I had a dream....

I hate when I am asleep and dreaming about having to go to the potty.

Right before I woke up this morning I was having such a dream. It's so bizarre I just had to share.

I was in a parking garage with Ashton Kutcher and actress/comedienne Mo'Nique (I know, right? Like those two would ever hang out. Maybe they're planning a remake of The Graduate together or something. Who knows.)

So we're all about to hop in a super tiny car. Me, Mo'Nique and Ashton. I called shotgun (wouldn't you?)

Right before I opened the car door I realized I needed to use the facilities, so after announcing that to Ash and Mo, I promptly sat down on the floor of the parking garage.

Fast forward to the next scene in my dream and I'm crossing the street from the garage to a row of buildings. Ashton and Mo'Nique are sitting at an outdoor cafe' table (probably discussing the Graduate script...) when I approach. I see a caption (YES, a CAPTION!) underneath where they're sitting that says, "2 Hours Later" like I'm in an episode of Spongebob or something.

"Hey!" I say. "Are y'all still waiting on me to go to the bathroom?"

"DUH." Ashton replies.

"Sorry. I didn't know what the plan was!" I retort.

So then I open the door to a bank and go inside. I walk all the way to the back and ask if they have a bathroom I can use.

The manager says, "We don't do that sort of thing here."

So I squat down on the floor in front of the horrified customers inside the bank and say, "Well, I guess I'll just go right here, then!"

Voila. Keys appear and I'm allowed inside a room straight out of a spy movie. It's all hush-hush and whatnot. Buttons are pushed and a hole opens up on a countertop.

Evidently, it's a top secret potty project. I'm instructed to hop up onto the countertop and try out the new high-tech, appear out of nowhere toilet. As I start to relieve myself in my dream, I awaken.

I hate when that happens.

As I was sharing the dream with my husband, he relayed a story about Lillian from last night (we took Aiden out to Quaker Steak for a 2nd birthday dinner, because he loves All-You-Can-Eat wings on Tuesday nights...)

Stan took the kids (minus Aiden) to the car while I finished paying the bill. There was an overcharge on the bill, so they waited longer than they expected to. Naturally, Lillian announced that she had to go potty. Thinking I would be right out, Stan told Lillian to get out and wait for me in front of the van so I could turn around and take her back to the potty when I came outside. She got out and started pacing back and forth in front of the car, moaning and groaning about how badly she had to goooooooooo.... I'm sure you can picture the scene.

Stan said she finally stopped and said, "Daddy! Can't I just squat right here in front of the van on the sidewalk?"

Bless her heart. She is so envious of her brothers that can go pee (practically) anywhere, anytime.

And that concludes today's session of "Potty Talk with Beth". Tune in tomorrow when we broach the topic, "Toilet Paper: Over or Under?!?"

As if changing the roll wasn't enough trouble...

I give you the iPod Stereo Dock Speaker and Bath Tissue Holder.

Remember that song "Mambo #5" that was popular a few years ago? Maybe Lou Bega could be the spokesman for this product if he renamed his song, "Mambo #2": A little bit of Eagles while I poo... a squirt of air freshener for me and you..."

Do you really have that much time to spend on the toilet? Really? And if you do, could you fold a load of my laundry while you're in there?

Ahead... and Behind

I AM AHEAD OF THE GAME:

On Saturday I asked each of the kids to write out a Valentine message, then I took these pictures and uploaded them to Snapfish. I ordered one copy of each photo for each person in each of the kids' classes. I'm going to attach the pictures to paper and these will be the kids' Valentine cards. Easy Peasy. (Not my original idea... one I stole from one of the many scrapbooking magazines I read...)

So I'm way ahead of the game there. V-Day isn't for another 19 days! Woo hoo! Go Mommy! Go Mommy!























AND YET I'VE FALLEN WOEFULLY BEHIND:

Aiden celebrated his 8th birthday yesterday.

What? Huh? What's that you ask? What kind of party did he have?

(Hiding my eyes behind my hand as I mumble incoherently...)

None.

Bless his 2,921 day-old heart. All he wants is to have all the 2nd grade boys over for a movie party. All I have to do is pop some popcorn, buy some movie candy (in the boxes like they have at the cineplex) and rent a movie for the boys to watch.

For some reason I can't get past making the guest list. I got nothin' else. What's holding me up, you ask?

Creativity.

Sure, I could slap together a Word document and mail it out to the boys. They don't care. But for some reason, I do. If I make it, it has to have all the bells and whistles.

I ain't got nothin' clever in the way of boys movie party invitation ideas.

And thus the reason my son will celebrate his January birthday in, say, March? Sound good?

Making Memories

For those of you that scrapbook, you know that this week is the winter CHA meeting where all the new craft goodies are released. Ah, to be in Anaheim right now...

Anyhoo, the gals at the Making Memories blog are at CHA and are giving away prizes on their blog all week.

Check it out!

Friday Fill Ins 1/23

1. Oh, I am so upset for Camryn right now. She was supposed to perform something with her friend Brianna at the school's talent show today, and Brianna bailed on her. Camryn was devastated.

2. I don't like any changes, to my routine, big (or) little.

3. During the Golden Globes , I laughed out loud at Ricky Gervais. He's one HI-larious man.

4. Shutting down Gitmo.... are you kidding me??? B-I-G mistake. BIG. HUGE.

5. Right now I'd like to be in my PJs in my bed. More day to live, though. Things to do, children to taxi, laundry to wash, dishes to unload and reload.

6. DVR is my favorite gadget.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing with the family. Tomorrow my plans include taking Lillian to a birthday party, church, and watching the Miss America pageant. Sunday is Aiden's birthday, so we'll do something to celebrate. He'll probably want to go eat wings at Quaker Steak, so we'll do that and then go to community group that afternoon.

S'Wonderful

I got this from my friend Brynn's blog. She did hers last week and assigned me the letter S. I'm just now getting around to filling in my blanks. Busy, busy!

"Yesterday I was reading blogs and found that MamaHen played a cute little letter game and decided I would enjoy playing along, so I asked her to assign me a letter and she did. The rules are: You have to list 10 of your favorite things, but they have to start with a certain letter (assigned to you by the blog owner)."

(1) Stan - my sweet, sweet husband! We celebrated 13 years of wedded bliss yesterday. Doesn't seem like that long, because we laugh everyday. I have so much fun with that man, and he takes such good care of me and the children. He's the bestest.

(2) Silence. I don't mind it AT ALL. Some days I crave it.

(3) Scrapbooking. Some say it's a fad, but I hope not. I really get a lot of fulfillment from it. It's a great creative outlet for me, so I hope the industry never goes away.

(4) Soaking in the tub. We have a gigantic tub that will actually hold two people (with very little water... ha!) Most of the time it's just me soaking, though. My precious husband bought me a Flat Screen TV with a DVD player in it a couple of Mother's Days ago and hung it on the wall in the bathroom. I often take my latest Netflix rental in the bathroom and soak while I watch movies. HEAVEN. Yeah, I'm Spoiled!

(5) Sister. I love mine. We have a great time together, and I wish we didn't live so far apart.

(6) Splenda. Last week I overheard someone say that it started out as a pest control agent. I'll have to research that one. For someone that loves Sweet tea but doesn't want all the sugar calories, Splenda is perfect. I get some for Christmas every year. This year I got the little pellets in my stocking. I carry them in my purse for those times when we dine in a restaurant that **shockingly** doesn't serve Splenda... like my favorite new BBQ joint, Dickey's.

(7) Sauce. I'm a dipping addict. I can't live without ketchup (Refrigerated, please. Hot ketchup is nasty.) I love any kind of sauce. When I was a kid I used to make sandwiches out of white bread and Arby's sauce from packets left in the fridge. That's how much I love sauce. Japanese White Sauce, Avocado Ranch Dressing, homemade cheese roux sauce, Quaker Steak's beer cheese dip, Bearnaise... you make it, I dip with it. Just last night I made a Tastefully Simple Spinach & Herb dip to send with veggies to my younger kids' school for the monthly teachers luncheon, and I had to have a spoonful on a cracker. It was too irresistable!

(8) Sales. I don't pay full price for anything (much). I have had to teach myself that I don't need something just because it's on SALE, though. I only buy stuff we really, really need. Sometimes it's hard to say no, but I feel so awful later if I buy something CHEAP on a whim and then realize I really DIDN'T need it. Not such a bargain then. Well, for someone else, maybe, because it usually ends up at the Goodwill store when I do my yearly purge of all things not necessary & taking up space.

(9) Sundays. Now that we've found a Saturday night church service, Sundays are usually our lazy family days. We just hang out at home in our PJs until it's time to go to kids' night at Dickey's (one child per adult eats free so we can all eat for around $25! SCORE!)

(10) Spending time with my kids. They're just amazing little creatures. I learn something from each one of them every single day. They really, really make my life so..... FULL. There's not a better word for it. A quick snuggle, a spark when something new is learned, a funny joke, tears on my shirt, "You're the best mom EVER!"... everything I experience with them is special. LOVE those kiddos. SO. VERY. MUCH.

Friday Fill Ins 1/16

1. Enough with the bitter cold. I'm ready for spring!

2. There is not much that causes me to be conflicted. I don't like to dwell on the negative.

3. I've been craving cold cuts and crackers. My husband has gotten me hooked on Wasa, which are delicious crackers that he eats with extra sharp cheddar. Yum-oh.

4. "The Office" and "30 Rock" make me laugh. I love Thursday night television.

5. I wish I could go to a warmer climate. Seriously. It was 19 degrees when I got up this morning.

6. My friend Joanie has been on my mind lately.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to staying home and staying warm and watching "Friday Night Lights" on NBC. LOVE that show! Tomorrow my plans include lots of laundry (the kids' hampers are overflowing) and church. Sunday, I want to just hang out with the family and maybe get some scrapbooking done. Nothing major. Oh, and our weekly trip to Dickey's for "lupper" (lunch/supper) because kids eat free on Sundays and that means we can all dine for under $25!

Liquid Heaven

I recently tried Starbucks' signature hot chocolate and got hooked.

H-O-O-K-E-D.

Bad.

And it's expensive, so I have cut back on it since the new year began. (I do like their new teas, but not enough to go there frequently to get them.)

Today I had to run by Staples to get a refund for something, and I noticed that my $3 Staples check (Woo! Big money!) expired tomorrow, so after I got the refund Quinn and I wandered the store looking for a good deal. I found a Starbucks gift basket amongst the Christmas clearance. It was marked $7.50 and had a sticker that said there was a coupon for a free Tall Starbucks beverage inside. I figured $4.50 (after the $3 check) was a good deal for a small bag of coffee, some Tazo teabags and a packet of peppermint hot chocolate plus a free Tall beverage. We paid (it ended up costing just $2.50, because the kit was actually priced at $5.50!) and left.

When we got home Quinn wanted me to make the cocoa for him. I opened it up and discovered it was a bunch of tiny chunks of peppermint flavored chocolate that I had to melt with milk to make the beverage, just like they make it at Starbucks. Interesting.

I made the cocoa and Quinn declared it to be delicious. He took it with him when we went to pick up Aiden and Camryn from school. Of course, Aiden got curious when Quinn bragged that the cocoa was so yummy and that he had gotten the only serving (yep, the packet only made one full mug...)

As soon as we got back home, Aiden asked if I could make him some cocoa. I dug out some chocolate and created my own drink. What I came up with is nothing short of heaven. Liquid Heaven.

(I took pictures just like Christy at A Southern Plate does, 'cause I think it's cool to have a visual guide. Christy has the best food blog! She cooks just like my grandmother and mother and I do, so I love to try her recipes. I made her Crockpot Stuffing for Thanksgiving and the hubby and I both thought it was the best dressing we'd ever tasted. If you like food, check her out!)

So anyway... the hot chocolate.



I used 6 squares of Hershey's Bliss milk chocolate, about 8 ounces (1 cup) of milk and 1/4 t. peppermint extract. If you don't have Bliss chocolate you can use about 3T of any other sweetened chocolate you have on hand. Hershey's kisses would work very well.

I broke the chocolates in half and put them in the bottom of a microwaveable mug.



I added just a little bit of 1% milk (enough to barely cover the chocolate) and microwaved it for 30 seconds.



Then I stirred it until the chocolate was fully incorporated with the milk.



I added enough milk to bring the level of liquid almost to the top of the mug and microwaved that for a full minute.



I took the mug out of the microwave and added the 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint flavoring. I like it mildly minty like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie, but Aiden likes his mintier, so I gave him 1/2 teaspoon. Use what you like. Stir well and enjoy.

Mine didn't last long at all. It was gone in about 3 minutes! It tastes just like Starbucks, so don't blame me if you get addicted!

Wordless Wednesday

Just Like That

It happened.

I dropped a little girl off at school this morning, and this afternoon a woman sat in the seat my baby girl had occupied just 7 hours before.

Today my 10 (almost 11) year-old daughter entered womanhood. Yep, she started her period.

I'm not shocked. We've suspected this was coming for awhile now with all the other changes she's been experiencing, but it just feels weird. My husband and I were just marveling at our beautiful daughter two nights ago, both of us commenting that she seems to have matured in a hurry. She really is a gorgeous young lady, smart and wise to boot. I'm so proud of her, but I still wanted her to be a little girl for a little longer. I don't think I was ready for this. Not at all.

Camryn's taking it all in stride, as usual. She was a tad weepy when she got into the car. When I asked why she was sad she said, "I'm just not ready for this yet." That makes two of us, dear.

There wasn't much talk on the drive home. With a nosy 7 year-old brother in the back seat there wasn't a lot Camryn could say that didn't get met with a "What? What's that?" from Aiden. She popped in her iPod ear buds, leaned the chair back and said to me, "We'll talk when we get home, 'k?"

Whew.

When we got home, I showed her how to use a maxi-pad and talked about some things to be careful about. She asked some questions and that was that. She recently read a book I bought her called The Care and Keeping of You that is a published by the American Girls series. It was very informative and she learned a lot and asked questions about the things she didn't understand. If you have a girl, I highly recommend the book.

My sweet baby is taking a long, hot bath right now. She has some cramps and such, so told her to go relax. That's what I always did when I had my monthly visitor. Daddy is bringing home flowers for his princess tonight, and we'll most likely go out to eat (though Camryn, hubby and I will be the only ones who know why). We just want her to know how special this is. A pain in the rear most months, but special nonetheless.

And suddenly I feel every one of my 35 years. My baby is a woman.

Wow.

Resolutions

So I was going to tell you yesterday about something that happened on Monday, but rabbits were chased and another blog came out of that and I didn't get to share Monday's event with you.

It's really not earth-shattering. It's just a thing that made me cock my head to the side and say, "Hmmmm.... neat!" I thought I'd share it.

Bear with me while I share a little about our neighborhood, because it is pertinent to my story.....
The neighborhood was built with two separate sides at first, even though the developers had plans to make the two sides part of the same development. There just happened to be a deep, deep mega ditch (for lack of better words) between the two sides, so one builder started on one side and several builders started building our side. Late last year the bridge connecting the two sides was finally finished. That created a great link between two major roads and a super stretch of road for people to take walks. We get a lot of walkers that park on one side or the other and jog or stroll for exercise.

I had dropped the children off at school and had entered our neighborhood from the side that's further from my house. As I topped the hill approaching the entrace to our side of the development, I spotted a mom and her son walking. Not unusual and normally they wouldn't even register on my radar. But.... Monday it was just starting to rain. If it was me, I'd hate to be walking in the rain.

I actually drove past the pair at first, but then remembered my New Year's pledge to be more relationally involved. It was barely drizzling, so I felt foolish offering protection when it was barely raining, but I thought, "What the heck. I'll offer her an umbrella, because it might start pouring at any second."

I turned the car around and rolled down the window. I asked the lady if she was finishing her walk. She said that they were halfway through; they had parked on the far side of the neighborhood and were a long way from their car. I held the umbrella out to her and told her she could keep it. She thanked me and said, "New Year's Resolutions, you know?" Now, she meant that HER resolution was to start exercising and wouldn't you know it would start raining on the first morning of her new plan to exercise. BUT... the way she said it meant something different to me. She didn't know that MY resolution had to be more attentive to the needs of others and that by helping her keep her promise to exercise, I was keeping my promise to give more of myself and my possessions. Cool, huh?

The lady wouldn't keep my umbrella, so she ended up leaving it at the clubhouse door near her car. I picked it up that afternoon on my way home with the kids. It was still soaked from the morning, so I guess she did end up needing it after all. And I'm glad I could help.

Tangent

The original title of today's entry was "Yesterday" (because I was going to tell you about something cool that happened... YESTERDAY... ) but that sent me chasing a rabbit down a path, so I changed the name.

Wanna know why?

Of course you do. ; )

My favorite song by The Beatles is.... "Yesterday" (duh). "Paperback Writer" comes in a close second, but "Yesterday" is #1 for me.

When I was in high school one of the fads was Lorus watches that had Mickey Mouse on the face and played some sort of Disney song. They were nice, but what caught my eye were the Lorus Beatles watches. I had to have one. Know why?

One of the watches played "Yesterday". HOW COOL WAS THAT?

So I must've mentioned that watch to my mom like, a million times. I know I must've irritated her to death, but I wanted that stinkin' watch so badly!

I got the watch as one of my Christmas gifts, which thrilled my teenage heart. A couple of my friends got the Mickey watches, but mine was WAY cooler. NO ONE had a Beatles watch. Heck, I don't know if any of my friends loved the Beatles like I did (Thanks, Dad!) Most of my friends were into the 80s Hair Bands (Poison, Whitesnake, Def Leppard and the like... our class song was "I'll Remember You" by Skid Row. Remember that musical gem?)

So, when I typed the word "Yesterday" in the title box all of those memories came back to me, and I had to go find the watch in my jewelry box. The battery no longer works (I have replaced it since high school, and I was hoping to take some video of it for you... but alas, it's dead.) Here is a picture, best one I could take.



In the drawer with the watch were other cherished timepieces:

A leather banded watch I bought in Barcelona in March '92 (the games were held there the following July). The face has a picture of Cobi on it; he was the mascot for that year's games.



I found a Swatch that my sister brought back for me from Switzerland. It's way funky and I should definitely start wearing it again. Maybe I could bring back a trend!



Last but not least is the Snoopy watch I got as a gift from my maternal grandmother when I turned 9. I can still picture sitting on the side of the skating rink (where I had my party) opening the plastic box that the watch came in. It was my first watch and I loved it. Still do, but the band no longer fits. I should remedy that and wear that watch as well.



I'm bad about purging things and throwing away stuff, so I'm surprised I still have these items. I'm glad I didn't get rid of them, because they're so very precious to me.

Friday Fill Ins 1/2

1. The world is a big place. I'd love to explore more of it, but I'm scared to death of long flights. I'd love to go back to Paris, to see London, to visit the Holy Land, stay in one of those huts on sticks in the water in Fiji.... one day.

2. "Can I comb it?" was the last thing I said to Lillian after she got out of the tub with a wet, tangled mess of hair.

3. I wonder if it will snow this year. The kids hope it will, but secretly, I hope it never goes below 30 degrees outside!

4. A period comes at the end of all things. (I guess I'm not thinking deeply enough tonight!)

5. There's something to be said for wood burning fireplaces. I wish we still had one, as the gas logs just don't do it for me sometimes. I want to roast marshmallows over a fire, and ya can't do that over gas logs.

6. Disney World (or ANYWHERE warm!) is where I want to be. (And was I the only one that pictured Eva Gabor in her nightie saying, "New York is where I'd rah-thah be!" when reading that fill-in?)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to taking a bubble bath and watching "Out of Sight" (headed there as soon as I hit submit!) Tomorrow my plans include making banana bread to use those two squishy bananas in the kitchen, and then I would like to organize some scrapbooking stuff and get Lillian's pictures sorted and "power-layouted" so her book will go quickly. Oh, and church! We missed it last week because there was no Saturday service on the 27th. I need some worship time! Sunday, I want to get the kids back into a routine so Monday morning will go smoothly. And I need to go to bed on time Sunday night. We'll see how that goes.

There's a First Time for Everything

I've never, ever before in my 35 years made New Year's Resolutions. Ever. I don't know why I'm starting now, but I just feel the desire to make a list so that at the end of 2009 I have something to reflect on to see if I am where I need to be in life. Sounds silly, but I want concrete proof that I am fulfilling my purpose on this earth, that I have worth and am doing things that MATTER. I have always found that I am more likely to accomplish tasks that I write down somewhere, so this is my attempt at doing that. Here goes.

(1) I want to spend less on ME (US) and more on others. That means my (our) MONEY and my (our) TIME. I want to be relationally involved and focused on others.

(2) I want to watch less TV and read more. I want to fill my head with things that make me better, smarter, more aware of others. I watch too much television and as a result have a stack of very good books in my bedroom that have sat unread for far too long.

(3) I want to spend more time with my children, which will mean a sacrifice of time spent doing things I enjoy (not that I don't enjoy time with my kids....) I have to face reality: these children are only in my home for a short time. Eighteen years (give or take) doesn't seem like a short time, but already 10 years of Camryn's life have ticked away and I don't know where they went. It won't be long before she's licensed to drive and then she'll be mobile and less likely to want to spend time with her family. That's a mere 6 years away (actually, less than that... she turns 11 in March!) I have to stop and savor my children while I can, put my imprint on them, infuse them with my love and guidance and just spend more time being their Mom instead of their caretaker. I'm not a BAD parent by any stretch of the imagination, but I know I could be a more PRESENT parent.

(4) I have to take steps to make myself healthier. My husband has been following the advice he's read in the book Sugar Busters ever since he went to the hospital. He's lost 15-20 pounds in that short amount of time just from cutting out processed sugar, white bread, potatoes, rice and starchy veggies. He says his body doesn't even crave sugar anymore. I'm so impressed with his commitment. For me I know the change will have to happen gradually, but I'm prepared for it. I used to go to Jazzercise at least 3 times a week before Lillian was born. I want to start back to that, because it was something I truly enjoyed. Again, it will mean a sacrifice of other things I enjoy more, but it's a sacrifice that will benefit me in the long run.

And that's the list. Not very long, but I am not going to push my luck. I'm going to try changing those four things and see where I am in 366 days.

Happy New Year, y'all.

Friday Fill Ins 12/26

1. I must make sure my kids, husband, parents and sister know exactly how much I love them before I die. (Gee... that makes it sound like my demise is imminent, no? Hopefully not!)

2. You can't stop the Hoff (seriously... that's the first thing that came to mind. Second thing? The lyrics from "You Can't Stop the Beat" from the movie/musical "Hairspray".)

3. I wish I never had to buy plus-sized clothes again.

4. Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover has helped me change my life.

5. I know the song "Jack and Diane" (John Cougar Mellencamp) by heart.

6. If I weren't so afraid, I would have Lap Band surgery. That's a cop-out for me, though, because I *know* it's within my power to lose weight. I just have to make up my mind to do it. I've done it before, and I can do it again.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to bed (it's already 11:36 pm est). Tomorrow my plans include seeing my parents off and perhaps seeing Benjamin Button with my sister and Sunday, I want to just breathe. Breathe and maybe take a hot bath and watch the 2 Netflix movies I've had for over a month already.

Happy Tears

I just finished wrapping what Santa is bringing my children. My husband took the kids to the movies and lunch so I could have the afternoon to do my wrapping. Sweet, sweet man.

I sat down at the computer while my leftover pizza warmed in the toaster oven. I opened an e-mail from Samaritan's Purse, which is the organization that Franklin Graham (Billy's son) runs. We participate in their Operation Christmas Child program every year. The boxes have to be turned in before Thanksgiving, so shopping for those is the first Christmas-y thing we do every year. It sorta puts me in the holiday mood.

So anyway, I was clicking through the pictures on the Samaritan's Purse website (2008: The Year in Pictures). When this picture came up, I started crying.



It was one of those cries that you're not expecting, ya know? The joy on those kids' faces is so pure. Most of them probably never, ever received a gift in their lives, so that box full of toys and whatnot is a treasure trove. I've GOT to make even more shoe boxes next year!

Merry Christmas, y'all. I pray that the joy on your faces is like the joy in those kids' hearts, and I hope that the joy lasts throughout the year and doesn't fade at sunset tomorrow.

Merry, Merry Christmas and Happy, Happy, JOYFUL New Year!

Advent Conspiracy

Make sure your speakers are on, and get ready.

The Nativity

Our nativity set has been wrapped up in tissue in a bag ever since I removed it from the box it was stored in almost a month ago. It's been sitting on the table in our foyer needing to be set out on the den table. I just haven't had a moment to think about it, and the table has been covered in magazines, toys needing to be put away, laundry baskets holding clothing in various stages of "foldedness". Today, the first day I felt I could again breathe, I unpacked the nativity.

The boys and Lillian saw me and asked what I was doing. As I answered, I was setting the scene like I always do. Shepherds and their sheep to the left of the baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary behind the baby, and the Wise Men with their camel to the right of Jesus, admiring the babe.

Aiden said I had it ALL WRONG and set about rearranging things, offering his explanations as he worked.

The baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the donkey they rode to Bethlehem go in the middle of the table.



The shepherds need to be placed far away from the baby, and the angel needs to be facing them telling them of the birth of the Christ child.



The Magi need to be on the opposite side of the table, because they're still on their way to find the baby.



And that is the nativity set-up according to Aiden.



He *HAS* been listening and learning and remembering in Bible class at school!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow...

Tomorrow is the last day of school before Christmas break. Hallelujah. Before we can start our 2 weeks of rest & relaxation, though, we have to get through tomorrow morning.

I am Camryn's room mom. Tomorrow at 8:15 I have to be in her classroom for her Christmas party. We're having breakfast; I just finished preparing an egg casserole. It's in the fridge and the oven is set to preheat at 6:45 am tomorrow. The bacon is ready to go, as is the fruit salad that I bought at the grocery store today (I love convenience!) The fruit salad in the fridge is the second one I picked up off the shelf, because the first one dumped in the floor when the lid came off as I was transferring it to the buggy. "Clean up in produce!!" I hate when that happens.

Around 9:50 am I'll get into the car and head to Quinn & Lillian's school. Hopefully I'll be there a little before 10:30, which is when Lillian's class play will start. After that I'll distribute gifts to teachers and take Quinn & Lillian back out to Camryn & Aiden's school where I'll distribute gifts to teachers and staff. Camryn and Aiden will be released at 12:15. I'll pick them up and head into town to have lunch with the hubby. After that, we'll all come back home. I will immediately put on PJs and the Christmas break will commence!

I.CANNOT.WAIT. Two weeks of sleeping late, staying in PJs as long as I want to, doing nothing but hanging with my kiddos. I'm sure that by Sunday, January 4th I'll be ready for everyone to be back in school, but for now, I'm gonna' just chill.

The 12 Dogs of Christmas

As sung by Quinn, age 6:

Daily Giggle

Usually on the drive home from dropping the kids off at school I'm mentally planning the rest of my day. Lillian sometimes chats with me, but it takes me a minute to realize what she's said to me because I'm making a to-do list in my head.

Today she said, "I don't know what she knows! Do you, Mommy?"

Took me a second to realize what she was talking about.

Said the shepard boy to the mighty king
Do you know what I know
(Do You Know What I Know)
In your palace wall mighty king
Do you know what I know
(Do You Know What I Know)
A child, a child
Shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold

That song was playing on the radio and Lillian was paying attention to the lyrics.

Evidently Lillian does not know what the singer knows.

Crack me UP.

I wish I had more money

Not to spend on myself. I wish I had more money to help when I read things like this:

Salvation Army: 500 Kids To Go And We're Out Of Toys

We cut our kids back to 3 gifts each a few years ago, simply because we felt like they were getting way too much at Christmas. They didn't even play with everything they got. I feel like even 3 things is too much now, especially when there are kids out there who won't get ANYTHING.

We do what we can to help. We do the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes and always adopt a couple of kids through church or the Salvation Army Angel Tree. I saw that Cabbage Patch dolls were on sale at Target for $12 each this week, so I bought 4 for the local police department's "Cops for Tots" program. Their donations are way down this year, too. I ended up cleaning out the gift closet and taking all them the toys I stash throughout the year when I find good deals. I know there will be more deals at Target this year, so I figured I could restock the closet in a couple of weeks anyway.

I don't know why some people have all they could ever desire and more and others barely make enough to eat. I don't know why I am so blessed, but I can only figure that it's because I'm supposed to turn around and bless others with what I have been given.

I just wish I had more.

I have promised myself that next year I'm going to buy less STUFF for us and use that money to pick up clearance items throughout the year. I'm cutting back on several budget categories and earmarking the extra money for charity. I'm going to buy toys, clothes, household items... whatever. I'm going to donate as much as I can throughout the year to organizations that need those things, and when Christmas rolls around next year I'm going to have a truckload of toys to give away. I'm so excited I can't stand it.

Next year I'll have more to give. That makes me smile.

Cat Saga: A New Chapter

Sophie joined our family on Thursday, December 11. She is 9 weeks-old.











Everyone seems to be adjusting well. There has been some hissing and pawing, but Beeson and Annabelle seem to be accepting of Sophie's presence in the house.

Oliver has found a friend at the vet's office, where he is residing until April can find him a new home. He hasn't given anyone at the vet's a single ounce of trouble. Camryn is relieved that Oliver is happy and seems content that we made the right decision.

And once again there is happiness in the land.

$128,050,000

Listed below are all of the college football bowls that will be taking place over the next few weeks, plus the payout offered for each bowl. It all adds up to $128,050,000.

That is a disgusting number. For football. It turns my stomach.

So many people in financial trouble. An auto industry about to go bankrupt. The average American being told to "dig a little deeper" for charities this year, yet there are millions being shelled out for college football teams to come play games.

Seriously. Where are our priorities?

EagleBank Bowl
Payout: $750,000
Navy vs. Wake Forest

New Mexico Bowl
Payout: $750,000
Colorado State vs. Fresno State

St. Petersburg (Fla.) Bowl
Payout: $1 million
South Florida vs. Memphis

Las Vegas Bowl
Payout: $1 million
BYU vs. Arizona

New Orleans Bowl
Payout: $325,000
Troy vs. Southern Mississippi

Poinsettia Bowl
Payout: $750,000
Boise State vs. TCU

Hawaii Bowl
Payout: $750,000
Hawaii vs. Notre Dame

Motor City Bowl
Payout: $750,000
TBA vs.Central Michigan

Meineke Bowl
Payout: $1 million
North Carolina vs. West Virginia

Champs Sports Bowl
Payout: $2.125 million
Florida State vs. Wisconsin

Emerald Bowl
Payout: ACC: $750,000; Pac-10: $850,000
California vs. Miami

Independence Bowl
Payout: $1.1 million
Louisiana Tech vs. Northern Illinois

PapaJohns.com Bowl
Payout: $300,000
Rutgers vs. North Carolina State

Alamo Bowl
Payout: $2.25 million
Northwestern vs. Missouri

Humanitarian Bowl
Payout: $750,000
Nevada vs. Maryland

Holiday Bowl
Payout: $2.3 million
Oklahoma State vs. Oregon

Texas Bowl
Payout: $750,000
Rice vs. Western Michigan

Armed Forces Bowl
Payout: $750,000
Houston vs. Air Force

Sun Bowl
Payout: $1.9 million
Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh

Music City Bowl
Payout: $1.7 million
Vanderbilt vs. Boston College

Insight Bowl
Payout: $1.2 million
Kansas vs. Minnesota

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Payout: $3 million
LSU vs. Georgia Tech

Outback Bowl
Payout: $3.2 million
Iowa vs. South Carolina

Capital One Bowl
Payout: $4.25 million
Georgia vs. Michigan State

Gator Bowl
Payout: $2.5 million
Nebraska vs. Clemson

Rose Bowl
Payout: $17 million
Southern Cal vs. Penn State

Orange Bowl
Payout: $17 million
Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech

Cotton Bowl
Payout: $3 million
Texas Tech vs. Mississippi

Liberty Bowl
Payout: $1.8 million
Kentucky vs. East Carolina

Sugar Bowl
Payout: $17 million
Utah (12-0) vs. Alabama (12-1), 8 p.m. (FOX)

International Bowl
Payout: $750,000
Connecticut vs. Buffalo

Fiesta Bowl
Payout: $17 million
Texas vs. Ohio State

GMAC Bowl
Payout: $750,000
Tulsa vs. Ball State

BCS National Championship
Payout: $17 million
Florida vs. Oklahoma

Um, okay... retraining needed!

This was how the conversation went with Lillian in the car this morning:

L: Mommy, when is the next holiday when we get candy?
Me: Um, not sure, Lillo.
L: Oh! I know! It's EASTER! The Easter bunny will bring us candeeeeeee!
Me: Lillian, do you know why we celebrate Easter?
L: Because of the Easter bunny.
Me: Well, not exactly. Do you know who died on the cross and then was buried in a tomb and rose again on Easter?
L: The Easter Bunny!
Me: No. Who was born at Christmastime?
L: Santa Claus.
Me: No. What BABY was born at Christmas?
L: Baby JESUS!
Me: Right. And he grew up and died on the cross to save us from our sins, right? And he rose out of his tomb on the third day and that's why we celebrate Easter.
L: Oh. Will the Easter bunny still bring me candy?
Me: Sure.
L: Tell him I like jellybeans.

About Yesterday...

December 5, 2008: Not a day I want to repeat.

I shared in yesterday's blog about my desire to find Oliver a new home. Camryn has been fighting Oliver's departure ever since we told her that him staying with us was impossible. There has been much weeping and gnashing of teeth, as you can imagine. I think I was hoping something would magically click and all would be right with the cats and their relationships with one another, but alas, it did not. The last straw for me came yesterday.

I came home from dropping off Camryn and Aiden at school and went around checking everyone's rooms for laundry that needed to be done. I was also closing the bedroom doors behind me to prepare to let Oliver out (there seemed to be less likelihood of Beeson and Annabelle pooping and peeing in protest of Oliver if the bedroom doors were shut.)

In Lillian's room I was straightening her comforter when I found a big, dried cat pee spot. She's been sleeping under a dried up cat urine spot for who knows how long. I lost it. Quinn's comforter had suffered a similar fate earlier in the week and I'd had to wash it for the umpteenth time (it seemed to be a favorite target!)

I threw the comforter in the washing machine and starting crying hysterically. Stress reliever, I guess. I never let Oliver out of the bathroom. I was too mad at him, even though I knew it wasn't him that had actually done the peeing. I also knew at that moment that yesterday would be the last day with Oliver. I was determined to find him SOMEWHERE to be by the end of the day.

My husband finally got in touch with the vet tech that had promised to take Oliver if he ended up not working out for us. She told him to have Oliver at the office by 6 pm and she'd foster him and find him a new home (that's what she does). Hubby and I agreed that Camryn would need to say goodbye before he went, so I put him in the cat carrier and took him with me to pick up Quinn and Lillian, then I checked Camryn and Aiden out of school around 2:30.

Camryn knew something was up when I showed up before 3 pm. I didn't know how to tell her about what was about to transpire, so I just blurted it out on the way to the car. She, of course, starting sobbing. I let her hold Oliver on the drive from the school to the vet's office, and then we all sat in the car, crying, and said goodbye to Oliver.

I knew it would be a hard, hard thing to do, and I knew Camryn would be so very heartbroken, but what I didn't expect was Aiden's reaction. He was crying almost as hard as Camryn was, except he was doing it quietly in the back seat. I was so focused on how Camryn would take the news that I never envisioned how Aiden would take it. We were a sad, sad sight sitting in the van in the parking lot.

Finally Camryn summoned the courage to get out of the van. She and I walked Oliver into the office and waited to see April, Oliver's new foster mom. She told Camryn that she is very picky about the people she lets adopt her foster kitties, and that she would find Oliver the perfect new family. I know that soothed Camryn's heart a little, but it still hurt so badly to say goodbye. I was trying to be tough, but I was choking back sorrow, too. As we left the office, Camryn starting crying loudly. Man, it was a dagger to my heart. She hasn't cried like that since her Harry died last February, and I hope I never hear that kind of choking sob from her again (but I know I will, and it will most likely be a B-O-Y that makes it happen. I hate him already.)

Before we left yesterday April did mention that she has a few orange tabby foster kittens that are around 6-8 weeks old. She said she'd consider it a fair trade if we wanted to come back next week and take home one of the kittens. Camryn's eyes lit up like light bulbs. I'm hesitant, but April said a kitten will more likely to be accepted by Beeson and Annabelle. Oliver was just too old and had too dominant a "personality" to fit into our kitty family. She encouraged us to try again, and after discussing it with my husband it was decided that we will.

Yeah, I know.

Friday Fill Ins 12/5

1. Snow is something we rarely see. It's okay, I guess. I could live without it. Actually, I love seeing it from inside a warm house, but I hate going out in it and having to wash an extra load of clothes because the kids get out and play in it.

2. I'm looking forward to the weekend. Aiden has a birthday party to go to tonight, then tomorrow Camryn has one to attend. Tomorrow night is church, and then Sunday we're all going shopping together to buy gifts for 2 boys we "adopted" for Christmas through church. Somewhere in there I have to find time to take Camryn to Holiday Fair, which is this awesome craft extravaganza across town. I always love going and seeing all the cool crafty ideas I can come home and copy!

3. Starbucks Signature Hazelnut Hot Chocolate is the best indulgent, expensive drink ever!

4. One of my favorite old tv shows is The Carol Burnett Show. I also LOVE M*A*S*H.

5. I'm done with this cat that the family adopted while I was out of town in October. He is not getting along well with our other two kitties. He is a SWEET, sweet cat and I wish we could keep him, but it just isn't working. I want him to find a good home. My husband called 4 rescue shelters; two are full and two never returned his call. He called the vet tech that told me she'd take him if no one else would. She hasn't called back. No one needs a cat right now and I cannot CANNOT take him back to the Humane Society. They would euthanize him immediately because he's been adopted twice (first owner returned him because her boyfriend is allergic to cats). I'm getting so very stressed over finding Oliver a home. I can feel the tightness in my neck and shoulders.

6. The most enjoyable thing around the holidays is the attitude people adopt during the holidays. Most of the time people are kinder "because it's Christmas". I wish it could be Christmas year-round.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to having a meal out with the family (minus Aiden, who'll be at the aforementioned birthday party). Tomorrow my plans include (hopefully) taking the kids to see Madagascar 2 and Sunday, I want to get all the shopping for our adoptees done early so Camryn and I have time to go to Holiday Fair!

I Love Wednesdays!

It's been a rough couple of days around here. Aiden got sick on Sunday night and I got his bug on Monday, so I was down for about 24 hours. Upon returning from a meeting Monday night, my husband decided his shoulder pain could possibly be related to heart trouble, so he drove himself to the emergency room. I was too sick to take him, and although I tried to get him to call his brother to take him, he insisted on driving himself.

Anyhow, he spent the night in the hospital Monday night. He said he couldn't sleep for 2 reasons: (1) the compressor on the mini fridge in his hospital room kept cutting off and on all night and (2) the nurses kept coming to draw blood at all hours. He was offered a CPAP machine (which he regularly uses at home) but he declined it. I told him at least the hissing might've provided some white noise. Oh, well.

It turns out nothing was wrong with his heart, thank God. He was scheduled for a stress test at 11 am yesterday morning, but after having 3 sets of cardiac enzyme tests come back negative, the stress test was cancelled. He was relieved. He did have an elevated white blood cell count, but not abnormally high. He has a cold, so that could very well explain the high count.

After spending 3 hours filling out paperwork, hubby was discharged and went straight to Barnes & Noble to find a book called Sugar Busters. He's determined to get healthy so that he doesn't have a heart scare again. He's been exercising faithfully every night, but he wants to make his diet healthier. I don't blame him. We all need to do that around here.

So why do I love Wednesdays?

Well, this particular Wednesday I'm just happy to see sunshine outside my window. It's been grey and bleak the past few days, so it's nice to see the sun. That alone is a reason to love today. Wednesday has brought a return to our routine, which I crave. I had Aiden home on Monday and all the kids stayed home yesterday because I just didn't feel well enough to shuttle them to school and back (and I wanted them with me in case something happened to Stan). So today everyone is back at school and I'm feeling much better. I'm doing my regular chores, which I don't necessarily enjoy but they do bring me a sense of normalcy and satisfaction that I'm DOING something.

But there's one BIG reason I love Wednesdays...

I love Wednesdays the MOST because I get to spend time alone with this kid:



That's my Quinnie.

Stan picks Lillian up from school and takes her on a Daddy lunch date then drops her off at his mom's, so I get to pick up Quinn and spend about an hour with him before we go pick up Camryn and Aiden. We usually run an errand and pick up a treat. It doesn't matter what the treat is. Quinn's easy to please. It could be a doughnut from Dunkin or a cup of hot chocolate from Starbucks or a sundae from McDonald's. He just wants to spend the time alone with me, and I with him. We always have a good time, whether we're getting a car wash, going to Target or shopping for ornaments at Hallmark (today's fun outing!) I love my Wednesdays and my Quinnie dates!

Overheard: 5 seconds of my life

From the den about 30 seconds ago:

Aiden: It's wrestling, not boxing!

(Grunts and groans)

Quinn: Stop it! You're no match for me!

Lillian: Aiden! Your wrestling name is Big Foot.

Aiden: NO! I'm the Stopper.

Just a little Living Room theater for you this evening. Enjoy.

Gratitude: Day 30

Today I'm grateful for a church that has Saturday night services. The church originally started holding services on Saturday nights because Sunday mornings were getting too full. For our family it's a blessing, because my husband works from 9 to 4 on Saturdays and that leaves us with no family day off. We felt like we had no day of rest, so when we found Grace Church we tried their Saturday night service and fell in LOVE. Besides the convenience of going on Saturdays, Grace is just unlike any other church I've ever experienced. My husband and I were both raised in Southern Baptist churches, so when we married we found a Southern Baptist church that met both of our needs. Recently, though, we've just felt like we needed a change. I'm not slamming the church we were in, because it's a great church. We just needed to move on to something new for many reasons.

Last year my son, Quinn, became best buds with a little boy named Carson. I got the chance to talk to Carson's mom at some of the parties throughout the year, and she's the one who told me about Grace Church. It sounded wonderful, but we didn't have the courage (for lack of a better word) to break from our old church until late summer. Man, Grace was like a breath of fresh air. We worshipped, we observed the Lord's Supper and we heard a wonderful message. There was none of the other stuff we were accustomed to: no choir solos, no personal solos, no "show". It was just worship and learning. It was church stripped down to what it's supposed to be. I was blown away.

We've started the process of joining Grace and I just keep finding something new to love about this church. Don't get me wrong: I'm not in love with the church. I'm in love with my savior, but the way Grace is structured has helped me rediscover a relationship with Jesus that I had let lapse. It's like finding a long lost friend and remembering everything you loved about them.

Here is the website for our new church. You can listen to some of the sermons, which I encourage you to do. They're not overly preachy, but carry awesome Biblical truths. I've learned so much and gleaned so much from the sermons I've heard in the past few months. Go listen. I hope the words you hear bring you encouragement as they have for me.

Ebates Revisited

If you haven't yet signed up for Ebates, do it NOW. ; )

"Okay!" you say. "But what exactly IS Ebates?

Ebates is a FREE program that rewards you for shopping.

"Cool!" you say. How does this work?

With any purchase you make from online retailers through Ebates' site, you receive cash back. The amount you receive back depends on where you do your shopping. Different retailers have different amounts.

"But why sign up now?" you ask. I'm glad you did.

2 reasons:

Ebates has doubled their rebate incentive from $5 to $10 for first time sign ups until December 31! That means if you sign up now you'll get $10 automatically when you shop through them your first time!

I can hear you saying, "Well, it says that's good until December 31. Why do it now? I have a month!"

Friends, I realize I'm a little late in telling you this, but today, November 28th, the cash back amounts are doubled. That means if you would normally get 8% back, you get 16% TODAY ONLY!

Payments are sent out 4 times a year as long as you have at least $5.01 cash back in your account, otherwise it rolls over to the next payout. You can choose to receive a paper check or tell them your PayPal address and they'll send it to you that way. Easy peasy.

And that $10 cash back for sign up? You'll receive that as soon as you make at least a $10 purchase through Ebates by Dec. 31, 09.

I've been a member for a few years. I just checked my Ebates account and according to them I've received a total of $437.o0 back since 1999. That averages out to almost $50 a year just for clicking a link and shopping through Ebates. It's money I wouldn't have gotten back otherwise.

Convinced? Go sign up. Then find yourself something to buy for $10 and earn your first rebate! Checks will be sent again on February 15, 2009 (they come in February, May, August and November, always on the 15th of the month.)

Just today I went to Joann.com and bought some new Colorbox Cat's Eye Fluid Chalks. JoAnn.com has a free shipping code that's good on ANY order no matter the amount, so that would be somewhere you can shop and not pay shipping!

After you've spent your $10, recruit 2 friends, get them to sign up and shop and you will get $30. Not bad, eh?

Gratitude: Day 26

I'm grateful for good customer service.

I shop (too) frequently at a great online scrapbooking store called Scrap Your Trip. They specialize in travel products (and have a large selection of Disney scrapbook supplies!), but they carry other things, too. I love them.

I got an order from them today. They always include a little handwritten message on my invoice. I think I've been ordering way too much lately, because here is what the invoice said:



Maybe one day when I'm down in Orlando I'll pop in and meet these fantastic people. I've tried to do that before, but have always been in a rush to leave. I'm going to try to make time to stop and say HI next time I'm in town, because I want them to know how much that personalized message means to me. It's probably a HUGE reason I give them my "continued business"!

Gratitude: Day 25

Today I am thankful for lower gas prices. Can I get an Amen?

(That was the sign at the station where we filled up on the way home from dinner Sunday evening. It was $1.56 when I passed it today!)

Holy Stockings, Batman!

That is what I deal with every week. I'm not sure how many are usually in the pile, but it's my job to sort and pair them with their respective mates. I had about 8 unmated socks in this load. About once a month or so I go into each child's sock drawer and pair up the singles.

This is my life.

Sock sorter and pairer.

Just another job in a long list of things I do for these wonderful people with whom I live.

(I got a degree for this?!?)

I Am Thankful For...

This is what Lillian's 3 year-old preschool class had to say about what they're thankful for this year. Priceless.

Talley: hayrides, Mr. Mark, chocolate

Madison: butter (amen, sister!), Abbie, pretzels, cookies, Daddy and Momma (wonder how Momma feels about being one-upped by butter?!?!)

Nelson: Nana's cat Bob, my puppet show, Haley (she's in Heaven), my house, my dragon, my bathtub and lions (What, no butter?)

Caleb: Chocolate (Lillian needs to marry this boy. He knows a good thing when he sees it! Well, maybe not... if he's thankful for MILK chocolate, someone else can have him.)

Kaplan: Scout, my pup, my Momma, Daddy, my best brothers

Ben: leaves, pretzels too, a house, my bed

Samuel: my sister, Mommy and my Daddy

Ava: Daddy, my Mommy too, monkeys (someone's recently visited the zoo, I guess...)

Anna: my Mommy and Daddy, Luke and Sara

And then there's Lillian. I had to laugh.

Lillian: Annabelle (our cat), Oliver (another cat), Beeson (yet another feline), Quinn, Daddy, Mommy (oh, there I am!), cookies (whew, I made it in just before cookies!), Nana, Camryn, Aiden, scarecrows, rainbows. And toys. (Something tells me she was looking around the classroom to come up with scarecrows and rainbows. Hey, isn't that in that Julie Andrews song? "Raindrops on rainbows and fresh apple scarecrows? These are a few of my favorite things"? Isn't that how it goes?!?)

Along those same lines, I need to catch up with a blog challenge that my friend Sherry issued at the beginning of November. I'm only 3 weeks behind, but better late than never, eh? (That EH is a shout out to my Canadian friends Cyn and Lee!)

So, here's my list. Twenty-two things for which I am grateful. In no particular order.

(1) A warm garage. I'd hate to have to warm up the car and scrape ice in the mornings. More sleep for me!

(2) These socks I got from Bath & Body Works. They have no-slip circles on the bottom and they're super soft. I have red, pink and green. Toasty tootsies!

(3) Bath bombs from Basin. I stock up every time we go to Disney World, but you can order them online.

(4) My iPod. Greatest invention EVAH.

(5) My husband (I did say these were in no particular order... he and the kids would be at the top, of course!) I have a hardworking, big hearted, slow to anger, patient, loving husband that spoils me rotten. He's too good to me.

(6) My children. They play well together, they don't need me to entertain them constantly, they are good about getting homework done, they appreciate me and compliment and edify me every day. They are angels on earth and I know God sent them to me for a reason. They totally ROCK.

(7) My parents. They're always willing to keep the kids for us, and they don't just babysit. They engage the kids in activities and take them places. They truly enjoy being with the kids, not just simply having the kids in their presence. They were awesome parents, but they're even better grandparents. They raised me to be who I am and I am so grateful for their guidance, their praise, their leadership, their friendship and their love. They totally ROCK, too!

(8) This blog. I'm glad I started blogging. I do it for me (it helps when it's time to add a story to a scrapbook page!), but it's nice that y'all are along for the ride, too.

(9) Friends, both "real life" ones and Internet ones. I don't interact with either often enough, but just knowing they're there and will be there when I need them is a huge comfort.

(10) Our new church. We started going to a non-denominational church this summer, and I've experienced such spiritual growth since then. I'm grateful we found it and started attending. It's been an oasis in the middle of a huge desert.

(11) The kids' schools and their teachers. Every person that teaches one of my children truly has the kids' best interest at heart. Each one of these men and women actually seeks to know my children almost as well as I do. They love and teach my kids in my absence, and I'm so thankful for each one of them, their influence in my childrens' lives and the way they're molding and shaping my children to be good learners, full of wisdom about things of this earth and Heavenly matters.

(12) My husband's job. He's busier than ever, which, in this economy, is a wonder.

(13) Dave Ramsey. This man and his desire to help people get out of debt have changed our lives for the better. If all goes according to plan, we'll be completely debt free (house and all!) in just a little over 4 years. I'm giddy thinking about all the people we can help with the income we've been blessed with. Can't wait to pay that final mortgage payment! (If you're interested, you can buy Dave's Total Money Makeover book right now for $10. That's an awesome deal!)

(14) Scrapbooking. I love this "hobby". I have a passion for it. It feeds the need I have to be creative while letting me share my heart on paper. I hope my children cherish these books for the rest of their lives.

(15) To Do Lists. I make them every day and they really keep me motivated. Today's list: clean out the cups & glasses in the kitchen cabinet, clean out the upper snack pantry cabinet, bag clothes to go to Goodwill, laundry (always laundry!) and dishes (always dishes!)

(16) Books. I love books. I love the escape they provide.

(17) Movies. (See books!)

(18) A comfy bed. We have had a Tempurpedic for about 4 years, and I can honestly say I've never slept better. It was worth every last penny.

(19) Starbucks hot chocolate. I'm not a coffee drinker, so I didn't ever see the need to try anything at Starbucks. But I've been treating my daughter's 5th grade teacher to her favorite Starbucks coffees this year, and I've discovered their (sinfully delicious and outrageously expensive) hazelnut hot chocolate. It's heaven in a cup.

(20) My sister's friends. My sister has been going through some rough stuff lately, and I haven't been able to comfort her. Knowing she has great friends around her right now has eased my worry, so I'm thankful for Val and Holly and Trey and all the angels that have rallied around my sweet sister to help heal her broken heart.

(21) Massages. It's not that often that I get one, but when I do get one I feel awesome for days. I need to schedule a monthly rub down, but life is Busy with a capital B and my shoulders feel it!

(22) The $4 car wash place. I love that place. They do a fantastic job getting the Monorail clean, plus they offer FREE vacuuming! I love a clean car, and I love that I can get the van all sparkly for just $4!

Friday Fill Ins

1. The last band I saw live was Jordan Pruitt and KSM. They were touring with the Gymnastics Superstars show that I took Camryn to see last month.

2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is the Macy's parade, cornbread dressing and cranberry sauce.

3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is almost done!

4. Thoughts of the Eagles fill my head. I'm waiting for tickets to go on sale at 10 am. They're not as expensive as I thought they were, so I'm hoping to score a pair in a few minutes!

5. I wish I could wear sleeveless tops. I have bad arms.

6. Bagpipes remind me of my father-in-law's funeral.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm doing nothing. Looking forward to tomorrow my plans include household chores and church and Sunday, I want to try to take the kids to the mall to get pictures with Santa.

Getting to Know Me...Christmas Edition

My friend Kesa sent me this in an e-mail today. Free Blog Fodder! I love it!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. Gift bags are no fun. There's no paper to rip with gift bags!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. Real ones scare me. The tree we got at our Christmas shower right before our January 1996 wedding saw its last Christmas in 2007. The hubby wanted to buy one after Christmas, but we never did. Now we're looking for a 7.5' pre-lit tree that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It's unbelieveable what people want for fake trees! Guess we'll be waiting until the 26th to buy a new tree. In the interim we have an unlit one that we got from my parents... it'll do!

3. When do you put up the tree? Well, they're up right now, but they won't be decorated until next week. The kids get excited and want the decorations up lickity split, but I'm a slow decorator. It's still too early to get everything out.

4. When do you take the tree down? December 25th or 26th. Last year it was the night of the 25th.

5. Do you like eggnog? Blech. No.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My Big Wheel and the Playdoh barber shop set.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My mom and my sister.

8. Easiest person to buy for? The kids, because they want whatever comes on TV.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, a wooden one that's kid-friendly, but it didn't get put away with the decorations last year. I've been finding pieces of it around the house all year long. Who knows if we'll have a complete nativity... it might just be Mary and a couple of sheep.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Last year. A sheer red and white cape like shirt with sequins on it. It's in the playroom right now. The girls use it as a skirt when they play dress up.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation! The cat food in the Jello is classic.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? We did the kids' shopping last month. I got a bunch of stuff today and have placed about 10 orders online in the past 2-3 days. I'm almost done! Only teacher gifts remain, and they're going to be edible, so I'll have to wait to make those.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No comment.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Hmm.... fudge? My mom used to make fudge and divinity every year. I haven't had divinity in a long time. Maybe I'll make some this year.

16. Lights on the tree? Lots of them! And they have to be white. The kids prefer colors, but I love the clear bulbs.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Blue Christmas by Elvis

18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Stay at Home!!!

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeers? Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen (I had to sing the song...)

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? We have 3 trees and I know an angel goes on the big one. I think there is a star on the kids' homemade ornament tree and a big ribbon on the Hallmark tree.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning, but we do a special Christmas Eve gift (it's always their Christmas jammies, but it's a tradition my mom started when I was a kid and one I want my kids to continue...)

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? When retailers start putting Christmas stuff out way too early and the radio stations start playing Christmas music 24/7 before Thanksgiving (like 2 of the stations are now!) I love Christmas, but I want to have Thanksgiving before I start working on Christmas.

23. What theme or color are you using? I don't really have a color theme.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? We have Taco Soup for Christmas Eve and just have snacks and appetizers on Christmas Day. That usually includes some sausage balls, which my mom usually makes. Yum!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? tickets to see the Eagles on January 19th, but unless I win them myself, I won't be getting them. A pair of mid-range seats costs $700. Eek!

Laughter

"God created laughter to lift our spirits, lighten our loads, heal our bodies and provide a temporary reprieve from our chaotic lives." - Tina Krause

Amen. Amen and amen. You can't tell me the God that created the platypus doesn't like a good chuckle!

I'm so grateful for the gift of laughter. I think with out a good chuckle several times a day I would be a mad woman. I'm so thankful that God gave me a sense of humor and placed funny people in my life (and that He gave me funny children and a wicked funny husband!)

I.LOVE.FUNNY!

Leave me your funniest joke in the comments section. I need some good laughs today!

It Has Started

Camryn LOVES Christmas. She came through the door from the garage last night all excited to tell me that the local radio station was playing Christmas music. That inspired her to start the decoration process this morning. She rooted around in the basement and found a few things to make her room look festive.

I'm not ready for this yet.

Friday Fill Ins

1. Please feel free to send me money. Really. I won't send it back. I promise.

2. When I make coffee or stop by Starbucks for my daughter's teacher, I can't help sniffing it occasionally. I don't drink coffee, but I LOVE the smell of it.

3. My favorite thing to cook is homemade macaroni and cheese or mashed potatoes from scratch.

4. Affirmation is something I can't get enough of.

5. That's the thing I love most about my children. They're always affirming me even when they don't know it.

6. My Big Redneck Wedding always makes me think to myself, what the heck?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to doing NOTHING but sitting on the couch and going to bed early. Tomorrow my plans include maybe watching the Auburn/UGA game (if I can find the courage) and going to church in the evening. Sunday, I want to go to Quinn's birthday party, then come home and work on some stuff in my office.

She's On a Roll....

Know what that is?

A roll from Ryan's restaurant, you say?

Well, that would be the obvious choice.

But you're wrong. Dead wrong.

To find out what that *really* is you need to ask a 4 year-old.

Let's do that. Let's do that right now.

Here's a 4 year-old. Let's ask her.



"Lillian, what is that in the picture above?"

"Hmmm..... (giggle, giggle, snicker, laugh, snort).... hmmmm.... mmmm... (snicker, snort)..."

"It's a (snicker, snicker, giggle) it's a.... (giggle, laugh, snicker...) it's a....

BOOTIE BUN!"

"Ah, of course. How could I NOT have seen that?!?"

CRACK me up.

(Get it? CRACK?!?!? Bwa ha ha ha ha! Where *DID* she get her sense of humor?!?)

A good chuckle

Every now and again I read a great joke that really makes me laugh out loud. Here are two.

I got the first one here. I apologize that it's written in all caps. Get over it. ; )

THREE WOMEN,TWO YOUNGER AND ONE SENIOR CITIZEN, WERE SITTING NAKED IN A SAUNA. SUDDENLY THERE WAS A BEEPING SOUND.

THE YOUNG WOMAN PRESSED HER FOREARM AND THE BEEP STOPPED.

THE OTHERS LOOKED AT HER QUESTIONINGLY.

'THAT WAS MY PAGER, SHE SAID. I HAVE A MICROCHIP UNDER THE SKIN OF MY ARM.'

A FEW MINUTES LATER, A PHONE RANG.

THE SECOND YOUNG WOMAN LIFTED HER PALM TO HER EAR. WHEN SHE FINISHED ,SHE EXPLAINED, 'THAT WAS MY MOBILE PHONE ,I HAVE A MICROCHIP IN MY HAND.'

THE OLDER WOMAN FELT VERY LOW-TECH. NOT TO BE OUT DONE, SHE DECIDED SHE HAD TO DO SOMETHING JUST AS IMPRESSIVE. SHE STEPPED OUT OF THE SAUNA AND WENT TO THE BATHROOM.

SHE RETURNED WITH A PIECE OF TOILET PAPER HANGING FROM HER REAR END.

THE OTHERS RAISED THEIR EYEBROWS AND STARED AT HER.

THE OLDER WOMAN FINALLY SAID........ 'WELL, WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT... I'M GETTING A FAX!'

And here's another I got from my friend Holley. I could just picture Holley telling this one, which is part of the reason I laughed so hard when I read it, but it's still funny if'n you don't know Holley.

One day God was looking down at Earth and saw all of the rascally behavior that was going on. So he called one of His angels and sent the angel to Earth for a time.

When he returned, he told God, 'Yes, it is bad on Earth; 95% are misbehaving and only 5% are not.

God thought for a moment and said, 'Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion.'

So God called another angel and sent him to Earth for a time.

When the angel returned he went to God and said, 'Yes, it's true.The Earth is in decline; 95% are misbehaving, but 5% are being good.'

God was not pleased. So He decided to e-mail the 5% that were good, because he wanted to encourage them, and give them a little something to help them keep going.

Do you know what the e-mail said?

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Okay, I was just wondering, because I didn't get one either.

My Lillian

I've been saving these two videos of Lillian. I figured I'd put them on the blog one day, so since I'm low on blog fodder today, you get to watch two very adorable videos of my youngest. She's like the sun with a clown hat on it. Love this kid.

This one was taken in the spring. She goes through spurts where she adopts a catchphrase or discovers that she can make a certain noise and then uses it ad nauseum. Charming. Below are two examples of her performing her schtick for the camera.

"Dude, You're AWESOME!"

(She also tries to remember a story she had told me at bedtime the night before about the family she used to live with before she moved in with us. Dad was Nosepicker, mom was Sharkrollers and her siblings were John and Sarah. They were awfully mean to her, so she came to live with us. She was half asleep when she told the story. She came directly from my womb, so I have no idea from where this story originates.)



and

"Break it down now, break it down now
Putcha putcha putcha ouuuuuut.
WORD."



ENJOY. I sure do. Every day.

Paid Clicks

I do several programs that help earn small amounts of spending money. Three of these programs pay me for just clicking on stuff. It takes about 10 minutes out of my day, and it does take awhile to get enough to cash out, but it's worth it. It probably adds up to $100-$115 a year just for clicking.

The first program I use is Send Earnings. They send me e-mails with clickable links in them. You can take advantage of some of the offers and earn more money (I ordered my Entertainment book through them and made $8). Mostly I just click their links, though (some of the things that come up after you click on the email link say "Click here for confirmation of reading this email". Make sure you click that. It's usually under the picture in black writing.) You can also play games, do surveys and shop through their program to earn money.

Click here to sign up for Send Earnings:



The next program I use is called InboxDollars. It's exactly like Send Earnings.

Click here to sign up for InboxDollars:



With both Send Earnings and InboxDollars you have to have $30 in your account before cashing out. It takes a long time, but keep clicking. It grows. You get $5 for each when you sign up.

The 3rd program I use is QuickRewards. They pay whenever you request it. There is not a minimum cashout, and they pay through PayPal or gift cards (it's your choice). I usually wait until I have at least $10 to cash out.

With Quick Rewards you can earn money by clicking on their daily emails, clicking their daily offer links, doing surveys, answering their daily trivia question and shopping. Lots of ways to earn money there.

Click here to sign up for Quick Rewards:

3 Things

(1) I found a prize in my Corn Pops box this morning! It's been a long, dry season when it comes to finding prizes in cereal boxes. I don't remember the last time I found a goody in there. When did manufacturers quit giving out prizes packed beneath their sugary nuggets of deliciousness? I miss that. I felt like a giddy child when my step counter fell into the bowl this morning. Woo hoo!

(2) I love Karen Carpenter. I have some of the Carpenters' music on my iPod and one of their songs just played. Yesterday Once More. A classic. Every sha la la la, every whoa oh oh still shines.

(3) Today is my Quinnie's 6th birthday and I'm not with him.



The hubby had an eye doctor conference to attend in my hometown, and we were all supposed to go. I've been so busy the past few weeks that I feel like I'm never going to catch up with all my chores. So, after asking my parents and my hubs if they would mind if I stayed home (and getting their okays), I stayed here. Sadly, that meant missing Quinn's birthday. My mom, dad, husband, daughters and son are taking him to a local Japanese restaurant (the kid LOVES the hibachi!) and he has a chocolate on chocolate (ICK) Cars cake to enjoy. I just missed waking him up and snuggling him on his 6th birthday. I'll make up for it tomorrow.

Friday Fill Ins

1. My blueprint for success includes perseverance, tenacity, patience, humility, compassion and lots and lots of prayer.

2. An Almond Joy miniature I found in my husband's truck was the last candy I ate.

3. The best facial moisturizer I've ever used is still undiscovered. I haven't found one yet that doesn't make my face too greasy or doesn't leave it feeling smothered.

4. Laughter, massages, time alone and time with others can be good therapy.

5. I'd like to tell you about so many things. Dave Ramsey, Disney World, my children, my wonderful husband, my awesome parents, my strong sister, why my faith is so important, why I don't think Obama was the right choice, how to save money when you shop...got a few hours to sit and chat with me?

6. My sense of humor is my strongest characteristic.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to scrapbooking. Tomorrow my plans include not much! Maybe cleaning the playroom and finishing the laundry (is this the laundry blog? 'Cause I sure do talk about laundry a lot!) and Sunday, I want to stay in my PJs all day and watch movies.