Spring Is Near!

As much as I love the rain and winter, I'm ready for some warmer spring weather. Here are some signs of spring in my neck of the woods.

Happy Tuesday!

The Apron

Here I am wearing the apron.

You can barely see it, but there is a pocket right there. The print of the fabric is little strawberries with butterflies, birdies and worms. I thought it was real cute.

This is the top portion with a little bit of eyelet lace. You'll notice that I still need to do a lot of clipping of loose threads. The tie on top is just bias tape fastened with velcro. In the back, it is tied with some ribbon. I'm probably going to take that off and get some more bias tape to tie it. The ribbon is too big and bulky so it's hard to tie.

So for my first attempt at sewing an apron, I guess it's presentable.

Have a happy Saturday!

The Saga Continues

I just wanted to pop in and say that I haven't dropped off the face the earth. I haven't had much to say.

Just when I thought I had beat this virus, I'm back with a sore throat and my nose is getting stuffy again! But, I can't let this stop me anymore so I'm trudging along and taking care of my business.

On Monday, I dusted off my sewing machine and learned how to sew an apron. My friend's mother was anxious and willing to teach us how to make one and we both jumped at the chance. I was surprised that I was able to complete one in approximately three hours. And it actually looks like an apron! Of course things are a little crooked, the stitches are not straight, there are frayed edges, but who cares! I'm not too embarrassed to wear it. I will have some pictures to share, but not tonight. I tried to get some decent shots, but my batteries need to be recharged.

Oh yea, got my pink yarn untangled and am pretty much finished with the scarf. I just have to put the edging on it in a different color. I'll have Emily pose with it and post a picture.

Yesterday for Ash Wednesday, I went to the service at my kids school. The older students had a Mass, but I didn't attend that one. For the younger ones, there was a service with just the
liturgical readings of the day, then the distribution of ashes. The little ones were just so sweet. Father would ask them questions, and they were all just so eager to answer.

Today I took Kathryn to her dentist appointment. She has two loose molars. These are her last baby teeth - and she's only 11 years old! She had her first loose tooth when she was four years old and they've been falling out regularly since then. I'll be glad to see those last two go. She's always been very sensitive to the feeling of her teeth being loose and has refused to wiggle them out. She couldn't stand any of us to touch them (to pull them out). So they've been extracted. That's weird how she would rather have the dentist extract them, than wiggle them and get them out herself.

That's how my week has been. This weekend we will enjoy some time with my SIL/BIL who are visiting from Texas.

I hope to get pictures of my latest creative endeavors posted tomorrow.

A Post

I think I'm finally on the mend from this cold bug. It's taken a while for the cough to get better, but I think it's on the way out. I think! I woke up with a sore throat, but I don't have it right now. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. From what I hear, this virus that's going around is one that takes it's sweet time going away. As much as I like Winter and the rain, I'm looking forward to Spring.

My housework has gone to pot. It's been enough to get dishes washed and laundry taken care of. While I've slacked off on that, I've managed to do a little bit of reading. I'm reading Raymond Arroyo's book about Mother Angelica and a fiction book called, Quaker Summer. Oh, and that reminds me, I really do need to add my new list of books read and take off the old list.

I'm slowly making progress on my scarf project. I mentioned that the yarn got all tangled up. Well, I've slowly untangled it instead of buying a new skein, and the scarf is almost done.

YIKES! Here's what the messy skein looked like. It was worse than this, but this is bad enough.

So far, this is what the scarf looks like. It needs to be a little longer, so I'll probably end up buying another skein. You can bet this time, I won't be pulling the yarn out from the center. You never know what kind of knots are hidden in there!

Cough! Cough!

Well, this cold or whatever it is, is a whopper. It started out normal enough, but my stuffiness has lasted for about four days now, which is unusual. For two day now, I haven't been able to smell or taste. It's not fun to eat now. But one thing I've discovered is that snacking is not appealing when you can't taste! So many times I've wanted to munch on some chips or candy (my favorite Sweet Tarts - Valentine edition) but I've turned away as I remembered I wouldn't be able to taste them anyway.

I'm also coughing a lot now. Poor Steve, he has to hear me hacking upon sleeping and waking. I can't wait for this to all be over.

I've been able to get a lot of crocheting done. I'm working on a scarf for Emily. It's an easy pattern and would be going quickly but I was unlucky enough to find a huge tangle in the middle of the skein. What a mess! I was debating whether to attempt to untangle it or just buy a new one, but for some reason, I felt like I had to win the battle and I've persisted in trying to untangle it. So I untangle some, crochet a little, untangle some more, and so on. I'll have to take some pictures of my progress.

Emily had her Valentine's Day party at preschool today. She was so excited to get cards and candy from her classmates. She showed me everything she got and told me about all the food she ate. She's hoping when she goes to Kindergarten that it will be just as fun. I assured her that it would. Ryan and Kathryn have their class parties on Friday. Steve and I don't usually do anything for Valentine's Day, other than exchange cards and I'm so late with getting that. I know it's going to be slim pickings among the available cards, but you never know.

I think I'd better end now. I'm coughing too much and I need to rub some Vicks on my chest for the night. I think tomorrow will be a better day!

Saturday

I hope everyone is having a good start to their weekend! We are having some rainy weather, which I am enjoying. It's expected to last the whole weekend. The lawn and plants are loving the freshness that only the rain can bring. The air smells fresh, too!

Steve took the kids to do some grocery shopping. He is braver than I am. I wouldn't take all three kids to the store! Although Kathryn is no sweat, when Ryan and Emily are together, you never know how things will go! They always seem to find something to argue about, and then they get to yelling at each other. I am never at a loss for teachable moments. One of my daily prayers is to be able to reach them and teach them about how we are to act with each other. Sometimes it doesn't seem to be getting through, but I don't give up.

While Steve is out doing the hard work, I'm here blogging away! Actually, I stayed home to get a little rest. I seem to be getting the same cold that Steve had. My sore throat is gone, but now my nose is a little stuffy and my body just feels like it's battling a cold.

My plans for the rest of the weekend besides resting when I can:

Work on some crochet projects that I have lined up.
Catch up on laundry.
Make my menu plan for the week.

We'll also try to make it the open house at the kids school. This is mainly for new students, but since Emily will be starting Kindergarten in the fall, we thought she'd like to see what her class would look like. Kathryn and Ryan could also take a peek at next years classrooms, too.

Right now, I'm going to rest and watch the episode of Lost that I missed this week but recorded on the DVR.

Have a nice weekend!

Super Bowl Commercial

I know that the Super Bowl is history, but I wanted to share my favorite commercial for this year.






Then I wanted to share a funny one from the past. I'm not sure if this one was a Super Bowl commercial or not. Do you remember this one?

Super Bowl Sunday Ramblings

We are having a little informal party here for Super Bowl Sunday. I'm really not into football, but Steve and Ryan have a ball talking about the game. We have just finished our pizza and are awaiting the start of the game to begin indulging in our junk food snacks! So, I plan on eating, crocheting, and watching the commercials (that's about the only time I look forward to watching them)!

Yesterday, Kathryn had a basketball game and she got quite a bit of playing time. She hardly ever gets to play, so to see her out there hustling after the ball was fun. Her team lost but they did make a tremendous comeback after being behind by 20 or so points! I think they ended up losing by 9.

I also finally got around to cleaning out Ryan's closet. What a job that was! There were so many stuffed animals! Most of them were Emily's. I had to bag a lot of them and put them in the garage. If I had my druthers, I'd donate them to Goodwill or something. And that reminds me that I need to do that purging type cleaning when no one is home. All the kids want to know what I'm throwing in the trash, what's going in that bag, what am I doing with such and such.
Most of the stuff they don't play with anymore, but all of a sudden they see it and beg me to not get rid of it!

I don't want them to grow up being a pack rat. I've been like that and it's only within the last couple of years that I've learned to let go of so much. It is so easy for me to accumulate clutter. I used to save so much memorabilia type things, remembrances of this event or that one, but the thing is, it's just stuff that stays packed away. It's not like I have it sitting out to remember it. Just accumulated clutter. I have saved a few things, but I find it much more freeing to let go of a lot.

For me, letting go of clutter is like peeling an onion. I go through a lot of things, trash some, and save some. The next time I go through a box or something, I see the same item, then this time decide that it is something I can let go of. I try to also keep in mind that some things I think are worth saving will not be something my kids will want went I'm long gone. Maybe some things will have a memory associated with their past and they'll want to save, but most of it will be junk to them. I'll spare them the task of having to go through all my stuff.

I'm finally finishing up season two of The Waltons. I'm enjoying the episodes so much. The story lines are good and I just love watching Olivia and Grandma tending to their duties. And Olivia always shows such gracious hospitality. The family was in the midst of the Great Depression, yet they always welcomed the unexpected guest with an extra plate at the table or a place to stay for the night. They remind me of my mother. She's always tended to her duties without grumbling and showed gracious hospitality. They give me inspiration when I find myself grumbling and being a little lazy in my duties.

Before I start watching season three, I have to watch a few horror/suspense movies that are in my queue. I actually like these kind of movies, as long as they are not too bloody or violent. I like the psychological thrillers, especially any that have a telephone involved, like getting weird phone calls or something. No one else likes to watch these (meaning Steve since the kids can't watch), so I have to watch them at night - yikes- and Steve is not there to tell me what's happening while I have my eyes hidden behind my hands!

Enough ramblings for now. The party will be starting shortly!

Happy Homemaker Monday!

Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom has started Happy Homemaker Monday to record a little of what's going in our day.

On my bedside table: The Edge of Recall by Kristen Heitzmann and some Crochet Today magazines

On my TV: Poseidon Adventure - the original one from 1972. I rented this way back for New Years Eve but am just now getting to it!

On the menu for tonight: Tostadas with rice and beans

On my to-do list: mop the floors, clean bathtub, sort through the entryway closet.

New recipe I tried last week: Slow-Cooked Southwest Chicken I got this recipe from the latest issue of Healthy Cooking. It was very good! I'm not sure if the link will work unless you subscribe to the magazine or Taste of Home.

In the craft basket: Nothing right now. I will continue to crochet and knit some dishcloths, but I'm also looking through my crochet and knitting magazines to find some patterns to use up some of my yarn stash. It's too large!

Looking forward to: Rain! It's supposed to rain again sometime today, but the skies are blue! I don't know where the rain clouds are? Maybe tonight?

Homemaking Tip for this week: If you have a sluggish drain, try pouring some bleach down the drain. Wait about 10 or 15 minutes, then run very hot water. It will flow clear again. Now I don't know if this will work if the drain is already stopped up. If my drain is slow, I just do this tip and the water flows great again. PLEASE, just don't mix the bleach with any other cleaning product. You don't want any noxious fumes!

Favorite blog post: I have two this week. Both of them speak of the little things we can do to help someone in need and the blessings in giving, even when we may be in need ourselves. These two posts gave me reflections to take to the Lord in my prayer time. The first post is from Laura at Catholic Teacher Musings and the second one is from Brenda at Coffee Tea Books and Me.

Favorite photo from last week:

This is not a photo from the past week, but from Christmas time. The girls put on a fashion show with Ryan serving as the MC. This the their "fabulous" poses.

Lesson learned the past few days: The little things we do for others can have a great impact and be such a blessing to them.

On my prayer list: President Obama

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

From St. Patrick's Breastplate:

This day I call to me:

God's strength to direct me,

God's power to sustain me.

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's vision to light me,

God's ear to my hearing,

God's word to my speaking,

God's hand to uphold me,

God's pathway before me,

God's legions to save me:

from snares of the demons,

from evil enticements,

from failings of nature,

from one man or many

that seek to destroy me,

anear or afar.

I don't know why my paragraphs are not being separated here at the end. They are separated where I compose the post, but not when I preview it. Oh well, hope it's not too dificult to read.

Wednesday Funny

Ryan is quite a humorous boy.

The other day, I came out of the shower, slathered some floral scented lotion, and proceeded to do my household business. As I passed by him, he says, "Oh mommy, you smell nice, just like roses! I thought, "Aw, how nice." Then he says, "Not like when you go to Grandma's house or go to the doctor, or go see fireworks (meaning most other times), then you smell like peanuts! But he made sure I didn't feel too bad. He said, "But that's still nice!"

I had to double check with Steve and the girls and find out if I really smell like peanuts normally. They said I don't smell any kind of way, just normal. That's good. Maybe I'll wear scented lotions more often. They do smell pretty.

I think I mentioned before that Ryan loves to play around with my camera, taking shots of just about anything. I'll leave you with a self-portrait that he did. I'll spare you the pictures he took of his tongue and tonsils or him picking his nose.

What a week it's been! The Santa Ana winds started again and with it came allergies. Or so I thought. My eyes started itching, then I started sneezing, then the stuffy nose came. I think now that I had a cold. I can't really tell. I was taking some allergy medicine but that didn't seem to help. For two days, my head was so congested. My eyes looked so beady. Now my nose is clearing up but the cough is starting. Sounds like the cycle of a cold to me. Whatever. I'm feeling much better now.

Emily and Kathryn both had colds too. Emily missed two days of preschool.

I'm so excited! We finally got our hardwood floors refinished. Our entryway was hardwood but in terrible shape. Our dining room had carpeting and as you can guess the carpet was so yucky. It got so bad that not even professional cleaners could get it to look good anymore. So we took out the carpeting and refinished the hardwood floors underneath. The wood looks beautiful! We did the same with the hallway carpeting.

We have lots more home repairs to do, more flooring, painting, counter tops, practically everything. As finances allow, we will do what we can.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Letter Meme

Laura, the teacher, from Catholic Teacher Musings has assigned me the letter J (for Journey). I wanted to use ten J words to describe my spiritual journey, but that was proving to be difficult so I chose five words to do that, then five more general J words.


J - Jesus
The whole point of this spiritual journey. The final destination is heaven, and being with Jesus.

J - Journal
Where I write down my thoughts and reflect on what I think the Lord is saying to me and doing in my life. My thoughts on Bible passages and other spiritual writings.

J - Join
I join with others, in heaven and here on earth, in this spiritual journey. Together we help each other out and provide support as we journey toward our final destination.

J - Jerk
How I act sometimes. As I read the Bible and pray, I get convicted about how I've behaved and I pray to overcome my sinful habits and become more like Jesus.

J - Joy
Joy is what I feel when I'm right where God would have me . Loving and serving Him and others.


Now, for the other five words, I'm just going to name things that I like that begin with J.

J- Jeans
I wear these all the time. I'm most comfortable wearing these.

J - Jasmine
I love the smell of this flower! One of the joys of summer is smelling this fragrance.

J - Jelly Beans
A favorite candy of mine. I love the red ones!

J - Junk food
I eat too much of this. A few of my favorites are Ding Dongs and Sour Cream and Onion potato chips.

J - Jamberry
The delightful children's book that I used to read to Kathryn all the time when she was younger.

Finished Dishcloth

I finished my first dishcloth of the new year! It came out bigger than I would have liked, but that's OK. It's about 12" x 12". I got the pattern out of this leaflet. This particular pattern had a new stitch for me so it was fun to make.

I'll experiment with a new stitch for my next dishcloth. Maybe I'll do a little adjusting to make the cloth smaller - the way I normally like them.

I also want to knit some dishcloths, too. I'm not as confident in my knitting as with crochet, but hey, practice makes perfect. I'm usually the armchair type crafter. I do a little bit here and there but mostly oohh and aahh everyone else's work. I've decided that I'm just going to get out there and do my own. I'll try and do that pattern that's a little more difficult. I'll take that challenge. So, I will get out those knitting needles and try not to get too intimidated. I'll get out my sewing machine and try sewing again.

I'm looking forward to see what I can create!

Getting Back Into the Groove

I'm finally popping in after my time away to get over my bug. It took me awhile to get my energy back, but I think I'm back to the strength I was before.

Now, I have to make sense out of the mess in the house. I'm going to tackle things a little at a time. Decorations need to be put away, laundry to be caught up, clutter to be dealt with, and menus to plan. But, I'm not stressed. Little steps at a time will accomplish a lot.

Kathryn and Ryan are still home from school. I'm glad about that. We don't have to do too much running around, other than her basketball game today. It's her first playing for her school. We have to hit the sporting goods store to get her knee pads first.

I started crocheting again. I've decided to work on some dishcloths. I hope I can make enough during the year to be able to give away at Christmas time. My goal is also to make ornaments and maybe bookmarks. I think they would make cute little stuffers to include with other little items. It feels good to create something again!

OK, I'm off now to get to that sporting goods store.

Have a great day!

YUCK!

Just popping in to say hi. I'm sick with a stomach bug. YUCK! THe past few days, I've been a busy bee cleaning house for company that came today. Luckily, I didn't get sick until they left. I'm not sure if it was the food or if I had this bug coming on anyway. Whatever, it's still the same result - YUCK!

I hope I can be back to visiting you all soon! I think I'll have a lot of catching up to do!

Good Afternoon, one and all! I hope you had a nice Christmas, spent with family and friends.

I had a good one. Christmas Eve was spent doing last minute shopping and wrapping, a ritual with me. Throughout the day, I prepared food items for our Christmas Eve dinner. I cooked a turkey and made some sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and rounded it out with some green beans and corn. It turned out well.

Christmas morning, we opened presents, then went to Mass. After that, we went to my mom's and had a Christmas celebration with the extended family. It was a lot of fun. It's always great to see my sister and her family. We don't see them as often as we should. My brother and SIL were missing this year as they had company visiting from Canada.

We then went visiting with my mother-in-law at the residential home that she lives in.

The rest of the night was spent playing all the games that the kids got as presents. That was a lot of fun until the kids started getting tired and arguments broke out about who was winning and losing, who was not playing the right way, and who didn't get a chance to play with THEIR game. !! SIGH!! We all called it a night after that.

Today, I have the turkey carcass simmering on the stove to make broth for turkey noodle soup. It smells so good in here. Ryan might have a different opinion about that.
He already asked me if he has to spend the day in his room as he doesn't like the smell! Gee, I thought it was a heavenly smell, to have some broth simmering. Makes the house seem so warm and comfy! My homemaker self is just so proud!

Kathryn and Steve are out for some one on one time. They are hitting the stores to find great deals on things. Ryan and Emily are playing with their new toys and I need to take the clothes out of the washer and into the dryer. I haven't done laundry in days, so I have a huge pile to work on.

Tonight we will probably head out to see Christmas lights before people start taking them down.

Have a nice day!

Merry Christmas

Christmas greetings to all of you. May you all be blessed abundantly!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

josh groban holy night

Tuesday

It's been so cold here. We're in between storms, so right now its sunny. I've enjoyed being snug and warm in the house, drinking my coffee. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but I am in the winter, especially when the Christmas creamers come out!

I still have a little bit of shopping left to do, which happens every year. As much as I get an early start, I procrastinate till the very end. I must subconsciously get a thrill out of the rushing around, I don't know!

I've been wrapping as I go along, so that part won't be so bad. I usually wrap while listening to Christmas music or watching Christmas movies. This year, Kathryn wants to do more of the wrapping, so I'll gladly accept her help.

Esther, from A Catholic Mom in Hawaii, recently posted this video of Band Aid singing Do They Know it's Christmas Time. It brought back so many memories. I'm a big fan of 80's music and it was something to see some of these singers back at the height of their popularity.

Now I'm off to fix some lunch. We're having Grilled Cheese sandwiches today. Simple. Hope you're all enjoying the Christmas season. We're almost to the big day!

O Emmanuel - December 23

O Emmanuel ( God-With-Us), our King and Lawgiver, the Desire of all nations and their Savior: come and save us, O Lord our God!

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel;

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

O Rex Gentium - December 22

O Rex Gentium (King of Nations), and their Desired, the Cornerstone who make all one; Come and save our race, whom you formed out of clay.

O come, desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind.

Bid every sad division cease

And be thyself our Prince of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

O Oriens - December 21

O Oriens (Dayspring), brightness of eternal Light and Sun of Justice: come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

O come, O Day-spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

FR. Z's reflection.

O Clavis David - December 20

O Clavis David (Key of David), and scepter of the house of Israel: you open and no one shuts; you shut and no one opens. Come and lead forth from his prison the captive sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death.

O come, O Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

O Radix Jesse - December 19

O Radix Jesse (Root of Jesse), who stood as a sign for the people, before you kings shall remain silent, and to you the Gentiles shall make supplication: come to deliver us, and delay not.

O come, O Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny;

From depths of hell thy people save,

And give them victory o'er the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

You can read a reflection from FR. Z. here.

It's Cold!!!

Yes, it's super cold out here in ever sunny California. We're not used to the temperature dropping to the 40's. I'm sitting here with my scarf wrapped around my neck and if I didn't have to type on this keyboard, I'd have my mittens on!

I was finally able to upload some pictures so I'll share a few. There were approximately 160 pictures just waiting to be uploaded. Let's see what we have here.

This was the view from my backyard during the terrible fires in November. The sky was pretty black for awhile, but because of the Santa Ana Winds, all the smoke blew to the west and we were left clear.

Ryan likes taking self-portraits with my camera. I got caught in this one. :)

Sweet sisters!

Credit for this picture belongs to the mother of Ryan's friend. She takes great pictures.

The kids put on a fashion show for Steve and I. They had a great time pretending to walk down a runway and give us their cutest and silliest poses.

This was the picture we ended up using for our Christmas card this year. Emily's pants aren't the best but her intended dress didn't fit, and her on-the-ball mommy (NOT) didn't come up with a plan B. I didn't realize she didn't have appropriate pants for this sweater. She also wouldn't cooperate and kneel like the rest of the kids did. But, I think the picture turned out well. They tried their best not to squint!

It's time for me to attend to my household duties now. Ryan is home sick today. He has the sniffles and with the cold weather, I didn't want him to be out there and get worse. He has to try to be at school tomorrow for his class Christmas party.

Some of my to-do's today are:

laundry

menu for tonight ( I was bad and didn't do my plan for the week) :(

tackle cleaning out my closet (big job!)

Have a nice day, everyone!

O Adonai (Lord) December 18

O Adonai (Lord), and leader of the house of Israel, you appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come, and with an outstretched arm, redeem us.

O come, O come, thou Lord of Might,

Who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

In ancient times didst give the law

In cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

O Antiphons December 17

As we get closer to Christmas, I've wanted to keep my eyes focused on the Reason for the Season, Jesus, so I'm incorporating these O Antiphons into my prayer time. The first one begins today.



O Sapienta, ( O Wisdom), you came forth from the mouth of the Most High and reaching from beginning to end, you ordered all things mightily and sweetly. Come and teach us the way of prudence.

O Come, O Wisdom from on high,

Who order all things mightily,

To us the path of knowledge show,

And teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to the, O Israel!

From Catholic Culture:

O Antiphons - December 17 - 24
December 17 marks the beginning of the "O" Antiphons, the seven jewels of our liturgy, dating back to the fourth century, one for each day until Christmas Eve. These antiphons address Christ with seven magnificent Messianic titles, based on the Old Testament prophecies and types of Christ. The Church recalls the variety of the ills of man before the coming of the Redeemer.

The "O" Antiphons are the verses for the ancient hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel. The first letter of the Messianic titles: Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia—spell out Latin words ERO CRAS, meaning, "Tomorrow, I will come."

To read more about the O Antiphons, check here and here.

What's Up Over Here

We had lots of rain here since the middle of the night and it's just about let up now. It was raining hard when I took the kids to school. Traffic was surprisingly light and we made it fine. We are so not used to the heavy rain. My kids thought school would be cancelled! I told them no chance. If it ever snowed here, maybe, but not for rain!

I had to go out and head to Costco and make our photo Christmas card on site. Normally I can do all that from home but something is wrong with the computer and it will not allow me to upload any pictures. Until I can figure out what's wrong, I don't have any photos to share!

Ryan's Christmas program went very well. His class sang Go Tell It On the Mountain and they did a wonderful job. When he first got out there, I thought he was going to cry, but no, he started smiling in no time. After each class performed (Kindergarten through 3rd grade), they all came out at the end to sing Silent Night in Spanish. All the classes sang well. I wish we could have sat closer so I could take some pictures, but we were way in the back. Ryan would have just been a dot.

On Saturday, Kathryn played in her last game of the season, a playoff game. Her team lost, but they played well. Kathryn will be skipping soccer in the spring and just play for her school basketball team. That's fine by me.

The rest of the day was spent at home trying to tidy up the house, catch up on the never-ending laundry pile, and sort through never-ending piles of paper clutter.

Emily and Kathryn worked on some crafts. Emily is all into drawing pictures and then making stories about what she drew. She is also enjoying cutting out her pictures with her little kid scissors.

I have put Kathryn in charge of decorating our little basket where our Christmas cards that we receive will go. She loves to create, so I'll be interested to see what she comes up with.

On Sunday, we took some pictures of the kids to be used for our Christmas card. The city next to ours has a traffic circle, roundabout, whatever you want to call it, that displays a huge creche, Santa, Snowman, and Christmas tree. They used to display a Menorah, but I didn't see that this time. Anyway, we took some pictures with all the displays, and we chose to use one taken in front of the creche. I'll post a picture when the computer allows me to.

Before I have to run, I want to acknowledge some awards that I received a while ago and am just now posting about it. Forgive me, ladies. I do appreciate it!

First, thank you to Cathy from A Bit of the Blarney for this one:

And thank you to Julieann at My Daily Life as a Wife and Mother for this one:

And with that, I'm off to unload the dishwasher and mop the floor! It needs it badly!

Hello There!

I'm just now able to sit down and make a post! Life has been busy, busy.

So many things are going on at the kid's school. Last week, Kathryn spent three days trying out for the girls basketball team (5th & 6th graders). She made the team! She's so excited and we are all excited for her! We've been shopping for the needy families that Kathryn and Ryan's classes have adopted.

Tonight is Ryan's Christmas program. Of course, procrastinator that I am, I waited for the last minute to think about what he will wear. Clothes were all set, but I forgot that he had outgrown his good shoes. Last night we went to Sears to look for some shoes. We found some that he liked, but they didn't have his size. So I told him I would go out today to find the same ones but at a different store. Luckily, I found his size today! We are all set to go.

I hope we get there early enough to get good seats, but chances are slim. The hall fills up pretty quick and I don't want to get there so early that Emily gets impatient and we have to leave.

I still have major Christmas shopping to do, but I hope to get a lot of it done this weekend. I so admire all you ladies who get your shopping done early. I hope to join you some year. :)
But for now, I'll try not to panic!

I've got to go now, got to get everyone ready for show tonight!

What A Wonderful World

Yesterday, while driving in the car, I heard this song in the midst of twenty-four hours of Christmas music on the radio station.

I can't help but get a smile on my face while listening to this song. Right away it puts things in perspective in my mind.

God made this beautiful, wonderful world. In spite of terrible economic woes, constant stories of terrorism and all the bad things that go on in this world, life is still beautiful and precious. God is still on the throne, we are still held in His hand. Take the time to appreciate all the beautiful gifts he has given us. Stop and smell the roses. Notice the intricacies of that flower or plant. Notice the beauty and endless expanse of the sky. Hear the sweet songs of the birds as they go about their business gathering food.

And then let's appreciate and love the people that God has placed in our lives. Because that's what it's all about - LOVE!

I hope this song puts a smile on your face as it does to mine!

Book Meme

I was tagged for this meme by Tracy:



I'm supposed to find the book closest to me, turn to page 56 and type out the 5th sentence and then two to five more sentences after that.



The book closest to me right now is, The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.



Page 56, sentence five and a few more after that: Only in a gown. A tight gown." The blonde leaned over to whisper in Georgia's ear. "And we won't hesitate to play up my decolletage, will we? Show it off a bit."



I haven't actually started reading this book yet. The title seemed pretty interesting since I like to knit. I haven't updated my sidebar to show what I'm reading right now, but I am doing some reading here and there. Let's see, aside from the above mentioned book, I have:

Love Takes Wing - Janette Oke
Love Finds a Home - Janette Oke

These are the 7th and 8th books in the Love Comes Softly series. I'm just loving these books. I love the old-fashioned values that are depicted, the way the women took care of their families and homes, and just the simpler way of life.

When Calls the Heart - Janette Oke

This is the first book in another prairie series. I hope it's as good as the other one.

These books are due back at the library in two weeks. I don't know if I'll have them read by that time. With all the Christmas preparation that will be going on, I'm not too sure. I may have to renew some of them.

As you can tell, I'm in my light fiction reading phase right now. My brain can't sink into the more deep spiritual insight books right at this moment, although I should take the time to find one to read during this Advent season. I need to focus myself and my family on the "reason for the season."

Saturday

Thanksgiving Day was very nice. It was a nice time of visiting with my brother and sister-in-law. But I must say....I did miss the turkey! The burgers were good and all the food was good, but I miss the leftovers!! So...I'm cooking a turkey tomorrow! And I'm going to make stuffing, too! And I'm going to make a pumpkin pie! I guess it's sort of like another Thanksgiving.



I didn't hit any sales yesterday. I don't like the huge crowds. Besides, I don't yet have my gift list made out, so there was no sense in just wandering around. I'm not much of a window shopper, so I just puttered around the house.



I did find my Advent wreath! It was buried in a high storage cupboard in my bedroom, way in the back. I had to empty out all the junk from the front so I could take a peak. I'm glad I found it so I wouldn't have to pay for another one. I have the candles, but I would like to go to the craft store and find some greenery to put around it. It's kind of bare right now.

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and are enjoying your long weekend!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

Gratituesday

On this Gratituesday, I am grateful for:

--Grocery stores that offer food aplenty

---A car that runs well and is reliable

---Warm covers at night for me and my family

---Lower gas prices

---That Ryan is better

---Christmas music that evokes warm memories

---Another day of life

---The family that the Lord has blessed me with

If you would like to share in Gratituesday, please visit Laura!

Monday

Ryan was sick this weekend with a stomach bug. The school called me Thursday to say that he had thrown up so off I went to go pick him up. Once home, he was queasy for the rest of the day, got a fever, but didn't throw up any more, even though he was close to doing it a couple of times. The rest of the weekend, he slowly started to feel a little more normal, but still had a little stomach crampiness. I kept him home today as I didn't want him to have a relapse and miss his class Thanksgiving party tomorrow.

Our Thanksgiving will be a little nontraditional this year. Every year we go to my brother's house and this year will be the same. However, this year we well forgo the turkey and eat BBQ burgers! My kids were like, "Huh? No turkey?" I actually don't mind that we won't be having the turkey. My brother and sister-in-law are both having a particularly stressful/busy year at school (they both teach) and this will be one less thing to stress over. We don't need the picture perfect Thanksgiving. Just sharing the meal will be what counts.

I probably will still buy a turkey. We love the leftovers!

After Thanksgiving I will begin to think about Christmas. I need to make out my lists of things to do and buy. But first, I need to dig out my Advent wreath. That will probably be tricky as it's not where I thought it was. I have the candles, but not the wreath.

Weather wise, it's finally getting cold around here. We've been having lots of warm weather and I was beginning to wonder if we would ever see the Fall. I guess we'll have a short Fall and head right into Winter. We are expecting rain tonight or tomorrow. I hope it comes and is not a false report. I love being home when it's raining cats and dogs.

That's it for now!

Menu Plan

I meant to post this yesterday, but I got busy running errands and trying to catch up on the endless laundry pile.



As usual, I've been winging it on fixing dinner. That's never good when you're trying to provide healthier food and less processed stuff.

So, I've eased back into the swing of menu planning with some easy meals:



Monday was Chicken a la King and a salad. This was the first time making this and it turned out delicious. I'll be making it again.


Tuesday - Spaghetti, salad, French bread


Wednesday - Herbed Lentils and Rice, salad

Thursday - Shepherd's Pie, salad

Friday - Pizza, chicken wings, salad

Saturday - Sirloin steaks, roasted potatoes, veggies

Sunday - Baked chicken, rice, salad

Hopefully, I can stick with this plan, but usually some changes take place. But at least I have a plan!

Proud Emily

Our Miss Emmy had her final soccer game last Saturday. She was sad to see the season end, but loved that she got to attend her first end of season team pizza party.

I neglected to take decent pictures of her at the party with her trophy. ( I am having a war with my camera, so I'm not doing well with the picture taking)! But I had to have a picture of her with her trophy for the blog so here is the one I took of her at home, without her uniform, but at least she's posing good and has the trophy in her hands. She doesn't care that the trophy is of a boy! Don't blind yourself with Steve's BRIGHT yellow car in the background. :)

You'll notice she's also hugging her newest pal, Katy. She loves duckies, and this one she even gets to feed with a little bottle.

I mentioned being at war with my camera. It has this delay mechanism or something so that when I push the shutter button, it doesn't take the picture right away. I have to keep pushing the button a couple of times before it shoots. By that time, the kids have blinked, looked away, or something and the picture turns out awful. It also switches back to live mode while I'm going through the menu and looking through the previous pictures. It's just doing quirky things like that.

Now I'm kind of itching to get a new one. I'd like one that has better zoom capabilities, especially to shoot action shots of the kids while they're playing in their games. I think the cameras I'm thinking about are the higher priced ones. The ones that have the lenses that you attach. The ones that aren't in my budget. I guess I'll have to save up. I'm practicing being content with what I have for now.

Ryan went to the dentist yesterday. He had a good report, other than he may need orthodontic work at a later date - way later, I hope. He has a small jaw, and when his new teeth come in they just may be too big for the little spacing that he has now. We'll have to see what it's like when the new ones start to come in. Next week, Kathryn and I have appointments. Since we are both on three month schedules, it seems like I'm always in that office, especially if I'm going in for reasons other than routine cleanings.

I'm looking forward to the weekend coming up. We just have Ryan's game to go to -- Yea! I think I'll work on some things around the house, then head out with Steve and the kids somewhere fun. Not sure where just yet.

Have a good day!

Yea! The Tooth Came Out!

Ryan finally lost his other front tooth! He looks so cute! This one was a stubborn one, but he was persistent, and finally pulled it out.

And he also got a haircut! Due to our busy schedule, he was way overdue for one. Today was early dismissal, so I was able to take him today.

Tomorrow, more soccer and a baseball game. Emily will play her last game for the season and then have the team pizza party. She's looking forward to that. Kathryn has two games that will end her regular season. However, she has a tournament to get ready for, then playoffs. This feels like the season that will never end! Ryan will also have a game tomorrow. Then one more next weekend, then he's done too...yippee!

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Tuesday

Over the weekend, we spent lots of time at the soccer and baseball fields. Glad to say that all three of the kids won their games. Ryan came out of his batting slump and finally made contact with the ball each time he came up. As fun as the games are, I can't wait for the seasons to end. I need a little break from all the practices and hustling here and there. I will so enjoy getting to sit back a little and do some reading or crocheting/knitting. But I think it'll be just in time for the holidays.



I've been spending lots of time going through the kids closets. There are lots of clothes to go through. I've been making a list of clothing items that the kids need due to growth spurts. I've been bagging items to go to the thrift store. Old, broken toys are getting tossed and those that aren't used very often are going to the garage.

One of the things on my To-Do list is to go through my email folder and delete, delete, delete. I have so many newsletters from different groups that I fully intend to read but never get around to because of time limitations. For many of them, I think I'm just going to go in and unsubscribe. I also have a lot of those that come from Netflix that say, "We have received (insert name of DVD)". I tend to keep those, just in case they come back later and say, "We never received such and such DVD"! Well, of course, that hasn't happened, so I'm going to just delete all those. Then I have all the newsletters from Borders bookstore. I keep those because I want to read about all the latest books coming out. But honestly, my To Be Read list is long enough as it is. So, those will be deleted. I hope to have a clutter free inbox soon!

Ryan lost another tooth. His two front teeth were loose but were very stubborn about coming out. Luckily, a school friend of his was playing tag, and accidentally hit Ryan in the mouth. But only one tooth got knocked out. The other one is still hanging on. I keep reminding him to wiggle that tooth. I hope it's not there much longer. I can't seem to get myself to be the one to pull it out.

I made a menu plan for this week but I've already had to alter it. We will be going out to eat with Steve's visiting sister and brother-in-law tomorrow night so that will change the plan a little. I hope to post my interesting (hee hee) menu plan later.

CATHOLIC VOTE 2008

I will be joining in an Election Novena. Read about it HERE.

Photos

I thought I'd share some random photos that were taken within the past couple of months.

Emily enjoying her orange at her soccer game.

When we went on our weekend getaway last month, Kathryn got a makeover at a popular tween store. She felt so grown-up and glamorous.

This was on the Monorail at Dis*neyland.

Ryan celebrated a birthday last month and this shot shows his little cake with some candles lit. He is not standing with the cake because he gets a little scared with lit candles. I don't know why. It's not like something caught on fire one year after lighting a birthday cake or we burned ourselves lighting the candles. Maybe he thinks that by blowing, the fire will catch something on fire. When we ask him, he just says he doesn't like lighting candles. Oh well, I'm sure he'll get over it sometime. I don't remember if he blew the candles out after a lot of cajoling or if we let Kathryn and Emily blow them out.

I will leave with this wonderful shot of Steve. He loves reggae music, so I thought this would be an appropriate shot!

Has It Been That Long?

I guess so. I've just been busy living life that I haven't had a chance to update.
Let me think about what's been going on.

Emily got hit with the stomach flu. That's always fun. Of course I didn't have any warning. She just woke up in the middle of the night throwing up. Thank the Lord that the rest of us didn't catch it.

I had to have a crown put on my tooth. I have a temporary right now so I return to the dentist on Monday for the permanent one. I was having quite a bit of pain being that my nerve is near the surface of the tooth. The pain would even travel to my temple. Sometimes food would accidentally move to that side of my mouth and OUCH! Lots of pain. But this week, the pain has pretty much disappeared. I'm glad about that.

Been doing a lot of running around taking my retainer ( I wear it every night) to the dental lab that's making the crown. They need it to make sure that it will fit when I get the crown. They needed it a couple of times. They've tried to just keep it for a day or two at a time so I wouldn't be without it for long.

Tomorrow I need to get a pumpkin for Emily's Daddy and Me date at her preschool. She's so looking forward to this. I guess she and Steve will be carving a pumpkin and putting some decorations on it.

I also need to spend the day folding laundry. That's one chore that is never ending. I always seem to have laundry baskets full of clean clothes waiting to get put away. I also need to sweep the patio and our porches. We've had the Santa Ana winds for the past couple of days and the porches are full of leaves and twigs and dirt and whatever else the wind has blown our way.

Now I'm going to bed and just chill!

Have a good day, everyone!

Award

I was so graciously given this nice award by Suzy at Sailing By Starlight and Tracy at A Catholic Mom in Minnesota. I'm so sorry it took me this long to acknowledge it here on my blog, ladies.

I need to answer the following questions with one word answers, then pass this award on to seven others.


1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Where is your significant other? bedroom
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? comforting
5. Your father? deceased
6. Your favorite thing? homemaking
7. Your dream last night? weird
8. Your dream/goal? security
9. The room your in? bedroom
10. Your hobby? reading
11. Your fear? cancer
12. Where do you want to be in six years? home
13. Where were you last night? practice
14. What you're not? tall
15. One of you're wish list items? counters
16. Where you grew up? California
17. The last thing you did? dishes
18. What are you wearing? PJ's
19. Your TV? on
20. Your pet? none
21. Your computer? loud
22. Your mood? distracted
23. Missing someone? yes
24. Your car? dirty
25. Something your not wearing? watch
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? busy
28. Love someone? definitely
29. Your favorite color? lavender
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? Thursday

I love all the blogs on my blogroll and so many others that I'm just discovering, but I will start with these. I know many of you already received this, but I'm sending it on anyway!


Julieann

Mrs.L

Therese

Laura

GrandmaK

Jane

Kimberly

The REAL Gumby Intro

I've been watching some Gumby episodes that I used to always watch when I was a kid. They're kind of silly now, but I loved them back then.

Homemaking Meme

I saw this on Tracy's blog, A Catholic Mom in Minnesota, a while ago and I wanted to do it.



Aprons-Y/N? No. I have some but I don't wear them. They're not very stylish and I just don't like to wear them. I'm also not in the habit. I would like to, though. If I ever get the sewing bug back, I could make some that I'd like to wear.



Baking - Favorite thing to bake: Chocolate cake



Clothesline - Y/N? No.



Donuts - Have you ever made them? I love donuts, but I've never made them.



Everyday - One homemaking thing you do everyday: Wash dishes.



Freezer - Do you use a deep freeze? No.



Garbage Disposal - Y/N? Yes. Use it all the time.



Handbook - What's your favorite homemaking resource? Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook and Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson. Although I have and use those books, I still frequently call my mom for great advice and tips.



Ironing - Love it or hate it? Hate it.



Junk Drawer - Y/N? Yes. Located in the laundry room.



Kitchen - color and decorating scheme: all white, quite plain, needs new paint job



Love - what is your favorite part of homemaking? knowing I'm serving my family, making a nice home for them



Mop - Y/N? Yes. Once a week. Sometimes more when the kitchen floor looks extra dirty.



Nylons - machine or hand wash? I hardly wear them, but when I do, I machine wash them in the delicate cycle inside a little laundry bag.



Oven - Do you use the window or open the oven to check? Early in the baking time, I use the window. When the food is close to being done, I open the door.



Pizza - what do you put on yours? ground beef and cheese, sometimes olives



Quiet - what do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? Mostly read (books or blogs) or watch one of my Netflix rentals.



Recipe card box - Y/N? No. My recipes are kept in a 3 ring binder



Style of house - I don't know the style. Just a regular house, one story, 3 bedrooms, formal dining room.



Tablecloths and Napkins? Don't use a tablecloth. We use paper napkins.



Under the kitchen sink - organized or toxic wasteland? Pretty well organized.



Vacuum - how many times per week? Whole house once a week. Some areas are vacuumed more often as needed.



Wash - how many loads of laundry do you do per week? I do 2 loads a day.



X's - Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off? Definitely.



Yard - Who does what? I do it all, except we do have a gardener who mows the lawn and trims the bushes.



ZZZ - What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed? Last minute tidying up in rooms, laying out clothes for the next day.

Friday

Today I was able to accomplish quite a bit. Emily was in school, so I got to work and had to do it quick. I did my laundry and even got the clothes put away. Usually, I do the laundry and the clean clothes stay in a basket for a LONG time! We end up pulling the clothes out of the basket, doing a quick ironing job and putting them on. Doesn't make for stress-free living, but what can I say, we are definitely not always a smooth running machine here. So, I was quite pleased that the clothes were put away. Little things like that give me satisfaction.

I thought I was going to have a major chore today. Yesterday, Emily had soccer practice, but I could only find one soccer shoe. I could not find the other one, so she just had to wear her regular tennis shoes. For practice that is OK but not for the real game, which is tomorrow. So I had to tackle the BIG job of cleaning out her closet and soon. There is so much junk in there, I was ready with the trash bags because I knew I would be finding lots of things to just toss. I emptied out the shoe rack (more like a crate), put aside some shoes that don't fit her anymore, but no missing soccer shoe. I pulled out all her stuffed animals, and lo and behold, there is her missing shoe! It was buried under the pile of stuffed animals. I was so glad I didn't have to dig further into the closet. I cleaned out half of her closet and decided to do the rest next week. Lots of stuff will get tossed or stored in the garage. There is just too much in that closet.

I finally got my recent pictures uploaded onto the computer. I'll have to post some pictures on another post. I have a few from last weekend's marathon of games. It was a little hectic, but not as bad as I thought it would be. Ryan and I did manage to see Kathryn's game and he wasn't too tired. I still don't like the three games in one day, but I suppose we'd manage.

Emily's team would have won if score was kept. There is no official score keeping. They just go out there to have some fun. Emily scored 4 goals, and all for her team, not for the other team like she did the week before, LOL! Kathryn's team won, I don't remember the score, but it was a shutout.....I think. Ryan's team lost.

This weekend is another round of games, two on Saturday and one on Sunday.

My two DVD rentals for this weekend are: Love is a Choice (the life of St. Gianna Beretta Molla) and Gumby Essentials (sure to bring back lots of memories).

Have a wonderful weekend!

Huh!

Your 80s Hunk Is

Bill Gates

Who's" Your 80s Hunk?

Oh my gosh! How can this be? Must have been the nerdy answers I gave. I thought I would get someone like Harrison Ford, or Tom Cruise. Or maybe even Rick Springfield or Scott Baio. But Bill Gates? I guess I'm not as cool as I thought I was! LOL! Then again, he has the last laugh. Revolutionizing the technological world and being the richest dude in America and all that!

H/T: Cmerie

Catching Up

Well, I'm taking a break right now. I got quite a bit done while Emily was in pre-school today. I was able to quickly do my morning routine (compared to other days) and make a trip to the grocery store.



I have to admit that I love the little bit of free time I get when she's at school. I've been real good so far and have not squandered my time. She goes to school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for three hours. I think it's perfect for her and for me. She gets to have new play adventures and gets practice at being in a school structure with the rules and social setting. I get a little free time to slow down just for a bit and not have my brain split in so many directions.



So far, Emily just loves going to school. She gets so excited that she forgets to tell me bye when I drop her off at her class. After I sign her in, I take a quick peek in the classroom to tell her goodbye again and she's just so busy doing her thing. I'm glad she doesn't have any separation anxiety. I had a tough time with Kathryn & Ryan. Until a couple weeks into it, they would cry or just give me that quivering lip that would break my heart.

Kathryn scored her first ever goal in soccer last weekend. This is her fourth season playing, I think, so it's been a long wait for that first one. The grin on her face was priceless. I wish I would have had my camera, but of course, I didn't. I desperately need to upload pictures. Mini vacation shots, game shots, and first day of school shots are still waiting in the camera.

Tonight we're heading out to a spaghetti dinner at the older kids' school. It should be a fun event. Aside from a delicious dinner, there will be raffles and a movie . I hope I can stay awake. I've been waking up around 5:45 every morning to start the day so, of course, I get sleepy earlier.

Tomorrow will be a tiring day. We have three games!! Emily has a soccer game at 12:00. Kathryn's game is at 3:00 and Ryan has one at 6:30. I'm thinking of keeping Ryan home from Kathryn's game so he can rest before his. I think it will be a little too much. Oh yeah, I have to provide snacks for two of the games. I'm getting tired thinking of all this. Maybe, if I remember, I'll take some pictures throughout the day and make a post. I don't know. I tell ya, I'm tired thinking about tomorrow.

Well, I don't have time to be tired right now. I'm off to pick up Kathryn & Ryan from school.

Blessings to everyone!

Busy!

Just a quick note to say sorry I haven't posted anything lately. I've been super busy. Sports practices here and there. Sports pictures to be taken. Games to go to. Snacks to get for said games. Order forms for fundraisers to fill out. Well-visits/immunizations to take care of.
And Emily begins pre-school on Monday (sniff-sniff)! I'm going full throttle!

Blessings to all of you and I'll catch up with all of you when I catch my breath!

Award

I'm sorry that I haven't acknowledged this sooner, but thanks to Tracy, A Catholic Mom in Minnesota, I've been awarded this:

I so appreciate all the comments that I receive. I love to hear what your thoughts are. I still find it hard to believe that anyone would care to read what I have to say. But I hope that someone can relate to something I share or chuckle at something. So thanks to all of you who stop by and leave your thoughts!

With that, I will pass this on to :

Jane

SuzyQ

GrandmaK

Laura

If you've already received this, consider yourselves doubly blessed!

The Quirky Meme

It's taken me some time, but I'm finally getting to this one. Thanks for the tag, Suzy & GrandmaK!

I'm supposed to mention 6 quirks of mine. So here goes. After this, I guess you'll think me weird!

1. I don't like when people place their bare feet up on the dashboard of the car when riding in the passenger seat. I don't like to see dry, cracked, yucky toenails out in full view for the world to see. Now if you have nicely manicured feet that's different. Those I don't mind so much! Needless to say, I practice what I preach. My not so nice feet don't see the light of day when I'm the passenger! LOL! By the way, is this a California thing or do you all like to put your feet up when riding in the passenger seat?

2. I'm a definite carb person. I have to restrain myself from eating all the bread, biscuits, tortilla strips, etc. that are placed at the table before the main meal. I try not to be greedy but sometimes it's difficult. When eating a slice of pie, I mostly eat the crust and if I could, would leave most of the fillings out. I've been known to just bake a crust with no intention of putting anything in it!

3. This probably should be placed in number 2, but I need more quirks to fill out the 6. I sometimes eat more of the dough in the chocolate chip cookie than the actual chocolate chips. Most people love all the chocolate in the cookies. Not me! I'd just as soon have a token 3 or 4 chips in the whole cookie. Isn't that weird? My poor kids get deprived when I make chocolate chips cookies!

4. I love to touch the fabric when going to the craft stores. Ditto for yarn in yarn shops. If it's a nice, fine, baby yarn, I'll even sneak a rub against my cheek!

5. I don't look at myself in the mirror at night. This mostly pertains to when I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I don't turn on the light, just using the little glow from the nightlight. I remember too many childhood horror stories, read too many horror books, seen too many horror movies, all that stuff. I'm always afraid of what I'll see in the mirror! YIKES!

6. I like to see the credits after all the movies I watch. Most of the time, Steve and I are the only ones left in the movie theatre after a movie ends. We have a running joke. Who will be the first one to see who the Key Grip is and who The Best Boy is.


So there you have it. It's freeing to confess some of my weirdness/quirkiness! I'm sure I have more, but I guess since it's me, I don't think of it as weird.

Have a nice day everyone!

Back From Our Little Getaway!

We had a fun time on our little getaway and are sorry that it was so short, but it's nice to get away, even for just a little while.

We were able to get to Disneyland this year as it wasn't as hot as last year. It wasn't super crowded so we were able to take in a the rides without wasting time in long lines. The kids of course were so excited.

We swam in the hotel pool. It was a little cool to be swimming, but we had to take advantage of being there.

The rest of the time we just hung out and ate!

I haven't uploaded any pictures yet so I don't have any to share right now. That reminds me, I've been meaning to start organizing my pictures on the computer. Right now they are just organized into folders, but the pictures themselves are not tagged. I need to do that so that they are easy to find when I'm searching for a certain people, places, or whatever. Does anyone have any suggestions on good photo storage sites? I have a Photobucket account and also Flikr, but I've only put a few pictures in each and haven't really researched them to see what exactly I can do. What do you use?

So now I'm easing back into the routine of things. I did lots of laundry today. The loads are all washed but not many baskets have been folded and put away. That's not one of my favorite things to do. I must admit that after my morning routine was finished, I slacked off a bit. I got caught up watching some episodes of Heroes on DVD. I only intended to watch one episode but I got hooked. It's like reading a good book that you hate to put down! I think I ended up watching three episodes. Not good when your husband and children are starving!

Tomorrow is another day and I'll try to be better disciplined! :) Well, I'll have to be. I have to send these disks back to Netflix so I can get the next episodes!

Have a good week, everyone! I have a lot of catching up to do with all of you, so I hope to visit your wonderful blogs soon!