Open letter to the sylist who did my hair last night....

Sweetie....

Don't ask your client what they want to do to their hair...and then tell them that you don't want to do that and suggest something completely different. If I wanted my hair colored instead of permed I would have told you I wanted it colored.

No one is interested in how many bad haircuts you have given this week...and I am especially not interested when you are holding a pair of scissors in one hand and my hair in the other.

That being said, you really need to get a ruler and learn how much hair 1-2 inches is. When someone wants at the most 2 inches cut off...and you cut off 3-4...chances are they aren't going to be happy.

People are not comforted by the fact that you have to read the instructions on the perm box "as a refresher".

It's not a good thing when your client knows how to fan out the perm papers and you ask them how they did it so easily.

You really shouldn't make disparaging comments about other races or ethnicities while you have a client in your chair. And you really shouldn't be making those comments *to* the client sitting in your chair.

You don't ask your client how many children they have...and then ask them if they are "mixed" or "all-white". It's none of your business if they are purple with green spots and pink stripes.

But thank you very much for the complimentary eyebrow wax. That was about the least you could do for me after having to deal with you for 2 1/2 hours.

Thanks..

I keep waiting...

I keep waiting for the day when I have a great epiphany that allows me to discern the meaning of my existence....and I'm still waiting.

I don't completely believe in predestination...we do have free will after all. But I do believe that we each have a purpose on earth. I just don't know what the hell my purpose is. I fee like I'm going through the motions....allowing others to believe that I have a clue. I feel like a phony.

All my friends think I'm so self-assured...so confident. I'm freaking out inside...on a daily basis. Some days it feels like I'm hanging by a thread and at any moment.....SNAP! It's going to break and I'm going to be hurtled into the unknown.

Some day I'll know what's going on...but until then....I'll be sitting in the corner...muttering to myself and rocking myself....

Project: Soldier Post

My family has adopted a young soldier in Iraq. I wanted to create a special album for him offering words of encouragement and support. Just something to let this young man know that what he is doing is appreciated and that he is cared about. There are so many over there who have lost faith in the US due to lack of support...I don't understand why we can't support our men and women even if you don't support the reason they are there...it's a mind boggler for me.

Anyway..here is what I want to do...

have someone from every state, province, whatever....get a postcard highlighting your area...write a message to the boys and girls over in the sand box....put that postcard in the mail to me...and I will create a kickin' album with all of them and mail it to him. Does that sound like something that you would like to take part in? If you would...please email me at

Project Soldier Post

Don't you dare!!!

Don't you dare tell me that my fears about North Korea are irrational and uneducated.

There is nothing irrational about fearing that we might have WWIII break out before my children's first acne break out.

I cannot stand it when people feel the need to negate your feelings by telling you that you are being irrational. That sounds like such a cop out to make yourself feel better about NOT being afraid.

I have every right to be afraid of some lunatic on the other side of the ocean who would like nothing better than to put a feather in his cap after starting a battle between the US and North Korea. He sees it as a show of power...he can take the US head on.

So I don't see my fears as irrational....quite the opposite...I see your lack of concern as irrational.

**NEWS FLASH**

No one cares about the bobblehead formerly known as Star Jones.

There has been an incessant whine coming from every news and entertainment channel for the past 2 days....fired...quit....let loose in a field and hunted for sport...I don't care!!!!

Tell me about the war...tell me about missing children....what about the flooding in the northeast?? All that is trumped by the head heavy diva who must have been the life size model for the Bratz dolls...

Enough is enough damnit!!!

Random Facts:

1. FIRST NAME? Michele

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not that I know of.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Today at my son's VBS closing show.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No not particularly.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Braunschwager.

6. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes.

7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU OR NOT? Of course I would!!

8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Yes.

9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Well..honestly...yes. More often then I probably should.

10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?No way! There's nothing to catch you if they rope breaks.

12. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No.

13. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes.

14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? This week I am really into White Raspberry Truffle at Bruesters. Next week who knows.

15. SHOE SIZE? 9

16. RED OR PINK? Pink

17. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My weight.

18. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My mom.

19. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? On my birthday in a hospital.

20. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Barefoot, blue jeans!

21. WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Soft pretzel.

22. FAVORITE SMELL? Clean Laundry. I even just bought a Yankee Candle that smells like fresh laundry.

23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED WITH ON THE PHONE? My friend Yoli.

24. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU MEET? Their smiles.

25. FAVORITE SPORT? Hockey.

I need a vacation....

to recover from my vacation.

After puke fest 2006 was over and we arrived in Williamsburg, I thought that the week could only get better.

I thought wrong.

We purchased 3 day admission to Busch Gardens before we left on vacation. Those 3 days could be used at any time as long as they were consecutive days...unfortunately the reservations for the wheelchair and stroller that I made were for monday and wednesday and they couldn't be changed without losing my payment. So on rainy monday we headed out to the park.

On the way my MIL pukes in my car. I about died. If anyone else would like to come over and puke in my car please let me know...I can make arrangements.

The boys had a great time. Other than the guy who measured them for ride bracelets everyone was great. The service at BG is always top notch. The guy was measuring TT1 and told him he was a purple bracelet. So I have him doing the happy dance that he can ride the roller coasters. Then they guy turns around and says that TT was standing on his tip toes and isn't big enough for anything other than the kiddie section and the log flume. Well let me tell you that didn't go over well with TT. But I took him on the log flume and he had a great time. He even got to go on it twice in a row since there were no lines.

We had lunch at "our place". Octoberfest. We always split one meal between the two of us and still get full. Of course the kids wanted something else other than corned beef on rye and potato salad. They got hotdogs in this really cute dinosaur egg that we brought home. What really got their attention though was the show. We never get bored with the show there. We could go and see it every day...more than once a day...and still love it every single time. Who knows maybe someday we'll make it to Germany for real...but for now I have Octoberfest!!

The day was long and wet...but not too bad. That night I ended up getting sick and sat out the Tuesday excursion to BG. Of course that was a really great weather day...and BD didn't take my camera...but they told me that they had fun.

Wednesday was the monsoon. It was cold...wet...miserable...we got rainy day passes to come back again. We stayed in the park and did a couple of the shows (Octoberfest of course!) and then we left around 3. There was flooding in VA Beach and they closed the tunnel so the park closed at 5 anyway. We took the kids to Friendly's for dinner. It had been years since we'd eaten there...the food is the same....the ice cream's the same...I don't know why we made such a fuss about not having one nearby. It was okay...but no different than any other place that has ice cream.

Thursday and Friday were shopping days for me. I love me a good sale...and we found a great one. I don't know what it is about sales shopping...but I get such a rush about finding a good deal. Well we went to the Children's Place and they were having a sale that included racks of clothes for $1.99!!!! We were able to get winter school wardrobes for both the TTs for less than $100!! I was psyched. We also hit the Corningware outlet there and were able to find a few good deals there as well. Gotta love outlets.

On saturday we packed up the van and headed south once again. We will miss the inlaws...but we were all happy to be going home. Back to our own surroundings....comforts of home can't be replaced.

Back in the swing of things this week. TT1 has VBS...I have the dentist...company and church picnics both on saturday...

Busy Busy Busy..............................

Have you ever felt like you must be in the movies?

And you just don't know it? That's how I have been feeling for the past few days. We are currently on vacation and it has been like an Griswald trip from the start. Are we really on our way to Wallyworld? Will it be closed when we get there? These are questions I hear my husband asking me while on the way to VA. We may not be on our way to Wallyworld, but if we get to Williamsburg and there is a sign on the gate that they're closed - I'm pulling a Clark - no questions asked. Should make for some interesting scrapbook pages anyways.

We set out on our little trek on Friday afternoon. Loaded 2 TTs, 2 beagles, and a howling cat in the van and headed north. We stopped for dinner about an hour in and everything was going pleasantly. Another hour in and we heard the first spew. There is nothing that sets fear in like the sound of puke in a fairly new vehicle going 70 on the interstate at night. As I'm yelling for the hubby to pull over he is trying to not get us killed. I'm trying to console the 2 year old who has just lost most of his last meal all over himself and his car seat. Poor guy has never been sick before so he didn't even know what hit him. I was able to get him calm enough for hubby to drive to the next exit so we could clean him up properly. We stopped at a great hotel who allowed us to use their facilities to get him and his seat cleaned up. I wish I could remember the name cause they were so accomodating.

We got back on the road and made many more pitstops along the way cleaning and changing, changing and cleaning, getting coffee. We eventually made it to Williamsburg by around 7am, but check-in wasn't until 3. We took a walk, took the kids to a lousy pancake house up the road (if you're in the area don't bother eating at Stack'em High), did some window shopping with the kids, and of course washed our laundry that had accumulated from the one night on the road. We finally got an early check in for an extra $15 (guess everything has it's price - wish we'd have known the price of this little bonus at about 7:15 this morning) and got the boys settled down enough to take a nap. The rest of the day was basically getting everything settled in and set up for the week.

The in-laws showed up about 3pm (perfect timing for regular check-in) and I unloaded their van into the trailer. I'm still trying to figure out how much stuff they needed to bring...we had less in our van of 4 people and 3 animals than they did in a van of 2 people. It's a mystery. BD tells me not to hurt my brain trying to figure it out, I beginning to believe him - it's not worth it.

Sunday we went shopping and that's about it. TT1 went swimming and was able to swim by himself (with his swim vest on) from one end of the pool to the other. TT2 had enough pool time after about 10 minutes.

Well that is act one of our show for this evening...act two will be at a later date...I'm getting the evil eye from the hubby...time for bed. Good night all................

Congratulations Alabama voters...

We have succeeded in screwing ourselves for another 4 years. The primary certianly didn't go the way that I thought it would...and honestly has left me wondering if there is intelligent life here.

The choices given to us for Gov I know were not top of the heap by any standards..

Bob Riley - The incumbant. The person who told us that if we didn't pass a tax hike then the state would ge bankrupt...then when it didn't pass somehow "found" over 2 BILLION in surplus...but still cut funding to the schools that he so desperately wanted to "help"

Don Seigleman - The man is under investigation for fraud. Need I say more?

Lucy Baxley - The current Lt. Gov who somehow won the primary for the Dem ticket...without ever having to actually take a platform....any platform...nothing...kinda like what she's done for the past 4 years in office.

and lastly...

Roy Moore - the Ex-Supreme Court Justice who was ousted from the bench due to the ten commandments. Can you lead a state when you can't follow the laws you were elected to uphold?

So those were the choices....not much of a choice I know...but now in November we only have to choose between the "do nothing" and the "mathematician".....not much of a choice there really....it's kinda sad. Pretty much like the state of Alabama...pretty sad.

Very cool webpage...

Stumbled across the Imagination Prompt Generator today. Very very cool prompter. In an effort to make my blog a little more interesting (since it seems I am boring people to death with my current ramblings) I will try to use this from time to time to get my creative juices flowing...like today.

Do you think real change can take place if there is resistance?

This is like an oxymoron. How can there be change if there is resistance? If taken literally, think about trying to change a resisting toddler. Does the change occur? Or are you left to waiting until they are ready for the change? It is the same in life. Can you really change if you are not open to it in the first place?

I need to lose weight. I complain about never being able to find clothes that fit, but do I stop eating ice cream? NO. Why? There is something in me that is just not willing to change yet. I don't know what it is, but I know it's there and it resists the attempts to change my habits. I will start to eat better and make an effort, then I just slide right back into what is familiar and comfortable. I know that I need to lose weight and if I don't there will be horrible consequences that I really don't want to have to deal with, but I still allow that resistance to stand in my path - why??

Sometimes resistance to change is external also. You can't control other people, yet other people influence your ability to change. Sometimes life is a very big catch 22. You will have the desire for change, then you hit a roadblock created by another person. Whether it be a friend, your significant other, your kids - someone stands in your way to reach change.

Change requires commitment. You can not have commitment if resistance is present. What are your thoughts on change? Do you have a change in your life you need to make but you have a roadblock in front of you? How can we remove those roadblocks? What can we do to help each other make the changes in our lives that we so desperately want?

The Summer Book Club

A group of us at MOMS decided to start a summer reading group. We met tonight for a planning session. We are going to have a great summer as far as I can see. The ladies that came are all very insightful and I have learned a great deal from them in the past...I hope that our summer reading will allow me the same.

Our first book choice was Rome Sweet Home by Scott and Kimberly Hahn. This story of conversion written by the converted themselves proves to be a wonderful journey. I look forward to rediscovering my faith and foundation in the Catholic church.

Today was another picture day....

so here they are...

Faith is the ability to believe unconditionally

Some have tried to discredit the validity of these photos. I am filled with faith that these photos are in fact God's work.

Pope Benedict XVI prays in front of the monument for the victims of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Oswiecim, Poland, Sunday, May 28, 2006. Pope Benedict XVI is in Poland on a four-day visit that took him to Warsaw, Krakow, Czestochowa, Wadowice, Pope John Paul II's birth town, and the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps. The visit is fraught with significance for Catholic-Jewish relations, a favorite theme for Benedict and predecessor John Paul II. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Rainbow raises over Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp as people watch Pope Benedict XVI praying in front of the monument the camp's victims in Oswiecim, Poland, Sunday, May 28, 2006. Pope Benedict XVI is in Poland on a four-day visit that took him to Warsaw, Krakow, Czestochowa, Wadowice, Pope John Paul II's birth town, and the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps. The visit is fraught with significance for Catholic-Jewish relations, a favorite theme for Benedict and predecessor John Paul II. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Without faith in my heart, then my existence is meaningless. I have faith in the fact that I am here for a purpose. There is a reasoning behind everything that has happened in my life, and a plan. I only see the plan as it lays out behind me. Like reading a book from the back cover forward, it doesn't make much sense right now, but at the end, it will all be clear.


Psalms
Chapter 27

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear? The LORD is my life's refuge; of whom am I afraid?

When evildoers come at me to devour my flesh, These my enemies and foes themselves stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me, my heart does not fear; Though war be waged against me, even then do I trust.

One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the LORD'S house all the days of my life, To gaze on the LORD'S beauty, to visit his temple.

For God will hide me in his shelter in time of trouble, Will conceal me in the cover of his tent; and set me high upon a rock.

Even now my head is held high above my enemies on every side! I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and chant praise to the LORD.

I Hear my voice, LORD, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me.

"Come," says my heart, "seek God's face"; your face, LORD, do I seek!

Do not hide your face from me; do not repel your servant in anger. You are my help; do not cast me off; do not forsake me, God my savior!

Even if my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me in.

LORD, show me your way; lead me on a level path because of my enemies.

Do not abandon me to the will of my foes; malicious and lying witnesses have risen against me.

But I believe I shall enjoy the LORD'S goodness in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the LORD!

Another challenge completed...

Thanks to my Secret Sister. I was challenged to do a layout using black cardstock as the base. Since I am a big patterned paper user this was a huge challenge, but luckily I had a black and white wedding so the photos were easy.

These challenges have actually forced me to scrap even though I've been in a funk. And I've been really pleased with the results. So big thanks go to my Secret Sister for the challenges she's sent to me.

This layout features Bazzill Cardstock, Basic Grey Black Tie Papers and Alphabet Stickers, Fancy Pants Chipboard Frames, Heidi Swapp Chipboard Punctuation, and my trusty Sharpie White Paint Pen. I like how the doodling came out...I based it on the Basic Grey Wholly Cow rubons. Hope you like!!

Time for a {Funny}

We were talking over on SBO about the weather in New England...and I remembered this story...



When we lived in nebraska I was ordering something over the phone. The conversation went like this...

operator: What state do you live in?

me: Nebraska

operator: Is the abbreviation for that NB?

me: No. It's NE.

operator: No ma'am. NE is New England. What is the abbreviation for Nebraska?

me: New England is not a state.

operator: New England is so a state. They have a football team. Now what is the abbreviation for the state of Nebraska?

me {choking back tears of either laughter or fear - I'm still not sure} : Yep you're right, it's NB.

am I the only one who is afraid that these are the people will be taking care of me when I am old?

Why did we go out to eat at all *or* Longhorn Sucks

I can't decide which title is more appropriate right now. Now normally Tuesday nights are reserved for that ever present tradition of Kids Eat Free night at the local Chick Fil A. Well after the last fiasco of having to threaten TT1 to get him to leave the damn playhouse...we were not going there again this week unless I was staying home and BD was venturing out on his own with the boys. But BD took us to the local Longhorn up in town. We were optimistic...we've been there once before. The food was good, the service was decent, the only issue that time was that the prices to us seemed a little high for the area that we live in.

So we head into the Longhorn. We were seated right away, given children's menus and crayons, drinks ordered right away - a good start to the meal. After we order we sit with the boys and color...play games...keep them occupied so that they don't start getting unruly while we wait. We finally are able to get the waitresses attention and commented to her that she had never asked about the cheese for BD's buger. She replied that it was probably too late but she'd go check. We got no answer one way or the other about the cheese until she brings our meals out about 10 minutes later blaming the extraordinarily long serving time to the fact that they had to re-cook BD's buger to change the cheese. That of course was bull since we could see the cheddar cheese remnants on the burger itself and there was no swiss cheese on it at all which is what he had asked for. She never delivered my fries that I had ordered, and only came back to the table one time between serving the food and delivering the check. In my opinion the service was deplorable. By the time the bill had come we had been there for over and hour and a half and I was more than ready to leave. She dumped the bill on the table with no pen to sign the credit card slip, my kids were already in the car waiting for me, and I just went and signed the slip at the front desk and didn't leave her a cent for a tip.

I was prepared to leave it at that, but after coming home and talking with BD about it, I decided that I really needed to call and tell the manager about how horrible I thought the service was. I told him that the food was great - other than the forgotten fries and the no cheese on the burger - the kids loved the chicken finger basket and my steak salad was wonderful. My only complaint was in fact about the service. He apologized profusely and I accepted that apology acknowledging that he was going to work on the service issue. He also told me that the general manager was going to call me tomorrow to talk about the problems. We'll see what he has to say. I actually felt really good after getting off the phone with the manager. It was great customer service from his end...I just wish they'd train their wait staff to do it right in the first place and he never would have been put in that situation. Customer service is going downhill in so many ways...but this was one time that it was exceptional.

The best part.....

When I was waiting to pay the bill, the table behind me was getting ready to leave. A very nice looking older woman with beautiful white hair stopped next to me and told me that my boys were very well behaved and it was a joy to sit next to us!! I about fell off my seat. I thanked her and told her that it was very nice to hear that.

That about made my year. Especially since the boys were not having a very good week...but tonight....they were a joy to sit next to.

Thank you my sister!!

My secret sister that is. Today I was blessed with an envelope filled with a little somthin' somthin' to ease my embellishment deprived soul. Okay I'm not embellishment deprived, but it was so nice to get a little giftie from my secret sis today. She sent me some stuff to use after we get back from the beach (which means she's been doing her homework and listening to what I told her about my vacation), and some little envelopes that I can use for journaling on my pages...and some acrylic flowers...and some of the new EK/Rebecca Sowers Bookworks - loving those btw!! So thank you sis for your postal love today!!!

Another month...

almost over. I can't believe that summer is here already. TTs are out of school until August....VBS will be starting soon..but that's only for a week at a time. Vacation in Williamsburg is going to be fun though. Everytime the commercial for Busch Gardens comes on we tell TT#1 that's where we are going and he gets all excited. He's geared up for riding a roller coaster. We'll see if that happens.

MOMS is done for the year too...but we are going to do a book club over the summer just so we can keep intact without having the church meetings. We usually disband for the summer months...so we are kinda doing it as a test group...we'll see how that goes.

I have some bright things on the horizon it seems as far as my design work...but I don't want to jinx myself...so I won't spill it...but it's blinding me it's so bright :)

I wonder if my secret sister knows who I am yet....I don't know who mine is...and her clues haven't helped me at all....so I don't have any idea who she is...so if you are reading this my dear secret sister....give me some better clues!!!!!

Inspired by AmyAgain's Flower Of The Day

posts over on 2Peas...here's my flower of the day. This is the newest bloom in the front yard...






Have a happy Hump Day!!

So I was perusing the board over at SBO...

and Nikki had posted some journaling prompts...so I thought I'd cover them here...

Write about your mother's greatest influence on you.
My mom's greatest influence would have to be her attitude. Growing up with her no nonsense way of talking and doing things has really influenced how I am today. I like to think that it is her influence that has made me a strong person.

Who was like a mother to you?
My grandmother was like my second mom. Since my mother was only 16 when I was born I spent the first years of my life living with my grandparents and aunts and uncles. My grandmother would keep me during the day so my mom could go to school. After we moved out on our own I still spent weekends there and vacations.

What kind of mother do you want to be?
I want to be the kind of mother that my children look back upon with love and fondness. I want my children to have wonderful memories of growing up. I want to be the supportive and easygoing but stern and respected mother.

List ten traits of a wonderful mother.

1. Loving
2. Respectful
3. Honest
4. Supportive
5. Fun
6. Fair
7. Snuggleable
8. Funny
9. Spiritual
10. Easygoing
    

Write about the best mother's day ever.
This is a hard one. I don't know what makes the "best" of a day. Every Mother's day is special just because I am a mom.

Sometimes we don't like our mothers very much. Write about such a time... then let it go.
I don't like that my mom doesn't spend enough time with my kids. That makes me dislike her a little. I still love her, but it's not fair to my kids.

What are you going to do for your mother this year?
Well my mom lives basically across the country from us, so I made her a simple card and called her on Mother's day. That's enough to let her know that I love her and that she's special to me.

Two posts in one day...must be a record...

but I just have to post.

My secret sister on the Pub must be the sweetest Pea ever in the pod!!! On the questionaire I listed Kimber as a person who inspires me. I was Kimber's Secret Santa last year and since then we have been in a CJ together. She has only been scrapping a short time, but is a wonderful designer and has had some great oppurtunities come her way becuase of that. Her work and ability leave me in awe. So she goes on my "inspires me" list.

Well my uber-sweet SS contacted Kimber and asked her to do a special project for me...Kimber had emailed me the other day asking for a picture of my. I didn't think anything of it cause I know that sometimes scrappers will scrap pictures that aren't their own for a change of pace. So I sent Kimber a photo of me and TT2 when he was a newborn.

Well let me tell you...she has created the most AMAZING layout for me. Check it out over in the gallery at Two Peas.

Thanks so much to my SS and especially to Kimber. Thanks for making me cry...in a good way!!!

I am finally technologically savvy!!

or at least I can fake it well...

I finally figured out how to put a photo slide on my blog. How's it look??

My secret sister over at the Pub challenged me to complete a layout that featured 25 things that I love. You can see it in my slider. It's the one with the flowers coming out of the pot.

Oh...and if anyone in a publishing capacity or DT recruiter likes what you see...they are all available for publication.

Farewell Camden Clan....

I'm very disappointed..for the last 10 years I have watched this show....watched the kids grow up...get married...have kids of their own...then they give this wonderful show the suckiest ending I have ever seen!! No only predictable...but beyond the usual lameness of series finales. I really expected better for the end of this show. Of course now there really is no wholesome family viewing out there that my kids can watch with us...so we are resigned to Disney channel once again....the agony!!

We'll miss you 7th Heaven...there's no show that can replace you....monday's will be very lonely.....

Until football season starts..

Dear God make the pain go away...

That is what I was saying yesterday. For whatever reason as the day wore on it was almost impossible to move. By the time the TTs went to bed I had to take a painkiller - it was that bad. Of course as soon as that kicked in I felt like I could run a 4 minute mile. I don't know what is wrong with me but I wish that it would just go away. Whatever is causing me all this pain everyday ... and making me so damn tired .... and irritable ..... it just needs to go back where it came from. My kids are suffering ... my house is suffering ... everything that I am involved with is suffering ... including me.

Some people have suggested Fibromyalgia ... others have told me it's go to be Lupus ... both of which there is no test to determine if that is in fact what you have. Some people don't even believe that they are real diseases ... honestly I can't say for sure that I believe that they are real. Coming from a medical background generally I say if there isn't a test for it ... then it doesn't exist ... how could it? But then I feel the way I do ... and there's no explanation. Tests that they do ... come back inconclusive. I don't know what to think.

I just pray ... that the pain doesn't come back. I don't like feeling like I can't move ... that I can't play with my kids ... that I can't even get up to answer the phone.

I just pray ...............

The visit...the show...and other musings...

Well we survived the visit of 2006. We had a great time with my mom and godmom...the TTs loved having them here to play with and read to them. It was hard on them when they realized that they went home and weren't coming back anytime soon. My mom said something about the holidays..we'll see how that goes.

My mommy is the beauty in the Milwaukee shirt...my godmother (who has been my mom's best friend for 36 years} is the looker wearing the Jackie O shades.



We went last night to see Dora's Pirate Adventure. I was a bad scrap-mom and didn't bring my camera...but TT1 had a great time. We brought a friend with us rather than TT2 and BD...so TT1's friend and his mom (who happens to be one of my best friends) came with us for the show. We even ran into a couple of people from TT1's preschool class...it was a fun night. I of course got suckered into buying overpriced Dora propaganda on the way out. A t-shirt for $15...puzzles for $5 each...at $25 I told TT1 that the bank was broke. He really wanted the $12 light up stick...but I had to put my foot down...I was amazed at how many parent's had paid that amount for a stick with a lightbulb on the end. I told TT1 that I would put some cellophane on the end of his flashlight that he already had...that seemed to make him happy again. It did take a while to make him understand that the show was not like on tv where you could just rewind and play it again...he told me he wanted to watch another one before we left. Poor little guy.

The show itself was okay. Not too mind-numbing. Maybe we should have had a few shots before the show. We think that if they put a martini counter next to the dippin dots booth...they'd make a ton of money at these things!! I can't really complain though...at least it wasnt' Barney.

Our next thing is tomorrow at TT1's preschool they are having a Mother's Day program. Luckily my friend Jenn is taking TT2 for me so that I don't have to bring him. I can't believe that school is out next week. Then we can plan for our vacation in June. BD's dad will come to stay with us for the month of July. Then school starts again in August. Wow...there's our whole summer right there. That looks kinda fast and pitiful....

We are doing a secret sister over in the Pub at 2Peas. I'm so excited. I love who I got...and I really look forward to getting to know her. I'm also really hyped to get to know the person who has me...or at least to let them know me better. I've been a member over there for over 3 years and I really haven't made that many connections as I would have thought. I have been blessed with a few people that I met over there....but for the most part I go pretty much unnoticed since I dont' post all the time and I'm not as well known in the industry as some others. But doing things like this SS really makes me feel more in touch with the other designers on the board.

THANKS EMILY!!

I got your wonderful NSD box today!! We are going to have such fun when my girls get together to do these tag books....I can't wait!!

And since I'm talking to Emily...

You're right...I should have driven to TN last week and bought a lottery ticket. I won the Dora tickets...then I won your giveaway..then my husband tells me the next day that they were doing a giveaway at work for people who gave suggestions for Earth Day...he won $100 GC!!!

Last week must have been a lucky week for both of us...

T minus 2 days and counting...

Until the mothership arrives. My mom and godmom are coming for a short visit and they will be arriving sometime on Thursday. We are having a cleaning person come in tomorrow to do some deep cleaning...makes me feel better about only having to do basic cleaning. That I can accomplish by tomorrow.

Spring is here in full bloom...the dogwood at the gardens looks wonderful



well...have to go and get some cleaning done....so that the TTs can destroy it later...

Wow I should buy a lottery ticket!!

That's what the comment left by Emily Adams said....since I won her AWESOME national scrapbook day RAK that she hosted on her blog yesterday...

Here's what I won...


only enough for me and 6 of my gals!!!! how cool is Emily right???? You can still check out her blog and try and win another of her wonderful retired CKU Magic Scrap class kits!!! Check it out!! Or if you don't want to win a kit...just check it out cause she's got great photos and has a way with words....

You are lucky caller number 5!!!!

That's what I heard this afternoon when I called into the new radio station in town. It was on a whim and I never thought I'd win...but I did...

On May 3rd we are taking the TTs to see



Thank you 100.3 The River

So "MDay" is in a week and a half....my mother and godmother are coming to visit. It will only be for a few days...but I am sure that those few days will feel like a week. My mom is cut from a different cloth than my husband..she is very abrupt and usually makes comments before thinking through what she is saying...we love her...but unless you are used to her way you feel a bit put off when you are around her...

Tomorrow I am headed over to my friend Yoli's house...she just bought a coffee bean roaster...we are going to make fresh roasted coffee...yes that sounds insane...but we are both coffee freaks...and heck...it's a new appliance to play with!!!

The Bunny Came Momma!!

That is what we woke up to this morning at about 6:30....




we did the whole egg decorating thing last night...TT1 had a great time...TT2 on the other hand was passed out from the bliss of the all day egg-stgravaganza at the botanical gardens..










We watched the Veggie Tales Easter Story...those DVDs are wonderful for explaining Bible stories to the kids in terms they can understand....we love them....

and now things are winding down after dinner...plans are being made for when nana comes to visit in 2 weeks....another holiday down the drain....

Yes I am a Blog Slacker!!

I can't beleive that it's actually been almost a month since I updated....

So much has happened....

We bought the Dodge Grand Caravan with the Stow N Go seating...I LOVE IT!! I never thought that I'd be happy with a minivan....my friends pick on me cause they say that I have come to the dark side..but it is the best vehicle for our family. I feel comfortable driving it...the kids like it...TT#1 calls it the magic car....cause the doors are all automatic....and when the doors lock TT#s 1&2 both say "Thank You Car"..it's cute...I'll have to get photos of the van before it gets too dirty...

I also found out that I am sick...they aren't sure how all the problems that they found actually are connected becuase there isn't any consistency...but they do know that I am sick...I've started on some meds that will take care of a couple of the problems...I have to radically change my diet and lifestyle (which feels almost impossible at this point) and we'll do more tests to re-check everything. They are going with the "attack one thing at a time" strategy...we'll see how well that works.

We did a ton of stuff today with the TTs....but that will have to be another post....

Things went bad...then got better

well TT#1 has no permanent damage to his teeth. He is doing much better now and his chompers are great. And judging from the teethmarks on his arm...so are TT#2's.

Sorry for not updating for a while...but my computer decided to die...well not really die...just hibernate for a while and not wake up. So we went out looking at new computer systems and ended up with a laptop system....I LURVE it!!! The freedom of having the "cord cut" is wonderful. I love that we can be sitting in the living room and still be online. Much better than having to go into the computer room and mess with it. The kids think it's pretty cool too.....and if we can get the old desktop fixed we will let them have it for learning on. Figure they can't do much more damage than what's already been done.

We got the car back from Chevy. They went halves with the repairs since it really shouldn't have gone bad with the minimal amount of miles that we have on the car. Not too bad really. We were happy with the resolution...not as happy as if we never had a problem...but happy with the resolution. The dealership of course still sucks....but we won't be dealing with them anymore.

We have spent the past few days looking at mini vans....now I swore that I would NEVER drive a mini....but I am starting to see the benefits of having a mini...the more stuff my kids require when we leave the house...the more appealing a mini becomes. We have been to Kia, Saturn, Dodge, and Chrysler.

So far the front runner is either the Kia or the Dodge. I really like the Dodge more...and the Kia just doesn't have the time on the market to really make it worth the risk. But those two have the best pricing for product at this point. I love the stow and go seating in the Dodge...as well as the auto doors...but the auto doors are even more appealing because you can also manually open them. They have a ton of safety features when it comes to the doors and the auto close...very easy touch for it to re-open...which is nice when you have kids jumping into and out of the doorways very quickly...with the Saturn the door really needed a heavy push for it to start to re-open when it was auto closing. I was putting TT#1 into the captain's chair in the Saturn and he hit the close button for the side door. The door almost pushed me over before it had the safety kick in and re-open. If that were my kid in the doorway it would have knocked them right over and they would have been laying on the ground. Not impressed at all.

The Chrysler is a good mini...but the salesman was a schmuck and that killed it for me. It sounds stupid and petty...but if you are a pushy salesman...you are a salesman who can't answer my questions...you only pay attention to my husband and ignore me...you are not getting the sale....I can guarantee it.

I am getting geared up for my retreat next weekend. We got our dorm assignments yesterday and we are making plans for our dorm decorations....fun fun fun!!! I still have to make a blindfold and a name tag....I am so PSYCHED!!!! A whole weekend of estrogen....WOW!! I won't know what to do with myself...BD thinks that it will be like an episode of "Girls Gone Wild"...and looked really dissappointed when we were out at the mall and I looked at pajamas...he picked out the pink and red lace one...I was looking at the capri pants and strappy t-shirt.....he looked confused when I told him that it wasn't like in the movies....no pillow fights...poor guy. You would have thought that I just peed on his wheaties....he looked so sad. Oh well........till next time.

It's been a day....

the boys decided to get up at 5:30....they must have forgotten that mommy is NOT a morning person...by lunchtime it wasn't going to badly...

but of course..the worm must turn...

TT#1 decided that he was going to ram his face into the floor...but the space he chose was already occupied by a toy...and so he knocked his two front teeth off kilter...

called the doc...got answering service because it's lunchtime...and had to wait for the doc to call back...got the bleeding to stop while waiting for the doc to call back....

my car is at the shop getting looked at so I call BD at work and tell him to haul it home so we can go to the doc's....we get to the doc and he says that there's nothing that he can do...we just have to wait and see if the teeth die...but not to worry cause it's not that bad and TT should be fine...

so now we just have to wait....I just hope that his teeth are fine and we won't have him toothless for years before his adult teeth come in.

the good news I guess is that my car needs $750 worth of work...and it has less than 36,000 miles on it...but it's 5 years old....so out of warranty...but shouldn't be having problems...this sucks............................................

Oh where oh where oh where is mojo??

I think my mojo and my muse went on vacation and didn't leave a note telling me where they were going or when they would return. Just like those darn kids to up and leave with no notice. I hope they return home safely soon...I miss them.

I am counting down the days until I go on my scrapbook retreat. 3 days of pure estrogen. Sounds like heaven to me. The boys will get a weekend to themselves to do guy stuff...whatever that may entail. Probably pizza and spaghetti will be involved....and more than likely a few dozen screenings of a veggie tales DVD.

We are doing a new bible study in my MOMS group. "Chocolate for Lent" based on the movie Chocolat with Jonny Depp. I had my reservations about this idea...but anything involving Johnny Depp can't be all bad...unless it's that Willy Wonka remake...nuff said.

Well it's recovery week

at my house. Last week I had to leave town unexpectedly to attend to my mom whose partner of 14 years died. She is doing alright, but I am sure that the other shoe will drop soon. She is living by herself for the first time ever in her life. She went from family, to having me, to a husband, to Micheal. Now she only has herself...and her dog whom she says will be living with me come April.

The boys and bigdaddy survived a week without me...though some days I thought they would survive by the skin of their teeth. BD did great with them and now I am trying to pull back the reigns and regain control...control that I didn't have to begin with...but feel the need to have now.

My 7Peas in the Pub CJ group is back on track!! WAHOOOOOOO!!! We got the missing CJ to the next person and deleted the person who fouled everything up...so now we should be smooth sailing. The books that I have gotten so far are amazingly beautiful and I feel so untalented working in them...I hope that the owners are happy with the result.

Winter here is dragging on at a slow pace. The gloomy days and frigid temps are really making me wish for summer sun. I'm crabby and iritable...and I know it has to do with the weather....and my lack of outdoor activity. The poor kids get any paler and they will be translucent.

Kickboxing RAWKS!!!

I just had my first class tonight and it was GREAT!! I got to get all sweaty and beat the crap out of a bag....loved it. Check out Ultimate Body Shaping for more info on the program we followed.

We had a great time starting as soon as we got there trying to get everyone strapped and gloved up. Then we started learning a few moves like the cross, jab, bodyshot, and kicks. The kicks were by far the hardest thing to do. Fat gals like me just don't have the hip placement for that kind of kicking. I was so proud of myself during the workout too...I only had to stop 3 times and catch my breath..and let me tell you...when you are over 100 pounds overweight you get winded just breathing...so only 3 stops was pretty good for me...

My doctor told me last week that I need to lose 125 pounds roughly to be back in my target weight zone. This should take about 18 months to do with proper diet and exercise. I really need to start taking my health seriously. What would my kids do without me? What would BD do? It's a horrible thought...but if I don't get a handle on my weight then my weight will be the reason I die. I want to die of something boring and contrite - like old age!

So I will see how the whole sensible eating thing goes...it's a hard sell going from only eating dinner and snacking afterwards to actually eating during the day...but I'll try. It was a hard pill to swallow when the doc told me that I am malnourished...what the hell....malnourished and 125 pounds overweight...suuuuurrrreeee..and you got your MD from craker jacks right?? but that is the reason that my skin sucks..my nails are brittle...and my hair is falling out. The fat chick's not eating enough....

So I will try to retrain myself to eat...eat properly...and frequently. I'll see how the 2 weeks at the kickboxing club work out for me...I don't know if I'm up for the cost of the full 10 week program..but 2 weeks is a start to get me going....

It has been confirmed

the easiest way to get sick is to send your child to preschool. TT1 is sick again...and working on giving it to everyone...guess I should be happy he is learning to share.

There are a few publication calls coming out...and I am sure I won't hear anything on them...but still hoping.

My friend Layla (whom I think is amazing) did a bike ride last weekend...and survived. I am so proud of her for not becoming a bike-cicle out there in frigid cold Iowa. Rock on hot mama!!! Keep up the good work and you really do look fabulous!!!

Tonight this fat chick is going kickboxing. I may or may not survive..but I plan on having fun. It's a group of gals from my Mommy and Me group. One of them is opening a kickboxing studio and invited us all in for a wine and cheese (or would that be whine and cheese??) night and to do a class....I am so psyched!!

another day....another dollar

We have finished our taxes!! YEA!!!...I should say that hubby finished our taxes...my contribution was putting all the tax stuff where he could find it...except for my car paperwork...which was in my car...but unlocateable...in the console...but he found it.

so now we wait for the return to come rolling in....

The construction continues on the family room...the walls are up...the floor is purchased...we still need to pick a color,paint and prime the room - but it has walls and a bathroom!!

The weather here feels like spring already...I wish it would make up it's mind...40 one day 65 the next...and we all wonder why our kids are sick...

We had another fundraiser for JJ last weekend. My friend Jenn organized an AWESOME spaghetti dinner. We raised over $2100 for the family...what a great night...

the night was made even better by the raffle that we had. Several of our moms at church that are in the Mommy and Me ministry donated items to raffle off....I did a set of handmade cards and a holder. We had Tastefull Simple baskets...embroidered towel sets...and the ultimate in raffle items...

A Kickboxing 2 week membership, gloves, and straps

well you know I was wanting that basket...I put 8 tickets in and prayed...and lo and behold...when Erin pulled the ticket...it was me!! So now the fat chick's getting some exercise...I'll have to see if I don't drop over from the class when we go for mom's night out...or I might have to give it to someone else to use the membership...
but I plan on having a great time.....

Thank you all for the emails and comments...

about last night's post...

I know that I have so much to be thankful for...and that I am not without *some* kind of talent or I would not have acheived what I have so far...It's nice to know that so many of you think so much of me.

In the back of my head I know that my statements make last night's post look totally like a *PVM*...but the voice in the front of my head is telling me that I truly suck and everything that I have accomplished is a fluke...as unreasonable as that sounds...it's just the way I feel...

how much rejection can one person take.............

before just hanging it up and selling everything???

I have submitted for mags....and tried out for DTs....I have participated in "contests"...all to no avail....nothing...

I'm beginning to wonder why I do it...why do I put myself in the position to feel badly about my creations? why do I allow that to affect me so emotionally? why am I really creating...for them or for me?

How many times can you have something so personal...and such a part of you....be rejected....and not fall apart? it's like having your heart torn each time.

Then I begin to second guess my work....is it my design that is flawed? is it visually unappealing and I only think it's good becuase...well...it's mine?

What makes me...a normally self assured and high esteemed person....think that I need others approval and validation?...

I have no idea.....

but with all my self assurance....and high self esteem....it still stings everytime I miss out on an oppurtunity that I thought was surely mine.....

oh where oh where has my mojo gone....

if anyone sees it please send it back home...

I got a layout done the other day...and it's really great...of course I screwed the pooch on the journaling printout...stupid vellum...it feathered....so now that's useless...but the design itself is really good....but after that my creativity decided to take a walk...and hasn't come back yet...

by the end of the day it seems that the kids just have me so stressed and tired that I have no energy to do anything....and of course my insomnia sucks bigtime cause I can't sleep...but I can't scrap....

I did get the TTs registered for school for next year. I don't understand Alabama. You have to register a whole 8 months before they are going to start...insane I tell you...the competition to get your kids into a certain school is crazy...parents waiting in line at 5 in the morning for open registration...whatever...there is no way you'd find my happy butt in the cold at 5 am for a PRESCHOOL registration...nuts...thank goodness current students and siblings get priority registration....or else they'd be home with me rather than school...I hate lines...

I did get a bit of good news yesterday though...found out that Royal & Langnickel has a "pay for publication" policy that they just released...which means that the card that I had publised this month will get me some cash and free product...thank you R&L!! Gotta love it when your work gets you published AND paid!!!.....

Talk about mass merchandising....

or at least mass tagging....

Lisa G did a mass tag on her blog...so I am answering her list o'questions...


1. What is your full name now?
Michele Tisler

2. What color pants are you wearing?
Old comfy blue denim

3. What are you listening to right now?
sweet silence ... everyone's asleep

4. What was the last thing you ate?
biscotti

5. Do you wish on stars?
only shooting stars

6. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
Lime green...loud...obnoxious...and fun

7. How is the weather right now?
cold

8. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
my husband

9. Do you like the person who tagged/sent this to you?
only from her posts in the pub...she seems really sweet though!!

10. How old are you today?
argh...old old as my hubby would say...31

11. Favorite drink?
coffee

12. Favorite sport?
hockey

13. Hair color?
brown

14. Siblings?
2 brothers

15. Favorite food?
sushi

16. What was the last movie you watched?
can't remember

17. Favorite day of the year?
mother's day

18. What was your favourite toy as a child?
major morgan

19. Summer or winter?
summer definitely

20. Hugs or kisses?
hugs

21. Chocolate or Vanilla?
chocolate

22. Living arrangements?
in a house....with a husband and 2 kids...2 dogs...and a cat who thinks she runs the place...

23. When was the last time you cried?
today

24. What is under your bed?
dust bunnies...we let them stay there so they don't invade the rest of the house...you know how bunnies can be.......

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest?
well the longest...would be Krysten...but we aren't in touch...

26. What did you do last night?
watched the sheild

27. Favorite smell?
bleach and dryer lint (I know...weird...but it smells really clean)

28. Favorite TV show?
right now...judging amy and ER

29. Happy In life?
most days

30. What are you afraid of?
spiders...the dark...being alone

31. Plain, buttered or salted popcorn?
buttered and salted

32. Favorite car?
spider

33. Favorite Flower?
daisy

34. Number of keys on your key ring?
7

35. How many years at your current job?
4 years as a SAHM

36. Favorite day of the week?
saturday

37. What did you do on your last birthday?
went to the movies

38. How many cities have you lived in?
too many...last count was 9

39. Do you make friends easily?
yes

It's been a while....

sine my last update. Let's see....what has been going on....

Well the fundraiser came off without a hitch. We had a great time and reaised a lot of money for the family. You can read updates on JJ's progress at www.jjsmiracle.com .

I have a friend who was picked up for the Scrapworks Design Team *YAY Kimber* I am so proud of her and she is a great designer.

I'm working on 2 CJ groups...sent one out already and received one....and the second one will go out at the end of the month...


The NSA

There has been a lot of talk lately about the NSA. They have made scrap-source a pay service under the NSA membership umbrella. I for one won't be paying fo something that I can get for free....

so.............

Thanks to Scrapsubmit and their wonderful service. I now have a scrolling, up-to-date, auto-updating call for pages to the right of your screen. What a great thing.......and a novel idea.....so now whenever you want a call...check here...click on the link...and the information for that call will pop up. Vundabar!!

bored bored bored

ok...yeah I changed to format...got bored with the green and orange....besides my pics seem to show up better with the black background....

so the countdown has begun until the charity crop....all I have to do is get the goody bags together and then show up on saturday...YAY!!

TT1 goes back to school..not a day too soon..but not until Tuesday....I can tell he has had enough of his quality time with his family when tonight at dinner I got a phone call and he swore it was his teacher calling to talk to me...poor little guy....

The boys are aclimating to being in the same room...My feelings are still up in the air...they fight everynight and don't lay down to go to sleep until at least 9...and they are so mean to each other....I don't understand it...but everyone tells me they will grow out of it...I hope so...my nerves can't take much more...

There is a scrapbook retreat that a friend of mine is having in April for 3 days...I would like to go...but I probably won't....can't spare me from the house for that long....ah well...so is the life of a SAHM...always on duty...

I have been looking into classes at the local college for film and photography...the only degree they offer is cinematography and film...which will give me the background I need to become a pro...but a lot of extra classes I will never use...unless I plan on moving to hollywood anyways....I'll have to do more research and find a program that fits me well....

someone had suggested to me to try and get a gig as an assistant to a local pro...oh yeah...in all the spare time that I have after kids and home and my board position....I'll fit that in.....

My so-called life......

Well other than yesterday's entry I realize that I haven't blogged in quite some time. Things here have been pretty hectic. TT1 has ben home from school since the 20th of december...and doesn't go back until the 10th of January. Oh the life of a teacher..summers off and almost 3 months of vacations during the school year too....Hubby has been home from work too and just went back yesterday. I'm sure he is glad to be back to the ho-hum of the office after having to be here for 2 weeks.

I am guessing that my funk that I had been in was not holiday related as I am still there even though the holidays have gone by. I just don't feel like doing anything. My kids annoy me at the drop of a hat. I want to get things done but just don'e have the where-withall to actually do them. I see in my brain what I need to do...but actually making it happen seems to be too much work.

I'm not eating right...now if you've ever seen me you probably know that I look like I have never missed a meal...but in the past week I have had two incidents where I felt like I would pass out any second and I realized it was because I hadn't eaten anything that day or had eaten something very small that morning and now it's dinner time. It just doesn't seem logical to say that a fat woman is malnourished...but I really believe that is part of my problem...I forget to eat...then when I remember I eat things that you really shouldn't eat for a meal.

I am still working on getting the fundraiser crop to come together. On one of my yahoo groups a local lady offered to donate the bags so I have somewhere to put the goody bags for everyone who's coming. I have been so lucky to get good sponsorship for this event. I pray that everything turns out okay. I really want it to go smoothly and everyone to have a great time.

The MSF meetings should be starting up again sometime this month. I am so glad that at the elections in October I was able to get out of being secretary. One more thing I don't have to worry about....of course they did vote me in vice-president...but it isn't the same level. As secretary I couldn't miss a meeting - EVER. At least now if I can't be there or want to go on vacation...it's okay. I feel so free...........

Well I guess everyone is probably tired of hearing me bitch and moan....I've filled my quota of complaints for the day....so I will bid you adieu.

Okay...I've been Tagged!!!

Amy tagged me to tell 5 weird things about myself...wow only 5??? I could go on for days.....


1. I eat toast with butter AND peanut butter on it. If you just put the PB on there it's all sticky..........

2. I can lick my chin....

3. I can hiccup and burp at the same time......

4. I am a SAHM who can't cook....well I don't know if it's can't cook...or I just don't know how to put a meal together...I am able to cook things that don't require too much cooking knowledge...like meatloaf...but actually figuring out a meal...I am lost...I can walk between my freezer and pantry a million times and not be able to come up with anything...even if I just went shopping...

5. I want to visit Graceland. I don't know why...I'm really not that big of an Elvis fan...but I have some need to go see that house. Maybe it's my grandmother (who should have been a southerner) camped out in my subconscience who wants me to go there....but before I die...I will have been there....bet on it...

so there are 5 weird and wacky things about me..... hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

It's Official!!!

Here is the ad for the benefit crop




{Thanks Karen for your wonderful help and expertise with this!!}

I am taking it to the printer right now to get copies done and distributed. I am getting excited...a whole day of scrapping...A WHOLE DAY!!!!It'll be amazing...and for a great cause. I hope that we have a great turn out. The sponsorships have been wonderful and I have already gotten several requests for registration information. I am really looking forward to having some serious fun!!

It does snow in Alabama!!

or at least it did last night at the Santa's Village at Constitution Village.

We took the boys to Santa's Village as a treat since they were well behaved yesterday. We had never gone before, but it is sure to become a holiday tradition for us now that we have been there. We had a great time.

We checked out Blizten and Comet....



and decorated cookies....





and of course we saw the big guy...




We had a really good time with the kids. Still hasn't broken me out of my funk...but it was a good time. We were glad that we god there when we did too....the line was ten times longer when we got out from seeing Santa as it was when we went in!! Thank goodness hubby has off until the 2nd and we could be there right when it opened at 5.

After Santa we took the boys to the Waffle King (their favorite place to eat) and found out they will be open on Christmas day. YAY!! Merry Christmas to me!! We can go out and eat and there won't be any dishes to wash or Hams to be cooked. What a lucky break. Two years ago we found out that the only chinese place open on Christmas day is the one on the movie "A Christmas Story". Last year we found out that it is still expensive even if you make your own lunchmeat and hors d'vours (sp?). So it was great to find a place that is open on Christmas day. Waffles for everyone!!

I'm in a funk.....

I just can't get in the christmas mood. I think I've been oversaturated on the whole christmas thing already. I'm just ready to take everything down and get it over with. Hopefully the spirit will hit me and I'll get out of this foul mood....soon....

here are some pics I took of the decorations though...











I was also in a secret santa on 2Ps...My secret santa was Brandi who spoiled me rotten with a ton of Rob & Bob line from Provocraft!! She also sent me Runts ... which are my all time favorite candy...Thanks Brandi!!

Here's a pic of my stash...

okay...

more playing with the camera.... I think I have the aperature down for making the "star" pattern with the lights...looks pretty cool if you click on the photo to make it larger......

And so the time is once again upon us....

for Festivus!!!





We did get the tree up...well at least with some lights on it...and hubby made fun of me cause I shot 80 pics...of just the tree. In my own defense I was playing with the manual settings to see what I could get. I still have yet to play with the ISO...but this is a good one to start with...



yes it's a little dark...this one is a bit lighter...

I'll have to play more with the settings tonight ... maybe we can even get some decorations on it...if the TTs cooperate!!

Christmas comes early....

Or at least it did for me! Last night hubby was listening to me ramble on and on about having to go and get more film for the camera since TT#1 has a Christmas pageant on Thursday next week. Since I'm out of film - that is a problem. So as I sit on the floor after dinner and play with my boys while the hubby cleans up in the kitchen, TT#1 comes in with a box. I look at the box then look at my hubby and ask him "why am I getting this early?" he in turn tells me to just open the box. I open it and immediately start squealing. This is what is in the box ~~~~~~~~










are ya ready?



















it's really good~~~


















TA-DA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

let me say that one more time

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So now I am on a camera high. I just have to figure out how to use this thing now. Last night we were playing with the burst setting and the different aperatures. I really need to sit down and read so I can learn everything that the camera can do. I am just so excited.

It came with a kit lens (18-55) but I still have my film SLR lens (18-80) . Hubby also got me a 1GB card which should hold a lot of pics. I still have my camera bag from my film SLR so it fits in there perfectly. It came with some software but I haven't made it that far to install it. It has some photo editing software and printing software which should come in really handy.

I honestly started crying last night after the TTs went to bed. I just couldn't believe it. I own this camera. It's out of character for hubby to buy something so expensive that isn't a "household" item and the camera is a frivolous item. It really means a lot to me that he wanted me to have it. I can't help but wonder if it has something to do with all the whining I do about the cameras that I have.

No matter what the reason he did it - I love my hubby. I love my new camera and I hope that it helps me become a better photographer.

Well I've rambled enough now...off to shoot some pics!!

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Tension breaker had to be done!!

I have rec'd not one...not two...but three confirmations that my entry has been rec'd for the Provocraft DT. I feel like such a dolt...hopefully a dolt who didn't just disqualify herself for trying to submit multiple times.

I sent the first one...no confirmation.....so I thought...maybe the files were too large.

I sent the second one...no confirmation...so I thought...maybe it doesn't like my domain that I am mailing from.

I sent the third one...rec'd a confirmation!!

Rec'd another confirmation.....and another!! DAMN!!

Patience is a virtue....that I obviously don't hold dear. But at least it's out there. They have it. I won't be wondering if I didn't make it because they just never rec'd the entry. Now I"ll know that I didn't make it cause of all the killer talent that applied.

Next is the Junkitz DT. I don't know if I"ll get anything done in time...but I"m gonna give it my best shot. Oh crap....that shot better happen quick...I only have until tomorrow at midnight to finish one half-completed project and uhm.....3 others?? crap.

Here's your sign....

We've all heard the routine right? Bill Engval doing his little jokes about how stupid people can be? I, today, became one of those people.

They have a smokin' deal on batteries at Advance Auto. Since half if not all of the kids toys from relatives require batteries and *gasp* they didn't send any, I went there this afternoon to pick up enough batteries to run a war ship for a year. I get out of my car and walk up to the building. I wait for the automatic door...

and wait.........

and wait.........

yep you guessed it - no automatic door!! I am standing there looking like a complete moron cause I thought that the door would just open. Like I am a modern day Moses, and I'm waiting for the doors to open for me like the parting of the Red Sea. Luckily for me I immediately thought of something that a good friend of mine told me once. If you actually knew how many times strangers thought about you, you'd realize that they don't. Thank goodness that is true.

Gimmie an "S"......

Gimmie an "I"
Gimmie a "C"
Gimmie a "K"

What does that spell?

SICK!!!

That is what we have been here since Thursday night. Way to spend a holiday weekend. Hubby is outside right now putting up the holiday spectacle...I mean spectacular....that he was too ill to put up yesterday. And of course now that it's Saturday and the weekend is almost over - I'm sick as a dog too. Just in time for hubby to go back to work. Oh joy to the world.

The holiday wasn't all bad though. Christopher is out of the hospital, the drain is out, and he is on limited mobility for a while. We are very thankful that things are going well. God has a plan...lucky for us that plan leaves Christopher with us a while longer. He is in good spirits about everything and thinks it's pretty cool to be the first person (and hopefully the last) in his family to undergo brain surgery. I guess that's quite a milestone for a teenager!!

I'm hoping that your holidays are starting off well...and that you didn't get your ass kicked on Black Friday while you were out shopping. Lay off the leftovers and don't have too much eggnog.

Just another Manic Monday....

Today was the first day of hubby's week-long vacation. So of course I had to make plans to do something as a family...and of course it had to rain. Should I have expected anything less?




Chirstmas Pictures!!

We went to a newer studio here in the big H that is called Innovative Portraits. They were WONDERFUL!!! They got great candids of the boys, a gaw-juss family photo and it wasn't bank breaking!! All in all I was fairly impressed. The pricing of Wal-mart with the quality of a full service studio. The best part - my photos were done in 30 minutes for me to pick them up and take them home. That's better than the 1 hour service at the Walgreens that we use for my digi camera!!

Yesterday is history....

Tomorrow a mystery...
Today is a gift...
That is why it is called...

THE PRESENT.

And that is what we received today - a present. Today we found out that Christopher is okay. It was a colloid cyst, not a tumor as we originally thought. Last night the doctors removed it from the center of his brain and today he's doing okay. He will need to leave the drain in place for a while still and they will determine if it needs to have a permanen shunt put in from his skull to his stomach.

But today we accept the present that we have been given. We thank Him for it.

and the beat goes on.....

That's what I think of as I sit here listening to my TT#1 beating on his bedroom door becuase it's bedtime. He thinks it's time to throw a fit. Like that's going to get him anywhere. Not today. No way.

Husband comes home. Spring on garage door opener on his side of the garage snaps. He tells me I'm lucky that it didn't hit my car when it snapped. Au'contrare mon ami. Me thinks YOU are the lucky one. But I digress. A trip to the Depot to get a replacement spring. Put spring on door opener. Realize should have bought 2 springs so that the tension is the same. Trip to Depot to buy second spring. Put second spring on door. Raise door. Lower door. Realize as door is halfway down that it has torqued off level. Then realize that there is nothing that you can do but stand there and watch the windows in the door shatter. Cuss repeatedly. Call garage door replacement company to come out and give an estimate for two new doors and one new opener. My dreams of a new digital camera are slowly going down the drain as home expenses tally up in the back of my mind.

Bye bye rebel.

I loved you.

Alabama is harmful to your children's health

That is the only logical explanation that I can reasonably come up with at this time. There really can't be any other reason...it is just not healthy for children to live here...

I found out today that ANOTHER family that we are friends with has a son with a possible brain tumor.

ANOTHER brain tumor.

ANOTHER drain was put in a little boy's skull.

ANOTHER MRI will be done to determine what is going on.

ANOTHER family that is on my prayer list.

I want to destroy the word ANOTHER. It shouldn't exist anymore. It is such an unfair word. ANOTHER and TUMOR should both be bottled and blown up and never used in the same sentence again - EVER.

Christopher is only 15. He is older than JJ...but still a child. A child that will probably never again fly a plane (he was getting a pilot's license)...a child who will probably never drive a car..a child who will probably never go to college or even graduate high school..still a child....

I was talking with one of my best friends today about this. We both wondered when the doctors will draw the line and refer us for counseling after we request a bunch of tests for our kids to be sure they are healthy. When exactly do they start thinking that you have Munchausen By Proxy? I want my kids scanned, tested, x-rayed, and evaluated. Not to prove that they DO have something wrong with them...but to be sure that they DON' T have anything wrong with them.

We joked about going "granola" and giving up tap water. How far can you really go to protect your children?

I laugh at the commercial that shows the mom wrapping her child in bubble wrap before sending them off to school...

but does it make me a bad mom to WANT to do that?

{Another Box}

Got another box today. It's from Colorbok. They sent some great stuff for the fundraiser. It's turning into a great pile of stuff for the goodie bags and giveaways!! There are albums, paper, stickers, frames, and more that I won't say cause I want it to be a suprise!!

Crop for a Miracle {UPDATE}

Yesterday I got another manufacturer's box (who knew UPS delivered on holidays?)

...it's from Karen Foster....LOVE YA KFD!!!

They sent enought product for every goodie bag to get some!!! That box weighed in at 8 pounds...do you know how much stuff you can cram in an 8 pound UPS box?? Well let me tell you...it's a LOT. Every person who comes to the Crop for a Miracle will receive not one...not two...but three different items from Karen Foster Designs!! Can't wait to see what else fills up those bags!!

Just keep swimming.....just keep swimming

That's what I'm telling myself. Just keep going. My weeks are quicly getting filled up between now and the end of the year. Visits to the gardens with the kids to see the lights and Santa...lunches at TT#1's school...shopping for presents...church activities...fundraising events....making items for craft shows...where oh where is all my time going??

We are having a meeting on Monday November 14, 2005 at 10:30 at St. John's Catholic Church on Hughes Road in Madison Alabama to discuss fundraising activities that we will be having for JJ's family. We have in the works - of course my scrapbooking day in January, a silent auction, spaghetti dinner, and ribbon sales. There will be childcare available if you would like to come. Address information can be found at the St. John's website

Feels like christmas early!!

I received the first box of sponsor product today...I won't say what was in it...but the company starts with an S. and ends in an E. I. They sent some wonderful stuff that some lucky people will be taking home in January!! I have gotten several responses from other companies that are also sending product so I can't wait to see what else is headed my way.

We are working on the location and I will probably wait until closer to the event and start hounding local eateries for discounted or donated food for the day. I still have to approach the local scrap store and see if and how they want to participate. It seems like it is coming together nicely.

There was a full front page story about JJ last Friday in the Huntsville Times. Check out JJ's webpage for the article. Erin's news release made the front page of the Athen's paper a little over a week ago also. JJ is getting prayers all over the world and the word is spreading about our little guy and the family. God Bless them all.

Crop for a Miracle

Well plans are underway and sponsors have been contacted. We will have a "Crop for a Miracle" in Huntsville AL in January. So far I have a few manufacturer sponsors and hopefully there will be more. I am looking into LSS sponsors and home-based sponsors also. So if you have a home-based business and would like to take part in this all day event - please email me.

I'm suprised at the number of companies that won't donate because I'm not a wholesale customer. I mean...if I was a store I'd already have their product on hand and could use it as a tax write off anyway... it just doesn't make any sense to me. But there are companies that if you don't already have buying power with them they have no use for you...oh wait ... other than collect your money when you buy their product at a store that has a wholesale license with them. I guess that I have always thought that charity was charity and you give it freely...but that I am quickly learning is only for the nieve to believe.

There have been a couple manufacturers that have requested that I pay for shipping...totally agreeable to that...I mean it's the least I can do for their generosity.

okay I just re-read what I wrote above and it does sound a little bitchy. But I can tell you this...I am offering sponsors to have full access to all advertising that we produce (paper and television), names prominently displayed on literature given out the day of the event, and a sponsor list printed on the front of the goodie bags. There will be plenty of exposure for the companies that participate. And for them to use the excuse that they can't donate becuase I don't have a wholesale account with them just sounds really lame to me. They would probably get more exposure than they get sitting in the back corner on a shelf at my LSS with their name not displayed anywhere. Rant over.

And next on our list.....

We are going to have a planning meeting in two weeks to figure out ideas for fundraising. We have several options that we want to pursue...some are easy and won't cost money...others are going to be involved and require some investment on our parts. We'll have to see what comes up at the meeting.

JJ has been going to his treatments this week and seems to be doing well. We went to lunch with Diana yesterday and she was in really good spirits. Jenn is doing embroidery on shirts or bags of the grey cancer awareness ribbon so we can show our support. Everyone is helping in their own way. We have a long road ahead of us and it will be hard at times...but that's why we have each other.