ENJOY!

What a word! Just in a matter of a few minutes this word has changed my mood. It is my word for 2009. I think the last two years I've had focus as my word. I still need to focus, but I may be doing it too much.

The last year has been a rough one. My dad died at the beginning of January from lung cancer at age 69, I turned 40, my nearly 17 yr old dog died, our basement got water in it after a huge amount of rain, and my maternal grandmother died at age 88. I didn't think I would be someone who dwelled on milestone birthdays. Turning 40 was just going to be another birthday, no big deal. With all these devastating events though, it has been hard for me not to associate it with turning 40.

I'm looking forward to a new year. I intend to enjoy it. I'm going to enjoy being a wife, mother, aunt, daughter, child of God, and friend. I'm going to enjoy going to work, doing my work, going places with my family, going places with my friends, and being in good health. I have so much to be thankful for and so many blessings in my life. I know what they are, but now I want to enjoy them and I will.

Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

I can't believe it's December 4th already. Actually I can! Things are incredibly hectic right now as they are for most of us this time of year. Brody has had chamber choir practice early every day this week. Then add in his daily basketball, confirmation class last night, basketball game tonight and his choir concert on Saturday. Whew! Josie has her program tonight as well.

Last night I wrapped and wrapped presents. It's going quite well. I only have a few more things to wrap and a few more things to buy and wrap :) I think I'm ahead of the game this year. How odd is that!

Oh and has anyone seen my cord to my camera so I can get pictures off of it?

PANIC! and 3 a.m.

I'll try to right a little, but it seems the more I focus on my anxiety the worse it gets at the moment. Yep, I'm just going to drop it at the moment.

I'm trying to meditate (or at least read over and over) on the Bible verse "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7 Over and over....I'm hoping it will help. It's so hard when your body doesn't follow your mind. Sharing this spiritual side of me is a bit unnerving. Religion has always been such a private subject with me. Now I find great comfort from revealing this side of myself.

Ok, even though my mind races a mile a minute, I can't even come close to typing that fast. Mostly I'm just trying to calm my body.

Ahhhhh......silence

Just wanted to post one of my favorite things in this world. The utter quietness when everyone in my family has gone to bed. I've been tightly wound the past few days, so this moment is just what I need. I'm watching my tivo'd Desperate Housewives, enjoying a bud light lime, and unwinding before bed. Nothing like a little blogging to unload my brain as well.

ta ta

Hmmmm....

can't seem to come up with any catchy titles today. I've been busy taking my mom to doctors appointments. She's had five nosebleeds in the 2 weeks. Hopefully they have come to an end since she was taken off plavix, a blood thinner. She's also having to deal with her elderly mother. I'm trying to be someone she can lean on.

Today I sold a few rubberstamp sets at a friend's garage sale. I hung out there all morning. This evening I did a bit of sorting of junk in our basement. I made a little headway and am trying to convince myself I made progress. There's still plenty more to do down there. Maybe if I put in 20 minutes each day, I'll be able to see more progress.

That's all folks!

what to do...

Wow! I didn't post for all of September. I know there are things to do around here. So far today, I've accomplished going to church, eating breakfast, and napping. My nap lasted as long as 1/2 a night's sleep for me. I guess having two late nights wore me out.

Friday night was my group therapy session of scrapbooking. I made a couple of Halloween cards for something. On Saturday, I hung out at Mary's house with Mary and Trish. We had an awesome crafting session. We made a couple of albums and a Halloween garland that says boo. The entire time we had movies on to entertain us. It was such a nice time and a break for me that couldn't have come at a better time. I'll have to post a picture of the garland when I get it put up. I have high hopes of making Thanksgiving and Christmas garlands as well. It would make fun gifts too.

I discovered yesterday that I'm in love with glimmer mist! I guess that's a good thing since I have about 7 bottles!! It was funny this weekend as I was going through my scrapbooking totes. I discovered 3 bottles of glimmer mist tucked away, a couple of jars of crackle paint, and some cute embellishments for Halloween. Unfortunately, I also discovered that I bought a stamp set that I already owned. That's what happens when you overbuy and don't know what you already own. Ok, I'm off to accomplish something. Maybe I'll finish marking garage sale stuff for a friend's garage sale next weekend. I'm sure I could find more to put in the sale also. TTFN

productivity!

Yes! The garage is getting there. I can get my car pulled in. I'd still like to purge some more things. We got a good start, and it looks good. Part of the time I just didn't have anything I could do. Jamie was a little touchy when I asked him if I could do something. For instance, I asked if I could empty three Cella wine boxes of the cassette tapes they held. I didn't get a very nice look, so I'm sure they're still out there.

Anyway, yesterday I pulled together some recipes to make ahead for future use. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and spent nearly $150 on groceries. Yikes! I don't think I've done that much grocery shopping in a long time. Today I finished shopping for the meat and spent another $50. Since I couldn't help in the garage, I came inside and put the meals together. Two of the recipes were as easy as putting chicken breasts in a bag with a marinade I mixed up. The other chicken recipe was a Mexican casserole. I also made a Mexican beef casserole and a pizza pasta casserole which actually made two! I still have one more chicken marinade recipe to do, but we had to get one more package of chicken, and one more beef recipe. I am tired from all my hard work in the kitchen. Do you know how many dishes need to be done after a cooking marathon such as this? Too many! It will be nice to have a few things ready as the kids' schedules get busier.

I'm not sure what is on the agenda for productivity tomorrow, but I need to come up with something. For now, I rest :)

relax

I really wish I could relax. There are just too many things left undone in my house. I'm hoping that we can get something cleaned up this weekend. Even my 13 yr old is itching to get things into place.

Anyway, I really just want to say there is a Relax Riesling wine that is very good. I bought it for the cool looking bottle, and the fact that it said relax. Try it!

Also have to add the my dear 13 yr old's catchphrases are "It's ok." and "Relax" Have a relaxing Labor Day weekend. I'm hoping to work a lot and get a lot done.

What! No gwavy2...

Apparently called "Chow Hound," I found the episode in its entirety on youtube. Go figure!

What! No gwavy???

Do you remember that cartoon? I couldn't tell you which one it was, but it's always been a favorite line of mine. That one and the that goes something like, I love him and hug and....call him George. Maybe I'll have to research to see if I can figure these out.

So this morning I was having breakfast as usual and enjoying my biscuits and gravy. I've spent most of day thinking about just what I would blog about it. Thus, I came up with my witty title. Anyway, biscuits and gravy aren't my usual breakfast faire (is that how you spell it in this context?). I know it's not the healthiest breakfast I could eat...BUT I eat it with fondness now. My dad loved biscuits and spicy sausage gravy. His love grew, as far as I'm aware, more when he was getting radiation and chemo. He had radiation on his neck which affected his taste buds so B&G was still tasty to him. Surprisingly, it didn't make him sick either. Fortunately for him, he also needed to put on weight or keep on weight so this was perfect for him. I usually don't choose B&G for my breakfast, but now it's in honor of my dad. It's a great excuse don't you think! Luckily for me, I'm rarely in settings that have B&G ready to eat. I've tried making it at home, and it's never as good.

Another fond memory relating to B&G was the hamburger gravy we would eat. It basically was the same concept as B&G, but the gravy has hamburger and not sausage. We'd eat over toast or mashed potatoes. Really, I think it was one of those meals that was easy to stretch for our family of 6. It's funny how some of these penny-pinching meals are some of my fondest memories of my childhood. I'll have to ask my mom if she's made it for my kids. It's fun to watch them grow fond of my childhood favorites. I'll have to ask Jamie if he has any favorites like this from his childhood. Anyway, I think I can say that I eat biscuits and gravy for both my mom and dad. Now if only my backside and thighs will forgive me.

Lunch today was a southwestern turkey panini which was tasty and delish! Didn't want to disappoint anyone keeping track of my lunch outings. Tonight we are headed to Pei Wei again!! I can't wait, because I may never get to eat it again!

Lunch and books

You know eating out is really the highlight of travel. Sad but true. Don't get me wrong. I have seen some beautiful flowers and mountains. I just really enjoy eating at places different from home. Today we ate at Pier 49, San Francisco style pizza. I had the Sausalito.

SAUSALITO, Spicy grilled chicken on a
southwestern sauce, topped with green chiles,
green peppers, onions, fresh tomatoes and
fresh tortilla strips. Perfection with a kick!

It was very good but just a little lacking in flavor. Maybe my tastebuds are off. It was probably from the Thai Dynamite on Monday. LOL

I don't get a chance to read. If I read, it's at night before I go to sleep. Most nights I'm tired enough just to go to sleep. I have taken the time this week to read. I may start a second book for the week. That's highly unheard for me. Here's a blurb about the book I just finished.

Mommy Tracked by Whitney Gaskell

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
It's a fun read. I had to try and not laugh out loud while on a flight. There's just so much about it to like. Each of the characters had some trait or experience that to which I could relate.


View all my reviews.

Nothing witty to say...

I was lucky enough to spend this evening with Janalee and Walker. We grabbed some dinner, hit a scrapbook store and then walked around Temple Square. I was just so happy to get so be with them. Janalee was as sweet as ever and Walker was fun too.

Class is....hmmm first thing that comes to mind is kicking my butt. It's just a bit challenging. I haven't been able to use what I learn for all the years that I've been in my field (7 for those keeping track). I do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but I don't get a chance to FOCUS on it long enough to become fluent (at least to my liking). Hey, Gina, can't we still have focus as our word of the year. I swear that I have work-induced ADD. Class has been going fast because I'm trying so hard to learn.

Nothing too exciting for lunch today -- a 1/2 albacore tuna sandwich, cup of creamy potato soup and a fudgy brownie. The brownie was truly disappointing. It was dry and hard. I never knew a brownie could be bad. The tuna was so-so, not very flavorful. The soup was good (in 90 degree weather?!?!) and reminded me of my mom's pea soup except there were no peas. Let's hope tomorrow's lunch will be better. A young man in class has offered to drive me to dinner with him as well since I don't have a rental car. I haven't been hungry in the evenings since I eat a good breakfast and lunch. Oh and did I mention that I think I'm becoming addicted to biscuits and gravy here. Oh they're so good!!

Better wind down for some sleep. TTFN!

Good stuff

Well, I'm getting a breather from my "normal" life. I am attending a class in Utah this week. It's weird to be in a spotless place and nothing to do except what I want to do. I trying hard to stay focused on enjoying every moment rather than focusing on those mommy sorts of things that we worry about.

I was pleasantly surprised when I went to class today. The instructor is one of my favorite consultants that has helped me out at work. He's very pleasant, funny, understanding and patient. Hey! I need the patience as I'm trying to soak up some computer stuff. I sometimes wonder what I'm doing in this field.

For lunch we went to Pei Wei for lunch. Actually a group of 8 of us from class. OMG! It was so fantastic. I had the Thai Dynamite Chicken with brown rice. I don't know that I've consciously ever had brown rice. There was lots of food and it was oh so good! There was lots of other stuff on their menu I'd like to try too.

One last good thing was I was reminded how good we have it in Iowa. Gas is expensive but not as bad as other places. Actually a bunch of stuff costs a lot less. What a nice thing to appreciate about now :)

Up too late

The Olympics keep sucking me in at night when I should be getting to bed and sleeping. It's so exciting! The kids managed to get to bed at good times tonight. I love school and how it wears them out!

Oh I just remembered we have a parents' meeting tomorrow night for B's fall softball league. I nearly forgot! Maybe I should go enter it on my calendar for good measure.

Next week I'll be in Utah for some training for work. Hopefully after that we can get into a routine in the mornings and evenings. Not much else going on right now.

First day of school

Wow! I can hardly believe how this year has flown by. My kiddos started school today. Officially, I have an 8th grader, 6th grader, 1st grader and preschooler. Preschool doesn't start up again until after Labor Day. Here are my ducklings on their first day.


And just in case you didn't notice in the photo above, we have big news here!



No more braces!!! This is just round 1. The orthodontist tried to sound like it maybe will happen, but I think he and I both know it will happen. Round 2 of braces will occur once all her baby teeth are out. If things go my way, she'll lose the rest of her baby teeth over the next year and half and won't get braces until the others are paid off.

Oh and I fixed up my header. I found a www.picnik.com to edit my photos and do fun things for FREE! You upload pictures and then fix 'em up and then save them back to your computer. Check it out!

Goofin' with my blog

I know I've been messing around with the template, but the important thing to take away from all this is the image in my title :) YEE HAW!!! It's been much too long, and I can hardly wait for a whole new adventure to share. Oh wait! I still have another adventure to blog about. I'll have to remember to write about that. Later! I have to go pick up our anniversary pizza. It's been 16 years of blissful marriage for DH and me, and a whopping 21 years together! Oh my! Oh and if you believe that blissful comment, you don't know me very well. I do love my DH and wouldn't trade him for the world. ta ta for now!

Hanging on...

It seems since our basement was flooding it has opened up a fresh can of worms. I am totally stressed and overwhelmed. I had made some good progress in getting our basement too look like it was finished and livable. It seems my whole family has felt the new chaos. I'm working on getting some things done around here when I'm not completely overwhelmed by it all. I have learned over the years to take baby steps and appreciate any and all progress that has been made. I'm just going to keep trudging along and asking God to keep calm and grounded.

So today I spent far too much money. Man! Was it fun! First my accomplishment of the day was making some returns. Oh crud! I just realized that I forgot one. Maybe I can do that on my way home from work tomorrow. It's the swimsuit I bought back in March, but I only bought the top thinking it was a whole suit.

Ok, purchase number one -- a keurig coffee maker. As my son would say, "It's so easy even my mom can make a good cup of coffee." It's true I can't make coffee. This machine takes all the guesswork out. I rarely made coffee, so I always forgot the amount of coffee needed. Now I can offer my coffee-drinkin' guests a great cup of coffee. Now to find my favorite flavors.

<-- Item number two -- This will hopefully be a great solution to keep my girls' room tidy or at least tidier. It's put together and sitting empty as I contemplate what should go in each "drawer."
Finally, a Little Green Machine. Trish convinced me this was the way to go to get spots out. I had specifically mentioned "shampooing" my minivan carpet. My sister has had one for a long time. She may even be on her second one. I didn't try it out yet. It was too hot to even think about exerting energy outside tonight and I was much too tired to even think about it.

On that note, I'm bidding you good night.

HOT!

I guess I have to wait one more day to be living in air conditioning. I'm not sure what the delay is, but the installer is coming back tomorrow morning. It's not too hot, but I could do without the humidity.

B and I spent our evening together getting HOT hair. My sweet and oh so sassy girl asked for copper highlights since I was making her get her hair cut. Her hair is gorgeous. You'll have to wait for a picture. I forgot my camera at work again. She had several inches cut off, and it looks so much healthier now. My hair is the same style, but maybe a little shorter in back, and darker and stripier. Misty always does such a cool job and tonight she took care of two of at the same time.

After that, B and I went and ate turkey chickpea chili at Panera. Yum! It is definitely a favorite of ours. I may have to figure out how to make it at home. Finally, we wandered around Target. I couldn't find the cute owl sleep pants or nightie for my body. Bummer! I picked up a few tank type shirts and some new file folders.

Tomorrow night I have to get my scrapbooking stuff ready so I can at least attempt it on Saturday. Gotta go, young J is melting down.

Slow learner...

or bad typist. I noticed that my URL had a typo in it, and it said learninghow2BED instead of learninghow2bend (a favorite Gary Allan tune of mine). Yeah, I know I have four kids so learning how to bed is not on my list of things to do.

I'm sorry if you have left me comments previously, but I just had to move my posts for the third time.

Wouldn't ya know

I was all prepared to upload some pictures, but I left my camera at work. Phooey! I had couple of things to share about the kids that would go nicely with the pictures. I guess you'll have to wait.

Tomorrow morning we will have a new central air unit installed! Finally! Can you believe our other one only lasted about 9 years. We use it a lot, but I expected a longer life out of it. The replacement has a lifetime warranty on the compressor for as long as we own it and ten years for parts. I hate making decisions like this. I really would have liked to spend our little nestegg on something else new for the house. Easy come, easy go...

So I went to find a picture to share. Mary and I like go to concerts when we can. Our favorites are Gary Allan and Montgomery Gentry. We were getting desperate to go somewhere to a concert. Lo and behold, I received an email offering free tickets to go see Jason Brown and Josh Gracin at Prairie Meadows. It was just fun to get out. And as you can see, we get a little silly at times as well.

Finally! (repost)

I've located to a new blog home. I switched over right away, but I haven't had any time to post.

Last weekend was spent in Ankeny at softball games. What a great tournament it was! Our girls placed 3rd. They played well and fought hard to win our last game. The closer they got to winning, the better they played and batted. You could just watch them transform into a team.

Now that I have my camera back in my hands, I made yet another back-up of my pictures onto my new portable hard drive. It's red and cute! I then decided that I use my laptop more than our PC, so I should have the pictures on here. I couldn't stop there, so I worked on organising (sorry, I'm not British I just have a broken key) them. I had tons of multiples since I'd often dump my pictures and go. They're all cleaned up now.

Today I am at home waiting for the A/C guy to get here. We've been lucky and it hasn't been too hot in here. I definitely helps not to work too hard and to sit in front of a fan. The younger girls were finishing up their swimming lessons today. Oddly enough, my 4 year old passed level 1 and my 6 year old didn't. I had my mom check to see if maybe the instructor had confused the girls. Apparently, JJ (the youngest) is more confident in the water than JM. JM was upset once her older sister decided to let her know. Maybe I'll post again later. I may even get some scrapbooking stuff out. Shock!

Fighting the urge... (repost)

to turn this blog into a griping, negative, down-in-the-dumps therapy. While I really deal with these things every day, I don’t want to be that sort of person. So I’m working past the grouchies I’ve had today. Poor Jamie bore the brunt of them. My digicam was missing and I was beginning to think I wasn’t going to find it. I spent all day thinking about where it might be. I cleaned junk out of my van looking for it. I checked the basket by the answering machine at least 5 times. So at one point this evening, I was panicking and upset that no one else was nearly as upset about my missing camera as I was. Anyway, I won’t get into the nasty, mean things I said to J but I did feel the need to say I’m sorry later. Afterall, HE FOUND MY CAMERA!!!!!! My mood changed immensely after that.

Up next, dealing with preteen girls and their friends…FUN!!!!

Try, try again! (repost)

Ok, I'm on blog number two already. This one allows me some creativity. Not tonight though. Things just seem to take me too long some nights. Tonight was one of those nights. See ya soon!

Post #1 again

Well, I’ve taken the plunge into the blogging world. I hate writing. I thought you should know that up front. I am an English and grammar geek, so I’ll do my best to uphold my geekdom just don’t expect me to have smooth flowing posts.

I’m hoping that I can track some of my goals in life and maybe even connect with friends and family through my blog. Who knows. Maybe I’ll find my blog to be very therapeutic. This year, 2008, has started out badly and continues to challenge and test me. My dad lost his battle with lung cancer. Then again maybe he won his battle. He certainly isn’t struggling anymore and for that I am truly thankful to God. Lots of every day, ordinary things bring my dad to mind daily. Some moments get the better of me, and I shed a few tears. I’ve never lost anyone this close to me. I’m sure I’ll post more about 2008 and my dad as time goes on. I don’t want to raise expectations too high with my first post.

Good night!