Up and about.

Good Morning. I hope everyone is doing great. Well, tomorrow will be a new year... 2009! I cannot believe it. It just doesn't seem possible. I don't know about anyone else, but, we aren't doing anything this evening. We are so old now. We just don't even care to get out of the house anymore. I would rather us all be here together in our cozy little house where I know we are all safe. Too funny.
I might open a bottle of bubbly but that is about it. Hope everyone is safe and has fun tonight.

The Holidays Have Come and Gone.

We had such a great holiday with friends and loved ones. We got to see almost everyone and catch up and see how quickly everyone is growing. The kids got what they wanted for Christmas and much much more. It seems like we always do too much, but each year we try to scale back. I think we did better this year. Although I think Santa did a poor job on quality control this year. 2 of the Santa gifts did not even work. Kylee's MP3 player and Carson's Air Hogs helicopter. We replaced them for them and the helicopter ended up breaking after the 2nd day. So, we aren't replacing it again!
We had 2 dog bites occur on 2 of my children over the break. The first was Kylee over at a friends house and was enough to warrant a trip to the ER for stitches..just below her eye. It could have been so much worse...we are so lucky. The 2nd was Conner here at home by OUR dog. Boomer nipped him on the hand and made him bleed. Conner got too close to Boomer's bone. Boomer had a rough day at the groomers and just wanted to be left alone. I am about dogged out though!
My Mema left to head home today. We had such a good visit. I think it was great for both of us. She is a joy to be around...and the kids loved entertaining her. I am sad that the holidays are over, but ready to get back in a routine. We still have a week before school goes back! I don't know if that is a good thing or not...LOL!

Last Minute Shopping.

Today I am going to go grocery shopping and get the turkey. Nothing like waitung 'til the last minute...I think I have said that before on my blog, like aroung Thanksgiving time! I tried to go yesterday around 3:30. It was so crowded in the parking lot that I just turned around and came back home. I decided to go early this morning when hopefully everyone is still asleep. So, I am about to leave..at 7:00 a.m.

Today is Hanukkah...So Happy Hanukkah!

Reindeer food in a reindeer bottle..cute kids craft.

I had suggested making reindeer food for class parties this year and Conner's teacher showed me how to make reindeer bottles to put it in. They are so cute. We made them in Carson's class today also. The kids love them! You use IBC rootbeer bottles. Take googly eyes and a pom pom nose and hot glue them on...then fill with oatmeal and glitter. Tie pipe cleaners around the top for antlers and a ribbon around the neck. Don't forget to sprinkle the food outside for the reindeer on Christmas Eve!

I've Been Tagged- Six things that make me happy.

Shannon Hogan said on her blog that she was tagging me. So, I hope I am doing this right.
Six Things That Make Me Happy:
1. Hearing my kids be sweet to each other on there own.
2. Definitely a clean house.
3. Organizing...I am a little crazy with this one. I love organizational things...like Tupperware...I once bought enough Tupperware to be considered a party all by myself...so I then got a bunch of free stuff.LOVE IT! I also love the Container Store in Austin, TX...I wish they had one here. I get happy chills just writing about it. LOL.
4. Shopping...I am sorry but it does make me happy. If this makes me a bad person or materialistic then ok.
5. Church music.
6. Going to the Zoo.
I can only tag Renae Johns..

Moments of Sibling Bliss.

I feel like the kids argue and fight with each other more and more as they get older. So, when a moment of sibling bliss and love occurs, we try to capture it on film. Someday when one of them says they don't like the others I will have proof that they once did. LOL. This was yesterday after school.

A cool homemade gift idea. Tile Coasters.

Stephanie invited me over a few weeks ago to make these coasters as teachers gifts. They are so easy and quite fun to make. I even got more supplies and had the kids make some for family gifts. The kids really enjoyed it and it was easy for them. Supplies list: little tiles (Home Depot or Lowes has them in boxes of 10, scrapbook paper in various shades color or patterns depending on specific taste, tissue paper in various patterns ( Hobby Lobby has a great selection), Mod Podge, sponge paint brushes (the black kind), polyurethane, felt stick on circles for the bottoms of tiles. All of this you can get at Hobby Lobby. Directions: Wash tiles on top. Coat the entire surface with Mod Podge. Rip pieces of papers in any size pieces and glue them to the tile with Mod Podge. Try to use coordinating paper and patterns. Coat the tile with another layer of Mod Podge. After it dries ( a few hours to overnight) spray with polyurethane. Let it dry overnight and then spray again. Add felt to bottom of coasters. I did sets of four and tied them up with ribbon, tool (mesh), or raffia. So So Cute and so easy! You can also use stencils or stickers or cardstock letters to personalize.

My Allergic Reaction.

We were eating dinner night before last when I had an allergic reaction to something we were either eating or drinking. Mind you, I have never been allergic to anything. We weren't eating anything unusual. Over the past 10 years or so my cheeks do turn red when I drink alcohol...nothing severe or bothersome,I just look Rosy. Well, I have noticed it is getting even more so here in the past year. So, we were drinking a new wine, Blackstone. It is from California and it has a fruity flavor and is very light. Normally I get Rosy when it is a red wine that is slightly peppery and robust. Well, I am telling you I had a severe reaction at dinner whether it was from the new wine or the pork tenderloin seasoned with Grill Mates (BBQ flavor) or the baked potato or the corn. My face suddenly turned bright red and kept getting redder and redder and puffy...then it started burning...then my chin, across the bridge of my nose, my forehead and then my throat started getting tight and my tongue started swelling up. CRAZY! I immediately grabbed the Children's Benadryl (cuz that's all we had) and took 4 Teaspoons. It took about an hour for it to all go away. What a scary feeling. I had LeeJay take a picture so I can go to the doctor and have a visual for them. I am attaching it.

All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth!

I just love the age...It only happens one time in a kids life to be missing their 2 front teeth at Christmas time. I got the same picture of Kylee at this age. Look at Conner...doesn't he look so cute? This morning he is getting a "Math Magician" button at the Friday morning assembly...Antler Alert. They have to finish 100 addition problems in 5 minutes...in first grade...I think that is pretty good. If they succeed, they receive a button reward in front of the whole school. He is a such a great kid and Smart too! Love ya Conner!

Quick Look Back...to Compare.

Look how much she has grown!!! These are the only two times she has ever had her hair curled.

Missing Out.

So, we had a scheduling conflict with school programs this week. First time ever. Kylee and Conner's school had an "Open House" Tuesday night. Kylee's 3rd grade class put on a Living Museum . Each child chose a famous person from history weeks ago and read a biography about them and wrote a book report and a one minute monologue in 1st person. At Open House they had to recite their monologue and dress as their person. Kylee chose Shirley Temple. She looked so cute! Conner was singing several songs that he worked SO hard on. Too Too cute. At the same exact time Carson's preschool class was preforming a few Christmas songs as well. We could not go! WE had to choose between them and the two older kids got chosen. Kylee's was for a grade and we worked really hard on the whole project for the past month. Poor Carson. So, to make up for it I told him he could get a special surprise. He got a webkinz striped snake and name it "Carson" after himself.

Boomer Sooner!

WE WON!!! Need I say More.... booya.

Go Sooners!

Boomer Sooner Boomer Sooner....Go OU! Today is a very big day for Sooner Fans...a day long awaited for. The Big 12 Championship has arrived. We are phyced! We are pumped! We are ready...to WIN!
My lucky hubby managed to snag a box seat to the game. A Sprint Rep had an extra ticket and asked if he wanted to go. So, he is headed that way today. He is so excited. Almost like a kid on Christmas Morning. I hope he has lots and lots of fun. He deserves it. He works so hard and takes care of us and never does anything fun! Here are a few older shots of us....2006 to be exact. I hope all fans have a great day today...GO SOONERS!

Shop 'til You Drop!

LJ and I got up early took all the kids to school and went kid Christmas shopping. I can't believe we got it all done. See, I need someone with me to say "yes that is good" or "No way". I am glad to be done already with that. So, now I just have everyone else to buy for. LOL. Have a good one.

Trying To Stand My Ground.

1:45 am this morning I wake up to Conner standing next to my bed trying to tell me he had a bad dream...2nd night in a row for him. Conner doesn't do this very often so I am trying to be very understanding. For the 2nd night I get up and go to the guest bedroom with him so he "won't be alone". This is kinda funny because he actually shares a room with his bro and is never alone..but never mind that. We just settle down when,yep you guessed it, here comes Carson to say "Mommy, I'm scared." So I am tired and trying to be creative and appeasing to all parties involved. I suggest he lays down next to Conner and I am going back to my bed. Oh no no, this will not do for either boy. I have to stay... Then I start thinking...what the heck am I doing! It is now 2 am and I am trying to convince my children to sleep in the guest room together instead of in their own room together..make no sense I know.. so they won't be afraid. I finally came to my senses and said "You know what, everyone is going back to bed in their own rooms on the count of 3 or I am taking lots of stuff away tomorrow..." I could have saved myself a lot of wake up time had i just done that from the get go. I do things the hard way a lot! I just worry that I am going to scar them for life or something if I don't make the right decisions. I know we all go thru this at some point in parenting.

Thanksgiving Day

Good Morning!

I am still so amazed at myself for being able to put this blog together and add neat little things to it like slide shows,music,backgrounds. I know it doesn't look like it but those things are actually hard to figure out...well at least for me they were. I think it is awesome that I have manged to combine my talent for art and crafts with computer technology...cuz this is really like an online scrapbook. Anyway , I hope someone out there enjoys viewing it as much as I enjoy creating it.

Who here is completely done with Christmas already? Besides my friend Theresa. NOT ME! I haven't even started yet. Lee Jay said to me yesterday, "You need to get on that." "You are usually pretty much done by now, aren't you?" I love how he said "you". I guess he thinks he doesn't have to take part. HA! He is so wrong. As the kids get older, I get busier and have less time to shop. This year he is coming with me.
These photos are in no way relevant to my blog...just thought I would post some more.

Look What I Did!!! Woohoo!

I did it! I did it! It was apparently the computer I was on..cuz I came in here and used my laptop and got it to work first try..look at my beautiful background. I feel like I am getting the hang of this. Now, if I can just get my playlist of Christmas music to work! I will upload some pics later of us decorating the tree.

I am about to throw the computer out the window!

I am SO not a computer literate person and to even have a blog is far out of my element...but I love it and am trying to branch out and strive to something different. ANYWAY, I really love looking at other mommy/family blogs and seeing how creative they are etc...well, last night I came across several that had links to thecutestblogbackgrounds.com and they had pretty Christmas backgrounds and awesome Christmas music playing...I spent 2 hours trying to get those things on MY blog. As far as I can tell, I did all the steps just like it said, but it would never work! I need someone to help tell me what I did wrong.

Slide Show of Halloween and Kylee's Cheer Comp

Little Blessings.

I got up running this morning. The day back after a holiday always seems so jammed packed and crazy. I needed to go to the store and get a few things and go to Best Buy for ink for the printer and the post office for stamps and I needed to clean up the house from a week with company. Then it dawned on me... Why do I NEED to do all of those things today. I need to stop and enjoy life and take a breath now and then and not feel like everything has to be done right this second or the world will come to an end.
I got a call from my friend down the road just before I was about to leave to take Carson to school. She had surgery a couple of weeks ago and still isn't supposed to do a lot of lifting etc..well, her helper for today called and was sick..so I knew she really could use my help and probably didn't want to be stuck in her house all day. So, I scratched most of my plan and hung out with her. We had a nice time shopping and running errands and grabbed a bite to eat. My head started hurting and she gave me a prescription migraine pill to try..WOW.I had to come home a go to sleep. It made me feel a little funny.so I was glad she wanted to go back with me to pick up Carson..I let her drive!
Well, we were running late picking up the kids from the bus stop so I had to call another neighbor to get our kids off the bus for 5 minutes. I felt so bad, I have NEVER done that before.
Ended the day with Kylee going to Cheer practice and Conner to Basketball practice and Carson going to bed early due to no nap..I looked around and realized a much needed unexpected surprise was handed to me. I was all alone and it was so quiet..aww take it in...and add a nice calming breath..that was me for 1 whole blissful hour tonight. See, little blessings are always where you least expect to find them.