Women Knead the Dough

Quiet Weekend

2009-09-19T16:50:00.002-06:00

Theres nothing quite like a nice quiet relaxing weekend. Anthony and the boys are out fishing. Lizzie is visiting the neighbors. *sigh* the house completely to myself, with dinner in the oven. Does it get much better?

Oh how time changes things

2009-09-12T07:10:00.004-06:00

I was looking at my last post with the picture of Lizzie and I can't believe how much time has gone by, not to mention how much my kids have changed!

The kids just started school. Ryan is in 3rd grade now and Ben is in 2nd. Lizzie is in preschool and will be starting kindergarten next year. I love waking up to that cool crisp smell in the air, knowing fall is drawing near. I find myself looking forward to the winter months and the holidays.

I am really looking forward to this next year. So many changes in life with a fresh outlook and a new start. I feel like I am reclaiming my life for myself and have never felt so at peace.

Reaching out of my comfort zone

2009-01-04T11:43:00.003-07:00

Ive always been confident and comfortable sewing cloth diapers. Im not entirely sure why, maybe because I had a lot of help from friends to guide me along the way? Now I feel I am hitting unchartered waters...reading a REAL pattern! Yikes! Its not near as hard as I assumed it would be, though I am of course using the "kwik sew" and "super easy" patterns.

Im also learning to do applique on shirts. Another new realm for me. Last night, I decided to make Lizzie a new outfit for church. I was surprised at the outcome. It was easier than I thought and little Lizzie just LOVED it! *sigh* she is getting so big...

The Tooth Fairy is M.I.A.!

2009-01-02T21:27:00.006-07:00

A few days ago my 6 yr old, Ben, lost one of his teeth. Now this is not the first tooth he has lost, so he knows to the routine. Lose a tooth, put it in a bag, hide it under your pillow, go to sleep, wake up to find money under your pillow. Sounds perfect right? Sure.... unless you have a very tired, forgetful "tooth fairy".

Two mornings in a row a very sad little boy came down stairs to report the tooth fairy had not taken his tooth. Talk about making me feel like a horrible mom!

We decided that it would be best to write the tooth fairy a little note, to let her know where the tooth was. Here is the note Ben wrote, completely on his own. It says "my tooth is under the rite pellow" (he has 2 pillows on his bed).

Now how could any tooth fairy resist that?? So this very tired, very forgetful tooth fairy left him a note along with $3 (nothing like guilt to get you to leave a little extra money eh?) The note read "Dear Ben, thank you for your note. It was very helpful to find your tooth. Sorry I was late. I hope you have fun spending your money. Love The Tooth Fairy.

When Ben woke up that morning he came downstairs absolutely squealing! "Mom, Mom, Mom the tooth fairy left me a NOTE!!!" He was so excited! He is learning how to read, so he was able to read the note himself. He was giggly all day telling everyone how special he was that the tooth fairy took the time to leave a note.

Ahhh I think Ive redeemed myself :)

Last nights project

2008-12-16T06:22:00.003-07:00

I decided to make 2 fleece "no-sew" blankets to match our new couches, due to arrive next week (our Christmas present to each other).

It was much faster and easier than I expected.

I took 2 yards of a solid and 2 yards of a printed fleece. I prefer anti-pill but you can use whatever you like. Hint: Best time to get your fleece is when Joanns is having a 50% off sale.

I laid the solid color on the floor first and laid the print on top of it. Make sure the wrong sides of the fabrics are laying together. Cut a 4"x4" square out of each corner.

Cut 1" wide strips into the fleece about 4". After all the strips are cut go back and tie the strips in knots.

Pretty Simple eh?

Waiting for the snow

2008-12-13T07:30:00.002-07:00

Why is it, when you have no where to go, nothing to do, and could really use a nice bit of snow to put you in the Christmas mood, snow is no where to be found, regardless of what the weather man says? BUT when you have a fabulous day of shopping planned (that requires you to drive 45 minutes to a nearby town) without kids, husband, and a wallet full of cash it comes in buckets accompanied with icy roads?

Today is the first weekend in a long line of weekends that I have nothing to do but bake Christmas cookies, put up some Christmas decorations and listen to Christmas music. My boys are off at their cousins for the day. My husband has a day planned of working on the paintball course, its just me and little lizzie and not a single snowflake can be found? *sigh*

Well heres to hoping there is a little bit of snow in the rest of the weekends forecast.

Early New Year's Resolution

2008-12-12T15:30:00.002-07:00

This year I am starting my New Year's Resolution early. I am going to pick up my blogging again. It has been quite a while since I have posted and so much in life has changed. I find myself looking back over my previous posts in awe and amazement at where I have been, how my life has changed, how much my kids and marriage have grown and how God has been steadfast through it all.

Where in the WORLD have I been????

2007-06-14T16:46:00.000-06:00

Ok so many of you have been sending me emails asking me what Im up to...well im about knee deep in all types of fabric! Yup my diapering business is growing in leaps and bounds! I get up around 5 a.m. to sew while the little monsters are all asleep. I join the family for breakfast around 7 and head back to work around 9. I sew pretty much all day with minimal breaks here and there.

It has been so satisfying to create this business. I started from scratch and have learned so much in just the last 6 months. I truly am so thankful to God for giving me this amazing gift (both the business and the talent) There are so many "God Moments" that happen day in and day out.

I will try to post occasionally, but fear I will not be able to keep up, so I thank you all for reading and I will check back once in a while to see whats going on in your blog worlds.

Oh, and if you are slightly curious what it is that I do, you can check out my various cloth diaper websites...

www.cuddlebugcloth.com

www.hyenacart.com/cuddlebugcloth

www.hyenacart.com/granolachicks (scroll down to cuddlebugcloth section)

Round 2, Strike 2

2007-01-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

Well Ryan has pretty much completely covered from chicken pox. He went back to school and all is well...Until Ben got his turn. Now, this proves my theory that immunizations are a waste of time, money, and harmful to kids...ok don't get me started on that subject...anyways, Ben got the chicken pox shot and he STILL got chicken pox. He actually got a worse case of them than Ryan. Poor kid. He even has them in his eyes...yuck! So I guess now I just need to wait to see if Lizzie gets 'em, which at this point Im almost positive she will...its just a waiting game at this point.

My first sale

2007-01-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

Some of you may not know, but I've started my own Cloth Diapering business. (you can check it out at www.hyenacart.com/cuddlebugcloth).

Anyways, I had my first sale today! Woo Hoo! Actually I sold 4 diapers today. I really did not expect this type of response this fast! Sooo looks like Im going to be sewing my little fingers off tomorrow :)

For all you dieters out there...

2007-01-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

After starting a new diet I altered my drive to work to avoid passing my favorite bakery. I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning and as I approached, there in the window were a host of goodies. I felt this was no accident, so I prayed ... "Lord, it's up to You, if You want me to have any of those delicious goodies, create a parking place for me directly in front of the bakery." And sure enough, on the eighth time around the block, there it was! "God is so Good!"

Kinda like being snowed in...but not really..

2007-01-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to this...I am completely stuck at home...canNOT go anywhere..at. all. not even grocery shopping...

YUP, that would be CHICKEN POX. Ryan started about 8 days ago. Needless to say he is driving me a little nutty being home and bored. Im expecting Lizzie to start any day now. I did not have any intention of immunizing my kids against CP simply because they were claiming it was only 70-80% effective. Somehow Ben managed to get that immunization...so for his sake, hopefully the immunization works.

I will probably be off blogger for a little while until this clears out of my house !! :)

Here Comes The Bride...

2007-01-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

Yup, the day finally arrived that my littlest and yet biggest brother Josiah got married to his highschool sweetheart, Chelsea. It was, of course, a beautiful ceremony.

On a side note, my sister and I did our neices hair since she was the flower girl. We managed to get this little 3 1/2 year old to sit still for 2 1/2 hours while we curled, crimped, banded and glued her hair...yup you read right...we GLUED her hair. See those cute adorable little ribbon rosettes in her hair? We couldn't get them to stay on, so we used my handy dandy hot glue gun and glued 'em to her head (with her moms permission of course) I guess they got them out just fine because when I saw her yesterday, she didn't have them in her hair anymore *giggle*

The happily married couple along with my neice Ashley aka the flower girl and my nephew Corban aka ring bearer.

I will post some of their professional pictures at a later date after my brother gets them from their photographer. We took one large family photo that Im hoping turned out great :)

Public Announcement

2007-01-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't had the opportunity to publicly announce this...but...

Im going to be an Aunt. Again. x2.

My sister Anna is due for her first baby in June and my sister-in-law (anthonys sister) is due for her first baby in or around September.

Yay...babies, babies, and more babies.

I can't wait to find out whether they are having boys or girls so I can start buying STUFF ~ yay for shopping!

Let it snow...

2007-01-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

Ahh yes, then there was the snow storm we had...ugh! The boys loved it though. It was exciting to them to have snow for Christmas, and it definitely kept them all busy while home on school break.

At least we got only "just enough" snow. We are lucky we live in an area that doesn't get slammed like Denver.

Anyways, heres some pictures of the kids playing in the snow along with their very first "made by themselves" snowman. Lizzie didn't get to go outside to play with them, so she just watched them from the window.

Once again...

2007-01-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

Its catch-up time. Weve had tons of stuff going on here, just no time to blog about it.

First let me start with a funny story of something that happened to me today...

I was out running my list of long errands, one of which included stopping at the post office to mail off some packages. Lizzie was with me and was carrying around her pooh bear sticker she got from the bank. As I finished paying for my postage I picked Lizzie up to leave. A lady who was in line a few people behind me said "Excuse me miss, you dropped something". I realized LIzzie had dropped her sticker so I set Lizzie down to pick up her sticker and the same lady remarked at how cute she was. She told me to have Lizzie pick out a stuffed animal that was hanging on the chain next to the register. (Do all post offices have these or just mine??) Anyways, I nicely told her "thanks, but no thanks". She insisted so I thought, what harm could it do, right?

So Lizzie picks this one out...

we get out to the car and as Im buckling Lizzie in her carseat I decide to remove the tag off the bear so she doesnt eat it. Thats when I noticed this....

I wonder if this nice lady knew she was buying my drooling, slobering daughter an $11 (plus tax) very small stuffed animal??

Christmas Program

2007-01-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

Every year the boys schools, like most schools do a christmas program. Heres a little video clip of my future stars in their Christmas debuts. (The girl zoomed in on during Ryans program is my neice, Kaley, the blonde in the back row.) Ryan is the one standing next to the redheaded girl (also zoomed in on).

The video takes a few minutes to load, but its worth it to see the goof my son Ben has become :)

Boys Christmas Programs
Uploaded by cooperden

the reason why...

2006-12-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

...you don't have a drink when you are already tired and still have christmas presents to make for your 3, 4, and 6 year old neices...

yeah those are supposed to be a MATCHING set...crap..

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

I got this from hubs today and just laughed too hard to not share it with all of you :)

Tbwa_xmas_wmv
Uploaded by cooperden

Perfect Angle

2006-12-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

Some of these just make me say..."what the...heck..???!!!!"

more this 'n that

2006-12-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

Ok so I LOVE this Wii. My favorite has got to be the tennis. However, the golf absolutely irritates me because I can't do it right, thus, I tend to play that one more often. I feel like Happy Gilmore...."Go To Your Home!!....just taaaapppp it in..just taaaappity taaap taap it in". I really could throw my "golf club" through a window right now. Ugh! I will beat that game if its the last thing I do...

Anyways, on to other things...

Abqchunk mentioned the other day about looking for a gift for her brother and his fiance for their wedding. Which got me thinkin...she had a pretty good idea with the plush frivolous bathrobe idea...So I decided to check my brothers registry...Get this...theres only one bathrobe on there. Not just one available, but only one (under quantity) selected... so my question.. who is the one who will be walking around neked? Not that I really want to know...just saying.. abqchunk...ya really got me thinkin there..

Ok other things in life...wait, lets go back to the whole wedding thing...

I absolutely D.R.E.A.D. having to find a dress for my brothers wedding. I hate spending the $$ on a dress I will probably only wear once. (The last dress I bought for my other brothers wedding is still sitting in my closet) Needless to say, the afore mentioned dress no longer fits, nor is in style. Thank God I only have one other wedding after this one that is mandatory to attend. (That would be my little sister).

So in order to make it a little easier finding a dress, I've decided its back to the diet time..ick...and lucky me, just in time for all the holiday goodies...oh well, guess I will just have the upper hand on those who have the new year's resolution of dieting and losing weight...

Calm after the storm

2006-12-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

So last night, after staying up fairly late playing Wii Tennis, I took a long hot shower and headed to bed. Only to be disturbed from that "almost asleep" state by my crying baby girl. I coaxed Anthony to get up and go check on her. After a few short minutes I hear him yelling "honey you'd better come up here, I need help NOW". I get upstairs to see Anthony holding Elizabeth by the back of her PJs (Mission Impossible style) over the lanolium floor in the bathroom. She is completely covered in puke, as well as her bed, her favorite bunny (that she can't go to sleep without) and all her blankets. Let me tell you it S.T.U.N.K.!!!!!

After getting her into the bathtub, washed, dried and redressed, she threw up again. We repeated this process most of the night, at least til around 1:00 a.m when we all dropped into bed from exhaustion. (Big kudos to Anthony for enduring the puke with me - thanks babe!!)

Thank God this morning she was back to her normal cheery self. Now I just pray the rest of our family doesnt get whatever it was she had.

boxing

2006-11-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

Wii ben
Uploaded by cooperden

Heres a little preview of my 4 year old playing Wii sports boxing. This truly is a system for all ages. Of course, you dont have to stand that close to the tv to play. I will post a more detailed review in a few days (along with some more pics or video)

Yet another...

2006-11-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a Meme my friend Cindy emailed to me. It had some good questions, so I thought I would blog it instead of emailing it to all of you :)

If you want to repost it to your site...feel free!!

1. What is your occupation? SAHM & Daycare Provider
2. What color are your socks right now? White
3. What are you listening to right now? The fan next to my woodstove and my windchimes outside
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Im drinking a peppermint mocha right now, otherwise, cheerios
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? um, i think i would be pink
7 Last person you spoke to on the phone? Anthony
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? of course!
9. How old are you today? eeekkk...never ask a woman her age...okay fine, 30
10. Favorite drink: homemade peppermint mocha
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Football
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yup, too many to count
13. Pets? none
14. What was the last movie you watched? Memoires of a Geisha - I HIGHLY recommend this movie if you haven't seen it!!
15. Favorite day of the year? I would have to say christmas. I love the cozy feeling of waking up and having that special family time.
16. What do you do to vent anger? Clean the house
17. What was your favorite toy as a child? hmmm i dont know that I had a favorite toy, but I did like the good ol fashioned sit 'n spin.
18. What is your favorite fall or spring? fall
19. Hugs or kisses? Hugs
20. Cherries or Blueberry? Blueberry
21. Living arrangements? Own my home, well technically the bank still owns it
22. When was the last time you cried? a few weeks ago...got in a fight with hubby
23. What is on the floor of your closet? pillows
24. What did you do last night? babysat my neices and nephews and played on my Wiiiiiiiiii :)
25. Favorite smells? christmas tree (evergreen) scented candles
26. What is your dream car? don't really have one
27. What are you afraid of? being in a car accident, losing my husband and/or my family.
28. Plain, cheese or spicy: spicy
29. Favorite dog breed? don't have one
30. Number of keys on your key ring? 1
31. How many years at your current job? 6+
32. Favorite day of the week? Saturdays
33. How many states have you lived in ? 4
34. Favorite holiday? Christmas
35. Ever driven a Motorcycle or heavy machinery? nope
36. Who's your favorite NFL team? toss up between broncos and giants
37. Do you have a house phone that is NOT cordless? no house phone - only cell phones
38. 10 inches of snow or 100 degree weather? let it snow, let it snow, let it snow :)

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

2006-11-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

Ok so, once again, it has been a few weeks since I posted. Sorry. I guess its a good thing I didn't opt to do that blog every day for a whole month thing.

Anyways, there hasn't been a whole lot going on here. We survived the holidays and some how I didn't get any pictures from Thanksgiving. Oh well.

So the reason I am posting today is because my husband (and I) have been on a ravenous hunt for a Nintendo Wii. We bought a Nintendo 64 when they first came out and had a ton of fun with it. Since then we haven't had a gaming system. ( I remember my friend Heidi having the original nintendo when it first came out [back in the day] ...I was soooo jealous!!! I would go to her house just to play duck hunt LOL).

Okay, getting side-tracked here...So today I am sitting in my chair giving my neice her bottle when my husband rushes in the door, all out of breath hollering something about me not answering my cell phone. I quizically gave the "whats going on" look. He yells...Walmart has THREE Wiis in stock right NOW.....gimme all your money!!!!

Needless to say, I surrendered my checkbook and he came home with this...

Please ignore the folded laundry in the background. I intended to finish laundry today, however, now my plan is shot. I believe I will be spending the next 12 hours (at least) playing :)

Meme

2006-11-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

Randomness

1. Explain what ended your last relationship?
Moving out of state

2. When was the last time you shaved?
This morning.

3. What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.?
Feeding the kids before church.

4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
Checking email.

6. Your prom night?
Don't really remember....too long ago.

7. Do you have any famous ancestors?
Yes but I cant remember who...go figure.

8. Have you had to take a loan out for school?
No.

9. Do you know the words to the song on your myspace profile?
Most of them.

10. Last thing received in the mail?
Junk mail.

11. How many different beverages have you had today?
3 - water, coffee, limade

12. Do you ever leave messages on peoples answering machines?
Depends on whether i was calling just to say hi or if i actually needed them to call me back.

13. Who did you lose your CONCERT virginity to?
Hmmm. I think Jars of Clay, but im not sure.

14. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
No.

15. What was the most painful dental procedure you have had?
Well my first thought is a root canal I had done when I was 18, but I think I would have to say having my wisdom tooth pulled a few months ago.

16. What is out your back door?
The deck where our hot tub used to be.

17. Any plans for Friday night?
Yup!!! Girls night out!!

18. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?
Ewwww NO!!!!!

19. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns?
yup...won it in a white elephant gift exchange

20. Have you ever been to a planetarium?
Not that i remember.

21. Do you re-use towels after you shower?
Of course - do you really think Im going to wash 5 towels every day...that would mean I would be washing 35 towels a week for a family of 5. Eek thats a lot of laundry.

22. Some things you are excited about?
My new computer (yay!), girls night out

23. What is your favorite flavor of JELLO?
Not a big jell-o fan. Ick!

24. Describe your keychain(s)?
um...keys on a ring along with the keyless entry for my van?

25. How many times a day do you check your email?
Way too many :)

26. Where do you keep your change?
In a jar...but im not telling you where, just in case you come to my house :)

27. What kind of winter coat do you own?
A yellow one that is nice and toasty warm. I bought it at an outlet in Silverthorne 2 years ago.

28. What was the weather like on your graduation day?
Oh gosh...that was a loooonnnngggg time ago...like 12 years ago. I think it was warm and sunny.

29. Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed?
Open. If the kiddos cry in the middle of the night, I need to be able to hear them.

30. Did U read this far?
Nope, sorry becci - got excited about this meme and had to give it a try before I lost all ambition to blog.

2006-11-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Sign seen at my local coffee shop....

"Children left unattended will be given a free puppy and an espresso"

if I ever own a shop of some sort I will HAVE to get a sign like that!!

2006-11-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

The Seamstress

2006-10-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

One day, when a seamstress was sewing while sitting close to a river, her thimble fell into the river. When she cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "My dear child, why are you crying?"

The seamstress replied that her thimble had fallen into the water and that she needed it to help her husband in making a living for their family.

The Lord dipped His hand into the water and pulled up a golden thimble set with pearls.

"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked

The seamstress replied, "No."

The Lord again dipped into the river. He held out a silver thimble ringed with sapphires.

"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.

Again, the seamstress replied, "No."

The Lord reached down again and came up with a leather thimble. "Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.

The seamstress replied, "Yes."

The Lord was pleased with the woman's honesty and gave her all three thimbles to keep, and the seamstress went home happy.

Some years later, the seamstress was walking with her husband along the riverbank, and her husband fell into the river and disappeared under the water.

When she cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked her, "Why are you crying?"

"Oh Lord, my husband has fallen into the river!"

The Lord went down into the water and came up with George Clooney.

"Is this your husband?" the Lord asked.

"Yes," cried the seamstress .

The Lord was furious. "You lied! That is an untruth!"

The seamstress replied, "Oh, forgive me, my Lord It is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said 'no' to George Clooney, you would have come up with Brad Pitt. Then if I said 'no' to him, you would have come up with my husband. Had I then said 'yes,' you would have given me all three. Lord, I'm not in the best of health and would not be able to take care of all three husbands, so THAT'S why I said 'yes' to George Clooney.

And so the Lord let her keep him.

This and That

2006-10-28T16:53:00.000-06:00

I have decided my next house will not have cable, nor will there be a television in my bedroom. I have fought the battle of trying to keep the tvs off in my home but when you have 3 people (especially hubby) who are addicted to tv...well its hard to get them to keep it off. I've thought about disconnecting our cable, but then we would be without internet since they go through the same company. I have come to realize when my husband is home he is in one of three places. Either he is in his studio (in the backyard above our detached garage), outside dinking with "stuff" or he is in our bedroom watching tv. All of these things completely detach him from our family and any possible family time. Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind watching a little tv now and then, and sometimes it is a complete life and sanity saver with the kids, but there is no reason why we have to have 2 tvs on 24/7...right? Come on people, get a grip...

Gripe #2...this weekends project was to turn this...

into a makeshift scrapbook room for me to work in while we are trying to sell the house. My husband was supposed to start cleaning and organizing his mess on Friday (I just had this room spotless a month ago when we listed our house) so I could move all my stuff in tomorrow afternoon...well it is now Saturday evening and not a single thing has been done...oh yeah unless you count the few hours of studio work along with the many hours of "hide-out tv watching". Grrr...maybe I should burn dinner tonight??!!

On a little lighter note...
Ryan got some candy as an early halloween gift from my inlaws today. When I asked him what types of candy he got he replied..."I got candy bars, gum...oh yeah, and TIT-sie rolls"

Sittin' Pretty

2006-10-24T15:22:00.000-06:00

I dont know how I managed, but I got lizzie to sit still
for 15 minutes while I did this to her hair...

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE having a girl?

Things I can't live without...

2006-10-20T08:34:00.000-06:00

Not a whole lot happenin on the homefront so I thought I would blog about a few of my favorite [can't live without] products.

My first and foremost is this...

I have curly, VERY curly hair [natural not permed]. I have tried many many many anti-frizz, curl taming products and have NEVER come across a product I am completely in love with and cannot do without...until now. This stuff is great. I just let my hair air-dry after washin and then spray/spritz this stuff in my hair, scrunch with my hand and go.

Heres a pic...can you tell which side I used my favorite product on??

Heres another product I love...[I actually use the fat-free hazelnut kind but they didn't have a pic available]coffee just wouldn't be the same without it, and of course, I just can't go without the caffeine buzz I get from my coffee each morning. Trust me, you DONT want to see me before I get that first cup of caffeine flowin in my system...

Yet another fabulous product...

This cleaner can get stains out of just about anything. I mainly use this on laundry. 1/2 scoop in a gallon or two of cold water and let the clothes soak for a few hours, throw in the wash and *poof* the stain is gone. I have 2 very active [stain magnet] boys...need I say more?

Okay, one more...this has saved me many times. Or at least my peace of mind. I keep this stuff everywhere...the diaper bag, the cup holder in my vehicle [after I've been out shopping, after seeing that commercial of people sneezing on the handle bars of shopping carts...eww..need I say more]. I even keep it on my window sill above my sink to use after wiping the runny noses of my daycare kids.

What is your favorite product that YOU can't live without?? Share it on your blog and I will do a post linking to all your faves...just drop me a line to let me know you did the post!

A good funny

2006-10-18T08:45:00.000-06:00

I came across this blog. Theres quite a bit of funny stuff...and its all clean, rated G. Anyways I laughed pretty hard at this particular video...take a look

its titled "what old people do for fun..." (you may have to scroll down a little)

*sarah I think this is a site you would really get some good laughs at, as well as enjoy reading this site (they are written by the same person).

Starting a tag - 20 random things about myself

2006-10-17T10:06:00.000-06:00

This is a tag I did when I first started my blog a year ago (see link below) and I realized how many things have changed, so I thought I would re-write this tag each year to keep track of life in a nutshell...

1. I have my nose pierced.
2. We are trying to sell our house.
3. I finally found a beer I actually like as long as I have lime to add to it. (Dos Equis)
4. I was going to do something big, like a tattoo, for my 30th birthday and then realized that was very stereotypical so I decided against it.
5. I run a daycare and at any given time have up to 10 children running through my home.
6. I love tv lately...mostly addicted to Greys Anatomy, CSI: Miami, Miami Ink, Ugly Betty, Extreme Home Makeover, Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters (this show really reminds me of my family..)
7. I wish I were more of a health nut and could stick to one healthy regimen instead of going back and forth between healthy and junk food.
8. I love to fly...or maybe I just love the excitement of being in airports?
9. I love to travel but don't get to do it often.
10. Cold rainy weather makes me feel lazy.
11. I can't wait to get my new Mac Book (after we sell our house)
12. I have 4 brothers, 1 sister, 4 sisters-in-law, 4 neices, 4 nephews and the family is still growing... you should see the look on a hostess' face when we walk into a busy restaurant and tell them we need a table for 14 plus 3 high chairs.
13. We usually have to wait a good hour for a table.
14. I really feel lazy today...oh, i think i already might have mentioned that.
15. I am getting really involved with my church Sunday school and am excited to see where it will go and how it will change my life as well as the children in our church.
16. My parents got a new (used) Jeep its pretty cool!
17. Im proud of my husband for following his dreams
18. I need to find some dreams of my own to follow.
19. Today is laundry day...I hate doing laundry
20. I have no idea what to write for this one. I am completely brain-zapped. Must be the weather. Have I mentioned it has rained for 3 1/2 weeks daily? For those of you who don't know...I live in a desert-like area...we almost NEVER get rain...

Okay so Im not going to tag anyone in particular but I would love all my readers to do this list. Drop me a comment if you did it so I can check out your list.

Happy Blog-iversary

2006-10-17T08:53:00.000-06:00

One year ago I created this blog. Tomorrow I will take you for a walk down memory lane, but today...here are a few of my first entries

1. A little about my family

2. My first tag

3. You NEVER buy me anything

enjoy!

Too tired to post...

2006-10-15T18:26:00.000-06:00

but here are some pictures from Ryans birthday. Ryan turned 6 last tuesday. He got special pancakes for breakfast, Daddy took him to McDonalds for lunch, I brought cupcakes to his school for snacktime and then we had a birthday party for him that afternoon. THEN at his request, we had his family birthday party (with my family) at Chuck E. Cheese last night. We also celebrated my niece, Kaley's birthday (hers is the 18th) We had fun, but it was a BIG mistake....you NEVER take 9 kids (with parental supervision) to Chuck E. Cheese on a cold, rainy Saturday night. (maybe thats why im tired today??) Anyways, we also celebrated Ryans birthday with my inlaws yesterday earlier in the day.

Happy 6th Birthday to my big boy!

(my niece Kaley, also 6)

Cruisin...

2006-10-13T19:11:00.000-06:00

So I mentioned Lizzie is walking but I wanted to post a little video of it so in years from now I have this to look back on as a reminder...and yes, that is "daddy" she says at the end, though I was the one videoing. Daddy wasn't even in the room...shows who her loyalties are to :)

Lizzie walks
Uploaded by cooperden

Heres to happy endings...

2006-10-12T22:08:00.000-06:00

She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates, and suitcases.

On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things.

On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candlelight, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of chardonnay.

When she had finished, she went into each and every room and stuffed half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar into the hollow of all of the curtain rods. She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.

When the husband returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days. Then, slowly, the house began to smell. They tried everything: cleaning, mopping, and airing the place out. Vents were checked for dead rodents, carpets were steam cleaned, and air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out for a few days, and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting. Nothing worked. People stopped coming over to visit. Repairmen refused to work in the house. The maid quit. Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move.

A month later, even though they had cut their price in half, they could not find a buyer for their stinky house. Word got out, and, eventually, even the local realtors refused to return their calls. Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.

The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back.

Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day. She agreed, and, within the hour, his lawyers delivered the paperwork.

A week later, the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home, including the curtain rods.

I just love a happy ending, don't you?

something to cheer you up

2006-10-10T16:02:00.000-06:00

just in case you were wondering...

Merry Christmas

"Can you hear me now?"

2006-10-10T13:13:00.000-06:00

I HATE cellphone companies!!! Why is it the most incompetent of incompetent people work at these types of companies???

I recently started a new 2 year contract with a particular cellphone company. I ordered my phone from them online because they offered me an additional $50 rebate if I bought the phone online rather than in their store...no brainer...right?? WRONG!!!

After 3 days of anticipation for my new phone that could, not only provide me with cell phone service, but would also provide me with the ability to take photos, movies, AND have real ring tones, not those dumb synthesized songs I receive THE PHONE (happy happy joy joy). I call said cellphone company to activate my phone. I spend 2 hours (give or take) on the phone with the customer service rep that spoke VERY broken english only to find out that the memory card chip thingy was bad. They tell me to go to the local cellphone store and have them "fix" it. (This is where I remind you that I run a DAYCARE out of my home) I pack up all 5 kids and run down to the local store. The gentleman there, who was extremely nice, apologized and said there was nothing he could do because I bought this fabulous phone off the internet through the cellphone company and so I had to deal with them directly. I informed him that I had already called and they told me to go visit his store. He apologized again, told me he couldn't help me "fix" my phone but did offer me some helpful information. He told me to call the company again and tell them my account was never switched over properly and this is why the memory chip card thingy wouldnt work. He offered me (for free) a new card just in case the company wanted me to ship the phone back just for the card replacement.

I take the card and all 5 kids back home where I call the cellphone company AGAIN. I explain to them what the nice gentleman told me and they said "oh, I guess you are right". After another hour on the phone they were able to "fix" my phone with the use of the new card chip thingy (thanks to that gentleman who was as helpful as could be *side note* he was not affiliated with this cellphone company, just a provider).

Sooo all should be working fine and dandy now...right??....WRONG again. I get my first bill in the mail. It is an outrageous $215. I was so irratated with this bill I threw it in the drawer and refused to look at it for a week. Finally, after calming down I rationally looked over my bill to see what the error was...because I was SURE there was an error. Sure enough...I was charged for 307 minutes at 45 cents per minute. These 307 minutes were supposed to all be FREE mobile to mobile minutes. Sooo, once again I call the cellphone company, explain to them what happened, spend another 45 minutes on the phone getting it fixed to have my bill reduced from $215 down to $62. I send payment and life goes on....right??....yup, you guessed it...WRONG AGAIN!!

I look at this months bill online...once again, its $124. Now I am starting to see red...seriously...Im at the point of arguing with this company in my head...I am going to LET THEM HAVE IT...I call...the phone rings...."thank you for calling xxx cell phone company...how are you today" ... I completely lose my mean face..."im doing fine...thank you" I say....GEEZ what happened to the arguing?? What happened to the "Im going to let them have it" voice???

I explain to this lady that, once again, my bill is screwed up. "What seems to be the problem" she says. "Well, for starters you are only crediting me for 270 minutes per month when I am allotted 450". She said "well let me look into it...can you hold for a few minutes?" GEEZ, why not, I have spent more time on hold with your company in the last 2 months than I have actually used minutes on my phone service...GOSH!!! She comes back on the line after about 5 minutes telling me the reason I was only "given" 270 minutes was because I never signed a 2 year contract with them and out of the kindness of her heart she would alter this months bill but I should have done my part to sign the contract....

WHAT THE HECK???? SERIOUSLY???? At what point should they have gotten the idea that I was agreeing to a 2 year contract...hmmm, maybe when I ordered the phone and clicked the box that said I AGREE TO A 2 YEAR CONTRACT... or maybe when I called to activate the phone and was asked if I was signing up for a 2 YEAR CONTRACT...OR better yet, maybe it was when I called the most recent time telling them my minutes were goofed up???? COME ON PEOPLE....What is the DEAL here???? Why can't someone simply set up an account and have it run properly??? AAArrrrgggggghhhhhh - so help me if I wasn't locked into a 2 year contract I would change my service...then again, I would have to go through this whole process all over again with the next company...I mean really, get your heads out of your butts and use a computer...geez!!!!

update part 2

2006-10-09T15:52:00.000-06:00

Here are a few more updates on things that have been going on around here...

1. Elizabeth is FINALLY walking. Both the boys were walking by their 1st birthday...not Lizzie. She is 14 months and is now just starting. She still prefers to crawl the majority of the time. Last week we were sitting in the living room together and Anthony walked in. She looked at him and just walked to him, out of the blue. We were both super shocked and she was quite tickled pink with herself.

2. I learned about deep dish cookies. If you haven't ever had them...well, they are my new junk food obsession and you should try one. Take cookie dough and squish it in the bottom of a little pyrex or corningware (ovensafe) cup...like the size of a custard cup. Bake it at 350 for about 15 minutes. Take it out and put the whole dish in another bowl (to prevent spillage) Let it cool for a minute or two and then drop a good sized scoop of vanilla ice cream on top...yummm... (if you use the premade cookie dough, just use about 2-3 cookies worth) I prefer the plain ol chocolate chip cookie dough, but I have also tried the oatmeal choco chip as well as the peanut butter cookie dough and those are good too.

3. I've become completely and hopelessly addicted to Grey's Anatomy (thanks toKatie J.)

4. I've been learning to play poker. Now, growing up my brothers prided themselves on their poker abilities. Quite often they took advantage of my sister and I, taking all our pennies. Soooo, for my birthday, we played some poker and I must brag...I kicked my brothers butts along with my hubbys and brother-in-laws. Now, really Im not that great at poker it was just fun to have the biggest pile 'o chips at the end of the night :)

Cute things from Ben

2006-10-09T08:42:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we decided, since the boys were pretty grouchy after church, we would have to take naps. After they slept for a while, I went in to wake them up. As soon as Ben heard my voice he sat completely upright and looked at me telling me he wasnt sleeping. I told him "Yes you were". In return he said "Nha anh I didn't see my eyes close." At that I just giggled and agreed with him that I guess he really didn't sleep.

This morning, while sitting down for breakfast Ben decided to share with his cousins something he learned at school. Here is what he said... (I had to have him repeat it just so I could get it on video...)

Bens Pledge
Uploaded by cooperden

Meme

2006-10-05T13:40:00.000-06:00

I got this from Becci. I don't usually like memes because the questions are usually dumb (sorry) But this one was kinda fun...so here ya go...

(I typed this yesterday so technicallly some of these questions apply to tuesday rather than yesterday...)

1. How many keys are on your keychain? Depends on which vehicle im driving. Van, 3 keys, 'burban, 2 keys

2. What curse word do you use the most?
I don't use 'em

3. Do you own an iPod?
No, not really, though I did borrow one from DHs office. I don't use it all that often though.

4. What time is your alarm clock set for?
I don't use an alarm clock, but Im usually up between 6:30 and 7.

5. How many suitcases do you own?
I personally have 1 but we have a bunch of "extras" in the closet.

6. Do you wear flip flops even when it's cold outside?
Sometimes, especially if I've just gotten a great pedicure :)

7. Where do you buy your groceries from?
Walmart

8. Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture?
Well, usually Im always the one taking the picture but secretly wish I were IN more pictures than taking them.

9. What was the last movie you watched?
Batman Begins-adult
Veggie Tales Sumo of the Opera-kids

10. Do any of your friends have children?
Yes, most of them do

11. If you won the lottery, what's the first thing you would buy?
I would pay off my mortgage...so technically the first thing I would buy would be my house. 2nd thing...a new MacBook.

12. Has anyone ever called you lazy?
I don't think so

13. Do you ever take medication to help you fall asleep faster?
nope

14. What CD is currently in your CD player?
Abandonato-house
Goo Goo Dolls-car

15. Do you prefer regular or chocolate milk?
hmm Im not a big milk drinker...but really, I think I would have to say coffee milk (east coast thing)

16. Has anyone told you a secret this week?
um..probably

17. When was the last time someone hit on you?
last night

18. What did you have for dinner?
Spaghetti

19. Do you wear hoodies often?
YES!

20. Can you whistle?
you betcha

21. Have you ever participated in a protest?
only if you count protesting your curfew

22. Who was the last person to call you?
my sister i think **checking cell phone log** yup, my sister

23. What is your favorite ride at an amusement park?
tilt-a-whirl

24. Do you think people talk about you behind your back?
oh im sure they do

25. What is your favorite color?
um, lately it has been sage-y/army greens

26. Did you watch cartoons as a child?
yup, the good old fashioned ones

27. How big is your local mall?
not big enough

28. How many siblings do you have?
five (4 brothers and 1 sister)

29. Are you shy around the opposite sex?
sometimes

30. What is your biggest regret?
don't know that I really have any..well, maybe allowing ourselves to get into credit card debt

31. When was the last time you laughed so hard your sides hurt?
not sure, its been a while

32. What movie do you know every line to?
probably the Wedding Singer or some veggie tales movies

33. Do you own any band t-shirts?
Five Face Down. Of course, I used to own a Wynonna Judd tshirt too. And probably some others at one point or another.

34. When was your last plane ride?
Heidi's wedding in 2003

35. How many chairs are at your dining room table?
eight

36. Do you read for fun?
not usually, but I wish I had the time to do it occasionally

37. Can you speak any languages other than English?
nope

38. Do you do your own dishes?
yes, at least until I train my kids to do them :)

39. What color is your bedroom painted?
cranberry

40. Have you ever cried in public?
of course

What is the deal...

2006-10-05T13:10:00.000-06:00

...with my photos not working? Is it me or blogger? I've tried reloading them, re-uploading them, etc and nothing seems to work. I've never had this problem. I noticed on other peoples sites that they seem to be missing pictures too...maybe its something with blogger. Well I will leave it alone for a few days and hopefully it will fix itself. If not I will try to re-upload my pics again. All my info on the last post isn't near as good without the pictures to go along with it. Sorry!

Its been a while

2006-10-05T10:34:00.000-06:00

Wow, I just realized how many things have happened in the past few months that I have not posted about...

So heres a flashback post of what I have been up to...

1. Ryan started kindergarten *yay*!!! He is loving school although he lost his brand new backpack within the first 2 or 3 days of school (grrr!) Thank God I only bought him the 5$ bag and not the 20$ spiderman bag he really wanted.

2. Elizabeth turned a year old. I posted her birthday pictures, but here are a few pictures from her birthday party. She really wasn't sure what to think about her cupcake. The boys just dove into their cake on their 1st birthday so I guess I was expecting her to do the same. In fact, for the most part, she was quite lady-like.

3. I started a daycare. Finances have been tight and I was really stressed on what to do. I couldn't afford to go back to work because it would cost me more in daycare than I would get paid. Anthony has been too busy to pick up any extra side jobs, so I decided to start a daycare. Lucky for me, most of the kids I watch are my nieces and nephews which allows me the freedom I need for my "traveling" schedule.

4. I finally upgraded and got a new cellphone that is quite cute. I am able to download real ringtones (no more of that synthesized stuff). I have also learned that downloading ringtones can be the death of me :) PLUS I can take pictures AND video. The best thing...the phone was free too :) Isn't it cute??!!

5. It has already snowed for the first time of the season. Can you believe it? It was only September too. Anyways, I have a video I took with my camera just to prove that it really was snowing here...It was raining at the same time, but that doesnt matter, it still counts as the first snow :)

MVI_9642
Uploaded by cooperden

6. The big oucher...I turned 30 last Monday. Yup. Big. Ouch. Ugh. And no, I don't feel any older (I have been asked that quite a bit lately)

I had a goal of losing weight before my birthday and I succeeded. I've lost 20 pounds. I still have about another 10 pounds I'd like to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but at least I've lost the majority of it. I also was due for a haircut and color (too many roots showing) so I decided to go with something new. No im not going through a mid-life crisis. I just have never found a cut/color I am just really happy with so I am continually trying new things. This cut is the first one Anthony has been really "wowwed" by. Usually he says "yeah its okay" but this time he was quite impressed. So I think I might stick with this one a while.

For my birthday celebration Anthony took me to Zen Garden for dinner and then to Kohls for a shopping trip. I didn't buy much. Im always self-conscious when it comes to buying things when he is with me...soooo...Im going back on Friday without him to shop some more :) Here are some pictures of what I did buy. They look much better on than hanging on a hanger but I didn't have time to model them for you. I also got a pair of really cute sunglasses (not pictured)

Okay...theres more, but I will save that for another post...maybe tomorrow...

Welcome to my home

2006-10-04T14:00:00.000-06:00

A while back Sarah had a blog post about her home. She basically gave you a tour through photos. Well, we are selling our house and since I just had to clean it spotless to take pictures for our realtor, I thought I would share them with you...so....

Welcome to my home...

Heres what it looked like when we bought it 3 years ago.

When you walk through the front door, you walk into the dining room

While standing in the dining room, if you look to your right, you will see the kitchen. Not my favorite room as far as appearance goes, but it works and I guess that is all that matters right?

If you glance straight ahead from the dining room, you will see the living room A.K.A. the kids play room when it is cold, muddy, rainy, or just plain yucky out. I realized that you would have to classify our living room as a den seeing how, very rarely, do us adults get to use this room. This has become their domain. You cant see it in the picture but in the far corner to the left I stacked all their toys so they wouldn't be in the picture.

Down the hall from the dining room you will find the master bedroom and master bathroom. I must say, out of all the rooms in my house, my bedroom is my favorite. Its warm, inviting, and just all around relaxing. I love the way these pictures came out of this room.

We recently remodeled our master bathroom as some of you know. Here are pictures of the finished project. They don't do justice at all, but the doorway was so narrow I couldn't get a better shot.

This is my other favorite room. From the day I found out I was having a girl, I started designing this room. I looked, researched, and pondered about what would be the perfect little girls room. This is what I came up with. I think this is the one room I will truly miss when we sell the house. Again, the pictures do not do justice to this room. The top is a lavender color with a sage-y green on the bottom separated by a white chair rail with adorable little ballerina girls on it.

So this is my home. Its not much, but its filled with love and warmth.

Saying Goodbye

2006-09-14T17:41:00.000-06:00

Last week my dad got a call from a family member back East (Rhode Island) saying that my grandmother was very ill and the doctors saw no hope in her getting better. Her health has been on again/off again for quite some time. Last night, at 10:45pm eastern time, my grandmother passed away. Im not sure how I feel about it right now. Part of me wants to deny that this has happened. I remind myself that, while we were growing up, we were never that close to her. I remember she came and visited us kids (me and my 5 siblings) once a week bearing gifts of peanuts, but that is about all I can remember other than the various pictures I've seen of them with us at a lake. The other part of me feels a large amount of grief for the loss. I have a huge lump in my throat that won't go away. I never had the chance to introduce my kids to her. They will never know who my grandmother was. I knew she was dying but it was easier to put it out of my mind. I really didn't think it would affect me in this way...

Tubing

2006-08-29T20:10:00.000-06:00

This last weekend my friends and band family all got together for a fun 5fd day. We met up with my brother (*thanks isaiah!*)and his boat and spent the day being thrown off tubes, skies and kneeboards. It was a little stormy but the storm held off for us to have some fun. Heres the video of my tube ride.

(for those of you who were there and want your (or your hubby's) copy of your video clips, let me know and I can upload them to your dailymotion.com account so you can put them on your blog or myspace)

Anyways, enjoy watching me being thrown across the lake :)

Pc tube2
Uploaded by cooperden

VeggieTales on TV

2006-08-29T16:51:00.000-06:00

Series to Launch on NBC and Telemundo September 9 and and i Network September 15

Get ready VeggieTales fans -- have we got a TV show for you! After 13 years, VeggieTales will make its debut in living rooms all across America thanks to the wonderful world of broadcast television. Beginning September 9, Big Idea will introduce their host of animated veggies to the viewers of NBC, i Network and to the Spanish-speaking audience of the Telemundo Network.

The Saturday morning block will begin on September 9 on NBC, beginning at 10:00 a.m. EST followed by a 3-2-1 Penguins! or LarryBoy Adventures show at 11:00 a.m. Telemundo will carry the same blocks in Spanish beginning on September 9 at 8:00 a.m., while the i Network will air the blocks beginning on Friday, September 15 at 3:00 p.m. EST.

Big Idea has an amazing opportunity to bring "Sunday Morning Values, Saturday Morning Fun" to television and reach a huge audience which may have never heard of Bob, Larry, Silly-Songs or The Pirates who Don't do Anything. Along with the ever-adorable VeggieTales crew, 3-2-1 Penguins! and the LarryBoy Adventures 2-D series will also be featured in the Saturday morning and Friday afternoon time-block.

Join Big Idea and Veggie-fans everywhere as we tune in to celebrate this momentous occasion.

I don't LIKE pepper...

2006-08-27T16:02:00.000-06:00

I am putting this on here as a mere reminder that, dispite the many complaints I get from my children (i don't like pepper, eewww is that an onion, momMMM what is that yellow thing??!!) I really can cook :)

You Are an Excellent Cook

You're a top cook, but you weren't born that way. It's taken a lot of practice, a lot of experimenting, and a lot of learning.
It's likely that you have what it takes to be a top chef, should you have the desire...

Are You A Good Cook?

Meme

2006-08-12T08:40:00.000-06:00

Ok so thanks to Becci I have to do a meme. I guess this is one way to get me back to blogging. I have a ton of stuff to blog, but no time to do it...so maybe this will be the first step to getting back on the horse...

My Meme

One book you have read more than once? Anne of Green Gables. I really liked the character because she was so bold to stand up for herself and others...plus I liked that her name was "Anne with an E" (same as my middle name). I was always correcting people telling them I was also an Anne with an E.

One book you would want on a desert island? Gosh..I don't know..probably my bible (i know...church answer) but I would also probably choose something that had a large series with it.

One book that made you laugh? I don't remember the titles, but my son has some GREAT funny kids books that make even me laugh.

One book that made you cry? don't know that i've ever read a book that made me cry.

One book you wish you had written? Any of Joyce Meyers book. This lady is a great christian writer. Very down to earth and easy to understand and apply to your life.

One book you wish had never been written? Um...dunno

One book you are currently reading? Im not reading anything right now. Although I occasionally pick up Joyce Meyers "how to hear from God" when I accidentally end up with spare time.

One book you've been meaning to read? I should be reading the Vaccine Guide I borrowed from my SIL so I can return it to her.

Okay now for the tagging...hmmm.. Marki, Heidi and Kris (kris I know you can do this...you are constantly posting about books on your blog)

Happy Birthday Baby!

2006-08-01T19:42:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving Feast

2006-07-22T14:55:00.000-06:00

One year at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my sister's house for the traditional feast.

Knowing how gullible my sister is, my mom decided to play a trick.
She told my sister that she needed something from the store.

When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of the oven,
removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen,and inserted it into the
turkey, and re-stuffed the turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in
the oven.

When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird.

With a look of total shock on her face, my mother exclaimed, "Patricia, you've cooked a pregnant bird!" At the reality of this horrifying news, my sister started to cry.

It took the family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs!

Okay, so this didn't REALLY happen to MY family, but I thought it was pretty funny and it sounded like something my family would do to one of us kids...

"but I didn't"

2006-07-20T09:42:00.000-06:00

I came across this email I had sent to a friend of mine and realized I had never blogged this. This actually happened a year ago but its too good not to share...

Some of you may laugh, and some of you may...well...it may turn your stomach (if you are squeemish) but regardless, if you have kids of your own, or if you know my kids well, you are sure to be able to relate on some level. So here it goes...

Im sitting here at my computer, checking my email and quietly eating my lunch while my 2 boys are watching Aladdin (giving me a few moments of sanity) when I hear my 3 year old cough. Odd, I thought, wonder if hes getting a cold. I look over to see him sticking his fingers down his throat. Typical boy, I thought, trying to make himself throw up (he is fascinated by bodily functions like gagging and burping as well as a few others i wont mention).

Now lately my 3 yr old has been pretending to be sick because he really likes to eat vitamin Cs. So im thinking hes doing this to make me think hes sick...right??? WRONG....as I am watching him, he proceeds to throw up...all over my freshly shampooed carpet. I yell at him to stop sticking his fingers down his throat as I grab the nearest towel...trying to save my carpet. I make it just in time to catch the first "blow" in the very small wash cloth in my hand. I tell him to walk to the kitchen...well, run is more like it. We make it just in time to grab another towel for the second "blow"...and Lo and Behold...there it was, a brand new shiny penny. He looks at me with this sheepish grin while I, of course, reprimand him about putting things in his mouth and how he could choke...he looks at me and says "BUT I DIDN'T" .

sometimes I dont think I will ever survive being a mom. Oh, and by the way, my 3 yr old is just fine. He went back to watching Aladdin with his older brother, giving me enough time to sit here and tell you all this story and try to finish my lunch...i think i may have lost my appetite though...

Breast or Bottle Fed??

2006-07-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

OK so once again I haven't been blogging. Sorry all, but this summer has me hopping. I have been super busy. Anyways, in the mean time, while ya'll are waiting for me to return to blog land....heres a little "funny" someone emailed me...Hope it gives you a laugh too...

Breast or Bottle Fed??

A woman and a baby were in the doctor's examining room, waiting for the doctor to come in for the baby's first exam. The doctor arrived, examined the baby, checked his weight, and being a little concerned, asked if the baby was breast-fed or bottle-fed.

"Breast-fed" she replied.

Well, strip down to your waist," the doctor ordered.

She did. He pinched her nipples, then pressed, kneaded, and rubbed both breasts for a while in a detailed examination. Motioning to her to get dressed, he said, "No wonder this baby is underweight. You don't have any milk."

"I know," she said, "I'm his Grandma, but I'm glad I came."

A few random thoughts...

2006-06-21T09:19:00.001-06:00

Pool Rules

What would you do?? My boys are taking swimming lessons at a local pool. There are large, bright yellow signs posted all over stating that all boys ages 4 and up are to use the mens locker room rather than the womens locker room (with their moms). The thought of this is disturbing to me in the society we live in. I should mention, that my husband isn't available at these times to take them into the mens locker room. The pool does offer a "family dressing room" but it is just one room the size of a handicapped bathroom stall and generally there is a line a mile long waiting to use it.

I just don't feel good about sending them into the mens locker room alone knowing of all the "types" of people in the world today. I would be nothing for some other guy to molest or abuse my child in the few minutes that they are out of my sight. (Not to mention the fact that my boys are extremely friendly and willing to talk to people they don't know despite our attempts at the "don't talk to strangers" rule). Is it just time to let my boys grow up and be boys? Am I babying them? Am I being paranoid?

For now I take them with me to the womens locker room and have not had any complaints, however, today when dropping them off we stopped to use the potty and one of the aerobic teachers were using the rest room as well. She didn't say anything, but gave me the look of "uh exsCUSE me, you're breaking the rules".

What would you do???

Another random thought...

Have you ever gotten dressed in somewhat of a hurry in the dark, gone to the bathroom a few short hours later and realized your underware and shirt match exactly?? How in the world does something like that happen???

And yet, another random subject...

We went camping this past weekend. The kids and I had a great time and Anthony...well, he survived. (It should be said that my husband really does NOT like camping. He doesnt like eating outside, bugs, sleeping on the ground, being cold...etc.)

This was Elizabeths first time going camping and she did quite well. Much better than the boys did their first time. Here are some pictures from our eventful weekend. Needless to say, I am looking forward to going again next month! :)

A campsite visitor

Lizzie cuddling to stay warm in the early morning

Ryan up at the crack of dawn

Anthony getting some grub

Elizabeth waiting patiently for her breakfast

Bens pose

Ahhhhh naptime is a WONDERFUL thing

Evolution of Dance

2006-06-14T17:52:00.000-06:00

I saw this on my friends blog and HAD to share. I thought this was quite funny. Count to see how many of these dances you have done at one time or another...I was up to 8 or 9 but was laughing and lost count.

Some of you might not find this too funny, but those of you closer to my age, or older might get a bigger kick out of them...

My new goal

2006-06-13T13:18:00.000-06:00

I recently got my nose pierced - saturday to be exact. (yup, I really went through with it and LOVE it) Some people have given me funny looks and ask "why would you want to do that to yourself, isn't it painful?" not to mention all the questions about possible infection. My response to them... I did it for me!!

Throughout my life I am have always been doing things for others. Even going through the pain of childbirth is done for someone else. Not that I am complaining because, of course, I do reap benefits from that. :) This piercing was my expression of myself. (Back in the 'ol highschool days I was one of the first kids in my school to pierce the top of my ear LOL - seriously! Boy did I just age myself there or what!!??)

Over the course of the last few weeks I have been weaning Elizabeth from nursing. I think we have finally accomplished it. I have started dieting (once again) to lose all that extra baby weight from being pregnant. I am working on a whole new me. Not that I am miserable or uncomfortable with the way I am, but I want to regain myself - I want to be "Prudence" again, not Ryans mom or Anthonys wife. Please do not get me wrong. I love being those things too but I do not have to ONLY be those things. Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a simpler (and much thinner) me. One that was spontaneous and loved to travel and stay out late and do things with friends. Not stuck, staying home 24/7, nursing, feeding, bathing, cleaning and the such. I want a reason to get up, take a shower, do my hair and put on make-up.

So this is my goal....I will keep you posted on the progress :)

Myspace

2006-06-12T08:36:00.000-06:00

So I'm on myspace now too! Heres my site. http://myspace.com/bassplayerzwife

If you are on myspace too, come be "my friend"(if you aren't already) :)

I don't really do any blogging on that site, I use it more to stay in touch with my friends...so if you want to read about me and my life, you can check it out here, on my blog. If you want to see pics of me and my family and see who my friends are and the such...well, check out myspace!

My sister and her awesome talent

2006-06-12T08:21:00.000-06:00

My sister and I spent part of Saturday taking pictures of me. I am usually the one BEHIND the camera and very rarely out in front. Soooo here are some pictures of my sisters awesome talent! I told her she should completely go to school for this!! At least, if nothing else, minor in it.

So without further adu....ado?? hmm how do you spell that?? ANYWAYS....check out my sisters awesome talent...

I'm a big kid now...

2006-06-01T07:19:00.000-06:00

10 month old Lizzie's first 2 teeth (coming in at one time...ouch!)

Whew!

2006-05-31T14:19:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I haven't posted in almost a MONTH! I have been sooo busy. Here's a brief update on what has been going on in my life over the last month.

Let me start with the most recent and head backwards.....

Meet Lydia Lea, born Wednesday, May 24th. 6 lbs 7oz and 19" long. Congratulations to my brother and sister-in-law, Isaiah and Jen on the arrival of their 4th adorable little one.

The next family news is my little brother, Josiah, graduated from college last week. He has a degree in music education and will be doing his student teaching this fall at a nearby high school. (Pictured here with my mom and dad)

Then of course we had our last day of school. Ryan's next day of school will be kindergarten. I can't believe how fast time has flown. I remember him being 3 or 4 months old and thinking it would be soooo long before he were to be in school. Now its just a few short months away.

We had a fast and furious Mother's Day with having lots of family to visit. Heres a cute pic of Lizzie. I painted her toenails for the first time that weekend. She actually sat there and enjoyed it. Boy is she a girly girl or what???!!!

Our biggest project has been the never ending saga of our bathroom. We got started on the demolition a few weeks ago. We even let the kids help. Heres a cute video of Ryan kinda freaking out because we didn't tell him ahead of time what was going on. He just saw my brother come in and start tearing down walls and flooring. (Sorry, part of it is on a side angle, but if you listen close you get the gist of the conversation).

Bathroom demo

2006-05-31T14:11:00.000-06:00

Dailymotion blogged video
Bathroom demo
Video sent by cooperden

Ryan Freaks Out

Bittersweet Memories

2006-05-10T20:03:00.000-06:00

My kids birthdays are such a bittersweet day for me. I rejoice and celebrate with them that they are one year older, one year closer to kindergarten, one year closer to driving their first car, one year closer to graduation. But in the back of my mind I remember the day I gave birth.

Ben, my middle son, turned 4 yesterday. My labor with him long, 60 hours to be exact. I had to have an epidural (which was an improvement from my previous birth that ended in C-section) He weighed 8lbs 10 oz and was adored by his older brother. When I was pregnant for Ben I desperately hoped for a girl. After Ben was born, he looked at me with those big blue eyes and I just melted. God knew exactly what I needed.
As I sit here I realize something...isn't it funny how, each year, I find I remember less and less of the actual birthing event. The one thing that does not waiver is the memory of the first time I held them in my arms.

~ Tough Love vs. Spanking ~

2006-05-10T19:35:00.000-06:00

Most of America's populace think it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of "those moments." One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride and talk. They usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique.

** disclaimer: this is absolutely in NO way my son. I put this on my site just for a good giggle, especially for those of us who have children and know what it is like to be a parent. If you do not find this humorous even in the slightest bit...you probably shouldn't be reading my blog**

A Little Known Fact...

2006-05-05T16:43:00.000-06:00

Sorry I have been super swamped at home and have not been able to post lately. However, this email was sent to me today by a friend and I thought you would enjoy this "little known fact"

Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England.

In fact, the Titanic was carrying 120,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York. This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico.

But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost.

The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at their loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day.

The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo.

WHAT!!!! You expected something educational from me??!!

Something much worse

2006-04-26T15:51:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had a dentist appointment. Not my favorite thing to do. I truly loathe going, even if it is just for a cleaning. I just have this thing about people sticking their hands in my mouth and banging around in there, plus I have extremely sensitive gums and teeth.

Well, yesterdays appointment was to have a few small cavities filled. (I haven't been to the dentist in 5 years...of course there are going to be cavities) Anyways, as my dentist begins to drill on my first tooth she makes a comment that this cavity is bigger than she thought. About half way through she mentions to her assistant that she cannot finish this one and for the assistant to prepare a temporary filling. She continues on with my other 2 teeth. After she is mostly done she explains to her assistant to finish my teeth and explain to me "the procedure". At this point I am starting to worry....What procedure??. The assistant finishes her work, sits me up and explains that the first tooth she was working on, my wisdom tooth (yes i had all 4 wisdom teeth) has extreme decay and if she continues to drill the tooth will basically crumble so the only option is to pull it. So I am given the option to have the tooth pulled while I am already there and numbed up or to come back on a different day. Assuming it would save some money and time, I gave them the go ahead to do it while I was already there. I asked the assistant if it would be painful. She assured me it would be completely painless and all I would feel is a little pressure...well...let me tell you...it was more than a LITTLE pressure. Do you remember the old Norman Rockwell type pictures of "the first dentist" where there is a patient sitting in a chair and a dentist standing on top of him yankin on his teeth?? Well, this is the best description I can give to how this whole thing felt. I had the assistant standing on my left holding my forehead and lower jaw firmly in place and my dentist on my right holding my upper jaw still with her left hand while she put these massive pliers in my mouth with her right hand and just started to yank and twist with some serious, heavy duty pressure. Eventually after about 10 minutes of tugging and twisting the tooth did come out, after which, my dentist proceeded to wipe my face with a cloth. I must have given her a confused look because she said "we prefer to have our patients blood-free before leaving our office". Apparently when they pulled the tooth, my gums squirted blood from the pressure. So they packed my mouth with gauze and sent me on my way informing me to eat only soft foods, take tylenol for pain,swish with salt water and keep my mouth packed with gauze for a while to stop the bleeding. It took all night for my gums to stop bleeding and I had pounding headache and jaw ache til this morning, even after taking Tylenol.

Today I am in better condition, but still have some pain. I can hardly eat...at least anything that requires much chewing. Hopefully the pain in my jaw (from having my mouth stretched open for 2 hours) will be gone by tomorrow. And people wonder why I would rather go through child birth than to go to the dentist....well...almost.

Finally...

2006-04-24T19:42:00.000-06:00

At 9 months old, Elizabeth has finally figured out how to feed herself. Now there are pros and cons of this. The pros...I can sit her in her high chair with a handful of rice puffs and it will keep her quiet and entertained for at least a good 15 minutes, on the other hand, the cons...she picks up and eats EVERY little thing off the floor. It has been so long since I've had crawlers around I forgot about having to make sure all floors are completely spotless and clean. Now the other con that comes along with feeding herself is that she is learning to chew...and by that I mean learning to bite. hard. Even though she doesn't have any teeth yet, it still hurts. (remember I'm still nursing). Tonight was the first time she had ever tried it. OUCH! Man that alone is enough to make you want to quit nursing. Hopefully this was the first and last time for that.

If you like to talk to tomatoes...

2006-04-18T10:56:00.000-06:00

If a squash can make you smile, if you like to waltz with potatoes up and down the produce aisle....

Yes thats right folks. We went to the Veggie Tales Rockin Live show. We took the kids and had a great time.

We weren't sure how the kids would react or if they would be interested in going. Ryan overheard me telling someone on the phone (a MONTH ago) about the show coming to town. He was extremely excited and wouldn't quit talking about it, so we decided to go ahead and take the kids.
On the way to the show Ryan said "hey mom I am soooooo excited". I said "thats great". Ryan said "And ya know what mom? I can't wait to see them and I REALLY can't wait to see the look on their faces when THEY see ME!" It was darn cute I tell ya!
We arrived at the venue 1/2 hour early assuming we would be able to get right up front...we were totally wrong. The place was packed out 30 minutes before the show! Kids EVERYWHERE!! We ended up sitting towards the back. When the show finally started Ryan took one look at the "Veggies" on the stage, looked at me, gave me a dirty look, and covered his eyes and REFUSED to watch the show. I wanted to yell at him that, by golly, I paid 12$ for your ticket and you are GONNA watch this show. I was good, I refrained myself. He sat like this for about 3 songs when they took a little intermission due to technical difficulties. I asked Ryan why he was hiding his eyes and not watching the show. He looked at me and in a very angry voice said "Mom, you lied to me" "WHAT?!?!" "You told me it was going to be the Veggie Tales...THOSE are just COSTUMES". How do you explain to a very smart 5 year old that cartoons are NOT real?? He was quite disappointed in the whole thing...until they sang his FAVORITE song!
From that point on he stood on his chair screaming/singing his little heart out to all the songs. Now Ben, on the other hand, LOVED the entire show and begged for more when it was done. Honestly, I think 2 hours of stage-dancin Veggies is about all I could handle for one night.

Yardwork Galore

2006-04-14T10:33:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, after many many many hours of work in the yard (and a few sunburns) I think our yard (1/2 acre) is finally cleaned up and ready for summer. We have this area in our back yard (approximately 20' x 20') that we have used to dump all of our grass clippings, tree limbs (from our 2 HUGE globe willows), leaves, etc. Each spring (and fall) we vow we are going to burn that pile. Well, it has been 3 years and we finally got around to burning it. Unfortunately, only about 1/2 of it burned. The other half we had to shovel into the pick-up and take to the dump. It was a TON of work but it felt good to get it all done...until...

ALLERGIES. Yuck!!! My allergies started the 2nd spring we moved into this house. The sneezing, sniffles, itchy throat, itchy eyes...you get the picture. Growing up I never had allergies of any sort, so this was all new to me. Each year it has progressively gotten worse. I dont know if it was the "stirring" up of all the grass clippings or what, but I had the absolute WORST attack the day after cleaning up the yard and it hasnt stopped.

I can't hardly sleep at night because either my nose is plugged and I can't breathe, or its running and tickling/itching my nose. I finally broke down and went to Walmart to get some allergy medicine on my way to church. Its approximately 9:50 a.m. I couldn't STAND it any more! I went running in, expecting to grab the box I need, pay for it, get a mouth full of water at the water fountain on my way out and pop a few of these pills. Much to my surprise, Walmart has taken almost ALL of their over the counter meds and put them...where?...BEHIND THE COUNTER...in the PHARMACY....which DOESNT open until 11 a.m. WHAT is up with THAT?? Aren't OVER THE COUNTER medicines supposed to be..oh, I dont know...OVER THE COUNTER and not hidden behind it? So I suffer through church...where people think Im crying because Im constantly wiping my eyes and nose. I stop back in at Walmart and get some meds now that the pharmacy is open...take the pills and it doesnt help one bit. So after all that I am back at square one...miserable. I finally got to Vitamin Cottage on Tuesday where I found some things that are actually helping to relieve my symptoms. Thank God!

I am still not top knotch, but at least I have a way to relieve some of these symptoms...now if I can just get through the next 2 months...

How to make birdfeeders

2006-04-10T15:21:00.000-06:00

You will need:

1. Pinecones
2. Peanut Butter
3. Birdseed
4. String
5. Kids willing to get messy and eat bird seed

After seeing a craft on TV, Ryan has been insisting that we needed to make pine cone bird feeders, because if we don't the birds could starve...apparently. After many reminders to buy bird seed we decided to make our feeders today. Kaley and Alesha were over, so, of course, we have to have enough pine cones for everyone. I sent the kids on a pine cone hunt and they miraculously came back with enough pine cones for each person to make 2. Now I had NO idea how to make these feeders other than the use of peanut butter holds the seed on. Thanks to my sister for the tip to microwave the peanut butter, otherwise, we would have had a bunch of smooshed pine cones and a very frustrated mom trying to put peanut butter on each point of the pine cone by hand.

I handed the first pine cone to alesha (who is 4) and told her to put it in the peanut butter and roll it around then put it in the bird seed. She looked at me and said "But it will make my hands all thticky". I told her it was okay and we could wash her hands after. I hand the peanut butter dish to Kaley (who is 5) and tell her to do the same. While she is making her feeder Ryan and Ben are fighting over who will get to go next (me, no me, no ME, NO me, NO ME). As I look back at Alesha, she is eating all the bird seed that stuck to her fingers...from the peanut butter. I explain to her that is for the birds to eat...she isnt quite sure she liked that idea. Apparently the bird seed was pretty tasty. As Kaley finishes up her feeder I passed the peanut butter to Ryan and then on to Ben. I glance down and Lizzie is sitting on my feet. I pick her up and put her back in the living room. Surely I don't want her covered in seed as well. I come back to find most of the melted peanut butter is gone, look at all the kids and ask where the peanut butter went. 4 "i don't know"s came back in my direction. I decided it wasnt worth the argument. Im sure that peanut butter that has had dirt covered pine cones rolled in it and bird seed dropped in it cant be THAT bad for you!!?? A short while later I caught Ben, peanut butter on hands, licking his fingers.

After all this work those darn birds better eat these :)

Oh man, that's bad...

2006-04-08T20:06:00.000-06:00

Im sitting here, staring at my computer (well actually I was reading Katie “J”s myspace) I look up and see my 5 year old feeding my 8 month old. I realize I have ignored his last 10 requests for more soup, telling him “just a minute, just a minute” along with my 8 month old who is fussing because she wants more to eat,. My son, being the “big boy helper” that he is, steps in, setting aside his hunger pains, steps up to the plate to feed his little sister...oh good...that will buy me another 5 minutes of blog reading!

I am finding that I am soooo addicted to my fabulous little 12” Powerbook G4. I can’t get enough nor could I ever survive without it. I could stare at this beautiful little screen all day long. Not that I don’t have a million things to do, but how can i ignore these little pleas that come from my screen saying ... “stare at me, stare at me”

But alas I must put my beautiful computer down and resume my motherly duties of feeding dinner, giving baths and bedtime tuck-ins.

Learning how to cope

2006-04-06T19:12:00.000-06:00

This month is going to be a rough one. As long as I look at it as "one day at a time" rather than "the big picture" I will survive. This month my husband is going to be gone...A LOT. Now this may not seem like a big deal, but I really count on him helping with our 3 young children. Not that I can't do it by myself, but its nice to have an adult to talk to about my day, someone to help get dinner on the table, or give the kids their bath, or, better yet, read the kids their bedtime story (they LOVE daddy doing the story time). This next week will be a hard one...today is Thursday and DH has already headed out. I will see him briefly on Sunday, but in all reality wont have any time to ourselves til Tuesday night. Thank God he will be around for Easter, but after that he will be gone most of the rest of the month. (Lets not EVEN get into what this does to our sex life...or lack there of)

Part of me says ... hey, suck it up and get used to it...this is what life is going to be like for now on...the other part of me fights it and says...this really isnt fair. I want to stomp my feet like a 3 yr old throwing a temper tantrum and tell him he should be here with his family, helping to raise his children. This was never part of the "deal" when we got married. I planned to have a quiet life with me and my husband raising our 2.5 kids on a small lot in the middle of the country somewhere.

A friend of mine once told me, prior to getting married, she knew her husband-to-be would, one day, be on the road a lot and she was willing to make that sacrifice, knowing that was his dream. I, on the other hand, sometime feel a little gyped. I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that the man I married would be on the road all the time. (*side note* this "on the road" stuff is hobby related, not full-time job related)

GRRRRRRRR - Okay...I really needed to vent that frustration out...well...its not completely out, since, technically im "talking" to my computer and not another human being (face to face), but I guess this will have to do.

Ryan and cousin, Kaley

2006-04-06T17:34:00.000-06:00

The kids had an easter egg hunt at preschool today since there is no school next week they did it a little early. Can't you see why Ryan would want to marry her? She is quite a cutie!!

Way too young...

2006-04-04T15:11:00.000-06:00

...to be having this conversation!

Today I am babysitting my 2 neices who are the same age as my boys. Now Ryan has told me repeatedly in the past that he LOVES Kaley and wants to marry her. I, not wanting to burst his love bubble, didn't have the heart to tell him that he can't marry his cousin.

Sooo today, while the girls are over I sent them outside to play so I could get some house cleaning done. A short while later I hear Ryan just bawling his eyes out crying "Kaley you hurt my feelings". I ran outside expecting to hear him say that Kaley wouldnt share or that Kaley hit him. After much prying and sobbing I finally got Ryan to tell me what was wrong...it went something like this...

Me (in a compassionate voice): Ryan, whats wrong??

Ryan: *sob* nothin..

Me: Are you okay?

Ryan: *sob, sob* no...

Me: So why are you crying?

Ryan: *sob, sob, sob* because Kaley said SHE WONT MARRY ME...BAWL BAWL BAWL...

Me (trying not to giggle): Ryan, you know how Kaley is your cousin?

Ryan: *sob* yeah

Me: Well you can't marry your cousins because they are already in your family, but you and Kaley can be very good friends instead, and someday you will meet a very pretty girl that you will like a lot and she wont be your cousin.

Ryan: *sob* are you sure??

Me (trying not to giggle): Yes, Ryan, I am sure.

PRAISE GOD!!!

2006-04-03T15:12:00.000-06:00

I just received a call from our insurance claims adjuster. He wanted to be the first to let me know that our insurance policy covers up to XX amount on home rot and our bathroom problem fully qualifies for the entire amount. Its not the full amount of our estimate, but its still a decent amount. We should be receiving a check sometime in the next 10 days. Which means sometime this month (depending on scheduling) we will probably start our demolition. YAY! Thanks to everyone for your prayers!

**update** I found out that the check the insurance company is sending has to be signed by our mortgage company (how wierd is that???) Anyways, once I get the check I have to mail it to Georgia and get someone at Chase Home Finance to sign it and mail it back to me...sooo....I am guessing it will be at least 6 weeks before we actually have this money in hand...but at least its coming...eventually.

"Not all kids my size can do this..."

2006-03-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, I don't know if this is normal...but yesterday morning Ryan who is 5 yrs and 5 mos old said "Mom, I can tie my shoes". Me, being the naive mother that I am said "oh I bet you can sweetie" but secretly in the back of my mind knowing there was no way because I hadnt shown him yet. Ryan said "No Mom...I REALLY can...see..." So I sat down to watch, expecting him to just twist the laces around "pretending" to tie...much to my surprise...he REALLY can! When I asked him where he learned how to tie (expecting that maybe daddy taught him)..he said "my teacher showed me yesterday"...go figure!!!! My son is on the road to being responsible for himself. It starts with feeding himself and then going to the bathroom (and wiping) on his own, and now this??? What's next?? Wait...maybe I don't want to know the answer to that one...

Yet another update...

2006-03-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

Well, good news and bad news on the insurance front...the good news: we did get our van window fixed (and just in time for the rain storm today). We found a glass company in another town who were willing to come to Delta to do it for $250 as opposed to the previously quoted $700. For the bad news...a few years ago our current insurance company merged or sold or something to another insurance company. When the new company took over our policy, our retarded insurance agent we were working with changed our policy. He changed our comp deductible from 100 to 250...sooo...we are stuck paying the 250$ for our own window. Grrr! Like I had an extra $250 floating around that was just dying to be spent on a van window.

As for the bathroom...that is still in limbo but we should hear something soon.

Nicole (* thanks for checkin out my blog :) *) - you can read about the initial "water damage" post here :Bathroom Update

Are you PUZZLED???

2006-03-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

I found this on a blog I came across and had fun doing it so I thought I would try it on mine...just click and drag the puzzle pieces to where they should go. (my husband is the one on the right)

**thanks Bethany R. for the pic**

Do you search???

2006-03-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

Now this is too funny not to share...I joined this thing called "Blingo". Its a new search engine (like google) and when you use their site for searches you have the ability to win things like gift cards. (If you are interested in signing up, let me know and I will send you a link...you can sign up under my name and we can BOTH win)...

Anyways...I was using this search engine just typing random things and I thought "hmm...i've never typed in my name as a search...I wonder what will happen". So I tried it and this is what I found...this is a real thing, not a joke or prank. This item really does exist...

Prudence

I LOVE the remark they make...If you want the inside track on where to eat, drink, shop and stay around the world for less, pick up Prudence – because life should be rich.

Insurance update

2006-03-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

We finally got a claims adjuster to come check out our "water damage" in our bathroom. When I showed him the weak spot in the floor he gave me this look like, Lady, dont waste my time. I assured him he needed to look UNDER the house to see the real damage. He, reluctantly went into the crawlspace. When he came back up he had a completely different attitude. He told me we have a serious problem under there. He pulled out a little pocket knife. He told me the way he checks for rot is to use this little blade (about 3") and tries to push it into the wood. Most water damage spots the knife just goes in a tiny bit. He said his entire knife slipped right into the wood as if he were cutting butter. YIKES! Anyways, good news is that he thinks the insurance company will cover it, hes not completely positive, because if insurance companies can find a loophole they will...but he said he doesnt know ANY insurance company that doesnt cover rot. Soooo...I have to wait about 2 weeks to hear from my insurance company on a definite answer. Hopefully at that point we can get started right away with repairing that bathroom!

*funny* after the claims adjuster left I called Anthony to tell him the good news. He told me "Im in the driveway..you have to come look at the van". So I walk out the door (expecting the worst) and find the rear side window of the van completely GONE! I asked him "What happened???" He said he was driving down the road and the window just blew out. There is beaded, tinted glass all over the back of the van. He called the local dealer and it is a $700 window LOL...guess its back to the insurance company again. (we use the same company for home and auto insurance) They are going to think we are soaking them for every penny LOL. Funny thing is lately I've been really questioning why we pay so much for insurance (health, auto, home, etc) Asking God to show me if we should be spending this extra money on insurance or just let our insurance go...hmmm, could this be His answer?!?!?!

A weekend of adventure

2006-03-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am heading out of town with my sister (and lizzie). It started as an unexpected, last minute trip to pick up her things at her college apartment and it has now turned into a girls weekend out. We figured, if we have to make the trip, we might as well enjoy ourselves and take a day to go shopping...right? So here is our plan. We are planning to split town tomorrow morning around 4:00 a.m. and arrive in Ft. Collins around 10 or 11 a.m. We are going to go to the bakery in town that makes the BEST eclairs I've ever had and then head around the corner to Everyday Joe's Coffeehouse where they make a GREAT mocha! After that we plan to hit a bunch of thrift stores and then head to Wild Oats. We have reservations at a hotel in town that has a pool, so we figure we will go take a swim, relax, and maybe watch a movie or something. On Sunday we will head to her apartment and load up all her stuff and head out for the long trip home.

Keep us in your prayers that we will be safe and not run into any problems with our vehicle (I am towing a trailer for the first time and am a little nervous...although I have been practicing around town, so I should be okay).

I will share with ya'll on how the trip went when I get back.

On a side note...I have an appointment with a claims adjuster on Monday to look at our bathroom...hopefully they will cover a large portion of our claim!

about time

2006-03-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures (finally)
from our romantic valentines dinner/dance.
The table that Anthony provided and decorated all by himself :)

Job Update

2006-03-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I still have not found a job yet. I had 2 offers, one had absolutely no flexibility (if my kids were sick I would have to bring them to work with me) and to tell you the truth, im not THAT desperate, the 2nd was actually a daycare job but the person hiring me changed their minds and decided they couldn't afford it for the time being. Soooo that sends me back to the employment drawing board. I am torn between my place being at home with my children and helping my husband with paying the bills.

This summer is going to be tough. Usually Anthony does a lot of computer side jobs to help supplement our income. This year is going to be quite different as he will not be around most of the summer. We are actually looking at renting out one of our bedrooms in our house to my sister's boyfriend. He will be here for the summer and will need a place to live. At least this will help with the bill paying. Please continue to keep us in your prayers that God will strongly show me where I need to be...whether at home, or back in the workplace.

Don't eat yellow snow

2006-03-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

This last weekend has pretty much been Delta's one and only snow storm this season...not that I'm complaining mind you. However, I DID grow up where it started snowing by Thanksgiving and didn't quit til Easter, so I miss it from the "kids point of view". It was great watching my boys play in the snow. Watching their care-free little bodys running all over rolling in the snow - no worries.

My neighbor introduced my boys to yellow snow. In a good way though. He informed them to stay away from yellow snow and that we don't eat it because that is where dogs peed. Now Ben (3 yr old) informs EVERYONE he sees that they shouldn't eat yellow snow! LOL

Snowman

2006-03-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

Dailymotion blogged video
Snowman
Video sent by cooperden

Welcome

2006-03-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my brother, Jon, and sister-in-law, Kassia on the arrival of their new little boy. Beniaiah Jubal born Sunday, March 12th weighing in at 7lbs and 14 oz.

Re-entering the workforce

2006-03-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like my days of stay-at-home mommy are done for now. I guess the phrase "eating us out of house and home" really is true! Im really nervous about having to do this. I really enjoy staying home, making my own schedule, etc. Once I go back to work I will have much less time with my children, as well as with my husband (depending on whether i work days or nights). I have a few job prospects - but Im not sure which direction I should go. Please keep me in your prayers that God will show me where I belong and provide the proper income. Also keep us in your prayers as I begin to look for child care.

Phrase of the Day

2006-03-03T09:03:00.001-07:00

Said by my 5 yr old son, after being told he couldn't tape his dad's band headshots to the walls all over the house...*sigh* you just don't understand me Mom...

Got Goosebumps

2006-02-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Today when I went out to check the mail I, somewhat unexpectedly, received Ryan's kindergarten pre-registration. Im in shock. My baby's growing up. In a short 6 months time he will be in school. This is so bittersweet to me. A portion of me is excited for the things he will learn, as well as the time it will give me, however, its such an odd realization. I've had 5+ years "alone" with him and now he is becoming his own person.

Next Monday we go to have his prekindergarten screening. He is very excited - this is just one step closer in his mind to him being able to attend "the big kid school" and ride "the big yellow bus". I, on the other hand am wondering if we can call in sick.

Bathroom update

2006-02-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

okay well we finally got someone (my brother) to look under our house at our bathroom/shower leak. Here is the description he wrote up to submit to our insurance company...

The source of the problem is a leak where the tile and the shower pan meet. During my inspection, while in the crawl space, I instructed the homeowner to turn on the shower. I noticed that approximately 15% of the drain water was leaking from the far side of the shower. This leak has severely damaged the integrith of the floor. The shower is beyond repair, part of the wall, at least 3 floor joists and sub-floor are rotten. The soft spot in the floor was the first and only sign the homeowner had of this problem. In order to properly fix this problem we will need to remove the shower, vanity, drywall, any rotten stutds and bottom plate, flooring, sub-floor and finally any rotten joists. The repair is much the same in reverse. I recommend replacing the shower with a one-piece fiberglass unit. This will ensure this problem doesn't repeat itself. I estimate we can repair this problem for $8,000.00.

Whew...so anyways, we submitted this to our insurance company and we are now waiting to see if or what they will cover. Please keep us in your prayers - this is a serious damage to our house and if our insurance company doesnt cover it, we are going to have to pay for this out of our pocket, and this is money we just don't have.

Lizzie's better!!

2006-02-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

Okay - I had pretty much given up on doctors figuring out what was wrong with Lizzie. She has had this miserable, whole body rash for 6+ weeks and I have found very little to give her relief (besides the tea tree oil). I finally took her to a holistic doctor in Grand Junction. With a few simple tests the doctor figured out that Lizzie has a fungal infection, a viral infection AND a parasitic infection. She is also allergic/sensitive to garlic, peaches and kiwis. (this means that for the time being, while nursing, i cannot eat anything involving or using these foods.) She will most likely outgrow these sensitivities so it won't be a life long problem. I also found out she had a really bad reaction to many of the hair and body products I use. Temporarily, I cannot wear my perfume, use my hair mousse or gel, use the type of deoderant i normally use as well as a few other things...so I apologize in advance if you see me and my hair is frizzed, standing on end and I have a bodily stink about me LOL. Unfortunately, due to the fungal infection and Lizzie nursing, I have to go on an anti-fungal diet. This means I cannot eat anything with any type of sweetner (this includes all forms of sugar, honey, molasses, barley malt, etc) I can, on rare occasion use a tiny bit of stevia, but thats it. Also, i cannot eat anything with yeast - yup, no more bread for me for a while. Along with no fruit juice, dried fruit (fresh fruit is okay) or cheese - basically anything that is fermented.

The doctor also put me and Lizzie on Chinese Skullcap (herbal tincture) and Lizzie is also on Elderberry and Black Walnut and Zinc. Though all this is frustrating with creating a new diet and such I have seen complete results - her rash is pretty much completely GONE! She has a little bit of dried skin still but the rash is pretty much disappeared, in only 48 hours - go figure!

Now this is where I need some help from all you creative cooks out there...I need to come up with foods I can eat. Basically, just to survive right now I am eating fruits and veggies and that is it. Heres a list of foods I know I can eat...any others you can think of (or even meal plan type stuff) would be much appreciated! (come on Becci I am countin' on you!! lol)

I know I can eat...

Nuts
Eggs
all veggies
butter
sour cream
cottage cheese (yuck)
fresh fruit
meat that is completely unprocessed
grains
yogurt
most dairy but not cheese

Please give me your input!!! This whole thing is somewhat frustrating, but after seeing the results in Lizzies rash (and knowing that I will (should) lose weight) makes it all worth it in the long run...

The best of time...the worst of times...

2006-02-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

Well I have some good news and some bad news. I will start with the good news. About a week ago I broke a tooth (now thats not the good news). The good news is I went to the dentist today, now I HATE going to the dentist. I am downright terrified of the dentist. I can't explain why, I just hate someone with their hands in my mouth scraping my teeth and pushing on spots looking for cavities that give me that zing feeling. Anyways, when I went to the dentist I was afraid they were going to want to pull the tooth because its a wisdom tooth, which would mean they would want to pull all 4 wisdom teeth - apparently there are not too many 29 year olds with all 4 functioning wisdom teeth. But thankfully, due to financial situations and such my dentist agreed to fill the broken spot as if it were a cavity. Whew!! That is going to save me lots of pain as well as money! Thank you God!!

Now, the bad news...my brother climbed under our house this weekend to check on our water leak from the shower...it looks like we are in for a major repair. The floor is rotted down to and through the floor joists. Im not sure what all this entails except for my brothers comments about tearing out the shower, cutting the floor back to the toilet, and a 3,000$ bill (this is just materials, no labor). So tomorrow I will be on the phone with various companies trying to get bids to have this major repair done. For those of you who live locally...any suggestions of who I should call for a bid?

Im Back....I think...

2006-02-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

Okay so it has been quite a while since I've posted any update on what is going on here. The following posts are the various things happening. Im going to do 3 or 4 separate posts on the different subjects rather than to cram it into one huge long post. So here it goes...enjoy reading!

Ahhh sleep at last...

2006-02-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

now some of you may be wondering where I found the time to do all these posts...I am happy to announce that, at almost 7 months, my daughter FINALLY slept through the night last night - for the FIRST time!!! Ugh...its been a long road. She normally gets up every 4 hours to eat. So if she eats at 9:00 and I dont get to bed til 11:00, I will only get 2 hours of sleep before she is up to eat again. It felt great to wake up, wide awake, at 6:00 and realize I had gotten so much sleep. So, since I was wide awake and all my family was still sleeping I got up, grabbed my computer, got cozy in my favorite chair and proceeded to type. YAY for sleep!!!

What's new?

2006-02-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

Due to all this allergy stuff with Lizzie, I have switched her to cloth diapers. I know most of you are saying..no way, its hard enough to take care of an infant, nevermind having to WASH diapers.. but actually I am finding I really like using cloth diapers. I would have never guessed that about me. Im usually all about convenience. Yes, cloth diapering is a whole lot more work but it is sooo much better for my babys bottom. Especially if it ends up being one of her allergies!

Now...the cool thing, is now adays theres not just the plain old white ugly cloth diapers and pins - there is a whole new realm out there to cloth diapering. My latest interests are called Wool Longies or Wool Soakers. Basically these are little shorts and pants made from really soft wool that go over cloth diapers that fasten with velcro. I don't even know how to describe them to you other than to show you this LINK. Scroll down the page and take a look at all the pictures of the pants this lady has made. There are other type too but I will have to share those later.

Therefore, since these cute, adorable wool covers and diaper wraps are expensive to buy brand new, I am going to make my own...yup, i can sew (i bet you didnt know that about me either, though i dont know any of the complicated stuff i can run a sewing machine). I am also learning to knit too. So I will be sharing more about this stuff as I "get my feet wet" in this new endevor.

Lizzie: Update

2006-02-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, Lizzie has been sick and had a rash for close to a month now (which has detained me from blogging). I had her on that medication for the 10 days which the doctors claimed would clear up her rash...no such luck. It cleared up her yeast infection but she still has the rash and now she has a cold on top of that. Up until yesterday she has been pretty miserable. I would put her on the floor to play and she would just lay there and cry instead of exploring and trying to crawl. Finally yesterday she was a little better spirited and was willing to play with her brothers.

Good News: I was able to get her an appointment with a doctor in another town who does allergy testing (without poking and proding infants with needles). Her appt is on Tuesday and hopefully we will know more at that point if she is allergic or sensitive to a type of soap or food or something that could be causing her rash. I am really excited about this appointment because this doctor is booked solid until April and, after talking to me, felt really bad for Lizzie and wanted to help so she is going to see me on her day off, on her lunch break...AND she even gave me her home number in case we have any problems before then...now how many doctors do you know do that????

I will let ya'll know what I find out after her appointment.

Shower Problems: Update

2006-02-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, an update on our shower/sunken floor problem. I talked to my insurance company and there is a slight possibility that it will be covered by our homeowners insurance but we won't know until we have someone look at it. So today my brother is going to crawl under my house to take a look and see what he can find. Hopefully it won't be too bad, or, if it is bad, that it will be covered by our insurance. One good thing, our insurance deductible...somehow turned out to only be 100$. I will post more update after my brother checks out the house today.

Falling behind

2006-02-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't been posting much lately. Lizzie is still sick, though getting better. The doctors don't know what she has (the rash) so I have taken matters into my own hands and done my own research. I still don't know what the diagnosis is (someone told me they thought it was a staph infection, though its not contageous), but I have found that putting Tea Tree Oil into her bath water and giving her a bath every 2 hours along with massaging her skin with olive oil mixed with tea tree oil is actually clearing the rash up.

I am finding myself absolutely amazed at the things Tea Tree Oil can do. Check out this link: Tea Tree Oil You have to scroll down towards the bottom of the page (past the google ads) to see all the things its good for.

Anyways, I need to get back to taking care of my sick baby. Just wanted to let you know I am still alive, just a little detained. Hopefully things will be back to normal within a few days. Keep us in your prayers.

Most Romantic Man Award

2006-02-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Every year my church holds a "valentines party". They call it the Most Romantic Man Competition. Each man is required to go down to our church, set up a table (complete with decorations and all) and "wine and dine" their wives. In the meantime, while the guys are setting up their tables, the wives are back at home getting all dressy dressed up - this is as formal or casual as you choose to make it. (I splurged and bought a new dress - I will post pics later!) We have a professional chef come in and prepare a meal for all the couples. Theres dinner, dancing, and the never ending Newlywed game. Its all in good fun and we usually get a lot of laughs out of it.

Our church has been doing this for approximately 9 years. The first 2 years I am proud to say that my awesome husband held 1st place and the title of the "most romantic man" for the year (we were newlyweds at that point). Since then, we have had others who have beat us out of the running. Well, I am proud to say that this year Anthony came in 1st place. We had a great evening. Anthony did a great job on our table, complete with flowers, candles, chocolates, and a beautiful card that was to die for (you'd have to read it to understand). Our chef cooked us a fabulous 3 course meal consisting of a broccoli and cheddar soup, green salad, homemade bread, prime rib, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and a mini chocolate cake for 2.

We had dancing and laughing. Honestly, we havent laughed that hard and had that good of a time together in a long time. I felt so carefree. To quote my husband "we let our hair down and partied". We left all the kiddos, including Lizzie, with my brother and sister in law and spent a full 4 1/2 hours being adults without being covered in drool, mushed food, or anything else that was expelled from our childrens bodies.

Anyways, it was just a great time - OH and did I mention, since Anthony one 1st place, there was a prize? YUP! We won a one night stay in Glenwood Springs. Woo Hoo. The only problem now is that we can't use it until I wean little miss Lizze from breastfeeding.

So that was my interesting Saturday evening. Sorry Im falling behind on my posting, things have been soo hectic here.

We had lots of other stuff happen this week, but I will post that stuff later on. For now - signing off - have a great evening!