The Nantz Nest

I hate to think of blog post titles

2011-09-29T12:52:00.000-04:00

As I said in the title, I hate to think up blog titles. I know it's supposed to be something to draw in readers and to let them know what this post might be about. But I sit here and I think and I think and I come up with nothing. And to tell you the truth, it sometimes keeps me from posting.

Anyway, I am a huge Pin-Head. Meaning I'm addicted to Pinterest. I have tons of pins on there and I pin more every day. I use my phone to use the mobile version. So if I'm sitting still somewhere, chances are that I'm pinning. I have a board with tons of craft pins. I finally sat down and decided to actually try making a few of them. So here are some of what I came up with. Excuse the yucky pics, I'm in need of a camera update. I have that on my Christmas list. :)

These things were made for me or as gifts for friends. The Love Story sign is for my bedroom.

The Happy Birthday cake carrier I made for me. And I made one to sale. I hope to make this a business someday. It would be my dream come true to be able to make money off of crafts I make at home.

The Welcome wreath is a gift for my best friend's daughter. Her wedding is Saturday. She and her fiance loved it. They just built a new house and I thought this would be cute for them to hang on their door. They've been so busy picking out things like light fixtures and such that they hadn't even thought of decor for their door. So I hit a home run with this gift. :)

The dog bowls are for a friend's pug puppies. She lives in West Virginia, so she hasn't seen them yet. I am going to mail them (plus a few little gifts for her kids) tomorrow.

Now, these next pics... They've caused me a bit of anxiety. I was in Knoxville, Tn with my mom last Friday and I found the cutest Halloween pails. So I bought all that they had. I brought them home and put a name on a few of them and posted the pics on my Facebook page that they were for sale. I had NO IDEA that people would want them like they have! I have taken orders for 14 of them so far. And I don't have that many!! I did email everyone that ordered and told them that I have to go get more. And I explained that there might be a chance that the store is out of stock on them. I hope and pray I can get all 14 of them! It would be a great way to kick start my vinyl business. I am going back to Knoxville on Monday to try to find more of them. Wish me luck!

Tidbits

2011-09-21T17:22:00.000-04:00

Lately, I've felt like I've had such a productive week. I got every last piece of dirty laundry washed, dried, AND PUT AWAY. That's huge for me. And I had been doing a few loads every day to stay on top of it. And I had been cleaning my kitchen from top to bottom. I've washed all the dishes I seldom use so I can wash out the insides of my cabinets. I've washed down all the cabinets with Murphy's Oil Soap. I've cleaned the fridge inside and out. It looks new again. Anyway, I think you get the picture. I have really been on the ball.

Enter Sunday... We went to church on Sunday morning and came home to dinner already cooked (see, I told you I was on top of things!). Then Hubby and the oldest son had to go to work. I hate it when they have to work on Sunday. But it happens sometimes. The other 2 boys and I decided to have a chill day that day. We hung out in front of the tv watching movies all day. They didn't have any bickering or anything. It was a really good day actually.

Then Monday comes around. I had a migraine. So I did nothing but lay in a dark room all day. I hate it when I get like that. I didn't even cook. I had some frozen chicken patties in the freezer, so my guys had chicken sandwiches and fries for dinner. And yet, they still managed to dirty up almost every dish in the kitchen!

And yesterday, NOT A GOOD DAY. My husband has a history of having blood clots. About 3 years ago, he had one to get in the deep vein and it caused him to be in the hospital for nearly 2 weeks. Talk about hard! And scary too. I never realized how life threatening a blood clot is. If it is in the deep vein, it can break off at any time and go to your lung. That is very very dangerous. So anyway, he has been having some swelling of his leg along with a bit of pain. Yesterday morning when he came home from work (he works night shift) he said he thought he had another blood clot. So we were at the doctor all day. He had to go back again today, and we have to go back in the AM tomorrow also.

The point of this story is, if I take just a few days off of cleaning, my house looks like a pig pin!! And I have a huge mountain of laundry. UGH. I only have 5 people in my family and the amount of laundry is ridiculous. I can't even imagine how someone that has 5+ kids keeps up with it!

*If you don't hear from me for a few days, I'll probably be at the hospital or in my laundry room. And I really dislike both places. Say a little prayer from my man when you pray that everything will be okay with the blood clot.

*Who am I kidding? No one will miss me. Not with the way I am about updating my blog. LOL It will just be kinda normal if I don't update for a few months again. Hahahaaa.

Pinterest Party!

2011-09-13T17:56:00.009-04:00

Since I successfully posted my first linky party last Thursday when I posted Thankful Thursday I thought I'd link to another party. This time it's The DIY Showoff's Pinterest Party! Every 2nd Tuesday of the month, she has a pinterest party. This month's theme is "Autumn/Fall". I'm posting about fall fashion. I love getting dressed in the fall. I love dressing in layers, which is a must with the cool mornings, warm evenings, and brisk nights. And in Kentucky, dressing in layers is a must. As the old saying goes: If you don't like the weather in Kentucky, hang around for an hour because it's bound to change. So here are some of my favorite Autumn outfits that I found on Pinterest.

All images VIA: Pinterest & Polyvore

Pinterest Party

2011-09-13T16:45:00.006-04:00

Since I successfully posted to the Thankful Thursday linky party, I thought I would try out another link party. This time I'm joining up over at The DIY Showoff blog. Every 2nd Tuesday of the month, they have a Pinterest linky party. This party combines 3 of my favorite things.... Pinterest, Fall, and Fashion. This month's theme is Fall. You will find links to all different things relating to Autumn. Anything from Fall Decor, Fall Recipes, and Fall Fashion.

I decided to post about fall fashion because the Autumn season is my favorite season to dress for. It can be weather for just about anything in my closet depending on how far into fall we are. If it's early fall, I can still get away with wearing sandles. If it's later, then the boots will be the finishing touch on an outfit. I love dressing for the fall.... The cool mornings, warm days, and then the cool nights means dressing in layers. And here in Kentucky, dressing in layers is pretty much a must. As the old saying goes, "If you don't like the weather in Kentucky, hang around 1 hour because it's bound to change". :)

These outfits are exactly how you find me most days... Jeans, shirt, and cardi. Except I don't accessorize like these pics. But now that I think about it, I don't know why I don't... I have tons of jewlery. I need to work on that.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

2011-09-08T12:56:00.007-04:00

This is my first time linking to any party. Ever. I'm not even sure I know how to do it. But I thought there wouldn't be a better blog party for me to chose as my first to link to. Megan is a fellow Kentucky girl that is pregnant with a baby girl named Harper. I have followed Megan's blog for quite a while now. I can't wait for her to have that precious baby girl and to share pics. :)

The Linky Party is called THANKFUL THURSDAY. And I know I have tons of blessings in my life to be thankful for. I almost don't know where to stop on my list. I could go on and on. But I guess I will narrow it down to a few things so I won't bore you to tears.

MY FAMILY
I have to start off by putting my family on here. I am SOOO blessed with the husband and boys I have. I have a husband that works hard for us and is very involved in the lives of our boys. And my boys, they are such good young men. All 3 of them get good grades, are well mannered, and never fight. Okay, I might have lied through my teeth on that last one. LOL But 2 out of 3 ain't bad, right? ;) And I'm very proud of my 17 year old for holding down a job. He has saved up the money to buy his own car (it's not new, but it's new to him). And he buys all the things he needs for himself. And he will occasionally come home with a little something for his little brothers.

My HOME
My house might not be everything I want it to be, but it's ours. I love where I live and I love that this house has been in my family for so many years. I love the yard we have. It's getting that time of year when we have a weekly fire outside at night. We roast weinies, and make smores. All while we sit and hang out with our kids. Can't get better than that.

MY HUSBAND'S JOB.
This one, you will find me complaining about at times, but I'm really thankful for it. He changed jobs at the first of the year and now works 5 minutes from home. He is still on night shift, but without all the travel time that he had with his old job, it seems like he is home twice as much as he used to be. When I complain about it, it's because he took a pay cut to work there. And with my layoff, it has made things extremely tight around here. But in the end, it's worth it to have him home more. The boys are LOVING having him around as much as he is.

BEING A SHAM (if only for the time being)
I am so enjoying this time in my life. I love being home during the day while my kids are at school. I am able to spend time with my husband since he is on night shift. We have been attempting to work on our house and get it the way we want it. We aren't very good at the DIY thing, but we're learning. Baby steps. It's a beginnging. I love that I am home to cook and have a hot meal waiting on my boys when they get home from school. I love being able to sit down at the table and have all of us eat together. Which doesn't get to happen every day since the oldest works, but it happens more now that it ever has!

Okay, I suppose I will end there for this week. Now I will see if I can figure out how to post this on Megan's linky thingy. LOL

UGH!

2011-09-06T19:58:00.002-04:00

I had a few posts scheduled, and they've not posted. I'm so annoyed. How do you schedule posts? Did I do something wrong? Is there a book called "Blogging for Dummies"? LOL If so, I need it!

Bad bad blogger

2011-08-13T16:37:00.003-04:00

Why do I even have a blog if I'm never going to blog in it? I want to start blogging on a regular basis. Really, I do. I just don't have the gumption to do it.

I always find reasons NOT to blog. Such as: My pics stink. I don't have anything to say. It will take time away from my facebook. LOL You know, important reasons here.

So from now on, I want to challenge myself to posting at least once every 2 weeks. I have tons of projects that I am working on that I could blog about. I just have to remember to take pics. If not pics during the projects, then atleast before & after pics. Taking pics is another thing I'm bad at doing. I can never remember to take pics! But maybe with this blog challenge I've given myself, I will get better about that too. Because no blog post is interesting with out a pic, right? So with that I will leave you with this lovely pic. :)

* Us at a Reds game on the big screen. It has nothing to do with this post. Just wanted to put a pic in here. LOL

Made By Monica

2011-05-31T08:06:00.004-04:00

I have finally been putting my Mother's Day gift to work. I've made a few gifts for a couple of my friends that were expecting baby boys. I don't think they turned out too bad considering they're my first things I've made. Now I want to get to work on some cute UK shirts that I've had ideas for. I have tons of things in my head that I want to make, just not enough time to make them. Hopefully that will change soon though. Now that it's summer break I should get a little extra time at home and I won't be so busy.

How sad it it?

2011-05-18T19:07:00.001-04:00

How sad is it that I've had this blog for 3 years now and I only have like 30 something posts in it? Boy, talk about lazy!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-06T18:38:00.003-04:00

This is my Mother's Day gift! I have been wanting one of these for a year now. And my awesome guys got it for me. Well, I ordered it and told them it was my gift. LOL Plus I got a new sewing machine. I plan on making all kinds of crafts with it. I am going to start out by making some teacher's gifts for the end of the year gift. I am gonna print their names out on coasters and a coffee mug. How does that sound? A personalized coaster and mug set? Would you want that if you were a teacher? Anyway, if you would like to read more about the silhouette, go here. Now, I'm off to get my craft on!

Things I've learned over the past 7 weeks.

2011-04-19T10:05:00.003-04:00

Some of the things I've learned are:

*If you and your husband are both laid off from work, its a guarantee that your kids WILL grow 2 inches and gain 10 pounds. Therefore making you spend money you don't have on new clothes.

*The cheapo laundry softening crystals are awesome. Really, they are. Try the new purex softening crystals in the purple bottle. They only cost $4 and the smell stays with your clothes for days.

*Couponing is really time consuming. But I guess if you don't have a job, you have the time for it. LOL

*My oldest got his first job. Did you know that working 4 hours a day at McDonalds makes you too tired to take out the trash? Yeah, I didn't fall for it either.

*I have the best family and friends in the world. They really are caring and generous even when you don't /want/ them to be.

*And most importantly, I've learned that my family can live on wayyyy less than I thought it could. And since my hubs is now back to work, we will have an emergency fund started by this time next week!!

My hubs was working 80 miles (one way) away from home. The price of gas was killing us. Not to mention how tiring it was on him to drive that far and then work 10-12 hours a day. So he went job hunting closer to home. Luckily, he found one about 5 minutes from our house. He got hired to be the night shift manager. The company didn't have a night shift at the time (end of FEB) but they were starting one the first part of March. Which was excellent timing (so we thought). He put in his 2 week notice with his job. Which would have meant we wouldn't be without a paycheck. Well...... At the end of his 2 weeks, he finds out that permits weren't in for the job he was supposed to start. So he called his other job and told them he could work 2 more weeks. They said that was great and to come back to work on Monday (this was on a Thursday). So on Friday he called his job to see which job site he was supposed to show up at. They told him they didn't really have anywhere to put him so he could just go ahead and sign up for unemployment benefits. So, he does just that. Well, we get a letter saying he quit his job voluntarily so he wasn't eligible for benefits. UGH! But then I was talking to a friend of mine that works for the Unemployment office and he tells us that if they told him to come back to work and then didn't have work for him (AND TOLD HIM TO SIGN UP) then he would be eligible. So hubs had to contest the claim or something like that. My wording might be off here. lol.

Anyway, since the government is all about promptness *sarcasm* we have waited and waited on the phone conference from them to let us know if he is being awarded his UE insurance benefits or not. We finally got a letter saying it will be next Monday when they call. So please keep your fingers crossed that he will get it. He has since started his new job. He loves it. And we love him being 5 minutes from home. We get to see him so much more than when he drove the 2 hour commute (one way!) every day! If they award him his UEI, he will get the money he would have gotten from the time he signed up for it until the day he started his new job. Let me just tell you, WE NEED THAT MONEY! We have been living on so little money. We've only paid the bills we had to pay. I think I'm probably one payment away from my car being re-poed. :( But he will be getting his first pay check on Thursday, so I will take care of that!

You know, my husband has worked for years and years and paid for his unemployment insurance. So I feel like he should get it. It was circumstances beyond him that kept the new job from being ready on the day he should have been able to start it. Please just say a little prayer that it will work out in our favor next Monday. We really really need it to.

Sometimes I wish...

2011-02-24T14:42:00.000-05:00

Things I Love

2011-02-22T18:02:00.008-05:00

As you can tell from the pics I've posted, I LOVE all things burlap and neutral. I wish I would have found some of these things before I spent all of my birthday money!! :)

The most dreaded chore ever.

2011-01-18T17:38:00.003-05:00

Everyone has that one chore that they hate doing. For some it might be doing dishes. Or for some it might be putting away laundry (which is my 2nd most hated chore, btw). But for me the chore that I hate the very most is cleaning out the car.... Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. I have a large SUV and it is a pain to keep clean. I have 3rd row seating and I hate climbing back there to sweep it out and vaccuum it. I also have a light interior. It shows every little speck of dirt. I will totally keep that in mind with the next car I get. We are in our car a lot. We seem to always be on the road going somewhere. My MIL lives 1.5 hours away, so we go down there often. And when we do, we usually hit up the drive through. Worst.Mistake.Ever. I don't want to eat in our car, but we do. It's was just always easier to go through the drive through when our kids were little. There would always be one of the boys asleep or something to keep us from wanting to drag the kids out of their carseats and into the resturaunt to eat. We would have had to add 45 minutes to the drive to the MIL's just to do that. So it was easier to just grab something and go. And it's a bad habit that has stuck like glue with us. And when we get home from the MIL's on the weekends. Its usually late and everyone has to wake up to come in the house. So sometimes the food wrappers stay in the car. And since I don't sit in the back, I don't notice them. Until I go to clean it out.... And then I get so mad that my car is that messy.

And as I've written about here before, I'm now a SAHM. And I'm starting to get on a schedule. I am cleaning my car on Monday. We always have a mess in there from the weekend trips we take, so Monday makes the most sense. And one of the things I plan on doing is getting my car organizer (I've had it for years, just never used it) filled up and ready to use.

The organizer I have is a three compartment soft storage bag. it folds flat when not in use. I plan on filling it up with things I find myself wishing I would have thought to have in the car. In one compartment, I will put all of us a change of clothes. We are pretty spontaneous and there are time we'd like to just spend the night at MIL's house if we had extra clothes. I'll add a toiletry bag with our tooth brushes, and contact cases.

In the other compartment, I will put things I find we need in to have on hand "just in case". A box of kleenex, a small bottle of tylenol and allergy medicine, cell phone chargers, ipod chargers, extra notebooks and pens.

In the 3rd compartment, I'll keep snacks which I hope will cut down on the trips through the drive through. I'll keep bags of chips, granola bars, rolls of paper towels, and hand wipes. I'll start packing a small lunch of sandwhiches if we don't have time to eat before we go (we usually are picking the boys up from practice and leaving from there so there will probably be lots of sandwhiches.). I'll also pack water with us for drinks.

Hopefully all of this will cut down on my MOST DREADED CHORE. Maybe I'll dread it less.

What is your most dreaded chore?

Lists

2011-01-18T17:12:00.002-05:00

Since I've been laid off work and became a SAHM, I've been trying to get my house organized. I have never been good at balancing the kids, house work, work, and school. If I have that many things on my plate then something is lacking. And in the last year and a half it's been my house. So now that I'm not working or going to school, I feel like I can finally devote my time and energy to my home. I am a Martha wannabe. I have spent the last two weeks getting a lot of things done around here that I had overlooked. For far too long, I have only surface cleaned my house. I just picked it up enough for it to look clean. And it wasn't tidy. I have way too much JUNK! I've have a paper mountain that I need to level, a mountain of laundry, and a mountain of clutter. So far, I've gotten a HUGE jump on getting it all cleaned up. I have my laundry caught up (mostly anyway). I am trying to get on a schedule that will work best for me.

I've also been 'de-crapifying' my home. I have been boxing up all the duplicate things I have. I mean really, who needs 15 spatulas? And books. Wow. I can't believe how many books we have. My family is a family of readers. We love books. I'm having a really hard time parting with any of them though. But I'm going to have to bite the bullet and dump some of them into the giveaway box. I'm thinking about trying to find a volunteer fire department that will take all my house ware that I don't need. They will know of some family that needs those types of items. I have tons of curtains and comforter sets that I can dig out to donate also.

I'm hoping to get all this done soon so I can devote time to crafting. I have several projects that I want to try. And I don't want to get started on them until I have my house organized like I want it to be. I have an idea I've been swirling in my head.... I'm thinking of starting a home based vinyl business. I would like to start an etsy shop to sell my things in. I hope to get a refund at tax time to help get the vinyl cutting machine I'll need. And if I do get a vinyl shop, I will be sure to post all about it here in my blog. :)

Conversations @ the Nantz nest

2011-01-06T14:09:00.002-05:00

So one evening we were at my mom's talking about the show 16 & pregnant on Mtv. The following conversation took place between my husband, my 10 year old SON, and I....

Greg: Did you know that they said girls are getting pregnant just to get on the show 16 & pregnant?

Me: I'm not surprised. It's a sad world when young girls bring a life in this world just for some fame and money.

Trevor: Mom, you don't have to worry about me getting pregnant just so I can get on tv and be famous.

Me: Honey if YOU get pregnant, I'll be willing to bet you'll be on tv all the time.

Trevor: Oh, because I'm just that cool, right?

Me: No moron, because you're a BOY!!!!

My wish List

2010-10-21T21:56:00.002-04:00

I'm not one for buying myself nice things. I normally spend my money on my kids or things for my house. There really isn't anything I ever want for myself. But lately, I've been seeing thing I want. Really bad. And since Christmas is coming up, I thought I'd make a wish list. And I just might leave my blog open for my husband to read. :) And maybe he'll get the hint.

And btw honey, if you do read this... Just click on the links and it'll take you to the site. To the exact thing I want. I couldn't make this any easier for you. Unless I just went out and bought my own Christmas present. And that's not as fun. Although, I did already buy my own B-day present for February. And I did get you a ticket too (and we'll get to go to Nashville with no kids. So that is a present for you too I guess).

So here are some ideas as to what I really, really want.

This camera. I promise, I'll take lots and lots of pics of our kids. So you'll benefit from it too. Right?

This necklace. I can't think of a way that you'll benefit from this one, but it'll make me happy. And that's what really counts I suppose. Happy wife, happy life;).
Oh, and make sure you get our boys names on it. Because I don't know who Jade, Seinna, and Kai are. LOL

And these boots. I need them in the wide calf. I'd like to say that's because I my legs are so muscular from me being so athletic. But that's not it. I just have fat legs I suppose. Sigh.
Size 9 1/2, in black AND brown (both please).

And thanks to you buying me my first one, I have an addiction to these handbags. I'll take this one in black. K?

And just so you know. IF you do get one of these gifts for me, you better have it delivered somewhere else. If I get the package, it's gonna be opened RIGHT.THAT.SECOND. You know how I am with gifts.

My Hood :)

2010-10-18T16:40:00.000-04:00

I. WON.

2010-07-31T19:20:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it... I'm usually the most unlucky person ever when it comes to winning contests. But I finally did it. I won! And, I must say that I won it from my favorite blog ever, Tatertots and Jello. What did I win? Only the coolest necklace EVER! I won it from Mississippi Mud. Check out her etsy shop. I want one of everything she has. :)

I was wanting to wait until I actually got this in the mail before I posted about it ( I won something from another blog once, but I never received it... See, unlucky right? LOL). But I've been in contact with Sarah from Mississippi Mud enough to know she is awesome and I know I'll get it. LOL. She has been so helpful in helping me pick out what I'm getting. Not only did I win a Baby Momma necklace, but I also got a bracelet and ear rings!! I'm so excited about it!

I will post pics of it as soon as I get it. Then you guys can see how awesome it is. :) Since you are here reading my blog, go take a look at Tatertots and Jello and see what a great blog is all about. And visit Mississippi Mud on Etsy while you're at it!

Have you ever?

2010-07-27T00:16:00.002-04:00

Have you ever mistakenly put nail polish remover on your cotton ball thinking it was facial toner?

Have you ever shaved your legs with the cap still on the razor?

Have you ever put preparation-H on your toothbrush?

No?

Me neither.

Not since I started putting my contacts FIRST thing in the morning and taking them out LAST thing at night!

Contemplating....

2010-07-22T16:57:00.002-04:00

I love blog land for all the wonderful and talented crafters that I am able to access. There are so many talented people that just awe me with their works. I have been thinking and thinking (and thinking some more) about opening a shop selling some of the cute things I find on blogs and Etsy. I don't want to take the time to craft these beautiful things myself. And lets be real here, I don't have what it takes to make most crafts anyway lol. I would like to contact some of the sellers to see if they would like to sell a few pieces wholesale to me for my shop. I found flower pins, head bands, jewelry, handbags,and really really cute tee shirts. I could go on and on listing all the things I'd like to sell. And then the other day I found a website (via a blogger) that has the CA-UUUT-EST clothes ever. And I looked, and they sell wholesale. At really affordable prices. I can buy them and still sell them at an affordable price and turn a profit. Woot!

I live in a really small Podunk town. Now, I'm not talking bad about it, but the only places to shop around here for clothing are: Walmart, The Dollar Store, and Cato's. 3 stores people...3! And I don't like the clothes from 2 of them. : So this would give women around here the option to buy stylish clothing and accessories without having to drive 1.5 hours to the nearest mall. So I'm really giving this some serious thought. Wait, I said that already didn't I? :)

I am going to talk it over more in depth with my husband. Then start scouting around for some possible store fronts. Then....well, we'll see. If you pray, please say a prayer that I will get guidance from God on this endeavor. I can't remember when I was this excited about something. So I hope it works out.

Dear Britt.

2010-07-21T22:11:00.004-04:00

Really Britney? Really? OMG! Are you serious with this hair? Why would anyone go out in public like this? Especially someone that can afford to get the best hairdressers in the country to come into their home and do their hair. Girl, you need to take a cue from that other blonde skank, Jessica Simpson, and get you a bff hairdresser. You would benefit greatly from it. Trust me honey. Do us all a favor and stay home if you can't do any better than this. K? The world would greatly appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Mon

The best $5 I've ever spent

2009-06-11T14:12:00.005-04:00

Beware!

2009-06-03T20:15:00.001-04:00

Be Careful Out There:

IDIOT SIGHTING: We had to have the garage door repaired. The Sears repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a 'large' enough motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one Sears made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, 'Lady, you need a 1/4 horsepower.' I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4. He said, 'NO, it's not.' Four is larger than two..' We haven't used Sears repair since.

IDIOT SIGHTING:
My daughter and I went through the McDonald's take-out window and I gave the clerk a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her a quarter. She said, 'you gave me too much money.' I said, 'Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back.' She sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my request. I did so, and he handed me back the quarter, and said 'We're sorry but they could not do that kind of thing.' The clerk then proceeded to give me back $1 and 75 cents in change... Do not confuse the clerks at McD's.

IDIOT SIGHTING : I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the DEER CROSSING sign on our road. The reason: 'Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.' >From Kingman , KS .

IDIOT SIGHTING IN FOOD SERVICE : My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for 'minimal lettuce.' He said he was sorry, but they only had iceburg lettuce. From Kansas City

IDIOT SIGHTING: I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, 'Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?' T o which I replied, 'If it was without my know ledge, how would I know?' He smiled knowingly and nodded, 'That's why we ask.' Happened in Birmingham , Ala.

IDIOT SIGHTING : The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it's safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, 'What on earth are blind people doing driving?!' She was a probation officer in Wichita , KS

IDIOT SIGHTING : At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker. She was leaving the company due to 'downsizing.' Our manager commented cheerfully, 'This is fun. We should do this more often.' Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare. This was a lunch at Texas Instruments.

IDIOT SIGHTING : I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the sake of her life, couldn't understand why her system would not turn on. A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office, no less.

IDIOT SIGHTING
When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. 'Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'its open!' His reply, 'I know. I already got that side.'
This was at the Ford dealership in Canton, MS

STAY ALERT!
They walk among us... and the scary part is that they VOTE and they REPRODUCE

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-05-30T21:45:00.003-04:00

For Today...

Outside my window...

I see only stars and lightening bugs.

I am thinking...
That I am doing this late, but oh well

I am thankful for... my family. I was surely blessed with them!

From the kitchen... Pizza Hut Pizza. Hey, I've been gone a week, I have to go grocery shopping before I cook a big meal.

I am wearing... white and green polka dot babydoll tank with a white tee under it, jeans, and green hollister flip flops

I am (re)reading... A Day Late and a Dollar Short by Terri McMillian

I am hoping... that we get the pool up and running this week

I am creating... not much at the moment

I am praying... for something so dear to me that I'd rather keep it to myself. But God knows what it is.

Around the house... everyone is just chillin in their own rooms right now.

One of my favorite things... the band Daughtry

A few plans for the rest of the week... Cleaning and trying to get all my laundry done up from my trip, Chase's 8th grade graduation on Thursday, and then Awards Day at school on Friday. Last day of school is Friday!!!

I found this at the Simple Woman's Daybook site.

Check it... My new layout :)

2009-05-22T00:35:00.002-04:00

I LOVE my new layout. Thanks so much to Brandi. She is an awesome girl. She is a flight attendant who is just getting into making layouts for blogs. She is one talented girl. She also has a blog with all her designs. You should go visit her... You can find her at Bwise Templates.

Now go on... Check out her site.

Look out Cincy....

2009-05-21T09:22:00.007-04:00

Here we come! I'll be chaperoning my oldest son's 8th grade trip next week. Say a prayer that I survive. LOL

Look what the cat dragged in ....

2009-04-07T19:47:00.002-04:00

Hello?? Anyone here? I guess you guys have forgotten me by now. I have been so busy, that I've not been online in FOREVER! Who would have thought that I would be offline for this long? My lap top is still on the fritz. Mainly because I've never taken it to the shop yet. And I haven't dragged the old desk top out of the closet to hook it up. I have been way busier than any one should be. My kids are into too many sports. Not that I'm complaining though. I love them being so active. This is the first year any of my guys have played baseball. Our whole family has fell in love with the sport! We are at the field 6 days a week. Heck, 7 really. Besides all of the practices and games, we usually go down on Sunday afternoon for a quick game with some friends of ours. We all love playing too. I found that I'm a beast when it comes to hitting the ball. I can knock it into the outfield. Just thought I'd brag on that a little. LOL

I have soo many blogs to read and catch up on. I'm at my mom's on her computer right now. It seemed easier to come here and use hers than it is to hook up my desk top. Lazy huh?

Happy Pi Day 3.14

2009-03-15T15:47:00.002-04:00

I think the fan in my lap top has stopped working. So I might not be around for a while while it's being fixed.

Hopefully, I'll be back soon.

What I did last night...

2009-03-14T16:22:00.004-04:00

I made cake pops! They are sooo good. Hopefully, with practice, I will get better at decorating them. I am going to try to make some for the bake sale that's coming up for the baseball team. So I think I'll make more tonight. Seriously y'all, you can't imagine how good these things are!

The Economy and the small country town.

2009-03-10T10:53:00.002-04:00

My Great Grandma lived to be 103 years old. She died 2 years ago. I was always kind of in awe at what all changes she had seen in her lifetime. She was born in a little cabin with no electricity. So to have died only 2 years ago, she saw some major inventions when they were first coming to life. I was always asking her questions about how it was when she was a young girl. I really tried to question her about the Great Depression. But I never got the stories and answers I wanted to hear. The only thing she would tell me is that they really wouldn't have know there was a depression in this part of the country if it hadn't been in the newspapers and such. She said they were so poor that the Depression didn't affect them like it did other people. And now in this time of an economic downturn, I can finally see what she means.

My town is a very poor town. Not all of us that live here are living in poverty. But the majority does. I don't think that most people around here know how bad it actually is in our country. Things always take longer to show up here than they do in the rest of the country. Even fashion fads. What was the big thing 2 seasons ago, is just now getting big here. Same thing goes for economics.

We haven't seen very many job layoffs or foreclosures here. People are actually living a better life now than we were this time last year. Last year, the gas prices were sky high and people were having to take from their food budgets to put gas in their car. And when you live in the country, a car is a must. When town is 10+ miles from your house, you pretty much have to have a car to get there. But we are much better off now since gas is only $1.84 a gallon vs. $3.95 last year!

I thought all was well here... Until last week. My husband logged on to view his retirement statement. We nearly fell over! We have no where NEAR what we thought we'd have. We have been looking at it everyday since then. In 2 days it's lost over $200!! I can't imagine how I would feel if we were close to retirement and lost all of our nest egg. I feel so bad for those people that have worked all their lives to retire to find out they have nothing left to retire on. So sad. It's enough to make you fall into a depression if you think about it long enough. I wonder how the world will be for my sons when they are young adults? Scary thoughts... I do know that there is a cycle of ups and downs in economics. I guess we are just on the downward side right now. I hope it's back on the upturn by the time my sons are older.

I still haven't decided on going back to work. If I do, it will only be 3 days a week. But I have to run it by my mom to see how she feels about keeping the two little ones after school until I get home. Once I talk to her, I guess I will call my old boss and see what my options are.

Life changes? Maybe.

2009-03-08T11:09:00.002-04:00

I realized today that I have no spring clothes that fit me. How did I not notice that I've gained that much weight this winter? Actually, I don't think I started gaining until I quit working. I have became so sluggish.

I've been thinking about going back to work. I saw 2 of the guys from work this weekend and they were both telling me how much they need me back there. So I'm thinking it over. I liked my job, I just felt like I didn't have any time for my home. I wanted to be Suzy homemaker. But I realize now that I will never be Suzy. Ever. I don't like cleaning, crafting, or cooking. Which is what I envisioned myself doing when I decided to quit. What I have actually done, is veg out with my husband all morning (he works nights). Then I'd rush around getting everything around the house finished up before the boys got home from school.

I'm still not 100% sure I'll go back. But its something that is cooking in my brain. I am pretty sure that my boss will hire me back. He told me he was going to hold my job in case I wanted to come back. And so far, he hasn't filled it yet. So I might go down and talk to him tomorrow.

I'lll let you know more tomorrow. I'm going to take today to go over the pros and cons with my family. I think it should be a family decision if I do decide to go back.

**I am headed out to spend the day with Greg's family. So I didn't have time to proof read this. Sorry if it's all over the place.

You gotta see this to believe it....

2009-03-03T16:14:00.002-05:00

When I first saw this picture, I though it was a photoshop pic. Then I clicked over to this story and read it. This would be the coolest thing to see!

In one of the local state parks near my house, there is an albino deer. I have yet to see it, but I have seen pics of it. I would LOVE to see an albino animal in the wild.

Here we go again.

2009-03-02T11:58:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it, but my kids are sick AGAIN! They even canceled school today because of sickness. I think we need to do a lesson on hand washing today!

I called the doctor's office to get Trey and Trev in today. They suggested that I don't bring them in. He is going to call them in a prescription instead. Since they just have an earache and cough, he said it's better not to expose them to all the germs in the office and risk them getting the flu. Shew, I wish spring would come. Fresh air would do wonders for everyone.

I want Sushi dang it!

2009-03-01T13:25:00.004-05:00

Can someone please tell me how to keep this template and make my blog cute? I like the way the pics are shown in full size on this one. But I don't like the plain white background and black writing. Is there a way to change the color of the background and font? And what about the cute headers? How do you make those? I have photo shop, but I have no idea how to use it. I am helpless when it comes to all that jazz. I wish I were creative, but I'm not. If I tried to make my own header, what size does it need to be?

Anyway, yesterday was Trey's Governor's Cup competition. He didn't place in his written test
:( Booooo. But he did awesome in the quick recall portion of the competition. He answered every question for his team except one. He answered 8 in the first round and 7 in the second. I was beyond proud of him.

We went to the movies this week. Twice. To watch the same movie. We don't really like to watch movies at the cinema. The cinema in our town is old and it is always cold. So we usually just wait for it to come out on pay per view or DVD. But my kids wanted to go watch 'Madea goes to Jail'. Much to my surprise, we all loved it. The boys and I went to watch it with my sister and a few of our friends. We all knew Greg would love it too, so we went back with him. It was so funny. It also had a serious story line to it. It was by far the best Madea movie yet. So if you want to be entertained for an hour or so, watch it!

What else, what else? Humm... I'm craving sushi hard core. I mean I really really want some. I live in the middle no where in a very small town. So of course there is no sushi to be found. I have to drive 1.5 hours to find any. I have been watching videos on you tube and a few cooking websites on how to make your own. I'm seriously considering trying it. Have any of you guys tried to make your own? I think I'll start off by trying to make California Rolls. I found some good kits online that aren't very costly, so even if I never try to make it again, I won't be out much for the kit. I have some pinto beans and corn bread cooking right now. Somehow, I don't think they'll satisfy me for dinner. I want sushi dang it!

Good Grief!

2009-02-27T10:45:00.003-05:00

Since I don't really want to clean at the moment... I decided to read my own blog. I went back from the beginning and read all my post until now. What I read made me cringe. Seriously. One of my pet peeves are parents that brag about their kids all the time while making them out to be perfect. And that is exactly how I came off in my blog. Sorry guys. I sooo don't want to be one of those people.

I have a friend that swears her kids never argue or bicker. All I have to say about that is BULL CRAP. I have never seen two (or more) kids live in the same house with out fighting. I believe her about that as much as I believe she is a real redhead. LOL.

I don't have much of a problem with Chase about fussing with his brothers. But man, Trey and Trevor will fight from the time they wake up until they go to sleep. I finally got so tired of it that I went a little bit psycho on them. One day when I picked them up from school, as soon as they got into the car, they started. It even came to blows in the back seat of the car. All because Trevor beat Trey to the right side of the back seat. They both always want the right side. I don't know why, but they do. So I went into psycho mom mode on them. When they came home, I made them go straight to bed. They had to stay there with no tv, games, or even books. And I kept checking on them so they wouldn't go to sleep. I told them that if they continued to act like that in life, they'd end up in jail someday. I wanted to get the point across at how very bad that would be, so I told them they were in kid prison for the rest of the day. At dinner time, all they got to eat was a bologna sandwich with water to drink. After dinner, they each got to take a 5 minute shower (I set a timer). And then it was back to bed with lights out at 7. The next morning, they didn't have one ill word to say to each other.

Until that afternoon when Trey beat Trevor to the right side of the car. I knew that something else had to be done. So enter the "days of Trey and Trev".

I bought a calendar to hang on my fridge. And on it, I wrote Trey's name on one day, then Trev's on the next. Then the next day goes back to Trey. On their day, they get to be the one to chose everything first. They get the first choice of where they'll sit in the car, they get to go last in showering at night, and so on. So far, it is working out really good. And having it in writing on the calendar, they can't say it's their day when it's not. I wish I would have thought of this sooner. Now, if I can figure out a way to make them hang their jacket up with out being told, I'll be on a roll.

Sickos

2009-02-25T18:02:00.002-05:00

Everyone in my house is sick! Half of us have really bad colds and the other half has a stomach bug. Greg has missed work the last 2 days from the stomach bug. He NEVER misses work, so it has to be really bad for him to do that. Trevor also has the stomach bug. Chase and I had the really bad colds. We had a fever and the body aches were terrible! I'm finally getting over it now. I just can't seem to get rid of a headache. Trey came home from school today with a fever and a cough. So I guess it's his turn. :(

I haven't gotten any housework done in the past few days. I mean nothing. So I need to get to it now that I'm feeling better. I am going to run to the store to get some Lysol. I will spray anything and everything! And I am going to wash all the bedding. I also need to stop and get new toothbrushes for all of us.

Hopefully Trey will start feeling better soon. He has the Governor's Cup Competition on Saturday. If he is sick, I don't know what they'll do, he is the captain of the Academic Team. They rely on him to answer most of their questions. Plus, I hate to see my kids sick.

I'm off to get the Lysol. I hope to get all of the sickies out of here!

Photos anyone?

2009-02-22T22:49:00.002-05:00

My friend Brittany just got her new camera last week. She quickly becoming a wonderful photographer, and she started a new photoblog. You would never know she is just starting out when you look at her work. She has even started selling her art work on this site. Check it out and buy something while you're there!

Picture Post

2009-02-20T11:49:00.003-05:00

I can't wait until Spring!! As beautiful as the mountains are, they look so dead this time of year. I can't wait for green leaves and blue skies with big fluffy clouds. And in the last pic, I love that rock wall!! I wasn't posting a pic of my car, I was posting the wall. Just in case you were wondering why my car was on here. LOL

*Thanks Brittany for telling me how to post pics easier.

My blogger friends.

2009-02-19T22:24:00.004-05:00

Recently, Nancy (who is my favorite West Coast girl!) and Bridgett did an entry about friendship. They each named me in their posts as being a friend. Which really touched me. I loved reading their posts. I remember back when I first started reading journals in j-land. I was more of a reader than a writer. Which is pretty much the same as I am today. I love to read about all your lives.... When the myspace thing became popular, is when I really got to know most of my good j-land friends. Some of my favorite times have been sitting around on a Friday night talking to all my j-land friends that bonded together on myspace through a group that Brittany started called the L.A. girls. (don't ask what that stands for lol!). Those were some good times.

I also 'met' Terri through j-land. I live in the same state as she does, and maybe one of these days we will be able to meet up and go do some bargain shopping together since she is so good at it!

And then there is Tricia... She is pregnant with her 3rd child and lives far away from her family. I relate so much to that because I was in her shoes 9 years ago. So when I read some of her posts about being homesick I really know what she is going through. She is a great mom and I am happy that I have found her through our mutual j-land friends.

I am so happy to call all you girls friends. I hope we stay in contact for many many years to come!

**NOTE**
I would have put the cute little 'friendship award' graphic in this post, but it wouldn't let me add pics. I always have a hard time adding pics to this blog for some reason. IDK, maybe it's something I'm doing wrong?

Valentine Day hits and misses

2009-02-16T23:36:00.006-05:00

Do you remember the 30 cupcakes I had to make for the V-day party on Friday? Well, I seriously hate baking. I mean really hate it. I don't care to cook at all if it doesn't involve baking. I just stink at it. So I wasn't happy at all when I had to make the cupcakes. I told the boys to NEVER volunteer me for cupcakes again. I will make anything else but those. I don't know why I have an aversion to baking cupcakes. I wish I felt the same about eating them. LOL. They turned out kinda messy looking. I had planned on bringing out my cake decorating kit and making them really pretty. But I was running so behind on Friday morning (which is when I made them. I should have done it on Thur night) I didn't have enough time to decorate them like I wanted. I ended up just throwing on the icing and then putting on sprinkles. The sprinkles were cute though. I love sprinkles. I always buy seasonal sprinkles.

I made about 75 of the marshmallow pops. They were a huge success. The kids loved them! They were all impressed with them. They were pretty easy to make and it was fast once I got going. Those will probably be my signature treat from now on. LOL. I can already see doing them for the Easter party. I'll dip them in yellow chocolate and use pastel sprinkles.

I took pics of them. Don't laugh at the cupcake mess. I tried. Oh, and even if they were ugly, the kids still ate them. hah!

Tonight was the play at school that Chase's class has been working on for about 3 weeks. They did such a good job. I will write about that later and post a few pics. I also have some pics Greg and I took on our Valentines 'date'. We stopped on the side of the road and took some pics of the mountains. I tell ya, I live in a beautiful place. Just wait... When you see the pics, you'll think I do too. :) I can't wait until the trees get leaves back on them. I'll take pics then too.

I have all these plans for future posts. But I always get busy and end up not posting. I really want to get in the habit of regular posting here. I would love to be able to look back on past entries to read some of these post to bring back memories. I wish I would have migrated my AOL journal over here. I know I didn't post much there, but I would have liked to have had it here anyway. Sigh..... Lesson learned I guess.

W-O-W!!

2009-02-13T06:51:00.002-05:00

I am quite possibly the proudest momma ever! :) :) :)

Chase's basketball team played their last ball game of the year last night. It was very sad to see Chase play his last game ever for that team. He will go on to high school next year. But his last game ended on a GREAT note. He was voted by the radio station as player of the game!!! He only scored 2 points in the game last night, but he played his butt off on defense. Greg didn't get to go to the game, but he did listen to it on the radio. He said the sports commenter said this about Chase "That kid might not put a lot of points up every game, but you won't find a better defense player in this whole county". Man, talk about being proud of a kid. He was so excited. He wouldn't show much excitement at the game, but he couldn't stop talking about it once he got in the car. He was trying to act all cool about it in front of his friends. LOL

I am kicking my own butt over and over because I forgot my camera! Uggh!

Our kids have been learning about the Civil War for the past several weeks at school. Chase's class put on a play for the whole school. You know how hard it is for 8th grade boys to want to be in a play, but the teacher made it part of their grade. So they were all trying their best. They worked hard to make their play a good one. Chase and his best friend had to get into a fight in one scene. It was so realistic that Trevor got scared while we were watching it because he thought that they were really starting to fight. LOL. Chase also got shot in one scene. It was such a good play! And guess what? Once again, I forgot my camera! But luckily, they will be doing it for the public again on Monday night. Yesterday's performance was just for the school, it was kinda of a dress rehearsal for the "big night". I will definitely take my camera on Monday.

I can't believe how fast this school year is flying by! It seems like it was just yesterday that they started school. It will be the last year all my kids are in the same school. I love the school they go to, I'm glad Trevor and Trey have several more years there.

Trey is preparing to compete in the Governor's Cup competition. It's a competition for the Academic teams to compete against each other. Plus, they have individual test for the students to take. You have to be chosen by your teachers to get to compete in it. It is a very prestigious thing to be chosen to represent your school. Trey gets to do it every year. This year, he is testing in Science and Language Arts. I am very proud of him for working so hard and getting chosen again this year to compete.

I have 30 cupcakes to make for the Valentines Day party at school. I didn't even know until late last night that I had to do it. I HATE to bake. Even something simple as cupcakes. I love to decorate the cupcakes, but I hate the actual baking. This year, I am going to attempt to make the marshmallow lollipops for Trey and Trevor's classes. I got the idea from the Grace Violet blog. You can go here to see what they are.

Well, I'm off to take the boys to school and then I have to come back and get busy making all this stuff for their parties. Wish me luck on the cupcakes. LOL

Oh yeah, Happy Friday the 13th!

2 posts in 1 day... A rare thing from me....

2009-02-11T21:47:00.002-05:00

I just found a new blog I wanted to alert everyone to. I found this blog about Veyiah and her struggle with a heart defect. She had an identical twin sister that died in the womb. You should go read about her here. If you are the praying kind, please pray for this baby.

Random facts about me

2009-02-11T08:46:00.003-05:00

*I hate fruit pies.
*I was a cheerleader for 5 years.
*I ate my first bite of beef in over 3 years on vacation 2008.
*I walk my husband to the door every time he leaves.
*I have done this since we've been married.
*I've only NOT done it about 4 times in the last 17 years.
*I would rather read about doing something rather than actually doing it.
*For example, I have tons of books about cleaning and organizing the home.
*I also collect cook books.
*And I don't really like to cook.
*My favorite cookbook is titled "Quickies in the kitchen".
*I used to hardly watch any tv at all.
*But lately, I find myself watching often.
*The shows I watch are:
Jon & Kate plus 8
The Real Housewives of Orange County
American Idol
Big Love
The United States of Tara
Entourage
*But I usually have to catch Re-runs of these shows (except AI) Because I'm never home.
*My kids have been studying the Civil War for the past month in school.
*They had 2 days of activities and plays at the school this week
*Local TV stations and Newspapers were there.
*I was running late to get there by the time the teacher wanted me there(I was asked to help out) so I wore a sports tee and jeans and my Nike shox.
*I NEVER go out looking like that.
* And I ended up being both on TV and in the paper.. GAH!
*I recently learned that Mary Todd Lincoln had seances in the White House.
*In high school my class had to do a family tree. I found out I was related to the teacher.
*We were also related to Jesse James.
* I love to play DVD board games.
*I am a sports fanatic
*My love of reading started in 4th grade when our teacher read Pippy Longstocking out loud to us every day.
*I am not an animal lover.
*But my kids are.
*They would love to have a pet, but 3 of us have allergies that prevent it.
*My first pregnancy lasted 5 months.
*My baby died and they had to induce my labor.
*It was so hard to go through that pain knowing I wouldn't be rewarded with a healthy baby at the end of it.
*His name is Cole and he would have been almost 16.
*I can't imagine how different life would have been had that not happened.
*I think I am a better mother because of it.
* I just quit my job in January.
*I am still happy that I quit,
*but I want to start in school in August.
*I am going to the college to talk to the advisor sometime this month.
*I plan on going back to major in Nursing again.
*I was in Nursing school before, but I ran out of money for school when Greg got laid off from work.
* I didn't want to take out student loans.
* I still don't want to go down the loan route.
*I love the Shopaholic series of books.
*But the movie doesn't seem to be much like the book.
*But I plan on watching it anyway.
*I also loved the Twilight series.
*But I didn't really much like the movie
*I was raised in a very religious home.
*But I rarely attend church these days.
*Just because I don't practice religion doesn't mean I don't believe
*I do pray every night.
*It makes me feel peaceful.
*I like to thank God for all the blessings I have in my life.
* We always have season passes to Dollywood every year.
*I used to love roller coasters.
*But since I was in a car accident, I can't ride them like I used to.
*It hurts my neck for days when I ride them
*I really really want to go to NYC someday.
*Someday soon.
*I'm going back to Myrtle Beach SC again this year for vaca.
*I didn't think I would be able to come up with many random things about me
*I guess I was wrong.

FINALLY!!!

2009-02-09T15:37:00.002-05:00

I'm finally back! My computer cord broke (again, I'm on cord #3!!). And my battery ran down so I have been unable to get online. I was about to go crazy! We had a snow storm and my kids were out of school for A. WEEK. I had read every book in this house 5 times. LOL. So I was quite bored last week.

Thanks for all the b-day wishes. I had a great day. I got all that I wanted. So I'm a happy girl. :)

2009-02-01T16:59:00.004-05:00

My birthday is coming up. My sister, Mom, and husband have been driving me batty asking me what I want. At first, I couldn't think of anything. But I started thinking about it. So I got on Amazon and made a wish list. Once I got started, I kept adding to it and adding to it! I think I got carried away. LOL

Anyway, I suggest that all of you go and make a wish list on Amazon. It feels good to do some "shopping" sometimes. Even if you don't actually buy all the things you've picked out.

Click here if you want to see what is on my list. :)

2009-01-21T21:29:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I have this friend. Her name is Bridgett. She has the cutest lil family. She has a son named Parker and a daughter Autumn. Her son is Autistic. Even though she is an RN, she has renounced modern medicine in a way. She is trying (and succeeding) in healing Parker of his Autism with natural remedies. Recently, she started a new blog. It's all about holistic healing. You can read all about it here .

A few years ago, I was in a car accident. I had a neck injury in the accident. Since then I suffer (and I do mean suffer!!) from migraines. I usually have 2-3 a month. Some aren't so bad. I can still do daily routines and get through the day. But then there are times when I am down for the count from them. Those are the ones that have me throwing up and laying in the bathroom floor in the dark. The docs have put me on so many different meds for them. The only thing that really helps is Phenergan. It's for nausea and it knocks me out. So basically, I end up sleeping the migraine off. The migraines seem to be getting worse over time. They are more frequent now than ever before. Also, a few years back, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. The only symptoms I have are the headaches and the neck pain. The doc touched me in certain places on my body, and it was really painful in the places he touched. I guess that is one way of diagnosing Fibromyalgia. But to me, it doesn't seem like a very good indicator for a disease. I won't take Lyrica for the Fibro. I feel like the side effects would be hurt more than the meds would help. I am weary of medications. Something they say is a miracle drug today will be the next big class action law suit tomorrow. I am going to start researching some natural remedies for migraines and Fibromyalgia. Who knows, maybe I can do some homeopathic medicines to help with the headaches.

It's 10:37 and my kids are STILL awake. They're in the bed, but still awake. I guess I need to get off this computer and make them go to sleep.

My menu (so far)

2009-01-12T23:31:00.003-05:00

Monday: (we had) Boneless BBQ pork ribs $7.39 for about 13 ribs.
$1.59 BBQ sauce
Left over potatoes from dinner last night
Box pasta salad $.99
*2 starches, I know... Uggh*

Monday total $9.97

Tuesday: Pinto Bean Soup w/ ham chunks
Corn bread pancakes (we call them fritters here in KY)
Beans $1.99
Ham FREE (frozen from Christmas)
Box of Jiffy Corn bread mix $.59
Fried Potatoes Probably about $2.00 worth (lol)

Tuesday total: $4.58

Wednesday: Chicken tacos (made in crockpot)

Chicken: $5.78 *boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders*
Taco seasoning pks 3/$.99
Burrito wraps $1.99
Lettuce, tomato, onion, sour cream, and shredded cheese $4.00

Wednesday total: $12.76

Thursday: Spaghetti & Meat sauce
Salad
Texas Toast garlic bread

Whole wheat spaghetti noodles $2.99
Jar of spaghetti sauce $2.99
Texas Toast $1.99/ box
Salad $4.00

Thursday total: $11.97

Friday: Don't quite know yet. LOL

I am fortunate to live in a place where the cost of living is low. We have a store here called Save A Lot. It mostly sells store brands. But my family is okay with store brands. We have a few things that we like the name brand of. But very few. We're not picky like that. Greg used to be when we first got married. He would only want velveta cheese (can't believe we used to eat that crap!). We were on a verrrrry tight budget. So I substituted it with the cheap store brand. I just kept the velveta box and I'd put the store brand in it. He never knew the difference. I did that for about 2 years! Seriously. Now he's not a food snob so much. LOL

I made this menu based on what I already had on hand. Next week, I will make my grocery list based on what is on my menu.

So...

2009-01-11T21:35:00.002-05:00

I am officially a SAHM now. I am so excited! I went to the store yesterday and bought cleaning and organizing supplies. I plan on tackling my house tomorrow. I have so much to do around here. First, I plan on conquering Mt. Laundrypile.

I'm telling you, it is a shame at how much laundry I have. I found a new blog that had some tips on laundry that I plan to implement. The author has 5 (I think) kids and she keeps her laundry under control, so why can't I? My 3 boys are all old enough to help out here wayyyy more than they do now. Actually, they don't help out at all, so anything will be an improvement. LOL. Before I can get them to help I need to get it all organized first. I am a control freak and it has to be just right before I teach them what to do.

I am getting ready to sit down and plan out a menu for this week. I want to do anything I can to keep the stress level down. And one thing I HATE doing is cooking. Maybe if I plan out the meals I won't dread doing it so much. I want to cut back on what I spend on food also. At dinner tonight, I had my guys tell me some of their favorite meals. Surprisingly, they like the simple to cook meals. And bonus! They like the cheap things. LOL. I found a new blog that has recipes in it. She cooks meals like my guys like. Here is the link if you want to read it. We don't eat much red meat here. And none of us really like to eat meat with bones. LOL. She had some great crock pot meals also. Right up my alley! :)

We never get to eat together during the week. Greg leaves for work at 3:30pm, Chase has basketball practice from 3:00pm to 5:oopm, and Trey has basketball practice from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. So you can see why we never get to eat together. But on the weekends, we try to make it a point to sit down together and eat together. We always do our "best & worst" when we eat dinner together. We each go around and tell the best thing and worst thing that has happened this week. My kids never cease to amaze me at what they think is the best and worst. It makes me so proud of them if they say something like "the best thing that happened to me is that I got an A on my test". But then there are things like this that make me cringe LOL .... "the best thing that happened this week is that I accidentally let a SBD fart in class and no one knew it was me". Yeah, that's my kids for ya. LOL

**note SBD = silent but deadly in case you didn't know.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T00:21:00.002-05:00

I'm not going to make any resolutions this year. I always break them anyway. So this year, I'm just not gonna do it. I do have a few things I hope to change though..... Which I guess, is just a different way of saying "resolution" LOL.

** I want to have more fun this year. I hope to enjoy the little moments in my life. I don't want to let time pass by with out enjoying as much of it as I can!

** I want to get my house organized. I have way too much junk around here. I have been holding on to things that will never be used. I have so many school papers that the boys have brought home over the years. I will weed through them and keep the ones that mean the most to us (I'm going to get them in on the de-cluttering). And the rest, I might scan to my computer and then throw away. I also have a habit of holding on to clothes. I have so many things in my closet that I know I'll never wear again. Even if I lose the weight to get back into them, they are wayyy out of style! LOL

** And I hate to even put this in here... It is so cheesy (lol)... I hope to get healthier this year. I know everyone you talk to says they want to lose weight, or start exercising. But for me, it is all about health. I am getting older, and I now value my health more now than I did when I was younger. I want to be around for my children and my grand children (if I'm lucky enough to have any).

** I want to blog more of my life. I want to be able to look back at this in 20 years when my boys are grown and gone and read over my memories. I want to write about the things that probably won't stand out in my mind. You know, the little things that you let slip your mind because it just doesn't seem important enough to burn into your memory.

2008 was way better for us as a family than 2007. And I hope 2009 is even better than 2008.

Happy New Year friends!

**NOTE**
I'm looking for a new name for this blog. I'm not very creative, so any suggestions will be appreciated.

New year, new leaf

2008-12-26T14:27:00.002-05:00

I've decided that I want to live a simpler life. I am going to quit my job.

I know times are hard and jobs are hard to come by. But I don't like the kind of mother and wife I have become. Dinner around here consist of canned soup and a grilled cheese. And my house is a mess. It's never company ready. We live in chaos around here. I go to work at 7:30 am and by the time I get home, it's 9:30 pm or later. I get off work and then pick my kids up from my mom's and we have to go straight to practices, ball games, or academic meets. It is so hectic! I just don't want to live like that anymore.

My husband and kids are beyond excited that I am quitting. I just hate to give up the extra money. But I know that I can make a few changes in our lifestyle and we won't even miss the money. I can start making dinners from scratch rather than using instant foods. For instance, I can make home made mac n cheese rather than buy the easy mac. And it will be healthier to boot! :) Just little changes like that and it will add up.

I also hope to have time to start working out. I have gained some extra holiday weight and I won't be able to get it off at the rate things are going now. But once I don't have to work, I won't have anything keeping me from getting a work out in each day. I am going to take it day by day and see the changes I can make in my life.

And who knows? I might even have time to start crafting again. I might even be able to make a few extra $$ off of it.

I have nothing but high hopes here. Say a prayer that I won't regret this decision.

2008-12-21T02:47:00.010-05:00

I thought I'd post some pics of my Christmas tree. We decided to go with the real tree this year. And I love it. The only thing I don't like, is that it is too big. When we got it, we didn't think about the stand adding height. The Hubs kept saying he'd cut the bottom of it off so it wouldn't be too tall. But between working extra hours and his Mom being sick, he just didn't have time. And I was anxious to decorate it. So I just went ahead and decorated it. Even though it is too tall. LOL You'll see what I mean in this pic.

Over the years, the boys have all had a teacher that does the CUTEST Christmas craft with the whole class. She was the best teacher. We all loved her. She even married into our family a few years ago when she married my husband's cousin. :) Anyway, the ornaments are just a plain shatter proof ball ornament. The kids dipped their hands in white paint and made a hand print on the ball. Then, they would paint the 5 fingers into a snowman. You'll see what I mean in the pics. I tried to get all 5 snowmen in the pics, but it was hard to do. And since we have 5 in our family, these are really great.

And attached to each of the ornaments is this tag...

If you can't read that it says:

These aren't just five snowmen

As anyone can see.

I made them with my hand

which is a part of me.

Now each year when you trim the tree,

you'll look back and recall

Christmas 2005.

When my hand was just this small.

These ornaments mean more to me than any other I have. I'm grateful for Mrs. Teacher taking the time and having the patience to do this with my kids.

It's finally starting to feel like Christmas

2008-12-17T11:07:00.002-05:00

We have been so busy around here that I just got my holiday decorating done. I actually put my tree up last week. It was an old artificial tree. I had it for years. I put it up this year knowing it would be my last year using it. I was hoping to find a new one after Christmas when they all get marked down. But my tree looked so sad and pitiful, I couldn't wait until next year. So I un-decorated my tree on Sunday morning. Then Greg and I went to visit his mom (more about her in a minute) in the hospital. We were driving by the Catholic church where they were selling real Christmas trees and wreaths. We decide to stop by and get a live tree. I am so glad we did. I LOVE it. It's a bit bigger than I wanted, but it looks so much better than any tree I've ever had. And it makes my house smell WONDERFUL! I am really in the Christmas spirit now. :)

Okay, about my Mother in Law.... She lives in a town about 1.5 hours away from us. My BIL called on Friday night and told me he was taking her to the hospital because she was having trouble breathing. I knew it was something major wrong with her, or she wouldn't have went to the ER. She would have tried to just gotten through the night and went to her regular doc the next morning. So I knew she must have been really bad off seeing as to how she wanted to go to the ER then. I called Greg at work and told him I thought we should go down there. By the time we got to the hospital, they were just admitting her. They still didn't know what was making her so short of breath. She was to the point of nearly passing out if she even stood up. If she just sat really still and didn't talk, she was okay. Still breathing really hard, but she was okay. But if she moved around, it was like she was gasping for breath. They started doing all kinds of testing on her heart. The found it all to be okay. It wasn't until the next morning that they found out the problem. She had a blood clot travel to her lung. Apparently she had DVT for a while, but she hadn't been diagnosed with it. The doctors said that nearly 99% of people that have a blood clot go to their lung dies from it. So we are lucky that she lived through it. I guess God has a plan for her. :) So remember her if you pray. We aren't sure when she'll get out of the hospital. She is so ready to come home.

I still have presents to wrap. My boys will be excited to come home from school and see all the gifts under the tree! I took a different approach to the gifts this year. I told my boys that since Baby Jesus had 3 gifts, they were getting 3 gifts. But of course, I couldn't stop at 3 gifts each. But they DO only have 3 presents under the tree. I put several things together in one box. I know that was cheating, but still............ LOL

2008-12-01T13:47:00.000-05:00

I never write in this blog. I started it months ago, but I've never gotten around to posting. So I thought that this cold, snowy day would be a perfect time to sit down and do it.

I have enjoyed this long weekend so much. I don't work on Monday's so I have the day to myself today. I have been cleaning all day. When my family is home for a long weekend, it seems like my house gets so junked up. Nothing is in it's place. I hate that. So I've been straightening up and doing laundry all day.

I had hoped to get the tree put up after the boys get home from school today. But I just got a phone call from the school saying that Chase and Trey both have an academic meet today. It's an away meet. It complicates things greatly for me. LOL.... I will have to run to the school to pick Trey and Trevor up. Chase will stay after school because he has basketball practice. Then Trey, Trev, and I will drive 30 minutes away to the academic meet. Then when that is over, I will have to drive back to the school to pick Chase up for his meet. And while I'm there, I will have to leave Trey there to get ready for his basketball game. Then I will have to drive BACK to the school where the meet is (yeah, 30 minute drive again) to drop Chase off at the Academic meet. I will leave him there with my friend and she will bring him back to the basketball game when it's over. After dropping Chase off, I will rush back to the school to watch Trey's game. When will they have time to eat? I guess I will have to hit the drive thru at some point. I hate it when it is this hectic. They love being on the basketball team though. So I'd never want them to give that up. And they like being on the Academic team.

They originally weren't going to be on the Academic team this year, but the coach and principal practically begged them (which made me SOO proud!!) to do it. I like the Academic team better myself. I am so proud of them when they answer questions that I don't even know the answers to. LOL.. I don't know where they get their intelligence.

I'm so proud of my boys. I know I'm blessed to have kids that are good kids. I have friends that have kids that are always in trouble, or get bad grades. So I know I'm lucky that they are like they are. I hope they stay on the path that they are on now. They will end up good, successful, and productive men if they do. They are growing up so fast. Sometimes when I look at Chase, it is hard to believe that he is the little baby that I learned so much from. I didn't know anything about being a mother when he came along. I was so young. I was only 6 years older than him when I had him! I was 20 years old. What was I thinking? LOL. I don't regret one single thing in my life up to this point though. I just hope my boys have an education before they settle down and get married.

Wow... I just re-read what I had written. I think that is a random post! LOL.. I kinda rambled on. But I didn't have anything in particular to write about. Maybe next post, I'll think about what I'm going to write about before I do it and it might not come out so random. ;)

2008-07-07T23:59:00.000-04:00

Please bear with me as I am trying to figure out the best look for my blog. That is until I can figure out how to make it look the way I want it to look. Does anyone have any advice about how I can customize it?

Thanks for stopping by, btw. I'll introduce myself later.

post 2

2008-07-07T23:30:00.000-04:00

Okay, I think I like this one best...

Testing

2008-07-07T23:27:00.000-04:00