Box of Chocolates

Pow is what follows bang right?  Anyway, the house was publicly listed yesterday afternoon with pictures and was on realtor.com last night without pictures (pics this morning).  This is where the POW! comes in.  Someone is coming Friday to look at this lovely house for sale. I didn't expect someone so soon.  From what I understand these people are ready to buy and narrowed it down to a few houses but want to see this "NEW" listing before they make their final decision.  WOW! I realize that the possibility of them buying my house is slim, but wouldn't that be something else? At least we have someone coming to look that seems to be half the battle.

Christmas is over, Maddie turned six and my house is officially for sale. Ending '08 with a BANG!  This past week has been quite a surreal experience.  Christmas was low key but wonderful. Mark and I didn't exchange huge gifts but we didn't forget to get a little gift for each other. He got me three of my favorite things: french vanilla coffee, earl gray tea and dark chocolate. So simple, yet it showed me my man knows what I like. Little details that speak volumes.   This is Nathan's first Christmas where he understands a little about what is going on.  He was so very cute.  He would open his presents and take them across the room and put them in his pile over by the couch. He had his little area of Nathan only toys.   Madison's Webkinz party was a huge success.  Everyone left with a couple of prizes.  A lil'kinz with trading cards or a webkinz figure.  We had a Jelly Bean Challenge, the Wheel of WOW and Quizzy's corner.  We made Cupcakes just like Webkinz p

Have you ever been in limbo?  An uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution; an intermediate state or condition.  This is my life.  LIMBO!  For two months we have just been sitting waiting.  For what? A job.  It is amazing how a job defines your life.  It is who you are, what you can spend, where you live.  These are all huge revelations to me.  I say, love what you do because it is so much of who you are.  I have a CRAZY peace about life right now.  I thank everyone for their prayers and please continue to pray for us.  We have no idea what tomorrow holds but I can't worry about that. Today has enough trouble of it's own. Someone very wise said this, Matthew 6:34.   How about some random thoughts: Nathan clear out of the blue said to me, "I love you mama."  two and cute, cute, cute! Madison is meeting or exceeding Kindergarten exceptions!  GO GIRL! Everything that has been tested she meets the requirement for the year or exceeds it!  She has daddy's IQ

We took the kids to Sea World yesterday for our last hurrah of the year.  Our tickets expire the 31st.  Of course the day didn't go completely as planned.  Does it ever?  About 1:45 Nathan and I got into battle of the wills.  I wish I had a video camera.  I'm sure the gift shop camera got a hilarious taping of our little rumble.  Hind sight is 20/20 and at the time I thought he was being naughty.  Later I realized why we got into the wrestling match.  Regardless, his heart was in the wrong place.  It was the attitude that was the bigger problem at that moment.     So, you are asking what happened, right?  Well, Mark took Madison and Alex on the Atlantis water ride, since Nathan is too small we were going to wait for them at the aquarium/gift shop. All was fine until Mark came back bone dry.  They waited in line and got all the way to the front next in line and the gate opened and Alex got scared.  I told him to leave her with me and get in line again with Madison.  Madison want

Is that right 12 more days until Christmas?  Which means 14 more until Madison's birthday.  I can't believe it.  For the first time ever am not done Christmas shopping! I haven't even hardly started to get ready for the big birthday party two days later.  I am usually done with both and starting to buy things meaninglessly.  I haven't even finished my must get list!   I woke up yesterday with what I think is a great idea for one of my nephews and OF COURSE I can't find it.  I already got him something but I want to get him this one great idea of a gift.  I have my mom on the job though.  One plus to her living in a different city.  More places to find JUNK:)  I need to get my act together and get this ship sailing.  I am sitting here thinking of all the places I must go to find the perfect gift.   It is chilly outside.  You think that would get you in the mood.  NOT! It just makes me what to stay inside.  This is the one day of the week I don't have to go to war

Last night we did the usual bath time routine and Madison went last. The hot water ran out pretty fast but it was enough for her to bathe. About an hour and 1/2 later I went to wash my hands and I waited, and waited, and waited for hot water.  Nada, nothing, not even lukewarm!  Have you ever lived life without your water heater for 12 hours, how about a day?  I do believe the water heater is the most under thought of appliance in your home.  At least until it doesn't work.  We have used this one for 11 years and yes it did run out of hot water on occasion, but never did it not do its job.   You use your water heater everyday but you rarely see it or even pay much attention to it.  I will testify that I have a whole new appreciation for the water heater. Of course I was wondering how much is this going to cost.  I am so proud of Mark.  Although it took him a better part of the day we have a new (bigger) and working water heater.  It is only bigger because the 30 gallon cost more tha

I have never cared about recession until this one.  Apparently during the last recession I didn't notice a thing.  Probably because we were living the DINK lifestyle (dual income no kids).  I don't even think I had my own 401k at the time.  Anyway, Mark for the past two years has worked for a pool manufacture.   Do you know anyone in the past year that has put in a pool? Probably not.  This is the reason why he isn't working.  The pool industry is all dried up. (I couldn't help the pun.) Although we knew the pool cash cow wouldn't last forever, it did last for over two years.  Two years at the beginning of Nathan's life that Mark was able to be here at home.  He got to see his son grow up from a baby to a little boy.  What a blessing.   That chapter of our lives is coming to an end.    Mark is now looking for a "9 to 5" job.  Two years ago we said when and if the pool job ended Mark would look for a job outside of our area.  Well, the time has come and

So much is going on around here.  Lots of getting ducks lined up kinda thing.  Much of it I  just can udder the words or type them as of yet. Keep posted for further updates on all that.   In the middle of all our getting ducks lined up and ready to waddle is this thing call Christmas. I love the true meaning of Christmas that is CHRISTmas.  The day in which we are supposed to celebrate the birth of the Messiah, Savior, Son in the trinity of God, his name is JESUS, I think you get my point.  I am down sizing this year.  We have oodles of boxes full of holiday cheer.   Our tree is a little bare compared to years past. Mark did put lights on the house for the first time in a couple years but I am NOT putting out anything else for Christmas.  Not to prove a point or even because I am being a bah humbug.  It just seems appropriate to be lean this year.  It was nice when Nathan woke up this morning and said " the tree is beautiful".   He doesn't care if our house is transforme

As in, I wonder how the boy is still alive at two and a half. Look at this mug shot. Above the right eye was Saturday nights accident.  Nathan was "dancing" and fell into the entertainment center. He gives a whole new definition to break dancing.   What the picture doesn't show is the bruise on top of his head and his red, black and green eye. Sunday afternoon injury is the upper lip and cheek.  He fell in the garage "helping" daddy. Today, above left eye (right of picture). He was walking as he was looking behind him and when he turned around hit the door frame.  Mark says he looks like a poster child for abuse :(  It hurts me to even look at him.  It looks like he is growing horns on his forehead.  (click on picture if you dare)  Saturday night his forehead bruised before I even picked him up off the floor.  It bruised before it swelled up.  Madison said, "Well there goes family pictures!"  Who does that sound like?  ME!  Mark and I just laughed.  Wh

Mark and I took the kids a couple of years ago to Orlando for a weekend.  Nathan was less than a year old, Alexandra must have just turned 2 and Madison was 4.  I look back and laugh but at the time it was anything but funny.  A trip to Disney would be fun and relaxing right?  HA!  We never even made it to Disney because Madison was so ornery the day we were going to go I couldn't justify going.  We learned a lot about being parents of three young kids that weekend.   During our stay we took the kids to the Rainforest Cafe.  Nathan was terrified the whole meal and after our $75 lunch Madison threw up all over the table and floor.  That is when Mark made the rule we don't take the kids to a restaurant unless it has a drive thru, curbside doesn't count.  We really do stick to that rule and the only sit down "nice" restaurant we go to with the kids is Sonny's BBQ.  Before we left I wanted to get the kids a little something from the Disney Marketplace.  I took the

I am thankful for... My savior, Jesus.  He is alive!   My wonderful husband of almost 11 years that helps me stay balanced    My 3 funny, cute, and healthy kids  My village Friends  No school this week, no car circle (aka war), no getting Madison ready on time, no homework, and I can stay in bed just a little bit longer.    Trials of life, they make me self reflect and for that I am grateful because in the end I have learned something to add to the tool box of life.   Dark Chocolate, white chocolate and milk chocolate    Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade My health, two years ago I was coming home on Thanksgiving from the hospital.  A hospital stay or two will put things in perspective.   Did I say chocolate? Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends.  I am thankful for you all!  

A friend stopped by the other day for just a minute that I haven't seen in a few weeks and she asked me what I was doing to lose weight.  I said to her, "what are you talking about?"  I just thought she was crazy until Sunday.  I was getting ready for church as usual and picked out one of my newest skirts, ironed it and put it on and in fell below my waist!  I pinned it and went to church.   Today I put on another newer skirt and it too was very lose.  I then decided to get on my scale. It usually always tells me the same nasty numbers.  Today it was 9 lbs less.  I got on again to make sure it was right and it said the same thing.  9lbs?  I still think the scale is wrong.   I think it could be because I haven't gone to the drive thru's for over a month except for one day when I went on a field trip with Madison.  That speaks volumes of the fast food!  So, my goals to save money is also causing me to lose weight.  Great side effect,  save money = lose weight.   The

The Mother-in-law stigma seems to be timeless.  Well, I couldn't have gotten a better Mother-in-law.  She is crazy and she will admit it. She will not admit that she is dramatic, but she has plenty of drama. She is a wonderful grandmother, a prayer warrior, a repeat short term missionary to some of the worst slums in the world, after school bible club leader/helper, loves her boys and really would do anything for them when she can,  and loves to talk. I could go on but I won't.   This woman drove back from the mountains of NC to watch my kids after just being there for a day.  Why?  Well, I was sick and had to go the hospital for a few days.  At the time my kids where ages 3, 2 and 6 months.  She drove home to help us.  That is pretty amazing to give up your vacation in the mountains and drive home to watch your grandkids.  She even stayed the rest of the week to help out after my surgery.  That was two years ago this week.  It does take a village and I'm not sure what I wo

My life is so random lately that so are all my thoughts.  Random thoughts take two... People seemed to be more worried about the color of Mr. Obama's skin that his morals. I'm I not content with my life or is God leading us in a new direction? I wonder if my new wants or desires of my heart are there from God. It is very easy to become discontent and I don't want or need to confuse the two.     Where do you draw the line?  We spent over 40% less this month on our Visa than months past.  We use our Visa for everything and we always pay it off.  Not going out to eat, No starbucks (I can make a pretty good iced coffee now), no scrap stuff (minus a few things for cards) and trying only buying stuff we need. We saved almost a mortgage payment!  We did do some fun stuff we had Sea World tickets and Christmas presents on the Visa last month, although we didn't NEED them.  It's all about attitude. My new motto is, live like no other so you can live like no other. I want to

"Long movies should be called pants." This is what Alexandra said to Mark yesterday.  Have any of you guess why?  Well, last Christmas I bought Mark the Disney Pixar Shorts DVD.  The movies are only about four minutes and there are about a dozen of them on the DVD.  After a year of watching shorts, Alexandra said long movies should be called pants.   It makes sense, shorts are short and pants are long.  I think it is very cute and oh so funny.  Maybe a really long movie (epic) should be called overalls.  Anyone going to a pants movie tonight?  Happy Friday!  

Madison's two front teeth are loose! We own a baby grand piano.  Baby doesn't mean small, well in comparison to other grander pianos.  This is not a new item in our home just one that is big.  Anyway... Nathan says things wrong which is hilarious or he says stuff you just don't expect like "mmmm this is dewishious (delicious)."  Always good for a laugh.   Alexandra is in the 95 percentile for her weight and height.  The Dr. said if this rate of growth continues she could be taller than Mark, he is 6 feet tall.  Changes in Latitude,  changes in attitude nothing remains quite the same. That is all I have to say about that.   Christmas cards are NOT keeping my mind off things.   Alex is going to have to get a job to buy food.  She must say to me 10 times a day " I'm hungry." I will write down everything she eats tomorrow and blog it for you.  Prepare to be amazed.  I want a craft room.  Mark's Aunt and Uncle are coming over tomorrow for dinner and I

Less than 12 hours and I have already forgotten my frustration and am back on the saddle again.   I am back to making Christmas cards, I got a 50% off coupon from my mom.  Thanks mom!  I found 20 envelopes for 5.99 - 3.00 for my coupon so I only paid 2.99!    My mom is going to get me 20 more tomorrow with a 40% off coupon that starts tomorrow.   So all isn't lost and I still think it is a ridiculous idea but I am not a quitter and I refuse to be beaten by paper.  Off to Cricut tags and trees.   This is all so silly but it takes my mind off of the serious stuff happening in my life. Preoccupation with silly keeps my mind from all the "what if" thinking.   So, silly about Christmas cards is better than crazy about things that may never happen.  All that to say I wish God spoke with a loud thunderous voice.  It would make things so much easier, Amen? 

All I have to say is that making Christmas cards was the must ridiculous idea I have ever had. It has sent me to many stores and it costs 10 x's less to do photo cards.  I have a cute idea but to do fifty or more of them is NUTS!   My genius idea started because of all the scrap supplies I have.  I thought it would cost less than photo cards.  I decided to do cards to fit in an A6 size envelope.  Michael's sells them 10 for 4.99.  I need at least 50.  I thought surely I can get them at Office Depot or Walmart for less in a 50 count box.   I started to make my cards without envelopes.  Number one mistake.  40 started and no envelopes to be found in this city other than Joann's and Michael's.  I got online to shop and envelopes will cost me at least $20 to buy and ship to my house.  Sam's sells 50 photo cards with envelopes for 14.50.  That math problem was easy.    I didn't give up hope until today when I sat down at the Circut I borrowed from my friend to do tag

Mark read an article the other day about 12 things you can do to exercise your brain and blogging was one of them.  I am very excited about this because I feel like I never use my brain. I have become a robot.  All I do is laundry, dishes and clean. Although a robot would do a better job.     My mom was reading this sarcastic framed art catalog.  Of course the funny ones she read to me. It is similar to art work that has a nice picture with a nice saying on it.  Like Perserverance yada, yada, yada.  Well, this one was about blogging and it said: Never have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few.  HA! Very funny.  I do feel like I am spending too much time writing and rewriting and then no one is reading, but at least I am exercising my brian.   So much is going on around here I just wanted to do something light and fluffy.  I love comments.  It would really make my day if you all would comment.  PLEASE, I need a self esteem boost.  I really hope Meagen isn't th

We are planting a garden in the backyard.  I'm not sure how it all came about.  Probably because I love to garden, the price of veggies and I think Mark is tired of mowing the back yard.   He started to dig up the back yard behind our bedroom.  It is going to be about 20 x 15 feet! That is a lot of garden to maintain.   I think we are going to try and plant strawberries for the winter. It isn't exactly the best time to be starting a veggie garden but Mark has the time now to do this project.  We will work with what we can grow during the winter. There are some other veggies that will be fun to grow but the kids won't eat them.   In my research of what to grow and talking to my mom she was telling me about the Victory Garden,  why I didn't learn this in school is beyond me.  During the World Wars people planted gardens because the price of food and it was a morale booster.  Funny how the simple will encourage others.  My mom said everyone had a garden.  Then today I was

Ten things I learned this weekend 10. I LOVE grass.  Did you know that grass is a great buffer for keeping your son from kicking dirt?   9. I also love my bed.  8.  Nathan can't hang with the older kids.  He gave it a good American boy try, but it put him into a 14 hour comma.  The poor kid slept for 14 hours last night.   7.  Campfires smell great until you get home and everything smells like a campfire.   6.  Raccoons fight like cats. 5.  You must invested in a good sleeping bag! 4.  I didn't know mosquitos got so big.  I thought I was going to have to tie Nathan down so the mosquitos wouldn't carry him away.  3.  My kids would rather play in the van than the woods. 2.  Wild pigs like breakfast too. 1. Coming home a day early was the best idea EVER!    The kids got to dress up for Halloween but Alex said to me today,  "please don't make us go camping on Halloween again".  I had a good time until about 4 pm yesterday. We have a set routine which we are flexab

This is an amazing first for me.  I only spent $5.34 on everything the three kids need in order to dress up tonight.  Maddie wanted to be a cat, Alex a dog (as of yesterday) and Nathan is going to be a pirate because that is the costume I have for him.     Maddie and Alex have four or five pair of cat ears so I just made Maddie a tail and she is going to wear a cute black dress with her ears and tail.  Presto a cat.   Nathan's costume was a no brainer.  Last year I sent out an email for anyones left overs from Halloween past and I got a pirate costume that was too big for him last year.  Thanks Jen! ARRRRRRRRRR second costume done.   Now the third costume is where I spend most of our money.  Alex wanted to be so many things that yesterday I finally told her she had to pick.  I mean it was the day before Halloween and we have to get this done.  She decided on a DOG!? I figured she was going to pick out a dress we already owned like Belle or Minnie Mouse.  Of course she threw me a zi

Yesterday we went to Hunsader Farm Pumpkin Festival. We had a good time. You know the old saying that less is more.  I have to say that I loved the farm that we went to in NC a few years ago with our good friends that live in Raleigh.  It isn't too small and it isn't too big.  It seemed just right. Don't get me wrong Hunsader Farm is a great farm but when you have a great experience in your past you can't help but compare. The farm in NC was better for younger kids.   Hunsader farm was bigger, lots more people and had more things to do but sometimes the quaint is just right.  Check out Nathan, he is a hoot.  He wasn't posing.  Just taking it all in.   It was HOT! Of course a "cold" front went threw last night and it is chilly today.  I once heard a radio guy say years ago "chili today, hot tamale". Funny and very true of our weather here.  I'm not complaining just stating the facts.   After the farm I took Maddie to buy jeans.  I had a $10 of

Have you ever been on a school bus full of five and six year olds? Oh my word! There little voices are adorable individually.  Ear piercing all at once.  It was like a chorus of little chattering monkeys.  The pumpkin patch was across town so I had heard enough chattering by the time it was all done.   This was my first field trip with Maddie's class. They all are so cute, even the naughty ones.  They ran nonstop.   If I could just bundle up the energy of 14 little kindergartners and take it as needed I would be able to clean house in minutes not hours.  There are only 6 girls in her class.  I'm not sure how her teacher does it five days a week. They loved throwing the hay into the wind, which got them in trouble.  Pumpkins rolled off the pallets more than once.  The look on the kids face when they would touch a pumpkin and it would roll was funny.  Funnier was watching them try to get the pumpkins back on the pallet.  Looking around to see if anyone saw what they did.  They al

Life is about choices.  Some choices work in your favor, some not or what I would say was a bad choice and some hit you broad-sided. Why the soapbox?  It started with an article I read in the paper about a guy that made bad choices.  Why in the world would you buy a house in the low $200,000 refi for over $300,000 and use the money to buy a condo to "flip", then when you lose over $100,000 on the condo and owe more on the first house than it is worth expect the government to help you?  This guy was actually saying the government should help him within the "bailout" plan.  Looking for a hand out now his "great ideas" has gone south. The plan was not to bailout individuals that made bad choices.  It is to help our economy from falling to pieces.   I understand some people have been broad-sided with the value of their home in the past year by simply buying a home.  No funny business like the guy above.  They owe more than they paid which is unfortunate.  A ho

We had a great time at Sea World this weekend.  I am very tired.  That is a measure for me on how much fun we had.  I didn't take a lot of pictures.  I wanted to enjoy my family and create memories not pictures.  I got to witness awe, innocents and pure joy.  Maddie made me take this picture before we left the park Saturday.  It was that time of day when you just want to go take a shower and crawl in the resort bed and take a nap.  I really didn't want to take it because we had to put down all the stuff we accumulated during the day in the rented double wide stroller with a double wide bag.   The little things you don't think about during the day.   Shamu lunch boxes, shamu cups times 6, three candy bags from trick or treating Sea World style, cameras, etc.  Anyway, it is cute (minus the very tired and needy Nathan).  Poor guy was a trooper.   Nathan woke up Friday with a horrible cough.  He was sick for the week before with just a runny nose.  No other symptoms.  By the en

Translation: Mama is the best Mama ever How cute it that!  Madison is in her early stages of writing.  She came home from school yesterday and made us cards.  The inside of my card reads: Mi mom es e best.   Translation: My mom is the best. Cute, cute, cute! 

Life around here has been shaken up.  I do mean shaken, not stirred. It is times like these that my faith is tested and my purpose in life is at the front of my mind.  So much is going on that I could never condense it and try to explain it all.  Too many ingredients to list.   I am excited for what God has in store for us. I am holding on the the fact that before my life began He knew everything.  This past week I just keep saying to myself be anxious for nothing.   Phillippians 4:6 Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   So, this is what I must do.   Pray, petition and be thankful.  It is hard to be thankful when you life is shaken up.  Don't get me wrong my life is blessed!  I just feel like we are at a turning point and with that comes lots of self reflection.  I have to run the race as if to win.  There is only one race and I feel like I have just been jogging along.  It is time to pick up t

Mark is in the process of digging up "bad" grass and replacing it with "good" grass from our next project the veggie garden.  In the process of digging up the "bad" grass the kids are having a field day finding worms and other critters in the soil.   I have a passion for science. So when the kids find worms I have to make a lesson out of it. Once a teacher always a teacher.  Although, I over heard a certain someone say this weekend that those who can't, teach. ERRRRR!   Back to worms.  So, did you know worms have no eyes or ears?  Did you know they breath through their skin?   Did you know that worms hear with their whole body?  They have to stay moist or they die, EEE GAD! Crazy little critters.   What do you do with worms once you catch them and put them in a bucket? Well, my kids pretend to eat them.  Mark joined in the action of "eating" worms.  Of course we are a catch and release family.

$26 ticket, 2:30 game, $8 parking, 35,041 people, cowbells, mohawks, #3 hits 2 home runs in his first two at bats, The White Sox LOSE 6-4 in the Rays first ever play off game, PRICELESS!   Mark "won" the ticket lottery for the Rays post season game.  Which meant we "won" the opportunity to BUY tickets.  We bought four to game one and four to game two.  This is another of the strange things that you just do because well, it is fun.  We had not idea when he bought the tickets what day or time the games would be. We only knew that the Rays made it to the play offs and we wanted to go.   It is one of the those opportunities you have to jump on or the tickets will be gone.   The tickets sold out in one day.   I can not tell you how much fun I had yesterday.  It was not easy to orchestrate the actual going to a 2:30 game on a Thursday when your school age child gets out of school in the 2 o'clock hour and your the pool car driver.  Then there are two other little ones

    Um, where to start?   I went away for the weekend with girlfriends to get some R & R and scrapbook.  Little did I know I was going to come home to a Mohawk.  GO RAYS!  I think Nathan is loving the attention that comes with such a dramatic do.   I really can't believe Mark did such a crazy thing.  I don't think anyone that saw Nathan at church could believe it either. For all you wondering, I love it and I will go away on another girls weekend.  It's not like he gave all the kids a mohawk.  The girls still have their lovely locks.  

I don't have my own grocery bags.  My car is not eco-friendly, but paid for.  The cost of a hybrid just doesn't make financial sense.  It is trendy to be green, but I feel like it should be more trendy to be financial smart.  I'm on my soapbox,  give me a minute to get off.      Okay, back to green.  I did buy a paperless bible for my ipod touch.  My church is now going green by emailing the weekly bulletin and I signed up.  I can finally see the end of paper that they swore would happen with the invention of the home computer.  Paper is my green issue. Paper isn't all that bad is it?   I do question the amount of paper a kindergarten class uses daily.  I have quite a pile accumulating in the corner of the office.  I saw a segment on PBS the other week about a local school that "went green".  Very good ideas.  They used so much less energy than the other schools in the district the superintendent took notice.  The teacher that started the school on the green j

Okay the only people that would watch would be my parents and some close friends.  Mostly out of morbid curiosity.  I personally think it would be worth watching.  With a great editing crew I'm sure one week of taping would entertain anyone for at least 25 minutes.  Car pool alone is a five minute of humor.  The most hilarious part would be how I pay someone the clean my house but it is always a mess.  We might have them cut out the Webkinz addiction because it is really out of hand with no end in sight.  Do they have WAA, webkinz addiction anonymous?    The two year old could get a few minutes in temper tantrums alone.  Although he is very naughty some of his antics are very entertaining.  I especially love the hardwood floor stomp, the run and hide under sissy's bed momma can't reach me there, laugh as I am being naughty and maybe she will let me continue to jump on ______ or climb on the_______.  You can fill in the blanks because the kid will jump or climb on anything.

The past two mornings I have gone outside and said to myself,  AHH! the breeze is nice today. Fall is in the air.  Two more days and it is officially FALL!  My most favorite time of year.  From now until the New Year we have tons of fun.  Baseball is exciting,  Alexandra's birthday, our yearly trip to Orlando, holidays galore, we end the Year with Madison's birthday and then it's the New Year.  The cool breeze just reminds me that better weather is on the way and that I am going to be really busy from today until 2009.   

Mark found this shirt at the Big Dog store and bought it for Alex right before school started. The little sun logo speaks volumes. This also happens to be her favorite shirt. Alex and I had a nice day today. She is getting over the toddler attitude in life and is starting to shine.   Today she wanted me to do her hair in pig tail braids which is unusual for her.  We did a little photo session.  She is a ham. Every time I take out the camera she starts to be cheesy.  She doesn't really ask me to take her picture but always starts to smile and pose.   Just in case I start to click her direction.     Lately she has come home from church with her coloring sheet blank but a picture drawn on the back.  After a couple of weeks I had to ask the teacher if it was okay and to see if she was doing what she was asked to do.  The teacher said she doesn't care as long as she colors.  I wanted to make sure she wasn't giving anyone a hard time about it.  She is a nonconformist, a true arti

The old idiom Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on m e.  This was my life today. Shame on me for letting Nathan lock himself in the bathroom not once, but twice today.  Yes, twice in one day.   I wish I would have video taped them both.  It is comical to tell a two year old how to unlock a door from the other side of the locked door.  It is not funny when it is happening.  In my mind I am imagining him doing naughty stuff like unrolling all the toilet paper or actually trying to wipe himself. EEE GAD!   Our conversation sounded something like this... Mommy: Turn the little knob in the middle Nathan:  I can't! Mommy: Yes, you can you locked the door you can open it.   Nathan: (knocking on door) LET ME IN!   Mommy: (laughing) turn the little knob in the middle.   Nathan: Get the key. Mommy: (laughing again) There is no key.   Mommy: (to husband) Nathan is locked in the bathroom.  Daddy: What do you want me to do?  Mommy: (simply stated) Get him out.  Daddy: Nathan tur

I have been wanting to get this out for days!  CAR CIRCLE is a crazy phenomena that happens Monday thru Friday, minus holidays and summer.  For some reason come 2:20 pm local time 650 kids lose all sense of direction,  how to get into a vehicle, and how to buckle a seat belt. They act as if they have never gotten into a car before.  It is the biggest comedy of errors one can ever witness. Backpacks and lunches boxes end up in places that I just can't understand.  All this with hundreds of other parents, grandparents, or car pool drivers waiting to pick up there sweet little mindless zombies.   Everyday I leave with a new rule.  Monday rule: oldest gets in last, Tuesday rule: try to get to school before the lady that falls asleep in car circle and forget Monday rule, Wednesday rule: teachers shouldn't hold kids after the bell.  I'm sure there will be a rule tomorrow.   I'm timing us to see how long it takes to get out of the car circle. Over 6 minutes from bell time to l

For those of you that know me well you know I haven't had a cell phone.  Well, I had one in the late 90's for a short period of time.   I am now officially in the 21 century folks.  I got a cell phone! I know, I know, you can't believe I broke down and got one.  I figured if I am going to blog I might as well catch up in other area's of technology.  LAUGH.   So last night when the wind changed and you said to yourself , "that was weird".  That was the earth stopping because I got a cell phone.  

Yesterday we got Chinese for dinner and of course a fortune cookie.  Madison's fortune was along the lines of your most desired wish will come true.   I remember the word desired because she asked what it meant.  I asked her, what do you wish for more than anything? She told me she wanted to move to purple at school.  The behavior chart at school is purple (over and above), green (doing what you should), and yellow and red are not good.   We do encourage her to get to purple and talk about what she could do to get there.  Well, today Madison was the first in her class to move to purple!  So, funny.  She got into the mini van at car circle yelling at the top of her lungs "I GOT TO PURPLE TODAY!".  I am so proud of her.  I keep telling her to let her little light shine.  She was exceptional today during show and tell.  Which was bring something that was your favorite color, can you guess?  PURPLE.  She told us that she had to wait patiently because her turn was near the end

That is what time I got out of bed to get Nathan more apple juice.  Mark brought him into our room to "sleep" with me.  Once his juice was gone he demands more.  Let me just say it is still dark out and I never like being told by a two year old what to do especially when the sun isn't even shining.  SO, for the millionth time in the past five years I have to have the talk with one of my children on why we don't yell at mommy and why you need to ask the nice way for something you want.   I get up to get more apple juice to find none, zero, not a drop.  I think I said out loud something along the lines of "this day is going to be bad".  The good thing about all this is Nathan's heart wasn't really in the right place at 6:25 am, daddy put him back in bed.  6:30  I'm awake so I take a shower because I am going to make it to bible study on time today.  It starts at 10 am.  I will have plenty of time right? It is three and a half hour from now.  HA!  6

You never know what you are going to get.  Isn't that the truth?   For days I have been trying to think of the title of my newest waste of valuable mom time.  THE BLOG!   The best I could come up with is Box of Chocolates.  Everyday is a blessing, a challenge and sometimes complete chaos. My life is like a box of chocolates with one constant, GOD.  I am so thankful for my box of chocolates.  I am a woman of faith, A daughter, a wife, a mom, a dog owner, a car pool driver, CFO, dark chocolate lover, a friend and much more.  NOT perfect but by the grace and mercy of my savior, forgiven.  Lately I wish we as the human race showed a little more grace to others. What a world it would be if we just showed a little more grace now and again.