when i started blogging in april i decided i would keep a log of all of the books that i read during the year. oh. my. gosh. i need to get a hobby. besides reading. are you ready? i read 111 books this year!!! and here they are! (up until april i tried to remember what i had read so far for the year. i may have missed a few!)
Magdalane by angela hunt
dead wrong ja jance
web of evil ja jance
the little princess frances burnett
the secret garden frances burnett
dark harbor stuart woods
high school undercover jeremy iverson
short straw stuart woods
the saint ted dekker
love comes softly janette oke
yada yada prayer group get's caught neta jackson
something borrowed emily giffin
something blue emily giffin
baby proof emily giffin
smothering wendy french
after the rice wendy french
a distant tomorrow betrice small
the kadin bertrice small
you'll never nanny in this town again
the right attitude to rain andrew mccall smith
wideacre philippa gregory
friends, lovers chocolate andrew mccall smith
The Sunday Philosophy Club andrew mccall smith
the boleyn inheritance philippa gregory
the other boleyn girl philippa gregory
the constant princess philippa gregory
the queen's fool philippa gregory
the wise woman philippa gregory
the devil wears prada
skye o'malley betrice small
a single shard linda sue parks
the talisman stephen king
caddie woodlawn carol ryrie brink
baby island carol ryrie brink
oh and of course i'm not including all the books that i read to monkey or Bible reading... :)
5/17/07
i finished Vanity Fair. if you have 5 weeks, read it. it was great. but good gravy it was hard to read.
the twilight lord bertrice small
the favored child philippa gregory
the virgin's lover philippa gregory
5/30/07
The yada yada prayer group get's tough neta jackson
salem falls jodi picoult
step on a crack james patterson
can't wait to get to heaven fanny flagg
6/02/07
the good earth pearl s buck
fresh disasters stuart woods
white lies jonellen heckler
anne of green gables l m montgomery
anne of avonlea l m montgomery
love, lies and liquor m c beaton
yada yada gets rolling neta jackson
anne of the island l m montgomery
the novelist angela hunt
the heiress beatrice small
yada yada gets caught (yes again)
july 2007
death of a maid m c beaton
a woman named damaris janette oke
the pillars of the earth ken folette (fabulous book!!)
brothers angela hunt
the 6th target james patterson
the long winter laura ingalls wilder
harry potter and the half blood prince jk rowling
little earthquakes jennifer weiner
jemima j jane green
harry potter and the deathly hallows jk rowling
good in bed jennifer weiner
quaker summer lisa samson
at home in mitford jan karon
august 2007
a light in the window jan karon
invisible prey john sandford
justice denied j a jance
by the shores of silver lake laura ingalls wilder
these happy golden years laura ingalls wilder
little town on the prairie laura ingalls wilder
full of it wendy french
little house in the big woods laura ingalls wilder
the incredible shrinking critic jami bernard
on the banks of plum creek laura ingalls wilder
little house on the prairie laura ingalls wilder
these high green hills jan karon
out to canaan jan karon
divine karen kingsbury
a common life jan karon
the dead don't dance charles martin
a new song jan karon
the body in the ivy catherine hall page
september
in this mountain jan karon
innocent traitor allison weir
lost in rooville ray blackston
the list robert whitlow
chasing fireflies charles martin
maggie charles martin
40 to life dave jackson
october
the curse of the pharaohs elizabeth peters
uncharted angela hunt
the guy not taken jennifer weiner
the jewels of tessa kent judith krantz
clan of the cave bear jean auel
world without end ken follett
the mammoth hunters jean auel
november
the fugitive wife peter brown
outlander diana gabaldon
a light in the window jan karon (yes again for bookclub)
doesn't she look natural angela hunt
december
david copperfield charles dickens
yada yada gets decked out neta jackson
dark of the moon john sandford
careful use of compliments alexander mccall smith
hindi bindi club monica pradhan
dragonfly in amber diana gabaldon
a christmas carol charles dickens
voyager diana gabaldon
home to holly springs jan karon
Monday, December 31, 2007
you say you want a reSolution...
do you make new year's resolutions? i always do. and some i actually keep! a few years ago i made the resolution to floss everyday. and i don't miss often. i have a hard time with the normal ones like loose weight, quit smoking (not that i do), get organized, etc. so this year i'm going with something a little easier. i am going to try to eat an apple every day. they fill you up and are good for your teeth. and to stop with the bad language! holy cow am i a Christian or not! i need to watch my mouth. i think those are 2 things i can accomplish this year. and of course those extra pounds....
gifts
i have a hard time receiving gifts. i guess i feel like i don't deserve them or something. but people have a hard time shopping for me at Christmas because i won't tell them what i want. so this year my husband went out on a limb and made me something. he is a carpenter so it's not like it's not something he knows how to do.
the kids helped and he told a few people. and they all kept the secret. i was so excited to get it on Christmas morning. and this is it.
he made me a jewerly box! isn't it beautiful? i love it. he is going to make some dividers to go in it so my earrings don't get mixed up with my necklaces. what a great hubby!
the kids helped and he told a few people. and they all kept the secret. i was so excited to get it on Christmas morning. and this is it.
he made me a jewerly box! isn't it beautiful? i love it. he is going to make some dividers to go in it so my earrings don't get mixed up with my necklaces. what a great hubby!
Friday, December 28, 2007
simply having a wonderful Christmas time!
we had an extra-wonderful-fantastic-super-duper Christmas!!
i don't even know how to post it all...
sis was here!!
cookies for santa!
a new bike!
guitar hero and a skateboard!
dads playing with legos!
cassidy's first fire (that she almost jumped into!)
lots of love.
lots of food.
the best Christmas ever!
i don't even know how to post it all...
sis was here!!
cookies for santa!
a new bike!
guitar hero and a skateboard!
dads playing with legos!
cassidy's first fire (that she almost jumped into!)
lots of love.
lots of food.
the best Christmas ever!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Christmas programs
i wanted to wait until both of the boys had their programs before i posted so you could see the wonder of both of them at the same time! :)
monkey's was last week. they did a very cute (and short) re-telling of the Christmas story. the 4 year olds played the main parts. monkey kept saying he was a shepherd. and the bulletin said he was a shepherd. then here he comes as a sheep. and he was in the back. so i didn't get a very good picture. i was mad. oh well. look behind mary. see that thing in white? that's him.
after the program we went to the gym where they had a ton of food. and SANTA CLAUS!! (he's my favorite!) monkey wanted to sit on his lap. and i made big c too! aren't they adorable? 
big c's performance was on monday night. he is in performing arts and they are the ones that put on the "play" part of the performance. they did all the talking and the elementary school did the singing parts. it was called Bethlehem Gulch. the Christmas story cowboy style. big c was an understudy for Cookie the cook. and the boy told him he was not going to be there for the play so big c was expecting to actually do the part. well, the boy showed up. big c was so upset. anyway he did have a solo. he was an angel and sang silent night. note the backup singers. the one with the dark hair on his right is HER! the girl that he likes. very cute.
and here is a great picture of him in his angel costume. i wish he still had his halo on.
i told you the little kids did the singing. the kindergartener's and the 1st graders were the sheep. they were supposed to get a white, hooded sweatshirt and attach the ears. i think some of the parents got carried away. this little boy stood in the front row and never sang a word. but he looked so cute. the whole place was practically rolling on the floor.
monkey's was last week. they did a very cute (and short) re-telling of the Christmas story. the 4 year olds played the main parts. monkey kept saying he was a shepherd. and the bulletin said he was a shepherd. then here he comes as a sheep. and he was in the back. so i didn't get a very good picture. i was mad. oh well. look behind mary. see that thing in white? that's him.
after the program we went to the gym where they had a ton of food. and SANTA CLAUS!! (he's my favorite!) monkey wanted to sit on his lap. and i made big c too! aren't they adorable? 
big c's performance was on monday night. he is in performing arts and they are the ones that put on the "play" part of the performance. they did all the talking and the elementary school did the singing parts. it was called Bethlehem Gulch. the Christmas story cowboy style. big c was an understudy for Cookie the cook. and the boy told him he was not going to be there for the play so big c was expecting to actually do the part. well, the boy showed up. big c was so upset. anyway he did have a solo. he was an angel and sang silent night. note the backup singers. the one with the dark hair on his right is HER! the girl that he likes. very cute.
and here is a great picture of him in his angel costume. i wish he still had his halo on.
i told you the little kids did the singing. the kindergartener's and the 1st graders were the sheep. they were supposed to get a white, hooded sweatshirt and attach the ears. i think some of the parents got carried away. this little boy stood in the front row and never sang a word. but he looked so cute. the whole place was practically rolling on the floor.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
28. i got stuck in an elevator once. it was between floors and they had to pry open the doors and pull me out.
27. i got my finger stuck in an escalator when i was about 7. in the atlanta airport. trying to get to a plane to go out of town for christmas. needless to say i avoid escalators at all costs.
26. i am short. 5'2 and 1/2". my sister (who is younger than me by 13 months) is about 6 inches taller than me. we look weird standing next to each other.
25. i can knit and crochet. but i can only make scarves and blankets.
24. when i was little i used to eat mustard sandwiches
23. when i was a senior in high school i was in a hand picked group of singers. we were in a contest where a school from each state was chosen to go to california and compete to win some prize. there were 20 of us and we worked our butts off to get there. on the flight out there Menudo was on the plane with us. we got to sing on the solid gold stage and at disneyland. we didn't win but it didn't matter. it was a great time!
22. i got caught cheating in biology in the 10th grade. actually i was not cheating but i had made a cheat sheet for a friend of mine and he got caught and ratted me out. i can write really really small.
21. i wanted to change my name to keisha iliad when i was in the 10th grade. my friend jason is the only one that called me that. don't ask
20. we lived in a trailer (mobile home) for 10 years. i love living in a house that does not have wheels on it!
27. i got my finger stuck in an escalator when i was about 7. in the atlanta airport. trying to get to a plane to go out of town for christmas. needless to say i avoid escalators at all costs.
26. i am short. 5'2 and 1/2". my sister (who is younger than me by 13 months) is about 6 inches taller than me. we look weird standing next to each other.
25. i can knit and crochet. but i can only make scarves and blankets.
24. when i was little i used to eat mustard sandwiches
23. when i was a senior in high school i was in a hand picked group of singers. we were in a contest where a school from each state was chosen to go to california and compete to win some prize. there were 20 of us and we worked our butts off to get there. on the flight out there Menudo was on the plane with us. we got to sing on the solid gold stage and at disneyland. we didn't win but it didn't matter. it was a great time!
22. i got caught cheating in biology in the 10th grade. actually i was not cheating but i had made a cheat sheet for a friend of mine and he got caught and ratted me out. i can write really really small.
21. i wanted to change my name to keisha iliad when i was in the 10th grade. my friend jason is the only one that called me that. don't ask
20. we lived in a trailer (mobile home) for 10 years. i love living in a house that does not have wheels on it!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
white trash
this is one of my favorite holiday snacks. i love to make this to give as gifts to friends, teachers, mailmen (or women!), etc. my family LOVES this stuff and it's super easy to make. i'm going to post this in the style of my friend crystal.
first thing is to gather all of your ingredients together.
5 cups Cheerios (heaping cups!)
5 cups Rice Chex Cereal (heaping cups!)
10oz package mini pretzels
2 12oz packages white chocolate chips
1lb plain M&M’s
2 cups dry roasted peanuts (or cashews) if you like. i leave them out
2 Tbsp oil
(i use store brand whenever possible)
mix your dry ingredients together in a really, really big bowl. i have a 32 cup tupperware bowl that works just right.
pour the white chocolate chips and oil into a bowl. (i like a glass one) put it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted. be very careful that the bowl and the spoon are dry. any water will cause your chocolate to seize-up and you will have to throw it away.
try to keep the kids from eating all the M&M's.
your chocolate should be shiny and smooth.
pour the chocolate over the dry ingredients and start stirring. this will be hard to do as there is so much stuff in the bowl. just keep on keeping on. you will break some of the pretzels and cereal but they are still good to eat that way! stir and stir and stir until it's all coated. then lay it out on wax paper to dry. (notice i ran out of wax paper and foil works fine too.)
this is what it looks like when it's done. be prepared to share this recipe with everyone you give some to!
White Trash
5 cups Cheerios
5 cups Rice Chex Cereal
10oz package mini pretzels
2 12oz packages white chocolate chips
1lb plain M&M’s
2 cups dry roasted peanuts (or cashews)
2 Tbsp oil
first thing is to gather all of your ingredients together.
5 cups Cheerios (heaping cups!)
5 cups Rice Chex Cereal (heaping cups!)
10oz package mini pretzels
2 12oz packages white chocolate chips
1lb plain M&M’s
2 cups dry roasted peanuts (or cashews) if you like. i leave them out
2 Tbsp oil
(i use store brand whenever possible)
mix your dry ingredients together in a really, really big bowl. i have a 32 cup tupperware bowl that works just right.
pour the white chocolate chips and oil into a bowl. (i like a glass one) put it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted. be very careful that the bowl and the spoon are dry. any water will cause your chocolate to seize-up and you will have to throw it away. 
try to keep the kids from eating all the M&M's.
your chocolate should be shiny and smooth.
pour the chocolate over the dry ingredients and start stirring. this will be hard to do as there is so much stuff in the bowl. just keep on keeping on. you will break some of the pretzels and cereal but they are still good to eat that way! stir and stir and stir until it's all coated. then lay it out on wax paper to dry. (notice i ran out of wax paper and foil works fine too.)
this is what it looks like when it's done. be prepared to share this recipe with everyone you give some to! 
White Trash
5 cups Cheerios
5 cups Rice Chex Cereal
10oz package mini pretzels
2 12oz packages white chocolate chips
1lb plain M&M’s
2 cups dry roasted peanuts (or cashews)
2 Tbsp oil
Friday, December 14, 2007
i'm finally getting around to posting the pictures of some of my favorite Christmas ornaments.
when we were first married i asked for ornaments for gifts because i didn't have any. this is one that i got. it's made of tin and just the cutest painted santa!
my friend angela and i used to go to dead shows all the time. so every Christmas she send me some kind of hippie/grateful dead ornament. i love this hippie santa!
one year my sis got crafty and made gifts. this is not really an ornament but i love to put this angel on the tree. when we had a small tree she was our topper. she is made of raffia and moss.
since the year big c was born i have bought hallmark year ornaments for my kids. i wish i could get them up to the age of 18!!
do you remember the ornaments you could make with these metal outlines and you put in the colored plastic sprinkles and bake them? i don't even know if they make those any more! but this is one that i made when i was probably 8. love it!!
last year my mom decided to give all of her ornaments to my sis and i. so we had some fun dividing them up. one i have always loved is this elf who sits in a wreath and always hides way back in the tree. sorry you can't see him very well, but that's the whole idea!
big c made this at a library christmas party when he was 2 years old! i love these kinds of ornaments. and i date them all so i can remember. there are a bunch more but i just couldn't put them all on here!
this one is another one of my favs that my mom gave up. it's decoupage on the inside of a sea shell. we used to live in florida so this is very much part of my childhood. sorry it's blurry but i was taking pix as the kids were decorating and they were not being very still!!
when i was in high school i worked at mcdonalds. one year they were giving cinderella's mice, jac and gus, as ornaments. so i snagged them. so cute!!
during our first few years of marriage we were very poor. and i wanted to give gifts but just couldn't afford much so i panted a lot of ornaments and gave them as gifts. this one is wooden and i just filled it in. but it's pretty and helps me to remember the reason for the season!!
monkey made this paper plate ornament in sunday school a few weeks ago. when he got home he ran to the tree and said "see we don't need an angel on top now!" he was so pround!
this is the last one i'm going to post. when big c was little he had a huge thing for elmo. i mean really big! so i found this ornament. and he could always point it out on the tree even when he was 1. still today it's "his" ornament and only he can put it on the tree.
and this is the final results. there are a lot of things i didn't put on the tree this year because of the psycho cat. she has already taken the tree down once. hopefully next year i can put my other favs up!!
when we were first married i asked for ornaments for gifts because i didn't have any. this is one that i got. it's made of tin and just the cutest painted santa!
my friend angela and i used to go to dead shows all the time. so every Christmas she send me some kind of hippie/grateful dead ornament. i love this hippie santa!
one year my sis got crafty and made gifts. this is not really an ornament but i love to put this angel on the tree. when we had a small tree she was our topper. she is made of raffia and moss.
since the year big c was born i have bought hallmark year ornaments for my kids. i wish i could get them up to the age of 18!!
do you remember the ornaments you could make with these metal outlines and you put in the colored plastic sprinkles and bake them? i don't even know if they make those any more! but this is one that i made when i was probably 8. love it!!
last year my mom decided to give all of her ornaments to my sis and i. so we had some fun dividing them up. one i have always loved is this elf who sits in a wreath and always hides way back in the tree. sorry you can't see him very well, but that's the whole idea!
big c made this at a library christmas party when he was 2 years old! i love these kinds of ornaments. and i date them all so i can remember. there are a bunch more but i just couldn't put them all on here!
this one is another one of my favs that my mom gave up. it's decoupage on the inside of a sea shell. we used to live in florida so this is very much part of my childhood. sorry it's blurry but i was taking pix as the kids were decorating and they were not being very still!! 
when i was in high school i worked at mcdonalds. one year they were giving cinderella's mice, jac and gus, as ornaments. so i snagged them. so cute!!
during our first few years of marriage we were very poor. and i wanted to give gifts but just couldn't afford much so i panted a lot of ornaments and gave them as gifts. this one is wooden and i just filled it in. but it's pretty and helps me to remember the reason for the season!!
monkey made this paper plate ornament in sunday school a few weeks ago. when he got home he ran to the tree and said "see we don't need an angel on top now!" he was so pround!
this is the last one i'm going to post. when big c was little he had a huge thing for elmo. i mean really big! so i found this ornament. and he could always point it out on the tree even when he was 1. still today it's "his" ornament and only he can put it on the tree. 
and this is the final results. there are a lot of things i didn't put on the tree this year because of the psycho cat. she has already taken the tree down once. hopefully next year i can put my other favs up!!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
For the holiday season, I've borrowed a meme. "The Twelve Questions of Christmas" If you'd like to participate, I'd be honored to have you join in the fun.
1. Christmas is ___Love_____. [fill in the blank with ONE WORD]
2. In memories, what was the best part of your Christmases past? sneaking down early Christmas morning to look at the gifts before waking up my mom
3. Was Santa ever good to you? [describe how and what] oh yeah!! i always get what i want. i guess my fav was a portable CD player with the first lenny kravitz cd. and a members only jacket!!
4. Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or both? one on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas day. but we do santa first for the kids. then go to the in-laws and open there. then come back home and do gifts with sassy and my mom. lots of gift opening. love it!!
5. Is there something you make each and every year? [craft or recipe] white trash (recipe to come later this week)
6. What is your favorite five[5] Christmas songs/hymns? santa baby, the grinch, the first noel, i'm dreaming of a white Christmas, silver bells
7. Is there a new tradition for Christmas since your childhood days? on Christmas eve my hubby and i have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and potato chips and onion dip and watch It's A Wonderful Life. (until my mom started making us come to her house for dinner). and we love to get in the car and drive around and look at Christmas lights. the kids ask every year when we are going to do that. sometimes we do it twice!
8. Describe one of your Christmas trips. [whether it's across town or across country]
we are boring we stay home. all the good people come to us! i never spend Christmas at home as a child so i like to do that now with my own.
9. Do you have a special Christmas outfit to wear for the day? something comfortable since we will be sitting on the floor a lot and eating lots of food!!
10. Have YOU or any of your family members sat on Santa's lap? 5 years ago my sis and i had our picture taken on santa's lap. we gave it to my mom for Christmas. she loved it! and she keeps it out all year long.
11. What is/or will be on your Christmas tree this year? nothing breakable because of psycho cat!! mostly soft ornaments and handmade stuff from the kids
12. Do you/or have you decorated your yard for Christmas? i would love to but have a very busy/lazy husband. he has no time and i don't do ladders.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
you know i have been complaining all summer and fall about how dry it is here in NC. if we make it through December without getting at least 2 inches of rain it will be the driest year ever. well to top that off, this week is going to be the hottest week in December history. right now at 2:30pm it's 79 degrees. come on!!! it's December 11th for goodness sakes!! big c went to school in shorts and monkey is wearing a tank-top!!! really hard to get into the Christmas spirit with this heat!! i have some ornament pictures i want to post but i can't do it with this heat wave we are having! and some people are freezing (literally!) in this country. what a weird place i live in! 
Monday, December 10, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
december stuff
this weekend DH and big c finished the quarter pipe they have been working on. (much to my dismay! can you say 911?) but he is enjoying it sooo much. he can't wait to get home from school and jump on his skateboard and go at it. here's a pix. 
yesterday we headed to the big mills outlet mall to see santa. big c got upset when i told him we were going so i let him skip school and go with monkey and i. boy am i glad i did. we had the BEST time!! we got to the mall as it opened so it wasn't too crowded. we looked at stuff they kids wanted and stuff i wanted to look at. i did some gift shopping and they got to have lunch at the BK Lounge. (very exciting for them!) we looked at the ginormous fish tank they have at the bass pro shop. i let them get some candy at the candy store. and i had a coupon for $5 off a build a bear. since i have boys we have never done that before. oh my gosh! it was so fun. monkey had a great time! and big c is just the best brother ever!
to top off the day we went to see Enchanted. if you haven't gone, GO!! it was great. and the best part was we were the only people in the whole theater!! we had our own private screening. which was good because i laughed like an idiot!! i can't wait to see it again. it was a great family movie. go see it!
holy cow we are sooo busy this weekend. tonight we have a party. grown-ups no kids. nice for us. and tim and cathy are going with us. tomorrow monkey has a special mrs claus day at pre-school. they are going to make cookies and decorate ornaments. he is very excited. when we pick him up we are headed to cornelius for band practice. (which is about an hour drive! i could kill tim) we have a concert there in a week or so and he wants us to practice to get a feel for the place. so we won't be home until about 7. then sunday church and i'm doing the nursery at the 11:00 service. 3:00 is the cookie exchange at dan and kari's. which means while monkey is at his special saturday pre-school gig i get to make cookies and go shopping for a laptop. (keep your fingers crossed i can find a good deal!)
boy i'm pooped just thinking about it. but i got something new to wear tonight so i'm excited! and new earrings!
now i'm headed into the kitchen to try melissa's chocolate covered marshmallows and pretzel rods.
yesterday we headed to the big mills outlet mall to see santa. big c got upset when i told him we were going so i let him skip school and go with monkey and i. boy am i glad i did. we had the BEST time!! we got to the mall as it opened so it wasn't too crowded. we looked at stuff they kids wanted and stuff i wanted to look at. i did some gift shopping and they got to have lunch at the BK Lounge. (very exciting for them!) we looked at the ginormous fish tank they have at the bass pro shop. i let them get some candy at the candy store. and i had a coupon for $5 off a build a bear. since i have boys we have never done that before. oh my gosh! it was so fun. monkey had a great time! and big c is just the best brother ever!
to top off the day we went to see Enchanted. if you haven't gone, GO!! it was great. and the best part was we were the only people in the whole theater!! we had our own private screening. which was good because i laughed like an idiot!! i can't wait to see it again. it was a great family movie. go see it!
holy cow we are sooo busy this weekend. tonight we have a party. grown-ups no kids. nice for us. and tim and cathy are going with us. tomorrow monkey has a special mrs claus day at pre-school. they are going to make cookies and decorate ornaments. he is very excited. when we pick him up we are headed to cornelius for band practice. (which is about an hour drive! i could kill tim) we have a concert there in a week or so and he wants us to practice to get a feel for the place. so we won't be home until about 7. then sunday church and i'm doing the nursery at the 11:00 service. 3:00 is the cookie exchange at dan and kari's. which means while monkey is at his special saturday pre-school gig i get to make cookies and go shopping for a laptop. (keep your fingers crossed i can find a good deal!)
boy i'm pooped just thinking about it. but i got something new to wear tonight so i'm excited! and new earrings!
now i'm headed into the kitchen to try melissa's chocolate covered marshmallows and pretzel rods.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
copperfield
i finally finished david copperfield. that is one lonnnnnggggg book. but i LOVED it!! no wonder it's a classic. such great characters. you just want to beat the crap out of uriah heep. *shudder* i always wonder why people hesitate to read a big book. or anything by dickens for that matter. everytime i read something by him i'm just in awe. what great lessons he teaches.
so now i'm going to read something a little lighter. if you have not read the yada-yada prayer group books, i HIGHLY recommend them. they are great books about women of all cultures coming together to pray for each other. my bookclub loves reading them because they make such great discussion. this one will be read much faster!!
so now i'm going to read something a little lighter. if you have not read the yada-yada prayer group books, i HIGHLY recommend them. they are great books about women of all cultures coming together to pray for each other. my bookclub loves reading them because they make such great discussion. this one will be read much faster!!
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
wouldn't it be funny if i forgot to blog today? as today is the last, yes the final day of nablopomo, i think it would be just my luck for me to forget. but of course i didn't. so here is my last post for november. it has been stressful to remember to blog everyday but i also think it has shown me that i can anything if i put my mind to it. and that i am capable of stringing words together that others may enjoy reading. (or not!)
some randomness...
last night big c asked me what he should do if the girl he is interested in told him they would not make a good couple. i was heartbroken. he never asked her to "go" with him but i know he wanted to. now he is confused. i told him to just continue to be himself and be her friend. i asked him if she liked someone else. he looked at me and said "who else is there?" ah the confidence!!
we got audited yesterday for my DH business insurance. because he is self employed he has to have coverage for any employees he may have. we pay $850 a year for him to have it. but he doesn't have any employees. so i was not sure what she was going to audit us on. anyway she came yesterday. and after about 5 minutes of looking at tax returns and bank statements she told me we were going to get a percentage back. i was so happy. then she told me it was going to be $559.00!!! i about came out of my skin. i was crying and praising the Lord and yelling and laughing. and i know she thought i was a nut but when you live paycheck to paycheck like we do, that is huge!! and it will be here in 2 weeks in time for Christmas!!! you just don't know how thrilled i am. i got on the phone and called everyone i knew. (because i'm like that! i like to share stuff!) i would have called all my blogger friends but i don't have your number!!
i found out today that monkey's pre-school teacher is leaving in 2 weeks. her husband is in landscaping and because of the drought her in NC he has no work. so she has to go get a full time job. i was so sad. monkey just loves her. i'm sure the new teacher will be fine but change in the middle of the year just stinks when you are 4 years old. (or 38 like me!)
we are going to put up our tree tomorrow. this will be the earliest we have ever put it up and we have been married almost 17 years. it's really because of big c. he is determined to get it up. he even said he would put the lights on. which my DH hates to do. wish me luck!! hopefully i'll have pictures to post next week.
that's all folks. thanks for putting up with my daily postings. hope they have brought you a small measure of joy at some point or another!!
some randomness...
last night big c asked me what he should do if the girl he is interested in told him they would not make a good couple. i was heartbroken. he never asked her to "go" with him but i know he wanted to. now he is confused. i told him to just continue to be himself and be her friend. i asked him if she liked someone else. he looked at me and said "who else is there?" ah the confidence!!
we got audited yesterday for my DH business insurance. because he is self employed he has to have coverage for any employees he may have. we pay $850 a year for him to have it. but he doesn't have any employees. so i was not sure what she was going to audit us on. anyway she came yesterday. and after about 5 minutes of looking at tax returns and bank statements she told me we were going to get a percentage back. i was so happy. then she told me it was going to be $559.00!!! i about came out of my skin. i was crying and praising the Lord and yelling and laughing. and i know she thought i was a nut but when you live paycheck to paycheck like we do, that is huge!! and it will be here in 2 weeks in time for Christmas!!! you just don't know how thrilled i am. i got on the phone and called everyone i knew. (because i'm like that! i like to share stuff!) i would have called all my blogger friends but i don't have your number!!
i found out today that monkey's pre-school teacher is leaving in 2 weeks. her husband is in landscaping and because of the drought her in NC he has no work. so she has to go get a full time job. i was so sad. monkey just loves her. i'm sure the new teacher will be fine but change in the middle of the year just stinks when you are 4 years old. (or 38 like me!)
we are going to put up our tree tomorrow. this will be the earliest we have ever put it up and we have been married almost 17 years. it's really because of big c. he is determined to get it up. he even said he would put the lights on. which my DH hates to do. wish me luck!! hopefully i'll have pictures to post next week.
that's all folks. thanks for putting up with my daily postings. hope they have brought you a small measure of joy at some point or another!!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
my baby is growing up
this morning in the car on the way to school big c asked me how old i was when someone asked me out. strange thing for this for this kid to say. i told him 16. (i know) he said what about if i want to ask someone out. (now he is almost 12. it's not like he is going to be able to take a girl anywhere!) i said what do you mean ask someone out? do you like a girl at school? he said YES!! i can not believe it. this is his very first crush. he likes girls as friends and has lots of close ones but never this!! i told him that he could just tell her he liked her and would she be his girlfriend. or he could send her a note that said do you like me yes or no. he laughed at that. i asked him if he got a weird-going-to-be-sick-but-in-a-good-way feeling in his stomach when he saw her? he said YEAH!! that's what it's like. (i'm thinking oh great!) i told him that kissing may be involved at some point. and monkey piped up and said why would a boy want to kiss a girl? big c said you will understand one day when you grow up!! i just laughed and laughed. i was so excited that he actually talked to me about this. don't you think that means he respects me and my opinion? then i gave him some advice on how to treat a girl. carry her books, open doors for her (which he is really good at already but reminders never hurt!) tell her she looks nice and send her nice notes. i can't wait to see him this afternoon and find out how it went. i'm nervous for him!!!
of course as soon as he got out the car i called my DH and told him all about it. he said we could all go to the movies together and he could sit with her and not with us. so i will mention that to big c.
i am welling up just thinking about this. i want my kids to grow up but not yet!! what a special kid he is
of course as soon as he got out the car i called my DH and told him all about it. he said we could all go to the movies together and he could sit with her and not with us. so i will mention that to big c.
i am welling up just thinking about this. i want my kids to grow up but not yet!! what a special kid he is
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
holiday questionnaire
20 holiday questions from crazy mama
what is your...
1. Favorite winter beverage? egg nog!! or mulled wine...
2. Fave Christmas candy? chocolate covered cherries
3. Fave candy cane flavor? peppermint color? red and white
4. Favorite Christmas cookie? wedding cookies or ambrosia!!
5. Favorite Christmas song? Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt to sing? THE GRINCH! to listen to? see my playlist!! THOSE ARE ALL MY FAVS!
6. Fave Christmas movie? A Christmas Story
7. Fave Christmas story? The Tale of Three Trees
8. Fave Christmas colors? red and green
9. actual color scheme for your decor? HA HA THAT’S FUNNY!! I have never had a color scheme for anything except my wedding and only then because my mom insisted!
10. Fave Christmas tradition? as a kid? Sneaking open the wrapped presents with my sister. Decorating the tree. with your own family? Driving around looking at Christmas lights, baking cookies and putting cookies out Christmas eve for Santa.
11. Tree topper? star? Angel? other? do tell! we have a tacky light up star that my mom bought us. it's way too heavy for the tree and my husband is always trying ways to rig it to stay up.
12. Christmas lights display?your house? to drive by? small bulbs? large bulbs? white? multi colored? simple? Griswald? I LOVE lots of lights. But since my hubby is a humbug we never have them on our house. I do like to put them on the hand rails on the front porch but I can never convince him to get up and do a Griswald. I like big, small, tacky, with lots of stand up stuff in the yard. The more the merrier I say!
13. Fave holiday icon collection?? Santa? nativity? snowmen? I like snowglobes and penguins and monkey loves nutcrackers
14. Christmas card? picture? letter? I don’t have time for a letter but it would be nice. I love getting holiday letter from people that make them rhyme!! That’s RAD! We do picture cards. So the family can see the cute kids. and I let the boys decide what they want to do for the picture. Wait till you see this years!!
15. what is more fun for you White Elephant? or Draw secret Santa names? I like secret Santa. But we buy a gift and make it a toy that reminds you of that person then give it to toys for tots.
16. Holiday budget? extravagant or low budget? what do you wish it was? Always low budget but I wish one year we never had to worry about money and could get whatever we wanted for everyone!! and i love to give to charities and i want to be able to give more but never can. This year hubby and I are not exchanging gifts because we are soooo broke!!
17. Tree? real or fake? prelit ? Green or flocked? I prefer a real one but we have a fake.
18. best gifts are? homemade? or store bought? Either. As long as they are given with love and not re-gifted like my sister-in-law does.
19. which is better in your opinion? surprises galore? or being sneaky and peeking? I used to be a peeker but now I like to be surprised.
20. do you do thank you cards for Christmas gifts? I do the cards but rarely do they make it to the mail box. Stamps are so expensive! Hopefully this year I can do that part right!
what is your...
1. Favorite winter beverage? egg nog!! or mulled wine...
2. Fave Christmas candy? chocolate covered cherries
3. Fave candy cane flavor? peppermint color? red and white
4. Favorite Christmas cookie? wedding cookies or ambrosia!!
5. Favorite Christmas song? Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt to sing? THE GRINCH! to listen to? see my playlist!! THOSE ARE ALL MY FAVS!
6. Fave Christmas movie? A Christmas Story
7. Fave Christmas story? The Tale of Three Trees
8. Fave Christmas colors? red and green
9. actual color scheme for your decor? HA HA THAT’S FUNNY!! I have never had a color scheme for anything except my wedding and only then because my mom insisted!
10. Fave Christmas tradition? as a kid? Sneaking open the wrapped presents with my sister. Decorating the tree. with your own family? Driving around looking at Christmas lights, baking cookies and putting cookies out Christmas eve for Santa.
11. Tree topper? star? Angel? other? do tell! we have a tacky light up star that my mom bought us. it's way too heavy for the tree and my husband is always trying ways to rig it to stay up.
12. Christmas lights display?your house? to drive by? small bulbs? large bulbs? white? multi colored? simple? Griswald? I LOVE lots of lights. But since my hubby is a humbug we never have them on our house. I do like to put them on the hand rails on the front porch but I can never convince him to get up and do a Griswald. I like big, small, tacky, with lots of stand up stuff in the yard. The more the merrier I say!
13. Fave holiday icon collection?? Santa? nativity? snowmen? I like snowglobes and penguins and monkey loves nutcrackers
14. Christmas card? picture? letter? I don’t have time for a letter but it would be nice. I love getting holiday letter from people that make them rhyme!! That’s RAD! We do picture cards. So the family can see the cute kids. and I let the boys decide what they want to do for the picture. Wait till you see this years!!
15. what is more fun for you White Elephant? or Draw secret Santa names? I like secret Santa. But we buy a gift and make it a toy that reminds you of that person then give it to toys for tots.
16. Holiday budget? extravagant or low budget? what do you wish it was? Always low budget but I wish one year we never had to worry about money and could get whatever we wanted for everyone!! and i love to give to charities and i want to be able to give more but never can. This year hubby and I are not exchanging gifts because we are soooo broke!!
17. Tree? real or fake? prelit ? Green or flocked? I prefer a real one but we have a fake.
18. best gifts are? homemade? or store bought? Either. As long as they are given with love and not re-gifted like my sister-in-law does.
19. which is better in your opinion? surprises galore? or being sneaky and peeking? I used to be a peeker but now I like to be surprised.
20. do you do thank you cards for Christmas gifts? I do the cards but rarely do they make it to the mail box. Stamps are so expensive! Hopefully this year I can do that part right!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
hair cut
FINALLY!! sorry it has taken me sooo long to post these pictures. i know you have all been anxiously awaiting them! this is a before picture. 
it was so long i could hold it out and keep my arms straight. now that's a LOT of hair!
ok here is the new me!
actually when i cut it it was very blond. so the before picture does not do justice to the radical change in color. from very long to very short and very light to very dark (for me!). it's much easier to take care of and i don't have to plan on getting up an hour earlier when i want to go anywhere!!
thanks for your patience!
it was so long i could hold it out and keep my arms straight. now that's a LOT of hair!ok here is the new me!
actually when i cut it it was very blond. so the before picture does not do justice to the radical change in color. from very long to very short and very light to very dark (for me!). it's much easier to take care of and i don't have to plan on getting up an hour earlier when i want to go anywhere!!
thanks for your patience!
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