One Busy Mommy

TGIF

2010-02-05T17:41:00.000-08:00

Leave it to something out of my control to kill my Blog streak I was on. Good thing is I still have a lot of pictures I've snapped throughout the last 6 days so I can still catch up.

What better way to kick off the weekend than walking through this beautiful scenery. Love making this walk out of my office every day, but even more so when the trees are blooming, petals are falling, and a light drizzle fills the sky. Peaceful!!

Bring It On, Jillian

2010-01-30T18:52:00.001-08:00

Next week I'm attending a meeting at work, with Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper, the trainers from The Biggest Loser. So in honor of my upcoming meeting I picked up some study material. Tonight it's me vs. this DVD.

100 Days of First Grade

2010-01-30T15:57:00.000-08:00

Monday is the 100th day of school for T. Well technically not school, she has been going to 'school' for a few years now. Monday though is the 100th day of 1st grade. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was dropping her off on Day 1 and she and I handled it like a pro and Day 2 she was still a pro and I bawled like a baby...since it became real that my baby was truly growing up.

What a great year T has had already...She started at a brand new school and has already made a ton of new friends. She is ahead of the class yet still learning a lot. She is the teachers right hand, little helper, and even has mastered the task of walking the bad kids down to detention. She gets along great with the girls and the boys (maybe a little to good, hence the multiple boyfriends any given day). She was awarded student of the month. And she even got to participate in the coveted money jump for having excellent citizenship.

All this in just 100 days. I'm so proud of my, not so little anymore but she'll always be my baby, Princess.

**Picture taken today while working on her 100 day project. She was supposed to collect one hundred of something and design a way to display it. We took a trip to Michael's and on her own she decided she would paint a letter T pink and decorate it with 100 stars. Her explanation was because she wants to be an astronaut and they love stars, her name starts with T, and her favorite color is pink. Not bad to put all that together into one project that is reflective of her and going to turn out so cute. Told ya she is one smart cookie, but of course I'm her mom so you expected me to say that.

The Many Faces of C

2010-01-29T07:23:00.000-08:00

Another Tooth Gone

2010-01-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

T lost a tooth tonight!!! I guess the tooth fairy will be making another stop by The B House tonight, just two weeks after the last one.

Long day

2010-01-27T23:15:00.000-08:00

Started my day early and had a dinner meeting today so didn't get to spend my evening with the kids. :-( By the time I got home this is what I saw, C sleeping soundly in his bed.

When I peeked into T's room and gave her a kiss, she woke up and asked me "Do you recognize me?" and fell right back to sleep. Ok, kid really it was one night, way to make mommy feel bad.

Off to bed now.

Bad Blogger Award

2010-01-26T06:39:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited, or maybe I shouldn't be? But I just won a Blog award. No fancy buttons and no prizes but still I won! Um, and I should probably mention I nominated myself and also just made this award up because I'm. A. Bad. Blogger.
Seriously, something has to change. I love going back and reading through my blog and am bummed I've missed the last, whose even counting, many many months and many many memories. I've thought for the last few days how to get back in the blogging groove and it hit me...
My cousin, Robin, has started taking a picture a day on Facebook. Simple enough I can take one picture a day and put straight on my blog (thanks to the modern advancements of technology I could do this in less than a minute). And since a picture is technically worth a 1,000 words I only have to do pictures and not even bother with words....but my hope is to build from there and get back into the good old blog full swing, and who knows maybe I'll win an award or two?!?

So there we have it. Stay tuned and see how this one plays out.

Blackberry for Kids

2009-05-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

Leapfrog has saved me with the latest in toys that kids really shouldn't need but because of technology do need. The kids are always fighting over my cell phone and Blackberry. They need their own, but it doesn't make sense to get one for two kids under 7 that would just be crazy. Bring in the newest toy to hit the shelves, Leapfrog Text and Learn, this toy is similar to a Blackberry, you can even send text messages back and forth with Scout, the pretend dog who is the star of this new toy. These toys were flying off the shelves but I was lucky enough to get one and my mom and sister found another one. Score!

Taylor & Cody love them, a Leapfrog success. The night they got them both begged to stay up just a little late, which I of course gave into. That night when they went to sleep they left their Blackberries on the counter and the first thing Cody did when he got up the next morning was to check for messages. Ah, addicted to his Crackberry already.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Time to Slow Down

2009-05-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

This message was made clear in two different ways by both Taylor & Cody these last few weeks. First from Taylor in a conversation she had with her teacher on Monday. It went something like this.

Ms. Sheena: Hi Taylor, did you have a nice weekend

Taylor: Yes, Sunday was awesome!!!!

Ms. Sheena: Really, what did you do on Sunday?

Taylor: Nothing, absolutely nothing. It was perfect.

And a picture of Cody from that same weekend. All tuckered out...

These two events made it quite obvious that it was time for One Busy Mommy to slow down and let the little ones catch up. Bring on the relaxation!!!

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

H2H: New TV...Finally

2009-05-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

This House to Home project is one that has been much needed for some time, and I'm very glad that this phase is over. A new TV has been an item that we have needed for a while not because our other TV didn't work, it was fine really. But because we needed to get into the 21st century with a "real" TV. I mean after all I do work for NBC right, I should be able to actually see the shows that provide me with a paycheck week after week. The process of finding a TV was a nightmare so many choices and so many options. Finally though Costco did not let us down and we found another item to continue with the 2009 House to Home Challenge. This challenge needed a before picture because the after is so different.

Before: Nice, but not our style anymore

After: Perfect in every way

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Princess Taylor is 6

2009-05-24T20:24:00.001-07:00

On May 4th my Princess turned 6 years old. It's been a few weeks since this happened and while it gets a little each day it still is unfounded to me why time has to go so fast. On one hand it seems that the past 6 years have flown by on the other I try to imagine life before Taylor and it seems a world away. My Princess means the world to me and each and every day she amazes me at the young girl she is turning into. Almost a little too much at times, but really that is only the beginning, people have told me wait until she reaches her teenage years. Eek!

Posing with her cake at her party

Getting started on her presents

Taylor in true Taylor form, need I say more

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

99 Days

2009-05-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

About 7 weeks ago or so I made the decision to double up on my final classes in an attempt to finish my degree just a tad sooner. Already done with my first set of 2 classes at a time and I'm pleasantly surprised at the fact that I'm not drowning yet. It probably helps that my last few classes were focused on what I do for a living anyways so it's not too difficult. So what exactly does doubling up mean, it means that I'll be done a little over 100 days sooner than planned.
Even more exciting is that in 99 days I will be done with my Bachelor's degree. It's weird to sit back and think that less than 3 years ago I set out on this adventure, a full time working mom of 2 kids (at the time Taylor was 3 and Cody had just turned 1) set out on a mission to earn my degree.
It has not been easy, I've made a lot of sacrifices, but in the end I wouldn't change a thing. The hard work has paid off with two promotions since going back to school and the sky is the limit.
While I would love to say that in just 99 days I'll never have to go to school again this isn't the case. Since my education goals now include a Master's degree I still have many more sleepless nights of writing papers ahead of me. But I'm getting there!!

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Cody's Weekend with Grandma

2009-05-10T15:40:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago Cody got to experience his first "hotel" weekend with Grandma. Taylor and Grandma Brenda (GB as Taylor likes to call her) started this tradition a few years ago when Cody was just a little guy. Taylor lives for these special weekends where GB takes her to a hotel and they get to spend the night having fun, shopping, eating, and just escaping for a few days.
Cody's hotel night was at the Sheraton Universal. The day started off with Cody charming his way into a room with a view and an upgrade to the VIP level complete with free food. When my mom called to tell me this I was so excited for the two of them. After the two of them got checked into the hotel they headed out for a day of fun in the sun at Universal Studios.
I was for sure my little guy would have a blast, I mean I love the place so why wouldn't he. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I was very wrong. My Little Guy hated the tram ride. Too much scary stuff for one little boy. Maybe in a few years he will change his mind, in the meantime it looks like the season passes I was contemplating are out the door.
My mom and Cody spent the rest of the day hanging out and doing some serious shopping. Part of "hotel" weekend always seems to include an even advanced level of spoiling my GB. But since it's not every day mommy let's it slide and even more so because the kids love their one on one time with GB. They are only young once right, at least that's what I keep telling myself.

The "tourist" shot in front of the Universal Globe Waterfall

Getting ready to take off on the tram ride
Cheese crepe a.k.a Quesadilla to Cody

Big giant bed all to himself and one of his many newly aquired toys from the weekend

What happens with Grandma, stays with Grandma, except when Grandma comes back with evidence. Up past his bed time...eating candy and drinking soda. Now I know why the kids love Hotel Weekends so much

Milk and a banana for breakfast, he loved his coffee cup

The view from the room, they overlooked mommies office

Cody had an awesome weekend and now talks about the next "hotel" night with Grandma and what he wants to do.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Easter 2009

2009-05-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be one month since Easter, which means it falls into my rule: "as long as it's less than a month ago it's still Blogable". I just hit the mark on this one.
Easter was yet another extremely busy Holiday filled with family and fun and food. This was Cody's first year understanding the Easter Bunny and he was very excited. Taylor enjoyed dying the eggs this year and took pride in making sure they were up to her standards.
The night before we did our traditional dying of Easter eggs, Easter morning was spent having breakfast with my parents and an egg hunt at their house. We followed that up with a visit to a local driving range that was hosting an Easter egg hunt for the kids. The day ended with a visit to Jeremy's parents for Easter dinner and the final egg hunt. Three egg hunts in one day equals Two tired kids and Two tired parents. Great fun, but happy to say that Easter 2009 is now behind us.

Stuffing eggs to take to school for the egg hunt

One for Cody, one for the eggs

This face says it all, that's my Taylor

It's got to be perfect
Concentrating

Easter morning loot

Egg Hunt at the driving range

Dinner Easter Egg Hunt

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Home Depot Workshop=Parents Required

2009-04-24T23:49:00.001-07:00

At a local festival they had the Home Depot Workshop set up for the kids to make a fire truck. Of course every kid wants to get involved, get a cute orange apron, and give it a try with some tools just like Daddy. The problem though, these projects are not the easiest to put together and required some serious parent help. So the kids each got their kits and set out and watched mommy and daddy put together their fire trucks.

Staged photos, Cody never used a tool the whole time

Taylor tried for 5 seconds and got nowhere
Finished product

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Dinner: Teppanyaki Style

2009-04-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

Jeremy had never been to a Japanese Steakhouse before and recently we had been talking about how the kids would love it. After a few times planning to go and it not working out on a whim we decided to give it a try. The kids had a great time watching the food get cooked right in front of them. And the cook had a fun time giving a show for the kids. It was not the cheapest meal, but good food, fun times, and the kids enjoyed themselves so it was worth every penny.

The food getting started on the hot plates

Flaming Onion
Taylor is a pro with the chopsticks

Cody amazed at the fire

Taylor and her favorite dessert

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Catching Up is Hard to Do

2009-04-24T23:10:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to start to get caught up on my Blog. Part of me says forget it and start from here with what's new. But then I think no, I want to be able to go back and look at what the end of March and April had in store since it has been a busy busy month. If I just skip out on the last month of fun I feel I will regret it. So here goes nothing, my desperate attempt to catch up.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

The Last 30 Days in 30 Words

2009-04-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

Work. School. Las Vegas. Work. School. House Projects. Work. School. T-Ball. Work. School. Birthday Party Planning. Work. School. Easter. Work. School. Notice a pattern here? Work. School. One Busy Mommy.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Watch Out Babe Ruth

2009-03-18T20:56:00.000-07:00

Here comes Taylor, t-ball extraordiniare. Yes, I had to dig all the way back that far to be able to include a name that was worth Taylor going after the fame of. I mean who else was I going to use?
Pete Rose, nope.
Barry Bonds, not likely.
A-Rod, never!!

Taylor started T-ball practice 2 weeks ago and with a little more practice she will be ready to be in the big leagues.

Back to reality. She has a good time playing and hits the ball occasionally and catches it sometimes too. She has mastered the art of running to 1st and 2nd base but likes to skip 3rd and run straight home. Nothing wrong with taking a short cut as long you get the end result, right. But there is still time and really what matters is that she is having a good time.
Taylor's first game is this Saturday, wish us luck.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

H2H: Martini Time

2009-03-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

I have to laugh at this edition of Project House to Home. Jeremy & I are not at all drinkers. I wouldn't even consider us social drinkers. Occasionally, if we are with a group of people we might partake of one drink, but that is very, very, rare. I do like a good Virgin Pina Colada though. This is what makes the theme for our kitchen and family room so funny...Martini's.

Our original plan was to go with a theme of wine, since it seems so fitting for a kitchen. But in reality the wine themes were not modern enough for the look we wanted. That's when we stumbled upon Michael Godard and his art, well not exactly when since in reality my sister introduced the the paintings of Michael Godard a little over a year ago (but more about that at another time). Back to the kitchen and family room. The abstract martini, bold colors, clear lines, is exactly the modern look that Jeremy & I wanted and if it happens to be Martini's then roll with it. We are totally loving the way it's starting to come together.

Large canvas pictures start the theme in the room, bring in the colors in the placemats and flowers, and also the rug leading to the backyard. Adding Martini glasses to the ledge on the cabinets. Still a ton to go but baby steps is the key for Project House to Home.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

A Picture's Worth - Ice Cream Truck

2009-03-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Tag, I'm it!

2009-03-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

So a long long long time ago....well not that long but back in January. My friend Kylee tagged me on her Blog. I set myself a reminder to make sure I answered the tag and here we are almost 3 months later. Without further ado, here are the rules.

1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer
2. Select the 4th picture in the folder
3. Explain the picture
4. Tag 4 people to do the same

First off, I typically don't store pictures on my computer, I keep them on CD's. So I wasn't sure I would have a picture to share. But I did come across 6 folders with photobook pages in them, the 4th one happened to be from our cruise last April. I can't believe it's been almost a year since we sailed off on a week of pure bliss. This picture was taken on one of the formal nights all dressed up and ready for a night on the ship. I still remember this night like it was yesterday and will treasures those memories forever.

Now it's your turn. I tag...Steph, Kimmy, Brandi, and Stacey.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

You Grab a Line...

2009-03-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

I'll grab a pole, honey...Now that I got that song stuck in your head, let's move on.

A few weeks back my Pops decided it would be fun to take the kids fishing. Now you need to understand that when Pops decides something it means it's going to be all out. Here is a great example.

I think hey, let's go pick up 2 kids fishing pole kits and hit the park.
Pops thinks, hey let's go pick up 2 kids poles, a pole for me, a new tackle box, gotta have a fishing license, bait, weights, and a million other disgusting looking fishing things.

See the difference. Simple versus Complex. But I've learned it's easier to just go with the flow when it come to Grandparents.

The day came and this weekend we headed out to the fishing hole. Which for us means a park a short drive away that has a giant lake in the middle of it. Taylor & Cody were super excited for this day to come, they had both spent the past 3 weeks casting their poles in the front yard. We got up, got ready, and headed over to Pops house to pile in the truck.
As soon as we pulled into the park we knew it was going to be a quick fishing trip, just didn't realize how quick it was going to be. The wind was blowing, but not unbearable so we decided to make the trek across the park and find the perfect fishing spot.
Pops baited up Taylor's pole and she cast out in the water and waited for a fish to bite.
Cody cast out his line as soon as we stopped at the water's edge. Yes, with the cute little red play fish and no bait on it. Then he reeled it right back in and cast out again. Part of me thought I should correct him, put some bait on the end and explain the art of patience. But he was having too much fun reeling in his fake fish over and over so I let him be.
About 10 minutes into the fishing adventure Taylor caught a nice piece of branches from a tree.
The wind started to pick up, my chair tipped over, and my Dooney purse was mere inches away from dropping into the lake.
It was at that moment I realized this fishing thing was not going to work, the wind won and we shall try fishing another day.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Vegas Bound

2009-03-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, so not right this second. But in just a few short days we will be headed for a much needed few days away and what better place to rest and relax....the fast paced world of Las Vegas. Right, so maybe it's not the ideal situation to necessarily rest and relax for some. For me and my family though it's perfect...and...perfectly needed. We are not the type to want to just sit still on vacation, we have to be amused and entertained constantly. I plan to stay away from technology though, which is where the rest and relax comes in and just enjoy the sights and sounds the kids and the family.

Food & Fun...Here we come.....in a few days. Can you tell I'm excited?!?!?

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

H2H: Frame Creations

2009-03-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Jeremy & I have been moving full steam ahead with Project House to Home. We are finally starting to figure out themes for rooms and get a really good idea of what we want to do. Here we have the perfect solution to one of the walls, a frame that I made by taking a number of smaller Ikea frames, painting, and then arranging in the best way possible to maximize the space on the wall. It fits perfectly with just enough space on both sides. Super simple and super cheap. Overall the entire cost of making the frame had to be under $10.00!!

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Cody -- March 2009

2009-03-14T17:25:00.001-07:00

Cody, Cody, Cody...where do I start on my silly little boy. These last few months have really shown me just how there is no longer a baby in this house. Cody is by far the sweetest little guy I've ever met. He is going to make some girl a very happy wife...but he is almost too sweet so mommy is working on that part because no girl is going to take advantage of my little stud. Cody will give you the shirt off his back if you asked for it. This is especially true with Taylor, whom he loves more than words could say. Anything Taylor wants Cody will make it happen.

Last week Cody received an award at school that about knocked me off my feet, he got an award for participation for answering a question during bible study. I had to check with the teachers to make sure they didn't have it wrong and that indeed it was Cody who earned it. You see, my sweet perfect little Cody is the best when it comes to compassion but when it comes to attention span and being able to sit still he has zero on that front. This award proved to me that indeed he has it in him and one day it will come out, in the meantime I just chalk it up to "being a boy".

Cody's obsession with fire trucks has not stopped and has increased to taxi cabs, police cars, ambulances, and trash trucks. Cody is capable of spotting any of these on the road, parked in a lot, or at a house a million miles away. He has to point them out to me oftentimes because he sees them well before I do.

Last weekend Jeremy & I broke down and finally went for a new hair style for Cody...he is now officially a flat top kid and we love it!!! As soon as his barber was done with it she said, this is the cut for him.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Taylor - March 2009

2009-03-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

What better way to get back into my Blogging than with updates.

Taylor is flying through kindergarten and will be starting 1st grade before we know it. Yesterday, or so it seemed, we were hanging around waiting for her to come out in her cap and gown for pre-school graduation and now we are headed to yet another graduation in just a few short months. Taylor has been doing exceptional at school, she is ahead of her class on learning her sight words and is able to read books for bedtime. The days of mommy and daddy reading to her are gone, another happy but sad accomplishment.

Taylor has started t-ball practice and has her first game on Saturday, I'm not sure who is more excited for her first game, Taylor, my mom, or me? It's very sentimental to see Taylor playing on the same field in the same league that I did, oh about 15 years ago. Taylor is having fun with t-ball but I noticed something the last few months that has become very obvious with t-ball. Taylor is a perfectionist, she has to be perfect at everything. She gets frustrated when she doesn't catch the ball. We are working on this and hopefully over time either she will get so good she doesn't have to worry about missing the ball or get over it and realize that she doesn't have to be perfect. I'm hoping for the latter and am working with her on it.

I'm loving the way that Taylor and Cody and getting along, of course they have their spats as all siblings do, but overall they are doing great at getting along. The highlight of the week for Taylor and Cody is Friday nights when they get to have sleepovers together. Both Taylor and Cody sleep in Cody's room on his bunk bed. They love spending the night in the same room together and I love seeing them get along so great.

In just a few short months Taylor will be turning the big 6 years old, mommy is not at all ready for my little princess to be 6. But since I can't stop her from growing, I tried, I have to just accept it and enjoy spending time with her.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

73 days into 2009

2009-03-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

Can you believe we are already 73 days in to the new year. Really where does time go?!?! These last 73 days have flown by and I can promise you there is no way it feels like we are already done with the 1st quarter of the year. These last 73 days have been filled to the brim with barely enough time to sleep let alone Blog. I have a million and one things to catch you all up on and I better get started on the catching up now before another 73 days passes us by.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Toilet Seats

2009-02-16T13:23:00.001-08:00

Can't say I ever thought I would be Blogging about toilet seats but I came to this realization today that these darn seats are going to be my continual challenge. It took me many years to train Jeremy to put the darn seat down when he was done using the restroom. Through those years of training I spent many of conversations with my co-workers on just how to get men to understand how uncool it is to to go the restroom and find your tooshy sitting on a freezing cold toilet bowl. Sure I could always check before I sit, which is what I started doing. But what a hassle. Over time the battle was won and Jeremy now puts the seat down after every pee. Success!!

For about the last year Cody has been potty trained and has been basically standing to pee since he first learned. I figured I would start early with Cody and explain that the seat goes down after every pee.

The problem...Cody would rather just not lift the seat at all and just try to pee over it which he of courses misses and lands right on the toilet seat. I know Cody's future wife is going to hate me because she is going to have to train him to put that seat down just like all the other wifes out there. But it sure beats sitting in pee on the seat.

I can't win with these guys, seat up...seat down. I think Taylor and I will take over one of the bathrooms and make it girls only.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Not Me Monday

2009-02-16T08:06:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This Blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her Blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

It's Monday again and I'm definite need of a therapy session. The last few weeks are a blur as things have been busy...even more so than usual. I have a lot of catching up to do but need to get all these crazy things that I didn't do out of my mind and off my chest. ;-)

I'm not the mom who would agree to drive my kids an hour to a birthday party and it wasn't me who made the drive only because the party put me within Ikea range...so I didn't haul the sugar riden kids after the party to Ikea so I could do some shopping. And it wasn't me who drug my mom along so I could have some extra hands with those kids at the party and Ikea.

And it wasn't me who drug my mom along to get up before the sun did on Saturday so we could sign Taylor up to play t-Ball this year. And it wasn't us who had a great time that morning reminiscing about when I used to play for that same exact league which we happened to place at 15 years ago which can't be because that means I'm getting old. And we weren't able to score the title of being the first person to sign up for t-ball that day.

This last week the train that I take into work each and every day did not suffer extreme problems and strand me on the train on 3 different days for over an hour. No way would that happen and no way would I continue to take that train and put myself through that misery. After all it's not like there is great company on the train to get me through those long delays. And extreme knitting time adds up which is something that I definitely do not like.

Mentioning knitting, never in a million years could I, who has only been knitting for 6 months, take a pattern and modify it from a dress into a halter top for my daughter.

Dinner time is easy for me, I go home and it's ready to eat courtesy of my mom, Jeremy picks it up when he gets the kids from her house...so it wasn't me who got home one night after a long day went to the fridge and freaked because dinner wasn't there. Only to realize it was Thursday and my day to pick up dinner. Once I realized I had forgotten to pick up my dinner it wasn't me who called my mom to tell her what I had done. And it wasn't my mom who got in her car and drove it over to me. I would never let my mom do that cook and deliver the food. Well at least not dinner time...since she does breakfast every Sunday morning...but never would I let her deliver dinner to me too.

One thing is for sure which can be confirmed this week....parties with the kids, cold weather waiting for t-ball sign ups, and delivering food to me....it's Not Me who has the bestest Mom in the Whole World!!!!!

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

H2H: Entry Way

2009-01-28T22:33:00.000-08:00

A simple black bookcase with items from clearance at Target. Needs some vases on the sides with twigs...and don't laugh mom and Jeremy at my twigs in vases.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

H2H: Playroom Ceiling Fan

2009-01-27T21:12:00.000-08:00

It's amazing what a simple fan can do to a room. When we moved into this house the only rooms that we hardwired for fans were the family room and the master bedroom. Since we have been here Jeremy has rewired the house and installed fans in both of the kids rooms. The one last room that needed a fan was the playroom and last weekend was H2H ceiling fan for playroom project. Still a million projects to do in the playroom but we are making baby steps to getting it all done.
Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Not Me Monday

2009-01-26T06:20:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This Blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her Blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Hmmm...Last week is sort of a blur, being a short 4 day week it flew by. Let's try to figure out just what it is that I didn't happen to do last week.

First off, I didn't I look into the Masters program, I'm already so over school and looking so forward to November being done that there is no way in the world that I'm crazy enough to consider going through with getting my Master's come January 2010.

I didn't cook a real dinner last night per Taylor's request, steak & fresh green beans & potatoes. And even if I did it wouldn't be a surprise since I cook all the time.

Sunday wasn't spent in my pajamas, with the exception of a 30 minute trip to the store. I mean seriously why would I stay in my pj's all day and just chill & relax the whole day.

I'm not going through withdrawals waiting for Desperate Housewives to come back, they are only off for 3 weeks which will fly by so it's not driving me mad crazy that it's not on now.

Last, but never least, two hours were not wasted on Saturday night looking at knitting patterns to find perfect summer ones to make for Taylor, and I didn't find the cutest one ever and already start on it.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Ranch Dill Crackers

2009-01-25T22:42:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and the kids love to munch on this cracker recipe that Jeremy's aunt makes around the Holidays.

Ranch Dill Oyster Crackers
3 boxes of crackers (we use 1 box cheezits, 1 box wheat thins, and 1 box oyster crackers)
3/4 cup oil
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 package Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix (the powder stuff)

Combine crackers in a bowl, add oil and mix to coat the crackers, add remaining ingredients and mix. Eat and enjoy. Simple, easy, and yummy.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Personality Style: Distractedly Organized

2009-01-25T15:08:00.000-08:00

It's funny to think about it, but these two words describe exactly who I am, or maybe just who I have become. I always have a million and one things going on in my life and I think over time it has turned me into somebody who is very easily distracted. However, I still remain extremely organized and anal. I didn't think it would be possible to combine the two of these traits, but possible or not it has happened. My mind is the best example of this, I know in my head what I want to do and how long each task will take and what my plans are for each day. I wake up determined to get through that organized list in my head. But as soon as I get up my mind begins to process that list and I get started, things are going good, then I get distracted. At the end of the day though most of my to-do's somehow still get done so I guess it's not a bad thing, except for those nights I stay up way too late finishing the to-do's because I couldn't get them to-done during my distractedly organized day.
Not a resolution because then it might just get broken but this year I might try to work on getting the to-do's done with as little distraction as possible to get me a few more winks of sleep each night.
And to help me do this I'm going to turned to the newly re-launched Virtually Organized Blog. I participated last year in a procrastination challenge, still loving my new pantry, and have followed Debbie's Blog since then so I'm looking forward to the new site.

And by the way, I'm supposed to be working on my paper for my marketing class right now, but surprisingly got distracted.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Formula 50...My addiction

2009-01-25T14:44:00.000-08:00

I can't seem to get enough of this stuff...Vitman Water: Formula 50

There is something about it's simple taste of this drink that draws my attention to it. I've tried the other vitamin waters and they just don't do it for me. My mom (thanks Mom) will often throw one in my lunch (yes, my mom still packs my lunch) and those days I seem to have more energy, although my guess is that it is totally in my mind only. Since really the vitamin water is not some energy drink. The taste is simple, almost like a watered down grape kool-aid, which might not sound too appealing but it really is tasty. If you haven't tried one yet I encourage you to just give it a shot.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

H2H: Living Room

2009-01-25T10:02:00.000-08:00

After much thought and consideration Jeremy & I have decided to not replace the couches that are currently in the living room. At one point we had tossed around the idea of a sectional in there but weren't sure how it would look since the room is connected to the dining room. Our plan instead is to take the country look out of the couches and instead turn them modern with a few throw pillows and other decor. So far in our quest of H2H we put up some blinds, panels, throw rug, and added a lamp to the room. What's left to do...change the lamp shade (not our style), change the throw pillows and put a fews pictures/mirrors up then we can consider the living room...complete.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Knitting Time - Cardigan & Hat

2009-01-24T19:56:00.000-08:00

After I had finished Cody's sweater vest for Christmas Taylor put in her request for a sweater also just like Cody's. Only this is how her request went. Mommy, will you knit me a sweater just like Cody's, only I want sleeves on mine and I want it to be open in the front and close with one button. Hmmm....that's not "just like Cody's" but I knew what my Princess wanted. I set out on the path for a pattern and came across a super cute one that would be just perfect for my next project. So I bring to you, Taylor's sweater and of course I had to make a matching hat to go with it.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

H2H: Taylor's Window

2009-01-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

Here is the first completed task for Project House to Home...which I think I'm going to just call H2H for short. This one is a special project because I made the whole thing, yes even the curtain rod. I was feeling very crafty and decided instead of buying the rod I would just make one out of pvc pipe, metal brackets, and screws. Then I sewed up the curtains with some fabric I had got off the clearance rack at Joann's a few weeks ago. I love the way it looks and matched Taylor's room so perfectly. Taylor's room underwent a transformation in summer into a pink, black, and white chic hangout, click here to see how well this curtain matches the rest of the room.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Happy Birthday Grandma

2009-01-24T08:47:00.000-08:00

Today is my Grandma's birthday and although she may not be here physically I know she is here with us. The dimes on the floors over the years have proven that time and time again. God took Grandma way too soon from us but he does these things for a reason. I'm sure he just needed somebody up there to play bingo and blackjack with.

Grandma wanted nothing more than to be a Great Grandma and while the timing may not have worked out that she got to meet her great grandkids she did a wonderful job of sending down two angels in her place. I see traits of my Grandma in my kids that make me smile all the way from my head to my toes.

From Taylor's love of biscuits and gravy one morning at breakfast to being able to name any Elvis song on the radio (without ever being exposed to Elvis). Taylor is the angel that my Grandma sent down to help us deal with her passing.

Cody's traits are just starting to show and really shined a few weeks ago as we drove to school and he spotted a garage sale sign leftover from a weekend sale and got excited. Grandma would never let us pass a sign without making a u-turn in the middle of the road to go track down a garage sale.

Forever in our hearts and always in our minds...
Happy Birthday Grandma!!!
Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Not Me Monday

2009-01-19T01:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Mondays seem to just sneak right up on me and are here before I know it. Back to work and the daily grind, but Not Me Monday's make it a bit better, or at least appear to when I look back at all the crazy things that I didn't do last week.

No way am I Blogging at this hour, I should be in bed and enjoying my extra night of sleep since tomorrow is a Holiday.

It's not me who is taking the kids to school tomorrow even though it's a Holiday and I'm off work. It's not like I have a list of a million and one things that I need to get done. Besides it's not my kids who would rather to go to school on pajama day and hang out with their friends than be drug around from store to store while I look for the perfect curtain rods tomorrow.

Last week I didn't finish knitting the most adorable pink cardigan sweater with super cute eyelets for Taylor. And no it was not complete in one week, that would have been a lot of knitting to do. And no I'm not going to Blog about it and post pictures of this adorable sweater because I'm so darn proud of it. Plus there is not a matching hat now for said sweater.

Finally, Friday night me and a group of my friends on the train did not order a pizza and have it delivered to one of the stations on our route home because we were starving. I mean really, how do you have a pizza delivered to a train that only stops for seconds at each stop? And I did not run off the train in search of pizza at agreed stop to meet the pizza guy because he didn't know what train car we were in.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Pippi Longstocking

2009-01-18T23:53:00.000-08:00

Who would have thought that one name would make a little girl so happy. Taylor is smitten with Pippi Longstocking. It all started a few month ago when on a whim I searched for Pippi Longstocking on YouTube and came across a bunch of short clips. Taylor was sitting with me that day and saw them and from that day Taylor had one thing on her mind, a freckled faced red head girl, Pippi Longstocking was coming into our world. I went on the search for a DVD and came up empty handed. Really, no stores feel the need to carry this in stock, my mom went everywhere, and trust me if it's out there my mom will find it. My search of course turned to the one place that never lets me down, eBay. We got the DVD last week but didn't have a chance to sit down and watch it until yesterday. And now the total count of times Pippi was viewed this weekend in its entirety is 4. Yes, 4 times this weekend both Taylor and Cody too sat and watched Pippi from start to finish.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Project House to Home

2009-01-13T22:41:00.000-08:00

We have lived in this current house of ours for almost 3 years and if you walked in you would immediately think, does anybody live here? Of course we have furniture, toys, and other random stuff. But the point I'm making is that the house just doesn't look lived in, it's missing that "home" feeling. Part of the problem was the paint...eeekkk...when we bought the house there were some very random colors splattered around the place. Green, brown, tan, yellow, gold, faux finish, you name it the house had it. The first few years Jeremy and I looked at paint colors all the time and never could settled on that perfect combination of what we wanted to do. This lack of final color put all decorating on the back burner. As we know time flies and it seems like the months just passed by. Finally towards the end of last year we decided that painting was not a project we were cut out for and decided to just hire somebody to come paint it for us and hopefully help us decide on colors. We ended up with the most awesome painters who not only did a spectacular job painting the whole inside of the house for us, but also helped us to nail down the perfect color for the house. It's not too bold and not too bright. Soft and subtle with a million possibilities.
Now that the house is painted it's like a blank canvas just waiting for our special touches. Jeremy & I had made a pact that this year would be 2009:Project House to Home. I figured what better way to track the things that we do, both big and small, than right here. I can then look back and see just how much progress we made this year and I love before and after pics.
Random before shots of our blank canvas.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

29 Years Young

2009-01-13T21:29:00.000-08:00

Last week I had arguably the most difficult birthday ever, turning 29 years old, er I mean young, was tough on me. The day was great and it has nothing to do with the celebration of my birthday. The hard part was the acceptance that I'm getting older, and even more so how stinking fast it goes by. As the days pass and I get closer to my 30th birthday (359 days to be exact, thanks Mom for the MySpace countdown clock to remind me every day your my mom you are supposed to support me not make it worse, lol) I'm starting to come to grips with it and you know something, it's ok to get older. I have spent the last few days looking back and thinking not of how old I am but where I'm going and what I've accomplished in my 29 years. and I'm darn proud. Well just see one year from now when the big 30 hits if I can keep up this optimistic attitude.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Out Of The Mouths - Fakey Stories

2009-01-13T06:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend Taylor & I were having a typical mommy/daughter conversation that went totally haywire. Really I'm not ready for this girl to grow up. Taylor was telling me about her week at school and mentioned her and a friend doing fakey stories. Fakey what?!? I had to ask, and am sorry I did. It went down a little like this.

M: What's a fakey story?
T: Want me to tell you one?
M: Of course!!
T: So Reed my boyfriend comes to my house in his car and picks me up for a date and we go to Tommy's because I really want a chili cheeseburger and then he asks me for a kiss and I slapped him. There that's a fakey story.

I wish I had a tape recorder and a mirror because I don't remember what I said first and I can only imagine what my face looked like.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Not Me Monday

2009-01-12T22:18:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already Monday again and time for Not Me Monday.

It wasn't me who thought last week took forever to get through, no way would the first week back to work after almost 2 weeks off seem to drag on and on.

And no way did I turn 29 years old last week, that's just impossible because I know for a fact last week I was only 25 years old and not a year away from 30.

Never in a million years would I not Blog since last Not Me Monday, that's just so unlike me to not Blog every single day, as if I have a busy life or something.

Last but not least, no way did I spend 45 minutes at Lowe's, the man's crafty store, getting supplies for my latest project, I mean they have everything at Joann's and Michael's so why would I need to go to the man's store. And it wasn't me who snuck out to Lowe's at the kids nap time because I needed to concentrate on what to get as we established last week that I don't sneak out at nap time.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Not Me Monday

2009-01-05T22:39:00.000-08:00

I’ve been reading these Not Me Mondays over at MckMama and decided that come 2009 I would jump on and join the fun. Very therapeutic to get some of the crazy things that I have done throughout the week out in the open. So I give to you my First Ever and First of 2009 Not Me Monday!!!

It wasn’t me who bought way too much yarn over the last week knowing full well that I don’t have the time to use all of this yarn anytime in the next 10 years but still continue to buy more and more yarn.

Mentioning yarn it wasn’t me who let Taylor skip naptime the other day so me and her could run to Joann’s to buy more random crafty stuff that we didn’t really need.

Nor would I lie to Cody when he asked me if I was going to sneak out and go shopping while he took his nap, like I do it all the time or something? Mommies don’t lie to their kids or sneak out while they are napping.

No way would I be the one who got all excited when we drove through the Walmart parking lot and screamed when I saw the Christmas stuff just hit 75% off and no way in the world did I fill a shopping cart with stuff simply because it was cheap.

And never in a million years would I be the person that had so much on her mind this morning as I went back to work after 12 days off that I would actually wear tennis shoes with my slacks and not dress shoes and not even notice until I got on the train this morning. That only happens in dreams not in real life.

And for my mom, so she can get it off her conscience too, she didn’t convince somebody at the front of the line to get tickets for us as the Rose Parade float viewing so we didn’t have to wait in the hour-long line. That’s never something a Grandma would do for her grandchildren.

Nope Not Me (or my mom)!!!

Wow! That felt good.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Dorky Boys

2009-01-04T00:02:00.000-08:00

I can still recall a conversation with Jeremy a number of years ago...it was pre-Cody and even pre-Taylor. Jeremy & I were in a grocery store doing some shopping and as we were checking out there was a boy ahead of us. He must have been about 6 years old or so and I remember him acting like a complete dork. I told Jeremy that if we ever had a boy I hoped he didn't act like that. Jeremy said don't hold my breathe and that all boys act dorky. I only had a sister so I didn't know any better. Over the years I would see boys and the only words out of Jeremy's mouth were see, told you so. When I was first pregnant and had a girl I was thrilled at the thought of not having to deal with that "dorky" boy and instead had a princess in my cart while out shopping.

Then Cody came along, I was blessed with a boy and scared of the thought of one day having that "dorky" boy that insisted on just acting well, plain old dorky. These first few years with Cody have been awesome, no acting dorky just like I had planned in my head.

But then it all changed. In the last few weeks, Cody has turned into that dorky boy, doing all things dorky. And you know what, it's ok, and I even like it at times. Well more at home than out in public but it's growing on me. You see, all boys are dorky that's just what they do and it's ok. So the next time you are out and you see a boy acting dorky remind yourself he's just being a dorky boy, it's normal, all boys do it.

I love my dorky boy!!!

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Paint-A-Bear Gingerbread Cookies

2009-01-03T23:54:00.000-08:00

At Target's Holiday clearance sale I picked up a Crayola Paint-A-Bear Gingerbread Cookie kit and had been meaning to do it with the kids. Tonight was the perfect night as we didn't have any plans. I baked the cookies for the kids then let then go to town with the painting. Taylor is addicted to painting right now and using a million different colors, just ask my mom who has to spend tons at the craft store for wood projects for the Princess to paint when she is over at Grandma's house. Cody on the other hand just loves to get the job done so he can move on to the next project.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Knitting Time - Pirate Hat

2009-01-03T23:51:00.000-08:00

A few nights ago I started a pattern from my knitting calendar that I totally fell in love with. I made it just the basic black and white for the first try to test out the pattern. My plan though is to make another in pink and black for a total punk princess style. Taylor already put in her request for a pink one.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Out Of The Mouths - Kid Treatment

2009-01-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

It seems every day that the kids are saying something that will just crack us up and I figured what better way to document those than here. Plus it gives my readers something funny to laugh at too. So here we go with the first feature of 2009...Out of the Mouths.

This morning I made the kids some eggs for breakfast, just simple scrambled eggs. Actually I can't take credit for all of it either. Taylor loves to help in the kitchen and while I was straightening up the house she got the eggs from the fridge, cracked them in a bowl, scrambled them, then poured them into a pan on the stove. My part was to just cook them up since she knows she can't do that part yet.
I put the eggs onto plates and got both Taylor & Cody set up at the table. Taylor looks at me, looks at the eggs and the conversation proceeds like this

Taylor: You forgot the pepper
Me: Oops, sorry I didn't know you liked pepper now
Taylor: Gees, is this anyway to treat a kid?

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

A Picture's Worth - Rose Parade Floats

2009-01-02T22:37:00.000-08:00

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Rose Parade Float Viewing

2009-01-02T22:25:00.000-08:00

Not many people live in Southern California and have the opportunity every year to take a short drive to see the floats from the Rose Parade. Ok, maybe that statement is not completely true since there are a ton of people that live in Southern California, but my point is that since we are here, so close to this once-a-year opportunity we should definitely take advantage of such an awesome sight…2 miles worth of floats decorated completely in stuff of “natural materials”. This year was going to be the year we took this trip. The kids were not exactly sure what to think but once we got there and they found out we would take a school bus to get to the viewing area they were very excited. This would be the first trip for each of them on a real school bus.

It was a bit cold which provided for some drama with Taylor. My Little Princess did not want to wear her jacket because then nobody would be able to see her gold sequin shrug. I did let her take her jacket off for a quick pic in the bus which resulted in a giant smile.

But as soon as we got to the viewing area and were back outside the jacket must go back on which created for some pretty interesting pictures: One upset Princess and One Crazy Cody.

The float for the princesses complete with a tiara was the one sure fire way to get a smile on Taylor's face.

Cody was head over heels for the Sesame Street float.
The day was awesome though, the floats were beautiful, and it makes me want to watch the parade now that I have seen the floats in real life. What it made we want to do even more though was go to the actual parade. I will add that to my list of things to do.

And it seems that many other people had the same idea as we did as the day wore on it turned into a sea of people checking out the once-a-year opportunity.

I’ll add another post with the pictures of the floats…I took a ton and had to narrow it down best I could.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Loving the GPS

2009-01-02T20:09:00.000-08:00

I ended up getting Jeremy a GPS this year for Christmas and today was the first day we took a big trip since Christmas to be able to put the system to use. My question now is why didn’t I break down and let him buy one back when they first came out…those GPS thingies just create humor when in use for more than one reason

- The street pronunciations are something else…makes me want to drive around endlessly just to continue to here the nice voice coming from the GPS butchering street names that comes out of her mouth
- Making Ms. GPS freak out when we go against her directions is totally worth getting lost….why on earth Ms. GPS thinks it’s ok to just stop dead in our tracks and make a U-Turn on a busy street with a median is beyond me
- Ms. GPS informing us when we are going a simple 10 miles over the speed limit by yelling “Caution”…caution? what caution? caution is actually going the speed limit in CA and getting run over on the freeway
- Taylor insisting to take the GPS out of the car and throw her out of the window because she is making her crazy. LOL! Then further explaining to everyone in the car that mommy can tell daddy where to go instead of the talking thing

All in all though even with the quirky street names, illegal u-turns, and speed control we are totally lovin the GPS and the adventure it now provides on our drives.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Year Of The Gold Sequin Shrug

2009-01-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

Taylor was in heaven tonight at JcPenney. For months now she has had her eye on an (ugly)gold sequin shrug. Each time though we had gone I couldn’t find her size and refused to let her get something that was going to be super small on her. I guess all it took was a new year for her dream to come true. Jeremy & I were checking out some curtains so my mom took Taylor over to the girls section to look at clothes. And what did they find….this ugly gold sequin shrug and even better, or maybe not, it was on clearance. Grandma bought this for Taylor and officially started the year of the gold shrug. Taylor insisted on wearing the shrug as soon as she got in the car, then tonight when she put on her pajamas she put the shrug on right over it. And Taylor has already informed me that tomorrow she will need to wear it to see the Rose Parade floats. How many days can a child wear a shrug before it needs to be washed?

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

New Years Breakfast

2009-01-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

What better way to start the New Year than with a home cooked breakfast? My mom is the big cooker on Sundays so I figured I would take advantage of New Years not being on Sunday and make breakfast. So I whipped up a quick little breakfast and returned the weekly favor to my mom by packaging her and my pops up some food and taking it over to their house. Our New Years breakfast: chocolate hazelnut pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Yummy!! And what New Years breakfast would be complete without special pancakes for the kids T for Taylor and C for Cody.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

The Blog List

2009-01-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

There is no better way to kick off the new year than with a totally random Blog List. Easy rules and I ecourage every Blogger to add this list. Just copy and paste the list to your Blog and bold those items that you have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars (sorta, in a tent, motorhome, and toy hauler)
3. Played in a band (Clarinet...4th Grade)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Held a praying mantis (heck no...never!!!)
9. Climbed a mountain (on a quad, got stuck, it was not fun)
10. Sang a solo (sing, yes, sing good...you'd have to ask others about that)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (everybody has done this)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon (basically everyday seems like a marathon)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (I'm pretty sure I did when I was playing softball at some point)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (no, but for sure on my list)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I mean sure, more money is always good but I would say we for sure have enough to be satisfied)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (Watched it on YouTube one time)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (never transported but I did hop in one to turn my shirt inside out...long story)
47. Had your portrait painted
48.Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Walked in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (Home movies count, right)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (if ebay counts)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (no clutter for me I don't hold onto much)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published in a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (Two of the greatest moments of my life)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (Enron still owes me money)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day (A trait I get from my mom super fast reader)

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Ok Grandma Today Is The Day

2009-01-01T10:14:00.001-08:00

I've been staring at my Christmas tree for way too long now. It's been driving me crazy I wanted to take it down and get the house back in order last weekend....but my Grandma's rule was never take down the tree until the 1st of the year or else bad luck for a whole year. I know I know a total wives tale...except my Grandma has more power now in heaven looking over me than she did when she was with us on earth. Therefore I listen and obey. My house was actually quite comical on Saturday as I cleaned around the tree keeping it fully decorated simply moving it around from one place to another. I guess thats the benefit of tile floors it slid very easily from one place to another. I'm happy to say though that today is the 1st and the tree has been completely put away and will sit in the garage for the next 11 months. Wow!! In 11 short months we will be pulling that out and starting the Holidays all over again. Ok I know that wasn't necessary...but it's the truth. Time flies!!!

Grandma, I know you are reading this up above while you watch the Rose Parade today so please understand the struggle I had, for you, to not put the tree away and get order back in my house as you watch over our family this year. Miss ya, Love ya, Mean it. :-)

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Happy New Year!!!

2008-12-31T21:19:00.000-08:00

All day Taylor had been insisting on staying up until midnight to see the ball drop. She has been so excited for the New Year that she didn't get a nap in today...which meant only one thing...there is no way in the world she was going to make it to midnight. And on the rare chance she did make it she would be a complete brat by the time it did roll around.
So what's a parent to do...Well take advantage of being on the West Coast of course. Jeremy searched around to find a channel that would air the ball dropping at 9:00 California...12:00 New York time. So there we sat engrossed in the TV at a whopping 9:00 convincing Taylor that she made it to midnight. She was besides herself and very excited that Cody made it to and that they got to celebrate the New Year together as brother and sister.

Ten Minutes Left of 2008

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Monthly Organizing Round-Up - Living Room

2008-12-31T15:09:00.000-08:00

Well I fell off the wagon there and have regretfully missed the last few months of the Round-Ups that are hosted monthly by The Org Junkie. I'm back on track now though and ready for this month's challenge.

This month’s Round Up is living rooms. This was a tough one for me to decide on whether or not to do the “living room” or the room where we actually do the “living” aka the family room. That’s a whole another post though, I never figured out why they call it a living room when seriously the only time it is used is for Holidays and not for living. Oh well I guess that’s why I work in Human Resources and not building houses.

The family room in our house is pretty organized for the most part thanks to the most awesome entertainment center. It fits the hole in the wall perfectly. The entertainment center though helps to keep things in their place. Except for the pile of papers that ends up there instead of on the desk where they belong and the Wii accessories that were begging for a home and not just a shelf to sit on. Last year I added some baskets to the shelves on the left hand side to help organize the play-doh. Play-doh is off limits in the playroom so I keep it hostage in the family room. The couch is a plus and a minus. The couch pillows are always piled up in the corner of the couch, but look so much better when actually set up nicely. There is a center console on the couch that keeps the remotes nicely stored too. All in all not too much to do here since the room kind of organizes itself provided I take full advantage of the organizing features.

The Couch Before

The Couch After....Ahhh
The Entertainment Center Before
The Entertainment Center After

The Home for Play-Doh & Wii Stuff

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Bed Time Tonight...Rough but Funny

2008-12-30T21:57:00.000-08:00

The kids are fighting bedtime tonight very much!! First off Cody insisted on having a sleepover with Taylor. He wants Taylor to sleep on his top bunk while he sleeps on the bottom. Sure why not, there isn't school tomorrow let's give it a try. I went into Cody's room helped get Taylor all set up top and let both Cody and Taylor know the rules. It's sleep time so no talking or getting out of control. Let's start the clock for how long this will last....3 minutes and I here commotion coming from Cody's room. They are jumping on the bed, having a good old time. Sleepover...over!! Taylor goes back to her room.
Fast forward 30 minutes...
Cody comes in the living room and I can here Taylor whispering in the hallway "coaching" Cody on what to say. Cody insists he is scared and needs Taylor to sleep in his room.
Taylor then walks in the living room and makes it look like she was sleeping...you know the eye thing, make myself look sleepy...everybody thought it worked as a kid, but mom knows better....and asks what's going on? HA! She knows exactly what's going on.
I take both of the kids back to bed, again, tuck them in.
Fast forward 45 more minutes....
Cody is finally asleep and Taylor is still fighting it like crazy, but I think she may be giving in. Most likely because her Little Puppet (aka Cody) has fallen asleep.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Cody's Preschool Pictures

2008-12-29T12:43:00.000-08:00

There is no stopping him now, Cody is going to grow up whether I like it or not.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Taylor's Kindergarten Pictures

2008-12-29T12:33:00.000-08:00

We are already halfway through the school year and I still have a hard time believing that my baby girl is in kindergarten. She looks too grown up in these pictures.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Drive By - Knitting Calendar

2008-12-28T08:54:00.001-08:00

Before I start this Blog I need to give you a backstory, or else you might read it and simply call the cops on my mom for doing drive bys in the neighborhood. My mom and dad live in our neighborhood just a few streets away, which is a total blessing. Anyways as soon as we moved into this neighborhood my mom started this thing of doing drive-bys (please keep reading it's not what you think, lol). When my mom is out shopping if she sees something that she knows Jeremy, me, or the kids will like she buys it then drives by our house leaves it on the porch and calls me on the phone to tell me to go to the porch. It's totally cool and totally random and always an awesome surprise. Now onto this post...

Yesterday I'm working on getting the house back in order and finding places for all of the new toys when my phone rings. I answer the phone and it's my mom with her famous words "Go check your porch". Woo-hoo! Drive By!! Goody time!!! I go to the porch and there are 2 trays of brownies, yes Jeremy's brownies that he loved eating on Christmas Eve. But then there was a Barnes & Noble bag, hmmm was it for me or the kids?? I opened the bag and screamed...It was the calendar I had been eyeing, 2009 Knitting-A-Day calendar. This calendar is the best. It has a ton of new knitting patterns, pictures and instructions to. I already flipped through the whole calendar and looked at every single pattern. I'm sure that is against the law since I should be only looking at them as each day passes. But it's my calendar so my rules. Thanks Mom!!!!

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Another Year...Another Dooney

2008-12-27T23:10:00.000-08:00

Jeremy surprised me this year with a Dooney & Bourke bag. We had made a deal that Christmas this year would be our new furniture but we both broke that promise, I got him a GPS that he had been eyeing, so it's ok. Christmas time is always when I get my Dooney bags and this makes me love the Holidays even more. This year's bag is not just a purse though it's a tote bag perfect for holding everything I need on my daily train rides to and from work. This bag will hold it all, my lunch, knitting, wallet, and keys. So perfect and so cute. Add to the size and functionality that it is the 150th anniversary bag celebrating the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and I would have to say that Jeremy did very well this year for Christmas. I'm so excited to go back to work and get to use my new bag...well not excited enough to cut my vacation short but you get the idea of how in love I with my new bag.

I took the picture from the internet because I don't feel like going and getting my camera, taking a pic an having to upload it.

But I had to show you a picture so you could just see how darn cute it is!!!!! :-)

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

My Crazy Cleaning Kids

2008-12-27T23:04:00.000-08:00

Cody got a vacuum cleaner for his birthday this year which started World War 3 in our house. Taylor & Cody were constantly fighting over the vacuum cleaner. This led to the perfect gift for Taylor for Christmas, her very own vacuum cleaner. And perfect, it’s pink!!! Today I opened up Taylor’s vacuum cleaner and her and Cody went to town vacuuming up the house. They had a blast and were begging for more stuff to vacuum up. Really, I don’t know where they get this crazy cleaning gene from. ;-)

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Yarn Sale

2008-12-26T22:58:00.000-08:00

Both Joann's & Michael's had some yarn on sale today and some might think I went a little bit crazy. But hey my sister and brother in law gave me a super cute basket that was just begging to be filled with yarn so I did just that. Filled that basket to the brim with my super good deal yarn.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Knitting Time - Sweater Vest

2008-12-26T22:52:00.000-08:00

A few months back, well not that long ago since I've really just learned how to knit, I started on a Christmas vest for Cody. I got down to the final part, the neckband and armbands but then got sidetracked with a million and one other things and didn't get around to finishing it. What better motivation though that waiting until the last minute and cranking this baby out. Yes, I finished it the evening of Christmas Eve. But the main thing is that it is done and I'm totally loving it. There are a few parts that I'm not thrilled with but it's my first sweater so I'm giving myself a little bit of leeway. Next one better be perfect though.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

A Picture's Worth - Wiped Out

2008-12-26T10:19:00.000-08:00

Too much Christmas for Two Kids

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T22:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was everything I had hoped for and more. The kids loved everything and were in such a great mood all day long. The Holidays are always such a tough time and make for a very very long day for little ones. However, this year we avoided all drama, fights, and tantrums. Taylor & Cody got along wonderfully, enjoyed each and every one of their gifts. Taylor had a few favorites Puppy Grows, her vacuum cleaner, and sewing machine. Cody only had eyes for his fire station.

Cody beat sister to the living room...then stopped and just stared

Taylor giving loves to Puppy Grows

Cody & his beloved Fire Station

A quick pose before the unwrapping begins

Taylor & Cody after they opened up the gifts they got for each other. They were so excited to pick out presents they thought were perfect for each of them and open them up together.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Santa Claus Has Stopped By

2008-12-25T06:20:00.000-08:00

Looks like Taylor & Cody were good this year. Santa has stopped by the house and dropped off some goodies while the kids were fast asleep in their beds. He filled the stockings making sure to get them new slippers just like every year. Also Santa brought Taylor & Cody their special requests….Puppy Grows & Knows Your Name for Taylor and a Fire Station for Cody. Santa decided to throw a little something special in to, a bounce house for Taylor & Cody to enjoy all year long. Santa must have been a busy little bee because the furniture had to be moved all around for everything to fit in the living room. Mommy is sitting here waiting for Taylor & Cody to wake up. I can’t wait to see the looks on their face…this is what being a parent is all about!!!

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Letter to Santa

2008-12-24T22:08:00.000-08:00

Anybody that has been to our house in the last 6 weeks or so knows the rules...No eating or drinking on the new couch. I never realized the effects though that this rule had on the kids until a couple of days ago when I had a conversation with Taylor. We were talking about leaving out cookies & milk for Santa on Christmas Eve so he has something to recharge himself after such a long night. Taylor then proceeded to let me know that with the milk & cookies she needed to leave Santa a letter. Ah, so sweet I thought!! Until she told me what she wanted to write on the letter. See for yourself the letter that was left with the milk & cookies tonight.

Yes!! She is totally my daughter.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Christmas Eve Tradition

2008-12-24T21:58:00.000-08:00

Taylor’s first Christmas I started a tradition that every Christmas Eve she would get to open just one present from mommy & daddy. This present was new Christmas pajamas so she would look cute the next morning opening up her Christmas presents. J This tradition has continued through the years and something that of course was started with Cody also. Each year after we get home from my mom and dads house the kids sit down open up their present, take a bath, get nice and cozy in their new pj’s, and get ready for bedtime so Santa can come visit.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Christmas Celebration #2

2008-12-24T21:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve is always the time that we celebrate with my family. This year my sister was with her husband’s family but my mom, dad, Jeremy, the kids and I all gathered on Christmas Eve to keep the tradition going. Typically we have prime rib but this year opted for a much simpler meal, one of everyone’s favorites, my mom’s tacos. And what Jeremy thinks are the best brownies ever for dessert. After we were finished eating the kids opened up their presents. A ton of pajamas, clothes, and toys later they were each down to their last present. Taylor & Cody opened up their last present at the same time and were excited to finally get their portable DVD players that they have wanted for months.

Taylor & her Gourmet Cupcake Maker Cody & his firetruck step stool

Excited over pajamas

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

No School for 2 Weeks

2008-12-23T20:56:00.000-08:00

Today starts my Winter Break for school. No school for 2 whole weeks. This is the only break that I have for the entire year so I treasure these 2 weeks. Also I'm in the home stretch now as November 2009 I will be done with school...unless I'm crazy enough to go for my Master's. Which at this point I am. I should start a countdown for my degree. Stay tuned for that!!

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Countdown to Vacation Time

2008-12-22T22:02:00.000-08:00

Woo-Hoo!! One more day and then my vacation starts. :-) I won't be back at work until January 5th which seems so far away. But of course time will fly. The first few days of my vacation will be a blur with Christmas. But I'm hoping to get some projects done during the second week of my vacation. Vacations where no travel happens are always nice it gives me a chance to get to those things that there just isn't enough time in the normal week for.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Christmas Celebration #1

2008-12-21T21:14:00.000-08:00

Today started the first of 5 Family Christmas Celebrations that will take place over the next few days. Last weekend we went to a friend’s house for our annual Christmas celebration which really kicked off the Holiday season for the kids. But in true “mommy brain” fashion I forgot the camera so no pics from there. Today was my mom’s extended family and we celebrated at our house. The kids got some cool toys from family and it was a nice relaxing time. It is always great to see family and spend time catching up. It seems that these days everyone is always so busy and the times of just sitting together talking are far and few between.

The kids and some of their stuff

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Metrolink Holiday Express

2008-12-21T21:05:00.000-08:00

Each year the local train, Metrolink, goes all out for the Holidays and decorates the train in a ton of lights. They take this train to the different stations and put on a show for the kids. Taylor went a few years ago and last year we started up the tradition by taking both of the kids. They had so much fun last year Jeremy & I decided that we would make sure that we braved the cold each year and took them to see the special train with lights.

Waiting for the show to start

Completely engrossed in the show

During the show
Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Craft Time - Teacher's Keychains

2008-12-20T06:44:00.000-08:00

This year I decided to try my hand at crafting something for the kids teachers instead of buying some random items. I wanted something a bit more personal. I took the idea of the "in" thing of decorated Scrabble Tiles and instead of making necklaces went with keychains. Here are the two that I ended up making, complete with teacher designed scrapbooking paper.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Christmas Tree Decorating

2008-12-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

Every year since having kids Jeremy & I watch the kids decorate the tree putting the ornaments on basically 3 total branches and bunched up on the bottom. Then after they are done decorating we go back through the tree and spread them out. This year though, we both made a decision, which is tough for two very anal people, that wherever the ornaments land from our precious little ones hands is where they shall stay all season long. So there you have it, our carefully decorated tree with ornaments around the bottom row of the tree.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Jingle Bells

2008-12-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle All the Way
Oh What Fun....

You know the rest, right....

It appears Taylor doesn't. She really just makes the words up as she goes which you will catch when the video first starts...But then as soon as Taylor knows the camera is on she refuses to sing the part she doesn't really know and instead just wants to put on a show. I love my Little Princess!!!

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

A Picture's Worth -- Circus Time

2008-12-19T06:10:00.000-08:00

Cody acting like Cody and Taylor's snow cone lands on her shirt

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Black Friday

2008-12-19T06:08:00.000-08:00

Well you know that a Thanksgiving post has to be followed by one about Black Friday...It was a given and go ahead and admit it you were expecting it.
Black Friday this year I decided to lay low as far as the getting up before the sun and freezing outside. I took kid duty and stayed in my nice warm bed until they woke up then hit the shopping at about 9:00 a.m. There were some pretty good deals out there....probably the best 2 deals though came outside of the Black Friday Early Deals. Friday night we decided to make a trip to one of the many Wal-marts in the area in search of a few things that they were sold out of at our normal Wal-mart. This led us into a Wal-mart having an unpublicized Super Friday Night Deal which included something that Jeremy and I had been looking for...throw pillows for the new couch. Woo-hoo!! We had been looking at pillows but it was going to cost us a small fortune to get the amount we wanted. The pillows were on sale for $2.50 a piece for micro fiber solid color pillows. Score!!!
My next good deal came Saturday morning at Michael's. There is a space in the house next to the formal dining room that is basically a nook cutout....too deep for a bookcase but not wide enough to put a hutch in. Frustrating,,,until I saw the ad for Michael's. They had on sale a super cute table that would fit perfectly in this nook and also give me some workspace to put some crafting stuff. I love the way it looks!!!

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-19T05:41:00.000-08:00

Alright, alright, I'm just going to say it so you all don't have to. Thanksgiving was almost a month ago and really there is no reason to Blog about something that happened a month ago. And I'm sure in some Blog rules this is against the law. But this is my Blog and my rules and since I slaved over an oven for 6 hours to cook a turkey I'm going to Blog about Thanksgiving where you like it or not. So here goes....
I took the day off work the day before Thanksgiving because I seriously had done nothing to prepare for the big Turkey Day. My mom was nice enough to go with me (Thanks Mom) and boy did we were ourselves out. We started at before 8:00 a.m. and didn't step foot back into the house until about 2:00 p.m. But I'm happy to say that with those hours we got everything we needed to buy, stuff we didn't even need, and picked up the tables and chairs because nobody is going to eat our our new furniture. LOL!
So I woke up early on Turkey Day and just lounged around until I finally realized...crap I bought a 23 pound bird I better get that baby started. About 9:00 I got everything out to get the stuffing made and cleaned the bird all out. Stuffed the bird with our super yummy apple stuffing recipe that Jeremy and I created a long time ago when we made our first turkey. In the bird went and sat for hours and hours until it was ready to eat. The turkey was delicious -- moist and flavorful. We had a ton of food, like always, but it made good leftovers so it was worth it.
This is where Thanksgiving got really interesting and turned into a day that everybody would remember, especially Cody.
Just as were finishing eating we heard a helicopter overhead...which of course means Jeremy has to go see what's going on...and then everybody followed. We were greeted outside by a couple of sheriff's cars and two sheriff's with their guns drawn pointing them down towards the end of our cul-de-sac. What the heck is going on?!?!?! At first we were told it was a home invasion robbery..Ok everybody inside now and lock the doors!!! However, it turned out it was just a neighbor dispute and nothing to be alarmed about. Everybody outside again to see what happens next now that it's safe.
Next thing we know a fire truck comes down the street....It's like it was sent from Santa as an early Christmas present to Cody. Cody is head over heels for anything fire truck related!! We hung around outside for a few more minutes and watched the "fire truck men" when one of them looked over and saw Cody. The wonderful "fire truck man" must have seen this look in a kids eye before and knew exactly what Cody wanted so he flagged us over and let Cody sit in the truck. Cody was a little hesitant at first to be so close to a real fire truck but beamed from ear to ear as soon as he say in the big seat. He is still talking about it almost a month later. See now you know you why I broke the Blog rules and had to write about Thanksgiving.

Cody in the big fire truck

The Turkey All Ready to Eat
The Aftermath of Turkey Day

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

House Snow Pics

2008-12-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

Our house and neighborhood all covered in snow.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Snow Video

2008-12-18T21:48:00.000-08:00

I warned you....But this one is priceless. My non-snow knowing kids get the biggest joy out of simply walking in the snow

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Snow Angel

2008-12-18T21:46:00.000-08:00

Really I promise you are about to see more snow related posts than you ever imagined. But since this only happens like once every 10 years you are just going to have to deal with it. :-)

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Taylor & Cody & Us Updates

2008-12-18T07:35:00.000-08:00

Since it has been so long since I've Blogged I'd figure I'd give you some updates on the kids and what we've been up to.

Taylor -- Doing awesome with the Kindergarten studies, she is starting to understand words and how to sound them out and should be reading in no time. She had a photographic memory and basically remembers everything she sees. Matter of fact we thought she was doing good and reading but turns out she was just memorizing the book after the first go through. How did we learn that you ask...Check out this conversation we had in the car one day.

Taylor: Mommy, do you want me to read, Hop, Hop, Hop to you?
Mommy: Sure, honey but you don't have the book.
Taylor: That's ok I don't need it.

Taylor then proceeded to "read" the book and didn't miss one word. That's when we figured out how good she was memorizing. But they do say that the first part of reading is being able to memorize the sight words. Also in the last month Taylor had her first parent/teacher conference. The results of the conference is that Taylor is doing wonderful!!! She has mastered all of the basic necessary skills and even some that she doesn't even need to know yet. Taylor sat down with Jeremy to go over her progress report and was devasted to learn she had room to learn and was not perfect in every single thing on the chart. She had a bit of a meltdown but over time, and a lot of convincing from dad and mom, she got better about the areas that were not perfect. I see a lot of me in Taylor when she gets into her "has to be perfect" moods.

Cody -- Three words could describe Cody right now...boy, boy, boy. Wow! Him and Taylor are like night and day. Cody will not sit still for any period of time and always has to be doing something. His current fascination is fire trucks and fire truck men. He has decided he wants to be a fire truck man when he grows up to put out fires and save people. His collection of fire truck stuff is growing by the minute and he has even requested a fire station from Santa this year. Besides being facinated with fire trucks his personality is really starting to show and he can go from sweetest thing on earth to a total pain in less than 60 seconds. The thing is when Cody is Sweet Cody he is the beyond sweet. Cody is truly in love with his sister and wants to do everything she does and would and does anything and everything for her. Cody still has at any given time at least one tool in his hands, pocket, or right next to him in bed. Most times it is a screwdriver but he does settle for pliers, wrenches, or a hammer.

Jeremy & I are just busy with work and getting ready for the Holidays. The new job for me is going really well. I'm starting to get into my groove and I no longer get off the shuttle and head to the other building I used to be in. I've re-arranged the office a few different times but think that I have now settled on a set up that I like. Jeremy is busy, busy, busy with work and has been playing Mr. Dad even more this last month with the kids since I have been busy learning the new job. I'm still in school and plugging away at that, less than a year to go and I'll have my Bachelor's.

That in a nutshell is what we have been up to. I have a lot of pics and other random things that I'll be posting....I'm not even going to say when since I don't want to set myself up for failure again. I'll just leave it at one day I'll post again. LOL!!!

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Visit to Santa

2008-12-18T07:05:00.000-08:00

This year the whole Santa enterprise is being taken to a whole new level....Of course that means more money for the company but what the heck it's Christmas and the kids LOVED this year's visit to Santa. This new thing they are doing is not simply just one Santa photo, but now a whole portfolio of Santa photos, from the walk up to the hug away with the good old regular Santa pic in the middle. I of course fell head over heels for this and bought the CD with all the pictures because I simply couldn't choose between which ones to buy.
This year Taylor likes Santa...she gets the idea of Santa and is getting pretty excited. Cody on the other hand, loves Santa. All he talks about is Santa (and anything related to fire truck men). Heck Cody even stopped a Santa coming out of a Walmart bathroom last weekend so he could give him a hug. The sparkle in Cody's eye when he sees Santa reminds me just how much this Holiday means to the little ones.
The visit went great..got some good pics...and the kids got to tell Santa what they are hoping for under the tree this year. Puppy Grows for Taylor and Cody a Fire Station.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Time to Catch Up

2008-12-18T07:01:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...The last thing you probably remember me saying was that I was going to take part in National Blog Posting Month and post everyday in November....I'm proud to say I made it almost half a month, but then reality kicked in and I realized this idea was literally setting me up for failure. There is no realistic way that during the craziness of: a new job, Holidays, school, and the kids that this would happen. Only never did I think that taking on that challenge would result in me taking such a long break from Blogging. It happened though, and now I'm back at it.
So what brings me to this point, you saw it yesterday...Snow in Southern California!!! That is what it takes to give me time to sit down and Blog. I'm at the train station right now waiting for my train to get in and find myself with the necessary items:

laptop+internet connection+stranded in a train station=Blog Time

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Snow in Southern California?!?!

2008-12-17T19:20:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's exactly what it takes these busy busy days for me to get some time to update my blog.....Today it snowed in Southern California...And not just a few flakes either. It snowed allll day long and is still snowing. It even snowed enough to make a snowman. The kids are loving it!!!!

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Taylor & Bedtime

2008-11-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

Taylor has always been fairly easy to put to bed each night and never was the kind of kid who drug out bedtime, asking for more water, stories, or hugs. The past week though she has been having a hard time falling asleep and will come out at least once to the family room where Jeremy and I are usually at. Each time she walks out there we ask what's up Taylor and tell her that she needs to get some sleep. The first few nights she would just turn back around and go to her room. The past two nights though she has been saying random things that we can't help but laugh at.

Two nights ago, we hear the footsteps both Jeremy and I look towards the hallway and there stands Taylor, and the random words out of her mouth..."I can count to ten in sign language". Our response "That's awesome, now get some sleep Sweety".

Last night, we hear footsteps look towards the hallway and the random words out of her mouth..."I'm bored". Our response...laughter, followed by "Taylor it's time to get some sleep".

It almost makes me excited for bed time tonight to see what she is going to come up with next.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Cody's Stitches are Out

2008-11-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

Today I was off work as my company was observing the Veteran's Day holiday. It was no day for relaxation though...busy, busy, busy. One of my to-do list things was to take Cody to get those mean old stitches out of his head. Cody did awesome when they took those little buggers out. The cut is healing very well too which makes me a very happy mommy.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

New Furniture - Couch & Dinette

2008-11-09T21:27:00.000-08:00

Now that the house has been painted, yes it's done!!!! Jeremy and I decided we should finally treat ourselves to a new couch we had been eyeing for a while. We picked this couch out months ago, but it didn't really go with the color we were going to paint the family room so we kept on looking. Now though, that the room is a more neutral color the couch we have wanted will match perfectly. So we went and did it today and bought the couch. We also decided to go ahead and get a new dinette set why we were there too. I can't wait for the new stuff to be delivered...hopefully it will be soon. But you know how it is with furniture people they always take forever.

Here are some pics of the furniture...

obviously not from our house since we don't have our stuff yet.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Freecycle

2008-11-08T21:57:00.000-08:00

Freecycle is paradise for people like me that hate clutter and stuff being in my house. I simply post an item that I no longer want to look at, stick it on my front porch and BAM it's gone. Just like magic. For anybody that hasn't discovered Freecycle I highly recommend it.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Bittersweet Day at Work

2008-11-07T23:02:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day that I'm writing about my job on my Blog. I'm sure that I have made mention of what I do, or maybe I haven't. I'm not sure. I guess it is the one part of my life that I keep to myself and I'm not sure why really. The reason though that I'm going to fill you in on what I do is that I got a new job (promotion), same company though, and today was my last day in my current job. As excited as I am to start the new one there are always the memories that you leave behind.
I have been with NBC Universal now for over 4 years, working with the same people. 4 years is a long time to build great relationships, which I feel that I have done.
Today at work, my team threw me a wonderful going away party complete with cupcakes a ton of professional, but cool, things for my desk in my new office. I of course teared up at the thought of what a great team I was leaving behind.
Now onto the new job though. HR Generalist for our IT department. New challenges and exciting opportunities for growth are ahead for me and I couldn't be more excited for that.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-06T07:08:00.000-08:00

Now that Halloween has passed the focus gets put on Thanksgiving, which is probably on my list of Top 2 Holidays, coming a close second behind Christmas. I think the part about Thanksgiving that I like so much is the cooking. Ok, now for those of you that know me really well you probably think this...

Jessica + Cooking = Insanity

However, the truth of the matter is, even though I don't cook that much I really do enjoy it and people have told me that I do a pretty darn good Thanksgiving meal. The countdown begins to the big day. I have already begun a mental list of my must make again and things I want to give a try. If you have any good Thanksgiving recipes feel free to send them my way.

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Cody's First Stitches

2008-11-05T07:43:00.000-08:00

It's times like these when being a parent is the toughest thing out there...Last night I got home from work and it was just like any typical day. The kids were excited and greeted me with hugs. I began my nightly ritual of taking off my ring and necklace and getting into more comfortable clothes. The kids are usually on my ankles this whole time telling me about their day. I love this part of my day being with the kids and hearing their stories. This is when the night took a turn for the worse though.
As I was taking off my necklace Cody was sitting on our bed but for some reason decided he wanted to get off and go get something....well in his excitement he fell off the bed and hit the rocking chair in our room at just the right spot and ended up with a giant gash to the right of his eye. At first glance I knew this was going to a "in need of stitches" cut. I immediately yelled for Jeremy who came running to the room scooped up Cody and held a towel to get the bleeding to stop.
Taylor was a basket case...she thought her brother was dying. In probably what was the sweetest moment I've ever seen from my precious little girl the following words were flowing out of her mouth over and over "brother please don't die, is Cody going to die, I'll miss my brother, Cody please be ok". My eyes tear up just recalling the innocence of my little girl. Capitalizing on the benefit of having my parents (thanks Mom) just a few streets over we were able to drive Taylor over to my parents house without taking extra time so Jeremy and I could focus on getting Cody to the doctor and taken care of.
After dropping Taylor off we headed straight to Kaiser and within 45 minutes Cody was checked in, stitched up, and on our way home. Cody did awesome while he was getting stitches. Crying only while getting the first shot, then after that just simply letting daddy know he didn't like the poky thing that the doctor was using. Six stitches later Cody now has two new nicknames from Taylor, Red Eyeball Head (really silly one that she just basically made up) and Frankenstein (which is of course more obvious).
When we got home from Kaiser my mom had already taken Taylor back to our house to get her ready for bed and we were all in for the second sweetest moment of the night. While Taylor was at my parents house she made Cody a Get Well card and a Get Well Book. The book ended with Taylor and Cody holding hands, complete with a band aid on Cody's head.
Boys will be boys and I am pretty prepared to know that this event is just one of many that I'm sure we will face over our lifetime as parents. But that sure doesn't make it any easier.

Even with stitches, still my happy boy

Final Score

Rocking Chair: 1

Cody: 0

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Porto's Potato Balls

2008-11-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

Saturday we decided to take a drive to Burbank to do some shopping at some of our favorite stores, that we just don't have close by. We did some shopping at IKEA & Steve and Barry's before heading over to check out one of the RV dealerships that I pass by every day on my way to work. After those stops we were starving and what better place to eat when one is visiting Burbank, but Porto's Bakery. And who can make a stop at Porto's without having some of their potato balls. I ordered a few of the potato balls for Jeremy, Taylor, Cody & I knowing that the kids would love them. Only, I didn't know just how much Cody would love them. As soon as the plate hit the table, he assumed they were all his. When Taylor tried to take a potato ball from the plate drama ensued as Cody now had one less potato ball to feast on.

Moral of the Story: Don't mess with a Boy and his Porto's potato balls

So excited to get his hands on a potato ball

Taylor takes one away

I can't go on any longer

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-03T23:07:00.000-08:00

Halloween this year showed me just how different Taylor and Cody really truly are. Instead of spending the evening together they each had their own ideas of what they wanted to do. Taylor insisted on attending the Carnival that evening at her school while Cody was dead set on trick or treating. Instead of forcing one of them to make a decision, Jeremy & I split up and satisfied both of them. I took Taylor to her school carnival while Jeremy, my mom, and my sister took Cody out trick or treating.
Taylor had a blast at her party playing games and winning candy. She tried the Cake Walk a few times, but came up empty handed, however she had so much fun giving it a try. Cody took his group on a whirlwind tour of the town and had them out trick or treating for close to 3 hours. Just when Jeremy figured he had enough Cody would respond with "Just 2 more minutes please".
It must be something about this year in a childs life that they realize how cool Trick or Treating is...When Taylor hit 3 years old that was her special Halloween that she stayed out for hours and refused to stop until she couldn't walk anymore.

Some pics from the evening...The Magician and his Bunny

Peace Out...Cub Scout!!!