10 weeks today

I am 1/4 of the way to meeting my new little one. Considering I was only about 3 1/2 weeks when I found out, this seems to be going by pretty fast. If you are wondering what my baby looks like/is doing check THIS out. It makes me excited! :)

300th post

Wow. My chatty friend Shannon just posted her 600th! post. Apparently I'm as quiet online as I am in person. HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHA :)

I don't have much to talk about really. I am working on getting Christmas decorations put away. This is always kind of a depressing day for me. I'm always mopey after the holidays. It has always been that way, but it still isn't much fun. Add that to my preggy grumpiness, Jenny might not be that fun to be around. It will get better tho.

My goal this year (besides having a healthy baby) is to get organized. I want the clutter GONE! All of it. Also we are planning on replacing the linoleum and painting all 3 bathrooms. I am really eager to get that done! We are also replacing the carpet with laminate in the basement, AND once we find out what we are having, we are painting the kids' rooms. If we are having a girl, Trent will move into Tommy's room (it's much bigger) and we told Trent he could help decide what to do with it. Of course, Trent's room will then become a pink room :). If we are having a boy, we are still painting Tommy's room. I'm kind of hoping there will be some pink painting going on. :)

Merry Christmas and again and again.......

It's really snowy out. Right now Hubby is out shoveling (for the third time this weekend) so we can get our car out so we can go to my family's for our Christmas. We were supposed to go on Christmas day, but that didn't happen due to the weather. I am determined to make it there today. I want to see my family, and I want my Christmas money so I can get my steam mop! LOL!!!!! We went to his mom's on Christmas (it's here in town) and then his dad's yesterday and we drove the big yellow Blazer. I'm not about to take that all the way to Cameron tho. I mean, I would if I had to, but I miss my car.

I don't mind the snow. I actually really like it. I just don't like it when it keeps you from doing things. One day of being snowed in is nice, but 4??? It sure is pretty tho. :)

Calling my creative friends!!!

Alisa, I'm talking to you! I just got this card in the mail




I really really like it and would like to do something with it, other than just sticking in a frame, to make it a permanent decoration. Any ideas???

Could you atleast smile at me when you are running me over with your cart?

Why I thought going to Target the Monday evening before Christmas was a good idea, I don't know. It wasn't horrible, just a lot of people (like myself) trying to figure out what the heck to get people last minuet. I love my eldest son dearly, but that boy is so hard to shop for. He asked specifically for 3 things. OK What else? We generally like them to have a few more gifts to open than that, so I am left trying to figure out what he would like. He doesn't "play" with much. He likes Pokemon cards and Bionicles, video games and books. That's pretty much all he does. I want him to have stuff he likes, but I hate wasting money on things he looks at for 10 minuets then loses interest in. I found a few things tonight.

Tommy on the other hand would be happy with a card board box and a spatula. Seriously.

I think I am the only one.......

You may want to sit down for this............


I think I like my hand mixer better than my Kitchenaid. (Gasp!) I bought the Kitchenaid a year or so (or longer, I don't remember), and have only used it a handful of times. Why? I don't find it very easy to use. I have to stop it and lift the thingy to add ingredients. So why not just set down my hand mixer? I thought that was the point of it, to be able to add stuff while it is still going, but there just isn't enough room. Plus it is big and bulky and where the heck am I supposed to store it? Maybe it's just me............

Music Monday

You'll have to follow the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DodG8IcnOZk

Well, I'm pregnant :)

Yes I know most of you already knew that. :) I had my first OB appointment today. We didn't really do much besides the basics. She just mostly felt around. I asked her if it feels like a baby and she said "Well, it feels like a uterus with a baby in it!" Woohooo. I go back in 4 weeks and we will get to hear the heart beat then. I can't wait!! That is my most favorite sound in the whole world. It doesn't matter if it's my baby or not, when I hear that sound I get all teary. :)

Baby Jesus is bootiful

Says my 3 year old. :) Last night after church Hubby decided to drive around a bit and look at Christmas lights. We usually do this on Christmas Eve, but he has to work. :( Tommy liked the Santa's and the lighted reindeer alot. When we passed one manger scene, I said "There's baby Jesus" And Tommy said. "Ohhh baby Jesus is bootiful." How sweet is he?

We are getting family pictures taken tonight. The last time we did that was when Tommy was about 3 months old, so I thought it was time. Plus, I got an awesome coupon from JC Penny portait center so I really thought it was a good time. :)

Good Day

Today Tommy and I went to spend the day with Grandma. I helped her put up some Christmas decorations. I hope that they will put her in the Christmas spirit. I know this time of year is hard for her, not only is it the first with out Grandpa, but it hasn't been very long since he passed, so she hasn't had a lot of time to deal with it. I just can't imagine. In April, they would have been married 60 years. 60. Wow! That's alot of years. She has been doing pretty good at keeping busy, I think, but I'm sure being home alone at night is really hard.

After we put up the decorations, she took us out to lunch and then we went to a thrift store, and I found something AWESOME! :) I found a box of plates, salad plates, bowls and coffee cups, never used, all still wrapped up for $7! They are red like our kitchen. The big plates are white with red and white checker print around the rim, which is EXACTLY what I was looking for, but couldn't find, when we first decided on our red kitchen. Then the salad plates, bowls and cups have fruit and veggies on them, just like some of the pictures I have hanging in my kitchen. Can you believe it!?!? I was so stinking happy to find them. I would like to find another set because there is only 4 of each, and I would like 8, but I am still way happy! :) :) :) I am off to wash them!

Not much with the goings on

I don't really have much to blog about. My blog is boring in comparison to others I read. I just don't, much like real life, have much to talk about. I am trying to get laundry caught up from the weekend. Yes I realize it is Thursday and I have been home for four days, but in my defense on Tuesday I could not doing anything due to a horrible stiff, sore neck. I couldn't even move it. It was awful. It felt a little better yesterday so I went to get my hair did. We are getting family pictures taken next week, and I didn't really want skunk head going on.
Today my neck is feeling much better. I think it was all just from being in the car for so very long on Sunday, and the awkwardness of trying to sleep in the car.

Tonight is Trent's music program at school. I think he is pretty excited about it. That reminds me, I need to charge the camera battery.

How is everyone on Christmas shopping? I haven't done much. The past few years, Jason and I have picked a weekend day to drop the kids of with Grandparents and made a day of shopping together. I really look forward to that. Alot. It's hard for me not to shop before that, but I really enjoy spending that time together. Guess I need to talk to him about that because we are running out of time. :)


Oh and PS, check out the new picture in the Cast of Characters! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Music Monday

Where's my menu???

Yeah, I haven't even had the time or energy to think about it yet....
We had a great Thanksgiving. We went to Jason's dad's house, and my parents came too. Is that weird? I think it is, but it seems to work out and everyone really likes everyone else, so what more can I ask for?? At some point, my step-mother-in-law and I decided it would be a good idea to go to Bath and Body Works at midnight for their Black Friday sale at Zona Rosa. Oh did I mention that we were planning on getting up at 4am to be on the road at 5am for our trip to Illinois???? So yes, we left the house at about 10:30 and stood in line until midnight, when they opened their doors. It was bad. Crazy women everywhere!! I ended up with about $40 worth of stuff, then wondered if the hours of standing in line was worth it. Probably not. We got home at about 2 and tried to sleep until 4. That didn't really work for me, but thankfully I was able to sleep in the car on the way to IL.

The car ride there was pretty good. The kids did awesome! I was really impressed especially considering the DVD player that we borrowed refused to work. Bummer! We had a great time visiting with Jason's family. We got to spend time with both of his grandma's. Neither of them have met the boys yet, so that was fun. Friday night we went down town to the Christmas parade. It was HUGE, and they threw so much candy. We got about the same amount as we did at Halloween. Crazyness. Then on Saturday we went to the Festival of Trees. It was in this old theater and it was a bunch of Christmas trees decorated. It was really neat to see.

On Sunday, we got up, ate breakfast, and headed for home. We decided to go through St. Louis instead of Iowa (MOST BORING STATE EVER TO DRIVE THROUGH) because we wanted Jack in the Box (mmmmmmmmmmm). WORST IDEA EVER!! The ride to St. Louis was just fine. We decided we might like this way better. We stopped at the first Jack in the Box we saw, and it was yummy! But then, well not everything can be good right?? We noticed horrible traffic. Like still on the highway traffic. For miles and miles. It took us about 3 hours to drive 80 miles. Seriously. By this time Tommy had had enough of the car, and so had the rest of us. Turns out there was a wreck half way between St. Louis and Columbia. So our 8 hour drive home turned into an 11 hour drive. UHG! Next time we will go through Iowa!

Menu Nov 23

Again it is Sunday, I have my menu planned, and have already been to the store! YES! I tell you what, the week seems easier when dinner is already planned and bought. I will only be cooking Monday and Tuesday, and then making a few pies and some rolls. I am very much looking forward to this week. I have so much to be thankful for! :)

Monday ~ Cajun Meatloaf, sweet potatoes, green beans
Tuesday ~ Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli, garlic bread, salad
Wednesday ~ We are either going to eat at my brother's house or everyone (brother, parents,
grandma) are going out to dinner. I will be making a cherry pie for my mom
Thursday ~ HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!! Making a caramel apple pie, pumpkin pie, rolls
Friday-Sunday ~ We will be in Illinois so who knows.


I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

oops I forgot ~ Music Monday (on Tuesday)

Menu Plan Monday ~ Nov 16

Apparently I am on the ball this week. My menu is made AND I have already been to the store!!! That is not like me at all.

Monday ~ Tater tot Casserole
Tuesday ~ Chicken Tao's and rice
Wednesday ~ Thanksgiving potluck at church ~ I am bringing Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes and
stuffing
Thursday ~ Pork chops and mashed potatoes
Friday ~ Chicken Stromboli
Saturday ~ Mom's b-day ~ Maybe I will cook something for her
Sunday ~ Leftovers

Hope everyone has an awesome week!

For more menu ideas, check out orgjunkie.com

It feels good to be loved!

Look what my hubby brought home for me :)

Nothing much

As you can see I am revamping my blog. I decided it was time for a change, and the cupcakes looked yummy! :) Not a lot of anything going on here lately. Just the same ole things. I have recently started making scarves. I really, really enjoy doing it. So much that I am making them and really don't have any thing to do with them. So if anyone wants a knitted scarf, let me know. :) Here is my little model.


I am getting excited about the holidays this year, and even started listening to Christmas music. Usually I refuse to do that until after Thanksgiving, but this year I am all about it. I am ready to get my shopping done too. I always seem to wait until the last minuet to get that done. Next year I want to start early and get it done.

Wow, that's really it. LOL Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Under Construction

My blog is getting an overhaul. Please excuse my mess :D

Music Monday

Menu Plan Monday - Nov 9

Monday ~ Lasagna, garlic bread, green beans, salad
Tuesday ~ Tacos, Spanish rice, black beans (didn't make this last week)
Wednesday ~ Church
Thursday ~ Goulash, cornbread, veggie
Friday ~ Pork chops and rice, some kind of veggie (didn't get to this either)
Saturday ~ Out maybe
Sunday ~ Leftovers

For more yummy menu ideas check out orgjunkie. com

Speaking of plans, does anyone have cleaning plans? I think I would get more done (in theory) if I had a cleaning schedule. Like Monday ~ clean bathrooms, Tuesday ~ dust, and so on. I would be interested to see someones schedule to get an idea.

OK then

I am finally starting to feel better today. I woke up Thursday with the plan to do nothing but laundry the whole day. Some how I got way behind (truth is, I found a giant spider down there so I have been to scared to go do laundry, yes I realize I am in my upper 20s, and I do realize I am bigger than they are and I also know that they are more scared of me than I am of them bla bla bla. :) and decided to take one day and just get it done. Well I woke up with a tickle in my throat but didn't think much of it. I went and thru my first load in, and by noon I was in bed with a sore throat and body aches. ARGGGGG! On Friday the body aches were mostly gone, but my throat and neck were way swollen that I had a hard time talking and forget about eating. I spent the day trying to parent a 3 year old from the couch which proves difficult when you can't really talk, and keep drifting off to sleep. He did pretty good tho, and mostly stayed in the living room with me and played with his Lego's and watched TV. When Jason got home I went to Urgent Care (I LOVE that my regular Dr office has an urgent care!!) They said I was negative for strep, but was going to treat me anyway. I got my antibiotics and was sure I was going to start to feel better when I woke up Saturday. WRONG. I think I might have even felt worse. By then I was coughing and crying because my throat hurt so bad and I was just fed up with it. I slept most of the day while Jason took Tommy to Sears and then they washed the suburban. :)
Today I woke up at 7 not feeling any better still. I got up took my medicine and Tylenol and went back to bed and slept until about 9:30 and actually felt a little better. My throat is still a little sore but not nearly as bad. I have vacuumed my house and started on laundry today, so I must be feeling better. :) I also want to thank my hubby for being so great and taking care of me when I'm sick, and keeping the kiddo entertained all day too. I <3 him! :)

Menu Plan Monday

Monday ~ Chicken nuggets and mac and cheese ~ Trent's request
Tuesday ~ Pork chops and rice
Wednesday ~ Dinner @ Church, I'm making breakfast ~ Tommy got sick last week so I didn't get
to do it then
Thursday ~ Potato soup and beer bread
Friday ~ Tacos
Saturday ~ I am going to my cousin's baby shower in Joplin so I won't be here for dinner I'm sure
Sunday ~ I don't know yet.


Hope everyone has a great week. For more yummy meal ideas visit orgjunkie.com

Music Monday

I thought it would be fun to post a song every week. They will be from many different genres I'm sure and may or may not reflect my current mood. :) Today I picked a duet by 2 of the best country singers who have graced our great planet. Enjoy!

Need Christmas gift ideas??

Check out my talented friend Jane's work!




Hey everyone,

A new website http://www.picklesnorts.etsy.com just opened up with the neatest bath/beach cover-ups that can also be used as a costume. Your kids of all ages will love a Picklesnorts! Check out the website and then email the owner to tell her I sent you there - so I can gain points from your visit. If you like them as much as I do, go ahead and order one. She'll make any of the animals listed and let you see it before you buy. I know Picklesnorts would love for you to order one, too! http://www.picklesnorts.etsy.com.

My Menu ~ Oct 26~Nov 1

Did I really just write Nov 1?? Holy Moly! I can't believe October is about over. This week is going to be long and busy I think, but it's all good. :)

Monday ~ Something quick
Tuesday ~ Alisa's Chipotle BBQ Chicken
Wednesday ~ Cooking @ church ~ making breakfast
Thursday ~ Corned Beef and potatoes
Friday ~ Kids are spending the night with Grandpa and we are going to a Halloween party where there will be LOADS of food I am sure
Saturday ~ HALLOWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN We are going to Hubby's dad's for BBQ and taking the kids around his neighborhood
Sunday ~ Your guess is as good as mine ;)

For more menu ideas check out Orgjunkie.com

Ohhhhh kay??????

Not much new in Jenny-land, hence the not writing. My friend, Megan, came and we spent the day shopping together. I sometimes forget how much I like being around her. Too bad she is in Germany now. (nevermind the fact that we talk online almost everyday, it's not the same!)

I had a parent teacher conference on Thursday with Trent's teacher. I got in there, sat down and his teacher just looked at me and smiled. Umm Yes? She pretty much said Trent is awesome and she doesn't know what else to say. He is exceeding in almost everything, and is very well behaved. She said the only area he may need to work on is creative writing. BLA. I HATE creative writing. You can tell that by my not so creative writing on this blog! He is reading at a middle school level, but the books for middle school aren't really appropriate reading for an 8 year old. He is also working on the advanced worksheets for math. I am proud of my little man.

My other friend, Kari, and her family came from St. Louis to spend the weekend. On Friday we all went to T-Rex cafe. We were there for over 2 hours!! It was fun tho and the kids had a blast. Oh and both got new dinos. Saturday, Trent and her son stayed and played at the motel with Kari's hubby and she and I did a little shopping. It was great getting to spend time with them.

THEN on Saturday, we went to the wedding of two sweet people at church. It was really beautiful. Simple and beautiful.

I am making the dinner this Wednesday at church. Come ready for some yummy breakfast! :)

YAY

My friend Megan, who lives in Germany right now, is coming to see me today! I am excited. I haven't seen her since January. She is here for two weeks, and she made today Jenny day! We will probably go eat and shop. I can't wait for her to get here. :)

October is a busy month apparently. September was too. Saturday we have a birthday party to go to for a little neighbor boy. Then later on is the Jones' Bonfire. I am excited about that. For the past couple years something has come up and we weren't able to go. I am determined to get there this year tho!! Then next week we have eye appointments, volleyball, a parent teacher conference, a wedding AND my friend from St. Louis and her family are coming. WOAH! Plus I babysit M-F and I want to find a time to get up and see my grandma. Good times. :)

Party time

We finally got around to having Trent's birthday party. He was sick when we were supposed to have his original party, then with Grandpa passing and other busy-ness. I kind of felt bad it was so delayed, but at least he got to have one. We had a huge turn out, mostly kids. I think we counted 16 kids. In my house. Eating on my new floor. LOL Actually it wasn't bad at all. The kids play pretty well together and they sat nicely on the floor and ate and I dont' think we had any incidents will spills. It was a fun time and I am so thankful for great friends for me and my kids. :)

Late night double feature picture show

Ok, it wasn't late night, but we did take Tommy to his first movie theater movie tonight. His favorite thing right now is Buzz Lightyear. He LOVES Toy Story and we watch it quite often. So, I was thrilled to hear that they are doing a double feature of Toy Story 1 and 2 in 3D. We decided it would be a great opportunity to try out the movie experience with a 3 year old. He did awesome thru the first movie. He got a bit antsy in the middle of the second one, but ended up sitting and watching the rest. I was really happy with it. Except of corse, for the price. Holy Moly!! This may make me sound ancient, but I remember going to the movie almost every weekend when I was in school and it not being a big deal money wise. Not so much anymore...........$43!!!!!!!! for two adult and two kid tickets!!!!! Oh, and guess what we found out AFTER we already paid and got inside. Monday thru Thursday you can go see any of the movies for FIVE DOLLARS!!!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Had I known that, we totally would have went on a different night. Oh well. Now we know! But as we were leaving we talked about it was totally worth it to see Tommy in his huge 3D glasses saying the lines word for word and totally enjoying himself. We really did have a great time. :)

Guess I should update

I feel very much out of it. Trent and I got the sickies. I'm not sure what we had. I ended up taking Trent to the dr. He said "it sounds like swine" but said it isn't a big deal, so they don't usually test for it. So he may have had it, he may not. He had a high fever and a bad headache. I just had body aches. I never did get a fever or anything else. I was just tired and sore. It lasted a few days. Trent's fever lasted 5 days. He came home sick on that Thursday and didn't go back to school until Wednesday. I was sick Saturday-Tuesday. That Monday when I was laying in bed trying to rest, I called my mom to ask about Grandpa. She told me he really isn't doing good. I knew that was going to be the day so I just laid in bed and waited for the call. It came at about 10 after noon. I miss him a lot.


Right now I am just trying to get back on track. We got a new baker's rack for our kitchen, so we are getting rid of the hutch. It pretty much became a dumping ground for clutter, and I hated it. The baker's rack is sooo much better. The microwave sits on it (so it's off the counter!!! YAY!!!) and there isn't a whole lot of room for stacking random crap. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I hate our kitchen table. I like the way it works, but it's kinda yucky. It has a crack all the way around that serves no purpose but to hold spilled food and yuck. Plus it's not that well made. Well, I was telling my grandma about looking for a new table and she said she had one I could have. It's darker wood, solid wood and in good shape, so I am going to go get it on Wednesday. I am excited. :) Well that's about it for now.

Sicky Sick

Trent is sick. I got a call from the school yesterday (his birthday) at 3:00 saying he had 103 temp and I needed to come pick him up. He seemed fine, minus the fever. He was running around playing and everything. We ate at Red Fortune and had cake and ice cream, and he was fine. This morning he got up and felt hot again. At 10am he went back to bed. I woke him up at about 11 to check his temp. It was 103.7, YIKES. I called the dr. They basically said that if he is still running a fever in the morning to bring him in. Also, because of the unnecessary, ridiculousness of the media, Trent thinks he has swine flu and that he is going to die. Thanks a lot! Please pray for speedy recovery!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRENT!

I can't believe my baby is 8. Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Sept. 24 2001 (and some of my favorites!)

Um YUM!

Crock pork chop casserole is yummy!!!

It's crock pot day!

Sweet Jane D. let me borrow her Fix it and Forget it book. I gave it to hubby the other night and told him to pick something out of it that involved pork chops. He picked out Pork Chop Casserole.

5 pork chops
4-5 potatoes; sliced
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of cream of celery soup

Throw it all in the crock pot in that order and cook 4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low (I prefer low).

This recipe also called for a can of green beans (drained) after the soups, but I didn't put those in because then it would remind me too much of green bean casserole, and that is something I DO NOT like.

I think it's going to turn out yummy!

My Menu

Monday ~ Spaghetti, green beans, garlic bread
Tuesday ~ CROCK POT DAY!!!!
Wednesday ~ Church
Thursday ~ Trent's b-day. We are taking him to Red Fortune! YUMM
Friday ~ Hubby is grilling steaks, sweet potatoes
Saturday ~ Chili
Sunday ~ Probably hot dogs

Hope Everyone has a great week!

For more menu ideas check out orgjunkie.com

We're back and what I noticed....

We got home today from Wisconsin. It was lots of fun. I noticed a few things while we were there.

1) People are nicer. Waiters, retailers, people just walking around. All nice. We went to Oktoberfest on Saturday. Almost everyone who walked past said hello. Before that we went for a walk on a trail at a park, again, everyone we past said hello or good morning.

2) Girls/Women dress differently there. Modestly obviously means something up there. Even the clothes in the Walmart were different. We were in crowds on several different occasions and I didn't see any cleavage or short shorts/skirts the whole weekend (even tho it was warm). It was a nice change. :)

3) They don't know what hot is. While at Oktoberfest, which is outside, I was in the bathroom and overheard a group of ladies talking about how hot it was! WHAT?!?!?!? It was like maybe 78-80 with no humidity. Hot. Really?? I was walking around all day and not sweating. Come to Kansas and I will show you what hot really is. :) Granted it's been a mild summer, but still!

4) They are extremely pro-life. I can't even tell you how many pro-life billboards/signs/bumper stickers I saw. Every few miles there was something. Also a nice to see :) My favorite was "Smile, your mom was pro-life!" Awesome!

It was a nice time, but I was ready to come home and see my babies!

And we're off eh!

Tomorrow morning we are off for the land of cheese! I am so excited! Please pray for safe travels for us and our kids. They will be with friends and 2 sets of grandparents over the next 4 days. I am always nervous about leaving them and also with them riding with other people. Yes, I am paranoid. :) See Y'all Sunday! EH! :)

CROCK POT TUESDAY

YUM YUM! This week I am doing probably my favorite thing I have ever cooked in a crock pot, it's one of my favorites EVER! I may have blogged about this before, but I am too lazy to go back and check. I will tag it this time, so it will show up under food. :) I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. She brought it over for us to eat and I ate so much I almost got sick. It was the best tasting roast I have ever had! I have made it several times since. It's not as big of a hit with the kids, because it's just a big mouthful of meat, but they do eat it.

Italian Beef Roast
2-3 lb roast (the cheaper the better)
1 packet of ZESTY Italian dressing mix (make sure it's zesty or it won't taste right)
1 jar of pepperoncini, juice too
1 can of beef broth (I use the lower sodium because of the whole jar of peppers)

Throw all of this in the crock pot on low in the morning and it will be ready for supper time. I take out the peppers and toss them and open a new jar to have with my sandwich. NUMMY I serve it on Italian bread. I can smell it right now, and my mouth is already watering!

My menu this week.

This is a very short week dinner wise. We are leaving Thursday morning for Wisconsin. WOOOOOHOOOOO!!! I am so excited!! :)



Monday ~ Creamy Chicken Burritos
Tursday ~ CROCK POT DAY!
Wednesday ~ Church

I don't have to cook again until next Monday!! YAY!!!!

Friday Faves

Today's Friday Faves topic at It's Almost Naptime is favorite old hymn, and favorite modern praise song.

My favorite old hymn is easy. It is hands down Old Rugged Cross. I will probably go ahead and say that is the best song ever written!

The modern song is a little harder. There are so many great ones it's hard to pick, but as of right now, I think it is We Fall Down OR I Will Rise. Really Chris Tomlin just rocks it! He is a truly blessed man with an awesome heart for God and an awesome voice.

I think I like it......

We decided it would be best for the least amount of maintenance to try to match my roots. I think it looks nice and hopefully it will stay looking nice because my hair and my scalp need a rest! :) Thanks to Joy for doing it, and thanks to Jane for watching our boys today! :)

Happy B-day to me.

I was going to blog about important or interesting happenings on my day, but I looked, and there isn't a whole lot. I do share my b-day with Rin Tin Tin (yes, that is in fact listed on Wikipedia), Arnold Palmer (Half tea half lemonade anyone.......Yes I KNOW he was a golfer too), Bill O'Reilly, Joe Perry (awesome!!) and Ryan Phillippe.

It's a go

Crock pot ravioli is a hit! Everyone really likes it. YUMMY!

HAVE to make it work

Well I decided to weigh myself today (because I wasn't having a bad enough day). Although, to my surprise, I was down 6 pounds!!! WOOOHOOO I believe the last time I weighed was 2 or 3 weeks ago. So even if it was three, that's still 2 pounds a week, which is good. Now I am more determined to keep on walking. It is obviously working!! :) I eat better on days what I walk. I am usually more hungry on those days, but I make better choices because I don't want to undo what I have done.

Crock pot day

I don't know if it will always be on Tuesday, but it is this week :) I found a crock pot ravioli recipe over at Recipezaar.com. Since Tommy & I won't be home for dinner tonight, I thought this would be easy and quick for Jason and Trent. It will be ready when they are ready for it. I think that is why I love crock pot cooking so much. By the time dinner time gets here I am usually ready for bed! So it works out well to prepare the majority of the meal early in the day. Yummy! I will update on what everyone thinks of it. :)

How I long for the terrible two's

For real. The terrible two's came with less attitude, less defiance and far less whining. Adding to all of that, is his desperate need to be with his mommy. While I know I should enjoy it because in a few years he won't even want to be in the same room with me, it wears a bit on my nerves. For instance....... He has regressed and doesn't want to be left anywhere, (nursery, grandmas, in the grocery cart in the cart coral........LOL, not that I have ever tried that........). Or like we've started walking on the Basehor HS track with Joy and Dana, and their kids just play. Not Tommy, he wants to be in the stroller the whole time. He wont get down and play with the other kids. Sometimes I get fed up and make him get out, he SCREAMS and cries. I can't handle that so I usually just put him back in the stroller. The problem with that is I am a midget (if you haven't noticed). I have a hard enough time keeping up with my long legged friends on my own, and pushing a stroller with a 3 year old in it slows me up even more. Plus, I am getting to the point where I want to run some, and that is pretty much impossible with the stroller I have. And quite honestly, I don't feel like I should have to push him around. He is far old enough to just play with the kids. I had just about enough today. I am really trying to keep up with the exercise thing, but this is just stressing me out, so is it really worth it?? I guess I could wait until evening and leave him here with Daddy. The only problem with that is 4 out of 5 nights of the week, we have something going on. So I don't know what to do. I guess I could just let Tommy scream and hope he gets over it, but that really stresses me out. OK I'm done griping now.

Seriously needing input

OK. I am getting my hair did (again, I know) on Thursday (my b-day. hint hint! LOL). I need some suggestions on what to do. I like it darker, Hubby likes it blonde (just not THIS blonde). I would like this to be the last time I mess with it for a while, or it's going to fall out on me........

A Request.......

Several months ago I found a website where are gal used her crock pot everyday for one year. That really interested me. Now, I know I do not have the attention span to do everyday, but I would like to start with once a week. I am going to make a crock pot day, maybe Tuesday, I dunno. Now, what I need from you is recipes. It can be your favorite or one you would like to try but just haven't gotten around to yet. They don't only have to be dinner either. It can be anything that is made in the crock pot. I am excited to hear your ideas!! :)

Tweet Tweet

OK, who actually tweets? I have been totally against signing up at Twitter. Yep, I am not going to do it. . . . . I mean really, facebook is pretty much the same thing, only better right? So what's the point of Twitter??? Really.....tell me so I don't have to join and find out! hehehe

Menu Plan for Sept 7-13

Monday ~ Labor Day and Hubby is smokin' ribs! :)
Tuesday ~ Crockpot ravioli
Wednesday ~ Church
Thursday ~ My b-day, so hopefully I don't have to cook (hint, hint)
Friday ~ Creamy Chicken Burritos
Saturday ~ Undecided, we might be going to a friend's
Sunday ~ Italian Roast Beef Sandwiches


For more menu ideas visit Orgjunkie.com

Rockin the Light

I just got home from Rock the Light. It was really fun. Alanna and I got there early and they parking guy told us to park in a muddy field, which I slid all around in, and in doing so, we didn't have to pay parking. Score! We walked around and looked at all the stuff they had and entered all the drawings. Did I mention it was RAINING this whole time? Thanks to Anita A, Alanna ended up with two umbrellas. Whoo Hooo. After and hour or so, the rain let up and they rest of the group arrived (they had to pay parking). I have to say I think Downhere is my new favorite band. They were great live. I am ready for bed! I am going back tomorrow and taking Trent. He is excited about seeing the Newsboys. Too bad they don't go on until 9:30. BLAH! (wow! I'm old!!)

Let's talk hair

I am a wee bit fickle when it comes to my hair (and many other things I'm sure). It changes often. Mostly because I don't know what I like. Sometimes I want it to be dark, some times light. Other days I want it pink (although have never actually gone thru with that.) If you have seen me lately you know that my hair is very very blonde. BTW ~ Why does blonde show up as a spelling error?? Anyway, I have had some mixed reviews on the blondness of my hair. I like it this light (for now). My only concern is, it will need to be touched up every couple week to avoid the white trash look. Honestly I don't think my hair can take being abused every other week. So, what should I do with it? I'm not the biggest fan of my natural color (whatever that may be) because it's just really blah looking. But on the other hand, I really hate the up keep of colored hair. What to do what to do... Any suggestions would be much helpful! :)

I can't believe

It's September. I turn 20 something in just over a week. My baby turns 8 in about 3 weeks. I'm going to go cry now.....

Dear Shannon

This one's for you! ;)

Apparently, Shannon needs something to read. Ummm let's see. Church was good today. I got a bit teary in Sunday School when Jared humbly shared about visible sin. It struck a major chord with me. Time to get on that! Worship was really good, but it lacked something. Something like.....drums. Oh speaking of drums (hahahahaha) I have been practicing them, and if all goes well (which I feel it will) I will be playin with the band very soon. Now's your turn to say "I didn't know you played the drums!?" Well, I played a bit in high school, and am very drawn to any song with heavy drums. I like to think I have a little bit of rhythm, and have an annoying habit of drumming out the beats of a song on any hard surface around me. Hmmm maybe I should have pursued this a long time ago. :) I love playing them, and I am really excited about it. The other members of the worship group are being so supportive and I really appreciate it. :)

Hmmm. I, with help from my wonderful friend Joy, am fixing Wednesday night dinner. We are planning on doing spaghetti bake. It's easy, super yummy and it usually gets pretty good reviews. :)

I will have A & G everyday this week. I had them all last week too. This may sound a bit crazy, but the majority of the time, I enjoy having them here. They are both very well behaved, and Tommy is entertained too. Woohoo. Then on Friday, I am going to Rock the Light! On Saturday, I am taking Trent to Rock the Light. He is very excited to see the Newsboys.

September is a very busy month for us. My birthday is the second week, our anniversary is the third week, and then Trent's birthday is the fourth week. Add to that fall volleyball (YES!!!!!!!) Labor Day, 2 home parties (not mine, don't worry) dentist appointments, and MOPS (I miss MOPS, so I joined a new group. I'm a bit nervous because I don't do well talking to new people, but I think it will be good for me), it will be a very full month.
Anyway, there ya go. :) I will try to blog more often.

Growing boy!

Next year, I am not buying school clothes until the day before school starts!! I took Trent clothes shopping last month for school. I bought a few pairs of shorts and shirts. Well today he tried to put on a pair that I bought, and said he couldn't get them buttoned. I figured he was just gripping because of the type of button, which he does often, but when I went to button them, sure enough, i wasn't going to happen. They fit perfectly a month ago, now I they won't go all the way around. Thank goodness I decided not to buy him jeans yet, I would have been a mad mama!

Awesome Anniversary gift!

THE OFFICE RETURNS ON OUR ANNIVERSARY!!!!! We won't be here to watch it, but still exciting! :)

Hardcore

Today while driving I saw a man on a motorcycle, and strapped to his motorcycle was his crutches! Awesome!

Transparent...

I am not. I read lots of blogs full of deep personal thoughts feelings, emotions, struggles, happiness and sadness. I read my blog and if feels very much generic. If you know me at all, I am not one to put all my emotions out for everyone to see, in fact, I do the exact opposite. I don't like to show when I am having a hard time, and I certainly don't like to talk about it. Every once in a while I will have a half hearted "deep" talk with a good friend, but even then I don't get into full detail. One reason is, I feel silly. I am blessed beyond anything I could ever ask for, so what do I have to be down about? I know so many others who are going thru much worse than I am, and it just feels like I have no room to complain. I know this is silly, and I shouldn't feel this way. I was talking to a friend yesterday, and she said she was making a prayer list, and asked if there was anything I needed prayer for. Just then, my 2nd phone lined beeped, and I said Yes, but I have to go. I thought I got out of that, and I wouldn't have to talk about it. Not so much. She remembered me and called back later and asked what I needed. I told her I didn't know. Mostly because I don't know. The past few weeks have been difficult. These things seem to come in waves. I'll be fine for a while, then it just hits me like a ton of bricks. I have been on medication for it before, and it helped, but I decided I didn't want to be on them anymore because I know if I wait it out, it will get better eventually. The worst part of it is I don't feel like being around people, and they know something is up, and ask what's up, but back to the whole I don't know how to talk about it. Bla. So that's what's been up in Jennyland if you have been wondering.


On a happier note. I. LOVE. OUR. FLOORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously I will NEVER have carpet again. If we ever move into a different house, the carpet will be gone before we even move in.

For Shannon (and whoever else wants to see :)

The stairs.......

Sauce update

Hubby said it was better than store bought. And a win for mama!
The only complaint was it was a bit on the runny side, but I can fix that next time. :)

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce from our garden

We had a bunch of Roma tomatoes from our garden and I decided to make some spaghetti sauce for dinner tonight.


First blanch the tomatoes

Put them in boiling water



Then put them in ice cold water and the skins come right off. I didn't bother with getting the seeds out, I just took of the skin and cut the very top of the core out.




Then I threw them all in a pot and smashed them up


Heat to boiling and boil about 45 minuets.



I chopped up a green pepper, a onion and a couple jalapenos (all from our garden :), and sauted them in garlic and oil. I added some herbs, some fresh, some dried, and a little salt and sugar.




I decided to blend the sauce so I didn't have to listen to complaints about there being chunks of onion in the sauce.

FYI ~ When using a blender for hot things, you have to vent it a bit or you will have whatever you are blending all over yourself and your kitchen. I learned this the hard way when making black bean soup once.

Let that simmer for 30 minuets or so, add hamburger and it is ready to go!




My eldest said "This is awesome!"
Ahh a good day! :)

overdue I know.......

Here are a couple pics. My cats apparently like to be all up in my pictures! :)

Please excuse my living room mess, it's been a long few weeks.................

BEFORE (the bed is in the same spot, I just forgot to take a pic before we moved it out)


AFTER (nevermind the creepy cat eyes)


and one shot of the living room. I will take more when it's all back to normal

You are what you speak.....

Something I need to work on....

http://www.excellentbabyblog.com/mommy-baby-devotional/962-mommy-baby-devotion-power-of-the-tongue/

My son.....

Tommy just "passed gas" and said "Oh a butt burp!"HAHAHHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! That one is going in the baby book for sure!!

almost

I am almost ready for the "after" pictures of our living room. We are finishing getting everything moved back in. We are now on the hunt for a new entertainment center and possibly a new tv. Definitely a new entertainment center tho. We bought the one we have when we moved into this house. We both really liked it and were happy with it....for about the first 6 months. After that the vainer started peeling away and now 4 years and 2 kids later, it really looks bad. We want REAL wood. So I am off to search craigslist for a new one. :)

I'll admit it.......

I used to (and still do) love Hootie and the Blowfish. Ok. There, I said it. It's ok, I will wait while you make fun.... :P Now Darius Rucker (aka - Hootie) has gone solo and I LOVE HIM! I think he has one of the best underrated voices ever. He is a bit cheesy, but I like cheese! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etr7UtnUflM


And, into the way back machine...my favorie Hootie song....

Back Online

Whew! The past several days have been busy! Our living room is almost done. I have taken pictures of the progress, but I will have to post them later when I have a all done picture. We still need to finish the trim so we can move all of our furniture back in here. I can't wait for it to all be finished! The stairs still need to be done, but at least the living room part is done. YAY!

Do you have a bed time?

I don't. I should, but I don't. I usually end up staying up WAY too late. If I am in bed by 11pm, that is rare. I have always been a night person. Even when I was in school, I was always tired during the day because I would stay up so late.

One of my *many* goals as a wife and mom, is to get up before everyone else and make a hot breakfast. I want to do this because 1) I would love time in the morning to just sit in silence and maybe read my bible and drink some coffee or something and 2) I just think a hot breakfast everyday is something that my family would greatly appreciate.

So far, that hasn't really happened. Hubby leaves for work at 7am. So I would have to get up around 6am to really have time to cook something so that he would have time to eat before he leaves. UHG, that is early for me. During the summer, I usually stay in bed until Tommy gets up. Trent has always been a early riser, and he just watches TV until I get up no problem. I just need to go to bed earlier. My goal is have kids to bed by 9pm, spend and hour with Hubby watching the news or whatever, then shower at 10pm and be asleep by 11pm. Usually I end up showering at 11 and in bed by 12, then laying awake forever. I don't ever feel like I get enough sleep, so maybe actually getting to bed at a decent time would help that.

My Menu

Monday ~ Hot dogs, baked beans, corn on the cob
Tuesday ~ Shrimp Alfredo (I didn't make this last week because we ended up having dinner at a friend's house), green beans, garlic bread
Wednesday ~ Beef Gyros
Thursday ~ Chicken Enchiladas, refried beans
Friday ~ Pizza on the grill

I'm not sure what is happening this weekend. Hopefully we will be working on our house so I don't know how much cooking will be done.


Check out more yummy menus at Orgjunkie.com

Progress perhaps??

OK. We finally might be making some progress. Finally......

A floor guy came and measured for carpet to get a quote. We asked him to also give us a quote for the laminate flooring. We want laminate and were planning on just paying the difference. Well he called back and said there was a $1400 difference! The majority of that is for labor. We decided not to do it. We could swing the difference, but didn't want to. So we told him we would just go with carpet. Neither of us want carpet and we were disappointed....

Well then Hubby had an idea. We are getting a check from the insurance for the work that needs to be done on the floor/wall, and also for carpet including labor. Well......why not just have the contractor fix the floor/wall, then we could buy the laminate and put it in ourselves. Yes, that is going to be time consuming and all of that, BUT it's what we want. So I think that is what we are going to do. My parents have offered (well I begged a little) to help us. They did most of their house themselves, so they know what they are doing. I am very excited to see the finished room! I am sooooo over my living room looking like a remodeling project!

This week's menu

I haven't cooked since Wednesday! YIKES!! With the holiday parties, and me being soo sick, I'm ready to get back in the kitchen!


MONDAY ~ Tacos
TUESDAY ~ Shrimp Alfredo
WEDNESDAY ~ Tater tot Casserole
THURSDAY ~ Biscuits & Gravy
FRIDAY ~ out
SATURDAY ~ BBQ Fajitas
SUNDAY ~ Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

For more dinner ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Question

How do you make your car and home smell pretty WITHOUT the use of any kind of air fresheners/oils/candles (they all bug Trent and my sinuses really bad)? I just want a fresh smell.

JUST FIX IT ALREADY!!!!

For real, how long have we sat with big hole in our floor?? We are STILL waiting. It took forever for the insurance adjuster guy (we call him "gun show" LOL) to do the paper work and get it sent in. Then there was a discrepancy with the carpet. Basically the builder guy quoted a higher price than "gun show" did. So they had to keep playing phone tag with each other to work out the difference, or whatever. Seriously the hold up is the stupid carpet?!?! Let's fix the hole while we are waiting, shall we??? Anyhoo, a carpet guy is coming over here today to assess the carpet and see what the actual quote will be. I hate dealing with insurance! I just want my living room back!

Happy July!

I can not believe that 2009 is half over... Where does the time go?

Broccoli Slaw

I got this recipe from Alisa, then changed it around a bit. I made this at Tommy's b-day and it was a HUGE hit.

A whole big bunch of raw broccoli
Half a head of cabbage (you could use more, but my bowl wasn't big enough)
a bag of Craisins
sunflower seeds (I just added what looked good)

Dressing:
1 c. of mayo
1/2 c. of sugar
2 T. of apple cider vinegar

mix dressing together and toss over salad.

This is sooo yummy!! You could add pretty much whatever you want, but I like to keep it simple.

Menu Plan Monday

With the 4th coming up, we have 2 BBQs to go to, so we won't be eating at home those days.

Monday ~ Southwest chicken with corn and black bean Succotash
Tuesday ~ Roast, potatoes, carrots in the crock pot
Wednesday ~ Spaghetti, green beans, garlic bread
Thursday ~ I am going to try to get hubby to take me out for Chinese :)
Friday ~ BBQ at friend's house. I will attempt the Chocolate Eclair Cake again, and Broccoli slaw
Saturday ~ HAPPY 4th OF JULY!! BBQ at neighbors, I will take meatballs
Sunday ~ Don't know yet

For more yummy menu ideas visit orgjunkie.com

Recipe mishap

My friend Alisa makes an awesomely yummy dessert called Chocolate Eclair Cake. I love it, and request it a lot. :) It is super easy to make and oh so yummy. Well, I decided to make it. So make all of the layers and am pouring the chocolate frosting on top and it occurs to be. I forgot to put the cool whip in the pudding! AHHHHHHRRRRRGGGGGGGG. There really is no way of fixing that. So I decided to just continue and I put it in the fridge. We got it out later on and tried it. It wasn't bad at all, but it just didn't have the fluffiness that I love. Next time I will take my time instead of trying to hurry and put it together between other things..

Where did the weekend go??

I can't believe it's Monday already.. Saturday was Trent's first church camp experience. We got up (way) early and drove Trent and Tanner to camp. It's about an hour and a half trip. We considered just trying to find something to do around that area all day instead of driving all the way home just to turn around and go back. However, we were tired and Tommy was cranky, so we just drove back home. I took a pretty good nap. I planned on just laying down for a bit, then actually getting something done, but it didn't happen that way. Oh well. I left around 3:30 to go pick them up. Jason and Tommy stayed behind and went fishing. Trent really enjoyed camp. His only problem with it was he didn't get to stay longer! :) Next summer they get to stay all week. He is ready for that, hopefully Mommy will be.

Sunday I got up (way) early again because I was singing at church. We came home, had lunch, then I took another nap while Tommy was napping. Wow I was a bum this weekend, but it sure felt nice!! :) I did get quite a bit of stuff done Saturday evening after getting back from camp. We still had Tanner for a bit, and Jason and Tommy were still gone, so I took advantage of the kids being entertained and cleaned up quite a bit. This coming weekend is going to be just as crazy, but in a good way! :)

Outing

Today I took the boys to Crown Center. I actually have NEVER been there before, and don't really see much reason to go back. We got there at about 10. There was a play that Trent wanted to see, but it was already sold out. So we went and looked at the Lego exhibit. After that we headed over to Kaleidoscope, only to be turned away because apparently the mornings are for school groups (in the summer? really??) or appointments for kids 5 and over. Well that didn't work for us, so we wondered around for a while. Then we decided that we would walk over to Union Station. They have Narnia exhibit, Science City, and other things to do. We should have just went there in the first place, but now we know. When all was said and done we just went to Narnia, which was really cool, and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Then we walked back over to Crown Center and ate at Fritz's. Tommy really likes trains, and the food is not bad for what it is.

Lego John Lennon


Tommy eating his chocolate covered marshmallow


The only place they would let you take pics in Narnia


Fritz's







We left around 1, and I drove around for about an hour while the boys napped in the car. Tommy had an ear dr. apt at 2:15. Then we came home, had an All Fruit Popsicle outside in the shade, then mommy had a cat nap on the couch....

RIP

It's been 3 years....

and it's not any easier. I miss you.......

New Layout

I decided I needed a change, again. :) I like to change things around every once in a while. I found this layout and I like it. I also changed my title. It's from my favorite episode of Seinfeld. It pretty much sums up how I have been feeling lately. It's always nice to find the humor in all of the madness. :)

Robots in disguise

Did I spell that right?? Anyway. Last year I went to camp to cook one day. They had the cutest little puppies there, so I had to hold one. Apparently, the little guy had gotten in with the horses because when I put him down, there was some umm poo on my shirt, soooo I bought a camp shirt from one of the previous years. It was the Transformers one. I like it, and wear it pretty often. Long story short......

On Thursday I went into Men's Wearhouse to pick up Trent's tux for the wedding he was in (pics will be up soon!!) and as soon as I walked in the door a guy was like OHHHHHH TRANSFORMERS!!! Have you seen the new movie yet? Transformers are awesome. I was just like uh huh. Then he was like "Oh HAHAHAHHA! That's great advertising you got there! It made me look and then I read the message!" That made me laugh.

I can see!

I went and got contacts today. I have glasses but hardly ever wear them. I don't know why, I just don't. So now I can actually see! It sure makes a difference. :)

Mommy and son date

I took Trent to see Night at the Museum last night. We all loved the first one and was very excited for this one. It was even better than I expected! I would even come close to saying it is better than the first. I don't say that very often...... First of all, I love Ben Stiller. I've heard people say they don't like him because he can only play 2 characters, the Zoolander, weirdo type, and then the There's something about Mary, sappy, nerdy guy. I guess I can see their point, however I think he is just great! Also, Hank Azaria. Holy Moly, he is hilarious!! He is such a good character actor, and he is just awesome in this movie. I laughed so much. There was two "D bombs" and one part that could have been left out of a kid's movie, but other than that it was just fine. It was a fun night!

VBS.....

is my new baby. Yep, I am the director of VBS for next year. I don't know exactly how it came about, but when talking to Jane D., I said, "well I guess I could do it if you tell me what to do"...... and so now here we are. The only thing I am worried about is that I tend to wait until the last minuet to do things, which absolutely can NOT happen with VBS or it will not get done. The awesome part about it is that it is pretty much done for next year. The lessons are all done, the schedules are done and we even have pictures of what the lesson rooms are supposed to look like. That helps ALOT! I think it will be good for me to do, and I am actually a bit excited about it. Also knowing that Jane won't leave me stranded helps too.

In other news, we ordered Trent's tux for the wedding that he is going to be in. He is the ring bearer. I can not wait to see him in his little tux. He will be soooo cute!!

I am looking for some fun things to do this summer. I got several great ideas from Alisa's blog. Some of those I didn't even know about. Thanks Alisa! I am determined not to spend the whole summer at home. Tommy is old enough now to actually get to enjoy outings so I am really wanting to get out there.

Fun at the Cooper's

We went to the Cooper's tonight for Jerad's birthday. We had lots of fun hanging out with everyone, playing volley ball, and letting the kid's play. It is nice to get out and relax.
I have a couple pics thanks to Jess.

Here is Trent on a horse. I think this is the first time he has ridden one.


And here's Tommy being cute. :)

picture time

I just made Tommy's 3 year picture appointment. :) :( I always try to get their pictures done on their actual birthday. Last year, I took Tommy and he FREAKED out, so I ended up taking them here at home. I think they turned out good, but I only have so many background ideas. This is what I took last year... It'll be hard to top. His fuzzy hair. I miss that!

I don't like cleaning up....

puke. I just don't. Tommy has been acting just bla today. He told me this morning that his "tumach huwts" but you just never know. He hasn't really eaten anything at all. Then I laid him down for a nap and 5 minuets later he was SCREAMING! I went in to check on him and he and the bed were covered him vomit. Fun Fun day.

The yellow rose of Kansas

This is what I get to see when I walk out of my front door. Isn't it beautiful!?

First outing

I have been scared to leave the house with Tommy in underwear. Tonight we went to church and he did great!! He went potty a couple times, and had no accidents. I was just worried he would get wrapped up in playing and forget, but Daddy did a good job of reminding him. :) I still can't believe it. I had NO plans of potty training this week! He still hasn't figured out the whole pooping in the potty thing yet, but I'm sure that will come soon. :)

Potty training and whatnot

We are on day 2 of underwear for Tommy. On Sunday, he was in the bathtub and he said "Oh I'm peeing", so I grabbed him out of there and sat him on the potty. He went and I made a huge deal about it. Then it was bed time and I put a diaper on him and didn't think much else about it. Monday morning he woke up and I took his diaper off and asked him if he needed to go. He said yes and went in there and went. So I decided to put underwear on him. He went until nap time with no accidents and he was even coming to find me to tell me when he needs to go. Not bad for the first day eh?? :) He did have 1 accident after nap for Daddy, and then one time he started to go in his pants then stopped and came to tell me. So far today no accidents. Woohoo. I am a little bummed because I planned on taking the boys out today, since Trent is out of school and I didn't have the baby today. But, I didn't want to take Tommy too far away from his potty this soon. Basically I am stuck inside for the next week, but I don't mind too much.

As much as I am thrilled that the diaper days are almost done, I am also a little sad. I can't believe how fast these past 3 years have gone. Some days when he is being particularly big boyish, I miss my little baby...

I bought this a few months ago at Tash's Uppercase Living Party. I didn't put it up because we were planning on painting the living room. That FINALLY got done (well all but the bad wall) and then I had to wait a couple weeks. But it's finally up. I don't think I got the H quite straight, but I think it looks ok.



What do you think? It was kind of a pain to put up. Next time I think I will ask Alisa over to help. :)

nevermind

Ok so the guy came last night. He was late but, he came. :) He took lots of pics, and is turning it in so hopefully we can get this going!

URGGGGGGGGGGGG!

Well, and insurance adjuster was supposed to come out today and look at the damage. He said he would be here between 6:30 and 7. It's 7:40. I completely understand that things come up and people run late or whatever, but can't you have the courtasy of a phone call. Seriously! I want this DONE! Or at least STARTED!!

Something I am thankful for

Both of my kids LOVE broccoli. No, really! Of course, the eldest won't touch corn, but whatever. Trent doesn't like broccoli raw, but he'll eat tons of it cooked. Tommy likes it raw too if he can dip it in ranch dressing.He also loves salad, and usually even asks for seconds. I just really think that is neat! Just thought I would share :)

My menu

Monday ~ Lemon Pepper Chicken, Couscous, steamed broccoli
Tuesday ~ The Best Lasagna. Ever ~ I don't follow this exactly, but it is SO YUMMY!!
Wednesday ~ Church
Thursday ~ not sure yet
Friday ~ hamburgers on the grill
Saturday ~ Taco pizza mmmmmmmm
Sunday ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUBBY!!! We will have family over but I'm not sure what we are having.


Head over to www.orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas.

In progress

Today I started on my kitchen. I pulled everything out of the bottom cabinets and got rid of some stuff, and rearranged the rest. My kitchen looks like a tornado hit it, but when I am finished it will be much more organized. I decided to make a list of what needs to be done in each room. I really think that is helping, and it's nice to be able to mark things off. :) I'm not sure which room I will do next, but I can't wait to get started.


I have been wanting to try different foods for dinner. I have a bad habit of cooking the same things over and over (mostly because I don't get feedback from other family members even tho I beg for dinner ideas!) Tonight I decided to break out some southern cookin' and made red beans and rice, collard greens and corn bread. I found a red beans and rice recipe on another blog. It was good, but it wasn't like the red beans and rice that I was wanting, it was more like gumbo. It was still yummy tho and had really good flavor. The greens are going to take some adjustments. The corn bread was way yummy as always, but then again, it's really hard to mess up Jiffy corn bread. :)

Pictures and stuff

We have been in contact with the cable company. They have been talking to their insurance company, it's just a matter of getting someone out here. I am so ready for this to be over with.

I have been trying really hard to get rid of junk. I want a nice house that is not cluttered. This is proving to be difficult for me. I come from a long line of hoarders and clutter bugs. I am determined to make it stop with me! I did a pretty good job with our living room. I got rid of a lot of stuff. I bought a cute ottoman for the kid's toys, and have been good about making them put them away. Next, I worked on our bedroom. That has been used as a dumping ground unfortunately. There was lots of stuff stacked on dressers, beside dressers, and thrown in closets. I got to the point to where I didn't want to even be in there. It's not that it looked that bad, but it just was a sad reminder that I am unorganized and that I have too much stuff. I decided one day to just tackle it. I threw everything out of the closet onto the floor and vowed that I wouldn't rest until it was done. I threw away a lot of stuff. It felt good. Now the only clutter left in there is in 2 corners. One corner is the pictures off the wall from the living room that I can't put up until they fix it, and the other corner is stuff to haul to Goodwill. It's much more peaceful in there now. My next feat is the kids' rooms and PICTURES! I don't even know what to do with pictures. I was looking thru them today and pretty much the only ones I have organized are the first 2 months of Tommy's life. I have a whole album dedicated to his sweet face from June 12 to August 20. That filled the album and I guess I just didn't get another one. I have hundreds of pictures just sitting in boxes. I want to get them organized. Any tips on how to do this would be greatly appreciated!

Guess I should update

I don't have much to talk about. They sent a supervisor out on Friday to look at the damage from the water, and he said they would fix it, he was so so sorry, and it never should have happened. He said they would turn it into their insurance and send someone out to assess the damage. He said "early next week". Well, it's Thursday and we haven't heard back. I just want this done!

Just to give you an idea of what we're dealing with

We have to get into our wall also, to see what's in there. BLA