Christmas 2007 (because I'm too tired to think of a better title)

Well, that was quite the bloggy break. I had not anticipated taking such a break; however, the week of Christmas was a little busy and I was out of town for the week, so finding time to blog was not on my priority list. Sorry, faithful readers, I did think of you often and even read your blogs while I was gone, but did not get around to sharing about our fun. My brain was not in working mode, at least not in compiling coherent sentences working mode.

I hope you all had great Christmas celebrations. We did. We celebrated with my family on Christmas day. It was great to spend time with my sister and her family, who we don't get to see too often.

Unfortunately we had very little foresight on Christmas morning so the only pictures we have of opening presents are these. Here are Hoss and Lo looking over Hoss's new books. I guess this picture is not of actually opening presents.

Here's one! This is G opening a gift.

From celebrating at my parents we left and visited my grandparents and other extended family where the Christmas gift exchange occurred in the 4th living room. Hoss enjoyed sitting in the rocking chair looking out one of the windows.

Or just rocking in the chair.

From there we traveled on to visit with my aunt and uncle and family. We had a slight, unexpected detour when my sister's van got a flat tire on the way.

However, we made some Christmas memories as we stood in a liquor store parking lot on Christmas Day, in our three vehicle entourage while my brother-in-law changed a tire.

That was just Christmas day. Wait until you see what happened the rest of the week! Like the unfortunate baking disaster, the car seat dilemma, and the Christmas picture attempts. It's no wonder I had such little time to blog.

It's that time of year....

Christmas is definitly upon us. We have been very busy preparing and celebrating Jesus' birth. Yesterday we traveled to visit with my mother-in-law's family for a luncheon. The trip went much smoother than I anticipated, which was great. Today we celebrated with my in-laws at our house. It was quite fun. Hoss definitely was spoiled! He received a red wagon, pirate ship (which he LOVES), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, a train, and the list goes on and on.

This evening was the Christmas program at our church. The little kids, sang a Christmas song spelling out Christmas. Hoss was the "C." Based on last year's scream fest he was put at the beginning in case we had to make a run off the stage. This year he was great, but I did sit beside him the entire time. I was impressed with his cooperation. I think the fiber-optic angel on top of the tree beside him kept him quite entertained.

After church we had our own family Christmas. Since we are "ignoring" Santa (which means we have not completely decided how we are going to pursue Santa so just not discussing Santa yet), we felt today was the best time for our Christmas. Hoss was much more interested in playing with the gifts he received earlier in the day than paying attention to what he was getting this time. However, once the toys were out of the boxes, he was a fan. We got him the "My First Batmobile" (that is the actual name of it) and, of course, a Batman figure and a Superman figure.

We are traveling to visit my family tomorrow. I am currently doing several loads of laundry so we can be prepared for our trip. Nothing like waiting until the last minute! That's what I'm good at.

I doubt I will be posting much in the next week. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

A perfect pillow

I have been debating on posting this picture. #1 -- I am not the most attractive person when sleeping, two because I think there might be drool coming from someone's mouth (don't look to close to my face), and three -- the sleeping patterns of my family could be a little embarrassing. Regardless, it's good blog material. So there you have it, a Sunday afternoon nap at our home.

It's Christmas time in our house...

Well, it's about time I get my act together and get this post started. I have been looking forward to the Christmas Bloggy Tour of Homes since BooMama mentioned doing it again this year over a month ago. I often thought I should start taking the pictures and get my post ready, but did I? Nope, of course not. So when we had the excitement yesterday blogging and computer stuff was the last thing on my mind. So, here I am now, with pictures uploaded and a few moments. Let's get started!

Here is our Christmas tree. It is in the corner beside the entertainment center and the couch. This is mostly to keep the munchkin from attacking it and knocking it over. We may brave it next year and put it more out in the open...maybe! The decoration on the three is a hodge podge of ornaments from our lives and I love it. I think that is exactly what a Christmas tree should have, the ornaments and decorations tell a story. Since I am the one who gets to decorate the tree I get to choose how it is decorated so I chose my favorite white lights and an angel. Donnie prefers color lights and a star. I say, you decorate the tree and we can have that. Obviously, I'll win every year!


This is a paper angel Donnie made when he was three, the Christmas of 1978. I know that because at the very bottom it says "Donnie 1978." This is the first year we have had the privilege of displaying the angel on our tree. We have received custody of the family heirloom only after we promised to take good care of it and to be sure it is high up on the tree to prevent any damage which could be done by the small hands in our home.


I love this ornament because I love primitive decor! It is the only ornament I have like it, but I'm slowly becoming primitive...or not.


I am very excited that we have a mantle now that I can decorate. I have been brave and put up the stockings when I decorated. Hoss has never touched them, which I believe is a Christmas miracle. Next year may be another story. One bonus to having a Christmas wedding is that I was able to keep all the beautiful decorations to decorate my own home. The wreath and greenery above the fireplace were fabulous pieces of wedding decor.


Ok, I have to admit, this is what the fireplace typically looks like, after a two year old has been let loose.


Here is the two year old's favorite Christmas decorations. This is an accumulation of different Christmas stuffed animals mostly received before the two year old's existence.


Finally, our small nativity. I like simple things and not a lot of frills, which may or may not be noticed in the previous pictures. But this nativity tells the story, Jesus was born to save us and He is the Reason for the Season. Happy Birthday Jesus!


Thanks for visiting!

Injury #1

This morning did not go as planned. As I was drying my hair, preparing for church, Hoss came into the bathroom. He was playing with he bath toys sitting beside the tub so I didn't focus too much attention on him. However, minutes later I regretted that decision.

He grabbed a razor from the bathtub and cut one of his fingers. Blood was everywhere and he was not happy. After 10 minutes of attempting to stop the bleeding we decided we needed to get his finger checked out. So away we went to the Urgent Care center.

The cut was not deep, but he sliced off a good piece of his pointer finger on his right hand. They glued the wound closed and bandaged his hand up. The bandaging makes his injury appear much more severe then it is because we wanted to be sure he would leave it alone so it will heal.

Despite the trauma and the bandage, nothing is stopping Hoss from playing.




Thankfully the injury was minor and is not affecting him much! *Sigh* It's going to be an adventure raising this kid!

Joseph's Lullaby

I just saw this video on Heather's blog and it touched my heart. I had not heard this song and I just love it.

Reminiscing

Bedtime has been difficult for us this week. Monday night we discovered that the musical aquarium which is attached to Hoss's crib is no longer working. This aquarium has been the lifesaver in getting Hoss to sleep at night. It was possibly one of the best gifts we were given...thanks Mom!

However, the loss of the aquarium (which during an attempted repair tonight we discovered that the button is broken on the inside, which I am sure is from repeated smacking by some small child) has caused quite a disturbance in sleep this week for poor Hoss.

Tonight as bedtime approached I decided I would rock him to try to get him to sleep. While this was not completely effective in getting him to sleep it was perfect for me. As I sat in the chair rocking my massive two year old child I remembered all those nights I spent doing the same with my small newborn. Tonight I sat listening to the same classical cd which played for many nights two years ago as I rocked my then 2 1/2 month old to sleep.

Since Hoss has gotten older and more independent I have not had to rock him as often. I miss those times. The times I get to cuddle him close as he lays so quiet and still in my arms.

I guess this is the bitter sweet part of being a parent. We get to watch our children grow and become independent, but we loose these moments. I think the breaking of the aquarium may bring me a few more of these moments. I plan to cherish each one.

Works for Me Wednesday -- Pledge Multisurface

With a two year old running around my home many items around the house get little fingerprints nicely placed all over them. Our laptop screen was one of these as well as our television screen. Both of these items I was afraid to clean with water as I was afraid of ruining them. So for many months we looked through the fingerprints while we watched tv or used the computer. Until I purchased Pledge Multi-Surface.
The commercials for this states it is good for any surface in the house, glass, wood, and even television and computer screens (and I'm gullible and commercials work on me!). So I purchased it, tried it, and it worked!! I was so impressed at how beautiful the television and laptop looked free from grimy fingerprints. Pledge Multi-Surface works for me! For more get tips visit Shannon!

Company Frenzy

That is what my dad has deemed the period of time you spend running around the house throwing items into closets, under beds and quickly running a vacuum at the same time as visitors are about to stop by. These are visitors who just called and said, "Hey! I'm in town, at Wal-Mart, and I'd love to stop by. Can you give me directions to your house?"

I always seem to be in a company frenzy even when I have planned company coming. That is simply because I am a procrastinator. Only I procrastinate on things I don't want to do that seem to be so annoying (wait, isn't that what we all procrastinate?). For example, housework. This I despise, but I also despise a dirty house, so something has to give. I dislike most types of housework, especially cleaning the bathrooms, sweeping and mopping the kitchen, making beds (what's the point?), and dusting, oh the dreaded dusting.

My husband doesn't mind picking up toys or running a vacuum so those are his chores. All that is left are dishes and laundry, which I don't mind. After all, you just put them in a machine and it does the work for you! Wow, I just realized how lazy this makes me sound. Maybe I am lazy, but I'm still in denial. Joining the lazy recovery group is on my "To do list" which I am procrastinating on writing.

So yesterday, when I knew my parents were coming over to visit for a few hours (and to attend a Christmas Cantata), the procrastination set in and the company frenzy took place about an hour before their arrival. I'd like to think that this was because I was so busy on Saturday and then with church Sunday morning, but really, that has nothing to do with it. I was just procrastinating. We had kept the house remotely clean. I had done 3 loads of laundry on Saturday and had loaded the dishwasher (because those are my chores), but the other ones which no one wishes to do were not done. So an hour before the scheduled arrival I cleaned the guest bathroom and the toilet in our bathroom because it just needed it and I had the supplies ready. Donnie ran the vacuum and Hoss refused to nap (and took off his diaper and threw everything out of the crib...I'm really starting to re-think this toddler bed thing).

But in the end the cleaning got done, to a satisfactory point. We didn't dust or scrub the bath tub, but we were presentable. If you want to visit (and we would love to have you all), please feel free to give us at least a week's notice. It won't mean that we won't procrastinate, but it will mean that we may have a moment to wipe the sweat off our brow before you get there. After all, what is a visit without a Company Frenzy to start it all off?

Look! I won!

I entered the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways over at Mamamista's and guess what I won from Trendy Tadpoles, this:

Except in Hoss's size for this summer. Oh, he will be so cute! Gotta love Johnny Cash. Did you know that Johnny and June were married in Franklin, KY at the United Methodist Church? I did and I even visited the church (well, drove by it!).

12 Days of Christmas, revised

Check out this awesome men's acapella ground singing a great rendition of 12 Days of Christmas. Thanks to my sis for emailing me the link!

It was sooooooooo yummy!

That was my supper. What is it? Only the best supper I have made in a long time. It's a barbeque chicken potato. A fabulous bbq place in Alabama makes these potatoes and they are a favorite of our family. If you are headed down I-65, this is a stop you want to make!

My husband went to the doctor yesterday and found out he has high cholesterol, so this was a "last meal" before we cut back on the bad cholesterol foods. It was so good I just couldn't pass up posting about it tonight.

Ok, the truth is I just didn't have anything else to post about, except maybe about how I watched Santa Claus is Coming to Town yesterday and Santa had red hair in his early days (you know, before he grayed) and I kept thinking that Santa should have worn a green suit instead of a red suit because green goes so much better with red hair than red. I do have a red headed kiddo, I know these things. But that wouldn't make a good post and my supper was just so darn good.

Back to the best potato in the world...here's how I made it. I put 5 chicken breasts in a crockpot this morning before work with 2 bottles of BBQ sauce (I'm sure any kind would work). I added a little water as well, just to be sure it had enough liquid. I would suggest only allowing it to cook in the crock pot for 8 hours. Mine was in for 10 hours and was a little dry. I shredded the chicken when it was done, which literally fell apart because it was so tender.

Then I cooked two large potatoes (in the microwave because I'm inpatient like that) and added butter, shredded cheese and the shredded chicken to the top of the potato. I prefer to add some additional barbeque sauce to that. Oh, it's so good, just don't think about the calories and bad cholesterol goodness! If you're looking for healthy food ideas, you've visted the wrong blog, but if you're looking for yummy food then you are at the right place!

Works for Me Wednesday -- $5 Pizza

Today is the What Do I Fix? Edition of WFMW. Since I am trying to get back into the swing of participating, I thought I'd give you my idea of a quick and easy meal. Now I am not the best cook and while I do enjoy cooking, I enjoy cooking easy items which take little to no time. My favorite type of cooking is no cooking at all. Which is why the $5 pizza deal at Little Ceasars is a favorite of our family. Yes, I know it is not exactly healthy, but honestly, we aren't the picture of health ourselves. What it is is convenient, quick and a lifesaver after a long day of work.

For more and probably much better ideas visit Shannon.

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday, ANNIVERSARY (sung to the tune of Duck, Duck, Goose)

Birthday party #1 took place at the land of the cheese, and the mouse named Chuck. It was just as much fun as I thought it would be (yes, there was some sarcasm in that). If I can convince Hoss to never have a birthday party there I will have succeeded as a mother. Although he ran like a wild man for over an hour, Hoss appeared to enjoy himself. He especially loves "Wack a Mole." Ok, really, he loved any game which he could hit something or throw something (skee ball was fun as well except he wasn't able to get the ball to go all the way up the ramp and wanted to climb up it to put the ball in).

Birthday party #2 was at Mickey D's, which at least has better food than the pizza at the Chuck's place. Hoss was a bit too small to climb up into the play land, but he sure enjoyed trying.

Birthday party #3 was held at my sister's house. Hoss slept for the first half and woke up just in time for a fun game of Hungry, Hungry Hippos. I would venture to say that Santa would bring this game to him this year since he loves the hippopotamus, except one of his first tasks when beginning the game was to put a marble in his mouth.

Today was Donnie and my 3rd anniversary. We went to lunch and planned on seeing a movie, but the one we wished to see was not playing for a matinee so we decided to go shopping instead. Donnie gave me one of the best gifts. I got to sleep in while he got up with Hoss and got him dressed and took him to my mother-in-laws for the day. I cooked him tator tot casserole, one of his favorite meals, for dinner. I'd say it was a good day of celebration!

Hippos are our friends

I'm back from the weekend adventures of the triple birthday extravaganza. I'll discuss more about that soon.

One thing I learned while on our long car trip is that my son is completely obsessed with hippopotamuses (is that how to make it plural?). I have come to notice lately that several children's book have hippos in them. I'm not positive how Hoss began to develop his interest in hippos, but he has been saying, "hippopotamus" clearly for a couple months now and has become rather interested in these animals. This weekend we discovered that his favorite Christmas song, at least for now, is this one. Click here to listen to this song.

I love this kid!

Triple Birthday Extravaganza!

I have possibly one of the busiest weekends ahead and I have little done to prepare. Don't you just LOVE procrastination?

This is the weekend of my niece and nephews birthday as well as our anniversary. Tomorrow is my nephew's 3rd birthday so we will be going to Chuck-e-Cheese tomorrow evening for the party. Can you hear the excitement? I'm am just thrilled because there is nothing more fun than going to Chuck-e-Cheese on a Friday night. Aw, it will make the kids happy! :) When the party is over Hoss and I are heading to my parents house who we will hitch a ride with on Saturday morning to head south to my sister's house in Alabama for my niece's 1st birthday (Saturday) and nephew's 3rd birthday (Sunday). There will be 2 parties there. We will return to my parents late Sunday evening and then return home on Monday. Tuesday is our 3rd wedding anniversary. I have a couple days off so we can celebrate and recover from the Triple Birthday Extravaganza!

So, what have I done to prepare? Well, all the gifts are wrapped and ready. Hoss's clothes are packed and that's it. I am sitting beside a large pile of laundry which needs to be folded while my husband watches football (well, he is switching back and forth so he doesn't get too mad and have to watch the parts in which his beloved Dallas Cowboys are not successful).

Just thinking about everything I have to do in the next few days is stressing me out a bit. But I am sure it will be fun! I am definitely looking forward to seeing my sister and her family.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Works for Me Wednesday -- 50-70 FREE Digital Photo Prints

I have taken a Works For Me Wednesday hiatus lately. I didn't do so deliberately, I was just out of ideas. Now I have a few for the next few Wednesdays already worked up in my brain, so I'm BACK! Ok, enough with the chit chat, here's what works for me.

I have raved about this site before and this why. I have discovered a way to get up 50-70 FREE pictures printed at CVS. First, you need to have a CVS Extracare Card, which is free at all CVS stores and also online. Once you do that, just follow these directions you can get 70 FREE PHOTOS for any email address you register (even if you only have one extracard number). I plan to do this to print one of these pictures for our Christmas card, I just have to make decision.

Be sure to to the first "Get 10 Free" FIRST; then order doesn't seem to matter. (If you've already gotten the 30 free by going to that link, you will need to register a different email for these 10.)

Step #1: Get 10 Free: You get 10 free prints credited when you create an account. CLICK HERE FIRST, then click on Start Now to create an account with your email and ExtraCare Number. CVS will send you an email crediting you with 10 (it took about 24 hours to get my email).

Step #2: Then, CLICK HERE to get 30 more credited (or go here first if you have created an account before) -- EDIT: This link is working now.

Step #3: To get 10 More Free, go to “Order Prints,” click on the "Do More with Your Photos" on the right side of the screen. A new window then opens that shows 10 more free prints have been credited.

Step #4: 20 More CLICK HERE and you can get 20 more free prints by filling out this survey about their digital Sundays. -- EDIT: This link is not working right now. I had difficulty with it when I originally did this program before, but I kept trying it and was able to get it to work yesterday.

This only works online, you can't take your cd's or cameras to the store. I can't guarantee the quality of any pictures, but I can guarantee that FREE is the best price around!

FREE always works for me! For more Works for Me Wednesday go here.

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

Tonight Hoss was feeling much better from his double ear infection (diagnosed now by a doctor) so I decided it was a perfect time to attempt the Christmas card picture.

This was the first picture. I got a chair seconds later. Standing still is not a strong point for a 2 year old.


Sitting so close to all those fun ornaments is a big temptation as well.


Despite the distractions, we got a few pictures which may work (after millions with major glare on the glasses).

This one is one of my favorites. He looks like he's thinking, "Come on Mom! Aren't we done yet?" or "I wonder how many ornaments I can swipe before she notices."


This one has a little too much glare and no Santa hat, but so cute.


Or there is always this one.


Decisions, decisions. What do you think?

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

My parents got a new Christmas tree and graciously allowed me to take their old tree. It was difficult to transport the tree in my 4 door sedan, especially since a toddler was required to sit in the back seat. So we became creative and buckled the tree into the front seat of my car. It traveled home and never budged. Now it is decorated and beautiful 5 feet from me. YAY!

Funny Christian Link Love

We figured out the temper tantrum causer, ear infections. Well, this is not yet diagnosed by a doctor, but after much screaming and crying from 3:15 a.m. until 7 a.m. this morning, the mom diagnosis is ear infection. Since I am tired from the second scream-fest here is some fun linkage. Yesterday my dad introduced me to this commedian he found on GodTube. Here are a couple great links from him. We checked his upcoming schedule and he's going to be near us in February. I think there may be plans to go. Just a hunch I have.

This clip has a one minute intro, it's just as good if you skip that minute.

Temper Tantrums, 4 a.m. shopping, and nap time

Have you all had a good Thanksgiving? Mine has been good. Busy, but good.

Yesterday we we had Thanksgiving lunch with my in-laws. After the Thanksgiving Scream-Fest of 2007, which my lovely 2 year old displayed at the dinner table, we ventured home. The aforementioned culprit of the the screaming and I left soon after to visit with my family out of town. We arrived here in time for leftover dinner and Wii competitions.

This morning I awoke at 3:30 a.m. to head to the 4 a.m sales at Kohls. My mom and I arrived at Kohls 2 minutes prior to 4 a.m.; however, approximately 500 other people had beat us and were all standing in line. I jumped out and walked inside when the doors opened and grabbed the one item we were there to get. My mom never did find a parking place, so we left to hit the JC Penney 4 a.m. sales. After standing in line for 45 minutes there, just to check-out, we moved along to a few other stores. By 8 a.m. we were back at the house and ready for a nap.

Nap time rolled around after lunch; however, the aforementioed culprit of the screaming the day before decided napping was not in his scheduled activities. After 45 minutes of wrestling we both fell asleep for a 2 hour nap.

Now I sit here as my parents watch Jungle Book which was turned on for the 2 year old screamer, but he is, of course, not watching. However, he is not screaming, so it's a good moment.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

12 Days of Thanksgiving, Day 12

At 4 days old I attended my first church service and I've been going back every week since. I can not imagine my life without having God in the center. I am blessed with parents who encouraged my relationship with God and provided me with opportunities to continue to learn and grow.

I am thankful for God's blessings. Each of the items I was thankful for during this twelve day journey came from God. Without Him I would have very little. I am also thankful for His grace. I am definitely one who is in need of grace.

I also want to thank everyone who has participated in the 12 Days of Thanskgiving. I have enjoyed reading your thankfulness posts and learning more about you. If you would like to participate in today's just sign Mr. Linky below.

12 Days of Thanksgiving, Day 11

Thanksgiving is almost here. I can taste the yummy turkey and stuffing...yum! I can't wait! Thanks again to everyone who has participated in the 12 Days of Thanksgiving.

Yesterday I received a package in the mail. I love getting packages when I forget they were coming. Yesterday's package was not for me, it was a Christmas gift I ordered, but I was still very excited about getting it. The thrill of getting "real" mail and for that, a "real" package is so fun. It's why I love Christmas card time. You never know what card you are going to get in the mail the next day.

Today I'm thankful for those small surprises that make your day. Be it mail, an unexpected phone call, or a new word from your child, surprises can make your day!

If you'd like to participate in today's 12 Days of Thanksgiving post please feel free to sign Mr. Linky below.

Elf-ing around!

Check out my elf family! It makes me laugh so much!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9560955560

I love how bored Donnie looks!

12 Days of Thanksgiving, Day 10

Have you ever read Jessie or Becca's blogs? I have, and do often (well, when Becca blogs, which is rare *hint!*) because they are my friends. Even though I don't get to see these girls as often as I would like to (since we live in 3 different states), I am glad I'm able to keep up wtih them in the blogging world to catch up on life since high school!

I also enjoy reading the blogs of many blog friends like here, and here, and here. Not only do I love my blog friends and old friends, my "now" friends are very important to me. If it wasn't for friends, where would we be?

We always need someone to confide in, shop with, and gossip share. I am so thankful for my friends today. Thanks for being my friends!

12 Days of Thanksgiving, Day 9

What would we do without modern conveniences. I take for granted so many things. It's so interesting that only 100 years ago having indoor plumbing and electricity was a modern day convenience. (ok, maybe it was longer than 100 years, but I know that my great grandparents had an outhouse even when my dad was a child, that was not 100 years ago...maybe half of that! Love ya, dad!).

We can all be thankful for things like indoor plumbing, electricity, cars, and cable television. But what about hair dryers (that's for you mom!), microwaves (this was Donnie's recommendation), debit cards (I thought I lost mine Saturday and it was almost as if my world stopped), and automatic transmission (I still have never learned to drive "stick"...I definitely could never be on the "Amazing Race," that and many other reasons).

If you'd like to participate in today's 12 Days of Thanksgiving, feel free to post your link below!

12 Days of Thanksgiving, Day 8

Yesterday we took Hoss to get his hair cut. This is my least favorite activity to do. Mostly because my child has a complete breakdown each time and there is weaping and gnashing of teeth. From him. Since we are in public I use some self-control and refrain from weaping and gnashing my teeth. Yesterday was not different than the other times. He was fine for the first minute while his cup of juice remained. The next 15 minutes were horrible. However, the barber was wonderful. He was so very patient with my hooligan and was patient and helped me in every way. Considering he does not typically handle children's haircuts (we went to a real barber shop, the place my I-hate-change husband has had EVERY haircut of his life), the barber was wonderful.

I was so very thankful for his patience and for his talent. Hoss's hair, while not his best haircut ever, was trimmed to satisfaction with only a few straggling hairs here or there.

Today, I am thankful for patience, especially the patience of strangers. This is a gift I have been short of lately. I could definitely take some lessons from others.

If you would like to participate in the 12 Days of Thanksgiving today enter your post below. Have a fabulous Sunday!

12 Days of Thanksgiving, Day 7

Today I have one thing I am thankful for...SLEEP! I am thankful that I am able to sleep soundly most nights and refresh myself for next day. My son and husband are early risers. I am not. I am not really a night owl either. I just like to sleep. Since Hoss's birth I have cherished this sleep much more than I ever did before. As all you parents know, sleep can be hard to come by with an infant...and even toddler on some nights. So, I am thankful for the solid eight hours of sleep I had last night.

If you'd like to participate in the 12 Days of Thanksgiving enter your link below. Have a great Saturday and be sure to return tomorrow.

12 Days of Thanksgiving, Day 6

TGIF! Yes, today I am thankful for Fridays. I am so insanely glad that today is Friday and I have 2 days to rest. Ok, we all know that resting does not happen on the weekends, but at least I don't have work responsibilities to attend to after 1 p.m. today. Today I am able to use some comp time and leave early, which I plan to spend shopping! And oh how thankful I am for that comp time and the ability to use it. Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend!

If you would like to participate in today's 12 Days of Thanksgiving extravaganza just sign Mr. Linky below with your post.

12 Days of Thanksgiving, Day 5

I am so very thankful for my family. From my parents, to my sister to my husband to my in-laws. I am very thankful for them all. I have been blessed to have supportive parents who allowed me to fail and to learn from my mistakes, but also to support me in recovering from those mistakes. I'm thankful for a husband who loves me unconditionally, regardless of my mood, appearance or behavior, he still loves me. I am thankful for my in-laws who have been able to assist us with caring for Hoss. If it wasn't for my mother-in-law watching him while we work I am not sure where our lives would be now. It definitely has helped me focus while at work. I'm thankful for my sister and the relationship we have developed as adults. Though we live far away, we are still able to talk about changes in our children's lives and support each other.

If you would like to participate in today's Thanksgiving post be sure to sign Mr. Linky.

12 Days of Thanksgiving, Day 4

Even though I often complain about it and my mental life plan did not include it at this time in my life, I am thankful for my job. I am thankful that I have been able to continue to progress through the past five years and have found myself in a position which I am comfortable in and one that helps to provide for my family. There are always times that I dream of not having to work and the luxuries that possibility has, but in the end I count my blessings that I am able to have a job which pays our bills and allows me to share my skills with others.

Everyone is invited to participate in our 12 Days of Thanksgiving. Be sure to sign Mr. Linky if you are participating today. Thanks again to everyone who is participating. I enjoy reading your posts.

12 Days of Thanksgiving, Day 3

Today I am thankful for CVS! I have posted before about the marvels of CVS. For more info on how you can save money at CVS, read this.
I was able to get all of the following items for 54 cents. They actually owed me 15 cents so I added some gum to my purchase. Oh how I love this store!


(yes, the gum had a piece missing...I had to have a piece on my way home from the store!)

Feel free to add your 12 Days of Thanksgiving post below by signing Mr. Linky and ome back tomorrow for Day 4! Have a great Tuesday!

12 days of Thanksgiving, Day 2

Of course I am thankful for him. Who can resist the red curls and blue eyes behind those glasses?

Thank you everyone for participating yesterday and today. One quick note about my post yesterday, Liz pointed out to me that the address I posted was proven to be not valid. I'm sorry to give out false information. I'll do my research better next tiem! Be sure to add your link to Mr. Linky for your Day 2 of Thanksgiving post. Come back tomorrow to check out Day 3's Thankfulness.

The Twelve Days of Thanksgiving, Day One

Thank you all now for participating in "The Twelve Days of Thanksgiving." When you sign the Mr. Linky please be sure to link the your specific post and not your main blog page. Don't forget to visit everyone else's posts! Let's have fun giving thanks!

A co-worker of mine returned from an 11 day cruise last week. On her first day back to work she was discussing her trip, including visiting Aruba, private islands and other beautiful Caribbean lands. But those are not the things that stood out to me when she told her story. As she and her husband were boarding their luxury cruise ship, a naval ship was docked beside their boat. As they passed by they saw a mother and father hugging, crying and telling their young 19-20 year old son goodbye as he was being shipped out for service. She said it brought tears to her eyes to think about him leaving his comfort to protect her as she was preparing to live in the life of comfort for 11 days at sea. He was going to fight for her freedom to set sail and visit beautiful lands.

What stood out to me is that after 2 weeks this was one thing she discussed about her trip. Yes, she showed beautiful pictures and talked about seeing great things, but she remembered that moment. She did not know this young man or his family, but for a moment, he was a part of her life, and a permanent part of her memory.

Today, I am thankful for all the men and women who are serving in our military forces so I can sit in my home today and type this post in a warm, comfortable home. As a young child I lived close to a military base and a few family members who are enlisted in the army. Despite all of this, I have never taken the time to say "Thank you." This year I plan to say Thank you. You can join in if you would like. When you are making out your Christmas card list this year include this address,

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

Tell our wounded soldiers that you are thankful for their service for our freedom.

12 days of Thanksgiving starts tomorrow!

Don't forget I am starting the 12 Days of Thanksgiving posts tomorrow. If you are interested in participating there will be a Mr. Linky at the bottom of each post. It's time to give thanks!

It's time for a change

I'm not a big music connoisseur, but I do love TV. MTV was totally made for people like me (okay, if they played music videos they would be for me, but anyway...). My husband is quite the connoisseur of popular music (and even some not so popular). He showed me this video last night.



It's a catchy song. If you listen to any "pop" music station it's played, at least once every hour. I love the concept of the video. We all sing the words to songs, so why not a video of it! It's simple and I love it!

When I was watching the video last night I was bothered by one thing. The song has some curse words (the "a" word and other variations) which are bleeped from the song, but other words bleeped just did not make sense. "Pills" and "Drugs" were edited out as well. I understand the need to deter people from participating in illegal activities, including illegal drug use, but why aren't more things edited. Like "Family Guy" or "South Park" which ridicule people on all levels. We hear worse words on prime time television every evening. These are not edited.

Where are the morals people? And who is deciding what is edited and what is not? I find it appalling. We need to raise our standards.

The Twelve Days of...Thanksgiving

All the retailers in our country are focused on Christmas. Before Halloween had even happened, we all saw the Christmas trees, ornaments, and stockings replacing the garden supplies and fall decor. Websites are display Black Friday advertisements and Christmas music is playing on our radio stations. Christmas is upon us! I am preparing for Christmas, but I don't want to forget about the holiday which is approaching us first, Thanksgiving.

In order to keep my mind in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to hold a blog carnival called, The Twelve Days of Thanksgiving. Starting this coming Sunday, November 11th, I will begin posting something each day leading up to Thanksgiving about something I am thankful for. This may be serious and heartwrenching one day and lighthearted and humorous the next. I want to invite you all to participate.

I don't have a cute button or html code, I'm not that blog saavy yet (it's a resolution for me!), but I will post Mr. Linky at the bottom of each post. You can participate on one day, four days, or each of the 12 days. Be sure to pass the word around the blogosphere. I'd love to see how we have all been blessed.

It's time to give thanks.

Homophone Fun!

Last night as Donnie was looking up info on this upcoming Veggie Tales movie, which we are excited about (it may be Hoss's first theater movie), we found this video. Oh how I love it! Cracks me up! Yes, I am a dork!

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

This whole falling forward thing is tearing me up. I don't know if it is because it was later this year or what, but changing the time is still causing me to drag. I shouldn't be experiencing any problems since I did gain an hour of sleep. Or should have, but I have a 2 year old who is an early bird, which I am not.

I was really struggling before the time change. Getting out of bed every morning while it was still pitch black outside was very difficult. Going to work and having to turn on my headlights because it is so dark was also no fun. The time change definitely helped out in this area. This morning when I left for work I felt like I was late. The sun was already mostly all the way up in the sky and it felt like 10 a.m., not 7:45 a.m.

Despite gaining an hour I'm tired. Exhausted! When I get home from work it is everything in my power to focus on cooking dinner and completing the tasks at hand. I guess this could be due to earlier sunsets. Whatever it is, it needs to stop.

I am also permanently confused about what time it is. Lately our clock in the living room and the clock in my car have been running about 10 minutes fast. My brain has been focused on subtracting 10 from whatever time it is on these clocks. When we reset these for the time change the clocks were set for real time. This causing me to subtract 10, then add 10 back and then go look at my cell phone to see what time it says.

Ah Ha! I've figured it out. I'm exhausted because I am trying to retrain by brain. I have to go change those clocks back now! All this math is just too much!

Sooooooo sleepy!

When you set your clocks back an hour, be sure to adjust the clock of any 2 year olds in your house. 6:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning is just not necessary!

Drum Roll Please!

The winner of "Llama Llama Red Pajama" is Jessica!

The random number generator chose #17. Congrats Jessica (nice name, by the way!). I'll email ya to get your address and your new copy of "Llama Llama" will be on it's way.

Thank you to everyone who participated! Getting 147 entries was awesome! I love lots of blog traffic, even if I have to bribe people to get them here! :-)

Aren't these awesome???

Today I received my prize I won from Awesome Mom last week! Aren't these awesome, just like she is!!!



The wash rags are so nice I am having a hard time thinking about using them! She sent a nice card with them as well! Thanks Awesome Mom! You really are AWESOME!

And for the few of you who haven't entered yet, be sure to enter my giveaway this week and go check out the 600+ other ones!

It's giveaway time folks

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED! THE WINNER HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED ON MY MAIN PAGE!

I was not planning on participating, but after entering 100s of giveaways today at the "Fall Y'all" Bloggy Giveaway Extravaganza I was inspired to do my own giveaway.



I am offering "Llama Llama Red Pajama" to one lucky winner! My 2 year old son is crazy about this book. He wants to read it daily and it is so cute! The story discusses fears kids have alone at night when preparing to sleep.

Just leave a comment on this post before 11:59 p.m. November 2, 2007. I will announce the winner on November 3, 2007. Good luck everyone!

Just his size

Since every post I've had for the past week has had pictures, here's another for ya! My parents got Jake a table and chairs for his birthday, but these were backordered. We got them yesterday and put them together after Jake went to bed last night. This morning he was excited to sit down and read his books at his table.

Is it time for cake yet?

Today Jake and I went to a baby shower for my cousin. About half way through the shower, Jake decided he was tired of waiting for cake and decided to help himself.


And here's the cake, after Jake's snack.



I took the last picture just for the blog. I said, I should take a picture of the cake and my mom said, "yeah, so you can blog about it." Ha! Ha! :)

No thanks, I'd rather read

Tonight we had Trunk or Treat at church. Here is what Jacob enjoyed doing.





Yes, my son was more interested in reading a book and playing in the rocks than getting candy. I guess I can't complain. At least tonight he didn't hate his costume!

I think it's time for a diet or possibly even some plastic surgery

Remember this lovely lady? The one who was found in a book we purchased Jake for his birthday. Well, my adorable child had taken to calling this lady, "Mommy!" Well, I guess we see how I look in his eyes.

In another book he turns to this page and says "Daddy."



That's us, the BIG lady and the snowman. Maybe it is time to have the little man's eyes checked again!