Southard Family

End of the Year

2011-01-12T11:18:00.014-05:00

so obviously i'm behind on my blogging entries. but, i don't own a computer.
i know, i know... the 21st century and i don't have a computer... but our computer broke a year ago. (it was ancient anyway) and we've never replaced it. I do have access at work, but when you are busy, we don't really get a chance to play online.

So, here i am... first part of January and i haven't talked about Thanksgiving or Christmas. We have been snowed in for 3 days. ( i know, weird in Knoxville. Well, when it snows here, they don't have the man power to get it off the roads. so only the main roads get taken care of.)
So the end of 2010 was fantastic. Jon came in from Idaho to stay for the holidays. It was so nice spending time with him. He comes over and hangs out with the kids, then spends time with the adults having fantastic conversations. In depth and makes us think. It's great having another adult around the house to give a different perspective on life.

Then for Thanksgiving Brian and Christina came into town. And so did Dave and Rachael. Talk about fun. everyone together again. (well, except for Ben who is on his mission in the Dominican Republic.) Steph had her friend David come into town. And our family friend, Heather, was able to come for the weekend as well. There is always so much food around. Everyone is always eating. We have such fantastic variety of food. Something for everyone. Thanksgiving day we ate and ate then played football in the yard with everyone.

If you have ever been around the Ader clan while they have been adults... you are up for some fun. The range of conversations we can have. because everyone has done so many different things and been to so many different places... not to mention the wide variety of things we have studied in school. WOW. It's like getting a brain workout. You will come away with your mind spinning...

Taison and Daimon love when "the uncles" come into town. They spent time in the woods, and in the tree house... they even built a new fort in the woods.

For Christmas Grandma Stuart was able to come into town for a couple weeks... it was fun talking with her and spending time with her. (i'm not sure she had fun, but we had fun with her.) it was a good excuse to go shopping to all the little boutiques and flee markets around town that we don't usually get to go to. Everyone else came back for Christmas too. Tried Para sailing in the park

They played in the woods and made a rope swing.

and of course we went zip lining in the Smoky Mnts.

On Christmas we weren't able to shoot off Rockets like we have done for several years because the weather was too bad. But we ate (Sean made Prime Rib!!!)
and played games inside all day. Not to mention all the presents and fun.

So between the conversations, the baking and eating, and the fun adventures, we had a great holiday.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-11T16:08:00.002-05:00

Taison - Grave Protector
Daimon - Alien
Jaison - Puppy

Taison and Daimon loved picking out Jaison's costume. I loved having a the chance to finally dress one of my kids up in a costume that wasn't scary, or didn't have masks.
But, my kids are set on "being cool"
Taison and Daimon specifically pick out costumes that are cool.
"cause we don't want the other kids to make fun of us, mom..."

I'll get a few more years from Jaison that i will get to pick out cute costumes instead of "cool" ones.

First Hair Cut

2010-11-10T16:03:00.004-05:00

Jaison's First Haircut.
Poor kid.
Only 7 months old...
he didn't seem to mind though

County Fair

2010-09-15T17:44:00.005-04:00

The Knox County Fair comes around once a year...(duh)
And we go every year.
The fair here is nothing like the ones back west.
At least in both Idaho Falls and Coeur d' Alene
They are way way bigger and better then the one here.
but, we still go.
and we still have a good time.

This year the boys got to milk Elsie The Cow. They each rode a few rides, played a few games and they actually brought home a pet... I don't have pictures of the pet quite yet...
Normally if you bring home a pet from the fair, it's like a gold fish they win at a game... Oh NO. Not this family. We go all out! LOL.
Stay Tuned for more info on Zeke...

Here are just a few pics I snapped while at the fair. I didn't get near as many as i would have liked... but, oh well.

Using all the Garden Leftovers

2010-09-08T15:07:00.003-04:00

Last nite for dinner I made Pierogis with Kielbasa sausage. This is a favorite of mine. I think that my brother, Dave and I made it up while we were in college. We often ate dinner together (do you know how much easier it is to cook for two instead of just one)It was just one of those things that we threw together that worked well.

This recipe is great for using all your leftover summer garden veggies.

Kielbasa and Pierogi

1 Kielbasa link sliced in 1/2 inch rounds
1 box of Pierogi (you can find these usually in the freezer section by the ravioli)
1 medium onion diced or sliced
3 tomatoes, or 1 can of diced tomatoes
1-2 zucchini diced (depending on the size. last nite i actually only used a half of one because it was one of those ones that you missed while picking so it was extra large)
1/3 cup of mushrooms (fresh or a small can will work)
1/4 cup bell pepper diced (i used half of a green one. i didn't want to overload the taste with pepper)
2 TLBS of garlic finely diced
salt
pepper
season salt

In Large sauce pan saute onion, garlic, green peppers and mushrooms.
Boil diced zucchini in salt water for 5 mins
Add the zucchini to the saute
Add Kielbasa
Simmer until meat is heated through, and the veggies are fork tender
Boil pierogi in separate pot until they float to the top.
Add pierogi to veggies.
Add Tomatoes
Cook for additional 10 mins or so.(just until pierogi can soak up some flavor from the veggies)
Sprinkle with salt, pepper and season salt to taste (i usually just use season salt. about at TBLS worth)

Serve
Enjoy!

Zipping!

2010-08-24T16:40:00.000-04:00

My family and I went zipping last sunday... yes... on sunday. My brother, Brian, and his girlfriend, Christina, work as tour guides. My cousin Jesse also works there. So, mid summer i went down with them and went zipping over the tree canopy. It was so much fun. But the rest of my family wanted to go as well. So, sunday we took a trip down to Gatlinburg to enjoy the day as a family. Dave was in town so he was able to go as well. We stopped first at a watering hole. we had a picnic lunch and played in the water. Then we went to the zip line place. It was so much fun. Taison and Daimon were able to strap on with an adult and go as well. Daimon is apparently the littlest one to go ever. so he was excited about that. We had such a good time. Such a rush... And what a beautiful view! You look out right over the Smokey Mountains. Dave took a few pictures of everyone. If you have never been zipping before... you should go! it's worth every dime!

Utah

2010-08-24T13:42:00.000-04:00

As i quickly mentioned before, we made a impromtu trip to Utah this summer for my grandfather's funeral. The reason for being there of course sucked, but what a great chance to see family that i haven't had a chance to see in years. I had such a good time. I wanted to stay another few weeks... but, work is work... My mom, Steph, and my kids and I drove my van out. We hit construction and bad weather both ways... but, really it wasn't a bad drive.... and that's with 3 boys...

At the funeral and the lunch afterwards was when the whole family was together. i can't believe i'm related to so many people that i don't know!!! everyone looked familur... and i could usually guess who's kid went to what parent... but, there just wasn't enough time to catch up with everyone.

My favorite times while we were there is when we would sit around my Grandma's back deck and visit. That's when I felt like i really got the chance to get to know everyone so much better. Kim and Matt are about my age... but, we've never really spent much time together since we've been adults. It was so nice being able to bond with them and get to know their kids a little more. We have so much more in common then i thought we did. It was so much fun rememinsing the old days and hearing stories of their families. I was able to spend a little time at Debbie's house as well. I went to her house for a tour. But, in each room I was able to hear a different story about her, or her family. it was fantastic! Of course, we stayed at Julie's house. because they lived the closest to us for so long we know their family, it seems, the best. It was so good to see them, and see how old Julie's kids have gotten, but how young Julie still looks. We were able to spend a little time with Dan's family and Lori's family. I spent not near enough time catching up with Brooke (who was always my bestest cousin.) Dave and Jon were able to come into town as well. It's always so much fun to spend time with both of them. i don't get to see them as much as i would like. I'm so glad that my siblings and i are so close.

And then, of course, Grandma. She is such an amazing woman. She has raised such a fantastic family. She held up so well at the funeral and throughout that week. She was so funny. She would tell a story about Grandpa from years ago. She would have us all laughing so hard, and then she would end up with tears. Laughing to crying and back again in a matter of seconds.

She has such a fantastic heart. She spent one evening playing board games with a few of the great grandkids. they loved it so much. Grandpa and Grandma were so happy for so many years. Grandpa was such an amazing man. He was funny and extremely smart. The only problem was that as kids we knew he was brilliant, but he would tease us so much that we didn't know whether or not to believe what he was telling us. He had such a strong testimony of the gospel. Of family, and the importance of it. He left behind an incredible legacy. He did so many things in this world. Did the world know who he was? no, but, they should have!

These are some of my favorite pictures that were taken that week.

Crazy summer

2010-08-18T16:40:00.003-04:00

This has been one crazy summer. the time has flown by. July we moved our work location. (that was an ordeal!!!) Then my grandfather passed away so we made a impromptu trip to Utah. Then we had major flooding at the new work location. (even a bigger ordeal) before i could blink, the kids were starting back to school!
I'm working on several blog entries, but i wanted to at least post something saying that we survived the summer and there will be lots of pictures and stories coming soon! (not that anyone reads this blog but me... but, its my poor excuse for a journal...)

my first link party

2010-07-03T16:19:00.002-04:00

i just linked to my very first link party... big step for me in the blog world...
to check it out, click on my very first button....
( i think... man there is a lot to learn in this whole blog world thing...)

Flag Decor

2010-07-03T16:03:00.003-04:00

I so wish I had time to make this today! It is so cute and would look so good with my table decor for tomorrow. I'm so impressed Jamara. you are so crafty.

Oh well, there is always next year.

"I'm bored!"

2010-07-03T16:00:00.000-04:00

If you have kids like mine, by now all you are hearing is: I'm Bored! There's nothing to do..."
So, i thought i'd try out a list. (i'm a list freak. i make lists for everything)

I made it very simple. that way they could decorate it if they wanted to. (of course they didn't want to)
Then i laminated it so they can check off with a dry erase marker what they've done so far.
Then, everytime they are bored, they can look at their list and see something that they wanted to do this summer, and do it!
I'm not sure if it's going to work or not, but for now, it's keeping them occupied!

In My Next 30 Years

2010-07-02T17:01:00.005-04:00

When i Turned 30 (wait, what? i'm still 29!) I had a bit of nastalgia. Looking back seeing what i've accomplished in my life... and what i want to accomplish in my next 30 years.
A friend of mine is turning 30 so i made this little book for her.

On the inside i copied the words to the song "in my next 30 years"
Then just left blank paper.
This is where she can write her "bucket list" all the goals that she wants to accomplish. all the things she wants to do and see.

If someone only made me one of those... i might of done something more exciting with my life... well, probably not...

Silverware caddy

2010-07-02T16:52:00.003-04:00

I've always wanted a silverware caddy. You know, one of those things you use to put silverware in when you are having a BBQ or outdoor party. or a get together...
well, I have enough parties to justify the cost of one, but i just can't find the right one.
Well, for the 4th of July i'm having a get together with my family, and i needed something for the silverware... not to mention something patriotic for the table. so, this is what i came up with.

I used Mason jars that i have for my canning. I had some scraps of red ribbon, an old pair of jeans, and some burlap left over....
Not bad for a free silverware caddy!!!

Silly Bands

2010-06-28T16:47:00.004-04:00

Silly Bands, Silly Bands, Who's Got the Silly Bands???

My kids are obsessed with them. I hope they aren't the only ones. (I doubt they are though since just about every kid i see has them lined up their arms)

My kids just got a few more of them with their own money this weekend.

They decided to be nice and share with their little brother. He didn't seem to care about them either way. (though, he's only 4 months so i wasn't expecting a huge response to it. lol)

But, here they are, posing together showing the camera their bands!!!

Does that mean i'm a part of the "in crowd" since they gave me the "dumb girly ones" to wear????

Stuffed Squash

2010-06-28T16:10:00.004-04:00

It's Summer Time!!! Yellow squash from the garden.... I can't wait for the tomatoes and zucchini to be ready. I made this for dinner the other nite... It was fabulous! I thought I would share. Normally I wait and make stuff zucchini, but this worked just as well!

Stuffed Yellow Squash

(the amounts of each item just depends on personal taste and the amount you want to make)
Ground Sausage (Breakfast or Italian)
Onion
Garlic
Green pepper
Tomato
Egg
Croutons
Yellow Squash or zucchini
Cheese
Salt and Pepper

Brown sausage in skillet until cooked through.
Dice onion, garlic, green pepper, tomato, and half of small squash. - approx all the same size
(you can peel the squash a little if you feel you need to.)
Put all together in Large bowl.
Add an Egg, and crushed croutons to the mix.
(i crushed mine pretty small, but you could do just a rough chop to get little pieces or use small croutons. you could also use bread crumbs if you didn't have croutons)
Stir in shredded cheese
(this time i used a combo of Parmesan, mozzarella, and cheddar because that's what i happened to have.... but, play with this. a few different combos could be really good.)
Season the filling with salt and pepper.
(this time i also added a few crushed red pepper flakes and some season salt. play with the seasonings that you like)
Put the bowl aside.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise, and with a spoon hollow out the middle.
(Mainly just getting the seeds out, leaving a bowl shape.)
see pic below:

Sprinkle a little olive oil over them and season with a little salt and pepper.

Take your mixture of veggies and meat and spoon as much as you can into each squash.
(I pack mine as tight as possible cause i really like the filling)

Place in the oven at 375 for about 30 mins.
(keep checking. the smaller ones only took about 25 mins. The larger ones needed a little extra time to get soft enough to eat. You want the squash to be soft enough to put a fork into.)

The last 5 mins I pull it out and sprinkle a little more cheese on the top.

Perfection.
This recipe is great for changing around. I like to add different things in there depending on what is ready in our garden... You could certainly change up some of the seasonings to make it taste a little Italian. Add or take away flavors depending on heat preference and veggie preference.
I think next time i might had a little rice to the mix and make it more like stuffed peppers...
We'll see how that one turns out.
I think i prefer it with the zucchini... but, the yellow squash was great this way.

Father's Day Present

2010-06-23T17:42:00.006-04:00

This is my version of this Father's Day present.
I showed that site to Christina, my bro's girlfriend, and we decided to do it our own way.

I actually wanted a round one. (like a small hat box) but i couldn't find one anywhere. (there isn't a craft store around me...) But this one worked fine.

We used sand paper to rough up the outside. Then i modge podged the paper around the container. Christina and I used my cricut to make the letters. One side says Nuts. and the other side says Shells. (this is the part that would've looked better had the container been round.) Then I modge podged over top of it all.

For the lid I used sand paper, then actually spray painted it first before adding the paper. That way the edges would match instead of the green it was.

On the inside i just cut some cardboard to make the separation. Then i modge podged the matching paper on it for good measure...
I just used glue dots to secure it down and keep it in place. That' was totally Christina's idea and it worked great!

it didn't turn out like i wanted, but it works for the purpose it holds...

Good thing my dad isn't too picky!

Eating for Real

2010-06-23T17:35:00.002-04:00

Jaison is 4 months. Yes, he is eating. Yes, its real food. Yes, he is a mess...
This is his first time eating out of a spoon.

He's not sure if he likes it yet. sometimes he is okay with it. other times he just wants a bottle!

Pork Tenderloin

2010-06-04T14:23:00.003-04:00

I've never cooked Pork tenderloin before. I like pork... but i generally don't like cooking it. I can never get it to cook right, and it ends up dry.

however, my hubby brought home a pork tenderloin to try. so we did.

We found a receipe online at foodnetwork.com however, i can't find it again.

and we changed it a bit anyway...

Can i just tell you how easy it was... and it was so good!

we slathered in tenderloin in garlic, rosemary and tyme. then wrapped the whole thing in prosciutto. I didn't think to take pics until it was already wrapped.

we baked it in the oven for about an hour and a half...

(we used a meat thermometer, so we took it out when it was done.)

It was so juicy and delicious! even the kids liked it.

next time i share a receipe, i'll be sure to actually have the receipe.

coasters

2010-06-04T13:55:00.004-04:00

So, I made some coasters. I realized i needed some when i saw rings in the wood of my nightstands. All the humidity in the air makes the cups sweat, which makes a circle in my wood... Hence the reason i needed some coasters. I'm too cheap to buy any. So... this is what i did...

I had a few old tiles from Lowes. They were about 10 cents a piece. I hot glued some felt circles on the back. I had some left over from when we got hardwood floors and I had to put it on all our furniture...if you don't have these, you could always make your own felt pads with some material scraps.

I used some material scraps and traced the tile.

Then I mod podged the tile. Laid the material down, waited for it to dry a little then mod podged over the top. I actually did several coats on the top.

They turned out really well. They work great. and it didn't cost me hardly anything to do. you could take it a step further and make your coasters match your bed covers or curtains... but, like i said ... i'm too cheap and just used whatever scraps i had. I'm sure you could also do some embellishments too, but i'm going with the simple, user friendly coasters. besides. i have to talk the boys in my house into using them. do you think i'd be able to do that if the coasters were covered in bows and flowers??? LOL

chalkboard tags update

2010-06-04T13:34:00.004-04:00

What do you think now that it has the chalk on it. I personal love it!

I'm thinking about doing some decorating in the kitchen... maybe i'll use this as my inspiration.

Now if i could only get the chives to grow! lol

chalkboard tags

2010-05-21T12:34:00.005-04:00

My boys got me a "grow herbs yourself" kit for mothers day. (even though they grow out in the garden... i thought it was a fabulous gift.)

Well, they helped me plant the seeds and water them. And they have sprouted. I thought they looked so cute sprouted in their clay pots. But, then I see the little tag in the dirt that says what they are.... and thought it was such an eye sore.

So, i thought, " oh how cute it would be if i wrote on the pots with chalk what it is... that way i can erase it when its done and replant something else in it..."

Then, i took it one step further and thought i could actually use my chalkboard paint and make alittle square on the clay pot itself and write on that! how adorable!!!

So, i had a plan and they were going to be so cute!

I made it way too hard on myself. I'm too cheap to buy what i really need for a project, so i improvise and make it harder then it has to be... Maybe thats why i always say that i'm not a crafty person. lol

Well, the chalkboard paint i happen to already have was in a spray can. so instead of getting a bottle of stuff i could paint with a brush... i taped off a square area on each of the pots and sprayed away.

DISASTER!

the tape wouldn't really stick cause the clay pots were so damp. so, the paint got underneath some of the tape where it was coming off... Then, the spray got all over everywhere. not just the square, or the tape around the square... but, the table i was doing it on. the other pots that i wasn't currently painting, all over my hubby's hands ( he was trying to help by covering the actual plants so they wouldn't get sprayed and die)

Needless to say this project was a lot more difficult then it should've been had I had just gone to the store and got a bottle of the paint i could use a brush with...

Oh well... now i know...

and they didn't turn out too too bad. as long as you don't look close.

hopefully now i can print really cute on there the names of the herbs. I'll take a pic after i've labeled them and update this post....

Office/Guest Room turned into Baby's Room

2010-05-18T13:40:00.009-04:00

My house is little. We really need a house about twice this size. but, It's ours.... so, i love it anyway. However, before the baby was born we had to change the guest room/ office into a bedroom for the baby.

The walls were a dark hunter green. The furniture I had for the room is white. So I decided to repaint the walls a lite brown color, and stick with the white furniture.

I wish i had some pictures of what it was like before we starting painting and you could see how crowded that room was .... we had things stuffed every where. We moved the computer stuff in my bedroom (even though its not working. I never understood that. Why have the computer hooked up, wasting electricity, and the computer doesn't even work. not to mention paying for Internet service which we can't use right now.... but that's a whole other story...)

So, I painted the walls and rearranged the furniture. It still serves as a guest room. it just also is Baby Jai's room too. The biggest problem i have now is that there are no decorations in the room at all. Nothing on the walls... i just don't know what i want. Maybe a little white shelf? Maybe a few framed pictures? any suggestions?

Spring Summer Blocks

2010-05-18T13:10:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I got my Cricut! It's a Cricut Expressions. I need to play with it more to see what it can really do... but, I'm getting pretty good at cutting out letters for our vinyl signs. LOL

I wanted to post pictures for the final project on my blocks. Instead of just doing Spring blocks, I decided to utilize the back side of the blocks to and make a summer one. So one side says Spring and is in spring colors, the other side says Summer and is in summer colors...

If i were to do it over again. i would have used coordinating paper on both sides. That way my embellishments could hang over the sides and tops and not clash with the other side....

I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out though.

They were super easy.

step 1: cut the wood blocks to different sizes (you can really use any scrap wood you have. I think mine is about 1inch thick. but they are all different widths, cause i used scraps)

step 2: sand down the blocks

step 3: stain the wood blocks. (my mom did some and she painted the blocks a antique white instead and it looked good that way too!)

step 4: trace the block sizes on the the paper.

step 5: Cut out the letters in coordinating colors to the paper you chose.

step 6: MODGE PODGE. I modge podged the paper on. then when it was dry I did a top coat, and laid the letters down. When it was dry I did a coat over the whole thing.

step 7: Embellish!

See - easy peasy!

Good project for those who want simple decor that can be used for numerous seasons.

Sleep?

2010-05-18T12:33:00.004-04:00

I know you've seen the Lunesta commercials showing the uncomfortable tossing and turning all nite. waking up exhausted, because you can't sleep. Then - in comes this Sparking Lunar Moth that just flits around. And all of sudden you are fast asleep in a peaceful good nites rest...

Well, the other day at work what did I see??? A lunar moth. it came and sat down next to me.

It was awesome.

Does that mean that I sleep too much? or that i need to get more sleep?

Um. I'll have to think about that one...

:)

The Middle

2010-05-18T12:24:00.007-04:00

Have you ever seen the TV sitcom, The Middle? if not, you should watch it. atleast one time. I think its pretty funny. Well, the son, Brick, has few personality quirks. One of them is repeating himself under his breath, and saying to himself "I'm Lying"

Well, Daimon, I think, looks a lot like him. I guess several of the teachers in school also think he looks like Brick...so....We got Daimon to do a scene of his...

This is the video... And yes, that's me laughing in the back ground.

Enjoy :) its not a funny video if you have not seen the show...

Jaison

2010-05-06T12:44:00.002-04:00

He is starting to giggle. He is smiling like crazy. Especially at his Dad and brothers. I think they will have a special bond! (called sports lol)

Everytime I get the camera out he stops smiling though... oh well. soon i'm sure i'll get some good ones... but, here is one until then.

He is getting so big.

Cricut

2010-04-22T11:57:00.002-04:00

So, those of you in the craft world... i'm sure you know what i'm talking about when i say " I have to have Cricut!" Okay, so i don't have to have one... in fact, i can't even justify spending the money on one... i've lived my entire life with out one... i've done plenty of craft projects with out one... however.... I HAVE TO HAVE ONE.
Well, my wish has come true... I still can't justify spending the money on one... but, I did talk my dad into buying one for work. We are opening up a new store and need a bunch of signs. we priced out vinyl signs and it's ridiculous... so, i went with the argument that Cricut can do all that.... and it's not THAT much.... and vinyl is cheap....
Well, apparently I won that debate, cause we are getting one!!!! Yeah!!! I'm so excited I can't hardly stand it. He decided that he needs to get the Cricut expression???? I actually know NOTHING about the Cricut. So, it will be a learning experience...
However, i've been out in Blog world looking at all the cute crafts i can do with a Cricut.
A whole new world has opened up. LOL

My first Cricut project...
Lindsey @ Inspiring Creations has a tutorial for these Spring Blocks. (it makes me sound like i know who she is... I think she is fantastic, even if i've never even talked to her)
Well, These spring blocks were so cute i just had to try making them... or something like it. I actually started to make them... All i have left is to put the letters on the blocks! (that's where the cricut will come in handy)
I'll try to post some pictures soon of how mine turned out... Hopefully, we'll get the Cricut sooner then later and i can start playing....

So THIS is how it's going to be...

2010-04-08T14:36:00.006-04:00

we are part way through month 4 this year... and this is my first post. So much for New Year's resolutions. I have all of these great ideas for posts and just don't get to them. My biggest hold up on this one was pictures. I wanted to post pics of baby Jaison. I have a brother who is a photographer... do you think i have any pics yet of my baby? NONE. well, that's not true. A few weeks after Jaison was born, Dave came down and took like 200 pics... He put it on a zip drive for me... do you think i ever remember to grab the zip drive on my way to work? no, of course not. I keep thinking when my life is more organized i can get pictures done... And just when i think that's going to happen.... my computer breaks down, my washing machine breaks... my toilet starts leaking... and work - well, work is a whole other story...

So, i've come to the realization that chaos is my life organized. Organized chaos... as long as i can handle that... I'm set! LOL

So, with no further Adu -

BABY JAISON

He was due on Feb. 6th. On the 11th I went in for a stress test. I wasn't dilated at all. But, the doctor said that we could induce... Well, of course i said okay! So, I got settled into the hospital. Sean went back to work. I told him i'd call him when things started happening... They started the pitocin about noon that day. The doctor came in shortly there after and broke my water. A few hrs later I got my epidural. And Sean came back in later that evening. My mom and Stephanie came as well. To make a long boring story short... I went from nothing to all the way in a matter of a few mins. And at 10:30pm Jaison Michael was born. He weighed in at a hefty 6 lbs 12 oz. We stayed in the hospital for 2 days. I came home Saturday. Sunday was my day off work... And Monday morning i starting working.... Okay, well... I answered the phones from home. So, not really working... but, still had to deal with work stuff. The following week I went back to work... Short maternity leave. But, that's what i get for having the baby during the busiest time of year.

The pics below are from a few weeks later.

1st Bath!

Look at all those curls!

Writing in December about December...

2009-12-14T12:37:00.003-05:00

Amazing... lol

I'm really going to make it my goal for next year to update the blog more....

I can't believe it's 12 days before Christmas. Not one christmas cookie has been made, not a single christmas card has been sent out...not any lights on our house... presents??? yeah right...

Unfortunately our family has been pretty sick the past couple of weeks. My kids are lucky to have gotten dinner... let alone christmas crafts, cookies, lights or presents...

i just have not had any energy to do anything. Being pregnant i can't take a whole lot for this "virus" that has taken hold of our house. I can't sleep at night cause i stay up coughing... My poor hubby keeps sleeping in the guest room so he doesn't have to hear me all night.

My kids are fed... balanced meals? if you can consider frozen pizza and chicken nuggets a square meal, then yes.... They have clean clothes. not folded or put away, but they are able to go through the mountain of clean clothes to find something to put on. Sean and i have been able to attend their christmas programs and lunches at school. Did i look cute? no. Did i talk to any other parent? no... but, i was there... and we were able to support our children.

Alas, we are starting to feel a little better. Hopefully i can wade through the dr appointments and cleaning this week to have time to make a few crafty projects and treats for christmas.

I did however get one thing done before the sickness came... Mostly cause it was done in Nov. at a Relief Society craft night...

I thought it was worth mentioning though. i thought they were kind of cute.

very simple nativity. well... Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus anyway...

again... kid friendly!

Hopefully, i will be able to update later this week with the good news of how organized my house and family are for the holidays! LOL

or at the very least... we are surviving and feeling better...

Thanksgiving

2009-12-14T12:08:00.005-05:00

So, its December 14th, and i'm just know writing about Thanksgiving. How horrible is that. can you tell that updating my blog has been on my list of stuff to do for a while now? Maybe my New Years Resolution can be updating my blog weekly?!?!?

We've had a great holiday season so far. Before i start writing about Christmas and the things we have been doing ... i want to share a few pics of some crafty projects i did this fall. This first one i actually made last year... but since its the only fall decor i have, i figured i'd share it.

Cute pumpkins huh. Its just fall fabric... stuffed, then some leaves and raffia at the top. Oh and a a stick for the stem. Super easy, and kid friendly.

i'm one of those people that need to have something hanging on my front door. And i didn't have anything for Fall or Thanksgiving... so off to the craft store i went. I actually was just looking for a sign... but couldn't find one that i really liked. so, a craft project began.

i got the letters on sale for .50 cents. and the background board was on clearance. i got it for $2.00. I just modge podged some fall paper on the letters. Inked and sanded the edges... then glued it to the back board which i stained a dark brown. Added a little raffia... and called it good. not bad for $4.00 bucks huh?

I wanted to make one more project.

I just didn't have the time to do it before Thanksgiving was over.

isn't it cute?? it's the only wreath i've seen that i actually like. I found this project here

Cute blog called Inspiring Creations. She does a great job! Guess this is going on my list for next year!

Baby Shower

2009-11-17T13:14:00.005-05:00

My sister, Stephanie, threw me a baby shower this past weekend. I'm only 7 months pregnant. So, this was a little early. But, we wanted to do it before everyone got busy with the holidays. And that way whatever i didn't get at the shower, i could ask Santa for. :)

The shower turned out really well. Mom and Steph did a great job with it! We had a boy onesie theme. The invites were adorable. Instead of playing all the stupid baby shower games, we decorated onesies and ate. it was a lot of fun. here are some of the pics i took of all the decor.

This is them decorating the onesie cookies. they made blue and brown frosting that matched the colors of the party. she even got the little round balls to look like that snaps on the bottom of the onesie. i wish i had some close ups of it. super cute!

She took the time to make fry boxes as the thank you gift. She stamped thank you on all of them and put a little onesie decal on the front. Then she filled them with Hershey kisses. she even got the cookies and cream ones that had the silver and blue wrappers. I don't know how long it took her to make these, but WOW!

This was the table scape. I absolutely love it. We made the tissue paper balls from the pattern on martha stewart's blog. They turned out really cute. I took some close ups of the different things at the table so you could get a better idea of how detailed she is.

Water bottles with personalized labels. I loved this idea. Its says baby. and it has the same onesie decal on it! too cute!

this is a fruit dip that i made. it so easy to make but it's totally to die for! of course the only nutritional part of the whole thing is the fruit that you dip into it. lol

i'll have to post the recipe soon.

i also made angel food cake to go with the fruit dip. it's incredible!

Look at these meatballs! The individual tooth picks all have the onesie decal on it. Stephanie is so smart. they look fabulous!

This was my favorite part of the food. different cheeses on a platter. i'm not a huge cheese connoisseur, but i love to try different types. i actually went with all mild cheese. And nothing too outrageous. It was a lot of fun. I got some great pics of some of the ladies trying the different cheeses, and the looks on their faces. i think they may stick with cheddar. lol

even here she had the little tags with the kind of cheese. way to pull it all together steph.

Mom and Steph (well, actually i think it was dad) set up a crib to put the gifts in. I thought that was a great idea. way better then just a table. super cute idea. made it look more festive. and part of the decorations. Love it!

They strung a clothes line across the whole room with the onesies. They started the nite plain. but as everyone decorated them, they hung them back up looking even cuter. i wish i had some pics of the finished product. but, you'll have to take my word for it. way cute. We had just found different clipart online, and made up some sayings to go with them, then just printed it out on transfer paper. We ironed them on the onesies. We had a few decals that Steph had gotten at Hobby Lobby. And she had also picked up some fabric markers. Way fun, and much better then all the boring Baby shower games! (no offense to anyone out there!)

Overall, the party turned out great. i hope everyone had a good time. I did anyway. it was nice to just socialize with everyone, and Steph and mom did a fabulous job with the planning and decorating. It was the baby shower of the century!

Thank you.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-04T14:23:00.004-05:00

We had a Halloween party at my mom and dad's house this year. we invited a few families from the ward over. It turned out well. we expected to get rained out, but mom's prayers were answered and it ended up being a perfect evening for an outdoor party.

Stephanie and i had a good time making some signs for the decorations.

The boys looked so cute in their costumes. They wouldn't tell anyone what they were going to be so that grandma and grandpa would be surprised and say "who are those boys? i don't recognize them". They even said during their prayers the week before, "Please bless that grandma and grandpa will be surprised by our costumes, and maybe even be scared" Ahhh the innocence of children"

I even talked Sean into dressing up for the party. We both got hair cuts just for our costumes. I even dyed my hair for it.

If you've ever seen NCIS... you should recognize my costume. Abby is my favorite character. i wish i had gotten some better pics of it. i had the mini skirt, the striped tights and the combat boots to match. Sean... can you guess what he is??? i'll give you a clue... " I pitty the fool, I pitty the fool"

That's right... a white Mr. T

He looked great. Mohawk and all... though you can't tell from the picture...

I did have to steal his overalls after the party and wear them... can i just tell you how comfy overalls are when you are pregnant...

school projects

2009-10-30T13:12:00.003-04:00

Last nite, Sean and I worked with the boys on their first school projects. Of course, they were both due on the same day, so we had two projects to do in one nite. But, we had a great time together.

Taison had to do a shoe box habitat. He had to pick his "favorite" habitat to learn about then create it. (didn't we all just love those projects growing up) He actually wanted to do a swamp as his habitat, but do you know how hard it is to find swamp animals in the toy section. lol.

So, he settled for an African Savannah. Sean and Taison spent time on the computer researching all about it. They came up with a plan of attack and with the help of my trusty hot glue gun and our long/dead grass in our lawn... we created the best grassland ever!

Daimon is learning about reading, and characters in books. His assignment was to choose his favorite book and dress up like the main character. Of course, the first thing he said was that Star Wars was his favorite book so that he could dress up like Darth Vador... we killed that one real quick. Thank goodness his teacher said that she didn't want to see a bunch of store bought halloween costumes. So, we settled with the book "Put me in the Zoo"

He looked great in spots. We took some felt circles i had cut out earlier that day and Daimon hot glued them all over a pair of pants and a T-shirt. Then we painted spots on his arms and face.

I think they did a great job on their first school projects... They were proud of themselves. Taison was nervous last nite about presenting his habitat and couldn't fall asleep. And they were both so excited this morning that they were up 30 mins before the alarm even went off. Sean and Taison practiced his presentation a few times, while i painted the spots.Sadly, some of the kids in the other grades made fun of him in the halls and at lunch calling him the 'spot boy'. He was very upset about that. But, his teacher told him that out of all the costumes in the class, his was the very best. Thank you Mrs. Jones! You saved Daimon's self confidence.

I hope all school projects go this smooth.

Sweet Boy

2009-10-28T13:39:00.003-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I received a phone call from Daimon. He is 5. He was at grandma and grandpa's house while i was at work. I answered the phone and he said " Hi Mom." but, it was not his usual happy self... so i asked him what was wrong. He said he was sad. I asked him why....

"there are people killing each other." he said...

My first thought was where? who? what is going on? am i missing something?

I, of course, asked him who was killing who, (never know with him, it could be on a video game or something) He said that just regular people are killing each other in the streets, and it's so sad. why would they want to kill other people for real?

I asked him where he saw this.

He said he was watching the news.

Come to find out, it was a news story about the war going on in Iraq. They were showing footage of bombings, fighting, etc... And he was really upset by this. Not that it was messy, or Gorey... but, that people were killing each other. how do you explain the politics and reasoning's behind a war to a 5 year old?

Here's to keeping a 5 year old innocent as long as possible..

More Halloween Decor

2009-10-12T12:13:00.003-04:00

I've been slow at work this past week, so i've been keeping busy by reading plenty of crafty blogs. Pretty much blog hopping from site to site all week. Now, I'm not a crafty person. i have never claimed to be. I often say just that. "I'm not a crafty person" However, as often as i've said that to myself and to others around me, i still tend to lean toward always wanting to do a craft project. In other words... reading about craft projects all day makes my mind spin with things that i want to do. The first thing on my list was to make a 'spell book' for Halloween decorations. I got the idea from here.

My sister picked up a couple of free books at a used bookstore. I covered them in Halloween paper, and used the labels from that website. I don't think my books turned out quite as cute as her books did... But, both of my boys loved it and asked if there was really spells in the book!!!

And, THAT is what really matters!

Halloween

2009-10-07T10:42:00.003-04:00

My boys and I decorated for Halloween the other night. i was pulling out these cute ceramic decorations. You know, the glass jack o lanterns, and the whimsical witches shoes... Well, i was getting pretty excited about them... but not my boys.

They kept digging into the bin looking for "the cool stuff"... Want their definition of cool stuff??? plastic spiders, a bag of spider webs, and caution tape!

With Dad's help they spend the next 20 mins putting "caution... Beware" tape across every door in the house. And then the next 30 mins putting spider webs over everything...

Seriously? i'm never spending money on nice decor again when a bag of $.99 spider webs was enough for my kids! In retrospect, i suppose it's a good thing that my boys don't want the fancy stuff... that it's the little things in life that get them the most excited. And so, what they loved, i guess turns into my favorite things too. Sometimes, you just kind of wish that their favorite thing would sometimes be yours... (i worked hard sewing handmade pumpkins for the kitchen table!)

County Fair

2009-10-05T16:01:00.004-04:00

This year we were able to take a few hrs off of work to go to the fair. we went on a Wednesday afternoon. It was a very rainy day, but i'm now convinced that that is the best time to go. It wasn't hot, it wasn't crowded, and there were no lines for the rides. We even got a magic show to ourselves. Everyone had a great time. I just got a few pics... but, i thought i'd share...

Blue

2009-09-17T12:30:00.002-04:00

If i knew how to change the font to BLUE i would do it because.... It's a boy!
We had the ultra sound last Friday. It took a long time to see because of the way the he was positioned.. but, he finally rolled over so we could see "the boy" Everyone keeps asking if we are disappointed... All we can say is this: " how could anyone be disappointed with a normal, healthily ultra sound? We are happy about that and... The rest doesn't matter"

Now, for names.... any suggestions?

Updates to the House

2009-09-14T11:15:00.006-04:00

So... my new favorite brother-in-law, Randy, came down from Chicago last week. He volunteered to help Sean put new floors in the house. So, instead of a vacation, enjoying his time, he got to work. And he has worked the whole time he has been here. No wonder he is in a hurry to head back home. LOL

These are some "before "pictures...

After a week of hardwork.. (from them, not me) This is the final result!

The guys ran into a few problems along the way, but they kicked butt. My house is so much cleaner. It seems so much bigger... I absolutely love it! It feels like a new house!
Notice the new entertainment center too!
I want to have a house warming party now... :)

Thanks Randy! You are welcome to come over anytime! (next time i won't put you to work!)

New Stove

2009-08-26T11:50:00.003-04:00

So...my new favorite brother-in-law, Jeff, bought Sean and I a new stove! The one that came with the house was an old 1980's stove. It was warped so bad it hardly cooked anything. The heating element in the oven was going out so when baking it either burned or came out raw. Needless to say we really needed a new one. However, it was quite far down on the list of things that we need to purchase. Jeff asked if there was anything we needed. Sean, being frustrated at cooking said "A new stove" Now, Sean was totally joking... I mean we really needed a new stove, but who actually buys someone a stove?!?!

But, here we are - a few weeks later - with a new stove!!!

I'm so excited i can't hardly stand it. We were also able to get the matching microwave!!! (which really helped us since we had a cheap one sitting on our coveted counter space)

Now, i can cook on the stove with out having to hold the pan sideways to match the burner. I can bake with out burning... What a great modern convenience.

Thanks Jeff!!!!

Wall Hanging

2009-08-24T17:12:00.003-04:00

Alright, here it is. the final wall art project pictures. I sent the pictures into a place online to have printed. i actually decided to get a 10x10 instead of 12x 12. that way it had a bit of a border around it... now i'm not sure...

also, i've only got 2 pics on it right now, however ... in the spring i will be adding another one. i will be putting it on the second row, all the way to the right. i think that will finish it off nicely.

In case you missed that... i threw a bit of an announcement in there... we are expecting baby # 3. The official due date is Feb. 5th. We should find out in a few weeks if it's a boy or girl... so i'll keep you posted.

:)

i'm such a copy cat

2009-08-12T13:28:00.007-04:00

So, I have these bare walls in my house that need decoration. i don't want to go overboard since i really like simple looks. Plus, my house is too small to have too much stuff on the walls. But, in browsing online i found this easy to do project. It was super cheap and easy. (well, easy for me since mom and steph did most of it for me. LOL)

http://www.sugardoodle.net/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3140&Itemid=406

anyway. so the squares are made, but i'm going to put a couple black and white photos of my kids in the squares

these are the ones i picked: Dave (my personal photographist - okay, my brother too) took the pictures, and i tried to crop them how i think it would look good.

i will probably have Dave play with some of the tints when he comes back into town. The next task is finding a place that will print 10x10 or 12x12 pics. (or at least somewhere that doesn't charge an arm and leg to do it)

I will post some pics of my walls when the projects are done!

hopefully this month it will happen.

Just thought i'd share my project for the month.

My Horrible Discovery

2009-07-15T15:58:00.010-04:00

I've made a horrible discovery! I think i have posted more about random shoes then i have about my hubby and kids! and i'm not even a shoe person. I was shocked to realize that my sister actually has posted more pictures of my kids then i have. I then realized that i must be a horrible mother. I love my children. and my husband. but, i guess they are around all the time and don't think to post pictures of them. so, my new goal is to do more stories of my kids. They are so cute and say the darnest things... i really should be recording those things...

so, here it goes...

These are pics of Taison and Daimon giving themselves a foot spa. They love the bubbling water, and the homemade foot scrub. Their dad hates when they do girly stuff like this. i think it's cute!

This is a pic of the boys playing with fireworks on the 4th of July. They inherited the pyro tendencies from their dad. They love playing with fire. you would think that with all of the burns that Daimon has had ... he would be afraid. but, on the contrary,he loves it...

This is a pic of Sean and all of his fireworks. you can't tell from the picture, but the table beside him is full of fireworks! we had a great time shooting them off this year!

This is a picture of some of our tomatoes growing in our garden. i love how the top ones turn red first, then get less ripe as you go down the vine. i thought it would make for a pretty cool picture.

This is a picture of Taison holding all the tomatoes that we just picked out of the garden. He looks scared cause he is. He is afraid that the juice from the tomatoes will stain his shirt... He makes messes often and has ruined all of his shirts. so we had a conversation with him just previous to when this picture was taken that he needs to be more careful and to stop staining all of his shirts. So, i think he thinks he's going to get into trouble!!!

Okay, so that is a start to my goal in posting more pictures, hopefully more often. I just got a new camera, so now i'll have an good excuse to use it all the time!

SHOES II

2009-06-24T14:45:00.004-04:00

So... Let's do a follow up...

Last summer i bought a pair of Teva sandals. $40 bucks. great price, but it was the most expensive pair of shoes i've ever bought in my life. And my hubby hates them. (of course i wear them all the time anyway)

Here it is, summer again.... and i'm in desperate need of a pair of sneakers. My current sketchers have seen their last days... So, i splurged and bought a pair of ridiculously expensive shoes. ME... the one who cringes at buying $20 shoes at Walmart...

I shopped around a got a great price. They are the most comfortable shoe i have ever put on...

And - Sean actually likes them. Amazing!

Merrell. Elephant Pink. Siren Sport
They are perfect.

I of course had the same issue as last time, where they didn't have my size and i had to wait for him to order them in. Sean went and picked them up today as a surprise. He even stopped and got a pair of socks for me so that i could take off the Teva's and put these new ones on right away.
Yeah for new shoes!!!

For the price i paid, they better last me 5 years!!!!

Thank you!!!

2009-06-19T15:26:00.002-04:00

If you haven't noticed... my blog has gotten a nose job!
Okay, well a face lift anyway...
My absolute favorite part about it is the new Title for the blog.
Now, before you go and say, "good job Kristie, i knew you were creative....."

I have to thank my dear old friend Ursula!
She changed everything for me and created the coolest title for the blog.
I have always loved that saying... so it just works so well for the blog.
I gave her complete creativity freedom and she did a great job.
So i just wanted to say thank you so much!!!! you are fabulous Urs!

Change is in the Air

2009-05-28T15:12:00.002-04:00

Ican feel it. it's a change of the season. Kids are out of school. it's light late now, everyone is spring cleaning etc... I am someone who actually likes change. it keeps things fun, exciting, and on your toes...I think that's why i can't really stay in one place for very long. If i stay in the same town, we atleast move into a new house every year. now that i own my house, i think i might have to just change the furniture and decor out. But, change is good. I need change right now. I a lot of different areas. We made some major changes at work, so hopefully that will change our financial status. Because of the changes at work, i need to change how i do a few things at my house. (when laundry needs to get done. when, and how we are going to cook dinners etc...) I don't think i really need to change my priorities, but maybe how I go about doing those priorities...
so let's list them:
change of home (a few months ago)
change of car
changes at job
changes in schedule
i really wish they would change my calling at church, but that's a whole other post...
my goal is to change my diet which would in turn change my weight and my health.

now, i'm thinking i need to change my appearance a bit.

So this is a current pic of me. Just took it a few hrs ago... and i need a change! So, i'm writing this to get some opinions... Besides, liposuction, electrolysis, and a boob job what can i change? I don't want anything really dramatic.... but, i want something different. my hair is all one length and really think and wavy. It is really frizzy in the summer because of the humidity. I was thinking maybe just a trim and some highlights? what about make-up. maybe i should just do something totally different with that instead of my hair? if you ask my husband he would say i need a change of wardrobe. However, we don't really have the money to do that... but, my hair and make-up... i could do that... so, my challenge to all of you (pathetic ones) who actually read this blog... what should i change???
maybe i'll do a before and after pic.... we'll see!

My New Baby

2009-04-23T12:48:00.003-04:00

As most of you have heard, my car wrecked itself in the fall last year. :)

Since then we have been driving my parents extra car. Well, since all 4 of my brothers are in school, and it's now summer time.... and none of the smart college goers have a vehicle.... they want the car back for their adventures this summer. SO... that means that Kristie and Sean get stuck buying a new car. It took one day. (I hate car shopping!!) They quoted us a great price way under blue book for the car so we jumped on it. I love having a momma's car.

With in just a few months i've grown up. I have a house with a morgage payment. (which i still need to post pics of) and a mini-van. WOW. That completes my short term goal list... now on to bigger ones!

Now, if anyone knows how to get an extra $300 a month - i'll be set!

Sick of being Sick

2009-03-16T13:51:00.003-04:00

So, the last week of February, Taison started to not feel very well. He had a fever and a little congestion... So we kept him home from school. The following two weeks were extremely long in my house. Taison went from not being very sick to extremely sick. He tested positive for the flu. Gave him Tylenol and Motrin for his fever, and some flu meds to help with the symptoms. A week later, he still was sick. His fevers were getting higher and more frequent instead of better. Then he started throwing up his meds and even water. Finally, when his fever reached 106 we took him to the emergency room. he spent the day on an IV to rehydrate him, and to get his fever back down. They ran test after test, Xrays... the works! NOTHING. there is nothing wrong with him. He didn't have an infection, and there is nothing they could do for him! Can you imagine how upset i was with that. The kid (6 yrs old) has a fever of 106 and there is nothing they can do. Meantime - Daimon (5 yrs old) is just as miserable. He has a fever too, and just as weak and tired as his brother. Sean is also feeling like crap. We just assumed those two had the flu since that's what Taison had and they were the same symptoms. Anyway - two days later - Taison has no improvement! fever still of 104 and now discharge coming out of his ear. I was at the point where i told Sean it was probably his brain melting and coming out of his ears since it's been really high fever for a constant two weeks. we took him back to the dr... Ran more tests... He had a ruptured ear drum! (i guess it wasn't brains coming out of his ears) and lots of wheezing in his chest. so, the dr put him on antibiotics and an inibulizer for breathing treatments. Daimon had strep throat and an ear infection. Sean had strep. Now, a week later... Taison is so much better! He doesn't have a fever anymore. He is still really weak. but he is eating and drinking better. (except for yesterday when he was throwing up everywhere) I can't believe it took almost 3 weeks to get a handle on the flu/ear infection etc.... the poor kid has missed so much school. now they are on spring break, and he will have to spend most of the time catching up with school work. luckily he's just in 1st grade and he is smart. so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Sean and Daimon are doing tons better too. It's nice to have the family back to normal. now i'm just praying i won't have a turn.

The Opera

2009-03-06T11:09:00.002-05:00

So, for my birthday Sean bought me tickets to go see Rigoletto. It's an opera that I've been wanting to see forever. I had never been to an opera and have always wanted to go. So Valentines Day weekend we went out to the beautiful restaurant and had the most awesome seafood. Then we went to the Knoxville's Tennessee theatre. It's an old original theatre that they've restored. it's magnificent. Gorgeous details all original moldings and art pieces. And there isn't a bad seat in there. We had perfect seats. And the opera was Fantastic. The main girl was beautiful... and everyone had beautiful voices. Everything was great. It is an experience I'll never forget. Do you think i remembered to take any pictures.... of course not. not even any of Sean and I all dressed up... Oh well.

Spring Fever

2009-02-11T16:37:00.002-05:00

I've got it bad! This week has been spring in East Tennessee. We've seen highs in the upper 60's all week. And I've got spring fever bad. The birds all around the neighborhood are twitterpated. We sit on the porch and watch how funny they are. And obnoxious. Today I opened every window in the house and enjoyed the warm fresh breeze. (well, not breeze - Wind. we have a storm coming in. ) We have tulips and daffodils coming up outside. There are buds on the trees and bushes. Sean and I walked around the yard today planning. Which bushes and flowers needed moved, how we were going to put the beds. Where and what we wanted to plant. It was so exciting. I've never been able to do that before. Sean and I both like doing yard work/or at least having a nice yard. So, this will be the first year we can do it. This is definitely a benefit of having our own home.

Speaking of which... i last left off with my lemon of a house... Here is the update. The hole in the ceiling is almost finished. Just need the texture. The heating problem has been solved, we just need to get a heat pump. (which is going to be a few grand, but at least we won't have a huge electric bill every month). Sean's parents are coming in to town in May, so our goal is to have everything finished by then. Hopefully we'll have enough money after the heat pump to get flooring in. The fence for the back yard will have to wait until next year. I'm going to post picture soon so everyone can see the progress on the house. Maybe I'll like my lemon after all! :)
Happy Spring Everyone!

Wow

2009-01-16T16:51:00.002-05:00

WOW, it's been a lot longer then i thought. I have been really busy with life lately. Here's what's happened.
So my goal in life was to own my own home before i was 30 years old. I will be turning 30 in Feb. Sean and i were able to buy our first house in November. We are so excited about it. the house is 12 years old. In a really cute neighborhood. the house is really small, but really cute. we spent weeks painting and puting up moldings. We are finally moved in. We were so happy. We assumed when our taxes came back this year, we would put some money in savings, put in hardwood floors, and get a new TV. However - last week while it was pouring rain for days... i saw a wet spot on the ceiling in the main room of our house. by the front door. So, Sean went up to the attic to see if he could see any leaks, or where it was coming from. He couldn't find anything wet up there. However, on his way back down, he stepped on a board that was not screwed in and his whole foot went through the ceiling!!! So, not only do i have a leaking roof, but i now have a huge hole in the ceiling. We've covered it with a towel for now until we can get it fixed. (hopefully, this week) the bad part is that my ceiling has popcorn texturing, so i'm not sure if we will be able to match the patch with the rest of the ceiling. And since it's in the main room in the house, we can't really hide it. so we are really hoping that we won't have to scrape the whole ceiling texture off and start over so that it can match. We'll see though.
So by this point we we not happy with the way things are turning out. Then we got out electric bill. Now, mind you that our house is small, only about 1100 sq feet. And that we keep our heat about about 65. and that's only when someone is home. Well, our bill was $500!!!!!! I about passed out. I assumed $100 maybe $200 but seriously $500 is rediculous. So, looking into we think our emergency heat has been on all month... We purchased a new thermostat hopeing that would do the trick. We can't figure out how to install it. And a guy at church said that it might not be the thermostat at all, it might be the actual unit. So, today the heat and air guy is coming out. Just to tell us what is wrong will be close to a $100. then whatever is wrong - we'll have to pay more money i'm sure. SO... long story short. We were so excited about the perfect house and here we are buying a lemon. lol. Needless to say we will not be purchasing a TV with our tax returns. Probably not even puting in hardwood floors. Hopefully we can get some money into savings though since buisness has been hurting really bad. I'd hate to not be able to pay our morgage, now that we've finally been about to get a house.
Don't you love the life of being a homeowner. I guess grass is always greener on the other side!
:)

car continued...

2008-10-21T20:37:00.001-04:00

So, the car is totalled...
I owe $1200 on the car still.
The insurance company seems to think my car is worth $5000.
so after paying off the car and my deductable... i get $2200 to put down on a new car.
so it ended up working out good in the end.
Mini-van here i come. LOL

Totalled???

2008-10-09T17:31:00.007-04:00

Last nite, i got home from YW and parked my car in my usual parking space and came in the house... after a long day I just wanted to relax. Went almost immediately to bed. I was in bed when i heard a loud bang outside. This is not uncommon, however... we have a walnut tree and under the tree is a shed with a metal roof. So we hear the walnuts hitting the roof often and i don't even think about the sound anymore. However, this one was a bit louder then usual... I thought, "wow that must have been a big walnut..." Didn't think anything else of it until... Sean went outside and came back in a min later and asked where my car was... "what do you mean, where is my car? i parked it where i always do???" Furiously running through my brain was... OHMYGOSH, did i forget to pay the bill and someone come repo the car? did i leave the keys in the car and someone come steal it????

THEN WE SAW IT....

My car had come out of gear (or did i leave it out of gear???) and rolled 50 feet down the hill into a tree.... (that was the loud walnut falling...)

All in all... not my fault... Sean was sending me text messages and was distracting me from my parking the car correctly!?!?!? or maybe the car wanted to be free...

who really knows what happened here... :)

we are pretty sure it will be deemed total loss, but we should find out in a day or so... for now... you are welcome to join everyone else in laughing at my stupidity...

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2008-10-03T10:07:00.002-04:00

Taison had a contest a school. They were to make a robot out of recycled materials. Taison and Daimon both decided to make one. This is what they came up with. They designed it all themselves! just a little help from me with the tape... Taison actually got 1st place in his class and was able to put his robot on display in front of the whole school!!! He was so excited. So proud of you, Taison!

I was having fun with some pics from this summer.

2008-09-29T17:27:00.001-04:00

Memories...

2008-09-25T17:10:00.000-04:00

So here's the deal...I guess this is a type of tag post. I wanna see what y'all remember!
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Feeling a little old....

2008-09-03T15:51:00.004-04:00

So this past weekend i got the privilege of feeling OLD. HA
Three times in fact.

The first time... My sister and her roommate came into town and i went down town with them to the clubs... We wanted to go dancing so we went to a club that has 2 dance floors... the first being 80's music... then upstairs Hip Hop. Is it bad that i wanted to stay downstairs?? the music was great. Fun dance songs. However, we did go upstairs and stayed there until almost 2 am!!
I got home at 2:30am and had to work the next morning. i am way to old to do that very often.

2nd time I felt old... I am in the Young Women's presidency at church... One of the girls there wanted to "hang out with me" She actually text me and said "Let's get crunk!"
WHAT THE HECK IS THAT"
Apparently that is the new term to use... Originally it was "crazy drunk" however, now the termed is used loosely for - go have a good time! How can i be so out of the loop?

The 3rd time that i really felt old is on Sunday. We were driving downtown to watch the fireworks (in Knoxville they have a huge display for Labor Day) We turned the popular radio station on who were MCing the firework display to find out about traffic and a song came on that both of my boys starting singing. They knew every word. They knew who sang it, the lyrics, and even what the guy looked like!!!!! I NEVER heard for it. It was the Jonas Brothers Now granted they know it from listening to him on the Disney Channel.... but still!

Before this weekend i thought i was in the know... apparently i'm just an old mom who isn't really as cool as she thinks.

Vampires

2008-08-16T22:30:00.003-04:00

August 1st i started reading Stephanie Myer's TWILIGHT series... As of Tuesday this week (12th of August) i was done with the entire series. (4 books) Now, granted they are an easy read... but there is like 700 pages in each book. So, needless to say i either A. had more free time then i thought i had or B: I neglected the things i should've been doing to read the stupid books. Chances are the later of the two actually happened. Here is my opinion of the series...
I did not want to read the books... First off because EVERYONE is reading the series. Just like say- Harry Potter.... it seemed to be the popular thing to do. I mean, seriously there are even church groups in Tennessee who are having book clubs, and renting out theaters for when the movie comes out... It's not even a church author. Sure, Stephanie went to school at BYU, but clearly the book is not a LDS novel... There is cussing, and sex ... not to mention Vampires and Werewolves... Anyway...And since i'm clearly a non conformist i did not want to be seen reading these books. Not to mention, i have plenty of other things i need to be doing besides ready some Youth Fiction. PLEASE!
But, I had a good friend who let me borrow a copy and said I had to read it... so i did...
The outcome -I read the series in 12 days, I enjoyed them thoroughly and worse of them all....

I'm completely in love with a vampire!!! LOL

SHOES

2008-07-31T14:37:00.002-04:00

Not that anyone cares about my issue with shoes... but -

I work at a furniture warehouse. And if you've ever been to Tennessee in mid summer, you know how bloody hot it is. Well, the warehouse is not air conditioned so i sweat all day. Well, here is the dilemma with the shoes. I have sneakers that i can wear, or flip flops... Now, flip flops are a hundred times cooler to wear instead of sock and shoes... but, i fall out of them all the time when i'm carrying furniture or mattresses... so they don't work out so well. so, i've been looking for a sandal that has a back on it so i don't fall out of them at work. i had to have looked in a hundred different stores. (okay, so that's exaggerating a little bit) But, i couldn't find any. Either they didn't have any, or they were in the $100 range... (I'm really cheap... i would never spend that much money on shoes even if they lasted me the rest of my life...)

So, last resort i go to the outlet place. I find a pair of sandals that will work. They are the classic Teva sandals... not super cute, but they fit and work perfect... and they aren't too bad.... and they are on sale for $40!!! so, i decide to get them. i go to the cash register to finally purchase my shoes for work.... and my credit card was declined!!!!!! (are you kidding me!!!) So, i had to wait a week until payday... Finally, pay day arrives, and the first thing i do is head down to the store to pick up my shoes! I walk in.... and THEY SOLD OUT OF THEM!!!! (at this point i was sure that i was not supposed to have these shoes) i talked to the owner and he said he is out but that he would order me one. So, I had to wait another 10 days to get my sandals. (this is now about a 2 month process)

Okay, so this last week the 10 days were up and he called and i went and got my shoes. I was so excited about it! i put them on there at the store!

Now, wouldn't that be nice if that was the end of my story. OH NO. So, after my long awaited shoes... i can now be at work with sandals so i don't have to wear sock and shoes, and no more flip flops. I get two days of wearing them and i get big blisters on my feet! and to top it all off.... my husband hates them so bad, says they are so ugly that he doesn't want to be seen with them on me. YIKES!!!

Moral of the story: SUCK IT UP AND WEAR SOCK AND SHOES TO WORK!!!!!

New Goals

2008-07-05T15:42:00.003-04:00

Alright. Here it is... for those of you who don't know, i sell furniture in a warehouse... I answer the calls that come in from the classifieds and set up times to meet customers out at the warehouse. I've complained a few times before about the customers who are always running late...

Well, so here i am, out in the warehouse (which happens to be about 90 degrees out in there cause it surely isn't air conditioned.) I've got a tee-shirt on. I'm sitting on one of the bed and letting the customer browse. And then i see it.... My arms are jiggling!!!

I used to be the one with skinny arms and legs... Now, i've never been skinny... but i always carry my weight around the middle... You know what i'm talking about... a spare tire....

Well, apparently now my arms are finally catching up to my middle... and i said - "THAT'S IT!" I'm done being big... no having any clothes that fit... not caring what i look like or how i feel. I said this was going to be the year to get healthy. it's now July and i'm worse now then i was when i made that goal. so, here it goes. This week.. I've got three weeks with no husband and no kids... so i should have plenty of time to work out, to fix healthy snacks... not processed foods. We'll see in three weeks what i can do. I need to loose 65lbs. In three weeks i should be able to loose the first 10. Right? anyone wanna challenge me?

Another Wednesday

2008-06-18T17:26:00.003-04:00

I think Wednesday's are my day to be irritated. Because here it is, another Wednesday evening.... at work.... another customer late. what is it with people???
But, you know what is really irritating me. Insurance! Come on Alice, i know you can agree with me.
My kids have health insurance, but my husband and i don't. When i try to find out information on line, or get a quote for how much it will be, the websites take me through a 10 page application wanting to know everything, just have someone call me with a quote... I don't want anyone calling me! i want the quote over the Internet. isn't that what the Internet is for... so i don't have to deal with sales people! especially insurance salesmen. YIKES! (i can say that cause i was an insurance salesmen at one point)
I just want to make it easy... just tell what to pay, and you cover my medical. i didn't think it had to be such a big deal... but here it is 6 months later, and i still don't have insurance. I think i might just give up. LOL
AND MY CUSTOMER IS STILL LATE

Taison's Birthday

2008-06-03T14:40:00.004-04:00

My son Taison just turned six. He wanted a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle party. So I called every place i could think of for a TMNT cake. Walmart, Krogers, etc... it's all be discontinued. I called Party City - all decorations discontinued...
What is a girl to do????
So - luckily a lady in our ward happened to have a TMNT cake shape pan. I'll take it!
but, then i realized.... I have to decorate this thing...
So, i spent Friday nite decorating... WOW hours and hours later... it turned out well. Well, at least for a first time decorator...
So, between Taison coloring pics of pizza's and TMNT and putting them up all over the house, and green streamers... we had what we considered a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle party!

Late People Irritate ME!

2008-05-21T18:31:00.001-04:00

So, here I am at work. I've been here all afternoon, but, not super busy. My last appointment was at 4:30 and then my next is 6:00. So i'm already irritated that he could come earlier then 6. but, i want to set the time anyway in hopes of making some money... So... i've been sitting around waiting anyway for this guy to come out to the warehouse... 6:00, 6:05 , 6:10... the minutes keep rolling by. The guy isn't showing up. so i'm getting more and more irritated....
AT 6:20 the guys decides to show up. (2 more mins and i would've left him). SO i spend all this time with him out in the warehouse... giving him fantastic prices... and he doesn't even buy anything... nope not interested... i dropped the price so low i would've been only make like $20 and he still doesn't want anything...
Thanks a lot dude. i feel like telling the guy that he should pay me anyway for sitting around waiting for NO REASON...
PAIN IN MY BUTT.

lottery

2008-05-02T15:51:00.002-04:00

How horrible is it that I plan my life's goals around winning the lottery?!?!
I am not an avid lottery player. If a have an extra dollar... maybe from change at the gas station, (like there is change now with these gas prices!!!) I will purchase a power ball ticket. So for a dollar i get 3 or 4 days of dreaming about what i would do with the money if i won. But, lately it has become more detailed. In fact it unfortunately has come down to "I can eat that huge bowl of ice cream because when i win the lottery I'm just going to go have lipo..." I have my floor plans of the house i would build all drawn out, even the colors and decor of each room... And not that i think that i will actually win... but it sure makes life a lot easier if i did. Though, i have heard stories of people that say that it doesn't get easier... actually harder... instead of fighting about not having enough money, you fight about other things. I suppose no matter what the amount of money is that you have, everyone has trials....
How fun would it be though... My biggest thing is that i would be a little secret Santa. No charities.... i want to do that all on my own.
How awesome would it be to get a new car with a big red bow on it and park it in some one's driveway that all they have is a little beater car that keeps dying. Or, purchase food storage for someone you know who could really use it, then have it delivered anonymously.
Pay off someones school loans so they just don't have that extra stress in their life....
That is what i would do with my money... spend my whole life doing things in secret.
I wonder if i could start now even if i don't have a dime to my name???

All in all, it sure is fun to think about... man what a $1 lotto ticket can do for my imagination.

" that thine alms may be in secret" Mat 6:4

Why am i Blogging?

2008-04-16T17:53:00.002-04:00

Since Blogging is the "in" thing to do, I've been peer pressured into starting my own. I actually have had this set up for sometime, just have never posted anything.
My life is very simple. What would I have to write about? Why bore people with the daily insignificant things. Who would actually want to read this?
Then I remembered... This isn't just for everyone else to read. It's for me to vocalize my private opinions, thoughts, and feelings. (even though everyone in the world will have access to read them)
It will be good for me to start writing again. I kept a journal back in the day... I even had an online diary i kept for awhile. Though i think this will be a little less revealing and a little more.... probably boring...
Maybe it will be fun. It will at the very least give me something to do...
and now, I can fit in with the "IN" crowd. :)