What Are You Thankful For

I just have a tendency to use humor... so you'll have to just laugh with me at my responses.... I'm in full-on PMS mode today

I'm thankful for birth control -- because this week between cleaning up vomit at 2am and my 3 year old not wanting to change out of his spiderman costume, I don't know how I'd manage another child. :)

I am thankful for fast food, Chinese take-out/delivery and curbside delivery because the extra-cirrucular activities, "ho ho ho" seasonal obligations and errands are upon us and otherwise we'd go hungry.

I am thankful for Ambien CR otherwise, perhaps, I'd lie awake at night wondering if I"d syncronized my Palm, unloaded the dishwasher, made my Thanksgiving menu, charged my Zune, empted the pecans out of Drew's pockets before I put them in the washer, threw away the kleenex that Drew gave me that had his "boooooooooogers" on it that I'd stuffed into my pocket, put the milk in the pantry again instead of the refrigerator (yes, happens more often than I'd like to admit)...

I am thankful for my vacuum cleaner because with 3 dogs shedding right now as they get their winter coats in, I fear my hardwoods would look like carpet (at least in the corners anyway).

I am thankful for the pooper scooper guy -- I have 3 dogs... nuff said. :)

And today... I'm thankful for chocolate covered marshmallow santas already being on sale because I just had to have one. :)

BUT...when you get down to it...

I'm thankful each night for a warm home, full belly, flannel jammies, cup of hot chocolate, my completely dysfunctional family, our health, our God, and of course, my own scrapbook room ---oh, and my little Boston Terrier, Lola that just can't seem to understand why she can't fit in my lap as I surf the internet so she decides to squish between the chairback and my rear end ultimately trying to push me out of my own chair... aahh.. yes... motherhood of the two and four legged variety is something to be thankful for.

Hasn't Anything Exciting Happened since 11/7?

You'd think that SOMETHING newsworthy would have happened since then??? Lets see... hmm...

I went to MOPS on 11/7 and heard a WONDERFUL talk from an amazing woman named Terri Camp. She's a single mom of 8 that had her life go into a tailspin after her 18 year old daughter confessed that her father had been molesting her. With the faith in God and the spirit of a woman, she relocated her family to Texas and started over from scratch. It's just been an amazing journey and she is just such a wonderful blessing and testimony of God's true love for us... and how it's proof that He WILL get you through anything. She has an amazing story to tell. I won a book of hers called "I'm Going To Be The Greatest Mom Ever - Even If It Kills Me" :) So far it's been a great read! :) That happened on 11/7

I had my den meeting on Thursday -- we made Indian dream catchers... that was kind of neat. After the meeting was over, I was in the garage moving a night stand and saying goodbye to everyone and when I walked into the door, Josh had a freakin melt-down because he forgot to anchor the bottom bead and when he held up his dream catcher, the beads just filed one by one onto the floor. I think he was just exhausted, and needed a good cry. He annoyed the crap out of me (before I realized that) because he compeltely had destroyed and ripped the entire thing apart...?? that's real smart... yeah, right... so iw as like... you know what.. go to your room. Go to bed. He went up there, had a good cry, pout and came back down and was fine... ?? kids. I swear I thank God daily he's not a girl. I don't know what I'd have done with anymore estrogen in this house. Mama don't do drama!

Friday I woke up with a splitting headache but going to Trulucks for dinner and having a FANTASTIC time with Ray and Lori was just what the doctor ordered. I took the boys over to mom's for the night because I had a training class the next day at the butt crack of dawn on the other side of town... but as far as Friday -- the food was fantastic, the company was the best... it was just a great night out without a kid's menu! YEA!!! Gotta love that! :)

Saturday, I got up and went with another den leader to Everman, TX to the Longhorn Council's POW WOW... I had a few classes that seemed beneficial but a couple of them were real snoozers. I e-mailed the coordinator and suggested they do some sort of class evaluation so they can see the strengths and weaknesses of each course to help it grow and make it a better program year after year. I was supposed to go to the scrapbook crop at Recollections (one of the few remaining this year since they're closing their doors at the end of December) but my friend Trinity gladly took my spot (THANK YOU GIRL) because I was just BEAT by the end of that day and literally just wanted to lapse into a coma. 7pm and I was just ready to die!

Sunday, Veteran's Day -- the Lion's club came and put up the flag in the yard... I said a little prayer for all those serving... wished I still didn't feel so beat and did nothing but clean/organize/laundry all day. It was sheer madness here I tell ya! :) I'm in some kind of nesting mode (and NO -- so don't even go there!) but I'mjust wanting to get RID OF CRAP! The more crap you have, the more you have to dust and organize...the more you get rid of, the simpler life is... :) Seems simple enough! :)

That's the update from my household... hope you're all doing well. :)

When your best friend isn't home...

... just go in the back yard and find a new one.

I had had a great afternoon with the boys but a cold front was due to move in any hour so I sent my boys out back to enjoy the last of the warm and they went lizard hunting.

Eureka! They found one!

I think this little guy was starting to feel the chill in the air because it hung to Josh's warmth like a duck on a June bug. (If you're not from the South, you just won't get that last saying.) :)


So, this is Josh and his reptilian compadre. Sorry, just gotta say it -- Say hello to my little friend.

Gymnastics and fun

Both boys are in gymnastics on Tuesdays... I had to be on a waiting list for several weeks to make that happen but after a brief hiatus for them both, when signing them back up, Josh needed to be in Level 2 and Drew was going to start out in the 3 year old class (before he was 3)... which means, no more mommy on the mat to chase him around -- he had to listen to his teacher! (Yowza). :) Well, as it goes to show from the pictures below (ha), listening and doing what youre told remains to be seen but at least he has a good time while he's there.

Drew and his little class coming from circle time... they all like to run their fingers along the wall and shout out to their moms to "watch me" or "hi mommy"


Then there's Drew on the wedge doing a somersalt -- the picture quality sucks... because the lighting there sucks...so hey, work with me... :) regardless of the lighting, they really ARE Kodak moments! LOL



and then we think Josh is actually doing something worthwhile and he's just hanging around
(ha)

This is one of Drew's station - practicing balance doing an arabesque


various bear crawls on the bars


and then they teach Josh to demonstrate how he'll look if he eats too much fast food and gets no exercise


and then Drew just didn't like that news because he's a big fan of the Golden Arches so he went to pout in his giant donut (too bad it's not powdered from Mrs. Bairds)


Time is running to an end....they all sit at the edge of the mat and get stickers, stamps and progress reports


and then they take their papers and go to the wall's end and say "ta da"


notice, he just chose to scream. :) Gotta love this kid!

Standing up for yourself...

That would be Drew... today... standing up to pee. Yes, it's a milestone we've conquered I suppose seeing that I lack the proper apparatus to adequately teach him exactly "how" this is supposed to happen but I think the near hiney dip in the toilet this morning has scared him into submission of "hey... I can stand up and pee so I should."

Yes, my friends, they're no longer little boys when they stand up to pee and tell you to "go away" when you're trying to make sure that it winds up in the commode rather than on the tile.

My days of scrubbing floors are going to be coming back I see. OH well, you can't keep them young forever... today he pees standing up... tomorrow he actually may eat a green bean

yeah, right... who am **I** kidding!

Delight in the little things....

Why I Do What I Do

I think Ambien has the effect that maryjane has on others... you have some and then suddenly feel that you can figure out what is wrong with a particular situation with great certainty. (phooey)... but in theory -- sounds good right?!

So what's wrong with me?! LOL... I've had close friends tell me that I was nuts, that I must be a mad woman, that I must never sleep, that I am obviously over-involved, that I must be a micromanager, that I must have been cloned.

====Here me now putting the record straight==== there is no cloning going on in this little Texas woman! Nu uh... unless she's gonna come back with me with the body at like... 19... man, would wouldn't kill for that bod! It was SLAMMIN! OK.. ok .. ok.. so I totally digress. :) The point of the story... I over-commit myself to activities that I feel strongly about because I feel that if someone else doesn't step up to assist, it's going to go tumbling to the ground and that will ultimately have a detrimental lasting effect, so I volunteer my humble services in the hope that whatever madness I can help keep the whatever it is afloat, that we are going to be just fine and they'll be appreciated and just make me feel warm and fuzzy. :) I guess I just need constant reaffirmation.. wow.. and I never would have thought I did. Hmmmmm.. major breakthrough right here!!!!

I want to help children.. I've wanted to help them since I was in my teens, I wanted to teach. . . that was until i learned how much they DIDN'T make and that was like a violent shove into violent of "what are you going to do" so I went into law... love it, did well, very well perhaps... but the yearning that I had to work with and on behalf of children was always there ....

I taught AWANA at church on Wednesday nights... loved it...I taught Sunday school for 3-4 years... loved that as well. i just still wanted more...I just have a calling for MORE!... so I'm considering going back to school.... to be a teacher... we shall see...

Newest Creations

I finally got the bug fixed with my scanner -- no clue what was up but it kept telling me that if -22 was flashing on the display to click troubleshooting -- but there IS no display so I was baffled. BUT, finally after jacking around with it for a while I KNEW I had to get it figured out since my design team submissions were beyond LATE! SO... without further delay... here are my latest creations (well, the ones I scanned in anyway). I'm trying to use JUST what is provided in my kits without overly embellishing them or going "over the top" which is very hard for me to just get "back to basics" with scrapping but I think it was a noble effort on my part if I do say so myself! :) Hope you enjoy.

All cardstock is Bazzil, pp is Urban Lilly, rubons are Doodle Bug, twill ribbon, foam dots.

This is my cute little pouty Drew on his 3rd birthday. You'd think he'd be excited but he was just a little bundle of pout so .. you know me... snap snap snap!


In May was Josh's Crossing Over campout with the Cub Scouts where he got to pin on his Tiger rank. Andy had Drew for the night and brought him out to the lake (Grapevine) to see Josh so I, of course, snapped some photos of them together.



This is a photo of Josh on a day we'd just gotten home from school... the snow had really started to fall (though you can't tell from the background) but it was really coming down. Josh and Drew had been outside trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues and Josh wound up with a wet head but he is so adorable, I had to capture the moment.



This is a photo of Drew from the Crossing Over campout when he was spending time at the lakeshore. He loved picking up and throwing everything into the lake that he could get his hands on.