Christmas 2008

I'm always glad when Christmas has come and gone. This year was particularly nice. We had our shopping done early and didn't feel to terribly stressed out. My husband helped with the shopping this year which made things much easier for me and since the kids wanted some higher priced items, there wasn't much to wrap! Because the economy is tightening, we decided to forgo buying gifts for our entire family. We only got gifts for our parents and each other. Our treat to everyone was an enormous Christmas day feast. They all came over (12 people) that night and I cooked a 20lb turkey and a ton of casseroles and side dishes. A few people brought food and we had a great time. My husband got the Buzz Quiz game for PS3 and we played it for hours. VERY FUN party game! Anyway...I'm so thankful that we had such a nice, low key, Christmas. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Pictures to come....Forgot the battery on my camera died last night so I couldn't download.

Our new doggy

This is our new girl, Ethyl. She's the calm one on the right. Allie's on the left, glaring at me, wondering why there's a dog laying on "her" couch. They are getting along pretty well. Allie has some dominance issues but we're working on it. Ethyl is a terrible digger which is why we think she ended up in the pound. She sticks her nose in the ground and digs everywhere. We have a built up vegetable garden that we're not using right now so we're trying to train her that it's OK to dig there and not in the yard. Other than that, she's a sweetie!

Give me an award....

I am officially the worst blogger ever. I've been about a month between every post. I'd like to say I'm going to get better about it but probably wont.

Anyway, school is over for the Christmas holiday. My grades were all A's for the semester and I'm proud of myself for working full time and taking 12 hours. Three more semesters left and I'm so looking forward to graduating.

We have a new family member. Two weeks ago we adopted a beautiful fox terrier mix from a rescue group in Houston. She had been turned into the city pound which has about a 90% kill rate. The rescue group got to her first and now she's ours. They named her Ethyl because they had pulled her out of the pound with another female dog named Lucy. We didn't like the name but now that we know her personality, it suits her well. She's such a sweet, gentle girl and so pretty.

I promise to get better about blogging. I know it's good for me and I really enjoy going back and seeing what I've been up to. Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!

My new hobby

I had a blast this weekend going to a neighborhood garage sale in a nice, kind of upscale neighborhood. I've never been much for garage sales because I don't like the crowds and I'm never looking for anything in particular. Boy, did I change my mind this weekend!! I bought all of these goodies for way cheap! I want to decorate my house but can't bear to spend full price on things. I am so excited about my finds!

Catching up

So, it's been a while. Things are finally getting back to normal around here. We got the roof fixed, the ceiling patched up and everything is getting somewhat back to normal. We had some money left over from the insurance settlement so we had a patio poured. We've been working on it the past few weekends, getting it landscaped and ready for company. Saturday we are celebrating my husband's birthday with about 15 friends. This will be the first party we're having at our house and I'm a little nervous! I'm sure after a couple of glasses of wine, I'll be having a blast! Everything is relatively back to normal (short of some missing grass in the front yard, 2 tree stumps in the back yard and a broken window) and we're looking forward to having some fun this weekend. I'll post pictures of the patio and our fun weekend later!

Moving on

We're finally getting back to normal and getting cleaned up after the storm. My mom still doesn't have power so she's staying with us. Let's just say I hope her power comes back on soon. She's fine to have here but I want my house back to myself. The trees came off the roof on Saturday and now we're waiting for the insurance company to send us a check to get the roof and window fixed. The school is back open today and I think the routine of going back to work will be healing. I'm praying for a great day back.

Recovering

Wow...this one hit hard. I'll get into more detail later because I really want to journal what happened the night of the storm, more for my own good than anyone elses. We're OK, just got power back yesterday. There are 2 large trees on the back of my house, 1 of which came through the ceiling and left 2 5-inch around holes. God has been so good in that the temperature has dropped to the low 80's making it bearable for the people who still don't have power. We're just waiting for the grocery stores and gas stations to get back to regular operation so we can get rolling again.

The saddest thing that happened to us in all of this is that we lost our beautiful 14 year old dog Charlie yesterday. We had to have her put down because the stress of the storm and the power outage just made her weaken. We know she's in a better place but it's so hard for us because we've had her since she was 6 weeks old (only 2 weeks after we got married.) We'll miss her and there will be a hole in my heart for a long time.

The best part is that we are all safe and relatively comfortable. We're just waiting to see when we'll go back to work and school. We should know more later today. Thanks for all of the prayers for the people of this region of Texas. I think He heard your prayers.

Hurricane Ike

Ike is definitely coming to visit the Houston area and we're getting ready. We plan on staying home because we're so far inland but the forecast says that we're on the dirty side of the storm so we're expecting some pretty bad weather. The only thing that we worry about are the large pine trees that we have in the yard. I'd hate to have one of them fall on my house. I don't know what we're going to do with my mom yet. She says she wants to sit home but I think she'll be scared. My husband is going over there this morning to clean up her yard and put her lawn furniture in the shed. I'd love to have her over here but that comes with another dog in the house and I don't know if I can take it. My dog has such a hard time with storms that adding another one to the mix may push me over the edge. We're going to figure everything out tonight and get our plan made. Wish us all luck! It's going to be a rough couple of days!

Here we go again....

We skirted Gustav without even a drop of rain. Here comes Ike.

Looming

So the new hurricane is brewing out in the Carribean right now and we're all gearing up for another big one. My family from New Orleans are making arrangements to evacuate when the time comes, some of them going to Mississippi and others coming here to Houston. The models are showing about a 300 mile length of the Gulf Coast that could possibly hit and they say we'll know more this weekend. This weekend I will be filling up the car and making sure we have batteries and groceries in the house. We NEVER get prepared for storms but I have a bad feeling about this one. I don't want to be caught off guard.

So far so good

So I'm back to work and school and everything is flowing good so far. The first day of Kinder is such a trip. The kids come in so excited about starting school but terribly nervous and missing their moms. By day 2, they're a little more confident but totally physically exhausted from the day before. We'll see today how day 3 goes. It's such a long day for those little guys and without a nap.

My classes are going good so far. I feel a little overwhelmed but like I said before, if I stay organized, I should do OK. We'll see!

Getting organized

So, I'm back to work and it's not so bad. I've been working really hard to get myself organized and prepared for the school year. Not only am I working full time but I'm taking 12 hours this semester so anything I can do to make my life easier will help to keep me sane. We have decided that we want to try to eat at home every night for at least 2 weeks. We need to save some money and some calories! I made a menu for 2 weeks worth of dinners and so far so good. I've also made a chore list for the kids so they know exactly what to do when they get done with their homework.

There are also a couple of small things I'm going to do to try to save some time and keep myself sane.
1. Have kids pack their own lunch at night (with supervision from a list I put on the fridge about what to pack. What can I say.... I'm a control freak about what they eat!)
2. Make the coffee at night
3. Pick what I'm going to wear the night before
4. Shower and blow dry my hair at night so I don't have to mess with it in the morning, therefore saving some time.
5. Do one chore after school like mop, vacuum, or run a load of laundry. I don't want to wait until the weekend.

I hope that I will be able to manage work and school but since this program is for working aides that want to become teachers, I assume it will be OK.

Want to Laugh?

I have been hysterical, with tears streaming down my face for the last 30 minutes. Check out Cake Wrecks. You'll pee in your pants.

Blah

This is the hardest day about being a teacher. Having to go back to work after 3 months off. Wish me luck!

Sleep Over

We celebrated my youngest son's 9th birthday this weekend and had a relatively manageable sleep over with 3 additional boys. We took them to the pool, had pizza, made their own sundaes, and they spent the rest of the evening playing video games and watching movies. I really enjoy low key parties where I don't have to spend a million dollars to celebrate. Don't they look like they're having fun?

Wow....

I have to be very careful how I choose my words when talking about something that is really bothering me, so forgive me if I'm vague. Last night we went to dinner for my son's birthday and had a bunch of family members meet us. My husband's parents were there and his dad didn't say a word to me (or anyone else for that matter.) He gave the kids the cold shoulder and basically acted like he didn't want to be there. My MIL talked to my husband the whole time and said about 2 words to me. They haven't seen our kids in 3 months but said that they wanted to come back to our house for cake and ice cream so they could see our puppy (they LOVE her), because they haven't seen her in a long time. How can you give a crap about seeing a dog but don't make an effort to see your own grandchildren when they live 4 miles away. I don't want to alienate them from my life because I truly love his parents but I refuse to have people snub my family or give me the cold shoulder and then want to walk into my house to see a fucking dog. I wish they'd come out and tell us what the problem is.

More vacation pics

An active volcano
The Waipi'o Valley. One of the prettiest sights I've ever seen.
Gorgeous flowers everywhere!
Our resort, the Marriott Waikoloa.
Jamie and I sitting on the lava rocks on the beach.

We're Back!

After all of the anxiety, nerves, cold sore, and stomach cramps....the trip was amazing! We has such a great time and saw some awesome sights. I'm so glad that I didn't let my fears take control. I'll post more about the trip tomorrow when I'm not totally exhausted. Here's a picture to wet your appetite for a tropical vacation!

Am I Normal?

Do you think that it's normal to be totally anxious about going on a trip that you'd almost rather cancel it? I have had headaches, stomachaches and a cold sore all because of my stupid nerves. It's a characteristic that I don't like about myself and would like to change but I don't know how (without medication). I try to put my faith in God that he will take care of us on the trip and the kids while we're away but I am so consumed with it that I can't think straight. Most people would love to be going to Hawaii in my place....I need to learn to live in the moment and appreciate what I have been given without being such a freak about it.

Aggravated

We're going to Hawaii next week and we're leaving the kids with family. Originally, we had asked my mom to keep the kids and then my brother and his wife asked if they could have them for a few nights. I sent both of them a schedule to let them know where they would be and when, my mom got a little miffed that they boys are spending more time with my bro than with her. I guess I kind of understand because she doesn't have anything going on and uses the grandchildren for entertainment. The kids are very excited about staying with my brother because he and his wife have some fun things planned. I hate leaving town knowing that my mom feels put out by our decision to let the boys have a little fun with their uncle while we're gone. The boys love their granny but she's not as fun as uncle!

Summertime

This has been one of the best summers I have had in a very long time. First, I'm not working. Typically I work a couple of days a week during the summer which leaves me tired and not wanting to do things with the kids. Second, I only took 1 summer class (which I got a B in, YAY!!) and I don't have school until the end of August. I feel like I am spending so much time with the kids doing productive things. I have probably read 5 books this summer and I feel like I can't get enough of reading. I don't have the time to read during the school year so I really feel transformed into another world when I curl up with a good book while it's 98 outside. We are planning a trip to Hawaii in 2 weeks without the kids. While I hate leaving them, it will give us some time to spend with each other. Between camping, the boat, our upcoming trip and no school for a while, it's been an enjoying time together.

On the same note, I've noticed a huge change in my husband lately. Even though he's been working like a dog, he's been a lot happier than I've ever seen him before. Summer is usually a difficult time for him because he gets bored easily and falls into a funk. I think buying the boat was the best thing we could have done for his mood. Even if we aren't out on the lake, he has something he can work on and keep him busy. Its sad...one of our friends came over this weekend and told us that his wife is having an affair and they are getting a divorce. They've been married for 15 years. I can't imagine. We've been married almost 14 and while it hasn't always been peaches and cream, I love him more now than I did the day I married him.

Thankful

1. Summer rainstorms. They make me feel like it's OK to hang around the house and chillax.
2. One more week of algebra class and that's it for the summer.
3. My mom, who is taking my kids to the movies in the morning so I can study.
4. My kids, who like to read. It keeps them busy when I don't want to.

Griping again...

Sometimes I hate my husbands job. While I am so thankful that he has a good job that pays well and provides for our family, they expect too much of him. He has been working on a project for the past week or so and he's been at work from 7am until at least 10 at night. He's even had to stay at a hotel because he's about an hour away and the nights are late and mornings are early. He said it's only going to be about another week or two of this but I hate it. I can only talk to him about 5 minutes a day. It's 11:15 here right now and I sent him a text telling him to call me. He's still in a meeting. How can a company expect a person to work from 8:00 in the morning until all hours of the night. It sounds slightly illegal to me. My biggest complaint about him traveling has always been that I can't get in touch with him when I need him. This is the pits. I hope it doesn't last long. I miss him.

Griping

I'm not sure if I have a leg to stand on here but I have to complain. I'm taking a 9 week algebra course. It's terribly hard and soooo much work. I took my first test 3 weeks ago and the prof has still not graded the test. I took the second (out of 3) test yesterday without knowing what I made on the first one. I emailed him and he said he's been out of town and then had internet issues but I say BS! As a student, I'm expected to meet deadlines, and be responsible for my work but I don't get the same in return from a professor and he's being paid by the tuition that I pay! I'm so pissed because I really want to know how I'm doing in the course and there are surely people who will want to drop based on their test scores. I just don't think it's fair to do that to students (who are adults) and I want to go over his head and complain. Do you think I have a fair argument? I don't want to piss him off, just in case there's some sort of curve but UGH! I'm frustrated!

AWESOME Weekend!

We had such a blast camping this weekend. I really wish we could have stayed for another night. My brother and his wife were there as well as our best friends from Austin and their kids, and some friends of ours from Houston and their children. My mom and niece also joined us. We swam, rode on the boat, hung out in the lake and just enjoyed ourselves in general. I realized that I miss my friend from Austin so much. We have so much in common and get along so well. I have never had a "best friend" as an adult but I consider her that. I wish we lived closer. It's now 7:30 at night, we're at home and the kids are sleeping on the couch. It won't be long before I join them!

Looking forward to the weekend

We just bought a boat and we're headed out to the lake for the weekend. The kids are so excited about camping and getting out into the open air. I, on the other hand, hate all of the work involved with getting ready. We spend too much money and work for hours trying to get everything packed and ready to go. I know it will be so worth it once we get there. I'm looking forward to some time with friends and a nice cold beer!

Thankful

1. A husband who made me feel special on my birthday
2. Co-workers who invite me to their annual crawfish boil, even though I'm their assistant.
3. A letter on my birthday informing me that I got into the teaching program that I applied to!!!
4. My kids (nuff said...they're awesome)
5. Beautiful (hot) summer weather

Lovely Weekend

What an awesome weekend we had. Friday night we had movie night. We rented Wild Hogs and ordered a pizza. It was a nice way to end a busy week. I bought my new bathing suit Saturday afternoon. I'll post a picture later. Saturday night, we went out to dinner with my mom, brother and his new wife. Then they came back to our house and played Guitar Hero until late at night. Then Saturday morning, we drove up to some spring fed lakes north of us to visit our friends' property. We started by picking blackberries until we couldn't pick any more. We then went to swim in the lake, flying down the slide into the cool water. Then we finished swimming in the beautiful pool in the resort area. After a picnic under the pine trees and hours in the sun, we went to another part of the lake where the boys took the little boat around the lake. We fished for a couple of hours and had fun watching the kids enjoy being outdoors. Our friends cooked a nice BBQ dinner for us and then we got on the road home. Monday we lounged around for a while and I stressed out about my algebra homework. I finally got it under control and then we headed over to my sisters for BBQ chicken and sausage. Yummy food and good company.

Crazy....

So I was thinking about something to get my husband for his birthday in November. I never get him anything original and as I was looking through his ma*im magazine, I came across a photo that sparked an idea. I would love to have a pin up style picture taken, dressed in garters and heels with an old 40's style hairdo. He would love it. No, I'm not a size 6 but a lot of the pin up girls had some junk in their trunk! Where would I go about having something like that done? Would you ever do it?

Why?

Why do I have such a hard time accepting a compliment? It's so weird....people will say something nice to me and I will say think you, but in the back of my mind I'm thinking that they must be lying or laughing at me for thinking they were being nice. For instance, I just got my hair highlighted with fairly light highlights. I've had probably 10 people tell me how much they love my hair but I can't help but think they must be saying it just to make me feel good. I see this as such a character flaw and I hate being like this. I want to be able to take a compliment and feel good about myself when people are nice to me about something. Why am I like this? I know I don't have the best self esteem but I didn't know I was this bad! I need to get a grip!

I went back to work yesterday after a week of sitting on the sofa. I can say that I am totally exhausted and really would love to stay home today. I haven't been sleeping well and am waking up with throbbing headaches. I'm so lucky to work with a bunch of nice ladies who will take it easy on me.

Randomness...

Still sick with pneumonia. I've been home from work all week and went back to the doctor this morning for a shot in the booty and an X-ray. He said everything looks good, but to continue the antibiotics. I'm considering going back to work tomorrow but I don't want to get too tired. I've been napping on and off all day for the past week so I am concerned that I'll get totally worn out. Maybe I'll stay home and just chill out through the weekend. I'll decide later...

I am so happy that my classes are over but I am starting a new one on Monday. I have to take College Algebra so I figured there's no less painful way to take it then a 9 week class over the summer. It's an online class, so I don't have to worry about leaving the kids with anyone while I'm in class. I'm now awaiting word on my application to a local state university. They have an online teaching program that is only for people who already work in the schools so it should be nice. The advisor already said that I qualify so, it's just a matter of getting all of the paperwork filled out. I hope I get accepted because that means I don't have to sit in class every night. I can do my classwork from home and that means being with my family!!

This weekend

We finally celebrated my brother's wedding this past weekend. It turned out so beautiful and we had a great time. The after party was a bunch of fun, too. I have to admit though, that I'm glad it's all over. It's been very time consuming and expensive.

On another note, I've been home for the past 2 days with pneumonia. I feel like crap. I hope this ends quickly. I'd love to feel back to normal!

Thankful

Here's my list for today...

1. A good sense of humor
2. A hot cup of coffee with just the right amount of creamer
3. My husband who "gets me"
4. The ladies in my class who crack me up
5. Two smart boys that don't have to worry about standardized testing


Wedding this weekend....YAY!

This is the email that I sent my professor:

Please post the fax number so I can get it to you in the next day or so. Thank you!

Jennifer


This is her response:
Jennifer,
Please be patient as I am inconveniencing a full time staff member who is going to gather these at her fax machine in her office.
I am waiting for her to send me her number and to discuss an appropriate time and date for her to receive them.
This way, they will be collected accurately.
Please do me a favor and read how you worded that.
Try to remember that I mandate the due dates and the log is not due until the end of the year.
I'm not sure she wants them all on her desk right now as she has several of her own.
Despite what you may think, not everyone revolves around this class.
Also, to put a high priority on telling me what to do is not professional or courteous.
I will admit that I take issue with the way you sent that.
Demanding an instructor get a fax so you can send it in the next few days is not the way a student should broach anyone.
Please wait since those are currently not due and I will issue a class email with the fax and the due date. This way the other instructor can simply receive them and pile them in one easy swoop.

Was I way off base? Her email previous to mine said that she would post the fax number on Monday. Tuesday morning, I asked her to post the number so I could get my log turned in. Then she went off. I didn't think I was being rude. I was just trying to be brief and to the point because I know she gets tons of emails every day that she has to sort through. I apologized to her but it pisses me off when people go off after reading an email. It's not like I'm some child being rude and demanding. I wish I hadn't filled out my course evaluation. I wouldn't have rated her very high at this point.

Ramblings...

In 2 weeks, my little brother is getting married. It's hard to believe. I still remember him being about 17 and running around like a crazy person. He's finally grown up and met the right girl and is ready to settle down.

Now for the rambling....I'm getting a little stressed about standing in the wedding. I just hate being the fat bridesmaid. I'm not huge...a 14...but I'll be the biggest one there. UGH. Oh well, I can't change anything in 2 weeks so I better accept it. I've been tanning the past week to get rid of my farmer's tan. I've spent so much time on the lacrosse field that my arms are nice and toasty brown and the rest of me is stark white. It's pretty funny looking.

I am so ready for this semester to be over. I have been freaking out about my grades and stressing about getting homework and projects done in time. It's time to end.... enough said.

Thankful

After a cruddy weekend of a disgusting stomach virus and the bad job news last week, I need to think about something positive.

Here is my list of things I am thankful for today...

text messaging
kids that can help around the house
beautiful spring weather
online college
and a husband who loves me even though I'm crazy

and that's my list for the day. I need to do this more often.

I just found out that my position has been cut for next year due to budget cutbacks. The principal said that she can promise me a job in the building for sure, she just doesn't know what it would be. I told her point blank that I don't want to work in Special Ed. Although I love those kiddos, it's not where my heart is and I don't want to compromise. I cried my eyes out because I love my job. I have to give her a decision by the end of the week, if I want to stay or go. I have to have a job so I guess my mind is made up but I have a feeling it's going to be something I don't want to do. I'm crossing my fingers that one of my counterparts quits and I can stay in my position...

Lonely...

How is it possible that I am surrounded by people all day long and come home to 2 really cool kids and still feel totally lonely. With my husband gone during the week, I don't feel like I have anyone to talk to in the evening and I miss him being here. When we lived in Austin, I had tons of friends and could call a number of people and have something to do at the drop of a hat. Now that we're back in Houston, I don't have any friends and the only person I ever talk to on the phone is my mom. I really miss having a friend to connect with, just to chat on the phone or take a walk around the neighborhood with. I need a girl friend, BAD....or a husband that doesn't travel. I just want to cry.

I never post twice in one day but I just have to share this cute picture of hubby with Allie. She is so in love with him! It's funny because I'm the one that does everything for her and he get's all of the lovin!

We have been working like crazy over the past couple of weeks getting our yard straightened up. I just got done putting annual ant treatment on the yard and fertilized. The fire ants are SO bad here that we use that once a year stuff to keep them at bay. Otherwise, they ruin the yard and keep the kids from playing in the grass. I hate those little boogers.

Our other project was planting a vegetable garden. The kids were super excited to help hubby build the garden and they helped me pick out all of the plants. We planted 2 types of tomatoes, bell peppers, squash, zuchinni, jalapenos, basil, and rosemary. We can't wait until we start seeing some growth and hopefully a bountiful harvest!!

This weekend was nice, we took the puppy to the dog park, watched some movies, and went to my oldest son's game. The weather was beautiful. I just wish we had one more day off!

Twinsrus...

Do you have a blog? I see you always comment but I don't know who you are! Fill me in....

Spring Break

We went to the Butterfly Gardens yesterday and I had a field day with my new camera. It takes such crisp up close pictures that I couldn't resist taking a bunch of pics. The kids really enjoyed seeing all of the different colors and shapes.

This week has been very low key and has gone entirely too fast. I wish we had a few more days to relax but the sooner we go back to school, the sooner it's over. I am SO ready for summer!

Family Pic

This weekend was the couple's shower for my brothers upcoming wedding. The theme was "love", hence the red blazer with heart buttons that he got for $2 at the thrift store! It has been a long time since my brother and sister and I have had our picture taken together and I thought this one turned out nice. Notice the "bride" hat that he's wearing. They decided that the white hat matched his outfit better and the black went better with hers. Go figure. It was fun!

She's here!!

Aunt Flo finally made her appearance and I feel soooo much better. I still want to go to the doctor this week and get some blood work done to see why I've been feeling like crap and just rule out any problems.

This weekend we went to the couple's shower for my brother and his fiance. It was really nice but because I wasn't feeling great, I just kept thinking how badly I wanted to go home. Normally, I love being at things like that but not this time. I would have been happy sitting on the sofa with a glass of water and a blanket.

H has been totally aggravated with me being so moody. I understand that I've had PMS for 3 weeks but I've been trying to explain that it's not my fault. I've been trying so hard to be nice to him so he's not being treated like crap all of the time. I feel pretty bad about it.

This week could go pretty quick....I have 3 days of field trips and then oldest son's birthday on Friday. I'm so excited about Spring Break!

Nervous

This is soooo TMI but no one reads my blog anyway so I don't have anything to lose. Here goes....
I went to the OB/GYN back in October because I was bleeding after having sex. Pretty much every time. Got really annoying. Anyways, I had an ultrasound, pap and exam and she said everything is OK. It's still happening on a regular basis (when we actually have time to "do it"!) . My periods are getting progressively worse. Terrible cramps, horrible PMS and lasting for about a week. The good thing is that I'm always on schedule...until this month. I'm 8 days late and have absolutely no symptoms of starting. I'm feeling very run down and would love a day just to sit and veg but I don't see that happening any time soon. I took a preg. test and it came out negative which I fully expected and hoped, so I can cross that off my list of possible reasons to be late. I need to go to the doctor and see what's going on but it's such a pain to try to get an appointment during the work day. I just hate going in and her making me feel like I'm crazy. Anyway, it's just been bugging me. Hopefully, I'll get it straightened out soon.

YAY!

I finished my paper that is due Monday night and it's only Thursday!!! I can't believe I actually worked through the boredom and monotony of it and just got it on paper. I can't wait to turn it in and have it checked off of my list!!

This week has been awesome. It is going by so fast and I feel like I'm getting a lot done. I still have some homework to take care of but that's what the weekend is for!

I love having boys

This is what I made for breakfast this morning. Homemade cinnamon rolls that rose in the fridge all night. What I loved was that my youngest son wanted to add green food coloring to the icing to look like slime. Sure thing! If it's slime you want, it's slime you get!

Procrastinating

I have a five page single-spaced report due on Monday on childhood obesity. I have about 2 full pages written and can't seem to get past my writer's block. I feel like I have everything I need in the paper so why does it have to be 3 (or more) pages? Anyway....I'm totally putting it of because I really don't want to do it but I have too much to do tomorrow to worry about it. AAAAGGGGHHH!!!

Nice long weekend

If it were up to me, every weekend would be three days. I love the extra time that I had this weekend to spend with the kids, get some stuff done around the house and actually cross some things off of my to do list that have been on it for a while (like mop the floors!) My list for this week is wicked long but hubby is out of town and I'll have the evenings to get caught up. As you can see from the picture, the weather this weekend was gorgeous and in the low 70's. It doesn't get any better than that! Oh! and the boys won their game on Sunday!

Happy Early Valentines Day to ME!!!

This little gem was waiting for me when I got home from work on Monday. It is my early Valentine's Day gift from hubby. We never celebrate Valentine's day nor do we buy each other gifts too often so I was really surprised! I can't wait to post some new pics.

I need a maid!!!

Seeking housekeeper to keep me from losing mind...Job would entail at least 3-4 eight hours a day per week and includes cleaning house from top to bottom, laundry, dishes, and lots of attention paid to my disgusting bathrooms. Job also includes walking 2 dogs, cooking dinner, and making sure kids schoolwork and chores are done for next day. Extra money earned by taking care of husband's needs. Pay is $0 per week. May not sound like enough money but women have been making that for years doing same job...if interested, leave comment!

My new baby...

Meet the newest addition to our family. Allie came to us a week ago and we LOVE her! My sister-in-law found her in Birmingham (hence her name "Allie-bama"!) and since she was moving back to Houston the following weekend, she asked us if we wanted her. We couldn't help but fall in love. I am super surprised at how my husband has reacted to her. He did not want another dog, much less a puppy. Now, he's like a new father, telling me how smart she is and what she's done all day when I'm at work. It's pretty cute to see a big guy like a little dog!

You Belong in 1953

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Schools back!

So I'm taking 9 hours this semester, working full time and trying to keep my boys under control while dad is out of town. I think about doing housework but at the end of the day, it just has to go on the back burner. The weekends are full of lacrosse, studying and in the next month or so, a lot of wedding related events. I love being in school and learning new things so I have to just press on. I wish I had the money for a maid!

Dreams

I have the strangest dreams. It's something that runs in the family because my mom has the same thing. They are usually very vivid, active dreams that leave me waking up full of whatever emotion was most prevalent in the dream. My favorite thing is to wake up laughing because the dream was so outlandish that, even though I'm sleeping I know that I'm dreaming. I know it sounds weird but it happens.

Last night I dreamed about my brother's rehearsal for his wedding. It went something like this....we were at the rehearsal (which was in some kind of a field, with a stage) and we were standing on the altar waiting for everything to get started. My cousin, who is a couple of years younger than me, started putting the moves on me right in front of my husband. I froze out of sheer disgust but he just kept on trying to hug and kiss on me (in a gross cousin way). Then as the rehearsal was wrapping up, my ex-boyfriend showed up. I got really nervous but avoided speaking to him somehow. I don't know why he would be there but....it's a dream, stranger things have happened! Everyone was riding around the field in our go-cart and taking turns swapping off on it. Then people started passing out because they were drunk and we found out that my ex-boyfriend was giving everyone that was drinking a sleeping pill to go along with it so they would pass out and he could rob them. Some of the guys that were at the rehearsal heard about it and were trying to grab him but he was running around avoiding being caught. Then I escaped with another bridesmaid and as I was running away, I looked down at my cell phone and noticed that my saved phone numbers were all being deleted one by one. I jumped into a waiting truck (like a moving truck) and realized that the battery was dead. We freaked out because we were trying to get away so we asked people on the street for jumper cables. One man came up to me with a pair of forceps and said that you can jump the truck with those. All I remember was thinking he was crazy because you'd shock yourself with forceps on a battery. Then I turned around and saw some kids playing chinese jump rope with a set of jumper cables so I grabbed them. That was it! My alarm went off and I never knew if we got away or not....from the crazy boyfriend with the sleeping pills!!????

I love having an active dream world. It's so interesting how your brain can conjure up stories and scenarios that make absolutely no sense yet strike up so much emotion. If anything, it's fun to get a good laugh!

Wooo Hooo!

Way to go LSU on winning the BCS championship! What a great season!