirteen by Garbage

Won't you let me walk you home from school?
Won't you let me meet you at the pool?
Maybe, Friday I can
Get tickets for the dance
And I'll take you.

Won't you tell your dad, "Get off my back"?
Tell him what we said 'bout "Paint It, Black".
Rock n' roll is here to stay.
Come inside, now; it's okay.
And I'll shake you.

Won't you tell me what you're thinking of?
And would you be an outlaw for my love?
If it's so, then, let me know.
If it's "no", well, I can go.
I won't make you.

Silly Boys in a Box

While Georgie would LOVE to get his little hands on Harry's Legos and tiny cars, we can sometimes find things that amuse them both in a way that nobody gets hurt.

Shakin'

We are having an earthquake "storm" here in Northern Nevada. Last night we had a 4.7 that woke me out of a sound sleep. Going to stock up on water today.

Home-Decor challenged

I will be the first to admit, I have never taken an interest in or made any kind of effort at all to decorate a home I lived in, except for maybe my first apartment, which in all honesty, had a lot more style than any other home I've lived in.

Anyhoo, almost every single thing in our house is a hand-me-down, or bought quickly out of necessity or on impulse. Needless to say, it looks like shit.

Since I am creeping up on 40, it is pretty embarrassing to have anyone come into our house. The theme song from "Sanford and Son" constantly plays in my mind. I am almost to the point where I'd like to chuck everything and live on cushions because at least it would have some kind of flair. The problem with that is, since everything I've collected so far is some kind of weird rustic flavor and that is NOT AT ALL where I'd like to be and I would literally have to toss EVERYTHING. I can't get rid of the quilt my mom made or the brass candlesticks my grandma gave me, but I can't figure out how they could be incorporated into color schemes like this:



The whole idea seems very overwhelming and horribly expensive. I think it might require a few more years of looking and dreaming.

Living in Sin

Just read a post from a midwesterner who is looking to relocate to the west. She wasn't sure about "Navada" because of the gambling. I guess we can't help from bumping into all the hookers walking around either. (the only ones I've ever seen were in ads on top of taxis)

I find it quite hilarious since I grew up in Wisconsin where there is a freaking bar or liquor store on every corner, even in most neighborhoods. I can remember going to church on Sunday and then going to Grandma's house, where the booze was flowing. It's five o' clock somewhere, right?

Then I thought, what the hell am I bitching about? Like I really want some religious nut moving anywhere near me anyway.

Yes, yes, Nevada is chock full o' brothels and casinos and don't forget that we have the highest meth use per capita in the entire world!

WWYD?

I was just wondering; if you put aside all matters related to health, would you rather:

1) be just the right size; not too drastically skinny, but whatever amount is ideal to you without starving yourself or going crazy with the exercising thing (whatever that is).

2) be rich, but have to be chunky, with no reprieve via plastic surgery or whatever. So you could dress well and all that, but you'd have to be a chunk.

I honestly don't know which I would choose.

Little bit scary.

Harry's Award

Here's a video of Harry getting a principal's award at school. His reading level went up a whole grade since January. I kind of knew that he would just suddenly "get" reading since that's exactly how it happened with Steven. Way to go Dude!

Bringing it back

My brother and I were talking about great catchphrases from the 80's. He wants to bring back "Gimme a Break" and I remembered "Where's the Beef?" but I think the coup de grace is this....

Went to Virginia City today

it was pretty fun. elevation 6200 ft. too tired now to write complete sentences or capitalize.

Interesting choice

ya' know, when I'm getting ready to take my son to school, I tend to put on a coat or sweatshirt.

I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't reach for the cotton throw that I drape over my couch, particularly if it had a pattern of pot leaves all over it.

My first grader wouldn't know what they were, but I think that his teachers would.

Just sayin'.

Scots are Funny

I was at Target this morning buying the Easter goodies and a young man named Kristopher was checking me out, chatting about Peeps and I asked him if he was Scottish and he said "yes, but one time...."

He proceeded to tell me a funny story about a woman who was convinced he was from Maine. I wish I had the brain cells to either remember the story or write it down, but I think they are leaking out along with the breast milk.

Anyway, he gave me quite a lovely chuckle, though the lady behind me looked at me like I was daffy.

I think that this entire post quite perfectly describes the aforementioned brain cell leakage.

Carry on.

things to be happy about

I am not very good at the collage thing, but

1) get to spend my days with this cute little guy
2) gave myself a office/scrap space (in progress)
3) the same little guy doesn't mind sleeping
4) we could actually pay all our March bills-whew!
5) totally perfect pancakes-none were thrown away
6) a secret stash of Girl Scout cookies

First Foods

Georgie has been trying solid foods for the last few weeks, but this was by far his favorite.

I Remember when...

even if I didn't get all the grooming I needed on a daily basis, I at least brushed my hair. (hence a serious dearth of photos of George & me.)

I would watch a movie all the way through in one sitting. (didn't know I could make a single DVD last three days. Same goes for books. I've been reading "Atonement" for weeks now.)

I could cook real meals. (attempted this on Friday and it was horrifyingly exhausting.)

my house was clean. (just when it most needs it; it is beyond disgusting.)

I actually cared about any of the above.

The most Beautiful Baby in the World

Now that I've put another sun in my sky, I have to qualify the "most beautiful" with either boy or baby, depending on if Harry is listening or not.

Brotherly Love

Just in time for Valentine's Day

Dreaming of Spring

I am SO done with winter!

1. Had enough of colds and coughs. Poor Harry has a nasty one right now; waiting for a call from the doctor because his ear is infected.

2. I can't stand how dirty the car is; even if we wash it, the next snow & melt cruds it right back up again.

3. Georgie hates being bundled up with a passion. He gets really mad.

4. I want nice, longs days again. they go far too fast right now.

5. The house is downright stinky; we need some fresh air in here!

Seven year old angst

I guess the combination of winter, school, & some jealousy of our baby is getting to Harry:

Translation: "I am sad and miserable. I would like it if you made me happy. Can you play with me?"
Awwww, poor dude!

My Top 25 in iTunes

This post is a total ripoff from Cathy Zielske's blog.



Most of them make sense, but some are puzzlers. Like, I can't remember the last time I listened to Alanis Morissette, yet, there she is. I had to replace my hard drive in 2005, so these are from the last few years. I'd bet it would look pretty different if it was from 2000, when I got this iBook.

Tomorrow is the BIG day!

I am so excited and nervous. I am scheduled for a c-section tomorrow at 4:30pm. It feels like of strange to not only know the date, and time and place already. The only unknown is the size!

Less than a month to go!

I have been trying to get all the kids caught up on all their dental/doctor visits before Georgie arrives. By the end of next week, I should be through! It has been quite an adventure. Harry had two cavities and they only do one side at a time, so he is going on his THIRD dental appointment. Steven and Savanna each had two because they do the exam and cleaning seperate. Steven and Savanna also have eye appointments and Steven gets extra visits to the endocrinologist because his blood sugars are not under control. Between all that and my bi-weekly appointments, I am so worn out!

Simple minds, simple pleasures

Every time I see a large dog sitting up nicely in the front seat of a car, it totally makes me laugh. There is just something so human and stately about them (very unlike my dog) sitting there so calmly.

First Day of School!

Harry started first grade today and all went very well. He got up when it was time, ate breakfast, got dressed and brushed his teeth without complaint. It was GREAT! He has not been thrilled with the idea of going back to school, so I was terrified that this day would be a struggle, but he was a champ! He's got one friend from Kindergarten in his class this year, so the boys sat together when they got there. I can't wait to hear about his day!

Getting ready for school

So, I am a little overprotective. I know it! When I was packing Harry's lunch for the very first time, I realized that some of those packages are freakin' hard to open. I didn't want him to sit there and not eat (he does that often enough) so I took everything out of the little packages and put it in ziplock bags.

Harry is a haircut convert

For as long as he has needed haircuts, Harry has just HATED them. When he was little, he cried throughout the whole ordeal and then when he outgrew the tears, he just became uncooperative. He would hold his head at funny angles and slump down; generally try to sabotage the haircut. After four months of letting his hair grow (and I really thought it was kind of surfer-boy cute), we finally took him in because he just wasn't keeping it clean enough. Well, he must have gotten lucky because the stylist knew just how to chat him up and he was Mr. Personality for her, talking a blue streak and sitting like a little statue. Now he says that he ALWAYS wants his hair short.

10 Weeks Left!

Gorgeous George!

Here is the latest u/s of our baby. (at 27 weeks) He is measuring just right and all is okay with him.

Finally got a zoom lens

I love being able to take pics without being in his face! I hope to take a bunch tomorrow, but I'm not sure what we are going to do. We are supposed to have some record heat and being 6+ months pregnant does not really jive with 105 degrees.

Now I just need a camera bag that the lens fits in!

An interesting side to my personality...

I have realized that for a few weeks right after my big kids leave each summer to visit their dad, I turn into a total slob. Clothes on the floor, dishes on the sink, "stuff" everywhere. I ususally revert back to my normal "neat-nik" self LONG before they come home. I don't really know why it is such a release for me to let the house go for a while, but I do it every single summer.

Ultrasound #2

Here is a face shot of little George. Yes, it is another boy! That is three in a row for me.

Where do all the fingernail clippers go?

Every couple of years, I buy a bunch and put them in the car, my nightstand, the bathroom, the desk, etc. and somehow they all slowly disappear.

All we have left right now is ONE that I got free when I bought some nail polish; none of the ones I purchased (which by the way, are always the TRIM brand, they are the only ones that cut decently for me) have vanished.

Good thing they're cheap.

Getting caught up...

Harry has been sick since Saturday, well, probably longer. On Monday I took him to the doctor and he has strep throat. This is his first major illness and we've been home all this week. Aside from the panic attacks, lack of sleep and images of ER visits, I have gotten caught up on all our filing, laundry and other assorted B.S. and it feels really really good.

Wee Beastie

Here is our first baby picture! I am 13 weeks, 5 days pregnant! It has been a rough 1st trimester, I lost all of Spring Break to feeling like absolute hell, but the worst is over now.

My Ancient Parakeet

This poor old bird will be TEN years old in May. He is finally starting to get "old" and I am worried about him. He doesn't file down his beak anymore and his left foot (or whatever its called) is kind of crippled and clawed. He also rarely sqwaks or sings anymore; which is very sad. I am afraid to help him out with that beak because I don't want to have to try and grab him and give him a heart attack. Since he is so old, I'm probably going to let nature take its course, but I dread the day when I find him dead in his cage.

She fooled us...

but considering that we are the dumbest people alive, it probably wasn't the most difficult task.

Our dog is a GIRL.

We just found this out yesterday at the vet. The breeder said that the dog was a boy and we took their word for it.

Since Barnaby is not a girl name at all, we are going to call her Daisy, which was my first choice for a girl dog's name.

I feel very lame and guilty about missing the boy dog that we never had.

You know you're getting older when...

it takes some work just to look regular-acceptable-humanish.

Here's what I mean. I am getting ready for the day. I look in the mirror after brushing my teeth, brushing my hair, putting on some moisturizer and am dressed and I think ACK! Too Scary! Even for just taking Harry to school and maybe running to the store.

So, I put on my BE, AND eyeshadow, AND eyeliner, AND mascara, AND my eyebrows (I have invisible brows-why can't my hair be that blonde? not fair) and at that point, I feel like I look "normal."

I think I can see why older women tend to have hair that gets shorter and shorter. If you've got to put on your 'face' every damn day, who has time for futzing with hair?

Now I just need some elastic waist pants and slip on shoes.

Our new Car?

I don't think it technically is a car. Anyway, it is a 2004 Saturn Vue and I just love it. Tons of room, lots of stuff I'm not used to (like, power door locks and windows and keyless entry, etc. Oh and a 6-disc CD player!) and these crazy big tires that plow through anything. Bring on the snow!

Goodbye Little Red Saturn and Goodbye long hair!

On Dec. 29, Brian was smashed into by some guy and my Saturn is officially totaled. (Brian is perfectly fine) Such a bummer. It was grand and glorious having no car payments!

I also made Brian chop off a ton of my hair, probably about 6 inches of dry, frizzy, fried-out ick. I will post a picture when I have one.

Being a Homebody

We have stayed home all week, mostly in PJ's. We get bundled up to take Barnaby for his walk around lunchtime. It has been so wonderful and I actually took some pics too!

Happy Holidays!

from the Hamby-Wimers

More cute puppy pics

His first night home was pretty uneventful; he slept all night. This morning, He and Harry got up before me and he had an accident downstairs, but that was the only one. Pretty great start.

New addition to our family

Welcome our 7 week old Beagle Boy: (name & details to follow)

My Pumpkin

Here is Harry at the Ferrari Farms pumpkin patch.

First Field Trip

Today Harry's class went to Reno Fire Station No.13. Very cool.

Gettin' into the swing

Harry is adapting to school pretty quick. While he does look forward to the weekend, he is still pretty enthusiastic about going to school every day. I'm sure the day will come when we have to drag him out of bed, but for now we are enjoying our new schedule.

As for me, I still haven't gotten used to the "free time" and I tend to fill it up with chores. I am not a big morning person, so it's not like I am really into doing something crafty in the morning.

My house hasn't been this clean in a long, long time.

I'm wearing Savanna's pants!

I cannot believe that I can easily get into them! Granted, she is not a skinny one, but I am just thrilled!

I think I have gotten so used to wearing baggy clothes, that the fact that I really did lose weight hasn't registered except for on the scale. It makes me want to go and try on new clothes that I can't afford.

I am easily entertained!

.9 miles each way

Our school district will not bus elementary kids unless they live more than 1 mile from the school and we live .9 miles from the school. I think that's a pretty fair trek for a 5 year old, so we drive him every day and it takes us 15 minutes! We end up sitting through two traffic lights multiple times because so few cars can get through going only 15 mph and constantly yielding to the walkers. We have tried taking different routes, but the only way it makes the trip faster is for us to go 2 miles in the opposite direction and GET ON THE HIGHWAY and go back that 2 miles so that we can get off at the exit nearest the school approaching from the west.

What's really hilarious is that if we did live that extra tenth of a mile further, we would be in a totally different school attendance area which is much further from the house and then he would be able to take the bus.

I see one poor mom getting off the public bus to drop off and pick up her kindergartener. Can you imagine how much time it eats up for her to make sure she's there on time and then to wait for the next bus? (this is not an urban area, I think the buses run 30 minutes apart) What a drag.

Where was I on 9/11?

Since it was a tuesday and in AZ it was two hours earlier, we were just getting up and getting the kids ready for school. I had the news on and saw everything as it unfolded. I remember being stunned and the whole thing was pretty unreal until my sister called from NY. She lived in the Bronx and had been on her way to work when it happened and she said that traffic locked down so quickly that she decided to turn around and go home.

I don't know how other people experienced it, but for us, it was the beginning of the end of the way we had been living. Up until that day, I felt like everything was going as planned and in order. After 9/11 and the stock market crashed, my husband's company used it as a way to lay off (fire) almost all of its upper management. After 13 years with that company, he was completely blindsided. I had a 9 month old baby and two years of college left. To put it mildly, everything about our lives has been pretty much downhill since then. We've had some brief (but false) glimmers of hope, but it has been a disaster.

We lost everything financially, but we have our lives and I am very grateful for that, probably too much so, because all the other bullshit doesn't seem to matter much. We drive a tiny little old car and that is the only thing we own of value (which ain't sayin' much!) but since we are all still here, breating in and out, I can deal with it.

Harry's First Day of School

It is so hard to believe this is it-no more babies or toddlers or pre-schoolers for me. My third and last kid is off to school. He was great. So happy and excited. I can't wait to hear how his morning went!

Labor Day

I just love holidays like Labor Day...a day off, nothing specific to be done, and best of all, no gifts to exchange or fancy meals to prepare!

Speaking of meals, I was oh so wrong about that one meal not ruining my diet. How can one meal make you gain THREE pounds? I am totally bummed and I guess I will be extra careful from now on. What a rip!

-20 pounds

I think it took about 6 weeks. I'm trying not to sweat the details in this diet thing, it just makes it harder. The food I miss most is pizza. I saw the pizzas at Costco today while I was getting my nonfat frozen yogurt and it looked SOOOOO good!

I am amazed at how little I am craving chocolate. I really thought that would be a biggie, but it hasn't even come on the radar.

For labor day I am going to have one no-diet meal; we want to barbeque and I think it's better to slip a little than to deprive yourself completely and then give up.

{MEAT!}

Doin' the Back to School Happy Dance!

Oh, I feel a little bit guilty, but I am THRILLED that school starts tomorrow. I've got two high schoolers and my little guy is starting kindergarten and I can imagine have a little slice of my own life again. Before Harry was born I was in school, but I usually had 2-3 days a week at home. Yeah, I had a lot of reading and homework to do, but what a joy it was to be in a quiet, empty house.

I know I'm going to miss my little guy, but to have those three sweet hours of peace.....ahhhhhh!

What would you do with a great domain name?

So, I've had the site www.scrapbookspot.com for a couple of years now and I still don't know what to do with it. I toyed with the idea of hosting a message board, selling kits, having a gallery and none of them have seemed right at the time. For some crazy reason, my site is getting 90-300 hits a day. With a web designer husband and me currently unemployed, it seems like I should do something with it, but it would have to cost like $0. (or less)

what would you do?

The children are home!

Steven and Savanna are home from Milwaukee, none the worse for wear. It's great to have them home, but Steven is bored out of his gourd. He is not allowed to see his friends since they all kept getting in trouble this past year and getting bad grades, so he just hangs around the house. I feel sorry for him, but I know I've got to hang tough on this one. He's at a scary age when so much can go wrong and I just can't let it. I can't wait for school to start. I'm hoping that he will make some new and better friends this year in high school.

Meanwhile, this week back to school shopping winds down-new shoes for all!

- 13 pounds

So as of today I have lost 13 pounds in two weeks. Not too bad at all. I am not "doing" anything; no weight watchers or whatever. Just reading every label and having NO red meat, butter, or cheese.

I'm doing this to relieve my arthritis symptoms and it was working well; I felt better than I had in over a month, but then yesterday we spent 5+ hours in the car and it hobbled me. Hopefully that will correct itself quickly.

While we were in Sacramento to pick up my kids, we went to Ikea. Man, I love that store! I got some suspension rails and hooks and baskets to try to free up counter space in my kitchen and closet organization stuff. We spent two hours in Ikea and for me, it wasn't enough. I can't wait to go back!

Little Frogs

When I went for my walk today (yes, three days in a row now!) There were literally hundreds of tiny little frogs hopping around near this brackish pond at the end of our street. There were so many hopping around that I had to watch where I was walking. I couldn't stop wondering where they were going or what was going to happen to them, so a few hours later, Harry and I walked back down there and most of them were gone; not squished or dead, just gone. (I'll bet the birds had a few for breakfast.) So Harry and I scooped up the orphans who were sitting in the sprinkler runoff in the gutter and brought them home. I have no illusions about them surviving; I kind of doubt they'll make it till tomorrow, but they are fun to watch!

Have I been that busy?

No, no I have not.

I have been tired and achy and in pain. I'm having a very bad arthritis flare-up. Getting out of bed is torture. Going down the stairs is quite frightening. My first instinct is to just curl up and die, but a few weeks later, I am taking medication consistently to control the pain and swelling and going for a walk everyday to loosen everything up. It seems to be working so far. Having to run the air conditioner all day really aggravates it, but with temps in the upper 90's, there's not much else to do. I'm glad we live at an elevation where it cools down every night so we can do 12 hours with fresh air and 12 hours with canned.

Hopefully, things will soon be swingin' again.

another groovy pic from the play

Savanna's friend Christina took this shot, low-res and such, but very fun if you ask me. Savanna wants to be a Broadway star now...

A Star is Born

Savanna's high school production of Guys and Dolls ran this week and it was GREAT! These kids were seriously funny. Savanna had a solo song and she was AMAZING. Here she is in her missionary costume.

Check out my new site!

Thanks to my oh so speedy web designer husband, I have a new website. It is a place to share your Reno Scrapbooking Experiences, whether its shopping for supplies, going to classes or just general ideas about how to enjoy this great hobby. My site is NOT affilitated with any local or online store, so users can feel free to discuss ANYTHING scrapbook-related (or Reno-related or Life-related)

If you live in Reno or love to visit, check it out: http://www.renoscrapbooking.com

*If you think it looks as great as I do, you can contact my husband to build you your own site: www.dotjinks.com (btw, he IS expensive!)

I'm in LOVE!

With my new cast iron pan.



Seriously, I have to thank REAL SIMPLE magazine for their article on these. It is just GREAT!

You can check them out at www.lodgemfg.com

They also have them at Wal-Mart. I got the 10.25" pre-seasoned for only $9.83.

Simple minds = Simple pleasures

I made my mom feel like a 12yo

I wanted to tell my mom some news, but I had already talked to her today, so I said "What the heck. I'll text her." So I text her a short message and about 20 minutes later, she sends me a reply. I barely had time to read it before my phone was ringing. She was so thrilled that she figured it out. She was concerned about her lack of punctuation and I had to explain that skipping the punctuation and not worrying about case and using lots of abbreviations was Uber-cool. Kind of like sending out a modern version of "code."

I'm not working tomorrow (bonus day off for me!) so I get to stay up late watching movies-wheeeee!

Coco-nuts

Have you noticed that people either really really love coconut or they really really hate it? I am definitely one of the latter group-just the slightest taste makes me gag. I always check the ingredients for cookies to make sure they didn't sneak in any coconut.

The same goes for mushrooms; I detest them immensely and I have to scour the labels of soups before I buy them, just in case they are in there. I love Lean Cuisine's Glazed chicken entree, but there are a few mushrooms in it, so I have to pick them out oh so carefully before I can eat it.

My list of food dislikes is VERY long...I think my German-Irish peasant background is to blame. I certainly love potatoes and onions!

For your entertainment

I need to figure out how to post movie clips on here, so in the meantime, enjoy this:

Busy doing the mom thing...

Savanna was in a vocal ensemble competition and they are now going to the state competition and she is also rehearsing for their school production of Guys and Dolls, so I have been spending untold hours in the car carting them around. Today I had to take Steven and Savanna for eye exams and to get new glasses...somehow that turned into a four hour odessey. Tonight Savanna has a choir concert and next week her friend is coming to visit from Vegas so the house needs to be nice and clean.

I don't know how supermoms do all this stuff-I only work part time and I can't get 10% of the stuff done that I need/want to!

I killed my iMac

Oh, the poor old thing. It is over 5 years old, but it was so reliable for so long. I don't know what I did to it, I deleted some fonts that were on a bad spot or something because it won't even boot up from a CD now. I could replace the hard drive and upgrade it, but since the thing is so old, I don't think it would be worth it anymore....it doesn't even have a CD burner in it.

So now I am wanting a new Mac; nothing fancy, but here it is:

Well, it wasn't MY idea!

Brian and I went down to the city to pay some bills and he needed to get ink for his printer (necessity since he works from home) and wanted to get the best deal, so we ended up going to Sam's Club, Office Depot, and Costco. I did not buy anything, but he bought me a necklace and two shirts just because I liked them. Does it count as me going shopping if it wasn't my idea?

I think it does......oops!

How can I be so cheap, but not frugal?

I was watching the show "Secret Lives of Women" last night and they had on shopaholics. It was disturbing to see some of the same traits in myself that I saw in them. Buying things we don't need is a biggie for me. I'm not talking about huge amounts of money and I don't even have a credit card, but I do notice that I have three dressers full of clothes plus the closet and far too many shoes. Every season I have to sort through everything and give things away just to make it manageable.

I have gotten a LOT better about some things....I used to subscribe or buy tons of magazines. I finally figured out that I was getting almost nothing out of them, so I dropped all of them except for my favorite two scrapping magazines. (I don't know why I was reading fashion mags anyway, I wear jeans and tshirts almost every day!) I also used to go to Starbucks on my way to work and I haven't done that in many many months. We used to order pizza about once a week and instead I have been cooking more.

I decided that I would challenge myself to not go shopping for an entire month (it is March 1, conveniently) unless it is for groceries or prescriptions and then I would skip any aisles or sections where I didn't need anything.

It's on!

Christmas, Part Two

We got a few days of snow last week followed by a few days of cold...well, cold for here anyway, highs in the 30's. The day before the front hit us, I started thawing out a Turkey (We always buy two when they go on sale at Thanksgiving) so on Saturday we watched the snow fall and ate Turkey with all the trimmings. It was kind of weird, but fun. I am always thrilled when inclement weather hits on a weekend so I don't have to deal with a nightmare drive to work, so I was EXTRA-happy. After dinner, all three kids played in the snow at dusk. It was so lovely, everything shades of blue.

So maybe it was a fond farewell to winter, I guess I can only wait and see.

ASC Girls

This is our current home page from Advanced Scrapbook Creations, a group I joined two years ago. We have had some awesomely talented ladies pass through our little group, and of course, there are plenty o' them in there right now. I feel lucky to have known them all.

retro days

I don't know what has gotten into me, but today I listened to UFO and April Wine, played Centipede, and watched "Amadeus"....dude, it totally felt like it was 1985!

I guess I should mention that the tunes were playing on an iPod, the game was on a GameBoy Advance and of course, the movie was on DVD.

I SOOOOOOOO love technology!