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.