Full of Blessings

Cleaning........

2012-01-03T11:11:00.001-07:00

The number one thing I wanted accomplished before Winter Break ended was the dreaded scrapbook room.

After working all day on it, it looks amazing!! The floor is clear & clean. The surfaces are clear and my desk is ready to work at!! Oh and before I buy another book I must read all the ones on my shelf!!!

After finishing that room, I moved onto the rest of the house. I got all the Christmas decor down and put away!! Then, got the floors vacuumed and washed. Oh and fixed the vacuum cleaner.

The best part, I found $114 in gift cards buried in that room!!! Shopping and dinner in my future soon!!!!

Relaxation

2012-01-01T15:45:00.001-07:00

Hubby and I had a great night of friends and laughter!! It's nice to spend the last hours of the current year and bring in the new year with some of our closest friends!

Today has been a day of just relaxing and hanging out.

Organization

2011-03-13T20:01:00.003-07:00

It seems it doesn't matter how hard I try, I just can't ever get fully organized. Everytime I think I'm almost there, something happens that sets me back. So now as I'm cleaning and organizing, I'm working hard at purging. I just hope this helps because I'm about ready to give up!

Snow

2011-02-27T11:41:00.003-07:00

We rarely get snow in southern Arizona. Maybe once a year and it's usually gone in a few hours. But last night the weather people kept predicting it. I woke up several times last night to the awful wind. Our wind blows here like it could take your house away. I'm always afraid to waking up to half my roof gone. So after waking several times to nothing but wind, I didn't have much hope. But as hubby was getting ready to fly out, he said he had to get moving earlier as it was snowing. I figured some flurries and nothing else. I went back to sleep after he left. I got up a few hours later and found it still snowing and a good amount on the ground. The kids got moving and outside they went. They played for a few hours til it all melted. I think the dog was happy someone was outside with him as well as trying to steal the kids snowballs. lol It's now lunchtime and all our snow is gone except the gorgeous mountains. But I'm glad we got to experience it at least once this winter.

Picture Winter Day 1

2011-01-01T13:56:00.001-07:00

After a night of partying and going to bed after 2am, the kids are still fast asleep!!!

Vacation

2011-01-01T02:02:00.005-07:00

I never thought there would come a day when I would count down the days for school holidays and vacations. Christmas means that we don't have to get up early for two weeks and that we can sleep in!!! It also means pj days and just doing nothing. And this year has been extra nice because hubby had 10 days off as well!!! We went to NM for a few days and the rest we have been watching movies, playing games and hanging out. Here a few photos from the past few days. It's sad to say that this is all coming to an end very soon!!! While I crave structure to our days and actually knowing what day of the week it is, I will soon be counting down the days to Spring Break!

Day 18

2010-12-18T23:35:00.000-07:00

Once a year we head out to our Christmas party. This is our one time a year to dress up and go out. We laugh, dance, and enjoy each other. These are our dear friends who have been going with us for 8 years!!!!

Day 10

2010-12-10T23:42:00.001-07:00

I have always wanted a two story house just so I could wrap lighted garland around the banister. It brings a smile to my face every night!

Day 8

2010-12-08T23:38:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite paintings in my house. Tonight I couldn't help but notice the stunning image of our tree.

Day 6

2010-12-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

I usually shower at night, but didn't happen last night. I usually am freezing in the morning, but was so in love with the wonderful sunlight pouring in my small window in the shower. It was something so small, but something wonderful on a cold morning.

Day 5

2010-12-05T21:14:00.002-07:00

Tonight my view was of the kids putting on the last of the decorations. It was wonderful to have it done and knowing they had fun.

Day 4

2010-12-04T21:53:00.001-07:00

Hot cocoa is the key to staying warm during the Christmas parade. It really wasn't that cold, but there is just something about cocoa during the holiday season!

Day 3

2010-12-03T23:24:00.000-07:00

One of the kids left their sticky hand on the couch. I was so surprised by the heart!

Day 1

2010-12-01T23:16:00.001-07:00

I'm so very grateful for this man, my husband!!! We celebrated 10 years of marriage this summer. He likes to joke he rescured me and in a way he's right. I wouldn't be who I am today without him! We've been through so much over the last 11 years we've been together and have come out stronger and more in love than I could ever imagine!

10 Years......

2010-11-15T21:33:00.009-07:00

If I could go back in time, I never would have imagined that in 2010 I would be celebrating 10 years of marriage. It's been an amazing 10 years. We've had our ups and downs as every couple does. But I never imagined I would be more in love with my husband now.

We decided that we wanted to take an anniversary trip for 10 years! The kids are old enough to leave for a week and not cause too much stress. So after looking at several places and the budget, we decided on Disneyland!!!

We went during Fall Break. At first I didn't think we would survive a whole week just the two of us. But from the beg of the trip, you could just feel the relaxation we both felt. All we had to worry about was finding our way to the rental car place and getting to the hotel. And after navigating LA, I think we would do just fine on The Amazing Race.

Our first night we saw Fantasmic. What an amazing show, just so much fun and great creativity from Disney. Even Tony said that was his favorite

Everyday brought another surprise and more fun. On our very first day we took a tour A Walk In Walt's Footsteps. It was a lot of fun and we learned so much about the history of the man who created it all. We got to see the lobby of Club 33 which was really neat. I'm glad we did the tour, something we never would have done with the kids. They would have been bored to death.

I got over my fear of the unknown with rides. I got on almost every ride that I didn't last time. And I found some I loved and some I will never go on again. I think the best one is the Matterhorn and the second time we rode it was the best. We were stuffed from dinner and somehow squeezed into the same seat and laughed the whole way down.

The Halloween event night was fun. We got a ton of candy and hit every candy station in the park. The fireworks show and parade were fun. The Halloween tour we did was fun. Best part was getting on rides right away. I skipped many of them only because I couldn't do some of those again lol.

Fantasyland is still my favorite. Peter Pan and Tea Cups are my favorite. And my husband who doesn't like spinning in circles was a big sport and got on and helped spin us faster than I've ever gone.

California Adventure was fun as well. Soaring over California is still a favorite. But River Run we got on several times. The very first time I got soaked from head to toe. The times after that wasn't so bad. Toy Story is always worth the wait!! It's just a fun ride, but hoping there is a fastpass for it one day.

We also hit Universal Studios. The shows were fun and it was neat to see the special effects they do. The Studio Tour was really neat. So many things to see, the King Kong 3D was super neat. Also seeing the set of DH was so cool. I didn't get all the photos I wanted, but that's ok. The rides in the park was what I was super afraid of. The Simpsons ride was super cool, one I could have ridden more than twice. It was a bit scary that I lost my phone on it the first time. Thankfully, someone turned it in. We also hit The Mummy ride which took my breathe away the first time. I did not expect it to go shooting out so fast! But it was super short, unline Space Mountain. We did that ride time and time again and was my favorite by the end. Jurassic Park was last. It was a super neat ride, everything they did to create it. But the drop at the end is one vertical drop. But I did it and survived! lol

We finished off the week with dinner at Wine Country. The food was good and we enjoyed a bottle of Magicale. It was fun and something we wouldn't have done otherwise. We also got tickets to see World of Color. It was really neat to see the amazing effects they do. And so very glad we didn't have to stand in the super long lines that everyone else did.

There isn't one thing that made the week amazing. It was the time for just the two of us with no distractions. It was just a wonderful gift and well worth 10 wonderful years of marriage!!

Emotions

2010-11-14T23:52:00.002-07:00

This time of year starts to invoke many emotions in people. I feel like Veteran's Day is the kickoff to the season of gratitude, honor, family, being thankful and then giving way to the holiday season. Veteran's Day was first started as Armistice Day proclaimed by President Wilson in 1919 - a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Whichever way you look at it, and whichever way your dedication and passion for your country comes from, I feel President Eisenhower said it best during the first Veteran's Day proclamation:

"In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose.

It's everyone coming together no matter what label you have, and paying your respect to the men and women, past and present who have giving everything to protect us and provide us with a free nation.

That feeling of price and honor seems to carry forward to Thanksgiving where many people focus on family, traditions and being thankful for all that they have been blessed with. And then going further and blessing other people.

This is where I wish that more people would carry this with them all year round. What a better world we would live in if we spent more time helping other people and spending less time focused on ourselves.

I'm not without fault and human like everyone else. I find myself "too busy" to do more of what really would have a lasting effect of values and traditions that will be handed down from my own children. This is a year that I want change in my own heart to really see every person.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Birthday Celebration

2010-04-19T21:43:00.002-07:00

My friend Jen and I celebrated our birthdays together. We didn't plan to, but it was a fun surprise!

Baseball

2010-04-19T21:22:00.003-07:00

Here are a few photos from the last few games for Lillian and Gabriel.

Water Fun

2010-04-19T21:18:00.002-07:00

Victoria had a fun time trying to get Krisco in his small pool.

Spring Break

2010-03-21T22:09:00.004-07:00

We decided to not really do anything big for Spring Break this year. I'm glad as I got really sick before it even started. I was sick through most of the week. On Friday we decided to head to Tucson and spend the night and get the kids out of town. It was nice as we had hotel points. We saw two movies, shopping, eating at great places and kids went swimming. Then on Saturday morning we took the kids rock climbing at Rocks & Ropes. They had a great time even though they had never been before. Lillian was afraid at first, but then the instructors were great at building her confidence and before long, she was climbing to the top too!

Reading Week

2010-03-16T21:32:00.004-07:00

It was Love of Reading week at the kids school. Each class designed the board outside their classrooms. We found everyone's but Gabriel's. And that was because he didn't put a name on his paper. Gabriel and Victoria's classes also sang.

Kids....

2010-03-16T21:17:00.004-07:00

Apparently, my kids weren't using their brain. They decided to roll Lillian's new ball into the drainage pipe. Little did they know, the pipe was pointing back, and were shocked when the ball got stuck. Gabriel ended up crawling in all the way til he reached it. I told them to just leave it because I was already envisioning the fire dept. and policemen rolling up with lights and sirens.

Salt

2010-02-28T23:42:00.002-07:00

Why is it that when you run out of something, you can never remember to pick it up the next time you are at the store. Between me and Tony, we've taken more than a dozen trips to the store and yet could not remember to pick up salt. Finally today while grabbing groceries I remembered!! Funny thing is that while Tony stopped at Wal-Mart on his way to work, he remember too. So now we have two giant things of salt so we shouldn't run out anytime soon!

Tryouts

2010-02-28T23:32:00.004-07:00

Gabriel had baseball tryouts this past Saturday. This is his first year at the Minor level. Tony has been working with Gabriel since last season on and off. But I had no idea what is expected or what type of drills are done at tryouts. The kids had to bat, run, catch ground balls and catch in the outfield. He did so well, I'm amazed at his hand-eye coordination and his depth of perception. I was joking and told him that I don't think I would be selected for any team as mom is not that good at baseball.

V-Day Banquet

2010-02-25T09:08:00.001-07:00

Kim and Jeff invited us again this year to their church's Valentines Day Banquet. Every year we are either gone or have something else going on. This year we were actually able to go. And a nice bonus is that the church provided babysitting too! Here's a couple of photos!

Grams

2010-02-12T19:17:00.006-07:00

Today the kids had their Valentine exchanges. This is the first year I haven't gone to take photos. I'm still not feeling the greatest and also didn't have times for when they were doing them. Oh well. They all came home with lots of Valentines and candy!! One thing that I really liked that the PTO did was Carnation Grams.
We all remember Candy Grams when we were in school. It was so fun to send them to our friends and wait with anticipation to see if we would get any. Growing up, my parents weren't huge on these. I remember only being able to send one or two which I should have been grateful for.
Since I remember what a big deal it was to get one, I had sent in the form last week. Each of the kids were so surprised so get a beautiful red carnation. I just couldn't let me kids feel left out and it was a thoughtful way to tell each of them that we love them! Thankfully, they are too young to ask to send one to all their friends. But I know that day is coming! I better start my list of ways for them to earn money lol!

Storms

2010-02-10T19:19:00.002-07:00

I love when a storm system rolls in. Sometimes we see rain and sometimes the mountains look so awesome covered by the clouds!

February????

2010-02-10T16:48:00.002-07:00

I cannot believe the month is almost half over. Guess it doesn't help that it's a short month to beging with. I know I've been a very bad blogger and haven't posted hardly at all. Life has just been crazy the last few weeks. Hubby is home again and on the one shift we cannot stand! Adjusting to him being home and his new hours has taken some getting use to. The kids are doing well in school and keeping busy with all their homework. I think I have finally found a homework routine where I don't feel like banging my head against the wall. I have lots of photos to get up, but here is one of my and Tony before the ballet!

Christmas Season

2009-12-15T09:21:00.003-07:00

It's time once again to get out all the Christmas decorations and start preparing for the big day. I got things out late once again this year. Life has just gotten so busy and I couldn't find the time. I did make sure to take our family photo which I think turned out really nice!!! I got all the Christmas cards mailed out which I'm very happy for. Presents are almost done and I just have to get them wrapped and together. We are heading to NM at the end of the week. We're going to see hubby and stay for the kids' winter break. So that means everything has to be done. And his room doesn't have an over so no baking this year. I must also pack a ton of things to keep 3 kids entertained while in a hotel room. I'm hoping it won't be so bad. I'm hoping to get some photos up of the tree and decorations, we'll see if that happens before I leave lol.

Family Photo

2009-11-11T12:23:00.002-07:00

I love that Village Meadows Baptist Church takes a photo at the Halloween festival! We have been doing it for many years! Here is our newest one for 2009

Contest

2009-11-11T12:20:00.001-07:00

Check out this contest!!! Who wouldn't love to win???!!!
Jaime Hulsey Photography

FREE CLASS

2009-10-31T21:30:00.000-07:00

Apple Annie's

2009-10-24T21:20:00.007-07:00

We headed to Wilcox today for our annual trip to Apple Annie's. We got there later than we usually do. But we still had plenty of time for all the fun! We did the corn maze which Victoria was not happy about. For some reason she didn't want to do it. Then we did the hayride to pick pumpkins. Afterwards we had some pie!!!

Great Game

2009-10-01T21:41:00.002-07:00

Tonight Gabriel's team had their 3rd game. Wow is all I can say. We all stood the entire game. I have no pictures because I never really did pick up my camera. The first quarter Gabriel got hit by the ball so many times I lost count. He was so aggressive and boy did he pay for that. He got hit in the eye, arm, head, face, etc. There was this one girl on the other team who towered above all the other players. And man, she was good. At one point it was her and Gabriel going for the ball and not sure what happened, but they fell and she landed on Gabriel. I thought for sure he would be out. But now way, up he went and continued on. He scored the first goal and that just helped spur the team on. They all played so well together. They passed and looked for opportunities to help each other out. Eight goals were scored total and by the end of the game the coach just had our team passing to each other. That was great to watch in itself because the kids have improved so much so soon! One thing is for evening games we need jackets and pants! My friend did say she would vouch for us in case Gabriel wakes up tomorrow with bruises all over. lol

More Summer Fun

2009-09-27T18:25:00.007-07:00

Ok I guess I didn't hardly post any of our summer fun we had. We went to Pump It Up in Tucson. It's an inflatable bouncy place. Even the adults can go and play. I met up with two friends and their kids and we had a blast!!!

Summer Swim

2009-09-27T17:58:00.004-07:00

I found these photos that I took during the kids' fun week for swim team. They all had a blast going off the diving boards. Lillian was the only one who wasn't going off the high dive.

Birthday Catch-Up

2009-09-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

I cannot belive that I never posted any photos from the kids' birthdays. Gabriel is 9, Victoria 8 and Lillian is 6. Time is just flying by and I wish I could just make it stop. Here are some photos.

Awards Assembly

2009-09-27T12:11:00.004-07:00

It was the first awards assembly of the school year. Victoria received a Citizenship Award. Her teacher, Mr. Nichols, has been so impressed with how she has helped a student in her class who doesn't speak any english.

Soccer Season

2009-09-27T11:51:00.003-07:00

Soccer has started. It seems like we just finished up soccer. Gabriel is the only one playing this year. I kind of like only having to keep track on his practices and games. He is really enjoying it and he has a great coach. We had him 2 years ago and Gabriel can only be on his team every other year. Gabriel has improved since last year. I really feel like the summer soccer camp does wonders for his skills.

We had our first game last weekend. Gabriel scored 4 goals and his team won 9-0. What a great way to start off the season! The other kids on his team did really well too and think we're going to have a wonderful season. Now that Gabriel is on a U10 team, there is a chance for championships and such. So our season could go on longer than expected.

Simply Obsessed Birthday Party Blog Hop

2009-08-16T18:00:00.004-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Simply Obsessed!!!!!!! I'm so excited and proud to be part of an awesome group of scrappers!!!! I had so much fun creating this layout. The pics are from my daughter's birthday last year. I just fell in love with this photo since it shows the fun and loving side of my kids!

Follow the link to our next participant!!!
Next Blog

And don't forget to come join our big online Birthday Party Crop starting tomorrow! Lots of fun, games, challenges, scrapping and chatting!
Simply Obsessed

Simply Obsessed

2009-07-22T13:07:00.005-07:00

Simply Obsessed is having an online crop August 17-24! Lots of challenges, fun and friends!! Come check it out and join us.

4th of July

2009-07-06T15:48:00.017-07:00

We had a very busy, but wonderful day. Victoria had a gymnastics exhibition. Since I took video the only photos I have are of the older girls on the beam. Then we went to a friend's house for a potluck lunch/dinner. There was so much yummy food. And our friends had bought little poppers for the kids to do. They had a ton of fun doing that and just playing. For fireworks we were invited to our friend's house. Their backyard faces where the fireworks go off. So it's so nice and safe and can enjoy without wondering if your kids will wander off. My fireworks photos didn't turn out too well because I forgot my tripod. Oh well.

9th Anniversary

2009-07-04T06:15:00.004-07:00

We celebrated our 9th Anniversary. We spent the day in Tucson eating, shopping and going to a movie. It was such a nice day. We ended the day at The Melting Pot.

Swim Team

2009-06-28T12:03:00.006-07:00

This summer we signed the kids up for swim team. They are all old enough and high enough in the swimming level. You have to be able to swim 25 meters in all 4 strokes to be able to participate. The have really loved it and are improving in their swimming. There are also swim meets on Saturday mornings. At first they didn't want to participate, but then changed their minds. We are so proud of them and hopefully will be something they do every summer.

FREE CLASS

2009-06-19T10:05:00.008-07:00

Curious how to use the digital goodies you’ve collected? Or how about creating scuffy, worn edges or rounded corners on your photos? Dying to know to add swirly borders to your pictures like you see in magazines and advertisements? Jessica Sprague will show you how easy it is to add beautiful accents to enhance your digital photos, as well as how to add special photography effects using Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Just click on the photo above to get all the info! This is a FREE Class and you won't want to miss out.

Ballet

2009-05-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

Here are photos from Lillian's ballet recital.

New Mexico

2009-05-29T10:56:00.005-07:00

These are photos from our trip to NM a few weeks ago.

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T14:28:00.006-07:00

I cannot believe how quickly the time is flying by. I know it's been awhile since my last post. Hopefully things will slow down a bit after this week and I can update more. I have tons of photos so I will get those up soon.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. We went to church the night before so there was no mad rush Sunday morning!! The kids let me sleep till 9am! They even closed the door so I wouldn't hear them playing the playstation. Hubby cooked a wonderful steak dinner! And I was showered with gifts from the kids. I am so thankful for wonderful and creative teachers who took time to make gifts!! Gabriel gave me a card and an owl he made in art class. It's so cute!!! Victoria made me a card and painted a ceramic tile. Lillian made a card and a cute basket. They are all so nice and wonderful gifts that will be cherished forever. I told hubby that there wasn't anything I really needed or wanted. So he got me some beautiful roses and the kids got an assortment of flowers. The perfect gift!!!! Oh and how I love my tri-pod! Now there are no excuses for photos when no one is around to take it.

Easter

2009-04-15T18:33:00.005-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter. Kim and Jeff invited us to their church. After church they had a cook-out and an egg hunt for the kids. They all had a blast and everyone at their church is so nice and friendly.

Birthday

2009-04-15T18:13:00.006-07:00

Last Saturday my husband wanted to take me out to dinner for my bday. I've been bugging him for months saying I wanted to go out with friends to celebrate my birthday. And do a couples dinner. Because how often do we get to go out with our hubby's? Every time I brought it up he blew it off. So, Saturday night comes around and we had decided on The Outback. He said that one of the nearby towns was having their prom so we would probably have to wait. He checked and sure enough so we ran to Wal-Mart to grab a few last min Easter basket items. Then we go back and we get led to our table and low and behold there are our friends shouting surprise. Now those who know me well, I do not like a huge fuss or anything where I'm on the spot. But I really enjoyed it and was surprised. Now I had a feeling that we would be having dinner with Kim and Jeff. And only because the girl has spent every birthday with me either at our houses or she takes me out. This year she said nothing of the sort which is so not here. But I never expected everyone to be there. It was a lot of fun and I hope our friends had a good time. Only a few of my photos came out and those are still blurry. So, please don't be offended if you were there and your photo didn't get posted. It's because it was so blurry there is no way to tell who you are. lol I'm still in awe that my husband put it all together from the babysitter to calling our friends.

Silly

2009-04-14T22:52:00.001-07:00

Gabriel was being silly and put stickers on his face. I was even more shocked that he wanted to go out in public like this. He ate lunch at Golden Corral like this. lol

2009-04-09T22:44:00.001-07:00

2009-04-09T22:43:00.001-07:00

Talent Show

2009-04-09T21:46:00.002-07:00

Wednesday was the Talent Show at school. The girls auditioned and each earned a spot. I'm still a bit shocked that they would insist on doing it esp for how young they are. Lillian was the only Kindergardner that auditioned and Victoria was one of a few 1st graders. Lillian was the first one that performed. And of course my battery died during her turn. I did get videos which I'm working on uploading so I can post it. They both did great and we are so proud of them!

Game Time

2009-04-09T21:38:00.002-07:00

Gabriel had another game tonight. I'm thankful the wind was very light. lol Gabriel got some great hits again and helped get a runner out.

Party

2009-04-09T21:28:00.004-07:00

Lillian's class earned a pizza party for today. It was a half day also, so perfect day for a party. They ate yummy pizza and played Thumbs Up 7 Up. She also felt the need to size up her pizza against her friends' slices. lol

Spring Break

2009-04-05T09:45:00.006-07:00

I just now realized I never posted about my trip during spring break. The days are passing by was too quickly. My friend Sara moved last summer which was very sad. We've stayed in contact which means lots of texts and phone calls. And that means comments from hubby about that.lol So in Feb I told him that I think I should go visit her. He said ok. Then he went on to say that I should take Gabriel with me. Our boys are the same age and were friends so I was ok taking him. Plus he's older and requires less "watching." I found great prices through Southwest so off we went. We flew in Tuesday and left Saturday. We had a great time. The boys went to camp for two days, we went to the zoo, this art place called keilidescope, etc. The time went by too quickly. I'm so glad we went and hopefully Sara will come out here this summer. Here are a few photos from the week.

Baseball

2009-04-05T01:06:00.004-07:00

Gabriel had his first game of the season today. It was so windy today, but we survived. Gabriel had fun and played very well. He made some great hits and was ready for any hits his way in the field. These are a few photos from today.

Sick

2009-03-24T12:47:00.002-07:00

The kids got sick before and part of spring break. Nothing bad, just headcolds. Thankfully I never got it and Gabriel was over it before we left on our trip. We got home Sunday and Gabriel started running a fever. We thought it was just due to exhaustion and running around so much. Nope, it's now Tuesday and still has a fever. Medicine helps keep it at bay, but still. Do you think my kids can get sick when there is no school? NOPE, this always happens. I'm hoping his fever goes away by this afternoon. Otherwise that will be at least 3 days of school he'll miss.

So Far....

2009-03-18T20:29:00.002-07:00

my trip is going really well. Gabriel and I flew out on Tuesday and had no issues with any of our flights. Though I was reminded how I'm not fond of flying out of El Paso. The TSA security line is quite scary and just gives me an unsettling feeling like with the officers and lines and how you practically have to strip down. We haven't taken any photos yet, mainly because nothing photo worthy has happened. lol The boys throwing the balls up and down the stairs isn't doing it for me. Though I do have a mental list of all the signs I've seen I must take photos of before leaving. Those ones you just don't see in sunny Arizona. Tomorrow is "shopping" day so hopefully we'll find some good deals!!! Gabriel is having a blast and will be sad when it's time to leave.

Haircut

2009-03-12T21:48:00.002-07:00

It's been 3 months since I got my hair cut last. My hair grows like a weed and when hot rollers don't do a thing and you end up doing the ponytail, you know it's time to see your hair stylist. lol So, I finally found some time to get over there. Everytime I get it cut, I promise myself to not let it get so bad again. lol And maybe it will help me remember, I took a couple photos. These are the best ones of like 20 I took. lol

One More

2009-03-07T22:47:00.002-07:00

Ok here is one more for tonight. I am now addicted to these. lol

Free Site

2009-03-07T21:56:00.002-07:00

Here is the link to that site I just posted about: CoffeeShop
You must have some working knowledge of PSE to use these. I was yelling at my computer trying to figure out how to apply them to my photo! Enjoy.

Actions

2009-03-07T21:38:00.005-07:00

Ok I'm trying to post process my photos better and found a great site for free actions. No I'm not a pro at PSE in anyway shape or form. This is me playing around. The first one is the after and the second is the original image.

Basketball

2009-03-07T12:55:00.001-07:00

Our Saturdays include a basketball game. We only have a few more left!! Here are some photos from today's game.

Stressful

2009-03-05T08:44:00.003-07:00

Hubby is on a different shift for two weeks. So that means I have morning and evening family duty. I like that he is sleeping more which is huge for him. But I feel like I'm the one who is awalys being the referee and time keeper. I don't want my kids to feel like I'm always yelling and saying hurry up. I need a better plan for mornings. Cause I send my kids to school not liking them which is horrible. So if you have some tips please share.

Maybe???

2009-03-04T21:20:00.003-07:00

I was looking at my bank account this evening and I noticed that I was charged for my 365 kit. So I'm thinking that my email notification for shipping is coming soon. I'm just praying that it gets here in time for my trip to see my friend.

2 Months

2009-02-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been two months that I've been doing the Project 365. I have managed to take at least one photo each day. It's been a lot easier than I thought.

A Mess

2009-02-26T17:53:00.003-07:00

My plans changed for today. I started the day by sitting at the dealership for two hours to check out the van. I was suppose to scrap with a friend, but she had some important stuff to get together. Which I know was just as much a bummer for her as it was for me. Hopefully next week will go better. I grabbed Subway for lunch and came home. I wasn't going to scrap, but since I had everything together I decided to try. I did get 3 pages done today. And made a mess of the dining room table. And I watched movies too. So hopefully I will get more done tomorrow or this weekend.

Holy Moly

2009-02-25T11:38:00.001-07:00

I think my ballet teacher had an extra coffee or something this morning. She worked us so hard. All the muscles in my body are going to hurt tonight. And somehow I got roped into performing in May. Don't ask and now regretting saying yes. She wants us to come back tonight for a full class and practice afterwards. My friend said she was going and somehow I said yes again. What is wrong with me? The only good thing is the extra calories I'll be burning today. lol

Over

2009-02-23T21:31:00.003-07:00

I am so glad Monday is over. For some reason I feel that if I can make it through the day, then the week is doable. This morning I went on a field trip with Victoria. We saw Pippi Longstocking which was super cute. But also very loud. I wish I could say it's because I'm getting older. lol But I had 12 years shaved off my age today. A friend and I were mistaken for high schoolers & we were told to hurry and get a late pass and get to class. So even though I have many white hairs, I can still be 18 again. lol Then of course after school ran around with kids' activities. And I also taught at gymnastics. Mondays are just very busy and crazy and I'm ready to drop by the end of the night. At least it's over and can think about the rest of the week.

2009-02-22T17:02:00.001-07:00

The kids actually let me get some scrapping in today. It was so nice that they spent a good amount of time outside. I got a baby album done for a friend. It feels so good to have that done. Now to buy an album and deliver that this week. And I still had one more kit to finish up from Thursday's scrapping. So that page is done.

Scrappin

2009-02-19T20:24:00.005-07:00

For once I actually planned ahead and made up some page kits. Now if only I get to her house right after dropping the kids off at school. Oh well, one step at a time. I got 5 pages done which I am happy about.

Cleaning & Clutter

2009-02-18T12:42:00.002-07:00

I feel like it doesn't matter how much I clean because there is still clutter everywhere. And most of it is kids stuff. I don't mind if they have toys and books upstairs. But I would like my downstairs to be clean. I want to feel calm and peace. So not happening with three kids. The only evidence of kids I would like to see downstairs are photos on the wall. lol But that would entail picking up like 24/7 and I would get nothing else done.

Gross

2009-02-17T16:04:00.001-07:00

While in NM, grandpa took the kids to get candy. He let them get whatever they wanted as long as they could carry it. They each came back with a small paperbag filled to the brim. He just went to the gas station. It's funny because they picked all the stuff we tell them no. lol So I'm sitting here watching them eat it and it's grossing me out. Hubby was going to tell them something, but I told him that is part of being a grandpa and if he wants to buy them that then it's fine with me. We just make sure they don't eat it all in one day.

laptop

2009-02-16T23:29:00.001-07:00

We went to NM this weekend. We took the laptop thinking we would actually get online. So my photos should have been of me walking around trying to get a signal. lol We never did find one or one that was strong enough. Oh well.

Holy Moly

2009-02-12T18:16:00.002-07:00

There must be something in the air today. I am so ready to hop on the next plane out of AZ! Victoria had private gymnastics lesson today. It was only an hour and I thought that between homework and just hanging out the other two would be fine. What was I thinking? Gabriel was fine, did his homework and then bussied himself with stuff. Lillian on the other hand just could not contain her nautiness. She did ok with her homework till the end. Then she just lost it. The child couldn't even write her name correctly. I made her do it over 3 times which resulted in a total meltdown. And then she was spanked and we all had to sit in the van. I had radio drama for Gabriel to listen to so he was fine. And I had a book.

Next was Victoria. We got home and she did homework. Where I saw that she missed points the last two days which means she didn't finish her in class work. And then she started doing homework and is now acting like she has no idea about her math homework. Pretty impressive since it's a review and two days ago she breezed right through the same exact problems.

I still have laundry to finish, kitchen to clean, upstairs to tackle. Oh and let's not forget all the tax paperwork that I must organize and have numbers all ready to give to our tax guy Saturday. Oh and wait, we also have Valentines stuff to work on for kids' classes tomorrow.

Need Help

2009-02-12T11:37:00.002-07:00

I have no idea how to get it in my kids' heads to help keep their rooms clean. This is the girls' room and Gabriel's room doesn't look much different. Their bathroom and hallway look about the same too. It's mainly clothes and some toys. But seriously, I have been showing them how to pick up toys since Gabriel was 9 months old. That's like 8 years and nothing has stuck. I am so tired of picking up their messes, but don't know how to make them realize this.

1st Point

2009-02-11T23:32:00.000-07:00

Gabriel had his basketball game tonight. He made his first point during the game!! And do you think I had my camera??? Of course not. lol

Hearts

2009-02-11T14:39:00.002-07:00

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, we always end up with candy in our house. And the one that I cannot turn down are those cute, tiny conversation hearts!!!I love chocolate, but I'll take a bag of hearts any day. lol

Ugh

2009-02-10T14:12:00.002-07:00

We've had a lot of stress in the last two weeks. I feel so sick in my stomach from all that is going on. Hopefully this is the last and we can heal and move on from it all. All day long how I wish I could just be 5 yrs old again and not be a grown-up.

Weather

2009-02-08T18:26:00.002-07:00

The weather has cooled off again and we woke up to snow on the mtns. I meant to get out all day and take a photo. Of course by the time I was able to, the clouds had come in again. So maybe tomorrow I will get a better photo.

What A Steal!!

2009-02-07T16:19:00.001-07:00

My friend sent me a text that there are some Cricut cartridges on clearance at Wal-Mart. So I ran over there and found one I had to have. It's a basketball one which is perfect since Gabriel is playing this season! I am forever grateful to her for letting me know!!!

Last One

2009-02-06T23:17:00.002-07:00

I got 4 pages done tonight!!! I cannot tell you how happy I am. And I finished off the pics I had on my desk.

2009-02-06T21:00:00.002-07:00

I have been working on some more pages tonight. Here is one of them.

Weight Loss Update

2009-02-05T18:02:00.002-07:00

Well I lost nothing this week. Oh well, I'm not too surprised. Didn't hardly exercise at all and my eating wasn't great either. Hopefully better next week.

scrappin

2009-02-02T18:11:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe that I actually got some pages done. I have 4 finished from this weekend, mainly Sunday. I still have tons to do, but I still have photos on my desk and hopefully will get more done each day!

Online Crop

2009-01-28T22:01:00.002-07:00

For those who are scrappers, Simply Obsessed is having an awesome onling crop this weekend. The fun starts Friday afternoon and continues into Sunday. Check it out! It's a great group of scrappers.

Exhausted

2009-01-25T20:51:00.003-07:00

I am just exhausted today. I spent most of the day online and digging through photos. I cleaned up the mess at the bottom of the stairs. Which was starting to grow and spill into the rest of the house. Aside from that not much else. I have so much still to do and all I want to do is go to bed. Which won't happen for another hour and half still. So maybe I will finish up the living room. I'm so envious of others who keep their house so nice and organized. I just have no idea how to get the kids to keep doing their part.

4

2009-01-22T16:32:00.002-07:00

That is the number of pounds I lost this week. I have been trying so hard to eat right and exercise. For a month I've either lost nothing or 1 pound. I think my body finally realized it had to let go eventually. Hopefully my body will continue to cooperate.

Exercise

2009-01-20T23:08:00.002-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with exercise. My body has been doing weird things for almost two years where I'm fighting against my body to loose weight. But I'm still trying to be faithful. I can always have a healthy heart even if it does nothing for those inches and pounds. lol I take ballet two days a week which is almost 2 hrs each class. And I'm trying to be really good and do 2 miles a day on the treadmill as well as some specific exercises for certain areas of my body. I must say that the big satisfaction I get is seeing how many calories I burn off with just 2 miles. So I'm praying with the assistance of Dr visits that I can drop these 10 pounds that never seem to go away forever.

Organizing

2009-01-17T11:25:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I found two really cool and cheap organizer items for my scrap room. I was so happy till I put them in my room and realized I had no place to put them. lol So this weekend I am going through all my drawers and shelves. I have already found "junk" that doesn't belong as well as items that I won't use anymore. So I have a pile for teachers, trash, ebay and one last pile to put elsewhere. I'm hoping that this will help me want to scrapbook more because it's all organized. lol We will see.

New Show

2009-01-16T16:56:00.002-07:00

There aren't too many new shows that get my attention. I like to stick with my faves. But this one hits home. It's nice to see that attention is being brought to those who protect our country here at home. The job these men and women do is what I've grown up with as my dad served and now my husband. I believe that all those who risk their lives for our freedom need to be acknowledged. And today I was reminded of the risk to this job as it's 5pm and my husband is still at work going on 15hrs of being on duty. So if you get a chance check it out.
Homeland Security USA

chauffeur

2009-01-14T18:21:00.002-07:00

Everything went well today. And due to everything I cannot drive for 24 hrs and rest for 2 days. So today hubby is playing chauffeur to all activities on the calendar. And today was probably one of our busier days. We had to get the kids early from school due to an orthodonist appt, Lillian's ballet class which he dropped her off and then went back and picked her up. And last Victoria's gymnastics class where he dropped her off and will pick her up later on. It was quite funny because as soon as he walked in the door with one child, he collected another and headed back out. And interesting perspective since it's usually me doing the driving. lol

Nervous

2009-01-13T22:49:00.002-07:00

I'm having minor out patient surgery tomorrow morning. I'm a bit nervous. I had to go today for all my pre-screening which just made me even more nervous. I had to laugh because the dr. said it's just a routine procedure. Um, if I have to be put under, there is nothing routine about that. Hubby will be taking me in the morning bright and early. We have to be there by 6am. So I have some wonderful friends who kept the kids overnight.

Cleaning

2009-01-11T12:29:00.002-07:00

I have spent this morning doing some cleaning. Since we went to church last night, there was no rushing anywhere this morning. Which I must say is a very nice feeling. Anway, I got my bathroom cleaned. And it's funny because Lillian came in and said how nice it smelled and if she could make her bathroom smell that way. lol I have laundry going and got some of the kids laundry folded and put away. Aside from doing laundry the rest of the day, I think scrubbing other bathrooms will have to be later in the week.

Copy & Paste To Play

2009-01-09T21:33:00.002-07:00

I copied this from another blog...some numbers are missing...play if you want! BOLD the ones you've done...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars (does in a tent count? I've laid out and LOOKED at them!)
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland (I think Disney World counts, too!)
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (...at the beach...I wasn't IN the sea)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run/walk a marathon (I have run a 5K!)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (that's a half truth...if more comes my way, I'll take it!)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (air ambulance)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (I tried, it was HARD)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (does Creative Memories count?)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten cavier.
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit (class action, not personal)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Giveaway

2009-01-08T14:31:00.002-07:00

If you missed out on the Project 365 kit you could still get your hands on one!!!! Go HERE to have a change to win one!!!!

Hallelujah

2009-01-06T17:07:00.001-07:00

I finally finished the trampoline today. I still think there is a better way to attach the net to the frame, but since no one asked for my opinion guess that is the way it will be. lol And even though it was the biggest pain to put together, the kids sure are enjoying it!

Freezing

2009-01-05T12:43:00.001-07:00

It's a bit cold today. I know not anywhere where some states are. But for us, it's cold. It's 46 degrees and I just can't warm up. I've been moving around, have warm clothes on and finally turned up the heat. By the time I'm warmed up, it will be time to get the kids and then I'll be cold again.