So this is our life...

Are You Kidding Me??

2011-11-09T19:49:00.000-08:00

So if you look very close at the photo above you will see that in my freshly painted window sill are small little footprints. Not we do not have any animals at the house right now. So this had me wondering and saying aloud... Are You Kidding Me?? We apparently have some kind of small rodent (raccoon, etc) that has decided to move in while we are not there. And if that is not bad enough it decided to walk on my freshly painted window sills because this is not the only one... I have several sets of prints.
And this is our first FINISHED room!! Yeah! This is the breakfast nook and isn't that color awesome! I just love it. I am not sure who had the brilliant idea to paint the whole house... yes, all 6500 sq ft but that person was CRAZY! I am tired of painting. But then I look at the FINISHED room and I am happy so I continue to paint and paint and ... well, you get the idea. By the end of the week I think we will have several finished rooms.
The boys went out with us today and Brian and I had a surprise for them. We found this fusball table at a resale shop yesterday and so we got it and took it to the house. We told them they had to go out with us today to do some work but this is all they did all day (except play soccer over the pool where the goalie had to be on the diving board. Needless to say, they were fishing the ball out of the pool with the net most of the time...) And anyone that knows Brian knows that he could not even keep a secret for 24 hrs... He told the boys last night once we got home :) It has been a good week and I feel like by the end of this week we will see some PROGRESS!

Making Progress

2011-11-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

So everyone can breathe a sigh of relief that the snakes are dead! Hunter killed them all and now the very fat toad is eating them... TMI! We have had a very busy week the last two weeks and have made some progress. It feels like we are getting little things done and they are taking way longer than they should but I guess that is how most things go. The most major of these is the overhang... You can see that it is pulling away from the house and the only thing supporting it was the scrolly brackets underneath. So we tore it down...

We have also got some paint and texture on the walls... We are going through 5 gallon buckets like nobody's business. Tomorrow the breakfast nook should be finished and I will post pictures because the color is AWESOME! I only have the crown molding left to paint and then I officially have a room DONE! Stay tuned...

Say Hello to my Little Friend

2011-10-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

Ok... not really! This is one of 3 snakes I have living in my pool right now... UGH! It is nastier than nasty and it totally freaks me out... But I go out and check and make sure they are all still in the pool and move along... Today Brian and I were able to make some progress. We are still waiting on the water well to be installed so we can only be there for a limited time (before I have to pee). I was a caulking maniac and Brian ripped out carpet and pad that had been glued to the floor (really? REALLY??). He started to pull up the tack strips which were laid times 3 and then realized that there is peel-n-stick under the pad (AGAIN, REALLY??). So we kept trucking along and will be back tomorrow when I will finish pulling up the peel-n-stick while he rolls a lovely turquoise blue on my kitchen nook walls :)

I've Got a New Reason to Blog :)

2011-10-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

So today has been a very exciting day!! We closed on our new house two weeks early. It will be a fun, exciting, interesting, challenging task to bring this house to it's intended glory but we are going to give it all we have. I can't wait to start seeing the progress and to navigate the bumpy road from city slicker to country bumpkin... Stay tuned :)

I Really Love Him...

2010-11-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

I am on the home stretch now... I will honestly be able to say that I stuck with a New Year's Resolution for a WHOLE YEAR!! I love my husband because...

Oct 1. I can still make him giggle which I love
Oct 2. He did all the concession runs for the kids at the FC Dallas game.
Oct 3. He convinces me to do the right thing.
Oct 4. Sometimes he still surprises me.
Oct 5. He will take the kids every year to look for costumes.
Oct 6. He is opinionated (I wouldn't want it any other way!).
Oct 7. He is sexy.
Oct 8. He tells me he loves me often.
Oct 9. He is passionate and makes it contagious.
Oct 10. He is encouraging (even though it doesn't come naturally).
Oct 11. In many ways he is like my Dad.
Oct 12. He is really, really funny!
Oct 13. He works to find common ground.
Oct 14. He educates himself and me.
Oct 15. He believes conspiracy theories.
Oct 16. He is skeptical.
Oct 17. He is completely random!
Oct 18. He doesn't care what other people think.
Oct 19. When something is wrong with me, he worries.
Oct 20. He is honest.
Oct 21. He makes it so I can be where I need to be.
Oct 22. He is gentle.
Oct 23. On his birthday, he shares the day with everyone.
Oct 24. He is faithful!
Oct 25. He KNOWS me.
Oct 26. He is easy to please.
Oct 27. He is an awesome listener!
Oct 28. When the kids are sick he will stay up and check on them so I can get some rest.
Oct 29. He makes me happy!
Oct 30. He can be persuaded into doing something he doesn't want to do.
Oct 31. He has never considered not trick-or-treating as a family!

Element Search + Win : search.elementskateboards.com

2010-10-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

Element Search + Win : search.elementskateboards.com

Hunter is trying to earn points for a new skateboard so he asked me to post this link. If you sign up he gets extra points. He is trying to get 7000 points for a new board. Thx!!

A Monthly Thing??

2010-09-30T10:19:00.001-07:00

So this New Year's resolution was not supposed to be a monthly thing but that is what it has become... Good intentions, I promise. Things are back to what feels like normal around here. The kids are both doing soccer and basketball and Hunter is also doing boxing. That leaves no evening unplanned. Some evenings are spent speeding from one practice to the next. They love it this way and to me it feels, strangely... normal. We are back to spending our Saturdays watching soccer games and going to Kid's Night Out (which means date night for the parents) and Sundays relaxing and watching football. This normal feels good. So without further ado...

Sept 1. He tries to ignite a passion for reading in the boys by setting an example.
Sept 2. We can communicate without speaking.
Sept 3. He can handle things on the homefront if I'm not around.
Sept 4. He is getting into the new soccer team even though the circumstances are not ideal.
Sept 5. He was patient with the new kids at soccer all weekend long and it paid off.
Sept 6. He still loves me even with a red nose, constant sneezing and allergy sniffles.
Sept 7. He is on a roll with cleaning out inventory.
Sept 8. He appreciates when I work hard so he doesn't have to.
Sept 9. He is appreciative of his daily wake-up.
Sept 10. He almost never says no to a sleepover.
Sept 11. He realizes the importance of Date Night.
Sept 12. He realizes the importance of Football.
Sept 13. He appreciates and is supportive of my cost-cutting.
Sept 14. He is a great teacher but can accept some criticisms.
Sept 15. He pushes the kids to do better.
Sept 16. He is flexible when he needs to be.
Sept 17. He humors me.
Sept 18. He puts in a lot of effort to be supportive of the boys equally.
Sept 19. He cheers on my victories right along with me.
Sept 20. He plans for the future.
Sept 21. He can successfully ignore my compulsive need to redecorate.
Sept 22. He makes room for everyone on the bed to watch TV together.
Sept 23. Sometimes we can read each other's thoughts.
Sept 24. Watching him with my niece, giving her his undivided attention, makes my heart melt.
Sept 25. When the kids are gone, we can just relax at home.
Sept 26. He is happy to spend Sunday watching football, just the two of us.
Sept 27. I love how he does something sweet but still expects me to notice.
Sept 28. He was understanding of my bad mood.
Sept 29. He played Hunter in Dance Dance and lost and that was ok.
Sept 30. He fights for my time.

What's New

2010-08-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

So here is what's new... I only have about an inch left! (Don't worry... the photographer has been fired!) I also only have about 5 pounds on him now.

Soccer is getting ready start. We are in a tournament this coming weekend and then the regular season starts the 11th.

The NFL is getting ready to start. YEAH!

School has started and is going really, really well. Maybe every year it gets easier or they grow smarter at what a good deal they have but it is easy so far this year!

We had our fantasy football draft and I am happy with my team and hoping to have my name on the trophy this year under my Dad. It was a rough day because last year when we did it I was sitting next to him enjoying, what I anticipated to be, some of our final moments. We shared a sandwich and fries and I helped him try and keep up with the pace of a live draft. By the end he was wiped but happy! It was a fun season and gave us something besides cancer to talk about on our visits. I miss him...

The Longest Post EVER!

2010-08-31T18:25:00.001-07:00

So it shouldn't have taken me 2 months to come back and post but it has... And this will be the longest post ever since I have to catch up! I will tell you many, many reasons why I love my wonderful husband and then come back later and tell you what's new!

July 9. He doesn't make me regret my decision to be with him forever.
July 10. He is realistic when I am not.
July 11. We can still stay up late just talking.
July 12. He humors me with "hug time".
July 13. He encourages Hunter in boxing and gets him what he needs to succeed.
July 14. He can spur the whole family into total silliness.
July 15. He realizes vacation should be a bigger priority for our family.
July 16. He will offer to take us out to dinner for no reason.
July 17. He struggles to do the right thing by the kids versus what he wants.
July 18. He is supportive of the boy's activities.
July 19. He never says no when I say "Can I tell you something?" (which is a lot)
July 20. He recognizes that our walks are "our time" and makes it a priority.
July 21. Neither one of us could live without the other.
July 22. He is a terrible driver but can somehow rationalize it.
July 23. I can be myself when I am with him.
July 24. We both look forward to football season and see no problem starting to talk about it months in advance.
July 25. He is my best friend.
July 26. He recognizes it is stressful to try and pack for four people for ten days!
July 27. He bought into this crazy idea I had to drive all night across the country.
July 28. He bought me a new van to make everyone more comfortable.
July 29. He drove in the pitch black, white knuckled so I could sleep for a few hours.
July 30. He let the kids live it up on "vacation".
July 31. Even though it was frustrating, he kept going.
Aug 1. He drove around all day looking at houses.
Aug 2. He is a wonderful Dad!
Aug 3. Even when he got bad news about his soccer team he is determined to make the best of it.
Aug 4. When it's time to work, he works hard.
Aug 5. He made sure the hotel we stayed at had a pool.
Aug 6. In a bad situation, he remained calm and positive.
Aug 7. He is a great listener when he wants to be.
Aug 8. He is great with Addyson.
Aug 9. He lets me know he loves me.
Aug 10. He almost always says yes to a sleepover.
Aug 11. He appreciates and notices when I do something just for him.
Aug 12. He can recognize when he cares more than someone else and just take it down a notch.
Aug 13. He doesn't get upset when other people make decisions he never would.
Aug 14. He did something he really, really didn't want to do and made the best of it.
Aug 15. He is already thinking and planning for school.
Aug 16. He knows me well enough to know I don't "just sit" well.
Aug 17. He makes time for me.
Aug 18. He recognizes my whims and humors me and goes along with it.
Aug 19. He diligently studies to maintain his title
Aug 20. Football is here! A love we share.
Aug 21. Even when he doesn't feel like it, he entertains.
Aug 22. He let the kids get new school clothes even though they don't go to school.
Aug 23. He has taken on the primary job of packing the mail.
Aug 24. He helped unload and move the shed.
Aug 25. He appreciates help!
Aug 26. He bought Hunter a new tv and when it didn't work he kept his cool.
Aug 27. He lends me his pipes when I need a hand.
Aug 28. He dreams big!
Aug 29. He is realistic when it comes to projects.
Aug 30. He allows me to fulfill my commitments.
Aug 31. He doesn't feel unloved even though it takes me two months to post!!

13 Years Ago Today...

2010-07-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

Brian and I started out as husband and wife. We went to a little chapel in OKC after getting our blood tests done for STDs (what a way to start a life...) and stopping at a pawn shop to buy wedding rings. It was a whim at the time with a touch of certainty that we had chosen the right person. We were young and thought that "til death do us part" would be easy enough. Well, we learned quickly that it's easier said than done. I still feel in my heart "til death do us part" and hope to still feel this way for the next however many years we have together...

June 21. He loves to read which is something I have tried to learn as an adult.
June 22. He drives a hard bargain.
June 23. He realizes that my to-do list and I need time alone sometimes.
June 24. He volunteered to clean out the fridge since we would be gone for a week.
June 25. He is as excited as the boys to go back to Buffalo.
June 26. He took us to enjoy cool weather!
June 27. He is tough.
June 28. He still has an appreciation for small-town living.
June 29. He knows how to have a good time.
June 30. He does stuff he really doesn't want to because the kids and I do.
July 1. He knows how to take something to the extreme.
July 2. He was calm while I freaked out on the plane.
July 3. He cares and worries about his sister.
July 4. He inspires the kids to be entreprenurial.
July 5. He works hard when he has to.
July 6. He is unlike anyone else I know.
July 7. He has a new-found drive that I admire.
July 8. 13 years ago today he trusted his instincts that I was "The One".

So Much For That Idea...

2010-06-20T10:44:00.001-07:00

So, I really thought I was gonna stay on top of this a little better but... I haven't. I'm gonna catch up again! We are trying to get ready to go out of town and not forgot anything while making sure we don't get charged for bags. It's kind of difficult to go on a trip these days! We have decided to all carry on our luggage so I have been measuring our bags to make sure they will fit and carefully planning what all to bring. I don't want to forget my camera and my walking shoes which both feel like they may almost fill my small suitcase. I'm getting a little nervous that I might be walking around Buffalo in the same clothes every day or bartering with the kids for space in their suitcases (which will cost me, I'm sure!) I am looking forward to experiencing Buffalo through the kid's eyes, being in cooler weather!!, seeing Brian's grandmother and being in cooler weather (oooohhhh can't wait... can you tell?).

Today is Father's Day and instead of being sad I am trying to appreciate that my kids have as great a father as I had...

June 1. We can talk openly and share ideas about what techniques work for homeschooling our kids.
June 2. We can decide to live on our own time schedule.
June 3. He strives to be healthy.
June 4. He has shown he can do anything.
June 5. He will spend the day in traffic in the car so I don't have to go alone.
June 6. He realizes sometimes you just have to get over it.
June 7. He has thick skin.
June 8. He is my hero.
June 9. He cracks me up often and fills our life with laughter.
June 10. Even when he could let me have it, he chose his words carefully.
June 11. He was calm when I wanted to go with my over-reacting gut.
June 12. His excitement fr the World Cup is contagious.
June 13. He is a great example of what a big brother should be like.
June 14. He is a vicious negotiator.
June 15. He extends himself beyond his comfort zone.
June 16. He takes care of me when I am sick.
June 17. He steps up when he has to.
June 18. The World Cup has made him marginally patriotic.
June 19. He came out to watch me play softball and didn't rip me apart afterwards.
June 20. He is an amazing dad to our boys.

Catching Up

2010-06-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not…this will be the third time I have typed up this blog entry. I typed the whole thing and then my internet died as I tried to post and when I clicked the back button it was all gone. Things have been a little crazy around here for the last few weeks. We are trying to get the kid’s lessons done before the PS kids get out. I have been a little purse crazy (which is good) and business has been better than it usually is this time of year (which is also good). We have made our plans to go back to Buffalo this summer and the kids are really excited. As for the fact that I have not expressed my undying love for my husband for the last few weeks… I am going to make up for that and do better in the future…
May 15. He is constantly learning.
May 16. He gives me the time to sit around and read a good book all day.
May 17. He tries to pull me out of a bad mood.
May 18. He will get up and go for a walk with me.
May 19. If I ask, he does.
May 20. He respects “Grey’s” night.
May 21. He will go out and grill burgers for all the neighborhood kids.
May 22. He appreciates that I’m a cheap date.
May 23. He is like a big kid and will antagonize me until I wrestle with him.
May 24. He is my best friend and always has my back.
May 25. He tries not to wake me up when he comes to bed.
May 26. He is a good listener.
May 27. He still hasn’t realized that we walk so I can have his undivided attention.
May 28. He walks with me at night even when he’s sore.
May 29. He watched Hairy all day while we were at the pool so the kids could see him for a few hours.
May 30. He doesn’t limit the kids because of his insecurities.
May 31. He is supportive of the purses even if it means he has to listen to the noise while we watch a show together.

Super Duper Funny!!

2010-05-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

GOD CREATED CHILDREN (& in the process, Grandchildren)

To those of us who have children in our lives, whether they are our own, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or students... here is something to make you chuckle. Whenever your children are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God's omnipotence did not extend to His own children. After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve.
And the first thing he said was ' DON'T !'
'Don't what ? ' Adam replied.
'Don't eat the forbidden fruit.' God said.
'Forbidden fruit ?
We have forbidden fruit?
Hey Eve...we have forbidden fruit! '
' No Way! '
'Yes way ! '
'Do NOT eat the fruit ! ' said God.
'Why ? '
'Because I am your Father and I said so ! God replied, wondering why He hadn't stopped creation after making the elephants
A few minutes later, God saw His children having an apple break and He was not pleased !
'Didn't I tell you not to eat the fruit? ' God asked.
'Uh huh,' Adam replied.
'Then why did you ? ' said the Father.
'Eve started it! ' Adam said.
'Did not ! '
'Did too ! '
'DID NOT ! '
Having had it with the two of them, God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own. Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed.

If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be hard on yourself. If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you ?

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT !
1. You spend the first two years of their life teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up.
2. Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your own children.
3. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.
4. Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said
5. The main purpose of holding children's parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own
6. We childproofed our homes, but they are still getting in.

( Funny thing is I got this in an email from my mother... think she is trying to tell me something??)

It's Friday Already!!

2010-05-14T12:05:00.001-07:00

This week feels like it flew by... Today is a cool, rainy day and at least the cool part is appreciated. This week I worked out at mom's and we made lots of progress. She had a plumbing emergency (which is becoming my specialty) so I went out on Tuesday to take a look. When we got in there and tried to fix it, the pipes were weak and Mom's brute strength gave those pipes a run for their money. It was probably good to find out while we were in there that the pipes were fading fast because we would not have wanted to fix the problem only to encounter another in a year or so. As much as she feels like everything is falling apart, I told her it was a blessing that this happened now because plumbing is fresh on my mind and fixing it was a breeze. We cut out the old pipes and replaced them with new copper pipes and a new shower fixture with all new insides. It should last a long time now! Unfortunately to get to the pipes I had to cut a hole in the wall in her bedroom :( I think she was a little shocked when I suggested it but was on board... it might have been a test to see how bad I would really destroy her house. Needless to say, it is the same thing a plumber would have to do and was saving her the time and money of hiring someone.

Yesterday I went back out and we put the piece of drywall back in and taped and mud it up there. It needed to sit and dry so we started replacing chandeliers and light fixtures around the house. IT WAS FUN and made a huge impact. The last one we put up we used some pieces from a few others and it makes a bold statement in her entry. I was pleased and I think she really liked the changes. All in all a job well done and I am looking forward to the next project :)

And for my sweet husband who has lived without me a few days this week...

May 8. He may anger quickly but does not act rashly, but rather processes it.
May 9. He took my mom and me out to dinner for Mother's Day.
May 10. He listens intently when he knows I am excited about something.
May 11. He cracks me up.
May 12. He works hard.
May 13. He strives to make himself better.
May 14. Even when I've been gone all week he says yes to girls night.

Goin' Soccer Crazy!

2010-05-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

We have a huge tournament in town this weekend so things have been a little crazy. Trying to fit in volunteer time, games, getting Grampa to the airport and all of life's other suprises has been a little daunting. We are still waiting on my nephew to decide it's time to come too. Brandon was a little relieved he didn't come on his birthday. He realized he doesn't share well :)

The boys had a nice visit with Grampa but were sad to see him go. Brian and his sister sold and closed on their mother's house and I think both of them felt a huge weight lifted off their shoulders. I am praying that this weekend is not too difficult for them. I think Mother's day makes those wounds break wide open again. I feel it because I miss my mother-in-law but also because my Dad used to always say that he didn't need to do anything for my mom because she wasn't his mother. Since Hunter has been born this has also been Brian's philosophy of Mother's Day which just reminds me how, in many ways, he is a lot like my Dad.

I need to do a little catch up too...

Apr 24. He enables me to spend quality time with each of the kids individually.
Apr 25. He realizes he needs to make an effort to be encouraging.
Apr 26. His thinking-things-thru process is faster and more thorough than mine.
Apr 27. He is an amazing negotiator.
Apr 28. He has a smile that is all mine.
Apr 29. He can ease your mind and remain level-headed.
Apr 30. He is teaching the kids the value of money (Probably better him than me.)
May 1. Nine years ago today he gave me a mini version of him who keeps me on my toes.
May 2. He filters information quickly but draws conclusions slowly.
May 3. He doesn't shy away from hard work.
May 4. He was able to fix something and was proud of his accomplishment (ok, downright giddy as a schoolgirl.)
May 5. He made all the boys feel like superstars as he handed them their soccer trophies.
May 6. He still kisses me like he means it.
May 7. He makes it possible for me to do volunteer work.

Slowing Down...

2010-04-25T20:22:00.001-07:00

The momentum has taken a back seat this week but I have been able to tie up the projects and officially mark them off my list. My bathroom and kitchen are done. It is a relief and with company coming this week we are on hiatus for a little bit. Brian's dad is coming for Little One's birthday and he is thrilled. I am tired and we had a crazy weekend... We fit a lot of soccer and basketball games into just a few days and the boys have informed me they will be playing indoor soccer, basketball and dodgeball in the coming months... Should be fun! I am headed to bed but wanted to just let you know a few reasons I love my husband...

Apr 17. He knows when I need a little muscle.
Apr 18. He is impressed by my plumbing skills (might have missed my calling).
Apr 19. He makes sure the kids do lessons when I am at work.
Apr 20. We can still talk for hours (one of the first things I loved about him).
Apr 21. He goes out of his way to make me feel good.
Apr 22. He has a side of him that few know but those who do realize how genuine it is.
Apr 23. He is a good friend.

Still goin' strong...

The Beatles Were Right!!

2010-04-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

I get by with a little help from my friends... Got a brand new shower with a little help from my friends... I AM DONE! It feels great to finally be done and tomorrow we can start using the shower once the seal has time to cure. The patio is finished and I have replaced the broken lights and moved the kids games, air hockey table etc. I am very happy with the way it turned out. Today we have ripped out half of the countertops and are going to replace them and then do the other half.

For my wonderful husband...

Apr 10. He beams with pride when it all comes together.
Apr 11. He took the day to get our taxes mostly done so I didn't have to.
Apr 12. He packed all the mail so I could work in the bathroom.
Apr 13. Even when he gets consumed with a game he is learning to come back to reality once in awhile.
Apr 14. He can admit when he is wrong and says it out loud for my satisfaction.
Apr 15. He is impressed with my work.
Apr 16. He brags about the shower behind my back.

Brian took a shower!

2010-04-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

Not that he doesn't do that often but this was a special shower! He got to try out my new shower as I checked for potential mistakes I may have made. I thought it was better to test it out before I put the $100 sealer on the tile and grout. I am happy to report that everything worked great. I hope to get it sealed tonight and in 72 hours we will be fully functional. I am so excited!!

As I waited for the grout to cure I decided to tackle the next project on the list. This was to be the kitchen countertops but with the beautiful weather we have been having I decided to swap that for the back patio. Anyone that has been to my house in the last, oh... years knows that our patio has been completely devoted to inventory for our business. I do not even have a "before" picture out of sheer embarassment. I will happily share what it looks like now...

This is all the inventory we have left out there! The rest made its way to the dump or the storage unit. It is 350 sq ft that we now realize we have missed. We enclosed it a few years ago with dreams of someday making it into something great. So far...

we have moved the arcade games out there and hope to get the air hockey table out there tonight or tomorrow. It will be the kids mini arcade. I would say that I hope that it encourages the neighborhood kids to play outside but in reality that is their preference. The boys are really excited to overtake, I mean, have a cool place of their own. I can't decide if I will start the countertops tomorrow (with soccer games Saturday and Sunday and basketball for Hunter) I am not sure how much I will actually get done. I am toying with the idea of working in my office/studio and finally getting that organized... Again, there will be no "before" pictures as it is a DISASTER! I feel so accomplished today and am hoping it carries over for the next month or so... So much to do... so little time...

Par for the Course

2010-04-12T19:34:00.001-07:00

So the whole project has been riddled with setbacks... as most projects are (or so my friend's reassure me) so this is no different... I was chugging along grouting the bathroom tile and ... you guessed it... I ran out of grout. Above is the before picture...

Yes, I got everything finished but the middle of the floor. So tonight I have grouted the rest of the floor and will wait for the grout to cure for 24-48 hrs and then seal the stones and grout and install my fixtures. Then I AM DONE!!!

It's Not That I Don't Love Him...

2010-04-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

I have just been REALLY busy! New shower pics will be up soon. It is all tiled and all the spacers have been removed and ready for grouting. I am really excited to see what it will look like when it is finished. And to make up for the week I missed here is two weeks worth of reasons I love my sweet husband...

Mar 27. He has recognized when not to communicate with Hunter at soccer and was able to just walk away.
Mar 28. He makes coming up with reasons I love him easy.
Mar 29. He stands up for what he believes in even if it forces confrontation.
Mar 30. He relies on me.
Mar 31. He can see when the kids need a "free day" and gives it to them.
Apr 1. He doesn't do April Fools!!
Apr 2. He can motivate the boys unlike anyone else.
Apr 3. He will get up at 6 AM to support the kids.
Apr 4. He still hides eggs for the boys.
Apr 5. He is bound and determined to fight my red light ticket. (oops!)
Apr 6. He was gifted with the power of persuasion.
Apr 7. He engages my niece in his own sweet way.
Apr 8. He is brutally honest.
Apr 9. We work well together.

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Sooo.... no, it was not this...

This was our project a few weeks ago... If you guessed... tetherball.... you are right!!

The kids have had a blast... along with the whole neighborhood... playing tetherball. It seems funny that such an "old-fashioned" game could bring "very modern" kids so much joy.

We are having lunch for Easter with family and friends. The kids hunted for eggs around the house and I am hoping they will have outgrown this by next year... Wishing everyone a Happy Easter!!

What are we up to??

2010-04-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

I have the walls taped and the thinset applied to the seams and the mortar bed is poured and cured... I am at a stand-still until I pick the tile (which I think I have chosen but have to come to grips with the cost!). I took a break last night to do this for the kids... Know what we are up to?

A Weekend of Sunshine

2010-03-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

It started out looking like a great weekend for soccer... However, let me just tell you about the wind! It was so bad that at Lake Park we even had high wind sirens going off... Yes, high wind sirens do exist! It was a windy mess... Hunter played first and lost 2-1 then Brandon played right after him and won 5-2. It was FREEZING cold out there with all that wind and 3 hours outside watching soccer left us chilled to the bone.

On Thursday night both the kids were not feeling well and seemed to be fighting off something. It came and went with just a few incidents so Friday we took it easy. Brandon fought a fever all day so Friday night I started the floor of the shower. On Wednesday and Thursday I was able to get all the corners and seams taped and the thinset on them. By Friday night he was feeling better so he helped me lay the mortar bed down. We were covered in concrete and he helped me mix it up and then mash it down to the floor. He thought it was great to be allowed to get soooo dirty. I must have carried 500 pounds of concrete from the back patio to the bathroom and am paying for it now. But happily the floor is down and cured and we are ready to start tiling (once we can agree on the tile).

And better late than never...

Mar 20. He is the best babysitter EVER!
Mar 21. He is supportive of me.
Mar 22. He will help me with construction (which he hates) if I ask him real nice.
Mar 23. He has been patient with the mess.
Mar 24. I can break him. If he is mad or upset I can pull him out of it.
Mar 25. He stays calm when the kids are sick.
Mar 26. He helped me stir concrete when my arms got tired.

Bathroom Update #2

2010-03-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

Once the mortar bed was down it was time for the liner... Now this my friends was HARD! The membrane is very thick and could not be cut at all to accomodate any imperfections because of the possibility of leaks. The corners are solvent-weld together and then the greenboard is installed over the liner.

You will notice I also had to make some adjustments to the copper pipe and re-insulate it. I extended the copper pipe to raise the shower head and capped off the water line that went to the tub.

I installed the new upper drain plate and checked for leaks in the liner... We were good to go. After this the greenboard started to go up... very very slowly!!

The next step is to tape and seal all the corners and seams with thinset and then I will put down the shower floor (mortar bed) on top of the liner and reinforce it with wire mesh. This is the last step before I get to start tiling. As a side note, if anyone ever needs help with hanging greenboard or drywall... DON'T ASK ME! The floor is not straight... the walls are not straight and even with perfect cuts it is a stinkin' mess!! (Just had to vent a little :)

Bathroom Update

2010-03-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

So the bathroom project is coming along... You remember what it looked like before...

We have since removed all the trash and the bathtub and tore it down to the studs. Because of some water damage I had to reinforce all the studs. I also tore up the tub drain and installed a PVC shower drain (replacing what was in there that was held together with duct tape).

I built a wall so it won't need a door or curtain and laid a mortar bed down to build my own shower pan for my walk-in shower.

Yeah, It's Friday!

2010-03-19T09:09:00.001-07:00

I decided to blog before I dug back into my project... I am working in my bathroom and this week have cleaned it out, removed the tub and bench surround and today will be redoing the plumbing and installing the shower wall and laying the pre-sloped floor. It is coming along but yesterday felt like a day of steps backwards. Every step of the way I have encountered snags (which I guess is fairly normal) from duct taped pipes to drywall behind the tile to a 25 yr old stuck drain. When it is finished I think it will be FABULOUS to have a 6 foot walk-in shower... I just have to get there!

On a funny note, I was talking to Brandon the other day about his "new" room and he said how much he loved his bed. He used to have a twin bed and now he has a full. He said he was so happy because Dad and I had a King size bed, Hunter has a queen and he has a "Prince" size bed which is just perfect for him. I laughed and he didn't know why until I explained that it was called a "full size bed". He thought that made no sense at all and insists on calling it a prince. He cracks me up!

And for everyone who keeps encouraging me with my resolution... I appreciate you...

Mar 13. He can let loose and have a good time.
Mar 14. He can appreciate a day of rest!
Mar 15. He is diplomatic in his presentation of ideas.
Mar 16. He is not handy but appreciates that I am.
Mar 17. He keeps me motivated.
Mar 18. He made dinner and cleaned the kitchen so I could concentrate on my project.
Mar 19. He makes a great Mr. Mom.

Shaking a Bad Habit...

2010-03-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

It seems I am lacking the discipline to sit down and focus on Fridays and post my resolution. I am sure it has nothing to do with how crazy our lives have been recently... In an effort to do better I am posting one day earlier than last week which to me is a small victory right now. Things are moving along but I never realized how much work went into tying up loose ends when someone passes away. It is a bit overwhelming. Our house seems to be buried under a mountain of laundry and STUFF and slowly but surely, we seem to be finding... the floor. We are still working to purge clutter while at the same time accumulating more. Not a very successful plan when trying to find order, however slow the progress we are still moving ahead. And although the bathroom is still torn up, the patio is getting cleaner (cuz we have to work outside when it is nice), the new basketball hoop is together and in full use, the Christmas stuff is finally in the attic, Brandon's room is put together and the laundry mountains are slowly shrinking.

So on with the good stuff...

Mar 6. I can hardly think of just one thing, but if I had to choose, it is that he overcame his discomfort and stood before family and friends to remember and honor his mother.
Mar 7. He longs for normalcy.
Mar 8. He has a new love for his father.
Mar 9. He deals with the clutter in order to get to the light at the end of the tunnel.
Mar 10. He can handle stressful situations and manage difficult people.
Mar 11. He loves his sister and is diligently looking out for her best interests.
Mar 12. He thrives in his normal world and is working hard to get back there.

WHAT A WEEK~!

2010-03-10T14:56:00.000-08:00

On February 27th, my mother-in-law passed away after a brave 2-year fight with breast cancer. Only she knows what she truly meant to me and I am so happy to have been able to spend true, quality time with her while she went through chemo. We bonded, we laughed, we really got to know each other and established a mother-daughter relationship I will always cherish. I will miss her and will always remember her for her strength, perseverance and quiet ways. Above all, the greatest gift she gave me was her son, who I love dearly.

Feb 27. His family is always his first priority.
Feb 28. He has let me be for him what he was for me two months ago.
Mar 1. He is strong so others can be weak.
Mar 2. He is amazed and appreciative of his friends.
Mar 3. He comforted me as I cried over the loss of another parent.
Mar 4. He is overcoming his personal feelings to enable everyone to move forward.
Mar 5. He has a new love for my mom and is letting her fill the hole in his heart.

It has been such a difficult time as we muddle through our feelings again and find a new strength in our love for each other and our families...

When it Rains... It Pours...

2010-02-27T08:13:00.000-08:00

It has been one of those weeks where everything feels like it is falling apart... In an effort not to fall apart myself, I will focus on my love...

Feb 20. He roots for the underdog.
Feb 21. He still pays for dinner on dates and let's me pick where.
Feb 22. We agreed to disagree a long time ago and have stayed happily married because of this.
Feb 23. He takes care of things when I don't feel good.
Feb 24. He has fully embraced picnic dinners (on a blanket in the living room in front of the tv as a family... seems that American Idol brings with it picnic season).
Feb 25. He sacrifices for friends.
Feb 26. He fully accepts there are things he does not understand.

Hope everyone else is having a better week than us :)

Time is FLYING!!

2010-02-21T17:19:00.000-08:00

It seems that there is always a lull between seasons that we never fully take advantage of until the new season is upon us and we are scrambling to find time to do anything! The boys' schedules are consuming us now, and as much as we like it when they are busy and happy, it makes for a difficult time to fit all the other stuff in.

Hunter had his first soccer game on Thursday night and they won. We all froze out in the cold to watch and he did really good. He played again on Saturday and they tied. He had the goal that tied it up, which was great, and played a great game. Brandon had a game yesterday as well and they lost. It is the first time that his team has EVER lost the first game of the season. Very sad!! Brian took it in stride, though, and seems like he will be able to move on. Then last night the boys went to Saturday Night Out to compete in the Guitar Hero competition. Brandon was able to convince someone to play him for tickets (money to spend in the snack area). He proudly got into the car declaring that "he smoked" the older kid. He played on Expert and the other kid played on Easy and he still won and was walking out with the 5 tickets he won (also noting that we should be proud that he did not let the kid back out of the bet).

Brian and I just relaxed at home last night since I had been in OKC all day Friday (leaving around 8:30 am and returning home around 11:30 pm... LONG DAY!). It was nice to be able to grab a quick bite to eat with him and then go home and lay in bed in complete silence without the kids there. BLISS!

So this morning I looked at my calendar and was amazed that there was nothing there... Oh no, not nothing... just nothing scheduled. That means clean house, pack mail, etc.etc... So I am working on doing just that on top of taking the kids for haircuts and grocery shopping (which I only do once a year with the boys and they filled the pantry with garbage). Somehow I walked out of Walmart with a cart full of junk, a lot less money, and two boys with huge smiles on their faces... handsome boys though...

And for the man who gave me two handsome boys...

Feb 13. He gives up everything for date night.
Feb 14. He doesn't need to celebrate Valentine's day because he loves me that much every day. (He says he doesn't need a Hallmark holiday to remind him to show me... and that's true.)
Feb 15. He tried ice skating for the first time today so that the kids wouldn't be embarassed if they fell.
Feb 16. He still finds me attractive.
Feb 17. We make a good team.
Feb 18. He is reliable.
Feb 19. He will help out a friend even if it is outside his comfort zone.

Hockey 101

2010-02-16T11:16:00.000-08:00

So the kids really enjoyed the hockey game yesterday. Before the game they gave the kids a rundown of the rules, the calls, the process of how the game works (3 20-min periods, penalties, power plays, etc). They had little cheat sheets so we could know what the calls were and they stayed very involved in the game. After the first period the Allen Americans were winning 1-0. During the second period the kids left with about 5 minutes left in the period to go out on the ice at the break. Well, the Texas Brahmas scored while they were "backstage". The second intermission has a "chuck a puck" event and the kids got to go on the ice with the rest of the homeschoolers and pick up the pucks once they were chucked. Brian threw the pucks onto the ice for the kids because they said they would rather go down to pick them up. They are foam pucks and you buy them and they register the number on them. Then the person whose puck lands closest to center ice gets a prize... Needless to say, we did not win... but the kids had a blast going onto the ice and picking up pucks.

(The pictures are a bit like "Where's Waldo") Anyway, neither team scored in the third period so they went to Sudden Death Overtime (5 min period). Neither team scored then either!! The kids were pumped about that because that means it goes to a shootout. Each team picks three players to take shots one-on-one vs the other team's goalie. Well, it went kind of like this... we missed, they missed, we made it, they made it, we missed, they missed ... so you keep going through players until one team makes it and the other misses... We screamed, we booed the other team, we went crazy because truly the kids (and parents) thought this was the most exciting part of the game. Finally we missed and the other team made it. So the Allen Americans lost. But it did not seem to dampen the kids excitement for the entire experience. They got to be on the ice "in front of the audience", smack the players hands as they came out of the locker room between periods, see someone get their face busted open and bleed all over the ice after a great hit, see someone break an arm getting beat into the boards... Good, clean fun!

After the game, you can rent skates and skate on the arena ice with the players. We all four rented ice skates and had at it! It was a lot of fun and I will point out that I was the only one that did not fall. Brandon made falling into its own sport... Hunter did quite well... Brian stayed on his feet until the very end and decided he was done once he fell. It was a LOT of fun!

We stopped by to see Memaw since she lives in Allen and had a nice visit with her then got some dinner and headed home. A very fun-filled "educational" day :)

Really... Snow??

2010-02-12T18:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning it started to snow and did not stop til late last night. It was crazy and the kids thought absolutely fabulous. The kids were out of school and had a great time building snowmen and sledding. They even made me a giant coffee mug out of snow... So sweet! They drank lots of hot chocolate and went through 27 outfits each. I have spent the last two days doing laundry! We had to get all our work caught up today since Monday is a mail holiday and we are going to the hockey game. Can't wait!

I have to say that this is the longest I have ever kept up a New Year's Resolution. I told you I hate them but this one seems to be good for my soul...

Feb 6. He recognizes my need to rearrange furniture and embraces change against his true nature.
Feb 7. He gives people the benefit of the doubt.
Feb 8. He offers to help me without my asking.
Feb 9. He knows how to communicate.
Feb 10. He makes an effort for us to be on the same page.
Feb 11. He worries about me.
Feb 12. He can't stay mad for long.

Hello Sunshine...

2010-02-09T11:51:00.001-08:00

It is so nice to look outside and see the sun. I have been sitting at my desk most of the day answering email and trying to get caught up and enjoying the sun shining through the french doors into my lap. Even though it is still cold outside it "looks" warm. I am trying to take it all in as we prepare for... SNOW. Hard to believe we would hear that word so much in Texas!

This past week seemed to fly by and as I look back I can't really remember what made it so busy! We are getting ready for the soccer season to start and planning for a tournament which eventually was cancelled. The boys did get to participate in a Round Robin tournament indoors on Sat which was pretty fun. They thought it was nice to just get to play. And as of now, it looks like we will not be playing this weekend either because of more wet weather on its way. Time to find some fun indoor activities. On Monday we are going on a homeschool field trip to see the Allen Americans (feeder team for the Stars) play hockey. They are going to have an educational segment about hockey, the game, skating with the players and then a tour of the locker room. The boys are excited!!

Other than that not much is new... In an effort to "spring clean", I rearranged the living room and got rid of some stuff hiding behind furniture. It looks pretty good and may stay that way for a little while. I am going to work outside on the back patio today (in the sun) and try and throw away more STUFF. Wish me luck...

For my wonderful husband (no, I did not forget or decide I didn't love him anymore or anything like that... I just got busy...)

Jan 30. He is my best friend.
Jan 31. He lets the kids get away with murder but supports me when I have to be "bad cop".
Feb 1. He recognizes when I need a break.
Feb 2. He understands that marriage takes work.
Feb 3. He just wants to be loved by me.
Feb 4. He can watch Grey's Anatomy with me and only critique the show during commercials.
Feb 5. He is passionate about my projects and full of positive advice.

Sunggled at Home Where It's Warm

2010-01-29T14:16:00.000-08:00

Sooooo... the weather cancelled our tournament for the weekend. The boys are all sad because they wanted to freeze their butts off outside. I am sad about missing soccer but happy inside where it is mostly warm. Of course, that gives us a free weekend so I am guessing that means more CLEANING! It is going good and if B could get off the Xbox it would go better :) I got a few bags of trash out of the boys rooms over the last few days and they don't seem to notice a bit... (shocking!) Other than that not much is new around here... Glad we didn't get pounded with snow.

For my wonderful husband, another week of reasons why I love him...

Jan 23. He thinks I'm pretty even when I don't try to and makes sure to tell me.
Jan 24. He's terrible at keeping a secret and proud of it!
Jan 25. He appreciates hard work.
Jan 26. He can relate to the kids.
Jan 27. He doesn't abuse relationships for his own benefit.
Jan 28. He appreciates my organizational skills (and recognizes he has none).
Jan 29. He recognizes his weaknesses and isn't embarassed by them.

Preparing for the Cold!!

2010-01-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

Brandon's soccer team has a tournament this weekend and the highs are supposed to be in the 30s!! That does not sound fun. For Christmas my mom got Brian what he says is his best gift ever... It was a Nautica coat that he says is the warmest thing he has ever owned... So I am headed to the Nautica store today hoping that they have one in my size! I think it will be brutal sitting in the wind and cold but I love watching soccer... so... I am hoping to test out the validity of his claims to said Nautica coat. We shall see...

For anyone else wanting to suffer along with us they are playing at Five Star Complex in The Colony...

FRI @ 6:00 pm Field # 4
SAT @ 3:30 pm Field #4
SAT @ 6:30 pm Field #3

Any chance of this cold front missing us would be greatly appreciated :)

Spring Cleaning

2010-01-22T10:17:00.000-08:00

This week Brian decided we needed to do some major spring cleaning. His goal was to go through the whole house and get rid of 25% of everything we own. He is a happy minimalist and unfortunately, in this relationship, I am the pack rat. If you had asked me I would have denied that I keep unnecessary things, however, this week has revealed my true character! I keep STUFF! So, my husband has been unusually patient with me as I try to come to grips with getting rid of some STUFF. We are doing well so far but it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So, I am taking a break to tell you a week's worth of things I love about my husband. I will say that I have a journal where I write them down, day-by-day. I don't think I could sit on Friday's and just think up a week's worth of stuff but one thing a day is manageable.

Jan 16. He is aggressive and confrontational and comfortable being that way.
Jan 17. He is patient when he knows I am struggling.
Jan 18. He is focused and determined to finish a project he starts.
Jan 19. After several days of spring cleaning, without a word he did my chore and took the many bags of trash to the curb.
Jan 20. He has an intuition about things that I don't have.
Jan 21. He understands that Thursday night is for watching Grey's Anatomy.
Jan 22. In everything he does, he wants what's best for our kids.

Today's project is cleaning out our file cabinets... I am sure you can sense my EXCITEMENT!

Week 2

2010-01-15T11:21:00.000-08:00

Week 2 of the New Year and we finally got to celebrate Christmas. We went away to the Great Wolf Lodge which was a great time and really eased the transition of Christmas. It was unlike any other Christmas we have had so broke the traditions a little which was nice. It still felt strange to be opening presents without Dad around saying "I picked that for you" even when we knew he didn't. The kids had a blast though!

Other than that not a whole lot is new so here we go with week 2 of my resolution...

Jan 9. He is supportive of the kids in whatever they do and cheers them on as their biggest fan.
Jan 10. He does stuff with us that he doesn't like to do and doesn't complain (like go to a waterpark when he doesn't swim)
Jan 11. He takes care of the kids so I can work and don't have to worry about them.
Jan 12. He does stuff for me that he knows I hate doing (peeling stickers).
Jan 13. He takes care of our finances so I don't have to.
Jan 14. He sings believing he has a good voice (which I love and makes me laugh out loud).
Jan 15. He has a passion for soccer that we share and a love for the kids on his team as if they were his own.

So far so good... this may be the longest I have ever kept up a resolution :)

New Year's Resolution

2010-01-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

I hate New Year's Resolutions! It never seems to last more than a few weeks but in those few weeks it makes the gym very crowded! I rarely make them, however, this year I have decided to and to use this blog to hold me accountable to keeping it for the entire year!

One of the things I struggled the most with in losing my Dad was putting myself in the place of my Mom and losing the love of my life. That person that she said "I do" to almost 40 years ago. The person she vowed to be faithful to and care for in sickness and health. Not just the fact that she did have to care for him in sickness or the memories that she will forever cherish of their time when he was healthy. It was overcoming the extreme loss of the person she was to grow old with who was not even old yet. And as I cried for her I found it almost impossible to separate the feelings I would have if the roles were reversed and I had lost MY best friend, soulmate, lover, father of my children... husband.

So, this year my mission is to find something about this man that I chose that I love. It may seem like an easy task, and many days it will be, but the challenge of it all is to find something that I love even on the bad days. At the end of the year, I will have 365 reasons to remind me why he was the one I wanted to grow old with...

Jan 1. During the saddest time of my life, he held me.
Jan 2. He knows how to make me laugh.
Jan 3. He fosters a love of education in Little One that I couldn't and makes him want to be better.
Jan 4. He has worked hard to create a business that we are successful in while enabling us to be a family.
Jan 5. He encourages me to be successful with new ventures and shares in the successes as if he had the same passion I do.
Jan 6. He will watch a chick flick with me and make it to the end (unlike some of us).
Jan 7. He gave me one of the best gifts, 11 yrs ago today, in our oldest son.
Jan 8. He makes me feel loved.

Trying to Find Normal Again

2010-01-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

I am trying to pick up and get going again and am having a tough time knowing where to start. My life feels a little like slow-mo right now. The bathroom is still a wreck. Some Christmas presents are still not wrapped (since we have not done Christmas with my family yet). My office looks like a hurricane hit it. And I just don't have any umph right now to get up and go.

However, there was a bright spot to my day. Just before Christmas I had a call from the editor of Advocate Magazine that she wanted to write an article about my purses. I said "SURE!" and sent her one so she could touch it and feel it and well, you know... love it! And she did! So I thought I would post her article here so I can brag a little, I mean, you can enjoy it too...

http://www.advocatemag.com/lake-highlands/blog/Last_minute_gift_old_magazines_lh.html

2009-12-29T19:23:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, December 27, 2009 at 9:50 pm my father passed away. We had known for 2 years that the day was closer than we ever wanted it to be but when it came it was way too quick. His slow deterioration gave us every opportunity to say all the things we wanted to say and I can happily say I took advantage of that. There was nothing I feel like I didn't say and I don't have regrets. However, to say that I won't miss him terribly is impossible. I don't have the memories that my sister and brother have of him while we were little. The thing that rings in my ears from my childhood is... "I'm Very Disappointed In You!" (Not that I didn't give him many reasons or opportunities to use the phrase... ) The memories I have now are as an adult talking about business or football or watching him interact with my kids. To hear the memories they have of him melts my heart.

He was the best dad any girl could ever want and a day will not go by that I don't wish he was still here.

For anyone asking about his services, they are as follows:
VISITATION
Friday 1/1/10 5-8pm
Lucas Funeral Home
305 West 1st Street
Justin, TX 76247-9608

MEMORIAL SERVICE
Sat 1/2/10
Abundant Life Assembly of God
1520 West Wall Street
Grapevine, TX 76051

Look What They DiD!!!

2009-12-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

So the other day Brian and I walked into the bathroom to find that the wall of the shower had started to collapse. So in the madness of the Christmas season we started to demo the bathroom. And as most people know, there is a small portion of me that has a little problem with germs, so you can laugh that I made the kids wear masks and gloves to their elbows but I can only imagine what kind of deadly germs live behind 25 year old walls...

They thought it was so fun and even helped me clean out phase one from the tub to begin ripping out the bench. Unfortunately under the tile that he is hitting above is, well, not much. So it appears it may add another step to figure out how to re-create the step or do away with it. They are excited to be destroying something and looking forward to picking out tile and rebuilding. I told them if we complete this successfully we may just start ripping up carpet too... I am sure Brian would be thrilled... And for anyone that knows him... yes, he was a nervous wreck that the kids were in there doing this and that we won't be able to fix it!! He did use this opportunity to pull entire sections of the walls down to show his children that he has some small part of him that is equivalent to, well, SUPERMAN! The look in their eyes as he is pulling off sections that are bigger than they are was priceless. They are convinced, beyond all doubt, that he is part SUPERHERO with super-human strength (and he loves every second of this fantasy for someday they will know the truth!)

My Birthday Month!!

2009-12-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to remind everyone that my birthday month started yesterday! It is so much fun to celebrate all month long when it is the last day of the month. I want to wish my sister a Happy Birthday Month too. I guess I have always resorted to a whole month celebration because I have to share the month with her and Christmas and, well, New Years Eve! So begins the celebration.

I am working on getting my NEW tree up but can't seem to get everything else done and get motivated enough to do it. The projects in my mind seem to be outweighing the Christmas tree so today I am trying to FOCUS and get it done. I have a very long list of other things I feel like I need to do first so I am trying to cross those off. And in the midst of checking things off the list I missed the snow!! In between laundry, cleaning and working in the garage apparently it snowed.

I bought the kid's "big gift" the other day (iPod touches, THANK YOU WALMART!) and had them hidden in my shoes. I gave the kids a hint to try and find them... "When you find them you will KICK yourself." Well, they tore this place up looking for them. On Monday night, Brandon found them and I told them that if they would cheer for me to win Fantasy Football against their dad and I did they could have them. Well, I was down by 21 points and we both had QBs playing in the game on Monday night so I thought there was no way I could win... BUT I DID! So, true to my word, the kids are enjoying their Christmas gifts as we speak. Hopefully they won't be too disappointed when Christmas actually gets here and they already got it.

The Black Friday Saga

2009-11-28T16:42:00.000-08:00

After battling a headache all day Thursday, I got out there for the "best day of the year" when it comes to shopping. We left about 10:30 on Thursday night and headed to the Allen outlet mall which was INSANE. Can I just say how lucky we were to find a parking spot at 11:15. We hit Tommy Hilfiger and the Nike store which took 2 hrs between the two of them. The lines were atrocious but thankfully with two people, one can get in line and you can take turns shopping as the line moves along. We headed to Old Navy to be there when they opened at 3 and when we got there at 1:30 there were already 50 people in line. I made an executive decision that that was too many so we headed to Grapevine Mills mall. We did some shopping there and then made our way to Walmart. BIG MISTAKE! I have never been to Walmart on Black Friday and probably never will again! It was amazing how many people managed to cram themselves into a megastore. And to top it off, they could not find what I wanted to buy. I ended up with a raincheck until they can locate the pallet.

After that nonsense, we headed to Sears and JC Penney and when we walked out the sun was up. Academy was next and was nice enough to match the price of what I wanted to get at Sports Authority as well so that saved us a trip. The lines at Kohls were crazy but we managed to time it just right and got out of there fairly quickly. We ran into Home Depot so Amy could get her washer and dryer (which she got a great deal on) and then I took her home. I ran by Costco to get a tv for a friend and stopped back in Walmart to see if they had found the elusive pallet yet (with no luck) before heading home. I crawled into bed around noon after cramming everything I bought into the storage unit. While I was sleeping the kids raided the van and much to their dismay the only thing in it was some outfits I had gotten for them. They sulked the rest of the evening thinking I had not gotten them anything until Brian spilled the beans (SHOCKINGLY!) that everything was hidden at the storage unit.

I did manage to cross quite a few people off my list and found some great deals but seemed to be two steps behind most of the people that were looking for the same things I was. After some minor adjustments I ended up with some good stuff. Now hopefully I can guard the key to the storage unit for the next month so that Brian doesn't get a wild hair and decide to take the kids for a little exploration field trip...

Getting Thankful

2009-11-24T14:21:00.000-08:00

As Thanksgiving gets closer I feel the need to reflect on what I am thankful for. I don't think I take these things for granted but this day makes us really notice them. I am thankful for a home to live in which is big enough for all our STUFF (and a cleaning lady who cleans it for me), kids who are healthy that I get to spend more time with than most parents and food on the table. I am thankful for another year with my Dad and mother-in-law and have a real appreciation for how miraculous that really is. I am thankful for great friends who understand me, who listen and who I wouldn't trade in a million years. I am thankful for the ability to work and successful businesses that enable me to work from home. But most of all, today, I am thankful for a husband who has been faithful to me for the last 13 years, who listens and usually judges but in a loving way, who lets me cry on his shoulder, who is a great father to our two kids, who is brutally honest with me even when I don't want to hear it, who is flexible after much nagging, who supports me in whatever crazy idea I have at the moment and who loves me unconditionally and shows me with a passion that I wish I could bottle up and sell (million dollar idea, folks!).

Under the Weather

2009-11-20T12:02:00.000-08:00

We had a great visit with Grampa. The kids schedule seemed to engulf the time that he was here and it flew by. I guess he got a taste of our "real life". I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week. It seems we have been going non-stop since Halloween (or maybe before). So it didn't help that Wednesday I started to feel yucky.

The boys had their soccer party and by the time we got home around 7:00 I crawled into bed. I ran a fever Wednesday night and last night and the strange thing is I feel ok duing the day but as the sun goes down so do I. I am very thankful for the DVR as I have been able to catch up on shows and watched a movie last night. I was feeling better yesterday than the day before so I worked on some purses too.

I have a new website that I am building that should be up soon. I will post on here so you can take a look. I think I am finally getting back into the swing of things and excited about some new ideas I have. More to come soon...

Home Again... Home Again...

2009-11-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

It is so good to be home. We got back yesterday afternoon and it has been non-stop since then. Brian's dad is here and we are having a nice visit. I FINALLY got all my books put away with the help of my sweet husband and am working on getting the orders out the door. It was a good trip but exhausting.

Yesterday I told Brian all the funny things that happened like some old man freaking out in the book sale line because he thought McSweaty was cutting and the battery dying in the parking lot of Panera Bread because we were too stupid to realize that we were sucking all the juice by using all the cigarette lighters, having the doors open/lights on, radio playing... but he said they weren't that funny. That you had to be there! At the time, we laughed to the point of crying by some of the stuff that happened on this trip. It was nice not to hear the kids fighting, not to walk around picking up after everyone and worrying about the small stuff around here. It was girl time and we spent it well! It is so nice having a friend you can spend several days with and not get tired of :)

What's New...

2009-11-05T11:46:00.000-08:00

I am about done with the updates for Fantasy Football... Maybe it is jinxing my luck. I played my Dad last week and he played without ANY quarterbacks. I have Drew Brees and Kurt Warner... two of the best. So I know what you're thinking... I clobbered him. Nope, yeah, you read that right, Nope. I LOST! So needless to say, I was bummed. I am 3-5 and need to be 8-5 to get into the playoffs. So maybe if I don't talk about it again, it will happen. It will be hard.

This week has been completely crazy. I have to say that I am loving the time change. I usually don't but being a night owl it feels like I am up just as late as before when I go to bed at midnight because it gets dark so early. I have been getting up easily and being very productive before noon. Funny... I never quite understood how people were like that. Anyways, with the nice weather we have been sports crazy! Brandon had a practice on Tuesday night that Brian said was really good and then he had a baseball game at 7:30 (that they won!) and Hunter had a soccer game at 8:00 (that they won and he scored another goal!). Yesterday Hunter had his last baseball game (that they won) and he got hit by a pitch. It hit his funny bone at his elbow and you can see the threads of the ball still today. He will have a nice baseball size bruise there tomorrow. He seems quite proud of it and barely flinched even though looking at it today you can tell it must have hurt. He was upset because once he got hit they wouldn't let him pitch. He got his trophy and I will post the pictures soon.

Today we are trying desperately to get caught up with everything else... laundry, errands, work... I have a few purses to make, am making Christmas lists, getting ready for Brian's dad to be here next Thursday (oh my, a week from today) and getting ready to go out of town. I leave Monday morning EARLY and head to Austin. From there I am headed to San Antonio and ending in Waco Wednesday night for a sale Thursday morning. Brian's dad gets here around noon and I should be back around 2:00. I can only imagine what the house will look like though.

So I am headed to the gym and errands... Hoping to keep the momentum of the day going.

Halloween Part 2

2009-11-01T09:38:00.000-08:00

So yesterday the boys both had soccer games and luckily we all got to attend both. Brandon's team played at 9:00 and won 5 to 0 even being man-down. It was a good game! Hunter played at 1:30 and they won 7-0 and Hunter scored a goal (even with his Dad there!). Two great games and a great start to the day!

The boys decided to just trick-or-treat around the neighborhood and were VERY TIRED before we even left. We had all gotten up around 7:30. We left around 7, once it got dark, and we were home by 8:45. Brandon decided to be a gangster and Hunter was a vampire again.

Today they both have baseball games at 1:00 so we begin the juggle again...

Friday Night Halloween

2009-10-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

The beauty of Halloween being on a weekend is that there were activities on Friday and Saturday. Yesterday I took the kids to Bass Pro Shops and Downtown Grapevine to trick or treat. Here is what they decided to be yesterday...

They decided to be a vampire and a "Random Guy". The "Random Guy" was apparently dead and I should have taken a picture of his mohawk from the side because it was multi-colored. Very cool... More updates later with what they decide for today...

I Beat Kirk!

2009-10-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

I don't want to brag... too much... but I did beat my baby brother at Fantasy Football last week. It was very close and down to the last game of the weekend on Monday night but I pulled it out. I was ecstatic, to say the least, because my brother was very "braggy" (I made this word up a long time ago for the boys to know what NOT to be). He tried to get me all riled up and I was calm and collected. I focused on the game and I won.

So this week, I play my Dad. He seems to think that I was dirty about how I played this week but I think it was strategy. He desperately needs a QB and I had a higher waiver pick then him so I took a QB that I don't need. It was a strategic move and I am not ashamed of how I am playing the game (I could be on reality tv with that comment, huh?) I am keeping my fingers crossed. If I win, I am still in it and Brian would move into first place...

I am going to take the kids trick-or-treating tonight. They are so excited and I look at it like I won't have to buy any candy for tomorrow. Seems like a win-win to me.

This Week

2009-10-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

I won at Fantasy Football this week. YEAH! I need to continue to win to make it to the playoffs but I'm feeling good about that. I play my brother this weekend and then my Dad the following weekend so I hope to maintain my winning streak (of one week in a row, ha!). Friday is Brian's birthday so we are gonna do something on Sunday for him. Dad's birthday is Sunday so we are going out there on Saturday night for a little party. We will cram two baseball games and two soccer games in before we head out there, hopefully! The boys team's are both undefeated for soccer and they are ecstatic about that. As for baseball, the boys are doing well but the teams haven't been able to pull together quite yet. They are both pretty good hitters and fielders and say they are both going to play in the Spring. It makes our schedule crazy but it sure is fun watching them learn something new. Hunter has been doing pitching every night one-on-one with a coach and is loving it. He says that he was born to pitch and Hunter is doing well learning the mechanics of it.

All in all, staying very busy... and hoping the rain will stop...

I Can See Clearly Now...

2009-10-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

The rain is gone... So far. Of course, today it is a muggy mess outside. The kids missed all of their games last weekend and this week so far. We have games tomorrow night so we will see if it can dry up enough by then so they can play.

We made the best out of the rainy weekend by having Date Night on Saturday. This is several weeks in a row that we have gotten to do this which has been GREAT! We went to Fox and Hound and ate and played pool. Brian and I beat Amy and Daniell 9 games to 2 (not that we were counting or competitive the WHOLE time). It was a lot of fun and has been a really long time since we went and did that.

On Sunday we bought the NFL Redzone and got to see the good parts of all of the games. It is really awesome! Of course it makes the day fly by because you are only watching when a team is about to score. I will say that as far as Fantasy Football goes this season, I have been projected to win every week but have only won once so far. If I do not win this week, I am having a fire sale on all my players and will start over from scratch. It is really very sad to lose over and over and I am a bit tired of it now. In order to make it into the playoffs I need to win almost all of my games. I wish I could text my NFL players some encouragement or something so they would perform. We'll see how this week goes...

Brian and I are headed to the bookstore tonight and I am really excited to see if they have my purses out for sale. I am slipping my camera into my purse, just in case.

A State of Hysteria

2009-10-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

I just love how when people listen to the weather here (even though they are not usually right), they panic! Today I needed to run into Walmart for a few things and it took forever as people loaded up with bread and milk for Armageddon. Seriously people?? Why are you buying milk? If the power goes out your refrigerator will NOT work and your brand new milk will go bad! I think Brian is wearing off on my because I do not like the crowds one bit.

And with the mention of mass hysteria storms around here Brian starts to panic. I try and take this as a sign that his love for me is so IMMENSE that he could not bear the thought of losing me to Mother Nature. In all reality, I am sure he would not know how to function and is thinking purely of himself. Nonetheless, I have been housebound today for fear of the impending doom that was forecasted to hit us (approx an hour ago). As of right now, not even a drop of rain. I am sure the weatherman will justify this with a stall in the weather pattern or gulf stream this or that. Either way, the kids are playing outside, Brian still has his 360 on (which of course means, he doesn't believe it either because mere raindrops usually prompt him to turn off his girlfriend and let her rest during bad weather). So we sit... and wait...

You CAN sit your studs...

2009-10-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

During the middle of the week I had chosen my lineup for this weekends games. I caught a lot of heat for sitting my #1 draft pick. The consensus was "You can't sit your studs!" So I played my "studs" who ended up being far from "studly" as I had anticipated and I LOST! Yes, that makes me 1-3. It totally stinks! So I am going with my gut from here forward and not listening to anyone else's sentiments regarding who I play!!

While watching football all day I have continued grading the kid's work. Here is another funny thing I found:

I would like to be in a nuclear family because there would be no room in my house if it was extended. I would have to be inside more to spend time with them. They would hog all the televisions in my house and my parents would not let me play video games as much. They would play crazy stuff like crossword puzzles for hours. And the thing they would do the most is talk all day long and keep talking and talking and just more talking.

More Funnies...

2009-10-01T21:40:00.001-07:00

These are cracking me up...

Brandon : If i had a pet dino, I would feed it cheerios. I would ride him to school. I would train him to eat cats. it would be fun to have a pet dino.

Feb 26, 2009 Dear Dad ,I love you so much more than mom cause she has to many boundaries. Plus you buy me video games all the time. P.S you are better than mom at singing.
Sincerely,Hunter

March 3 , 2009
Dear Dad,
Today I had to do part of a lesson with my snot nosed little brother and he wouldn't stay focused. I told him to pay attention to the lesson and every time he said "I am I am". Then you did questions with him and he sucked.
Sincerely ,Hunter

March 11, 2009
Dear Mother of the dead bunnies,
I am sorry my retardo cat is taking your babies and playing with the severed heads. We do not like finding their bodies all over our home. We will punish our stupid cat, we are sorry for your loss(es).
Sincerely,
Hunter Klinko

These are just a few of the things they have...um...learned.

Playing Catch-up

2009-10-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to put my nose to the grindstone and go in and grade the kids work from the last YEAR. We know they are learning so we continue on with the lessons but have not put much work into grading it because we are doing it together with them and know how they are doing. We have moved on to the next grade so I decided to go in and take care of the old stuff... I found this as the rubric for one of Hunter's assignments... I am wondering if he had some help...

February 19, 2008
Dear Dad,
I enjoy learning and receiving my daily lessons so much from you. You far surpass mom's skills in the educational department and I am thankful for your liberal sharing of your vast array of knowledge with me. I only can hope to one day attain your superior level of intellect and I hope one day I will have the opportunity to pass your wisdom down to my children as well.
Your humble son,
Hunter.

Really?? More Rain??

2009-10-01T09:54:00.001-07:00

We were so excited that Hunter was going to get to play his first game tonight! And then it started to rain... He has missed all the games so far because of rain and then he got sick. He is totally well now and was so excited for today all week long. Now he is sad... and I hate it when they are sad. I told him with any luck it will stop so that he can play on Saturday. The schedule works out that we have 4 games between 9 and noon. Should be interesting...

I forgot to mention that Brian went to the Cowboys game on Monday night. He said that the Dallas Palace is just that and could barely put into words how impressive it was (which is unusual for him since he LOVES to use big words). A friend invited him who has a suite on the ground level. Brian said that the field is at your knees and you are about 10 ft off from the players running by. When someone went out of bounds you could have reached out and touched them. Also, the suite includes the first 6 rows on top of it which is where they enjoyed most of the games from so they could see over the cheerleaders (I have to admit, I'm a little surprised they would move to NOT look at cheerleaders). Anyways, he said it is more mammoth than words and at the end they went to the bar that the Cowboys players go through to get back to the locker room and said they ran out high-fiving the fans, etc. He said Tony Romo came though grinning from ear to ear after the win. He was so glad he went and so appreciative that his friend would take him (even though he missed Brandon's first baseball game).

Here's to hoping the rain will eventually stop...

Let's Play Ball...

2009-09-29T11:41:00.001-07:00

So Brandon had his first baseball game last night and it was a lot of fun. He was so excited he could barely stand it...

He did really well and was up to bat twice and got two base hits. He managed to score once but in the end they lost. I think he was glad to be well and get out there and play.

I haven't mentioned the Fantasy Football weekend because, well, I lost... to Brian. It was sad for me but his undying love for me gushed like a geyser. He was so happy to get a win after starting the season at 0-2 that in that moment he could not have loved me more. If I had played some of the people on my bench I probably would have beat him and my last minute decision to play Derrick Mason against his former team, the Giants instead of Julius Jones (while Hasselback is out). It was a bad call along with the fact that Drew Brees took a vacation day in Buffalo which led to my defeat. I play Jason this week and have notoriously been terrible against him but hope to turn it around this season. That leaves me 1-2 for now but feeling like I am on the up-n-up.

In other news... well, there really is no other news. Hunter has a soccer game and a baseball game at the same time Thursday night so we are hoping it does not rain so he can FINALLY play in his first game this season.

And so it goes...

2009-09-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

That once we have a bug around the house it has to pass through everyone before its through. Brandon has now come down with swine flu. I think because we anticipated it coming we were prepared with Tylenol and fluids and all the necessary sick items. He seemed to be a little sluggish yesterday afternoon and when I took his temperature he was running a fever. I started him on his full does of Tylenol and have given it to him every 4 hours since. I have even woken him up. He went to bed around midnight and is still sleeping 13+ hrs later so I am hoping that is his way of shaking it. He is not coughing nearly as much as Hunter so I am waiting for that. All in all, it is not nearly as bad as the news makes it seem. They are doing ok and Hunter seems to be coming around today pretty well. That means we still have a ways to go for the rest of us...

As a side note... Brian and I feel fine... so far

Swine Flu Found Us...

2009-09-24T07:21:00.000-07:00

I thought that since the kids didn't go to public school we could hide from this. They have quite a bit of exposure to other kids but in, what I thought to be, a cleaner environment. Namely outdoors. However, I was wrong. Hunter developed a cough Monday night and Tuesday night starting running a high fever. I took him to the dr yesterday who confirmed that swine flu is going around and that looks like what he has. We also found out that another neighborhood kid and a few kids from Hunter's baseball team all have it as well. He is doing ok, drinking lots of fluids and we are managing the fever and cold symptoms with Tylenol Cold and Triaminic. He is really being a trooper about the whole thing and says it is not as bad as the regular flu. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

The First Day of Fall Feels Like Fall

2009-09-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

I LOVE THIS WEATHER!! I was telling the kids yesterday that today was the first day of Fall and it was 95 degrees yesterday. They just laughed like I was crazy so when I woke up to cool air, I was ecstatic! I actually don't even mind that Brian is complaining non-stop that he is cold. It's ok with me. I have the windows cracked and the doors open and I feel the summer heat and stale air-conditioned air flowing out of the house. It feels fresh and crisp. I hope we can hang on to it for awhile.

I Lost :(

2009-09-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

So I lost at Fantasy Football this week. It was sad and had the guy I was playing not played Chris Johnson, who scored 45 points on his own, I would have won. Anyway, I play Brian next week so that will be exciting. He is 0-2 going into next weekend so we'll see how that works out. I think it is a double-edged sword. I really want to beat him but I don't want to live with him if I do.

We went up to the baseball fields for Brandon's first game tonight and just as we got there the lightning sirens went off. So, no game. Our next chance is Thursday night. We'll see if the rain can dry up by then. This is really kinda crazy!

Could our Season Start Already???

2009-09-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

So this week has been plagued with rain which, in turn means, RAINOUTS! We have had a quiet unrushed week of rainouts. We have missed 7 games so far because of the rain and the soccer and baseball seasons should have started last weekend but didn't. And so far, this week doesn't look any different. The rain has picked back up after a short break and looks like it will rain out this weekend too. The kids are so anxious to play they can barely stand it! Hopefully we can get a lot of wind and a little sun and be able to play this weekend.

Other than that not much is going on. I am revelling in my win from last weekend in Fantasy Football and hoping to keep the streak going. The only nice part about the rain is that we can get everything we need to get done on Saturdays and hang out all day on Sundays in our PJs watching football. I have been thinking about football traditions and trying to think of fun things to get the kids involved. Of course, if the weather is nice they are outside and miss all the excitement but I want to have a football Sunday tradition. Before the kids, Brian and I used to eat chili on Sundays while we watched football. It wasn't always cold but it seemed to fit. I have been thinking about doing "Football Finger Foods". We are good at snacking all day and so I think we will try it this weekend. Maybe fruit, veggies and dip, chips and dip, homemade bread, queso, fondue... Just a few ideas. I'll let you know what we decide...

Nothing Better...

2009-09-13T21:43:00.000-07:00

I have to say that there is not much better than waking up to football pregame on the tv, staying in my pjs almost all day under a blanket because it is not 100 degrees outside WATCHING FOOTBALL... That is, of course, not taking into consideration winning at Fantasy Football. Anyone that knows me knows I LOVE Fantasy Football. I am the only girl in a league of boys and kickin their butts makes me incredibly HAPPY (even if some of them are related to me)! So after suffering through everyone's analysis of my draft and their negative comments I was proud to win this weekend. Brian, who puts hours (that's an understatement) into research and sleepers, etc did not fair so well... SO FAR. He still has a few players left tomorrow. He was upset (to put it mildly) but I think deep down he was a little proud of me. I made my own decisions, chose my bench carefully, and stood by my team. So far I was the highest scorer of the week which would put me in FIRST place. And I actually beat the person with the second highest score so it was a close race. Anyways, you will have to deal with my posts on Sunday or Monday for the rest of football season :)

As for the rest of our weekend, everything that we had planned got rained out. Kind of a bummer but nice and relaxing...

Finally Got Haircuts

2009-09-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

So it has been a long time coming. We were going to do it before school started but didn't get to it. I am glad they don't go to public school or they would have looked like a ratty mess for two weeks. So here is what they decided they wanted.

Football Starts TODAY!!

2009-09-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that there is a football game on tonight I can barely stand it! Both of the boys have practice and I am PRAYING for rain! I know Brian won't be able to wait for me to get back to watch.

Today I am trying to spend the day cleaning, laundry and packing mail so I can sit and chill later. It feels like there are a lot of loose ends around here that have been overlooked for a few weeks but I feel like it is coming together. I am not one to be ok with my house being a disaster and it feels like I am just getting back to where I can stand it. Nice feeling!

I am planning on taking the kids for haircuts today before the sports season starts this weekend! It will be a crazy weekend!

I Heart Cool Weather!!

2009-09-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

So where is it then... I told Brian yesterday that I thought I would be happy living in Alaska! This is just too much now. We just need a break... Anyway, we had a nice long weekend. We did a lot of nothing! On Friday night we had our football draft which was a lot of fun. On Saturday night Brian had people over for poker which was also a lot of fun. Sunday we got some work done and yesterday I worked and Brian watched the boys.

So today feels like there are a bunch of things that I should have done over the last few days that I didn't. It feels slightly overwhelming to look around and need to clean house, do laundry, pack orders and there are errands like crazy. The kids both need haircuts and then tonight Brandon has practice and Hunter has a scrimmage. That should be interesting since it is his first game experience for baseball. This weekend starts the madness with trying to figure out who goes in which direction. I know they are excited though...

The Delivery Has Been Made

2009-09-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

A sense of relief, albeit brief, has come over me. I feel like I can breathe again. I am appreciating that I have the best friends in the world that I actually made my deadline. Today at 2:30 I unloaded 6 boxes of beautiful, original, unique purses out of the van and smiled at the possibilities. I am so excited about the future of this business and where the purses will end up. They told me that they are headed to Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Louisville and beyond....

But today I take a breath...

Chugging along...

2009-08-28T11:42:00.001-07:00

It has been a crazy week with taxi service for the kids. Then last night at practice the lightning sirens went off so the kids had to get off the field. That ended practice #1 early so we headed to practice #2. My intention was to pick Hunter up at practice #2 and take him to practice #3. Well, when we got there he was nowhere to be found. Apparently the rain cancelled that practice early as well so he was headed back home with my neighbor. It seemed to scramble the entire evening and has now bogged down Sunday as the practices were moved to then.

They are both loving it so it makes it worthwhile. We have gotten the schedules for soccer for both teams but I am waiting for the baseball schedules to post them all at once. We have a few conflicts between the boys soccer games where we will have to split up so I am hoping that the baseball schedule fits in nicely. We'll see...

Got Some Momentum

2009-08-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel... I am more than 75% done with my purse order and I feel like I have that last little bit of adrenaline that is needed to finish the race. I am very excited about loading them into the car and delivering them.

The kids schedule gets crazier by the minute but they seem to be loving every second of it. We have something every night of the week but Friday right now... I may have spoken too soon. It seems like a daunting task to plan a week that is this cluttered with activities but I have to remind myself that this was the benefit to homeschooling. They can be done with their work, have some playtime and do all the activities they want to fill the rest of the time. We are now waiting on schedules to see what kind of conflicts we are looking at there. Hopefully not many.

I am enjoying seeing the boys embrace something new with charisma and energy that is sometimes lost on something they are already good at. They seem challenged and eager to give 100% and I love that. In the future I want them to be successful (in whatever definition that holds for them) and I think this is really teaching life lessons for the future. I love to see them rise above and get past the fact that they are not the best and work their tail off getting there... REFRESHING!

Here we go...

2009-08-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

We had a nice trip out of town but it was good to be home... and of course, we brought a lot of work back with us. The kids are sad summer is ending but happy that this week will include lots of back to homeschool parties.

We have had a busy week with work, purses (deadline quickly approaching) and company. Brian had two friends spend the weekend with us and they played xbox and poker and had a good time. They brought a dog with them that Brian said the boys could keep. His name is Harry... because he doesn't have any... He is a very good dog and the boys just love him to death!

The boys found out their baseball teams. Hunter will be on the Cardinals and Brandon will be on the Cubs. They are excited to try something new but it sure is a lot more expensive than soccer. We went and had to buy new cleats for soccer and baseball and pants and gloves, etc...

Ready to start the back to school week...

Hunter's Last Game

2009-08-15T09:14:00.001-07:00

Today was Hunter's last basketball game of the season. We were the Home Team. YEAH!! He did good and you could tell he learned a lot this past season.

He hustled!

He was basketball-ready... He hopes to play again in the Winter time competitively.

Getting Ready to head out...

2009-08-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a nice dinner date with Dad. It was just the two of us and we met in his "office". It was so nice to talk to him and listen and talk and listen. We had a really nice time and I hope to do it again soon.

Tomorrow we have a busy day so today we are relaxing and trying to get everything ready to go out of town. Hunter has a game at 9:00, Brandon has a game at 1:45 and then after that we are headed to Austin. It will be a nice family trip to the book stores. YEAH! The kids are excited that we get to stay in a hotel and that's all they care about. We should be back sometime on Tuesday.

The purses are coming along and slowly but surely I will get to 200. Hopefully while we are away I can fold the last of them and finish them once we get back. Nothing else to report...

Weekend Update

2009-08-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

We had a nice weekend but it went by fast!! Hunter had a game on Sat morning and they won. He did really well and is a joy to watch out there. You can see that he is loving basketball. We also found out what soccer team he was placed on. He will be playing with the Wombats and is ecstatic! He knows quite a few kids on the team and got placed with our neighbor, Jayson, which was really his #1 request. He is really excited.

Brandon played on Sunday and they lost... BAD. It was not a fun game to watch. The ref was terrible. He didn't score for the first time all season. The coach made some bad calls. Like I said, it was bad. This takes them out of the running for the playoffs which, I think, is the first time ever we have experienced that. They will have one more game in 2 weeks (we have a bye next week) and then the indoor season is over. Brian decided to coach his team again for outdoor so it has given him a new viewpoint of what he needs to work on by being a spectator all season. They are looking forward to getting back to the basics.

Other than that not much is new. It feels like a Monday. Hard to get going...

The News

2009-07-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

So Half Price Books has decided to carry my bags. They will start with the DFW area but have a meeting with all of the regional inventory managers and several store managers next week and they will be presented and these folks will get to decide to carry them now or see how they do in this area and carry them later. It is really exciting because the guy I am dealing with at HPB seems to love them and is doing great PR for me. We have established a great rapport and it is nice to have someone believe in the product as much as I do.

Check out what I have done so far...

http://mag2bag.wordpress.com/

So the meeting is the end of next week and he has 20 misc. purses to show them of all types. For the DFW area they have ordered 200! Sooooo... this is all I have been doing. I am keeping up with my other jobs but barely. I have decided to try and get all the grunt work out of the way and make the pieces so that all that is left is the weaving and then have a little party and let (force) all my friends to help me! It has been exciting and I am sure it will all be worth it when I get paid but for now it feels like a beating...

Just a little update

2009-07-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

We have been crazy busy around here. I am trying to fill the order for 200 purses and working like crazy on that so not much time to blog. My sweet friend Amy came over almost every night this past week to help me make some progress... I LOVE HER for that! I hope I can repay her in the future. Also, my wonderful husband spent the whole day yesterday folding papers. Its a boring job but we made some headway and I LOVE HIM for that too!

Hunter's team won their game today and he did great. He is really starting to understand basketball which is exciting. Plus he loves it!

Tomorrow Brandon has his game at 4:00 and if they win it will secure their playoff spot. EXCITING!

That's about it. The kids are getting tired of hanging around the house watching me make purses so Brian may take them to Main Event this evening. They need to just get out and it is too hot to go outside! Well, back to work...

Going into the weekend

2009-07-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the last time I blogged was last weekend. This week flew by! We went to Six Flags on Tuesday again and it was great. The kids rode everything at least 3 times and there were NO LINES at all. They are loving the season passes they got for Christmas. We are hoping to go back next week. It is a lot of fun when there is no line.

We went to the book store tonight and are going to try and do a rush of stores this weekend. Then next week its to the grindstone with purse making. Any volunteers? I am hoping to crank them out as HPB wants about 200. They will roll them out in the DFW area and then hope to take it nationwide. I am so excited about this opportunity. I can't wait to see the bags in a REAL STORE!

The boys both have early games this weekend which is nice because we have the whole day to do whatever but stinks because we have to get up really early. Brandon plays at 7:45 on Sunday so we will be leaving the house before 7. OUCH!

Not much else is new...

The Weekend Wrap-up

2009-07-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend that FLEW by! On Saturday Hunter had a game in the morning and they lost for the first time 16-12. It was close and he played the whole game. He got much better in the second half too so at least he is learning. We went to Geneva's birthday party at the waterpark and I had made her a Spongebob purse that was sooo cute! The boys had a good time there and I think it was tooo hot for most people to even go to the waterpark so it was not very crowded. Then we came home showered, changed and went down the street for another party. I let the kids stay and came home to play 1 vs. 100 with Brian.

Today, Brandon had a game this morning and they won 3-1. We FINALLY have all of our baseball kids back to soccer and it was absolutely FABULOUS to have them all back together again. They looked like a totally different team and it was actually a lot of fun to watch. Of course we left there with extras so the boys played all afternoon (indoors, of course).

It seemed to fly by as I am sure this week will too. We are hoping to get to the CAC waterpark, Six Flags (again but this time for the parade) and make some new purses...

Our Anniversary

2009-07-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

Twelve years ago today I was standing in a little chapel in the middle of Oklahoma City with a pawn shop ring in my pocket saying I would be with Brian for the rest of my life. The night before he asked me to marry him and I said yes. We looked through the phone book for chapels that needed no notice and had a minister on staff. We had decided to get married the next day and we would stop at nothing to make it happen. We went to the courthouse and got our license, went to the pawn shop and got some rings, went to the clinic and got checked for syphilis (which was apparently the law in order to get married) and went to the chapel to say "I do". It is still one of the greatest days of my life and I can remember every detail like it was yesterday.

There have been times I didn't think we would make it til now but reflecting back today there is no one I would have rather taken this journey with. Neither one of us are perfect but we are perfect for each other. In 12 years we have come to understand what the other needs and expects and we understand that it takes work to fulfill those needs.

I love him more now than I did 12 years ago and I look forward to what the next 12 years will hold. With any luck the kids will have moved out and we will be living in some tropical paradise where it is beautiful all year round! Just dreaming...

Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

We don't have big plans. We are going to the corner to watch the fireworks once it gets dark and let the kids sell their glowsticks.

I have had a headache for 8 days now and it is really wearing on me and the rest of the family. I have not been able to get my work done and am struggling to keep the house cleaned and chores done. I am not a pill-popper but it has been bad enough that I have actually taken some medicine. It is not a migraine (which I do get occasionally) but begins at the base of my skull. I am going to take some allergy medicine tomorrow and see if that does anything. Needless to say, I am not much fun right now!

What happened to the cooler weather??

2009-06-30T16:42:00.001-07:00

It was sad to sit outside this afternoon after have a nice day or two. It sure would be nice to be able to be outside in the summer and not wanna die! We had a so-so weekend with the kids sports. Hunter's team won 21-18 and Brandon's team lost a lot to 1 (which he scored). We are hoping for better luck next weekend. Hunter is off for the week because of the holiday so we only have one game on Sun.

For the 4th we usually go up to the corner to watch the fireworks. Last year we did that with friends and I bought the kids glowsticks. Well, they decided that they would sell them to the other people watching the fireworks (gotta love their entreprenurial spirit!). So this year they have asked for more so they can make more money so we will be heading to the Dollar Store to try and pick up bunches of them.

The Purses Have Moved...

2009-06-23T23:21:00.000-07:00

The purses have moved to a new location online. In order to move forward with the potential sale of them I have moved them to a less distracting website... It is:

http://mag2bag.wordpress.com/

In other news, I have contacted several vendors regarding the possibility of them carrying the purses for sale. Let's just say it is going pretty well and I am super-excited! And super-nervous at the same time. I guess the worst they can say is no and I will feel like a total failure and cry my eyes out at the thought of not being able to start a successful business on my own with a really cute idea that is executed so perfectly. On the other hand, I believe it is just as scary that they will like my really cute idea that is executed so perfectly and want to order a thousand and have them delivered in the next 10 days. Either way is scary so I have resolved to roll with the punches and take whatever they throw at me.

Brandon's Indoor Soccer Schedule

2009-06-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

Here is Brandon's Soccer Schedule at Blue Sky in The Colony. The address is 7801 Main Street, The Colony, Texas 75056.

06/21/09 01:00 PM FC Force vs. Liverpool 01
06/28/09 03:15 PM Liverpool 01 vs. TX Lassos
07/05/09 10:45 AM Liverpool 01 vs. Aces 01 Black
07/12/09 10:45 AM Pumas vs. Liverpool 01
07/19/09 07:45 AM Liverpool 01 vs. Lions
07/26/09 04:00 PM Liverpool 01 vs. Dallas Texans Academy 00B White
08/02/09 01:00 PM Gazelles vs. Liverpool 01
08/15/09 01:45 PM Liverpool 01 vs. FC Force

They lost their first game 8-6 but it was a great game and Brandon had two goals. We were missing some key players so hopefully moving forward we will rack up some wins!

Hunter's Basketball Schedule

2009-06-16T11:16:00.001-07:00

So we finally got Hunter's schedule. He will play at CMS-North - Gym 2 (120 Natches Trace, Coppell 75019).

6/20 9:00 AM
6/27 10:00 AM
7/4 NO GAMES - Holiday
7/11 11:00 AM
7/18 10:00 AM
7/25 9:00 AM
8/1 9:00 AM
8/8 11:00 AM
8/15 9:00 AM

Purses Volume 2

2009-06-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

I am going blog-crazy today... It is really hard for me to stop making purses and photo them all and put them up because I keep thinking, well, the next one is going to be really cute so I will do them all when it is done... Well, it never ends. I have the papers ready for 8 or 9 more which include some really cute ones but I decided to post what I have so far. If you look at Volume 1 you can see the evolution of the purses as I go along. Now several have bottoms, magnet or snap closures, buttons for character, etc. I am really pleased with the progress and direction they are going. So enjoy... and I love feedback so let me know what you think...

Book 2

2009-06-13T12:25:00.001-07:00

So once Kim's mother-in-law saw the book she wanted one for her daughter who turned 50 yesterday. I only had a few days to pull it together but I was really happy with how it turned out. I wrote her a fairytale of looking back on her life and seeing accomplishments instead of years and successes in a job well done instead of failures. They said she really liked it. Here is her book...

She made it this far but the number’s a shock,
For 50 is old, let’s turn back the clock,
But if she did, she knew that she’d lose,
Her memories and successes, it’s so hard to choose.

So this is her story, but it’s not the end,
It’s a bit of real life and a bit of pretend,
But reminds her of all of the good things she’s done,
And how much she’s loved by her family, a ton!

It all started when she was a girl,
Her sweet baby brother became her whole world,
She was his little mama, good practice for life,
For by 19, she was a mother and wife.

Christopher was her joy and a sight to behold,
She loved this sweet angel, more precious than gold,
Her life changed forever on this special day,
And no one could ever take that away.

She loved him so dearly but he started to grow,
From baby to boy, the progress was slow,
She missed her baby and he needed a friend,
Someone to play with and pick on to no end.

So Amanda came along and was just what they needed,
A cute little girl, her hopes she exceeded.
For girls are different than boys all around,
But the love is the same, truly profound.

She thought for awhile she was done with just two,
But a few years later she knew that wasn’t true.
Jarrett arrived in the usual way,
Another amazing and wonderful day.

With each child her heart seemed to grow,
She couldn’t believe it but it really was so,
For she loved each one with all that she had,
But with two boys and one girl she started to feel bad.

The numbers weren’t even, it didn’t seem fair,
Another girl she needed so she sent up a prayer,
And got what she asked for, sent straight from above,
And Maegan filled her heart with even more love.

This time she thought for sure she was done,
With four kids in all, she could stand no more fun,
Her dreams had come true with two girls and two boys,
And the house was so full it could hold no more toys.

She raised the kids right, with lots of love,
She cherished them all as gifts from above,
But as kids do, they started to leave,
To their mama they could no longer cleave.

But the plus side to this is the family grew,
With grandkids and love like she never knew,
The kids were successful, she’d done something right,
They’d become shining stars whose light shone so bright.

So many memorable days of pure bliss,
So many things that she surely will miss,
But what she feels in her heart is sheer pride,
And love for these kids that can’t be denied.

These memories are worth every wrinkle and year,
This family is something she’ll always hold dear,
They will always have a place in her heart,
And that she has know from the very start.

She’s turning 50 but has accomplished so much,
She’s survived four kids and hasn’t lost touch,
Her heart grew bigger as each kid came along,
And just might explode from these grandkids before long.

Some would say it’s “Over the Hill”,
But “Aged to Perfection” fits the bill,
For its easier to go down the other side,
So sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

New Books

2009-06-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

So my friend Kim asked me to make an altered book for her mother-in-law because they had such a cute story which became a fairytale very easily. It was a lot of fun and even better than that, I got to be there when she gave it to her and she just cried. It was so sweet and such a great reward for the work I put into it. Here is her book.

They both thought it was just a blind date.
They never thought they'd find their mate.
But they got lucky, as not many do.
And 50 years later it’s still just them two.

So this is their story, but it's not the end.
They're still together and still great friends.
But along the way the family has grown,
And become something great that none could have known.

It didn’t take long for Charlie to see,
That he needed to get down on one knee.
He asked Dorothy to be his bride.
She said yes and oh how she cried.

They married in the year 1957.
They imagined their life, a small slice of heaven.
But just the two of them it would not be
By the end of the year, they were already three.

Jerry came along and brought them much joy,
A happy addition, their sweet baby boy.
The quiet was gone from their happy life.
They were no longer just husband and wife.

For now a family, he made them become,
And brothers and sisters, he sure needed some.
So in 1959 along Cheryl came,
And to their hearts she laid her claim.

They couldn’t stop, they were on a roll.
These two they loved, it made them feel whole.
So in 1961 they made their clan five,
Another little girl, they felt so alive.

Susan was a treasure, a true gift from God.
But the family was not complete, it felt a bit odd.
With two girls so far and only one boy,
Another boy and they could stand no more joy.

So God heard their cries and answered their prayer.
In 1964 David was born with just a blank stare.
For he entered this family a cute baby boy,
But the rest of these kids thought he was just a toy.

But with the addition of the fourth cute baby,
They thought they were done but someday maybe,
The family would grow once the kids moved away,
With lots of grandkids and that’d be okay.

The kids decided to leave one-by-one.
It was sad at first but they knew this day’d come.
They’d leave and they’d marry and have kids of their own.
The nest was now empty, the kids had all flown.

But everything changed in 1977,
When Christopher fell straight from heaven.
Right on his heels came Amanda, so sweet.
These two little ones to this family a treat.

After Jarrett was born in 1986,
The years flew by quickly as more entered the mix.
Came Matthew and Daniel and Kyle so fast,
Then Maegan and Trey but they were not last.

Cuz Alexandra and Lindsey announced their arrival,
And family meals became a test of survival.
They got lucky again when marriage brought more,
Kyle and Craig Mayfield for them to adore.

The grandkids came in so fast one-by-one.
And each one brought just a little more fun.
The grandkids had kids which made these two greater,
They’ll probably lose count, sooner or later.

As this family tree continues to grow,
The branches extend with love, to and fro.
It started with a cone of yummy ice-cream.
And became more than they could have dreamed.

Still together after all this time,
Their life has become truly sublime.
The family is bigger but better, most say.
The love is much stronger and grows day-by-day.

A rock you can lean on when life gets you down,
This incredible family is always around.
There’s ups and there’s downs, but they’ll never break.
All together forever, a family they make.

Still Going...

2009-06-11T10:30:00.001-07:00

Well, the storms have only taken small breaks but continue to pound us. Hunter woke up with the one at 6:00 AM and didn't get back to sleep. I tossed and turned through the thunder. Brian said that it came through worse than the first one. Our neighbors behind us lost their fence and another one had a huge tree fall into their fence. It is still going and the thunder and lightning is ferocious. The rain is just pounding us like crazy. There was another tornado that hit last night about 1.5 miles from our house. It took out a Long John Silver's and a gas station. In between the intense rain showers we took some pictures of the damage.

We survived!

2009-06-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

The storm came through last night about 7:00 full force. We had the tornado sirens from several cities going off (including ours) and Brian said it was the worst one we had seen in awhile. Luckily our fantastic fence guy did a great job and our fence is still standing which is a little unbelievable with the 80 mph winds. There was a tornado that touched down in Flower Mound just a few miles from here. There is quite a bit of damage through the neighborhood with trees broken at the base, in the middle and branches everywhere. We lost some shingles from the roof so will have to get up there and repair those. All in all, I think we were very lucky!

Purses Volume 1

2009-06-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile...

2009-06-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

So we were talking today about my lack of blogging and I started to feel some guilt... I mean, I am home all day doing basically nothing, right?? OK, not so much. Its been a week or two and I have been making purses like crazy. The kids have wrapped up school. I've been book-shopping, helping Hunter learn basketball, Brandon has soccer, 27 loads of laundry, moved my office to the addition, textured the walls, painted, moved all my stuff in, moved Brandon into my old office upstairs, begged and pleaded for him to let me paint it in the near future, made more purses, won at Bingo, cleaned up after my incredibly messy (and not-realizing it) family, had many a discussion with Hunter about wanting to go back to school to find a girlfriend and I am sure a lot more. This stay-at-home/work-at-home mom stuff is HARD!

So this morning I took the boys to a storage unit auction. There was a guitar amp in the front and a Fender bag (that may or may not have had a guitar in it). They begged me to bid but I just didn't know what I would do with the multiple sets of mattresses and junk that was behind the stuff that they wanted. So I didn't bid and it sold for $25. They were so mad that they acted out for the rest of the day (or it is at least a good excuse for their bad behavior all day). Then I went to a book sale this evening which was so-so. I'm hoping to get all our books put away tomorrow and clean again and pray for nice weather so the kids go outside and don't come in until its dark. This is the norm but the beauty of tomorrow is the public school kids get out early and summer starts!! Woohoo!!

It's a Tuesday that feels like a Monday...

2009-05-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know why but today feels sluggish! Brandon woke me up this morning asking to use one of his coupons from Easter to have McDonalds breakfast. I crawled into the car in my PJs with my co-pilot and headed over there (thank goodness it is close!) I got them breakfast, dropped him off at home and headed to SB for coffee. It was nice to be up and at it early though but could have some bearing on why it feels like a Monday. The other thing is I just don't have my week planned out like I usually do.

Anyway, I am hoping to get some STUFF done today and get the week laid out so I know which end is up...

Mom's book

2009-05-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

Make sure your volume is down because Hunter was playing a game in the background.
I hope that the video does it justice...

Basketball gets a turn...

2009-05-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

So we have been strictly soccer people all along and now the kids have decided to experiment with some variety in their sports. I am glad we are getting it out of the way now and that they have decided to do it for summer since it is less busy with no school. I signed Hunter up to play basketball and then today took him to Academy to get a portable goal. He was out there until it got dark practicing and seems to really like it. He is not half bad either. I showed him a few pointers on shooting and he was making several in a row. We started out with the basket at 8 feet but moved it up to 10 after an hour or so. He says he doesn't need the handicap... :)

I am excited for this new adventure...

This shot went in, BTW!

MY NEW HAT!!

2009-05-12T21:17:00.001-07:00

My dear sweet mother brought me over an I love you present today! She knows me well and I was admiring her hat like this the other day... SO here it is... She bought me this super cute hat!

My camera is working again!!

2009-05-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

It's about time! Believe it or not, Brandon fixed it for me. Not sure what he did but its working again. He said, "You can just call me Mr. Fix-it!" Such a funny little guy. So I still have to put the video up for the book but here is what I was working on yesterday.

It is a purse! I made it from a magazine and I just have to add handles. I also bought some laminate because I think I need to cover it in order to make it more durable and waterproof. It is very different and I liked how it turned out. I want to just put plain black handles on it.

That is all for now... Will try and get the video up shortly!

Mom's Mother's Day Present!!

2009-05-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

Yeah... so I gave her the present today which was an altered book that I made. It was a fairy tale that I wrote about our family and then I customized a hardback book and sewed my pages into it. It was a lot of fun to do and I really enjoyed writing the story! She loved it! Brian prepared me the whole way out there so that if she wasn't ecstatic I wouldn't cry all the way home. It was A LOT of work but I was really proud of it once it was finished. So here is the fairy tale below and then I will post a video so you can see as I flip through each page.

It's a Love Story

There once was a boy who liked a girl,
And lucky for him she'd give up her world,
To be his wife to have and to hold,
And stay together forever until they were old.

So one day Keith Wayne got down on one knee,
And asked Kay Moore if his bride she would be.
They married in the year 1969,
And hung out together and had a good time.

Til they decided a family they really should be,
So in 1976 came a daughter, Kristi Lee.
A glorious addition to their happy life,
But boy did she bring to them plenty of strife.

A beautiful smile and those big blue eyes,
A handful of trouble it did not disguise.
They wanted to add to this bundle of joy,
Oh how they adored her but longed for a boy.

So guessing the second time was a charm,
In 1979 they bet the farm,
That a boy they would get but to their dismay,
Keri Elizabeth was born just after Christmas Day.

She was a treasure and a true gift from God.
So unlike her sister it was really quite odd.
So quiet and sweet and happy alone,
She could play with her toys all on her own.

With two girls so far they started to think,
How tired they were of all of the pink.
Prayers sent to heaven were answered the day,
In 1985, Kirk Wayne came their way.

His arrival had made their family complete,
But with three kids to chase they surely were beat.
They longed for the day they'd grow up and leave,
And be out in the world and succeed and achieve.

It didn't take long for the oldest to go,
And that she could do it, she surely would show.
She fell madly in love and started a life,
With Brian Christopher who took her to be his wife.
They thought they'd be happy just them two alone,
But God had a different plan for their home.

He gave them a surprise with a sweet baby boy,
And Hunter Wayne brought nothing but joy.
So sweet in his nature they wanted ten more,
All just like him for them to adore.

He walked and he talked and it happened so quick.
No longer a baby with red hair so thick.
They couldn’t imagine a love such as this,
How much he had filled up their life with pure bliss.

He grew up so quickly and needed a friend,
So Brandon Riley came along but that was the end.
He was a handful and boy, did he cry,
So dreams of a big family, they kissed them bye-bye.

He’d kicked in her tummy and nothing had changed.
The way that he tortured was truly deranged.
But it turned out to be just merely a stage,
An absolute sweetheart he became with more age.

Not only brothers but best friends they are.
Not one brighter or better but both shining stars.
So smart and handsome and pleasant and sweet,
To this family they are truly a treat.
There's lots of soccer and weekends are fun,
The only thing missing were cousins, a ton.

The middle child decided to leave.
To her parents she could no longer cleave.
She went to college and got really smart,
And along came Brian Wesley who stole her heart.

A perfect couple and love at first sight,
So much alike they never did fight.
They got married and decided to grow.
They lived near her parents, merely a stone's throw.

Quilting and coffee is their specialty,
And along came Catherine Ruth to bounce on their knee.
Precocious and cute and she'll love to read.
Bigger and stronger she grows like a weed.

Her face tells a story that’s easy to see.
Expressions of joy, sadness and glee.
Only time will tell if she'll be the one,
Or many will follow and bring lots of fun.

The golden boy sure did hang on for dear life
But did, in fact, find him a beautiful wife.
Michele Elizabeth was his match from the start,
And slowly but surely she won his heart.
As many wives do, she made him a man.
By giving him a daughter, his biggest fan.

This delightful angel so charming and pure,
They knew they would keep her forever, for sure.
She's sweet and she's loving Miss Addyson Lee,
And baby plus mommy plus daddy makes three.

This story's not over, there could be much more.
Another surprise could take them to four.
They're young and they're still just finding their way,
But together they'll do it, take it day-by-day.

It's not always a fairytale, this we all know.
But they always know they are never alone.
For when life throws a curve ball, as it often does.
There's someone to fetch it who's covered in fuzz.

Of course, the kids were replaced by a dog,
To keep them from being a bump on a log.
He keeps them busy with long walks each day.
The nest feels less empty in some simple way.

The family is bigger but better, most say.
The love is much stronger and grows day-by-day.
A rock you can lean on when life gets you down.
This incredible family is always around.
There's ups and there's downs but they'll never break,
All together forever, a family they make.

It's Coming Along...

2009-05-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

The project is coming along and I know that the people who know what it is really want to see the progress and finished project. If you look at my last post you will see that my mom does read my blog so the post will go up on Tuesday with the finished product. It is coming along great and has been a lot of fun to do. I think she will really like it.

Brandon is playing in a soccer tournament this weekend as a guest so that should be interesting. He is playing up an age group in a competitive division so hopefully he goes out there and shines. The first game is tomorrow at 8:30 so that is a bit of a challenge. They will play 3 games tomorrow and then on Sunday if they make the playoffs. I am hoping for cooler weather!!

Still trying to get caught up from company so gotta get to laundry and packing mail...

A Nice Visit

2009-05-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

We had a really nice visit with Brian's dad and gramma. They left yesterday around noon so we took the rest of the day to catch up with work and run errands, etc. I started working on my Mother's Day gift for my mom last night and was up til 4. I got on a roll and couldn't stop. It has been a lot of fun and I hope she likes it but I can't give any more hints in case she reads this. I will post it on Sunday. Wait for it...

Other than that not much is new. The boys had some friends sleepover last night since they have to go back to school tomorrow. We have enjoyed this nice taste of summer. They run out the door with their bikes around 9:30 in the morning and don't come back in until 9:30 at night. It seems like they pop in occasionally though because the contents of the pantry are dwindling.

Gotta get some work done today so more to come later...

He's Really 8!

2009-05-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

He was so excited and so happy that everyone called to wish him a Happy Birthday. The cookie cake was a success and with some help from the neighborhood kids was gone in about 5 minutes. It was really good. He took his birthday money and went out and bought a new bike. Now he is upset that no one will come out with him at the crack of dawn to ride it.

We are having a nice visit with Brian's family even with the Swine Flu hysteria! The soccer games were cancelled today because of the wet conditions so it leaves us a free day to do whatever.