MY LIFE IN A NUTSHELL

New toy!

2011-09-11T16:18:00.002-04:00

This weekend, we got something we've been wanting for a LONG time. We purchased this beauty.....

and I.....am in love!!

I grew up with music in my home. If it wasn't my two sisters playing the piano, it was my dad stringing his guitar often in the evenings as I would come home from being out with friends or coming home from the days activities. I remember him trying to teach me to play the guitar and learning "Country Road" by John Denver, callouses and all. It didn't stick, but I can't think about John Denver without lovingly thinking about my dad and maybe shedding a tear or two from fond memories of him. So, now I need to learn how to play all over again and it needs to be tuned, but I can't wait to get started!

3 months and counting....

2011-04-03T15:38:00.004-04:00

I just got this beauty in the mail and now I need to be able to actually look good in it. So, the countdown begins. Let the workouts and crunches begin. I'm going to see if I can lose 20 pounds by July 1st, roughly thee months from now, which coincidentally happens to be when I'll be flying out to Utah and Washington to see my family..yay! Wish me luck! :)

Slacker

2011-02-20T16:29:00.002-05:00

Ok...so I'm officially a slacker! I cannot believe I haven't posted anything since last October. To be fair, the holidays came and got the best of me. I feel like November and December were a blur and now it's nearly March and summer will be here before I know it! In Relief Society at church, we had a lesson on writing in our journals and this pang of guilt suddenly set in. I know life gets busy, but I can do this! No excuses.

I don't typically like New Year's resolutions because I feel like it's just another thing I will eventually fail at, but I think the key is to make an attainable, realistic goal. So, this year I will resolve to blog once a week every Sunday and hopefully it will be a lot more interesting than this one....promise!

The 5k Race!

2010-09-21T16:13:00.005-04:00

In order to run this

I think I'm going to need these!

The big day is October 2nd. Wish me luck!

My favorite day of the week!

2010-08-23T17:10:00.003-04:00

I was recently asked "What is your favorite day of the week". In my younger years, I would probably very quickly reply "Friday, because it starts off the weekend!!". But I have to say, after truly pondering this question, that Sunday is my favorite day of the week. This is an observation I have recently discovered and something I visibly notice as compared to every other day of the week. Why you ask? Pure and simple, I am my happiest on Sunday. I love everything about it. It puts me in such a good mood and gives me time to reflect.

I look forward to going to church every Sunday and be greeted by my lovely Miamaid class girls in YW and realize, week by week, how much they really teach me instead of the other way around. Funny how that happens. They truly amaze me with their insight and knowledge. I love being 1st counselor in the YW program. My calling is the best and I absolutely LOVE being their leader. It rocks!

Sunday is also the one day that we are all together without any other prior engagements or obligations to be anywhere or do anything. Strictly family time (minus the occasional sibling arguments that ensue...not too fond of that!). But, it gives us a chance to spend time with each other.... and reconnect. That's the best!

What's YOUR favorite day of the week?!

Chocolate and strawberry....mmmmm!

2010-08-10T15:55:00.003-04:00

We decided to celebrate Todd's 39th birthday inspired by the "Winnie the Pooh" ride at DisneyWorld! At the end of the ride in the very last room is where Pooh and all his friends have a birthday party celebration and the cake is a strawberry cake with chocolate frosting. Todd looked at me and said "I've never had that kind of cake before, I wonder if it's any good". Well, that just planted the seed and I HAD to make it for his birthday. Was it good? Well, lets just say I made it on Thursday and by Friday, the whole cake was gone!....ummm...yeah, it was GOOD!!

Make-up!

2010-07-14T20:39:00.005-04:00

I was asked what is in my makeup bag and being the lover of makeup that I am...I am delighted to dish!

Loreal true color match foundation
Smashbox mineral powder (I can't live without this stuff!)
Loreal HIP dual shimmer shadow
Elf duo eye shadow - Purple - I just discovered this stuff and it is the bomb!
Elf duo eye shadow - Gold
Elf duo eye shadow - Green
Elf duo eye shadow - Smokey eye
Kubuki brush
Makeup sponge
Almay mascara
Revlon Color Stay liquid liner - black brown
Eyebrow brush/comb
Eyeshadow brush
Eyeshadow contour brush (2)
Revlon creme shadow
Loreal eye shadow - Rose fields
Revlon ColorStay mineral finishing powder bronzer - Sunkiss
Physicians Formula shimmer strip bronzer - Malibu strip

And for the eyeshadow dummy and by dummy, I mean ME... I found this Elf eye shadow smoky eye book for $5.00! Nope, not a typo...it was only $5.00!! It comes complete with a how to diagram, 12 colors, eye shadow applicator and eye-liner. This is one happy girl! :)

So, what's in your makeup bag?!

Vacation!

2010-07-08T19:03:00.015-04:00

We recently returned (as recent as Monday!) from our 2-week vacation to Utah. We had SO much fun! I thought I would blog about some of the highlights.

**Bridal Veil Falls - Love this place! The kids and cousins hiked all the way to the top and played in the waterfall. It's a nice cool place to go during the hot summer time.

**I got to visit with all my brothers and sisters and all their kids. It is truly a rare thing that we are all together in one place at the same time. Trying to get us 5 kids together is hard to schedule and not always feasible, so it is kind of a once in 3 years kind of deal, so my parents got a neighbor to come over and take a picture of all of us. I don't have the pictures ready to post yet, because I have yet to locate them and Todd has to do some "touching up" to them, but I will post them when we get the final product. I could really kick myself for not posting a picture of all of our shoes laying in the entry way of my parents' house...it really was a site to behold! I heard mom say something to the effect of "Now that's the sign of a home full of love". She loved having us all over and cried when we all left one by one.

**Hike to Mt. Timpanogos. We hiked 1 1/2 miles to the top and then toured the cave inside. My legs sure got a workout that day, let me tell ya! It was a cool 45 degrees in the cave and we were able to stand right underneath a fault line. It was pretty amazing!

**We toured The Beehive House aka Brigham Young's old house. I always love revisiting that house and like to imagine how life was like back in those times. It's complete with a store and everything...love it! Afterwards, we went next door to enjoy some Lion House desserts....yum!!

**Todd and I really wanted to go to the Salt Lake City Temple. Of all the times we've been to Utah, we've never actually gone through the temple itself, so we took the opportunity to go and see the same temple that my parents got married in, and it was quite the experience! The inside was so beautiful and ornate, it was literally breathtaking.....so much so that it made me tear up just walking through and taking it all in. My sister, Kami and her husband, Ian, and my parents were able to come with us as well! I was so happy to have them all there together.

**Seeing a midnight showing of "Eclipse" with my sister! This was cool, because I knew I was going to be missing out on a "Girls Night" here in Florida where they would all be going to see Eclipse...I was SERIOUSLY bummed, so it meant alot to me that I got to go with my sister, (and that she was willing to go that late....thanks Kam!), who was leaving the very next day to travel back home. I'm not sure I will ever do "opening night" again....sheesh! There is always some annoying teenagers sitting in the theatre that just ruins it for everyone else. These girls kept laughing...LOUD...at the most awkward moments and it was NOT COOL!! Anyhow...the line was forever long. It was pretty comical to see all the people and the lengths they would go to, to dress up for the event. We stood next to a guy who dressed up like Jacob, black tank top, denim shorts shredded at the bottom complete with a inked tribal tattoo on his arm! My experience, however, was not ruined. I REALLY enjoyed the movie!

*Logan Fireworks show. Because no one does the 4th of July like Utah! It was neat to see all the fireworks we don't really get to see here in Florida.

*Family Reunion. Every 4th of July, my Aunt Maria and Uncle Warren have a big BBQ shin dig at their house in Logan, and all of our extended family comes to join in the celebration. I think we counted 56 people this year! It's nuts! I haven't been to one in 10 years and it was really neat to re-connect with family I haven't seen in so long.

So, a fun time was had by all. It made me appreciate how good I have it, how grateful I am to be an American and enjoy the freedoms we enjoy, and what a wonderful family I come from. This girl is truly blessed! I can't wait to do it again!

Seriously?!

2010-06-21T20:05:00.002-04:00

So my best friend comes to visit from Tennessee to stay with us for about a week and a half with her 3 kids. How is it, that in all that time, I didn't manage to take ONE picture of us together? Who does that? Oh...that's right.. ME!! I'm so mad at myself. I guess we're going to have to do it all over again...which is fine by me! I guess it's the time we spent together that was more valuable to me, like taking our kids and heading out to the beach, and let me tell ya, between watching 5 kids and our stupid beach umbrella that kept falling down, it was definitely trying, but it was worth it and we had tons of fun soaking up the sun and chatting it up like two school girls! Another highlight was staying up late and watching old 80's movies...who doesn't love Molly Ringwald!! Yes, next time....PICTURES!!!

Jepson's 9th Birthday!

2010-05-06T19:30:00.007-04:00

On April 19th, my baby boy officially turned 9 and he couldn't be happier! I'm just now getting around to blogging about it and posting the pictures because.....well, that's just how I roll:)

The theme for his birthday was "How To Train a Dragon" since we saw the movie in 3D together as a family 1 week prior, and he was obsessed with "Night Fury" aka "Toothless" the dragon. It was a really cute movie, but I was reminded how old I am while watching the movie and getting motion sick...seriously?! I'm becoming my mother.

Anyways, Jepson is just a fun loving, energetic little boy who literally makes me laugh on an every day basis. It makes me sad to think this will be his last "single digit" birthday....*sigh*. Why do they have to grow up so fast?!

"Toothless" the dragon cake. It was a big hit!

He got a big boy watch.

This kid LOVES taking pictures and videos so he got a pretty sweet camera...I may have to borrow it!

And a birthday wouldn't be complete without a gift card to GameStop for the video-game lover that he is.

Funny moments

2010-05-04T16:49:00.002-04:00

Jepson, our 9-year-old, struck up a conversation with us a few days ago and it was one of those funny little moments I just had to blog about. I have to write these things down so I don't forget, since the kids are getting older and I want to remember these things when I'm old and gray.

We were discussing our family values and our religion. We live by a set of rules that maybe most people don't adhere to. This is how the conversation went down:

JEPSON: We don't drink coffee do we mom?

ME: No, honey. Some people drink coffee, but we don't. Just like, some people smoke, but we don't. Some people swear, but we don't.

JEPSON: Yeah, just like some people are RICH, but we're not!

Todd and I were laughing SO hard! That kid kills me, I tell ya. He is so candid and funny all at the same time. Gotta love it!

Time Out For Women!

2010-04-13T21:08:00.007-04:00

In February, I was able to go to a Time Out For Women conference in Orlando with some friends and we had a blast! It was a much needed break for us busy moms and gave us a chance to be spiritually uplifted and re-energize. We were all so excited to have a girls weekend together. Nice hotel, good food and good friends....yes please!! Thanks for a wonderful weekend ladies!

Dinner out with the girls at TGI Fridays...we ate WAY too much, but oh was it worth it!

More dinner fun with the girls.

We just HAD to get a picture of our super cute totes in front of the stage. Seriously, how cute are those totes??!!

The woman in this picture was an AMAZING speaker. She was so inspirational that the poor woman barely got a lunch break because so many people wanted a picture with her. She was awesome!

Recap

2010-03-25T20:23:00.003-04:00

Wow...where did the last 3 months go?! I have a lot to catch up on, but for now...I'll just recap!

January 4th: My baby girl turned 10! Seriously, 10! I can't be old enough to have a 10-year-old...ugh!

January 14th: My parents and kid brother came to visit me. This visit included my very first trip to IKEA. Wow, could I spend all day in that store or what! And who can resist those swedish meatballs...YUM! A good time was had by all. I seriously miss my family and it sucks to be so far away from them, but I'm hoping some changes will get us over to the West Coast soon!

February: Ummm...I'm sure a lot of fun stuff ensued this month, but I'm having a brain fart. I do remember we tried to take the kids to a chocolatier store for Valentines day and NONE existed. We went to 3 different places and they all went out of business. That was a bummer, because how fun would it have been to get in on all that chocolate sweetness!

March 17th: St. Patty's Day!! The only holiday that I truly feel like I can own up to. The red hair, green eyes... I love celebrating my Irish/Scottish roots! Below is a picture of Todd's special "Shamrock Pancakes". He is the best! The kids thought it was pretty cool too.

I have been doing lots of painting and updating to the house. Todd actually asked me if I was "nesting"...lol! I will post some pictures and update you when I get my projects done. Hopefully, it won't take me 3 months!

Kidisms!

2009-12-18T17:00:00.002-05:00

The other day, the kids and I were driving home from the grocery store and the following conversation ensued:

JEPSON: Mom, I want to be a vegetarian when I grow up!

BREIGH (the ALL-KNOWING older sister): Jepson, do you even KNOW what a vegetarian is?

JEPSON: What?

BREIGH: It's a person who ONLY eats vegetables! Don't you mean a VETERINARIAN? A veterinarian takes care of animals.

JEPSON: Yep! Veterinarian....that's my thing!!!

I had to laugh. Breigh's definition of a vegetarian isn't exactly correct either, but I had to laugh because she just couldn't resist imparting her knowledge on her little brother.

Shortly after this conversation ended, somehow we got onto the subject of money and things we could and could not afford and Jepson turns to me and says: Mom, if daddy cares so much about money, how come he didn't become a doctor?

LOL!! I tell ya, I laugh on a daily basis on the things that come out of this kids mouth. I told Todd this one later on that night and told him he got into the wrong business according to our son!

Family Photos

2009-12-14T22:16:00.009-05:00

This is our attempt at Family Photos. I don't have any recent family photos of us and I think these actually turned out pretty good! We just set up the camera and tripod in our backyard and decided to just go for it!

What do you think?

Halloween Pics!

2009-11-02T21:19:00.005-05:00

These are our Halloween pictures! This is the first year that I actually got all dressed up. I'm supposed to be a Mardi Gras lady. I didn't get a picture with my mask and gloves, but you get the idea anyways. Breigh was a cheerless leader (gothic cheer leader) and Jepson was a swamp monster. Todd opted not to dress up for Halloween, but Friday night he went as a tourist at our ward trunk-or-treat fall festival, hawaiian shirt, black socks, sandals, straw hat and camera wrapped around him. He was a big hit. I'm just bummed I didn't get a picture :(

Saturday night, Breigh and I went to a haunted house that my friend put together at her house and so Breigh and her BFF, Kaitlyn, got to work in the "cemetery". She had a blast trying to scare people as they walked through. As we were heading home at the end of the night, she said, "Mommy, thanks for dressing up for Halloween. That was really cool!" Enough said!

Fall is here!

2009-10-20T18:06:00.002-04:00

It has arrived! My favorite time of the year...FALL!! And FINALLY we are feeling some of that cool weather I've so fondly been awaiting for the past 4 months!

I'm looking forward to getting my Fall baking on with some homemade Apple and Cherry pies to be enjoyed with some good friends this weekend. I've been practicing my homemade crusts several times, and it has been frustrating getting just the right consistency of dough. Who knew pie crusts could be so tempermental? Meanwhile, Todd is more than happy to have me "practicing" my pie dough to perfection.

Wish me luck! I'll post some pictures of the end result!

Demi Lovato Concert!

2009-08-29T19:09:00.010-04:00

I just recently found these pictures my friend, Sue, emailed to me and forgot to blog about our fun Girls Night!

July 31st, I took Breigh to a Demi Lovato concert and it was way fun!! Now, if you're wondering who Demi Lovato is, she is the next rising star and currently has a show on the Disney channel called "Sonny with a chance". Breigh loves her and loves her show! It was me, Sue, her daughter, Kaitlyn and Kaitlyn's cousin, Marissa. Kaitlyn and Breigh are best friends and, in fact, we were pregnant at the same time with the girls so, we lovingly refer to them as "belly buddies" because they are almost exactly 1 month apart in age from each other.

Anyways, we heard that Demi Lovato was coming to town and since she is not that well known yet, tickets were cheap so we thought it would be a fun girls night out with our daughters! We actually got pretty good seats too.

I think the best part of the show was the end. Now, that sounded bad. Not that I wanted the concert to be over with, but for the very last song, she sang "Don't Forget", which is one of my favorites. As she started to sing it, she got super emotional and got all choked up and couldn't finish the song. So, she held out the microphone to the crowd, and the audience sang it for her until she got herself together to sing it. It just hit her, right then and there, how she had really "made it" and it was just overwhelming at how awesome her fans are. It was just the coolest to see that. There's nothing like going to a concert and seeing everything live like that. I got Breigh a signed autograph CD (that let me tell ya, I paid a pretty penny for!), but Breigh was SO happy. It was a special mother daughter experience I'll never forget!

I've posted some pictures Sue took on her camera below:

Best buddies enjoying the show!

Demi singing...she's so beautiful!

Full stage view.

She brought this girl up on stage to sing with her. She knew every word to the song. It was priceless!

Oh yeah...and we got to see this guy before Demi came on...David Archuletta (am i spelling that right?!)...he was awesome too! I don't think I've heard more screaming tweens than when he was on stage. Some ear plugs would have come in really handy!

Breigh, Kaitlyn and Marissa (Kaitlyn's cousin). Our seats in relation to the stage weren't too shabby!

Me, Breigh, Kaitlyn and Marissa outside the concert hall.

It's That Time of Year Again!!

2009-08-25T17:51:00.011-04:00

Yesterday was the kids 1st day back to school and I couldn't be happier!! They were pretty excited, but nervous at the same time worried about who their classmates will be and worried about what this year will bring. Luckily, they both have excellent teachers and all worries were set to rest when they came home with happy faces telling me they LOVE school! Whew, what a relief that is.

It is also nice for this mama that I can come home from work each afternoon to the house the way I left it, CLEAN! My hubby is especially glad, working from home and all, that he can finally get some actual work done now that he has the house all to himself where he can get some peace and quiet! We joked with each other about having a "back-to-school party" to ring in the happy occasion, but we thought better of it. Here are some pics I took of the kids on their big day!

One excited boy!

Breigh picked out this outfit for her 1st day....my baby's growing up!

The kids together, it's a rare occasion these days that they hug like this.

I totally staged this, but they went along with it anyway. I kept saying "one more, one more!"..lol. They just rolled their eyes at me and played along :)

A whole lot of nothin'!!

2009-08-08T13:12:00.002-04:00

Today and I am sitting here relishing my Saturday morning, something I have been looking forward to doing all week... a day chalk full of a whole lot of nothin'!!

The entire month of July seems to have been packed full of things to do, birthdays, holidays and vacation and literally no time spent at home.

I just came back from 10 day vacation in Washington visiting family, which really was nice, except for the a little virus I contracted while at my sister's house. Yeah, SO not fun, for me or her I assume. Just 4 days prior, she was dealing with a sick little 3-year-old boy and I'm sure she didn't sign up for her baby sister to get sick at her house as well, but luckily it was was only a 24-hour thing, so I was able to salvage and enjoy what I had left of my vacation, house hunting being one of the highlights (yay!).

Then, the very next week my mother-in-law bought a new condo and so we headed off to Ft. Pierce to help her paint and put together furniture so that she could enjoy her new pad before she goes back to work.

This is the first Saturday where we have absolutely nothing planned and I have been enjoying every morsel of it!!

Jepson's Baptism!

2009-05-05T18:29:00.007-04:00

3 posts in one day! WHEW, I'm whooped!...lol.

My baby boy was baptized on Sunday and it is such a milestone for me! Our Branch President said at the baptism "It's kind of sad, Jepson, because your Mom and Dad won't have any more children to get baptized since you're the last one!". Ok, I wouldn't have put it like that, as this is a HAPPY occasion, not a SAD one, but I know what he meant. It did hit me that both of my children are accountable now and growing up before my very eyes. Before I know it, he'll be passing the sacrament, going on a mission and getting married! But for now, I'm going to enjoy the moment.

I am very proud of Jepson. He is the my sweet boy who doesn't see faults in anyone. He is such a happy go lucky kid who loves life and wants to be everyone's friend! He still likes to cuddle with his mama once in a while :) I hope never loses site what's important and stays my sweet little innocent boy.

My Mom, Dad and little brother, Joey, (little brother that reminds me he can whoop my butt!) were able to fly out for the blessed event. It was wonderful to see them have them participate in this fun time with us. Here are some pictures!

Jepson in his brand new suit!

Jepson with his Great Grandmother, Penny and Great, Great Aunt, Ruth.

Jepson and I.

Jepson with Grandma and Grandpa Galloway.

Jepson's Birthday!

2009-05-05T18:14:00.004-04:00

For Jepson's 8th birthday, my sister-in-law, Allison, wanted to make Jepson a cool "Transformers" cake from scratch. We thought it would be really fun and knew it was something Jepson would love, since "Transformers" are his latest obsession.

So, Todd and I were thinking she'd bake a rectangular shaped cake and cut out a transformers mask outline and make the cake that way. Not so, she had made this cake 7 layers high and decided she was going to be "Ace of Cakes" and just start going to town carving this thing. As you can probably imagine, it didn't go so well. I think she had the idea better in her head than it actually turned out, but who were we to say anything. She went to a lot of work to plan this thing out, this was her project and when she sets her mind on something, dang it, she's going to accomplish it!!

As she was carving the cake, it started to fall apart and it just wasn't turning out. So she put some blue frosting on it and when she frosted it, Todd looked at it and said "Ya know...it kind of looks like that blue blob from that Monsters Vs. Aliens movie, let's just go with that and hope Jepson recognizes the character!". So, the next morning, Jepson woke up and said "Cool! My cake looks just like "Bob the Blob"! We all sighed a sound of relief! So, it wasn't the cake she set out to make, but all in all, the cake definitely "Transformed"...lol!

Bush Gardens surprise trip!

2009-05-05T17:49:00.007-04:00

As I was downloading pictures off of my camera to put on my blog, I came across some pictures from a trip to Busch Gardens back in February, I believe, and I had to share this funny story.

We surprised the kids with a trip to Busch Gardens. We're fortunate enough to live about 30 minutes from the amusement park, so off we went one morning. The kicker is, we told the kids that they needed to hurry up and get ready for school, or they would be late. Todd told them that he needed to drop me off at work, as they usually take the bus and I am usually gone before they get up and ready for school in the morning and since I work right across the street from the kids' school, this was a very plausible excuse!. Now, their school is only 5 minutes away, they didn't realize we weren't going to school until about 20 minutes into the trip. This is how the conversation went while in the car:

Jepson: Uh....Dad? Aren't we going the wrong way?
Breigh: Yeah, Dad...you need to turn around! We are SO going the wrong way.
Todd: Oh, I guess you're right. Well, there's so much traffic this morning, I'll see if there's a spot up ahead where I can turn around.

10 minutes later.

Breigh: Dad!!! We're going to be SOOO late and I'm going to get in trouble! We have to turn around NOW!!
Jepson: Oh, no! I don't want to be late for school!!
Todd: I know, I know...I think there's a place up here I can turn around.

We then enter the parking lot for Busch Gardens.

Breigh: OH GREAT!!!! We've gone way too far now... now we're at Busch Gardens!!! We'll never get to school now!

At this point, Todd and I were trying SO hard not to laugh. They truly did not clue in on our little detour. Finally, we got out of the car and they realized, "OH, this was all a trick wasn't it?! Very funny guys!"..lol! It was classic. Hopefully one moment they will always remember :) Here are some pictures.

Me and the hub chillin'

Breigh and Jepson in the front entrance being silly!

These are "tree people". There is a new area in Busch Gardens called "jungala" where the tree people live. They were really nice, a bit strange looking, though I have to admit.

Laundry....done!!

2009-02-18T18:47:00.001-05:00

This is the latest craze at the Williams' household!! I had my eye on this little beauty for a few months and decided to breakdown and dish out the $50. Let me just tell you, it is money well spent! It has helped me keep all the laundry organized in one neat place in my laundry room, so half the work is already done for me. Novel concept eh? My kids are actually begging to sort their dirty laundry.... "can we sort, mommy, can we sort, please" they tell me! You don't have to twist my arm. Who knew it could be so much fun! Now if I can just get some help folding the mounds of clean laundry, I could be set free from Laundryland!

Feeling refreshed!

2008-12-03T18:41:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful time in Washington!

Here are some of the high points of my trip!:

* Reminiscing old times with old friends. I only wished we had more time to visit...another trip perhaps!
* Shopped to my hearts content with my mom, sister and sister-in-law on Black Friday.
* Chilled with the family and laughed about our growing up years.
* Went to see "Twilight" with the girls! I really enjoyed it and plan to see it again!
* Scouted out some possibilities for homes in Pullman! The hubby and I are planning on moving there eventually to be closer to family. I feel I have "done my time" in Florida and ready to get the heck out!!

I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving as much as I did! Now I need to work off all that turkey and stuffing I ate!!

I'm coming home!

2008-11-14T15:38:00.000-05:00

In preparing for our trip to Washington next week, I just got all giddy and excited at the thought of "going home" for 10 days for Thanksgiving! I've been consumed with thoughts of seeing family and friends ever since we bought our tickets back in August...lol! It's a been a few years since our last trip there and I am just really looking forward to it.

In all honesty, we really shouldn't be making the trip due to our current financial situation (ensuing DEBT..lol), but my sweet husband loves me and he knew how much I wanted and needed to see my family and so he lovingly agreed for us to make this trip together as a family. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am indeed grateful for Todd in allowing us this opportunity and know this will be the last trip we will be taking in a long time (as the tears are streaming right now).

Ok.. these are some of the things I'm looking forward to on our trek west:

Thanksgiving!!! I'm going to need to save up all of my calories for this one glorious day!

Meeting up with some good friends to have lunch with the girls!

Leavenworth, Washington has got to be the coolest place this time of year!! I don't know if we'll have time to see Leavenworth given the fact that it is a good 4 1/2 hours from where we'll be staying, but LOVE this place!

My kids really want to see some snow when we're in Washington. Wishful thinking?

2008-11-06T22:30:00.000-05:00

So I am finally getting around to posting up Halloween pictures of the kids. They had a really good time making their rounds around the neighborhood and gathering their treats. Jepson was Batman and Breigh, a gothic bride! She was so funny, this year she said "I don't wanna be no princess this year mom!"....uh... yeah, I think she accomplished that one! I also made "Mummies" for Halloween dinner, which I think turned out pretty good... the kids were pleased with my efforts anyways and that's what counts! Enjoy.

Our Lil' Lilliana!

2008-10-28T16:33:00.000-04:00

This is my newest little niece, Lilliana Reagan... is she not adorable??!! She will be 3 months old on Thursday. My sister-in-law got lil' up from her nap and placed her in this pumpkin for her photo shoot. She was in such a good mood and started laughing and enjoying every minute of it. We're meeting up with the family at Red Robin in Ft. Myers next weekend (the ONLY Red Robin in the whole state of Florida). I grew up with going to Red Robin as the hangout spot growing up in Washington and so when I heard there was a restaurant in Ft. Myers, I was tempted to find out if it was as good as I remember. I can't wait to get my hands on that little munchkin and enjoy being with family, food and fun!

Scissor Happy!

2008-10-10T18:44:00.000-04:00

I went today to get a little touch up work done on my hair... bangs trimmed, back of neck razored and hair blow dried. Well, I have to say, I am NOT happy with my bangs. My head looks like a mushroom and my bangs are WAY to short. Have you ever had one of those moments when leaving the hair dresser that you just wanted to cry? I LOVE my hairdresser... don't get me wrong.. Tricia is the best.. I think this one time, she overestimated the length of my bangs and chopped em'! Oh well.. hair grows right? I tried to take a picture, but it doesn't really look that bad and justify it, so you be the judge! The rest of the "do" turned out pretty good though.

Why I Love Fall!!

2008-10-07T17:31:00.000-04:00

In celebration for Fall, here are a few things I love about Fall (even in Florida)!

Mmmm.... Wassail!

Going to the pumpkin patch!!

That good ol' ward chili cookoff! YUMMM!

2008-09-25T17:26:00.000-04:00

This little beauty just came in the mail a few days ago! Can we say 'EXCITED'!!! I liked this dress in the catalog, but OH do I LOVE it in reality! I just need a cute pair of knee length black boots and a few accessories and I'll be set!

Fall is here!

2008-09-24T18:13:00.001-04:00

Today is absolutely gorgeous! For the first time in 3 or 4 months, it is not muggy or humid. I don't feel like I have to take a 2nd shower after being outside for 5 minutes. I don't know what the actual temperature is outside, but there's a nice breeze and it feels like 60 degree weather. I am LOVING it. Fall is in the air and I am going to enjoy every minute of it.. Yes, us Floridians do have Fall. We may not physically see the leaves or seasons changing, but this is the time of year I am SO glad that I live here!

2008-08-14T15:53:00.001-04:00

Bible In A Minute - barats and bereta

What can I say, these guys just crack me up... I've seen several of their videos, but I came across this just wanted to share!

Dazzledish!

2008-07-17T20:47:00.000-04:00

Todd just finished this really cool website and I wanted to share it with you all! Some of you may know about it, but for those of you who don't... check it out! www.dazzledish.com. This is a great site for busy moms who want good, quick meals to fix that are tried and true recipes. We also have tips for creating memories with your families and I really believe in this site, so get to it! Let me know what you think!

2008-07-09T15:33:00.000-04:00

After searching and searching store after store for the "Wii Fit" game and being rejected every time without luck (completely sold out), we settled on "RockBand". This has been the latest craze in the Williams household. Todd plays the guitar, I play drums (which I ROCK at, if I do say so myself), and Breigh and Jepson take turns singing into the microphone. It is SO cute to listen to the kids sing. They have such a good time with this game. Then, after the kids go to bed, Todd and I seize the moment to get down to business and jam it out by going "on tour" and play to our hearts content!! I highly recommend this game. So check it out and discover the Rocker in you!!

My New Ride!!

2008-05-28T19:11:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day weekend Todd and I decided that we've had it with our non-functioning cars! After putting over $5,000 into our Mazda 626 and my VW beetle was going to need over $1000 of work, we decided to wash our hands of them completely. So we headed down to the Nissan Dealership and we bought two very reliable cars... a 2008 Nissan Altima for Todd and a 2008 Nissan Sentra for me. I can't even tell you how happy I am right now! Call me materialistic if you will, but I'm just happy I have a car that runs and doesn't vibrate sitting in idle. I can go through a drive-thru and not hear the person on the other end tell me "ma'am, you're going to have to drive up, I can't hear you at all!" Yeah, my bug was so loud, no one could hear me order. Rediculous!!

Anyways, I posted up some pics!! Tell me what you think!

Kids favorite place on earth!

2008-05-17T16:35:00.001-04:00

Chuck E. Cheese.... Need I say more? The things us parents must endure to make our kids happy!

Both my kids came home Friday afternoon delighted because Breigh was "Character of the Month" and Jepson "Student of the Month", so we thought it would be appropriate to celebrate their achievement. Now, I really do try to stay away from CEC (Todd calls it "Chuck-Chuck's" or "The Rat Place" when we're trying to talk in code around the kids, which always makes me laugh....lol) at all cost what with all the germs that this place breeds and hundreds of screaming children running around like little fiends trying to get as many tickets as possible. It always amazes me at how many tickets you have to get for one measely, piece of crap toy. I could go to the dollar store and get so much more for my money for a little better quality... am I the only who feels this way?... Anyways, the kids did have a great time and I guess that's all that matters right?

How RUDE!!!

2008-05-16T15:44:00.000-04:00

So I decided to have lunch with my kids at school the other day and so Todd and I headed over to meet them. After we ate our lunch, the kids recycle their trays and then line up at the door at the other end of the lunch room to go out for recess. Well, Breigh wanted me to walk her to the door and then I was going to kiss her goodbye except I didn't get the chance because as I was walking her through the hallway to the door, a woman stopped me and said in a VERY not nice tone" Excuse me... are you visiting?" I politely replied "yes?" She said "You can't be out there in the hallway, after the kids are done eating you have to go back to the office". I felt like I had been stopped by the lunchroom Nazi!! I said "I was just walking my daughter to the door." The lady then turned to me and rolled her yes at me... AS IF!!! I was so upset.

Why do people have to be SO RUDE?!? I was nice to her, why does she have to inflict her bad mood on me? Sheesh! I will do almost anything for someone who asks me nicely.. I'm just sayin'!

Where does the time go?

2008-04-18T18:37:00.000-04:00

I CANNOT believe how long it has been since I last blogged! Where does the time go. Well, I have been spending a majority of my time exercising like a fool. I have a workout buddy and we workout every morning, 5 a.m. and then I work out again in the afternoon. I feel pretty whooped right now

Tomorrow is Jepson's 7th birthday and this boy is beyond excited. He has invited a bunch of his buddies over to celebrate. He has been counting down the days since February, I believe...lol! I remember getting so excited about my birthdays when I was little, so it's been fun watching him with such excitement. He knows he's getting an ice-hockey table to be set up in his room and specifically cleaned his room out today to make room for the precious gift! He's awaiting with baited breath for his Dad to set it up. silly boy! I'll put up some more pictures tomorrow, if I have any energy left with 12 boys in my house....yeesh!!

typing test

2008-03-31T21:13:00.000-04:00

81 words

Speed test

Thanks to Tiffani, I got a little too obsessed with this one! What are your typing skill like?

Funny!

2008-03-29T10:25:00.000-04:00

This made me laugh and I just had to share.... Enjoy!

Ways to Maintain A Healthy
Level of Insanity

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It "In."

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write " For Smuggling Diamonds"

7. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy."

8 Don't use any punctuation

9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.

10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go."

12. Sing Along At The Opera.

13. Go To A Poetry Recital And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme?

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area And Play tropical Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In The Mood.

16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won!, I Won!"

18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling
"Run For Your Lives, They're Loose!!"

19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner. "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go."

20. And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity.......

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Sore throats

2008-03-13T11:46:00.001-04:00

I never realized how much I took advantage of swallowing before this sore throat of mine. Ice cream and popsicles have been my best friend! :)

UUGGHH!

2008-03-10T21:33:00.001-04:00

I thought I was doing so good, taking my vitamins RELIGIOUSLY every day, exercising, eating healthy. Somehow I STILL managed to get the Flu anyways! So Breigh and I are at home desperately trying to nurse ourselves back to health. My hubby is at the store getting my meds right now and once I can sip my cinnamon TheraFlu, I'll be a new woman. Wish us luck!

MEN!

2008-03-09T12:15:00.001-04:00

So, I get this call at work from my husband telling me that Breigh has a fever and I need to pick her up from school. Here is our conversation.

Todd: Hey, the school just called and said Breigh has a fever of 109.

Me: 109!?!?!?!? are you sure?

Todd: Yeah, it's not like it's 110 or 112?

I then hung up with him, RAN over to the school (which is just across the street). I get to the school and the nurse says "Oh, hi.. Breigh has a little fever of 100.9 and we need to send her home." I just about died. 100.9 NOT 109! MEN!

Tagged.... You're it!

2008-03-06T20:28:00.000-05:00

I can
1. Bake to my heart's content.
2. Sing... my 8-year-old thinks I'm the best!
3. Clean like nobody's business.

I can’t make
1. My plants grow.
2. myself thin by not changing my habits
3. crafts

I am
1. a hard worker
2. content
3. happy

I was
1. a softball player
2. very shy
3. single

I hope
1. to have a great relationship with my kids
2. see my family soon
3. to get out of debt soon

I love
1. my husband
2. my kids
3. my family

There you have it! What do you think your answers will be? Get thinking, and then pass the fun along on your blog. Unless I’m the only one that loves doing and reading these things!

5 Things I Like About Me!

2008-03-06T18:41:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I've been challenged, and we all know I never turn down a challenge...lol! I feel kind of funny talking about myself, but I think this is a really healthy thing to do, especially since I'm trying to lose weight and positive thinking is something I need to work on. I've been asked to write 5 things I like about me, so here goes:

1. I have really great skin. I am 31 years old and I get comments from people all the time at how great my skin is. They think I'm 18 and it feels so great to reveal my real age!

2. I have great hair. I haven't found anyone that has the versatility and color that I seem to get away with. I can wear straight and curly (more straight than curly, I have issues with having poofy hair....lol). I'm the envy at the hair salon!

3. I like the curves of my body. I don't really now how to justify this one without sounding silly, so I'll move on...lol!

4. I like the color of my eyes... green. There's not a lot of the "green-eyed" ladies out there and I really like mine!

5. wow... this is harder than i thought. ummm.... I guess I have a cute nose.

who's next?

bad week

2008-02-22T15:49:00.000-05:00

I'm just having a "craptastic" week as my friend so lovely refers to it! I've had such a stressful week at work and all my healthy eating habits have just gone out the window. It's funny how when I feel good, I want to eat healthy, but when I don't feel so good, I just want to eat crap! I just feel like complaining right now.

blah, blah, blog

2008-02-14T20:59:00.000-05:00

I haven't had much to blog about lately....or had the energy. I've been working with a personal trainer and he is really kicking my butt. So between being sore and working out, I'm beat. Happy Valentines Day everyone! ...lol!

Thought for the day

2008-01-19T15:19:00.000-05:00

As I was taking my kids to get some Slurpies at 7-11, Jepson decided on "Wild Cherry" flavor. As we were driving home, he said to me "Mom, does this mean I'm going to turn into a wild animal if I drink this?" I had to laugh. It took me a moment to figure out what the heck he was talking about. Out of the mouths of babes.

I love my Hunny!

2008-01-17T15:44:00.000-05:00

Today is my 10 year anniversary and let me tell you, 10 years goes by SO FAST! So to my surprise, an FTD came walking into my office at work and delivered this BEAUTIFUL bouquet along with some Godiva chocolate(yummm!) and a nice heart pendent necklace. It just put a huge smile on my face since he has never gotten me any flowers in the whole 10 years we have been married. It just made my day!

We are celebrating next weekend by dropping the kids off at our in-laws and getting a really nice hotel on the beach on the Atlantic ocean. I am SO excited. It will be great to have some quality US time. :)

Santa was good to us!

2007-12-27T16:41:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! We had a wonderful Christmas. Todd's sister Allison and her husband Keith spent the week with us and it was really good to have some family with us as I tend to get really homesick this time of year with my family all out west. Allison and Keith are expecting their first child at the end of July and we are just so giddy for them. She of course is very sick and tired all the time, but I just keep telling her it's a good thing that she's sick.. it means the baby is growing and developing as it should. I don't know how comforting it is to hear being sick all the time is good, but she is trying to get through it the best she can. They just left today and we were all sad to see them go, but life goes on, I guess. That's the thing about Christmas that I do hate. It takes so long to get everything ready and buy all the gifts and visit with friends and family, but when it finally arrives, it's over way too soon:(

My biggest gift (and favorite) that I got this year, was a new set of Calphalon pots and pans!!! I am just beside myself. These are top of the line pots and pans. Nothing sticks to these babies and I am loving cooking even more than before. :) Thanks to my mother-in-law who gave them to us. Love, love, love them!

ok..secondly, I have to thank Tiffani for her delectable cinnamon roll recipe that I made Christmas Eve! Everyone LOVED them and they were moist and yummy even the next day. I get all my yummy recipes and tips from Tiff. You rock my friend! :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and continues to have a prosperous and Happy New Year! :)

A Night in Bethlehem

2007-12-20T15:42:00.001-05:00

Sunday night we had the opportunity to go through a live nativity at our church. They have a few acres that they set up "Bethlehem". So we took the kids and as we entered, we were greeted by 2 men dressed up like roman soldiers dressed.

Then we were given some coins and we made our way to the different shops that would have been around in that time. Then the there was a show that started every 30 minutes and the first segment we were all shuffled to sit and watch Mary and Joseph as they were traveling trying find room at the inn and the innkeepers would keep turning them away. I got so emotional. It was so real. I can only imagine what Mary must have been feeling leading up to the birth of the baby Jesus and having to be turned away by everyone. Then the next segment was of Mary and Joseph with their newborn and all the shepherds and wisemen visiting them. Mary sang a lullabye to the baby Jesus and it was really beautiful. I think I would have enjoyed it a little more if Jepson hadn't kept saying "Mom, I have to go potty".. "Mom, let's go home now"... "Mom, is that a goat?..mom, I want to pet the goat." EERRGGH! (yes, they even had live animals too!)

We were then ushered into the church building for some cookies and hot chocolate. When we got home, the kids said "That was FUN!" So amidst the frustration, everyone had a great time.

All is well

2007-12-14T23:31:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to give an update. Breigh weathered the surgery well and is at home recuperating. She flipped out a little after the surgery was over with when she was in the recovery room. She wasn't awake enough from the drugs they gave her and she kept yelling "I want to go home now"...."Take me home NOW!" We had to re-assure her that they weren't going to be doing anything else to her and we promised we would take her home when she woke up a little bit more. But, she is almost back to normal as she has been yelling at her brother, so her throat is definitely getting better. Her voice is a little higher and it's funny to listen to her talk now. I wanted to cry the first time I heard her breathe. She can breathe through her nose when she sleeps, which she has never been able to do and the snoring is GONE! My baby can breathe now and it is such a good feeling!

Anyways...she made me laugh a little today. We were driving home from having lunch and she said "Mom, how come cows butts are shaped like hearts?" I never really thought about that before, but I guess they kind of are shaped like hearts....lol! From the mouth of a 7-year-old..too funny!

Tonsils...eeewww!

2007-12-06T15:38:00.000-05:00

Early tomorrow morning, Breigh will be getting her tonsils out. She has really been struggling to breathe at night and so Todd and I were worried because she seems to be tired all the time and not getting enough sleep (or at least I'm blaming her outbursts and bad behavior on that anyways). Come to find out, her tonsils are 3 times the normal size they should be and they are so enlarged that they are touching! It is totally disgusting to look at inside her mouth. They are the size of two golf balls in the back of her throat! She is terrified of surgery, but she knows she will feel SO much better with them out.

So, tonite we are going to let her pick where she wants to go out and eat for her "last supper" since she will be only able to tolerate liquids and ice-cream for awhile. Wish us luck!

My Christmas Dishes

2007-11-28T21:44:00.000-05:00

OK, I realize there's a pattern forming here with dishes... I don't know why, they're like purses and shoes for me..... I love to have lots of them. My mom calls me Imelda Marcos (apparently she has a fetish for shoes like me).

Here are my Christmas dishes and I am really happy with them! I got them online and wasn't sure how they would look upclose, but I really like them and they arrived without one crack or break, even better! They have found their happy place at my dining room table. The only problem is they only come in a set for 4 and there are 6 place settings at my table, but I think they're worth it!

Uneventful Thanksgiving...

2007-11-27T19:22:00.000-05:00

Well, we had an uneventful Thanksgiving. It was just us and my mother-in-law, pretty small all and all, but we cooked a feast fit for 20, yet there were only 5 of us! You gotta love leftovers!:)

I wanted to put up the Christmas tree Thanksgiving night, but alas Todd said no. So I waited until the next day....tee-hee! As I was getting everything out, I realized that I need to replenish some of the ones that are falling apart, so no complete pictures yet, but I will post them up as soon as I get them and finish my runs to Target!

Merry Christmas to me!

2007-11-18T20:29:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting this new dinnerware set from target for a few months now, but everytime I go to look at buying it, they are always completely out. So, I found it online and Todd gave me the go ahead to order it for myself for Christmas! Whoo-hoo! Aren't they adorable?!?

My sweet boy...

2007-11-17T22:07:00.000-05:00

Friday I spent the afternoon taking Jepson to a doctor's appt, a pediatric neurologist to be exact. Driving 45 minutes to a not so nice part of town was not at the top of my "fun"things to do, but for my baby boy, how could I not.

His teachers at school mentioned to us that Jepson delays his response to questions that are asked him by 5-7 seconds. We have noticed this at home too, so we were a little concerned about this and with his history of being "developmentally delayed" since he was 3, we thought a neurological workup would be worth looking into.

So, he has to get an MRI with sedation, EEG and complete blood workup done. The doctor thinks he may have a audiological processing delay and ADD. Immediately, I had this knot at the bottom of my stomach am SO not looking forward to putting him through all of this. As scared as I am though, I am really interested to see what the results will show. I don't want him to struggle in school like I did and if he gets the help he needs, then it will be worth it.

The fun begins next month so I will keep you all updated!

In the spirit of giving

2007-11-06T15:31:00.000-05:00

Since Thanksgiving is upon us, I was thinking of the little things I am thankful for. here are a few:

Fuzzy slippers. I love waking up on a cold morning and getting into my fuzzy, cozy pink slippers that Breigh gave me last year for Christmas.

My kids' uncontrollable laughter. It always makes me laugh when they just can't seem to stop and get that belly laugh going. Classic.

Fresh flowers. I love to stop and smell the roses, especially the ones I planted under a tree in my backyard. I love having fresh flowers in the house. It makes me feel so "Martha Stewart".

Good kids. Now granted, my kids are not perfect, but I have been told I have very good children and that just does a mother's heart good. I feel like I must be doing something right!

Pumpkin spice candles. What would I do without my pumpkin spice candles that makes my house a home. I love coming home to that smell, it just puts a big goofy smile on my face :)

I could go on and on, but these are just a few of my favorites!

2007-11-01T17:02:00.000-04:00

We had great fun trick-or-treating this year, although we didn't actually get out of the house until around 8 (the kids bedtime), but we handed out all our candy until then and then made our rounds throughout the neighborhood. Jepson answered the door and passed out the candy while Breigh was getting her face painted. He was so funny. When the kids came to our door, a few of them would just open their bag for the candy to be dispensed in them and Jepson would say "say trick-or-treat!!!". I was cracking up. He loved everyones costumes and commented on each and every one. Here are our pics from the spooky night.

I love the look on her face, like a zombie!

Here's a closeup of her face. Pretty cool huh?!?!

Breigh was supergirl, but not just any supergirl. A supergirl dripping with blood and kryptonite all over her face. This was completely her own idea. When she told her friends about the kryptonite at school they had no idea what kryptonite was. She said "don't you people watch Smallville!" lol. I think Todd did an awesome job painting her face. It's one of my favorite Halloween traditions!

Spidey using his web. I can't count how many times I've been "webbed".

My Spidey-Man posing for me. Isn't he the cutest?!?!

I hope everyone had a fun night!

Funny Story

2007-10-19T15:45:00.000-04:00

So, the other day Todd bought a Wii video game set with controls and games and such. We are going to surprise the kids for Christmas with the game so he was like a little kid opening up the package when it arrived. He decided that we needed to "try it out" before we wrap it up for Christmas. So early Saturday morning, we get the kids their breakfast and then go into our room, lock the door, and try out the Wii. Shortly afterwards, Breigh finished her br:akfast and she listened to what was going on just outside of our bedroom. She could hear the sounds from the video game coming from our room. This is how it played out:

BREIGH: "I wanna play!"
TODD: "You can't play it just yet, it's a surprise".
BREIGH: "But I wanna play too, pleeeeze!"
TODD (I could KILL him for saying this): "We're not dressed yet".
BREIGH: "Why are you guys dancing around naked?!?!?....... You can imagine my horror....lol!
ME: (hitting my husband)... "WHY DID YOU TELL HER THAT?!?!?"
BREIGH: You guys are kind of freakin' me out right now!

We were both on the floor rolling with laughter. Next time we'll have to find a better excuse! :)

SparkPeople

2007-10-06T15:37:00.000-04:00

Well, here it is October and I was hoping to lose 10 lbs by now but I lost 6 and I really can't complain. A dear friend of mine who has inspired me (who she herself has lost 65 lbs!!! go Feather!) has directed me to a site which I LOVE and felt that I really needed to blog about it and share my new find with others.

www.sparkpeople.com is the best site I have found to help me to lose weight. It has meal plans, fitness and nutrition trackers for people to track their weight progress. And the best part it is... it's completely FREE! It has been very informative for me, so anyone who is trying to lose weight, give sparkpeople a try!

2007-10-02T19:02:00.000-04:00

So I don't know what has gotten into me this year, but I have been bitten by the holiday bug early this year. Usually I wait until halfway through the month and the thought will go through my mind..."hmmm, I guess I should put up some decorations" and then the thought will quickly pass and before I know it, Halloween is over. But, the kids really live for this kind of stuff and so we had fun decorating halloween cupcakes the other day. It's amazing how fast those cupcakes went, some of which the frosting had mysteriously disappeared from the top of the cupcake...hmmmm.

Anyways, then last night for family home evening, I thought the kids would have fun decorating the house in cobwebs so we had fun putting our creativity to work! I think it looks pretty festive if I do say so myself. :)

My Spidey-Man

2007-09-26T17:34:00.001-04:00

About 2 weeks ago, I decided to get the kids their Halloween costumes early because a)I don't sew (well besides curtains and table cloths) and b)I wanted to beat the rush of moms buying their kids' costumes. So I decided to get Jepson this spiderman costume. I don't know if you can tell, but it has built-in muscles so he looks all ripped in the chest. I wasn't sure how he would react to getting this costume, because he really wanted an "ironman" costume, but Target didn't have Ironman. When I brought it home, he not only liked it, but every day after school he would change and turn into spiderman and the following day he would become "Peter Parker" again when going to school. He has worn his costume so much that I am going to have to mend the 2 holes that are in it already. He has even gone so far as to tell me his name is not Jepson, it's "spidey." Silly boy! So I thought I would get "Spidey" in action and snapped a picture. More Halloween pics to come later:)

Hannah Montana Frenzy!

2007-09-21T20:29:00.000-04:00

Ok... I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I LOVE Hannah Montana! I realize that I am 30 years old and most of her audience is geared for youngsters, but I have finally found a non-animated show that I actually enjoy watching with my 7-year-old daughter. Her songs are awesome and I think empower young girls to be their best self. "Nobody's Perfect" and "I've Got Nerve" just to name a few of my favs.

Well, to my delightment, I found out that Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) is coming to town in November and I thought I would surprise Breigh with tickets. So last Saturday I got on the phone the day tickets went on sale. Do you know the concert sold out in like 3 minutes! NOT FAIR! I guess that's way it goes. I'm just bummed :(

The Miracle Toddler Diet

2007-09-16T12:41:00.001-04:00

My friend sent me this and I thought it so hilarious I just had to share. Those of you with toddlers or who have had toddlers can truly appreciate this!

Over the years you may have noticed that most two year olds are trim.
Now the formula to their success is available to all in this new diet...
The Miracle Toddler Diet.
(You may want to consult your doctor before trying this diet.
If not, you may be seeing him afterwards.) Good Luck !!!

DAY ONE
Breakfast: One scrambled egg, one piece of toast with grape jelly.
Eat 2 bites of egg, using your fingers; dump the rest on the floor.
Take 1 bite of toast, then smear the jelly over your face and clothes.

Lunch: Four crayons (any color), a handful of potato chips, and a
glass of milk (3 sips only, then spill the rest).

Dinner: A dry stick, two pennies and a nickel, 4 sips of flat Sprite.

Bedtime Snack: Throw a piece of toast on the kitchen floor.

DAY TWO

Breakfast: Pick up stale toast from kitchen floor and eat it.
Drink half bottle of vanilla extract or one vial of vegetable dye.
Lunch: Half tube of "Pulsating Pink" lipstick and a handful of
Purina Dog Chow (any flavor). One ice cube, if desired.
Afternoon Snack: Lick an all-day sucker until sticky, take outside,
drop in dirt. Retrieve and continue slurping until it is clean again.
Then bring inside and drop on rug.
Dinner: A rock or an uncooked bean, which should be thrust up your
left nostril. Pour Grape Kool-Aid over mashed potatoes; eat with spoon.
DAY THREE
Breakfast: Two pancakes with plenty of syrup, eat one with fingers,
rub in hair. Glass of milk; drink half, stuff other pancake in glass. After
breakfast, pick up yesterdays sucker from rug, lick off fuzz, put it on
the cushion of best chair.

Lunch: Three matches, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Spit several
bites onto the floor. Pour glass of milk on table and slurp up.

Dinner: Dish of ice cream, handful of potato chips, some red punch.
Try to laugh some punch through your nose, if possible.

FINAL DAY
Breakfast: A quarter tube of toothpaste (any flavor), bit of soap, an
olive. Pour a glass of milk over bowl of cornflakes, add half a cup of
sugar. Once cereal is soggy, drink milk and feed cereal to dog.
Lunch: Eat bread crumbs off kitchen floor and dining room carpet.
Find that sucker and finish eating it.
Dinner: A glass of spaghetti and chocolate milk. Leave meatball on
plate. Stick of mascara for dessert.

What DORKS!!!!

2007-09-15T17:30:00.000-04:00

Ok. I had an experience today that I just had to blog about. Being the artist that my husband is, he likes comic books and has been collecting them for years. I was a bit embarrassed of this when we met, but love him nonetheless :) He's been out of it for awhile and thought it would be fun to share his love for comic books with our children. So we meandered over to the comic book store with the kids and let them pick out two of their favorites. As I looked around, I could not believe what I was seeing. 30 and 40-year-old grown men playing "cards" with each other and arguing about which villians rock. OMG... could they BE bigger dorks?!?! I mean do they have nothing better to do with their time than hang out at the comic book store? And they wonder why they're single....lol. It just amazed me and opened my eyes to this new world. I actually had to go into a corner of the store and mask my snickering at them. I just couldn't help myself. Geez!

THIRD TIME'S A CHARM

2007-09-06T17:06:00.000-04:00

So I joined Weight Watchers last night in a last ditch effort to lose this extra weight I have been hanging on to. Today was my first day and I have to say, I feel really good! The motivation is back and I am hoping to lose 10 pounds by October 1st. Wish me luck!

I did it

2007-08-27T18:16:00.000-04:00

Ok.. here they are enjoy!

The Kid's First Day at School

2007-08-27T17:51:00.000-04:00

Jepson

Breigh

No Pics

2007-08-27T17:21:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I'm having technical difficulties and cannot figure out how to get my pictures posted up..but believe you me... I WILL! Bare with me :)

The First Day of School..

2007-08-27T16:21:00.000-04:00

Last Monday was the first day of school for the kids and they were SO excited. Breigh was all dressed and ready before she even came down for breakfast. I remember being excited to see all my friends like that on the first day when I was a kid....those were the days! I tried to get some pictures of them coming off the bus, but they were too quick for me. So here they are.

Why is it SO HARD!!!

2007-08-21T16:04:00.000-04:00

I have been trying to lose weight for the better part of the year. At one point I lost 15 pounds and now I have gained it all back!!! It is SO aggravating. I think my problem is lack of self control and self discipline. When we go out to eat, I justify getting what I want because it is a "special occasion" and end up gaining weight because of it. The problem is we go out quite often and I can't use that "special occasion" excuse any more. I'm so pathetic! Can anyone help?!?!

I just ordered YBB (Yoga Booty Ballet). I've heard good things about this DVD and hope this will get me on the right track again. :) I also got Shape Bikini Body Camp.... WHOO... is that a workout or what?! My goal is to get through the whole thing (I make it about half way through and then poop out). But each time I do it, I get a little bit further. Wish me luck!

Kiddie-isms...

2007-08-08T19:11:00.000-04:00

My friend has a blog entited "Make Me Smile Monday" though I'm late, better late than never right?

JEPSON - I was thinking of putting Jepson in soccer or T-ball this year and I asked him "what do you want to play, soccor or t-ball? to which he replies "I would like to play X-box!" Oh the times, they are a changin! Little stinker.

BREIGH - Ok... I'm a terrible mom, I can't really think of any Breigh-isms. I really need to be writing them down as they happen, but I'm not that organized. Breigh is really overcoming her shyness and stepping outside of her little shell and I am very pleased about that. I am getting more and more comments like "wow, I never knew Breigh could talk so much"! Oh yes...welcome to my world. She is shy until you get to know her and then she just won't quit. I do remember one time we were riding in the car with my parents and Breigh was just talking up a storm and my dad leaned over and said "Is there an off button on you? and she says "no, but I got a belly button!". Classic! :)

I'm tagged

2007-08-05T17:22:00.000-04:00

I was tagged so I'm delightfully participating. The object is to give 1 word answers... here goes!

Yourself: Cheerful

Your partner: Passionate

Your hair: Awesome!

Your mother: Faithful

Your father: Selfless

Your favorite item: Lipstick

Your dream last night: Family

Your favorite drink: Water

Your dream car: Mercedes

Dream home: Own

The room you are in: Bed

Your fear: Death

What you are great at: Listening

Where you want to be in 10 years: Family

Who you hung out with last night: Nicole

You're not: Tactful

One of your wish list items: Car

The last thing you did: Clean

You are wearing: Jammies

Your favorite weather: Sunny

Your favorite book: Potter

Last thing you ate: Quesadilla

Your life: Happy

Your mood: Calm

Your best friend: Todd

What are you thinking about right now: Tomorrow

Your car: Beetle

What are you doing at the moment: duh

Relationship status: Married

What is on your t.v: Spongebob

When is the last time you laughed: Last night.

I'm tagging Shannon, Kami and Allison.. happy blogging!

2007-07-31T17:46:00.000-04:00

So, at the request and delight of my sister, I have simpsonized myself. Pretty good likeness eh?

ahh.. peace

2007-07-30T18:49:00.000-04:00

So, here it is... my blog! I'm actually pretty excited about having one. I've really enjoyed reading everyone else's blog and can't wait to inundate everyone with my thoughts! :) This will be the test to see you actually reads this... ttfn!