Just a blog

I am still alive

2010-11-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

I miss you, blog... and blog reader (yes, that is singular for readers... with an "s") I think I only have 1 reader left.

Oh well, who is this blog for anyway??

Here is what I have been up to

-going to the gym. almost daily. I am loving Zumba class, and body pump, which is weight lifting. I have also almost died trying step class.

-my whole family has been sick for like a month now. its this sore throat, chesty cold thing. But we are on the downhill side of it.

-the wind last night knocked about 90% of the leaves off our massive trees. I now have to wade knee deep in leaves to get to and from my car.

-I went to the grocery store tonight after work and ran into probably 10 people that I know, or at least recognize. Not 1 person said hi to me. And only 1 person smiled. I thought with the first couple, well maybe they didnt see me. But then someone walked right by me, and our eyes met, I smiled, but no smile, no hi, no nod, no nothing. Did I have a sign on my forehead that said "i've had a bad day, leave me alone?" I didnt think so. I know a couple of the people know me from church, so I guess I kinda got my feelings hurt. Oh well.

-I am in desperate need of a tan.

-I am throwing a Pampered Chef party in December. Anyone who reads this blog regularly should have already received an invite. Unless you're a boy, and your name starts with the letter M.

-Dennis calls party favors "party favorites"

-Gordon Ramsey is on QVC

-My current favorite snack is toast, made with Dave's Killer Bread

-My other favorite snack is pomogranites

-Both of the snacks are expensive. I mean really, they are just snacks.

-Oh I should mention that since I started going to the gym I havent lost a single pound. do you think that has anything to do with my snacks of toast and pomogranites?

-I plan on drinking Egg Nog everyday in December.

-I dont plan on trying to lose weight during December, but it would be nice to lose a few pounds BEFORE December. It would. Be nice.

-Oh I get up at 4:40am to go the gym for Body Pump class. This is the first time in my life I have ever worked out in the mornings.

-I am afraid of passing out so I eat 1/2 a Cliff bar on my way to the gym.

-I gag every morning when I get into my car at 4:50am, but I feel better after I eat the Cliff bar.

-If I never had to drink Grape Rehydrate from Advocare ever again I would be happy. I am a fan of electrolytes, but I prefer plain water. I ordered some different electrolytes that dont have a flavor, they will be here tomorrow.

-I am rambling, so I think its time for bed.

-David Venebal is on QVC with Gordon Ramsey. I love David Venebal, but I dont know how to spell his last name.

How to make an Elvis Sandwich

2010-10-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

What you will need:

Butter some bread and slap it on the griddle. Spread on the peanut butter.

Add slices of banana....

a drizzle of honey...

cooked bacon. This here is applewood smoked bacon, thick sliced.

dont forget the marshmallow fluff on the other slice of bread!!!!

Flip and grill the other side of the sandwich.

Yum!!!!!

Ready to enjoy this hunka hunka burnin love!!!

Shape.. out of it.

2010-10-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

I joined a local gym, so I could work out on my own schedule, not just when its light outside.

I was really excited because the gym has treadmills with tv's on them!

Well, the times I have been, all the "tv treadmills" are taken, and tonight there was one open that the tv didnt work.

This treadmill thing is for the birds.

I am out of shape, and its hard.

I realize I like walking and running outside much better.

the fresh air, the scenery, the fact that I have something to look at besides the chick with the nice butt in front of me.

I hope this gets easier.

Tonight I stumbled I dont know how many times. I start looking around and I shift to the right and end up tripping.

I try to swing my arms and I snag my headphone cord and either rip it out of my ear, or pull the ipod out of the holder on the treadmill.

I also had a jacket on tonight and I got hot so I took it off and attempted to zip it up and tie it around my waist. But my keys were in my pocket so they came out and landed on the treadmill belt and went flying off behind me.

And after 30 minutes I was absolutely beat!

From walking!

Miles!

2010-10-10T16:04:00.001-07:00

We was a naughty little raggedy cat the day Den and Harley brought him home from a house down the street.

He had ear mites, fleas, ringworm. He was 5 weeks old, and barely 1 pound!

Miles on august 6th. 5 weeks old.

He's a lot healthier now, thanks to numerous visits to the vet!

and he's just so naughty.

he's a hunter!!!

he loves to beat things up!

He has definitely stirred things up around here. He has been nothing short of a pain in the you know what.

:)

stranger shout-out!

2010-09-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

As you all know.... I hardly blogged this summer. My bad.

I really do like blogging, and especially love the comments people leave.

I just have to tell you guys this story.

On August 20th, a bunch of our family got together at Fuddruckers for Harley's birthday.

After a great meal, we were heading out of the crowded restaurant, and a man approached Dennis.

A man we have never seen before.

"hey, where is your wife?" he asked

my friend and I stood there like huh???

"ya, where is your wife??"

and everyone points to me..

he looks to me and says...

"I LOVE YOUR BLOG!!!!!"

Excuse me?!?! Wha....huh??

And I, of course, didnt know what to say.

ohhhhhh. wow....thank you!

And we walk out of the restaurant. What just happened???

Cindy and I start freaking out!!

omg! omg! omg! I have a "FAN"!!!! A follower. I dont know what you call it.....

but someone that doesnt even know me.... read MY blog!!!

He has even left a comment!!!

So, with that being said... welcome to my blog, Milt!!

Milt, sorry I ran out of the restaurant, red faced, as if you just handed me a 2 fold printshop card that said will you go out with me, yes no or maybe.

I dont think you are a stalker. I just didnt know what to say.

I read your blog now, and its pretty cool! Thanks for the tip on how to un-seed a watermelon!

Thanks for liking my blog!!! I hope you still read it....

:)

runs upon a time....

2010-09-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time:

I might have considered myself a runner

I could run a whole mile w/o stopping

Heck, on a good day I could run 3 miles.

Even more on a GREAT day!

I had designated "running days"

"my.running.day" was a common part of my vocabulary.

"i cant do that tonight, its my running day"

"its my running day, remember? so you are in charge of dinner"

"I have to go home and grab my running clothes, I forget them, and today is my ru...."

You get the point...

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I would change into my running clothes at work, and go strait to running at the park.

On sundays I would run whenever, just depending on what I had going on.

My dog would watch me and I could see her wheels turning.

He anxious little puppy eyes, and waggly (yes its a word, I checked. Ok not really, but who's keeping track) tail, knew I was going for a "walk"

and that little girls LOVES WALKS!!

She didnt know any better.

I would have to expain to her

"no baby, you cant come with me. you see, momma's going for a run, three miles is just too much for a little 7 pound chihuahua. You need to stay here and lay in your bed, and someday soon momma will take you for your own little walk. but for now, momma is a runner and I gotta go running. I run real fast baby, and I run a long ways for a long time. Thats just what runners do. You dont see runners out there with little chihuahuas, baby. You want mamma to be a good runner, dont you? See, I knew you would understand"

And for a few months, thats the way it was.

I did have to take a couple weeks off because of horrible shin splints. (only real runners get shin splints, thats just something I say to make myself feel better)

Then summer came.

And instead of staying a runner, I became something else.

A wannabe.

100 degrees is just too hot for this wannabe.

80 degrees might even be too hot.

Then summer left, and alright now I am just plain lazy!

Now 3 or 4 times a week:

I strap on my running shoes, because they are just so dang cute.

I wear whatever I have on.

I dont put on my special socks.

Or my special spandex under shorts.

I dont take my iPod, because its dead, and I have failed to charge it.

Charging it would involved bringing it inside from my car.

I take my phone, and I text message people, and try not to trip over a curb.

I take my wonderful fantastic little dog with me, because afterall, and evening stroll around the block is not too much for her.

I end up carrying a small plastic bag of her fresh doo doo about 1/2 way in to the walk.

Sometimes I wear my Bloomsday finisher T-shirt, and I think about how it felt to run.

The cool weather is here, and I'm still not running.

I have a million and one excuses.

And they are all just that, excuses.

I think I'm getting there though, closer to being a runner again.

Why Life for {US} will Never be the Same.....

2010-09-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

Thursday, September 2nd 2010, was just a normal day.

I had just gotten home from work and was preparing dinner for my family. We were having chili frito haystacks. We were all excited to eat, and were celebrating the fact that "tomorrow is friday, yay." It was a beautiful day outside, and we had the windows open, taking in the fresh air.

Just as we were about to sit down, a small pick up pulled up outside. The kids recognized the truck, and the men in it. It was Pat (their mothers boyfriend, whom they refuse to have any relationship with) and his father. Harley started to get upset, because she is scared of Pat. Dennis rushed outside to meet Pat's dad on the porch. His dad kneeled down, and I couldnt hear what he was saying, but I could tell it was bad news.

By the time I got to the door to stick my head out, Dennis had tears in his eyes and he turned around to me to say "Jessica died!"

The kids heard the news too, because the windows were open. I turned around and looked at them, and waiting for a reaction.

Both of them lost it!!!

I grabbed Harley and held her as she cried, and cried. Bubba was crying too, but he wouldnt sit still. He was walking around, trying to punch and kick things. I think this was a typical reaction from a 15 yr old boy.

I will NEVER forget that moment.

Feeling completely helpless.

Nothing I could do... or say...

A million things were running through my mind...

the fact that on the way to school that morning, Bubba said he was going to call his mom when school got out to wish her happy birthday.

the fact that it was her 34th Birthday!

the fact that we were just told that Jessica had committed suicide, drowned herself.

the fact that there was alcohol involved.

the fact that there was alcohol involved when on August 20th she told the kids was her 8th month of sobriety.

the fact that this happened at Pat's house, and they supposedly werent dating.

the fact that these kids will never see their mom again.....

Why?

How?

Once we had gotten the kids calmed down a little, which was hard, because Dennis and I were both pretty shook up as well, the kids asked if their mom had been drinking.

And we told them yes.

At ages 11 and 15, these kids lost their mother, to a horrible disease.

I called one of my best friends. Her father was an alcoholic, and committed suicide when we were 13. She came over to talk to the kids a little bit.

Dennis made a lot of phone calls, to the rest of her family.

Bubba had youth group that night, and asked if he could still go. He wanted to go to church. So we took him. Dennis told the Pastor what had happened.

That group of kids, and Pastors, made a circle around Bubba and prayed for him. Kids did that!!! Amazing!

Bubba found a peace of mind that night. He came home to tell us that he believes his mom is in a better place, and she doesnt have to struggle with addiction anymore. More so, he doesnt have to worry about her anymore.

No more worrying about where she is, who she is with, what she is doing, is she drinking? Is she lying? etc.

Around 9pm, some detectives came over, and asked a bunch of questions. They couldnt give us much information except the fact that there was alcohol on her "breath", and that she was found in the large inflatable swimming pool in Pat's back yard.

Both kids went to school the very next day. We gave them the option, and left it open that if it got too hard, they could call and come home.

I stayed home with Dennis and helped him talk to some more family, and try to get some more information on what exactly happened. As of even right now, this case has not been closed. We dont know for sure that Jessica took her own life that day. We know that she had been drinking, and that is about it. The police are still investigating this case, and are waiting on toxicology and autopsy results.

How horrible is this??

Jessica wasnt very present in these kids lives. She had a horrible addiction, which caused her to choose alcohol and abusive men over her children. I know that she loved her children, and they loved her.

How sad.

On Saturday, September 11th, was Jessica's memorial service at the cemetery here in town. The kids did not request a funeral, they requested that she have a grave, or a head stone, so they would have a place to visit their mom. Jessica's family is making sure that the kids wishes are being granted. They put together a beautiful memorial, and are ordering her a headstone, with a picture of a fairy on it (harley's request) as Jessica loved fairies. Jessica was cremated, and her ashes will be spread next summer during a family reunion in Goldendale.

And with that, life for us... its different now.

Jessica doesnt call to talk to the kids anymore...

Its just {US}

We've been together for 5 years, and I have never tried to replace their mother. I wont ever try to replace her. But there is even a larger void to fill now.

I have never felt a stronger calling from the Lord.

The kids {NEED} me.

I ask Him everyday now:

to calm the kids' hearts and give them peace,
for the patience to help them,
to allow my heart to open completely for them,
to put His hands on them, and guide them, so they may never have to suffer from an addiction,
that he watch over my family, and keep us all safe.
I pray that the kids keep God in their hearts, as he is now, but that they allow Him to stay there.

And that, my friends, is why life will never be the same here.

What happens when you dont blog for over a month

2010-09-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

A million stories to tell
hundreds of pictures to share
and one life changing event

where do I even start????

candy and pop for dinner

2010-07-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

The kids went to the movies with their mother last night.

Needless to say, they had candy and pop for dinner.

And this was the converstion in the car on the way home.....

B: Slug bug
H: ........
H: whats that smell?
B: you're upper lip
H: huh?
B: slug big!
H: PT bruiser
B: ........
H: what do you think its easier to smell, your upper lip or your bottom lip
B: upper duh, its right below your nose. thats the point of the joke
B: Cadillac Whack!
B: Grand Am Slam
H: Minivan!
H: Truck!
H: Volkswagon!
H: Whatever its called!
B: ok, who farted?
H: your upper lip...
B: thats not how the joke goes Harley...quit stealing my lines
H: okay, your lower lip
B: that still doesnt make sense
H: but thats my joke, and I like it...

RaNdOm....

2010-07-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

1. I have a set of knives in one of those knife block things... but they are never ever all clean at the same time, there is always at least one knife missing at any given time.

2. I would like a new set of knives, really nice ones like the Pioneer Woman uses.

3. Have you ever had Hone BBQ Fritos? They are spiral shaped, and its impossible to reach into the bag and pull out more than 2 fritos at a time with your hand. Its IMPOSSIBLE. Try it.

4. One of my boyfriends I had when I lived in Salem is almost completely bald now.

5. I actually only had 1 boyfriend when I lived in Salem.

6. I dont talk to ANY of my ex boyfriends.

7. Today our Pastor was gone from church, so the worship pastor filled in for him. And the youth pastor filled in for the worship pastor and it was AMAZING!! I want the youth pastor to be our worship pastor every week.

8. I feel bad about the above statement, because I do really like our regular worship pastor.

9. I have been watching Big Brother 12. And I like it. And it goes against everything I believe in when it comes to reality TV and the amount of time I should/or shouldnt spend watching TV.

10. I miss running.

11. Ok, I miss running. A LOT! Its too hard to run in hot weather, so I have been swimming, which I love. But I love running more.

12. I never thought I would love running, or miss running.

13. I booked my room in Spokane for Bloomsday next year.

14. I picked our first 2 cherry tomatos today.

15. I ate both of them.

16. Weight Watchers sucks.

17. But it works.

18. If I stick to it.

19. But thats really hard.

20. The word "tomatos" above looks weird... should it have been "tomatoes"?

21. We might get a cat, or well, a kitten. My family wants one really bad. I do too, but I dont want to be allergic. And I dont want anymore vet bills. Oh and that litter box thing... dont want that either.

22. We will probably get a cat.

23. Someday I am going to get a Corgi dog.

24. Big Brother is coming on in 18 minutes.

25. I need to put my clothes in the dryer.

26. I want new clothes.

27. We have almost all of Harleys school clothes bought.

28. I would name my Corgi, Alice.

29. I dont know what I am doing next weekend.

30. Big Brother in 15 minutes.

Fathers Day @ Clear Lake

2010-07-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

I know this post is about a month overdue...

We spent Fathers Day at Clear Lake, which is about 40 miles southwest of Sisters Oregon.

Dennis grew up going to Clear Lake often, and its one of his favorite places ever!! He's been dying to take me up there since we got together, but I have refused because of a few of the "minor" details he told me.

Deal breaker # 1: "we sleep in rustic cabins and take our own sleeping bags, and in the morning when we wake up we have to shake the dead spiders and bugs off of our blankets"

And this sounds like a good time why???

Deal breaker # 2: "when the sun starts to go down, we take a row boat out on the lake and bats fly around our heads"

Excuse me??

Yet, summer after summer came around and he would ask to take me to Clear Lake. Finally this year I said yes, under 2 condiions!!!

We would sleep in a MODERN cabin, and there would be NO viewing of the BATS!!!

We went for 3 whole nights, the cabin was awesome, and it was too cold for bats and bugs :)

The beautiful Lake...

There are about 100 row boats to rent...

Our boat for the weekend.... #4

Den and Harley fishing.... Harley usually leads in amount of fish caught.

A few pics of and around the cabin....

As I mentioned, the weather was unseasonably cold. I picked up this puzzle for $2 at a yard sale, and the lady swore to me that all the pieces were there. So I brought it along. I'm so glad that we had it!!! I get a little obsessed with jigsaw puzzles. I was so cozy in my MODERN cabin, putting together my puzzle while Dennis and the kids fished and rode bikes.

But they helped with the puzzle too. Everyone contributed.

After a while... everything starts looking like this...

And I got up extra early on the last day so I could finish it!! It was the hardest puzzle ever!!

Fathers Day weekend was a good one. We ate a TON of good food, caught some fishies, hung out around the puzzle, drank hot chocolate, and enjoyed our time together at this wonderful place.

And we can go back to Clear Lake anytime now....

How about an update?

2010-06-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was biopsy day.

Or more like, a wild ride on valium day.

It was a crazy kind of day. The kind that feels like a dream, all day long.

Get to that doctors office and into that damn biopsy room. High as a kite. Doctor and nurse asking me all sorts of questions that I couldnt think of the answers to.

Funny story, he asked me what kind of music I wanted to listen to, so he could turn on the radio. I knew in my head I wanted him to turn it to K-Love, but I couldnt remember what it was called (again.... valium) and I just sat there and stared and tried really hard to make my mouth say kaaaaaaay-loooooovvvvve. And guess what came out? "Country music!" I said I wanted to listen to country music!???!?!? which I never listen to. You should have seen the look on Den's face when I said that. So crazy.

So anyway, this was an ultrasound guided biopsy, so he had to locate the mass with the ultrasound, and to help him guide the needle in and take the chunk out. He ultrasounded for a while, and then said it....

"I dont see anything"

He couldnt find it. He searched and searched and there was nothing there.

So, in short. There was nothing for him to biopsy.

He has said from the beginning, that what the "lump" most likely is, is whats called a fibroadnoma. And they can commonly swell and shrink with our bodies hormone fluctuations. Just like our boobies can get swollen and tender at certain times of the month, abnormal breast tissue is affected as well. Fibroadnomas are the most swollen during the time of ovulation, and tend to shrivel down during our menstration. Well.... I had started my period that morning.

He decided to send me home, and I will come back in 3 months for a follow up ultrasound, just to make sure nothing in there has changed.

So..... good news?

Yes.

But...

(yes there is a but... )

I "feel" like I still dont have an "answer". A biopsy is a solid, concrete answer. cancer... yes or no.

A blip on an ultrasound, its not definite, its not 100%. Its probably 99%, and I am happy with that, dont get me wrong, but, see what I mean?

I'm happy I didnt cry.

There was no pain.

There were LOTS of blessings yesterday.

THANK YOU!!! for all of your prayers.

Prayers were answered yesterday. God is good.

the dreaded "what ifs"

2010-06-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

I cant clear my head lately.

The biopsy is tomorrow.

I have been ignoring it the past few weeks, as if it didnt even exist. But we were so busy, that it wasnt hard to do so.

Now things have slowed down, and it seems to be all I can think about.

Its here.

The biopsy. is. TOMORROW!!!

Biopsy. I never imagined that being a word I would use everyday.

What if it hurts?

What if the valium doesnt work?

What if I start crying?

What if... you know.

What if I havent prayed enough?

Garden Goodies (a display of my poor photography skills)

2010-06-21T18:06:00.000-07:00

Last year Dennis bought me a whiskey barrel and 4 tomato plants. We had fun planting them, and watching them grow all summer long. Everyday we would go out and pick cherry tomatos and yellow pear tomatos and talk about all the things we are going to grow "next year".

He would say "Next year, we are doing 3 big barrels! I want big tomatos, and peppers! And something else, like peas!"

And I would say "yes, that sounds like a great idea, a salsa garden!"

We did get our 3 big barrels, and a few other pots.

We did get our big tomato plants, and our peppers, and more. It was a chore planting all the pots, etc. But every evening I hang out for a few minutes in my little container garden and check out how much things have grown. I count how many blooms I have, and shew(sp?) away bugs, etc. There is something a little peaceful, and a little theraputic about chilling amongst the plants.

Cilantro and pansies in one corner...

This large pot holds green beans, 8 ball zuchinni, and cucumbers

Strawberries, peppers, tomatos, pansies. I love pansies, they are so easy.

A few strawberries here and there, nothing crazy. There are just 3 plants in this little pot. I just love raising a few strawberry plants. Maybe I will add more every year. It would be amazing to have enough for some shortcake someday.

These are little tiny youngster green beans. Real green beans!! Growing in MY yard!!

This is my problem child... onions. It was an impluse buy at the nursery. Of the 12 or so I planted, these 2 are the only ones that look like they are doing anything. For one, they dont get enough sunlight (kind of hard when the sun wont shine... ) but I also dont think they like the soil I gave them.

These are large tomatos called Early Girls! Shouldnt be too long and these blooms will start forming into tomatos.

And these are all cherry tomatos. Super Sweet 100's to be exact!! My favorite!

This is a jalepeno! Isnt that wild?? I am growing jalepeno peppers!!!

AND bell peppers!!! This one is a go getter!! It's almost ready for pickin'!!!

The one thing we said we would grow this year was peas, but we couldnt find any pea plants, and it was too late to start any from seed. So.. next year!! Oh and I forgot to mention, my entire garden is organic!! I used all organic soil and compost, and organic fertilizers made with chicken crap and things like that. I want to expand my crop and variety year by year and someday it just might be pretty sustainable!

the end of a journey (but not really)

2010-06-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was my official last day on the Medifast plan. It was bittersweet. I know I am ready to be released out into the world of real food, but its hard to let go of that "fixed" routine.

It's scary actually.

This is what I looked like on Friday June 4th, 2010!

Dont get all excited, I was just having a good day. You know... one of those "thin" days. Ironically, that made it a good day to take my end of Medifast pictures.

Ok, this is kind of exciting. These were my "goal" jeans. I bought these jeans about 8 years ago the weekend that I moved to Salem. I felt so skinny in these jeans, and have been trying to get back into them ever since. Funny that I fit into my goal jeans, and I am not to my goal yet.

And my signature "collage" of start, middle, and end (of Medifast)

Stats:
lbs lost since January 11th 2010 = 36.4
total inches lost = 31 inches!!

I love that I lost 31 inches, that is results!

But!!! as I said above, I am not to my goal yet. So I am starting yet another journey... a much cheaper journey. A road that I have been down a few times... and failed. A road called Weight Watchers (Dunn Dunn DUNN!!!)

I am still running 3 times a week, and with that and Weight Watchers, I am hoping I can continue on toward my goal.

Part 3: Tea Time

2010-06-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Harley and I attended a mother daughter tea party. It was a fundraiser for one of our favorite events. Relay for Life!!

We picked up Mandie and Grace along the way. Spent the afternoon at the tea party, and it was FABULOUS!!!

They had a TON of food, omg you should have seen the spread. They had a little "photo booth" of sorts, door prizes and raffles, and tea of course. Mandie's mom and neice also met us down there. I ate too much, and the girls had a blast!

Here are a few pictures.

Grace and Harley on the way to the party.

Making tea! Harley had apple spice.

Harley with her winning door prize!

Mandie and I both won door prizes as well!

I look forward to having more days like this. The Relay team did an excellent job putting this event together. I have always supported the Relay For Life. And now more than ever... given my current situation.

Ah ha! Speaking of that, I guess I better give an update on it as well.

I spoke with my doctor, and a surgeon. There are a lot of facts in my favor, but there is still a low suspicion that my mass could be cancerous. I have chosen to get the biopsy, and not wait the 6 months. Today I confirmed my appointment and its on Tuesday June 29th. I have a positive feeling about this, and I am continuing to pray everyday. Plus I have a lot of stuff to keep my occupied until then.

Thanks for hangin in there with me. =D

Whats up? Part 2... boy meets grill

2010-06-01T20:34:00.000-07:00

When Dennis and I had been together for just 6 short months, Father's Day came around. He mentioned wanting a new BBQ, but unfortunately he didnt get it. We had only been together for 6 months, and a BBQ is a pretty big gift.

One year later, I had promised him a BBQ for Fathers Day. But things happen. We got into a car accident, and suddenly a BBQ wasnt so important.

Another year later.... still talking about that new BBQ. Of course, things happen, and I didnt have the money to get him one.

1 year ago, still asking for a BBQ for Fathers Day. And I am feeling pretty awful that he's been asking for one for 3 years and I hadnt delivered. Fathers Day came around, and he didnt have a new BBQ. But!!!, I did get him one a couple weeks later. He had picked out this Coleman Roadtrip somthing or other. He looked and looked and kept going back to this one. I bought it for him, and he had a good time cooking hamburgers, hot dogs, and sausages. He went out and bought a BBQ Bible Cookbook and suddenly he wasnt so found of his fancy new grill. The cookbook only highlighted other greater grill types, and didnt focus so much on us amatuers with cheesy little portable propane grills.

The problem here is, Dennis wants to cook food that is the BBQ Bible. He wants to make brisket, and ribs, and steaks, and chicken, and loins, and everything in between. I have always been the primary chef in the household, and he is fine with that. But deep down, he has this desire to create good food for his family and friends. The way that I can bake cookies and pies, and bring smiles and mmmmm's and oooohs and aaaahhhhhhs, He wants to do that with.... well, with meat.

So, as Fathers day # 5 drew near, there was talk of a new grill....yet again. He talked about maybe getting a charcoal grill, then maybe just a regular propane grill. One day I just spit out "how about a Traegar?" I honestly didnt even know what one was. But I started looking into them, and as I learned more, I knew this was the one for him. We both researched a while and found the one we wanted. Then we went to ACE Hardware and bought it!

This is the Traegar!

And its the perfect size for Dennis.

I could go on and on about how this thing works.... but its pretty basic.

Fill that square box with pellets, and they drop into this round thing and burn. Creating a lot of very hot smoke, that cooks food to perfection!!!

Our very first meal cooked on it. Chicken Legs.

I know they dont look like much, but they were the best, juciest chicken legs I have ever had.

We have had the Traegar for a little over a month now, and have used it almost every night. We have made chicken, pork chops, hamburgers, bratwurst, ribeyes, meatloaf, pizza (yes pizza), baby back ribs, tri-tip, new york steaks, chicken kabobs, etc.

Dennis is feeling like a stud, and we all get to eat good food. This is the grill of Dennis's dreams. And it only took him about 5 years to get it.

And for the record, he deserved it a looooong time ago.

Whats Up? (with us) - part 1 of a week long series

2010-05-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

I realized this weekend that there have been some happenings that I havent blogged about.

Shame on me.

I am going to do 1 post a night this week, until I am all caught up.

We are planning a few camping trips this summer, but we dont know a lot of good places to go camping. On Sunday, we set out in the Heppner direction to "scout" out some spots.

We ended up at Bull Prairie Lake. Its about 30 miles south of Heppner. They have a bunch of campsites, and most of them meet my own personal requirements. One being a fire ring, not a grill on a post, but an actual fire ring. I want a campfire when I am camping. Two being running water... I like to be able to wash my hands, and wash my dishes and cooking utensils. Bathrooms are third on the list, not really important, I can pee outside, but I do prefer a bathroom. Bull Prairie is also a good place for the kids to bring their bikes.

Oh! And there is a lake. Hence the name... bull prairie LAKE!!

We went fishing.

And caught a few fish.

keeping abreast....

2010-05-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

I've got a problem.

One of my boobs feels different than the other one....

I have been told that everyone's boobs are different, so when I noticed, I was just like... "hmmm, how long has this been like that?"

My boobs change size all the time... because I am a yo-yo dieter and I go up and down in my weight so much.

I made myself a mental note to talk to my doc about it... someday.

I had my annual female "check up" at the beginning of April. She did her routine "hands on" breast exam.... and she noticed.

So, I thought, I better say something.

She didnt think it was anything to be concerned about, but recommended I get a mammogram, just for peace of mind.

So about a week later, I go in for this mammogram. Fun stuff...

The tech had to take 2 sets of pictures, and I still had no answers by the end of the appointment. I was told I would need to come back for an ultrasound, to get a better look at it.

So about another week later... I went in for the ultrasound. The radiologist didnt see anything to be concerned about, but suggested I schedule a 6 month follow up. Simply because I had never had any mammograms, or ultrasounds, to compare this one too. So, the 6 month follow up thing made sense.

Imagine my suprise when I got a call from Kadlec imaging last Thursday. Apparantly there was a spot on my mammogram, that they didnt check during the ultrasound, and they wanted me to come back to have it looked at.

That brings us to today. I went in for yet another ultrasound. The ultrasound was done on the top of my breast last time. This time they focused on the bottom. The lady "did her thing" and then the radiologist came in.

This time, it wasnt such good news. "its not anything to lose sleep over.. but the only way to know for sure, is to get a biopsy." and "i'm sure everything is fine, given your age, and the fact there is no history of cancer in your family... but... the only way to know for sure is to get the biopsy"

ummmmmm....ok???

"The other option.. is to do a 6 month follow up, and if the lump is still there, we could discuss the biopsy at that time.....but....all that is doing is delaying the biopsy"

Of course... the decision is mine.

At this point, the biopsy has not been scheduled. And I am completely undecided. I go back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth.... I have asked a few for advice, and I have recieved mixed responses.. so that doesnt help. lol. My mom tells me "GET THE BIOPSY!"

soooooo...... I have a huge decision to make. I have heard that the biopsy is pretty simple, but if they come back to find out that it is cancer, the cancer cells have been disrupted by the procedure and they start to spread. But, on the other hand, my chances of actually having cancer are like 1% or something.

So, that is what is going on with me.... I havent blogged about this experience at all until now. And very few people are aware that I even went in for that first mammogram. But at this point, I feel like writing about it might help me.

bloggin' bout bloomsday

2010-05-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

I came:

We had a lovely drive up to Spokane on Saturday morning. Just me and my boo. We hooked my ipod up to the car sterio and played my running playlist the whole way up there. Its about 99% Christian music. Dennis loves Third Day and insisted that I play them over and over again. lol. I had a sack FULL of snacks, and 4 liters of water. Carb loading, and hydration is serious business.

Got in to town and discovered that we had a flat tire. Dangit! We were right by a tire shop, so we went in and had it checked out. No hole or anything, they inspected it and aired it up, and sent us on our way.

I saw:

We found our way down to the convention center, and I picked up my race packet. It was seriously so exciting! All the people, and the chaos!! It rocked. Dennis was blown away by the crowd. I dont think the "55,000 registered runners" really sank in with him.

We walked the trade show, which was super cool! Then we went to our hotel to get
checked in.

I got my D-tag (timing tag) hooked on to my shoe. I wanted to be as prepared as possible.

Here is my OWN official race number!!

We ventured around downtown for a while, then I asked Dennis to drive me around the race course. Dumb idea. With the map in hand, I guided him through the route. I became very overwhelmed. It was sooooo long!! And the hills???? Impossible!!!

It was discouraging, to say the least. But the morning of the race, I woke up with a better attitude!

I conquered:

Here I am, with a smile on my face, getting ready to line up.

And away I went.....

I told myself I would run the first 3 miles, and I did. It was hard. There were 2 hills in the first 3 miles. Killer hills! They sucked. It was really crowded, hard to maintain a good pace. The first 3 miles were loooooooong. The longest 3 miles ever! At the end of the 3rd mile was a down hill, so I just kept running. I ran, pretty much all the way to the bottom of mile 5... DOOMSDAY HILL!! I walked Doomsday Hill. I hate hills! So I didnt feel guilty about walking it. There was a lot of entertainment a long the way.

I was running alone, and I felt lonely. But I dont know what I would have done with a partner either. I am used to running alone. But running alone in a HUGE sea of people.... its wierd.

At the top of the hill, I started running again. I ran into a friend of mine at the top. He was at one of the houses and they were cooking pancakes for the runners and handing them out. Too funny.

The last 2 miles were loooooong. I kept thinking to myself "I know we are getting close" "arent we?" It felt like it took forever to get to the finish line. I was a at a very slow jog by this point. My fat, yes I said my fat.... my fat actually hurt! It hurt from bouncing up and down for an hour. Everytime I would pick up the pace, it would hurt my fat parts. My right boob hurt too. Sometimes if I wanted to go faster, I would hold my boob and run. I held my stomach and ran a little too. I didnt care what I looked like. There were people in costumes, cross dressers, ugly pink pigtails, naked people, etc.

You know what the best sound in the world is to a bloomsday runner???

Chariots of Fire!!

They play it about 1/2 block from the finish!! It rocks! As soon as people hear it, and turn the corner to the finish line... they just started hooting and hollering and sprinting toward the finish!!!! Its a downhill to the finish, its soooo funny!!!

I was glad to be done. I just wanted to get my shirt, and go find Dennis. I had a perma grin all the way through the shirt line.

Behold!!! The finisher shirt!! ONLY finishers get these shirts!!

My time: 1 hr 40 minutes... not too bad, but definitely something to beat next year.

And that is, in short, my first Bloomsday experience.

I will spare you the details about how I ate too much for the rest of the day, and spent the night in stomach pain and throwing up. And had to cancel plans with one of my BFF's the next day, and couldnt move and spent all day in bed, eating only applesauce.....

woot!

2010-04-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

Woot!

That is what I say when I'm excited about something.

Most of the time I say "Woot!" in text messages, but sometimes I just say it out loud.

Woot!

I have been saying Woot! a lot tonight.

The reason for that, is because I finished Couch to 5K!

I finished! I finished a 9 week program designed to train me to run 3 miles.

I followed the program, pretty much to the T, and it worked!

When I set out to do this, I decided my running days would be Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

And for the last 9 weeks, I have not missed a single Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday.

Oh... believe me! I have tried talking myself out of skipping a day, postponing a day, quitting early, etc.

But I didnt!!! I pressed on!!!

Woot!

I ran in the freezing cold, the gusting wind, some beautiful dewey mornings, and some warm humid evenings. Once during my run at the park, a rain storm came, and people ran to the their cars, but I kept running.

I ran at the river park mostly, but also around my neighborhood, and hotel treadmills. Last weekend I ran up to my church and back, and on the high school track a few times.

9 weeks ago I started the program, and I "wanted" to finish it. But I kinda told myself I probably wouldnt. I could barely run 1 minute.

I can run for 30 minutes now!

Woot!

What I have learned:

*I really can do things that I set my mind to
*I dont mind running alone
*I must have chapstick on, and lots of it
*I prefer to run in a baseball cap
*I rock a black Nike sweat suit
*I never get tired of the worship music playlist on my iPod
*It takes almost 10 minutes for me to get my shoes laced just right
*Stretching is absolutely necessary
*I think I actually "like" running
*Okay I am kinda obsessed with the idea of being a "runner"
*I need to do some strength training
*I have huge calves
*And the only reason I completed this "what i thought was impossible" program, was because I turned this over to The Lord. He gave me all I needed to keep moving along.

Woot!!!

What I have yet to learn:
*What to do with my car keys when I go to the park to run????

Thank you, friends, for all of your encouragement and support.

My next post will be about my experience at Bloomsday this weekend.

Spokane here I come!!!

WOOT!!!!!

I'll take Potpouri for $500, Alex!

2010-04-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

Just potpouri of updates:

* Still doing the running thing. Last thursday was the end of week 5, and I ran for 20 minutes with out taking a break! Can you say milestone?? I had been dreading week 5 day 2 for, well... about 5 weeks! I knew that 20 minutes run was coming. I guess all along I just thought to myself that will be the day I quit the program. How could I possibly run for 20 minutes w/o stopping, when just 5 weeks ago I could barely run for 1 minute?! Well.... I did do it! I prayed a lot before my run. I always pray before my runs, but this particular day, I prayed extra. The strength I received that day... indescribable! And today, one week later, I ran for 25 minutes! I have completed 6 weeks of this 9 week program, and I dont see any sign of quitting now.

* Easter was great. My mom came down and stayed the weekend with us. This was huge! My mom hates Hermiston, and she hasnt been back here in about 9 years. She's going through some awful stuff right now, so it was nice for her to take a break and spend it with us. I sooo enjoyed having her here. I made her my special cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We cooked a big ham dinner together, and had fresh strawberry shortcake for dessert. We took her for a drive around town so she could see how much it has changed ( or not, lol ). After dinner we went down to the park where I run and took a nice walk. Her and Harley dyed Easter eggs, and we watched The Blindside. It was awesome quality family time. It was hard letting her go on Sunday. My mom needs a lot of prayers for some positive strength in her life right now. No one imagines they will have to start over at age 50. My mom is beautiful, intelligent, and talented, so I know she will be fine, but I still worry.

* Bubba has a birthday coming up! We are taking him out for ribs this weekend. Next weekend we will be staying a couple nights up in Kennewick at the Little People of America Convention. We love taking the kids to the conventions, they are totally stoked!!

* I have been roasting brusselsprouts for dinner, and they are the bomb! I ate a little too much "bad stuff" over Easter weekend, but I am back on track. I look forward to eating roasted brusselsprouts at night! lol! You must try them yourself! Get out there and get some fresh ones, chop the suckers in half lengthwise, toss in a bowl with EVOO and salt n pepper. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake @ 350 for 15-20 minutes. Even if you "think" you dont like brusselprouts.. you gotta try them. Roasting them completely changes the flavor.

* I am having a yardsale on April 24th. My house is a little tore up right now, as I go room by room digging out treasures to sell. I love yardsale season! I need to make room for more treasures of my own.

Okay I am all out of potpouri for the night... smooches.

These Two

2010-04-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

Brother and Sister.
Best Friends.
Worst Enemies.
Complete Opposites.

The probably spend more time together than any other brother/sister combo you've ever seen. They are 4-1/2 years apart, and most days, you would never know it.

These two have been through so much together. Well, with their mother being an alcoholic and pretty much non existent in their lives. But, they also understand each other. When no one else understands things from their {point of view}, they can turn to one another.

Sure they have their share of daily fighting, competing, tattling, and trickery.

HIM.....

A clone of his dad.
One of the sweetest boys you will ever meet.
Lover of music, wrestling, and horror movies.
Great sense of humor.
Will beat you at any video game at any time.
Would eat baby back ribs every day of the year.
Practices good personal hygeine.
Quite the entertainer.

This kid, he does some.....dumb stuff. He's so typically an almost 15 yr old young man. But he is so kind. He never raises his voice, or talks down to anyone. He says his "pleases" and more often.. his "thank yous."

I know I posted a couple months ago about Bubba, and his academics. He had a rough
1st semester of high school. He has really turned things around, and I am happy to report that the 3rd quarter is about to end, and he has held above a 3.0 GPA for the whole 9 weeks!!!

Proud of that kid.

HER.....

Yes, that is the look she is giving me most of the time. Its that "you cant be serious" look.

A clone of her mom (unfortunately... but we cant change that)
One of the loudest kids you will ever meet.
Lover of animals, flip flops, and any one who pays her attention.
Thinks she can beat you at anything, at anytime.
Eats her veggies.
Tetherball obessesd.
The phrase "mind your own business" means squat to her.
Quite the people pleaser.

This girl... hardly ever "finds trouble." Her trouble is rudeness and disrespect. Unlike Bubba, who finds trouble, but is really nice about it. Harley is little miss perfect, while being mean.

She's cute, and funny, and she knows it. She is a textbook Leo! She loves all attention on her. She will even go as far as doing something really nice for someone, to get their attention. (thats when I like her best). Because she really is a kind, sweet, person, with a ton of love to give. I often forget that she's only 10.

I am so blessed to have this family in my life. I know that we are together for a reason. They need me, and I need them. I have learned so much about love, respect, and patience.

Love these two.

our little get away...

2010-03-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

I havent had a chance to post what we did for the first weekend of Spring Break. It wasnt all hard work the whole time.

Dennis and I dropped the kiddos off in Canby and went to Lincoln City for a night.

First we actually went down to Depot Bay and braved the open sea for a whale watching tour...

This is the boat we went on. We didnt get to see any whales, but the ocean was so rough, it made the boat ride fun. We want to go do it again, and hopefully see whales, but it was fun to go out there anyway.

We headed back up to Lincoln City for an afternoon of shopping and site seeing.

Checked in to our motel, and this was our view!! Amazing view!

If you are ever looking for a great hotel to stay at in Lincoln City, I highly recommend the Coho Inn! The room was gorgeous!!

Giant King size bed!!

Fancy TV!

Private balcony!

Gas Fireplace!! I was soooo in love with this!

Jacuzzi tub!!

The picture of the balcony was actually taken from the Jacuzzi tub! Yes you could see the ocean from the tub! Dreamy!

Another recommendation.... Blackfish Grill!! Yum! A very cute place, with quality service, and a fresh menu!

Our appetizer.. flatbread pizza with capicolla ham, wild mushrooms, and walnuts. I loved it! Dennis could take it or leave it. But trust me... it rocked!!

My entree. Alaskan Halibut, blackened, with roasted fingerling potatos, and brazed golden beets. The sauce was kinda like a seedy mustard sauce. The fish was freakin amazing!! Best Halibut I have EVER had!!

Den's Rockfish fish and chips. He always orders fish and chips when we are at the beach! I have to say, its not the best fish and chips... but good. The price was right though! I think it was like $11.

DO NOT leave the Blackfish without dessert. They have a selection of desserts but the chef is known for making these homemade Ding Dongs!!!

Check them out! My mouth is watering for them now... that chocolate sponge cake, home made whipped cream.... droool..

Isnt it sad that I take more pictures of my food, than I do anything else??

We spent a little time at the casino that night, doubled our money, so it was time to run.

I went down to the fitness room at the hotel and did my run the next morning. It was a good run, with the exception of the location of the fitness room. In the same building as the pool, hottub, and sauna. It was a scorcher!! Hot and humid. Needless to say, I was sweating profusely! Dennis couldnt help but laugh.

Breakfast was free at the hotel and it was lovely! (sorry no pics of breakfast...)

It was so hard to leave that day, we had such a good time relaxing, and enjoying our room and the ocean. Cant wait to go back!

Too Legit!

2010-03-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

Yep, and we finished pretty much a day early!

Again, I just have to say how happy I am with the way this room turned out. It's hip, its fresh, kinda retro funky, its legit... its perfect!

Oh, here is the print purchased from Etsy, that started this whole project. This print was my inspiration for the whole entire bathroom. Does anyone know what it means??? (I've given a couple hints already)

How about a before/after comparison, just for good measure.

Damn.... we are good!

The bathroom is ready for guest use!!! Would you come over and use my bathroom??

one day closer...

2010-03-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

We are still hard at work on this bathroom. Its soooo coming together. I couldnt be happier!!

I still have some stuff that I need to put in there, but I have to save some suprises for the grand finale, right???

Here is what it looks like as of tonight!!!

This poor little room, its come a loooooong way!

and day 2..

2010-03-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

Made a little more progress today in the bathroom. Got most of the trim put down along the floor, and hung up the wanscotting. It is coming along, slowly but surely. Dennis got under the tub today and added some reinforcements. It was feeling kinda weak. Its old and brittle and its a trailer house bathtub. Its all good now though. I still need to paint the cabinet doors, the door, and all the trim. That will probably have to happen tomorrow night. I go back to work tomorrow, and will be working from 6am-5pm for the rest of the week.

I did manage to get a couple loads of laundry done today. Also got the grocery shopping done, and went jogging. We made a run to Home Depot, and to Wal-Mart for some supplies.

Going back in to trim around the door. Then its dinner time, shower time, and watch 90210 time!

Project Spring Break 2010

2010-03-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

Last Spring Break we "flipped" Bubba's room as a suprise for him while the kids were gone.

This year, its their bathroom. The bathroom was a top priority for this year. It needs this so bad, its also our main bathroom that guests are supposed to use, but who would want to???

Check out some before pics....

Those pics were taken this morning at about 8am....

Its now 11:30pm, and we are now here....

The painting is pretty much done! Still need to do the cabinets, and a few touch ups. Tomorrow we will be doing a lot of trim work, and putting up the wanscotting.

Oh! What do you think about the color? Have you freaked out yet? Dont worry, it will all come together.... you'll see.

8 weeks..

2010-03-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked a total of 8 weeks on my diet.

I have lost a total of 25.3 pounds.

I had my measurements done 8 weeks ago, and again tonight.

I have lost a total of 23 inches!!

Below are some "before" and "after 8 weeks" pics.

Can you see a difference?

Excuse my dirty shirt, I had just gotten done cooking.

Running update. I am on week 3 of the Couch to 5K program. I am getting more and more anxious for Bloomsday in May.
The C25K program hasnt been too awful so far. I have good days and bad days. I have completed every exercise just like I am supposed to, I run when it says run, and I dont stop until it says stop. So far the longest interval has only been 3 minutes. I know that my lung capacity is improving, I only start breathing really hard toward the end now, instead of after the very first interval. I havent had any pain since the first 2 days, my shoes feel great, so I am happy so far. Somedays I really dont feel like going. But once I do get out there, its all good. I do the program on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. This weekend we are going to the coast, so I get to do my Sunday run at the hotel on a treadmill.

Just a quick update, that's all.

good stuff, no pictures

2010-03-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

well... this last week was exciting.

It was my b-day week (march 4th), but there wasn't much celebrating. I did take off early on Tuesday to go up to Kennewick and get another (!!!) tattoo, on my other foot. I dont have any pics on my computer, but its a very colorful purple and red sparrow. I like her.

Both of my sales people were out from Wed-Today. So I had to work from open to close all of those days. They were very long days, but I was lucky enough that we were pretty slow so I was able to get a lot of projects done without people being in my way. Some days went by fairly quick, and before I knew it, the weekend was here.

Oh I forgot to mention that I could barely move for the first half of the week because of my previous weekend running spree. That stunk!

My plans for my birthday weekend, were to take a drive with my family up to LaGrande for the day, meet an old friend for lunch, and actually eat real food. Saturday was a gorgeous day, and we made the morning drive to my old stompin grounds. I got to show the kids the college campus, and all of the places I lived. I wasnt able to show them my dorm, because it doesnt exist anymore. Its been completely tore down. That was really wierd to see. The campus has changed soooo much, but so many memories I have there.

We met up with Lea at the SubShop downtown. I worked there for about 3 years before I left La Grande. It's an awesome shop, owned by an awesome family. I met Lea while working there, and we have lost touch and reunited a few times over the last 9 years. She has a family now, and I have a family now, and it was so nice to sit and catch up. We were there for 3 hours!!! On the way home, we stopped for ice cream at Baskin Robbins. My very favorite flavor is Love Potion #31, and I had to have it. It made me full, and i didnt feel well after it.

We got home and I downed about a gallon of water, and had to start cooking our dinner. By dinner, I mean frozen chicken and turkey potpies. Hey, its what I wanted. I was craving that crusty, baked, gravyness. I am happy to now report that craving is gone. Topped off the "binge day" with a homemade carrot cake. My friend Sherrie baked me a wonderful carrot cake from scratch. It was pretty intense.

I was so glad to get back on my plan yesterday. I had a headache all day, and I spent the whole day drinking water. I did go for a run yesterday. It was my first day back. Had to take a little break, because the tattoo on my foot made it a little hard to wear real shoes. I went running again today. Did different intervals today, but ran realllll slow. The wind was howling!! Running into the wind is hard. ick! If I go again tomorrow, which I fully intend to, I will be back on schedule with the Couch to 5K running plan.

Oh, yesterday Harley and I baked again. Instead of cookies, we made blueberry mini muffins. She did an excellent job, the muffins look great! Everyone, except me of course, has been pigging out on them.

I have ran out of things to talk about.

Later skater.

weekend sigh

2010-02-28T17:58:00.000-08:00

*sigh*..... what a great weekend!

Started off after a very.. long.. friday.. at work. But at 5pm sharp I locked those doors and my friend and I headed up to Tri-Cities for some much needed shopping therapy. And whoa, I spent a little too much. But it's all good. I got some new clothes for Dennis, Bubba, and Harley. I got a wierd sweater cardigan thing, and some loot from Bath and Body Works. I am totally hooked on Mango Mandarin!!! Had some dinner at Mongolian BBQ Grill (sans noodles), which was pretty good. I think I might venture back to Mongolian in a couple of weeks. Lots of veggies and meat, all cooked up, cant really go wrong there.

I had planned on going to get a pedicure on Saturday morning, but instead i watched QVC and bought the Today's Special Value. I convinced myself I could do my own pedi, and spend money on Philosphy skin care. We'll see. I have had the worst luck with skin care products this last year. But at least I can send it back if I dont like it.

I then went for a run at the walking park. I was doing so so so good. I was running for a good amount of time, and then I hit a swarm of gnats. It was sick, I kept going for a while, but there were more gnats, and more and more and more. My face was so wet and sweaty, they were sticking to me, and almost in my mouth and up my nose. I ran some more at the top of the trail. It was a great run, but I was so sore when I woke up this morning.

Mostly just cleaned house yesterday, went to the park with some friends and kids. Dennis and I watched Julie & Julia last night. Long movie, but I enjoyed it very much, but it made me think about how much I miss cooking and baking. It was just an all around nice and peaceful day. And how about that weather, folks?? Gorgeous!!!

Went to church early this morning, and that was great as always. Its good to see people I know there, and to be there with my whole family. Some friends of ours went today too. I hit up the grocery store before we came home, nice to get that all out of the way. I saved $50 shopping sales, and using coupons.

Oh! Back to the baking thing...Harley and I have been baking cookies on Sundays. She loves to help me in the kitchen. And since I cant eat any of it right now anyway, its easier for me to give her the control in there. She is loving it because I let her do pretty much everything. I'm not the one eating them, so its nice to "let go" of the control I have. I'm not picky about they way they look, or how long it takes her, etc. Last weekend she made snickerdoodles, and today she picked Double Chocolate Chip Cookies. It was a recipe she picked out of her kids cookbook. We use the cookies during the week for her sack lunches, and for an after dinner treat. She is getting more comfortable using all the measurements, and reading recipes. I think we have an awesome Sunday tradition going on here.

Today was another gorgeous day, so instead of the chicken tacos we had planned for dinner, Dennis BBQ'd us hamburgers for lunch. I discovered a way to make bread out of one of my Medifast soups, and its actually pretty good. So I made myself a little hamburger with my "bun." It was so awesome! You should have seen the grin on my face, I thought it was a "real" hamburger.

The diet is going really well. My weight loss is starting to show, and people are noticing. I get a little freaked out sometimes. Do I know how to be thin? Strange, I have been wanting this for so long, and now that its happening, I'm scared?
Ya, riddle me that one, batman.

I went for another "run" this afternoon. Whoa, I am so so so sore. I dread going pee, because it hurts so bad to lower myself down onto the toilet. Sorry if that is TMI, but for real. I'm hurting. I know this will get easier. But for now, I am just going to whine about mmmk?

Oh! and that pedicure I said I could give myself... guess who is going to do it for me?? Dennis! What a guy! He is going to paint my toes and massage my feet with lotion.

Love him. Love my family.

Love my weekends.

*sigh*

"driving" us crazy

2010-02-21T20:32:00.001-08:00

On April 16th, Bubba will be 15 years old.

That only means 1 thing.

It's time to get the drivers permit.

Bubba is always asking us if he can drive, we say NO, of course, you arent old enough yet.

That turns in to "Can I just go around the block?" No.

"Can I just back the car out of the driveway" No.

"Can I start the car?" N... wait? Oh, start the car? Its a good 30 degrees, out, heck yes, please, go start the car! And crank up that heater while you're out there.

Lets go back for a minute, to about the beginning of December...

One morning before school, Dennis, on a whim, asks Bubba if he wants go out and start the Tahoe. Bubba grabs the keys and flies out the door, and returns a minute later. They wait a good 10 minutes or so, excited about hopping into a warm, defrosted car, and get to school. While walking out to the car, Dennis noticed that the Tahoe sure was quiet, but whatever. They climb inside and its freezing cold, and the heater is blowing full blast, icy cold air! The Tahoe wasnt even started!!! Bubba turned the key, and the fan started blowing, he thought that meant the truck was started!!! After a short lesson, Bubba can now successfully start a car. And we have been toying with the idea of taking him out on a back road and letting him drive my little car. And today we did just that....

He did good for his first time.

wondering why...

2010-02-20T20:21:00.000-08:00

Recently I have been wondering why?......

Why is it, that I cant sit still for one second if my kitchen or living room isnt completely spotless, but my bedroom and bathroom are almost always a complete disaster??

Why is it, that when I diet, I crave Taco Bell, and Big Macs? The two foods I absolutely refuse to eat at all even when I am not dieting.

Why am I afraid that running will give me a heart attack?

And, why cant I find the perfect running shoe?

Why dont I brush my dogs teeth?

Why can't I keep my car clean?

Why do I wear hoodies about 90% of the time?

Why dont I ever take pictures anymore?

And, why am I blogging when I have a million and one things to do?

Why would someone smoke cigarettes?, while constantly complaining about how broke they are?

Why dont unhappy, stressed, and depressed people do something to change?

And why am I hungry, when I just ate 33 minutes ago? ..... maybe I'm just thirsty?

4 weeks, 5 days

2010-02-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

Today is 4 weeks and 5 days since I started my diet plan.

I have been living off soy protein shakes, powdered soups, and meal replacement bars.

I havent had one tiny bit of anything that is not allowed on my plan.

I made banana bread, brownies, tacos, and french toast for my family. I didnt even lick my finger.

Valentines dinner is a tradition for Dennis and I.

We. Love. The. Farmers. Kitchen.!!! and we go there every year for Valentines Day.

I told myself when I started the plan that I would not cheat one bit, one bite, or one finger lick..... until Feb 13th.

and I didnt!

And the meal tonight??

AMAZING!

homemade herb foccocia bread with dipping oil
fresh tomato and basil soup
and one of the biggest ribeye steaks I have EVER seen!

I was in meat heaven, then Dennis mentioned dessert.

oh snap.

Creme Brulee..... serioulsy one of my FAVORITE foods ever!

He got the chocolate truffle cake that was shaped like a heart. adorable.

Both desserts were amazing.

and guess what? we brought some home.

I'm so stuffed, so full, my stomach, its distended, lol.

Those boxes are calling my name.

..............................................

I set a goal, a standard... and I stuck to it. Maybe for the first time, ever!

And I will go right back on tomorrow.

My birthday is in 3 weeks. I plan to have something special then, but nothing this elaborate. I have been journaling my triggers, and my cravings. and this is so silly, but as of right now, I plan on having... a chicken pot pie for my birthday.

Because I need to...

2010-02-08T19:31:00.000-08:00

I "need" to blog.

Everytime i think about it, i become massivly overwhelmed. There isnt enough to talk about, or, there is too much to talk about.

I'm just going to ramble, and be random, so... hang on.

I've been losing weight. I didnt want to blog about losing weight. I dont like telling people I am on a diet.
Today marks my 28th day. I am down 14.6 pounds.
Its Medifast, I feel good. I no longer constantly think about my next meal.
But I feel the need to write about this, because losing weight is hard. Sticking to the diet, thats pretty easy. Not seeing the scale move as fast as I want it to, thats hard.

I am going to start walking again. Walking will turn into jogging soon. I am going to Spokane in May. I already made reservations. Dennis will take me up there and cheer me on. I will do it alone. 7.46 miles, I know I will finish the Bloomsday run. My goal is to be able to run more than 1/2 of it.
I think i need to buy all of the runners gear. The tight shiny black running pants, and a sweat band.

The kids have been naughty lately.

Bubba's grades a month ago were so awful. It's embarrassing. I dont like telling people that the kid I am raising is a slacker. He is doing much better now. The first semester of High School almost got the best of him. He passed all of his classes. I prayed for him everyday.

Harley has been naughty too. She can be quite mean to her dad and her brother. We dont relate. I try very hard. She is a good kid. She really is. I look at other people's kids, and am so thankful. But I have little patience for her. I pray for patience, everyday.

The family and I went to church this last Sunday.

I havent blogged about this subject at all.

This last year has been so...eye opening. God is present in my life. I know he has always been here, but maybe I havent allowed myself to acknowledge Him? I was afraid, maybe I still am a little. I know God is working in me, my eyes are wide open, and so is my heart, and I am letting Him in. I am finding myself so moved, and so touched, by worship music, the Bible, and other Christians. And I know that I need this relationship with God.

We decided as a family, to start looking for a church. I have gone to church in the past, but I want a church to go to... all the time. I didnt want the church I picked to be one of those "i have been to church before" churches. I want to regularly attend a church, and I want to worship God, in church, with my family. I want to be around other people who do the same thing, I want to be around Christians.

We knew that we would try New Hope Church, because of the great things we have heard about it. They also have an amazing youth program. I am going to admit something, I was almost "afraid" to like the church. Fears of not fitting in, fear of commitment.

I wasn't raised Christian.

I wasnt raised to believe in God at all.

Are "they" going to know? Are they going to see that?

Are people going to wonder what I/we are doing there?

Am I going to be accepted?

What is expected of me?

These questions are still looming, yet I cant wait to go back next Sunday.

and with that said, I think that is enough "sharing" for one night.

New Years

2009-12-03T18:32:00.001-08:00

I know I shouldnt be thinking about New Years Resolutions (AKA things I "think" about doing, but never actually do), but I cant get a few things out of my head. Things that I want to do, but keep telling myself "after the holiday" because I am too busy right now to do them. So... they are kinda like resolutions.

What I can't get out of my head? Granny squares!!! I want to crochet granny squares and make cool things. I have tried the whole knitting thing and its not for me. but crochet? I think I can handle. I cannot wait to get cozy on my couch with a cup of tea and a movie I have seen a hundred times. Picture it, its freezing cold outside, I have a batch of cinnamon rolls in the oven, and I am crocheting granny squares!! OMG!! Crap I am getting old.

The cricut. Since this silly little machine has came out I never pictured myself getting one. I have a small scrapbooking supply, my house is small so I have to keep it to a minimum, and I am fine having it that way. But in the last year, I find myself more into cardmaking rather than scrapbooking. I think the Cricut would take my cardmaking to another level. Okay maybe just to level 1, since I dont really have a level of cardmaking right now. I make some cards, they arent really cute. Anyway, the Cricut is really expensive, and so are the cartridges. So... I dont know when, or it, I will ever get one.

Oh and just because this is always at the top of my "after the holidays" list.... LOSE 500 lbs!!!!!

So.... how is your December going so far?

Craft Day

2009-11-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

I have been checking out some Thanksgiving crafts lately. I saved a few ideas, and today we spent a few hours putting together some cool stuff. We have 3 Thanksgiving dinners each year. Den's mom, my mom, and my grandmother on my dad's side. I thought it would be cool to bring a little something homemade by us, to grace each of our Thanksgiving tables.

Today we made a bread basket that looks like a turkey!

Isnt he cool?? I just crack up everytime I look at him. And he was very easy to make!

Then we made these turkey napkin rings!

We have a whole gaggle of them!! Harley did most of the work on these napkin rings. They were a little more complicated, but worth it.

Tomorrow we are going to work on some place cards.

I found all of the ideas on this website.
They constantly have awesome craft ideas for all seasons. Family Fun

Inked

2009-10-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

I finally got a tattoo! Can you believe it? Most people are suprised to know that I dont have any, especially if they know my boyfriend, because he is covered in them. I have wanted one for soooo long, but I have been soooo scared to get one. Couldnt really decide what I wanted, and if I could handle the pain. Right before I turned 30I decided that I am getting one this year. My best friend and I planned to get one together to "celebrate" turning 30. We made the appointments months ago to get inked on October 22nd, which also happens to be Dennis's birthday, so he joined in on the fun too.

Mandie went first. She already had her first tattoo 12 years ago when we turned 18. She has never really been quite happy with it, and I think you can see why.

Jerrett drew out a couple more dolphins to add, with a sunset, and some water. He's a great artist.

and here is the finished product!

Then it was my turn. Man was I nervous. I actually had nightmares for weeks prior to this day. I dreamt I would just lay there and cry, or even throw up. Even though I asked a million questions, I just had no idea what to expect.

I knew I wanted something on my foot. I love daffodils. They are my favorite flower, and also the flower of my birth month. So, Jarrett drew me out a beautiful daffodil.

Right about now is when I started really freaking out. I just sat on the table and closed my eyes. Heart was pounding out of my chest! Had to keep telling myself to breathe. He started on the outline (which I heard was the worst part). It wasnt as bad as I anticipated. It did hurt though. It felt like i was getting burned!

But I laid there and took it!

For a while.....

Yea, so it hurt pretty bad. The outline wasnt the worst part. It was the easiest part. It only took a little over an hour. And in the end.....

I am left with this!!

Not the greatest photograph, but its the only one I have.

Then the camera battery died, so we didnt get any pics of Dennis's tattoo, or him getting it done.

The tattoo is healing nicely. Tattoos on the foot hurt really bad! lol. But I am already planning other tattoos, including one on my right foot. I heard they were addicting, and its true. Now that I have "broken the ice" I am ready for more.

So you think you can dance?

2009-10-19T18:27:00.001-07:00

Imagine this for a second:

You are a freshman in high school. Its homecoming week, and you are looking forward to your very first pep assembly. You have heard a lot about all of the competitions and games between the classes. Pretty cool huh? What if you were asked to be a part of the freshman team for the dance contest? What if you were only asked 1 day before the assembly? What if you said yes? What if you and your team of 3 other dancers were getting ready to go out in the middle of the gym and perform in front of the whole entire school? What if your 3 teammates chicken out at the very last second, almost causing the freshman to have to forfeit from the competition? And what if you, volunteered to go out there by yourself and dance?

So there you are, on that giant basketball court, bleachers are full to the max!

Oh, and I did I mention... you are also the smallest kid in school?

true story.

Meet Buttercup!

2009-10-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, the Kitchen-Aid arrived today!!! I have actually been having second thoughts about it. We went with the Professional. I always thought I would just get the little Artisan. But QVC was running a special on the Professional, so Dennis talked me into it. All this time I was thinking oh crap what did I do? Its too much for what I need. Its going to be too big. etc, etc.

But then, I pulled it out of the box, and it was perfect! Love at first sight! I was boiling potatos for dinner, so I thought hey, I will just stick them in and mashed them on up! It was AWESOME! Easiest potatos I have ever made.

I am so excited about the new level my baking is going to go. I absolutely love baking, especially this time of year. Last year I burned up 2 hand mixers making my Christmas cookies for my cookie plates. This year... not gonna happen!

I also bought some fall/halloween decorations today. This weekend the kids and I are going to decorate, and do some fall-ish stuff.

Awesome Autumn

2009-10-06T21:30:00.001-07:00

Oh I love this time of year. September through Christmas goes by way too quickly. October is usually when I start to welcome the changing of the seasons. I start wearing hoodies to work, drinking LOTS of hot tea, and get the baking "itch".

Things I am looking forward to this month, October 2009:

*getting out my fall decorations
*carving pumpkins with my family
*Dennis's birthday
*making caramel corn with Harley
*new Scentsy smells
*crock pot meals
*hot oatmeal for breakfast
*getting my first tattoo, oct 22nd. Nervous!
*going to the Harvest Festival at the Country Mercantile in Pasco
*date night with my babe. this weekend!
*making our Halloween costumes
*my new Kitchen-Aid. Due to arrive any day now!
*UFC party with friends
*doing some crafts with the kids
*wearing black nail polish. okay so I do this all the time.

Peace out!

Weekend Review

2009-09-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

If it wasnt for the horrible headache I am sporting right now, I could say this weekend was pretty close to perfect.

It was just one of those weekends where we didnt have a bunch of plans. No expensive projects, or shopping trips. Not a ton of tedious chores. We just kicked butt! I did all the laundry and cleaning on Saturday.

Dennis washed my car! And oh boy did it need it!!

I organized the kitchen cupboards. Here is the before....

Yes, I am one of those people that need to have the peaches seperated from the beans. Each "food" has it's own "row". I cant help it. And this way I know what exactly what I have in stock too.

It's nearly October and I am still picking these almost daily!

Dennis and Bubba have been working on this model car. Its a replica of Dennis's hotrod. They are doing a pretty good job on it so far.

We scored this entire microscope set at a yard sale for $1!! It came with all kinds of slides to look at.

Oh here is my new couch. Its so big. Its the best couch ever!

Oh, I also went through a box of very old pictures. Can't wait to scrap these!

I hate to see the weekend end, but it was so nice to relax, bbq with friends, take a nap during the Seahawks game, snuggle with my dog, iced lattes with my sweetie, etc etc.

Goodnight!

20 things

2009-09-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

20 things that are making me happy right now:

*the new afghan my mom crocheted for me
*my new couch, that matches my afghan perfectly
*new season of 90210
*learning to make Dawna's Mudpie Brownies
*my completed home projects
*my vaca coming up next week
*the long nail on my right hand ring finger
*facebook on my phone
*Scentsy (luxe vanilla and grapefruit pomogranite)
*the hot Vigoss jeans that I bought at a yard sale for $1
*the fact the that $1 jeans are a size smaller and they FIT!!
*the gold butterflies hanging in my bathroom
*getting over my flu/virus/whatever the heck it was
*foot massages
*flirting with my hot customers
*Nickelback
*Wii Fit
*My new Nike's with the iPod chip, saweet!
*fudgesicles
*naps

Look who came to visit!!!

2009-09-19T18:51:00.001-07:00

This is Marley! Very precious mini yorkie that belongs to Dennis's mom.

And Aunt Danielle!!! (den's little sister)

The kids loved having Aunt Danielle here. And so did I!!

This is Mike!! Dennis's stepdad. He is quite the handy man.

The main reason for his visit was to help us to some work on the house.

The three of them have been here since Thursday morning. Mike installed a new floor and toilet in the kids' bathroom, and replaced some wood on our front porch. He also built me a couple shelfs in the kitchen. It has been so much fun having them here. We have cooked awesome food every night. Fresh BBQ'd brats, hamburgers, carne asada, pasta salad, brownies, etc.

Tomorrow I am making a french toast farewell breakfast. So much appreciation for Mike and Danielle, they have been a huge help, and a blast to hang out with. Last night we played Guitar Hero, and this morning Danielle, Harley, and I headed out yardsaling for a few hours. We all found some great treasures.

And this is what these 2 precious pups did most of the time.... watched their dads outside working....

Give us dirty laundry!

2009-09-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

I know you are all excited that I am "blogging" again, but believe me, you will get tired of seeing all these home improvement posts.

So this weekend was the laundry room, and unfortunately I wasnt around to take pics before most of the stuff was emptied out of the room. It really wasnt that bad, just a bunch of clutter that needed organizing.

All the yucky stuff that hides under the washing machine.... (and the holes that Dennis cuts in the wall when he decides he needs to "fix" something) note: he doesnt do that anymore. :)

That's the door that goes out to our back porch. We never use the door, and there used to be a white shelf in front of it with a bunch of crap on it. I really wanted to get rid of it because well if there is ever a fire I would like to be able to get out of that door if we need to. So, that will stay unobstructed from now on!

What a difference new linoleum can make!

And a fresh coat of paint!

No more holes!

before touch ups...

The painting has been all touched up! Just have to paint and hang the cabinet doors, and move in the washer and dryer.

Moved the big storage shelf back in tonight!

Oh! And this here is my "liberal propaganda station!" (Carrie, omg HAHA!)

Will post more pics when I get it all back together, it wont be this empty for long, we have a lot of stuff that needs "stored". For now I am off to take care of my coupons, and a fruit fly situation.

Oh boy.....

2009-09-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

Alright, this is a pretty big step for me, this whole "sharing" thing. Honestly, this is freaking embarrassing. I am not really one to "air my dirty.... bathroom" but in order to show the drastic-ness, I have to show the before pics. And, ugh, its hard.

Yea, I took baths in here. The caulking always bothered me, and have always wanted to do something about it. But, I am a busy person, and believe it or not, it was easy to ignore.

One of my goals (even though technically this isn't MY house) is to get rid of all the wood grain in this house. I absolutely hate faux woodgrain. It's all over the place in these 80's mobile homes.

I never really thought much of the sink. Its so crazy the things you get used to, even if they are totally beyond what is considered "normal."

One last peek of the overall bathroom lameness....

So...... without any further adieu..... My much improved bathroom situation:

It would have been great to just get a new tub, but we dont plan on living here forever. Any improvements we do to this place we call the "3 yr plan" just buying us a few years while we plan for owning a real house.
We did get all new knobs, and spout though.

And a new sink, with new faucet!

Bye bye wood grain. Painted cabinets with new hardware. I wanted glass knobs, but Dennis wanted handles. So we met in the middle with these.

New mirror (it looks gold, but its actually wood.... sshhhhh.)

So, I had a vision, and I gotta say, it turned out just like I wanted it to. Its clean and modern, with some vintage touches. I still have another mirror to hang, and paint that 3 tiered basket thing because right now its forest green and doesnt match a thing. I also need a new rug or two in there.

And there you have it. Next weekend: Laundry room!

The big bathroom reveal.....

2009-09-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

is NOT happening tonight. LOL!! I have been procrastinating on posting pics because I am not quite done decorating it. But, as of tonight I feel like its ready to reveal, even though I am not quite done. Dennis has most of the before pics on his computer so I will have to get those off and put together a post for tomorrow.

In other news:

*went up to Coulee City, WA to visit my dad for a couple days. That was nice since Den and the kids have never been up there. We went and watched the laser light show at the dam, which is very interesting and educational. There is a TON of history and geology lessons to be learned around that whole area. We also went to the Dry Falls visitor center. Didnt take any pics though.

*On the way home we stopped at the Country Mercantile oustide of Pasco. Holy Smokes! that place is HUGE!! SO much yummy stuff to see and taste. I spent $65 dollars there on fudge, fruit, brats, chocolates, sauces, squash, etc. We are definitely going back this fall for the harvest festival. I highly recommend the place for a nice family outting!

*I have only been walking about once a week, but this week I have been twice already! Enjoying the cooler weather and the walking park. My Nike+ shoes with the iPod chip are the BOMB!! I love seeing my progress. Today I did my fastest mile, which is only 13min, but I didnt die, so I know I can do a lot better. There is a way for me to post my workouts on my blog, I know because Donna Downy does it. So maybe I will get that figured out soon.

*The new series of 90210 started tonight! I was so excited, I have waited all summer to see if they were even going to bring that show back. Its such a good show, so much drama, twists and turns. I dont watch much TV that requires me to watch every week, but this is my exception. I love it so much!!

*Now I am watching Never Been Kissed and I never realized how big Drew Barrymore's boobs are.

Okay, so bathroom post tomorrow. Word. Peace out folks!

Things are happening...

2009-08-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

And I plan on putting this blog back into "live" mode. I promise a post this week of our bathroom remodel, complete with pictures. Carrie and I decided that we both used to be pretty decent bloggers (or "cloggers" - inside joke) once up on a time, and we need to pick it back up again. I love reading my friends' blogs so much, I feel like I should sorta "repay" the favor, and hopefully someone will enjoy reading my blog too.

hmm?

One of his many talents....

2009-05-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

Harley is doing a project at school about grasshoppers. She wanted to catch a real grasshopper to use for her display, but real grasshoppers dont come around our house too often (thank goodness!!!!).

Dennis had some fimo clay laying around and look what he made!!!!

Can you believe that he can make things like that? He has made a lot of little tiny animals and stuff out of fimo clay. That was years before we even met, but he's still got it! It just amazes me.

The Money Pit

2009-04-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

grrrr.

Why does weird stuff always have to happen right before we are about to leave?

So Dennis points out the other day that the hose to our washing machine is leaking right by the one and of knob. I just kind of ignored it, because I couldnt see the leak, and well, I needed to do laundry. Today a guy came and looked at it, and yes, it was leaking. He thinks he fixed it though.

Then!!! Dennis calls me today and says that he found a leak in Harley's closet (what he was doing in there I dont know). The water heater is actually in a little cubby that you have to get to through Harleys closet. So, now we need a new water heater, because the one we have is 25 years old. And the leaking water heater would explain last months electricity bill. $*%#)@!!!

grrrr.

We are leaving tomorrow to pick up Nicole from the airport. Harleys room is tore apart because we had to empty her closet. And ironically, its Harley's room that Nicole stays in when she comes down.

Oh yea, there is something else! Our brand new TV that we just got a couple weeks ago has a problem. One of the speakers is cutting in and out. Good thing we have the 3 year warranty. Bastards.

I have been sick for almost a week now, with an awful cough, and runny nose. Coughing a lot, my chest muscles hurt!

grrrr.

Is this week over yet?

The verdict is in!

2009-03-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

And he loved it!! The door was all shut when he came home, and he just routinely went to take his stuff back to his room and as soon as he opened it he screamed with joy!! "THANK YOU!!!!" He was so happy! Very very appreciative. He told Dennis a while ago that his room "feels like home"..... awww he is a sweet boy, that one.

Here are a few more pictures of the other parts of the room. And before you say anything, I want to tell you that I have no influence over Bubba's political views. He picked out that poster himself, and described Obama as... "he's tight!" LOL!

Check it out, fools!!!!

2009-03-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

Hung the posters, added the rug, new lamp, mirror, curtains. YAY!!!

What do you think? Does it look 14-ish? I love how it looks. Cindy came over tonight to check it out and it was just so cozy in there that the 3 of us ended up hanging out in there for 2 hours!!!

Cannot wait for Bubba to come home and see it!!!

Phase 4, moving back in

2009-03-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

Ignore the mess, I lost track of time, and now its late and I need to go to bed.

Hung the blinds tonight, nice!!

Both the kids need "special" clothes hangers. It works out so much better this way. They can hang their own clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer.

I also got the shelf built tonight. Still havent decided if we are putting the doors back on or if we will go the same route we did for Harley's room (the curtain).

Anyway, we are definitely making progress. Hopefully tomorrow Dennis will get the coat rack put up.

Now, its night night time.

Phase 3... the "oh shit" phase

2009-03-25T22:19:00.000-07:00

Oh Shit everyone! The color is too dark. But it's too late. It's staying that way. Actually, it isnt that bad, but its almost identical to the color of the fake grass mat looking wall paper that we just painted over. It looks nice though. It's a vast improvement. The painting is about 99% done. We just have to do some touch ups here and there.

I'm pooped!!!!

ByeBye dark dungeon

2009-03-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

Well..... after a brief emotional breakdown, the room is primered, and the ceiling is primered AND painted!!! I hate painting!! I think I need my head examined when I come up with ideas like this. I get stuck doing the ceiling (for obvious reasons) and its HARD!!! OMG!!! I am so sore. I will be the first to admit, I have NO upper body strength. I wanted to die!!! But, its done now, so yay! I am covered in paint too!! So, all we have left is to paint the walls the wall color, and paint the trim around the door and window. Should be able to get all that done tomorrow night. Then on Thursday we can start putting the place back together. You don't even want to know what the rest of my house looks like. Yikes!!!

So anyway, here is where we are after day 2.....

day 2

2009-03-24T18:15:00.001-07:00

I F**KING HATE PAINTING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man Cave phase 1

2009-03-23T21:18:00.001-07:00

The kids are gone this whole week so Dennis and I are working our tooshes off transforming Bubba's room, from "lame" to "he got game"..... or something like that. Bubba's birthday is in a few weeks, and he will be 14. We have been promising him a new room for almost a year now, so he should be suprised!

This is what the room looked like when we started....

Don't judge, okay? We have a really small house, and 13 year old boys are.......wierd.

So anyway, we spent tonight clearing out the room, and we have a load of stuff in the car going to Goodwill. We have to take most of the stuff out so we can paint. The only thing that will stay in the room while we paint is the bed.

and this is how far we have gotten so far. Which has been about 2-1/2 hours.

Dont you just love those Harry Potter curtains???? I will be so excited to see those go. I picked up some mini blinds that I will hang when we are done painting.

Yea.... I know....

2009-03-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a while.....

But I wanted to share my day in Portland with you guys, my peeps!

I didnt take as many pictures as I wanted to, but I took....some.

We spent most of the day down here....

The Pearl District!!!!

First stop: Breakfast at Cupcake Jones!!!

I had the Chocolate Covered Strawberry, and ironically, The "Pearl". Dennis had the Downtown Cupcake Brown, and a Spring Lemon.

The cupcakes were great, really! The large ones are filled, and huge!! The tiny ones are perfect. Just a little taste of something great. It's a great little shop to check out if you are ever down in the Pearl.
And even though they were good..... I would give them both back right about now, just to have another one of these....

from here:

It is the coolest little tea shop with very unique bubble tea flavors. The one I had was called "obama honey" and oh it was so tasty. I want another right NOW!!! Even Dennis thought it tasted good, and he doesnt even like bubble tea.

Then we headed up to NW 23rd, to visit this cool chick!

That's my baby cousin, Jessica. She works at the Hip Hound. It's a very upscale dog store, they sell expensive clothes and food and collars and stuff. But I always buy Bootsy's treats and snacks from her. We have been out for a while, so I spent like $40 on snacks for my pup!
Plus I have to give some lovin' to this!!!

That is Birdie! Isnt she cool??? She is an Italian Greyhound. She's a sweetie and so fun.

Well, that is part of my day anyway. Saturday Market was so packed I didnt even my camera out. Then we went to Trader Joes.

okay, that is enough to report for now.

more tomorrow....maybe.

neglect..

2009-02-16T19:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know. I'm a bad blogger.

I come to my own blog several times a week, with every intention to blog, and then it happens. ............blank.........

It's been 2 weeks since I have blogged. I am trying to recall the happenings of these last two weeks..... lets see.....hmmmm. Yea, pretty boring.

Well, this last weekend was good. Valentines Day.... :-) and a weekend with no kids. The kids went up to Seattle to visit their mother for 3 whole days! Dennis and I had the best time just hanging out together. Walking around the house in our underwear, watching R rated movies, eating whatever we wanted, it was great.

I told Dennis not to get me anything for Valentines Day, especially flowers or chocolate. But he suprised me on Saturday morning with the coolest "bouquet" of paper flowers and gift cards. He got it from the Desert View School auction a couple weeks ago. We were all there, but I had no idea that he got this in the silent auction. It has gift cards for Starbucks and Red Lobster, a gift certificate for a massage, and 2 movie tickets. Isn't it cute? Do you think the person that made this has a Cricut?

We went to dinner at The Farmers Kitchen here in town. We love that place. They have amazing food and service. It is pricey, but it's so worth it. I love the bread that they bring you before dinner. OMG! It's the best focaccia bread and you dip it in the olive oil with balasamic vinegar. I ate the whole plate full! We were so full, but still wanted dessert so the waitress boxed us up a giant piece of red velvet layer cake with cream cheese frosting and a raspberry sauce drizzled over the top.
We ate the leftovers for lunch yesterday. Dennis's tenderloin steak was amazing!!!

It was back to work today, no 3 day weekend for me. I dont want to jinx anything but work has been going well lately. As we are still running without a manager, I am still getting more responsibilties dumped on me, but it keeps me busy.

Guess what else? All of my laundry is clean, folded, and put away. I like that.

Monday funny.....

2009-02-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

One of Harley's homework assignments tonight made me laugh.

She had a little paragraph she had to write.

The prompt was "I can't wait to be a grown-up....."

Her answer: "So I can eat the grapes in the grocery store for free"

Hmmmm.....Guilty!

How to make the best baked asparagus in the whole world!

2009-01-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

I make the best baked asparagus. I am so not kidding you. I have had several people ask how to make it, and I dont mind sharing my method. This method is fool proof!! If you follow these simple instructions, you too, can have the best baked asparagus in the whole world right on your dinner table.

What you'll need:

Asparagus (the thinner asparagus works better than the thick stringy stuff) 1-2 lbs
Cookie sheet
Butter (only the real stuff will do)
Salt
Pepper

Everyone knows how to snap the asparagus, right? Okay, here's how.... with your right hand, hold the asparagus spear right in the middle. With your left hand, grab the bottom of the spear. Bend the spear so it snaps off the bottom. It will snap in a natural place between your two hands. Rinse the snapped spears in cold water and dry well.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Got your cookie sheet out and ready? Rub some butter on the bottom of it. Get it all nice and buttery, it won't hurt. Lay out your asparagus on the sheet, try to get a single layer of asparagus, not totally necessary but it helps. (Oh, and you might want to try placing the spears opposite of each other, like some pointing away from you and some pointing at you, to make it even) Cut a bunch of thin pats of butter and place them all over the asparagus. You might need 8-12 pats, depending on how much asparagus you have, and how much you like butter. Next, sprinkle the asparagus with salt and pepper. I like to use fresh ground sea salt and pepper.

Stick it in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. If you dont have much asparagus, like 1 pound or less, and its really skinny, you may only want 15 minutes. But for 2 pounds of average width asparagus, I go for 20 minutes on the dot.

When I pull it out of the oven, I use a spatula (like a pancake turner), and roll the asparagus around to distribute the salt and pepper.

Serve, and enjoy!!

Once you get this down, you could experiment with some balsamic vinegar, parmasan cheese, etc.

But the way I described above is my number 1 favorite way to cook, and eat asparagus.

Wow, I can't believe I just made a whole post about asparagus. And honestly, the only reason I went into so much detail about this, is because Carrie said that she has tried to make it several times and failed. The instructions I usually give sound like this: Cookie sheet, butter, salt and pepper, 350 degrees, 20 minutes.

P.S. your pee will smell like asparagus... this is normal.

Domestic stuff (boring)

2009-01-25T18:41:00.000-08:00

I was a Domestic Diva this weekend.

I got a lot of household chores done this weekend. I've been trying to fold and put away my clothes as soon as they are clean. It's working out quite well. Cindy came over and busted me with a load of laundry in the recliner, and I felt so guilty about it that I put it away as soon as she left. It had only been there a little while, because I was cooking dinner, but anyway, it got done, and that's what matters.

I made a good dinner tonight. It was Indian night in our house. I made this, inspire by this. Chicken Tikka Masala is the first Indian food I ever tried. I used to eat it all the time when I lived in Salem. I never thought to try cooking it myself, until I saw it on that blog. I read the recipe and thought it sounded easy enough, and it was. It was not exactly like India Palace, but everyone liked it. I wonder if there are different kinds of cumin, because I could really taste the cumin, which made it taste more Mexican than Indian. Oh, and when dinner was done, I put the food away, and did the dishes. :)

I have been thinking a lot this week about all of the stuff I have been able to give up easily. Smoking is supposed to be one of the hardest things to quit ever. I quit cold turkey with no withdrawls, shakes, headaches, freak-outs, etc. I gained weight unfortunately, but I have never really missed smoking, and I dont want to do it again. Caffeine... I drink coffee everyday at work. It wasn't something that I ever planned to get addicted to, but I started "needing" it and went from drinking one cup a day, to drinking it all morning long with flavored creamer. Last week, I started feeling really crappy and anxious, and I decided to give up caffeine. Piece of cake. I went the whole week, didnt even miss it. No headaches. Nothing. I drank hot tea (de-caf) instead and I was fine. Caffeine is supposed to be hard to quit. Hmmm, it wasnt for me. So, I have given up two of the hardest things to give up known to man. But, there is one thing that I cannot seem to give up..... sugary crappy food. How can I go days, weeks, without nicotine and caffeine, but can't even make it half a day without eating something junky. So strange. So, that's what I have been thinking about lately.

Guess what else? I'm tired of the way other people do things. It drives me crazy. My way is the right way. Its the way my mom taught me and it works, got it? So, when I suggest something that may work better than the way you are doing it, hmmmm, it just may!!

LOL, sorry, just had to throw that out there.

Oh, and I am drinking peppermint tea now, and watching Philosophy on QVC. I want to buy everything. HELP!!!

I'm alive....

2009-01-20T21:39:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the hiatus (sp?)..... I didnt realize that it's been so long. But I wanted to check in and recap for you quickly what's been going on. (really its not that interesting)

* Dennis's brother came to visit this weekend, and I ate too much pizza.

* Went to Portland and back in one day to buy a car. I call it my "big car" its a Chevy Tahoe. I'll post pics, someday.

* I still drink tea and clip coupons

* Watched Beverly Hills 90210 (twice if you count tonight), Sober House, The City, Rock of Love Bus, and right now.... the replay of our President being sworn in.

* As of today I have been taking my vitamins religiously for 23 days in a row!!!

* I finished my book! Was hoping to start a new one tonight, but I'm going to take advantage and go to bed early.

* Got a new purse, and 2 new pairs of shoes

* Re-organized some kitchen cabinets, hope to finish the rest this weekend.

Alright, well that about sums it up. I am going to sleep now.

Oh wait! One more thing. I have a car for sale. If you know anybody who would like to buy a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am, send them my way. It's a good car with a lot of miles left, and the inside is CLEAN! I cleaned it myself. It's never been smoked in, and it has gotten us to Portland and back several times. I like the car, but I like my "big car" better, so "ol silver" has got to find a new home.

It Whistles!!!

2009-01-12T22:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight's Tea: Organic Lavender Chamomile

OMG! It works! It whistles. I wasnt letting it go long enough. I started a pot of water tonight, and ironically...... I forgot about it!!! A while later I was into watching tonight's episode of "the City" when I heard a strange noise. My first thought was what in the world is Bubba doing? Then it hit me! I looked at Dennis. "BABE! Do you hear that? Its my teapot! It's whistling!!!"

LOL!

Ah, the little things that amuse me.....

p.s.
The tea lady was right, you really have to love lavender to appreciate this stuff. Oy!

weekend review

2009-01-11T20:35:00.000-08:00

This is my new tea pot:

It's supposed to whistle, but it doesnt. I dont know if that is just because I don't let it cook long enough or what. But honestly, the instructions say to not put the burner higher than medium. But it takes about 20 minutes for it to get hot. Then the steam starts coming out of the whistle hole. But it doesnt make a sound. :(
Oh well, its made some good tea in the past 24 hours.

Went to the tea shop yesterday, thanks to Carrie for showing me the ropes. I picked up 6 new teas. So far, I have had the Blueberry Bang Rooibis, the Tropical Papaya, and A Night On Glacier Bay. The tropical papapya was the bomb!! What you see in my cup above is A Night On Glacier Bay. This one was disappointing, suprisingly because it was the one I was most excited about. It smelled heavenly in the little tester thingy at the shop. But then when I got it home, it kinda smelled like cough medicine. It has a wierd taste when brewed too.

Well I would love to write more but Dennis is driving me nuts, laundry needs switched over, gotta take a bath, and watch Rock of Love Bus at 9:00.

Night, folks!!!!

Hump day

2009-01-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

Today's Tea: Bigelow's Sweet Dreams

Happy "hump day" all!

I am not sure I have anything really exciting to talk about.

My phone broke. Well, it's not even my phone. Its a loaner phone, that I am using while I am waiting for my own phone to be replaced. Now the loaner is broken. I knew that the power button didnt work. It hasnt worked since about day 2 (i've had it for 3 weeks), but I didnt think anything of it, since it was ON. Well tonight I was messing around with it, why? I'll never know. But I slid the battery cover off, and noticed some oil on it. There was oil on the back of the battery cover, and on the phone itself. Hmmm, wierd, I rubbed it off, and figured it would be fine. But then something inside of me thought to remove the battery from the phone (i guess to make sure there was no oil inside the phone, even though the oil was obviously not hindering the phone's ability to operate properly), and you know the old saying "don't fix it if it's not broken." Well, there you have it. As soon and I checked the inside and found no oil, I proudly replaced the back cover and pushed the power button down when suddenly I thought OH SHIT!!! I knew I was screwed. So, I popped some other pieces off of the phone, thinking I could somehow get the power button to engage and make contact long enough to power the thing on. No dice. So, here I am, phoneless, for the 2nd time in 3 weeks. *sigh*

So, what does one do without a phone? I pouted for a little while. Then I panicked. Then I pouted some more. But mostly panicked. What if there is an emergency and no one can reach me. Ok, I dont want to think about that. Anyway, what did I do?......

I read a book! Yea, can you believe it? I "read" now! Carrie loaned me this book, I don't know, a year ago? And on Monday night I started reading it. It's called "Notes from the Backseat" and I know what you are thinking? But its not even about that at all. Imagine the last time you went on a road trip and got stuck in the backseat. It's a really cute book. I am about 1/2 way through it. I am sure I could read the whole thing in one night, but I am just taking my time. I already can't wait to read other books.

Well, that's all. Tea is kicking in.

Goodnight.

Manic Monday

2009-01-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

Today's tea: Twinings Herbal Unwind with african honeybush and orange. Yum!

Omg check out starbucks!! Is it a sign???

Dennis's GPS just turned on by itself. I thought I heard someone talking but I thought the TV was on in the bedroom. Then Dennis just walked in there and heard someone tell him to take a right. LOL!! Freaky freaky!

I'm in pain. So much pain. I messed up my neck, or my shoulder. I don't know. I was getting ready for work this morning and something pinched. I think it was when I was putting on my deoderant. See, I usually go in through the collar of my shirt, but this morning I for some reason went up inside my shirt from the bottom. Maybe that kinked my neck. All I know is that it has hurt badly all day, and now the rest of my body is started to hurt from over compensating all day. Tonight when I go to bed, I am going to reward myself with a lovely pill that will make me feel all better. At least for a couple of hours anyway.

How do birds land on cactuses? You know how you see on tv a large cactus like the kind in arizona, there is always a bird sitting on top? How? huh? Ok, so birds and cactuses dont matter.

night night.

Tea Time

2009-01-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

Today's tea: Bigelow's Cozy Chamomile

New year, new blog name. (thanks Lisa)

Tea time, is "me" time. As I have mentioned before, I have been drinking a ton of tea. It's become quite an obsession. I have about 7 boxes of herbal tea now, and I love all of it! It's so relaxing to sit down with a cup of tea and have some me time each night. One thing my physician suggested for me to do was to find a way to relax each day. So, this is one of the steps I am taking.

You don't have to drink tea during tea time. It could be a few minutes that you take out of your day for you. It could be to file your nails, or read out of a book, take a bubble bath, draw or write, nap, or just breathe, you get the picture. Its never too late to start taking care of yourself.

So, my word for the year is going to be "execute" It's such a sharp word to me. I considered this one last year, and it's still speaking to me. So, execute it's going to be. I need to do less day dreaming, brainstorming, wishing, and waiting, and just "do" it. (and get a new pair of nikes?)

first transformation of the year

2009-01-03T20:54:00.000-08:00

Okay, so not a complete fix, but a drastic improvement. Poor Harley, her room is so small, and she has so much stuff. At her age, there are so many cool toys and stuff. She also has a really bad purse, and paper obsession, among being just an all around not very clean person. I am pretty picky about the kids rooms, I like them kept clean. We have had a lot of company over the last couple of weeks and all of the kids end up in her room, and things get messy. Then she got a ton of new Christmas presents, and we had no where to put them. So, a few days of thinking about it, and this is what I came up with. Please keep in mind, her room needs a coat of paint badly, so try to over look that. We did what we could with what we had. Oh, and also keep in mind that by the time I thought to start taking "before" pictures, I had already been ripping things up in there for close to an hour. So the room was in way worse condition than it was when I first started.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

We are happy with it, Harley is happy with it. I like the curtains over the closet. Her old closet doors were pieces of crap! So hopefully this works out.

fo shizzle my nizzle

2009-01-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all my ho-cakes and bro-cakes!

I am so excited for 2009!

Now that the crazy holidays are over, my mind is consumed with fixing stuff. Its racing with all the house-y things that need improved. I only had a few projects this last year. Re-arranging some rooms, and painting the dining room. I really want to get a lot more done this year. I am already thinking about all of the things I want to do, and let me tell you, its refreshing to actually "feel" like doing something.

I am drinking Honey Vanilla Chamomile tea right now, from my Portland Starbucks mug.

Guess what else I need to do? Pick my WORD for 2009. I kinda tossed around the idea of doing this. My last years word was obviously not focused on the way it should have been. I just dont know what to chose. If I want it to be more like a goal, or just an inspiration.
Here are some that I am considering:

*Improve (improve, not only the housey stuff, but things inside me as well) yea, kinda generic and un-original I know

*Execute (some of you may recognize this one as one I was considering last year) this is a big one for me, because I am known for wanting do to and have so many things. Things that I could have if I would just go through with it. Execute! Sounds like something out of a movie.

*Change (so cliche', considering the new president and all) and honestly, this word could work for every single person. I need a word that fits only me.

*Electrolysis (joke)

*Patience (something I really need to find)

*Reduce Reuse Recycle (i'm grasping for straws here..)

*Remember
*Know
*Pills
*Sephora
*Dream
*De-stress

Are you picking a word? What's your word?

An update....

2008-12-30T20:04:00.001-08:00

I'm going to try my best to give a good update. I have tried to sit down and blog so many times lately. I have so much to say, but I draw a complete blank if I try to get it all out on here.

Lets start with my health. Its a sensitive subject for me right now. I recently saw a great doctor that specializes in female issues, like hormones. I thought that there was something wrong with me, and I got a reality check when I found out that all of my problems are stress related. I need to change the way I am living my life, in many ways. I need to take vitamins, stop eating sugars and starches, and find a way to relieve some stress. So, I have had a couple of weeks to process all this and do some research, and get a game plan together. I will keep you updated.

Christmas was good. I only got 1 day off, so it was a little rushed, but it was good. We all got spoiled. Dennis got me a star necklace, and a BOSE docking station for my iPod. We also got Guitar Hero World Tour as a family. All 4 of us can play at the same time. We have all tried all of the instruments, and Dennis assigned us each a position in the band. I'm the singer!!! Can you believe that? I am so totally awful. LOL! We all have fun playing in our family band though.

I am watching The City right now. How cute is it that Whitney and Olivia have the same hair style? I havent decided how I feel about the show yet, it seems a little forced, but I think it will get better.

I am having a family dinner here on Thursday. I tossed around some ideas of what to make and finally settled on just a traditional turkey dinner. Tomorrow night I am going to make the pies (pumpkin and chocolate cream). We arent doing anything crazy for New Years Eve, just having a few friends over to play some games and stuff. I will be really suprised if I make it to midnight.

So get this. I believe that Hermiston has the worst Starbucks in the nation. For real! Everytime I go there it takes 15-20 minutes to get through the drive thru. They are so slow, my coffee is never hot enough. I dont think I have ever had two of the same drinks actually taste the same. Half the time they don't even get it right, I ask for a peppermint white mocha, and either they leave out the peppermint, or give me a regular mocha and not a white one. grrrr! I do have to say that I am excited for the new line of mugs that should be rolling out anyday. Valentines Day mugs!!! I got one last year and its still my very favorite mug. Infact, I am drinking tea from it as I type this.

Ok, well that is about all I have for now. I know there is more. I know it, I just cant remember it right now. See, that is how life has been for me lately. I gotta add that I have been working A LOT of extra hours. One of the people in my branch is having some "life problems" and hasn't shown up to work for almost 2 weeks now. On one hand its been really nice and quiet, and on the other, its annoying to have to be to work at 6:30am every morning, and work until closing at 5pm. When I get home at the end of the day, I am exhausted.

So.... toootles!!!

Happy and Sad

2008-12-21T18:54:00.001-08:00

I am so happy at all of the joys in my life lately. I have had an exciting weekend full of Christmas baking and fun. But sad because I have no pictures to share.

Yesterday morning I woke up at 6:30am because I was so excited for the day ahead. My plan was to bake 5 different kinds of cookies and enjoy some hot cider. The early morning started out with the Pampered Chef consultant dropping off my goodies. Then I went to the store and got the rest of the baking supplies. I had the cider going, and the recipes all organized, and I grabbed my camera. No memory card, and the battery was dead. I couldnt find the card, or the charger, anywhere. I still cant.
:-(

I baked all day. My special friend came over and hung out with me. I made chocolate chip first. Then I made no-bake cookies. Then I made thumbprint cookies. I got the recipe for the thumbprint cookies from a blog, and I thought they looked fun to make. I made half of them with raspberry jam, and the other half with lemon curd. They didnt quite turn out like the picture. But the taste is good!!! After my friend left, I made another batch of no-bakes. Then I made the dough for the sugar cookies, and the chocolate crinkles. Both of those doughs had to refrigerate. I did manage to get the sugar cookies done last night, but was exhausted in bed and asleep at 10:00. This morning I finished the crinkles and assembled the plates.

Dennis, Harley, and I set out in the snow to deliver the goodies. Everyone was so excited. Cindy messaged me shortly after dropping hers off and said that her favorite was the thumbprints.

Today it snowed more, a lot!! We watched Home Alone this afternoon, then we went to Dennis's dad's house, then to Safeway to get some dinner stuff for the week. I didnt get to clip any coupons today because there were no Oregonians!! They havent made it over this way yet because of the weather.

I just got done making home made biscuits and gravy for dinner. I even made the biscuits from scratch!!! It was yummy and now we are all enjoying cookies and milk. Dennis is watching football, and I am going to try and get him to change the channel soon!!!

Peace.

Holiday Spirit

2008-12-15T20:25:00.001-08:00

I love this time of year. I love having a tree in my living room, and stokings hung. I love shopping for gifts. I love the smell of Christmas. I love the baking.

Its been snowing, and normally I would be "ugh" about it. But right now, I am loving it! Its so crisp and quiet outside. Its so cold that the snow literally sparkles, like glitter!!!! My poor little pooch, she can barely stand going out to potty. We put on her little sweater when she goes out, but I am sure her tiny feet are just freezing.

I have been enjoying a cup of tea every evening. I looooove tea. I got some new starbucks mugs recently and love using them to have a cup of tea. Its so relaxing. I've been drinking Honey Vanilla Chamomile, but tonight I picked up a box of Honeybush Orange, and its pretty decent. I first tried Honeybush a few weekends ago at TeaZone in downtown Portland, yummmm.

I had a great day with the 3 BFF's on Saturday. We enjoyed shopping and lunch at Nothing But Noodles. We also enxhanged cute little gifts. I received some very awesome and thoughtful gifts. It was a great way to celebrate the season.

I am thankful that all of my shopping is done, with the exception of a few things that I have to pick up here locally. I can't wait for Christmas. It's always such a fun day for our family to hang out, and I am really looking forward to it, and the day off of work. =D

Be the change.....

2008-11-30T18:50:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

Do you like my new headline of my blog? I spent an amazing day in downtown Portland yesterday. Just taking it all in. Shopping, and people watching, thinking about pretty much everything. Thinking about the kind of person that I want to be. The kind of person that I already am, inside. And how to bring that person out to share with the world. Anyway, on my way back to Gresham on the MAX train, I looked up above the windows at the little placards on the train, and there was that little snipet of poetry staring right back at me. I thought, wow, how symbolic is that. "I believe in myself slowly", so true of me. I am always under-estimating myself and the things I can achieve. "It takes all the doubt I've got" I'm always doubting myself, my decisions, my abilities. "It takes my wonder" It does. My doubt, it gets in the way of me achieving my goals. I sat there for a while and thought about all of the signs. Signs that I need to change my lifestyle, and become a healthier person.

I bought a motivational piece during black friday shopping. Its a sterling silver ring that says "be the change....." I am going to wear it as a daily reminder that the only person that can change me, is me! I assume the message on the ring is intended to be "world" or "earth" related, but I also think it can be interpretted many different ways. And I thought it would be a perfect motivation for me as I start this journey again, for the hundredth time.

This time I am not setting a goal right away. I dont want to set a weight, or a size. I want to reach a place inside myself, where I feel healthy and comfortable. Once I get to a point where I am ready to set a goal, I will.

For now, my focus is...... change.

Bummed

2008-11-25T20:59:00.000-08:00

What I thought was going to be a great holiday is getting worse and worse. My mom had to cancel our dinner on Saturday because her father in law died, so they have to go to California for the funeral this weekend. I completely understand, but I was looking forward to seeing my mom, so I am bummed.

I called my grandma tonight to find out what time our dinner is on Friday and she informed me that my dad had called and said he wasnt coming. I guess he had some home repair emergencies come up this month, so now they can't afford to come down. I tried to call him to get the whole story, but I had to leave a message. I'm still going to my grandma's but it's not going to be the same w/o my dad there, so I am bummed.

I'm nervous about the holiday. My weight has really been affecting me lately. Everywhere that I am going to be this weekend, I will be the largest one there. I'm so embarassed and disappointed in myself. I really want to hammer down and do what I need to do to change, but I can't do that 2 days before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the whole year. I hope that by thursday, I can put the weight thing behind me and try to just have a good time with family.

my thoughts after treadmilling

2008-11-17T20:49:00.000-08:00

* i'm not going to make it

* i have terrible balance

* i think one leg is longer than the other

* i'm going to hurt tomorrow

* Rachel Ray magazine is probably not the best thing to look at while running

* this is going to make me want to eat healthier, right now apples and black beans sound good

* i really don't know if I am going to make it

* i've never seen my face so red before

* i need to get a sweat band, do they still make those?

* i'm pretty sure that eventually one of these workouts is going to end with me vomiting

* holy crap am I going to be able to do this?

Time for Change

2008-11-16T20:12:00.000-08:00

Change is happening all around me right now. Some are exciting changes. Some are scary changes. Change is happening no matter what.

What's not changing?

Me.

I'm still fat. I'm still lazy. I'm still uncreative.

People, I'm not sparkly.....

shit.

I need to change!!!

I need to get a handle on this.

Tomorrow, I am going to start exercising. I just need to move you know. Be active. My treadmill is in a great spot now. I have the Wii Fit. I have outside. I have videos. There is no excuse. I dont give a shit about my stupid dumb sore feet. I need to do something. It might not be running quite yet, but I am going to make an effort.

I'm going to be 30 in 3-1/2 months, and I will be a different person on my birthday.

Why I love this time of year

2008-11-14T22:02:00.001-08:00

* Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday

* It's not hot outside

* Shopping, shopping, and more shopping

* Gives me an excuse to fill my cupboards with baking supplies

* Starbucks goes from plain white cups to pretty red Christmasy ones

* The smell of chimney smoke outside

* Eggnog

* I can wear a hoodie everyday!

* Fall scented candles

* Christmas bazaars

It's a time for giving, and that puts a smile on my face.

PEACE!

Weekend is over

2008-11-09T21:33:00.001-08:00

So I leave you with this. My side is hurting from laughing so hard for 3 minutes!!! Dennis and I thought it was hilarious, and I hope you find some humor in it too! PEACE!

Chimpanzee rides Segway @ Yahoo! Video

Wondering if I am going to be able to run....

2008-11-07T20:12:00.001-08:00

Some of you already know, but I have been talking a lot about trying to start running. Kristi recommended following the couch 2 5K plan, so I checked it out. I am very intrigued by the whole thing. I have a treadmill that needs using. If I stick to the plan, I could be able to run 3 miles without stopping. It might take as little as 9 weeks. I wanted to start last month, but I have a bad pain in my heel that I didnt want to make worse by running. I made a dr's appt to have the pain checked out. Since I made the appt 2 weeks ago, more pains showed up. My right foot has the heel pain, my left foot now has ankle pain and pain on the top of my foot (like in the bones). I have also developed some knee pain. I'm falling apart, I know.

Anywhoo, fast forward to today. I went to the dr. A regular dr since my insurance is jacked up and wont let me see a pediatrist unless I am referred by a MD. So, turns out I most likely have a heel spur (right foot) and tarsalitis (sp?) in my left foot. I don't know if I am going to be able to run. Apparantly running is really hard on your body. Especially the leg joints like ankles, knees, and hips. I don't know when my appt with the pediatrist is going to be, waiting for a phone call. If I can't run, I dont know what I will do. I have really been sold on the idea of being able to acheive this goal before my 30th birthday, at the beginning of March.

So, for now, I will just get some foot massages, and eat cream puffs.

Lets talk about sex baby......

2008-11-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm not really going to talk about sex, but it's just as good as sex. Maybe even better! It's my savings! I did good at Safeway tonight. And I haven't shared a good haul in a while.

Motts Apple Sauce 6pk
5 boxes fruit snacks (roll ups, gushers, fruit be the foot, etc)
2 boxes of cake mix
1 bottle of maple syrup
1 bag of Cheetos (not for me)
1 bag of Chips Ahoy (not mine either)
2 Healthy Choice soup bowls (mine)
1 tube of cresent rolls
4 containers of Dannon light & fit yogurt
1 pkg hamburger buns
1 box frozen pancakes
2 bottles of coffee mate creamer
2 packages (12 oz) sliced turkey breast lunch meat
1 tube Colgate toothpaste
24 pk of Quilted Northern toilet paper
1 large TIDE detergent

Shelf Price = $97.36
Actual Price Paid = $36.91
Total Savings = $60.45 (62%)

I was telling Dennis in the car on the way home that the Tide and the Quilted Northern at regular price would have been $36.00 all on its own. So I was pretty excited about the savings.

In other news......

-excited about attending another Scentsy party at my dear friend's house this Thursday

-ran into the awesome Dawna at Safeway yesterday, where she caught me without coupons. It was so nice to see her. :)

-tried the Strawberry Soyjoy bar, and I gotta say I won't recommend it unless you enjoy eating something similar to a cross between burnt stale Fig Newtons and 40 yr old fruit cake.

-i ate a lot of Whoppers today (the candy, not the hamburger)

-I have a whole bunch of apples here thanks to Stacy, making a lovely crisp tomorrow.

amy's reviews......

2008-11-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

I have tried two new products this week that I wanted to share.

First one is the as seen on TV Anti Static Dryer Balls
I have been wanting to try them for some time now. I hate finding dryer sheets all over my house. Plus they are filled with chemicals and aren't biodegradable at all. So I finally got them and tried them. Love them! They really do work. No static. The clothes are softer. They actually smell cleaner! So worth the $12.99, they should last for about a year or so. The box says you can buy more and use 4 or 6 at a time for better results. But I am happy with the 2 for now.

Second one is Chloraseptic Allergen Block Gel. So basically, its a gel that you apply around your nostrils and it keeps you from having allergy attacks. A lot of people know that I am severely allergic to cats (except for my late cat Puddy that I had for 15 years and became immune). So anyway, I have a hard time when going over to a few friends' houses because their kitties, while very sweet, cause my airways to close up and send me in to a sneezing frenzy. So, I picked some up at the store, because I had a 3.00 off coupon, and thought it was at least worth a shot. I used it today because I knew I was going to be at my friend Teri's for most of the day. So, I took an Alavert before I left the house, and I applied the cream. It worked! I didnt have any problems breathing at all. After about 3 hours of being at her house, my nose started to run and I sneezed once. I went in the bathroom and blew my nose and put on some more. It still worked. I only sneezed that one time. I am sold. Normally when I am at Teri's house I can hardly talk because I am trying so hard to breath, and the sneezing is just awful. But not this time. Can't wait to try it at Cindy's house next time.

Sometime in the next few days I will review Soyjoy bars. I got 10 of them for free tonight, but I havent tried them yet. I love the adorable little commericial where the lady with the ridiculously long legs that bend the wrong way walks up to some kids jump roping and the dog and cat form a jump rope with their tails and the lady jumps in and does a few hops. Have no idea what that has to do with Soyjoy, but it is a cute commercial.

thankful today

2008-10-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

for.....

* my clean kitchen

* my scentsy wax that is making my house smell scrumptious

* family time tonight carving pumpkins, and the fact that BOTH kids are now able to carve their OWN pumpkins!!!

* my healthy stockpile of cereal, toilet paper, shampoo, hand soap, body wash, tooth paste, tooth brushes, deod, razors, canned corn, pasta, soup, sjdfiu...... you get the point.

* my bonus check from last month (Whoa!!)

* the box of toys, boardgames, and misc items (all brand new) that I have to donate to needy kids this holiday season.

* Harley meeting her AR goal (reading)

* Dennis and I's date day coming up this Saturday (shopping and food.. no kids)

Not so thankful for...... the GIANT zit on my chin. Grrrr.

sex toys and organic raisins

2008-10-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

What do the two have in common?

The Northwest Women's Convention. duh.

This weekend was the women's convention. My favorite thing to do in October! Full of free samples, coupons, massages, palm readings, etc etc. This year there seemed to be an over abundance of sex toy booths! I mean, how many different home party companies does there have to be for sex toys? Pure Romance, Slumber Party, Passion Party, blah blah blah. No really though, I got a ton of free stuff. Chocolates, granola bars, raisins, and cookies. I ended up buying a few things too. Some natural doggie shampoo from Touch of Mink, some wierd anti-oxidant chocolate nugget things, and a do-it-yourself face hair threader thing. So its like a spring that you roll up and down your chin and lip and it rips the hair out. Hey, I'll try just about anything. Oh and one of my new favorite snacks is Larabar. Who doesnt love a great tasting snack that only has like 4 ingredients? I scored a handfull of the Coconut Cream pie ones, and a stack of stickers! IKEA was there, they had stickers too!

Possilby one of the best things can ever happen...

2008-10-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

has happened!

click!!!

Whats happening in my head lately....

2008-10-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

Earlier I took a bath, and I realized that my brain didnt stop thinking the whole entire time. So many random thoughts in my head right now.

* Dennis's b-day next week. Need to finish shopping and plan a lovely b-day dinner. Oh and cake!

* Need to remember to send in my Rite-Aid rebates.

* How I can't believe this week is flying by so fast, I had to ask Cindy if it was Tuesday or Wed because it seriously doesnt feel like Wed.

* Oh! I thought about recipes! I really need to get a system down for all of these recipes I see in magazines, websites, etc. Something to get them all in one place. Maybe a 3-ring binder. I can typewrite the recipes, add the pic if there is one.

* I have the most precious-ist dog in the whole world. hee hee.

* Gotta get those invites sent out for a friends baby shower next month.

* I want to spend more time on Amazon, Etsy, and maybe Ebay, looking for some awesome Christmas present deals. (already scored a bunch of stuff, 6 or 7 toys and games on Amazon last night, for $36.00!! plan to donate.)

* Shorthanded at work tomorrow, I have to work open to close. hmmm, maybe its a good thing this week is flying by.

* cake sounds good.

IKEA, my love

2008-10-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

Its such an amazing place. I was so numb after leaving there. Sensory overload? maybe. Dennis was tired too. Here was our conversation on the way back to Canby.

After about 15 minutes of silence:

Me: IKEA isn't far away...
Den: yep
Me: IKEA is my favorite store
Den: yep
Me: I'm going back to IKEA
Den: yep
Me: IKEA has a lot of stuff
Den: uh huh
Me: You like IKEA, huh babe
Den: yep

Here is what the store looks like on the outside, about 1/3 of it. The parking lot wasn't full yet.

I love the dinnerware deparment!!! How can you NOT?

The awesome fabric!!! I tried to touch it all, but other ladies were in my way....

I bought this for Carrie for Christmas. tee hee.

in a nutshell....

2008-10-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

Some pics of the organic veggie farm that is behind my mom's house. There are about 4 very large fields full of veggies. Everything from lettuce and cabbage, squash, herbs like dill, sage, and cilantro, to artichokes. You can see the huge artichoke field here. My mom is picking sweet onions and cabbage. We brought 2 giant bags of veggies back to Dennis's mom's house. Tonight we cooked up a bunch of the artichokes and they were awesome!!!

Yikes, I'm a crappy blogger!

2008-10-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

In Portland for the weekend! Hung out at my mom's house yesterday and scored a TON of organic veggies from the organic veggie farm behind her house. Today, we are headed to IKEA and hopefully I can sueeze some other shopping in there too.....

I just wanted to check in and make sure everyone was still awake in blog land...

dolla dolla bill ya'll.......

2008-09-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

Another successful trip to the grocery store, and I just had to share this one. Saving enough money this time to even suprise the cashier! YAY!

Check out my haul!

6 boxes of cereal
4 boxes of pasta roni
2 bowls of easy mac
2 boxes of pop tarts
2 6 packs(24oz ea) of Pepsi (NOT for me!!!)
5 tubes of Crest toothpaste

Shelf Price: $55.90
Out of Pocket: $20.07
Total Savings: $35.83 or 64%

I got all this for $$20.00!!!!!! I am so proud of myself.

I know you all are dying to hear about my girls camping getaway weekend. I am going to do a post about it, I am just waiting for some of the girls to send my some pictures. I took some, but I want to see what they have too.

BH 90210 is coming on. Bye.

Time for a change?

2008-09-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

In the past year or so, I have been wondering if I need to change careers. The more time I spend with Bubba and Harley, and going to their school functions, I wonder how cool it would be to work in a school.

When I left college, I didn't have my degree, in anything. I was in my final year of the education program, and I just up and quit. Things got a little hard, and I gave up. I had problems. Financial problems, social problems, and drinking problems. For years after college, as I worked a "normal" job, and grew up, A LOT, I realized I hadnt made the right decision. Even though I knew I made a bad decision, I still didnt regret NOT doing the teaching thing. In my heart I knew that at that point in my life I would make a horrible teacher!

In the last year or so, I am starting to realize that I might like kids. LOL. No really, I do like kids. Being a part of Bubba and Harley's life and watching them learn and grow is pretty amazing. I love when I get to go to their school functions, watch them interact with other kids, and watch all the teachers interact with the kids too. I love getting to talk to the teachers, and just getting involved.

I have talked to a couple of my teacher friends recently about job opportunities within the school system. While I still dont think I would like to be a "full blown" teacher, I think I am ready to be a part of the action.

I say "i think" because there are a few things holding me back. Okay, 1 thing. The money thing. If I end up getting a job, say, as a teacher's aid, or assistant, its quite the pay cut. I feel almost guilty when I say that. Because I know that people who teach, do it because they LOVE teaching. They dont do it for the money, because there is not much money to be made in the teaching business. They do it because its their passion, and it doesnt even matter that they don't make what they deserve, because it makes them happy anyway. So I wonder, would I be happier? Would I love the job so much, that the pay wouldn't matter? I'm still looking for the answer to that question.....

I hope that I can find that answer soon. Especially after today. Today I was informed that my boss has put in her 2 weeks notice. She is not happy in her job and had decided to quit. She doesnt even have another job lined up. Her husband works, and they are willing to deal with the temporary loss in money to salvage her happiness. I knew she wasnt happy with her job. I love having her as a boss, but I always knew that something inside her wasn't right, know what I mean? She always had conflicts with one of the co-workers, and it was totally unfair. I hated seeing my boss treated badly.

I like my job I have now. The company is a great company to work for. I get benefits, and vacation, and bonuses, and little random perks here and there. All for just showing up to work everyday and doing my job. I work bankers hours, and get major holidays off. The pay is good too. And I must say, I am good at my job! I would say that there is somewhat of a high stress level in my job. When working with industrial accounts, and contractors, there are always deadlines! Those deadlines have to be met. It's also always a challenge considering that I dont have any experience in the electrical field whatsoever other than the experience I have gotten from this job. I am also put in a situation where I have to deal with the above mentioned co-worker on a daily basis. I like this person. But this person is quite un-predictable. Its hard waking up everyday wondering if its going to be a good day, or a bad one. Am I going to get blamed for something that I didn't do? Am I going to get "called out" in front of customer or other co-workers. You get the picture.

So, after hearing about my bosses soon "departure" from the company, I am starting to wonder. Should I do that too?

how do you like them apples.... or pears?

2008-09-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

my good deals that I have gotten this weekend. My "stockpile" has started. The big thing this weekend was cereal! I want to share my list and what I spent because I think its so cool.

1st trip to Safeway:
3 boxes of cereal (cocoa puffs, trix, golden grahams)
3 boxes of hamburger helper
3 cases of water (24 bottles in each case)
3 bottles of Dial anti bacterial soap

Shelf Price: $41.40
Out of Pocket (which is what I actually paid): $18.36
Total Savings: $23.04 or 56%

Not too bad!

Check out my 2nd trip:

5 boxes of cereal (cocoa puffs, cinn toast crunch, and 3 cheerios)
2 Kraft Easy Mac
3 cases of water (24 ct/ea)
2 bags of Lays Potato Chips
3 cans of Progresso soups
2 McCormick seasonings
1 box of Glad Force Flex garbage bags (75 ct)
1 24 pack of Charmin Double Roll TP
1 bottle of Tide laundry detg (the 150 oz one with the spout!)
1 gallon of milk
1 magazine
2 loafs of french bread
2 beef roasts
3 lbs of seedless grapes
1 lb of asparagus
1 lb of sweet onions
2 lbs of bartlett pears
5 lbs of potatoes
6 boxes of raisins
2 containers of fresh raspberries
1 bag of baby carrots

That is quite the list!!! Especially considering that the laundry detg is usually around $20, even at Costco! The trash bags and TP are usually $10.00 or more.

Shelf Price: $174.04
Out of Pocket: $93.24
Total Savings: $80.80 or 46%

$93.00 might sound like a lot to some people. But consider this, I wont have to buy trash bags, toilet paper, or landry detg for a couple of months. Same with cereal since I have 8 un-opened boxes sitting here. The 6 cases of bottled water should last for a couple months also. Also consider the fact that I bought this all at Safeway!! Wow!

I'm game!

2008-09-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

After my trip to Wal-Mart, better known as "the worst place in the world to be on your day off", I decided that I need to do something else. I've tried avoiding them, and shopping somehwere else, but I ended up spending way too much money. Today I was starting to wonder if the extra money was worth keeping my insanity and not reaching across the scanner and shoving the divider stick strait up the cashiers ass!!

Fast forward to this afternoon: We went to a friend's daughter's birthday party and in my visiting with the other "moms" I was re-aquainted with "The Grocery Game". You know, you clip coupons from the Sunday paper, and the grocery game helps you by telling you which coupons to spend, and when and where to spend them. The Grocery Game tells you where all the sales are at your local stores. They help you "stockpile" dry goods. Bottom line is you buy when the items are the cheapest and save lots and lots of money. I have done the grocery game before and I did save, but I quit doing it because for one, I didnt have much room to have a "stockpile" per say, and two, well, I am just lazy. One of the ladies there has a stockpile of 40 boxes of cereal that she has bought for less then $1.75 each box, and they are good brand name cereals. She also has 14 packages of Venus razor refills that she got...... FOR FREE!!!! She also has shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc. Things that dont go bad for a while, that she bought for dirt cheap! She has a group of ladies that all participate in the Grocery Game together, and they do a coupon train. In clipping coupons you come across some that are great deals but you have no use for. ie.. diapers, cat food, baby food, etc. So you put them in the coupon train for someone else to use, and you might get some good ones out of the train that someone else put in there for stuff they dont need. Oh, and one of the best things that this lady shared with me? She hasnt shopped at Wal-Mart in monthes!!!! All of these great deals have come from Safeway, and Rite-Aid.

So..... I was thinking about starting our own group here in town. I am talking about a group of about 4-5 girls maybe. You would be responsible for getting your own Sunday papers and clipping the coupons. The Grocery Game is $7.00/month. That is way cheap considering, if you play right, you could save at least $100/month.

So... who's with me????

More protein, Less sugar

2008-09-04T21:09:00.001-07:00

That is my mantra for the next little while. I need to lay off the sugar for real. I have been having these horrible ups and downs with my energy level. I eat a bunch of sugar and I feel fine one minute, and I am completely out of it the next. I mean out of it, too weak to even make myself a sandwich. Happens when I eat all fruit too, and yea I know, fruit has a lot of sugar in it. I am trying to find some different ways to get more protein in my diet because I havent been too much into the whole eating meat thing lately. And I am getting tired of cottage cheese. The sugar thing though, for real, its outta control. I love me some milk duds and whoppers.

I have been going for walks at night, because the weather is awesome! And I love walking through the neighborhoods around here. Everyone has the most perfect green yards. And everyone is mowing and it smells so fresh, it's just so peaceful. Tonight I ate 1/2 a watermelon and I was vegging on the couch when I made myself get up and go. So the pooch on her leash, and we were off. I did a new route, which I later drove and found out that it is 1.6 miles. I could have gone longer but I havent worn my tennis shoes in a long time and I am re-breaking them in. So I have a nice ugly blister now on the back of my heel. Grrr. The Wii-Fit has been calling my name, but I really want to take advantage of this weather while its here. Bob comes to my side of the bed at night and pokes at me. I think he puts spiders in my bed too. He is so mean!!!

I am so tired of being a fat slob. Oh and by the way, anyone who was on here the other night a the right time to see my F/U FAT post, my apologies to you. I needed to vent, but later realized it was completely innapropriate so I took it off. I know some people saw it, so oh well. Yea I hate my fat. I told it to go to hell, but not that politely, lol.

So, today marks 6 months until my 30th b-day. Pretty scary. I am not going to look like this when I turn 30, I just cant. I dont want to look older than 30 before I am actually 30. The frump has got to go!!!

Another IKEA post

2008-09-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

I <3 them.
And I am going to try a compile this while watching the premeire of 90210, so it might take me all night.

But anywho.... I go to IKEA's website, I would say, everyday. We are going there next month, so I am trying to compile a list of all of the things that I am going to buy. BUT, IKEA, as awesome as it is, doesnt have a very user friendly website. I would say 90% of the items for sale on their website, arent for sale online. So therefore, you cant add them to your shopping cart. Not that I intend to buy anything online, but I would like to be able to stash things in my cart so I can keep track of what I want.

omg, I already like the show. Whoa they even used the same theme song! LOVE IT!

Ok, here are some of the items that I KNOW I want:

this - I would put them in my bedroom.
this - It speaks to me for some reason. I dont know if it could replace my current full length mirror, but its possible.
But oh my G, look at this one. Did you see what it said about using the little flowers as hooks???
If I had enough money, this would live in my house somewhere. Probably the dining room.

Alright, I have suddenly become very tired. And I am in to this show. Drama drama drama.
Do you guys even "like" looking at my IKEA stuff? Maybe I should keep it to myself?

LPA Convention

2008-08-31T20:08:00.000-07:00

Well, here is a summary of what happened in Spokane this weekend. First of all, our hotel, The Red Lion Inn At The Park, was FABULOUS!!!! The place is huge, and nice, and the service was awesome. One of the coolest things I thought, was that the little toiletries were from Bath and Body Works!!!

One of the biggest things that all the kids do at these conventions is SWIM! Harley isnt the greatest swimmer, but once she saw how good all the other kids were, she really tried hard, and made it about 1/2 way across the pool by her self! And that precious little boy next to her is 2 year old, Tanner.

We really lucked out that this weekend in Spokane was the "Pig Out At The Park" event at the river front park. Our hotel had a walking bridge that went across the river over to the park. There were hundreds of food booths and lots of live music and stuff going on. We had southern roasted corn on the cobb, and Greek Gyros.

Saturday night was the Beach Party. It wasnt at the beach, but it was up on the 12th floor of the hotel in the Skyline Ballroom. Everyone dressed up in there beach attire. We didnt participate too much with the dressing up, but oh well. The biggest part of the convention is really all about the dance. The kids just have a blast being able to get out there and dance with each other.

Bubba was the star of the show at the dance. He is really into hip hop dancing, or break dancing, popping, whatever they call it. I dont know, but he is pretty stinking good!!!

And after this 5 yr old little boy saw what Bubba could do, he started trying it himself. Bubba gave him a few lessons. It was really sweet.

There were lots of very cute teenage girls there this time. Bubba was being quite the "mack". He walked all the way across the ballroom, by himself, and asked this girl to dance. And, well, she said yes. Her name is Michelle, and she is 13 just like Bubba.

And when he was done with her, he moved right on to the next one.

And.... I will leave you with a few pictures from our trip to Hooters. The Hooters food was AWESOME!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

2008-08-27T17:50:00.001-07:00

To this spunky little lady!!!!

Love ya!

helping out

2008-08-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to do a quick post to help out this sweet lady.

She entered a recipe contest over at Saucy Eats and was chosen as a semi finalist for some awesome Mudpie Brownies. And she needs our votes!! The recipe speaks for itself, it sounds AMAZING!!! So please just click on the above link, and then you will see in the right sidebar a little poll window where you can choose "mudpie brownies" and vote.

Not only are you helping out, but you will get the recipe too!! Oh and the whole story behind the recipe is super interesting. Cruise on over to her blog (the first link in this post) to check out her story.

So, I was embarrassed...

2008-08-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

What happened to me last night:

Text message convo between Stacy and I (at around 10pm) while I was in town with Dennis......

Me: Hello!
Stacy: Hello, what is up? Are you having a good day?
Me: Yea, but I am kinda bored.
Stacy: Well you can come over here and visit.
Me: Really? Do you have snacks?
Stacy: Yes.
Me: Okay I will have Dennis drop me off.

vroom vroom vroom to Stacy's house. Knock Knock Knock. Dogs Bark bark bark bark bark, and bark some more. Dennis drives off. Stacy's husband answers the door. I walk in and sit down. Pet the dogs. Her husband, how are you, so whats up? blah blah blah. No sign of Stacy. So finally I asked "Where is Stacy?" He says "she's not here, she is at Cindy's house." What??? Ummm.....ok. Call Dennis, ummm babe, she isnt here, come back and get me!!!!

Yea, totally forgot that yesterday was scrapbooking day and I couldnt make it but Stacy and Cindy were still planning on it without Carrie and I. When Stacy had asked me to come over, that is what she was talking about.

I felt so dumb. I felt so bad for dropping in on Corey like that. What an air head, and totally embarrassing!!!

been there, got tagged

2008-08-24T00:16:00.000-07:00

I was tagged over at my friend, Lisa's blog, to come up with 6 random things about myself. And since I like her so much, I guess I will play along.

Here are the rules: (some of which I am NOT going to follow)

1) Link to the person who tagged you

2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)

3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)

4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them

5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6) Let the tagger know when your entry or post is up.

So, here are my random facts:

* I hate the way I look, yet everytime I pass a mirror I have to look at myself. Especially at my butt!

* I have this thing about running in to people that I havent seen for a long time. I will completely avoid them for no reason. Even if I never had any problems with them in the past, I just cant bring myself to go up and say hi because I am a big fat chicken.

* I watch the same movies over and over again. I need to do a seperate post about this. I am actually watching one of them right now.

* I chew on straws really bad. I have always had a chewing problem, and it just got 100 times worse when I quit smoking 2-1/2 years ago. And I cant stick anything wooden in my mouth. Including wooden spoons, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, etc. Just freaks me out!!!

* I am addicted to the MTV show, The Hills!!!!

* I have an obsession with cook books. I read them for pleasure. I will buy one, and almost never make anything out of it. I will just read it cover to cover. I love the little cookbooks that are in the checkout stand lines.

Okay, so I am going to tag a few people.... Dawna, Tanya,
Carrie,Stacy