The Search for Zurg...Buzz's Long Lost Father

Do you have any idea what the heck I am talking about? Zurg? He is the bad guy in Toy Story. Zurg is part of the Buzz Lightyear cartoon. He is the "Darth Vader" of the show. At one point he tells Buzz that he is his long lost father. Jude is sorta obsessed with Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear and every toy that is in either Toy Story 1 or 2. Seriously Pixar was brilliant when they made that movie by putting so many different toys in it. I worked at Toys R Us when Toy Story 1 came out. Things that had been sitting on the shelf with an inch of dust on them suddenly were flying off the shelves (army men, barrel of monkeys, little tykes piggy banks, mr. potato head, etch a sketch, slinky dog, etc...). Jude loves stuff. And he really loves Toy Story stuff. He has Buzz Lightyear pjs, night light, room decorations, slippers, at least 5 different sizes of Buzz dolls, Woody in several different sizes as well.... He was Woody for Halloween last year and Buzz for Halloween this year. I've mentioned before I never wanted my children to like characters but long before Jude could even talk he had characters he was drawn to (Elmo was his first). He is character driven. Luckily Elise could care less, although she is a little momma with her baby doll.

You want to know what this has to do with Zurg, right? Well, Jude's birthday is in a few days (November 6th). He has been picking out stuff and telling me he wanted it for his birthday for about 2 months now. In September he went to 2 different birthday parties and he asked when his birthday was....then it began. Well, last week we (the whole family) were at Target and we decided to take a spin through the toy isle. That is when we saw him.... Hanging on a peg about halfway down the action figure isle was something new I had never been privy. It was Zurg. Jude's eyes lit up and immediately he said, "Mom I want Zurg for my Birthday." I looked at Jake and we mumbled something like...he wants everything...doesn't need more toys....toys story obsessed.... Then to get Jude to be quiet I said, "okay, you can have Zurg for your birthday but you have to wait." He put up a little battle but decided he would have to be patient. So we left Target without major incident. So, the week goes on and Jude brings up Zurg. It really isn't like him because usually he wants something because he is right there and looking at it. When we go away he forgets. Not with Zurg. He has been bringing it up constantly. Monday he begged me to go back to the store and buy it because he thought someone else might buy it. I laughed. But you know...I worked at Toys R Us for 6 different Christmas seasons. Long enough to learn this lesson - When you see a toy you or your kid wants on the shelf buy it then. Don't wait. You never know when a new commercial is going to hit or when the Today show is going to do a segment on the latest toy rage that will inevitably cause a mad rush to the toy store and a demand that will never be satisfied before the impending holiday arrives. I've seen it happen time and time again. I used to have desperate fathers come into the store and offer me money to hook them up with whatever toy it was they needed. I never understood. This one man offered me a $50 to get him this pirate ship thing. If I had taken it I would have been fired and you never know if it was a set up so I of course declined. But now that I have children I understand how you don't want to let them down. So, last night Alicia came over to sit with the kids and Jake & I went Birthday gift shopping. We immediately headed over to Toys R Us. After all, they have a Toy Story section. We stop by the games and pick up a great game for him then off to the Disney isle. It was a little sensory overload because of all the different Buzz stuff. Woody has really been pushed out of the picture. And there wasn't even one Jesse. But Buzz in all colors, sizes and materials. Buzz on a motorcycle (which Jude told me he had a dream he was going to get it), Buzz in his space ship, A Buzz train......oh the Buzz galore. But NO Zurg. I started to feel a little panicked. I told Jake we had to head over to Target. So we get to Target and I don't mess around - I need to find Zurg. He wasn't there either. Oh my goodness...the Zurg we saw was a fluke. I know (retail experience again) that when the companies send out products they pack them in variety boxes. For example in the Buzz Lightyear box they might pack 10 pegged toys. 6 Blue, 3 red and one Zurg. And every box might not even have a Zurg. They create a Zurg demand. That makes Zurg a collectible. I've seen it so many times. So, I tell Jake we have to go to another Target. We were on a mission. We went back to the original Target we saw Zurg with Jude. As I walked down the isle I noticed the pegs had been filled. I felt so disappointed because as I looked through the pegs the same way I had watched desperate parents do for years. When I got to the last peg the second to last toy hanging....there he was - ZURG!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah! I think I did a little dance in the isle. So Jude will have his Zurg. Really a cheap birthday gift at $7.19. And he is going to be so excited. He already asked me about Zurg this morning. Ha. I told him not to be upset because he might not get it. He said he would tell Stevie (Alicia's sister) to get it for him. Oh the joys of children.......


Here are some pictures from Jude & Indy's party with had with my parents, last week and from Halloween. Aren't my kids so cute???

Not So Wordless Wednesday.....Ranting, Again!

Sometimes when I sit down to type I am not sure where I am going to go with the post. Today is one of those days. Yesterday I was all fired up and ready to "speak my mind" about a few issues but when I got to work a half hour early I couldn't get my computer to work. By time I figured out the problem it was too late to type...I had a busy day. So, maybe God intervened...who knows.

I've been having some issues lately. Actually, lots of issues. A couple of weeks ago I posted about Forgiveness. I was naively thinking as I typed...I am a forgiving person. I am not trying to be all self righteous or anything but it isn't an area I thought I struggled with very often. Silly me. Shortly after the troubles came out of the woodwork. Doesn't it always work that way. I decided I should go to God. Then I opened this devotional book and the first entry was (of course) about forgiveness. I wasn't in the mood to forgive anyone at that particular moment so I wasn't thrilled. But in the end it isn't about my mood is it? There is a bigger picture. That is reality. Basically the book said all humans are flawed. We know that, right? But I don't want to be flawed. I don't want my friends from church, my husband, my children, etc... to be flawed because it hurts. Our human nature tells us when we are wronged to get even or put that other person in their place. Trust me that is what I felt like doing yesterday. But as I read on it says this - "That doesn't mean it's always right to ignore such actions or the motives that drive them. But it does mean that it's right to refuse to broadcast it, nag about it, or use it to gain power over the offender." (POO!). That is what I want to do...at least my nature tells me to do. It is actually what I am good at... Now some things are best left unsaid...I know. I would never publicize family problems on my blog or anything. But there are other things in my life that have been a huge disappointment to me lately. I am not going to go into great detail but I want to say this about my blog....I love to write. I love my blog. Maybe it sounds selfish but my blog is just that MY blog. It is my thoughts and feelings and I don't want my writing to be censored. I've shared with you all several times that people have been upset about what I write or downright angry with my posts. I haven't always used the best judgement when writing about my past. Not that I regret the stories....I don't - in fact I arrogantly LOVE my old stories. But I did use a few names I shouldn't have. I've made my apologies and moved on. But last summer Jake came under fire for something he wrote on his blog. I was upset with him because I felt like he was causing trouble. I should have been more supportive. Since then our blogs (well mostly mine because Jake quit writing about stuff) has been a topic of controversy. Not directly to me but it is the source of gossip. Here is what happens....I write, someone else reads, they take what I read and analyse it, pick it apart and talk about it with others and so the cycle begins. By time it gets back to me I hear I've been bashing this person and that person. I am hurt by this. Does anyone ever say anything nice about me? It is crazy because by when it gets back to me it has gone through several people who haven't even actually taken the time to read my blog. My blog has joined the ranks of daytime drama. That stinks. I want to write about my feelings, my family, share photos and life. I don't want to censor my blog. You don't have to agree with everything I write. I don't even want you to agree with everything I say. But please don't take my words and use them as a weapon against me. I don't know what these people really feel in their hearts but I feel like they think if I don't hear them saying the words about me that they don't count. I want to forgive. But I can't ignore the actions. So, what do I do? I don't really know. I wish people talked about my post about forgiveness or National Sacher Torte Day. What about the positive stuff I've written???? I am so sad that my light hasn't shined through. That people don't have good things to say about me. You know about a month ago our Pastor said from the pulpit that blogs are all negative and a place for people to spread negativity. Was he talking about my blog? I don't know because I never asked him. But it hurt me that I would have to wonder if he has heard the gossip and if he thought I was just spreading negativity. It hurt me because many people turned and looked at me because they know I have a blog. I am not a bad person. I try to be thoughtful and to be Christlike. I know, I know, I'm far from it. But I don't stink. I want to forgive. I try to learn and improve all the time. I try to be thoughtful and helpful. I try to be a good friend. I am feeling deflated. My heart is broken. I feel like I have failed. I love my church. I love my husband. I love my friends. I am flawed. So if I don't handle things the way I should right away please forgive me. I am not going to censor my blog anymore. I am not going to "broadcast" but I am not going to censor my blog. This is the last apology I will be making. I have too many stories to share to keep coming back to this. This blog isn't about you...it is about me. If you think I cross the line you can hold me accountable by talking with me and telling me. Don't go tell my friends, my boss, my pastor, my husband. If you feel you can't do that then please don't read my blog. I love you all. I really do. Thanks for listening to my little rant and have a great day.

I'm Back!

I've heard a few times this past week-end that y'all have been checking my blog to see if I had written anything! Thanks for being so loyal. I did have an Internet connection after all but I decided to take a mini break from blogging. I've had so much on my mind but decided it wouldn't be a good idea to blog about any of it. Apparently people get really mad if you talk about them on your blog. ha ha. That was a joke. It just seems like the whole blog thing keeps coming up as such a controversy. I want to just laugh it off because it seems so petty but I can't quite get to that level.

Vacation was great. I have a lot of good stories - if I ever get to them. The weather was perfect...it only rained a little one day. The beach was beautiful. I have lots of pics to share (later). Paul & Linda came home on Friday and Jude went with them. I was a little sad that he didn't get to go to the beach one last time but he was so happy to get to go to West Virginia to see Lydia, Nolan and the gang. He is having a good time. He isn't coming home until Wednesday morning. We left Saturday morning. We weren't planning to leave until Saturday night but after we realized we were running out of money and since I am not sure about the status of my job (more on that after I work tomorrow) we decided to head back North. I read my book the whole way home (The Wild Girl). It was so good I couldn't put it down. We got home around 7 P.M. but I ended up staying up until 2 A.M. finishing it. As you know, I have severe insomnia when I am upset/stressed. Since I have been stressed about about work, church, money, etc... coming back to Ohio hit me pretty hard. And the cup of coffee I drank at 5 P.M. probably didn't help anything either. Regardless, I finished the book and can't wait to dive into the other book the guy wrote (One Thousand White Women). Who knows when I will have time to read it. It would be a good Christmas (or Thanksgiving or Election Day or Jude's Birthday or Halloween) gift, if anyone wants to buy it.

Well, I have to get back to getting some things done. Jake is going to be out of town all week, on a sales trip. Say a little prayer that he and Bill sell lots of stuff. My parents will be visiting on Wednesday so that is nice. I will try to make time to blog. Have a good one.

What I SHOULD be doing...

I am procrastinating. Here is a list of the things I need to do before 6 A.M. tomorrow...

• finish the laundry (Tuesday laundry day went out the door because I worked on Tuesday this week).
• call Alicia & talk to her about my work schedule & remind her to come over and get our key so she can come over and check on the cat while we are gone.
• Pack my clothes....check the weather for the outer banks first.
• Pack the kids clothes.
• Pack linens (sheets & towels)...they are not provided by the house.
• Locate & pack Jude's beach toys (I explained it is going to be too cold to swim but he still wants to build a sand castle.
• Find my shell collecting bag (i.e. net bag).
• Recharge camera & portable DVD player (a gift from my parents we haven't used yet!)
• Check batteries in the leap pad & pack extras.
• Clean the house. I want to come home to a neat & tidy house.
• Get any food ready. Oh and the snacks for the car. I may even pack a lunch for in the car tomorrow (PB&J???)

Actually now that I've written it all out it doesn't seem that bad. That is if I stay off the computer and just get it done! Have a good one.

National Sacher Torte Day (revisited)

Would someone PLEASE tell me why so many people are looking up National Sacher Torte Day? This happened before on my blog. I was getting like 8-10 hits a day because people were google-ing it! It is happening AGAIN. So, if you are here looking for info on Nation Sacher Torte Day please please please tell me why.

I suspect someone mentioned it on a TV show or something like that!

Here is my original post.....

What's Goin' On....

It has been such a stressful week. I don't even know where to begin. I guess we can start with the weather. It is snowing. ARGGGGGHHHHH. This morning when I left the house it was 36 out. I guess there is some pick snow storm brewing over the great lakes and they weather people are saying the Snowbelt could possibly get up to 24 INCHES! I am not ready for this. It was 82 on Saturday. We are going to North Carolina (the Outer Banks) next week on vacation. I am excited about it but also a little stressed about it as well. I know I am going to have fun.

So, this week I had a talk with my boss and it looks like I am not going to have a job next month. Well, not really but everything is changing. For starters I am not going to have a set schedule. I get to make my own hours. Sounds pretty good so far, right? Well, I will no longer be getting a base pay. Since starting here last June I've been selling but also doing marketing and secretary type stuff. The idea is for me just to sell. I will be getting a pretty hefty commission for all of my sales, which is nice....if I have people to sell to. My boss says he will be a little more dedicated to getting our name out there and bringing people to the table. If he gets them, I can sell the stuff. I am just so concerned/ worried that when it is all said and done I won't have any money. So far this month (if on the "new" plan) I would be coming out ahead. I will probably only work a few evenings a week, which means I will have to let Alicia go.... Man, I hate to do that because this is her job that she relies on. She did get another babysitting job on Mondays & Wednesdays but I don't know if it will be enough. And my kids love her. The whole thing just stinks. I am happy to be home with them all day but leaving when Jake gets home is going to be hard.

On a happier note...Pottery class is going well. I am making a lot of cool things. I am in the middle of several projects and the new session starts after I get back from vacation. I need to scrape together enough money so I can finish my Christmas gifts. If not you may be getting a "not fired yet" item from me. Ha ha ha.

Also, Last night I got a phone call from my sister, who was at an old friends house, to tell me the old friend is expecting a baby! I was in total shock because she just broke up with a guy (within the last 6 months) she had been with for 7 years. I guess the pregnancy wasn't planned but they are getting married next month. I can't believe she is going to be a mom. I'm not putting her name because she might not want her news on my blog but I told you because I thought it was exciting. Those of us who are mom's all remember what it is like to find out you are pregnant with your first child. It is like it consumes every thought you have. My friend always said she wanted kids but I never really believed she would (especially with that last guy...whew thank God that didn't happen). From what I hear she was on the pill when she got pregnant.

I don't know if I will have time to write anything tomorrow. If not you probably won't hear from me until we get back. I will be unplugged for the vacation. In the mean time....try to stay warm and be nice to each other.

The Gym, Apples & UFO's....

Where do I begin? It was a busy week-end. Saturday morning we decided to hit the gym again. I really hadn't planned on going until Monday but Jake wanted to go and who am I to come between a man and his workout. There was a nice mix of people there. We spent a lot of time just riding the bikes and walking the track. Do you ever compare your body to someone else's? Well, I try to find people who look like what I want to look like. Not all the time...I am not Hollywood obsessed and think I have to be anorexic or anything. I usually find healthy looking people. So, I see this girl while we were walking and I tell Jake I would like to be her size. I told him I wouldn't dress like her though, because she was wearing shorts that I swear look the same as my underwear. I guess people like to show off their body when they look good. I would rather just show off my clothes. Ha ha. Either way, I worked out and I am still so sore today that I don't think I can work out until tomorrow.
On Sunday we went to an Apple farm and picked apples. We went with Melanie, her girls, my sister and her family. It was a beautiful day outside (as is today). We picked bunch of apples and went on a hay ride. The kids had a great time. Afterwords we went to Melanie's new house and finally got to spent a little time with them. It was cool.
On the way back to Melanie's from the Apple farm we saw this thing flying around. We stopped and took a bunch of photo's of it. I have never seen anything quite like it. Let me know if you have. BTW...Melanie (and my sister) live like a block south of Lake Erie so it was flying over the lake.


Okay...

The GYM....

Jake's work bought us passes to the Natatorium. It is a great perk and so nice not have to pay the money to go BUT...I have a difficult time getting motivated. I used to work out a lot before I had children and a hubby. It is not that I don't care about my body because I do. It just seems like I have been so busy for the last 5 years. So, getting back into the swing of things has been a bit of a task. We took a guided tour (it is a new facility since I was here). It was a Thursday night and I swear every single person in there was buff and they all had tight arses. I felt extremely out of place. I think I started to break out in hives. The toothpick girl who was showing us around demonstrated all the equipment. I started to sweat just watching her and I think I was even a little sore the next day. I think I've been to the gym once since then...I can't even remember. I mostly just stared at other people. Oh, I did do the rowing machine for 20 minutes and I walked a few laps. It is pure torchure to me. This morning I planned to go to the gym. I wanted to get up early but I didn't wake up until 7:35, when Jude woke me up to tell me he wanted me to fix him "breakwast". I finally rolled out of bed around 7:55 and headed down stairs. After getting Jude a bowl of cereal and turning the TV to Dora I went down stairs to check my blogspot & myspace. Well, you all know how that turns out. I spent the next hour or so making a slide show on Myspace. Then Elise woke up. I run up and get her and decide I need to get these kids ready. I thought since I was going to the gym I shouldn't shower until afterwards, in case I break out in cold sweats again. While I am getting them dressed Jude tells me there is someone at the door. I didn't really believe him so I went down to check it out and sure enough there was someone at the door. Two someones. The Jehovah Witness ladies. It was too late. I had been spotted through the window. I politely opened the door. The nice young girl took one look at me in my robe with my hair not even combed and said, "Oh, I am sorry to disturb you". She looked startled. I explained that I am already a Christian but did accept there little booklets. I wondered how such beautiful, bright looking young girls could get caught up with that group. I should have done a little sharing with them. I think I will next time. Anyhoo....back to my gym story. After all was said in done, I finally signed the kids into the little play area (they watch your kids for you) at 11:10! Half the day was already gone. The gym was busy but it was mostly older men. I mean really old men. I walked for 10 minutes then I went back down to do the weight machines. I did all of them. I figured it might be a while before I get motivated to come back so I better do everything I can today. I am so out of shape. I could only do 10 lbs on the Military Press. And after a few of those leg machines my leg muscles were shaking. There is a whole row of machines that when you sit in them you face a mirrored wall. Goody. I was able to watch my arms flap in the wind while I worked on some arm extending machine thingy. Seriously the flab was waving. After doing all the machines I thought I should do a cool down lap or two. On my way around the track I spotted a step machine in a kinda secluded area (there is a big cardio room but everyone looks so serious with their Ipods and cool work out clothes) and I thought, Hmmmm I've always wanted to try one of those. So I did for 10 minutes. I thought I might die. So, I wrapped it up for the day. I went and got the kids. On the way out to the car I thought my arm was going to fall off from carrying Elise. What is tomorrow going to be like? I can't even stand to think about it. Jake will probably have to help me get out of bed.

So, there it is. Now I've told you I am working out at the gym and I have no more excuses. Please help keep me accountable and maybe I'll have some funny gym stories.

Can you FORGIVE????

Did you think I was going to make you look at pictures of ME all day long? Well, I was listening to the radio (as always) and they were talking about the most recent school shooting (yet another reason to home school...another topic for another day) and how the Amish were dealing with it. Here is a link to the story. I read the story, then watched the little video clip. It seriously makes me cry. I can't even imagine thought of something so horrible. Those poor little girls. And what about the man's own family. He has his own children and a wife. Their life will probably never be completely normal. If you have followed the story at all the media has really focused on the fact that the Amish have chosen to forgive the man (although he shot himself and is dead as well). The community has embraced the true meaning of forgiveness. They said the children are in a better place now and were thankful for the time they had with them. They also appreciated that the children were not assaulted like the man had originally planned (assumed because of the stuff he had with him). Isn't that incredible? The Bible does tell us to forgive others. In fact it talks about forgiveness A LOT. Do you think that is a coincidence? Well, of course not. Here are a few powerful verses which I am sure you have all heard before...

• 21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
  22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (Matt. 18:21-22)

• 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

• 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13)

Why is it so difficult to forgive? I don't have an answer for you. I do know this, you can't just say you forgive someone. You have to forget about your anger and hurt. I am sure the Amish and those families that were effected will never forget this horrible thing happened, but maybe they can forget the bad feelings they have towards the event! During an interview with Ann Curry (from NBC) one Amish woman said this...

"We can tell people about Christ and actually show you in our walk that we forgive, not just say it, but in our walk of life. You know you have to live it, you can't just say it. "

Whew...that sure is a tough one. So here is my challenge. Right now think of three people who have done something to wrong you. It could be something big (abuse or abandonment) or small (cut you off when you were driving or told you your hair looked ugly). Well, my challenge is to pray for these people. Say a prayer for them everyday. If you say a little prayer for the people who have hurt you, it will be easier to forgive them. That doesn't mean you let people treat you poorly or continuously hurt you. It means you don't hold onto the anger. When you hold onto that anger it effects you NOT THEM. Right? Here is the truth. You don't have to even want to forgive them. If you pray for them daily, you are going to start to have a different attitude.

I am not perfect in this area. I know you all knew that...I just wanted you to know that I knew it. And the Amish aren't perfect but in this instance we should all be a little more like the Amish. Other than that...have a great day.

Which one...

I am trying to pick a picture for my profile. Since I am the family photographer there are very few pictures of me. So, I took a few shots myself and I am trying to pick which one to use. What do you think. Let me know. You can vote for the last post pics as well. (#'s 8 & 9)
1234567

Pics of me....artsy (kinda)

Holiday Recipe Exchange

Overwhelmed with Joy is hosting a holiday recipe exchange today. What you do is post your favorite holiday recipe on your blog then go to the Overwhelmed with Joy blog and add your name to Mr. Linky. I've never done anything like this but I did check the Tour of Homes a while back and it was really cool. So...if you have a recipe, share away. In the mean time - try mine. These rolls are soooooo yummy and easy to make. Let me know if you try them.


Spoon Rolls
4 cups self-rising flour, sifted
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups luke warm water
2/3 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 egg beaten
1 Tablespoon dried yeast

Add yeast to lukewarm water and stir. Mix together beaten eggs, sugar and melted margarine. Add yeast mixture. Then add self-rising flour and cornmeal and mix by hand with wire shisk until well-blended. DO NOT BEAT WITH AN ELECTRIC MIXER. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Dough can be dept covered with foil in the refrigerator - it gets better with age!

What's for Dinner???

I forgot to post yesterday because I was so stinkin' busy. Wednesdays are a little crazy for me because I am taking a pottery class. I used to take pottery before I got married (remember all those ceramic hearts I made for the wedding) and had babies. We moved to Akron and I didn't have the time. Now I live like a half a block from where the class is so I signed back up. I am so excited about it. The plan is to make all my Christmas gifts again this year. This time they will be some sort of pottery. So, if there is anything you would like, please let me know now. Not only is it cool to be back in creating mode but I've been reunited with some of my old pottery buddies. When we'd meet for class we talk about life and what is going on. Amy & Sue remember when I met Jake (he also took one session of pottery with me before marriage) and the excitement of all that. So, it is cool to have a little history.

So, yesterday when I got home from pottery I packed up the kids and headed off to Crown Point. Alicia went with me because her family is interested in signing up. It was a nice drive. By time be got back I was starving and normally I would have gotten a quick fix but luckily I had planned ahead and whipped a veggie & chicken stir fry in no time at all. I had some instant rice (I do have a stockpile of rice) that cooked in 10 minutes. It was yummy. Jake went on a trip yesterday and didn't get home until almost 8 PM so I didn't have to feed him. Which is nice because the plan is to eat leftovers tonight. It will still be new to him.

Tonight I am having a Stampin Up party. If you weren't invited it was probably because your invite was lost in the mail. I mailed them last week at the post office by my work and people weren't getting them until Monday. I spoke to a couple of people who said they didn't get them at all! Pooey. Anyhoo.....I am having this party so Jake gets home last night and almost immediately starts getting the kids ready for bed and I hit the dishes. After the kids get settled in I shampooed the carpet. Aren't you tired just reading this? Either way, I think my house is pretty clean and I am not going to kill myself making it perfect. So, if you want to buy some rubber stamps come on over and you can see just how clean my house is......

Well, have a fabulous day. I am off..................................

Happy Belated Birthday to.....

My Blog. I can't believe I missed it. September 20th. That's all.

Today...

It isn't even noon yet and I can't believe all I've gotten done. Don't you love when that happens? Since I have a little more time now, I am trying to get everyone on a schedule. Well, my kids are already on one but I guess I mean I need to get on a schedule. I work most Monday's (my schedule is always changing) and I am off on Tuesdays. After the last two weeks of constantly doing laundry (it is never ending) I have decided to have a laundry day. Growing up my mom always had a laundry day and now it makes total sense. I told Jake if he can't go a week without washing jeans to go out and buy some more (cheap ones, of course). Tuesday is laundry day. So far it is going well. I've been keeping it going most of the morning. I am hoping to finish it soon and have it all put away, instead of having piles of clean folded laundry laying on the basement table all week. My personal favorite when I came down stairs last week (kinda what made me decided to have ONE laundry day) and found THREE baskets of unfolded, clean laundry sitting on the folding table! When we buy our dream house I am going to have 2 washers and 2 dryers.

Tonight's Dinner: Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Soup w. Wild (well my aren't so wild) Mushrooms, Cornbread & Fresh Peaches.

BTW...Last Nights dinner was really good. We tried some squash we hadn't had before. You should try it if you can find it. I did save the seeds, if anyone is interested in growing some.

This is Delicata Squash.

This one is called Sunshine Squash. It looks like a pumpkin but it isn't. It was sooooo good. It makes all other squash look bad. So if you can find it buy it and try it.

Let me know if you have had these before.

Saving Money...

So, Jake and I finally sat down yesterday and went over our budget. It made me want to throw up. It seems like we work so hard yet, there is never enough money. We have a pretty modest budget for food but it seems like one of the only areas that are negotiable in the budget. I decided that I am going to use what I have in the house before I buy anything else. The only thing I will purchase are the things that spoil (milk, cheese, bread, sour cream). I don't have any bread or cheese in the freezer but I do have tons of other stuff. I am going to see how long I can go without buying real food. I bet I could go at least a month. I will try to keep you updated. I may be exaggerating a little because I don't have the stockpile I used to have but I do have a lot. Last week Stephanie explained how she stretched a chicken for 5 meals. I HAVE TWO FROZEN CHICKENS IN MY FREEZER. We also get food from Crown Point Ecology Center, where we are CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) members until the last week of October. Right now we are getting a lot of "winter" items...squash, greens, onion, potatoes. They do have pick your own peas right now. I only picked a few last week. I need to get out there and get some to freeze. Either way, I think if we are vigilant about our food purchases we can really save a ton of money!

If you are wondering what's for dinner tonight.....
Mushroom Steak, Kale, Delicata Squash & Grapes.

Have a great day!

Goodwill Shopping...

I am having a little dilemma with Elise's wardrobe. She is in the 5th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. 12 month pants are too short but too big in the waist. 18 month pants fit better in length but because they are so big in the waist they fall off her and she ends up walking on them. What is a mom to do? Jude usually fit perfectly in all his sizes. I decided I would run over to the Goodwill by our house to see what kind of one piece or overall outfits they have for cheap. Well as soon as we walked in Jude saw the Halloween costumes. He already told me he wanted to be Buzz Lightyear this year. He was Woody last year. Remember he has a little obsession with Toy Story. We looked on the Disney web-site and they have their costumes on sale for 50% off. The Buzz costume was still $20. I told Jude we had to wait to buy it. I am so glad we did because as we looked through the costumes we found a Buzz costume for $1!!!! I love when we find great deals like that. So we shopped for close to an hour. Elise was a little fussy but Jude did great. Here is what we ended up with.

• Buzz Lightyear Halloween costume
• 18 month Osh Kosh overalls
• a pair of workout pants (more on the working out in a post coming soon)
• a practically brand new pair of Disney Power Ranger PJ's (Jude has never watched this show but he was so excited when he found them)
• Memory Game
• Steve Madden Clogs (almost brand new - leather)
• American Eagle leather shoes (look like they were never even worn)

I cleaned out the garage yesterday and took all the stuff I had saved for the big Garage Sale I was planning to have so they gave me a 20% off coupon. So my grand total for all of that stuff was $17.56! Can you believe it? I was so excited. I rarely get out to the thrift stores but if you have time to look you can find some great deals. I will admit this is my first time buying shoes at a Thrift store but I used some Lysol on them last night and this morning they were dry.

I guess my three people aren't doing my tag. Oh well.

Tag...you're it.

My sister-in-law Stephanie has tagged me. Here is what I have to do:

Grab the closest book you can find. Open it to page 123. Find the 5th sentence. Type the next 3 sentences, the book title, the author's name and tag three more people.

The Wild Girl by Jim Fergus

Now suddenly the girl looked me fully in the eyes and her moan turned to a hiss, a kind of snarl, and she sprang away from me wtih remarkable strength, crabbing backward into the corner of the cell, where she squatted and peered out at me through her hair like a trapped animal. She began to speak then her own language, a low, guttural ancient tongue that sounded like the mutterings of earth. "La chica esta loca," Jesus whispered.

I tag....Hubby Jake, Cousin Kelly and Correction G.

Have fun. I haven't actually read that book yet...I am saving it for vacation but now I just can't wait.

Where have I been????

Okay, so it has been a while since my last post about life. I thought I would take a few minutes and give everyone an update. Last week I was sitting at work basically daydreaming when Josh came into work. I have been seriously bored out of my mind lately and I have a thousand things at home piling up. It is annoying. But I need money so I have to work (I know, I know, I have told you already). Well, Josh says he needs to talk to me. When your boss tells you he needs to talk to you doesn't it kinda feel like you are in trouble or something? Trust me we have had many "talks" since I started. My schedule and pay scale has been changed several times. I think of it as a work in process. Typical of my life. The end result of the talk was that I am now working 2 days a week. I feel so relieved. I am still going to be bringing home about the same amount of money because I will be paying the babysitter considerably less. She is okay with it because I am willing to work around her schedule. Josh benefits because he isn't paying me to blogvertise or to answer the phones all day. I did tell him I would work one Saturday a month. It also benefits me (a great day to make sales) and him (he doesn't have to come in). So, I think this will work out best for everyone right now. My kids are happy that I am home today. We spent the late morning/early afternoon cleaning the basement. I still had things in boxes from our move at the end of June. I organized my crafty/ art stuff so it is usable again. I feel so much better. I am getting ready to tackle the kitchen and vacuum the carpets. We are having our friends over for dinner...something I have wanted to do for a while but like I said before I had pretty much given up cooking because of time. It feels good to be back!

Revolve Pics....

Okay, we had 2 nose rings, 3 lip rings, 5 home schoolers, 4 middle schoolers, 11 high schoolers, a lot of pink (ehhwwww...the hot pink kind too!), home-made t-shirts and a lot of fun. Check it out for yourself.......................

Revoloving with My Girls...

So, I spent the better part of my week-end on a bus with a load of teen-aged girls. Back in July I was asked if I could take some of our girls to the Revolve Tour . It is "Women of Faith" for girls 7th - 12th grade. I said yes without even thinking...I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Luckily for me the church hired a youth pastor shortly after I committed and his wife (Nikki) jumped right on board for this trip. The conference was in Columbus (about 2 hours away) and we really didn't know where we would be staying or how we would get there when we first purchased the tickets. It wasn't long after Nikki came along that we decided to include Suzanne as a chaparone. So, three adults 15 girls. We ended up hooking up with another church who had a bus and we all rode down together. We stayed at a church that wasn't too far from Columbus. We all slept (well...we were supposed to sleep) in the youth room. The church is where our youth pastor's father is a pastor. Anyhooo...we had something like 40 teen girls in one room. I have never seen so much pink. Revolve was as awesome as I had expected. The topics were so relevant and they really hit home with some of our teens. Last week we had extra tickets and we weren't even sure who was going and who wasn't going. In the end, I think everyone who was supposed to be there was. I got to take Caitlyn (Melanie's daughter), Brittany (old neighbor), Desarae (Brittany's sister), Hannah (their friend) and Nicole (a respite girl most of you know and love). I think they all had a lot of fun. The only one out of my group who ever goes to church is Nicole so I was slightly concerned the rest of them wouldn't like the whole "God" thing BUT they really liked it. On friday night Natalie Grant was singing. I looked over and they were all clapping and dancing around. I can't tell you how nice it is to see teen girls happy. Our world is so messed up- you don't see happy girls everyday.

Well, I am still tired (I went to bed at 3 AM on friday night) and I want to get going. I will leave you with 10 things I learned this week-end and then some pics.

1. Teens can (and do) make a difference. 3 out of the 5 girls I had in my group sponsored kids for World Vision.
2. The Bible talks about cutting. I can't believe I never knew this. Matthew 5:5
3. Even the skinny teens girls EAT A LOT.
4. Do not mess with Nicole while she is sleeping. (You trifflin' is that how you spell that word?)
5. I can't listen to a girl talk about painful things like suicide, cutting, being used by boys, etc... without crying. I've turned so soft.
6. No matter how many times I hear Tammy Trent's story....I cry and I always will.
7. Hearing the truth about boys from a hot guy makes it so much more believable.
8. It takes a lot longer than 2 hours to get to Columbus with a bus load of girls than it would driving in a car by yourself.
9. Natalie Grant is awesome. I never even paid attention to her until Women of Faith and even then I didn't know how cool. Girls are lucky to have her around. She rocks.
10. Being old isn't so bad after all. I think I still relate.


Poo...the pics aren't working now. I will post them later.

Where is my Site Meter???

So I switched over to this Beta thing....whatever that means, I don't really understand and now I can't get my sitemeter back. Help!!!!!!!!!!!!1

OHIO...The Heart of it All, Really???

Ohio is listed #15th on the list of fattest states in America. (BTW - West Virginia is ranked 3rd. Paul is always saying he feels skinny there!)

Ohio governor, Bob Taft ranks 50th on the national list of Governors.

Ohio's tax burden is ranked 3rd in the US.

Cleveland is ranked as the poorest city in the US. About a third of it's residents live in poverty.

It is no wonder Ohio ranks 47th for population growth.

Ohio is a beautiful state. The weather is kinda crummy in the winter but it certainly isn't as bad as some states. I've heard northeast ohio has fewer sunny days than Seattle but I think that is just an urban legend because I couldn't find those facts anywhere.

What the Blogvertise????

I must admit I am a sucker for get rich quick schemes. I have been a Mary-Kay lady, an Avon lady, a Discovery Toys lady, I'm a garage sale entrepreneur , I've bought lottery tickets and filled out surveys. I've even signed up to be a secret shopper. I am still not rich. As you know, I love to write and my blog has been a big part of my life for the last year. My brother in law, Applehead first started the blogging rage in the Miller family but now several of us (7, I think) have blogs. It is so cool. Stephanie's (Applehead's wife) has recently taken off. She gets hundreds of hits a day. That is so cool. I check it a couple of times a day myself. I like to keep up to date on the comments. Well, I go on there and she has this thing that you can sign up for where you get paid to Blogsvertise. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? My sister in law isn't the type who usually falls for this sort of thing. I am not sure I really understand the whole thing but I think they pay you to write about certain things in your blog...hence the name Blogsvertise. For example...Maybe someone has a web-site where they sell a product, you go on it and check it out then write about it on your blog. I think it is subtle advertising. Isn't this a scam? Won't this ruin the purity of the blog??? Once you get paid to do something doesn't it usually suck the joy and life out of it?

So, I get home from work today and Jake is downstairs on the computer. I ask him what he is doing....He says, I am getting paid to blog! Yes, now my husband has now signed up to Blogsvertise. Aren't you going to wonder now if he is writing something real or if he writing something just to get paid???? Hmmmmmm. I guess only time will tell.

Sleeping in....

Last night I didn't go to bed until around midnight because my friend came over and I helped her sign up for an eharmony account. If it is something you are thinking about doing let me warn you....it takes a long time to completely fill out all the questions they ask you. So, I didn't go to bed until late. When my alarm clock went off at 6 A.M. I hit snooze over and over again. Finally, somewhere around 6:40 I decided to just turn the dumb thing off. I told Jake he needed to get up for work and he did. I, however, went right back to sleep. So, I am laying in bed somewhere in dreamland and I hear a knock at my door. It was Alicia, the babysitter. She had let herself in, like she always does and didn't think anything about the fact that I didn't come right down. I am usually finishing up when she arrives. She turned on the T.V. and waited. After about 15-20 minutes she decided she should go upstairs and make sure I was awake since she didn't hear me walking around or anything. So, that is how I woke up this morning. I took a shower, did my hair, got dressed, put on my make-up and brushed my teeth in a record 18 minutes. I guess I need Jude to wake me up in the morning! Elise was still asleep. She usually wakes up around 8:30-9:00.

So, Jake and I have been Geocaching a lot more lately. It seems we go through phases with it. Sunday we let Elise with Alicia and headed off for the woods. We would have taken her but she refuses to sleep in the backpack thing and she was very tired before we even set out for the journey. It was a short hike (2 miles, maybe?) but it wasn't even terrain - made for a little bit of a challenge. It was fun. We found the first two caches with little trouble but the last one...we searched and searched. Finally we gave in and called the babysitter to look it up on line for us and tell us the hint they gave. As soon as we got it we found the cache within a 2 minutes. It did rain a little but since we were in the thick of the woods we had some cover. It was very humid. We were dirty and smelly by the time we got home.

We are heading for Tennessee next week-end and hope to do a bunch while we are down there.

Well, I never.....

Stephanie posted a blog today listing the things she thought she would never do before she had children. She invited people to to do the same so I thought I would give you my list. If you want to post your own list on your blog then go to her blog and list your website in her comments.

I have a lot of things I said I would never do before I had children. Here are a few....

• My kids will NEVER eat hot dogs! ha ha ha ha ha ha ha HAAAAA!
• My kids will NEVER sleep in my bed. Yeah right. Jude still crawls into bed with us.
• Characters??? Well, my children aren't going part of ridiculous world of child consumerism. I swore they would not like characters. As most of you know, Jude is a character JUNKY! The Wiggles, spiderman, blues clues, Toy Story, dora, etc... He has everything from night lights to underwear with characters!
• I will NOT let my kids go and stay with relatives out of state for a week at a time. And I certainly would never take a vacation without my kids. By the way...anyone want to take them for a while? A week? Two? Okay, give me a call.
• I will not be a working mom. Why would someone have children and then pawn them off on someone else? See my last post.
• And last....I thought it was some sort of child abuse to let your kids cry for more than 5 minutes at a time. It took me a while to catch on but man I was stupid then.

My list could go on and on but for now that is it!

Confessions of a Working Mother...

I've been reading Stephanie's Blog lately and she has been doing a lot of posts about being frugal, homeschooling, organizing etc.... She reads a bunch of other mom's blogs about similar stuff. I check them out when I get a free moment. I used to be one of them. Until Jude turned three I was a stay at home mom. I used cloth diapers, made my own baby food, cut coupons and I would drive to 4 different grocery stores to buy specific sale items at each. But, alas, last fall I had to go back to work. We changed jobs and after working and reworking our budget I had to accept my working mother fate. I took a "part-time", yet crazy schedule job teaching abstinence in the local schools. It was fun but Jake and I had to work opposite shifts and we never seemed to get anything accomplished. I hated working opposite each other but we did save on babysitters (we didn't need one most of the time) and our kids at least got to be with one parent at all times. Unfortunately, my job didn't pay that much and we barely could pay our bills. We were still very frugal and pinched every penny. Fortunately, that only lasted 8 months or so. This past spring Jake and I decided to change careers/jobs. So....as most of you should know, we now work pretty much the same schedule and we have a full time babysitter. We (well our children) really lucked out because she (Alicia) comes to our house and the kids get to be in their own environment. She is great with them and takes them to do all the things I wish I had time to do (zoo, the park, swimming, etc...). They get to take naps in their own beds and play with their own toys. So that part is great.
As far as our new jobs - Jake loves his job and is eager to learn more and move up the company ladder (it is a short ladder...I think 15 employees???). I was pretty bitter about working. I really REALLY want to stay at home. But I have come to terms with the fact that I have to work. It doesn't matter how frugal I am or how much I go without we have accumulated bills in the past that we have to pay for now. I do enjoy my job. It is going well and I am making a little more money. I have the potential to make a lot more. So, it is motivating.
So, now for the confessions. Now that I am working full time I am not as organized as I used to be. I have tried and tried to get on some sort of schedule for cooking, cleaning, etc... but I still haven't gotten into the groove. I don't cut coupons or shop sales. I rarely go to Aldi's because it is out of my way and I don't shop at 4-5 different stores anymore. I shop at one. It is not the cheapest but I earn money off my gasoline (and it is close to my home). As far as cooking....well, I've cooked twice this week, which is more than I cooked all last week. I keep taking the time to write out a menu but then I don't follow through. I forget to thaw something out or I don't have time to get it together the night before. Because I make these BIG plans and don't follow through, I have recently let several things rot in my fridge (greens, peaches, cabbage that I bought for cabbage rolls, fennel, a ton of fresh basil that I planned to make into pesto and freeze). How wasteful of me. It is embarrassing. I have also been buying frozen prepared meals. I am a "home cooking" kind of lady so this has been a big step for me. Last Saturday I decided to have a deep cleaning day. We have lived in our house for 2 months and we hadn't had one. I barely had any cleaning supplies. Jake and I talked about it and we joked that I really am frugal! I have been saving a ton of money by just not cleaning. You really can save by not buying those expensive cleaning supplies. And speaking of cleaning....Jude's Room. ARgggghhhh. It is awful. I mean it is such a mess. You can barely walk through it. And guess what. I really don't care. I try not to go in it. I've decided it just isn't that important. I also don't make my own bed 75% of the time. I know it only takes a minute or two but honestly, I just don't have a minute or two. I used to believe that old saying "you make time for what you want to do". Well, I do think it is true to an extent- I do what is the most important but I don't get to do everything that is important. I wish I had more time. Then I could blog more and take my kids to story time at the library. We do eat together and take family walks/hikes each night. All I know is this....It is just a season.

Funny Jen F Stories...

Jen is an old friend of mine. We worked together at East Side Mario's back in the day. There were like 4 or 5 Jen's working there at the time so we called them by Jen & the first initial of their last name. Needless to say, the name Jen F stuck and don't think I could ever just call her Jennifer or Jen. She'll is Jen F to me. We have always had a love/hate relationship. Although we don't talk that often anymore I think of her frequently. I think I have had more fights with her than I have had with anyone. We are both stupid. Our last fight (I can't even remember what it was about) happened in October. We didn't talk for months on end but when Jake was sick and in the hospital she called! We never talk about whatever our "last argument" was over. Either way, I was thinking about my past and trying to figure out what exciting and entertaining story I could tell you and I decided I am going to list some of my all time favorite all time Jen F moments.... I don't think I could even think about putting them in any particular order.

• We used to go walking or roller blading a lot. I have tons of stories just surrounding those "exercise sessions". When I lived in Peninsula she would come over after work sometimes and say "We are going to walk!" So this one evening we set out at about 11 P.M. to take a power walk down Olde Eight Road. It was pitch black. We were going along just fine, chatting about something juicy I am sure - when we see this car coming behind us. As the car gets closer it began to slow down. It eventually pulled off to the side of the road we were on. We were both scared out of our minds. So Jen RUNS off and leaves me standing there frozen. It was a police officer. He questioned me and wanted to know why my friend ran. Uh...I don't know. I yelled for her to come back and she did. She had been hiding in some bushes. We didn't get into trouble or anything.
• Another time we went for a walk down Olde Eight Road but I think it was more of a leasure walk. I remember it was a hot spring day and we were wearing flip flops. I had stopped along the way and picked a fist full of daisies to take back home with me. We were walking along...I am sure talking about something just as juicy as before when out of nowhere these GOATS bolted into the road directly to us. Well, I was (yet again) frozen but Jen took of (flip flop flip flop really fast). The goats decided to leave her alone but they surrounded me. I ended up feeding them my daisies. There were abnormally agressive goats. Cars were driving by, honking their horns and laughing their butts off but no one helped me. Jen was long gone. She didn't come back.
  
• Another time we were roller blading in this metro park. Jen was wearing a bikini top and umbro type shorts. I can't remember what I was wearing but it is irrelevent to the story. Neither of us had on any sort of padding because it would mess up our tan lines. When we first set out on the trail a couple of people commented on us roller blading. We just thought they were suprised to see us because of all the bike traffic. So, here we go and things were going well. Then we get to this BIG hill. I think okay, I can do this. I bend my knees and steady myself. I assumed Jen was doing the same. I was gaining momentum when I looked back I saw Jen had ditched the hill effort mid attempt. I turned just in time to see her dive into the grass and do a flip. I was worried and shocked. So I tried to slow down. Bad move. I wrecked too. Except I hit the pavement. I just layed there trying to figure out if I should laugh or cry. I finally scrapped myself together enough to go check on Jen. I had blood everywhere and still have scars to proove it! Jen however escaped without any blood BUT she had "grass burn" (like rug burn only done with grass) all over her abdomen. It was bad.
  
• Jen F always had a few boyfriends at a time. Always a serious boyfriend and then many suitors. I was in a bar with her when two of her boyfriends were there in diffent areas of the bar! It was something out of the movies. Oh it was a hoot. I think many of the men knew she dated other guys and just didn't care! Seriously there have been a few guys who would do ANYTHING for her. And it didn't matter how she treated them.
  
• When we went out dancing guys flocked to her. She could get so stinkin drunk that she pukes and guys still wanted her number. I used to give it out to everyone! She would be mad (for a minute) but in the end I think she saw the humor in it all. Oh back in the day....Well I could go on and on but it is so late and I must be getting that beauty rest!
  

Secret Message...

GWAR can do the new pants dance but if you are a fatty Boomba Latty you might have to put on your MC Hammer Pants and hammer time to Ice Ice Baby.

Does this mean anything to anyone?

Just Asking....

A Story About Nothing....

Today on the radio they reported on the funniest story. There was this waitress working at a restraunt and one of her customers asked for an alcoholic beverage. Being a good waitress and abiding by the law she asked to see the patrons identification. When the girl handed the server her ID the waitress just stared in disbelief. IT WAS HER ID!!!! Not the customers but it belonged to the waitresses! I guess she was at an "establishment" in Cleveland and her purse was stolen, about a month ago. There were charges on her credit cards but the culprit had not been found. Apparently the girl had been using the ID as her own (maybe she planned to pay with the stolen credit cards???) Who knows. The girl tried to run away but was apprehended by the police. I can't remember what her name was but what even added to the stupidity - she is 23 years old. It is not even like she needed a fake ID or anything. She was just plain dumb. A friend of mine works at the place but I haven't had time to talk to her about it.

Here is a link.....DUMB GIRL STORY

Is it really Friday? Thank God!

Work was great this week. We had a lot of activity. It was nice to talk with a lot of potential customers and I even made some of them happy by saving them a few (hundred or so) bucks. Isn't that cool. I don't think of it as selling insurance but rather selling a savings. Ha. Sounds corny but it is true.

I was a little suprised that no one commented on the pictures. WHY NOT? Well, a few of my friends did discuss them with me in person. Either way, the funniest thing someone said was "That Applehead looks mean!" So, Applehead...if you were going for the aggressive look I think you accomplished it. BTW...I did say you aren't mean. I thought the dump truck picture was priceless but then again, I know the people in the photo which makes it that much funnier to me. I don't know.

The kids are great. Jude's toe was well on the way to recovery. He is going to loose his nail. But he did have a little set back this week and he decided he couldn't walk on it again.

Today I was in the basement doing laundry and Elise stopped and was looking at me. I thought she had a VERY guilty look on her face so I said "What are you doing?" She started laughing and ran towards me with her hand out. When she got to me she handed me a penny. Isn't that something? She knew she wasn't supposed to have it and I busted her! So cute.

Well, I am tired and must be going to bed but I wanted to update everyone.

I am going to the beach and I am taking......

Well, I am not going to the beach but Jude came home today! I had a busy day at work. My mom took him to my house around 4:30ish and I didn't get off until 7 P.M. Jake brought the kids and met me at Sam's Club (exciting I know). But we really needed to stock up. So, I got there first and was just waiting. When they pulled in Jude was laughing and being goofy. He was happy to see me (yes, I can breathe a sigh of relief...my son does like his mother after all). He gave me a big hug and all that but some time ago he decided he doesn't like kisses and wipes them off. It has become the big joke. He even wipes Elise's kisses off. So we go into the store and Jude needs to go to the bathroom and then Elise has a poopy diaper. Of course we didn't bring the diaper bag in because...well we just didn't. So, Jake goes out to the car and the kids and I continue to shop. Hecktic Hecktic hecktic. After all the bathroom stuff was finished Jude was trying to hang on the cart and Elise was kicking him. She obviously didn't want him near her. I think she enjoyed being the only child for a while and wasn't happy Jude returned. Either way, we did survive Sam's Club and made it out without spending every penny we have. You know how it is...you go in for one or two things and the next thing you know you have enough meat for the next month.

When we got back out to the cars (remember we drove separately), Jude decided he wanted to ride home with Mommy. We anticipated this already so it wasn't a big deal to move the car seat over. On the way home he said "Mom, lets play a game". I figured I was up for a big game of "I Spy". He always picks something we are going past and by the time I figure out what he is spying...well, we are five miles down the road from it! But isn't that cute. He then proceeds to tell me what he is taking to the beach (you were wondering where I was going with the title weren't you?). I quickly remembered a game we used to play with my mom. She'd say I am going to the beach and taking (blank). Then we would have to say "I am going to the beach and taking your (blank) and my (blank)". The idea is to remember the whole list of what you are taking to the beach. I used to love playing this game with my mom and sister. It was undivided attention. So, I played along with Jude and as I listened to him tell what he was taking to the beach I recognized the items as the same ones my mom used to say to me when I was a little girl. For example I told him I was going to take water to drink. He said "NO...we are going to take whemonade!" Isn't it so sweet??? I have a feeling this will be "the game" for a while. I know when we were kids we always wanted to play it. I am sure it drove my mother crazy at times.

So, everyone is back home. Jake will be gone tommorow night. I am sure you will read all about that soon enough. Have a great day!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words (or Laughs)....

Here are the pictures I have been waiting to get on here.


A hot and tired Jude relaxing on Daddy's lap.Applehead and Vivian....
Is is Jake or is it Tony Stewart with a Ryan Newman hat on????


Remember when I wrote about the kids sliding in the mud in West Virginia? Well here is the proof....Elise on the 4th of July.
Jude sitting in a dump truck - doesn't he look proud!?
Muddy West Virginia kids again...



This is Elise eating an ice cream cone after getting her first hair cut! This is Cody at the Akron Aeros game with us. He had a great time.


Oh this picute will have to speak for itself...... This isn't something I found on the internet. I actually know these people and took this picture myself! ha ha ha...
Jude and Lydia wearing their boots.

Pictures of You...

Okay...Here is the deal. I want you to write captions for these pictures. I will tell you who and what they are later. I am having a tough time getting to these other pics I want to post. Hopefully Jake can help soon. Either way....write captions.

1.
2.

3.

It is official...

I can officially sell for Allstate. Isn't that cool? Okay, enough about work.

Jude went to Tennessee for a week. It seems like he never wants to stay home these days. He is having fun. He did talk to us the first night but last night he just wasn't that interested. He said "night night mommie, I love you" that is it! Can you believe it?

I am hoping to post some pics this evening. I have some great ones!

Everything is a little stressful right now. Money is tight...of course Jake and I both changed jobs/careers at the same time. We still aren't completely unpacked. Work is piling up! ARRRGGGHHHHHH. Last week there was some talk about me going part time at work but I don't know where we are on that right now. Still waiting for a budget!!!! My babysitter is having surgery on her jaw at the end of the month and I am not quite sure who will watch the kids. Then when she comes back my other babysitter is going on vaction in Mexico (I must be paying her too much.....ha ha ha....inside joke!). What will I do with my babies???? Oh, and on top of all of this, Jake says he is ready for another kid! Oh boy.............................

Okay, more later......

I Read A Boring Blog......

That is what my friend Sherry told me last night. Can you believe that she would say that????? Well, she was just teasing me about not blogging lately. The thing is - I keep thinking I will get time to sit and write but it just hasn't happened. I still don't have a routine and I haven't quite figured out how to be a "working mother". Right now I am in another class. I have to be here to FINALLY get my binding authority. That means I will be able to actually sell insurance for the company (on Wednesday). Today we are learning about property policies....

This past week-end I went to the Women of Faith conference. It was fun. I roomed with Heather (my sister), Rixey and Justiene. All of our traveling was done on a bus. It was interesting. The loud mouth crowd sat in the back of the bus, just like in school. Can you guess where I was???? Well, since it was all girls you can imagine the talks we had!!!! Let's just say they weren't all fit for a public audience so I won't be repeating them here. But I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. The conference was great. There were very moving speakers and lots of great music and drama. I really enjoyed myself and would like to go back in the future. It was a far cry from the Nine Inch Nails concert I attended a month ago. Both fun....just in a very big way. Honestly, I fit it a lot better at WoF. Isn't that great to know??? I did cry several times and you all know how much I love to cry. Ha ha. But tell me, how can I sit there and listen to Natalie Grant sing a song about a two week old baby dying from SIDS and not bawl my eyes out? Luckily I anticipated the emotional roller coaster and stocked up on kleenex before attending. The speakers were so real. I mean VERY VERY VERY honest about their misgivings and mistakes they have made. Everything from spending time in mental facilities to having many abortions. There was a strong emphasis on knowing God will forgive you for your past and he loves you where you are. I dealt with my own guilt for my past mistakes a long time ago so the conference really just re-emphasised what I learned a long time ago. BUT...I think the best part was just getting away for a week-end (Thank you Mom for watching the kids) and spending time with the ladies from our church a little better. Girl time is always needed and refreshing. Most of our husbands went to Promise Keepers in Columbus. I think it was a little more intense.

Okay, well, it is lunch time. I have to get going. Leave me a comment and let me know you are still with me.

Today I Took A Boring Class...

It is for my binding authority. Since I have been working for an Allstate agent for a month now I already know everything. Ha ha. Well not everything. But a lot of it is review to me. Today we learned how to do quotes. I think I've done close to 100 already. And we did a 2.5 hour long session about the different Auto Policies. It is boring for me to even tell you about it. Imagine if you were in the class. I will say, I was a little nervous about going to the class in the first place. I hate meeting new people. I know it doesn't sound like the Delilah you know but, I am truly a shy person. I fake the rest. Either way, I got there an hour early (thanks Josh) and there was this other lady who was also early. The instructor told me she was in the break room getting coffee. I went and introduced myself and asked her if she wanted to run to Panera Bread with me. She said yes before I actually caught her name. Then, on our way out we met this other girl who looked a little lost. I asked her if she was there for the class and she said yes so we invited her on our excursion as well. She joined us. So, within the first 10 minutes I met two new people and didn't even break out in hives. Yes, I do that from time to time. Maybe I am not as shy as I used to be. Who knows. I do know this...I spent a large portion of my day staring at the shoes of the girl who was sitting across the isle from me. I hope she didn't notice because she probably thinks I have some weird freakish foot fetish. I was just daydreaming and checking out her cool shoes. I want to get a pair. I'll have to put those shoe dreams on hold though....no new shoes for me!

Have a great day!

Step off the blog...(please!?!?)

Did you know I have had so much blog drama???? Well, I have. I think I was a little gun shy (yes I can be shy) about even writing anything for a while because I had 2 incidences right in a row concerning my blog. The first case was just crazy. A person from my past started reading my blog and read a comment I made that was in reference to him and a future ex-men Monday post. He and his girlfriend got a little bananas about that. Seriously, they did have a valid point. I was making fun of the guy and he had a right to be upset but they took it to an extreme...insulting my children, friends, my God, music, etc.... They called me all sorts of colorful and creative names. I kinda got a kick out of it but in the end I was upset because they posted some pretty nasty and untrue things about me on the internet with my full name. So that was drama #1. Now for drama #2. My old room-mate from college read the post I wrote about her and she was very upset. She left me a comment and I couldn't even respond to her. She was insulted by the things I said and thought I had a bad opinion of her. Honestly, I thought she was one of the funniest and nicest people I've known. I re-read the post and didn't seem to find any of it offensive. I think I even said some very nice things about her. Either way, she handled the situation with a lot more class, which I appreciate, but neverless hasn't spoken to me since. I did leave her an apology comment. Who knows if she ever read it. Right after that happened I heard about this study about the "tone" of an email. The conclusion of the study was that most people (something like 75%) misinterpret the tone of an email. I think the case may be the same in my blog. So, here's the deal. My intentions are not to hurt anyone. I write about my life, current events and past history. I don't always have nice and flowery things to say about everyone. That doesn't mean I am bashing others or making fun. Sometimes reality isn't pretty. Know what I mean???? I try to keep those that would be embarassed by what I reveal anonymous. I think that is fair. Obviously there are people who have been in my life for a long time that will know some of those I speak about but it doesn't matter because they lived what I write about first hand.

In closing I would like to say this...blogs are such a cool thing. It is more fun than a journal because you can get feedback from other people and share a part of yourself you might not ever get to in another venue. Sometimes we say things on our blogs that we might not ever bring ourselves to say out in the open. And there are people who read my blog who never even talk to me. It is almost like they are eavesdropping on my life. And there are people I have been able to keep up with that under normal circumstances I may not have been able too (Aunt D, Aunt Nancy, Jason & Kelly - to name a few). Allthough I was upset about the drama, I am flattered that people took the time to read through my pages upon pages of posts. I do think I have some good (funny) stuff and some serious stuff....mostly just goofy. Please, if you are a reader...don't take any of it too seriously. It is a blog...not a newspaper...or book (beware though, I might write a book someday)...it doesn't carry much weight. I am just a girl from the suburbs writing about my life....................................... I love you all so keep reading - maybe I'll write about YOU next!!!

Lots to Say...Little Time.

I really should be in bed right now but I feel like I have really neglected the old blog these past few weeks. I have been busy and we've had so much going on. I started my new job. It is going well. I still have some classes to finish up for the company and then I am "offically" good to go. If you need insurance be sure to call me (or email me). We moved into our house last week. Jake and his Dad, with the help of Bill, moved stuff all week long. By time our moving day came along we had already spent the night in the new house. It worked out. Saturday morning I decided to go to a garage sale across the street. I was holding Elise and stepped off the last step of the porch, fell down and damaged my ankle. At first I thought I was going to pass out. It really hurt. But I did manage back up the steps and got Elise to safety (she was fine by the way). I brushed myself off and got it together. I should have taken it easier...by noon I couldn't walk on it. I ended up in the ER getting x-rays. It wasn't broken (thank God) but it was sprained. The doctor said it was pretty bad and gave me the big lecture about staying off it and the whole healing process. After about 6 hours on cruches I figured I'd rather be in pain. Those things were a pain. I looked ridiculous. It feels much better now. There is still a little swelling and bruising but nothing major.

On Thursday my laptop crashed. Yes, I lost everything on it. I had backed it up last summer but I lost all my pictures from the last year. It is so sad. I also lost the hundred's of recipes I typed out for the cookbooks I made last fall. My advice to you is...back up your computer RIGHT NOW! It is devistating.

Today we had a pretty bad leak. The landlord came over and had to take down part of our ceiling in the kitchen to fix it. Man, that was a job. He got right on it though. He is a very good landlord.

Tonight we went to our small group. It was nice to have it kinda back to normal. There were a few people missing.

Okay, I am falling asleep, as usual. Have a good day.