Boyish Charm

Update your bookmarks.... I'm moving!

2006-07-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

Blogger is being a pain lately so I am heading over to Typepad.

Here is my new permanent address.

http://christinamanning.typepad.com/boyish_charm/

So update those bookmarks and watch for me at my new home! ;)

What we had to go hunting for

2006-07-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

Here is this years school supply list. This is what we hunted at the store. Keep in mind that I had to purchase for Pre-k, K, 1st and 3rd.... You can click on the image to make it bigger.

Tagged... kindda

2006-07-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

I took this from Kelli Crowe's blog... fun fun! ;)

1. How old are you? 29 (for a little while longer)

2. How many kids do you have if any? 5.5 The 6th is due early October

3. Are you married, single, divorced, widow,? Married.

4. What is your occupation? I have so many that I don't know if I will get them all... Mommy, Wife, Friend, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Sister-in-law, wanna-be photographer, wanna-be scrapper, co-owner of a security agency... etc. etc. etc.

5. What are your passions? My Family, photography, scrapping, reading

6. Are you a dreamer or a dream seeker? dreamer.... Definitley. I don't feel like I have time to seek anything right now.

7. Are you happy with the way you life has turned out? Most definitely.

8. Are you a scrapper and if so how many hours a week do you scrap? I think I am a scrapper. I have this huge scraproom of stuff that I need to unpack. If I could get it all unpacked and organized, I bet I would actually be able to scrap.

9. What do you want to do before you die? Explore

10. What is your favorite food? I have so many... lately I am on a steamed veggie kick. I love steak too and tators... I just love food! I don't think that there is much I don't like.

11. What is the food you hate the most? Hate? That's such a strong word. Maybe anchovies.

12. What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you? Hmmm.. having a newborn and walking around in public with a shirt that has been leaked on, Just something about wet boob spots that aren't very appealing.

13. What is the happiest day of your life thus far? I have so many. The day I got married, had children, etc etc... of course, my kids make me proud and that is always a happy day.

14. Are you a neat freak? Or a dirty house cleaner? Not a neat freak, although I would like to be. I try to keep a clean house, but with 5 boys and all these pets running under foot, it's kind of tough.

who to tag....
Kristin
Sasha
Natalie
and anyone else that wants to play!!! ;)

Summer is nearing the end...

2006-07-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

... School enrollment is this week. 4 Kiddos going to school this year! WOW..

We went school supply shopping this afternoon and $200 later, we don't even have everything. Is that not unreal the stuff that they want. They required crayola brand on everything too... you can't save a buck or two and get the Roseart brand. How unreal is that. Luckily I can afford to pay for my kids school supplies, but I know that there are plenty of parents out there who struggle each year. Anyhow...

Zachary got his packback... ;) He is so excited to go to school, we'll see if it lasts though.

3 kiddos full day and 1 half day and for a short while, it'll be just Jonathan and I. Wow... what will I do?

School starts in a month and I still have school clothes to buy. I will have to see what all they are really in need of right now besides the normal... shoes, socks, underwear, belts... type stuff. Nicolas and Zachary share clothes, so they are pretty easy. Noah and Tyler can share shorts, but not shirts or pants and of course, Tyler is much pickier... Fun Fun Fun! Hope there are some good sales coming up, I'm gonna need them.

Nicolas

2006-06-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Continued...

2006-06-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Jonathan...

2006-06-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

Zachary

2006-06-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

A first for me..

2006-06-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

I made meatballs today for the first time ever. Can you believe that in the 12 years of my adulthood life I have never ever made them. Thanks to the help of my good friend, Kristin, they turned out marvelous! And they were easy peasy too....

Amazingly!!!

2006-06-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

My kids wanted to cooperate for a photo shoot today. I got the three younger ones individually!

Now... I am going to make you all wait while I edit them! ;)

Wow..

2006-06-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

We have had a horrible week around here. Part of the beginning of it was us finding one of Don's buddies dead at 4am while we were out working last Monday morning. He was in an automobile accident where he lost control of the vehicle and flipped it. Unfortunately he was in an open jeep with no seatbelt. Horrible! (there is much more to the week, but I won't bore you all) We ended it the week with the funeral!

I wasn't able to go due to a sitter, but Don definitely went. It was a huge funeral. The kid was only 19 and had just graduated high school.

I guess just from the whole situation it got Don thinking about things. He came home and told me we needed to talk (I hate that sentence, usually isn't good stuff). He told me that in the line of work that he does, the chance that he might not come home one day is greater than many other jobs that he could be doing. (this is true)

He has now decided that he wants me to be half owner of everything company wise. He is afraid that if something happens that everything could go into probate and I could be screwed financially. (of course we don't have a life insurance policy, something we need to get) He wants the company to stay alive even if he isn't. He talked about me going down and getting all the certifications that he has so that I know what is going on. I already deal with quite a bit of company related issues anyhow, but he wants me to know all the legal bits too.

He knows that I would have plenty of support from others that are knowledgeable in this field also and we both think that my dad would step up and help me out.

I have to have someway to support our huge family if (God Forbid) something happened to him.

It's just one of those conversations that you really don't want to have to discuss. Why would you want to talk about the future and the person you care the most about not being in it?!?

Freaking out today!!!

2006-06-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

I have my first professional photo shoot today. In 5 hours!!! I am doing our little league teams season pictures. I honestly think I can capture great pictures. We have been in sports long enough and I have bought enough packages to see what parents want. I am just nervous because A. I am very insecure... B. I am going to feel like an idiot being the center of attention and trying to capture these parents babies at their best... and C. I never am good and trying to sell myself. I actually hope to make some moeny at this and get my name out there to do more in the future.

Although.... There are storms moving in and it is supposed to rain, so it might be all up in the air as to whether tonight will be the night for photos or not. Regardless, I need to get prepared!

Pray for me that God will give me the strength I need to get through this and act professional!

6/16/06 To Do List

2006-06-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

On a message board that I am on, some of the girls do a daily to do list. I have not participated in it until today. I think I might try to do it more often because when you go back and look at everything that you have accomplished during the day, it makes you feel so good. Gee... and some people think I don't do a thing all day!

~~Wash and Dry clothes
~~Fold Clothes
~~Put Clothes away
~~Put away load of stuff that came from old house yesterday
~~Put away and sort clothes of mine that came from old closet (most doesn't fit)
~~Clean living room
~~Clean kitchen
~~Clean dining room
~~Clean breakfast area
Clean downstairs bathrooms
~~Clean my bedroom/sitting room
~~Clean up backyard and get the big trash moved to a spot until it can go to dump.
~~Wrap Zachary's birthday presents
~~Go to grocery store and get food for party tomorrow
~~Go to WIC to pick up new folder and vouchers
~~Give Jonathan a bath for his outing with ga-ma
Work on Package sheet for my photo shoot next week
~~Scout out a place that I want to do the photos
Call and reschedule appt's that were missed since we have moved....
my dr appt.... have to call back monday, their systems are down.
~~jonathan dr appt
tyler dentist... Call back monday, no answer today
~~wic appt
Start sorting through paper piles in the office/scrapbook room so we can get it all filed away
~~Take Tyler to have team photos done.
~~Clean the boys bedroom
~~Clean hallway upstairs
Clean upstairs bathrooms
Clean playroom
Clean nursery
~~Post to blog

"I wouldn't trade places"

2006-06-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

I found this great new blog and website. It is called Larger Families and I absolutely love it. I can relate with so much there (probably because I DO have a larger family). They have a blog that several ladies post too. I just loved one of todays posts. I feel as if I could have written this myself...
Here it is....

I Wouldn't Trade Places
My husband and I just celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. Thirteen years. Some days it seems as if we have always been together--that adolescent memories are merely detailed dreams. Other times it feels as if we were just married the other day; and I wonder, “Can it really have been thirteen years ago?!”On our wedding day, after the ceremony and as we geared up for endless photos, my Uncle hugged me and said, “Congratulations, but I wouldn’t trade places with you guys for anything in the world.” I was stunned by his comment and also offended by it. How could anyone not want to be us? We were so in love. We were young and attractive, dressed in beautiful clothing, and being surrounded by loved ones who had set aside a day of their lives to support us. Who wouldn’t trade places with us? I thought about his comment often that day and in the weeks that followed. I thought about it quite often that first year of marriage, as we struggled to learn to live together and realized that we had a lot to learn about each other. At times it was surprising how difficult marriage was. I was nineteen years old, my husband was twenty-three years old—we were naïve. We fought a lot the first year. Thankfully, we loved a lot, too. At the time, I felt that I loved Tim so much that I couldn’t imagine ever loving him more. I still could not understand my Uncle’s comment.After a couple years of early marriage, fertility treatments, miscarriages, and the adoption of our first child, I finally started to get a glimpse into why my Uncle would dare make such a comment to newlyweds. Marriage was work. It took a lot of effort and compromise to get things comfortable. The more time I spent married and the more life-altering experiences I shared with my husband, the more I loved him and felt like I was relieved to have the difficult beginning behind us. I certainly didn’t feel like I wanted to start over.Over the years, I have come to fully understand that marriage gets better with time. If you are willing to work at it, that is. It becomes a blessing of feeling secure and content. Knowing you aren’t just sharing your life with your best friend, but are sharing the joy and burden of raising children, and of worrying about finances, and sharing household responsibilities is so much more rewarding with someone you love.We have been through so much together—both good and bad. My love for my husband is deeper than I could ever have dreamed it would be, and I know that it will continue to strengthen the longer we are married. Being with him is relaxing and fun. I certainly understand him better now than when we were first married. I don’t ever have to wonder what he thinks of me, or try to act a certain way. I can be my true self. We can sit in silence on our date night and feel comfortable, or we can find endless topics to discuss and be reassured that we agree on almost everything. We don’t have to play guessing games, trying to figure out what the other one means or wants. After thirteen years, we just are. We are as one. I agree with my Uncle now. I wouldn’t trade places with any newlyweds either. They have so far to travel to get where we are.
___________________________
Wendy is the homeschooling mom to 6 amazing children (with 2 more in the works). She writes about it all here: http://flippinsweet.typepad.com/. Email her at: rainbowendy@yahoo.com for the password.

You'd only believe it from pictures

2006-06-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

... this is actually a continuation to our Sunday outing, but it so deserves its own post. After our canal ride we went to Bass Pro Shops. As we were getting ready to pull out of the parking lot onto Reno, Don looks to the West to make sure traffic is clear and then hollars out "Holy Sh*t, there's a herd of elephants walking down Reno!!!" I of course turned my head and sure enough... Elephants!
We were able to pull out ahead of them and headed to the parking lot on the opposite side of the street, I had to have pictures!
All in all we assume that they were from the Circus that was in town this weekend at the Ford center. They must have parked a mile out and decided to just walk the animals. Needless to say... not something that you would normally see in downtown OKC...

Sunday Family Outing

2006-06-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday we decided that we wanted to take the boys to see Cars. We chose the movie theater in Bricktown which we have been to several times and really enjoy. It is also only about 10 minutes away. So my mother in law watched Jonathan that afternoon and we headed out... Don, myself and the 4 big boys.

This is the movie theater that we went to. It is right off the canal. We had lunch at the new sonic and then walked over for our movie. The movie was great. It was the first time that Nicolas and Zachary saw a movie in the theater and they actually did pretty well. The did get a bit restless closer to the end, but they loved the movie. Don and I laughed and laughed. I definitely recommend seeing the movie.

After the movie we decided to take the boys on a canal ride. It isn't something that we get to do often and we figured that they would enjoy it.

And here are some really neat things that you can see on the ride besides the businesses...etc. The sculptures were made by a man locally from Norman, OK. The man that is driving the wagon is a self sculpture of the artist. The murals on the wall (only 2 of the 3 that I was able to get) were painted by a UCO art professor and his students.

Cool finds

2006-06-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

The best crafter's mall that I know of is on the southside OKC. I don't get over there too much but when I do I go ga-ga....
I was on that side of town last night and only had a few kiddos with me so I figured I would stop in. I was so glad I did. The dealer that I drool over pretty much all of her stuff is going out of business due to her husband being ill. All of her merchandise was 70% off.... I walked out of there spending $34 and that was only because one item was from another booth and not on sale... Here are my goodies.....

Noahs first lost tooth

2006-06-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

He has since lost the one next to it, but I never got around to posting these! Here ya go...

Just loved these....

2006-06-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

.... of Jonathan and our cat George!

Noah's Kindergarten Graduation!!!

2006-06-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

The end of the year is finally here! I know the boys are ready for something different. Here are some pictures from Noah's kindergarten Graduation. They sang a couple of songs first and then handed out awards and diplomas!

Happy 1st Birthday Jonathan

2006-06-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

Jonathan's 1st birthday was Friday (2nd). He wasn't feeling too good all day long, but he sure did perk up long enough to eat some cake! He obviously wore himself out eating all that cake by himself too!

Been a long time...

2006-06-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

... I have neglected my journaling (not that I have that big of an audience ), but we are moved, somewhat settled and I am ready to get busy! ;)

Stay tuned for some pictures of what has been going on lately!!!

Feeling Good...

2006-03-27T06:36:00.000-08:00

I am feeling great today! Not sure exactly what it is, but I feel wonderful.
Part of it is that for 2 weeks now I am the one that gets up with the kids in the am and gets them dressed and off to school. Prior to that Don would do it and I would sleep in.
I am getting up and staying up.
I am getting my house slowly back in order (which is about time after about 2 months)
Don has got some great things ahead of him! Not anything I want to discuss here, just in case, but pray that things work out for him the way they should!
Don is finally getting some part time help. For 2 weeks now (he fired his employee), he has been working basically 24 hours a day with little sleep at all. Tomorrow one of the kids that Don has watched grow up at church is going t train with him to do the bankruns every day. That will mean that Don can come home after 6am and get some sleep. I will probably answer calls for him unless it is something that I can't handle. I am just glad that he is finding help somewhere!
That is about it for right now. I must go. Have things to do and I am feeling great about doing them!
Have a fabulous day!!!!

Bear with me folks...

2006-03-24T15:53:00.000-08:00

I am extremely exhausted.
My house is a wreck.
What I am able to tidy up doesn't even put a dent in what really needs to be done.
Don has been working 24 hours a day due to firing his employee.
He really is a huge help when he is home with me.
I took pictures a while back to put on here, but can't even find my desk to be able to work on it.
I need some energy tips.
These early exhaustive pregnancy days are killing me.
I need some super mom juice!

My goal for the weekend is to make a dent in SOMETHING!
I won't abandon you all again.

I'll be back!

Craziness

2006-03-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

I would have titled this "bad blogger", but I figured we all know this already!!! The past few days I have finally been back to myself a bit. Prior to that I have had no energy for anything. I still have this horrible cough, but I go to the doctor Thursday so I am trying to hold out until then.

Anyhow, my main reason for posting today is that I had to share my new car with you all.

Don and I had been talking about looking at used Excursions to fit our huge family. It was either that or a bus. So we looked online at used and there were only about half a dozen within a 50 mile radius of us. Saturday we just happened to drive by the car lot and thought, "hey, lets see if there are any around Midwest City". There were absolutely no used. We went to Joe Cooper Ford and they just happened to have their very last 2005 sitting on the lot.

Soooooo Needless to say we walked out of there the proud owners of a brand new 2005 Ford Eddie Bauer Excursion. We're pimpin' it now! :)

Random photos...

2006-02-23T21:41:00.000-08:00

When I did the photo shoot of my nephews, Zachary had just gotten out of the tub and insisted on some pictures of himself. I just couldn't get over how gorgeous his eyes look in this shot!

Here is a random shot of Nicolas wanting his picture taken. He gets in his modes where he just must have a photo!

This is a horribly blurry picture. I guess my camera got switched to manual focus and I didn't realize it when I took them. Oh well, here is what I have. The story...

Tyler had an assembly at school. Noah had came home from school and told me that Tyler won a gift card to McD's. I didn't ask to much because of course he didn't know.. lol. So we picked him up from tutoring a tad bit early. His principal was in the office and told me that she wanted to let me know how proud of him they were. Apparently there is a church in the area that adopted the school. The started a "Do The Right Thing" program to help get kids on better track. They asked each teacher in the school to choose one child out of their class that they felt deserved to win the "do the right thing" award and to write a paragraph explaining why. Tyler's teacher chose him. The principal and the church then looked at all the nominees and picked a 1st place winner and a 2nd place winner out of the whole school. My son got 2nd place. He was so excited but he couldn't get over how he just didn't win the bike that 1st got.. lol We tried to explain the huge accomplishment to him. Anyhow, he won a framed certificate and trophy and his teacher also gave him 4 certificates of things well done in school along with his $10 McD's card.

We are very proud of him. 2nd place out of hundreds of kids! That's our boy!!!

Daddy snoozing with Jonathan! This is a common sight to see in this house.

Uh Oh... looks like I need to get Noah in front of the camera.

This is all I have right now. I haven't touched my camera in almost 2 weeks now. I better clean off my memory card and get busy!

Getting back to me...

2006-02-23T14:53:00.000-08:00

I had my doctor's appt on Tuesday and he said that baby is fine and he has no concerns at this time. He said that my kidney stone is the size of a pea. He is going to get me set up with a urologist in case we need to get the stone removed.

I have been feeling great really! I went and did a little shopping after the doctors appt and bought myself some really comfy and casual loafers! Went to Old Navy and bought Don some new clothes for being such a great husband and taking care of everything last week.

Yesterday we had to go back to Old Navy because of course the jeans I bought him didnt work. So we headed back, exchanged 2 pairs of jeans and he added a pair of pants and sunglasses and I added 4 pairs of flip flops and 3 tank tops! Yay!!! We went to Shoe Carnival next and got him a new pair of casual dress sketchers that he loves and since it was a buy one get one half off day I got a pair of black mules! I think I am set in the shoe department!

Was totally exhausted last night from all the running around and went to bed pretty darn early. Got woke up from a dull pain in my side and became totally depressed. Nooooo Not again! Lucky for me though, I am not feeling anything today. I really fear that pain coming back.

On another note. I had bought James Frey's A Million Little Pieces when Oprah announced it for her book club. I didn't get around to reading it then and of course heard all the stories about it not being complete truth. Well, I just started reading it and I am probably only about 6-7 chapters into it and I am just not sure if I want to finish. For one, (could be my preggo mind now) it is making me so sick reading what is going on with him. I just cringe. For 2, everything I read I think... this is just false. I am not sure if I will continue reading this book or not, but I think I will read something else in the meantime.

Well, tis all for now. I think I will be back later to post tons of pics that I meant to post before I became ill! ;)

Ciao

I'm alive....

2006-02-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

... I think.

Last week was such a blur to me. I have never been in so much pain in my life.

We are still at the point that we are pretty sure it was a kidney stone, but I don't think I have passed it yet.

I go to my OB tomorrow who has my u/s results so hopefully I will find out more then.

The good news is that I am off of pain killers. I haven't had anything since the wee hours of Sunday morning. I am feeling ok, but still really weak. Not that this weather helps matters! You would think that with sleeping 3-4 days straight I would be all rested up and ready to go! ;)

As I get more energy, I will post more!

Thanks for caring!

Christina

Oh the frustration

2006-02-16T05:29:00.000-08:00

So where were we? We went back to the hospital Tuesday morning for the ultrasound. They said everything was fine, baby was about 6 weeks, 3 days IIRC. Some bleeding around the baby, so they diagnosed her with "Threatened Miscarriage". This is kind of a catch-all term as I understand it because of the bleeding that was present. She may or may not have problems. If anyone says "I hope it is a "$%*@" and jinxes us...well, you can run but you will only die tired.

She is still in terrible pain. Drugged up pretty good, but still feeling it. Insurance should kick in any day now and we can get her into her OB-GYN. Everyone we talk to thinks gall bladder, so I guess we have another ultrasound coming up. Why University didn't do it the first time I don't know. For those of you calling to talk to her, please don't be mad. She isn't answering calls. Mainly because of the pain, but partly because she can't be sure of what she will say due to the drugs. Would be terrible is she asked a bill collector if he wanted to make love eh?

I am trying to do as much as I can. Very tough right now because traded like crazy to be covered through Tuesday. Then yesterday a new account practically landed in my lap. So more trading was done, and now I am pretty much back to workin non-stop. Sleep is non-exsistent, but my wife is a sleep-Nazi anyways, so no big deal. The double shifts are going to go on for the next couple of weeks and then things should smooth out. I just hope we get Tina figured out.

Well, I am off to finish up with the kids before taking them to school and heading back into work.

More to come...

P.S. To hell with using spell check, and my errors are due to lack-o-sleep.

And here we go again...

2006-02-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

She finally made it home about 330 this morning, and was feeling better. The news now is that she is pregnant again, and could possibly have kidney stones. We won't know for sure until an ultrasound is done.

Although everyone I know would not wish kidney stones on anyone, I hope this is what she has. The other thing it could be is a tubal pregnancy. That would be VERY bad. She was going to go tomorrow for the ultrasound, but alas, she could not get through the day. As we came home from picking up some scripts and taking Jonathan to the doctor, she was racked by the most intense pain yet. She spent the last ten minutes in tears. After a couple hours, two all-hot showers, and numerous attempts to use the restroom, her sister came and picked her up. Currently, she is at University hospital waiting to be seen again. They are going to try and get the ultrasound done tonight to eliminate the tubal pregnancy.

I am worried for her and no that she is in a lot of pain. I tried keeping the mood light and playing sonds she like while we were driving but nothing was working. She did not even laugh at my wisecracks. She laughs so easily with me that I knew she was hurting from the lack of repsonse.

As for being pregnant, yes, she is again. This is the part where I tell everyone that I don't give a damn what anyone says. Yeah, we know what causes it, it isn't in the friggin' water, and no I don't need to put a knot in it. If you don't have positive things to say then bugger off. What happens, happens. I pray right now that she is safe and comes out of this with as minimal a loss as possible. Meaning, I hope that it isn't a tubal, and that the stress from the kidney stones (if that is what it is) doesn't cause her to lose it.

I am going to get off here now. I want to clean some more for her...as I know that will definitely make her feel better. I knocked all the kids out around 9pm and it is the perfect time to accomplish things.

Once again, keep her in your prayers and she will be back posting soon.

-Don

Prayers for Tina

2006-02-12T21:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, she might end up being mad at me for doing this, but I have lived through worse. I am not sure what all entails having kidney stones...other than a LOT of pain, but that is what she has been diagnosed with. I just got the text. She is at the hospital and I am at home with the kids. They told her she could not drive home alone, so her sister is en route to get her.

So, prayers for her while I go search the internet for ways to alleviate the pain and maybe help make her feel better.

-Don

(Tina's DH)

Valentines Early

2006-02-12T14:34:00.000-08:00

Don brought home my Valentines gift early! A gorgeous 7wk old registered shih tzu. She is only about 3 lbs and will probably only get to about 6 lbs. She was born on 12/20/05 which is a little sentimental since it is my late grandma's birthday. I am working on a name for her right. Probably Kīlly, pronounced with the long I sound. That was grandma's last name before they legally changed it to Kelley.

Here she is....

Necklaces

2006-02-04T22:22:00.000-08:00

I sat down tonight and made a few necklaces. I orignally was having trouble with the image transferring over correctly, but I have now corrected that problem. The only thing that I need to do is get some different sized jump rings! I am so happy to finally have figured them out though. Now I just need to perfect them!

Jonathan's 8 month birthday

2006-02-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

Man... the time sure does fly! Jonathan is 8 months old today! He is such a different baby now. He has grown by leaps and bounds. He just started wearing 12month clothes (big boy). He finally decided that he was ready to start crawling up off his tummy. And he can almost go from a laying to sitting position, he is just having a little bit of trouble pushing up his little fat man body with one arm! ;)
Here are some pictures I took of him tonight after his bath! Enjoy!

I'm whooped

2006-01-31T15:31:00.000-08:00

After yesterdays "robotic workout", my muscles are a little bit sore... not too bad. Today I went back and the workout was a little bit harder for me to do since my muscles were feeling it already. I tanned afterwards so that when I am a skinny mini I will also be a hot tanned goddess!! ;) Then I got a wild hair up my butt this afternoon to go ahead and walk the trail at the park. I walked so fast and hard that I was only able to walk about 1 1/2 miles, but that was better than nothing.

I am really anxious to see if there will be a difference when I get on the scales at WW Thursday. I sure hope so. I also got measured today at Tan and Tone. After they take a measurement they will measure from that spot down to the ground so that when the measure next time they can be sure to take the measurements on the same exact spot. I am pretty disgusted by what today's measurements were, but hopefully there will be a nice difference with that soon too!

Tagged again...

2006-01-31T07:00:00.000-08:00

Kristin tagged me!
She totally took this off of Heidi Swapp's Blog - What better person to steal from, right?!?!

Four jobs you’ve had in your life:
The Cutting Edge... my dads computer store. I built and repaired computers
Medex Home Health... Administrative Assistant/Office Manager.. I was in charge of it all!!!
Hospice of Central Oklahoma (HOCO) Same title as above... I loved both of these jobs!!!
Urocor... Hated that job, actually loved what I did, but I was doing a higher ranked job and getting paid for the lower one, ughhhh. And the boss, that was NEVER in the office was a b*tch when she was there!

Four movies you would watch over and over:
8 Seconds
Pure Country
Dirty Dancing
Stepmom

Four places you have lived:
Oklahoma
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Texas
(and back to Oklahoma)

Four TV shows you love to watch:
Friends
ER
CSI
CMT videos

Four websites you visit daily:
Reading my daily blogs
Just 4 Keeps
Two Peas In A Bucket
Ebay

Four of your favorite foods:
Chicken Enchiladas
STEAK
Manicotti
Chicken Fettucini Alfredo

Four bloggers you are tagging:
Erin
Sasha
Shanna
Steph

I am so motivated

2006-01-30T17:14:00.000-08:00

Not only have I been doing Weight Watchers for 3 weeks now ( and losing), but I also joined Tan and Tone today. I am so ready to lose this weight! I can tell that I have just had a workout and I am sure that as I sit around I will be able to tell even more later!

I can't wait for the new me!

TAGGED

2006-01-23T10:12:00.000-08:00

Kristin and Steph tagged me! I am feeling the love....

The rules for this particular tagging are as follows: Remove the blog name in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add yourself to the bottom slot.

Dawn
KKT
Steph and Kristin (since I was tagged by both)
Christina

Then you get to select five people to pass the love on to:
Erin(Sparkly)
Gretchen
Sasha
Erin K
Natalie

Here are the questions.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was anticipating the birth of my first child and Working for my dad at his computer store.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Anticipating the birth of my 5th son and playing mommy and wife.

Five snacks you enjoy (in no particular order, as all snacks are created equal)
Triscuits with whipped cream cheese
Pretzels
Tortilla chips (with or without salsa)
Fruit
Crackers with Shrimp dip (Thanks Nat!)

Five songs to which you KNOW all the lyrics
How about nearly anything country or a nursery rhyme... lol

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire
Retire my parents and inlaws.
Buy houses for my family and my siblings.
Go shopping until I couldn't stand it anymore.
Donate to needy charities
Put money aside for each of my children to make it through college and be financially secure if need be in the future.
All of this could only happen if I got lucky enough to win the PowerBall though. That sucker is up there in money right now.

Five bad habits
Spending money.
Spending too much time on the computer
Major procrastinator!
Too hard on myself.
Forgetting everything.

Five things you like doing
Reading.
Taking pictures.
Scrapping.
Playing with my kids.
Spending time with my husband.

Five things you would never wear, buy, or get again
Store brand or cheap toys. They just aren't worth it and don't last in this house.
Veggie burger from BK. Stupid me didn't realize it was a vegitarian burger... Ewww
Cinnamon Roll Cappucinno... Yuckkkk
I am sure that there is much more, but I can't think of anything else at the very moment.

Five favorite toys
Digital Rebel XT
Cell Phone
Computer
Scrapbook schtuff
IPod. I don't have one, but that will be my next toy.

First time you got kissed: How was it?
That is all it was, was a first kiss. I had a crush on this boy that was a year older than me. He was in High School and I was in Junior High. My friend and I walked from our neighborhood to his and hung out in front of his house. Before we walked back, he brought me to the side of the house and kissed me. I wish now that it had been with someone more special. But I will never forget 'ole Craig Burney now.

First time you drove a car: What kind of car?
My own car? A 90something geo prizm, red. This was in 1994 I believe.

First time you scrapbooked: When you look at your page do you love it?
The first time I scrapbooked was at my friend Natalie's house. You should see the pages we came up with. After that we went to a Creative Memories weekend thingy and learned all the basics to it! Those pages still weren't all that great though.

First time you went on a date:
Believe it or not, I never went on an actual real date until I got married.

First time you fell in love: How did you know?
I just knew.

First time you cooked for someone: Was it yummy? What did you make?
Oh wow.. I have cooked so many times since then, I don't recall, but I am sure it was absolutely delicious.

First time you got on a plane: Where did you go Were you scared?
The first time was probably when I was about 4 or maybe 5 and I believe we were coming to Oklahoma from Connecticut. By myself? would have been when I was 13 and my Uncle paid for me to stay in Rhode Island an extra week while my parents and siblings drove home. That was a big big thing for me. I thought I was pretty damn grown up. It wasn't too scarey though, there was an attendant that made sure I got where I needed to go. I felt pretty safe.

First time you shaved your legs: Did you cut yourself?
Wow, I don't even remember this, but I don't think that I cut. I don't usually cut when shaving!

First time you put on make up: Looking back how did you do? Did you look good or like a clown?
I wasn't allowed to look like a clown, it had to be pretty subtle. Now, getting older and experimenting with MORE makeup... Yup, probably clownish.

First time you moved out of your home: Was it an apartment, house, etc?
Townhouse with 2 roommates.

Weight Loss

2006-01-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that I have not posted about this yet. I am quite excited actually! I kept thinking that my clothes were feeling a little looser, but I kept telling myself "Shut Up Christina... Don't say a word! "

I got on the scale yesterday and in a weeks time I have lost 5lbs 13ozs!!!

YAY!!! Now to just keep it up... I have a lot more to keep losing, but if I can lose like that every week, It won't be long until I am down to my goal weight!

And another that I thought was cute....

2006-01-21T22:50:00.000-08:00

My other nephew ;)

2006-01-21T22:48:00.000-08:00

My nephew

2006-01-21T22:35:00.000-08:00

Man, I can't wait until my PhotoShop Classroom in a Book gets here. These pictures could definitely look better with that added touch. I'll get it soon enough though!

A day with Nana....

2006-01-20T21:02:00.000-08:00

Nana played hookie from work today so we went over and did a little visiting and shopping. Jonathan was just having a ball with Nana. Zachary of course was being ornery little zachary but decided that he needed to go ahead and pop his head in for a photo op too.

Duck, Duck, Goose

2006-01-20T20:54:00.000-08:00

Just a few pictures of the ducks at the park.

Beautiful FREEZING day at the park....

2006-01-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

So, I get the bright idea to go to the park one morning while the older boys are at school. Amazingly Don agreed! When we actually go outside though, it was Freezing and so Windy! We stayed long enough for Don and Sadie to get some playing in and then we headed out. Here are some of the pictures I took!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2006-01-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

Yummm... Along with my new menu planning weekly we are also trying out new recipes. Thursday nights dinner was Chicken Tortilla Soup. It was really a lot better than I expected it to be. Don absolutely loved it, Noah loved it, Tyler tolerated it, and Zachary & Nicolas refused to even eat it. We crushed up tortilla chips in the bowl first and then piled on the soup with a dallop of sour cream and salsa. Here is the recipe....

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1can Cream of Chicken soup

1can Fiesta Nacho Cheese Soup

2 soup cans milk

1can (4oz) chopped green chilies

2 chicken breasts cooked and diced

Tortilla chips

sour cream (optional)

salsa (optional)

Directions...... Mix soups, milk, chills and chicken in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 5 - 6 hours. Place a few tortilla chips in each serving bowl. Ladle hot soup over chips. Serve immediately..

Sour cream and Salsa can be dalloped on top of soup if desired.

Photography Class

2006-01-16T18:30:00.000-08:00

So, photography class is Wednesday. Have I actually sat down to do my weekly assignment? Of course not! I so need to get on the ball. I have had no problem taking my camera out and doing other things with it, but not actually what I HAVE to do with it.

Somebody kick my rear into gear!

Weekly Dinner Menu

2006-01-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I didn't think of doing this before. I saw a thread posted on Two Peas about what was on everyones weekly menu. I got to thinking that this might actually be something to make my life easier. Lord knows I can use some added simplicity.

So I sat down and made a menu for the week along with ingredients for each meal and recipes if needed. Today was so easy, I went in to the kitchen simply grabbed all the items for my meal and prepared it ahead of time. Because it was so easy, I even got my kitchen cleaned up after dinner and Dessert made. Woohoo... Another great thing about menu planning is that when I am planning meals I can find new ideas for dinner and new recipes.

Now too see how well I can continue this and stick to it.

My scale was soooo wrong

2006-01-11T19:58:00.000-08:00

We all know that I am on this major kick to lose some major weight. I bought a new WW scale to weigh myself a few weeks ago. I was so upset by the weight it told me. Don weighed himself and he was even a bit shocked. Well over the weekend the scale died. I guess the batteries that were in it weren't really lifetime batteries like it stated. Don came home with some new batteries for it tonight and we all weighed ourselves. I am happy to say that it was wrong by about 28lbs. What a relief that was. Now I don't have quite as much to lose to get to my goal weight.

Photo Tile Picture

2006-01-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

I am trying to decide which of these pictures I want to use on a photo tile if any of them. Any suggestions?

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

My honey.....

2006-01-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

Weight Watchers

2006-01-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

I was going to head to Weight Watchers today to check out a meeting, but low and behold, they only have early morning meetings on Saturday, none on Sunday. So I suppose I will be heading that way Monday late afternoon or Tuesday Early morning. Ah Well....

I have been trying very hard since the first of the year to watch what I am eating. I have been eating things like yogurt with granola, vegetables, or crackers for a snack. I have been eating salads more often, although I seem to have a hard time digesting them for some reason. I have also tried to cut out pop. I have not completely cut it out of my diet, but I have sure cut back tremendously on it.

As for portions, I know I eat a much larger portion than I should, heck, so does most of the US. I have been trying very hard to eat less and keeping in the back of my head the thought that my brain will let me know in 20 minutes that I full so go ahead and stop now!

It's going to be tough and take a lot of work on my part, but I am up for it! I want a happier healthier me for 2006!

House hunting

2006-01-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been since August that we have house hunted. We had found the perfect house for us and then the deal fell through. We were heart broken. After that we kind of just chilled for a while.

After some of the more recent events of things taking place in our neighborhood we decided that we will not be waiting until after the school year to find a new home. I have been looking at houses online and have just not found anything that jumps out at me yet. I think that I am comparing everything to "the house we almost had" and that is making it quite difficult. I have not contacted my realtor yet because we would rather have our broker give us the 100% approval go ahead first so that nothing will pop up on our end to stop us.

I really can't wait to move. All the houses that we are looking at will have at least one more bedroom, possibly 2 living areas and usually they have a separate dining room. The number 1 thing is that we will be moving from a almost 1100 sq ft house to a house anywhere between 1800 - 2300 sq ft home! That is a huge difference. The school districts where we are living are absolutely wonderful! This will be a wonderful thing all around!

It is kind of scary purchasing a home. We will be spending a bit more money on a house then we are now, but we obviously have to for what we are wanting/needing. I am going to have to sit down and do a budget and learn to stick to it.

I will try to post about our home buying journey. Hopefully we will start looking at houses next week. I am kind of scared to fall in love with another house and make an offer on it though. I don't want to lose another one, but I know that all things happen for a reason!

Mom and Dad (Christmas Eve)

2005-12-31T23:10:00.000-08:00

May the force be with you

2005-12-31T21:48:00.000-08:00

Just some neat country pictures

2005-12-31T21:24:00.000-08:00

We had to go to Vici, OK for my husbands Great grandmothers funeral this week. She would have been 99 in February! She is one lady that has seen it all. Anyhow, here are a few shots that I took on the drive!

Jonathan

2005-12-31T21:10:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of cute pictures of Jonathan tonight! Think he likes his finger much?

Noah the Skater

2005-12-31T20:07:00.000-08:00

Noah got skateboard from Santa and here are some pictures of him giving it a go. I do foresee ER trips in my near future!

2005 recap!!

2005-12-31T10:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I can say that I stole this from both Kristin and Rachel's blogs. Thanks girls!!!

JANUARY

1. New Year's resolutions? Usually I would make the resolution to lose weight. Not this year, this year it was to be a good mom with 5 kids.

2. Who kissed you at midnight? My wonderful husband, Don!

3. Did it snow where you live? I am sure it did, but nothing to write about really!

4. Have you ever been to Times Square to see the ball drop? Nope and will be OK if I never go.

FEBRUARY

1. Who was your valentine? Once again, My wonderful husband, Don.

2. What did your valentine get you? This year I got a Teddy Bear and silver and sapphire earings and necklace. I always get jewelry! I have a good hubby!!!

3. When you were little, did you buy valentines for the whole class? Most definitely! Valentines in school ranked right up there with Christmas. Mom always made Valentines super special too.

MARCH

1. Are you Irish? YEP! Half I believe!

2. Did you wear green on St. Patrick's Day? Definitely! Didn't want to get pinched!

3. What did you do for St. Patrick's Day? We generally don't do anything for St. Patty's. I think I might have made Corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes.

APRIL

1. Do you like the rain? I am not a huge fan, although we really need it here in Oklahoma.

2. Did you play an April Fool's joke on anyone this year? I doubt it. I usually don't. I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face if I did.

3. Did you get tons of candy on Easter? No, but I bought a ton (well, ok, the easter bunny brought a ton)

MAY

1. What is your favorite kind of flower? I don't know! I love all flowers honestly.

2. Do you like the spring? Love the spring and yes, it does bring tornado season, but I am so used to that after all these years.

3. Finish the phrase "April showers brings . . . May Showers!! We don't get flowers, we get more rain.

4. What would you think of as a spring color? anything pastel

JUNE

1. What year did you graduate from school? 1995

2. Did you go on any vacations in June? Nope, I had just had our 5th son, Jonathan Richard, on the 2nd of June.

JULY

1. What did you do on the 4th of July? Every 4th we go over to Don's Granddaddy Rouse's house for family, food, swimming, food and ... did I say food! This year we also went to Don's dad's house in Guthrie (country) and had purchased $400 worth of fireworks and had our own show.

2. Did you go on any vacations this month? nope!

AUGUST

1. Did you do anything special to end of your summer? Nope, Nothing!

2. What was your favorite summer memory of '05? We spent a lot of time at the lake on my parents new boat and my husbands buddy's jetski.

3. Did you go swimming a lot in the summer? No and trust me, i did everyone a favor. Nobody would have wanted to see me in a swimsuit.

4. Did you go to the beach a lot? Yeah, the beach at the lake. That is as close to beach that you will get in Oklahoma.

SEPTEMBER

1. DId you attend school/college in '05? Online at Thompson Education Direct (hey, me too)

2. Who is/was your favorite teacher? Mr. Teachout. He was our band teacher in Jr. High. I just loved him. I even had a small crush on him. hehe

3. Did you like fall better than summer? I love every season, but as soon as a new one comes, I like it better than the last. I was ready for summer to be over and Fall to start.

OCTOBER

1. What was your favorite Halloween costume ever? Wow, I don't know. I remember dressing up with a trash bag and being a punk rocker. I also remember mom dressing us in her skirts, makeup, and jewelry and being gypsies. So much fun!

2. What's your favorite candy? A snickers minus the chocolate

3. What did you dress up like this year? I didn't... I know.. I am a scrooge...

NOVEMBER

1. Whose house did you go to on Thanksgiving? Mom's, although we only used her house, I did the cooking.

2. Do you like stuffing? YUMMMMMMMMMMM!

3. What are you thankful for? I feel like I am so blessed to have all the things in my life. I have a wonderful family, wonderful friends, a roof over my head and so so so much more!

DECEMBER

1. Do you celebrate Christmas? Yes. Its one of my favorite holidays.

2. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe? When I was a kid!

3. What did you want this year for Christmas? An EOS Digital Rebel XT! That I got and then some... My hubby loves me!

4. What's the best present you ever got for Christmas? I can't think of a best. I have always gotten such wonderul presents every year. I have a very generous and thoughtful family.

5. Do you like cold weather? YES!!! love it!

6. How would you rate your year on a scale of 1-10? 6 and I only say that because I had a horrible time during my pregnancy. I cried every single day, fed my head with stuff, fought with my husband, couldn't stand my kids to be around me. It was terrible. I did finally talk to my doctor about it though and he put me on some medication that did wonders. Now I am fighting the depression of having gained weight from the meds.

Do you like to read?

2005-12-29T13:09:00.000-08:00

I read about this awesome website today. You swap books with others across the US for free. All you pay is media mail shipping costs. Check it out.... Join our club and swap paperback books for FREE - PaperBackSwap.com

Scouts caroling at the hospital

2005-12-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

Tyler and Noah are both in cub scouts. Last week our units cub scouts and boy scouts went chrismtas caroling at our local hospital. This is an annual thing for us to do. It is always so great to see the patients and patients family members happy to hear us sing. Doors will open, patients will peer out the doors, friends and family will walk out of the rooms. It brings them such happiness to see these children bringing them christmas cheer. Here are a few pictures from that night.

Our fearless cubmaster (she does such a good job!)

Tyler pushing Jonathan and singing along

Noah being a little shy

Pack 147 MWC (of course my kids are unorganized and not in a uniform)

School Christmas Program

2005-12-19T20:32:00.000-08:00

It's kind of funny how emotional I can get. Last Friday was the School Christmas Program. This was so special because it was the first time for Nicolas and Noah to do something like this. I was tearing up everytime I looked up at them on stage. Here are a few pictures.

Nicolas (5th from left in red sweater)

Noah back row singing his little heart out

Zachary looking less than pleased to be there.

Tyler (Front row, red sweater)

He can be so sweet

2005-12-19T20:19:00.000-08:00

Don and I were doing some chores this evening and while I was working on dinner, Don was in the living room straigtening up and getting ready to vacuum. He acted all silly to me because I hadn't noticed myself and then pointed out what he had done. Never thought that I would think that carpet fresh could be romantic... lol

C.

No Bake Cookies or Preacher Cookies?

2005-12-19T17:58:00.000-08:00

I have always know these cookies to be called No Bake. A friend of mine emailed a couple of her friends asking what they remembered because now that she lives in NC she has heard them referred to as Preacher cookies. I have never in my life heard that term, but after reading the little story at the end of a recipe, I think I like that name better. Here is what I found on Google...

Preacher Cookies
* 2 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick) or 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
* Dash salt
* 1/4 cup peanut butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 cups rolled oats
First take out a nice 2-quart saucepan. In it combine the sugar, cocoa, milk and margarine. Cook and stir the mixture over medium heat until the margarine melts, and the sugar dissolves. Bring the pot to a boil, and reduce the heat slightly. Simmer the mixture for several minutes, until the chocolate forms a soft ball when dropped into a bowl of cold water. This is about 234° on a candy thermometer. Remove the pan from the heat when it reaches the soft ball stage. Add the salt, peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until the peanut butter is dissolved. Finally stir in the oatmeal. The mixture may seem a little runny, but will thicken up as it cools. Drop the mixture from a tablespoon onto a sheet of waxed paper. It should form medium sized cookies. Depending on the size of the cookie, you may end up with as few as 15 or as many as 24.

***From Hillbillyhousewife.com -- This is my favorite recipe in the whole wide world. It got it's name because it could be prepared quickly when a housewife looked out her window and saw the preacher riding up the mountain on his horse. By the time the preacher arrived, the cookies were cooling. I remember family members making them for me as a kid, and I still have people calling me just to request this recipe over the phone. This one recipe could make the reputation of a good cook.

I am actually going to do some baking tonight for home and for the kids to bring to school tomorrow for their parties. Preacher cookies is one type I will be making along with, peanut butter, chocolate chip, puppy chow, rice krispie treats, fudge and possibly divinity. Good thing that Kristin and I aren't starting our diets until after the new year...

C.

New blog song

2005-12-19T08:33:00.000-08:00

I changed my holiday song. I figured that Jeff Foxworthy was a bit more accurate for us! We are a bit redneck ya know! ;) I think that this is probably Don's favorite Christmas song. He sure does know every word to it! hehe
C.

Let it snow.. Let it snow... Let it snow...

2005-12-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

Here in Oklahoma you get excited about the little things. It has been quite a while since we have had a white christmas. We have had some slick ones, but not white ones. I am starting to get my hopes up now. It is snowing today and still supposed to tomorrow.I am just crossing my fingers that we get enough to last and be pretty!

I have a bunch of pictures I want to post on here, but I am so busy trying to get stuff done for christmas.... I will get them done as soon as I have some time.

Now... off to get some things done so I can come back here!

Ciao
C.

New posts later

2005-12-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share that I will be adding lots of updates later today, but I HAVE got to get to the grocery store and get a few other things done!
Ciao for now!
C.

Boyish Charm Circle Journal

2005-12-13T17:27:00.000-08:00

Somewhere floating around the United States is my Boyish Charm circle journal that I joined with a group of moms of boys. It has a very simple look to it, but I like it. When put all together it has tons of ribbon on the rings.. Guess I didn't get a picture like that...
I have had so much fun being in the circle journal. I am ready to make a girlie one now though. Guess that would have to be something about me.
Hey Kristin ... Maybe we need to do some sort of a weight loss journal when we start our dieting!!!

Christmas Filler - Outer

2005-12-13T09:54:00.000-08:00

Stole this from Kristin's Blog! Feel free to steal from mine and post too!

1. Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog? Both!
2. Does Santa wrap the presents or just set them under the tree? Santa has everything opened, put together and set up in everyone's personal area! Not sure what he is gonna do this year with tons of stuff for 5 boys...
3. Colored or white lights on the tree/house? White
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Would if I had some, maybe I need to have the boys climb some trees.
5. When do you decorate? Generally on the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year I had the tree up a week before hand, but undecorated!
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Probably gonna have to say Christmas Breakfast. I will post a recipe for it later. It is the best!!!!
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? The thing I can remember best about Christmas as a child was when we would come out from behind the pinned up sheet and see all the goodies Santa left. It was so exciting. You would be looking at one item and all of a sudden realize there was another awesome gift to check out. All the while, mom, dad and grandma sat there happily watching us explore our new gifts.
8. How and when did you learn the truth about Santa? I was in either 2nd or 3rd grade. It was when we lived out in Paden, OK (the boonies). I remember being in the cafeteria at school that day and some kids were teasing me about believing in him still. I went home and talked to my parents about it, upset. Sure enough, they told me the truth. I remember walking up the stairs to go to my room and saying, "guess that means the tooth fairy isn't real either". I hope my kids have a few more years, but my almost 9 year old is pretty sure that we do the presents not Santa...
9. Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve? The boys open one gift on Christmas eve which just happens to be a new pair of pajamas every year. Isn't that ironic... lol Don and I have started up the tradition of opening gifts to each other also, but since I already got my presents, I might make him wait until Christmas.... We'll see.
10. What kind of cookies do you set out for Santa on Christmas Eve? We usually bake several different kinds of cookies. Things like, chocolate chip (one of Santa's favorites), peanut butter, sugar, oatmeal, no bake and more.
11. Snow! Love it or hate it? Love it Love it Love it!!!! I so want a white Christmas
12. Can you ice skate? Don't know. Never have!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I don't know that I can. I have never ever been dissappointed! Everyone is always so thoughtful and generous.
14. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you? Being with family and making them all smile or even cry when getting gifts. Here lately I cry right along with them (or even without them)
15. What’s your favorite holiday dessert? Monkey Bread is awesome, but pumpkin pie is growing on me...
16. What’s your favorite holiday tradition? All of them?!?! I love having New England Clam Chowder on Christmas Eve before going to church. I love waking up in the morning with the kids, having daddy go out to see if Santa came, opening stockings on mommy and daddy's bed, the kids running out and finding all their Santa goodies, Christmas breakfast, opening family gifts, and going to extended family and opening gifts with them! I love it ALL!!!
17. What type of tree? Artificial. I have a beautiful new slim tree from my mom this year!
18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?Giving! I love to give gifts! I wish I was rich so I could give to everyone.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Carol? Silent Night is probably my favorite all time classic, I listen to Christmas music non stop from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas though.
20. Candy Canes, YUCK or YUM? YUM!, but not too much!!!

Playing around...

2005-12-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more shots that I took tonight that I like the way they turned out!!!

Zachary glad to be out of the nursery at bowling league night!

Cousin Dustin munching on some Fries!

Bowling Alley Food!

I love you, too, Honey!!

It's here......

2005-12-11T20:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I got it. Don went to CompUSA tonight and picked it up. I can now say that I am the proud owner of a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT. It is the most awesome camera ever. I am still playing with it and haven't had all that much time to mess around, but here is a picture I have been dying to take. I have always wanted to be able to take those cool Christmas tree pictures, but they have never turned out in the past. I think that this picture could be somewhat better, but it is still pretty awesome. I will post more pictures later when I figure more out!

My heart hurts tonight....

2005-12-09T18:45:00.000-08:00

Today has been such a depressing day. It doesn't seem that much on the news is ever good. Don was working last night and heard a call go out for an apartment fire. He went to check it out and was so devastated to see the firemen working on children. He called me around 3:30am to tell me about it. The fire burned down an entire apartment building. A woman lost her whole family. She was trapped in her room and her only way out was to jump out of her 2nd story window. She nearly broke her ankle but that is nothing compared to what she has lost. She lost a 5 year old child on the scene, her 7 year old died shortly after arriving at the hospital and her 10 year old died earlier this evening. I am not sure when, but her boyfriend died from the fire also. I can't imagine losing everything so quickly. My heart hurts so badly for her and I have been crying all night thinking about it. I keep thinking that last weekend I could have been in a very similar situation. This woman seems to have a large support group of "sisters" to help her in this time of need! I will be praying for her! I believe another 19 people are without homes tonight. They will also be in my prayers.

I'm gonna be a Rebel

2005-12-08T20:46:00.000-08:00

Well the owner of a Digital Rebel XT that is. I can't believe it. I have always been so envious of those that own one and the awesome pictures that they can take with it. I have been talking a lot lately of.. when I get my rebel this and when I get my rebel that.. I never thought I would really get one. Don did some figures for the company tonight and figured out what his Christmas Bonus would be and said... Looks like we can go get that Rebel for you now!!! Yay... We are gonna go shopping for it next week. I hope I can find a good deal with lots of accessories!

What a scare!

2005-12-03T04:00:00.000-08:00

I sure am counting my blessings right now. I am usually so good about waking up when something is not right. I don't know how many times in the past I have woke up because I smelled something burning, like electrical, would wake up Don, who would not smell a thing and have to go to bed because whatever it was couldn't be found. Tonight, I didn't do that. I woke up because I was being kicked out of bed by 4 kids and Jonathan was starting to get hungry. Jonathan and I got up and headed to the living room. I smelled something and before I had time to even think about it, we were consumed by smoke. I couldn't even see through the living room. I thought for sure that it was coming from something in there. I opened doors, windows, turned on fans and was panicking because I couldn't find the source. Finally I walked further into the kitchen and on the stove was where I found the attached pictures. Thank God, our house didn't burn down. Shadow, Don's dog, who is only 8 months old even though she looks so much older than that because she is huge, had got up on her hind legs and was trying to steal the chicken bone that was left, she managed to push down the knob and turn it to high on the stove. I just can't believe that this was the worst damage. We could have so easily been on the news this morning. And, yes, that is actually one of my dinner plates on that cookie sheet. It isn't a plastic plate that just melted away, it is a porcelain dinner plate. I am going to try to get some more sleep now. It is 6:30 and I have been up dealing with this since 5am. I need a nap! Here is a picture of Shadow, the culprit...... Our, I mean, Don's 100+ lb lab/akita mix puppy....

Noah turns the big 6

2005-12-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

Wow, six years ago. Man how the time flies. He looks like such a big boy now. He has the most adorable looks, but boy oh boy, they can be deceiving lately. I guess with the age of 6, also came an attitude. I don't remember this as much with Tyler, but maybe that's because Tyler has had some pretty bad attitudes with his age. Of course he isn't all attitude. He is my most nurturing child. He loves Jonathan to death and wants to be with him all the time. He takes it upon himself to pic Jonathan up and change a diaper, even if it is dirty, dirty. He is very affectionate too, more so than the others.

Noah had a pretty good birthday today. He got some goodies from his teacher today at school. Then for dinner tonight we had all kinds of goodies... hot wings, a bean dip tray, digiorno pizzas, chips, salad, orange and strawberry pop and of coure cake. One of Noah's friends came over and gave him a remote control toyota celica. He has been driving that thing around all night. Right now he is laying down in my bed with the baby.

We will have a little family party for him tomorrow at my mom's house were we will have even more cake and more goodies. Guess I better go decide what to pull from the Christmas pile to give him tomorrow.... Ughhhh...

Here are a few pictures to enjoy of Noah being goofy! Have fun!

My start in the blogging world

2005-12-02T00:36:00.000-08:00

Well here I am with my very own Blog Spot. All my friends are doing it, so why not me too! Now to just figure out how this thing works! Be patient with me while I figure out all the ins and outs!

Boyish Charm

Update your bookmarks.... I'm moving!

What we had to go hunting for

Tagged... kindda

Summer is nearing the end...

Nicolas

Jonathan Continued...

Jonathan...

Zachary

A first for me..

Amazingly!!!

Wow..

Freaking out today!!!

6/16/06 To Do List

"I wouldn't trade places"

You'd only believe it from pictures

Sunday Family Outing

Cool finds

Noahs first lost tooth

Just loved these....

Noah's Kindergarten Graduation!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Jonathan

Been a long time...

Feeling Good...

Bear with me folks...

Craziness

Random photos...

Getting back to me...

I'm alive....

Oh the frustration

And here we go again...

Prayers for Tina

Valentines Early

Necklaces

Jonathan's 8 month birthday

I'm whooped

Tagged again...

I am so motivated

TAGGED

Weight Loss

And another that I thought was cute....

My other nephew ;)

My nephew

A day with Nana....

Duck, Duck, Goose

Beautiful FREEZING day at the park....

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Photography Class

Weekly Dinner Menu

My scale was soooo wrong

Photo Tile Picture

My honey.....

Weight Watchers

House hunting

Mom and Dad (Christmas Eve)

May the force be with you

Just some neat country pictures

Jonathan

Noah the Skater

2005 recap!!

Do you like to read?

Scouts caroling at the hospital

School Christmas Program

He can be so sweet

No Bake Cookies or Preacher Cookies?

New blog song

Let it snow.. Let it snow... Let it snow...

New posts later

Boyish Charm Circle Journal

Christmas Filler - Outer

Playing around...

It's here......

My heart hurts tonight....

I'm gonna be a Rebel

What a scare!

Noah turns the big *6*

My start in the blogging world

Noah turns the big 6