Pass The Bon Bons

for reals

2009-01-26T18:33:00.000-08:00

As in, "I'm the worst blogger in the world. For reals!"

I know, I know. I've been bad. My blog really took off when I started working full time and was looking for things to help me avoid doing my work. Then I started thinking that I just had to have a photo in each entry. So my posts started coming less often because I didn't always have a photo.

Then, I started the photography business and that gave me another blog to keep track of and well...you know how it is. I still want to keep this one up because I do enjoy looking back at my posts from so long ago and remembering how I felt and what the kids were doing and whatnot. I'm just gonna sort of stink at it for a while. Deal.

So, a little thing I'm doing this year (that is also taking up some of my time) is a 365 project. I am on flickr a lot for my photography and I joined a group called 366-1 (I think they were 365+1 last year) and it's been challenging but fun. The deal is, you take one picture every single day for a year. I decided to use this project for my family and then I'm doing a 52 week project as well that is a self-portrait project.

So if you'd like to keep track of me and see how I do feel free to check out my photos here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/9771986@N03/collections/72157612003705053/ The 366-1 project will be in a folder for each month to help organize things a bit better. I'm already surprised that it is the 26th and I've kept up with it. Hopefully I can make it the whole year!

Diva much?

2009-01-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

I'm cleaning the study today. Going through papers that have been just piling up higher and higher over the last several months. I ran across a paper of Sadie's that was stacked with several other school papers. I'm not sure that I ever read this, if I had I'm sure I would remember.

Sadie is very girly. I guess really all girls are "girly" to some extent. I thought Madi was when she first came along and while she is...she's nothing like the feel-the-pea-under-the-mattress girly that Sadie is. Neither is Teagan. Sadie is our one and only Diva, and while I appreciate her love for all things blingy and beautiful I really don't know if I could handle two of her.

This paper was apparently a spelling assignment where she was to use the word in a sentence, underline the word, and use proper puncuation. She did the assignment and got 100% on it. I wonder if her teacher laughed when she read it like I did. What do you think?

"I have to go to the bathroom." whispered Sadie. (I know, you're thinking that doesn't seem so out of the ordinary. Just wait.)

"Look at my outfit, its cuter than yours." bragged Sadie. (At least she realizes that acting like that is bragging. That's a good thing, right?)
"I'm weird!" joked Halle.

"Oh no you didn't, oh yes I did!" argued Sadie and Diana. (I guess her teacher over looked that this was two people talking in one set of quotation marks. Possibly because she could just visual Sadie saying this with snaps?)

"Oh no! I got my $10,000 earrings muddy!" shrieked Sadie. (I hope she marraiges well. God bless her future husband!)

"Give me your creddit card daddy!" demanded Sadie. (Her teacher must have been laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes and couldn't see because she didn't mark off for the spelling of credit.)

"Give me that cute stuffed bunny!" yelled Sadie. (I wonder if she'd like a goose that lays golden eggs?)

"Yes, he is so funny and cute." replied, Sadie. (She's 8, gonna really have to watch this one!)

"Daddy, I want this phone." called Sadie. (She asked me just after Christmas if she'd be getting a cell phone soon. Um...no.)

"I want that puppy and I want it now!" demanded Sadie. (Whoa!)

"Me two! I have that phone and that one two!" answered Sadie. (Still...no.)

"Look at my shoes, there soo cute!" interrupted Sadie. (Wow.)

"Daddy I have a fashion show and dance show today." called Sadie. (Wonder if she called him on one of those phones she has.)

We are currently dealing with Madi starting to head down a path that we aren't happy with. Heaven help us when Sadie gets to be her age!

Bad Margo!

2008-12-29T18:40:00.000-08:00

Yeah yeah, I know. I've been a bad blogger. I just don't have enough hours in the day!

Christmas is upon us and the hustle and bustle that comes with it has been extra hustley-bustley this year. We just returned yesterday from our trip to Colorado to stay with Uncle Matt and Aunt Malissa. It was a wonderful time but not nearly long enough. It's always nice to be back home, I just wish we were with family more often.

When we came home we opened our own gifts to each other and Hubby blew me away with my gifts. A new chair for the office. A new 24 inch monitor and a super fast "tricked out for pictures" XPS Dell computer. I hadn't asked for any of these things but the idea that he thought of these things all on his own just make me beam. You see, I'm not sure if I've mentioned it but I've quite my job and am hoping to pursue my dream of being a full time photographer. Knowing that he has invested in me by providing these gifts makes me so happy! He really rocks!

So, hopefully I'll be editing faster and adding more photos to my blog more often. Yeah! Here are a few to enjoy of Sadie putting the star on our family tree this year.

And Eli got to do the star on the big tree in the entryway this year. We rotate the kids so next year Sadie will move up to the big tree and it will be Tea's turn to do the family tree. Luckily they aren't afraid to climb. I hope our banister holds up throughout the years. Just think, there may be a day that we have grand-babies climbing on that thing to put the star on!

Snowflake fun

2008-12-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here at work, trying to avoid working. I don't feel well. Haven't felt well for 12 days now. I'm just nauseated and blah. No, I'm not pregnant. At least I don't think I am. Some major growing back together would have had to have happened for that to take place! I'm going to the doctor this morning at 11:00 so I'm just sort of hanging here waiting until my appointment.

So my friend Shari showed me this link to make a snowflake. It's awfully fun. You should try it out!

Snowflake Fun!

Here's what's happening in our neck of the woods.

2008-11-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

Said in my best Al Roker voice of course.

So sorry to my faithful followers who are wondering if I might have fallen off the face of the earth. I'm still here. Just hanging on as tight as I can.

We've been busy to say the least. I guess the best thing to do is share updates on everyone. So here goes!

Teagan: She's doing much better after her major injury. She won't let anyone go near her knee though. Taking the stitches out was a nightmare. It didn't hurt but you would have thought that they were putting more in. Then a couple days ago she said it was hurting and it looked like there might be an infection under the skin. The disolvable layer of stitches are still in. I know this because some of them are still sticking out. When she woke up yesterday morning whatever I had seen under the skin the day before had "popped" and there was a hole. She gets really super freaked out if anything changes because she thinks we'll have to go back to the doctor and they'll mess with it. I did take her in yesterday and she flipped when they tried to pull out the disolvable stitches so they are still there. The doctor didn't think it was infected but guessed that one of the stitches was the cause of the new hole so we got some prescription ointment to put on it just in case. Other than that she's doing great. Reading more and more each day which is always so much fun to watch. She's still doing gymnastics too and even pronounces it correctly most of the time now. I much prefer when she was excited to go to "june-nastics".

Sadie: She got braces yesterday. Just one the front 4 teeth. It's phase 1. First we had the palate expander and now the 4 braces with the wire connecting back to the bands that are attached to the expander. Did I mention this is just phase 1? I'd love to say that she'll just need this but I'm guessing phase 2 will be a must. Good times right? Yep. She's still dancing away and recently took a hip hop masters class. The girl can seriously wiggle. At least one of my kiddos got my hip shakin' ability, right?

Eli: He's got braces now. Did you know that? It's been a while but I can't remember how long it's been since I've updated. He's still got the same girlfriend too. A year and a half. And he's 12. Man. Talk about long term. He's still going strong with his piano and trumpet. Not making his piano teacher too happy because instead of practicing the music she gives him he finds a song that he'd rather learn and dives in deep. I love to hear him play.

Madi: She got her braces off. Her hair has grown and is long and beautiful. She told us the other day that when they filled out the Pioneer Picks for the yearbook last week that everyone was telling her they voted her "best hair". Who would have thought that the little girl who didn't have more than a wisp of hair until she was 18 months old would now have such wonderful thick blonde hair. She's had a couple boyfriends but nothing that ever really seemed to be more than a special friend to her. Until now. She now has a 9th grade boyfriend and she is smitten! I'm pleased to say that I approve. He seems like a really nice kid and is cute too!

Brad and myself: Well, we're just busy running the Stewart household and keeping up with all the activities and everyday happenings! Brad just sold a house and has another couple interested in having him build a custom home for them after the new year. I'm so proud of him. He really is a cool guy. We will celebrate 15 years together in marraige in January. Wow, time really DOES fly! We traveled to San Francisco in the beginning of this month to run in the USA Half marathon. It was a really fun trip with friends and we stayed with SueAnn which was an extra bonus.

And then there is my new business venture which is what has truly been keeping me the busiest. I finally took the plunge and started a photography business. You can find me at www.madiganephotography.com I've been busy for the last several weekends with sessions and then spend a lot of time in the evening editing my photos. It's really taken off and I'm looking forward to what it may (or may not) bring. I don't know that I could ever leave the comfort of the full-time guaranteed job I currently have but I have to admit that I do dream of one day doing photography full time.

So there ya go. That's what's been going on. I promise to at least try to post more. I miss blogging about my daily life. It really is neat to have a record of what goes on around here. Maybe that can be one of my new year resolutions. I'll tag it right along with "eat better" and "exercise".

Oh, and just because I have to add a photo to my posts or they don't feel complete, here's one of Madi schlepping some of my photography stuff for me after a recent shoot.

Our terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

2008-10-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

The day started off nicely enough. Madi and Eli are away at a church retreat because it's fall break. I took yesterday and today off to stay home with Sadie and Teagan. Yesterday we had a blast...shopping, lunch together, pumpkin patch. Good times. This morning we got up and did some cleaning and then went to lunch with Hubby. Then we picked up some new OSU apparel cause it's homecoming weekend. HUGE deal in these parts.

We came home after lunch and were finishing up some cleaning in hopes to surprise Daddy when he got home. I had just changed my Facebook status to say...cleaning, then running, then walk-a-round! We were really looking forward to the walk-a-round where we have the opportunity to see all the house decks that the sororities and fraternities on campus have made over the last several weeks.

My sweet little Tea pot was in my bathroom with me and asked if she could organize my shoes in my closet. It's a little bit like a shoe store in there. Empty boxes on the shelves with shoes littering the floor. I told her that would be fine and thought I'd take a few minutes to do some photo editing.

As I'm sitting here on the computer I thought I heard her scream. Sadie was here next to me and I asked her if she heard something and so then we both sat quietly waiting. Yep. Screaming for sure.

I ran back to my bathroom to find Teagan sitting in the middle of my bathroom floor. She said she had fallen in my closet and her leg hurt. She was holding her left leg and wearing jeans and I didn't see anything out of place so I started to lift her jeans up. I honestly expected to see a little scrape or bump that I would easily be able to kiss away. Instead, as I lifted the jeans past her little knee all of the skin covering her knee cap lifted as well. Her knee cap was completely exposed and there lay the deepest cut from one side of her knee to the other. Sadie had run in behind me and I immediately told her to call Hubby and tell him to meet me at the emergency room. Teagan was screaming, especially after seeing what her knee looked like, and she just kept saying things like, "Why did this happen Mommy?!" "Why did this have to happen?!".

I've seen my kids in pain before. I've seen them with ear aches and strep throat. But I didn't see the infection inside their body and the changes it had made. I've witnessed Teagan break her arm and held her as we had x-rays done. But I couldn't see the shattered bone inside her body. This was absolutely unreal. I don't know that I'll ever get the image of her bone uncovered by her skin out of my head. I don't know that I've ever felt that helpless in my life. To not have any answers for her when she just kept asking why. To not be able to just tell her that it would all be ok because I was so beside myself with what I saw that I couldn't be sure that it WOULD be ok.

Luckily my neighbors were home and were able to watch Sadie for me. I had wrapped Teagan's leg in a towel and we headed to the emergency room. On the ride there she must have told me 5 times that it felt fine. She just needed some band aids. She didn't need stitches. Bless her heart.

Hubby was waiting for us when we got there. Once we got in the room the nurse came in and unwrapped her leg and Hubby saw it for the first time. I had told him it was bad but I don't know that he realized how serious I was. He had to leave the room and get a drink of water and some fresh air.

Three hours later we were finally sent home. The doctors knew that it was such a deep cut that it would take a while to stitch up so they had to clear up all the other patients first. Holding Teagan down while they numbed her leg was awful. They ended up having to numb her three times because it just didn't seem to be working. She ended up with 24 stitches across her knee, in two layers because it was so deep. She can walk but won't bend her knee. We missed the homecoming walk-a-round but grabbed some dinner afterwards. By the time we got home her numbness was starting to wear off and she was complaining so I gave her some of the Tylenol 3 we got. Not long ago she came in crying because it hurt so much.

Bless her heart. She honestly seems to have the worst luck ever. This was SUCH a freak accident. It turns out that when she fell, her knee hit the handle on my jewelry box. It stuck in her knee on one side and just tore itself across. She was wearing a pair of jeans we bought yesterday and although there are a few little bloody spots from when I pulled the jeans up, for the most part they are in fine shape. Just one small little hole where the handle poked through.

Please pray for quick healing for our little Tea pot. There is honestly nothing worse than seeing your child in pain and not being able to take it away.

How'd that happen?

2008-09-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

How has it been nearly 3 weeks since I've written on my blog? It's amazing how the time seems to be just flying by. Remember when we were little and it would take like 12 years for our birthday to come back around each year?

So I started the previous entry last week I think. Then I got too busy at work to finish it. That's how it's been lately. Too busy to accomplish anything really.

So I have a million things to talk about but just not nearly enough time so I'll just give you some highlights of what's been going on in my crazy life.

-Eli got braces.
-Madi got her braces off.
-Sadie started the 5 week process at the orthodontist to get her palate expander
-We've filed bankruptcy after all the money we've spent at the orthodontist. (Not really, but hubby did ask if they had a buy 3 get 1 free special since Teagan will undoubtedly need treatment as well.)
-Hubby and I took a long weekend trip to Pheonix to get away and relax.
-Hubby came down with strep throat while we were on our long relaxing weekend which made it not as relaxing.
-My boss/friend Leah at work quit and left me here to fend for myself among the mentally ill.
-I have become increasingly unhappy with my job and am giving serious thought to trying to build a photography business.
-I had a small secret stash of money in my PayPal account from some PrettyMat sales so I spent a bit on a new photography website that I have no idea how to set up.
-Madi and I flew to Houston to stay with Brent and Rhonda and their new precious boy Eddie!
-I took nearly 700 photos over the course of three days in Houston and might be editing them for the rest of my life.

Also, I had a dream the other night about my sister Emily who is having a birthday tomorrow. Her boyfriend Brian recently sold his home in New Mexico and Emily and I have discussed whether or not he might be using some of that profit on a shiny and sparkly gift for her. With her birthday just around the corner I've been wondering lately if I might not get an "I'm engaged!" phone call in the near future.

So a couple nights ago I dreamed that it was the day before her birthday and I was talking to her on the phone. I asked her if she thought she might be getting anything shiny and sparkly for her birthday. She said she didn't think so. She'd looked around the house that she and Brian share and all she found was some books about building a home. I asked her if they were old books that were from when they were building and she said no. She was sure they weren't because they were with all his other stuff. I asked what "stuff" she meant and she said that it was with his hospital stuff...the books, his night clothes, his cane. ???? Apparently he had been in or was going in for hernia surgery. And so he had a cane. And new pj's. And some reading material. We discussed whether or not he was secretly building another home somewhere.

Tomorrow is Emily's birthday. Here's hoping she gets something shiny and sparkly! And if she doesn't, let's just all hope that Brian isn't secretly building another house. Oh, and that he is in good health.

And maybe that I don't have anymore really random dreams!

I didn't wanna watch anyway. So there!

2008-09-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

Monday was Labor Day and the kids were off school on Tuesday for a "professional" day. Not sure what that means other than the kids would be home and I wouldn't be. Madi had a volleyball game in Broken Arrow (about an hour and a half away) and had to load the bus at 1:30. (It was actually 1:15 but I thought it was 1:30 and I had some major pms-teen-drama in my front seat trying to get to the junior high before the bus left. Good times.)

So since I was leaving work early to go to the game and since I had a stomach ache I just opted out of work that day. I loaded up the other 3 kiddos and we headed to Broken Arrow. The game was to start at 4:00 but Madi plays on the "A" team and up until that day, the "B" team always played before her. So I figured I had a little bit of time before they started. I'm looking around this store that I just ran into really quick and my cellie rings and it's Madi saying, "We play in 15 minutes". It's currently 3:45.

Apparently there are two gyms at this place so I hustle over to watch her play thinking I'll just zoom across town and then I remember I'm not in Stillwater anymore. Stupid traffic. It takes a while to get to where I'm going and then I find the gym but her team isn't playing there. I ask the man at the door taking money where she is and he says, "Go through there, out the doors, and then it's one of the big square buildings outside." Um, ok. Except that there are several big square buildings. Thanks for your help there mister.

I finally do find her gym at about 4:15. I go in and pay $5 for myself and $3 each for the kiddos. Not that they are going to actually watch the games. They still make me pay though. That's fine. It's not there fault that I have a big family. I don't mind being responsible for them. You know what I do mind though? I mind finding out that they already won a game and we're halfway through game 2 and kickin' hiney which means I just payed $14 for about 10 minutes! Seriously?!

On the advice of my fellow parents I marched right over to the lady who took my $14 check and asked if I could have it back and just wait outside. So we did. Wait outside. And a few short minutes later the 'neers beat the Bulldogs and we got to go home.

So my goal of taking pictures of every game and tournament hasn't been broken. Cause look. I did get a photo! A crappy one...but hey! It's a photo!

Madi's photoshoot

2008-09-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

So there's this little field near my house and every time I drive by there I think about how I'd like to take pictures there. Actually, I think about how I'd like to drag a barstool and/or my Grandmother's chair there and take pictures of Madi. I mentioned this not long ago and Madi was all for it so this weekend we finally made the trek over and "got 'er done".

The original area where I wanted to shoot turned out not to be so great. It was a lot more overgrown then I realized and a little bit creepy. At one point I was squatting down to take a picture and noticed there was a little frog right in front of me. I wonder how many snakes and bugs were out there with us. *shudder*

The light in that area wasn't as nice as I'd hoped it would be either so we wandered over to where I could see better light and I hit the jackpot. I knew this pond was there but I didn't know there was a little area at the back of the pond that was perfect for taking pictures. Score! This property was sold recently and I'm not sure what the new owner will end up doing with it or when they'll do it. So until then I'm just going to keep trespassing and hoping I don't get caught!

Madi was a good sport and did everything I asked. She was only distracted by her cell phone, which I had to take away when I convinced her to change into a skirt and she didn't have a pocket for it. Man, that thing rings nonstop! She also got a bit distracted when her friend Kiley and dog Sadie showed up from around the corner. Sadie got to have her picture taken too but I couldn't convince Kiley to let me take any shots of her. There's always next time though!

I had a lot of fun editing these photos using some new Photoshop actions I found. It's amazing how different you can make the photos look in post processing! Feel free to mosey on over to flickr to check them out here. Enjoy!

Keepin' busy

2008-08-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

So lots and lots and lots of stuff going on. So much stuff that I'm starting to have a bit of an issue with keeping it all straight. Yeah. That much stuff.

School has started again. Piano has started. Volleyball. Fusion. Cheerleading. Gymnastics. Dance. Yep, full swing. Serious full swingage.

Last weekend Madilee had her first volleyball tournament with her 8th grade school team. They won every single match in just two games and ended up getting first place in the gold bracket. Super fun to watch them win after not always winning during the club volleyball season. They've had 2 games since then and I'm pleased to say that they are still undefeated. Go Pioneers!

I didn't get to watch the bracket play on Saturday because my sister Emily came back to Oklahoma and she and our sister Amy and I had our 3rd Annual Sister Sleepover. Lots of fun staying up late gabbing and eating cookie dough. Pictures to follow soon. I promise!

On Monday Eli went in to the orthodontist to get braces. He was not a happy camper Monday night. Or Tuesday for that matter. Thank goodness God made him a boy. He never would have survived life as a girl with monthly pain and then labor. Seriously.

I'm looking forward to the long weekend. Except that I'm doing a 5K tomorrow in Norman which means I have to wake up early early to get there and I don't wanna. I don't wanna. I don't wanna!

There. Now I'm done.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Chiwobble

2008-08-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

Poor poor little Liza Jayne!

Liza is our Chihuahua/Poodle mix and she is awfully wobbly these days. I was in the shower yesterday morning after my run and Hubby came in and said, "There's something wrong with Liza". I looked out to see her just laying on her left side, looking all limp. We'd try to stand her on her legs and she'd do the wet noodle thing and just fall over onto her left side. Hubby felt around on her legs and she didn't whimper or yelp like she was in pain.

So I finished getting ready and headed to the vet with her. Of course, by the time we got there she was 10 times better. Just like the kids. Sicker than a dog (pun intended!) at home and then you take them to the doctor and they are miraculously healed. So frustrating!

I didn't have an appointment so I was prepared to wait but they got me right in and examined her. The vet decided that she had an inner ear infection and she basically had vertigo. Bless her heart! They had to keep her there for the day to do an ear flush. Then they tested the goop they got out to see what sort of bacteria it was so they knew what medications to prescribe. These meds are pretty cute with the little paw print on top. I guess that's so I don't accidentally try to feed them to the kids?

They said that the first 24-48 hours she may actually be worse and she really is. It's pretty pitiful. She prefers laying in her comfy bed in her crate. I did get her out last night before bed so she could take her medicine. Hubby would say her name and she'd look towards him and her little head just wobbles all around. I'm hoping that she'll feel better by tomorrow. It's hard to see her so puny when she's usually such a happy peppy little thing!

Yo Candice!

2008-08-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

Where's your blog? I just realized I never added you to my friends area so I clicked on your name from my comment but I don't see a blog. Do you no longer have it? Is it private? Come on girl, let me link up wit choo! (Like my Ebonics?)

Made it through the first day

2008-08-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

Look! I'm back already. With pictures! Everyone survived the first day of school for the most part. Here's a rundown...

Madi loves her new math teacher. She doesn't struggle in math like I did when I was younger but I think having a math teacher that you really enjoy is always a bonus. She's taking Spanish this year and said that her teacher wouldn't speak in English. So Madi turned around to ask her friend sitting behind her if she understood and then the teacher started getting onto her for talking in class. Except that she was getting onto her in Spanish, which of course Madi didn't understand. She actually really does know quite a bit of the language, seeing as how El Vaquero is her second home. She really didn't have a lot to report other than that.

Eli called me as soon as he got home from school with a report of a great first day at the middle school. He said he thought that the day would go by slower but it went really quickly. He liked all of his classes and all of his teachers. When we picked up his schedule last week we realized he wasn't placed in the Extended Studies class and so he requested that it be added. It is a semester long course so he knew he would lose one of his electives and was hoping it wouldn't be Spanish. He was thrilled to find out that he'd been added to Extended Studies during the second semester and that this semester he got art and Spanish. Yeah!

Little Miss Sheradyn had a fantastic day. She said she made 2 new friends on the bus. She loves her new teacher and got to go to music class yesterday which was fun. She also says the new playground is "soooooo much fun!". Can't beat that, right? I asked her if everyone called her Sheradyn and she said, "Yes, but some of my close friends kept forgetting and called me Sadie". Well, of course they did!

Then there's my little Teagers. The two little girls that I sat her with when they were lined up in the gym ended up being nice. Thank goodness! She said she made friends with those two girls and then one other girl that was sitting at her table. She couldn't remember any of their names though. So Brad's instructions to her before he left this morning were to find out her new friends names. She called me after school when she got off the bus and I asked her how her first day was. She said, "It was good. But the bus wasn't." I asked her what happened on the bus and she started crying and said she didn't want to say it because it was embarassing. It really wasn't that big of a deal. But the fact that my little baby came home from her first day of school crying and was so upset about it just broke my heart! Apparently, she sat near the back of the bus. Big mistake, cause everyone knows the bad kids sit in the back. I obviously need to teach my 6 year old where the good kids sit! So, her panties were showing above the waistband of her jeans in the back and I guess a group of older boys all counted to three and then yelled something like "Your pants are falling down!" at her. And then of course they all giggled and laughed and pointed. Bless her heart. I can't tell you how much I wanted to beat up some little 3rd grade boys when she was trying to tell me this story through her little sobs. Mean kids. They really suck.

So there ya go. The whole rundown of the first day of school for my kiddos. Hopefully today was better for little Teagan. And if it wasn't then I'm beating up some little boys. Oh, I've got more photos too if you'd like to see them. Cause you know how I love to take me some photos! You can find them
here. Enjoy!

And they're off...

2008-08-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day. I don't like it. I think I don't like the first day because it means that they are a year older and that much closer to being grown and gone. I have some serious issues with the kids getting older.

Madi's in 8th grade. She made the Volleyball "A" team. She's at the junior high. JUNIOR HIGH! How the heck did that happen?

Eli's in middle school. I told him to impress the teachers and not to kiss girls in the hallway. His girlfriend of over a year (yep, that's what I said) is finally at his school. I think their relationship has lasted this long because they didn't go to the same school and rarely saw each other. Now they'll see each other every day. I give 'em two months TOPS before they go their seperate ways.

The little girls are at a new elementary school because our districts were rezoned. The building is new. The classmates are new. The teachers are all new. Sadie actually has a few people in her class that she knows and one girl is one of her best little friends. I put her full name on all her paperwork so the teacher was expecting Sheradyn. Monday night at the meet-your-teacher night Sadie said, "I want to be Sheradyn this year!" so Sheradyn it is. We'll see how long it lasts.

I'm most worried about Teagan. There was only one little boy in her class that she new from her old school and he is a little trouble maker! She was really sad that she didn't know anyone in her class. So this morning when I took her everyone was in the gym lined up by class. I found her class, then found the cutest little girl I could find and introduced her to Teagan and plopped her down. There were actually 2 little girls there together and I think they may have known each other already. Then I followed them to class and Teagan sat at a table with those 2 girls and another 2 girls that looked nice. I also met another Mom who was worried about her daughter not knowing anyone. Her daughter's name is Kennedy and she was a little cutie with dark hair cut the same way Teagan's is cut. After sitting at their little desks for a few minutes, the teacher had them all get a book to sit and read and Teagan came back to her desk with The Runaway Bunny.

It was at that point that I started tearing up. I don't remember a lot from my very early childhood but one thing I remember is my Mom reading me The Runaway Bunny and Goodnight Moon. It just sort of hit me then how old I am and how my kids are growing up so quickly and making their own memories. I don't know why it's so hard for me. I know there are many many wonderful days and experiences ahead for us. I just miss them being small and home with me all the time. I guess that's a good thing. I know there are a lot of parents who can't wait for school to start back up. I'm just not one of them.

I took pictures but only had time to upload the ones of Madi. I'll post a link soon with all of their photos. Promise.

Double Tag

2008-08-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I haven't been blogging like a good blogger should. Oh well. Right? However, I was just catching up on Brooke's blog and see that she tagged me. Twice. Oops.

So here ya go. Tag 1...or everything-you-probably-already-know-or-don't-want-to-know-about-Margo:

Name: Margo Elizabeth Stewart
Maiden name: Hein
Eye Color: Butterscotch (that's basically brown, but my mom always said Butterscotch)
Hair Color: Naturally? It's a really dark muddy looking blonde.
Height: 5'9"ish, I think I've shrunk down to about 5'8" actually but I still say 5'9"
How would you describe yourself? First thing that popped in my mind...loud
Either/Or Shy or Outgoing? Outgoing
Spender or Saver? Um...spender. *blush*
Truth or Dare? Dare. The truth can be kinda scary sometimes.
Books or Movies? Books
Romantic Comedy or Action/Adventure? Romantic Comedy
Cats or Dogs? Hmmmm, neither really. I love our Liza and my Inu was awesome. Hmmmm, guess I'd say dogs.
Mountain or Beach? Are there cabana boys at the mountain? Beach!
Sweet or Salty? Sweet
Do you...Get Annoyed Easily? Seriously? What kind of question is that! (Does that give you the answer?
Like to Travel? LOVE to travel
Like to drive fast? Yes, because I'm usually in a hurry
Sing Well? I like to think I'm a fairly good singer
Have a Talent? I can wiggle my ears
Watch Scary Movies? Yep
Shave your legs everyday? Nope
Floss regularly? ROFL
Get Motion Sickness? Yep
Have you ever...Performed on Stage? Yep
Been out of the country? Where? Yep...Japan, London, Mexico, Jamaica, Grand Cayman
Had any body hair waxed? Yep
Lied about your age? Yep
Used a fake ID? I tried to use Denise's just so I could get into a club when I was 17Gotten a Speeding ticket? Yep
What is...The last CD you bought? Paul Wright
The last movie you saw in the Theater? Wall.E
The last Movie you rented? Vantage Point
Your Greatest Fear? Losing my children or Brad
Your Greatest Strength? I don't know. ???
Your Greatest Weakness? I an think of many more weaknesses than strengths.
Your Happiest Memory? I have lots of them. Anything involving my mom. My wedding day. The days my kids were born.
Your Favorite...Movie: Princess Bride
TV Show: Hmmm, right now I'm enjoying Swingtown.
Actor: Can't think of just one.
Actress: Hmmm, I just don't know
Food: Anything
Drink: Diet Pepsi
Color: green
Scent: lilac
Season and WHY: Fall, the trees change and the air gets cool and it just feels like everything is starting over
Day of the Week and WHY: Friday, the weekend is here!
Favorite Stores: Bookstores, I can get lost in them forever. I also really love New York and Company but I rarely get to go there.
Quote: "Whether you believe you can or you believe you can't, you're absolutely right"
What do you Think About....
Miracles: They happen
Astrology: Don't follow it but I know I'm a Leo.
War: It'll always happen
Ghosts: I don't know
Reincarnation: Not a believer
Karma: What goes around comes around.
Luck: I think some people do seem to have a lot of luck but I'm sure it's more than that.
Aliens: Who knows
Tell us one of your most embarrassing moments: Doing a summer sault at Brooke Martin's birthday party in the 7th grade and farting. Her mom and brother came in from the other room it was so loud. I played it off and laughed with everyone but I was pretty embarassed.

Tag 2: How Quirky are you?

The RULES
1. Link the person who tagged you... Brooke
2. Post these rules.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them

Okay, you asked for them...

1. I have this thing where I have to sit with something solid on my left side. Like on the airplane, I need to be on the left side of the plane by the window. In a booth at a restaurant, I need to be on the left side of the booth. Preferably by the way unless the kids are with us then I get the aisle. At church, I need Brad on my left side. I feel completely off balance if I'm sorry else.

2. For as long as I can remember I have twirled my hair. I like to sift through the top layers to the really soft stuff underneath that doesn't have hair spray on it. Then I run it through my thumb and first two fingers until I eventually wrap it around my index finger to make a loop. Then I sit and rub the loop for a minute before I finally put it between my nail and the tip of my finger. Then I start the process all over again.

3. I don't do this as much anymore because I'm getting old and my bones hurt. But there was a time when I always had my left leg propped up. If I was sitting in a chair it was tucked up under me. Standing in the bathroom drying my hair I would have it up on the counter. Driving down the street, it's bent at the knee and my left foot is on the seat with my knee touching the window. I do still do this sometimes but I rarely sit with it under me because my knees hurt. :(

4. I have to brush my teeth first thing in the morning. The very first thing I do when I wake up is pee and then I brush my teeth. I sometimes have to stray from that but there is pretty much never a time that I go more than about 15 minutes of being awake without brushing my teeth. I can't stand that morning breath taste. Ugh.

5. I'm a really slow eater and I want to enjoy it. Especially my dinner. If I have something to do in the evening, like take a kid somewhere then I prefer to do that first and then eat. Otherwise I feel rushed and I don't enjoy my meal. I want to be able to sit down, relax, and eat and be done with the day.

6. I take a really long time to tell a story. Brad hates this. (Actually, there are a lot of these quirks that really drive him crazy.) When I tell a story I want to paint the picture for you. Like when I told Brad that I was at Goody's and my phone rang and it was a girl I used to work with. Which was weird because I haven't talked to her in ages but there she was calling me. So I answered it and she said, "Hey Margo, it's Kimberly. Do you have rental property?" I told her yes I did and she said she was out looking for a duplex to rent and saw the sign in the yard of one of ours and plugged the number into her phone to call and it started dailing me which she thought was really really weird. Then Brad asked if she wanted to rent it and I said no. He would have been happy with me just saying, "Someone called about the duplex but it didn't work out for them." But that wouldn't have been nearly the story that mine ended up being. Right?

Ok, I'm too lazy to tag anyone else. If you read this and you have a blog then...TAG you're it!

There, how's that?

Mother Nature

2008-07-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

One day this spring after Eli's baseball game, as the boys sat in a team huddle hearing about all the mistakes they made during that nights game, Brad leaned over to me and whispered, "Why does that tree have girl parts?" (He actually used the correct anatomical word for it but I have issues with that word and prefer "girl parts".)

Being the friend that I am, I promptly told Brook about the tree. Then, while on vacation in Mexico earlier this summer she happened to find the
perfect match for our Stillwater tree.

So Father Nature lives in Mexico, huh? Who knew!

Home

2008-07-17T22:05:00.001-07:00

We're home. Good times in Arizona. I uploaded one good picture to share. Hopefully I'll have a chance tomorrow to share. Not about our trip, but something funny. Something to look forward to. Yippee!

Crispy

2008-07-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

That's how my chest looks today. A bit crispy and red. Gotta love the hot Arizona sun.

Yesterday we had a big huge breakfast and then spent some time out at the pool. Afterwards we were planning on going to Oregano's for lunch but my stomach hurt from too much for breakfast. I was looking forward to the big huge cookie dessert and knew that I couldn't go there if I wasn't able to have a good full meal. *wink*

So we hit the Kierland shopping area and visited the Victoria's Secret, the Lucy store, and a couple other places just for window shipping before we hopped in the car to head back to the hotel.

After spending more time at the pool we retired to our room and played a couple games before heading to bed.

Today we pretty much did the same thing. Breakfast, pool, shopping at a nearby mall...OREGANO'S for lunch YUM!, more pool. Now we're chillin' in the room before bed.

We leave late tomorrow night. I'm not looking forward to work on Monday. This seems like the last hoorah of summer. And summer seems to have just started. I don't know where the time goes these days!

It's HOT!

2008-07-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

So I've been scarce. I went to Branson with the Jr. High group at church and followed it up with a short week at work, getting out on Friday for the 4th of July celebrations. Then we had a 3 day weekend followed by another short week as I finished up an order I had to do, cleaned, did laundry, and worked. (Have I mentioned lately how inconvenient this J.O.B. is?) I was up until 2:00 in the morning getting us all packed so that we could head out for our summer family vacation today.

We left Oklahoma City at around 12:00 and arrived in Phoenix at 12:15. Short flight?! Nope, time change. *wink*

We had free tickets (courtesy of our mega-spending on our Southwest Visa), got a great rate at an Embassy Suites (government jobs rock!) and we're having a blast in Phoenix! It's HOT here. And actually, it's COOL! Apparently it's monsoon season so it's rainy but we didn't have any until tonight after we were done at the pool. Unfortunately, that means the "dry heat" isn't really all that dry. I think perhaps we brought some of the humidity with us from Oklahoma. We just can't seem to escape it!

So we're just chillin'. Relaxing. And when we get home in a few days I'll hopefully have an album full of pictures to share. Until then, I'll just update with fun stories of our days in this fun HOT place they call Arizona!

Just stuff

2008-07-02T09:05:00.001-07:00

Summer has hit us full force and we are in the midst of the craziness that it brings. I thought I'd just do a quick update post for the very few people who regularly check my blog and are probably currently wondering if I'm still alive. I am alive but I sure am tired!

~Madi and Eli went to Camp Cyokamo a couple weeks ago for a week with the Jr. High group at church. They had an absolute blast and came home with a renewed desire to learn about Christ which is, of course, always awesome! Madi met a boy named Luke from Missouri who she quickly hit if off with. While they were "going out" at camp they have since decided that they should probably just be friends since they live so far away.

~The next week all 4 kiddos headed to Collinsville for Nana and Grandpa camp. Although they were bummed that their cousins were only there with them for a couple of days, they still all had a terrific time. Madi even talked Rachel into driving her to Tulsa on Tuesday to meet up with Luke who was in town visiting friends. Everyone but the two little girls went and had lunch with him and then they all went roller skating. Sounds like they had a fun time. However, on Thursday Madi learned that Luke's mother had passed away after a long battle with cancer the night before. Say a prayer for him and his family if you have a chance. I know how difficult it is to lose your mother.

~I picked the kids up in Collinsville on Saturday and then we hit Target and Kohl's in Owasso for some retail therapy. While at Target I ran into Krista, who I haven't seen in 5 years! She actually saw Eli and Sadie while they were looking in the book section and even though it had been years since seeing them she knew exactly who they were. They were initially a little freaked out that some stranger knew so much about them (especially when Krista told Sadie that she helped name her!) but then Eli recognized the name Krista and told her where to find me in the store. We visited for a bit there in the clothing department and exchanged cell phone numbers so we could at least text and keep up with each other a bit better. And of course Madi got Hagen's number and they've already become texting friends with each other.

~This past weekend I went with Madi and Eli to Branson with the jr. high group from church. Sunday night we watched The Promise which was an amazing show about the life of Christ. We spent all day Monday at Silver Dollar City and followed it up with a huge meal from Lamberts where the kids all enjoyed having rolls thrown at them. Then after a stop at the flagship Bass Pro Shop in Springfield yesterday morning we headed home. Man did it feel good to sleep in my own bed last night!

~Brad has been superman lately finishing up 2 homes that both close this week. He works all day at his "real" job and then heads over to the lots to make sure everything is running smoothly and on schedule. That boy deserves a break!

~It's now been a full month since I've run and I feel like a slug. Seriously, just like a big slug needing some salt poured on it's back! I just can't get in the groove. With all the craziness in our schedule it's so hard for me to find a consistent time to do it. I hate getting up early but I think that's what I'm going to have to just break down and do because it's just too steamy to do it in the afternoon after work. I've got to get back on track before I blow up like a balloon!

~Although I didn't get to take pictures with my camera in Branson (because stupid me left the battery at home!) I have been taking quite a bit lately. My desire to do photography continues to grow but I still worry about whether or not I'm capable of it. I guess I'll just keep on keeping on and see where it takes me.

So, I guess that's about it. Work has been mad crazy so I'm not able to really get on as much. Hopefully soon I'll have some fun pictures and posts to share with you. Until then, enjoy the summer!

Are you kidding me?!

2008-06-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

For the last 7 years, my children have attended Sangre Ridge Elementary school. Teagan will be in 1st grade next year so by the time she's finishing her 5th grade year we will have been at Sangre for 13 consecutive years.

So Stillwater is growing. Apparently growing so much that Sangre is overflowing with students compared to the other schools in town. So there have been some changes made to the boundary lines and those changes were announced today.

According to the map Sadie and Teagan will no longer be Sangre Ridge students. I don't like change. I really don't. I know this will be fine but it's change and I just don't like it.

We are less than a block from the boundary line for Sangre, but it doesn't matter. We're now in the Westwood district and the girls will travel past their old school to get to their new one.

This affects lots of kids so they'll know people at Westwood. I still don't like it though. Sangre is like home. I know all the teachers. I know the staff. I know where everything is. I'm comfortable having my kids there. I'm comfortable there. It's not about me though. Right? This is going to be fine. Right?

Marathon Highlights

2008-06-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

Yep, slacker. That's right. I got sidetracked reading some books and working and well...just with life in general I guess and haven't had a chance to blog. Oh well, what can ya do?!

I have been meaning to update with the rest of my Vermont 1/2 marathon details. So here ya go...

On Saturday we went into one of the small towns that we were to run through where there was a small tent set up with 1 guy answering questions about the run. It was a far cry from the huge expo we attend the day before the OCK Memorial Marathon but that run has 16,000 entrants and this one was like 2,700 so that makes sense. The guy drew the course on a map and Brad and I drove it to see what was in store.

The elevation looked really good on the computer but let me tell you...Vermont is hill-y! There was only one really super steep hill but the entire course was winding and up and down quite a bit.

On Sunday, we had to be at the run by 8:00 in order to catch a bus to the start of the run. So then we get there, to the start, and we wait. And wait and wait and wait. Seriously, that was the worst. I think I just had my mind all focused and ready but we got there at about 8:30 or a little before and it didn't even start until 10:15! And there was no cell phone service in the mountains so I just had to sit there. And wait.

Brooke on my running blog recently told me about a trick from Glen-the-trainer for shin splints. So I did my regimen of applying Icy Hot to my shins and am happy to report that my shins felt great throughout the run. By mile 7 though my left knee started hurting a bit, I think from the downhill work. Then by mile 10 my hips started feeling like they might fall off. You know like a chicken that you cook and it's so tender that you just barely touch it and the leg comes off? That's what I thought would happen to my legs. Honestly.

Brad ran with me and bless his heart he pushed me as hard as he could but I honestly just finally gave up on myself. It was a hard course, he even said it before I did. Near the end we were walking and he asked if I could walk fast and I told him no but I could run slow. And seriously, my running pace at that point was his walking pace. That's how bad it was. And then there was this crazy lady named Sue from Chicago that we'd met under the tent the day before and she was loud and obnoxious and we passed her near the end and I just could NOT let her beat me and she did. (Although, according to her net time I actually did beat her so there Crazy Sue!)

The worst was the nausea. I always tend to get sick to my stomach in the last mile. Especially when I do a bit of a sprint towards the finish line. This time though, it started at about mile 6 and just got worse and worse. I was on the verge of throwing up for at least an hour after the run.

Looking at my time, it really wasn't nearly as bad as I feel it could have been considering how I felt. I am just disappointed in my results and the fact that I felt so "off" for basically the entire run. I am hoping to really get on track with cross training and building all my other muscles so that I at least FEEL decent for my next half in November!

The good news is that Vermont was beautiful and now we can say we've been there. I love traveling and seeing places we've never visited before. I took a lot of photos (or course!) that you can see in my
flickr album. Enjoy!

Wedding Shower

2008-06-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

We had the wedding shower for Tarissa yesterday. You remember, the one that I sent out the invites for and put the
wrong day of the week on them? Yep, that one. Well, it was yesterday and it was a nice time.

I actually went on Saturday too because one of the other hostesses called me all frantic because the restaurant where it was to be held called her all frantic saying that someone had dropped off a gift for the shower that afternoon and they thought it was on Sunday. At least that's the story I got from her. I'm wondering if they were really that frantic because when I went up there they all acted like it hadn't been that big of a deal to them. Um, ok. At any rate, she was concerned that all sorts of people would show up on Saturday instead of Sunday and since that would have been my fault I offered to go sit up there for a bit to turn away anyone that came and encourage them to come again Sunday. Luckily, no one showed and it gave me a chance to get out and run some errands so it all worked out.

I still can't believe Tarissa is getting married in a couple of weeks. I remember when she couldn't drive yet and we couldn't wait for her to start so we didn't have to drive her back to her house that was so far away. Now she's not only driving but she's graduated both high school and college and is going to be tying the knot! I told her yesterday not to be having kids anytime soon because it would probably just throw me over the edge.

For the rest of the photos you can view them here.

Sadie Bug turns 8

2008-06-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Once again...Wow!

Sadie turned 8 today. Unbelievable. I'll have to post more about it another time because right now we're picking up the living room so the kids can sleep downstairs. We got home from dinner to find that the upstairs a/c is not working and it's currently 88 degrees!

I'll leave you with this though. A screaming 2 month old Sadie with me and my Mom hair and post-pregnancy body. A far cry from how we've both grown over the last 8 years!

Exhausted with a capital E

2008-06-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

I just told Hubby that I thought I could sleep for the next week. He said that I got a good amount of sleep last night. Which is true. But I think the week leading up to this trip and then some late nights before the run have just hit me hard.

I'm actually sitting in Chicago Midway airport right now and having bought a new book because I finished the other one I brought, I'm getting ready to start it. We had a light breakfast at the hotel this morning and then McD's for lunch before leaving the airport in New Hamphshire. We got her a while ago and I was dying for some nachos so Hubby and I split some but they just didn't do the trick. So here I sit hungry, sore, and exhausted. I miss my bed.

Vermont was just beautiful but the run was awful. No injuries to speak of but it was really hard. The course was hard. And I was very disappointed in my attempt. I did manage to finish but not because I wanted to. If Hubby hadn't been there with me I think I would have probably just walked to the finish line. I didn't even have a final push for that sprint to the finish line once it came in to view.

I'll update again in the next couple of days with more details about the trip and Vermont. Thanks to those of you who were thinking about me on Sunday. Without your thoughts and prayers there's no telling how poorly I might have done!

Vermont or Bust!

2008-05-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

This evening after work the family is headed out to Collinsville. We'll spend the night and then in the morning hubby and I will be hopping on a jet plane and leaving for Vermont. We'll have a couple days to relax and see the area (neither of us have been there before) and then on Sunday we'll be running in the Covered Bridges Half Marathon.

I'm gonna go ahead and be honest and admit that I really haven't trained like I should have. I planned on it. Just didn't. After my run in April I promised myself that I would do my weekly mileage and cross-train twice a week as well. I was lucky to do even 2 runs a week. I've had shoe issues, shin splint issues, and just flat out motivation issues. But oh well, at least I'm doing it right?

This will be my 3rd 1/2 and although I haven't trained like I should I'm still hoping to improve on my time. My 1st time last year was 2:58. According to last years CBHM times that would put me in at 14 from the end of the pack! I know I'm not gonna win but I'd sure like to be more towards the middle. This April my time was 2:48 (which moves me up to 35th from the end). Brad is going to run with me which is a great motivation for me because he doesn't let me quit. I'm really hoping to finish in 2:45. And the course map shows a mostly downhill elevation with the exception of one steep hill so I'm hoping that will help and not hinder my time.

Hopefully I'll be back next week to report a wonderful mini-vacation with Hubby and a great run!

ABC Tag!

2008-05-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

Is it sad that I was reading Brooke's blog and got a little bit too excited to have been tagged? Seriously, that's no lie. I've seen people tagged before in blogs but I've never been tagged for anything myself. It's the little things really...

(Be sure to scroll down to the letter T to see if you've been tagged!)

A. Attached or Single- Attached

B. Best Friend(s)- Best friends from high school (that I sadly don't get to see that much) are Shannon, Sue Ann, and Denise. Then there is my little sister Emily, she's pretty special. I'd have to say my best friends here in town these days are probably Leah and Brooke.

C. Cake or Pie- Cherry Pie is the best!

D. Day of Choice- It'd probably be Friday now that I'm working full time!

E. Essential Item- Computer with internet. Seriously, how sad is that?!

F. Flavor of Ice Cream- I'm not a huge ice cream fan. So I'm gonna say German Chocolate concrete from Shakey's.

G. Gummy Bears or Worms- Bears, I don't think I've ever had a worm.

H. Hometown- Hmmmm... Originally from Loveland, Colorado...grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma...have been in Stillwater, Oklahoma since 92. So I guess at this point Stillwater is probably my hometown.

I. Indulgences- Magazines. And shoes. And purses. It's kind of a sickness.

J. January or July- July, definitely July

K. Kids- Madi (13), Eli (11), Sadie (7), and Teagan (6)

L. Last movie I saw in a theater- I'm not sure I remember. I think we went to see one for Tea's birthday back in March. Yep, we did. Horton Hears a Who.

M: Musician: I don't really have a favorite because I listen to a lot of different types of music. Although I did recently get to meet Paul Wright at his concert in Ponca City and he's awesome. He even wrote a song for me that I gave to Brad for Valentine's Day.

N. Number of siblings- 1 sister, 1 step-sister, 1 brother, 2 step-brothers

O. Orange or Apples- Apples

P. Phobias or Fears- Bridges and heights

Q. Quote- Lot's of them really. I guess the one that comes to my mind first is "Whether you believe you can, or whether you believe you can't,
you're absolutely right." ~Henry Ford

R. Reasons to smile- My husband, my kids, my God...

S. Season- Spring and Fall, I always love the in between hot and cold times.

T. Tag 4- Let's see, how about Eren, Ame, Jana, and Sandi. We'll see if any of them read this!

U. Unknown fact about me- I can wiggle my ears. Without using my hands.

V. Vegetarian or oppressor of Animals- I'm a carnivore. Although there was a period of about a year back in college when I wouldn't eat beef because I fell in love with Norman the Cow from City Slickers.

W. Worst Habit- My negative attitude about things. Why can't I just make the most of things and not get so down?

X. X-rays or Ultrasounds- Huh? For what? Neither of them bother me.

Y. Your favorite Food- Anything Mexican

Tiny Dancer

2008-05-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

Madi took tap and ballet classes when she was about 4 or 5 but only lasted a year before I realized it just wasn't her thing. Sadie is my super girly-girl and I put her in tap and ballet a couple years ago but ended up pulling her out after just a couple of months. At the time, she was just too self-conscience about messing up and not doing things the right way. But boy did she like looking at herself in the mirror!

So this year she decided she really wanted to try dance again. Only she didn't want to do tap and ballet. She wanted jazz and hip hop. So we did it. And she loved it! She may be the only child to inherit my rhythm. At least one of them did!

Last weekend was her dance recital and she just loved it. She was really nervous the week before and was worried about how many people would be watching her. I assured her that because of the lights she wouldn't be able to see much more than the first couple of rows. After her rehearsal she was so excited to tell me that I was right. Of course I was sweetie! *grin*

Nana and Grandpa came up for the special event and we all got dressed up to watch our own little Tiny Dancer. She did a great job. I picked her up backstage after her second dance was done and although everyone else was ready to head home she wanted to stay and watch the "big girls" dance a bit. She didn't last long because she was so tired but the small amount of time that we stayed she was a joy to watch. She just loved it!

Her face when we gave her flowers (from us and then Nana and Grandpa) was just amazing. It sure has paid off to have worked at a flower shop back in college. I still have my connections and Steve at Little Shop of Flowers totally came through. They were gorgeous!

In the car on the way home she told me she wanted to do more than just jazz and hip hop next year. Now she wants to add tap and ballet in too. As well as staying on the SYFA cheer squad. Wow. We're gonna be busy. She is definitely all girl!

Proofreading isn't always enough

2008-05-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

Way back when I just had Madi and Eli and they were both under 3 years old there was this sweet little girl at church named Tarissa that watched Eli's class in the nursery. One Sunday she approached me and introduced herself and said that if we ever needed a babysitter she'd be glad to do it. She was just 11 or 12 at the time.

Now sweet Tarissa is 22 (or maybe 23?) and has graduated college and will be getting married next month. I can't believe how the time has flown! I am co-hosting her wedding shower and offered to be in charge of the invitations. I've been working on them all week. I've stayed up late each night to put them together and get them ready so that I could get them in the mail. I proofread, had Hubby proofread, and proofread again. I was certain that everything was in order.

I mailed all 100 invitations out yesterday and received a call from Tarissa this afternoon. She said her uncle received their invitation and wanted to know if the shower was on Saturday June 7th or Sunday June 8th. Yep. I put Saturday, June 8th as the date. Ugh. It's actually a Sunday. I knew it was a Sunday. I'm so frustrated with myself!

All the proofreading in the world wouldn't have caught that mistake. I need some bon-bons. Lots and lots of bon-bons.

And so it begins

2008-05-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

Apparently the kids called hubby several times this morning to tattle on each other. He got each one of them on the phone and told them that if we needed to we would make a rule where they sat in a room by themselves all day long while we were working and they could just read a book. That seemed to get them motivated to be nicer to each other. At least for a little bit.

Right around noon Madi called to say that Eli was being really rotten. Apparently he was making himself Ramen for lunch and Sadie asked if he would make her some too. Would that be much trouble? I mean, it's just boiling extra water ya know? Well he refused too and was being a turd so Madi called me. I asked to talk to him and he gets on the phone and says he was going to have Ramen but then he decided not to because he thinks since Madi is the babysitter she should make him lunch. Are you kidding me?! I told him that he needed to help out too and he balked about how Madi was going to be getting paid so he shouldn't have to do anything so I said if he helped out as much as Madi was going to then I'd pay him too.

Then get this, in the worst-ever na-ne-na-ne-boo-boo voice he says, "Well, how
much are you going to pay me?!"

I'm not sure we're going to make it through this summer.

Is this anything?

2008-05-21T21:31:00.001-07:00

I noticed this morning at Eli's graduation that Teagan had a bit of a rash. Just on her chest area under her chin. I've heard of several kids around school that have had fifth disease so I sort of wondered if that's what it was.

This afternoon when I got home from work Tea was passed out on the couch. Apparently she came home from school and cried and cried because she missed her teacher's so much already. Bless her heart! Anyway, she was sleeping on the couch and I noticed that her cheeks and arms were covered in a rash.

Her cheeks don't have the "slapped" look like fifth disease describes but if that's not what it is I just don't know what it could be. Then at Eli's baseball game tonight I had a couple people look at it and um, they saw nothing. No rash. Seriously? Can you not see this? I know it's not the best picture, I had trouble focusing on her back but click on it and it'll get bigger. It's all over her face, trunk, and arms. She's covered in it, I swear. Are my eyes broken?

Summertime

2008-05-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

Yep. It's here. The start of summertime.

Today was the last day of school and I spent most of the morning at the elementary school for Eli's 5th grade graduation. He was pretty excited about it. We went yesterday and got a new hair cut for him and some new duds to wear. Poor guy, the girls always seem to be getting new clothes and he's always wearing just the same old t-shirt and jeans/shorts. Dressing guys just isn't nearly as fun!

The ceremony was nice and I love that our school gives the parents time to come take photos of the kids after an award or diploma is handed out. You'd think this would add a lot of time to the program but it really didn't, which was an added bonus. Eli received the President's Eduction Award for having a 3.5 gpa for 3 semesters. He was also the recipient of a Student of Today award presented byt the Masonic Fraternity of Oklahoma. The Student of Today is one who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship, leadership, citizenship and integrity. Go Eli! I can't tell you how my face must have been beaming when they announced his name.

After graduation the entire 5th grade had a big celebration with moon bounces, a caricature artist, and all sorts of other fun stuff. I was able to stay for a bit but then had to get back to work. Then Eli was invited by a girl in his class to be picked up from school in a limo and drive around for 45 minutes before going out to dinner. I can't imagine what that must have cost with the price of gas as high as it is! I figured this girl had invited a big mix of kids but found out last night that it was tons of girls and...Eli. That boy! He's definitely well liked by the girls.

I went back to work this afternoon with a bit of a heavy heart. I have been with the kids every summer until last year when I worked part time. I started my current job just a couple weeks before school started last August so I was still pretty much with them all summer. So this will be the first year that I'll be working full time since just after Madi was born. I'm having a hard time dealing with it. I want to be home with them. They can sure drive me insane but it makes me sad to think of all the things we won't be doing this summer because I'm at work all day. I have them all enrolled in some fun summer camps but it's just not going to be the same.

This morning as Tea was getting ready for school and her usual grumpy morning state I tried to encourage her by saying, "Today is the last day of school!". She started crying and said, "I wish it was your last day of work. I want you to stay home with me." Man. Way to break a Mom's heart!

May 15

2008-05-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

How is it that when you're a child the time just creeps by but then as we get older years are gone in the blink of an eye? I'll never understand that. Today marks 15 years since my Mother passed away. Looking back through the May 15th entries here on my blog it seems as though the most common word or phrase I have when talking about how long she's been gone is just "wow". That's how I still feel. Fifteen years. Wow.

Coming back from Madi's volleyball tournament back in February, we stopped in Tulsa to eat and I decided to make a visit to the cemetary. I hadn't been there in years and my children have never been there. At least not that they can remember. I had Madi, Eli and Sadie with me and they were all so sweet. I told them some stories about the Grandma they never got to meet and how much fun they would have had with her. They asked questions both about her life and her death and it was just nice to talk with them about her in a way that we hadn't really done ever before.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the whole BRCA gene issue that I
discussed a few weeks ago. I received my copy of Jessica Queller's new book and have now finished reading it. In her book she mentions the FORCE website and I have since been there to look around. I'm still uncertain as to what steps I want to take but I plan on getting as much information as I can and making a decision soon. I just know that I want to be here for my kids and my future grandkids. I want to be with Brad as long as I can. I don't want my life ended early by something I could possibly prevent.

A good giggle

2008-05-14T15:16:00.001-07:00

It's been quite a day. Heck, it's been quite a couple of weeks. The last days of school are always this way but I think it's been even more crazy than lately usually. I started out this morning knowing that I had a million and one things to do today and also knowing there was no way to accomplish everything. I've made it through though and just got home and have a very limited amount of time before I have to get Sadie from dance and head to Madi's volleyball banquet (while Brad is with the other two in another town at a baseball game...divide and conquer!). I sit down to check my email and I find this from my friend Terri. Man, did I need this today. I'm not sure where the email originated and it could be a spoof for all I know but it sure made me giggle. Probably for the most part because this sounds exactly like something I might actually do.

Enjoy!...

Regards,

All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal - The Epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax.

Read on...

My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours:

'Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet' So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those 'cold wax' kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be?

I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!) So I pull one of the thin strips out.
It's two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ('Cold wax,' yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works!

OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire. With my next wax strip I move north.

After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRRRIIIIPPP!!!

I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!! OH MY GAWD!!!

Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP!

Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted. I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...must stay conscious.

Do I hear crashing drums!?! Breathe, breathe...

OK, back to normal. I want to see my trophy - a wax-covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it. Where is the hair? WHERE IS THE WAX!?!

Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not! I touch. I am touching wax. I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet! I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down.

Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut. Sealed shut! I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself. 'Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!'

What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax! I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right? *WRONG!!!*

I get in the tub - The water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax.

So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!

I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter 'So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!'

There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal, but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, 'Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?'

She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box. YEAH!!! Right! I should be the joke of someone else's night.

While we go through various solutions. I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!

By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event. My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace ... the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax.

What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY STARS!!! The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care. 'IT WORKS!!!

It works!' I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair. THE HAIR IS STILL THERE...ALL OF IT!

So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point.

Next week I'm going to try hair color...

And the doctor said

2008-04-30T15:41:00.000-07:00

No more monkies jumping on the bed!

Oh wait, wrong doctor.

So I went to the doctor. He looked at my foot, examined it, pushed around, asked some questions. Then he said it could just be a really bad sprain but he was concerned that it might be a stress fracture because of the way I described it. So he took an x-ray which thankfully looked ok. Although he said he wanted his "ortho buddy" to take a look at it just to be sure because a lot of times it's hard to see stress fractures on x-rays.

He gave me a steroid pack to take, some Lortab for the pain, and told me to wear really supportive shoes. He'll call me after ortho buddy looks at the film just to let me know what he said. Then if I'm not better by Monday I have to get a bone scan. Good times.

I'm really hoping and praying that Emily is right in her comments from my last entry. I think that sounds a lot more easy to recover from. I don't have time for stress fractures.

Why is this so hard? I just want to be a runner. Why won't my body cooperate? Ugh. I think I definitely need some bon bons.

Vini Vidi Vici

2008-04-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Yep. That's right. I came, I saw, I conquered.

Actually I'm not sure that there was much conquering going on but I finished the run and that's what counts. Right?

So Sunday we got up at 5:00 (in the am...ugh!) and headed out to the starting post for the half marathon. As we were driving towards downtown with our windshield wipers on Hubby and I were both considering backing out. I think it's a really good thing that we were both running because we had each other as support. Seriously, it would have been really easy to just say, "Seriously, it's cold and rainy and who wants to run in that?!" Ya know?

I started getting a little bit worried about Eli too because he was going to just do the 5K and then he'd be done and just hanging by himself. I got him a fanny pack, much to his dismay. Apparently fanny packs aren't cool. Who knew! So he had Hubby's phone with him, a little cash, and his PSP. I told him to call me as soon as he finished so I would know he was safe.

Prior to the run Hubby said we needed to really take it easy since we hadn't been training like we should. He said he was going to run with me which would be great for him but um, how do I slow down and take it easy? I think actually it was a good thing that he ran with me because he really encouraged me and kept me on pace.

My time last year was 2 hours and 58 minutes. This January when we decided to run it again my goal was to make it in 2:45. Of course, you know that I didn't stick with my training at all so going into it on Sunday I really just hoped to be not too far after my time from last year.

I felt great for the first 10 miles. Seriously. It was kind of an amazing feeling because I just prayed that if I hurt it would just be normal long-distance running pain. Ya know? No IT band pain, no shin splints, etc. Just that normal soreness from running. Well, that's what happened and it was awesome. I really did feel great. The last 3 miles were tough. I was having trouble transitioning from my walking to running again. My thighs and calves were killing me. But Hubby pushed me forward and encouraged me to keep going. Knowing that poor Eli was waiting for us at the finish line and was "freezing cold" (as he told me on the phone) I knew I had to keep running to get to him. Then Hubby told me that there was a possibility I could actually make my original 2:45 goal. Wow.

I didn't quite make that goal but I did finish in 2:48:58. Almost 10 minutes better than last year! Go me! So I know that I can reach that 2:45 goal and I just pray that during our next run I can reach that goal.

So the good news is...I get to wear my new shoes. No, I didn't make my original goal of 2:45 but I figure beating my time at all from last year when I haven't been training deserved a pair of blingy shoes. Am I right?

The bad news is...something is wrong with my foot. I just had soreness all day on Sunday after the run and nothing in particular hurt. Then Monday morning I put on my new shoes and walked down the hallway and the outside of my left foot started hurting. I thought maybe it was the new shoes so I changed but it hurt in that shoe as well. It's gotten progressively worse and today I can barely put any weight on it. Not cool. I'm going to the doctor this afternoon and hopefully he can give me some insight. I've been taking Ibuprofen and icing it but it's just not helping. With just 31 days until the Vermont run I really need to get it fixed now!

By the way, if you'd like to see me running you can view pictures by clicking here. Then click on "pictures" and another window will pop up. If you'll search by BIB number you can view a few photos of Hubby and me running. My bib was kind of scrunched so you have to search Hubby's numbe which is H3874. I'm hoping that by Thursday maybe there will be a few more photos up. I may just have to order one of us crossing the finish line though. Pretty cool.

run 5, walk 2, repeat

2008-04-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

How do you spell slacker?

M-A-R-G-O

Yep that's me, big time slacker here. The OCK Memorial Marathon is quickly approaching. Quickly as in less than a week. This Sunday. A mere 6 days away.

Have I been training? Um, no. Do I have a good excuse, or even any excuse at all? Um, no. I really don't know what's wrong with me. I just can't seem to get it together. Last January I joined Weight Watchers and committed to it and lost 20 pounds. That's also the point where we decided we'd run the half marathon and I knew I couldn't just go out and run 13.1 miles without training so I trained. I ran every Tuesday and Thursday and on Sunday's I did a long run, working my way up to 12 miles so that I would be strong and ready for the big run.

This January, after regaining those 20 pounds plus 5 extra (I'm a human yo-yo, I swear) I decided to get back on track with my Weight Watcher's program and I even mentioned how I was going to stay motivated by scheduling several runs throughout the year so I would keep training. A lot of good that's done me!

Hubby and I have both just not been training at all like we should be. We both keep saying that we'll do the run on the 27th but I'm not sure how we're going to manage just walking out there and running that distance without just dying. So on Saturday he told me he thought that we should probably do at least 8 miles this weekend just to see where we stand. If we made it through we could go ahead and do the 13.1, if it killed us we should just count that money as lost and aim for the next run in June. As nice as it would be to just back out of next weeks run though I know that I'll never get back into training if I don't just dive in. I don't want to be sitting here the week before our June run and still not have trained at all.

So yesterday, despite both of us fighting some nasty cold/allergy thing, we set off on our 8 mile run. The first 4 miles went ok. Miles 5 and 6 were exhausting. Miles 7 and 8 were absolutely awful. And those last 2 miles were uphill, which made it doubly worse. It stunk, it really did. But I did it, all 8 miles, and afterward although I felt like I wanted to die I was proud of what I'd accomplished.

So I'll be there on Sunday with bells on and I'll do my run 5 minutes/walk 2 minutes until I reach 13.1 miles and I'll get that finishers medal and t-shirt and hopefully that will be what I need to keep on running.

Rock on

2008-04-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Nearly 20 years ago Skid Row opened for Bon Jovi and Hubby was there to see them. So when I found out late last year that Bon Jovi would be coming to Oklahoma City I decided to get us tickets. I gave them to Hubby for Christmas and the concert was last night and it was awesome! Seriously awesome.

This was my first ever rock concert actually. My first concert ever was Conway Twitty and the Twitty Birds. Yep, you read that right. It was at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming and my Dad and Step-Mom bribed me to go in by saying that they'd buy me this absurb flashing visor if I would be good for the rest of the show. It had already started when we got there so we went in the arena, found some seats, listened to about half a song and the concert was over. Score 1 for me and my new flashing hat!

When Hubby and I were dating and newlyweds we used to go to see George Strait in October. I think we went 3 years in a row and then just got too busy with kids and life to take a night out to go to a concert.

So I was pretty stoked to be going to my first rock concert last night and it was awesome having my best friend there with me. Chris Daughtry was opening last night but we didn't get to hear that much of him. We were running late as it was and then I tried to take my camera in but they wouldn't let me, which really ticked me off. I had my 28-75 lens on and the security guy said my lens couldn't be longer than 3 inches. So I took off the lens hood hoping he'd go for it but he wouldn't. So poor Hubby had to run all the way back to the car to put the camera away. What really ticked me off was sitting down and seeing the girl right next to me with the same exact camera as mine just shooting away! She even had a longer lens on her's! I made friends with her and wrote my email addy on a page from my Weight Watcher's journal (goodness knows I could afford to lose a page since I'm not tracking my points these days!). She said she'd email me photos and I hope she does. I really really hope she does. I did have Madi take a few shots of Hubby and me before we left the house. At least I have those. I still really really really hope that girl sends me her pics.

I think the funniest thing that happened last night was when I decided to try to call Madilee and let her hear Bon Jovi singing. I started to dial her number and then waited because I wanted to wait until a song came on that I was sure she would know. Then something came on I thought I'd recognize and I started to call her. Hubby leaned over and told me to look at the girl in front of me and there she was calling someone too. The readout on her phone showed she was calling Dad. Here I am calling my kid to let her listen and this young 20-something in front of me is calling her Dad. Man I feel old!

Sweet 13

2008-04-03T20:49:00.001-07:00

Wow. Yep, that's right. Madi turned 13 today. I'm not sure how it's possible. Wasn't I just trying to convince her to wear clippies on her 2 little strands of hair the other day? Where'd the time go?

She had school today and was pleased to have a boy "ask her out". Basically that means that everyone knows they officially like each other. There's no actually going anywhere together. At least not for Madi.

She had practice after school and then we picked her up a bit early and took her Kyoto's where we had hibachi Japanese food. Funny that's her choice since that was always my choice as a little girl. She really is a lot like me. Scary.

I ordered a couple things for her online but they didn't all come in. Bummed about that. The other things should be here tomorrow though so that's not too bad. We did get her a charm bracelet and a #13 charm from James Avery. It's a bit extra special to me since my own Mother got one for me when I was about Madi's age. Then we also got her a pair of shoes she had wanted from Payless. Just like her momma, she loves her some shoes!

We'll have her party on Saturday with her friends and I'll be sure to share pictures after that. For tonight though I'm just trying to figure out how on earth she's now a teenager. I feel as shocked as she looks in the first photo!

Happy Birthday sweet girl. Now stop that growing!

Portrait of a strong woman

2008-03-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

I recently went to Colorado for a spring break ski trip and had the opportunity to visit my Grandmother. It's been a few years at least since I've seen her and although I knew she was suffering from dementia I don't think anything could have prepared me for her condition. Prior to my trip, there was some question about whether or not I would be able to even visit her. In speaking with my Dad one day I told him I couldn't be that close to her (in the same state) and not go visit her. He told me, "She won't even know who you are." Maybe not, but I still had to go. And in my mind I thought that surely she would recognize me. Surely there was something I could say to her that would cause her to have some sort of memory of me.

Grandma Hein was born on February 21, 1914. She and Grandpa lived on "the farm" in Colorado and after my parents divorced I spent a lot of time at her house. Not nearly as much as my little sister Emily did since she wasn't in school but Grandma and Grandpa were local babysitters for us when we lived in Loveland with my Dad. I remember her always working hard in her garden. She grew and canned everything imaginable. Some of my favorites were her raspberries and cucumbers. String beans were plentiful too and I can remember sitting on the front porch helping her clean them.

Grandma gathered eggs and milked the cows and seemed to fear nothing. Her skin was wrinkled from her time in the sun. Her thumb scarred from cutting it in the oscilating fan one night when she was trying to cool us off. Her smile, always present as far as I can remember, was sometimes toothless if you caught her too early in the day before she had a chance to put her dentures in.

When Grandpa died (I think I was about 9 or 10 then?), Grandma continued keeping up with the farm. She still made us home made noodles and chicken soup with her delicious butterballs. Macaroni and cheese, apple butter, and cinnamon rolls I taste to this day are still compared to Grandma's home made versions. Nothing ever comes close to them either. We often went to visit my Great-Grandma, where Grandma would talk with her sister and mother in fluent German while Matt and Emily and I sat and devoured fresh cinnamon rolls.

The memories have faded some but they are still there; for me at least. Grandma is now a frail 94 year old woman. It's so difficult to look at her and know that she was once such a strong woman. At our visit she did not remember who I was. There wasn't a memory I could come up with that could make her remember my name, to show some sort of spark that helped me to know she recognized me.

Instead, she sat and watched my family while I spoke to her. She commented over and over again at what "a beautiful family" I had. She may not have known us but she was happy to have us there. And the biggest heart break came when it was time to go. Looking at my children, her Great-Grandchildren, she started crying and said, "They grow up so fast. And then they're gone." She said she wished we didn't have to leave and then she broke down and looked into my face with her kind blue eyes and asked, "Do you really have to leave?"

It was a truly heart-breaking afternoon. When I asked my father if she still spoke in German sometimes he turned and asked her if she remembered anything in her first language. She thought for just a second and then said, "Ich will nach hause gehen". I asked her what that meant and through her tears she said, "I want to go home." As hard as it will be when the Lord takes her from this world, I know she will be at peace and will truly be Home.

To know or not to know

2008-03-26T08:03:00.001-07:00

Last year I was referred to a
Genetics Counselor when my then new Primary Care Physician learned of my family's cancer history. As you may know, my Mother passed away at age 49 after a 1 year battle with Ovarian Cancer. Her sister, my Aunt, has since become a victim of Breast Cancer. Their Grandmother, my Great-Grandmother, also died at the age of 49 from "female cancer" which we can only guess may or may not have been Ovarian Cancer. Having had several ruptured ovarian cysts and abnormal pap smears myself my PCP thought it best to speak with someone about my risks.

So last May I traveled to Oklahoma City to speak with Dr. Hollingsworth about my Cancer risk. He explained to me what exactly the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are. We discussed my increased risk of breast and/or ovarian cancer because of my family history. My mind was completely overwhelmed with the numbers and percentages of risk that he gave me. It was difficult to keep it all straight.

He said that if I tested positive for the gene that my chance of cancer increased greatly, up to possibly 85%. He then went on to explain that there is an incidence of false negative results and that there could possibly be a BRCA3 gene that has not yet been detected. That really threw me for a loop. Will I trust a negative result to be a true negative? Or will I still live in fear that somehow a gene inside of me wasn't detected and I'll still end up with cancer?

At the time I decided that I would have my blood drawn and submit my claim to insurance to see if they would cover it. Apparently there is only one lab who does this testing, and it's such an intricate process that the cost is nearly $3200. Not cheap. I figured my insurance would cover it and I'd just go from there. Of course, I figured wrong and Blue Cross Blue Shield decided that I didn't have enough first-degree relatives with cancer. I needed just one more. Wow. Whatever.

So then I went through the decision of whether or not to pursue the testing on my own. I wrestled with it and finally came to the conclusion that I didn't really think I wanted to spend that amount of money to still possibly be uncertain. If it was a simple positive or negative I would do it in a heartbeat. Knowing my luck though I would get a negative be told that there was a good possibility that it was a false negative. Then what?

Last Friday my newest People magazine arrived in the mail with a 4 out of 4 stars review of the new memoir by Jessica Queller titled Pretty Is What Changes. The book is about Jessica's journey after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation and her "impossible choices". The article states, "Her brave, inspiring journey lends credence to her message: "Scientific advances give us new opportunities to live," she writes. "Seize them."

I pre-ordered the book from Amazon.com and am anxious to read it. It's such a hard decision and sometimes I'm not even sure if I really want to know if I have the gene. What if it doesn't matter? What if all the preventative measures don't even matter in the end? Do you just live for today or do you try to save tomorrow?

I need help

2008-03-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Probably in more ways than one. But today I'm needing help with my pictures. In my ever-present quest to capture the best photos and sharing them I've run into a little snafu and I'm just not sure what I've done wrong. Did you notice that my photos on Teagan's birthday post are all sort of pixel-y? Why is that? For instance, look at the photo of her getting ready to blow out her candles below. It doesn't look right and I thought it's because I didn't "save it for web" or something. But if you view it on flickr here it's all nice and clear. So what am I doing wrong? Anyone?

In other news, we're back at work/school after a Spring Break week. Lots to share and as usual I'm behind on editing photos and sharing. What's new though, right? I hope to share a bunch this week. Here are some things I'm hoping to share this week...

~Photos and stories of our trip to Brekenridge
~Details on what could have been my last visit with Grandma Hein before she joins Grandpa in Heaven
~My newest craft obsession
~Our Easter celebration

Cross your fingers that I get it all done! And hey, if you visit my blog please leave me a little comment. I love to hear from people!

Happy Birthday Sweet Tea

2008-03-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

Six years old. I can't believe it. Seriously. I was just telling Emily that it seemed like yesterday that she came to Stillwater to cheer me up in those last days of pregnancy when I thought Teagan would never arrive. I wish I enjoyed being pregnant more, I think I'm just always so anxious to meet the little thing that I can't stand it. And now here it is six years later. Unbelievable.

Hubby and I both had to work today but we did manage a quick trip to Edmond to pick up the requested Mommy I Can Swim doll. There was a time when I would have had gifts purchased and parties planned weeks before the day of celebration arrived. Now I'm doing good to remember what day it is. Poor Eli completely got passed over for a party last year. I owe him big come August!

So Teagan just chilled at home with the big kids today. We planned on taking her to see Horton Hears a Who and I called her around 2:00 to tell her it wouldn't be too much longer and to get cleaned up. Last year I made her a little outfit that I appliqued a big #5 onto and when I told her to clean up she asked if she could rip out the 5 and glue a 6 on it. So I gave Madi instructions for helping her pick out some fabric and cutting out the number 6 and then got home just in time to stitch around it so she could proudly display her new age.

Then we headed off to the movie (which we enjoyed!) and then over to Mexico Joes for a birthday dinner. Teagan often gets embarassed when the attention is on her and people laugh. I think she thinks they are laughing at her and just has no clue that she's just so stinkin' cute! (I'm not biased, I swear!) For some reason though, on her birthday there is no embarassment at all. When she saw the wait staff gathering to bring her a treat and sing Happy Birthday she proudly stood up and started waving her hand at them to be sure they knew just where the birthday girl was. She loved it!

And of course we had to drag all her gifts with us to Mexico Joes so that she could open them. She's such a sweetie when she opens gifts. I seriously think you could give her some switches or a lump of coal and she'd still do this awesome face of sheer excitement. Man, I love this girl!

We ended the night with a little cake from Wally World and lots of birthday wishes. Now I've got to get on the ball planning her party. Madi's birthday is coming up as well so I think I'll do both of their parties in a couple of weeks. I just haven't had a chance to get them done! I will though, don't you fret. *wink*

So Happy Birthday to my Sweet Tea, I love you more than you'll ever know!

Security Shorts

2008-02-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

So I listen to a local Christian radio station here when I'm at work. Actually, it's not in my town but nearby. I especially enjoy the morning show and have called in to answer the question of the day a few times.

So yesterday the question of the day was "Does your spouse or significant other have an article of clothing that you wish they wouldn't wear anymore." Um...yes.

Hubby has these shorts. I believe he got them before we were even married but if not then it was shortly after we were married which was 14 long years ago. They are Adidas gym shorts and he loves them. He wears them all the time. They've been headed down hill for quite a while but in the last several months they've developed a huge gap in the crotch. Lovely.

I called in and told them about his shorts. Apparently crotch isn't a word that they can play on their station because that part was edited out. *snicker* But his shorts were the worst they heard about (actually only a couple of us called in so I think they had to pick me because the other caller didn't really have much to say). So they said they'd call him and see if they could get him to get rid of them.

They were nice enough to send me a copy of what they played on the radio because Hubby didn't get to hear it when it was on. (You can hear our conversation by clicking on the link on my sidebar named Security Shorts.) I have to admit that he was a pretty good sport. He doesn't really like attention much so he gets bonus points for playing along as well as he did.

I'm keeping my eyes open for a replacement pair of these shorts. The DJ's called them his "security shorts". If I find another pair of them I'm buying like 10 just to last him for the rest of his life!

A sugar high

2008-02-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

Let's just say I'm probably not gonna like what I see on the scale come weigh in on Monday morning. Yikes!

I was home again today and felt up to at least putting on clothes. Since I didn't have to go to work I figured I'd mosey on down to the kids' schools for their Valentine's Day parties. They were excited that I got to be there which made us all happy.

Madi is at the middle school now and too old for classroom parties. Kinda makes me sad. Although I'm glad I don't have to travel to two different schools anymore to be sure to get to everyone's classroom's. I guess next year I'll only have 2 in elementary where they do parties. Ack!

The first party of the afternoon was Eli's. Since he's in 5th grade they did a whole shin-dig and let all of the classes celebrate together. Apparently in order to get in to the party that was being held in the cafeteria each child had to wear a hat they had made. Of course, the more outrageous the better. It looked a little bit like something out of a Dr. Suess book more than a party for Valentine's Day.

I initially thought that Eli's hat was a train. However, it was actually a store. Apparently a store that sells hugs. And today, and today only, hugs were free at 100% off. What a deal!

Then I headed to Sadie's class where I wasn't able to stay too terribly long. They were in the middle of some games when I got there. Sadie and her partner had a pile of conversation hearts on the floor between them. They each had a stick in their hands and they had to work together to pick up a heart and put it in the plastic cup they had. Lots of team work went into this project! They worked great together!

Then I was off to Teagan's class where I was quickly reminded what I let her where to school. Bless her heart! Had she been the first child she never would have been let out of the house wearing this get up. But she's child #4 and I've learned to pick my battles. I did try to encourage her to choose either the skirt or the jeans but she really liked the way they went together. Ah well, what can you do. She's my little free bird and likes to live naked so I'm just thankful that I'm not fighting with her to wear clothes at all.

I left her classroom at one point to go get some water and when I returned she had started on this chocolate bar. I asked her if there was a golden ticket it in. It was ginormous. Seriously!

After that we headed home and Hubby and I exchanged goodies. I walked in to find two neatly wrapped pressies underneath a card with my name on it. What was inside each package were wonderful new necklaces and earrings that he'd gotten at a great store downtown. He happened to run into a friend of mine while he was there and she did help him a little bit in choosing things. I think he would have done fine on his own though, although with her help he did great!

Finally it was Hubby's turn. I had heard a while back on my radio station that one of the artists was writing custom songs for people. I thought it sounded like such a neat idea and something that Hubby would enjoy. So I moseyed on over to Paul Wright's website and ordered a song! Maybe one of these days I'll share it here but I really don't know how to share an mp3 online! Sorry! But here's the photo I put on the case, it's one I took of some trees in Maine when we were there back in November. The song turned out great and makes us smile. It's a family hit!

So Happy Valentines Day to everyone in blogger-land. I hope you and your sweeties had as great a day as we all did! Enjoy coming down from that sugar high! *Smooch*

The Dust People

2008-02-13T13:20:00.000-08:00

With everyone being home sick for so long there has been quite a bit of camping out in Mommy's room during the day. Ok, ok. You're right. It actually is Mommy and Daddy's room. *wink*

At any rate, I came home one day not long ago to find that The Dust People were on tv. Nope, not some wonderful new television show. It's the design that Teagan and Eli collectively made in the dust on the screen. It's my belief that Eli first made the large blob face and then not wanting to be put to shame Teagan did one better with the full on Dust Girl. Notice the pretty bow in her hair? Lovely.

To my defense, while I'm not the best housekeeper in the world the dust on the tv seems to accumulate overnight. We did learn a wonderful trick of wiping the front of the television with a used dryer sheet to help collect and more importantly repel future dust. This set happens to be in our bedroom though so it tends to get neglected. And of course this dust accumulation is a bit extreme as well because of how the whole family felt in general. Because honestly, who wants to dust (or clean or do laundry or cook or ANYTHING for that matter!) when they feel so ikcy?

Is there an end in sight?

2008-02-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

Hubby and the kids are all back at work/school now. Although while laying in bed this morning listening to them all getting ready they echoed a chorus of nonstop coughing. Quite entertaining actually.

Although I was down and out for a few days last week and could only guess I was the latest victim of the crud it became all to obvious on Saturday that my crud last week was just a sort of pre-crud to the fun times ahead. I woke up Saturday with a bit of a sore throat. Not scratchy or burning but that feeling of swollen-full-of-stuff-that-shouldn't-be-in-your-throat soreness. By noon my eyeballs and head were joining in on the game too. And by bedtime my temperature was over 100. Good times.

I did go to the doctor yesterday and had a flu test which surprisingly turned out negative. So the nurse (the Dr apparently didn't have time for me?) came in and handed out antibiotic prescriptions to me for whatever it is I may or may not have. In all honesty, that just frustrated me more than even being sick. I asked why I was being given antibiotics and what I could have that would require them and her answer was that "you must just be passing some sort of infection around to each other". Well, seeing as how the rest of the family eventually got over whatever it is we have/had I just don't see why taking antibiotics is necessary. Other than to build up my resistance even more to them which is definitely not something I need.

I will say that I'm feeling today that I may actually live. I still have a slight fever and doing much of anything other than laying flat for any length of time is quite exhausting. But it seems as though there quite possibly could be an end in sight which is at least comforting.

Up until now I've not done much other than reading and sleeping. On Saturday I decided that I might like to dig out the Narnia books and read them again since I had seen an ad for Prince Caspian that will be out this May. I haven't read them since I was a child and even then, I'm not sure that I made it through more than the first two books. I'm currently on the third book and thoroughly enjoying them. Eli has even started on the first one now that I'm finished with it.

No, I'm not leaving Hubby in order to plan another wedding. Although I have been working on a little bit of wedding planning and investigating. There seem to be weddings of dear friends popping up everywhere in 2008. Our long time babysitter who started coming over when she was just 11 and is now 22 years old got engaged shortly before Christmas and will be tying the knot this summer. In December I found out that one of my best friends from high school has found love and will be getting hitched in October. Then my close friend Leah was just engaged on Friday and would like for me to be invoved in planning her wedding. (I must metion too that I'm hoping my favorite blue-eyed sister will have the question popped to her before too terribly long so that she can get busy working on some new cousins!) At any rate, wedding's are definitely on my mind and I've justified spending money on magazines and fun wedding books by saying that I will be ready to help any of these lovely ladies should they need me.

Lastly, now that I'm feeling a bit more like I might live I'm hoping to get up and finish creating some items for my spring CTA line that is long overdue. The season starts this weekend I believe and is sure to have tons of terrific items. Hopefully it will have a few from me as well if I can just churn them out!

And now I must grab a Diet Pepsi and return to bed. I think I'll sleep for a bit since the kids are gone and I can actually rest without being bothered. Perhaps I'll wake feeling even better and who knows what tomorrow might bring. Hopefully...health!

Hit hard

2008-02-04T15:52:00.001-08:00

Yep, we've been hit. And hit hard. The flu has officially made it's way into our household and is now an ever present visitor. I say "officially" although I'm not 100% certain that's what we really have. However, I do know that many many people around town have been hit by the flu so I'm assuming that's what we've got as well.

It all started last Monday morning around 5:00 am. My sweet Tea appeared by the side of my bed saying that her throat hurt. I let her climb into bed with me and knew instantly that she had a fever. When we finally got up an hour or so later her fever was over 101. Hubby stayed home with her Tuesday and Wednesday and by late Wednesday afternoon he was feeling awful himself. I actually took her into the ped on Wednesday where they did a strep test (it was negative) and said she had a virus that would just need to run it's course. I'm wishing now that I would have thought to have them do a flu test. If I had, the rest of us wouldn't have fallen prey!

By Thursday morning Sadie was running a fever too and Teagan and Hubby were still feeling awful. On Friday Madi and I went to Tulsa to a church retreat (more on that later!) and Friday after lunch I had to bring Madi and a friend both back home because they were the latest victims.

Now today it's hit me, although I don't have a fever I feel as though I might have been hit by a truck. Good times. It's been 8 days now since this all started and Tea still has a fever. I'm beginning to wonder if we'll ever be healthy!

So far, Eli has seemed to squeak by unscathed. He did miss a week of school recently due to headaches and we have an appointment scheduled for him this Friday with a pediatric neurologist to see if we can finally figure out what is going on with him. I'm just hoping that he's able to somehow avoid getting the flu between now and then!

For everyone out there suffering through flu season like we are...get better! The promise of spring and good health are right around the corner!

Tooth trauma

2008-01-23T07:46:00.000-08:00

I have bad teeth. Bad as in prone to cavities even though I brush and take care of them. Hubby on the other hand has great teeth. 34 years old and never has had a cavity in his life. I can count on one hand the number of times he's been to the dentist in the 16 years I've been with him. I go every 6 months. It's clearly hereditary and he got the luckier hand. Of our 4 kids they seem to be split in who's teeth they got. Well, as far as the health of their teeth. Unfortunately, I'm thinking they all got my too-many-big-teeth-in-a-not-quite-big-enough-mouth-so-we'll-jumble-and-look-goofy teeth. Poor kids. As far as healthy teeth go though, Madi and Sadie seem to have it made. Neither of them have had a cavity yet. Then there are Eli and Teagan. Eli's had a number of fillings already and I'm sure there are more in his future.

Then there is Teagan. I've spoken before about her tooth woes and our endless trips to the Pediadontist in Oklahoma City. I had so hoped that the crowns would protect her little sick teeth and she'd eventually lose them and big healthy grown-up teeth would come in. No such luck. If things continue this way for her then she's in for a future of spending a fortune at the dentist.

She started complianing on Friday afternoon that her tooth hurt. It was one of the silver crowns, part of what we call her grill. She's got enough silver in that mouth to melt it down and make one heck of a fancy necklace. Of course, what can you do about a toothache on a Friday afternoon? Pretty much nothing but wait until the dentist opens again on Monday. Then because Monday was a holiday and apparently >the day to be at the dentist we took the first available appointment yesterday. I took her to a friend here in town to see if he could pinpoint the problem before taking an entire day off to drive to OKC.

After having an x-ray taken Dr. Zach pulled me aside to tell me that Teagan had an infection under her tooth and the tooth would have to be removed. He was willing to move things around and do it right then so we told Teagan he was going to "wriggle" her tooth out. That didn't go over so well. She's never lost a tooth before and I'm not sure that she'll ever tell me if she has a loose one even if she does after her experience yesterday. I was smart enough to go sit out in the waiting area so she wouldn't be looking at me with her big sad eyes and crocodile tears. Bless her heart, I could hear her screaming all the way in the front of the building. She drew quite a crowd of nurses and office employees to the door wondering what was going on.

Luckily, we got it out and Dr. Zach said the infection all came out with the tooth. Gross! He said it wasn't really that uncommon because when she'd had the crown originally put on they had done sort of a mini root canal. Because this was on a baby tooth they couldn't dig too deep without the risk of harming the adult tooth so there were some tiny little holes left that bacteria apparently got in.

The nurse cleaned the tooth off and put it in a very fun glow-in-the-dark tooth holder that Teagan carried around with her all day. I'm not sure I've ever seen a tooth quite as big as this one that came from Teagan's little mouth...silver crown, root and all!

Luckily we didn't have any tooth fairy issues like we've had in the past. I think that probation letter we sent the tooth fairy a while back after she made one too many mistakes must have scared her straight. At least for now.

So Teagan is the proud new owner of a $10 bill (Mommy told the tooth fairy she really did deserve a little something extra for all she'd been through). She also got to wear Sadie's bracelet that has a cute little polymer clay girl-tooth on it to school today so she could share her news with her class.

Girl Runner

2008-01-21T19:25:00.000-08:00

Three weeks into my training schedule and running is quickly taking over. I had forgotten how addictive it could be. It doesn't take long before it seems as though you are eating, sleeping, and dreaming about running. And I don't even like it! Ugh.

Something happened today though that reminded me of one reason I like running. As someone who loves to shop, I was reminded today about all the fun gear you can get for running! Did you know that there are charms for bracelets at all the major races? Yep. One could choose their runs based on the charm they may be able to add to their bracelet. I do think that I'll need to travel to Germany at some point just so that I can be the proud owner of this adorable cuckoo clock!

Another thing you get to stock up on? Shoes! What girl doesn't love a great pair of shoes? Not this one, that's for sure! I love shoes. No matter what size I am they always fit. I go through too many shoes to splurge for anything very pricey. I'm all over BOGO at Payless. Gotta love that place. You know what though, when you are running you really must have a good pair of shoes. It's essential. And your husband can't complain about the price of your shoes because his are just as expensive. It's truly wonderful I tell you, wonderful!

Last year Hubby and I went to Tulsa to Fleet Feet and had our running analyzed so that we'd know the proper shoes to get. He now knows that his feet are normal and mine are (surprise, surprise) not normal. I tend to pronate a bit too much so I need a shoe that really supports and stabilizes my foot. We each got a pair last year and those are the shoes that we've worn to run in since then. So we decided we needed to break in a new pair. Yeah! New shoes!

We went to a local store today and I am in love with a pair of running shoes. They aren't the ones I got though. I tried on two different pairs, both Asics. In the end, although I liked the looks of one better I had to go with the other one. It just felt better on my foot. Not that the pretty one didn't feel good. It just wasn't quite as nice.

Here's the one I got. It's orange, which is of course always a bonus since I love my Cowboys. *wink* Feels GREAT on my foot although it runs big so I had to get a size 10 because they run small. Amazing that a shoe in a bigger size has the ability to make me feel bigger. What's up with that?

Here's the one I didn't get. I'm all about the bling. I like things sparkly and shiny and this shoe had just that. I liked it when I saw it because of the gold. Then when I tried it on I realized that the toe and all-over design also had a faux snake skin print on it. Cool!

So here's what's gonna happen. My goal for our first run in April is to finish in 2:45. Last year I finished 2:58. I'm slow but hey, at least I get it done. I told Hubby that if I make my goal I'm buying those shoes. Just a little more motivation to keep on running.

Here I am

2008-01-18T09:19:00.000-08:00

I'm still here in case you wondered. I've just been so busy with work and family and well, just life in general! I have thought about blogging I just haven't really had the chance. And every time I start to feel stressed about the fact that I haven't blogged in a while I think about this. That makes me realize that it really isn't a big deal. Although, I know I have people who are bored at work and checking in for an update. So for you I will try to do better in the future so that I can keep you entertained. *wink*

The new year has brought a renewed commitment to eating right and exercising. I lost so much weight last year and sadly it didn't stay lost. It always seems to find me somehow, very frustrating. I think part of my problem last year was that I ran the half marathon in April and then didn't have any more runs planned. I don't like running, I really don't. So unless I'm working toward something and have a deadline there is just not much of a chance that I'm going to keep it up. Lame mindset I know but that's how I roll.

So...in an effort to not repeat my past mistakes I have officially committed to 3 seperate 1/2 marathons this year. I'll be doing the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon again at the end of April. Then the first weekend in June we'll head to the Covered Bridges Half Marathon in Vermont. (I'm really looking forward to this one because it promises to be a beautiful run! Although, I have got to increase my time or I'll be among the last few finishers and I don't want that!) Finally, I hope to finish off the year doing the Nike Women's Marathon on October 19th. I'm not yet registered for this run as it hasn't opened yet. I know that when it does open it will sell out very quickly so fingers crossed that I'm able to get in!

Now, I just need my stupid body to hold up. I swear I feel like I'm about 80 years old sometimes. Last year I had a lot of knee problems right from the start. I took a small break and started back up and just knew to expect my knees to hurt. Then I started having itbs and figure I'll have it again this year but at least I can take some steps to prevent it from getting so bad. So I'm now in week 2 of the current training program and I've developed some sort of awful pain in my right leg. What the heck?! Now, I expect to have some sort of discomfort. If it didn't feel bad sometimes then I'd never have had an issue with exercising in the first place. It's just so frustrating to always have some sort of ailment. As Hubby always says, "There's always something with you, isn't there!" Unfortunately, yes.

So there ya go. A little bit of an update to tide you over till next time. Perhaps I'll even do one this weekend. We've got a 3 day weekend coming up and some bad weather moving in next week. My office is closed during snow days so pray for snow and I'll get an even longer weekend. Yippee!

PS...This morning, I started to put on a pair of pretty silver hoop earrings that I received as a Christmas gift. As I took them out of the package I thought something looked a little off. Sure enough, I was right. One hoop is larger than the other. Is this some new style that I'm not aware of?

God blessed my broken road

2008-01-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you
Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Fourteen years ago today I was married. So hard to believe it's been that long. Although, when I really think about what we have accomplished as a couple and a family it seems like it has been even longer.

I took this shot of Hubby's hand back in November on our way home from Maine. His wedding band is too big so he occasionally moves it to a different finger. I think most men would choose to just not wear a ring that was too big. But Hubby chooses to wear his. To show the world that he is my beloved, and in return I am most definitely his!

We met after my freshman year in college, just a month before my Mother was diagnosed with Cancer. He was by my side when she passed away 12 short months later and he hasn't left it since.

I think about my high school boyfriend every now and then and how hurt I was when he ended our relationship. How I searched after that for someone. And how I eventually found Hubby. I know that Hubby was made especially for me. The words from this song are so real to me because I wish more than anything that I could take back the time that I spent with other's and give them to him. There is no doubt in my mind though that it truly was all part of God's grander plan.

So thank you to those northern stars who pointed me into Hubby's loving arms. And thank you God, for the man of my dreams!

Happy Anniversary Hubby! I love you more today than I ever thought possible!

Thumbs and Dots

2007-12-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

Huh?

Big changes going on around here. Big changes, I tell you.

Sadie came up to me the other night with her wubie in her hand. Her wubie is a cloth diaper, and she has several of them. She's carried them around with her since she was a baby and generally if she has it in her hand her right thumb is also in her mouth. She's in the 1st grade now and getting awfully big but just couldn't quite seem to quit the whole thumb addiction. Bless her heart. For the last year now she's been obviously aware that it was something she shouldn't be doing. I'd walk by her while she was sitting on the couch watching tv and she would look at me with those shifty little eyes while her thumb was in her mouth, just waiting for me to tell her to stop sucking it. I tried really hard not to nag. I knew she wouldn't be walking across the stage at high school graduation with her thumb in her mouth. At least I felt pretty confident about it.

So she comes up to me the other night and she's got her wubie and she's just rubbing it across her face. I looked at her and said, "You know. Looking at you and that wubie makes me think that I haven't seen you doing a certain something in quite a while". She smiled a big huge smile and said, "Sucking my thumb!"

That' it. Over and done. Just like that. Well, 7 years is quite a while but still. It doesn't seem that long ago that she was 4 months old and found that thumb and now all of the sudden she's just not interested in it. Wow.

As if that big change wasn't enough...tomorrow we visit a plastic surgeon in Oklahoma City to have Madi's special dot taken off. You may have remembered quite some time ago that we went through this same thing. Then we ended up not being able to have it done.

Now it looks like it's definitely happening. I know she'll feel better about having it removed but that special dot is part of her!

Photo Shoot fiasco

2007-12-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

I've really been enjoying taking photos and learning about lighting and playing in photoshop lately. So I decided I'd take the kiddos out and do a little photo shoot and see if I could capture the perfect shot for our Christmas cards this year.

We head out with a couple props and Hubby comes along for the ride. Arriving at the shooting location we all pile out of the car and the kids start to complain about the temperature. It was chilly, and windy...but I think the fact that they weren't doing something they wanted to do played a big part in the complaining.

The problems started pretty much right off the bat. While trying to get Madi positioned on the wall I heard a big thud and looked over just in time to see poor Teagan hit her head. Bless her heart, she fell right off the wall and landed on her forehead. She immediately grew a huge goose-egg but after some tears agreed to try to take a few photos. Unfortunately, soon after that the wind picked up and Madi got a cramp in her leg while sitting down and everyone freaked out.

There is a photo of my siblings and me that immediately came to mind when I uploaded that last photo. My Mom wanted a nice picture of the 4 of us on Mother's Day (or maybe it was Easter?) one year. My step-dad took us to the park to get the perfect shot and ended up with something very similar to this one. It was at this point in our Christmas photo shoot that we decided to take a break. Off we went for some hot chocolate and heat in the car. Luckily, after just a short amount of time off from posing we were able to head back out and had a blast. It's amazing what some hot chocolate can do!

Now I just have to decide which one to use. These are several of my favorites but you can view the whole slew of them here. Take a look if you'd like, and pay no attention to the big bump on Tea's head! *wink*

Coming Clean

2007-12-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

So when I started this blog way back when I wasn't really sure what it would be used for. I initially intended to just have it be an area to vent. A place to come when I wanted to whine and get it all out. I thought I might want it to be a little private too. I didn't know that I would really want to share it with family and friends. Because of this I was also unsure how much of my real life I wanted to share here. Did I want to share the kids names and let everyone know who I really was? I really wasn't sure...and so the children all received pseudo names.

Things have changed now. I've been using my blog to share the life and times of my family with friends and other family members. Now it seems a little silly to be using these fake names.

So here I am coming clean. Please allow me to introduce to you my amazing kiddos...

Madilee Elizabeth
She was going to be named Parrie Elizabeth. Parrie for my mother-in-laws maiden name and Elizabeth is the middle name that my mother and I both share. My mom passed away beefore Hubby and I were married but she did now him and I think she knew that he was the one for me. She suggested one day that if we got married and had a daughter we could name her Parrie Elizabeth after her Grandmother's. I think knowing that my mom approved of the name is the reason that Parrie always made it to the top of our list. We never did use it though, which I regret. Perhaps I can talk Hubby into more children at some point and we can finally use it. So Madilee was a name that came about from a co-worker of Hubby's. We liked the nickname Madi but there were so many Madeline's and Madison's at the time we wanted something a little different. So Hubby came home one day and said that a co-worker suggested Madilee. I wasn't crazy about it at first. Then I spent a good portion of that evening writing a list of the many ways I could spell her name. I think I came up with 93 spelling variations. I still have that list around here somewhere, I think in her baby book.

Elijah Bradley
I remember the day that we found out we were having a boy. We went to Wendy's after the ultrasound and Hubby announced that he wanted to shout from the mountaintops that he was having a son. We talked about names that day and Heston was high on the list. We also really like Avery and I'm so glad we didn't go with that because I think it's more of a feminine name. Driving to Tulsa one day we thought of the name Elijah and that was that. Eli. We loved it. Elijah was shortened to Eli which ended up with all sorts of variations. Eli-Shmeli gets shortened to Shmeli...Shmee-Shmo...and finally just Shmee.

Sheradyn Elayne
This was a hard one. she actually left the hospital wihtout a name. She was to be our last child and we didn't know if she was a boy or a girl. We had decided if she was a boy she would be named William Foster after my father and step-father and then she'd have my father-in-laws last name. If she was a girl she would be either Parrie, Lydia, or Georgia. Then she arrived and I decided that she just must have a nickname and none of the names on our list could be shortened to a nickname that I liked. That night as I lay in my hospital bed Hubby called to say that he really liked the name Sheridan. I wasn't crazy about it but I did like Sadie. So we talked about naming her Sheridan and calling her Sadie. Afterall, Margaret's become Peggy and Richard's become Dick. Surely I could pass Sadie off as a proper nickname for Sheridan. Although, as you see I got creative with the spelling. Elayne was chosen because we decided to use a middle name with an "E" as the first letter so all the children would have one. She's our little Sadie-bug.

Teagan Elise
This was our wonderful little surprise baby. I remember the look on Hubby's face when I told him I was once again expecting. Poor guy. Then he decided maybe this was God's way of giving him another son. He didn't talk for almost three full days after we found out I would be giving birth to another girl. Of course now she's wrapped as tight as can be around his little finger. Before we found out that she was in fact a she, I liked the name Teague for a boy. I still loved the name when I had my ultrasound and discussed with Hubby using Teagan for a girl. We also discussed Emersyn (again with the wacky spelling!), Parrie, and a number of other names but finally decided on using Teagan. Now remember my whole has-to-have-a-nickname issue with Sadie? This time I decided to use her initials as her nickname and I wanted to call her Tess. That never stuck though and although she's usually just Teagan she still has a handful of names...Tea, Teague, Teagalyn, Teagers, and her teacher's choice of Teaganator.

So there you have it. I've come clean and now I won't get questions from people saying, "Why do your kids have different names on your blog?". Ahhh, what a relief!

Giving thanks and other stuff

2007-11-27T10:53:00.000-08:00

This week seems to have just flown right by. It always happens this time of year. In fact, I think every year I talk about how it seems to go by faster and faster. I think that must mean I'm getting old.

Thanksgiving was at my house this year. My sister came to stay with us for a few days which was a treat. Although I was in a bit of a funk and she got to see mean-and-yelly-Margo which isn't very pretty. But she's my sister and has to love me no matter what so I guess it's ok. The whole family came on Thursday and we had fun chatting and laughing like we always do.

The kiddos found all sorts of fun things to do and they especially loved harrassing poor little Lucy. There's just something about a baby, even when they aren't really in the baby stage anymore. It's like a living doll to play with!

We had lots of great food and Johnnie brought his delish banana puddin' recipe that was handed down from Aunt Mamie. Nothing like some good old nanner puddin' with a nice glass of wine. *wink*

Seems like I have a lot of updating to do around here but it will just have to come when I have the time. A few things that I'm anxious to share are:

~the awesome Closer event that Marleigh and I went to a few weeks back.
~my list of must have's for Christmas stocking stuffers
~photos and details of my fancy new 'do
~our Christmas Photo Shoot fiasco and pictures

Stay tuned, there's more to come!

SPC - The eyes have it

2007-11-20T14:50:00.000-08:00

For this weeks self portrait challenge we're once again showing photos of "what I wear". I wear...my eyes.

I generally wear glasses but this photo is from when Hubby and I went to Maine and I like to wear my contacts when I'm on the plane so that I can get more comfortable. Like getting comfortable is even a possibility on planes!

Anywho...on the way home my eyes were just killing me. My Dailies were on their last leg and I felt like there were cotton balls waded up underneath them. So I took them out but soon discovered I had no place to dispose of them so I just sat them on my leg.

The tiny airplane light bounced off of their rims, illuminating the blue ring that helps me locate them if they are dropped. The more I looked at them through my weary eyes the more I was amazed. I find it amazing that something so small can make such a difference in the way I can see. My vision isn't all that bad actually but you take someone like my sister who has glasses that are 8 1/2 inces thick and it's truly amazing that they can condense all that glass into a tiny contact for her.

(No, her glasses aren't really 8 1/2 inches thick but they're pretty darn close. The girl is blind I tell you.)

See what everyone else is wearing over at SPC.

Happy Birthday Oklahoma!

2007-11-16T08:52:00.001-08:00

100 years and counting! Today we celebrate the 100th birthday of our 46th state...Oklahoma! We are a state full of history and I'm so proud to call myself an Oklahoman. I wasn't born here but this is where I grew up and where my own little family now grows it's roots.

The kids school encouraged them to wear clothing today celebrating the state's birthday. Elliot chose to wear his Great Grandpa's cowboy hat that he inherited when GGpa passed away several years ago. Selah and Tess wore the shirts I quickly appliqued last night. My pack-rat-edness (yes that most definitely is a word!) paid off again when I reached in my remnant stash and pulled out the black and white floral patterned fabric. I decided to use orange thread to highlight the state applique so that the girls could wear these shirts to all their favorite Oklahoma State events. *wink* In addition, the girls are sporting their new $4.99 boots I scored at The Children's Place outlet mall in Kittery last weekend. Yee haw!

Our family will celebrate this evening by attending the Boomer Blast. This is our annual 4th of July fireworks show. Since we were all stocking up our wood supplies back in July in preparation for another building of an arc our fireworks show was postponed. The ground was just too wet to provide ample parking and recreation space for the amount of people expected to attend. So this evening we'll bundle up and picnic while watching the fireworks.

And although he doesn't read this because I've yet to share the link with him, I am thinking special thoughts of my favorite Step-Daddy today who shares a birthday with Oklahoma. Happy Birthday GPJ!

Costumes and such

2007-11-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

Well, it's about time right? For those of you waiting anxiously for Halloween photos of the kiddos I sure hope you aren't disappointed. I generally make all the costumes but this year I wimped out and every single one of them was purchased. I'm telling ya, this working full time thing is really putting a damper on my sewing! Although after finding this wonderful site I don't feel the least bit guilty that I haven't shared these photos yet. Yep, blogging without obligation. That's what I'm gonna do.

So this year we went to our church to trick-or-treat inside. It was loads of fun and the kids enjoyed themselves. Marleigh actually went on a hayride with her youth group at church, she's just about getting to old for the whole trick-or-treating. *sniff sniff* Not sure how my babies are growing so fast!

So here's what we had this year...

Marleigh decided the night before Halloween that she would like to have a costume after all. So at the last of last minutes we headed out and picked up this very groovey outfit.

Elliot and his buddy hooked up together and went as ketchup and mustard. They were pretty cute and Elliot enjoyed pretending to squirt himself onto other people that night.

Selah was, as she told everyone, a "grease girl". Basically she was Sandi from the last scene in Grease. *snicker* I tried to get her to say, "Tell me about it, Stud!" but she wouldn't play along. While I was getting her ready in my bathroom Elliot walked in and said, "Um, hello big long fake eyelashes!" Funny thing was they were actually her eyelashes with mascara on them!

Then we had little Tess who wore Selah's Wonder Woman costume from a couple years ago. She enjoyed waving those arm cuffs around to get the bad guys.

Lots of fun! Now next year maybe I can get organized enough to make the costumes again. Ya think?

SPC - what I wear

2007-11-13T05:44:00.000-08:00

Ruby slippers are for traveling!

Hubby and I just arrived home from a very spur-of-the-moment trip to Maine. We had a great time and really enjoyed ourselves but there truly is just no place like home.

This shot was taken while on a short layover in Baltimore. All the other passengers had gotten off the plane and I was able, if only for a very short while, to stretch out.

There's definitely no place like home, especially when you're on a plane!

More of our travels to come in the next few days. Please visit SPC for more self portraits.

for Emily

2007-11-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

I'm in Maine! It's beautiful here but I'm typing on my phone so you'll just have to be patient for an update. It'll be worth the wait!

fo: veil and quilt

2007-11-07T07:20:00.000-08:00

So Eren recently clued me in as to what the acronym fo means. That would be Finished Object. It's rare I have any fo's myself unless there is a deadline. Which is why you're seeing these two lovlies...deadlines are here!

I'm am beyond pleased to announce that the veil I've been cursing for the last several months is finally completed. It's for Marleigh's volleyball coach who is getting married next month. I believe it was last February or March when she asked if I'd make her the veil. She fell in love with one at a bridal store but didn't want to spend the big buckaroo's on it. I figured what the heck, surely I can make it for a lot less. Of course, I didn't take into account the hand-beading and crystal drops I would have to put together. Plus, I've never made a veil and it's likely I won't be making more anytime soon. Honestly, I think it is just that having never done a veil and knowing it is for such an important event really stressed me out. It really didn't take all that long to put together but working on a little bit here and there over several months sure made it seem to drag out!

One of the things I love about sewing and crafting is watching a project come to fruition. There is something about having a pile of folded fabric one minute and then having a completed something soon after. Whether it's a veil, a quilt, a bag, a piece of clothing...doesn't matter. It amazes me every time!

Another fo I recently had was a quilt for a friend from church. Her husband is the junior high/high school pastor at my church and having helped with the junior high girls for the last couple of years I have gotten to know this family. I received the shower invitation on a Thursday and on Saturday afternoon I thought, "Hmmmm, maybe I'll make a quilt!" This is exactly why Hubby likes to say I'm insane. *snicker*

Knowing the time crunch was on and I'd definitely have to bend some rules I pulled out my favorite Amy Karol book and proceeded to pull out random bits of fabric from my stash to make her simple lap quilt. Of course, being "insane" as Hubby says I couldn't just piece together the fabrics after serious inspiration hit from looking at the cute fabric I dug out. I decided to hand embroider the solid squares with fun vehicular wordage. That made it take a tad longer but I was still finished in time to give her the quilt at her shower on Monday evening. Oh! And the backing is made with a Pottery Barn valance of yummy buttery yellow corduroy that I got for $4.99 a couple of years ago. See, it pays to be a pack rat!

A blow to the ego

2007-11-05T06:48:00.000-08:00

I'm writing this in hopes that the next time I decide to throw a party at my house I will be reminded that it's just not a good idea.

There is a fairly new company out there called Piggies and Paws. They do the neatest artwork with your child's hand or foot print. I was invited to a party a month or so ago but wasn't able to go. So I decided I'd have my own party. Surely I would have a good turnout as it's a new idea and not every one has been to a million-gazillion parties already for this company. You know what I mean, you get yet another Pampered Chef invitation in the mail and immediately start thinking of ways you can get out of going.

In addition to having this lady come to do the Piggies and Paws party, I decided to set out the Cherry Tree Avenue trunk since it was already in Oklahoma. I figured I would be able to rack up some extra orders for my fellow CTA designers with all these droves of people who would show up for my party.

I spent the entire last week getting ready for the party. I cleaned, I crafted, I made follow up phone calls and emails to the 70+ people that I sent invitations to. I was going to have a great turnout! I had tons of people bringing multiple children to print their tiny little piggies and paws to cherish forever. I didn't even know what the hostess benefits are for this company and it didn't even matter because I just thought it was too neat not to share!

So my party started at 2:00 yesterday. My house was clean and ready with everything all displayed in several rooms. Tess wrote "Piggies and Paws" on the chalkboard in the kitchen and Selah made a colorful sign that read, "Welcome, welcome. Have fun!" to get everyone in a great mood. They were especially excited that this party included their friends and knew of several little buddies that planned on being there. The consultant showed up a few minutes early and started setting up. My kids and I flipped through the book of over 200 designs to choose from. They were just darling! I wanted one of each of them and I wanted to go back in time to when my own children were smaller so that I could freeze their tiny prints!

The doorbell rang at 2:00 on the dot with my friend S and her family in tow. I hadn't heard from her that she was going to be able to make it so I was especially excited to see her. Shortly after she arrived my friend K showed up with her son. It looked like things were going smoothly. Then 2:30 arrived, followed by 3:00 and 3:30 with no more ringing of the doorbell. Selah was in tears that none of her friends came and she cried telling me she was sorry I had cleaned so much and no one showed up.

70+ people invited and 2 people came. Let me just tell you, that's a major blow to the ego. Makes you wonder if maybe no one really likes you. Have you been blackballed and no one told you? I've dreamed all of my 34 years of having someone throw a surprise birthday party for me but honestly I'm wondering if that wouldn't be a good idea. I'd be heartbroken if someone went to the trouble of throwing a party for me and only 2 people showed up.

I cherish the 2 friends who were there. And I thank those that were unable to come who took the time to call and let me know that they wouldn't be there. For everyone else, pooey on youey! My feelings were hurt, I'm not gonna lie. I felt bad for the consultant who drove an hour each way to get to my house.

I guess the silver lining is that between the 3 of us who were there she made 11 prints so it wasn't a total wash for her. I'll have to share my prints here when they come in. I think they'll be really cute! And I also had my new soldered charms and new ornaments laid out and both friends ordered several of those. That made me happy.

Seriously though...no more parties! It's a shame I like to entertain so much!

How slow can I be?

2007-11-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Seriously. Ever have one of those light-bulb-hit-yourself-in-the-head moments? Yep, that's me. I'm a dork.

So I'm here at work, pretending to be busy typing away on the computer. Intently looking at the screen as if I'm trying to solve all the world's mental health problems through our own little community mental health center here. Of course, I'm actually messing around on the computer. Hitting all my favorite sites and checking in on all my buddies.

So I end up over on my friend Megan's blog seeing what she's up to today. She has this terrific post about a giveaway for an incredible apron over on The Apronista Blog. The featured apron catches my eye so I head over there to check it out.

Now the Apronista is a blog I hear mention of often. I'm not a big apron wearer. Mostly because I think you have to cook to wear aprons and when your cooking consists of asking the kiddos where they want to go out to eat it's not really cooking now is it. Doesn't quite make sense to wear an apron just to wipe your greasy french-fry covered hands on it. Ya know? I do love aprons though, something about the flood of memories of my Grandma in her kitchen frying up a chicken I just watched her pluck the feathers from or helping her thread the dough through her very old school noodle machine so we could have her scrumptious noodle soup with homemade butterballs. Great memories!

Anywho...so I'm over on the Apronista and a blurb to the side catches my eye. It says, "~Eren is a mama to three boys and loves all that is vintage. She started collecting aprons..." Now I'm thinking to myself, "Self, that sounds like it must be my Eren they are talking about!" My sweet little amiga I met my freshman year of college, and became fast friends with? My Gamma Phi sister? The friend who cried with me when my mom passed away and rejoiced with me at my wedding and the birth of my first child? No way! I knew she was an apron fan and I figured maybe they were featuring her or something.

I scroll up on the page to see what sort of feature they have her on for. Imagine my surprise when... Lightbulb moment... DUH!

She is the Apronista! Or at least, she's one of them. Who knew?! Apparently not me!

Go get 'em Eren, you rock. And I seriously feel like I know someone famous now. *smooch*

Walk Around - Finally!

2007-10-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

Go Pokes!

Ok, so I've been a serious slacker blogger lately. I have a long list of things to blog and now I'm all behind. It stresses me out. Seriously.

So this is my story about our OSU Homecoming from nearly 2 weeks ago now. I haven't been to the walk-around since Marleigh and Elliot were little bitty. So we decided this year that it would be fun to go. Especially since little Selah got to help do some pomping on one of the house decks.

OSU has a huge homecoming celebration and it's one of the biggest and most celebrated in the nation. We're all about partying!

Marleigh was away at camp during this time but I took the little girls into the Gamma Phi house where I (and my mom before me!) used to live. Here I am with my two smallest legacies outside of the GPhiB house!

And on a side note, can I just say that I have a college work study here at my office and she along with a few other girls have said that my sweet Gamma Phi house is not sportin' the best reputation in town these days. It makes me so sad! Something about a significant member

So each of the sororities and fraternities pair up and make this huge house deck that is judged. Some of the houses also participate in floats for the parades. The dorms all do house decks and floats as well but the walk around is generally focused in the greek housing area. The hours put into these displays are just incredible. Members are generally required to put in so many hours of pomping each week leading up to Homecoming. It's amazing! Here is just a sampling of some of the house decks that we saw that night...

Here's a shot of the back of one of the house decks. They are made out of chicken wire and pomping is when you shove all these little pieces of tissue paper in to make the design. Seriously, it's amazing!

I know, I know. This is a long post but I'm still not done! I'm close though!

Selah's small group leader at church just happens to be the house mom and the Kappa Delta house. One Wednesday before homecoming the small group got to go have dinner at the house and then they got to go and pomp. She had a blast! Here she is in front of the deck she helped make!

And just for good measure and because he's too cute. (I know, I'm the mom so I have to say that but seriously. Isn't he handsome!) Here's one of Elliot that night. ;)

Hope you enjoyed OSU Homecoming through me!

Random Ramblings

2007-10-22T07:54:00.001-07:00

It's a rainy Monday here in Oklahoma and I'm feeling it. Just sort of seems like nothing has gone quite right so far today and although I'm hoping it will improve I'm not counting on it.

First of all, the family all headed out to OSU's Homecoming walk around on Friday and I took a ton of photos that I wanted to share here. Of course, I haven't had a chance to put them on so I spent too much time this morning getting them ready to upload to flickr. Then I figured I'd post from work, because otherwise I'd have to actually do real work and who wants to do that? After a good 20 minutes of resizing and entering into the upload box I hit the upload button and then *poof*. Everything was gone. Not sure what happened but I didn't have time to sit there and do it all over again.

Tess complained about her throat hurting this morning and was being extra whiney. She wasn't running a fever but I hated that I had to just go ahead and drop her off at school with her feeling cruddy just because I have to come to work. I told her to have her teacher call me if she didn't start feeling better. I'm sure she's fine but I still feel bad that I couldn't make sure she was fine before sending her off to school.

Then there is my credit card mystery. It's disappeared. I used it at lunch time Thursday and on Friday I realized it wasn't in my wallet. Actually, my boss used it on Thursday when she ran to Subway to grab lunch for us. She remembers handing it back to me but I've gone through everything, including the trash and it's no where to be found. There are no new charges on it which leads me to believe I've stuck it somewhere safe and no one else has it. But until I find it I'm just sort of out of luck in the money department.

And the big kicker is that Selah's halloween costume isn't going to come. I ordered it on the 6th of October and it said it was backordered until the 12th. Then I get an email saying that it will be shipping out on the 18th instead of the 12th. I called the beginning of last week to make sure it really would ship out on the 18th. They said it would. This morning the order tracking says that it still hasn't shipped so I called to check on it and was told that they are completely out of stock and it will not be shipping. Um, seriously? What the heck am I supposed to do now that Halloween is a week away?

AND... OH. MY. GOODNESS. It's a good thing that I decided to write in my blog. And it's a good thing that I didn't just go ahead and cancel my order when I spoke to the company on the phone a few mintues ago. While looking for the link to add to my post here I decided to add the item to my cart and see what it said as far as being backordered. Imagine my surprise when it let me order the costume and it said "in stock". Oh no you di'nt! I called them back and told them what was going on and this time I was told that the items were in and were being processed. Um, how come I was just told that I wouldn't be receiving the costume at all?

I'm supposed to have it by Thursday. So help me if that costume doesn't show up!

Wonder what other wonderful things will happen today.

Open for business

2007-10-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

Actually, it was open a couple of weeks ago but I didn't share. I've opened up a new store over on Etsy. Still have a lot of work to do to get it looking all perty like it should. Maybe I can work on that this weekend. I wouldn't count on it though. *snort*

So this afternoon I took off work a bit early and somehow decided I would finish a project that was long overdue. I started this purse probably a year ago and had just a tiny bit left to finish it up. Got it finished, and got it in my store all this evening. Go me.

So feel free to mosey on over to my new little Etsy store. Hopefully I'll have lots more things to add in the near future.

Friday Night Lights

2007-10-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

So last night we went to the local High School football game. Go Neers! (Pioneers, actually.)

Marleigh had a friend spend the night and the two of them wanted to go to the game and hang out with their friends. Elliot was spending the night at a friends house. So Hubby, Selah, Tess, and I headed into town to watch the Stillwater Pioneer's play Enid.

It wasn't long before Tess was tired and ready to go home. Thankfully she found a leg to rest on...

And then a lap to sit on...

Selah entertained herself by drawing a pretty picture...

Later she was mezmerized as she ate popcorn,

and watched the cheerleaders do stunts.

Then there was the cotton candy. I told each of the girls that they could get something from the snack bar. Selah chose popcorn...easy enough. Tess on the other hand had to have cotton candy. Unfortunately the lady in charge of scooping up the cotton candy was evidentally on her first night doing so. She was all over just getting as much as the fluffy messy stuff around the stick no matter what sort of formation it might be in.

So little Tess ended up with a big mess of Pioneer blue cotton candy.

As you might have guessed, it made a pretty big mess...

All in all it was a fun night with the fam. Hubby was a little sad seeing all the parents there who were watching their boys play ball. He is all too aware that his own son will never be a football star. Or any sort of sports star for that matter. But as long as he doesn't end up like this poor guy who does flags in the marching band I think Hubby will be fine.

Breakfast of champions

2007-10-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Nope, no Wheaties around here. Only Diet Pepsi. Every morning I drop the kids off at school, then I hit the On Cue gas station. Currently they have a special where you can buy a 32 ounce pop and get a free Reese's Peanut Butter Cup product. Seriously, this is doing nothing for my Weight Watchers program.

So I take this Diet Pepsi to office where I immediately turn my computer on to check the days schedule. These are the only quiet minutes of my day. From here the phones generally start ringing and patients start arriving. Then it gets crazy. Literally...seeing as how I work at a mental health facility.

Maybe one of these days I'll start having a little more healthy breakfast. Until then...bottoms up!

My list

2007-10-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

I have a list, a really long list. This list consists of things that I would like to do or learn to do. I made this list about 3 months ago and sadly, I've only accomplished one thing. And I've added more. Seriously, it's never ending.

In my dream world, I would be independently wealthy and have an abundance of time to spend with friends and family. I'd also have all sorts of time to craft and play and not feel guilty. What Mom wouldn't love that, huh?!

So I figure if I put my list on here then maybe I'll be able to look back in a few months and say, "Hey, I did that one!" So here goes...

1. Soldered Jewelry - this is the one I already did. Yeah! Loved doing it and of course now I want to do more. I have all sorts of ideas in my head. Wouldn't a thick leather bracelet look cool with a piece of soldered art sewn to the top of it. See, now I've added another one to my list.

2. This is silly, but seriously I've always wanted to write and publish a book. I was just never really sure what sort of book that would be. Well, until this summer when I ran across some entries on blogs I visit. These ladies totally inspired me and made me think about doing a book on crafting. I've got this big book of remnants and thought it would be fun to write and publish a book about what to do with all those leftover fabric scraps everyone has. This is just one box of remnants. You seriously don't want to see how many more I have. I can't throw anything away!

3. If you think I have a lot of remnants, you should see my fabric stash. It's bad, seriously bad. I've got an entire sewing room packed full of it. Our coat closet is overflowing with fabric as well as the laundry room and two upstairs bathroom. It's stashed just about everywhere. If I ever got it all out and put it in one room Hubby would have a heart attack. The majority of these fabrics were purchased with specific plans in mind for it. I have a bad habit of buying fabric and then letting it sit. So third on my list here is to actually DO some of the fabrics I have planned. Maybe BEFORE my kids are too big to wear them would be nice too, huh?

4. With lots of fabrics come lots of patterns. Again, out of control. Especially patterns and books for making totes/bags/purses and such. I'm a bit addicted to them. I have a friend who wants me to do a "handbag party" for her. Where I would make up some samples and take a bunch of my fabrics and get orders to make custom bags for everyone. Wouldn't that be fun! Yes it would. In my little make-believe world with lots of time of course.

5. Scrapbooking. I think I may be able to open my own scrapbooking store. (Do you see a pattern here?) I love to scrapbook but I get so overwhelmed with all the possible pages I could do that I just don't ever do it. Well, that and the whole not-enough-time thing. Each of my children has a book that I planned to make for them and give to them when they graduate from high school. You don't even want to know how far behind I am in them. It's pretty much pathetic. In addition to the kids' books I also have these on the list:
a. Book about me (in case something happens to me, so the kids will have it. This one is near and dear to me.)
b. Postcard book (a few summers ago the kids and I set out to collect postcards mailed to us from all 50 states. How cool would a scrapbook with all of those in it be!)
c. Songs book (I'm so inspired by songs and music. I've love to make a book of my favorites.)
d. Vacation book (I started but of course never finished a book with our vacation photos from earlier this year. Really need to finish that one.)

6. Did you know that you can do digital scrapbooking too? Me thinks I need to learn how!

7. I have Photoshop. I can't use Photoshop. I want to be able to use Photoshop. (I should add that I have a a Photoshop book already on the way to me from Amazon.com)

8. Those patterns and books I mentioned earlier? This one sort of goes with them. But after taking Japanese classes starting in middle school I've had a love of the language and now that Japanese fabrics and craft books have become so popular I've really jumped on the bandwagon. I bought these books back in August and I'm dying to do some of the projects in them but of course I haven't. Don't they look fun!

9. I really want to learn to silk screen. I have NO idea how to ever start. Well, I'm guessing I could learn online. Just not really sure where to start. But my good friend Eren just posted these iron-on tees she made and I'm thinking I might be able to make these and hold off on learning the silk screen for a while.

10. Here's the big one...I want to be a photographer. I want to take great photos of people and babies and children, families and couples, Marleigh with her volleyball team, Selah cheering for the football team. You get the idea. Photos make me smile and they make me happy. I want to give that to other people too.

So there you have it. My big long list. Looking at just 10 things it doesn't look that long. Huh? It is though. It seems unattainable to me. I don't want it to be though. So now that I've posted it maybe I will have someone ask me in a couple months if I've done anything on the list. Maybe that'll help.

***Edited to Add***
Yep, I remembered another one. No. 11. I want to learn to stamp on metal. You know what I mean. Like all the cute little personalized bracelets and whatnot you've seen around lately. How do they do that? I'm not sure...but I definitely wanna know.

Shower Redew

2007-09-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know it's spelled wrong. But it's in honor of the mold and milDEW problems we've had in our master shower since we moved into this house just over 4 years ago. We built the house so it's our own fault but we really never had any idea what a pain the shower would be. It's a large walk-in shower and we had it tiled in slate. Looked gorgeous for a few months. But then we realized that wet slate and Oklahoma humidity just don't mix. We just couldn't keep the mold from loving it in there! Add in the fact that it was next to impossible to clean and that the slate kept chipping off and the decision was made to replace the slate from mid shower down to the floor.

Here's what it looked like "before" the remodel. It was always pretty dark in the shower but the flash on my camera sure did over emphasize the soap buildup and problems we were faced with!

Hubby and Elliot spent the better part of a weekend in the bathroom with the jackhammer tearing out the old tile. What a loud and incredibly dusty project that was! I knew it would make a mess but I never imagined that I would need to take everything out of the bathroom unless I wanted it covered in dust. That was quite a clean up job!

We have a guy who has done the tilework for Hubby's houses for years and years now but he wasn't able to get to this job quickly. So we found someone else to get the job done. He did a nice job but I would have preferred the tile under the halfway border be done on the diagonal. He was willing to do it that way but when he started it was obvious that it was a little difficult for him. We also decided to go with granite on the two window area's as well as the seat in the shower so it would match the vanity countertops.

So today he finished up, laying the remaining floor tiles and doing the grout. I'm not just in love with it but I think it will grow on me. I do think it lightens the bathroom up a bit. And I know it will be a lot easier to maintain. Thank goodness!

You know, looking at the photos I think part of what I don't care for is that the grout on the bottom half really stands out. It was still wet when I took these photos so as it dries and lightens up I think I'll like it a bit better.

Whaddyathink?

Now that's disappointing

2007-09-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

I'm having Marleigh problems today. Disappointing. Really disappointing.

Last week Marleigh asked if she could cut some jeans down into shorts. She said they were tight in her thighs and just wanted to make shorts out of them. Um, no. If they are tight in the thigh then that means you will cut them up short Daisy Duke style and that's not happening.

Then last weekend we dropped her off at Kinzie's house where she hung out for a bit before going to the 7th grade football game. Apparently the outfit we dropped her off in wasn't one she liked so she switched into a pair of Kinzie's shorts. They just happened to be cut off short Daisy Duke style shorts.

She came down for school the next morning wearing those shorts and I told her she was not under any circumstances wearing them to school. They are too short. Plain and simple.

Later that day she asked if we could go shopping later because, "I don't have any denim shorts". Um, let me think. No. First of all, I'm not spending money on a new pair of shorts that will likely fit for a couple months and then it'll get too cold to wear them and she won't be able to wear them next year because she'll have grown. Secondly, at this point I'm fully aware that she would like to own a pair of short Daisy Duke cut off shorts and no. It's not happening.

So this morning I'm in the bathroom and she walks in and says, "Daddy wants me to check and see if these shorts are ok." Know what she's wearing? A pair of CUT OFF DAISY DUKE SHORTS! Ugh. At that point I should have just crawled back into bed. Sometimes I think it would just be a lot easier to not have to deal with stuff.

Instead of crawling back into bed I asked her if they were Kinzie's shorts. "No Mom. They're mine. You bought them for me a long time ago."

Apparently the look on my face made her think I didn't believe her so she dug herself deeper. "Mom, they are JC Penney Arizona brand. You can look at the tag. You bought them for me."

I looked her square in the eye and said, "Marleigh, did you cut those off from jeans?"

"No, you bought them for me!"

Without taking my eyes off of her I said again in a very calm voice, "Marleigh, did you cut those off from jeans?"

Rolling her eyes and letting out a big sigh because she knew she was screwed she said, "Yes".

Lie number 1.

So her Dad, who was listening to the whole conversation told her that because since she lied she wouldn't be able to wear them AND he took her phone away from her for the day. She marched her little self up to change and while she was gone I discussed with Hubby that I really thought they were shorts because I remember buying her a pair this summer. THIS SUMMER! They are basically new and she's cutting them up.

When she came back downstairs I heard Hubby ask her if they were shorts and she told him that no, they were jeans she cut off.

Lie number 2.

She came into my room and I asked her to bring the shorts to me. Looking at them, they had a split seam on the side, something that would not be on a pair of jeans. So I asked her, "Were these shorts?"

"No mom, they were jeans!"

Lie number 3.

"Marleigh, jeans don't have this split area on the side of them. Were these shorts?"

"They were like down to here." She's pointing a few inches above her knee. Seriously? You're gonna tell me that you think that is a pair of jeans?

"When did you cut these off?"

"A long time ago Mom, I've had them forever."

Lie number 4.

"Go get the part that you cut off for me." I asked this because I knew she had just recently done it. They weren't even frayed on the bottom which means they had not been washed since she'd cut them.

When she came back down she was holding in her hands about an inch of denim fabric. It was the hem of the shorts. That's all she'd cut off. They weren't jeans. They weren't long shorts. At this point, she knew she was screwed so she said, "I'm sorry Mom." Yeah, that's gonna make it all better.

She finally owned up to the fact that she had just last night cut them off. When I asked her if she did it without asking because she knew I'd say no she said yes. She'd asked once if she could cut off her jeans and was told no so the next time she just went and did it on her own. She gets so mad at us for not letting her do things that she thinks she should be allowed to do and then she lies about stupid crap like this. How on earth does she expect us to trust her?

It's just disappointing. Disappointing that she thinks she needs to lie about stuff like that.

I learned a new craft

2007-09-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

And it's a bit addictive.

Yep, that's right. I have a list a mile long of things I need to do. Cleaning, laundry, organizing. There are business related things such as catching up on my orders and updating my site. In addition, I have size runs due for both Pink Zebra and Wild Flowers. Oh, and a veil for a friends veil to make!

So am I working on any of that stuff? Sort of. But in between trying to get that all done I have learned how to solder jewelry. I've wanted to do this for a long time and happened to have all the supplies so on Saturday we (Elliot and Marleigh are great helpers!) decided to give it a shot.

I made this bracelet with all the kiddos pictures from the first day of school. I got a little wacky with the flux on Elliot's charm and didn't get the tape down well enough. So you can see that it seeped under the glass and smudged the picture a bit. Oh well, I think it's not too bad for a first project.

Then we made a couple dog tag like charms to wear on game days. I wore them yesterday on a chain, both of them together just like in the photo. Aren't they fun?! Now I want to make them for all the kids school's and sports!

I'm telling you, they are addictive. I think everyone in my family will be getting these for Christmas this year. Oh, and teacher's gifts too! Boy, I hope everyone else likes them as much as I do!

First Day Photos

2007-08-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are some photos of each kiddo on the first day of school. This working full time thing is still taking some getting used to. I was so busy that first morning that I really rushed taking pics so I got some out-of-focus shots. Oh well, what can you do, right?

Marleigh on her first day of 7th grade...

Elliot on his last first day of elementary school, 5th grade...

Selah on her first day of 1st grade...

And little Tess, my Kindergartener...

More tooth fairy woes

2007-08-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember Elliot having some tooth fairy issues a year or so ago. Looks like the tooth fairy is still having some issues.

Last night Selah pulled a tooth. She worked on that thing forever. I'm not sure why she was so intent on getting it out but she finally got it. Then she made Tess scale the pantry shelves to get a ziploc bag for her so it wouldn't get lost while laying under her pillow.

So this morning Hubby is doing his business on the potty when Selah walks in, ziploc bag in hand and a big huge pout on her face.

Selah: "Daddy, look!"
Hubby: Looking up from his magazine he stares blankly at the baggie for a second before he realizes what it means. "Uh oh! The tooth fairy didn't come last night?"
Selah: "No!"
Hubby: "Oh you know what? It was raining all night. The tooth fairy probably couldn't come because her wings would get wet. She wouldn't be able to fly with wet wings. We'll try again tonight."

Wow. I'm really impressed with the way Hubby is able to come up with that sort of thing on the fly. I mean, it totally makes sense, right? Teeny tiny little tooth fairy. How would she be able to fly if her wings got wet?

Hopefully the tooth fairy will make it tonight and we won't have a repeat of Elliot's poor tooth fairy fiasco.

First day of school

2007-08-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I'd love to share pictures of my kiddos on the first day of school. Alas, my slow-as-molassas computer forbids me from doing so. I am in the processes of editing the pictures but because of said slow computer it'll probably be a couple of days before I can actually share photos. So in the meantime, I'll just bore you with the details.

Tess: First day of Kindergarten today. She did great and met some new friends that she played with this morning while I was observing in the classroom. Being the first day the parents had to stick around to do some things and help the kiddos feel a bit more at ease. The little girl Tess was playing with kept telling her mom that she could go home now. Tess was content just having me watch. Until it was time for me to go when she broke down in big sobs and said she didn't want me to leave. Poor thing, she stayed in the line to go to recess just holding a friends hand and tears were streaming down her face. Ugh. Very hard to be the Mommy and have to stay strong when you really just want to scoop her up and take her home and snuggle. She went out to recess where she continued to cry even harder when she saw her teacher from last year. I think the familiarity of her just set her off. Then she even saw Elliott and Selah and was STILL sobbing. Poor thing. At some point she finally did settle down and enjoyed the rest of the day enough to announce this afternoon that today was, "The best day EVER!"

Selah: She had a lot of fun today. She loves her new teacher and I'm a lot happier with her teacher assignment this year than I was last year. I've heard several parents say that this teacher isn't very good but I'm pleased with her disposition and am just crossing my fingers that she'll be a good fit with Selah this year. I'm so happy that Selah is also branching out of her shell a bit and isn't as shy as she has been in the past. She's open to making new friends and came home this afternoon telling me about the new friends she made today.

Elliott: He's pleased as pie with his class full of rowdy boys. Apparently his teacher is one that can reign them in and more power to her. When I saw the list of names for his class I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. I'm not sure what the ratio of boys to girls is but every single boy in there is a handfull I think! Elliott is a terrific student but loves to entertain so friends encouraging that behavior isn't always good. From what I hear though this teacher is able to be strict and discipline the children but they also all really like her. When Elliott came home after school I asked him about his day and he said, "My teacher is really strict". I asked if he liked her even though she was strict and he was pretty hesitant before saying yes. I imagine that she's starting the year off letting them know who's boss and before long he'll be telling me how much he likes her.

Marleigh: Bless her heart. She had a bit of a rough first day of 7th grade. First she set her alarm wrong and woke up late. I would have gotten her up but I was out on my run and so was Hubby. By the time we got home she only had about 30 minutes to get ready. Apparently not enough for a 12-going-on-18 year old. Then I got a call from Hubby at 10:15 informing me that Marleigh started her period. Poor thing! It's been so inconsistent and she just doesn't really know when to expect it. Of course she didn't have anything with her and she bled all through her brand new shorts she bought last night for the first day of school. She was miserable and embarassed thinking that other people saw the back of her pants and then was terrified that I'd be made that she'd messed up her new shorts. Poor thing. I brought her home to change and get cleaned up and before too long she was much better. I'm sure this will be one of those things she looks back and laughs about in 10 years but today it was far from funny!

It was an emotional day for me. Sending Tess off to Kindergarten, the first real official year to be in school. Elliott went to his last first day at elementary school. And Marleigh went to her last first day in middle school. Next year I'll have two in elementary school, one in middle school, and one in junior high. Heaven help me! And while You're at it, make these kids slow down and not grow up so fast!

Smartie pants

2007-08-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes your kids your kids have a certain way of pronouncing things when they are small? And you know that they'll grow up and not say things like that anymore and you want to keep them small as long as you can so they'll always say those silly things?

Well, Selah and Tess both pronounce their r's wrong. Selah seems to be growing out of it this summer. But I can count on Tess for at least another year of silly pronounciations. For instance, the sentence "Tomorrow you need to go to the store and get more animal crackers" sounds more like, "Toomawoah you need to go to the stoowah and get moowah animal quackoors" in Tess's world.

So this evening at dinner Selah announces that Tess can now say her r's correctly. Our conversation went something like this.

Selah: Did you know Tess can say her r's now?
Mom: No I didn't know that. Tess is that true?
Tess: Yeah, listen. *concentrating really hard she says* "I are smart!"

Gotta love that girl!

A stadium full

2007-08-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I was a chaperone for Marleigh's junior high church group. I always help out with the group on Wednesday nights during the school year but haven't gone on a trip with them for quite a while.

Saturday was a surprise for the kids. They didn't know what our plans were as we loaded the people movers and headed out of the parking lot. It was a jam packed day that started with a drive to Tulsa. Then we went ice skating and afterwards we headed to Incredible Pizza to chow down and play hard. As if our bellies weren't full enough, we then visited a nearby Marble Slab for ice cream all around.

Finally our exhausted group headed to the ballpark to watch the Tulsa Driller's baseball team. As the group headed to the top of the stadium in search of shelter from the hot sun, I chose a seat several rows below them. Leaning back, with my legs draped over the bleacher in front of me I just took it all in. It was definitely hot but the wind was blowing and the sounds and smells of the field were slowly lulling me into a trance. I found myself staring off towards the outfield when I realized what I had found. Patterns! Lots of them, full of colors and shapes. From the blue bleachers and the shiny metal fencing to the rows mowed into the grass. A stadium full of patterns.

See more patterns at the Self Portrait Challenge
Self Portrait Challenge website.

Thirty4

2007-08-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

Can I really be that old?

I remember when I met Hubby. His two brothers are 10 and 11 years older than he is and they were just turning 30 back then. I thought they were ancient. I specifically remember thinking that they were so old that it was all pretty much downhill from there.

Now here I am, turning 34 today. I feel like there is so much in my life that I have yet to accomplish. Like there is still so much left for me to do. In some ways I feel like my life is just beginning.

I had two friends sing Happy Birthday to me today. One of them had her 5 year old in the background. Can't beat the voice of a little birthday wish like that. And of course my fam sang to me too. My kids, and Hubby, really do rock.

It was my last day at the "old job" today. That was a little bit bittersweet. I will miss just knowing exactly what to do and not really having to think about it. Although I know that feeling will come with the new job in time. I got to choose where lunch was brought from at the office and had a big brisket salad.

Then Hubby took the kids and me out for Japanese hibachi and sushi. It was yummy but way too much food. I think I'll just roll myself into the bedroom tonight.

My little sister sent me a beautiful new necklace and a friend gifted me with two new magazine suscriptions. I'm such a magazine junkie! Hubby gave me some wonderful smelling perfume and a gift certificate to Payless. My favorite shoe store! As many shoes as I buy it's a good thing I like the cheap ones.

I think my favorite gifts were from my sweet little kiddos. Selah and Elliot both made me cards with poems they wrote. Tess made me a little card and wrapped two of her special worry dolls that she made at Selah's birthday party up in a bandana for me to have. Marleigh used her own money to buy a frame. Then printed a photo of me with all four kiddos just after Tess was born. She printed "Mother Love...is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible" on a sheet of vellum and mounted it over the photo, placing them in the frame. It's beautiful and just reminds me how special all of my children are and how incredibly blessed I am to have them as mine!

Hopefully tomorrow I can share a photo of my birthday goodies. Tonight I'm wiped out and ready to lay down and snuggle with Hubby and think about how wonderful I hope this year as 34 will be.

Full-timer

2007-07-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

It's official. I'm a full-timer. Well, it's not actually official until next Thursday when I start for real. But since I only work M-W-F at my part time job (through next Wednesday, which happens to also be my birthday!) I went in yesterday to my new job for the first time.

It was interesting. Tuesday's and Thursday's we have med-clinic. Which means that we have patients coming in those days to see the doctor. I am being trained by a retired employee who I would describe as old school. Actually, the whole place is old school. Lots of things could be done on the computer that is being hand written right now. Perhaps at some point I can update those things. We'll see.

The lady training me, Carol, is nice. But she's set in her ways. I think she said, "My personal opinion" about 20 times yesterday. I politely agreed with her and made lots of mental notes to do things differently once she cuts me loose.

Carol seems to get frazzled really easily. Actually, there's no "seems to get" about it. Any little thing not going the right way gets her completely frazzled. Several times she mentioned that although it was ovewhelming it was a good day for me to start because I was able to see exactly how crazy things could get in the office on med clinic days.

Um, ok.

From what I can tell, the definition of "crazy" at my new job would be an extremely slow day at my current job. I do know that the 7 short months I worked in my current job will come in handy since both positions are in the medical field. But honestly, I think this new job will work out great. Especially once I get in and get the hang of things and my daily duties become second nature.

I also think that if I have to work full time, this is the perfect job to do it in. I should be able to get my 40 hours/week and still take off here and there to attend the kids school functions that they have periodically throughout the year. Yeah!

Of course, it helps that my boss is my friend. Can't beat that. I worked my old job today and then went in to the new one for just a few hours this afternoon. My boss/friend, Leah, and I went to Wal-Mart to buy a new mirror and lamp for the office. Then we went back and decorated so it was more homey. It looks 100% better already. I might actually like spending time there! And bonus...we can pay off so many bills with my new income.

Yippee!

Natural exfoliation

2007-07-25T17:50:00.001-07:00

Why pay $40 for a pedicure when you can get such quality exfoliation for free on the beach?

See more self portraits
here.

Major changes

2007-07-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

Oh. My. Goodness.

Can I first just say that I had nearly my whole entire entry typed out and then lost it somehow. Who knows what on earth I hit but it deleted everything.

Not to worry right? Because "Now Blogger saves your drafts automatically!" Unless you delete them accidentally. Whatever. I'll just start over.

So anyway...

One of my favorite little co-workers left my office a few weeks ago because she was offered a full time position with great benny's and it was a lot less stress than our current situation. She's a single mom. Would have been stupid to turn it down.

I talked to her on her first day at the new job. She joked about how weird it was to have so much responsibility and how the following day she would be interviewing applicants for her receptionist. She said, "I wish you could work full time because it would be so cool to have you here with me."

Well, I don't want to work full time. Right? I'm not ready to be a full time worker who isn't home when her kids get home from school. Not ready for full time. So not ready.

Then I mentioned to Hubby that she was looking for a receptionist. He perked up immediately , wondering about the pay. Bless his heart. For so many years he's basically worked 2 full time jobs to support our family. And he saw the light at the end of the tunnel with the possibility of me bringing in an actual income.

So last week I went and interviewed for this position. I'd be the secretary to the director of the med clinic for a non-profit mental health agency. Just so happens that the director is my buddy. ;)

Well, today I heard that they wanted to officially offer me the position. Yee haw! 40 hours/week with a salary. Super cool. Of course I told them yes. I should have a final start date tomorrow when I talk to my current office manager and find out my final day at my current job.

So now of course I'm freaking out. What on earth am I going to do with my kids when I'm at work? What will they do after school when I'm still at work? How will I get them to their piano/volleyball/gymnastics/cheer practices? Ugh. It's too overwhelming.

I need to order extra bon bons.

Sister slumber party

2007-07-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

On Friday night I had the pleasure of hanging with my two favorite sisters. Ok, so I only have two sisters but if I had three I feel certain that these two would be my faves.

Emily was in town from New Mexico and we all met up at Amy's house for what I hope will be the first of many future Sister Slumber parties.

What, you ask, is necessary for this type of shindig? Well, a tub of cookie dough is always important. Cookie dough shaped like a big cow patty? Even better!

You'll also need a spoon for each sister. Now, be aware that your sisters will probably double dip. Just try not to notice and remember how much you love them.

Finally, you'll need a couple sisters. Funny ones are best. If you can find one that snorts when she laughs...even better. Lots of childhood memories and deep conversation about bra sizes will help keep things rolling.

I had a blast guys, thanks for being my sisters! *smooch*

Sew productive!

2007-07-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

So I have this huge list of things that I really would like to get done around here. One of them is to find uses for all of the scraps and remnants that I have laying all around this place. It's a bit overwhelming, considering the seriousness of my fabric addiction. It's bad.

I got this great book by Amy Karol of The Angry Chicken. I just found her blog last week and can I just say I love her and she's not at all angry! I had some orders to work on today so while I did that I supervised Marleigh making Amy's No Cash Wallet from her book.

This was her first real sewing project to do on her own. I helped her just a smidge but I'm so proud of what she did. She liked it so much that she ended up making a second one and even bent the rules a bit more and changed it up a bit all on her own! Bonus: She used a bunch of my scraps!

Aren't those cute! She has a school trip to Italy next spring break and is really hoping to go. I told her we'd need to start saving money and she's all bummed out that she's only 12 and can't get a job. (Remember those days? When you were too young to have a job and hated it. Man, I'd love to be there again!) I'm considering letting her open an Etsy shop and the two of us can put goodies in there to help fund her trip. Whaddya think?

While she was working I made two aprons for my friend. She's been taking an annual trip with her Hubby to visit friends in Connecticut that have two little girls. Last time they went, her Hubby spent a fair share of his time there playing kitchen with the girls. So she ordered aprons for each of the girls from me. I love the colors in the fabrics she chose.

Feels good to have those done. Now I just have to get them monogrammed for her. And I'm getting ready to cut out some fabric for some PrettyMat orders that I desperately need to get done.

All in all, a very productive sewing day. Go me!

SPC1 - The Flame

2007-07-10T18:58:00.001-07:00

The Flame
Originally uploaded by margo_stewart

My first entry in the Self Portrait Challenge This months challenge is to photograph the elements. Earth. Water. Fire. Air.

I choose Fire.

Fire is mesmerizing to me. I love just sitting and staring into the flame, dreaming of times gone by.

Fire and flames bring back memories of cherished times (and not so cherished) with my family. The top three most significant memories are:

1. Congregational Church. Loveland, Colorado. Leaned over during the candlelight child as a small child and caught my hair on fire. Mmmm. Burning hair. Yuck.

2. First Presbyterian Church. Tulsa, Oklahoma. Candlelight service = Silent Night. My mom died in 1993 but I can still hear her singing alto every time I listen to Silent Night. Looking into the flame of a fire this is what it most reminds me of.

3. Bon Fire. Memorial Day 1992. I went camping with a friend, her friend, and who I now fondly refer to as Hubby. We were out of firewood. So future-Hubby and I went stalking around other camp sites stealing firewood from other campers. Man, we were bad. *snort*

Change is good

2007-07-08T20:20:00.001-07:00

Change
Originally uploaded by margo_stewart

Right?

Well, I'm not one for change. Never have been. My office has been going through a lot of changes lately. New computer program, co-workers leaving, new employees. You name it, it seems to be happening at my office. I don't like it.

I don't like the change happening with my children. I want them to stay little, to just freeze time. I should be happy that they are growing and thriving and I am. But I know that with each passing day they are that much closer to growing up and leaving me. What if I'm not done with them yet?

The change I see happening with my parents is scary. My mom has passed away but there's my Dad and Step-Mom and my Step-Dad who are all big pieces of my life. I seem to have successfully frozen them in time, keeping them all at an age that is much younger then they are now. Then I'll talk with one of them on the phone or see them and I realize that just like my children, they have aged. They've changed. Change I just don't want to deal with.

This photo was taken on our trip in May. I love it because it reminds me of what God is capable of. This morning at church the sermon was the last in a series about the intersection of Life and Faith. I was reminded that God is reliable. That He is the constant in this world that is ever changing. I may not be able to control everything. And things are bound to change and become uncomfortable, mostly right when I finally think I have it all figured out. But to know that my God has been and will be there through it all is certainly comforting.

As the service ended today Marleigh was taken up front with her youth pastor. A couple weeks ago while at camp she was baptized and today she declared her decision publicly in front of our congregation. Yet another change, my baby girl growing up and making decisions on her own. This was, of course, one of those decisions that I didn't have to argue with her about. I'm so proud of her!

2007-07-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

Why can't I put a title on my post? I don't get it. I'm actually having all sorts of issues. I've found a new thing to add to my sidebar and of course I can't for the life of me get it added. It's really ticking me off.

So if I could add a Title it would be something like, "I heart photography". Or maybe, "A new obsession".

Hubby got me a new a camera for Christmas and I have really been enjoying it. I'm trying to teach myself Photoshop. Holy cow, that is one crazy program! I haven't seen more gadgets and gizmo's since I was allowed to go in the cockpit of an airplane as a little girl.

(Ahhh, remember the good old days? When you could go in and meet the captain and see where he sat to fly the big airplane and he'd give you your own pair of little wings. And you could ring the little bell and the stewardess would bring you a deck of cards that you got to keep. And then you and your brother would make your little sister laugh so hard that she'd throw up in the doggie bag and the stewardess would then give you really dirty looks and whisper to her co-workers how she hated kids flying alone. Um, nevermind.)

So anyway, I really am loving taking pictures. I'd love to improve to a point where I could do some photography for others. I don't know if that will ever happen but a girl can dream. Right? And in the meantime I get to lust after all these cool contraptions that would help my picture taking and then things like
these that are just plain cool!

Hopefully in the next few days I will share some picture. But first I have to figure out this whole blog issue I've got going on!

Stick-to-itiveness

2007-07-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

I've never really had it. Ever.

I remember being a young girl and thinking it would be fun to rearrange my bedroom. I'd get nearly halfway done and decide I didn't really have that much interest in it after all.

At a young age I learned to do needle point and cross stitch. I can't tell you how many of those unfinished projects I have still laying around here.

Then there is every January 1st when I make a bunch of revelations to be healthy and happy and lay off the bon bons. I'm sure you can guess how long those generally last.

I just have never been one who could stick with things. My parenting skills are no exception.

Today we had to go to OKC for Elliot's Dr.'s appointment. Tess wasn't all that good during the appointment, she was cranky and loud and I attributed it the cold or whatever it is that has plagued our family lately.

After the appointment we headed down the street to a Border's so we could look at all the books and magazines. I love a big book store and could get lost in it forever just checking out every aisle and shelf. I'm so happy that my kids have inherited my love of reading and they were all excited about looking around.

So after we'd been there for a while Tess comes up to me with a stuffed animal. Seriously? Do you know how many stuffed animals there are in this house? After 33 years and 4 kids the last thing we need is a new stuffed animal. So I explain as best as I could that she was under no circumstances getting it but that I was happy to get her a new book.

Melt down.

Yep, right there my 5 year old cried and clung to that animal like it was something she'd had her whole life that I was horribly making her give up. I think if I'd told her she could have it if she'd let me cut off her legs she would have learned to walk on her hands. She wanted it that badly. Seriously.

But I'd told her no. And for some reason at that point I decided that today is the day that I start sticking to it. No more giving in. No more threats without following through. I told her she could get a book and that was it. I also told her if she didn't chill out she'd end up with nothing. No surprise here...she didn't chill out.

As hard as it was, and it was really hard, I kept my word. She stood in the line while I was checking out just sobbing and watching all three of her siblings pass their new treasures to me to buy. When I asked her if she thought she should have minded a little better when I asked her to she flat out told me no. Nice.

I did have a talk with her afterwards and told her that from now on she needed to behave or she wouldn't get treats. I told all of them actually and they all told me they'd mind better. Now I guess we'll see if they follow through with it. And we'll see if I can finally stick to it.

By the way, the Dr. isn't 100% sure what is going on with his ear but it didn't show that it had changed in his audio today. So we're still "watching" him. Whatever that means. I wonder if he'll start doing tricks if we watch long enough.

Apparently not

2007-07-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

I asked last blog if a girl could catch a break. Actually, a 'freakin' break was the exact terminology. I now have my answer ...apparently not.

We just can not seem to get better around here. Elliot has lost hearing in his left ear. That would be his good ear. Good meaning the one he can actually hear out of. I took him in on Monday to the ped in hopes that he'd have an ear infection. Weird, I know. What sort of Mom actually hopes her kid has an infection? The kind that is looking for a reason for hearing loss other than "looks like the left ear is doing it now too."

Of course there wasn't any fluid so tomorrow we head to OKC for another audio to see what's going on with that. The ped did think he has a sinus infection and put him on some antibiotics. As of now, it doesn't seem to be working. The kids are all coughing and hacking but still going 110%. Hubby and I aren't feeling quite as well, but can't take the time to slow down.

I've been keeping track of everyone's temperatures for several days now. Everyone seems to just linger in the 99's although they've gone up to 100.5 or so on occasion. Certainly not the sort of fever you discover in the middle of the night and wonder if you should call a doctor. But if 98.6 is normal then we are definitely not normal. Right?

Wait, don't answer that.

What a start to summer

2007-06-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

Is it time to go back to school yet?

We got home from our cruise and on the way home I realized Selah felt warm with fever. We got home on Saturday and I took her in to the walk-in c linic on Sunday. I was concerned with the fact that we'd been out of the country and she was sick. That first day at the doctor's office they drew some labs which were normal, did a strep-test which was negative, and looked in her ears to rule out an ear infection. They let us go home saying that she must just have a virus of some sort.

She had to stay home on Monday since she was running a fever and she was not at all happy with that. She'd already missed a week of school since we'd been gone and was anxious to see her friends. Her only symptoms were a little cough and a fever. She actually didn't act like she felt just awful but these symptoms wouldn't go away. So I took her back to the doctor on Wednesday where they did a urinalysis which was negative. The doctor then put her on a 3 day course of antibiotics for "bronchitis".

Well, the following Wednesday she still had a fever. Since this was day 12 with a fever I took her back in and my doctor said that this was absolutely NOT normal and ordered all sorts of test. Another CBC, a Chem14, mono test, and although her lungs sounded clear she ordered a chest xray as well. Turns out she had pneumonia. Who'd have thunk it! She had to get a Rocephin shot which she HATED but she got better right away.

That was on Wednesday and on Friday Elliot woke me up saying that his throat hurt. I told him to take some Ibuprofen, that it was probably just allergies and drainage making his throat a bit raw feeling. I had to work that day and then had a dentist appointment. On my way home he called crying saying that he felt awful and that his temperature was 101. Great.

I was home for about 30 minutes before he started throwing up. He did it a few times before I finally caved and gave him a Tylenol PM which knocked him out. He p0assed out on the couch and slept until almost 11:00 at night when he woke up and threw up again. Then he couldn't stop. He threw up every 15 minutes or so for a while and then was able to get a little bit of sleep before he woke up and it started again. At 5:30 am I was in the bathroom with him when Hubby came in and said, "I think we should take him to the ER".

I took him in and he was completely dehydrated so they had to give him IV antibiotics for a couple of hours. He was, as usual, hard to get the needle in which was difficult to watch. His white blood cell count was sky high and that concerned me too.

I took him back to the doctor last Wednesday to have his blood drawn again. The doctor called that afternoon to say that other than still being a little dehydrated everything looked good. His wbc was down from 22,100 to 11,000.

Then this evening Hubby and I went to have dinner and Marleigh was babysitting. She called to tell us that Elliot had come home from swimming with a friend and was home for a bit before he said he didn't feel well and then threw up. Before we could get home she called us again to say he threw up again. Luckily, he hasn't done it since we've been home but WHY is he still throwing up?!

And the kids just came to give me some good night hugs. Tess felt hot so I stuch the thermometer in her mouth. Her temperature is 101.3.

Can't a girl catch a freakin' break?!

I ran 13.1 miles!

2007-05-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

So I'm slow in posting about it but I did it!

If you would have asked me a year ago I would have told you that there was no way I could ever run a half marathon. I did it though, and I'd do another one.

As I got closer to the big day and my long runs became longer and longer I really started having troubles with my knees. Actually, it was my ITBands, both my right one and the left one. I had pain in my hips and knees that got to be almost constant. I can't imagine always running that much and hurting like that full time. I know that it was because of the long distances I was putting in though and I've been pain free since the run. And I'm still running too! Not nearly as much because I'm not "in training" but I'm trying to do about 3 miles, 3 times a week.

The morning of the run we got up at 4:30 which was one of the worst parts! We got dressed and headed to my sister's hotel to pick her up. Then we went to my other sister's hotel to pick her and her boyfriend up. After that we headed to the starting line and I was amazed at the number of people who were there. It was pretty overwhelming!

They sounded the start of the race and we just sort of shuffled along since we were so jam packed. We had to start back a little bit so as we all neared the line the 5 of us joined hands and started the race as one. It was so cool!

We were spaced out enough after crossing the line that we were able to start running then. We all stayed right around each other until about 4 minutes in when I decided I should take a walk break. I felt like I could run forever but I knew that if I overdid it in the beginning that I would never make it to the end.

There is so much adrenaline pumping through you during a run that you don't really notice a lot. At least at the beginning. I did great for the first 3 miles or so. Time seemed to just fly by, my breathing wasn't labored, my legs felt great. It was pretty awesome.

Then I hit mile 4 and my right IT Band started hurting. Not just a little bit of pain but enough to make me think that I should quit right there. Generally I could make it through about 6 or 7 miles before I started having trouble so to know that it started so early had me worried that I wouldn't make it. From mile 4 - 7 I walked more than anything. I was so bummed out that I'd worked so hard and wasn't going to finish but I finally decided that even if it took me 7 hours and I walked the entire thing, I WOULD finish.

I started doing a bit better at about mile 7 and was able to run more frequently and go for longer periods of time. I still thought I was way behind where I needed to be to reach my goal of finishing under 3 hours. Then at some point shortly after that I passed a sign that said I was on pace to finish in like 2 hours and 50 some-odd minutes. It was then that I realized that I must have been walking fast or had gained enough ground in the beginning to keep me at a good race pace.

So I kept going and found that as long as I was running I was ok. It was the starting and stopping that hurt. So I ran like crazy, taking very few walk breaks. And I finished. I did it! The benefit of running with a group and having it be your first time is that you have your own little cheering group waiting for you at the finish line. As I neared the end I heard my name being screamed by my little sister and looked out to see Hubby and the whole crew cheering me on yelling for me to finish strong.

I also looked over to see on the side lines one of my sorority sisters! I have since found out that Kerry has been running for 4 1/2 years. I hope we can run together sometime in the future. She's done a couple marathons even, WOW!

Because my body wasn't used to running for more than about 5 minutes at a time and I had some pretty long stretches of running towards the end of the race, my hip was really in bad shape. I think without realizing how much I did it, I favored my left leg and then my right hip took the brunt of the pounding force. I spent most of the rest of that day hurting but I had such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment that I would do it again.

No plans yet to do another one but hopefully we'll be deciding on something soon. It sure does keep me motivated to keep up my training when I'm actually working towards something!

Saturday May 19th

2007-05-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

It's already started. It began this morning as I was oing to the dining room in the hotel. I started thinking about the booths on the beach, which lead me to think about a big show going on this weekend that a friend is doing, which in turn reminded me that she had offered to put some of my things in her booth and I'd forgotten to get back with her about it before I left. So of course I thought, "I need to add her to my list."

It's a snowball effect. My list. I always have it with me because I never know when I might see, hear, smell, or remember something that will need to be added to it. It's an ever growing to-do list. I haven't thought ab out it since we've been on vacation, even though I brought it with me of course. Then this morning the reality of everything I left unfinished and all the things I've yet to start that I need and or want to do came looding back to me. I wish I could just always feel relaxed and at ease like I do when I'm on vacation. But then I wouldn't be me. And I should feel blessed that at least I do have the ability to enjoy things when I need to.

My Weight Watchers weigh in this week isn't going to be pretty. I am preparing for a huge gain. I can't imagine going on a cruise and not slipping up on your healthy way of eating. How would you do that? At least I can say that I enjoyed the cruise. Hopefully I can get anything I gained right back off in the next couple of weeks.

It's been over 24 hours since we got off the ship and I still feel wobbly. I never flet really awful while we were on the ship but now that we're off I do. If I shift my weight from one foot to another I feel like the earth is spinning. Hubby feels it too and has said a couple times, "Why is the ship still moving?"

I think Selah is the only kiddo having any troubles. I assumed it was the same thing Hubby and I were feeling. However, I just leaned over to give her a kiss on herr forehead and she's on fire. I don't have a thermometer but I would say her temperature has to be at least 101. She's been struggling with a yeast infection that was diagnosed a few weeks ago and just keeps coming back. Bless her heart, I'm afraid she's inherited a life of yeast problems from me. I wouldn't wish that on anyone! She does have pink cheeks from the sun so perhaps thats why she feels warm. Who knows. At any rate, I'm hoping she's ok because after missing a week of work and school, we need to get back to normal!

Really quickly before I go I have to say that Marleigh spent her own money yesterday on a pair of CZ earrings with the Chanel logo. I wasn't crazy about them but they were only $6 so I didn't say anything. Shortly after getting them she asked what I thought about them and I said, "They're ok." Which made her mad that I didn't like them. Well the flight attendant just walked by and said, "I like your earrings!" I'm sitting directly in front of her so Marleigh just reached through the seats and poked me. I turned to see her making a face as if to say, "Ha!" LOL

Thursday May 17th

2007-05-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

I didn't make notes on this night but here's a quick rundown of what we did...

Thursday:

~Key West was gorgeous! The sun was out and it was a beautiful day. After breakfast all 6 of us headed out for some shopping and looking around.

~Marleigh and I wanted to stay a bit longer than the rest of them so they went back to the ship while she and I shopped some more. I bought her a cute new dress and she took pictures for me while I got a cool henna tattoo on my foot. I think I'll buy some henna ink so that I can keep it up all summer. I'm not a big tattoo fan but I think I'd like it for just a few months.

~While the two of us were shopping we had not one, not two, but three people say something about us being sisters. LOL I think they were all just trying to make me feel good so that I would buy things from their stores. But it was still nice, even if they were totally acting like they thought we were sisters.

~Marleigh and I met up with everyone else at the pool when we got back on the ship. We had a few hours out in the sun playing in the pool and just enjoying ourselves.

~After getting cleaned up we all put on our Eskimo Joe's shirts. Joe's is a pretty famous restaurant/bar here in our hometown and they have a big clothing line too. Their catalog features a page of people in Joe's shirts. So I thought it would be fun to take a picture and submit it.

~Then Elliot climbed the rock wall and made it all the way to the top which was cool. After he did it I looked up and although I'm scared of heights I decided to try it. It sure did look a lot shorter when I was on the ground! I'm proud to say that I did it and made it all the way to the top! Go me! Hubby did it too and later told me that he didn't think I would do it and definitely didn't think I'd make it all the way up. Oh ye of little faith!

~We let the kids stay in the fun place for extended hours tonight because we had to have our bags packed and in the hallway by midnight. It was great to be able to pack without having to deal with the kids asking to go places and being bored.

Wednesday May 16th

2007-05-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to the sound of the announcement jingle coming over the intercom in the hallway just outside my cabin. It was the captain and he was informing us that we were anchored just off of cococay and we would be waiting a bit before anyone could get off to see if the weather would improve. I took that as a sign that the weather was once again crappy and I went back to sleep.

Later when I finally woke up I called Hubby next door and the rest of them came over to my room. We got ready and were getting ready to go grab some breakfast when he captain came on again to make another announcement. This time he informed us that the weather was not going to clear, that more storms were coming to the area, and that we would not be making the stop in Cococay. I swear to you, the whole ship seemed to rock with the groans and moans of the disappointed passengers after this announcement.

We went ot the care and grabbed some breakfast while we discussed our plans for the day. Just after breakfast, Marleigh headed to the teen room while Selah, Tess, and I went to the ice cream shop so they could get a treat. After that we went to view some pictures that Hubby and I took last night. I was so bummed that they turned out awful. I was looking forward to having some nice pictures of the two of us together.

Just after that we found a band that had just started playing. The little girls had fun listening to them and we bought their CD when they were done. Then everyone headed to the movie theatre while Tess and I watched a demo from the chef's on board. It was really neat. This one guy is from the Phillipines and comes from a long line of wood carvers. So for some reason he figured that if he could carve wood then he could probably carve food too. In the 30 minutes we where there he carved an entire watermelon into a big flower and then made this huge floral bouquet out of vegetables and fruit! It was amazing!

We heard rumors that the sun was peeking through the clouds so we went to put on our suits. We we got outside, sure enough...their was sun! I felt like singing the Hallelujah chorus. We met up with Marleigh there who was swimming with some of her friends and luckily they had some chairs saved that they weren't using. Otherwise we wouldn't have had anywhere to sit! We ended up swimming and enjoying all the festivities for about 2 hours and then went back to our cabins to get ready for dinner.

Dinner was delicious as usual and as soon as it was over Marleigh and Elliot went to their kids rooms to hang out with their friends. Hubby and I had our pictures aken together again (crossing my fingers that these will be better) and then he went back to the casino while I had some pictures taken with the two little girls. I think they're going to be really cute!

We grabbed Hubby from the casino after that and saw a show. It was a Motown show with a guy impersonating a bunch of old singers. It was good and even the little girls enjoyed it!

Now I'm in here in bed ready to hit the hay. First I have to find Marleigh and Hubby. I think Marleigh is at the pool with her friends and I'm guessing Hubby is back in the casino. The little girls are here all zonked out and Elliot is ready to crash too.

We'll be in Key West tomorrow. I'm hoping for more sun and great shopping!

Tuesday May 15th

2007-05-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

Today just happens to be the anniversary of my Mother's passing. I can't believe it's been 14 years! It doesn't seem possible. I miss her as much today as I did the day she left.

So, um...yeah. A big day in Nassau indeed!

We woke up this morning groggy and tired but ready for a great day in the Bahamas. In the interest of saving time we decided to order breakfast last night and have it delivered to the room this morning so we could eat while we were getting ready.

We were really excited about our plans for today. A couple of weeks ago we looked online through all the available excursions. For today, we booked spots on a private island because we were afraid that we wouldn't be able to find a beach that was crowded and clean. So we were to take this boat to the island (Blackbeard's Cay) and we'd be there until noon.

We got on the boat and took a 25 minute trip to Blackbeard's Cay and it was a little chilly and there were dark clouds but at least it wasn't raining. We got off the boat and were immediately thrilled with the beach and it's cleanliness and the softness of the sand. The water was clear blue and aazing! We got the kids all lathered up with sunscreen and they headed out to the water while I grabbed the camera and started taking pictures. Within about 5 minutes the clouds opened up and thunder rolled as the rain just poured down on us. We sought shelter and waited about 10 minutes until it stopped. Unfortunately, it started right back up and has stormed off and on all day long. We spent the rest of the time on that island just sitting under a patio area. Thank goodness that was there. This wasn't just a little spring rain either. This was a thunder and lightening storm and we weren't even allowed to be in the water if we wanted to.

Somehow the time passed and after a really rocky ride on the little boat we got back to the ship. We dropped the 3 smallest kids off at what they now call "the fun place" and Marleigh, Hubby, and I headed to lunch. The we went out to Nassau to look around and do some shopping where we picked up some souveneirs before finally deciding to stop battling the rain and just go back to the ship.

We took a nice long time getting ready for the formal dinner and enjoyed being all dressed up with somewhere to go. After dinner the little kids went back to the fun place and Marleigh went to the teen room. Hub by went to the casino and won back what he lost last night and I looked around at the shops on board. Then we played bingo for a bit which was a lot of fun!

Tomorrow we get to go to Royal Carribbean's private island all day so it better NOT rain all day again!

Monday May 14th

2007-05-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

I finally found a little bit of time to sit down and catch up here. This post and the following ones are from our first big family vacation...

This morning Hubby and I ran for 40 minutes down the beach again. After that we had breakfast with the kids, hit the gift shop for some postcards to send off before boarding the ship, and then swimming at the pool. I went back to the room before everyone else so I could get cleaned up and then started getting us all packed. We get off the ship on Friday and as of this morning we didn't have a room because the hotel we were staying at was full when we first made reservations. After our run this morning though Hubby checked with the front desk and was able to get us a room that faces the ocean for our last night in Florida before we leave next Saturday for home.

Once we were all ready and checked out we drove to Miami and Hubby dropped the kids and me off while he took the rental car back. Once he met up with us and we were all officially checked in we got on board the ship and it was immediately overwhelming. Hubby and I wanted to watch the ship take off, the little girls wanted to swim, Elliot wanted to eat, and Marleigh just wanted to look around. One thing about a cruise ship is that there are so many things to do it really can be a bit confusing. You don't want to miss out on anything but if you try to do it all you won't enjoy the things that you do. Ya know?

We only had an hour before dinner after the ship pulled out of the harbor so we hustled to our rooms to figure out what we would wear on our first night. It was then that I realized that there was no iron in our cabin. Nice, huh? Well, pretty much everything we had needed to be ironed. I picked out the things that were the least wrinkled and got everyone dressed and headed to the Moonlight Dining Room.

After dinner we explored the ship some and checked out the kids' activities. I hadn't planned on even looking into it because this is supposed to be a family vacation and I wanted them with us. But man, as soon as they saw the place they loved it and wanted to stay! Marleigh said there was no way that she would go to the teen room but changed her mind as soon as she saw that she could get on the computer. The kids all wanted to stay in their classes so after signing them in Hubby and I hit the casino for a bit where he played craps and I just hung out taking it all in. When we picked the kids up later they didn't want to leave. I'm so glad they like it so much and the staff is wonderful with them. I feel like they are very safe there which is always great. Marleigh had so much fun with her new teen friends (they are all 12 which makes me more comfortable) that she ended up staying an extra hour.

The rest of us headed down to our room and just hung out while I got everything unpacked and put away. It was a challenge because the cabin's are pretty snug! After a lot of discussing and trying to figure out who would do best where we decided that Hubby would room with Marleigh and Elliot and I would take Selah and Tess. After I shut out the lights they were asleep in a matter of minutes. They are completely wiped out!

We are looking forward to tomorrow and our fun excursion to a private island on Nassau!

Home Sweet Home

2007-05-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

Mostly. We got back on Saturday, late that night. I spent all day yesterday doing laundry and trying to get things unpacked and put away. I'm still not done.

I've already hit Wal-Mart this morning for groceries. We had nothing in the house to eat and even less to drink.

Hubby and I are already feeling the stress of being back home. He's swamped at work, has a custom house he's got to finish up that closes in just a couple weeks and has a spec house that the loan is due on that still hasn't sold. Plus we have 2 duplexes that are available for rent and the 1st is right around the corner. We've GOT to get someone in those units or we'll be in deep doo doo when the mortgages come due.

I've got a bunch of blog entries to put in here from our vacation. Hoping to get that done soon so that I'm up to date here at least.

Man, wish I was still sitting next to a pool somewhere!

Back on dry land

2007-05-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, my plan was to update each days events on my blog. But then I realized that over seas rates applied to my internet time. At $2.95/minute I decided I would catch up when I got back. ;)

I did hand write my blog each day and will update that when I return home. For now though we are back on dry land, although it seems to be spinning. We had to get up early this morning to get off the ship. Then there was lots of waiting and whining while we got our luggage, waited for a shuttle, waited for our rental car, and drove back to our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. Selah got car sick on the way which is always fun.

We spent most of the day today by the pool. Hubby went for a run and came back to tell me that they had already started the Firefighter Challenge festivities. Apparently it's some big huge thing that is going on all weekend and for some reason Hubby mentioned that there were "booths" set up. That's pretty much all I needed to here so Selah, Marleigh and I headed over to check out said booths and I got some great stuff at this one ladies table. She made the most amazing sterling jewelry. I got her card and will have to share her website. We chatted for a bit and she even mentioned that she taught classes but of course she only does them here in Florida. Shucks!

So for now, we're back on dry land. The kiddos have all crashed and I'm getting ready to head to sleepy town myself. We're hoping for sun tomorrow morning before we have to check out and head back to our normal life. Should be an interesting week getting back into the swing of things.

Mother's Day in Florida

2007-05-13T17:09:00.001-07:00

I had a great Mother's Day today. Hubby and the two oldest kiddos went to breakfast and I stayed in bed trying to catch up on my sleep. When they came back they woke me up by opening the blinds and screaming "Happy Mother's Day!" I opened my eyes to find them standing there with a tray full of breakfast for me. While I sat and ate, I opened up all their cards they made in school and the ones that Hubby got for me.

After breakfast Hubby and I went on a run. Now there's something I never thought I would want to do for Mother's Day! We went about 40 minutes so we should have gotten in about 3 miles. I felt great for the first 20 minutes but after that I started going downhill. It's just so hot and humid here I got a bit overheated and started feeling sort of dizzy. Luckily, after getting back and drinking a bottle of water I felt a lot better.

Then we went down to the beach. Elliot and Marleigh got boogie boards from the hotel and had a lot of fun playing in the waves with them. Tess and Selah aren't nearly as fond of the beach and the ocean but they tolerated it long enough for us all to have some fun before we headed over to the pool.

I did step on a shell at the beach though and shoved in through my foot. That didn't feel so hot. I had to send Hubby up to the room to get my tweezers so I could dig it out. Ouch!

We hung out at the pool for a long time and then went back to the room to take showers and get dressed. Then we found a Target and a Walgreens. I was able to get in touch with a friend of mine who happens to also be on a cruise this week. Her husband is a doctor and she's also traveling with one of my bosses who is a doctor. They called the Walgreens for me so I now have more migraine meds for any more awful days that may come on our vacation. I have had a headache all day today actually but luckily it hasn't escalated to the migraine that I had the last two days.

While we were gone it was nice but I guess it poured here at the hotel. We were away just long enough for the storm to come through and move on which was nice. We let the kids swim a bit more this evening while Hubby and I enjoyed some drinks and now we're all back up in the room relaxing a bit before bed.

We can't get on the ship tomorrow until 3 so we'll probably swim again in the morning before packing everything up and heading over to Miami. We're all anxious to see the ship and explore!

Um, oops

2007-05-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

How has it been over a month since I last posted? I really don't know. Most of April and May up until this point seem to be a blur. Every single weekend was filled with birthday's, parties, piano, soccer, volleyball, and everything in between. It's been a whirlwind couple of months and I still feel like we just took down the Christmas tree. How is it already the middle of May?

I need to do an update about my genetic counseling appointment. I believe I mentioned it here when I first scheduled it. I had the appointment and now know more. I also need to update about our first half marathon that I'm proud to say I finished! And of course my Weight Watchers journey.

But tonight I'm going to blog about our first ever "real" family vacation. Today is day 1 of said vacation and although it's only 7:37 pm local time I am getting ready to hit the hay. I may have to drug the kids to convince them to let me go to sleep.

I had to work yesterday morning and then I spent the rest of the day, evening, and into the wee morning hours finishing up on packing and cleaning the house before we left. Hubby and I didn't get to sleep till nearly 2 am and the alarm went off this morning at 4:15. Not cool, not cool at all.

To add to the fun, I had a migraine yesterday and luckily I had picked up some samples from work. I had two more left and decided to bring one of them with me on our trip "just in case". I haven't had a migraine in months but I figured yesterday's was brought on by stress and it was possible I might have another this week although I didn't think I really would. Better safe than sorry, right. Well, me and no sleep don't get along. Add that to the stress and apparently that is my personal recipe for a killer migraine. My head hurt as soon as I woke up this morning and I took some Aleve hoping to take the edge off. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at our final destination it was a full blown migraine complete with nausea and the desire to hammer a hole in my head for some relief. I broke down and took my only pill and now I'm just going to cross my fingers that I don't have another one.

So the kids had their first plane ride today and they loved it. We've driven to Colorado before to visit my Dad and we've taken some long weekend trips to Texas. But other than that the kids haven't ever had a "real" vacation. So when Hubby earned some frequent flyer miles we decided to get busy planning. We flew to Ft. Lauderdale today and will spend the next two nights here. Monday we will hop aboard the Majesty of the Sea's for 5 days visiting Nassau, Key West, and Cococay. Fun!

Everyone did great on the plane for the most part. It's so much fun watching the kiddos experience new things and this week is going to be chalk full of them! Elliot had some trouble with his ears and I hated that I couldn't fix it for him. He was swallowing and chewing as much as he could but his left ear was really bothering him. Selah was the only one with any real fear prior to flying. She had a little bit of a panic attack as we sat waiting to take off but as soon as we were safely in the air and she realized it wasn't so bad she was fine.

When we got here we picked up our rental car and then headed to our hotel. The kids were anxious to swim in the ocean for the first time. Actually, Elliot and Marleigh have been in the ocean before but they were so small I don't think they really remember it. We took them down and Hubby swam with them while I stood by and watched, capturing their smiles and screams of pure glee on film and in my mind. They were just loving it! After about 30 minutes we headed to the hotel pool and spent an hour or so hanging out there before we came up to our room.

Now it looks like we're winding down. In the time it's taken me to type out this entry all four kiddos have asked me if they could go to bed. So off I go to clear the suitcases away and tuck them all in so that I can hit the hay myself. Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I'm looking forward to spending the day relaxing and watching my children love life!