Here I Am!

A week

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 05:10:00 +0000

It's been a week since I posted last. So much for 3 times a week. Oh well!

We had a good, busy week. Audrey got to perform prior to the Mizzou Pink Out gymnastics meet. She was so excited. A bit nervous, but very excited!

Hard to see her and a bit blurry, but she's there ready to go!

Saturday was another busy day, planned and unexpected stuff. Audrey had a make up class in the morning and then an eye appointment after. She will be wearing glasses for reading. She picked out pink glittery frames, for anyone that knows Audrey, I'm sure you are not surprised by that. She decided that after her appointment we should hit Baskin Robbins for a little bit of ice cream. Who was I to argue with her. Afterwards we headed to Micheal's to look at the new Project Life stuff and see what bands they had for her loom band since she's making bands for her classmates for Valentine's Day. While there my best friend called to see if we wanted to meet her and her son for a late lunch at the mall. Audrey is always up for a trip to the mall, so we went home, grabbed Dart and headed to the mall. A trip to Barnes and Noble always occurs when we are at the mall. My kids know I'm a sucker for books.

Sunday was a day of rest and screaming at the tv during the football games. I woke up feeling a bit crummy and decided later it was my body's way of revolting since I was actually cheering for the broncos. Only because my like for Peyton far outweighs my dislike for pretty boy Brady. I am not a fan of either team, but I do like Peyton, just wish he didn't play for the broncos. Was very happy the Seahawks pulled out the win. I am cheering for the Seahawks in the Super Bowl!! I think we might have to stock up on Skittles for the game in hopes of Lynch scoring several times.

Enjoyed an extra day to my weekend! Audrey had gymnastics, but other than that we didn't do much today. Another busy week ahead. Have a site monitor visit for one the studies and several meetings this week. Not looking forward to either really, but oh well. Wednesday Dart and I are going to the Harlem Globetrotters game! I cannot wait. He gets to sit on the bench during pre-game warm ups! This is our date for the month.

Today came with some sad news though. My brother in law's brother passed away today. He was 27 and had 2 young kids. His daughter is Audrey's age and his son is 5 or 6. Audrey and Emma always had fun together, my sister had them over to help her decorate her tree for Christmas and the girls were scheming how to get together again. Tonight when I told Audrey she said she was going to say extra prayers for Emma and send Dakota to watch over her. Aaron wasn't wearing his seat belt and was thrown from the truck. PLEASE always wear your seat belt. His accident was in the same area that my step dad rolled his concrete truck. Thankfully he was wearing his seat belt and managed to come away from the accident fairly unharmed. Had to get 7 stitches in his ear, but that was all.

New Year, New Attempt

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 01:45:00 +0000

I don't think I touched this blog at all in 2013! I'm hoping to change that in 2014! I'm going to blog for me! It will of course have posts about the crazy monsters that live here, Dart, Audrey, and probably our sweet kitty Blue! I hope to post about things we cook, the things I make, the things we do, probably some about work, and ME!!

Speaking of me, that is my word for the year! Taking better care of me, doing more of the things I enjoy, learning new things, challenging myself, and doing what I need to be a better and happier me!!

Like most of the rest of the world I did set some goals for 2014! I tried to set goals of things I really want to do and things I think I can do.

Read 24 books
Be more creative, make more things
Do more with the kids
Blog for me!
Take more pictures
Improve my health
Send and give more handmade cards
Get rid of clutter
Challenge myself daily
Project Life

With the BIG goals I know I need to set smaller goals, so I'm setting goals for each month. My goals for January are:

Read 2 books
Make at least 10 things
Game or movie time once a week. One game time will be tech free!
Blog at least 3 times a week
Take 5 pics a week
Take stairs every morning at work and 1 afternoon a week (I usually park on the 4th floor of the parking garage) Drink at least 3 glasses of water daily Some kind of stretching or strength training 3 times a week
Send /give 4 handmade cards Make 5 cards
Make organizing list Get rid of 20 things Make daily/weekly cleaning list
Sudoku or other type of puzzle nightly
Cover page Plan weekly Complete at least 3 weeks from 2013

I'm making pretty good progress on all of them, well except blog 3 times, since I just started, but I have plenty of weeks left this month!

Currently...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 03:57:00 +0000

watching...Big Bang Theory. Love DVR.

reading...U is for Undertow. Up next book 2 in the 50 Shades triology.

wishing for...rain and cooler temps. Seriously need both!!

wearing...Royals PJ pants and a t-shirt. Came home from work and got ready for bed.

thinking about...getting crafty again. After reading a friends blog and seeing her post her cross stitch projects, I'm itching to get back at crafting.

remembering...the weekend. Wedding, First Birthday party and good times with cousins. More on the wedding later.

enjoying...the quiet that is a house minus 2 kids, that I miss like crazy.

pinning...lots of holiday ideas and photo ideas.

looking forward to...August 4th when Dart and I go to the Royals/Rangers game. He is a HUGE Rangers fan and is beyond excited to see the Rangers in person. He's hoping for a few autographs.

dreaming about...sleep! The weekend did not bring much in the way of sleep and I didn't sleep good last night either so I'm hoping for a better nights sleep tonight.

Audrey had a blast dancing with her Charles at the wedding. Lots more pictures to share soon.

A Hero's Welcome Home

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 14:00:00 +0000

only the hero will never see it. This past week Columbia lost 2 hero's. One young man died on US soil and we haven't heard what happened with him, but it doesn't change the fact that a young man is gone too soon.

The other, while I don't know him, I know his grandma and it is hitting home. Army SPC Sterling Wyatt was killed when his vehicle was struck by an IED in Afghanistan. His grandma is a loyal volunteer at my children's school. She was in my daughter's class almost daily last year. Sterling attended the same elementary school when he was that age. The teachers have been hit hard by this loss because of both Sterling and Grandma Barbara as we all know her. Doesn't matter that she isn't a grandma to any of those kids, that's what they all call her.

The family lives in the neighborhood of the elementary school and the school wanted to make sure the family knew they were in our thoughts and prayers. On Friday as a rare rain fell 100's of volunteers placed over 1,000 small flags around the neighborhood. Sterling's parents flew to Dover, DE for the ceremony of the transfer of the body, and were supposed to return home on Saturday. When they return home they will see these flags placed throughout the route home and then when they reach their house they will see several large flags and yellow ribbons in the yard. I drove by Friday after I got off work and had tears in my eyes the entire way. Saturday I took the kids to see it and again was full of tears. Several of the area businesses donated flags and others greatly reduced the cost and there were even a few managers of stores who chipped in a few dollars when they found out what was going on. I'm pretty sure there isn't a flag to be bought in Columbia right now. I love the community we live in and how we band together when someone needs it.

The family home full of flags.

35 before 36 update

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 21:39:00 +0000

Because of changes in my life a lot of this list is not either going to happen or really important to me anymore. I'm trying to decide if I continue with what is left or make some changes in how I go about goals. I'm thinking more monthly type goals, but I wanted to update this list at least one last time.

1. Get rid of 60lbs. I don't want to lose it because you usually want to find things you lose. I have got rid of 10 lbs. Not all in one month, but over time. Working has helped, less likely to snack(especially working in a diabetes clinic and drinking LOTS more water.)
2. Menu plan, will save time, money and help with 1. This is one area I really want to work harder on, especially since I'm working 8-5 everyday.
3. Eat breakfast everyday. I'm horrible about eating breakfast. Another one that working is helping. I eat breakfast at least 4 days a week.
4. Get all recipes on cards. I might use them more if I don't have to dig through a box. Still working on, but it's getting there.
5. Get the kids in the kitchen to help cook more. They both usually enjoy it. Haven't been cooking much, so hopefully when we are on a more routine schedule it will happen.
6. Read "Little Women". My name came from the book and yet I've never read it. Still on the list.
7. Get my first mani and pedi. Nope never had one! I'm hoping soon!
8. Start going to church again. I haven't gone consistently in several years. Haven't done.
9. Watch "The Wizard of Oz" This movie scares me to death. NOPE
10. Get to and maintain at least 65 items in my store. Put the shop on vacation and don't know that I will reopen it for a while.
11. Add digital cards to my shop. See 10
12. Hold a couple of sales in my shop. See 10
13. Find ways to cut shipping and supply costs. See 10
14. Add wedding invites, programs and guest books to my shop. See 10
15. Add American Girl clothes to my shop. See 10, but Audrey got her American Girl doll, so I will be making clothes for her.
16. Get my vision of "Colorful Minimalist" into my products and shop. Will blog more about this later. See 10
17. Learn calligraphy. Maybe not the "traditional" style, but I want to explore more with handwriting. No, but I still think it would be fun to do.
18. Learn more about graphic design. Can't afford to go back to school now so I will teach myself some. Still high on my to do list.
19. Teach Audrey to sew. I wish I would have learned when I was younger! Going to cut out a blanket for her doll this weekend I hope.
20. Make mini books for me and to sell. For me it will be happening, to sell, probably not.
21. Do more DIY items. YES YES YES, still on the list.
22. Do something creative everyday. Even just something small. I've been trying, even with work to do something, I know it is good for ME to do something creative everyday.
23. Do 12 on 12 every month. Take 12 pictures on the 12th every month. Missed July.
24. Give more handmade items. Even if I'm not the one to make them. Hoping with not trying to get stuff done for the shop I can do this more.
25. Send/give cards every month to someone just for fun. Another I'd like to try harder on.
26. Project 365. There are several sites for this, but I found a site that will email me a prompt everyday. Did good for a while and haven't done any in a long time.
27. Clean up external hard drive completely. Started good last year and then went downhill. I miss pictures! Hoping to get on this again, it makes me happy to look at pictures.
28. Blog at least 5 times a week. HAHA! Hoping to get back on blogging a little more.
29. Be less crazy about things like how the kids pick up their room and put away their clothes. This one is going great with me working, just too tired to care, but I have to say, they are both doing great with it too.
30. Be more patient. I am so not a patient person. I'm still learning.
31. Declutter. 40 bags in 40 days! You can find lots of info on the web about it. Not doing the 40 days thing, but still working on 40 bags. I got rid of 3 bags of random stuff this month and a bag of clothes Audrey had outgrown to a friend at work with little girls.
32. Stop biting my nails. I don't want them really long, but I want them to have a little nail to them. Hit a spot where I clipped them all way down, but working on growing them out again. Still not biting them though.
33. Play more games with Dart and Audrey. We have a ton of board games and a ton of Wii games. Really want to get better at this, but they've been gone and I'm tired.
34. Keep inbox and google reader cleaned out. They got out of control several times this year. I'm much better at this. Unsubscribed from a lot of blogs I really didn't read and from emails too. Didn't check my google reader at all this week and was only at 400 unread. Went through and ubsubscribed from a few more I hadn't been reading most of the time.
35. Enjoy life more!! YES!! I enjoy my job and the people I work with. Learning to really enjoy things.

After doing this update I really think it will be my last. I really think I will be going with monthly goals instead. The things left on this list that I'm still wanting to do will show up on my monthly lists, and some I am happy where I'm at with and so they are going to be more maintaining items.

Happy Half Birthday to Me!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 14:00:00 +0000

It's really going to feel like a new year with the changes going on in my life too.

Monday I start full time at work! I'm excited, but also know it's going to be a big change. Because of this change I'm putting my Etsy shop on vacation for a while. I'm hoping after school starts to open it back up. I know that it's going to be an adjustment and then once school starts again, that will require adjusting again. My plan is to get started again the middle of September in time for the holidays. My shop will at that time have mostly holiday cards and tags and things like that, I don't know that I will be doing custom orders at that time.

I will be updating my 35 before 36 on Monday. Because of the change in my schedule there are changes in my goals and I'm okay with it. Hard to believe we are half way through 2012!

In other news, MIZZOU is officially a member of the SEC! Excited to see what the new conference will bring. I imagine the weekend Alabama is in town for the football game this city is going to be INSANE!

Hope everyone is staying cool. Our temps have been CRAZY HOT! A few more days of 100+ temps and then we get a relief at 93 degrees. But then we are back up in the 100+.

401...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 01:38:00 +0000

This is my 401st post. I meant to do a post for 400, but missed it. This one also comes with some news...I have decided to close my Etsy shop for a while. I go full time at work the first of July and just need some time to adjust to new hours. I am also really looking forward to creating for myself again. I can't remember the last time I created just for me.

I hope to keep blogging, hopefully since I won't be putting pressure on myself to keep my Etsy shop fresh and new I will feel more like blogging. I will be posting things I make and more about family. I have been struggling with this decision for a while and based on some things that have happened recently I decided I needed the break and now I feel much more at peace.

She turned 7 on Saturday and FINALLY got her McKenna doll! She was so excited she jumped for joy!

Around here....

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 21:30:00 +0000

I'm on the hunt for a new purse. I want something bigger than what I have, something that will hold lots of crap, and have a pocket for my phone so I can find it all the time.

I'm also on the hunt for a new planner. I'm so picky about my planner. I want paper, I want something with the entire month on a spread and also spots to write daily stuff. I want space to add things like stamps and random notes. I want it to lay flat when open, like a spiral! I know I'm picky.

I'm missing my kiddos, but enjoying the quiet time.

I had a breakdown today. Ugly crying, unable to breath, etc. I feel much better now. It wasn't pretty, but it was needed.

I really want a maxi skirt. A plain black one!

I'm watching Hot in Cleveland. Love Betty White. Love this show! Love Netflix for having old shows.

I'm waiting on the 2nd book in the 50 Shades series to come in at the library. I'll be honest, I'm thinking I might download it on my Kindle App soon.

I'm enjoying a Cadbury Egg that I found hidden! LOVE!!

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 03:25:00 +0000

Ideas needed

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:40:00 +0000

I have a friend from high school who in November discovered she had breast cancer. She started chemo shortly after discovering and went through HELL and back during treatment. We all prayed daily that the chemo was doing it's job and she would get the cancer free diagnosis she wanted when it came time for her scans. She was sick most of the time and achy and sore. She has 2 gorgeous daughters and is an AMAZING teacher. She was even voted Teacher of the Year in her district for the year, despite all she went through. The end of May she was done with chemo and had her scans done and went for her scans result appointment. Her prayer warriors were praying hard all day. She did not get the results she wanted and in fact they were worse. Not just "you need some more chemo to get all of it" but instead "the cancer has spread."

She went through the normal phases depressed, pissed off, and is now ready to FIGHT!! She is now looking into going to MD Anderson in Houston, TX. As we all know teachers' incomes are no where near what they should be(my mom is a teacher and is in the room next to this friend) so people are coming together to help her. The fundraising has begun and there is a car wash/bake sale/craft sale scheduled for later this month. Here's where I need ideas. My mom and I want to set up a booth of something to sell. We need something easy to mass produce that people will buy. It needs to be low cost to make too. I'm thinking some simple Christmas cards and/or tags. Others will have jewelry so that is covered, besides we are not jewelry makers. What do you think about Christmas cards/tags? I know December is still a ways away, but lets face it, it will be here before we know it and it's something that would get used. I may do some "generic" cards as well. They need to be easy to do, simple and something that people would buy. Any other ideas?

35 before 36 update!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:30:00 +0000

1. Get rid of 60lbs. I don't want to lose it because you usually want to find things you lose. Joined the Columbia Slimdown Challenge through work and so far I'm down 6lbs. Drinking lots of water and eating a bit better.
2. Menu plan, will save time, money and help with 1. HORRIBLE!
3. Eat breakfast everyday. I'm horrible about eating breakfast. Doing better during the week.
4. Get all recipes on cards. I might use them more if I don't have to dig through a box. None, hopefully this weekend.
5. Get the kids in the kitchen to help cook more. They both usually enjoy it. Dart has helped Mark with the grill a few times.
6. Read "Little Women". My name came from the book and yet I've never read it. Not yet
7. Get my first mani and pedi. Nope never had one! I'm thinking it will be time soon with summer coming up!
8. Start going to church again. I haven't gone consistently in several years. No
9. Watch "The Wizard of Oz" This movie scares me to death. Never watched it while Audrey had it.
10. Get to and maintain at least 65 items in my store. I've had lots of custom orders this month so I haven't added anything new, but currently have 45 items.
11. Add digital cards to my shop. Not yet.
12. Hold a couple of sales in my shop. Working on details for Christmas in July. It will happen!
13. Find ways to cut shipping and supply costs. Looking into ways to save on paper.
14. Add wedding invites, programs and guest books to my shop. Not yet
15. Add American Girl clothes to my shop. Not yet, but I think I will be making some soon since Audrey is getting her first(and most likely only) American Girl doll for her Birthday this month.
16. Get my vision of "Colorful Minimalist" into my products and shop. Will blog more about this later.
17. Learn calligraphy. Maybe not the "traditional" style, but I want to explore more with handwriting. Been playing with pens.
18. Learn more about graphic design. Can't afford to go back to school now so I will teach myself some. Nothing, but thinking about going back to school next year and making this dream real.
19. Teach Audrey to sew. I wish I would have learned when I was younger! She's been asking about this, hopefully this summer with her spending time at my mom's we will make it happen.
20. Make mini books for me and to sell. Spring Break is done, will share soon.
21. Do more DIY items. Nothing.
22. Do something creative everyday. Even just something small. Lots of orders so I was making stuff.
23. Do 12 on 12 every month. Take 12 pictures on the 12th every month. Yep, need to blog May's!
24. Give more handmade items. Even if I'm not the one to make them. Cards for friends birthday parties for the kids.
25. Send/give cards every month to someone just for fun. I really need to get a card stash made, might help with this one.
26. Project 365. There are several sites for this, but I found a site that will email me a prompt everyday. Not so good this month, but I'm determined to get them done.
27. Clean up external hard drive completely. Started good last year and then went downhill. A few months.
28. Blog at least 5 times a week. Haha! We aren't going to even talk about this one.
29. Be less crazy about things like how the kids pick up their room and put away their clothes. Doing better since I'm too tired to care. Ha!
30. Be more patient. I am so not a patient person. Working on and doing better since I spend lots of time at work waiting on others to do something so I can do what I need to.
31. Declutter. 40 bags in 40 days! You can find lots of info on the web about it. Have a ton of kids books we are done with so we will be taking some to my moms so she has them and some we will donate.
32. Stop biting my nails. I don't want them really long, but I want them to have a little nail to them. Was doing great until I had a couple break really short. Not biting, but trimmed them all short and now waiting for them to grow again.
33. Play more games with Dart and Audrey. We have a ton of board games and a ton of Wii games. Soccer, Skip-Bo and Go Fish.
34. Keep inbox and google reader cleaned out. They got out of control several times this year. Google reader is at 0, personal inbox is in need of unsubscribing from more, work inbox I do pretty good, just items that need to be taken care of still, although I have a feeling it's going to take more work soon.
35. Enjoy life more!! LOVE my job, learning some things about myself and why I've been feeling the way I have, enjoying time with the kids.

I Statements...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:30:00 +0000

I was writing this post a month ago. Forgot I had it saved.

I am learning to balance work and family and play and creative time.

I think music, pictures, and words all together can be some of the most amazing ways to say what you feel.

I wonder what's on the horizon?

I wish growing up was easier on kids today. I think back to my childhood and what I thought was so hard was nothing compared to what kids deal with now. I miss the playing outside until dark and not being worried.

I save lots of scraps of paper lately. Fun to add to Project Life and mini books.

I always am a sucker when my kids want a book. Thankfully they are big library checker outers(totally made up that word).

I can't imagine not having books to read in the house. We may not buy many, but we do visit the library weekly.

I believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy! :)

I promise to try hard everyday to be patient and try my best!

I love pictures! Mark asks often why I don't do more with videos instead of taking pictures. I love video, don't get me wrong, but for me when I look at pictures and remember it comes from my heart, while watching a video, my head remembers, but I don't feel that pull in my heart.

I scrap nothing lately, but hoping since I figured out a way to do Project Life that will fit me better I can scrap more.

I got the idea for this from Becky Higgins blog post found here.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 30 May 2012 11:30:00 +0000

For the 5th grade graduation at Dart and Audrey's school the 4th grade parents are in charge of the reception. Most years it is the same ole same ole. When our group is in charge we tend to change things up all the time. We decided something new needed to be done for this years graduation. Our fearless leader decided on a Dr. Seuss, "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" theme.

Our cake, we were a little disappointed as we had asked for hot air balloons on the sides and they didn't do that, but the price was good so I guess that happens.

Our table decorations. We had 20 live beta fishes on the tables. We had the kids put their names in a bowl and then we drew names as to who got to take a fish home. The kids loved it. We also had quotes from Dr. Seuss on the tables.

More table decorations. The fish bowl the kids put their names in along with the requisite "The Cat in the Hat" hat! It's not Dr. Seuss without "Green Eggs and Ham", "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" and "The Cat in the Hat"!

Shepard is "A Leader in Me" school which includes the "Habit Tree" so it wasn't a graduation without our habit tree. This cake was AMAZING!! The kids and parents all LOVED it. The teachers were blown away by it.

Our fearless leaders "Thing 1 and Thing 2!" Both of them are leaving us so it was fitting that they pose for one last picture!

35 before 36 update!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 May 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Almost June and I just realized I never updated May. I have them all written down and updated that, but failed to post it!

1. Get rid of 60lbs. I don't want to lose it because you usually want to find things you lose. Drinking lots of water
2. Menu plan, will save time, money and help with 1. UGH! Not so good.
3. Eat breakfast everyday. I'm horrible about eating breakfast. A little better thanks to working.
4. Get all recipes on cards. I might use them more if I don't have to dig through a box. None unless it was a new one I didn't want to forget about.
5. Get the kids in the kitchen to help cook more. They both usually enjoy it. No
6. Read "Little Women". My name came from the book and yet I've never read it. Not yet
7. Get my first mani and pedi. Nope never had one! Not yet, need to get my nails in better shape. I've not been biting them, but they are in need of a major trim back.
8. Start going to church again. I haven't gone consistently in several years. No
9. Watch "The Wizard of Oz" This movie scares me to death. NO
10. Get to and maintain at least 65 items in my store. I've slacked on my store since starting work.
11. Add digital cards to my shop. No
12. Hold a couple of sales in my shop. Thinking of Christmas in July!
13. Find ways to cut shipping and supply costs. learning how to better price stuff which has adjusted some prices.
14. Add wedding invites, programs and guest books to my shop. No
15. Add American Girl clothes to my shop. No
16. Get my vision of "Colorful Minimalist" into my products and shop. Will blog more about this later. Not much this month.
17. Learn calligraphy. Maybe not the "traditional" style, but I want to explore more with handwriting. No.
18. Learn more about graphic design. Can't afford to go back to school now so I will teach myself some. Pinned lots of graphicy ideas this month.
19. Teach Audrey to sew. I wish I would have learned when I was younger! Plans for it this summer.
20. Make mini books for me and to sell. lots in the planning process.
21. Do more DIY items. No.
22. Do something creative everyday. Even just something small. Been hard since starting job, hoping to get back on track once I get adjusted.
23. Do 12 on 12 every month. Take 12 pictures on the 12th every month. YES!!!
24. Give more handmade items. Even if I'm not the one to make them. No gift giving occasion.
25. Send/give cards every month to someone just for fun. No
26. Project 365. There are several sites for this, but I found a site that will email me a prompt everyday. Slacked some, but caught up.
27. Clean up external hard drive completely. Started good last year and then went downhill. No, hoping to get some done soon.
28. Blog at least 5 times a week. HAHA!!
29. Be less crazy about things like how the kids pick up their room and put away their clothes. Kids are doing better and so am I.
30. Be more patient. I am so not a patient person. Learning patience daily.
31. Declutter. 40 bags in 40 days! You can find lots of info on the web about it. Zero
32. Stop biting my nails. I don't want them really long, but I want them to have a little nail to them. Haven't been biting.
33. Play more games with Dart and Audrey. We have a ton of board games and a ton of Wii games. Skip-Bo
34. Keep inbox and google reader cleaned out. They got out of control several times this year. google reader in good shape. Unsubbing from some emails.
35. Enjoy life more!! Learning to enjoy a different life that involves working a "normal" job.

Thank You!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:30:00 +0000

To all who have fought, who continue to fight, and who will fight in the future. Because of you and your family we are able to celebrate this day and spend it with our families.

Image found on Google.

Anyone out there????

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 May 2012 00:01:00 +0000

I have been horrible about blogging and to be honest I haven't even thought much about it until this last week. This last week I realized I miss blogging. I am hoping we are finally getting adjusted to a new routine with me working. Speaking of working, I LOVE my job. I love the people I work with, I enjoy what I'm doing, always learning and never really know what might come up during the day that needs working on. I tell people at least I won't get bored!

We have been EXTREMELY busy with end of the school year stuff and now that the kids are done I'm hoping life will slow down some. We had Choir End of the Year breakfast, Mrs. Weaver's(the principal at the kids school) retirement reception, Mrs. Weaver's garden dedication, final assembly at which Dart got a certificate for Perfect Attendance, and 5th grade graduation. At our school the 4th grade parents put on the 5th grade graduation reception. We went with a Dr. Seuss Oh The Places You Will Go theme. It was awesome, I will do a post about that soon. Audrey also competed in her first gymnastics meet and LOVED it! She is trying more things and basically taught herself how to do a handspring. I have a good friend who used to teach gymnastics who has offered Audrey private lessons, so she will have those and gymnastics at TAG through the summer. I think we might take July off from TAG just to give her a break and they may spend time with my mom.

I have posts in the works for lots of things and really hope to blog more, but I'm not making promises. I'm hoping to get some posts done on weekends so there is something ready for the week. I do miss it though and hope that that will help in me blogging more.

Dart was one of 8 in the school to have perfect attendance. He set a goal at the beginning of the year to do everything he could to get perfect attendance. So proud of him for wanting to be at school everyday! Can't believe he will be a 5th grader next year!

I am asking all you blog readers for prayers for a few friends. First one of Dart's best friends family could use prayers. He has had a rough year and they have had some other not so good news come up and could use the extra prayers and good thoughts. The other is for a girl I went to high school with and that my mom works with. She graduated a year ahead of me in school and has 2 young daughters, in November she was diagnosed with breast cancer. They found it early and started chemo right away. She had a horrible time with chemo, lots of sickness and aches and pains. She went Thursday for her scans and Friday went for results. She and her army of friends and family were praying for CANCER FREE, instead were told the cancer has spread. She is a fighter and will do all she can to beat this evil monster, but this was not at all what she was hoping for. Any prayers for her I know she will appreciate and for her girls. She has a daughter in high school and a 4 year old.

Life

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:56:00 +0000

I'm not going to lie, life is kicking my butt lately. I'm still struggling to get adjusted to a new schedule and a new routine. It's not going so well. It's frustrating me. It's making me cranky. It's driving me insane!!! I'm hoping this weekend to get some what back to normal or at least figure out what our new normal is.

I love my job. It's fun, the people are amazing and I'm learning so much! The doctors are an interesting bunch! Despite the moments of insanity I really enjoy it and am glad I get to work there.

I promise to be back more. I think I'm going to have to work on posts on weekends. Or maybe I can get adjusted to a new normal and post them in the evenings.

Fun stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000

What is your favorite song to sing along to? Honey Bee by Blake Shelton(or anything by him!)
If you could have a vacation home in any location where would it be? Seattle. LOVE the city.
What is your favorite time of year? Fall
Cats or dogs? Both
Coffee, tea, or cocoa? Iced tea, becoming a coffee drinker
Where did you go on your first date? I honestly don't remember. First date with Mark was to see Mission Impossible 2.
What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Rainbow Sherbert.
Where would you like to go on your next vacation? Big City like Chicago or New York
Sunset or sunrise? Sunset, not a morning person
What are two of your favorite blogs and why? Elise Blaha Love all her posts and she is constantly inspiring me to try something new and Damn You Auto Correct the best place for a good laugh. I have several blogs in my reader, although I have drastically cut back lately.
What skill do you want to learn or perfect this year? Sewing, knitting and more with Photoshop.

Made it Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Still adjusting to the new life we have with me working. As for the job, I LOVE it so far. I am really excited to get into the nitty gritty of actual work now that I have that usual first week stuff done and over with.

Because last week was crazy with the usual school and gymnastics stuff we definitely went easy on dinners. One we had was made with the new Kraft Fresh Takes. We did pork chops with the Cheddar Jack and Bacon Fresh Take. It was so yummy. I forgot to take a picture of the dinner, but I do have a picture of the Fresh Take so you will know what to look for. I'm pretty sure there is a coupon on the Kraft website for them as well. It was something quick and easy to do and everyone loved them.

Something great about these also is that on the inside they have the directions for the typical chicken, pork chop, fish ideas, but also for ideas for twice baked potatoes and meatballs among other things. They are in the dairy area with the shredded cheese. I got ours at Wal-Mart for around $2.00 and 1 package did 5 good size pork chops. I believe there are 6 different "flavors" to choose from, including a more Italian and more Mexican aimed flavors.

If you try one let me know what you think.

I was not paid by Kraft for this post. All opinions are my own.

Me in A-Z

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:00:00 +0000

A. Age: 35
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore that you hate: Sweeping and moping floors. I really have no idea why I hate that chore!
D. Dogs: None. I miss our puppies we had.
E. Essential start to your day: Brushing my teeth!
F. Favorite color: Pink
G. Gold or Silver: Silver
H. Height: 5’1" on a good day
I. Instruments you play: None. I love music and took piano lessons when I was younger, but couldn't play a thing now.
J. Job title: Mom, Walking School Bus Liaison, Pink Owl owner, Admin Asst
K. Kids: 2 and an angel. Dart, 10 Audrey 6 going on 16 and Dakota our sweet angel!
L. Live: Columbia Missouri MIZZOU!
M. Mother’s name: Gail
N. Nicknames: Mom, Meggy, Maynard, MegBabe
O. Overnight hospital stays: broken arm in 3rd grade(required 2 separate stays), and having babies.
P. Pet peeves: Close minded people, bad drivers
Q. Quote from a movie: Spoken by Kathleen Kelly in You've Got Mail, one of my favorite movies EVER! "Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void"
R. Right or left handed: Right handed.
S. Siblings: 2 sisters and 1 brother
U. Underwear: Yes.
V. Vegetable you hate: Only really strange things and beets.
W. What makes you run late: Kids not moving in the morning.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Dental, 2 broken arms
Y. Yummy food that you make: Lots!
Z. Zoo animal: Monkeys, Penguins and Tigers. Audrey loves monkeys, Dart loves Penguins and I love the Tigers.

12 on 12 April

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Top Row:Started following Betty White on Twitter(LOVE her!), catching up on Body of Proof episodes on Hulu, my report from blood work done for my new job, HAPPY mail from Stacy Julian(my prize I won on her blog).
Middle Row:Banners ready to go in the mail, taking the comforter and mattress cover to be washed, a trip to the bank, Walking School Bus in the morning.
Bottom Row:Price of gas, temperature, book I'm currently reading, to do list. The pictures on this row I've decided to do every month on the 12th. I didn't do them all in Jan or Feb I don't think, but I think now is as good a time as any. Excited to see them at the end of the year.

Tuesday Tops

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:30:00 +0000

This week is all about things I've read on the web recently(last month or so) that I've bookmarked to go back and read again!

For all my mom readers, this article is a great reminder that we are all trying our best.

15 Things You Should Give Up to Be Happy. Easier said than done on most of them, but a great place to start.

From "The Clear-Minded Creative" Spring-Clean Your Routine.

Getting + Staying in the Creative Flow. I have gone back and read this one several times already!

Working Through Creative Fear by Ali Edwards. Many of the creative articles I read are because of her.

From the Tiny Twig blog, "100 Golden No's".

Any great articles you've read recently I should know about?

Made it Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Haven't planned the menu for this week yet, but wanted to share this with you.

YUM!!! Easiest way to describe this dinner. I've had this pinned for a while and decided to add it to the menu this last week. It will go into the rotation. Super easy and SUPER Yummy! Found it on this blog.

Mexican Dorito Casserole
Serves 4-6

2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 c. shredded cheese (or more if you are a cheese hound)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes (canned tomatoes with jalepenos-mild)
1/2 packet taco seasoning (or more- to taste)
Bag of doritos

1. Pre-heat oven to 350-f degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except doritos.

3. In a greased 2 qt baking dish, put a layer of crushed doritos (about 2 cups), then a layer of the chicken mixture. Repeat once more, ending with a layer of chicken mixture. Top with more shredded cheese, cover, and bake for 30-35 minutes, till bubbling hot.

Missing Him

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

26 years ago today my Dad passed away. I was only 9 at the time, but I still remember the day like it was yesterday.

One of my favorite pictures from my childhood. This was taken at the Grand Canyon at "my tree". Not sure how this became my tree, but every time we went we had to take a picture at this tree. Last time I was at the Grand Canyon was when we scattered my grandma's(my dad's mom) ashes.

Hope everyone has a blessed Sunday and give your loved ones an extra hug today!

Tuesday Tops

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:11:00 +0000

A friend posted this article on Facebook sometime last week and WOW!!! I think we all deal with some if not all of these at some time.

Last week there were 2 issues on the ballot for Columbia schools. One being a bond issue and the other a tax levy. Both passed!!! I am so happy they both passed.

I start my new job on Monday the 16th. I will still be doing all my Pink Owl stuff, but this opportunity was perfect. I will be an administrative assistant in the Endocrinology Department at University Hospital. I'm excited, the hours are perfect and it's going to be a great thing!

Yesterday I got an email from THE STACY JULIAN informing me I won a giveaway on her blog! I'm so excited. I get a scanning package from ScanCafe. I'm really excited. First I never win anything!! Second I have lots of pictures that are from my dad's childhood that I would love to be preserved better.

Speaking of pictures there is a great new(at least to me) site called 1000memories. You can upload pictures and then add other people so they can help you figure out the story behind the picture.