one more picture please

2012 to do list

2012-01-01T21:49:00.002-05:00

monthly items:

1. walk the dam once a month with the kids

2. go to a fun/new place to eat once a month

house projects:

1. Redo living room

paint the living room and hall way
new furniture for living room
new way to do the walls in living room
get rug for living room

2. touch up paint for bathroom

3. finish kitchen ...need to do tile backslash and figure out the counter tops

4. finish all the door knobs in the house and either buy new ones or spray paint

5. fix our bedroom door.

6. fix hole in wall in kitchen

7. make some type of shelf thing for ashley

8. fix up ashley and joey's closets

9. redo the two end tables in the garage

10. finish up the light for outside and put it up somewhere

11. fix the fence outside

2011 Projects big and small

2012-01-01T21:05:00.009-05:00

Pillows...used a sewing maching

Spray painted door knobs...need to finish rest

Tile framed the bathroom mirror

refinished an end table for ashley

painted the kitchen cabinets

made football treats

yarn wreath from pinterest

mirror from kirklands for $10 and new curtains

placemat pillow

magnetic frame my sister made me

more placemat pillows

omg...this was so good from pillsbury cookie pizza

glitter balls with pledge from pinterest

different project i did this year. mainly due to pinterest! need a few more photos for the ones listed below

valentines ipod gifts
flag cake
mom cave
window seat
no more porch railing in house
reindeer beer gift
frames with hooks on them

yikes it is 2012 and i never post anymore

2012-01-01T20:16:00.005-05:00

well i get all caught up in facebook, so i never post on here anymore. we have done a lot in the year of 2011, so i plan on re-caping the year on here and i would like to post once a month...so i am going to try to do that! i watched a lot of football, exercised and then stopped and gained my darn weight back. i broke my flip camera, my laptop, my desktop, and my digital rebel and joe broke two iphones this year. ps...i walked 241 miles in 2011..hoping to beat that this year! in 2010 i logged 324 from just august to jan...no wonder i lost weight in 2010 and gained it in 2011.

now for 2011

January: joey turned 10 this year, we are learning about our new dog and we got snow again! 5 inches on Jan 1oth and did tons of sled ridding at the middle school. we walked all the way over to it!
February: :Steelers made it to the superbowl, but lost. made fun ipod valentine's day treats for the classes. Started doing Dave Ramsey FPU and couponing.
March: Ashley learned how to do backhandspring and joey is doing a lot on his recorder..
April: Ashley is now on a competitive cheer team and will compete in January 2012. We painted the kitchen cabinets and it turned out great!
May: Joey played a little football clinic and liked it. Went to Mississippi for Jordan's graduation. It was fun and I won $300 at the casino! we did get to see the flooding of the mississippi river
June: Went to Myrtle Beach with my cousin Jill and her son Cash...along with Robin and Frank. Fun times. Joey got his hair cut!!!!!!!! I found pinterst and started doing tons of projects.
July: Joey started his first year of tackle football, his team is called the cowboys he did great and we were super proud of him. I redid the play room into the mom cave and as ashley calls it the zebra room. ashley turned 9.
August: my computer hard drive crashed and I had nothing saved. ashley's bff moved away to CO!!
September: i have official gained all the weight i lost back! it sucks!! i ordered a big lens since i lost all my photos when my computer crashed. i got a lot of fun photos of joey playing football.
October: I turned 40..yuk, got the iPhone 4S and not too impressed with Siri. My digital rebel died. Ashley hurt her leg and can't do much with cheer now.
November: thanksgiving at my house with my mom and dad and joe's mom and dad
December: christmas was great, santa spoiled the kids, ashley is on the mend with her leg no more appts needed. joey is on his xbox non stop! our new flooring came in on the 30th!! we had visits from the klein's and jill and cash for the last week of december too!!

Pinterest challenge: spray painting furniture

2011-07-30T12:05:00.003-04:00

i have fallen in love with pinterest and so far i have done 3 projects since finding the site! here is my goodwill find so i could spray paint something like this post!!

i went to goodwill to find a side table for ashley's bed...i found this one for $10.50

BEFORE:

AFTER:
i spray painted it and i added some wood putty to the little design thing on the 2nd drawer. the drawers would not come out so i had to paint with them inside. i also wanted to do the glazing to it, to have the corners pop out, but it wasn't working with what i had, so i need to buy something else to make it work. i also have to get something for the top coat.

it turned out good so far!! and my little guy joey made the pencil holder!

mom cave

2011-07-30T11:35:00.005-04:00

well i am working on redoing the play room since the kids are getting older and really don't use the room. the room is hard since it is a pass through...you see it from the kitchen and you have to walk through it to get to the outside and my office.

i wanted it to be sort of a sunroom type thing, so i am not sure what will end up happening...

the view from the kitchen

the view from my office ( i really need a new outside door with windows)

ashley's new table to go into her room once done....
another view....rug is one from lowe's for $17 on sale!! heads up from some great bloggers!!! took me 3 stores and a few hours but worth it ;)

I like this photo!! not sure if i should do one nice chair or a bigger love seat type thing or what..the view outside is awesome!!

any suggestions i'd love to hear them...need tons of accessories and things, but i am so strapped with cash...can't wait till columbia gets a homegoods!!

diy: almost success

2011-07-05T17:30:00.008-04:00

i got the idea to add some tile to my mirror from this blog post, but mine didn't turn out as good as i was hoping! the main issue was the top of the mirror! i am sure i can work with the issues, and be more careful!!! i have the material to do the kids mirror but not sure about it!

total cost: $2.86 x3 for tiles and $4 for glue so it was a whopping: $12.58 + tax! not bad, but if we ever move i would feel the need to replace it.

here are the tiles. i got 12x12 sheets and cut them apart. these did not have the mesh background just glued together. i used scissors to cut the glue off.

this is the mirror complete withe the tape holding up the top tiles, they fell down a lot so the tape helped. it was also very uncomfortable sitting on the sink! problem is you can't tell how out of place they are!

here is the final product. i still have a lot of glue mess at the top that i have to deal with and a few of them are really uneven! i am not the best at taking my time but after how good the kitchen came out...i figured i could handle this....next project i will go slower!!!

over all, it turned out okay, but it could look better if i would of taken my time yesterday. it only took about 2 hours to finish it all up. it will probably take me another hour (well the hubby) to try to get the glue off the mirror.

i'm gonna get ripped in 30 days

2011-05-11T22:39:00.000-04:00

yes, i am 200% on board again with my weight loss goals. i was doing sooooo good last year and sort of let the holidays take the eating away from me. it was like this...okay i will eat this for christmas, then new year's came, then valentine's day, then this then that then easter...well you get the picture. i have gained a lot of what i lost back already, so before it gets any worse i am going to get back at it again.

i am going to get up tomorrow even though it is thursday and hey you should always start on monday right? well not this time! i have wasted too much time doing that. i tend to watch a lot of videos on youtube to get me motivated, so i may do a daily update with this program, i am not sure but we will see.

i am still 100% old school (and not a spring chicken anymore at age 39) that i don't like to lift weights 2 days in a row. not sure if that is an old myth or not, so i am not going to do this program for 5-6 days like jillian says. i am going to do it 3 days a week and then the other 2 days i will do the cardio videos from my chalean extreme. i am going to try to walk at night as much as i can but the month of may is super busy for me at work and the kids. so we will see.

i did the video on sunday this week already and was gonna get up monday..then tues...then wed..and never did. so i am getting up tomorrow to do it and i already know it is a good workout!! oh i also got her protein powder from walmart, so i am going to try that in the morning too. i have been having some "awful" side effects from my protein drinks after having them for 4 months straight last year, so not sure if i will be able to drink them again or not. jillian's is a little less protein so I am hoping i can handle them!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-07T22:23:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!! The kids are getting so big!!

Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations: 99.7% done!

2011-04-24T08:59:00.009-04:00

well this was a long week to say the least. so happy and thankful we can end it with a nice holiday and then maybe head to the movies to relax. the kitchen cabinets are done! and yes i would love to do the countertops and the backsplash and replace more appliances, but that will have to wait. i hate to say it, but the cabinets look so good i am not sure i need to do the countertops..ha ha ..also ours are so small, i wish they had a smaller kit.

we used the rust-oleum cabinet transformation kit (small kit) and picked tudor for the color. i had a $10 off lowes card so i paid $70 for it!

Here are the before photos:

Here is the run down of how we tackled the project:

Saturday: took all the cabinet doors down and hinges off...started deglossing them saturday
Sunday: finished the deglossing of the cabinets
Monday: after work, started painting the cabinets one coat...then second coat (I am off the rest of the week, so I have all day to work on the project)

Tuesday: still paining the cabinets one coat...then second coat...went on a tile store trip in between waiting for the coats to dry.

Wednesday: Started doing the top protective coat...this is where things went south..it dried really fast in our 90 degree heat, but it would drip and i wouldn't see it so i have a few drip areas on the doors.
Wed night: Joe did the cabinet frame work...this was also the hardest step!
Thursday: Cleaned and spray painted all the cabinet hinges with rust-oleum metallic spray paint.

Thursday evening: All the cabinets are back on hinges, trip to Lowes for the cabinet bumper stickers and looked at the microwaves.
Friday: drove 2 hours one way to go to Ikea to get the cabinet pulls
Friday night: Joe began doing some of the pulls and it did prove to be harder than we thought
Saturday: Joe got the microwave up and the rest of the cabinet pulls
Sunday: need to do touch ups to fix all the nicks from when we added the pulls and microwave

and for the finished product!!!!! i am so happy with it all, i really can't believe how good it looks! the run down on the cost of the project goes like this:

cabinet kit: $70
paint brushes: $12
spray paint: $7
cabinet bumpers: $10.75
cabinet pulls ikea: $75
new over the range microwave: $225
Total: $399.75 (the microwave wasn't necessary but the other one was dying and this one matches much better) if i do the backsplash, that will probably be another $400 to the project.

found a new kitchen i love!

2011-04-16T22:31:00.003-04:00

well it is spring break this week and i will be off a lot, so since i am doing FPU and working on my debt snowball I decided we are staying home and i picked a little project to do that i have been wanting to do for a long time!

we are going to try painting our cabinets and we will see how it goes. i will post the before and after pics for you all to see. here are out cabinets all off the hinges. it is going to be a lot of work, but we are going to use a kit from rust-oleum called cabinet transformations. i really hope we do it right. i am going to get new hardware too, but just not sure when. it may take a while to save up for what i want, and if that is too expensive we may need to take a trip to ikea and that gets expensive too!!

The photo below I just saw today after i started the work last night. it is from the hgtv green home this year. they i guess have a dream home and a green home but this kitchen i love it all. except the cabinets are too high. i really love the tile and it says it is from shaw flooring. we have a new tile place in lexington, so i am going to try that store out and see what they have. it is on not on the project list for now, but just to see what they have. we also need to redo our countertops and there is a kit for that too, but it is over $200 so that will have to wait a while!

i will keep you all posted on how we do and how it goes!!

Trying to coupon shop! Publix saving of 49.3%

2011-04-09T13:51:00.005-04:00

well i started to try to coupon shop at Publix. we have a new store and the carts are nice and the store is clean, so i don't mind the little extra drive to the store. i love how they have B1G1 free each week and those are usually on the end caps so you can find them easy. This week I got only what was on sale and on my list so I spent: $63.98 Saved $42.02 with publix sales and $20.40 with coupons. Total savings was: 49.3%

So far since I started 4 weeks ago:

3/19/11: Paid $37.24 Saved $38.21 = so (38.21/75.45) x 100= 50.6% saved

3/25/11 Paid: $66.20 Saved $82.15 = 55.3%

4/3/11: Paid $89.74 Saved $54.13 = 37.6%

4/9/11: Paid $63.98 Saved 62.42 = 49.3%

I really think that 4/3 is probably more like what we save each week, since I tried to get all we needed and not go to Walmart each day for something else, but I also think with the sales and what I am buying we may not need to go to the store as much as we used to. I still don't have a good handle on it, as we eat out a lot and Joe does the cooking, but I am at least working on it.

I refuse to get tons and tons of junk just to save. I did that on 3/25 and there are still things we haven't tried yet, so it isn't worth buying something if you may not eat it. I am working on that aspect. The dog is killing me too. We have had him since Dec and not sure what all he likes so I buy stuff on sale hoping he will eat it.

Publix week 2: 55% but tons of junk!!

2011-03-25T14:24:00.000-04:00

well this week was different at publix. i went with ashley on a friday night and a lot of the coupons i had to get 3 or more to save with it so we ended up with a lot of junk food. we will eat most of it, so that is good.

I also messed up when joe called me and i got some cheese that was not on sale. we called them and was able to return it! so i spend $66.20 for $148.35 worth of groceries!

my first coupon trip to PUBLIX saved 49.3%

2011-03-19T14:17:00.000-04:00

this was my first trip and i have more printable coupons than regular ones, i was worried but not too embarrassed like i thought i would be.

I spend $37.24 and saved $38.21 ($8.80 from coupons) I really think the extra time to find them and print them is worth it, i mean $9 bucks that someone is just handing you. hope i can keep it up and figure it all out!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T21:35:00.004-05:00

The kids and I worked hard this year to be like my sister Heather and make some cute valentine's this year. I got it from Family Fun magazine. Yeah it cost a little more to do it, but they kids were so excited to pass them out and they told me that everyone loved them. So all the hard work was worth it! Now on to what to make for next year!

Everyone is sick around town, school, work and our house. I have had issues for weeks now, and it is causing exercising issues. hoping to get back in the swing of things this week! We will see, but I am going to redo ChaLEAN Extreme in March and I will be done June 1st so that will be great for summer. I am excited for spring and to start walking again.

christmas

2010-12-10T19:50:00.003-05:00

here are a few of the new decorations i did this year

i love how this came out! i just had regular pine stuff and added the lights to it and pine cones from outside. the ornament initals are from kohl's or michael's. ashley wanted hers so i just got all of us and added them to this with the little hooks that are plastic and come off.

this idea is 100% marthas!! i loved it when I saw esp since her example had about the same color door i had! this was so cheap to do and it turned out looking so good. i plan on getting lanterns in the summer when they are cheaper for next year!

this is all from kohls's...i just wanted something for the table and this is a great way to decorate and move it when you need to!!

holiday cards and celebrations by shutterfly

2010-11-15T18:54:00.007-05:00

My holiday card is something I love doing each year and I usually make them myself and get a funny family photo of us. I ask my neighbor or friends to take the photo and then I upload it and send them out. I am a big Christmas card giver (and if you want one…send me your address).

The main reason I love family cards is because we would get one each year of my cousins in CA, the Laird Family. It was awesome seeing the kids grow up and their mom, Barbara was so pretty. I felt like I knew them from these yearly cards even though I only met them about 3 times. Those cards really meant something to me, and I know they meant something to Barbara since she did that each year...she is gone now, but the fact that she got those photos each year meant a lot to me!

I want to be that family to someone getting our card each year. I want them to see my kids growing up through the years and then as adults say…”oh, I loved seeing your Christmas Card each year”.

Here are the two Christmas Cards from Shutterfly that I love so much:

i love the black and green on this one and the fonts for the Joy and Magic...so beautiful!

i love the colors in this one and the way the words go over the photo! looks so professional!

There are other things you can get at shutterfly also like Calendars, mugs, and invitations.

I plan on doing my Christmas cards with them this year and I planned on that BEFORE I found out about this offer! Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

You also can’t beat getting something from a company that sends an invoice confirmation like this:

Hello Missy,

We’ve received your order and are busy making sure it looks fantastic!

we got our photos taken!

2010-11-01T21:09:00.003-04:00

Please head over to Ashley Ward Photography Blog and check out the amazing photos we just had done two weeks ago! They are amazing and so happy I got them taken! I know you all know how much i love taking photos, but i HATE being in front of the camera. I have never had photos like this taken before, so it was so much fun and the kids had a blast!

yes, we went to the ice cream store first! we just had to...once ashley suggested it i was all for it, then we got to the store and it was packed and i felt weird, but so glad we did it. was worried "my" ashley would get it all over her, but figured i would not stress.

i love all the photos so far and can't wait to see the rest! maybe this wasn't a good idea to do right before the holidays..lol

October is a busy month!!

2010-10-17T23:36:00.004-04:00

this weekend and all the rest are really becoming a blur to me! they go by so quick. we had a great time at Jennifer's 8th Birthday Party. She always has a Halloween party and so Joe wanted to be a Roman Soldier and I followed along and was a Goddess. It was fun, but yes I felt a bit odd dressing up. This is really the first time since my CatWoman day in college!

The kids all had a blast at the party and it was fun to see them all have a good time. i went shopping Friday to get something for our family photos that will be taken next weekend.

we still need to go to the fair some time this week, and i need to take joey to the doctors. poor boy has had a cough for a long time now and he needs a treatment each night now. i was really hoping the asthma was going away.

we watched a bunch of football this weekend too. i missed my daily walks on thur-sat, so i walked twice today and did 8 miles total!

we have just one more party and i will be wearing the same costume, i really don't care...lol this month is proving to be an expensive one! just like dave ramsey sent me a few emails warning me about!! lol i really plan on taking his advice and doing his class in the next few months with some friends. it will be great to get a handle on the spending and stoping living like i am a rockstar! we will see how it works out!

wednesday wish: please help others

2010-09-29T08:00:00.002-04:00

please donate for the juvenile diabetes research foundation! i am going to walk october 31 and i am hoping to raise 60 more dollars! if i can get just 6 more people to donate $10, i will reach my goal. my first goal was $100 but i increased it once i reached that.

thank you so much! you can donate HERE!!!!

success

2010-09-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

~ Herman Cain

fun days with my family

2010-09-26T22:12:00.004-04:00

wow this weekend flew by! we did a lot but it still went by so fast. football game on friday night, we won! and then my dad and brother came down for a quick trip to drop off more stuff. so joe and artie went to the river to fish and let artie's dog YZ play in the river. the kids and i stayed home and just relaxed!

i have 2 more weeks left of ChaLEAN extreme and i have had amazing results so far. i am starting to get more hungry these days, but i haven't been to the store to get all my food the last two weeks so i think that is why. next to make sure i go tomorrow after work.

we then took robin to the airport for her awesome trip to paris and belgium! they are going to have a blast. then the family went to the halloween stores and justice and shoe store. joey has been dying for some PUMA shoes that his friend has. all the kids (yep even the big one above) got their costumes. i was struggling finding one that fit, so it may take me a little longer to get mine. facebooked the steeler game :) that means all my friends updated me with the score. then came home and walked with tammy for 5 miles! it is so great to get out and walk. i really was never an outdoor type of gal, so i am glad i am doing it and getting outside!

ready for a super busy week at work to get some new instruments up and running and then a great birthday weekend!

a new dress

2010-09-22T09:31:00.000-04:00

yes..this dress is awesome and amazing esp. on a size 0 model. but i have been eyeing up these over the shoulder dresses for a while now. this one is just my style and it really isn't very expensive. i saw it in people magazine and i am thinking of getting it very soon!

waves

2010-09-20T08:00:00.004-04:00

To stay the course, sometimes you have to make...

WAVES

it is all a blur...

2010-09-19T21:35:00.002-04:00

seriously, i don't know where the weekends go! they go by so fast! i think when i plan more to do they go slower. i have been sleeping in a lot and that may have something to do with it making them go fast.

i am doing a new phase in my exercise called the "lean" phase...I am hoping it does for me what it did for the others who have done the program. walking is going good, although i may of lost my walking partner Tammy since i have to go earlier in the day to get my tv fix in at night (no i do not have a dvr...nor plan on getting one any time soon). you can follow my walking here if you want! i also went to a "fitclub" downtown on saturday and did P90X with my sister robin. that was fun!

ash had a friend stay over friday night, and joey had a friend over saturday night. we went roller skating sunday from 2-5 with oliva and wendi. it was fun and i was tired! thanks to facebook and my wonderful friends, i was updated the whole time on the steeler game and they won! then i came home and decided to see if tammy wanted to walk and we got up and went. glad i did, i am so tired but needed the walk to clear my head and get ready for the week.

that is it...the house is a mess the laundry isn't done and there are dishing in the sink...but hey we are all here and happy and healthy....well except for ashley's little cold she has ;) over all life is a success!

a new tattoo...coming soon

2010-09-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

i am trying to figure out what kind of tattoo i want. i really want this...but smaller, but not sure yet. i either want one on my wrist or on the inside of my ankle...but also thinking about the shoulder too.

i also love the words one too. so i am going to keep checking the internet and find something.

tammy and i plan on going in november for her birthday!

it's all about character

2010-09-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

football and 2 months done!

2010-09-12T14:53:00.000-04:00

had fun all weekend with the high school game friday night and then the gamecocks saturday. i really love sports but i think football has my heart the most. some seasons i don't watch much, some seasons more.

well i have 2 months under my belt with exercise! so i have my day one photos, day 30 photos and now my day 60 photos. hard to believe i have done that much so far. day 60 seems so far away but i made it.

2010-09-06T08:00:00.001-04:00

“It’s not food if it arrived through the window of your car.”

~ Michael Pollan

nice 3 dayer and a fit club

2010-09-05T22:00:00.000-04:00

so glad i am able to get monday off this week! me and the kids went to the high school football game friday night! it was so much fun. ash had some girls stay over and joey went to his friends on saturday night. i did a lot of little shopping this weekend. hobby lobby and kirklands and places like that!

(me circa 1998..cory everson gym)

i am also still learning a lot about working out and keeping up with it. yes, life is getting in the way, esp with school. but that is okay...i am still doing it and loving it. i am already getting the bug to want to teach again! it is so strange...but maybe i will set up some "fit clubs" here in lexington sometime soon. we can just do some beachbody videos and work out together. let me know if you think you would be interested in doing that and any locations that would work for it. it would be free to who ever comes!

bench

2010-09-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

this is the type of bench that i want to get for the front porch. i need to keep looking around town for something like this. i want one with the back and the arm rails, so i can get some pillows for it. i really want pillows that have geometric shapes to them or something with birds. i am going to get one from walmart tomorrow when i go!

Attitude

2010-08-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative." - W. Clement Stone

12 years later

2010-08-29T22:18:00.003-04:00

well we finally did some work around the house. my poor little white house is green everywhere! door, shutters, mailbox, carpet, kitchen counter top! i even wanted a green shingle roof but wasn't in the list..lol well a change we sure did! i have been watching HGTV CATB and John Gidding has me ready to change everything. It is a lot harder with no money, so we just took it easy. first it was the shrubs that needed trimmed and then realized i needed a new mailbox so we painted the post and changed the mailbox. so if figured i would do the shutters and the door. john has painted a few doors blue so i wanted to go for it, and go for it i did! black shutters and a blue door now. i really like it, but it is hard to get used to. i got a new mat with blue birds on it, it is so cute.

i am waiting to get a black bench for the porch and a rocking chair on the other side when the 3 shrubs are. a few hanging baskets and all should be done. joe did most of the work, and i took the photos...lol

Is October here yet?

2010-08-25T08:00:00.009-04:00

yep october 1st is the big day...39 this year, next year for the big 40 i'd like to hit vegas! this year i am making a list of my wants. i did this a few years back and had a list on the fridge of all my wants and i ended up getting all of them! it made me so happy!

this baby here is the iHome iP39 Kitchen Alarm Clock from bed bath and beyond...i love it so! i want it for the bedroom though..not sure it would look okay in there or not, but i absolutely love the stainless steel part of it. i am thinking i could get it, and if it doesn't look right then i could use it in the kitchen.

there is another one that i wouldn't mind either, but it is not up on the website.

and i would also like a jewelry tree thing for my necklaces...i have been wearing them a lot more with my new job and wearing regular clothes and not scrubs now. not sure i want "this" one, but i know they had one that i really liked!

Do not wait...

2010-08-23T08:00:00.002-04:00

"Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right.' Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." - Napoleon Hill

School, Work and Working Out

2010-08-21T15:05:00.005-04:00

the kids started school this week, and so far they love it! joey is in 4th grade and he changes classes in the middle of the day. at first he didn't like it, but by day 2 he loved it! he is with a lot of his friends from the years. i really love this school and area we picked to live in! ashley is in 3rd grade now and she is having a ball. she really comes home with a lot of energy...not sure why and she is all over the place. she has to meet all new friends though...she hasn't been as lucky as joey with the same kids each year. but she doesn't mind it at all.

most of my friends are teachers or work for the school, so they are back in the swing of things too. i really am starting wonder if the highs of getting so much time off and then the lows of going back is hard on some of them. my niece is also starting her first year of teaching 1st grade in greenville! so amazing. and i love that my 2nd grade teacher is my "friend" on facebook! so awesome!

i am still absolutely loving my new job. i have been to AZ twice now, and i think i want to move there when the kids are older. i just loved it there and the mountains and everything! I have learned a lot and we are preparing for a big upgrade to our computer system which means lots of planning and maintenance and then testing!

the main new thing in my life (i think it is because of the job change) is my new exercising routine. i am so surprised that i have stuck with it. yes i did slim in 6 for a few weeks, yes i did turbo jam for a day or two, and yes i did about 2 weeks of jillian michaels 30 day shred, and yes i did 1.5 weeks of P90x...so what made me think that i should buy insanity and try that one? ummm maybe because i am insane and think that something will stick? well it got me doing some research after i said ENOUGH IS ENOUGH...i am getting too big! a size 14 and i am only feet tall? really....really!! so i hit youtube and looked around and i found ChaLEAN extreme. a more girly version of P90X, if you ask me. then i remembered my friend wendy when she lost a bunch of weight in the spring, so i asked her "what did you do again?" she told me it was CLX and it was like a light bulb went off in my head and i said i must try it! i asked to borrow it to see if i could do it and she let me and i was hooked! i haven't looked back since! i am doing it for 39 days now and not missed a beat! my sister robin is already on her 2nd round of P90X and i was hoping to try to stay up with her and keep it up! so far so good....and 10 pound thinner too...size 10s are almost fitting!

fun list

2010-05-09T20:13:00.006-04:00

Yellow stuff...i am in love with it all now...this is from elise blaha's blog

very very cool map...i always loved this concept
this flooring!! i just love it and the decorating too! jennifer's blog
ikea...ikea....ikea...wow why have i never paid attention to this store?

vacation in a water bungalow like this...congrats!

rope rings very expensive but cool!

field trip virgin

2010-04-24T22:10:00.004-04:00

i finally went on the first field trip. i have done field days and things like that, but never any trips. honestly, my parents never went and so i think i built up this thing that i didn't want them there since i knew they wouldn't go. so then i figured my kids wouldn't want me to go...make sense? yes, i like to analyze myself..lol

anyway joe usually does the things with the kids. he went last year and ashley told me i was going with her this year. i just prayed i got on the bus, which i also know most pray for not being on the bus. but i hate driving and plus after getting home at 2am that would not of been a good idea.

the trip was tons of fun and it was great seeing all the kids and other mom's from the other classes, made me feel like i was in my dream job of being a stay at home mom :)

ashley enjoyed it a lot and the trip was short and sweet and we ate and headed back home. lucky for me that i have switched to country music so i was able to listen to the bus driver music and not waste my iphone battery! i made it home with 20% left. yes i panic when i am getting low on the battery.

Bon Jovi

2010-04-23T21:49:00.001-04:00

wow is all i can say about the concert! i wanted to go so bad, and joe doesn't really enjoy the bands that i do, so i got two tickets and gave it to tammy for her birthday in november last year! it was such a long wait to April 22, but we made it!

the drive was good up there, i listened to crossroads for the last few days to get ready. Saturday Night is now my new favorite song :) we got to the exits and missed a turn so we just winged it with my handy dandy iphone map and somehow found the stadium. we actually just picked the first garage we saw since it was already 6:30 and we wanted to be there at 6.

we parked and then we could not find our way out of the garage. i wore my new high heel sandals and i never wear high heels so my feet where hurting in 2 minutes! we walked around the lot then found an elevator and had no clue what to do. we got out on another floor and walked around a bit, then got back in and got out in the building. we walked around that building and found our way out. we ended up on college street with tons of kids and an outside concert.

charlotte is a really cool city. we had to walk about 3-4 blocks and found the arena. our seats where in 209 high up, so we had to take the dreaded escalator up and it scared me! i hated it and informed her i would not be taking it back down, just no way!!

we got our food and seats, they where not that bad and it was a small row with just two seats. so nice not getting up for everyone, every five seconds. the opening band was okay.

the band started around 8:30 and finished around 11 or so. it was amazing. i didn't know about 2 or 3 songs. but was sad that they did not play hallelujah for tammy. i've been checking out all the set lists on the website for a while and he usually plays it in the middle of the concert.

so they went off the stage and we clapped and cheered and they came back and did 4 more songs. it was the best ending, better than i even dreamed it would be! hallelujah then runaway, wanted and living on a prayer!

it is official now, i will go to every bon jovi concert within 2 hours for now on! gosh i'd even go to atlanta and then charlotte if i can!

i got a new job!

2010-04-19T22:26:00.000-04:00

i applied for a new job at work and i was told i got it today! i will step down from the chemistry supervisor and move into an MT4 job as an LIS person. not sure the exact title but i will help set up and maintain the computers. i think i will work mostly with microbiology and blood band, my two loves in school way back when.

it is going to be such a change, i have worked chemistry my whole working life! i am going to miss it so much!!

These are my Confessions...

2010-04-06T19:33:00.005-04:00

....or maybe just ramblings!

I love music and songs and have to sing a song out loud if I know it. I somehow I know most songs.
I go way, way, way over board on holidays for my kids.
I wish so bad I could dance, even just a little bit.
I hate, absolutely hate, getting a photo taken of myself.
I wish I would of went to college for computers.
I wanted a child in the year 2000, yep Joey was born 1/14/01.
I wished I was a scrapbooking idol back in the day.
I love reality shows, not all of them and not every season.
I usually can only watch a show one or two seasons, then I get very bored with it.
I wonder where my funeral will be? Here in SC or in PA, or will they throw two funerals for me?
I wish I had more best friends, or could see the ones I have more often.
High School, NOT COLLEGE, is where I made my best friends.
I admire anyone that was/is in the military.
I wish I would of went away to summer camp, just once.
I wonder why I "have" to update my facebook status so much?
I miss my brothers the most!
I love living in the south, but wish I was at the beach...really thinking of moving there.
I want too much...all the time.
I wish I could stop swearing.
I wish I was as fun as I am on the internet...in person.

If you are reading this post yours either in the comments or on your blog and link me to them!

Seriously...just one photo!!

2010-04-05T22:47:00.002-04:00

i thought it was funny that we are all sitting on the couch with our gadgets watching the ncaa final basketball game between duke and butler.

so I got the camera out and set it up on the chair and put it on auto. well the flashing and beeping caused the kids to get all crazy and run to the camera after each shot! it was so crazy!!

glad i got a few shots. so that is over. and yes, i absolutely love my laptop. but still need the phone close by just incase I get any texts..lol

happy easter

2010-04-04T22:54:00.000-04:00

well the easter bunny went way over board this year, just like usual. the kids got a lot of little things in their baskets. and they got some new video games they have been wanting. they also got moon sand which ends up being their favorite!! too funny.

Ashley on bars

2010-03-26T23:00:00.002-04:00

ashley is now done with her gymanstics at level 3. she did great all year and she had to practice a lot to get there. the state meet was the finishing meet and she did great on bars. she practiced that the most the last two weeks. not sure if we are going to keep going with the sport or not. it really is too much money for me to handle, so not sure what we are going to do.

wish me luck!

2010-03-21T20:37:00.003-04:00

i tried to do a party back in november and hope i get selected this time! it would be a great way to show others how easy shutterfly is and the great products they have. i have 3 books already and i am going to get my school pages done with them too. i have also made gifts too. ashley's teachers got one one year and i got one for all my brothers and sisters last christmas.

i just love their books!! pick me, pick me! here is one book i did, and my name on shutterfly is MissyS34

Click here to view this photo book.

thank you Cathy Zielske

2010-03-21T11:09:00.001-04:00

if it wasnt' for her, i would not be getting my kids school photos and books done. it is still a lot of work for me, due to having soooo many photos, but i am not stressing and i am going to get them done! so excited! you can check out her blog here, or you can just go straight to designers digital and get the template here.

tiffany blue

2010-03-13T21:15:00.001-05:00

we finally painted ashley's room! she has been wanting us to do it, since we did joey's! she wanted a dark purple and then green and then blue. she really couldn't make up her mind. i showed her this color and she said yes.

we still have a lot to do!! but glad we got some of it done.

Facebook stole me away

2010-03-06T21:23:00.002-05:00

i have been mia for a long time. blogs are hard to keep up with, as i usually don't have a lot to say at times. i love facebook since it is quick one liners and that is so easy for me.

but it is hard to find things and see what you where doing so i would like to get back to keeping this up, for no one else but me!

so, here is the kitchen this year! last year we got the floor done with our tax refund and i wanted that table from ikea. this year we got the table!

the kids are doing good in school, and got to go roller skating because they made the honor roll. ashley is going to gymnastics now and is on the pre-team level 3. she does very good. joey is getting into legos now. he is 9 and we didn't have a birthday party this year for him. i need to get a few kids together and go to frankie's fun park now that the weather is better.

fun times in charleston

2010-03-06T21:05:00.000-05:00

we have been very busy the past few months with ashley and gymnastics. me robin and the kids went to the last meet in charleston sc. we went outlet shopping first and then swam a the hotel. we had a great weekend.

first time ever at a hotel and the lights went out, so we could not use the elevator. it was a pain in the but. me and kids drove to folly beach and that was so much fun! ashley got her new pink hat at the beach. joey got a shark book.

ashley did great at the meet. we are so proud of her!!

It is offical I have: escalatophobia

2010-03-04T21:59:00.000-05:00

i am now officially afraid of going down escalators! i am not even going to try anymore...i get too scared. this one is in the convention center in columbia sc, we have our leadership meetings here and i had to jump off because i was so scared to go down.

it all started when i was pregnant with ashley and we where in a two story old navy. i couldn't see over my stomach and could not get on and got scared. i have been on them a few times and trying to teach the kids to go on them too, but not anymore! i am done!

tax refund day :)

2010-02-20T21:28:00.001-05:00

tax refund day is always a fun day for us. not next year though, since i changed how my check is... but for now we went to the apple store and got this little baby (that i am using right now!) we love it. i really is what i needed, i always wanted one!

i have only had 3 computers my whole life, i know i act like i have had more. i got one when we first got married in 1995 or so, and then another in about 2002. that one i resisted getting an apple, but i had to get it fixed every summer!

i got my first iMac in 2007 and the rest is history! i really got the iPhone first, well really got an iPod nano first..lol

i chickened out

2010-02-12T21:40:00.002-05:00

wow we got snow in south carolina! ashley had a gymnastics meet that our gym was hosting and we had to go set up, so after work i went to the gym and then went to the school to set up. i left around 6:30 pm and there was about 2 inches already.

cars where slipping and sliding and going off the road, so i got scared and pulled into the gas station. joe had to come and rescue me! we let the car there and we ended up with 6-7 inches total.

the kids didn't enjoy it, ashley has no interest in the snow and me joe and joey played in it around 9:30 pm but that was it.

Ashley's meet was the next day and by the time it was over the snow had melted. It was hard to get out of the hood at 7:30 am but Joe did a great job.

CVS part two 1/31/10

2010-01-31T17:54:00.002-05:00

so i returned my wrong deodorant and got my $5.49 back!

Then i got 5 - 32oz powerade for ashley at gymnastics. they were $1 each, i had 4 -.50Q so the total was $3. Used my $3 ecb and paid 0.00

and my wonderful $10 ecb printed. so i went in with some deodorant and came out with 5 powerades, $5.49 in cash and $10 in ecb!

22.30-5.49=16.81 -10ecb

15 items for 6.81

CVS 1/31/10: 78% savings

2010-01-31T09:25:00.004-05:00

CVS this week!

well i made two errors today!

i changed out my purse for a work trip and forgot my $3.00 ecb
i got the wrong secret deodorant...so basically i started with no ecb today (but since i did #2, i will use them tomorrow to get my $10 back)

Transaction 1:
Dove's Men+Care : 5.49
-Q 1.25
total with tax: 4.62 oop
Back: 5.49 ecb

Transaction 2:

Dove's Men+Care:5.49

Colgate max fresh: 2.99

-Q: .75

-Q: 1.00

-ecb: 5.49

total w tax: 1.83 oop

Back: 5.49 + 2.00

Transaction 3:

2 pringles

3 12 pack of diet coke

6 pack bounty paper towel

4 duracell AA batteries (mouse died yesterday)

1 WRONG SECRET DEODORANT..

-Q: .50

-Q: .75

-CVS Q: 4.00

-ecb: 5.49

-ecb:2.00

Total OOP: 15.85

no extra care bucks back....boo!!!

What I have to do tomorrow is go back and get $3.00 worth of the P&G or Coke products, use my $3.00 in ECB i have in my purse and I will get back $10.00 ecb

So I will have spent total: 22.30 and I will get $10.00 ecb back; 11 items for just $12.30

The retail prices where: 5.87 + 9.18 + 40.80=55.85

78% savings: if I did the math right!

11 items for just $12.30

happy halloween

2009-10-31T10:49:00.003-04:00

the kids are going to trick or treat with their friends today. ashley with jennifer and joey with jayden. they really are growing up fast and they are such good kids.

they both got all As on their report cards. i know they don't get a lot of work right now, and ashley is right on the low end, but they try hard and that is what matters the most.

i am so in the mood to get christmas shopping done early this year. i just want to be done with it and not stress over it this year. we will see if that is what happens, i am sure it won't but you never know.

thanksgiving is going to be fun. my mom and dad are coming down and hosting it at their new home here in sc. heather and her family will be here too, and we are going to take the girls to the miley cyrus concert. it will be fun, i am sure! we are in the hunt for some new outfits for the girls.

messy desk

2009-10-08T21:23:00.003-04:00

this is my crazy office at work. chemistry is going to be taking over the hepatitis testing, and this is me trying to get all the paper work done and other duties done.

wow, what a mess!! well i got some of it done. i wish it was like the second photo more than the first most of the time!

i need photoshop really bad!

2009-09-19T20:20:00.005-04:00

i really want to finish some "projects" i have going on my computer, but i really need photoshop to complete them. i have a free program for the mac, but it is just not doing the trick and i really don't want to learn how to use it.

i am going to start looking and deciding if i want the real photoshop or just photoshop elements and then move on so that i can complete the projects that i need to complete!

Joey's new paint

2009-09-06T21:46:00.004-04:00

we are finally taking down joeys border and repainting his room. i love the new color we are doing in his room. he still needs a lot more things to make his room finished. but we will get it all done one of these days.

joey is so excited, ashley is not too happy that he his getting his done first though!

we are getting some work done

2009-02-22T11:51:00.002-05:00

i am so not a remodel person! we are getting our floor done and the house is a mess, and i want to buy all new stuff now. i really want this table from ikea. now that we have one in charlotte nc, i may just have to take a drive and check it out.

we are getting the floor tiled since we put some pergo down and 1. did it wrong, then 2. the dishwasher leaked and ruined it.

other than that things are crazy around here. i am getting overwhelmed with feeling that i have things to do and i am not doing them. i need to refocus and start doing more lists and getting things done!

i have so many ideas that i see others do and i want to do but just not sure how to go about it. i really need ideas for what to do above our tv. we have a 42 inch flat screen on a table, not on the wall and i need something on that wall. just not sure what would work.

i had to jump on the keep calm and carry on bandwagon, now i need a frame for it. i will put that in the playroom i think.

i also want to redo the foyer really bad. all the light fixtures are so outdated and i would like to work on them too. but time will tell as to what we get done. but we have to get all the baseboards and things to finish the kitchen. i also NEED to replace our carpet, so not sure what will get done first. guess 10+ years later and 2 kids things start to fall apart!

list making

2009-02-13T20:14:00.004-05:00

do you like making lists? if so this site is for you! it is awesome! i love making lists and you can print them!

printable checklist

facebook addict

2009-01-25T17:06:00.001-05:00

365 photo a day

2009-01-25T16:44:00.002-05:00

hmm... it is not going so good. it turns out that i did not get the kit that i ordered and was charged for. and the photos that i have/haven't been taking are less than special. i am going to stick with it and see what happens, but it is almost like i have forgotten how to print photos! i just never get them printed anymore.

i did just order a book from shutterfly. a year in review book. and i think i like it.

other than that i haven't been up to much.

joey is 8

2009-01-17T10:53:00.002-05:00

we are having a great january so far! joey had a great birthday and we just finished up a fun party with his friends. we are going to go shopping in a minute.

ashley is at the beach with her friend. gone.for.four.days. i am so sad. it is hard to be without her like this! i am hoping to kid swap this summer with my sister, so this can help us get ready for it.

getting rid of clutter

2009-01-10T22:51:00.004-05:00

gosh this year is already flying by and i am not doing all that i want to do. it is funny, i used to hate reading, but lately i have purchased quite a few books and have read them all too. i am almost done with "it's all too much" and it helps you with clutter ( and check out his new book, does this clutter make my butt look fat: need this for sure!) the best piece of advice is:

if it doesn't have a purpose, or if it is not beautiful, then get rid of it!

that is so true. i really stopped scrapbooking in 2007 and did nothing all of last year. i have made a few photo books from shutterfly. so that is what is going on. i need to get a handle on all the photos and items in the drawers. i figure if i get rid of the scrapping stuff, then i can stop feeling so guilty about it all.

i also have two of the school kits, that i started, but i really don't want. and i don't want to finish them, but not sure what to do about that. i just hope all this stuff finds a good home!

oh if anyone here is interested i am just selling a "grab box" all that can fit into the mail box for the cost of shipping plus $10 that is it!

complaint free: 21 days can you do it?

2009-01-04T11:57:00.003-05:00

my sister told me about about this and it really hit home to her and me. i feel, well I KNOW, i complain a lot. and it is always about things i can't control or fix. it is not healthy for anyone to complain, esp me and how much i do it.

i have a very good friend who's husband is going through chemo and has been very sick for the last few months. she never complained about it. she just says, he is fine, we are fine, it will all be okay. it is amazing to me that she talks like that, but it is how we SHOULD talk. you should do that each and every day to make sure that bad things do not happen.

now, i have been home for 5 days and i have loved it. the kids are at each others throats, but things are good. monday will be the big test at work. i will have to move my little bracelet about 800 times, i am sure.

i read this book from will bowen and then i downloaded this book from itunes: the no complaining rule from jon gordon. i think jon took most of his ideas from will's book, and made it into a cute work story about a company. they both talk about how if you stop complaining it will have a ripple effect (hence the photo of the book) and it will help your family, your friends and your work life. Yes, you may lose a few friends if your only thing that you all do together is complain, gossip and criticizing others then you won't have much to say and the friendship will fall apart.

i am sure i can go back to all my posts and see how much complaining i have done, but that would be criticizing myself, so i am not going to do that. anyway that is all for now!

new year resolutions

2009-01-01T09:33:00.002-05:00

do you have any? i do and this year is a bit different than others, not sure why but it is. i actually WANT to accomplish things this year. 2008 felt like a blur to me, i really did not feel that i accomplished a lot, not sure why that is. i think i lost the love for a lot of my hobbies due to work and life and yes, the internet! i did not do what i wanted, but i watched others do it on the internet. weird, yes i think so. my kids are getting more and more online, so that will keep me offline i guess.

here are just a few things i want to do this year

clean the house better: find a home for everything or toss it!
start exercising each week (not going to say how long or how many days)
organize my photos: online and on my computer
do project 365 (take a photo each day)
sell things that i don't use anymore

that is it, not a very long list but some of this are EVERYDAY things and that is what is hard for me! wish me luck!

happy new year!

2008-12-31T18:13:00.004-05:00

are you hungry? oh my...i made these cinnamon rolls for the second time and they are amazing and so good. you can find the recipe here on pioneer woman's blog! they really are messy, but so easy to do. it takes a long time, but so worth it. i got the cool tins from the dollar store, 3 of them with lids.

we are going to go over to robin's later tonight and see mark's fireworks. joey is staying over a friends house. it is amazing how easy life gets when one of the kids are away. we also cleaned out some cupboards and the tree is down. not all the ornaments away yet though.

well i hope you have a great new year and life treats you well.

merry christmas 2008

2008-12-25T14:57:00.001-05:00

this is awesome!

2008-12-23T20:31:00.002-05:00

this is my grandmother, she is 93 years old (i think) and my sister got her on video this year opening her present. she loves my sister's dog, so we took a photo of her and put it on a fleece blanket. it turned out so nice

almost done then the wrapping begins!

2008-12-21T12:54:00.002-05:00

i am almost done with the shopping, this year is going to be a different year. the kids are getting older and they are not getting everything on the "list" so not sure what that will mean or won't mean to them. i sort of want it to teach them a lesson and that is what i am hoping it will do.

i haven't been taking too many photos this year, and when i do they don't come out that good, so i really don't have a top 5 photos of the year or anything like that. i also stopped scrapbooking completely, so things are a bit different this year in that respect for me too. it is fun looking back at other books and reading what i wrote (misspelled) and laughing at it all.

i have been looking more at digital scrapbooking and books that you can make at shutterfly. i am liking that route more and more, but i don't have photoshop or anything. i made the photo to the side using a free template i found here and then used a free program called gimp for the mac. this is the wallpaper for my iphone right now. i need to find others since it will need changed in just a few days!

i finished up the cookie exchange this year and that was fun, and i got the cd's made for the kids teachers and that was good to get done. the photos did not print right, not sure if that is due to the free program or my printer. i did notice a lot of ink splattering in the printer and i don't think that is a good sign.

there is a new kit coming out that is for scrapbooking that is called project 365 and it i think it involves taking a photo every day of the year and then just adding them too a premade book. i may just give that a shot. i know i won't get a photo each day but it could be a different way to document the year and then i won't feel the crazy guilt i feel right now, knowing i did nothing all year!

well i will hopefully post some photos or video of the holiday season for you to enjoy!

2008-12-04T17:47:00.004-05:00

okay, okay where have i been? i really don't know and have no excuses as to why i haven't updated this ole blog. i am trying to get ready for the holidays, but it is going very slow! i hope to go shopping this weekend. ashley is doing our christmas cards right now (and this photo will look very familiar!)

we have been up north a few times already this fall. once to wv and then to pa for thanksgiving. the kids had a great time together. i did not take tons of photos this year, but that is fine. the kids have learned a lot about the computer this year, so i don't get much time on it anymore.

dexter has been in full swing and it is getting good. 2 more episodes left! i try to stay up to watch it but it was too hard this sunday after the trip home, so i watched it two nights ago! it was good.

well one more thing to get you in the holiday mood! and yes it is john taylor who i watched the entire time!

long weekend at the track

2008-10-19T16:49:00.004-04:00

well we spent the entire weekend at the local bmx track watching the racing. joey was so excited to watch and then he asked if he could race today, so we signed him up. it rained on friday, so even though we went to the track, we had to come back home. then went early saturday to watch his friends race. then they set up a haunted trail on saturday night and that was fun too. sunday morning came and joey had to race with 6 boys and he got 3rd again. 2 local boys beat him each time and he had to fight for 3rd place and he tried really hard. since this was a national race held by the nbl league, the trophy was a lot bigger than the local races. he also got a new number plate for his bike. i am glad he found something he likes doing, and ashley doesn't mind hanging out at the track either, so that is good. i just worry that it is too dangerous!

well that is all for now! we are going to visit family this weekend coming up and that should be a lot of fun!

Congrats to Ashley's teacher last year!

2008-10-12T18:43:00.001-04:00

I found this cute way to do a greeting card, but the school would not accept the email so i wanted to post it here for them to see it.

Make a Smilebox greeting

joey at the bmx track

2008-09-30T16:02:00.005-04:00

joey had a crash saturday night on the track. he was so sad after that, he missed that race and then he had to miss the second moto (that is bmx lango) but he recovered and raced the last race. i could not believe that he got back out there! he was very scared but he did it. it is very scary for me to be there too. i think i need to have a drink or two or three before i go, it is so nerve racking to me. i don't know how others do it. he said he might race again this saturday, so we will just have to wait and see.

i took some video at the track last night, this is not the race. if he races this weekend i will get that on film maybe. it is dark by then and i am not sure if the camera will work.

training camp

2008-09-14T18:45:00.002-04:00

i remember growing up and coach chuck noll was all i ever heard about. it is still very hard for me to realize that coaches come and go with sports. i guess we were just very lucky to have a good one and keep him for so long. well in my long 36 yrs of life, the steeler's are on their 3rd coach. my nephew zak got to meet him this summer!

i think tomlin looks like a wax figure! he is so tall too! joey is still into new england. he sort of likes any team but the steelers! so i hate that tom got hurt, but i do wonder if it opens it up for the steelers this year even more.

speaking of joey he did his first bmx race last night and he got 2nd place! well there were only 3 boys in his moto racing, but still, he beat the other kid so that is good. we are going to look for a bmx bike for him and try to trade in what he has. kids are just way too expensive anymore.

the bmx

2008-09-03T22:26:00.003-04:00

the kids are having a great time at the new bmx track here in lexington, sc. it is a really nice track and the kids seem to like it. joey is still and doesn't want to race yet. ashley is so darn girly out there it isn't even funny. there were some pro kids there today too and they were awesome!

school is back in session

2008-08-26T21:05:00.006-04:00

the kids are back in school. i took a few days off of work last week to make sure i had everything ready and it was a nice break. the house looked amazing for about 24 hours total, and now you would not know that i cleaned it. oh well, that is life!

they like school so far, not too excited about going, but i already see the difference in them at night. they want to read and they know that it will be good for them the next day. joey is doing great and ashley is way ahead of joey at this time last year. i just hope she keeps it up! i had an awful time trying to get photos of them, but that is fine with me. i really want to go around town next weekend and do a photo shoot with the kids, but i think they will be bored.

oh, in two weeks i am going to the free to succeed tour! it is going to be awesome! i am not a professional photographer at all, and i do not think it will ever be in my future, but i want to be the best i can be at whatever i do in life. DJ's message is one that hits home with me, so i think it will be well worth the trip. i really can't wait to go! i have been in a leadership class all year at work and i really love it. i love when someone finds their passion and makes a job from it and when that happens they do well. i hope and hope that i can teach the kids this. to me both dj and the leadership president at work do that and i admire that so much!

getting rid of clutter

2008-08-16T13:19:00.003-04:00

i am ready to get rid of things around the house. the kids are getting bigger and we still have the little stuff and now we are getting big stuff. i have done a little already today, but then i get lost in which room to tackle. i love trying to find the best solution for something, which in turn causes me to not get things done. we went on vacation and i was off of work for 2 weeks straight. i have a great team and they handled most of the work for me, but there are still a lot of office stuff that i have to do myself and a lot of meetings that i have to go to. next week is also the first day of school so that means tons of new papers coming home! i am taking thursday and friday off to go through the house and get things done.

i am really thinking of having another garage sale, but not sure if i want to go through with it. no one really wants to pay for anything, so it gets to that point, should i just give it away. here are a few things that i am trying to manage and get a hold of:

toys and more toys
magazines
papers
vhs tapes (the vcr is in the garage not hooked up)
photos, photos and more photos
old computer and printer that are broken
scrapbooking stuff, i just don't want it anymore

last week my new imac which is almost a year old, died! it was hard and i was shocked it broke. then you stop and thing oh my, my photos are on there. this thing i made is on there. it did scare me, but then it made me happy almost. well the photos are lost and guess what i will be okay. it will be less for me to have to worry about cause they are gone. needless to say, they gave me a new computer and they were able to a mac to mac transfer and i got all my data! good, i guess.

there are so many good shows about clutter control and simplifying life, so the info is out there, i just got to do it. i think it is also a hard balance between home and work. with the computer broken and going to the beach, i was able to relax so much more. that was great!

how to reduce clutter:

buy less
purge each day
have a home for things
get rid of old hobby stuff

any other suggestions you have, bring it on!

i can't stop myself!

2008-08-15T19:31:00.000-04:00

the beach

2008-08-15T19:07:00.001-04:00

the beach

2008-08-13T18:44:00.003-04:00

a lot going on in 2 weeks

2008-08-10T21:43:00.006-04:00

i have been mia for a long time and here is a list of what i have been up to:

went to washington dc for work
came home
visit with my mom and dad looking to move here!
ashley's birthday party at aunt robin's
broke computer (lighting? not sure)
drop broken imac off at new apple store at charleston
touched the new 3G iphone (guess what? yep I want)
trip to myrtle beach with both sisters
joey got stung by jellyfish within 2 minutes at beach
came home for leadership meeting left kids at beach
got the teacher assignments for the kids
went back to myrtle beach
kids are having a great time
wonder where joey gets the i want from? look above!
joey's sting is flaring up..doesn't look too good
stop at charleston to pick up computer! got brand spanking new one! lucky me
back home and ready for the real world (not really but no choice)!

ashley is six

2008-08-02T09:19:00.003-04:00

ashley is now six! we had a little cake and song for her on her actual day. the ballon fairy came and we are having her party at aunt robin's pool today and that will be fun. not a lot of kids but that is how ashley wants it. she is getting so big and so funny to be around and watch. she is very sweet and mean at the same time! she has her moments that is for sure. grandma got her a new bed, so i am hoping that her bad sleeping habits will go away now. can't believe that she is SIX!!!

nachos + trampoline =

2008-07-22T22:06:00.003-04:00

nope not what you think..lol

joey lost his first tooth!! finally! i know that is crazy, he is going to 2nd grade and this is his first one, but he is so excited.

i missed the event, sad to say, but he almost lost it at TGIFridays, and then it did come out when he was on the trampoline.

wonder what he will get tonight?

whatever!

2008-07-14T21:32:00.002-04:00

my sister reminded me that on march 2 i said i would wait to get a tv, then by march 31 i have a photo of the big tv.

yes, no self control and no money in my bank to prove it! i don't think i will ever learn! anyway i have noticed that most blogs (including mine) have a lot to do with spending money and buying new things! that drives me insane.

no, i did not get the new iphone. i am happy with what i have. i did get the flip video a few months ago and finally realized i can use it in imovie 06 and not 08, so i am able to make movies with it, and that makes me happy! they are so much fun and ashley is a total ham on camera.

the drive in

2008-07-12T14:21:00.002-04:00

we took the kids to the drive in last weekend. they had fun and fell asleep right when the 2nd movie started. we got home so late, but the kids had fun. wall-e was a bit strange to me, but it did show us that we waste too much and that we spend too much time on the computer and that part hit home to me and made me realize what i am doing to myself!

the drive in was a great place they had a little playground and a ride and it was very neat to go. i remember going as a kid too, and i think we saw grease at the drive in and that was when the "brat" car was out and my cousin said " hey there is a brat!" i was like oh on, we are not a loud to call people names, he is going to get in trouble..lol

happy fourth

2008-07-05T15:29:00.005-04:00

we had a great fourth of july over at my sister's house. my nephew mark put on another great show for us to enjoy. i was able to capture some video with the flip and some still shots to create a little movie of the night. i love making these little movies, they are so much fun.

hero

2008-06-12T05:00:00.006-04:00

this little tree's name is hero. we got it for the kindergarten teachers this year. it will sit in the in kindergarten playground and it is right outside their classroom window to see it grow each year. we were the first class in that room and that school, and the playground was not finished until after christmas break, it doesn't have any shade, so this will be a great thing for the kids when it gets bigger.

for the end of the year gift, one parent came up with this idea, and i think it is awesome! it is a great idea and it will remind the teachers each day of the great job they did with our kids. the great thing is that they do what they did for our kids, with all the kids they teach. they really are special teachers and i hope that this tree will show them how much they mean to everyone.

the principle put a photo up on the school website, you can see it here!

summer already

2008-06-08T09:20:00.002-04:00

wow time is flying by so fast. this is a photo of joey's teacher. she did a great job this year and i am proud to say that due to her, joey is reading very well now! joey began first grade at the rigby reading level of 0 (yes that is a zero) and so she had her work cut out for her. it took a while and he was working hard, but would cry at home and say how hard it is. he was good at math, so i had to tell him that others think math is hard and that reading is easy. well weeks and weeks went on, and he was getting better and better. the extra books stopped coming home, so i thought he was getting better. again, proud to say, joey rec'd the MOST IMPROVED AWARD in his class! he is now at level 21, and this is all thanks to mrs. snow. she is an awesome teacher and she cares about the kids so much. lets not even mention that she had 12 boys and 6 girls in her class! and believe me, those boys all together had to be a struggle!

i really am so glad that we got our new school and that they got the best teachers from around lexington to teach there! the principle did an outstanding job and made the school such a homey place. i did not visit that much due to working, but each time i did, i felt welcomed.

we had fun on the last day of school for joey. we got the awesome scrapbooks that mrs. snow made of all the projects they did along with photos. and then we watched the dvd that i made for the class, then the kids all got awards for different things and the kids where so excited when they got one. that is when mrs snow got sad, but the kids all said "aww, it's alright, don't cry" even joey told me that he almost cried when she was crying. it was so sweet!

i can only hope and pray that next year is as great as this year, and with the two we had this year it is going to be a hard act to follow!

ashley's teachers are amazing!

2008-06-04T16:28:00.006-04:00

gosh we are so lucky that we got the best teachers for ashley. i am amazed when someone finds their passion and gets a job doing it. ashley's teachers are amazing and we had a great party to end the year with.

ashley got a huge scrapbook of all her things she did this year, with tons of photos! they made a nice photo plant, they sang what a wonderful world, they did a poem and we got to watch the dvd i made for the class.

the teachers could not stop crying and it was so sweet to know that they care that much. then the dvd played and the kids all cried and kept getting tissues. it was so cute and it was such a nice day. the class also got the teachers a tree for the playground since it is a new school and there are no trees out there right now. i think that is a great idea and it will remind them each year of the first class at the new school.

carnival

2008-06-01T11:21:00.004-04:00

we went to the school carnival on saturday and they had tons of rides and games and fun things for the kids to do. they also made the awesome tie dyed shirts on friday at field day. what a great few days of school it has been.

monday joey is getting an award at school and then on wednesday and thursday they both have their end of year party. i am getting off to go to all the parties this year and i think it will be fun to go and see everything. i made dvds for each of the teachers this year and they turned out really nice. that is the good thing about the mac computer!

hope you all have a great summer. we are going to hang low at the pool and basically do nothing all summer!

new look

2008-05-31T09:45:00.002-04:00

i am getting bored with the blog. i love reading others, but i hate keeping mine up to date. so, maybe a new look will help. we are busy with the end of the year school stuff, so it is a fun time. i made dvds for the class and that was fun to do, and i hope that everyone likes them. we are going to a carnival today, then the end of year classroom parties on wed and thursday! fun fun times.

Do A 180: Received in an email

2008-05-18T10:12:00.001-04:00

If I told you that I had made an amazing discovery, you would listen.

If I told you that this discovery is the secret to:

Energy
Optimism
Confidence
Greater passion
Sense of well-being
Enthusiasm
Creativity
Motivation
Mental clarity and alertness
Zest for life!

you would be interested.

You would take this "new vitamin" if it were that easy.

You would read that book or watch that movie.

But....not so fast. It requires effort on your part.

Sorry.

You must exercise vigorously for at least 45 minutes 4 days per week.

A grand total of 180 minutes per week.

If you cannot find 180 minutes each week to commit to investing in YOU, then I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU!

Isn't it time you did a 180 and turned your life around?

the flip video

2008-05-10T20:09:00.003-04:00

i got the flip at target about a month ago, but i was having issues uploading to my computer. i get the video but no sound. then my friend lauren started a blog and she has cute video of her daughter, so i figured i would try to get my camera going.

the flip is really cool it is just a 30 min video and it has a usb port to upload (now i am hearing apple is going to come out with a new iphone with video!) anyway, like i said, it was making me crazy because there was no sound. i figured why not upload to you tube and see what happens and it worked. i also downloaded miro and i can see them on that too. the quality is not very good but i will try to figure it out.

so here is a funny one of ashley and joey playing. so funny how bossy ashley is and i LOVE the face that joey gives when she tells him what to do, gosh she is bossy!

canopy and working out

2008-05-09T15:27:00.007-04:00

i just got an ad in the mail for canopy, it is a furniture store that is part of walmart and the items are nice. i really like the pieces. great prices. great for me b/c the kids usually destroy something we get within a few weeks!

now as for working out, anyone who knows me, knows that i am always complaining about something! so i figured i was going to try a boot camp type class. i found one in my town and i have been going for 3 weeks now. i haven't lost any weight and that makes me mad, but i do like going. the group is great and everyone helps each other out. daniel is a great trainer, so if you are into trying something new, try it out! but be warned you will need some aleve that first week! i kept it a secret until this week, i just did not want to tell anyone i was going, but now i am getting so busy and hard to get things done i gotta tell folks (beside i can only tell folks i am going to the store a few more times before they begin to think something is up)

we also went camping last weekend with the cubscouts. joey and ashley had a great time and the weather was very nice. here are the guys with the fishing pole they made!

this is awesome

2008-04-21T16:07:00.004-04:00

this is a slide and negative reader! it is $99 at bed bath and beyond and it is exactly what i need. my dad has taken so many slides of us as kids, and i organized them all a few years back, but i may get this and ask for them back! i took a few to walmart and they made photos of them and they came out good.

i just wonder how long it takes to download the photo and if it works on my mac. this is very very cool. looks like it doesn't work on the mac...boo hoo

say a little prayer for...

2008-04-19T16:00:00.003-04:00

my sister robin! she is on her way to hawaii on tuesday and found out that the flight she had is from the company that went bankrupt this month! she has no clue if she will get to wonderful hawaii or not!

i hope she makes it, it was so beautiful and such a peaceful place to see...so if you can drop a prayer in for her to get on a new flight once in az. i know that worse things are going on in the world right now, but we all need to get away every once in a while!

parade magazine: last lecture

2008-04-06T12:52:00.003-04:00

joe loves the parade magazine and this story about randy pausch stopped me mainly due to him teaching at CMU where my brother in law went to school and since it is in pittsburgh: i watched his whole last lecture on youtube and it was great. here is a promo for a show on abc

pinewood derby

2008-04-06T09:19:00.003-04:00

wow this thing has been going on for years and years. i remember my dad making them for my brothers. my dad is so good at that stuff and the boys always looked so cool. we had issues with ours and the wheels kept falling off! not sure how all those boys do it each year. they had a good turn out for the event, they said it was the most ever in the pack. i did not realize it would take so long. we got there at 8:30 and did not leave until 1:30. We left in the middle to grab some lunch. Ashley was not a happy camper, i tried to explain to her that joey sits through her dance recitals!

anyway they have been playing together so much due to the rain outside. it has been raining for quite a few days in a row. i have a lot of things that need to be thrown out, so hopefully we can get that done today!

movie night

2008-03-31T21:13:00.003-04:00

(click on image to enlarge)

okay, okay, i really wanted to have a fun night with the kids and start our movie night tradition that i saw on heather's blog, but then joe reminded me that the kids wanted to see the kca's. so i gave in and we had nacho's and popcorn and i got the funny glasses from the dollar store. i really thought i had the photos in focus, but as you can see, nope..not in focus at all. if you click on it you can see it bigger than it is. the kids did have a fun night and next week we are going to do it right!

ps i won't mention that i downloaded a movie at that same time and watched it on my computer while the kids were watching the kca's. gosh i am just such a bad mom! i really wanted to watch a movie!

another photo book

2008-03-28T11:44:00.006-04:00

i finally finished my 2007 photo book that i started a few months back. i needed to upload more photos and that takes a while, so it was hard for me to finish. shutterfly has some great new books out that scrapbookers have made and they are really cool and easy to do.

you can view this book in the gallery here. it was fun to make, but i realize it is not a true document of 2007, but it will do for now. i am thinking of doing 2008 and just starting it now so it will not be such a chore at the end of the year.

please check it out and leave me a comment! i did not realize that i could embed it too! so you don't have to go to the website. very cool.

Click here to view this photo book.