It's a Wonderful life

I have finally found a little time to get this post on her about last week. I should be doing about 50 other things but I need to get this out there so I don't waste my Christmas title.

Cue last saturday (the 13th) in my kitchen. Bob and I are starting to bake some Christmas goodies for a Friday afternoon bakesale. The bakesale is for our Son's Europe trip (which still needs its own post). I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with this whole thing. We have a payment coming up on the 20th and we aren't even 1/4 of the way there. I'm scared and I'm second guessing myself. "did we make a mistake signing him up", "can we just cancel?" I cry to Bob, I feel better (he's such a good rock). We focus on baking and finishing up the Christmas shopping.

Monday morning I am focused on the bake sale. We do what we can when we can. My craft cutter arrives and I get no time to mess around with it like I want. But my husband did.

Tuesday, it freakin' snowed. Wake up Grey to go scoop a friend's driveway for some extra cash for his stinkin' trip. Once again think this is going to take forever and what the hell were we thinking? But Wait,

Remember those friends that have the porn in their home? Both of them called me with a TON of good ideas for Grey and raising the money. Start to feel like we just might actually make this. I love having good friends and they will never know how much their words saved my day. Thanks guys. We do a small Hot cocoa sale at the ditch where everyone sleds that night and make 8 bucks. Better than nothing.

Wednesday, I have no baking done. I have too many crafts done (which was not on my list to do) and once again I have a small melt down. I try to focus on the bake sale but I have a million other ideas running through my head. 2 friends think I should sell some of my crafts to help raise the money. I'm flattered and decide I will add some crafts to the bake sale. Got some baking done. Give up even worrying about the money thing, we do what we can and deal with it later. Let God deal with it because I'm too stressed and too tired.

Thursday, freakin' snowed again. Wake up Grey go get the neigbors done. Bob calls and says I'll be having a crappy day Friday because it is to snow all day long. Freak out once again about the bake sale and wonder what I should do. Those good friends once again save my day, they say I should cancel the bake sale and have Grey shovel driveways instead. I decide to cancel, I feel better. We go across the street to shovel the neighbors driveway and find out that they too have had kids go on these trips and they are so happy to help him. YEAH!! things are looking up.

Friday. Day of the supposed bake sale. One of Bob's friends calls and wants the treats for a party they are having that night. Make up cute trays and get another call from one of my friends that they also want some treats. See, things are looking up. She gives us way more than she should and I cry for the first time that day. I can't help but feel that God is really looking out for us. We would never have made that type of money on a regular bake sale. So thankful for my friends.

Friday Grey also got a huge check from a friend of his Grandparents. Sold some crafts to a good friend and Grey received his passport. We count out all the money we have received and we are only $5 short of our payment. In one week we made the money! We were all amazed. Not only did we make the payment but we also have ideas for so many other fundraisers and jobs.

And I owe it all to my friends for helping out with ideas, phone calls, and a supportive shoulder. My husband for being a rock and helping me stay focused. To Greyson for wanting to go on this trip in the first place and pushing even me to rely on others. To God most of all for putting me in this place at this time because he knew I'd be needing it. He never abandoned me when I was mad that he wasn't following my plan, but when I gave it up and let him take care of it, he rewarded me. Things always work out for a reason.

THis is a long post just to say what a wonderful life I have. The week held so many other small calamities that I didn't mention. I did feel like a basket case. But I made it through because of the support system I have created. I don't know if I can ever truly let them know how much their generosity and support really means to me but I hope that Karma comes around to them some day and they are all rewarded, they all deserve it. Thanks guys and gals for being some of the best friends that any girl could ever want.

It's a wonderful life. One I am thankful for each and every day. And even better, this week I get to show off my house to 2 sisters, one brother and one mom. This is their first time to my Utah home. I can't wait to see them. They are driving here so I'm praying for good weather and leaving it up to God. He seems to really know what he's doing.

More crafts that you must look at because I said so....

Yeah, Yeah. We've been playing with my new toy. Crafts are becoming our crack. I have the ideas and true to form my husband is my worker bee. I really haven't been able to play with my craft cutter as much as I want but the crafts we are making have gone soooo much faster. So, without further ado, here are the newest projects.

These two were made for Teacher presents. The kids did most of the gluing but my cutter did all of the cutting and I did not have to measure ONCE!! Gotta love that.



Next up is friend gifts for a neighbor.























These next ones are some more glass blocks. But these ones are rectangle and can be used alone or all together. I'm going to get a better bow on it but for the purpose of this blog I took the picture before the truly finished product.



Lastly I have done a bunch of different teacher plaques.


























This one was taken with a camera phone so it is not the best quality. But I still like it.




I know they are awesome yes? You all want one yes? YOU can totally buy them from me. I'm trying to raise money to get my son to Europe ( another post for another time). He helps me around the house more and is nice to his brother and sister and I will give him SOME of my profits. And the other part, I really like this stuff its fun and let's me become creative again. I'm so becoming my mom. So, let me know if you want/need or can't live without anything. I'll hook you up. Email me or just comment. I'll be getting a blog just for crafts made sometime before I go completely insane so look for it shortly. Thanks for the applause.

I'm a sexy crafter!!

Yep, more crafts. Blocks again and one new craft. I finally got a craft cutter and it is going to make these craft projects go so much faster!! This time I finally got some pictures of doing the crafts. Figuring out how big to make the words for the glass block. (See, I'm a sexy crafter huh?)

Messing with the bow, it's really hard to get it just right.

Making sure it prints well.

But, my hard work paid off and here is the glass block. It's a gift for a friend. I hope she likes it. I worked really hard on it.

More blocks. I seriously think these ones are the most gorgeous of all of them. Bob did help me cut the papers and stuff but really, they are totally my crafts. I'm such a sexy crafter!!

Wow, they really do grow like weeds

Jake, Natalie and Greyson December 2006. We had really JUST moved into this house. Hence all the boxes and huge mess!!


Fast forward to December 2008. Holy cow!! Did you see how fast Grey grew? Natalie's shoulders are above the banister now and so is Jake's head.

I know that kids are supposed to grow but I don't remember then growing this much in the last 2 years. Made me a little sad when I saw the first picture when I was organizing them.

Just another good reason to make everyday and every word count. I really need to remember that when my kids have pushed me to the breaking point.

Another one bites the dust

Remember that table I finished a few weeks ago? Well, I finally found the fabric that I wanted and today my wonderful husband is putting it on the chairs.

VOILA......

The fabric has a slight diamond pattern on it because that is what Jake wanted. I was debating whether I wanted to refinish the chairs or not and now I think not. I love the way it looks. ONE full crafty project DONE!! That feels so good.

A day for Happy Face

That's what my sister use to call herself when she was 4 and 5.

She also called herself the boss and ran around the house with a dirt devil mini-vac and a hat that said "who's the boss", she would then gladly shout out "ME! I'm the boss".

She could yell out Here's Johnny better than Ed Mcmahon at the tender of age of 2 maybe 3 (not sure here. I'm working with memories that are 28 years old. TODAY)

She was bald until she was 3 and once tried to pee in the front yard of a neighbors house when they had an old sink on the lawn they were trying to sell.

It's her 28th birthday today!! Although I have already made a post about Krissy when she was sick I feel the need to make another to add to the sister birthday posts. Let me tell you more about Krissy.

She is number 3 out of 4.

She is a night owl and never gets the worm.

She is smart, sexy and fun.

She has traveled to a ton of places that I only dream about and she has always brought me something back.

She lived in The Gambia (Africa) for 2 years with the Peace Corps. I sure missed her during that time.

She gives way too much of herself at times and bends over backwards to make EVERYONE happy.

She ended up with her picture in the paper for being the first baby born in Dec. and I thought she was the star of the family.

She has shined ever since.

Hope you have a very Happy Birthday. We love you! Thanks for being a great sister, friend and Aunt.

Oops, I did it again!

I made more crafts. This one is of Nat's shirt she made using the wax paper stencils. We made it for a fall theme. She drew the leaves with little help from her Dad, cut out the stencil and painted her shirt all by herself. Jake has one with a ghost but he lost it somewhere.




So, after doing these first stencil shirts I had another idea for Christmas shirts for Natalie and my nieces. The red Christmas bulb looks more like a strawberry but Natalie still loves it.

Then I added bows to the sides of the arms. You can see them in another picture further down.
I also did a snowman for Jake and my 5 year old nephew.

This one has a nose but Jakes doesn't. He wants to put a top hat on the snowman but I'm worried it will look to girly.

I did more blocks this last month too.
Greyson made a shirt with a dragon on it. It looks pretty cool but I can't find it right now for a picture. It's most likely stuffed in one of his drawers or in my laundry pile.

I wanna be on Tim Gunn...

Tim Gunn is the fashion guru from Project Runway. He has his own show called Tim Gunn's guide to style. Women apply to have him show them how to dress. The women give up their clothes, go through some education about how to dress for their body shape, and then go shopping for a new wardrobe with Tim's list of 10 essential items every woman should have in their closet. These women get to go get professionally fitted for a bra, go to a couture designer and usually get a dress as a present and they get to feel FABULOUS!!
The free couture dress would be AWESOME but what I would really, really, like is to be professionally fitted for a bra. My little girls need some luxury. They don't want the straps falling anymore from a too big bra either in the cups or the band. They don't want to be squeezed into tiny little cups in order for the band and straps to fit. They don't want to see extra room in the cups because they are growth challenged. And my ribs are tired of the red marks from all these "support" wires or too tight of a fit. I really don't have big melons but they are starting to head south. These melons (tiny as they are) need some lift. I'm tired of feeling so uncomfortable in a bra that I'd rather go without.
And that is where Mr. Gunn comes in. The women get to go for a professional fitting for their knockers, in a boutique where someone knows what they are doing . You know someone who's job it is to play around with racks all day. Not just some silly salesgirl trying to earn a paycheck for Prom. My tatas need some TLC. The women on his show are most likely wearing the wrong size for thier jugs and I'll bet I'm just like them. When they find the right bra all women say "Oh My Gosh, I feel so much better!!" My tiny assets probably would feel the same way. They need a chance!!
I think Tim Gunn could help enhance the ant bites I currently have into Dolly Partons. He needs a chance to try.
And that is why I really want to go on Tim Gunn's guide to style. Sure meeting Tim would be great, going to New York would be great, getting a free makeover? Once again great! But my hooters want the chance to WOOT!
I should go apply but they'll take everything out of my closet and I'm not sure that my pirates' dreams are worth giving up my closet full of clothes. But that would give me a great reason to shop some more!!

100 Things

100 Things
100 Things to Do--53 out of 100...Things I've done and Been to. My answers are in Yellow.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band, doesn't marching band count?
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo, when no one was home.
11. Bungee jumped ( I really want too)
12. Visited Paris , No but Greyson might very soon
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea, From the beach. BUT I also flew over a lightning storm once.
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 on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked, I put my thumb up but I can't help that I knew the person who picked me up.
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 a Marathon (5k), I actually only ran cross country in High school but it was still hard
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
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, yes pig latin
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied, right now
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, I really want to do this because Kindness is always acceptable
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an 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
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
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
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
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 Caviar,the cheap stuff and it was totally GROSS!!
72. Pieced a quilt, not very well
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, both my wrists at 10
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 (& Book of Mormon)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Jeff Hornacek)
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 law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

I tag Theresa, Liz, Amberlie and Canesa

It's a travesty

So, a few weeks ago I walked over to my friend Canesa's to pick up my kids who continually disappear over there. As I walked into her home I was dumbfounded by what I found there, it was such a travesty that I was hesitant to post it here. But I feel I need to warn you all.

What I found in her house was PORN, WOMAN PORN. Her husband was vacuuming! YES, I know how awful!!! There in plain sight with children just a few feet away and some of those children were mine. And when I asked Canesa if her husband always does that she said yes and went about her way. My mouth had to drop to the floor. Her answer was so non-chalant that I felt violated!!

But that is not it! As I was walking home plotting ways to disinfect my eyes and feeling so very sorry for Canesa and how oblivious she seemed to be I walked into this......





MORE woman PORN!! IN my own home no less, and while my back was turned. My husband cooking a meal for his family!! The audacity!! And just look at that smile, so glad the children were putting away their bikes or they could have witnessed this porn themselves.


And if that wasn't enough later that night I found this......

He said he felt bad for what I witnessed at Canesa's but I think he had other reasons.

Be careful!! You never know what is lurking behind closed doors. I still feel so violated.

My one and only political post

This is Jake.....This is how he wore his shoes to school today......

Yep, two different shoes. But he likes them both. When I asked him why he was wearing two different shoes he told me because he is American and he can, DUH!

I love that kid. He just knows that he has a choice. That he likes both those shoes and both work equally well. He's not worried that the straps will wear out or one may get a hole. He just knows that right now they both can work and they both can fall apart. BUT, because he's an American with choices and options he can wear them both to school. And no one should tell him differently that he is wrong because he looks at a pair of shoes differently then others. NO one should bully him to wear the correct pair because he has those choices and those options. SO today I let him go to school with unmatched shoes because we do live in a democracy and he should be able to CHOOSE his shoes or his lifestyle and be proud!! Even if others think his change is wrong or that he isn't right or that the hole in one shoe could be detrimental to society. He stands by his decision because he knows that somedays we all just need a change and change is good.

Halloween 2008

Fairy Natalie and Storm Trooper Jake.

Both kids wanted their face painted so Jake did without the Mask that he once loved. They both had a good time. We did trunk or treat at the church with some good friends of ours and they had a blast. It was the first year we ever did trunk or treat. Ithink the kids will want to do it from now on.

Greyson dressed up as a high acheiving 7th grader that left the attitude at home. Everyone was suprised to actually see him (he doesn't like going out much) and he did very well socializing with other people. I was very proud of him and it semed to make the time way more enjoyable. It's so nice to see him come back out of his shell and become the young man that I know is inside.

You can call me Mccrafty

I've been trying to catch up on all my crafts lately that I started and then I began adding new ones. Here are some that I have actually finished!!

The biggest one is my table. We had this table before we moved, 2 years ago but ended up using the one that came with the house instead. Last October, yes that would be 2007, I started stripping it so that I could stain the wood a darker color to match my kitchen cabinets. FINALLY, this October 2008 I have the table done. I still need to reupholster the chairs but I can at least use the table for now.

Next is some vinyl stuff I did with my friend Amberlie over fall break. The first was my anniversary present to my husband to remind ME to kiss him everynight. He's really good at that habit.

And this is a vinyl craft I saw in May and have finally gotten around to doing it. I'm not sure if I like the placement yet but that wall has been bare forever.

And finally I found these blocks at the most recent boutique I went to, I really have no business going to more craft boutiques, I come out with so many ideas and my husband ends up getting a headache. Anyways, this is my first set of blocks, I'll be doing another one this weekend (I hope).

And that is what I have been up to this last week. Along with dog vets, volunteering and getting ready for Halloween. It's been a busy week here.

The Yin to my Yang

Or is it the yang to my ying? hmm, well I could also say...

the mustard to my ketchup

the pepper to my salt

the pen to my paper

the milk to my cookies

the chips to my salsa

the pain to my ass

well, whatever way you say it the topic is my better half. My husband. Without one the other just isn't the same. We compliment eachother very well. Why am I all lovey dovey about him? NO, he didn't pay me. I take those paychecks and OWN them. I'm all lovey dovey because it's our 14th Anniversary!!

I cannot believe it has been 14 years. At some points in our marriage we were lucky to make it past 4 hours!! We've had some rocky times that 's for sure. But, they've made us stronger and more of a team. Somedays I'd still like to deck him and I'm sure he'd say the same thing, I really don't know why. No matter the day or how much of a pain he is I love him. I cannot imagine my life without him. Well, I can but it ain't pretty.

When I met him I knew he was THE ONE. I still swear I heard angels singing the minute I saw him. It was like everything else ceased to exist. We dated for a year, lived together for another year and finally got married in October. He wanted to get married in the early morning so that when he said I do he could see his breath. For some reason that didn't happen. We didn't have a big wedding, and that still seems to fit who we are. But when it gets cold and you can see your breath I'm reminded of my husband and it makes my day so much sweeter.

We've had our share of problems and I'm sure that are many more to come. But I know that with him by my side we can conquer the world. I'm stronger because of him. We've also had some great times together and I hope many more to come. There have been challenges along the way but together we overcame. Because of him I am a better person and he is better dressed.

I'm so glad that I am lucky enough to have found and married my best friend, someone who gets me and still likes me. He makes me happy and treats me like a Queen. He makes me laugh and cry and he is really good at frustrating me. And I would not give it up, never, not without a big huge fight. He is my rock and he means the world to me. He is worth the troubles and the tears. He truly is the bread to my butter.

Super hearing

Grey got hearing aids this week. We've always known that he had a small hearing problem but were told it was more in the high pitch ranges. We've never really made a big deal about it because we didn't want it to become an excuse. We took him in a few weeks ago because either his hearing was worse or he had really selective hearing. Well, his hearing was worse. It was recommended that he gets hearing aids. So, he made the decision that he would like to try them and now he has them and has some super hearing!!! He is amazed at all the things he can hear now: his zipper, leaves in the wind, the dog collars and he says that I talk way too loud and Jake screams way too much. Our TV is no longer blaring and neither is the play station. He has worn them to school 2 days this week and was unaware of how loud the halls were. No one has noticed them because they are so small. I am so proud of him because he made the decision to have the hearing aids without thinking about what others thought of him and now he loves hearing all those new sounds. He is tired with all the new sounds but he is so happy. The cost was totally worth it and I would have paid a thousand times more just to see how happy and excited he is.

Here's some pictures: Front view of the bionic boy, yes he is wearing the hearing aids.

Here is a closer look at his ears, with the aids in.



A look behind the ear. You can kind of see a glare at the top from the tubes that go in his ear.


And there it is. I had to move his hair a bit and he is thinking of keeping it slightly longer but these are not your Grandpa's hearing aids. I was impressed at how tiny they really are.

The wether by Natalie.snow

hi thw agine frends it's me Natalie!The snow was wide this morning!I got to play in it!Igot to play in the dich with my bike and my brathr jake.It was fun of cose!!If you go out ther today it will be fresing!so if you do go out ther be sher when you come in you have a nice hot cup of hotchoklet.But it will be fun!

What the past 35 years have taught me....

I've been spending a ridiculous amount of time on Facebook lately. I've been thinking about my past, my present and my future. I've also been spending a ridiculous amount of time stalking other blogs. I've been finding other people who feel the same things as me and think the same things as me. I have found that no matter where a person comes from or no matter their backgrounds or life views we all struggle with being labeled or put into a box. I found a wonderful post about this at the exact right time that I needed to read it. Here is a quote from the blog post I found it on first:


Life gets simpler when we admit that we’re complicated. We’re full of contradictions, disagreements, and competing interests, and that’s okay.

Living a simple life doesn’t have to involve pigeonholing yourself into a particular lifestyle or ideology. You can geek out one day and scream your head off for your favorite NFL team the next. You can revel in getting your hands dirty and then enjoy a foo-foo spa day (a borrowed term, I assure you). Yes, you can even be a Republican on one issue and a Democrat on another.

Realizing that you’re contradictory can be a bit difficult. After all, if you don’t know who you are or what you believe, how can you have any impact on the world? It’s a valid concern. But in reality, there’s nothing wrong with fluidity, gray areas, and flexibility. They add nuance to life, and bring humanity into each and every thought you have.

(you can find the original post here and it is totally worth reading)

This hit home with me. I do not fit into any particular box. I hate being pigeonholed or labeled. I think it defeats the true purpose of who I am and what I have become and made of my life. Sometimes I have tried to make myself fit into one of those dreaded boxes because I feel that is what society needs or wants from me.

BUT

What the past 35 years have taught me is that I am much happier when I don't try to conform myself into something I am not. I am much happier when I am me because that is all I can be.

I sometimes look at my past and wonder if I would do anything different. But then I worry that any changes I make would compromise the essence of who I am today and I realize that NO, I would not change anything. I will keep everything the same because what the past 35 years has taught me is that it's ok to not be boxed, labeled or pigeonholed. Be yourself and you will always be in fashion.

My 100th post! GO ME!!

So, I was going to do a 100th post like my friend Sillya but I started and realized that was too ambitious for me. So I found my inspiration on another blog about a month or so ago. Just to show you all how truly unique I am I went to this website (recommended by someone's blog). It's How many of me. And look what I found only ONE of me. Yep, you are all friends with an original .

HowManyOfMe.com

There is 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

And that is not it. I checked out how popular my name was in the decade I was born. Drum roll please......

Number 478, I come after names such as Lwanda, Guadalupe, Mercedes (I told you it was cool mom) and Margarita.

and then this current decades popularity my name is rated number 713. Tada, I am like rare vintage clothing. I only get more valuable with age. Not very many people have me and the ones that do cherish me. At least most of them do most of the time. I'm sure my kids would like to trade me in somedays for a more hip mom who doesn't make them do chores. But my husband has never wanted to trade me in for the newest styles. He understands the value of keeping something so rare and stylish.

I am unique. I am me. I am happy.

Goodbye September, Hello October

It's the last day of September. Where did the time go? This month really flew by. So many things happened, so many things didn't and so many more things to look forward to.
My kids are all in school now. Jake is only part time and I'm still finding my daily rhythm without him here. It's easier somedays and not so much other days. You'd think after 6 or so weeks of school I'd have a better schedule but really I don't and I like it that way. Gives me room to change at the last minute. But I've never been a scheduler. Greyson is loving Jr. high and has lost 8 pounds walking to and from school, I have found those 8 pounds on my own body. It isn't fair that I actually started exercising this month and didn't lose a thing!! He just walks to school and he's thinner! Oh how I wish I had the metabolism of a pre-teen boy. Wouldn't that be great!! Natalie was the first in her class to become Student of the week and has fallen in love with a series of books called the Rainbow Magic Fairies. She is now found more in front of a book than the TV. I love that. Jake loves school but hates getting into the classroom. He cries if I'm around but is fine if I'm not. So I hide and watch. His best friend is a girl and he continues to think that kissing is a disease but he is immune.
My kids have drove me nuts this month, they have also grown emotionally so those bad attitudes are normal, at least for my kids. We have played alot of family games and Jake likes to trick people so he wins. Natalie gets mad and Grey looks at Jake like he might actually be normal. We've taken alot of walks, started re-doing my table, played with a lot of dead bugs and watched some great movies, along with reading some great books. Despite the bad attitudes, mine included, we have had a great month.
October starts tomorrow - for those of you that don't own a calendar. I can't wait to do the pumpkin patches and trick or treating. We have everyone's costumes already. I look forward to the easiness that comes with this month. School is in the second month and Thanksgiving is still a month away. It is also the month that Bob and I got married in. We will celebrate our 14th anniversary this year. Well, that just made me feel really old. I hate how these days fly by and the years too. My kids are growing so fast. Although they can drive me crazy I'm thankful that I have them. Without them I'd be out of a job and I love this job. I hope to have just as much if not more fun this October.

Look at these!!!!

I haven't had many posts lately because my kids have been driving me crazy, I've been researching this whole bailout thing and because I've been frequenting the craft blogs. O MY!!! Am I having fun. I wish I had more hours in the day to do all the cool crafts I have been finding. AND I just learned how to link within a word so indulge me for a minute while I show my new skills and the cool new crafts I want to make/buy. (buying would help our economy right?)
Check these aprons out. I would cook more if I had one of these, ok maybe not but I'd love shopping for shoes to match the apron.
Next up is a gift you can give to your nieces/nephews to drive your brother/sister crazy. They are called Princess Bells. Wouldn't little 2 year olds love it. Liz, expect a pair or two for Christmas.
Here are 2 for the expectant mom. Diaper bag and baby wrap. I so wish I had that wrap when my babies were little. Makes things so much easier.
Most of these are from the site http://shannonmakesstuff.blogspot.com/ She has some awesome stuff and some great recipes too. I could wear that cute apron while cooking her recipes.
These next cute crafts I found on http://tipjunkie.blogspot.com/.
THese T-shirts are way too cute. And beats searching through stores. Jake would probably love these shirts. I think I could even make one with a snake for him or a dragon for Grey.
Look at this cute chandelier. Wouldn't it be great for a kids party?
Of course I also know kids who would feel so grown up wearing these.

You have to go check them all out. It has wasted so much of my time that I think you all should waste your time too. I'm going to try and do at least one of these crafts myself.

My kids are a bunch of overachievers

My kids have become such overachievers that I just want to cry. Everyday they do something new to my amazement.
For example, When Natalie gets mad she doesn't just say she's mad oh no, my daughter wants to go above and beyond so she throws things and yells at me whether I was the problem in the first place or not. Whenever she argues with me she doesn't just stop when I give her "that look" she continues to strive for more and keep arguing. When she has a bad day she doesn't just sit and talk with me about it she aims high and cries and sobs so uncontrollably that she practically passes out. Not to mention the way she goes from semi upset to the whole world hates her in like 2 seconds or less. Such an over achiever.
Next let me brag about Jake and his skills to go for the unreachable. He never seems to stop whatever he's doing when I ask him to. Because he wants to become an overachiever he does whatever it is 5 or more times. Just to make sure he achieved his goal of annoying me. Or Jake doesn't just stop squeezing the cat after the cat scratched him he goes on to squeeze just a few more times, he's really trying to perfect his squeezing abilities without getting scratched. And when he plays with his cars he won't just make a mess in one room, nope that's for underacheivers, Jake makes a mess in every single room of the house.
Jake and Natalie together can also be overachievers because when they argue they are not satisfied with arguing about just one thing, oh gosh no not my sweet little babies. They need to argue about everything that the other has ever done wrong to them in the last 7 or 5 years respectively. And just to make sure that they are true overachievers they have begun to punch and tackle eachother and, well, Natalie can really kick some boy butt. Those two also seem to have ESP which really is a mark of the overachiever. They can both tell me what the other one was thinking or was going to do before it even happens. Now, truly who's kids are so good at ESP?
It just makes a mother want to cry.

A lesson from Kermit the Frog

It ain't easy being green. And I don't mean the color green, it would clash with my blonde hair and blue eyes. Plus my kids might think I'm the grinch. Hmm, maybe I could get things done around here then, I'll have to think about that. And I'm not talking about being green with envy. I actually excel at that. I'm talking about being green as in Tree hugger, hippie, Al Gore and saving the environment. This whole save the earth be green is harder then it looks. Here's the story. We started watching this T.V. show with Bill Nye, he's a science guy and because we are raising little nerds around here we watched the show. It's kind of about science but it is more about saving the enviroment and how our everyday products can affect the environment. Some facts from this great show "Stuff Happens" as seen on Planet Green.

• Every 3 months the entire commercial airline fleets can be remade because of all the aluminum that is thrown away everyday.


• Bacon is killing Penguins.


• Toothpaste is endangering the Orangutans.


• You should not use paper or plastic.
  

Like I said before, it ain't easy being green. I spent a good 2o minutes in the toothpaste aisle looking for the right type of toothpaste. Even the "organic" toothpaste had the bad chemicals in it. I've looked for free trade bacon and can't find ANYTHING. I guess my neck of the woods is jsut not that into being green yet. It is very time consuming. I don't even have somewhere local to take my pop cans to. I can however get all my paper recycled if I take it down to a dumpster and it isn't overflowing.

I love the show because it gives little advice about how to become more green by changing little things in your home or lifestyle. My kids love this show and are more aware of being green. But getting there is killing me. I have all these tips on becoming more green and I can't find anything here to help me get there. It just ain't easy being green.

We have not inherited this world from our ancestors, Rather we have borrowed it from our children.

Native American Proverb