Craz4acop and Many Other Things

35 Weeks and Counting...

2009-06-04T22:55:00.003-05:00

Not much to report. Still feeling yucky so I'm not getting much accomplished...at ALL. My blood pressure is SLOWLY creeping up. It was 120/82 at my last appointment. (Normal for me is 100/60.) Anyway I go back to the Dr. on the 10th so I guess we'll see if anything has changed then.

The girls all started swimming lessons this week and are having a blast! I'm just glad their Daddy has been off most of the days they go to help shuffle them back and forth as their lessons are at two different times. The two little ones go at 9:30 in the morning and the oldest goes at noon. My mom has actually taken them the past two days as I'm afraid to drive by myself (still having bad headaches and occasionally attempts at fainting.) Anyway, the girls are really enjoying swimming. I'll have to try to post some pictures soon!

Vertically Challenged...

2009-05-15T15:38:00.002-05:00

Well, I went last Wed. for my routine 32-week Dr.'s appointment. I felt ..eh..okay..that morning when I got up. Not great, but not horrible. Anyway, Alan took the girls to school while I showered and got ready to go. When he got back, I drove myself to the doctor. I parked the car, got out and walked in, sat down in one of the chairs in the waiting room after signing in... and promptly felt like I was going to pass out. I felt myself growing hot from my feet to the top of my head and breaking out in a clammy sweat. The room started to go black with lovely purple and neon yellow splashes of color. I managed to get the attention of one of the other ladies in the waiting room who asked if I was okay. I said.."um no" and then was out like a light. She got the nurses and they bathed my face and neck w/ a cool cloth and broke some kind of ammonia capsule under my nose which popped me out of it quickly! Anyway, long story short...they ended up calling Alan to come get me and sending us to the hospital for monitoring. NOT great timing considering we were supposed to have met with the lawyers at 3 p.m. for the closing on our refinancing of the house. Alan ran around town collecting our various children from schools, picked up my mom who went back to get my car which had been left at the clinic, and dumped Mom and the girls off at home before heading to the hospital. We were there for about 5 hours during which time I was hooked up to fetal monitors and blood pressure monitors. They drew blood and did oxygen saturation tests. Then they shot me full of dye and ran a CT scan to look for possible blood clots. It was NOT a fun "Mommy day." After all of that, all of the tests came back normal with the exception of my sodium and iron levels being slightly low. Basically I had every symptom of high blood pressure (dizziness, shortness of breathe, headaches, nausea, swelling) w/o actually having high blood pressure. (Mine was 114/70 compared to my norm of about 100/60.) So...we were sent home and I was essentially told to sit on my rear and do as little as possible for the next seven weeks and not to drive unless I absolutely have to. Well...with two kids at two different schools and a hubby who works 12-hour shifts, that's not exactly feasible. *sighs*

Nasty Weather

2009-05-04T15:41:00.002-05:00

Well, we're still in one piece. Several strong walls of storms moved through our area yesterday and last night. One front just a few miles to our north, and there was another just a few miles to the South of us. We had no major damage on our end of town, but pretty much all of the Southern end lost power. There were several downed trees and shingles torn off roofs. One of the gas stations lost it's big bubble-globe signs, and the awning was ripped off the front of the Subway sandwich shop. We got some heavy rain, wind, and hail here but nothing near what others are reporting. Alan was stuck at work during the storm -- in the sally-port actually. He said it was like being caught in a carwash when the front moved through, with the wind whipping around in all directions. All in all, our town came through with very minor damage. I just saw on the news where a small town in Kansas was completely wiped out with the exception of twelve homes. Our prayers are with all those people left homeless!

I Almost Deleted This Blog Today...

2009-05-04T00:14:00.003-05:00

And then I started to read from the archives. So many things I had already forgotten. So many bittersweet memories saved in digital cyberspace. It's been well over two years since I have posted to this blog. A lot has changed, yet a lot remains the same. I clicked a few links, visited some old friends. Some were still where I left them and some have obviously moved on. Was happy to see that "Ben" from "Married in Minnesota" is still busily blogging away. Thanks for inspiring me NOT to hit that delete button. Instead, I think I will try to commit to blogging again when I can. Surely I can do better than once every two years! LOL My only question is..where do I start? Suggestions? Ben? Anyone?

My Little Trick-or-Treaters

2006-11-10T10:11:00.000-06:00

Bekah -Bug's 1st Halloween (we didn't take her out last year as she was only 4 weeks old!)

Caitie the bride!

And last but not least...Ashy the Ballerina Princess!

27 and Counting....Backwards from Now On!

2006-10-30T21:20:00.000-06:00

Well, today I turned 27. I decided that I am now qualified to start counting birthdays backwards from now on. So next year..I get to be 26 again! What? What do you mean it doesn't work that way!?!? It HAS to!!! LOL

Went out to lunch w/ my Mom and Sister. They bought me some nice tennis clothes for my b'day present. YEA!!! I don't have to freeze my rear off when I play my last Fall League match next Wed. night!

Going to call it a night early tonight though, I think. Hubby and I have to go to kindergarten with our oldest daughter tomorrow to watch the Costume Parade and help out with the Fall Festival/Halloween Party games. We'll get home just in time to eat lunch, let the girls take a nap, and get ready to take a bride, a ballerina, and a ladybug trick-or-treating! I'll try to post some pics as soon as the replacement USB cable for my camera comes in!!!

Baby Bug Turns ONE!

2006-09-29T17:56:00.000-05:00

Well, Wednesday my youngest daughter turned one! It was both a happy and sad time. I can't believe my baby is a year old already! So sad to think that she might be the last baby and she's already growing up too fast. She had a great time though, opening her presents (with her big sisters' help of course) and eating her first birthday cake! (I'm hoping she will save THAT diaper for her Daddy! LOL).

Playing with her new doll!

Bekah's 1st B'day Cake...made by yours truly!

Yummy!

School Pic

2006-09-07T14:31:00.000-05:00

Thought I would drop in for a moment and share my oldest baby's school picture. We just got these back today and I am so happy! I love them!

I'm Still Alive

2006-08-15T13:05:00.000-05:00

OMG, I cannot believe that I have not made a blog entry here since May. Especially since I am frequently online...off and on. I can usually be found hanging out over at www.paperbackswap.com though. Even when I'm not hunting for books, I'm there playing the games, participating in swaps, and chatting in the chat rooms. So much has happenend in the last few months that it will take me several entries to get caught up. My summer babies had their birthdays, we went to the beach, my oldest started 5-yearl-old Kindergarten, and there was a goat...yes you read that right.... a GOAT in my kitchen. LOL Give me a chance to get things organized in my head, and I will start trying to update. Hope all my blogger buddies are doing well. I know I have a lot to catch up on in your lives too! :)

Coming Out of the Closet... LOL

2006-05-31T22:12:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's that time again. YARD SALE time. So for the past week I have been methodically moving from room to room in my house going through dresser drawers, digging under beds, and bulldozing through closets removed the old, unwanted, and outgrown items that seem to multiply when no one is looking. We have only been in this house a year (next month to be precise) and I cannot believe how much junk we have managed to accumulate! Where did it all come from? I have finished my oldest daughter's room and have battled about 95% of the way through the middle daughters room. Already I have removed 5 large black trash bags full of outgrown clothes, and three garbage bags full of toys! My kids are growing faster than I can keep up with them! The baby is 8 months old now and really starting to get into her baby food and toys! In fact, she has outgrown her infant car seat. So I'm hoping that I will make enough money from the yard sale to buy her a new carseat and a high chair. I'm getting tired off feeding her on my lap. Strawberries and bananas is suprisingly difficult to remove from MY hair! I just hope it has some kind of conditioning benefits! LOL

Family Funnies - part 1

2006-05-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

(Caitlyn – age 4 & Ashlyn – age 2)

“The Imaginary Bicycle”
One morning I was sitting at my computer desk in the den when I heard an awful commotion in the hallway. “Girls!” I yelled. “What in the world is going on?” “Mommmmeeee” Caitlyn yelled. “Ashy stoled my imaginary bicycle and she won’t give it back!!!” I got up and looked, and sure enough, Ashlyn was riding an imaginary bicycle down the hall! “Well Caitie,” I said. “If it’s an imaginary bicycle, just imagine yourself another one!” “But Mommmeee…” came the reply. “I don’t want another bike..I want THAT one!”

“The Treadmill”
The girls and I had stopped at Nana and Papa’s house to visit on a Thursday that Chris was working security for the Nascar race in Talladega. Mom and Dad have several pieces of exercise equipment out in their sun room, and the girls like to play on it – especially the big workout ball and the mini trampoline. It was getting close to time for lunch, and Ashlyn was complaining about being hungry. I had already told the girls that we would stop at McDonald’s on the way home to get a Happy Meal. So when Caitie asked Nana what one of the pieces of exercise equipment was called, Nana said, “that’s a treadmill.” Ashlyn…who was sitting in Nana’s lap at the time, piped up and said “I don’t want a treadmill… I want a CHICKEN meal!”

“It’s Potty Time”
We were so excited when Ashlyn (soon to be 3 yrs old) finally decided that she was ready to use the “big girl potty.” She had made up her mind that she was done with diapers. One day while she was playing she jumped quickly to her feet and ran down the hall towards the kids’ bathroom, yelling “Move, I need to make a dirty!” Needless to say, we all quickly got out of her way. I headed towards the bathroom to provide assistance… when she suddenly stopped in her tracks, and headed back to her room. “Oh…wait a minute.” She said. She quickly returned to the bathroom with something in her hands. It was her Baby Animals board book, which she promptly laid on the back of the toilet before taking her seat.

“Where’s the Dog?”It was a quiet afternoon and the girls were lying on the floor in the den, coloring and drawing while I worked at my desk. Every once in a while, I glanced down to see the progress they had made on their pictures. Our oldest daughter (who is 4) had done a commendable job drawing a sun, clouds, some birds, a tree, a doghouse, grass, and what I thought to be a hole in the ground (maybe for a chipmunk or some such creature). When she finished her drawing, she came to show it to me. “Look at what I drew Mommy!” she said. I once again took note of her picture before replying “that’s great baby… but what happened to the dog?” “Oh!” she says. “He ran off…” Then, pointing to what I thought was a hole in the ground she continued… “but he left his poop behind!”

Busy, Busy Busy

2006-04-30T12:57:00.000-05:00

Hey Guys and Gals,
No, I have not fallen off the face of the Earth, but face it folks... with three kids under 4 years old...I'm a busy little bee. (As blogging buddies Sydney and Ben certainly know.) My youngest is now 7 months old and well...she's not quite sleeping as much as she used to. She spends a good portion of her day awake now, and seems to be under the impression that Mommy's sole purpose in life is to provide her with entertainment. LOL She is at that difficult age where she needs to be stimulated, yet is not quite completely able to do it on her own. I hope that soon she will be able to sit up completely by herself. Right now, we can prop her up with pillows, etc. but's she's still a little too wobbly to maintain the position on her own, and she gets frustrated with lying around all the time. As a result of her demand on my time, other things have fallen by the wayside...housecleaning....laundry...blogging... Oh well. Maybe one day! :)

HAPPY EASTER!

2006-04-17T22:51:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter! Here's a pic of my little bunnies! :)

Cheap Entertainment

2006-03-30T18:35:00.000-06:00

Like most parents, I'm sure...I sure do get a kick out of my kids sometimes. I was trying to fix breakfast this morning, get my four year old dressed, and get things ready to take her to kindergarten when "Baby Bug" started crying. "Bugga bugga!" I shouted. "Go in there and talk to your sister until I can come get her!" So my two year old takes off down the hall to "rescue" her baby sister. Within a couple of minutes the crying stops. Within a few more...I hear gurgles and giggles. The baby is laughing her little butt off. I stop what I am doing and head down the hall to investigate this miraculous change in her temperment. Bugga Bugga is standing beside the baby bed tickling Baby Bug's feet and mumbling something. I listen closer and her my two -year old's modern rendition of "This Little Piggy":

This little piggy went to Walmart
This little piggy stayed home.
This little piggy ate peanut butter and jelly
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy went wee-wee in his britches...
All the way home.

No wonder Baby Bug was laughing so hard!!!

Home Again, Home Again...

2006-03-28T18:01:00.000-06:00

We just returned home late Saturday night (around 10:30) from our trip to Texas this past week. We were gone for 8 days. It took us an excruciating 14 hours to reach our destination. Imagine a 14 hour trip with a 4-year old, a 2-year old, and a 6-month old. Sounds fun huh? Now imagine that the 4 year old was HORRIBLY carsick and threw up about ever 10-15 minutes for the last 8 hours of the trip. Exactly! It was miserable. We had to stop several times, to clean her up, to bum plastic sacks from a convenience store, to stip her naked along the side of the road and change her clothes. I can't even begin to describe how frustrated we were. We did have a quite enjoyable time once we got to Houston though. We visited several different places, looked up an old friend of my husbands and saw his new home, drove down to Galveston for an afternoon - visited Moody Gardens and then walked along the beach for a few minutes. We stayed with Alan's parents in their new home. (They moved about the same time we did this summer.) Their new house is lovely with lots of room. They even have a small coy pond in the backyard which my 4-year old got a kick out of "fishing" in. I took the opportunity to visit several stores out there that are not available to us at home. We took another day and turned it into an all out excursion of the Katy Mall. That thing is so big that it actually has about 15 different "neighborhoods" and you could spend an entire afternoon in each one. The day before we returned home, we took the girls to visit the local area's park. It too was huge. (I guess everything really IS bigger in Texas). I'm used to our little rinky-dink parks around here where you are lucky if there is a slide and more than 2 swings. This park that we visited actually had paved roads with names within its boundaries. It had a HUGE playground with all sorts of equipment that made me wish I was a little kid again. It also had a small zoo that included: emu, a donkey, some sheep, some Texas longhorns, two buffalo, several varieties of parrots, some peafowl, two owls, a few goats, and a BIG pig. I couldn't belive that it was just open to the public for free. It had almost as many animals as our local zoo that costs us 25 bucks a piece to get into. Oh, and there was also a large pond with a little wooden bridge in the center where the girls got to feed bread to the ducks and geese. My two-year old (Bugga Bugga) was feeding one duck when another sneaked up on her and snatched the bread out of her other hand, nipping a few fingers in the process. "HEY! That duck duck BIT me..." she cried... "Stupid duck!" LOL

* Late Breaking News *

2006-03-09T19:08:00.000-06:00

OH MY GOSH! I'm so excited! My two year old all of a sudden decided that she wanted to use the big potty today. When she woke up from her nap this afternoon she said that she wanted to use the potty, so I put her little padded seat with handles ontop of the regular potty, helped her "wiggle wiggle wiggle" her pull-up panties down, and plopped her little naked bottom on the throne. Then I just left her alone. Walked out of the room to attend to the baby and in a few minutes I heard "MOMMY! I made tee tee come out of my bottom!" LOL Sure enough..she had done her business and was waiting on me to assist with the final paperwork. We had a miniature celebration in the bathroom after watching the potty flush and waving "bye bye" to tee-tee. Then she got to pick a treat out of the goody basket. Well, after that she went twice more in the big potty. Then tonight while we were getting ready for bed, she asked to go again. Her big sister assisted her in mounting the porcelain pony, and she sat and sat and sat. We yelled at her asking if she was okay and did she need help getting down. "Nope" came the reply. So we let her sit there. To be honest...I almost forgot about her. Then suddenly "Princess" starting yelling "Bugga Bugga" made a dirty in the potty! Sure enough..she had!!! All by herself with no coaching or encouragement! We made a big deal over her and told her that if she continues to go in the big potty all the time, that we will take her to Walmart and let her pick out her very own "big girl panties" with whatever cartoon character she wanted. That made her really excited. We tucked her into bed tonight with visions of "fruit of the looms" dancing in her head.

Surprisingly Painless...

2006-03-09T18:42:00.000-06:00

That's how I would describe my first (and hopefully only) experience having a root canal performed on my tooth today. I knew before I went to the dentist on Tuesday that I had a cavity in need of filling. It was one of those things that just kept getting put off. I'm sure you other Mommies out there know what I mean. First I was pregnant and didn't feel like dealing with any additional poking or prodding - no matter that only my mouth was involved. Then of course, the baby was born and I was pretty much quarenteened to the house with her until she was 8 weeks old. Then there were programs to attend at my daughter's kindergarten... and things just kept popping up that were more important that making that dentist's appointment. We are planning to go to Texas for Spring Break though, and so I decided that I wanted to have that tooth fixed before we left to go on our trip. Alan called and made the appointment for me since I had never been to that particular dentist before. We had recently decided to change dentists and Alan had been to him several times but Tuesday was my first visit. I absolutely loved my new dentist and his staff (at least as much as anyone can love a dentist! LOL ) However, I was shocked to discover that what I perceived to be a small cavity was actually a tooth in need of a root canal. I dreaded it for the 48 some odd hours between appointments, and then was tremendously relieved today when the procedure turned out to be totally painless. I turned down all medication other than the local anesthesia and opted out of a prescription for pain meds following the procedure, choosing instead to use Advil when necessary. It's been 11 hours since my appointment and I have yet to feel any pain. I even ate pizza for dinner! :)

Silly Ole Me!

2006-03-06T22:20:00.000-06:00

Hey All!
Thanks to a dear blogger buddy, I realized that when I changed my email address I failed to update it with my comment notification even though I changed it on my main blogger account. As a result, no one has been able to post comments to my blog lately. I was wondering what happened...if everyone just forgot me! LOL Thanks for the heads-up -A- and if anyone has tried to leave comments, please try again. They should be working now!!! :)

A Blinkie a Day?

2006-03-05T21:00:00.000-06:00

Well, a friend of mine suggested that I add some blinkies to liven up my blog a bit, so I am going to try to add at least one new blinkie per day to my sidebar. Er...that is as soon as I figure out how! LOL Feel free to email me any cute blinkies you find!

Cobwebs and Dustbunnies

2006-02-09T13:38:00.000-06:00

Now that I have finally RE-discovered my own blog, I am trying to do a bit of housecleaning. I have added the new mood indicators in my sidebar to the right, and have done some cleaning in my blog roll and have even added a few new (to me at least) and noteworthy blogs. Plus some that I have been meaning to add forever and have just not gotten around to. (Sorry Sydney!) I'm not very good with HTML and too broke to hire anyone to design me something cool, but I'd like a couple of jazzy or fun little additions. Does anyone have any ideas?

Time for a Nap!

2006-02-08T21:31:00.000-06:00

We got off to a rough start this morning and I think that it affected us all more than I previously thought. I could not wake "Big Sister" (the oldest one...my 4 year old) up for Kindergarten this morning. She always goes to bed by 8:00 pm, but she is still impossible to drag out of bed in the mornings. I literally pulled her limp little body out from under the covers and dressed her like she was a big ragdoll. Pushed her little zombie-booty down the hall to the kitchen where she proceeded to stare listlessly at her muffin and milk. After urging her to hurry up and eat, I abandoned her to go dress the other two and point them towards their breakfast, and then finally to dress myself. I don't mind driving her to school with the hair in a ponytail and no makeup, but I do prefer to at least have all the essentials covered. Not to mention the fact that it was 23 degrees outside when we got up this morning. Anyway, we finally made it to the Kindergarten (more than 15 minutes late). Good thing I got dressed because I had to take "Big Sister" in the front door, down the stairs where I shoved her towards her teacher and ran back to where I had temporarily abandoned the other two rugrats. Then I went to my Mom's where "Little Sister" and "Baby Sister" played until time to go back and pick "Big Sister" up. By the time we got home, everyone was tired and hungry. The girls ate their lunch (thank God for Wendy's 99 cent chicken nuggets) and played while I finished up my own. Suddenly I heard Big Sister crying in the hallway. "What is it this time?" I called. "Little Sister has my imaginary bicycle and she won't give it back!" came the reply. I got up and looked, and sure enough, Little Sister was riding an imaginary bicycle down the hallway, waving proudly. "*big sigh* If it's an imaginary bicycle, just imagine yourself another one..." I said. "But MOMMMMY, I want THAT one!!!!" I had to laugh. I mean really...when they start argueing over imaginary toys...it's time for ALL of us to take a nap! :)

Yes, I'm Still Alive...but Barely

2006-02-08T21:20:00.000-06:00

Hi All!
Yes, I'm still alive and bloggin'! I can't believe it's been this long since I logged in last, but then a lot has happened since Thanksgiving and I've been REALLY busy! Right after Thanksgiving, all the girls got sick, including the baby who at the time was only about 5 weeks old and WAY too young for over the counter meds. Actually, she developed an ear infection as a secondary to the cold she had the previous week. Fortunatly for us, it was one of the RARE ear infections that is NOT accompanied by a high fever. In fact, she never ran a fever at all. Praise God! For those of you with small kiddies, you are probably aware that for some reason it appears to be mandatory to run spinal taps on all babies who present with a fever under 8 weeks old to rule out spinal meninjitis and other nasties such as blood poisoning. We went through that with "Little Sister" - the two year old - when she was a baby and it was heartwrenching. Anyway, after they all recovered from their colds, of course it was Christmas. Alan had to work the entire time which means that I had to play the "elf" and do most of "Santa's" work for him. PLUS my entire family get-together was at MY HOME, so I was up for two days cooking and literally ended up going 36 hours with no sleep. After that I slept for about 20 hours straight. Then, a couple of weeks after that, my computer died. SOooo I'm just now up and running again. New computer....new wireless keyboard and mouse...new DSL service. NO MORE DIALUP!!!! HURRAY!!! I will close by stating that I missed you all and have been trying to catch up a bit on your blogs as well.

Happy Turkey Day Everyone!

2005-11-22T19:00:00.000-06:00

Hi all! I just wanted to take a few moments to say "Happy Thanksgiving" to everyone! While I am listing the things that I am thankful for over the holidays, be sure that I will be listing my online "blogging buddies" as well. May God bless you and your families! (And may you quickly lose those extra pounds that you KNOW you're going to gain!) LOL Sad but probably true. Especially in my case. Alan is off for Thanksgiving this year, so I will be cooking the noon meal and entertaining family at our house. While my mind reels with the amount of work to be done and food to prepare...my mouth is already watering at the thought of making all our favourite holiday dishes! Here's the starting lineup! *recipes available upon request!* LOL ;)

Roasted Turkey w/ Gravy
Slow-Cooker Stuffing
Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Green Bean & Corn Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole
Veg-all Casserole
Asparagus Casserole
Mashed Potatos
Orange Jello Salad
Devilled Eggs
Dinner Rolls
Blueberry Cobbler

YUMMY! YUMMY! YUMMY!

SO...So....sigh...TIRED!

2005-11-11T16:24:00.000-06:00

Okay guys, I am EXHAUSTED. I will admit that I actually slept in until 10:00 am this morning and it was devine! It's been a crazy month...well actually it started at the end of September when my third child was born. By the time we got home and I recovered from that experience, my oldest daughter came down with some kind of virus. She ran a low-grade fever and had a nasty cough. So we just administered over-the-counter cold and flu meds with Tylenol and she gradually got better. BUT...by the time she was recovering, the two-year old had come down with it and unfortunatly it seemed to hit her much harder. She ran a high fever. I'm talking 103.4. Had it gone up just 6 more tenths of a degree we would have had to take her to the hospital. It was really scary because she became somewhat lethargic and would barely respond to my talking to her. I scooped her out of her bed and tucked her in with me. Then I set the alarm clock to wake myself up in two-hour intervals at which times I alternately administerd Tylenol and Motrin around the clock until her fever finally broke at 5:30 in the morning. Now, during this time I was also giving the 4 yr old cough medicine every 4 hours and feeding the baby every 3 hours ....so I ended up staying awake all night long. Before I knew it 30 plus hours had passed before I got a chance to shut my eyes for a while. Then, as I'm sure you can guess...when the two year old got over the crud, the baby got sick. Now THAT was really scary. For those of you who may not know...if an infant under 8 weeks of age gets a high fever, they are automatically admitted to the hospital where they draw blood and run blood cultures to see if the fever has spread to their blood. They are also required to perform a spinal tap and draw spinal fluid from the spinal cord to check for meninjitis. If you have never experienced it with your kids..it's a TERRIBLE...HORRIBLE...SCARY...and PAINFUL process to be avoided at all costs! I went through it when Bugga-Bugga was seven weeks old and it was the worst thing I've ever experienced to this date. It's just so scary when a newborn gets sick because they are unable to take any kind of over-the-counter meds until they are at least 3 months old...and they can't blow their own nose..or tell you what hurts. She started with a cough and nasal congestion. I was really afraid it would settle in her lungs and cause pneumonia (which babies her size/age typically don't recover from). She was also having trouble eating. Partially because her nose was stopped up making it difficult to take a bottle, and sometimes if she did manage to get it down...she would throw it up 5-10 minutes later. Thank GOD, she never ran any fever. We ran a cool mist humidifier in our room where Baby Bug sleeps, and she slept upright in her swing at night rather than in her bassinet. We sprayed saline drops in her nose and used that horrible bulb syringe to suction out the congestion as best as we could. Because she is only 5 weeks old, there wasn't a whole lot we could do for her. I sat up around the clock by myself for three nights and days watching her just to make sure that she was breathing. Alan and I debated on whether or not to take her to the doctor for several days. (I wanted to ...he didn't). Finally I won (after breaking down, crying, and pitching a fit!) We took her to her pediatrician (whom I adore) about an hour's drive away. He was reallys surprised to discover that she had developed an ear infection. Usually with those, kids run high fevers. We were really blessed that so far she hadn't presented with one. He prescribed a shot of relatively strong antibiotics to hopefully knock out the infection before the fever came. And she is taking oral antibiotics twice a day in her bottle now. She seems to be feeling some better. At least she is eating and breathing better now. The doctor told us that she was throwing up as a result of the pain in her ear. It has been difficult to tell if she was hurting or not because she is such a good baby that she almost never cries. She has 7 days worth of antibiotics left to take, and then hopefully everyone will be bake to normal. I'm looking forward to getting some much needed/deserved rest. I haven't truly slept in three weeks!

Dance and Cheer the Sniffles Away!

2005-11-02T14:52:00.000-06:00

Well, despite the fact that my kids still had the sniffles, against my better judgement I allowed them to go trick-or-treating anyway. (Honestly, I just didn't want to hear them whine for days about how I didn't let them go when they've been looking forward to it all month! LOL) It turned out fine though. Princess dressed up as a ballerina, and she got to wear her costume to Kindergarten. I went to school with her to help out with her class's party. All the kids had a blast. I got some great pictures! I was one tired Mommy after helping all the 3 and 4 year olds at her school play the "Buried Treasure" game. There was a sandbox filled with sand and hidden prizes. Each child got a turn with a plastic shovel to dig for one buried treasure each. My job was to try and keep everything IN the sandbox, ensure that the kids didn't get greedy and get more than their share, or throw sand on the other kids, etc. Afterwards, we came home, ate lunch, and took a nap! Then it was time to get Princess (the ballerina) and Bugga-Bugga (who was a cheerleader) back into their costumes. (Baby Bug declined to dress-up this year...mainly because she was too little for the newborn costumes!) Alan and I took the girls to my grandmother's house and parked in her driveway so that we could go trick-or-treating around her neighborhood. I know just about everyone in her neighborhood and that is the most popular area for trick-or-treating in our town. We went about 5:00...as soon as it started to get dark because I didn't want the girls to be out long or to get cold. There is a big circle and a smaller circle in that area, and we just went around the smaller one. Probably visited about 10 houses or so, and then went back to my grandmother's where she was waiting on the girls with a bag of pumpkin shaped sugar cookies for each of them. They had a good time, and so far no one is any worse for the exposure to the weather.

Another Year Older....and Hopefully Wiser

2005-10-30T13:48:00.000-06:00

Yep! Today is my birthday. I am officially 26. Guess I can admit to that. At least until I hit 30, then I'm tempted to start counting backwards. Here are a few other "famous" people who share my birthday:

Fydor Dostoevsky - Oct. 30, 1821
Ezra Pound - Oct. 30, 1885
Ted Williams - Oct. 30, 1918
Henry Winkler - Oct. 30, 1945
Harry Hamlin - Oct. 30, 1951
Gavin Rossdale - Oct. 30, 1967
Layne Nix - Oct. 30, 1980
Ivanka Trump - Oct. 30, 1981

And here are some newsworthy events that took place on my birthday:

NASA launches space vehicle S-203 - 1979
Richard Arrington elected mayor of Birmingham, AL - 1979
Calif Angel Nolan Ryan throws fastest recorded pitch (100.9 MPH) - 1974
Jaqueline Kennedy marries Aristotle Onassis on the island of Scorpios - 1968
Branch Rickey signs Jackie Robinson to Montreal Royals - 1945
Clarence Birdseye sells 1st frozen peas - 1952
Anne Frank (of Diary fame) is deported from Auschwitz to Belsen - 1944
1st Methodist church in U.S. initiated (Wesley Chapel, New York City) - 1768

No Balloon Animals Today, Dear...I Have a Headache

2005-10-27T13:20:00.000-05:00

My kids have been feeling a bit under the weather the last several days, and as they are typical of most kids their age, the quickly tired of lying around watching cartoons all day. So...being the crafty mom that I pride myself on being, I scrounged through my closet and boxes full of craft goodies in seach of some inspiration. A light bulb went off in my mind as I came to a bag of mixed sized balloons. Ya know..the ones that you buy and then are annoyed to find tons of those long skinny balloons that are REALLY hard to blow up. I grabbed a couple of those and told myself that today is the day that I would learn how to make balloon animals. So, after several attempts and a few softly muttered creative oaths, I managed to product two really cute looking balloon weenie dogs! I was so proud! My 4 year old was impressed and my 2 year old was in love with hers. She carried it around on her shoulder all day saying "cute puppy!" Well, the next morning they were feeling a bit better. This is when a certain incident occurred that reminded me of a lesson I have learned since the birth of my daughter 4 weeks ago. Lesson being: It is physically impossible for ONE mommy to watch THREE kids simulataneously at all times. Alan and I attempt to keep the door to our bedroom closed 24/7 simply because there are things in there that the kids don't need to get into. And when I say kids: mostly I mean the 2 yr. old. She is notorious for playing in my makeup drawer (several months ago she decorated my room and herself with black mascara -- Thank God I don't use the waterproof kind!!!), getting into her Daddy's work stuff (ie. running the battery down on his maglight and police radio), and getting into any bottles of lotion or shampoo that should be lying around our master bathroom. Well, that particular morning I was trying to get Princess ready for her Kindergarten, get Baby Bug fed and changed, and get myself dressed when I lost track of Bugga-Bugga. (I swear they should come with tracking devices). Anyway...I knew I was in trouble when I didn't hear her. I quickly buckled the baby into her swing and ran down the hall towards my bedroom. Oh crap! Alan had left the door open when he stopped in to get some equipment he had left. Great! Not knowing what mess I would find when I turned the corner...I took a deep breathe and told myself to remain calm. I walked in the door...and didn't see anything. Didn't smell any strong lotion/shampoo scents...didn't see any mystery stains around the room....the makeup drawer was closed...but I also didn't see any 2 yr. old....until I walked around to Alan's side of our bed. She was sitting in the floor playing with...with...OMG! She was playing with a box of condoms that she had found in the headboard...and had ripped one open. I called her name and she jumped a little guiltily before turning to face me. Then, with a grin...she held up her prize. "Look Mommy!!!" she cried... "BALLOON!!! Make Puppy???"

Got an Octopus for Sale?

2005-10-25T14:48:00.000-05:00

Know of anyone who has an octopus for sale? Cause I could really use the extra arms today! Two out of three of my kids are sick. Not BAD sick, but enough that they demand constant attention. Princess hasn't been to kindergarten since last Friday. She seems to have bronchitis on top of a low-grade fever that is a result of the flu shot she had last week. So she was up all night coughing. Bugga-Bugga (the 2 yr. old) had a fever of 101.9 this morning and is ill and cranky because she is cutting all 4 of her 2-yr molars at once. Thank goodness Baby Bug isn't sick. She just demands to be fed or changed constantly. It just always works out to where they all need me at the same time, and of course Alan is at work. Even worse, he got supeonaed to Grand Jury today so he is out of town and unable to drop in and lend a hand like he can sometimes do. PLUS, he has municipal court tonight, which means he won't get home until around 9 or 10 tonight. Ugh!

On a brighter note, thank you all for your prayers and kind comments. We are scheduled to have our car fixed on November 15th. (Yes, that's the earliest date our repair guy had an opening.) A very dear (and sexy...oops...didn't mean to let that slip...but he would So be on my list....ladies, you know what list I'm referring to...everyone has one!) friend of ours found out about our problems and gave Alan a check for $500.00 to cover getting our car fixed! I think I'm still in shock, but it's certainly a huge weight off our shoulders.

I am Tired of Being Pooped On!!!

2005-10-22T16:03:00.000-05:00

*Sigh* Yes, you read that right. I am tired of being pooped on..in oh so many ways....by the baby, by my two-year old, by life in general. It has been one doosy of a week! I haven't blogged in forever because I'm doing good to be up and dressed...sometimes that last part is not even accomplished. A combination of sheer mental and physical exhaustion, getting up every 3 hours at night to feed the baby, a little depression, a lot of frustration, and the fact that I just plain like to stay in bed when it's cool outdoors (which it has been lately) have all contributed to the fact that I dragged myself out of the bed around 1:00 this afternoon and even that took a considerable amount of willpower. I can't even begin to describe what the last few weeks have been like. There are so many cliche phrases I could use but none could quite encompass the true nature of what I am feeling. One prime example of said phrase...."when it rains..it pours." Amen. Here goes. I had the baby three weeks ago...she's doing fine now that we changed her formula twice and FINALLY managed to clear up the worst case of diaper rash I've ever seen...poor thing. Just when she started being more content throughout the night (not having gas pains, or spitting up, or having bad diapers) and I thought I might actually get a little sleep, Alan had his wisdom teeth cut out on Monday. So after dragging his heavily drugged semi-unconcious butt home from the dentists office, I had 4 babies to take care of instead of three. He wasn't in much pain, but the medicine they used to knock him out while they did the oral surgery made him loopy and very nauseaous. Great! After sleeping for about 14 hours he finally came out of it and was able to help a little again. I still didn't want him walking around with the baby because I was afraid he'd get dizzy or sick and fall with her or drop her. But at least he was able to sit up and give her a bottle while I tended to everyone and everything else. One of which was changing a very stinky two-year old's diaper. OMG! I can't wait until she is potty trained! She stunk up the entire house!!! Then I gave the baby a bath and after I had JUST finished cleaning and drying her...was getting read to put on fresh clean clothes...she decides to poop. ALL OVER ME!!! In my hand (that was supporting her rear) and all over my leg. It was more than I could handle. I was yelling at Alan to come get her and gagging at the same time. Normally a dirty kid doesn't bother me. Gee...must make a difference when it's all warm and gooey and running down your thigh. Okay..that about sums up the literal pooping. Now for the figurative. We discovered this week that somehow while we were in the hospital having the baby, that some banking errors were made on our checking account that caused us to bounce not one...but FIVE checks. Now at a fee rate of $30 each...that's a hefty little sum. I never never never..bounce checks. I've had my checking account with the same bank branch for 10 years now and have maybe only bounced two in the entire time. So needless to say, I was in shock when I pulled up my account balance and it read -$360.00!!!! Alan called the bank and explained the situation and they graciously refunded $60.00 of the bounced check fees but we are still majorly in the hole. AND we have yet to pay our house payment or Cat's kindergarten tuition for this month and now cannot afford to do so. I don't know what we are going to do. I can't even buy groceries right now and we have nothing NOTHING in the house. No milk, bread, canned goods, cereal...no nothing. I can't even make a sandwhich. Fortunatly I had just bought diapers and formula before we bounced checks so the baby is taken care of ...but the rest of us are in trouble. On TOP of all that...our car broke down. Yes, the ONE car that Alan and I already struggle to share which gets him (or at least it did) back and forth to work and Cat to Kindergarten Monday through Friday. I am not a mechanical whiz when it comes to cars so I don't understand the entire concept...but basically something with the air conditioning system died, made a horrible clanking noise, and is killing off all it's friends by attacking them with metal shavings. So now we have to have a new AC compressor, condensor, belt, orafice tubes, etc. which will cost us around $300.00 in parts not counting the labor of whoever we can find that we can trust to put in in and not rip us off. And ontop of THAT...the right rear brake calliper is going bad and leaking brake fluid. AAARGGH!!! What a wonderful birthday present. Did I mention that next Sunday is my birthday? Ah well. Thanks for letting me vent!

2005-10-01T21:25:00.000-05:00

Already Daddy's little girl at 4 days old!!!

An Early Arrival!

2005-10-01T15:10:00.000-05:00

Yes, there is a very good reason why I have not posted in SO long. I have been feeling rather yucky in these last few weeks of my pregnancy, and my visits to the doctor have been much more frequent. That however, has now come to an end as our third daughter (who will for now be referred to as "BabyBug") made her grand entrance into the world two weeks early. After having been to the doctor three times in one week, my labor was induced at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning due to my blood pressure which had been high for several days and was continuing to rise. Baby Bug was born at 11:20 am on Tuesday, September 27th weighing 6lbs 13ozs. and measuring 19 1/2 inches long. She is a perfectly healthy, happy, beautiful baby girl! Alan and I are amazed at what a great demeanor she has. She eats well and sleeps well. She is always happy, never cries, and only makes the slightest fuss to let us know that she is hungry or in need of a change. Otherwise she is content to sit or lie wherever we put her, looking around curiously and happily at the world around her. God has truly blessed our family!

Happy Birthday!

A First-Hand Report from New Orleans

2005-09-03T13:24:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share this email I received from a friend who received it from another friend who is a Dr. stranded in a hotel in New Orleans. I believe this email to be a true personal account of this man's experiences, and I am posting it exactly as I received it with no edits or grammatical corrections. You will note that some of his sentences or thoughts seem to be incomplete as he was in a hurry to get everything out during his limited access to the internet. I sincerely hope that he will not mind me posting his experience, as he did give permission to pass it on to those who may be interested in hearing a "dispatch" from the front line, so to speak.

From: Gregory S. Henderson MD, PhD <GSHend@mac.com>

"Thanks to all of you who have sent your notes of concern and your prayers. I am writing this note on Tuesday at 2PM . I wanted to update all of you as to the situation here. I don't know how much information you are getting but I am certain it is more than we are getting. Be advised that almost everything I am telling you is from direct observation or rumor from reasonable sources. They are allowing limited internet access, so I hope to send this dispatch today. Personally, my family and I are fine. My family is safe in Jackson, MS, and I am now a temporary resident of the Ritz Carleton Hotel in New Orleans. I figured if it was my time to go, I wanted to go in a place with a good wine list. In addition, this hotel is in a very old building on Canal Street that could and did sustain little damage. Many of the other hotels sustained significant loss of windows, and we expect that many of the guests may be evacuated here. Things were obviously bad yesterday, but they are much worse today. Overnight the water arrived. Now Canal Street (true to its origins) is indeed a canal. The first floor of all downtown buildings is underwater. I have heard that Charity Hospital and Tulane are limited in their ability to care for patients because of water. Ochsner is the only hospital that remains fully functional. However, I spoke with them today and they too are on generator and losing food and water fast. The city now has no clean water, no sewerage system, no electricity, and no real communications. Bodies are still being recovered floating in the floods. We are worried about a cholera epidemic. Even the police are without effective communications. We have a group of armed police here with us at the hotel that are admirably trying to exert some local law enforcement. This is tough because looting is now rampant. Most of it is not malicious looting. These are poor and desperate people with no housing and no medical care and no food or water trying to take care of themselves and their families. Unfortunately, the people are armed and dangerous. We hear gunshots frequently. Most of Canal street is occupied by armed looters who have a low threshold for discharging their weapons. We hear gunshots frequently. The looters are using makeshift boats made of pieces of styrofoam to access. We are still waiting for a significant national guard presence.The health care situation here has dramatically worsened overnight. Many people in the hotel are elderly and small children. There are ID physicians in at this hotel attending an HiV confection. We have commandered the world famous French Quarter Bar to turn into an makeshift clinic. There is a team of about 7 doctors and PA and pharmacists. We anticipate that this will be the major medical facility in the central business district and French Quarter.Our biggest adventure today was raiding the Walgreens on Canal under police escort. The pharmacy was dark and fulll of water. We basically scooped the entire drug sets into gargace bags and removed them. All under police excort. The looters had to be held back at gun point. After a dose of prophylactic Cipro I hope to be fine. In all we are faring well. We have set up a hospital in the the French Qarter bar in the hotel, and will start admitting patients today. Many with be from the hotel, but many with not. We are anticipating to dealing with multiple medical problems, medications and and acute injuries. Infection and perhaps even cholera are anticipated major problems. Food and water shortages are iminent.The biggest question to all of us is where is the national guard. We hear jet fighters and helicopters, but no real armed presence, and hence the rampant looting. There is no Red Cross and no Salvation Army.In a sort of cliché way, this is an edifying experience. Once is rapidly focused away from the transient and material to the bare necessities of life. It has been challenging to me to learn how to be a primary care phyisican. We are under martial law so return to our homes is impossible. I don't know how long it will be and this is my greatest fear. Despite it all, this is a soul edify experience. The greatest pain is to think about the loss. And how long the rebuild will. And the horror of so many dead people .PLEASE SEND THIS DISPATCH TO ALL YOU THING MAY BE INTERSTED IN A DISPATCH From the front. I will send more according to your interest. Hopefully their collective prayers will be answered. By the way suture packs, sterile gloves and stethoscopes will be needed as the Ritz turns into a MASH."

Greg Henderson

Long Time, No Blog

2005-08-26T20:59:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,
Once again I find myself apologizing for the lack of posts on this blog. However, with only 6 weeks to go in this pregnancy, I have had neither the energy or the inclination to post lately. I'm just trying to survive the next month and a half. The baby has "assumed the position" ie. dropped very low, head-down and the resulting pressure is very painful. It's all I can do to walk, it hurts to drive or ride in the car, and sleeping comfortably is next to impossible. Plus, my hands and feet have begun to swell more than they have in my previous pregnancies, and I tend to keep a headache that Tylenol just doesn't faze. All in all, I'm sure I'm not the most pleasant person to live with these days, though I DO try not to take my pain and irribility out on the other members of my family. I wish I could morph into a bear and just hibernate the last six weeks away! LOL I could use some good sleep about now. I guess part of what bugs me too is the feeling that I may go into labor early, and I don't have everything together for myself or the baby. I still have no newborn clothes for her. My other two daughters were born in the middle of the summer and spent their newborn days in onesie's, t-shirts and diapers. This one being born a fall baby will need a few onesie's, and mostly the soft thin cotton, and the soft terrycloth footied sleepers which I don't have since my other girls' didn't need them until they were 6-9 months old. Then there is the fact that I wanted to be completely unpacked and settled and have my new house all clean before the baby makes her appearance. Unfortunatly though, although it's not bad...there are still unpacked boxes sitting in various corners that I just don't have the energy (or range of motion) right now to deal with. Just the little things like that are driving me crazy. On the flip side (in other words..enough of my whining...LOL) we are finally getting adjusted to our new household schedule that ensued with our oldest daughter's starting of kindergarten two weeks ago. She is still loving it despite how much she grouches about it when we are trying to get her out of the bed in the mornings. LOL She (like her daddy) is NOT a morning person.! And that would SO be an understatement. Anyway, we are all up earlier in the morning, taking turns dropping her off at school, dealing with new meal and nap times, going to bed earlier at night, and dreaming of the two weekends a month when Alan is off work and we can ALL sleep in.

Kindergarten Queen

2005-08-10T21:12:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems that our little "Princess" has turned into the Kindergarten Queen. LOL I was worried about her having mixed feelings on her first day. I knew that she had been talking about going to school ever since she turned three. Knowing that she could start school at the age of 4, she would always tell people that she was already 4 when asked. Monday was her first actual day of kindergarten. It was also the first time her daddy and I had ever left her anywhere other than a friend or family member's home. Even though she appeared to be excited...I had my reservations. I tried as best as possible to explain that yes, we would be leaving her...but that we would come back to get her at lunch time. I explained her schedule...how she would get there and have free play, then Bible study, reading and writing, get to color, then have a snack and a potty break, go to music or art, and get to play on the playground, and then we would be there to pick her up. I also told her how her class would get to go the the big library down town (which she loves) and the roller skating rink once a month. The will also take field trips to the Pumpkin Patch in the fall, the zoo, and a couple of other places yet to be determined. Most importantly, I made sure she knew where the bathroom was and to tell her teacher if she needed to go other than at the "alotted time." When we entered the building on Orientation Day, her only fear seemed to be the stairs. Her Kindergarten is part of a large local church and it has steep staircases with echoing stairwells. She's fine going up, but is scared to come down. Fortunatly, we found out that her classroom is on the first (ground level) floor, so that isn't an issue. Anyway, we got up (her Daddy, and sister and I) and piled into the car so that we could all walk her in on her first day of school. She was dressed all cute in a little denim skort with a baby blue shirt, white lacy socks and her tennis shoes with laser lights that light up with each step. Her hair was pulled back in a neat little ponytail and she had a brand new lacy navy hairbow at the top. Armed with her "special" PINK Disney Princess backpack, she was ready to go. We were the first ones in her class to arrive after Mrs. S had unlocked the door. (The kids that got there early had to wait in another room). Princess walked right in...said "Hi" to her teacher, took off her backpack...got her daily folder out and put it in the designated basket, and I helped her find her cubby hole to hang her backpack in. Mrs. S asked Princess if she wanted to go with her to get the other boys and girls and obviously she did, because she quickly turned to Alan and me, gave us a quick hug, grabbed Mrs. S's hand and off they went down the hall. "Bye Mommy!" she called. "I'll have fun. Oh, and I'll color you a pretty picture!" and that was it. Alan and I looked at each other in amazement. While we were extremely grateful that she was adjusting so well, we kinda felt forgotten already! LOL It was "Mommy and Daddy who?" Nonetheless, we were very pround. Princess told us the next day that her cousin (who is 7 months older and in the same class) had cried and clung to his mother the first day. Actually what she said...and I quote is: "Andy cried and hugged onto his mommy. But I didn't cry. I'm a big girl...only babies cry!" I laughed until I nearly cried myself!

First Steps Down a LONG Road

2005-08-05T22:17:00.000-05:00

My first child will be entering school on Monday. I still can't believe that the time has come already. Seems like just yesterday I was bringing her home all bundled up from the hospital. Now she is 4 years old and starting Kindergarten. Man, time sure does fly! We have enrolled "Princess" (she loves Disney Princesses and the color pink...and I got tired of referring to her as "4".) in a private Kindergarten rather than public school, and today we got to go for Orientation to see her classroom and meet her teacher. "Mrs. S" as she will be called for the purposes of this blog...was very nice. She is actually the daughter of a wonderful lady who taught the 3- year old group at the same Kindergarten when I attended the 4-year old class there 21 years ago. Princess was a little nervous upon entering the building. The school is part of a large church in town and I think she was intimidated by all the doors, stairs, etc. However, that soon changed when we got to her classroom and she spotted the bright red apple on the door with her name on it. We went in and she found "her" chair with her own namecard, tray of crayons, pencil, glue, and scissors...and her daily folder. Mrs. S told her how she would get to take the folder home to Mommy and Daddy each afternoon and bring it back to her each morning. She found her assigned "cubby hole" where she is to keep her new Disney Princess backpack and other belongings during classroom hours, and even more quickly she discovered the toys. There is a large bookcase full of her favourite storytime characters, and a little wooden kitchenette with sink, stove, and cupboards that quickly drew her full attention. There are only 12 other kids in her class, one of whom is one of her first cousins who she is pretty close to. That will help them both adjust more quickly I hope. (Though I think I am probably more nervous about her starting school than she is.) I just keep thinking to myself...this is her first step down a very long road. Thanks to "year 'round" schooling, Monday she starts down a path that will last for the next 14 years, and that's just until high school graduation! My baby will be just fine, but I don't think I'm ready for this!

Dr's Appointments Suck!

2005-08-04T11:25:00.000-05:00

Hi All. Sorry it's been a while again. It has become increasingly difficult to remember to post my thoughts as they are scattered in all directions these days. "Princess" survived her check-up and routine vaccinations. No, it wasn't pretty. While she reacted rather well to the actual shot, the preparation for them left much to be desired. First of all they made her lie down and stretch out on this table. No 4 year-old I know likes to be confined. Especially not on a strange table in a strange place with a strange woman holding her legs down. Just not a happy situation. She was scared to death and screaming "no, I don't want a shot" at the top of her lungs. When they were actually given though, she relaxed a little and watched and handled it quite well. My only consulation was the chuckle I got out of thinking of all the other poor kids waiting in line behind us, hearing her scream bloody murder!!!

Yesterday, I went for my Dr's appointment. I had to have the stupide glucose screening done that tests for gestational diabetes. Yes, considering that I'm going on 31 weeks with this pregnancy, they waited a little late to do it, but I guess since I didn't have any problems with my other pregnancies, they weren't very worried about the chances of my not passing it. I'm assuming that I DID pass, since I haven't heard anything. It was still a yucky experience though. I don't mind the drinking the crap that tastes like carbonated snow-cone syrup, or even the drawing of blood an hour later. What I DID mind very much was the not being able to eat anything after midnight the night before. You just don't deprive a pregnant woman of food. We ate dinner about 7:30 the night before then I got the kids ready for bed, tucked them in, got a shower myself, changed the sheets on our bed, and went to sleep. So it was actually nearly 14 hours that I went without food. By the time I finally got to grab a bite to eat, I normally would have eaten twice in that time. SOOoooo...I passed out. Not once...but twice during my doctor's appointment. Fortunatly I felt it coming both times and was able to get to a place where I could lie down, and my nurses (also friends and sometimes Avon customers) brought me a cold wash-cloth and fanned me until I felt better. The first time I didn't go all the way out and was able to complete the first part of my exam and return to my husband in the waiting room while I waited on the required hour to go by before my blood could be drawn. About 20 minutes until that time though, I felt faint again and once again sought out my nurse for a place to lie down. That time I went all the way out and must have been out for quite sometime because when I came to, all my blood-work had been done and I was free to go in search of food! Thank God!

Sure to be a Memorable Moment

2005-07-24T21:55:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow we have to take "Princess (4)" to the pediatrician for her well-checkup and the subsequent filling out of forms that are required by her kindergarten in order for her to be accepted on the first day. We have also decided to go ahead and let her take her first set of booster shots required before she starts first grade. The vaccines are normally given between the ages of four and six, and although she just turned four last week my husband and I decided to go ahead and get it over with for a few reasons:

It's easier to hold down an angry 4 year old than an angry 6 year old.
4 year olds have a shorter attention span.
4 year olds are more easily bribed.
At the tender age of 4, she has yet to comprehend exactly what the word "vaccine" means.
If she gets it over with now, we won't have to dread it for the next two years.
If I have to pay the freakin' copay anyway, they might as well work for it!

Her appointment is at 2:00 tomorrow. If you live in the immediate area, you might want to take cover just in case there should be some small shockwaves or tremors. LOL I'm sure this will be an unforgetable experience. It's so much easier when they are babies and can't retaliate. You just feel guilty and then get to cuddle them all better. Now she's big enough to yell, call names, and seek revenge. I guess I'll be sleeping with one eye open for a while!

Busy w/ Birthdays and Other Things

2005-07-22T15:21:00.000-05:00

After getting an email from a blogging buddy, I realized that once again I had failed to post an entry in a while. Things have been busy around here as usual. My oldest daughter (pictured below) turned 4 on Wednesday! Yep, only ten days after my youngest turned 2! We had a small celebration (just the girls, their Daddy and I) on the morning of each of their individual birthdays, and then we had a joint birthday party for them both, the weekend between their birthdays (which this year happened to be Sat. the 16th). Our friends and family were invited, and we grilled hotdogs for lunch, had cake, punch, chips & dip, etc., and watched the girls joyously open their presents. It was fun! Tiring, but fun. I'm glad this next baby will be born in the fall. Too many birthdays back to back breaks the bank and me too! LOL Now that Cat is 4, she will be starting Kindergarten. In fact, her first day is Aug. 8th! Only two weeks + away. I'm curious to see how she will do on her first day. I've never gone ANYWHERE and left her before. (Other than her Nana keeping her, or our friends' daughter coming over to babysit for a bit, of course). I've never left her in a new place, with new people. I hope she will be excited enough about going to school, making new friends, etc. to get over my leaving her quickly. Of course, knowing how things normally turn out, it will probably be much harder on me than it will be on her. I can't believe my baby is old enough to start school!!! It seems like just yesterday I was bringing her home from the hospital. All 6 lbs. 10 oz. of her. Crazy!

Happy Birthday, Little Princess!

Happy Birthday...Baby Bugga Bugga!

2005-07-11T09:08:00.000-05:00

For those of you who watch Dora the Explorer (willingly or otherwise) on a daily basis, yesterday was my Baby Bugga Bugga's 2nd birthday! She seemed to understand the concept because she was so excited when she woke me up at SIX IN THE MORNING! This after I stayed up late baking and decorating her cake in a Dora Theme (what else?) after she had gone to bed the night before. We put up some balloons and "happy birthday" banners and moved her booster seat to the "seat of honor" at the head of our dining room table. When she woke up and stumbled sleepily to the kitchen, she saw all the decorations and her presents and cake sitting on the table and got really excited. She came into my bedroom shouting "party party!" Her Daddy had already gone to work before she woke up, but I called him and fortunately he was able to come by to help us celebrate. 2 ran and got "soon to be 4" out of her bed and they both sounded like little elephants running down the hall. 2 climbed into the 'birthday chair' and we lit the candles on her cake. "Almost 4" and her Daddy sang Happy Birthday to her. I did not participate in the singing because I was holding the video camera and trust me...nobody wanted to hear THAT! LOL Within seconds the candles were extinguished and Bugga Bugga was ripping into her presents with glee! She received a bathtub/pooltime Dora and Boots from her sister, and a new Baby doll w/ accessories from her Daddy and me. Fortunately for us, she was more interested in playing with her new toys that demolishing her birthday cake (which was chocolate fudge w/ buttercream icing btw), so we weren't trying to deal with a sugar-wired two year old for the rest of the day. Believe it or not, she actually went willingly to take her regularly scheduled nap that afternoon. We are also grateful that Hurricane Dennis pretty much ignored us all together. Other than intermittent periods of really hard rain and a few strong gusts of winds, we did not feel the effects of it at all. We had really been expecting to spend the night by the light of 2's birthday candles due to power outages, but we were lucky this time.

A Sleepy Birthday Bugga Bugga!

My Avon 4th of July Sale!

2005-07-08T11:16:00.000-05:00

4th of July Sale !!!

Need a last minute gift? The following items are things that I have in my personal inventory for immediate sale and delivery. All are new in packaging. Most of these items can no longer be ordered online or through the Avon brochure. I only have one of each item, so they will be sold on a first come, first serve basis.

Colors & Shapes Earrings

8 x 10mm gem-colored studs with silvertone. Pierced only. Sky Blue.

Item#: 161-339

Brochure: $14.99

Now $10.99

Textured Two-Tone Pave' Jewelry

Rhinestones in goldtone with silvertone details.
Necklace

16" chain with 3" extender.

Just $12.99
Earrings

Pierced only, 5/8" L.

Brochure: $9.99

Now $6.99

Silvertone Three Chain Anklet Bundle

9" L with 1" extender.

Item#: 091-002

Just $8.99 set of three

Stress Relief Massaging Pillow

Micro-beads mold to neck, lower back or other contours. Insert massage unit into zip pocket. Uses two AA batteries (not included). Nylon, 13" L x 8" W.

Item #: 182-124
Brochure: $19.99
Just $14.99

Elegant Rose Print Pajama

3/4-sleeve top with three frog closures; elastic-waist capri pant. Black polyester with floral print.

Size Large (14-16).
Brochure: $34.99
Item#: 228-313

Now $21.99 - save $13.00

Heart Wreath Knit Pajamas

V-neck top with adjustable keyhole. Ankle-length allover print pant. 100% cotton. S(6-8).

Item#: 303-650
Brochure: $24.00
Now $14.99

Tie Wrap Pajamas

Lace-trim top ties at the waist. Long, flowy pants. 100% nylon. Medium (8-10).

Item#: 232-824
Brochure: $25.00

Now $15.99 Lowest Price Ever

Medallion Chain Bracelet

Chic seven-strand chain bracelet with center medallion. Burnished silvertone with faux patina and peridot beads. 7" L with 1" extender.

Item#: 247-819

Brochure: $12.00

Now $6.99

Star Mesh Cami & Panty Set

100% nylon stretch mesh with bow detail. Available in size M(10-12).

Brochure: $19.99

Now $12.99 save $7.00

Herringbone Cap

Wool/polyester with cotton lining.
Item#: 237-625
Brochure: $7.99

Now $4.99

3 Piece Rose Print Travel Set

100% cotton with webbed piping and nylon lining. Large zip-top satchel with slit pocket, 13" L x 19" W (at bottom) x 7" D. 12" double webbed handles. Foldover garment bag with zip close and hanger loop, 40" L x 23" W x 2" D. Zip-top cosmetics pouch with slit pocket, 8" L x 10" W x 2" D. Outlet Exclusive
Item#: 056-684
Brochure: $39.99

Just $29.99

Colors of Feelings Bracelet

Colorful beads express your mood. One size stretches to fit most. Available in Blue (Peaceful) or Topaz Color (Creative).

Item#: 056-589 (Blue)
Item#: 056-665 (Topaz)
Brochure: $9.99

Now $4.99 each

To Buy or Sell Avon Products:
Email: craz4acop7@peoplepc.com
Need a brochure? Visit the online version...see below!

Current Brochure: http://www.youravon.com/catalog/2005/17/
Still Available: http://www.youravon.com/catalog/2005/16/
Last Chance: http://www.youravon.com/catalog/2005/15/

Please email me with any orders for the current campaign, on or before Tuesday, July 12th!!!

Recipe of the Week

2005-07-08T11:13:00.000-05:00

Here is a recipe that I tried this week. It was a bit hit in our house. Even the rugrats ate it!

Simple Polynesian Sweet & Sour Chicken

2 chicken breasts cut into 1" pieces
1 small onion
1 bell (green) pepper
1 20oz. can pineapple chunks
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. worstershire sause
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. cooking oil

Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken. Cook 3-5 minutes until outside is starting to brown slightly. Drain pineapple reserving juice in small bowl. Add to pineapple juice, the ketchup, worstershire sauce, honey, and cornstarch. Mix well. Chop onion and bell pepper into bite-sized pieces. Add chopped pepper to chicken and cook for about 3 minutes more. Then add your liquid sauce, onion, and pineapple. Cook another 4-6 minutes until onion is tender and sauce starts to thicken. Serve over rice.

Starting Out in the Can

2005-07-06T10:42:00.000-05:00

Well, this day has certainly gotten off to an interesting start. I had a Dr's appointment at 8:30 this morning, so I had to get up pretty early to get the kids' breakfast made, grab a bite for myself to eat, shower, dress, and get ready to go. To top all that off, I was worried about getting back home from the doctor's in time for Alan to have the car to take to work. He can't afford to be late, because it might mess up all the extra security jobs for himself and everyone else too. Anyway, I was running late. I was just about to grab my keys and head out the door when "almost 2" comes bounding down the hall demanding that I "wash bankie" which of course is the pink blanket with the teddybear head and arms that accompanies her 24/7 wherever she goes. I thought her request was a bit unusual since she usually pitches a fit whenever I actually do throw the blankie bear in the wash. She doesn't like to be without it for even the brief time it takes for it to go through the wash and dry cycles of the machines. With barely a second glance I told her that it was okay, Mommy would wash him later. That's when I noticed that he was dripping water. Oh great! She wasn't asking me to wash him, she was telling me that she had already done so! AND to make matters worse, the only thing she could have reached to wash him in was.... (you guessed it)...the potty! I am now back home (duh) and anxiously awaiting the aforemention blankie's deliverance from the dryer. He's already been through a heavy duty wash cycle with bleach! We have a relatively child-proof house. We put the child locks on all the cabinets and drawers, and we have the child safety doorknobs on all the exterior doors as well as the doors to the bathrooms that usually prevent the kids from being able to open them on their own. HOWEVER, in my determination to NOT be late for my appointment this morning, I neglected to fully close the door to the master bathroom. "Almost 2" apparantly decided that it would be fun to "wash" blankie bear herself in the Tyd-Bowl blue toilet water. I guess I should just be grateful that the water wasn't green!

Homemade Heaven

2005-06-29T16:07:00.000-05:00

I recently gave in to the urge to splurge and by myself that electric homemade icecream maker I have been debating over for the past few weeks. We have a new house, with a beautiful stained deck overlooking a huge backyard. All of which made me think to myself...what could be better than sitting on some patio furniture under and umbrella, enjoying some homemade ice-cream and watching the kids and dog run around in the backyard. Well, I finally gave into temptation and ordered both the patio furniture and the icecream maker from Brylane Kitchen. Boy am I glad I was weak! LOL I made my first ever batch of homemade icecream last night. Plain vanilla, and then I added some fresh peaches that I pureed. OMG! It is delicious! Wickedly, sinfully delicious. (And with that, I'm off to fetch another bowl full!)

Bathtub Bloopers

2005-06-27T15:25:00.000-05:00

Bathtime has become a strange and major event in our daily schedule. We eat dinner and as soon as the kids are done, they excuse themselves from the table and immediately begin stripping! Naked children run rampant around my house while I clear the table and load the dishwasher. Meanwhile, Alan runs bathwater, rounds up the bathtub toys, and collects clean clothes to re-dress the rugrats in after their baths. After resounding demands for "bubble bath" and asking about 50 times whether they can get in the tub yet, I'm finally done with the kitchen and ready to bathe them. The girls pile into the tub, divvy up the bathtub toys, and fight for ownership of the most bubbles. I am reminded of a poem by Shell Silverstein that goes as follows:

There are too many kids in this tub.
Too many elbows to scrub.
I just washed a behind,
That I'm sure wasn't mine.
There are too many kids in this tub!

Anyway, after entering the tub 4 immediately starts squirting 2 with water, while 2 loudly demands to be made into a "teletubby." (Which means that when I wash her hair I have to make sure to bring it all into a soapy point ontop of her head at least once.) I have gotten into the habit of teaching the girls silly songs while they are in the tub. Mostly as a distraction so that I can bathe them quickly with the least amount of water-damage done to my own person. Anyway, after having successfully learned "twinkle star" and "the sunshine song," I introduced them to "London Bridge" this week. 4 has it down pretty well and was actually singing it to herself yesterday...mostly in tune. She did really well until right at the end. This is when I realized that perhaps the bathroom acoustics are not as great as I had once thought. I have recently noticed that it tends to phonetically distort consonant sounds when we sing. How did I discover this? Well, as I said before...4 was singing "London Bridge" quite flawlessly until the very last line when she proudly and loudly ended the tune with a resounding " MY BARE LADY!"

E-Rep No More

2005-06-27T15:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, this is just a brief comment to tell anyone who may be looking for the link to my Avon webpage, that it no longer exists. I finally figured out how to cancel the blasted thing. Basically, I realized that I was being charged $17.00 a month for a service that I rarely use. (In the last 4 months I've had ONE customer who places her orders online. Everyone else just calls or emails me their product list.) I mean really! $17.00 a month! That really eats into what little profit I actually make on the stuff. Then again, it's also seven dollars more for that stupid website than I pay for my whole freakin monthly internet service. Bye, bye E-Rep page. Enough said. If you wish to place an order through me, please send me an email with the items you want included. I always look to find you the best current price regardless of what campaign we are in. Thanks!

Favourite Childhood Cartoon Meme

2005-06-23T20:54:00.000-05:00

Okay, here are my 5 favourite cartoons that I watched as a kid:

Jem and the Rockers - a Barbie-type character, only much much cooler. She went by Jerrica during the day, and performed as Jem (the lead singer of Jem and the Rockers) by night. She also had the responsibilty of playing the heroine and fixing the problems caused by a rival chick band called the Misfits. Jerrica could communicate with this hologram named Synergy (I think...although my mind is pulling the name Dance from my memory bank as well) by pressing on her star-shaped earrings. In an emergency, Jerrica would have to disappear and morph ...a la Clark Kent/Superman style...into Jem to prevent some tragic disaster. The frequent disappearance confused the heck out of her sexy as hell but not too bright boyfriend. I think his name was Rico.
Gummi Bears - "Gummi Bears...bouncing here and there and everywhere..." I don't remember a whole lot about this cartoon other than there were a lot of little do-gooder bears who gained extra strength by drinking Gummi Berry Juice. There was a Grams bear, Grumpy Bear, and a little yellow bear with a funky hair do named Sunny.
My Little Ponies - Once again, the point/plot of this cartoon escapes my memory. I only remember something about a lot of fancy ponies with rainbow colored manes and tails. The girl in the cartoon was called Megan, and her personal pony's name was Sundance. I had the figurines of both of those along with several other ponies and the My Little Pony Stable/Castle.
Care Bears - Now this was a truly great cartoon. I'm so glad they have revived them and my daughters are now crazy about them. (In fact I'm in the middle of stitching a cross-stitch Care Bear picture to go in my soon-to-be-born daughter's room.) Each cartoon had a moral to teach and good always defeated evil in the end. The cast of characters include: Grumpy Bear, Cheer Bear, Friendship Bear, Good Luck Bear, Birthday Bear, Funshine Bear, Tenderheart Bear, Wish Bear, Love-a-Lot Bear, Share Bear, Grams, Baby Hugs and Baby Tugs (the boy and girl baby twin bears), and then of course all their Care Bear Cousins - Bright Heart Raccoon, Brave Heart Lion, Swift Heart Rabbit, and MANY more.
Rainbow Bright - Another unique character. The girl with the long blonde locks, a purple star on her cheek, and rainbow striped arms and legs. She had these little furry friends with star-shaped antennae called Sprites, and she frequently traveled on the back of a white stallion w/ a rainbow mane. Rainbow Bright and her colorful friends spent most of the episodes battling a villian whose name eludes me. The villian hated/feared color and tried to make the whole world all dark and gloomy. Rainbow and company's job was to restore color and cheerfulness. Yeah, sounds sappy...but as a 5 year old girl (future art student no less)...I thought it was the best!

Re: Meme - 5 Things You Miss About Your Childhood

2005-06-21T15:15:00.000-05:00

Ok, since my girls are FINALLY taking their afternoon naps, I have a few minutes to respond to the meme I mentioned earlier. -A- tagged me with the question: "What 5 things do you miss most about your childhood?" So here goes.

1. I miss how safe our parents felt, allowing us to roam the neighborhood with all the other neighborhood kids unsupervised. Knowing and trusting that at least ONE of the other parents knew where we were or where we were headed at all times.

2. I miss the rare occasions when my grandparents had to pick me up from school because my mom was unavailable, and the excitement of knowing that when I opened the car door my grandfather would greet me with the phrase "this bus stops at the Dairy Queen."

3. I miss the excitement and nervousness of those few days before starting school after a long summer off, and shopping for that year's school supplies: the new spiral notebooks, scissors, trapper keepers, glue, and best of all, the smell of new CRAYOLA crayons with their unused perfect points.

4. I miss going outside to play as soon as the sun was up and not going in until the sun was going down: no worries about mosquitos and West Nile then. We'd spend all day making mud pies and mixing foul concoctions of berries, wild onions, leaves, water and acorns in a upside-down sawed off half-barrel, then stay out all evening playing frisbee with a glow-in-the-dark frisbee and chasing/catching lightening bugs.

5. But most of all I miss the innocence and carefree lifestyle that came with just being a kid -- Not having to worry about adult issues - taking for granted that there would be food on the table and a roof over my head tomorrow, and the next day, and the next...without having to think about how it got there; believing in Santa Claus and then being even more grateful later in life when I realized where all those gifts REALLY came from and the sacrifices that were made to provide them; just enjoying the egocentric world of a child where everything revolved around yourself and the biggest heartache was the breaking of a favourite toy, or outgrowing of a favourite outfit...not quite understanding emotional pain and suffering, or sickness and death... never loving so much that it physically hurt...never truly fearing for another person or attempting to take on superhuman traits to protect your loved ones from everything harmful. I guess as a mother of two (soon to be three) precious little girls and the wife of a husband I adore more than life itself...THAT is what I miss the most.

And now that I have dried my tears and restored the Kleenex to their rightfult position on the bathroom cabinet...I move my name to the bottom of the following list whose links I have added and will try to visit:

AND, I pass the meme on to:

Birdie - http://blogs.salon.com/0003522
Ben & Syd - www.marriedinminnesota.com
Mike - http://blogs.salon.com/0004725
Redneck Diva - http://redneckdiva.blogspot.com
Heidi - http://www.heidimdavis.com/MoMMY.html

TAG! You're IT!

Carbon Cartoon Dating

2005-06-21T09:33:00.000-05:00

Want to truly "date" yourself without revealing your age? Simple. Take a trip down memory lane and open a forum for the discussion of the cartoons you got up early to watch as a kid. Thanks to -A- 's lastest post, I have thus dated myself. Apparantly she and I have quite a bit in common. Which is nice actually. I can talk to someone else about the cartoons I watched as a kid. Can't talk to Alan about it. Being nearly 6 years older than myself, he was "too old" to watch the cartoons that I grew up with, and I didn't even exist when he was watching cartoons! LOL Most of his favourite cartoons and movies, superheros, and characters...I have never heard of. Oh well! :) SOooo...I'm starting a new meme. Name your 5 favourite cartoons that you watched as a kid and give a brief description or character listing of each! (No tag-backs!) I will post my own as soon as I respond to another meme. Yes, I have been tagged by -A-, who I am now tagging back...since technically, I have changed the meme! *evil laugh* :)

The Rules:

Remove the blog at #1 from the following list and bump every one up one place
Add your blog's name in the #5 spot
Link to each of the other blogs (if you want to increase their "traffic" and thus your own).
Finally, add 5 new blogs/links to take part in the meme!

*Note: You will NOT be shot if you choose not to participate. :)

TAG! You're IT!

Link Lineup

2005-06-16T14:18:00.000-05:00

Hi Guys and Gals,
I have gone through my list of blogs and webpages that I link to and done some belated Spring cleaning. If I removed your link (probably in error), or you would like your link added, please let me know by dropping a note in the comment section. If you have any other good blogs to recommend, you may do that as well!!!
Thanks!

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

2005-06-11T13:52:00.000-05:00

I obtained this clever little blog filler from a link courtesy of Mike at Chew Toys

I Am a German Shepherd Puppy

Intelligent, quick witted, and a bit aggressive.You've got the jaw power to take a bite out of anyone you choose.

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

Baby Mozart...Great! Baby Picasso? Not so Much!

2005-06-11T13:13:00.000-05:00

The day started off in a nice calm..NORMAL manner. Cat woke up first and came and crawled in bed with me. Ash woke up about 15 minutes later, observed that her Daddy was working today, and decided she was hungry. So I get out of bed and go to the kitchen to make some strawberry and blueberry muffins. Yum! 15 minutes in the oven and they are done. Called Alan, he came by to grab a few. The girls were settled at the kitchen table eating muffins, munching on the remainder of the KIX cereal they started while the muffins were cooking, and drinking their milk. They were content. Everything was as it should be. I quickly ate two muffins and drained the last of my own milk from my glass. Then I started thinking. I guess that was my first mistake. "Surely," I thought "surely since they are SO content, I can take 5 minutes to throw on my clothes...and maybe even get to pee without their company if I'm quick." Ever the prevenative mom, I looked around the kitchen to double check things just in case. All the knives were out of reach, light sockets covered, dishes put away...no spillables around, cabinets locked with the child-safety locks, storm door latched, etc. I then proceeded to err on the side of caution and went down the landing into the den where I made sure the computer desk drawer was locked, the chair pushed up, the computer off, and the basket of pens WAY up high out of reach. Satisfied that the immediate area was childproof, I proceeded down the hall to my bedroom where I dressed and made that oh so necessary trip to the bathroom. As I finished up and headed towards the bedroom door on my return trip, a familar smell teased my nostrils. "Hmm...strange. I know that smell..." I thought to myself. "It smells...like...like...OH $^*&! It smells like MAGIC MARKER!!!!" I run down the hall and all I can do is stare in horror at my kitchen. My NEW KITCHEN that we have not even made the first payment on yet. My NEW KITCHEN that we have only been in possession of for less than a week. There was black marker all over the new fridge, the lineoleum floor, the cabinet doors, a portion of the wall, even on the air vent. Identifying the culprit was not difficult, because Ash too was covered...her hands, mouth, chin, legs, toes, and outfit. Oh, and not only was the marker black, it was one of those PERMANANT KING markers that we used to label boxes when we packed. I have no idea where she found it since I have not seen one since we moved. I grabbed the offending object and threw it straight into the trash can. My next and last rational thought for a while was to get the kids out of my line of view before I murdered them. So I angrily dispensed them to their separate rooms and slammed the door. Then I phoned Alan who after having seen the damage for himself couldn't understand how I ALLOWED that to happen. Gee...I guess I'm just supposed to cross my legs and hold it for 12 hours until he gets home to watch the girls while I pee. After the initial shock wore off he realized that it was, in fact, NOT my fault. He made a quick dash to Walmart in search of something that would take off this PERMANANT marker that is made to NOT come off. Hmmm. I should have taken before and after pictures...but at the time I was too mad to see straight. Anyway, thanks to a wonderful product aptly named "OOPS" and a bit of elbow grease, we managed to restore our kitchen to its former glory and both our kids are still alive. I can't wait until naptime!

"Sleepless in...Alabama?"

2005-06-10T10:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I think all the excitement (aka..stress) of moving this week has finally caught up with me. I am exhausted. I can't seem to get enough sleep. I took a good nap when the girls' took theirs yesterday afternoon. I was so out of it I don't remember having conversations with people (my husband included) who swear that they talked to me on the phone which I don't remember having ever answered. Um..that's a little scary. I didn't sleep well last night at all though, and I'm paying for it now. I'm praying the time to go by until I can feed the girls their lunch and lay them down so I can crash out myself. Blasted hormones! I nearly froze Alan to death last night because I was burning up. I had the overhead fan on high, the air on, and all the covers kicked off and I was STILL sweating. I couldn't get comfortable. Alan was wrapped up in the discarded covers, sleeping like a hibernating bear while I tossed and turned all night. No..I'm not bitter. LOL Maybe just a little envious. I'm about to the point in my pregnancy where I will get better quality sleep catching a nap here and there during the day than I will when I settle down for the night. Wonderful. I've really been looking forward to getting up in the middle of the night and cleaning house and folding laundry. *note the sarcasm, please.*

Missing in Action

2005-06-07T14:03:00.000-05:00

There was another amusing incident that occurred today. My Avon order which I usually receive on Friday had been missing in action until it finally decided to show up this morning. I had left instructions with UPS when I changed our mailing address to have all packages left by the side door under the breezeway where they wouldn't get soaked if it rained. It never occurred to me exactly HOW close to the breezeway the fenced in backyard is. At least not until I was about to get the laundry out of the dryer this morning when I heard an awful shriek followed by ferocious barking. Naturally I ran to the backdoor to see what in the world was going on. I got there just in time to see my Avon order (two nice sized boxes) flying through the air to land haphazardly on my doorstep, and the rear view of a quickly retreating UPS delivery-lady. Apparantly she and our German Shepherd who resides in the back yard startled each other. I laughed until tears came out of my eyes. I bet that poor UPS girl was glad her uniform was already brown. *chuckling*.

Laughing at the Little Things

2005-06-07T13:52:00.000-05:00

Since Alan is at work, I'm just kinda taking it easy around the house. I can't unpack much unless what I need is ontop of the pile because I'm not allowed to lift or move the boxes. Anyway, I'm just doing the little things...laundry, dishes...vacuuming the carpets (which strangely I'm enjoying). When we moved and set up the girls' rooms, we moved our almost two-year old, Ash, into a regular twin bed and out of the baby bed. We put one of the safety rails up to keep her from falling out, but there is still about a one foot gap at the head and foot of the bed where she can crawl in and out. So now rather than me coming to get her out of bed in the mornings when I wake up, she comes to get me. (Her sister, Cat, usually sleeps about an hour longer than Ash does). This morning I was sleeping deeply, having fallen back asleep after Alan got up to leave around 5 am, when all of the sudden I feel a tug on my hair. I grab it and pull back thinking it must have gotten caught on something (what exactly, I don't know...but then I'm never really rational when I'm asleep.) Then it happened again -- only this time the tug was accompanied by a tiny little voice. "Mommy...wake up. Peeezze...I hungy." I opened my eyes to find Ash standing there all fuzzy headed and bright-eyed, holding a fist-full of my hair...apparantly ready for breakfast. I got up and baked strawberry muffins and sat down with her to eat. She chattered happily the entire time we were sitting there. Alan came in to grab a quick bite, and she was singing when he walked in the door. Of course you could only understand about every third word, but it was SO cute. He asked her what she was singing and she said "Shunshine." You know..the one that goes "you are my sunshine, my only sunshine...." Then after her sister woke up and joined us, Cat would name an animal and Ash would immediate chime in with the appropriate noise. It just cracked me up!

Home Sweet Home

2005-06-06T17:58:00.000-05:00

Well, we survived...thanks to some REALLY great friends who not only helped us move, but helped us paint, bought us dinner, and cut the grass at the old house and helped us clean it out before we turned in the keys. Let me just say that I am LOVING the new house. Even with all the huge boxes sitting around and getting in the way. We spent the first night in our new house on Wednesday. Fortunatly we had the presense of mind to get the beds unpacked and reassembled first. We climbed into bed on Wednesday night and Alan and I had the same thought. It felt like we were staying in a hotel suite or at someone else's home. It was great. (Only way it could have been better is if he and I hadn't both been so dead-tired!...LOL) ANYWAY...it took us until Saturday to completely get all of our stuff out of the other house. I haven't felt very well the past two days. Apparantly I overdid this week because I started having contractions Saturday afternoon, and I'm only 22 weeks. (23 tomorrow). I was more than a little worried, but Alan brought me home and literally put me to bed and would not let me lift a finger. Our friends finished helping him clean out the old house and brought us dinner Saturday night. We all slept in on Sunday, and I got most of the kitchen stuff unpacked. There are still about 6 huge boxes in there...but at least I have found enough plates, bowls, cups etc. for us to use in the meantime, and I've managed to get all the "pantry food" put away. Alan went back to work for the first time in a week today. I miss him. I'm not feeling well today either. Kinda nauseous. Did not accomplish a whole lot today. Oh well. We have all the time in the world now. As long as we can eat, sleep, and shower...I'm not in a HUGE hurry. It's getting increasingly difficult to manage things by myself and this pregnancy gets further along. Thank you all for the kind comment. Alan just walked in the door so I'm going to cut this short and go find him. *Hugs to all!*

Movin' on Up

2005-05-29T13:52:00.000-05:00

Well Guys and Gals,
You may not see a post on this blog for a little while. I've got to un-assemble my computer set up sometime tomorrow or Tuesday so that I can move it along with ourselves and all our other wordly possessions to our new home! Hurray! It's about time. I feel like I have been waiting forever. Granted, it's a lot of work. Especially considering that I'm 5 months pregnant and can't really lift anything. I packed ALL the boxes though. Just had to leave them sitting in the floor until Alan got home to move them out of the way. We're trying to move across town without having to rent a Uhaul truck. Thank God for good friends and Southern gents. We'll have about 6 guys with pickup trucks on our doorstep ready to help us relocate on Wednesday morning. Another friend has to work but is lending Alan his truck and trailor. Hopefully we can move everything in one day. Then I'll just be the rest of the month unpacking and organizing. Since I can't physically move anything I guess I will be pointing and directing. Oh, and I have to get ready for the HUGE moving/yard sale I'm having at the end of the week. There is a lot of furniture and other stuff that we didn't want to move to the new house, so a friend gave me the idea to have a huge moving/yard sale indoors in the old house while it's empty before we hand over the keys. Everything that we don't sell will be swept off to various local charities. I'm hoping to make enough money to buy a new computer desk and a few other things we'll need. *Ahem* Like a new vacuum cleaner, since my sister-in-law borrowed mine and blew it up. Don't ask..I'm not even sure I know how it happened. Oh well. Wish us luck and I will be back soon. (I hope.)

Circle of Life

2005-05-25T22:52:00.000-05:00

Continuing with my "this has been a really difficult week" theme, we had to attend a funeral Sunday afternoon. Funerals in general are not typically pleasant experiences, but this one was made more tragic because it was to honor the life and mourn the death of a child. A six month old baby to be exact. Although my husband and I are not extremely close to the particular members of the family, familial duty saw to it that we attend - which we did. The saddest thing to me...other than seeing that tiny white coffin...was seeing the childs' other brothers and sisters. He was one of a set of quintuplets who seemed to take on all the illnesses and problems that preemies sometimes experience in order to spare the other four any hardships. He never breathed "room air" on his own, experienced multiple surgeries, and never got to leave the hospital. The poor little guy had just taken all he could. The comfort is in knowing that God has another little angel by His side.

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Paying Respect

2005-05-23T10:34:00.000-05:00

I want to share with anyone who might read this, an email that was forwarded to me today by a family member. It was sent to her by a friend who had just attended a military funeral for one of "our boys" who was killed in the line of duty in Iraq. What follows are her words...and then eventually several pictures taken. I will not comment further as I don't feel it is necessary. I hope this touches you as it did me.

" It can be argued, perhaps, the reasons we're in Iraq, but we cannot forget it is the nation's young people who are stepping up and going over there to do what they see as their patriotic duty. I could only wish that every college and high school kid, and some of the parents, would see this outpouring of respect for this fallen soldier. In my few 33 years on this planet it has been made clear to me that the best diplomat in the world, with few exceptions, has been the American GI. There's things wrong in America, but there sure as hell is a lot more that is right. Sometimes we forget that there is a huge price that has been paid for all the freedoms we enjoy and cherish in this country. Of course as many of you know I am a full blooded Texan and feel that we are the best state in the union, so the following story has to do with Texas. P.S. don’t know if the stat is true, but it has been sad that Texas has more of its boys in the military than the next 12 states combined. GOD BLESS TEXAS!

People can talk about Texas all they want, but this has renewed my faith in mankind. God bless America.
At least they give some respect for a soldier who has died. God bless them. Take a look at these pictures."

2005-05-23T10:33:00.000-05:00

Amos and Abby

The 4-legged Loves of our Lives....are Gone.

2005-05-23T10:05:00.000-05:00

It has been a very difficult week. That my friends, is an understatement. I don't even know how to begin to write this post as I am so tired. Not physically, though I am a bit of that as well. Mainly though, I am just emotionally drained. My blood-pressure, I feel certain, has risen with our stress levels this week and though I have MANY things I need to be doing...I'm finding it an effort just to get out of bed and get dressed in the morning. Friday saw us driving about 3+ hours to Chattanooga, Tennessee where we made one of the most difficult transitions of our lives. We gave up our two precious puppies (our miniature dachshunds) two their new adoptive family. You can't even begin to imagine how difficult a decision that was for us. We have had Amos (a 5 year old male) since Alan and I were married. In fact, he was my wedding gift from Alan. I raised him, carried him in the pocket of my bathrobe when he was a tiny puppy, slept with him in my bed each night...loved him. Abby (the female) was only 8 months old. We have had her since January when my husband brought her home from work one day to "save" her and give her a home. She was a joy to wake up to each morning (as she also shared our bed). She is such an animated little pup...full of love. We had nick-named her "cartoon" because she just had that sweet, funny, unpredictable nature. Unfortunatly, she wasn't fully potty trained as her previous owner was an elderly lady unable to care for her. And though we were making progress, with packing for our move, our two children and the pending birth of our third, I also was unable to devote enough time to the task. Plus, as she was nearing a year old and Amos had not been fixed...we were looking at either choosing to breed them or having them both spayed/neutered and financially we couldn't afford to right now with everything else going on. Then too, we are moving into a new, fully-carpeted house. Right now we live in a house with all hardwood floors where accidents aren't such a catastrophe. In August my oldest daughter starts kindergarten. In October the new baby will be born. Basically it just came down to our love for the pups and our desire to give them the quality of life that we could no longer provide. They went to the home of an older couple who coincidentally already had two mini doxies. Their children are all grown, and they are completely devoted to their pups who have become their new kids. Someone is home with them at all times, they will still be allowed to sleep in the beds with their new owners, and the couple has a two-acre fenced in backyard that they will be able to play in (supervised of course.) I have heard from their "mom" and she is already planning their first vet trip for this years' shots and preventative meds. They are adjusting well. Probably a lot better than we are. We are going to be glad to be out of this house soon, because it's difficult to be here expecting to see them bounding around the corner at any moment...only to remember that they are gone. Our only consolation is knowing that we did what was best for them, and that they will be happy. To us they will never age, never suffer, never die. In our memories they will always be as they were last...healthy happy pups with their full lives ahead of them.

I Won! I Won!

2005-05-14T15:07:00.000-05:00

Yep, little ole me who never wins anything can now claim fame as the co-winner of an original "Avon Haiku Contest" hosted by Birdie on her blog at http://blogs.salon.com/0003522/. In honor of May 7th, 2005 which as you will notice has the same numerical value as a haiku's syllables (5-7-5), Birdie posted a contest for all her readers, promising a box of Avon goodies to the one who could come up with the best Avon related haiku. To my surprise when I visited her blog today, I discovered that I shared the honor of that title with another fellow reader. Below is my "winning" entry:

Heard that Bust-Sculpt cream,
Has been used on men's *ahem* parts.
Wonder if it worked?

*** Interestingly enough, that haiku is derived from a true story told by a fellow Avon lady at one of our local sales meetings. Scary thought, huh? ***

Think Pink!

2005-05-11T17:34:00.000-05:00

Yep...

It's a GIRL!!!!

Looks like that Chinese calendar was right after all. We don't have any names picked out yet. I like uncommon names and I'm having a hard time with this one. I need something that will go well with our other two daughter's names:

Caitlyn Ainsley and Ashlyn McKennah

Suggestions are MORE than welcomed, as Alan and I only have four and a half months to agree on something (and trust me that's no easy task!)

Ps. Ben...if it was right for you too then that means you and Syd are expecting a boy right?
Pps. A - the Chinese calendar was right for all three of my pregnancies....so congrats girl! ;)

Pink or Blue...Care to Guess?

2005-05-10T22:15:00.000-05:00

Well friends, tomorrow at 2:00 pm, Alan and I go to my doctor's office in the hospital (we usually go to our local clinic for regular visits) for the ultrasound which will tell us -- among numerous other things -- the gender of our third child. Care to hazard a guess? I'm not sure I can. Based on previous history, I would guess a girl, since we already have two daughters. At the same time, my pregnancies with those two daughters were nearly identical. I didn't have QUITE as much morning sickness with the second as the first...but all-in-all, I was still pretty "green." This pregnancy, however, has been nothing like my first two which would lead me to guess that perhaps it is a boy. It's weird really. I have no instinctive feelings one way or the other this time. I KNEW with my first two that they were both girls. In fact, I even dreamed exactly what they would look like before they were born. I knew that Cat would have dark hair, dark eyes (eventually of course) and her daddy's dimples. Just like I dreamed that my second daughter would have blonde, curly hair...and her daddy's dimples. And so they both do. With this baby though, even my poor dreams are confused. The first time I dreamed about the baby, I dreamed it was a girl. Then the second time I dreamed it was a boy, and a few nights ago... I dreamed we had fraternal twins...one boy and one girl. (Heaven forbid..LOL). Oh well. I guess we'll know soon enough. Last chance to get your vote in before the mystery is (hopefully) revealed. :)

Wish us luck and send your prayers please.

2005-05-09T13:28:00.000-05:00

Going out with a "bang!"
As you may have guessed, Alan and I enjoyed our night out at the ballfield. The weather was great, the view was excellent, and best of all... the Braves beat the Astros with a final score of 4-1! And at least the Astros participated in the game. The next night the Braves slaughtered them 16-0! I'm not sure that would have been too fun to watch in person. I kind prefer to watch a game where both teams actually show up and there is a little bit of a competition! The only part of the night that wasn't pleasant was the way they routed the traffic leaving the ballpark out of Atantla. They wouldn't let us go the direction we needed to go in. Instead we ended up on US 75 which took us about 45 minutes longer to get home! Oh well. It was still a great night out, and a much needed one at that. Now...back to packing! :)

2005-05-09T13:27:00.000-05:00

Got the job done w/ bases loaded in the 9th!

2005-05-09T13:26:00.000-05:00

Final Score

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

2005-05-06T15:57:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow is May 7th and tomorrow night Alan and I will be going to the Braves game. The Atlanta Braves play the Houston Astros tomorrow night in Atlanta at 7:35. I am looking forward to going for several reasons. One being the fact that I adore baseball -- pretty much any kind. MLB, college, Minor League...doesn't matter. I can almost always get into the game. I also have quite an impressive baseball card collection, though I have to admit I don't have any recent additions. Probably the "newest" card I have is a 2002. I just don't have time to keep up with stuff. Though occasionally I do buy a factory sealed complete set as a gift for Alan. I like to be able to buy two though. One to leave sealed, and one to dig through. :) Anyway, the other reason I'm looking forward to the game is because it's the first "date night" Alan and I have had without the kids in....um....geez...I guess since I bought him tickets for his birthday LAST YEAR! The only other time we have been together without the kids was in the hospital the few hours before our second daughter was born. Of course technically we WILL have ONE of the kids with us. LOL But at least this one is pretty obscure, and lacks the capability of hollering "mommy, mommy, mommy!!!" every five minutes. Though it does squirm every once in a while just to remind me it's there. (Not that my Chinese food eating, feet swelling, and having to pee every five minutes body is likely to forget.) I bought a parking pass when I ordered the tickets so we won't have to walk five miles to get to the stadium. AND we are sitting in the Lexus level which is an upgrade from last year's seats. I just hope I can sit back, relax, and enjoy the game without worrying about the kids and whether or not they have tortured and tormented the poor babysitter. Did I mention she will be keeping them from 3:00 pm until around midnight?

A Hectic Schedule

2005-04-25T15:51:00.000-05:00

Geez, when it rains it pours. Not that I am complaining..not really. I am very pleased with most of the things I'm having to schedule time for these days. It's just that I feel like I need a calendar to remind me when to look at the calendar I have written everything on. Or that I must consult that calendar before making any plans...appointments...dinners...or even brief trips to the bathroom. I have to schedule in my showers these days. We are supposed to close on our new home sometime between the 29th of this month and the 14th of May. Cat has story-time every other Tuesday. I have Avon orders to enter every other Wednesday. Then I have to package everything up when it comes in every other Friday and then call all my customers and make arrangements to deliver their products. (Some as far away as an hour drive). Alan's softball season starts this week which means he will be rushing home from work expecting dinner (something light and easy on the stomach please) to be ready when he gets home at 6:00 so that he can be at the softball field by 7:00 for his game at 7:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. May 7th Alan has a written exam as a prerequisite to an interview with another law enforcement municipality. Then that night we have to be in Atlanta by 6:30 for the Braves game that starts at 7:35. (I bought Alan two tickets for his birthday). May 9th is my grandmother's birthday. May 11th we have to go to the hospital where baby#3 will be born to have an ultrasound done to determine baby's size and whether baby will be daughter #3 or son #1. Then the next day Alan is having his wisdom teeth cut out, which at the age of 31 is NOT going to be a pleasant experience. It was hell when I had mine done at 16. This will put him out of work and on the couch for about a week on a liquid/mush/jello diet which is not going to be a day at the beach for either of us. Especially with 3 and 1 running around wondering why daddy looks like a chipmunk that lost a good fist-fight. *sigh* AND somewhere in the midst of all that drama, I have to find time to pack up everything in our house except for the daily essentials that we need to survive between now and then end of June when, HOPEFULLY we will be living in, or at the very least moving into, our new house. And in the middle of the moving Alan and I will celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary on June 23rd, and hopefully we will be settled, unpacked, and content in time for me to plan the girls' birthdays in July. "3" will be turning 4 on July 20th and "1" will be turning "2" on the 10th. By this time I will be close to seven month pregnant with "baby #3" and thouroughly exhausted as well. Then I get to look forward to getting up at 6:00 every morning and waking 4 and 2 up, throwing clothes on them, shoving a bag of cheerios and a cup of milk at them as I strap them into the car on the way to take "4" to kindergarten. She starts in August. Oh God...I'm tired already. See you guys later. I'm going to take a nap!

A Tisket, a Tasket...How 'Bout a Gift Basket?

2005-04-13T19:29:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have started selling custom-made Avon gift baskets for men, women, and children. If you know of anyone who is looking for gift baskets for Mother's Day, Father's Day or any other event...I can create various multi-piece gift baskets at different price ranges. The smallest Bath&Body/Fragrance basket I have put together so far was about $15.00 and had about 4 pieces. However, if you give me a price range I can usually create something lovely to meet your specific needs. I just let the customer tell me what product line he/she would like to use and then I can quote sizes and prices. Favorites so far have been the Naturals: Peach, Vanilla, or Cucumber Melon, Skin-So-Soft, ProSport for Men, and Mark. Hollywood Pink Chocolate or Garden Blu. I also do "Beauty Baskets" with color (make-up) in them. A complete make-over kit. They are usually $20.00 or less as well, depending on how many pieces are involved. Avon has a wide-range of products available to make gift baskets for all occasions, including but not limited to:

Baby Showers
Bridal Showers
Sweet Sixteen Parties
Birthdays
Anniversaries
Thank You's
Housewarmings
Graduation
Teacher Gifts
Mother's Day
Father's Day
All Major Holidays, etc.

You tell me your favourite Avon products, your desired price range, or simply tell me a little bit about the person who will be receiving the gift; and I can create a beautiful customized gift basket for you to deliver to that special someone in your life. All I need is at least two week's notice so that I will have time to order any products needed that I don't have in stock. With enough notice, and a reasonable shipping fee, I can also ship baskets either to you, or to the gift recipient directly. Please pass this along to anyone you think may be interested (or to anyone whom you would like to have a basket created for YOU! *hint* *hint* ) Thank you for your time, and God Bless!

*** Thanks guys for putting up with my shameless plugging of my business. Things have been lacking here lately at a time when the extra income would be greatly appreciated. Especially with the new house and new baby coming up quickly! I will try to post pics of some of the baskets I have done soon to give you an idea of what they look like. You can always visit Dawn for her input, at http://overactiveimagination.blogspot.com as she was the recipient of two of my Christmas gift baskets this past holiday season. I am currently working on two 8-piece Skin-so-Soft baskets (one Light & Lush and one Soft & Sensual) for a local Real Estate company. Each one includes: a shower gel, hand cream, body lotion, body buffer, foam bath, bar soap, roll-on deodorant, and bath puffy. I will try to post pics when I'm done with them. ***

And the Cow Says.... MOOooooo

2005-04-12T18:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, so did you ever have one of those days where no matter how many outfits you drag out of your closet, shake the wrinkles out of, and throw over your head...absolutly nothing looks or fits right? I'm usually pretty easy-going when it comes to what I'm wearing...I don't spend a lot of time stressing over "the perfect outfit." All I ask is to A) look my age, B) look my size, and C) be comfortable in what I'm wearing. I really don't think that is too much to ask from the clothes that I probably paid too much for in the first blinkin' place. Now if only things actually worked out that way. Of course, being pregnant hasn't helped my wardrobe out much either. In case you haven't noticed...maternity clothes...the good ones that don't look like they were made by Omar the Tent-Maker... are expensive. Then if you've been fortunate enough to experience more than one pregnancy...you probably don't want to wear the same maternity clothes the second (or third) time around that you did the first or second time. Generally by the time that 9 months is over, most women are so sick of maternity clothes they want to burn them. Most of us suffice to pass them along to a friend or make a nice charitable donation to Goodwill or a women's shelter. Anyway, my point is that I am once again forced to wear maternity clothes, and being that this is my third (and last) pregnancy, I don't want to go out and spend a fortune on a wardrobe that I'm going to wear for 9 months and then want to see go up in smoke. I bought two new pair of long pants in basic black and khaki, and acquired a pair of denim shorts and black capri's from a friend. I have several t-shirt type tops that are fine for lounging around the house in, but as far as dressing for dinner, or doctor's appointments, or just going "out" in general I only have two shirts that fit the bill. I prefer the kind that tie in back...more adjustable and figure flattering (if that's even a possibility at this point). LOL I did order two more tops today that should be here by Friday...thank God! Okay, now I will get to the "punchline" of this whole background segment.

I was getting ready to go out to dinner with friends one night last week and I had on a my khaki pants. Well.. the peasant-type blouse I normally wear with those pants was in the washing machine, soaking wet. So my only other option was this almost sleeveless black and white print toile blouse. I put it on and made the mistake of facing the mirror (full-length mind you). Completely irritated, feeling nauseous, and thouroughly disgusted by this point I loudly exclaimed "I look like a big freakin' cow!" and ripped the shirt off while I stormed around looking for SOMETHING more suitable.

I survived the ordeal and the next day, while I was digging in my closet I found that pair of black capri pants that my friend had passed along to me. Well, I put the same black and white toile shirt on with those pants and it actually looked pretty nice! I was pleased....that is...until I walked out of my bedroom and down the hall. Upon seeing me, my three year old immediately looks shocked and says... "but MOMMY...I thought you didn't WANT to be a cow!!!" (Thanks a lot.) But then...I guess I had that one coming. However..I was totally unprepared for the reaction of my 18 month old. She had been asleep during all the excitement the night before and was clueless to any of the previous drama that had unfolded. So imagine my shock when I went to her room to get her...and she waddles up to the baby gate to greet me...not with a smile...not with a mama....but with a large, enthusiastic..... MOOOOOOoooooo. That was it. Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed!

One Step Forward...

2005-04-11T18:09:00.000-05:00

Well, we heard from our mortgage broker today and the "underwriting" on our loan is being processed and we should have it in our hands no later than Friday of this week. After that the next step is to contact our lawyer and arrange a meeting for him to litigate the actual "closing" of the sale. Which means that there are some documents that will have to be sent to his office beforehand such as the "termite bond" and our proof of insurance, etc. I'm fuzzy on all the details myself. I will just be glad when everything is finalized and this part of our journey is over. I'm actually kinda looking forward to the move. I packed my first box today. Of course it wasn't much since I'm not allowed to do a whole lot by myself right now. But I took down all the pictures on the walls and collected all my framed photos off the mantel and packed them neatly away for future transfer. I guess I will attack my Precious Moments collection next. I probably have about 50 pieces that need to be taken down, dusted, and carefully bubble-wrapped and repacked in their orignial boxes. Since we are not sure yet if we will be closing at the end of this month or the next then I don't know how long I have to actually pack for the move. I decided it was probably safe to go ahead and start packing away all the decorative things, and seasonal stuff that we don't use everyday. Of course if we are going to be closing in three weeks or less I will really have to get my butt in gear! LOL

Sorry for the Neglect

2005-04-08T17:37:00.000-05:00

Okay...here is my first post (thanks to Joy who emailed me to see if I had fallen in a hole... lol ) following a long time of neglect for which I am offering a sincere apology. The truth is, I've been so busy that I completely forgot that I even HAD a blog! How bad is that? We are in the process of buying our first home (we currently rent), and dealing with Realtors and our financial company on a daily basis, on top of keeping up with my three year old and 18 month old...accompanied by my being nearly 4 months pregnant now has been...um...EXHAUSTING to say the least! :) Things are going well though. So far baby and I are both healthy. We should find out baby's gender about this time next month. As for the house-hunting, we have put a contract down on a nice 3 bedroom / 2 bathroom home that is just perfect for us. The contract has been signed by the owners and returned to us. Our financing has been approved, so now we are just waiting on the papers we need to get here so that we can head to the lawyer's office for closing. We hope to start moving in by June 1st. God knows it's going to take me the next two months to get everything packed up. I've never attempted a move during a pregnancy before and I'm sure it will be a challenge. Especially when you consider that I'm not supposed to lift anything heavier than 5-10 lbs, stand on chairs or step-stools, or reach above my head. Fortunatly several friends have volunteered some help so I guess I'll pack boxes, tape 'em, and point to where they go! (While trying to refrain from packing my kiddies up in one too! LOL) Thanks for all the thoughts and well wishes!

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

2005-03-11T20:57:00.000-06:00

I'm sure there is one...a light...somewhere....way..way...down the long, deep, dark, dank tunnel of pregnancy. I obviously just haven't traveled far enough yet. Though I will admit that the dark is not quite so consuming and I'm starting to be able to see shadows. LOL Some of my energy is starting to return though I still have to take a nap when the girls take theirs after lunch. Most of the time they end up getting up before I do and I'm faced with the bright chipper chatter of an excited three year old as she tells me all kinds of wild stories while I sit up and try to clear the cobwebs out of my brain and the drool off my pillow. For some reason I don't sleep well at night...but am unconcious when I nap during the day. I am increasinly proud of the way I have "managed" my morning sickness this go 'round. Of course I have a wonderfully attentive husband who brings me buttered toast and a glass of milk for breakfast each morning before I get out of the bed. I let that settle on my tummy before trying to get up and then as long as I eat frequently and don't allow myself to get hungry...I feel fine. (Unless of course I see or smell something yucky -- in which case it's no holds barred...all over). One thing we have definately decided is that there is just not enough room in the house that we are currently living in. Not enough room for the four of us and heaven knows where we are going to put this new baby when it arrives if we are still in the same house. Alan and I made an appointment with a Realtor in our family to go look at a couple of houses yesterday. I learned one thing...like a book...you can't judge a house by it's exterior. The one we thought we would love at first glance...turned out to be incredibly small with a lot of "wasted" space on the inside. The one we were unsure of turned out to be HUGE on the inside (compared to what we are in now, of course.) It had four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a spacious kitchen WITH A DISHWASHER, a good sized laundry room with lots of shelving and cabinets...a room that could easily be converted to an office, a screened in deck, and an unfinished "half basement" for storage. I was impressed. Granted it needs a lot of cosmetic work...ie. new interior paint throughout the whole house, new carpet in two rooms and new linoleum or tile in the kitchen....the work would be minor and well worth it, if we are able to make (and more importantly...get financing) for an offer that the owners would accept. I'm not getting my hopes up or holding my breath....but it wouldn't hurt if you'd cross your fingers and say a little prayer for us!

In the famous words of Kermit the Frog...

2005-02-22T15:16:00.000-06:00

... "It's not easy being green." Alan and I just found out that we are expecting our third child in October. Somewhere around the 11th to be exact. Which means that as I type this I am 7 1/2 weeks pregnant and trust me..I'm feeling it. I threw up for the first time today though I have been nauseous 24/7 for well over a week. I hate throwing up, but then I guess I don't know anyone who really enjoys it. The good news is that I am experiencing MUCH LESS morning sickness with this baby than I did with both of my daughters. With the first one I was sick 24/7 for about 5 months to the point where the Dr. was worried about my weight gain...or should I say lack thereof. With the second one it was a little better...but I still wanted to paint a face in the bottom of the toilet for company. And let's not even talk about food cravings! OMG! I knew I was pregnant again when I found myself craving asparagus casserole in the car one afternoon. I'm really not all that crazy about the stuff on a normal day! LOL With my girls, I craved bland foods...pastas with a good cream-based sauce, and fresh fruits and veggies. NOT THIS TIME! Oh no...in the past several days I have scarfed down chili cheese dogs with extra onions, chinese food, mexican food, anything spicy with strong flavor. Right now I could really go for some Tostidos scoops and hot bowl of Velveeta and Rotel dip! So what do you think? boy or girl?

Monkey in the Middle

2005-02-10T17:41:00.000-06:00

I am in the process of "cleaning up" my links on my sidebar. Trying to delete some old links that are no longer in service, and am looking for some fresh new blogs to add. In the middle of all my craziness that is going on this month with work, family, etc., I am trying to uphold my duty as a blogger. LOL ! So if you wish to be one of the "monkeys in the middle" of my crazy life and I haven't added a link to your blog on my site yet...leave a comment or zap me an email and I'll get to it asap. Thanks to all who frequent this little neighborhood.

Love to all!

It's Been a While

2005-02-06T21:57:00.000-06:00

Geez, I didn't realize it had been so long since I had last posted on this thing. I am constantly busy with my ever-growing Avon business. Partly my sales...but more, the administrative work I have taken on as an assistant to my DSM. I'm really enjoying the relationships I have formed by participating. There have been changed in my personal life as well. I am still debating whether or not to post about these changes as I'm not sure whether or not any of my family actually reads or knows about this blog. I have a feeling that my Aunt J...possibly may read...but I'm pretty sure no one else does. The few relatives that may be reading, I wouldn't mind knowing what I post. But then I don't know how effective it would be to "yell" : IF YOU ARE RELATED TO ME AND READ THIS BLOG...EMAIL ME OR POST A COMMENT PLEASE?!?! Guess I'll give it a shot and find out. Haha! Anyway, per Dawn's request, here are my answers to the latest "quiz" circulating through the blog world.

Love to All!

1. Your name spelled backwards: anad (and don't call me that...an ex boyfriend used to and I hated it then)
2. Where were your parents born? both in my hometown (central Alabama)
3. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? all the faxes my DSM sent me
4. What's your favorite restaurant? Sol Azteca
5. Last time you swam in a pool? This past summer in my husband's aunt's backyard.
6. Have you ever been in a school play? In elementary school.
7. How many kids do you want? Um...I have two but I had better answer 3
8. Type of music you dislike most? Any with lyrics that are violent or disrespectful to women
9. Are you registered to vote? Yes
10. Do you have cable? No, we have Dish Network (satelite) and LOVE IT!
11. Have you ever ridden on a moped? Yes
12. Ever prank call anybody? Nope
13. Ever get a parking ticket? Again..nope
14. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving? Can I get a HELL NO!?!?
15. Farthest place you ever traveled? Wisconsin
16. Do you have a garden? Not right this minute but I will have a patio garden this summer. I learned that I can grow tomatoes and green peppers in pots, and can train cucumbers to grow along the rails of my front steps. LOL
17. What is your favorite comic strip? For better or worse.
18. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem? Yes
19. Bath or Shower, morning or night? Showers in the morning and baths at night (unless I have company)
20. Best movie you've seen in the past month? Van Helsing
21. Favorite pizza toppings? Ham and Pineapple
22. Chips or popcorn? Popcorn
23. What color lipstick do you usually wear? Sienna (a red/coral) or Twig (a nude brown/pink)
24. Have you ever smoked peanut shells? Um...somebody wanna explain this one? LOL
25. Have you ever been in a beauty pageant? once again...can I get a HELL NO?
26. Orange Juice or apple? both
27. Favorite type of chocolate bar? Plain Hershey's or Hershey's w/ Almonds
28 When was the last time you voted at the polls? "This past election, when the best man won." (Dawn's answer) AMEN sistah!
29. Last time you ate a homegrown tomato? last summer
30. Have you ever won a trophy? Yes, for Tennis
31. Are you a good cook? GREAT cook.
32. Do you know how to pump your own gas? sure...don't like to...but better than walking
33. Ever order an article from an infomercial? No, but I shop via internet ALL the time!
34. Sprite or 7-up? Neither...YUCK! I'll take a Pepsi, Cherry Coke, or Dr. Pepper please.
35. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work? No.
36. Last thing you bought at a pharmacy? Elidel for my baby's eczema
37. Ever throw up in public? Only during pregnancies
38. Would you prefer being a millionaire or to find true love? I married my true love and we'll both take the money..thanks!
39. Do you believe in love at first sight? Sight? No...conversation, first date, first kiss...YES! Been there...married that.
40. Ever call a 1-900 number? No, but when I was a pre-teenager it was a joke to dial 1-800-FAT GIRLS just so you could listen to the stupid "hook line" to get you to call the 1-900 number. It was a decent prank to use on friends. "Here...Matt...telephone for you" (after having dialed)
41. Can exes be friends? Only on rare occasions and only if you were already good friends before you dated.
42. Who was the last person you visited in a hospital? My grandfather who I'm happy to say is home and well!
43. Did you have a lot of hair when you were a baby? LOTS of dark brown hair that stuck out in all directions and would NOT lay down despite my mom's best efforts.
44. What message is on your answering machine? No machine on home phone...but my cell phone voice mail says..."It's me...leave a message...BEEP"
45. What is in your backpack? Avon brochures, business cards, samples, consultation sheets, planning reports, etc.
46. Favorite thing to do before bedtime? Take a long bath, read blogs and catch up on emails, read a novel...enjoy my "me" time after the kids are in bed.
47. What is one thing you are grateful for today? My husband, my children and my friends (both on-line and off) who have all been and continue to be incredibly supportive! Thanks guys!
48. What is the first concert you ever went to? Newsboys with my then fiancee ...an overnight trip to Huntsville. Thought my parents wouldn't let me go but they didn't try to stop me or say anything negative. Really appreciated the trust!

Prayers for Peace

2005-01-21T22:12:00.000-06:00

While you are keeping soldiers in your hearts and thoughts...please keeps the everyday soldiers - police officers - in your prayers as well. While they don't face the same threat as those in Iraq, they risk their lives daily and in many cases are not as well armed or prepared for the circumstances they come up against. Because of such low pay-rates, many police officers (including three in my own small town who I know personally) are opting to leave wives and children behind in order to go to Iraq and train the Iraqi police forces. Yes...if they survive they will bring back large sums of money to their families; but for the most part, they are trained in one-on-one encounters...street fighting...not the kind of combat they will face upon arrival. Please keep these brave men in your throughts and prayers as well. I apologize for the lengthy comment, but this is a subject near and dear to my heart...you see..my husband is a police officer. While he remains state-side...he and the other officers who chose to stay, not only have to deal with the worry and fear for their fellow officers in Iraq, they also have to work double-duty covering the shifts and filling the positions that were left behind. Long hours...low pay...lots of stress.

Help for Tsunami Victims

2005-01-16T12:43:00.000-06:00

During this horrible time of tragedy, many good hearted citizens around the world want to do something...anything...they can to help. The problem? Many of these wonderful people are being scammed through false charities and organizations. Still want to help but don't know how? Here's a great way through a highly reputable company...AVON.

Right now I am selling the beautiful "Heart of Asia" lapel pin. Avon will donate $3.00 from the proceedes of each sale (the total price of the pin is only $4.00) to the Avon Foundation to support relief and rebuilding efforts in the countries affected by the tsunami disaster. Support will be directed to long-term aid organizations such as the American Red Cross and UNICEF, which provide medical care, shelter, food distribution, education for children, and help in reuniting families and creating stronger communities. "The Avon Foundation has been a philanthropic leader for 50 years and has provided thoughtful and effective support in emergency relief efforts worldwide."

If you are interested in purchasing this beautiful pin to support those affected by the tsunami, please contact me. Post a message here, email me, or visit my Avon website at the link in my sidebar.

Heart of Asia Pin

Here are a few other major (REPUTABLE) agencies accepting contributions:

AMERICAN RED CROSS
International Response Fund
PO Box 37243
Washington, DC 20013
1-800-HELP-NOW (435-7669)
www.redcross.org

AMERICARES
88 Hamilton Avenue
Stamford, CT 06902
1-800-486-4357
www.americares.org

CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
Tsunami Emergency
PO Box 17090
Baltimore, MD 21203-7090
www.catholicrelief.org

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
PO Box 1856
Merrifield, VA 22116-8056
1-888-392-0392
www.doctorswithoutborders.org

U.S. Fund for UNICEF
Attn: Tsunami Relief
333 East 38th Street
New York, NY 10016
1-800-4-UNICEF (486-4233)
www.unicefusa.org

World Food Program
US Friends of the WFP
PO Box 11856
Washington, DC 20008
www.wfp.org/donate

"The Power of 3"

2005-01-07T18:13:00.000-06:00

Not exactly what the gurus at Avon had in mind...but I thought it would be fun. Here's a quiz I have "borrowed" from Stuck. Copy it and fill in your own answers if you want. :)

Three Things Quiz

3 names you go by:
1. Mrs. Mole
2. Mommy Bear
3. 'Rose

3 screen names you have:
1. Craz4acop7
2. Englishrose
3. Rosalind19

3 things you like about yourself:
1. my eyes
2. my personality...sometimes I'm a smartass but that's the way I like it
3. my craftiness...literally...I love crafts!

3 things you hate/dislike about yourself:
1. I get bored easily
2. I love food and am always hungry
3. I tend to be bossy at times

3 Parts of your Heritage:
1. Irish
2. Scottish
3.

3 things that scare you:
1. storms
2. being away from my husband/children
3. that some of my loved ones are not saved

3 of your everyday essentials:
1. my computer
2. my telephone
3. books

3 things you're wearing right now:
1. my new matching lingerie set that husband gave me for Christmas
2. mint green sweater
3. khaki courderoy pants

3 of your favorite bands/artists:
1. Steven Curtis Chapman
2. Rebecca St. James
3. Smalltown Poets or Newsboys

3 of your favorite songs at present:
1. Gravity - Shawn McDonald
2. This Fragile Breathe - Todd Agnew
3. the new release by Barlow Girl...I forget the name

3 new things you want to try in the next 12 months:
1. a new cell phone plan...mine sucks
2. something Chinese (Greg and GW know)
3. to make my own purses like my friend does

3 things you want in a relationship (love is a given):
1. friendship
2. trust/loyalty
3. attention

2 truths and a lie:(no particular order to keep ya guessing)
1. I've been cutting my own hair since I was 11 years old
2. I've never been to a Major League baseball game.
3. One of my favourite foods is an Eggo waffle topped with peanut butter and marshmallows

3 physical things about a love interest that appeal:
1. eyes
2. beautiful smile
3. not hairy

3 things you just can't do:
1. play first person role-playing video games w/o getting sick
2. ride on a ski-lift or in a sky-bucket
3. go out into the ocean farther than I can still see my toes at the bottom

3 of your favorite hobbies:
1. cross-stitch/embroidery
2. painting ceramics/woodcrafts
3. reading

3 things you want to do really badly right now:
1. go on a vacation
2. buy a new house
3. finish my new cross-stitch project instead of cleaning house!

3 careers you're considering (let's say I would consider):
1. Avon District Sales Manager
2. Owner/Manager of my own store
3. College Professor

3 places you want to go on vacation:
1. Disneyworld in Orlando, FL
2. Gatlinburg, TN
3. Pensacola, FL

3 kids names (either boy or girl):
1. Gabriella
2. Eli
3. Danica

3 things you want to do before you die:
1. Get out of debt
2. Have my own house designed/built
3. See my kids happily married and settled

3 people who have to take this quiz now:
1. Greg
2. Good Wife
3. Birdie

My First "Child"

2005-01-05T08:55:00.000-06:00

This is Amos, my wedding present from four years ago. He was born on May 14th, 2000 and we brought him home the first week in July when he was only 8 weeks old. I used to carry him around in the pocket of my bathrobe, he was so tiny. Now he weighs all of between 8 and 9 pounds and is spoiled rotten. He even sleeps in the bed with us - usually under the covers but sometimes he sleeps with his head on my pillow and I hug him like a teddy bear. Rotten beast! :)

Little Amos

An Unexpected Addition

2005-01-04T22:23:00.000-06:00

Four years ago, two weeks after our wedding...Alan bought me a black and tan, miniature weenie dog that we named Amos (officially "Little Amos") for a wedding present. Alan worked 12 hour night shifts then and I was alone every evening. Amos was a great little buddy and lots of company, which is why the spoiled rotten little beast still sleeps in our bed under the covers every night. Anyway, we had always intended to get him a "mate" but then our first daughter, Cat, came along followed two years later by our second one - Ash, and we just haven't had the time or effort to put into getting another dog. Amos is AKC registered with a good bloodline and family lineage. We paid too much for him but he's worth every penny. Since then however, we haven't had the money to purchase him a girlfriend, though from time to time we have looked around. Today was a typical day. I was trying to get caught up with my Avon business and keep the girls fed, clean, and for the most part satisfied. Alan was at work until he got off at 6:00 pm. When he came home however, he didn't come alone. I met him at the car and was immediatly attacked by a little black and tan bundle of energy. Yep! He brought home a little 5 month old female, black and tan, miniature weenie dog puppy! She too will be AKC registered as soon as we send the paper work in. (Her parents are full-blooded and registered). She was given to him by a lady he met today who was looking for a good adoptive family for her baby. She was having to move and could not take her puppy with her, but wanted her to go to a family who would keep her indoors and love her and spoil her rotten. Alan saw the lady with the puppy and just commented on how beautiful the puppy was. He then told her that we had been looking for a mate for our dog who looks exactly like her and is spoiled rotten - even sleeping in the bed. The woman told him...you have just found one. I'm looking for an adoptive family for "Pepper" and if you want her... you are it. So we have a new addition to our ever-growing family. Pepper who when her registration papers are complete will be renamed "Lady Abagail" and called "Abby." Here she is:

Our New Addition - Lady Abagail (Abby)

My Little Princess

2005-01-03T17:58:00.000-06:00

This is Cat, my three year old who looks about 6 in this picture. She is modeling the Sleeping Beauty Princess Dress Up gown that her grandparents sent her for Christmas. And that pose was NOT my idea...LOL. I got ready to snap the picture and she says "Mommy...I haffa hold my Christmas tree!" :)

My Little Princess

Housecleaning

2005-01-03T16:53:00.000-06:00

I figured it was about time to do a little "cleaning" up on my blog. If you will notice in the side bar, I have made a few changes and additions. First of all, the section headings finally match! I've been meaning to fix that forever, and when I logged on I kept forgetting. Secondly, I added a link where you can go to my Avon homepage and browse or shop to your heart's content. And finally, I also added a link to yet another blog I have created -- this one with the intent to publish review and recommendations by myself and possibly others of Avon products which hopefully some of you will find useful. Before upcoming holidays, I will even post a list of "gift ideas" for guys and gals. Maybe the men out there will appreciate that one. For instance...although the Bust Sculpt and Cell-u-Sculpt are both wonderful products, it probably wouldn't be that great of an idea to give it to your lady love as a Valentine's Day gift! I'm thinking you may end up on the couch for that one! ;)

Anew Year...(pun intended)

2005-01-02T22:23:00.000-06:00

Welcome back everyone! Hope you had a very merry Christmas and I wish you all the best in the new year! I am hoping the new year will bring some new beginnings. Especially for my Avon business. I have to admit I did not end the past year with the best record. In fact, I did not even send in an order for my last campaign of 2004. It was due by December 28th and it just happened that my little girls came down with a nasty stomach virus on Christmas Day and the day after...so I was force feeding Pedialyte and Ginger Ale....holding downy soft ponytails while my baby girls emptied their little tummies with violent wretches....mopping clammy foreheads...administering medicine...changing and washing sheets...mopping floors...running around the house with a can of Lysol disinfectant spray like a crazy woman....and of course doing the cuddling and comforting required by sick kiddies of their mommy. (Which...as usual resulted in me getting the virus too). This week however, everyone is back to normal. The kids are bouncing off the walls...literally...and playing with all the new stuff they got for Christmas. Alan and I are trying to establish some semblance of "order" to our household...cleaning...and rearranging things. AND I'm attempting to get my business things more organized as well. My problem is...I NEED CUSTOMERS. I have one person, Aurora...who orders from me every single campaign...God bless her! But for the most part...my other customers place orders sporadically and I can't rely on them for income. My Avon business allows me to stay home with my baby girls. Alan is a police officer and while he adores his job (and I adore the way he looks in that uniform) it's not a very high paying profession. Especially when you consider that technically police officers are being paid to put their lives on the line on a daily basis. They don't get paid a tenth of what they deserve. Plus, we live in a small town in Alabama...so our town's budget for police does not come close to comparing with that of larger departments. In other words...we make it...but just barely. There is usually not any money for "extras" and we are okay unless something breaks down or needs serious repair..including ourselves! If you use...would like to use...or know of anyone else who might like to use Avon products and need(s) a representative...please keep me in mind. I have my own website now where you can order directly from me and have the products sent directly to you. http://www.youravon.com/dwykoff
Please bookmark me and send me to your friends and family as well! I also put together gift baskets for all occasions for very reasonable prices...I just have to know well enough in advance so that I have time to order the products that I don't have on hand. Anyway...to get to the point...my new year started off rather well. I received a phone call from a lady who needed a representative and wanted me to serve her. She called me back today with an order for three products. Not just any products...but three products from Avon's ANEW CLINICAL line which is the most technologically advanced (also most expensive) line Avon currently offers. From the sale of those three products alone, I made $90.00. Not a bad way to start 2005....and so I wish you all... a Happy Anew Year! :)

A Distorted Hello

2004-12-31T18:13:00.000-06:00

For those of you who use the program "Hello" to post pics on your blogs, I need a bit of help. For some reason when I select a photo taken with my digital cam which I have saved in JPEG format...it looks fine on my computer...fine on everyone else's computer...and fine when I use "Hello" to select it...but when it actually uploads to my blog, it is distorted. Any ideas on how to correct this? I've tried resizing the pics...to no avail.

Oh Fudge! Literally

2004-12-23T21:26:00.000-06:00

"Oh Fudge" has become my favourite exclaimation to use around the house when either I injure myself or something doesn't exactly go in accordance to my plans. It started when I had kids in my effort not to say some of the other ..not so kid-friendly words that begin with the same phonetic prefix. Anyway...I recently discovered that I use that phrase more than I had realized when I dropped the lid to one of my pots in the kitchen and the 18 month old comes up behind me and says "Oh Fudge" in this adorable little baby voice! I had to look twice to make sure it actually came from her and not the older one. I cracked up laughing! I digress. The real story I intended to tell revolves around a chocolate cake that my husband's grandmother made us for Christmas. We had eaten several slices (yummy..it was delicious) and the remainder was sitting in a tupperware cake plate on my stove top in the kitchen. The way our house is laid out, there are two entrances to the kitchen. One doorway into the den/dining area and the other into the main hallway. We keep baby gates up across both entrances which keeps the kids in the den and denies them access to the rest of the house. That is about the only way I can get any work done without having to watch them quite so closely. (Or so I thought). Anyway...the stove in the kitchen sits right next to the doorway which was barred by a gate. I had taken a few minutes to go to the bathroom while the girls were content in the den. All of a sudden I hear Cat scream "No Sister!" followed quickly by "Mommy! Sister's in big trouble!" Oh fudge! I think to myself as I hurry up and finish my business and paper work. I'm hopping down the hall pulling my jeans up as I go and have just finished attending to the zipper when I look up and see what used to be my adorable, pajama clad 18 month old toddling toward me. She is covered quite literally from head to toe in chocolate cake and chocolate frosting. I can just see her eyes peeking out from a completely brown face. It's all over her clothing and between her toes. It's obvious that she has gotten into the rest of G'ma's cake...but how? Did I leave it on the table in the dining room? No...it was on the stove. It was then that I noticed the kitchen chair pushed over to the gate. I had promised the girls a piece after they finished their lunch. Apparantly Ash decided she wasn't going to wait on me to serve her. While Cat sat calmly and finished her meal, Ash pushed the chair over to the gate...crawled up in it...and pulled the cake off the stove into the floor. Luckily for her it landed right side up and the top popped off. She had helped herself to a little bit of cake and a WHOLE lot of frosting!!! I didn't know where to begin to recover from this disaster. There were little chocolate hand and foot prints all over the floors and walls...table...some toys...everywhere! What was left of the cake was sitting in a huge, gooey pile in the floor. I finally decided to clean the baby hands and feet first - at least that way she couldn't make copies of the ones I was already scrubbing off the walls. I finally got it all cleaned up and dumped her chocolate covered rear into the bathtub which promptly turned into a muddy chocolate swap...complete with little vinyl bathtub toy frogs. I was really too stunned to get onto Ash properly. It was one of those situations where you kinda have to laugh to keep from crying. When asked what she had to say for herself, Ash turned her adorable little pigtailed head in my direction...gave me a huge chocolate covered grin...and said "I EAT!" I guess that about summed it up.

In the Spirit of Christmas

2004-12-22T15:17:00.000-06:00

I just found this blog today and was struck by this woman's burden to bear this Christmas. Just after hurrican Ivan came through, she was abandoned by her husband who is also purposely witholding from her the insurance money much needed to make repairs on the home she shares with her two daughters. Part of said insurance money was also supposed to be used to replace most of her daughter, Amanda's clothing and belongings that were destroyed by the storm. Up until two days ago... the three ladies did not even have a Christmas tree due to their financial situation. As it is, Dawn is struggling to provide a Christmas for her girls while the soon to be ex-husband intentionally withholds family funds preventing her from succeeding. If you believe this blogger is for real and can find it in your heart to help...here is her blog link. http://overactiveimagination.blogspot.com . I'm sure that anything you can do will be appreciated...whether you make a financial donation, send cards or gifts (even if they are late), or just offer a few words of encouragement and prayers.

God Bless to All
Have a Merry Christmas!

Elf-Work

2004-12-19T20:56:00.000-06:00

*Whew* I am ALMOST finished wrapping all the Christmas gifts for this year. I'm done with Santa stuff, I'm done with my household's things, and most of my other family and friends' gifts. I am waiting on two more things to come in that I ordered and they had better come in this week before Friday or I'm going to be seriously ticked off. Anyway, once Christmas is over I'll be glad if I don't see wrapping paper of any kind for a whole year! In addition to wrapping all of our gifts to give, I had to wrap all of my Avon customers' holiday orders as well. My fingers are paper cut and my thumb is rough on the tip from tearing the tape off the dispenser 50 million times. I can't believe how cold it has gotten. They are talking about some snow in the forecast for tomorrow. Ugh! We went with Hersch and Aurora, their daughters, and one of their daughter's boyfriend to Taco Bell for dinner tonight after we exchanged gifts at their house. A little too much running around in the freezing weather for my taste. Oh, and to top it off...Ash (my one year old) dumped a large fountain drink all over herself and the other Ash (Hersch and Aurora's youngest daughter). Being soaking wet in below freezing temperatures is NOT a good thing. I was afraid she was going to turn into a fat little popscicle. We made it home okay though, and got the munchin dry and tucked into bed. I think I'm going to go tuck myself in too. There are several things I need to be doing but frankly, I'm too cold. I would never make it if I lived up North! Going to go crawl in bed with Alan and get warm! :)

Name that Song!

2004-12-19T20:55:00.000-06:00

"When there's clouds hangin' in your sky
And they're just not lettin' any light in
And you feel like you'd like to give in
Don't you give up so soon..."

Craz4acop and Many Other Things

35 Weeks and Counting...

Vertically Challenged...

Nasty Weather

I Almost Deleted This Blog Today...

My Little Trick-or-Treaters

27 and Counting....Backwards from Now On!

Baby Bug Turns ONE!

School Pic

I'm Still Alive

Coming Out of the Closet... LOL

Family Funnies - part 1

Busy, Busy Busy

HAPPY EASTER!

Cheap Entertainment

Home Again, Home Again...

*** Late Breaking News ***

Surprisingly Painless...

Silly Ole Me!

A Blinkie a Day?

Cobwebs and Dustbunnies

Time for a Nap!

Yes, I'm Still Alive...but Barely

Happy Turkey Day Everyone!

SO...So....*sigh*...TIRED!

Dance and Cheer the Sniffles Away!

Another Year Older....and Hopefully Wiser

No Balloon Animals Today, Dear...I Have a Headache

Got an Octopus for Sale?

I am Tired of Being Pooped On!!!

An Early Arrival!

A First-Hand Report from New Orleans

Long Time, No Blog

Kindergarten Queen

First Steps Down a LONG Road

Dr's Appointments Suck!

Sure to be a Memorable Moment

Busy w/ Birthdays and Other Things

Happy Birthday...Baby Bugga Bugga!

My Avon 4th of July Sale!

Recipe of the Week

Starting Out in the Can

Homemade Heaven

Bathtub Bloopers

E-Rep No More

Favourite Childhood Cartoon Meme

Re: Meme - 5 Things You Miss About Your Childhood

Carbon Cartoon Dating

Link Lineup

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

Baby Mozart...Great! Baby Picasso? Not so Much!

"Sleepless in...Alabama?"

Missing in Action

Laughing at the Little Things

Home Sweet Home

Movin' on Up

Circle of Life

Paying Respect

The 4-legged Loves of our Lives....are Gone.

I Won! I Won!

Think Pink!

Pink or Blue...Care to Guess?

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

A Hectic Schedule

A Tisket, a Tasket...How 'Bout a Gift Basket?

And the Cow Says.... MOOooooo

One Step Forward...

Sorry for the Neglect

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

In the famous words of Kermit the Frog...

Monkey in the Middle

It's Been a While

Prayers for Peace

Help for Tsunami Victims

"The Power of 3"

My First "Child"

An Unexpected Addition

My Little Princess

Housecleaning

Anew Year...(pun intended)

* Late Breaking News *

SO...So....sigh...TIRED!