~The Land of Foo~

I Love My Boobs!

2010-12-10T18:15:00.003-05:00

One of my very best friends, Sam and I have decided to participate in Avon's Breast Cancer Foundation Walk next October in Charlotte! Thanks to her Mom and her friend we have been able to form a team. Today we got to kickstart our fundraising by wrapping gifts at Barnes & Noble. This is the first time I had ever done this, and boy was I surprised. The donations didn't total much, but there was a strange dynamic. Only men donated cash. The women just wanted us to wrap their gifts. The men also shared stories and were interested in our cause, one man told us he lost his mother at 13 to breast cancer. I will carry his story with me as we move forward.
We will be at the store again next week, maybe we will have a better turn out.

Ramblin on

2010-06-04T18:50:00.004-04:00

Where oh where did this week go? Over the long weekend Hubby and I celebrated our birthdays and I have been smoke free for a year woohoo!!!!
Ok so now we are at the start of another weekend and Summer is knocking at the door. There were so many things that I had hoped to accomplish by now, but oh well heehee. Do you know how fun it is to say that. Oh Well! Over the weekend I hope to go get corn so I can start freezing it next week along with onions and sweet peppers. Last year I just cut and froze the peppers but someone told me to try blanching them so I may give that a try.
One more thing I would like to get done is my menu planning. This is all part of that living on the less hectic side. I have started taking inventory of what I have and what I would need to complete meals. This seems to be saving money and frustration. If anyone has any tips I would love to hear them.
This whole post looks like one big ramble. Oh well(heehee said it again)

Simply ,
Missy

We Were Jammin

2010-06-01T09:38:00.005-04:00

I have always been a little bit intimidated by canning and making jam. Kudos to the women who do this it looks like a lot of hard work. I would be afraid of screwing it up. So you can imagine how excited I was when I read about Freezer Jam.

This was something I totally could do!

Mars and I went to work yesterday on our first batch of strawberry jam.

We had a lot of fun and kept thinking of all the different jams we could make. I guess I will be stocking up on the oh so cute little plastic containers and making room in the freezer.

There is a ton of information online and I found the supplies at Walmart. You could also check here http://www.freshpreserving.com/

What a sweet ending to a wonderful weekend!

Simply,

Missy

Simply Beautiful

2010-05-23T21:37:00.005-04:00

It is that time of year again, we have been working hard in the garden and as a reward our wing friends have been stopping by daily to dine and we have also been chosen to be the nursery for Momma Monarch's lil ones once again!

Simply,

Missy

Living Simple

2010-05-18T19:35:00.003-04:00

The last few months I have felt a change coming, not a bad change. A return of a feeling. That feeling of why in hell am I so stressed out about everything? So that's is no more negative energy, smile!
My new thought process is live simple. Why let all that crazy stuff clog up your head?
It has been fun learning new ways to stretch a dollar when it comes to feeding the family.
Oh and guess what House Beautiful isn't going to be by anytime soon for that photo shoot, so I think it is ok if my kitchen towels don't match the pot holders.

It feels good to be back! I have been cleaning up the garden and I can't wait to share a few pics.

Stay Simple!
Missy

Feeling Electrified!

2009-07-30T16:58:00.002-04:00

Has it really been a month since I was here last. Wowzee! So let's catch up........... My sometimes babysitting job has been sometimes not since May and you know all about the fridge. So finances have pretty much been in the toilet. Big T decided to travel, I pray everyday that boy finds himself.
Our house was struck by lightning on Sunday. No I am not kidding. This is part of living in the lightning capitol of the world. I just never thought it would hit three feet behind me. We lost the phone line, Internet, Direct TV , along with 2 tvs and a few other things. And are you ready for this? My Stove is dead. If this keeps up I will have all new appliances in my kitchen. People have been in and out fixing things and I still have the electrician coming on Monday to see why my kitchen outlets(4 of them) aren't working.

Enough whining, I do have great news too, I am still smoke free! And on Sunday I start back at the Church I used to work at. I am so excited!

How is everyone's summer going?

Checking in

2009-06-29T19:59:00.003-04:00

Seems like time is flying by. I am still smile free woohoo! Tomorrow marks 4 weeks. So you would think that I would be saving tons of money right, um no. I wake up this morning and there is a small puddle in front the fridge. Being cautiously optimistic I think maybe the freezer didn't get shut all the way. I have really been trying to channel the happy me. So of course Mars lil miss rain on my parade gets up and tells me there is a puddle in front of the fridge. Now you know I was trying to wish this trouble away(the fridge, not Mars) trying not to think of all the groceries I bought the day before.
Opening the freezer with a smile on my face I realize crap we have a problem. If it is not one thing it is another. Money has been extremely tight here.
Anyway we now have a new fridge. I lost some freezer space but I don't care I never have it fully stocked through the summer because of hurricanes. We have been down that road before.

Typical Monday I guess. How has your Monday been?

Here I am

2009-06-18T09:59:00.002-04:00

Here I am 16 days smoke free and still a lil frazzled. Each day is a battle but I am winning. At least this part. Sadly our veggie garden has bitten the dust. Something attacked the bottom of the tomato plants and you wouldn't even know we had cucumber plants. Oh well just gives me more ammunition for my plea for a greenhouse.
I have been trying to find things to keep me busy and have been digging through my mound of Stampin' Up supplies. I was a demonstrator a few years ago so I have tons of stuff but just quit playing with it. Since I owe a few ladies packages I thought it might be fun to play with my stamps. The bad part is evidently when I went through a selling spree I sold some sets I would not have sold. I asked Hubby and he said " I wondered what you were doing when you were selling all your stuff" yeah now I am trying to figure out what the heck was I thinking.
Ok so you can see I have this whole rambling thing going on.
Thanks to everyone for all of your words of encouragement, you have no idea how powerful they are.

I must confess

2009-06-10T15:22:00.002-04:00

I am such a nerd for books. Since I went back to school I haven't had much time for fun reading except for blogs. So taking the summer off has allowed me to once again stick my nose in a book for fun. I am totally addicted to paperback swap. I have read 7 books since mid May and have a stack sitting here waiting for me.
Something strange happened as I was reading my latest guilty pleasure Beverly Lewis' The Covenant. I swear I have read this book before. As I was reading the story was familiar, too familiar. Couldn't tell you when it was read before, I can't remember, plus before Paperback Swap books stayed with me like old friends. Who knows still love it and can't wait to finish the series. The reading has also helped me get through some tough times as I continue to kick butt! Can you believe it has been 8 days? And I feel great!

I've been tagged...

2009-06-07T16:42:00.004-04:00

I have been tagged by Mid-Atlantic Martha to share the 6th photo in my 6th file. Sounds fun and I realized I need to clean out my photos.

They are my Valentine's day Gerbers.

I am supposed to tag 6 more people........

http://thebeehivecottage.blogspot.com/

http://myshabbyheart.blogspot.com/

http://samsspot5.blogspot.com/

http://themaisyreport.blogspot.com/

http://vintagechichome.blogspot.com/

http://soccermomsays.blogspot.com/

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

Still Kicking Butt and other Ramblings

2009-06-06T07:51:00.002-04:00

I have to start off by thanking everyone for your support. There is no way for me to tell you what it means. Yesterday was probably the roughest day so far but I made it through and I am in day five of kicking butt. When my quit day drew closer I wasn't sure if I was going to blog about it, now I am glad I did, some of your comments have brought me to tears and just knowing the hell that so many families have been through and feeling the horrible effects that this habit had on my body gives me the determination to win this fight.

I do have wonderful news, Sweet Pea has made his arrival! Yup Holly had a lil boy yesterday afternoon. Grasshopper called me "Momma, I have a lil brother" poor Grasshopper he has always wanted a lil brother now that he is 15 I am not sure how much fun it will be but he is so excited. Mars I think is in awe, she has been the baby for so long that this is an adjustment. Hopefully we will make it to the hospital to meet sweet pea oops I mean Jason today. I know some of you think this is a bit strange being the ex's new baby. But I am a sucker for babies, and I wish the new family all the joy in the world.

I guess I need to get around for the day, I have shopping to do for the kids for camp. And I am hoping to make progress on my Pay it Forward projects.

Have a Spectacular Saturday!

2 Birthdays in One

2009-06-02T22:39:00.002-04:00

Today is a special birthday for me. Today is the day I have quit smoking. Thank you everyone who have offered your support. It has been a long day. Hubby brought me home Gerber daisies and a Big Mac( I haven't had one in about 2 years). A very nice quiet day. Tomorrow will be a new day. Thanks again for your words of encouragement!

I have a dirty secret.....

2009-06-01T09:15:00.004-04:00

I am a smoker, please before any of you stick your noses in the air stay with me.
I have tried to quit quite a few times before, let's just say I reached a new level of bitch.
Well a few months ago I decided it was time, we all know the dangers and consequences. The day I chose to quit is tomorrow, my birthday. Hubby is nervous for me(he does not smoke). My nerves are also a lil shaky, but I would rather live to 85 than 65. My mother has tons of heart problems and she smokes. This disgusts me, this is one reason I know it is time. So please bear with me, and wish me luck.

Where did it go?

2009-05-31T21:48:00.002-04:00

Another weekend has flown right by. I can't believe I haven't written since last Sunday. I have been busy this week working on things for my Pay it Forward packages and playing in the yard. Hubby's Bday was Friday so we had a fun Bday weekend with steaks and chocolate cake. The cool thing is our Birthdays are only 4 days apart so we kinda just share the fun and this way we only need one cake. The kids only have four days of school left and I can feel their anticipation. Grasshopper and Mars will both be going to camp for a week. Thanks to awesome Grandparents Grasshopper will be going to a pre med camp at Pensacola Christian College. Then the following week Mars is going to a Girl Scout camp. Lots of penny pinching going on around here. I just wish that their camps were further into the summer, I know I will be hearing"I'm Bored" the day after each of them gets home.
That's about it around here. Maybe someday in this lifetime I will have these packages ready to go.

Sweet Pea's Baby Shower

2009-05-24T09:45:00.011-04:00

Yesterday was the big day, Holly's baby shower. As some of you know Holly is my ex husband's fiance. She is the sweetest and I was so happy that Mars and I could host her shower. Holly's family is in Mississippi and I thought it was great that her future step daughter would host her shower. The theme was a neutral sweet pea, we don't know the sex of the baby. This gave me the chance to work with green Holly's favorite color.

It was just a little awkward as I only knew two people, but it was still nice. Mars busted tail in the kitchen and helping with decorating, she really surprised me. Everything turned out so pretty.

Thanks to Sam I had wonderful fresh flowers to work with, and we tried to stick with a girly type menu.

Our Sweet Pea theme took on a garden theme. We made seed packets as favors, and I learned how to make those beautiful tissue paper poms. To top it all off I borrowed an idea I saw on another blog and served dessert in 4 inch flower pots(I will post a link later). Our garden party was forced to be inside thanks to Mother Nature but it all worked out. I even had a few left over meatballs for Hubby when he got home.

A productive weekend

2009-05-18T08:28:00.002-04:00

Wow what a weekend! I so busy that Monday snuck up on me. Hubby and I learned how to put in a kitchen faucet! WooHoo we are such nerds, we were so proud of ourselves, the kids laughed as we were high fiving each other the rest of the day.
The Baby shower is sneaking up on me. Mars and I learned how to make tissue poms, they are so pretty. Hopefully after the shower I will post pics. More shower goodies, I designed and made seed packets for favors. It felt so good to create something, it seems like a long time since I did something. And to top it off Hubby said I should sell them, I love him! Add laundry, walmart shopping, and cooking and this weekend was poof gone!
The rest of the week I need to finish up shower stuff and clean this house.
How was your weekend?

Browsing Blogland~ Tablescaping

2009-05-15T07:41:00.002-04:00

Around here if I am in the middle of classes we are lucky to have any clean plates, but through blogland I have found this whole beautiful world of tablescaping. These women take the time once a week to do up their tables and share with the rest of us. Some of these tables are breath taking! Oh how I wish to be able to have a pretty table. I didn't even have a real matching set of dishes until my wonderful Hubby bought me a set for Christmas our first year in the house. Silverware that is a whole different story, somehow the spoons are always missing. I know that if I scavenged around the thrift stores I could find some wonderful pieces, but then where would I put them? That is probably my biggest question for these creative table ladies, where do you store it all? Take a minute and drool over a few of these blogs, Mid-Atlantic Martha , Designs by Gollum , Between Naps on the Porch and What Now Tablescapes. There are so many more but I will leave the adventure to you.
That little light bulb in my mind has been blinking and I am thinking Mars and I will have to start setting the table at least once a week.

I am so sad

2009-05-14T20:24:00.002-04:00

For any married woman her wedding ring is a symbol of love. It is that little sign that says I am taken and when in public with your better half it also lets others know he is also taken.
I have the worst luck with jewlery. While I was in my funkadelic cleaning mode this afternoon I lost the top of my wedding ring. Who knows when it happened all I know is I have spent the last 3 hours on my hands and knees looking for it. My ring had a split band and a flower shaped set of diamonds on top. It is gone and I am in tears. If my marriage wasn't so wonderful I would think this is a bad omen, because this is my third wedding ring. Gasp, I know. Told you my luck was bad oh and I am clumsy and just plain hard on my jewlery. Hubby is working late and I feel terrible. That is it no more diamonds for me.

Play That Funky Music

2009-05-14T12:06:00.003-04:00

I am a die hard rock n roll metal chic, but every once in a while I need my funky 70's fix. The kids think I am strange, hubby just looks the other way.
That hankerin came over me this morning. We finally got rain last night. Boy did we get rain. So when I woke up this morning it felt like a brand new day and the house cleaning was looming. Screw it crank up those 70's tunes and my house will be funky fresh clean! Wanna hear me belt out my version of Papa was a Rollin Stone? Nah neither did the dogs. I really don't know where I get this need I was born in '72(ok ya go ahead do the math) so it's not like this was the music of my teen years. Oh well. Tommy Shaw(from Styx) is a guest DJ on XM' 70's on 7 so the afternoon will be productive!
Catch ya on the flip side!

Do You.....

2009-05-12T14:38:00.002-04:00

My wonderful husband has always said he loves my little bit of quirkiness. He also says he loves how cool and tough I am, that one I must have him fooled or something. Anyway back to my quirky cute self. Do you talk to your plants? I do, I also talk to the squirrels, birds, and butterflies. Please don't send the guys with the jackets I am ok really I am.
All of this talking to everything that enters the backyard must be paying off, the squirrels know better than to go near the veggies and butterflies come up and flutter in my face. How cool is that. I have more birds around than ever before and the other night I saw an owl on the fence, that is the first time I have seen an owl in my yard I was so excited I thought I was going to burst.
Call me Snow White heehee
Ok so what are your quirks?

Pay it Forward

2009-05-07T18:20:00.009-04:00

I am a true believer in what comes around goes around and that we are sent signs to lead us on our way. Today I was sent smiles in the mail and boy did I need them. A while back I stumbled across Mid-Atlantic Martha's blog and she had posted Pay it Forward. I didn't know exactly what this was in blog form. But I am very glad I took a chance. Today I received the sweetest package full of pink girliness. All for me! Words can't describe how dainty cute all of these goodies are.

Not only did I get goodies but I made a new Bloggy friend! Now it is my turn to Pay it Forward.

All you have to do is be one of the first three people to leave a comment, that is it. I will contact you probably with a couple questions. Who knows what I will come up with, thrifty, crafty, tasty. The possibilities are endless. If you are one of the first three, after you receive your goodies then you must pay it forward also.

Thank you again Martha I already have Mother's Day morning planned coffee and toast on the porch with my sweet lil gifts.

Scratching My Head

2009-05-07T09:08:00.002-04:00

By 8:00 am I was outside sweating(glistening)! Gotta love Florida. At least I got two gardenias in the ground, they have only been waiting a year. I had so many plans for outside today but I decided I needed more coffee and to blog for inspiration.
I am having an issues with my kitchen. Not happy, never happy I have plain white cabinets they are icky and there is no money to make them pretty right now. Above these cabinets there have been a gazillion different things, Mom and I even hung shelves in the dining room so that it was continued, don't like that either, but too much money and hard work went into that. So now I am rambling. Today I am taking everything off the cabinets and going to start from scratch. Somehow I have inherited basket on top of basket. These will probably find their way up there. Less is more or so they say. We will see. Thinking I just need a bigger house heehee.
Is there a room in your house that you just can't get right?

Time to Breath or Not.........

2009-05-04T08:13:00.002-04:00

WooHoo my semester is over! I have decided to take the summer off, this is the first real break since I started on this adventure. Of course off doesn't mean off. Hubby and the kids have listed the things I can do with my freedom, not bad things and I knew all this was waiting for me anyway.
I have a feeling this week will be filled with cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. As much as I love them, their idea of helping me out the last 12 weeks is not quite up to snuff. In between books, tests and pulling my hair out, I have tried to keep up with the house, but this last week was a bear. When I said I was going to grow potatoes I did not mean in the house, OMG these floors need cleaned. There of course is pile of laundry that I kept saying "oh it's not important I will get to it when I have time" and a pile of coupons from God knows when.
Oh did I mention I am throwing a baby shower for my ex's fiance? Weird I know, but she is the sweetest person, and I look at it as this is my kid's lil brother or sister. So if anyone has baby shower ideas PLEASE share it has been ages since I have done this.
I have missed my bloggy friends, so glad to be back!

Still Here

2009-04-28T07:48:00.002-04:00

Wow what a crazy week last was! In the middle of study, study, study, Big T found himself in a not so good living situation, this is a horrible ugly story that I am still too pissed about to share right now. As of Thursday I will be done with this semester. The next three days will be filled with Algebra, if I do not pass the state test on Thursday I will have to take this prep course over again ugh! So please say a prayer for Big T as he is realizing how nasty the real world can be. And keep your fingers crossed for me. My decision to take the summer off is a good one.

Balancing Act

2009-04-20T12:29:00.002-04:00

Crazy week ahead! If you don't hear from me in a few days please look under the pile of books!

I May Be a Quiet Voice But I Am Not Silent

2009-04-15T10:13:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday Big T

2009-04-14T08:14:00.006-04:00

Eighteen years ago today a scared 18year old girl gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He was a whopping 9lbs + and sweet as could be. She was scared but thought she knew it all and would have the perfect little family.

Big T was healthy as a horse! Sweet as molasses and my favorite person in the world. My make believe world got turned on it's side when Big T was 6 months old, we were at our normal check up the kid was off the charts but the Dr. needed to talk to me. Most moms know this is usually not a good sign. Big T had craniosyntosis, his head was growing sideways instead of all around. He would need surgery or his brain would be crushed. I remember looking at him and thinking what did I do? The Dr.s reassured me that it was nothing I did and it was just one of those things. I had never been so scared in my life, this surgery was major. The idea of someone holding your child's brain while his skull is being rebuilt is something I hope none of you have to go through. But he made it through the Dr was amazed at how well he did and that baby never cried or whined. His wonderful Dr predicted that he would go on to be an intelligent and healthy lil boy. And he has

I am not sure where the last 18 years have gone. He has grown up way to fast and there are so many things I wish I could go back and do over. Our relationship has been strained for the last year. He thinks he knows it all and has made some not so smart decisions. But I see hope and I will always be here with an ear to listen and a hug. Writing this doesn't make me less scared for his future but it reminds me of that girl in a very crowded hospital room scared out of her mind, listening to the little voice that said God does not give you anything you can't handle.

Happy Birthday Big T! My wish for you is to find what makes you happy, and know that you are always loved.

****I thought twice about posting this, sometimes we keep the dirty little details of our lives out of our blogs, but typing through my tears, tears for a boy turned into a man right before my very eyes Tears for things I wish and hope that he does differently than I did, has made me realize that my blog can be my friend without hearing its opinion. I am drying my tears and knowing that I have taught him well and know in the end that Big T will make the right choices and be happy.****

Why am I Always Falling Behind?

2009-04-13T21:53:00.002-04:00

Well spring break and Easter flew right by. As the kids are getting older they aren't around as much when school is out, I miss them bugging the heck out of me. I have never been one of those moms that wish for school to start, call me crazy.
The last couple years Mars and I have tried to do one special project for Earth Day, we recycle everyday, I am the light switch nazi, and we are consumer conscious. So we try to do something different for the big day. Our butterfly garden is in full swing! Out of the two trees we planted last year one is still going strong.
We always try some type of veggies but I swear the powers that be in my yard just like to watch me pull my hair out, so this year I said NO WAY! I have no time yadda yadda yadda.
Guess what, we planted a veggie garden this weekend. I decided not to take any summer classes so I will have more time and Mars proved her dedication by tilling our sandy earth and kneeling in the manure compost mixture as we planted our new babies.
Hubby and I have been discussing building some type of enclosure around our garden to keep the pesky critters out but we are no where near Bob the Builder material. If anyone has any ideas please share I would love to have something that is just wood and screen.
This term is coming to an end so I have tons of school work to do, as soon as I have a few free minutes I will upload pics of our newest dirt filled adventure.
I hope you all had a glorious Easter!

Goodies in the Mail

2009-04-09T22:23:00.006-04:00

I was lucky enough to take part in Semi Slacker Mom's Spring Swap. My partner Emily was great. Opening the box of goodies was so much fun! She really put a lot of thought into everything, Mars said she must have really read my blogs.

Everything was wrapped so pretty in pink and green tissue paper, these are my favorite colors and they always make me feel giddy like a lil girl.

As you can see there were so many goodies! Note cards, recipe cards and the cutest napkins! Candles and jelly beans, a brownie mix that I had to hide from Mars(she is a baking freak) we will make them for Easter. Easter towels and pot holders and the sweetest lil yellow bowl with a butterfly in the middle.

Wow didn't I tell you she was a great swap partner! Thanks Emily!

I can't wait to find another swap to be a part of it was so much fun!

What a weekend!

2009-04-05T23:22:00.012-04:00

6:30 am wake up, get Girl Scout up on her birthday so she can get to Easter egg hunt activity.

7:30 running behind camp site is 20 miles away.

8:15 Thought we were late but so was everyone else. Give her a kiss and a hug and get out before it gets crazy.

9:00 Stop at post office to mail spring swap and paperback swap book.

9:40 Home time for shower and get ready for my Phi Theta Kappa induction ceremony.

10:30 Mom calls looking for birthday girl, yack yack yack

11:00 back on track fighting with hair.

11:45 out the door

12:00 sign in and wait

12:30 still standing in the hall like a cattle call

1:15 finally we get to sit.

speeches speeches speeches

2:00 phone has buzzed 6 times in my purse, I am sitting in the front row decide I must get up and dash out, this could only happen to me. Birthday girl was done early and is going to troop leaders house. By now I am having anxiety attack thinking something is wrong. Sneak back in and take my seat.

2:45 Oh God I have to walk across the stage. Please don't trip please don't trip.

Whew I made it! And I wasn't the oldest one here.

3:15 Skip free food and go pick up Birthday girl

go home bake cupcakes and pizza.

6:00 Birthday Girls tween cohort shows up for sleepover. Oh and we are going to the mall.

7:00 Justice every tween girls favorite store.

7:30 Birthday girl trying on clothes.........................

8:40 Bought and paid everything was 30% off WooHoo

8:45 ear piercing for the fourth time please let it work this time.

9:00 going home to decorate cupcakes and munch,lots of giggles and fun.

12:30 tweens are wiped out time for bed.

Ok I will not bore you with all of Sunday,cleaning driveway, cleaning back porch, cooking, cook out, another tween that will probably never be invited over again.

And I am zonked,what a weekend and my baby is 12, where does the time go?

Starting to think I am not worth it lol

2009-03-31T08:03:00.003-04:00

No I have not gone emo. I am referring to those ridiculous hair color ads that tell me I'm worth it. Well I am having second thoughts on that. Finally after 2 months I made it to get the mop cut. Looked great, wish I could blow it out like Amber(hairdresser). Anyway, my hair has been every color blonde, black, red(for a long time) brunette(this is natural) and even blue. The blue hair was when the Lightning were in the play offs the first time, way before others were doing it. I got stares all night long. Now I am getting off track. New hair cut I figured time to color, I haven't done it in 2 years. I was a recovering hair color addict. Until this morning. Everyday there was a new gray, my hair was looking three different colors and I thought I would fix it. Through out my hair color addiction I NEVER paid anyone to do it. I always did it my self. So no way was I paying this time. Went to Wally World stood in the aisle admiring all of the beautiful shades. Hubby was looking at me like I was a little nutty. He looked at me like this everytime I mentioned maybe it was time to color. he is not one for change. I went on the side of caution, Natural Medium Mahogany Brown. Not too far off from what it was according to the chick on the box. Guess what Miss Clairol chick it is way not that color. It is dark! Looks almost black against my I could have been in Twilight skin color. And red omg. Look I was a red head for most of my adult life but I wanted something more natural. In my effort of this I need a total redo, I got it. From some lyin cardboard chick. Ok I am going to go cry in my coffee, ignore the mirror and try to get the rest of my day started. Hair disaster? share it I need to feel better. lol

100!

2009-03-28T19:00:00.002-04:00

Wow I can't believe that this is my 1ooth post. I have a bad habit of starting something and then not sticking with it sometimes, so this is a big deal. In honor of my 100th post I borrowed this from The Great Adventure.
The movies I have seen are in green!
Tell me what you think is missing off of this list. I know quite a few but I will save that for my next post.
The Yahoo! Movies editorial staff has created this handy checklist to track the 100 movies you must see before you die.
0-9
12 Angry Men (1957)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
400 Blows (1959)8 1/2 (1963)
A
The African Queen (1952)
Alien (1979)
All About Eve (1950)
Annie Hall (1977)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
B
The Battle of Algiers (1967)
The Bicycle Thief (1948)
Blade Runner (1982)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Blow Up (1966)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Breathless (1960)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
C
Casablanca (1942)
Chinatown (1974)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
D
Die Hard (1988)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Duck Soup (1933)
E
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Enter the Dragon (1973)
The Exorcist (1973)
F
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)
The French Connection (1971)
G
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather, Part II (1974)
Goldfinger (1964)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1968)
Goodfellas (1990)
The Graduate (1967)
Grand Illusion (1938)
Groundhog Day (1993)
H
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
I
In the Mood For Love (2001)
It Happened One Night (1934)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
J
Jaws (1975)
K
King Kong (1933)
L
The Lady Eve (1941)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
The Lord of the Rings (2001)
M
M (1931)
M*A*S*H (1970)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Matrix (1999)
Modern Times (1936)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
N
National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
Network (1976)
Nosferatu (1922)
O
On the Waterfront (1954)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
P
Paths of Glory (1958)
Princess Mononoke (1999)
Psycho (1960)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
R
Raging Bull (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Raise the Red Lantern (1992)
Rashomon (1951)
Rear Window (1954)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Rocky (1976)
Roman Holiday (1953)
S
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Schindler’s List (1993)
The Searchers (1956)
Seven Samurai (1954)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
The Sound of Music (1965)
Star Wars (1977)
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
T
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The Third Man (1949)
This is Spinal Tap (1984)
Titanic (1997)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Toy Story (1995)
U
The Usual Suspects (1995)
V
Vertigo (1958)
W
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
Wild Strawberries (1957)
Wings of Desire (1988)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Women On the Verge of Nervous Breakdown (1988)
The World of Apu (1959)

Movie Quotes Game

2009-03-24T11:42:00.006-04:00

I found this really neat game over at The Great Adventure, so I thought I would play along.
You pick 15 of your favorite movies or movies that you have seen. Then you go to IMDB.com and find a quote for each movie, post it and see if your readers can figure out the movie.I will mark each one as they are guessed correctly. I have also discovered my taste in movies is all over the place.
Lights, camera, action….
1. I can't go all my life waiting to catch you between husbands.

2. You alone can make my song take flight. Help me make the music of the night...
*Phantom of the Opera*Katy Lin*
3. What the hell's this?
: That's a low cholesterol meal. Happy Valentine's. God!
Are you trying to kill me?
: If I was gonna kill you, I'd use my hands.
*Fried Green Tomatos*Tara*
4. Goodbye, trolley people!
*Princess Diaries* Katy Lin*
5. You turned her against me!
: You have done that yourself.
You will not take her from me!
: Your anger and lust for power have already done that.

6. I'm not crazy, I've just been a very bad mood for the last 40 years! *Steel Magnolias* Jodi*

7. You fathers will understand. You have a little girl. She looks up to you. You're her oracle. You're her hero. And then the day comes when she gets her first permanent wave and goes to her first real party, and from that day on, you're in a constant state of panic.
*Father of the Bride*
8. Is Jake your only child? : Oh no. We have 12. : I couldn't keep her off of me.
*Cheaper by the Dozen* Katy Lin
9. I'm like cat here, a no-name slob. We belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us. We don't even belong to each other.
*Breakfast at Tiffany's* Katy Lin
10. I'm a good girl, I am!
*My Fair Lady* Katy Lin
11. I feel so sorry for the old lady who lived in the shoe, 'cause it must've smelled real bad

12. Peachy keen, jellybean
*Grease*Tara*

13. The American Express Card. Don't steal home without it.

14. What if at a key moment in the game my, my uniform bursts open and, uh, oops., my bosoms come flying out? That, that might draw a crowd, right?
: You think there are men in this country who ain't seen your bosoms?

15. [Poem] These things are good: ice cream and cake, a ride on a harley, seeing monkeys in the trees, the rain on my tongue, and the sun shining on my face. These things are a drag: dust in my hair, holes in my shoes, no money in my pocket, and the sun shining on my face.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-18T11:23:00.003-04:00

Take Time to Smell the Flowers!

For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5minutesformom.com.

Just Ramblin On

2009-03-17T10:27:00.004-04:00

Happy St. Patricks Day everyone!
The weather here has changed and the air conditioner was on yesterday. The good news is the orange tree is blossoming, I wish I could share with all of you just how wonderful my backyard smells. I would go stick my head in that tree and stay there all day if I could, but I don't think the bees would like that.
Ok so I have come to terms with my recent spray paint obsession, I will just go with it, after all if I don't like it I can repaint it.
Pinwheels! I love pinwheels! I have been spending way too much time on Etsy lately and I keep coming across the sweetest pinwheels, maybe this would be a good way for me to put all that paper that is just sitting around to good use.
What are you ramblin on about today?

Where am I?

2009-03-16T17:45:00.002-04:00

Never fails I am constantly falling behind. Another weekend flew by and I am trying to catch up. Most of the weekend was spent working outside. We really need rain, so if any of you want to share just let me know.
My new obsession has been spray painting everything black. I was going to buy a new mug tree and paper towel holder, um no, they got sprayed. I was worried about the paper towel holder, it is actually a lazy susan thing that was an apple. I love it because it hold paper towels has hooks for my measuring spoons and shelves for salt and pepper. I took the stem top off and attacked it with the paint. It came out so much better than I expected. Ok I am off to shop for my spring swap partner, I love shopping for others!

Fun at the Strawberry Festival

2009-03-12T07:47:00.012-04:00

On Sunday we took Mars and Grasshopper to the Strawberry Festival, it was a nice change of pace for us. We needed some fun. Of course there were strawberries everywhere you turned yummy, and I bought the yummiest strawberry bread. The kids rode a few rides, I rode the carousel. Mars wouldn't go on the ferris wheel with me, but wanted me to go on those spinny rides, no way. Thanks grasshopper for helping me out with that. Oh and there were these incredible cakes. Sorry that some of the pics are fuzzy, at least I remembered the camera.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-11T07:19:00.004-04:00

For more wordless wednesday please visit 5minutesformom.com

WooHoo for Milkweed!

2009-03-10T07:10:00.008-04:00

Aren't these sweet? No it's not milkweed that's next. I just love these tiny little flowers.

After taking my midterm and cutting my finger on a folding chair( this was just one of those things that happen only to me). We made our way to Home Depot. Guess what, Milkweed woohoo! I bought 12 of those babies, and left 4 for someone else. If I had no heart I would have bought them all. This year we are pretty budgeted so this will probably be the end of plant shopping but I think we did ok. They say the proof is in the pudding so would you believe there was a momma monarch out there laying eggs yesterday? Some of these plants are still in their pots so I am way excited now. I sent Hubby a text message and he couldn't believe it either. I love how our whole family gets excited about this.

Severus knew there was catnip in that bag before we even put it down. Crazy kitty.

And as if this weekend couldn't get any better, Hubby and the Kids kicked some oak leaf butt! We had so many leaves that you couldn't see the ground. This is the third time we have been out there to do this. Hubby always says" If Mama ain't happy, nobody's happy" Well Mama is happy!

I Love Quiet Saturday Mornings

2009-03-07T07:38:00.002-05:00

Before the day starts to get crazy, there is nothing better than just sitting watching the sun peak through the curtains and enjoying a nice cup of coffee. I love it when I am able to actually get my behind out of bed before everyone else and take in these few minutes. They won't last long, it is Saturday and there are a ton of things to do. I have a midterm to go take at 9 and Mars and I have a Girl Scout cookie booth shift this afternoon, at of all places Super Walmart. How do I resist the temptation of going in seeing if they have anymore throw pillows on clearance?
In between this craziness we must make our way to Home Depot to see if they have gotten anymore Milkweed in. Last week they had 2. 2! Are you kidding me? I need more. I asked when their shipments come in, um every week, what day, um we don't know. So much for that great customer service they have been trying to practice.
So last week we settled for the 2 Milkweed and also picked up a few Pentas, these are good for attracting all sorts of fluttery friends. There were a few other goodies too, but I am still yearning for Milkweed. I really need to work on my seed starting skills so that I do not go through this agony every year.
Ah I hear movement, looks like my few stolen moments are coming to an end. What does your weekend have in store for you?

Post #91

2009-03-05T15:03:00.007-05:00

Yesterday's Wordless Wednesday's post was #90. I am surprised that my blogging time has gone by so quickly. Yesterday's pic was Mars and Hubby reading, she always knows how to sucker him in to read to her. That pic was a few years old but I still love it. She has grown up quite a bit since then and so has her room. What a mess I didn't even realize it till after I uploaded. Gone is the canopy she so had to have and Hello Kitty isn't quite as prominent either. Last year for her birthday her grandma bought new bedding so of course that meant new curtains and everything else. The walls are yellow I hate them and don't even remember why I painted them that color way back when. When I mention repainting we have this all out debate. I also painted a tree in her room, so if I repaint the room that means the tree will have to go. I am living with a bunch of tree huggers lol.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-04T07:19:00.003-05:00

Take time to enjoy the small moments.
For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5minutesformom.com

Orange Pieces of Sunshine

2009-02-26T08:57:00.005-05:00

Yesterday's Wordless Wednesday came from Mom's orange tree. Mine is still just a baby so I have to go over there to hijack oranges. Of course I brought back way more than I thought and spent most of Tuesday washing them. Most of them will be used to make Sunshine Muffins as soon as I can find the recipe. I clearly am not running on all cylinders this week.

Two tests today, Saturday will be muffin day, and hopefully Sunday will include a trip to Home Depot and Lowes to start choosing our flowers for our fluttery friends.

Ok back to oranges, I have always dreamed of having orange grove. There is something about those trees all lined up in rows. It kind of reminds me of childhood stories, running through the groves and playing hide and seek.

So many of the family owned groves are now gone. It is sad to drive through parts of our sunshine state and see abandoned groves. Our citrus used to be part of the reason people came to Florida on vacation. Of course this is back in the days of stopping to see the alligator farms and to swing on the Banyan trees. So I am sending you all a little bit of our sunshine. Just take a minute to pretend that you are stopping on the side of the road to see what the grove owners have at their stand.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-25T08:02:00.003-05:00

Sending sunshine your way

Butterfly Gardens

2009-02-22T09:20:00.007-05:00

Thank you all for the comments on the butterflies. When I say that we planted a butterfly garden, it is not one of those fancy one you see in the parks, this was a diy let's make our backyard more friendly to our fluttering friends project. It was also a great way for the kids to be involved and learn about the life cycle. We cried when we had our first chrysalis not open,and we giggled with excitement when we watched another burst into the world and fill her wings so that she could fly.

Our main focus was Monarchs, we were able to watch them mate, drop their eggs, turn into big fat caterpillars and then find some of the craziest place to rest for their transformation.

We also had other visitors, but it was easiest for us as beginners to concentrate on the life cycle of one species, and make a happy place for the rest.

I tried to start plants from seed, but with our schedule we found potted plants were better. I am hoping to create some type greenhouse structure so that my seed starting skills improve.

There are tons of websites out there that can be helpful, but remember all you need is the right plants, water, and sunshine. Did you know a butterfly has to be warm in order to fly?

Dan at The Butterfly Garden Plan has a great website. Check this one out. I will spend some time posting more details and sharing our progress. And you know I have to share more pics from last year.

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

2009-02-21T22:40:00.002-05:00

Go answer this question at The Maisy Report for a chance to win her amazing giveaway!
While your there check out the pictures of her house. Wow she has some gorgeous stuff!

TGIF!

2009-02-20T08:26:00.002-05:00

This week seemed to fly by! I guess it's true when they say time goes by faster the older you get. January was just a blip and now we are almost done with February. It really doesn't help when the weekends are full of errands, meetings and activities. Mars has her Girl Scout World Thinking Day event on Sunday, I have an orientation meeting tomorrow with Phi Theta Kappa,The International Honor Society. Part of me is excited that I was invited to be a part of this, part of me is not so sure. I think I am going through the I am to old to be a part of these things and should just get through school and move on. But the opportunities that are offered are hard to pass up. Also my kids think this is cool. How do I pass up a chance to show my kids what is available when you work hard.
I guess I am just looking for a way to validate my decision.
On a brighter fun note, my stashing extra cash is paying off. Mars and I will be choosing which Girl Scout camp she wants to attend. Last year we were to late and quite frankly the money wasn't there. Not this year that child is going to go and learn new things and make new friends. She is becoming quite pragmatic, on top of being a drama queen at times this is just to much. I would like to see her have some fun.
I was also able to splurge and bought Hubby and I tickets to see Queensryche in May. Remember I am a rocker chick, and I need my concert fix! This is the only bonus to time flying, it means that I am not so far away from reverting back to the younger me shaking my behind and hearing Geoff Tate belt out all of my faves. Well time for my walk so when I shake my behind I don't knock out the poor unsuspecting souls around me.
Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday Revisited

2009-02-19T09:53:00.005-05:00

My Wordless Wednesday pic tells me where most of ya'lls minds are lol. But even if you didn't say it out loud you were right,except it is three butterflies not two. So even these pure beautiful creatures like to get their freak on.

Why do I have pics of butterfly porn? Last year we really built up our butterfly garden and had gazillions of monarchs mating and laying their eggs. This was amazing to see happening in our backyard. It was also therapeutic as this was the time that my Grandmother's health was deteriorating. My Grandmother and Mars had a butterfly connection. They would send pictures through the mail of different butterflies and would discuss which ones were their favorite. While Grandma's health was failing she never forgot to ask how our little project was going. I think this helped Mars when Grandma passed and now Mars cherishes each fluttering friend she sees.

The weird freezes kinda took a toll on the surviving plants we had. I have said a million times that I will not be spending any money on plants this year. Well I guess I lied, I will be watching Home Depot like a hawk for when the Milkweed comes in. That silly butterfly garden and all of its residents carried us through one of the worst times in our lives. I owe it to Mars and those creepy crawlies to rebuild for the spring.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-18T13:39:00.005-05:00

Can you guess what this is?

This is my first time taking part in Wordless Wednesday to see more check out 5minutesformom.com

A Lovely Weekend

2009-02-16T08:54:00.009-05:00

I took a break from painting this weekend. I needed it. There was actually time to go out and clean up the yard a little bit. Valentines Day was nice. We never make a big fuss, because everyday is Valentines Day around here. HeHe I know mushy. Hubby got me the most beautiful gerber daisies(I LOVE gerber daisies) and the sweetest card. I baked him a chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting. We were supposed to cook out, the kids were at their dad's house, but since I listed the explorer on Craigslist the phone was ringing off the hook. We ordered pizza and had a glass of wine on the back patio. I think it was just as nice and no kitchen mess to clean up. I made a big enough mess with the cake. To top off our weekend we did sell the explorer! WooHoo! Too bad the money has to go to bills and not fun. I hope everyone had a lovely weekend.

~~Make sure to check out the give away on my other blog Mixin It Up In The Land of Foo~

I am going to extend it till Friday since things have been crazy here.

Have a GREAT Monday!

The Bug is Gone

2009-02-10T10:51:00.002-05:00

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I think the bug is about gone. Now I have tons of catching up to do. It will never cease to amaze me how much things can get out of whack in a couple days time. I have a speech due Friday and I haven't even started it YIKES! But at least I can sit here and look at my pretty black dining room furniture. The pics are not near as nice as in person but I hope to share them soon.
Ok laundry is calling and I need to get creative in the kitchen, I have not been to the store. Plus I have class tonight. I swear some days I just want to be that woman who gets to stay home and vacuum in her heels and pearls.

How Was Your Weekend?

2009-02-09T11:24:00.003-05:00

Guess what I did? Painted, yes again, but it is almost done YAY! Then Hubby decided to share the stomach bug he caught on Friday. He is a sweetie and brought home a cutie gerber daisy Sunday morning. I love gerber daisies. Other than that the only other excitement was Mars' new haircut. I swear that girl did nothing but talk about her hair for the rest of the day.
So there's my weekend, still fighting this bug and the homework is piling up. How was your weekend?

The Letter "N"~A Challenge

2009-02-05T09:01:00.002-05:00

Sarah over at Nesting in Pleasant View was recently challenged by writing ten things she loved that started with the letter "P". I thought I would play along and she sent me the letter "N". This is one of those neat challenges that really let's people see what is going on inside of our silly little heads. Hmmm wonder what I can come up with.....

1. Night time ~ I love it when the air is clear and you can look up in the sky and see all of the sparkly wonders that God has created. There is something about looking up in that pretty night sky and wondering who else is looking up too.

2. Nests~ We have a squirrel family that has been building their nest right above our backyard. How amazing is it that they they take the time to find just the right twigs and such to create their homes. I am jealous that they do not have to worry about paint colors, window treatments and so on.

3.Nickels~ In these hard times, I love every nickel I find.

4.New friends~ When I first started blogging I had no idea that there were so many wonderful people out there. I have made some amazing bloggy friends, you ladies are creative, unselfish and caring.

5.Noses~ baby noses to be exact(well when they aren't runny) they are so cute and perfect. I remember when my monsters were babies rubbing noses with them. The sweetest little thing, and then as they grew they would come and rub my nose. Sweet little round baby noses.

6.Neapolitan Ice Cream ~ When I was little this was my favorite, While everyone was fighting for the chocolate I wanted the strawberry. I recently saw a recipe for Neapolitan cupcakes, I may have to check it out.

7.NFL~ Are you ready for some football?

8.Nachos~ oooo melty cheese and chips with all the fixins. I love Chilis nachos Mmmmmm.

9.Note cards~ Cute note cards that I have piles of, for every occasion and some just because they are pretty.

10. Newborns~ Perfection and innocence. I am currently taking a child development class and had to watch videos of mothers giving birth. I sat here and cried, not out of sadness, but because of how wonderful the process and little new ones are. To see the little toes and fingers stretching for the first time is such an amazing thing. Truly little miracles.

Now it's your turn if you want to play along leave me a comment and I will send you a letter.

I have an excuse.......

2009-02-04T11:00:00.003-05:00

That last couple of weeks I have not been as peachy as usual. But I have an excuse I think. Hormonal imbalance.
In 1996 doctors found pre cancerous cells on my cervix thanks to an abnormal pap smear(ladies pay attention to those results) the doctors removed half of my cervix. I went on to have two more beautiful children. After Mars I decided that the three children I had been blessed with were enough and had a tubal ligation. After pain and horrible monthly visits from mother nature I knew something was wrong. The cells were back along with numerous cysts. So at the ripe old age of 29 I had to have a full hysterectomy. I knew I was done having children but the idea of all of my woman parts being taken from me was hard. This was before all of the information on the links of hormone replacement and breast cancer were out. And we had already had a breast cancer scare before my surgery, thank god it was only a shadow, but it did open my eyes.
After my surgery the doctor did prescribe hormones and what a nightmare that turned into. Dosages were being moved up and down, with no solution. When I talked to the doctor, I told him that I was not feeling right and that Hubby even noticed it. His response was all husbands feel that way. Well that was my last visit to him. At the same time the research on HRT and breast cancer starting coming out. My Dad called to discuss this, he is a no meds no Dr kinda guy and was really worried about me. This is the point I decided to take things into my own hands and started reading up on soy based hormones. These worked, when I remembered to take them. Over time I had stopped taking everything except vitamins. Every once in awhile I feel the need to restart taking something. Right now is one of those times. My clumsiness has reached new heights and I won't even tell you about the bitchy level. So I started taking Mom's medicine as it is known around here and hopefully I will start to feel like myself in a few days. That means I won't cry when I can't get those dang chairs painted black and maybe I can enjoy this Arctic blast before it starts getting 100 degrees outside.
If anyone has any suggestions on controlling my craziness please let me know.

Global Warming?

2009-02-03T11:57:00.004-05:00

I know some of you have to put up with this cold, cloudy, windy winter stuff on a normal basis, but hello this is Florida. I do not own a coat. Sweaters are bought as fashion statements not survival. In the last month we have been told three times we are getting the coldest temps of the year. Ok maybe for them to find a new term. Again tonight with the freeze warnings.
My poor plants I have already lost a few in the last month. I have done the responsible thing and planted native type plants. Well guess what these are not freakin native temperatures. Am I sounding nuts yet? You would too if your $40 palm trees were tuning brown. Yes I cover what I can, but there only so much you can do against Mother Nature. Funny I thought Mother Nature and I understood each other. I am now thinking she is in cahoots with Home Depot's garden department. Did they here me say that I was spending no money on plants this year? Ok that's it my rant is done. Well at least till I am crying about humidity,heat,hurricanes, you get the picture.

Algebra,Black Paint and Oh Yeah the Super Bowl was in Town

2009-02-02T08:55:00.011-05:00

Can someone please tell me where the weekend went? And while your at it why is it taking me so long to finish my project around here. The good news is two out of four chairs are done. The weather was not spray paint weather so thanks to my buddy Behr we figured it out. The hutch/cabinet is also 95% done. Cooler weather means longer drying. I have dubbed it my baking cabinet, all baking supplies will be stored here woohoo. If I can't have a pantry then I will wing it. I have a few pics but silly camera is giving me a hard time.

Almost done woohoo!

$1 at a yard sale! Guess what color those frames will be painted.

This is the money I could be saving with Geico flying outside my backdoor.

I won't even bother you with the Algebra part of my weekend. Let's just say I think I found a new gray hair this morning, and I am pretty sure it wasn't primer.

Tagged

2009-01-31T08:20:00.003-05:00

I was tagged a couple days ago by Sarah over at Vintage Chic Home. Silly school work has kept me so busy I could scream. So this is the 25 Random Things Tag, I hope I can think of 25 things.

1~ I love Coffee
2~I do not like reality TV, except almost anything on HGTV and Clean House.
3~I love peas.
4~I am about half way to my Associates degree at age 36.
5~ Pink Green and Black are my favorite colors.
6~ Alligators are one of my greatest fears.
7~My family is the best thing in my life.
8~ Second guessing myself is a daily occurrence,
9~ I am a rocker chic! This is about the only thing I have in common with my teens.LOL
10~I used to be a Children's Ministry Leader.
11~ If there was one instrument I wish I could learn to play it would the bass guitar. But it might be best if I stuck with a tambourine.
12~ I have been married twice.
13~ My husband is my best friend, he has helped my realize what I am capable of doing in life and allows me to be me. He is so wonderful.
14~ I can be a real bitch when I want to.
15~ I have gone to 3 different states to see football games.For our Honeymoon we went to Atlanta to watch the 49er and the Falcons. It was so much fun!
16~ Hubby and I plan to do a Route 66 trip sometime in the future,
17~Love,LoveLove Baseball
18~Some of my favorite movies are silent.
19~ I have always felt that I may have been born in the wrong time.
20~I am having a hard time coming up with 25 things
21~Self image is sometimes a problem
22~ I have never broken a bone.
23~ Watching a Hurricane come in across the gulf was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.We were in Cedar Key when Hurricane Dennis was coming, we did leave but barely made it before they closed the bridges in.
24~If I read this before posting it I will probably delete it lol that whole self image second guessing thing.
25~I have been researching my family roots. My mother was adopted and found her family but there are still so many mysteries. Unfortunately her parents have passed, Oh how I wish I could have known them.

Ok there you have it, I am a mess!
I forget how many I was supposed to tag oops. So if you read this and wanna play go for it, just leave me a note in my comments so I can what you 25 things are.

Photo Tag

2009-01-28T10:22:00.003-05:00

I was tagged by Tara to play along in a photo challenge. What fun! Ok here is how it goes, you go to your 6th folder and find the 6th picture. Now I wasn't quite sure what I would find so I had to play. Well it isn't too exciting but here you go................Last year we really beefed up our butterfly garden and as you can see they found the strangest places to occupy. It got to the point that we had to watch where and what we were doing. I have tons more photos of this never thought to share. Thanks Tara!

I have to tag 6 friends now

Sam, Lori, Sarah, Tanya, Sunny, Cherry

Can't wait to see what ya'll come up with!

House or Home

2009-01-26T15:38:00.002-05:00

Lately we have made some decisions to change parts of the house. Nothing drastic just redoing some furniture pieces and adding more storage. Hubby has always joked that I would never have a house that was big enough, it seems every time our family has some function here the house seems small. I dream of a family room or a pantry, but this weekend I started to see our house in a different light.
Most of our changes have been in the kitchen. We added an island that would give more counter space for cooking and preparation. This is the part that hit me. This change is so the kids have room to help me, and I watched them as they gathered around this silly little island with the look in their eyes that I know Hubby has seen in mine many times. They had vision, looking at the possibilities of what we could accomplish in the kitchen as a family.
This silly fake wood $83 island/cart opened my eyes, this is not our house this is our home. I know that a lot of us have these ideas of the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood, but in the end it is what we do to create a home that matters.
I love my little house, Our family is the only family to live in this house. One day my children will be able to tell theirs that we moved in here the day after their step father and I were married. This is not something everyone can do. They will be able to tell the story of how a little cart made it easier for us all to work together in the kitchen.
In the end it isn't the house that matters, it is the home.

What a Day

2009-01-24T22:42:00.002-05:00

The cart is put together, pretty nice for the price. I will add pics later. Then we started to prime and paint the chairs. What a freakin nightmare. The prime part was fine, the painting not so much. I love to paint but this one has me wanting to throw my arms up in the air. We decided to try a Krylon paint, well let me tell you I will never use this paint again. not only does it go on crappy, Mom had to come help just so I wouldn't go off the deep end. Thanks to Mom's visit the kids got fed(pizza) and I know it is the paint not me that is a problem. We put a coat on and tried to work with it and finally at 10 we called it a day. I have a tone of homework to do so these silly chairs will probably wait till next weekend. I have some before pics I will try to get on later.
Hope everyone else is having a productive weekend.

AHahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

2009-01-23T08:06:00.003-05:00

This has been one crazy week. We have had three nights of freezing temps in sunny Tampa Florida. Not much got done around here I can tell you that. I am nervous about going into my backyard, many plants had to be covered and I know that there are some that just didn't make it. My plants are my friends so this is not something I am looking forward to.
Operation I am redoing the kitchen/ dining on a budget is underway. After shopping for a cart/island my head was spinning. I knew I wanted black with a natural wood top, so it would match hubby's 30+ year old table. OMG shipping and costs and backorders had me rethinking this whole thing. Common sense started setting in and I decided to stand in the kitchen and rethink my plan.
As it turns out the cart I was drooling over would have been too big. It would have fit, but with growing kids and my knack of becoming claustrophobic in a crowded kitchen it would not have been pretty. So it was decided that a smaller cart was in order.
Here is my AHahaaaaaaaaa moment, and yes I do sing this out loud with my arms spread open, thank goodness Hubby loves me for my quirkiness. We were in Kmart yesterday and I just happened to stroll over to the furniture. A sign, Kitchen cart 89.99. Um excuse me I was now one of those crazy ladies climbing under the shelves looking for this cart. Hubby knew to stand back. I found it, it's not black but has a natural wood top that matches the table. Of course Hubby asks am I sure, heck yeah I'm sure this fake wood beauty is under $100 and Kmart is 10 minutes from the house. Besides I already have 1,2,3,4............pieces of furniture being painted why not this too. So my man of muscle puts the newest in a long line of furniture pieces in the cart and I say that is it not pushing my luck we are out of here. We get to the check out, woohoo no one there, would you believe that my future black kitchen cart with the natural wood top rang up at $83.00. Hubby looked back at me hoping I don't have an AHahaaaaaaaaaaaaa moment right there in the store, I control it, but only till we got home. What a day, I found my cart and I got to watch my man flex some muscle!
Hopefully I remember to take some pics before hand, this weekend we are going to go full tilt boogie on getting some of these projects done. This is the only good thing about no football and no baseball.

Do Ghosts Drink Beer?

2009-01-20T10:02:00.002-05:00

If you don't believe in ghosts, spirits or beings from the beyond this post is not for you. Also I am sure some of you will think I am a nutcase or freako, that is ok you won't be the first our the last.
Hubby and I bought our house brand spanking new in '01 we actually moved into it the day after we were married, cool right! Ours is a mixed neighborhood our next door neighbor's house is over 100 years old. The lot that our home is built on used to be part of an alley and the other half belonged to the house next door. I remember when we first bought the house it was thought that it was all ours, no one else had ever lived in it, what a way to start our life together.
We are not alone. For the longest time we would be laying in bed and we could hear what sounded like a radio. The only problem is there was no radio on. After many nights trying to figure it out we realized it was coming from the air conditioner vent in our bedroom. Ok before you say oh it's just air, no it is not air noise, this is clearly a muffled radio type noise.
Well little things are always happening around here mostly unnoticed until last week. I had just washed and remade our bed. I even put the pretty pillows on. Everytime I would go back into my room those dang blankets were pulled back, I was getting annoyed I mean even the pretty pillows were out. Would you believe the next time I went in there the pretty pillows were all flipped over! Ok think I am nuts yet?
Last night I woke up at 3:30 with a horrible stomach ache. Came out to the kitchen to get some water. All four animals were watching my every move and that is when it happened. The Homer Simpson bottle opener started going off in the drawer. Do you have any idea what it is like to hear Mmmmmmmmmm Beer at 3:30 in the morning. And to top it off the dogs were not barking, they bark at everything. I took it out placed it on the counter and it stopped. No it does not have a button, it is activated when you open a bottle. Told you freaky story and do you know what Hubby says? Maybe I should count the beer lol.

My head is empty............

2009-01-19T08:03:00.002-05:00

I woke up thinking I really need to get back on track with this blog, and that is when the moths inside my brain started flittering around. Yikes! This whole past week I would see or do something and think oh I need to write that down, did I? No, so now I am stuck rambling, and trying to shake those moths out. The cleaning and organization continue around here and we(I) have made some design decisions now to save those pennies! There is a black kitchen island/cart in my future which means the chairs are getting painted along with the buffet, and just when I thought I was going to have to save more pennies good ole Mom says I can have a colonial style hutch that was in her house when she bought it. Plus I get to paint it, WooHoo! Big projects that I will tackle one at a time, but this means more storage space,YAY! More counter top, WooHoo and a whole new look for the cost of paint, and the cart. Ok I guess I did have something to write about. Funny how that happens. Oh one more thing, Grasshopper's room is wonderful but we need a bulletin board or something, should I do cork, or magnetic? Ah decisions..............

Busy,Busy,Busy

2009-01-13T09:09:00.006-05:00

The feeling of accomplishment has to be one of the best feelings ever. The last couple weeks I have slowly started to gain some control of our out of control home. I started back at school and life is back to full swing. There is something about when all of the Christmas stuff is gone that gets you in the mood to organize and clean. Usually I just dive right in, get in over my head and abandon it, coming up with excuses. Not this year, I am taking a different approach. Didn't the tortoise say " slow and steady wins the race"? So I am taking one cabinet at a time, one corner at a time and saving the bigger projects for when I have the time.

This past weekend Grasshopper and I completely cleaned out and painted his room. What an amazing change. I probably should have taken before and after pics, it went from a dark deep blue(what was I thinking) to a beautiful coffee color. Very relaxing and grown up looking. He had gotten new bedding for his birthday so this room really got a redo. Since spending has been cut around here I will have to save and wait for all of the finishing touches,but I think that is what will make it special. I am so glad my son had a chance to make decisions and help do the work in his room, this will make him appreciate it even more.

The second bigger project has been Sunday Baker's Pantry Challenge, I don't have a pantry but my cupboards are thanking me for their sprucing up. So see instead of thinking I need to do this, this and this I start on that and it gets done and no has been injured.

Am I getting old?

2009-01-08T10:47:00.002-05:00

Wow the last few times I have spent any amount of time in the kitchen my legs and back ache afterwards. I am thinking I need one of those spongy mats. Or a real comfy pair of slippers. And can someone please tell me where are all these little veins are coming from? these signs of time flying by seem to all be hitting at once. Bags under my eyes, if one more person tells me I look tired I will wallop them. Gray hair, Mars would see one I would say pull it out quick! Now she says "Mom I think it would be ok if you colored your hair" jeez. I guess it doesn't help that I was going through some things and found a picture from my first wedding(kids Dad) and wow I was just a kid. Well I guess I am done whining, now for something fun I found an organizational challenge over at Sunday Baker. I will be posting the details on my other blog.
Any suggestions to stop these signs of aging will be appreciated;)

A Pinch of This A Dash of That

2009-01-06T08:55:00.003-05:00

I love recipes. I have books, cards, printed from the internet and clipped from magazine recipes everywhere. If there is a yummy I can't pass it up. Yesterday it took most of my afternoon just to sort through my pot luck of future dishes. Yes my organization skills need help. I found doubles of some and then there were some that I had to question why I kept. Well the fun part is now I can share my finds.
So to get my self on track I started another blog, yes this does make sense because I will be able to keep track of all of my online finds. Plus I get to share. I am in the sharing mood. So take a minute to jump over to mixinitupinthelandoffoo.blogspot.com and if you have something to share please do.
One little step to the organizing phase of the new beginning.
Oh by the way I found my cupcake book, this will not be good for my weight loss phase.

A New Beginning(again)

2009-01-05T10:36:00.002-05:00

Every year I start out thinking I will be more organized, will lose weight and be more positive. Well I lose the weight and regain it, organized HA!, and I really do try to be positive there always seems to be some one there trying to crush my mellow. Today I am going to attempt these things again but without being all nutty about it. I have lost 2 lbs since Christmas, I know that I need to move more and make the right food choices. The positive part seems to be the trickiest right now. All of these outside evil forces just seem to be drawn to me. I don't do drama and I do not believe in self pity. So people will you please leave me alone! I typed that with a smile on my face.
School starts back tomorrow for me and the kids so I have oodles to get done. With a smile on my face and the left over holiday goodies hidden far far away I am on my way to a new beginning(again)

Goodbye 2008

2008-12-31T07:32:00.003-05:00

As the New Year is knocking on the door I thought I would take some time to reflect on 2008. By far this was one of the toughest years in our household, but there were blessings along the way too. I won't make any resolutions for 2009, this always seems to set me up to fail. I will just aspire to live healthier and find thriftier ways for my family to get by. If I had to make resolutions the list would be so long that it would run into 2010.
Our family suffered through great heartache this past year as we lost my grandmother in May. It was this time last year that we were told that we did not have very much time left. She fought and stayed with us as long as she could. Her funeral was held in our hometown of Defiance Ohio, this brought family together that have not seen each other for many years. This was one of our blessings. She would have loved to see everyone as they realized who each other were and how much time had gone by. My sister and I got to hear great stories of my dad's younger years, and my oldest son finally got to see where my small town heart stems from. The holidays were hard for us this year, it was always grandma's favorite time of the year, but we did make it through and I could feel her with me as I tried to be strong.
There have been other ups and downs this year. Big T(the oldest) has moved in with a friend, I hope he finds what makes him happy and that he knows I love him. We also lost our Rascal, he was hubby and I's first pet together and Hubby lost two friends to cancer.
I think we have all had to deal with financial issues, I am fortunate to have the creative knowledge to try and get my family through this. Almost as if we need to move back in time to figure out ways to get by. I for one will be watching every penny, not wasting anything, and remember that there is always someone who has it worse than we do.
My Dad sent me a New Years card and inside he wrote " I hope you shine in 09" This is what my family and I will strive to do, shine.

Santa Claus and Silly Kids

2008-12-19T08:08:00.003-05:00

Santa is a fixture in our house. Mars is 11 and still believes, I think this is partially because she doesn't want to grow up. I have been bombarded the last couple years with "do you believe in Santa mom?" of course I do. I keep hoping and dreaming. Over the years these kids have really tried to pry the truth out of me, I have never told them there is no Santa, how else does all the Christmas magic happen. We have had questions range from the normal how can he get to all the children, will he know if we are at your house or dad's, to Mom, does Santa no the code for the security system. Geez kids! I think I have the silliest kids around. Grasshopper(the middle one) is my comedian, I swear he should go into acting, still has them all beat. Six years ago(I think) the kids wanted the newest game system, I think it was a Playstation. They were relentless, and money was tight. I was talking to my friend Michelle and told her that the kids must think that Santa could pull such gifts out of his @$$. Ok I know not cool but it was mom frustration at Christmas.
That same year Santa was at the zoo, Michelle and I took the kids to see him. As Grasshopper went to talk to Santa he gives me a look. I was no where near prepared for what was about to happen.
Grasshopper proceeds to tell Santa what he wants and the tells him " My mom said you can't pull gifts out of your butt." Parents are starting to stare at me and I am getting the evil eye from Santa. All the while my best friend is laughing her head off. Ah kids. Yes they did get the Playstation and I think that was the last time we went to visit Santa

A Big Thank You

2008-12-17T11:46:00.005-05:00

When I started blogging it was by persuasion of an online friend. Ever since I have been hooked. Being able to express myself and make so many friends has been a gift. I have learned tons and some of you have re sparked my creativity. The decision to start blogging and sharing with the virtual world a piece of yourself sends you into a self examining spiral. Should it be personal? How much of yourself do you share? Most of my skeletons remain in my cyber closet, but I do love to share a good story.
Why so serious? I received an award last night from " Don't Live the Sheltered Life". To receive an award from someone who blogs for a purpose is a little humbling. Ok now I am feeling serious.

This is the note that followed.....

“These blogs invest and believe in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers, who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I am gracious for this award but instead of 8 people I would like to pass it on to 4. I hope changing this is ok lol.

Thank you for allowing me to be a little part of your bloggy life!

I am passing this on to....

Family Traditions~ One Story at a Time ~ For passing on your beautiful traditions

Kitchen Retro ~ For making me almost pee my pants, Hubby is now a reader too.

All Things Sunny ~ For your inspiration

Thrifty Decor Chick ~ For helping me find my creative self again

Wow Am I Behind

2008-12-16T10:53:00.013-05:00

Well I am way behind. My fall term at school is done, Grasshopper turned 15 on Friday, we had our 3rd annual Cookie Exchange this past Saturday. Whew I am worn out but at least I can now focus on tying up the loose end for Christmas. There are also 5 lbs that have snuck up on me, I blame studying and cookies.

Mars and I have hosted a Mother Daughter Cookie Exchange for 3 years now. This year we kept things a little simple because of financial constraints, but it was still so much fun. Instead of a craft for the kids we played Christmas Bingo. What a Hit! There is also an ornament exchange which is always so much fun. I like the ornament exchange the best because it gives us a little reminder of our time together. Next years party is already being planned!

Serious Bingo Babes

OMG Mars actually caught me!

This lucky girl is 5 months prego and enjoyed all the goodies, fyi she was also prego at our 1st cookie party lol

Holly won the most festive packaging contest, this was her first year joining us and is soon to be Mars' stepmom.

The ornament exchange is always a hit!

~Seashells~A Few of My Favorite Things

2008-12-05T08:05:00.009-05:00

I have loved being a part of Thrifty Decor Chick's "A Few of My Favorite Things" party. I have had a chance to play with the camera, although I think the camera is tired. Going through the house has made me realize how much I have surrounded my self with things that I love.

Today's fave is seashells. Now these seashells actually tie into other faves of mine. We have tons of shells that the kids, hubby and I have collected on our trips to Cedar Key. I inherited my Grandmother's shells. So see isn't funny how things always just seem to come together. When we were younger we would spend weekends at my Grandparent's condo on St. Pete Beach. Lots of seashell time there. My Grandmother had a wonderful collection of shells and I remember spending hours looking at all the different types, colors and sizes. Well that love for seashells has carried on through the years and living in Florida doesn't hurt. Since it is Christmas time around here some of the shells are packed away, and some I have attempted to dress up. This is my attempt at dressing my shells for Christmas, I found this beautiful ribbon at Micheals marked down to a dollar and it is even Martha ribbon, WooHoo,now if camera would behave. My bathroom is really blue so we can see the camera is not wanting to behave.

Not liking ribbon on these, I think I was pressing my creative luck. And last but not least, Severus wants to be involved..........................

Liquid Life Support

2008-12-03T08:23:00.003-05:00

Staying with the My Favorite Things vibe this is my must have no matter what, watch out if I do not get it, do not think we are travling anywhere with out my travel size Mr. Coffee, are you kidding there is no starbucks there, yes dear I am addicted, I think you get the point.

I must admit this addicting love affair. I wake up and he is the first thing on my mind. Tall, dark and handsome. He is not afraid to be sweetened and understand when I need him to be strong. Although there are times when weakness has been displayed, I can not wait to wrap my hands around the warmth and inhale the scent of comfort he provides. He can be a little wicked, keeping me up at night, and so not afraid of whip cream. Ah Mr. Coffee I would be lost without you.

Ok clearly I have had either to much coffee this morning or not enough. So grab a cup yourself and head over to Thrifty Decor Chick's party.

More of My Favorite Things

2008-12-02T07:06:00.014-05:00

I had so much fun doing my first favorite things post, I have decided to do a whole week. As we hustle and bustle through the holidays, it is nice to have a chance to focus on the things that make us smile. Remember to visit Thrifty Decor Chick and browse through favorite things that other bloggers have shared.

Today I want to share Cedar Key, Florida. This is the one place in the world that I feel complete. Every summer for the last 5 years we have tried to take the kids for a few days. Hubby and I have also taken many weekend trips. Here is a little history......................

Augustus Steel settled Cedar Key in the early 1840’s. In 1861 with the completion of the Railroad constructed by Mr. David Levy Yulee, the lively port of Cedar Key was connected to the Florida east coast in Fernandina North of Jacksonville. The train carried lumber, turpentine, fiber plant product, cotton, seafood products, sponges, and passengers out of Cedar Key, and brought in all the needed supplies to keep the small community thriving. The train stopped running in 1932. The focus then shifted to the better-protected Way Key, where the city of Cedar Key grew into a booming port.
The Faraway Inn property was once the site of the Eagle Pencil Company Cedar Mill (circa 1870 – 1896). The mill was damaged in the 1896 hurricane and storm surge. The once plentiful stands of red cedar were becoming sparse and brought the end of the enterprise.
Atsena Otie Key, one of the largest islands in the group, was Cedar Key's first permanent settlement. In 1835 it housed a military hospital and depot, which was demolished by an October hurricane.
Due to hurricanes and mans exploitation of the land, the Cedar Keys saw its once bountiful cedar trees stripped bare, its shellfish running out, and the killing of thousands of palms unable to survive the harvest of their heart buds. These losses lead to the downfall of the sawmills, the local fishing industry, and a palmetto fiber brush factory in the same building where an oyster packing plant was forced out of business.
The Cedar Keys could not compete to the economic growth of the southern Florida Keys and its once bustling port began to decline in the early 1900’s. With the decline of the natural resources and habitats surprisingly much of the wildlife remained.
John Muir, an American naturalist and architect of the National Park system reaffirmed that wildlife continued to flourish around the Cedar Keys. As Muir was on his way to Texas by ship he was forced to layover in Cedar Keys in the house of a mill superintendent. He regained his strength by rowing from island to island and recording the sightings of gulls, terns, pelicans, and immense flocks of coots.
In 1929 President Herbert Hoover established Cedar Key NWR by naming three of the islands as a breeding ground for colonial birds, gaining its 13th island in 1997 when Atsena Otie Key came under refuge management. The local water management district headed off scheduled housing development on the island by purchasing it and entering a management agreement with Lower Suwannee NWR. Refuge islands range in size from 1 to 165 acres

I don't think I could put in words my love for this place. There are no street lights and most people get around on golf carts. We always stay at the Faraway Inn, and the owners are the best. The Faraway Inn sits on what used to be the Cedar Eagle Pencil Company cedar mill. To top it off they are pet friendly. But I have to warn you this is not a bikini beach kinda place.Another must visit while I am there is the cemetery, no I am no weirdo, but I love to find the history that lives in the past. The Cedar Key cemetery is full of history. It is family friendly, quiet and full of amazing history. Today I am wishing I was sitting watching the dolphin play in Cedar Key.

A Good Man is Hard to Find ~A few of My Favorite Things

2008-12-01T12:11:00.011-05:00

They say a good man is hard to find. Well I have found and kept lots!Snowmen that is. Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick has started A Few of My Favorite Things. So take a look around and see what we all hold so dear. How much fun as Christmas draws near.

There are Snow guys all through my house. They are on the tree, on my socks, in the kitchen, and even holding my coffee(another fave!) Here are just a few to see, now I am off to finish the tree.....................

Once upon a time.......

2008-11-21T08:25:00.003-05:00

Every family has a story to tell. Sometimes we have to dig a little deeper to find the answers and sometimes we find great surprises. When I am not being Lady Evil, Super Student, Wife of the Year or pretending to be the lead singer of an 80's rock band I am a ghost hunter. No not like the show. I am looking for the ghosts of my family's past. Mine is a twisted pretzel shape tree. But full of interesting stories. I started doing genealogy research about two years ago. There are two separate reasons for my obsession. First Grandma, it is amazing how every day I realize this woman shaped who I am(except that need to sing and shake my behind lol). The second is another Grandma, but I never knew this one, and the complete opposite. There is a story there and I have worked long and hard to find the pieces, but it has not been easy.

Well through all of this research I have realized I am not doing something that would benefit me and that is telling the story. Even if the story is in bits and pieces it is better than nothing.

So I am making a promise to my self that I am going to sit down and start putting these stories together. Through blogging and Twitter I have come across Tara and Cherish Bound, she has an amazing blog that has peaked my interest and I think this may be what I need to get my act together. Make sure to check out her blog and maybe you will discover your story.

Please Vote for Me

2008-11-19T11:26:00.004-05:00

I usually don't do these things, but these are desperate times, and desperate times call for desperate measures. Christmas is going to be slim here, economy, house disasters and legal battles with Hubby's x are really making life tough. So when I came across this I couldn't pass it up.I know my kids would freak and it would be one of my coolest Mom moments. I have entered the Wii Popularity Contest. I know I really have no shot as it looks like I am up against some very popular moms. But I thought it was worth a try.
Click here to vote for me
Nintendo Wii Giveaway Popularity Contest
Thanks!

Welcome To My Zoo

2008-11-18T10:06:00.002-05:00

My house seems to be the dumping ground for unwanted animals. Numerous kitties have made their way through here. Some have stayed, some have found new homes and we had to take some to the Humane Society. There has also been a fair share of dogs and even a chicken. Well in the last week there have been four stray cats make their way through the back yard, driving doggies nuts. Out of the four there is one that wants to be loved. He is the cutest little guy. Fluffy and soft. Well since he demands to be loved who am I to say no. Now I know financially we can not afford another fur baby geez we already have two dogs Frankie aka Francios Fluffy Prince of Foo(I actually paid for him) and Lily another fluffy white one we got in May this is a whole other post. Two kitties, Stirfry, when I found him my oldest said he was no bigger than a mouth full(oriental humor is the norm around here my children are 1/4 Korean) and Severus , a stray that was in the middle of the road and needed love and happened to show up just as I finished reading the last Harry Potter book.

So now we have a new one who needs a warm bed for a night, it will be in the 30's here in sunny Florida. He needs a name. I believe everyone and thing needs a name.

I have some ideas and need a little help. This is not a task to be taken lightly. Name are important. So here is what I have reduced my list to

Leo~ for the Leonids Meteor shower that comes through in November

Satch ~ Because I am on a Joe Satriani kick lately

Chaplin~ The little guy reminds me a little of Charlie Chaplin

Ok what do you think?

My New Fave Creative Blog

2008-11-17T18:48:00.002-05:00

My Husband looks at me the other day, I am wondering what is that look? Then he starts looking around the house.

Hubby says " It's back"

Cautiously I ask"What's Back?"

Hubby smiles " Your Creative spark"

Ok this is a big deal around here. I used to be creative and eccentric and I know Hubby cautiously loved this about me. When we first bought the house he didn't understand why the walls couldn't stay white(poor man) I hand painted details in the living room, Mars has a tree on her wall. I handmade cards, made Christmas gifts,I could go on and on but I think you get the idea. Well somewhere between my hysterectomy and becoming a stay at home mom I lost the creativity. I tried and no I will not divulge those projects. Well I undertook a few projects in the last couple months and I have to say it felt good, and it felt good that Hubby noticed too.

I have the Thrifty Decor Chick for my newest creative streak. Reading her blog, seeing her projects and reading how excited she was really got me excited to start a project again.

I will have to take some pics to share, one day I will remember to do before and afters

What were they thinking?

2008-11-14T09:11:00.003-05:00

My Dad was out shopping this morning(he works over night) and as usual he sent me pics of things he finds. Well this morning this is what I get....................

Well there goes that sweet craving. I hope you get a giggle out of this I sure did!

Excuse or Explanation

2008-11-12T09:05:00.002-05:00

From the Farmers Almanac
November 13th
Full Beaver Moon
For both the colonists and the Algonquin tribes, this was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. This full Moon was also called the Frost Moon.

Laugh all you want but I am truly affected by the phases of the moon. For years I have gotten a case of the droppsies around the full moon. I wake up for 3 straight days at 4:21. Just ask the beautiful bags under my eyes. Well it started last night, frying sausage decided to pop all over me OUCH! Caught dog trying to dine in the cat box YUCK! Then I go to take laundry from the dryer and Big T left a pen in his pocket GEEZ! Of course he denies it, I know it's not hubby he has special pens, and quite frankly I can't fit pens in my pockets. So after cruising the internet I decided to use my Walmart body spray and it worked no more ink in my dryer, of course MY jeans are the only ones with ink on them. DANG! To top off my days of full moon, the XM/Sirius merger has begun and last night my favorite station died. I am beyond pissed! Hubby and I are starting a crusade, in the spirit of the KISS Army we will hound XM till we get answers. I want my Boneyard! Ok see I told you the moon gets me going!

Genes Inherited

2008-11-11T07:35:00.002-05:00

I come from along line of pack rats. I really don't like that term so if anyone has any suggestions please send them my way. Everything has a meaning to me. Hubby and I spent some time with Gpa on Saturday, he has started to go through some things in the house, this is a big step. Well, let's just say that Hubby has seen the root to my collective disease. Grandma kept everything! I sat for hours looking through things that brought on a rush of memories. There were a few times I thought to myself, why did she keep this?
After Grandma passed there were only two things that I knew I wanted(of course there is so much more but there are a lot of grandchildren and great grandchildren). Sea Shells and Keys. Growing up we collected a lot of seashells on the beach and would spend hours going through them. I remember the way we would gingerly pick through them trying not to break them. It's amazing I can not remember what I ate last week, but I remember hours spent on the floor going through seashells. The keys, Grandma had a key collection that she displayed on two frames, a wild mixture of keys, but so intriguing. My sisters and I would try to guess what the keys were for, and of course I am imagining opening doors to new worlds.
Well I have the keys and the shells. The shells fit right in with my other collection of shells. The keys are another story. The frames are long gone and some of the keys are missing so I guess it is time for me to put on my thinking cap. We walked out with more than we bargained for little trinkets here and there. Boxes of family memories on slides and super 8 movie film. For the life of me I am still trying to figure out how the history of my family ended up on my dining room table, I feel honored yet sadden. Gpa is still looking for the genealogy papers for me, and we are going to pick up Grandma's sewing Machine on Thanksgiving.
I am afraid I have passed this gene on to Mars. I talked to her step mom on Sunday and she made a comment that Mars never throws anything away. I think I have a future pack rat/collector on my hands.

Every Girl Is A CupCake

2008-11-08T07:54:00.003-05:00

My Mars is one of these tween girls who love to find all the girly websites. Some of them good and some of them I just have to put my foot down. But boy did I come across an awesome new find this morning!

The Cupcakes Club

I am going to do a little more digging but this looks like one of my coolest Mom moments.

It looks like it is really easy to join the website and become a member. With games, advice, and contests a girl can't go wrong. The best part is that it is safely monitered. This is my favorite part!

Thankful for the Food Network

2008-11-07T10:16:00.003-05:00

There are only 20 days till Thanksgiving. WooHoo a reason to eat! I am a tyrant when it comes to my kitchen. I love to let the kids help me cook, when they are grown the one thing I know they will take with them is the ability to prepare a meal that does not include a drive-thru.

This Thanksgiving I am relinquishing some control. We are having dinner at my mom's new house. I will be staying the night before so I am cooking just with help. This is a huge step for me, if you haven't noticed I have kitchen control issues. I credit The Food Network with my love of cooking and was so excited to see that they have the Thanksgiving guide up and running. There is everything from recipes to a turkey calculator. How cool is that! I know my next hour will be spent grazing at foodnetwork.com

Cookies

2008-11-06T07:03:00.004-05:00

For the last two years Mars and I have hosted a cookie exchange. I had contemplated not doing this year and boy did I get an ear full. I had no idea that everyone loved it so much. So I am sitting here, it is November 6th and I all I have accomplished is the evite. I love planning parties and this is a party that has rules so that is even better.
I am heading over to cookieexchange.com so I can get some ideas for this year. This website is amazing and you can make so many things work for your own cookie exchange.
A few quick pointers that we have learned over the last couple years
1. Have everyone prepackage their cookies, this year we are having a contest for the most creative packaging. This also is a good way to make sure everyone gets their fair share. Not to mention sanitary issues.
2.There will be at least 1 cookie that no one will want, that is why prepackaging is a good idea. I am not stuck with a bunch of crazy cookies.
3.No matter how many times you stress COOKIES ONLY someone will call and ask if they can make bars,candy,cake,bread, etc
4.We added an ornament exchange also and the girls love this.
5. Relax, this is a big problem for me, when it comes to parties I want everything just right, I need to relax and enjoy.

I love that Mars and I started this tradition. She bakes her own cookies and helps with the planning. Maybe one day I will be going to her house for the cookie party.

Freedom

2008-11-04T09:57:00.002-05:00

What an amazing freedom we have to voice our opinion on who should run our country. We may not all have the same opinion, but that is what makes our country special. As I left the house this morning I had butterflies in my stomach. It could have been the black helicopter flying over my polling place, or just the fact that this was my chance for my voice to be heard. I only live a couple blocks from the polling place so off I went with my sample ballot in my hand feeling like I was about to recieve the greatest gift ever. Imagine a 30's year old woman be boppin down the road full of excitement. Kinda funny when I think about it.

So my work is done, I will now turn off the television and move forward. What ever is decided tonight it will be decided by people who have the freedom to choose. What an incredible world we live in.

My First Time.............

2008-11-03T07:58:00.006-05:00

Ok no it's not what you think but it got your attention! LOL

On Friday I was tagged by Soccermomsays with my very first Blog awards! Isn't it funny how we get so excited about these things. I waited till today to pass these on so I could start someone's week off on a postive note.So here we go...........

I have to list six random things about myself and then tag six more bloggers.

Here's my list

1. I do not know how to drive. I am have panic attacks everytime I try.

2. My favorite movies are silent.

3. I hate cleaning out the fridge.

4. I was once offered money to dance on a bar, many moons ago, and no I did not do it.

5. My favorite gifts come from Home Depot.

6. I love doing genealogy research.

Ok here is who I am tagging

1. Family Traditions...One Story At A Time

2.Sam's Spot

3.Thoughts from an Evil Overlord

4.Life With Frenchie

5.June Cleaver Nirvana

6. Thrifty Decor Chick

So here are my first Awards Thanks Soccermomsays

And I am also passing them on to the six bloggers I tagged!

Have a Great Day Everyone!

Halloween Revisited

2008-11-01T11:11:00.009-04:00

This Halloween was a little different. The kids are older so we didn't have the usual drama of getting three kids dressed while dealing with constant trick or treaters banging on the door, which in turn makes the kids jumpy because they think they are going to miss out on something. I remember feeling like I was going to pull my hair out, now I wish I could go back and do it all again.

Mars made my Halloween when she decided that she wanted to wear an Indian costume that I once wore. My Grandmother had made these costumes, for my sisters, dad and cousin one year and we had a real Pow Wow complete withteepee and fire. This is my best Halloween memory. So when Mars wanted to wear the costume it brought back all of those great memories. I just wish I could have held a Pow Wow for her. Ok enough of that before the tears short circuit my keyboard. I have pics to share................

My Indian princess

Many moons ago

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T09:08:00.004-04:00

I thought I would start the day off with a spooky giggle.

Being a child of the 70's and 80's we had some pretty cheesy costumes. I still can't believe that there was a time I wanted a plastic costume with a mask. Boy how times have changed. Over at Retrocrush there is a list of the 10 worst costumes. What a hoot. Please tell me who actually wanted to be Chuck Barris from The Gong Show? Parents actually spent money on this LOL. While these are really cheesy, I would take that over the teenagers that show up on my doorstep wearing a football jersey or just dressed in black.

The plastic costumes are out and people are more creative these days but even creativity can have it's downfalls.

What were these parents thinking.

Baby it's cold outside

2008-10-29T08:41:00.004-04:00

Today is one of those days when people think Floridians are silly. I woke up around 6 and it was 43 degrees outside and about 63 in the house. we knew it was going to get cold but I say just throw more blankets on the bed. Silly me I guess I didn't think about what happens when you get out of bed. And this is how the morning has gone so far.....................................
Hubby was running behind because he had to dig out the warmer clothes to wear, he works semi outdoors. I wake up and say oh no it's too cold thinking I am Super Woman I will make sure the weather does not alter our schedules. Ok while I am putting on my cape(cozy robe) two cats are under my feet protesting the cold. The dogs are giving me the why did you get out of bed and disrupt the snuggle factor. First thing first need a cup of coffee. I get Hubby's lunch together, make a cup of coffee and decide I must give in and turn on heat. Over the summer we had to replace our Air unit and opted not to buy the non heat pump, so we now has straight air and there is a heat strip in it.
Click I flip the switch, nothing, adjust the temp, ah there we go. I start down the hall to help Hubby out the door and there goes the smoke detector. We have this fabulous system that when one goes off it triggers all of them. The dogs start barking cats running everywhere and Hubby is giving me the I am already late look. Well Super Woman flies down the hall and turns of heat. There is a positive here, Big T wakes ups without a fight, but of course gives me a look and asks what I am burning. Ugh kids.
Ok Big T is in the shower, Hubby is on his way to work and the furbabies are all curled up. I grab my coffee, it is freakin ice cold! New cup please, Big T out of the shower and still asking me what I did to make smoke detectors go off. This kid is pushing my nerve. I can't wait till he owns his first house and I get the what do I do call.
This is a be careful of what you wish for moment. As he is leaving I tell him, your going to have trouble with starting the truck, let it warm up. Of course he knows everything. 10 minutes later I get a phone call. Mom, the truck keeps dying. I ask are you in the middle of the road, no he is on side street. You have to warm up the engine son. He says I did yada yada yada. I told him to call Hubby but I do it for him. Hubby calls me back, says he told him the same thing I did and even told him that I knew what I was talking about. Hubby says we will have a look at the heater and everything will be ok and thanks me for helping him get off to work. Wow I love that man. Just when I though I was doomed my Superman swooped down and picked me up.

Ooo My House Smells Delicious

2008-10-28T08:55:00.004-04:00

I found this basic recipe for Chicken and Dumplings. I am bad about not measuring so I tend to just throw this or that in. You can use any type of dumpling I chose Jiffy mix because of price and ease. I put my heart and soul into the soup part. I cook my chicken long with a mixture of spices.In an effort to get everyone their veggies I make sure there are plenty of carrots and have even added green beans in the past. One more trick I add a couple cubed potatoes. Not only does it help thicken your soup, it gives an alternative to the dumplings. Not all my kiddos are dumpling fans.

CHICKEN N DUMPLINGS

1 chicken, cut up (remove skin for "leaner" dish)1 tbsp. parsley flakes1 carrot, sliced1 med. onion, sliced2 celery stalks, leaves included1/8 tsp. pepper1 1/2 tsp. salt
Place chicken in kettle with a tightly fitting lid. Cover with just enough hot water to cover, add vegetables, salt and pepper. Bring to boil, let boil 5 minutes, reduce heat and simmer until tender, 1 to 2 hours (depending on size of chicken).

DUMPLINGS:
Mix with a fork:2 c. baking mix (Bisquick or Jiffy type mix)3/4 c. milk
Drop by spoonfuls onto boiling chicken and vegetables. Cook uncovered over low heat about 10 minutes. Cover and continue cooking 10 minutes more. Liquid just bubbles gently. Makes 10 to 12 dumplings.

Remove dumplings to serving bowl. Put chicken on platter. Keep warm while you thicken broth remaining for gravy. With 1/2 c. baking mix and 1 cup milk or cold water, stir together to make smooth paste. Stir into broth. Cook until thickened, stirring occasionally to keep smooth. Pour gravy over chicken or serve separately. .

Where did the time go..........

2008-10-27T08:28:00.002-04:00

It is Halloween week and I have only one trick or treater left."Mars" is 11 so I know she won't be going much longer. The oldest "Big T" has plans to go to a party, and "Grasshopper" is staying at a friends. On top of feeling older that means less peanut butter cups to con them out of lol. I sat here this morning thinking about all the fun we had when they were younger, I used to throw one heck of a kid's Halloween party, but as they got older the age differences were too much and it was complicated. My favorite part was helping them decide what they would dress up as. We have had princesses, ninjas, mummies, witches, togas, and vampires. There was a stretch when the boys just wanted to be ninjas, I thought I was going to pull my hair out. Mars was a pink Power Ranger one year and let me tell you she wore that costume out. I was finally able to get rid of it when the legs were coming half way up to her knee. I liked it best when they would get a creative idea in mind. Grasshopper was a surfer one year complete with shark bite on his side. Big T was a mummy when he was 2. He was the cutest lil mummy I ever saw. Mars of course has been the traditional fairy, princess and witch. This year will be my favorite. She is actually wearing a costume that was mine. My Grandmother made Indian costumes for us one year, I will write that story another day. As we were going through some things Mars and I came across my costume. She knew right away she wanted to wear it. Funny how life comes full circle sometimes.

A Change of Pace

2008-10-26T20:58:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it we have cooler weather in steamy ol' Florida. I have had the windows open for two days! There is even talk of it getting down in the 40's on Tuesday. I know not a big deal to some, but we are used to wearing shorts through Christmas.
The cooler weather makes me want to cook. I am already thinking Chicken & Dumplings and Chili this week. Both will give us more than one meal so it works right into my budget. I figured I better make these before it gets warm again lol.

Had to Share

2008-10-23T16:42:00.002-04:00

I know that this is doing nothing for me since I promised the jeans I would cut back but I just had to share.

Becky's Pumpkin Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes
From the kitchen of Becky Stasik

~1 package (18.25 ounces) spice cake mix

~ 1 can (15 ounces) Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin

~3 large eggs

~ 1/3 cup vegetable oil

~1/3 cup water

~1 container (16 ounce) prepared cream cheese or vanilla frosting

~ assorted sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Paper-line or grease 24 muffin cups. Blend cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil and water in large mixer bowl until moistened. Beat medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Spread cupcakes with frosting.

Thingy Thursday

2008-10-23T08:55:00.004-04:00

Thursday is here and it's time for Thingys. I love the Internet, if I could find a job doing research on the Internet I would be the happiest person in the world. On my daily trip through the headlines today's Thingy Thursday was born. I have chosen 5 headlines that I found odd or eye catching.

~This is the first one I found. Sounds to me that Sarkozy might be a little superstitious.

Sarkozy fights back against voodoo doll

~This one shows just how hard times are or just how much the sun fries your brain here in Florida.

Man brandishes BB gun after stealing deodorant

~Ew I am glad I don't work at this bank!

Man may be reimbursed for money mutilated by mice

~I know my dogs are ready to cast their vote.

Voter registration materials mailed to dead Illinois goldfish

~I think this is karma at work.

Man sues strip club after injury

It's nice to read these and feel like I am the normal one.

Do you talk to your clothes?

2008-10-22T08:57:00.004-04:00

Yesterday started with a nice friendly conversation with my jeans. I thought that we had reached an agreement, jeans would cooperate and I would try to take off some pressure. Somewhere in our agreement jeans must have misunderstood me. So here I am 36 years old pleading, oh come on and you have got to be kidding me. This approach really didn't work, and neither did my threat of stashing them in the drawer under the sweatpants. Now these jeans must have a great memory, when I reached my small victory of being able to purchase and wear these jeans I swore I would never go back to where I was. I gave away everything that was not in the same league as these jeans thinking it would inspiration. I never knew it would come back to bite me in the slightly bigger behind. To top it off jeans must have informed every other piece of clothing because now they are staging a protest. What is a girl to do? I refuse to go back to the old me I fought long and hard for these jeans. I guess I must get back to fighting. I here them back there snickering,"can you believe she thought she could stretch my waist? and she knows that when it doesn't fit it is not ok that you adjust things."
Today is a new day, I chose the slightly more understanding Capri's and got in a good little workout this morning. I will be heading back to Sparkpeople to and relying on my inspirational buddy Sam.

So off I go to move some more

Catching Up

2008-10-21T07:16:00.004-04:00

I can not believe that I haven't written since last Thursday. Things have been busy with kids, hubby, school and my Tampa Bay Rays!

But I am becoming a little bit more organized with my time. One of my best online buddies Soccermomsays, heard my cry for help and sent me to cozi. This is an awesome FREE family calender that helps keep track of things and you can even color code everyone in the family. The other great thing is that your family has access to it to. So Hubby can check to see when his next dental appointment is or "T" can remember his work schedule. Cozi has a couple of other cool features also. So if you calender looks like your ball point pen threw up on it, I think it is time to check out Cozi

5 Thingy Thursday

2008-10-16T11:20:00.006-04:00

Time for 5 Thingy Thursday, I will make it fun since I the earlier part of my day was serious. So today's thingys are focused on food!

If you could have any meal right now what would it be? I know I will get yelled at for this but I have been craving a Big Mac and fries. But when I get that craving I go stand on the scale.

Do you have a cooking shining moment? Thanksgiving! I can tell you with confidence my Turkey dinners are awesome! I can't wait.

Share a kitchen disaster. Pork Chops that got renamed Pork Chips, this was 18 years ago and still gets brought up. The other is dusty muffins, don't ask.

Is there a food or dish that you want to try but are too scared? Fried Okra, I know silly but it looks good but I am not an okra fan.

Now that we all have an appetite I will fix that what food makes your stomach turn, absolutely hate, wouldn't eat it for money? Any seafood, I hate seafood! I live in Fl had to eat it when I was young, yuck! Never again!

Ok now it is your turn to answer.

Have a great day!

Melissa the Mom

2008-10-16T10:26:00.004-04:00

I am sure that most of us now know who Joe the Plumber is. Well I am now introducing myself as Melissa the Mom. I have tried to keep my political thoughts and ideas off of my blog, but I believe it is now time I voice my opinion. It is my blog heehee.

Politics interest me very much, after all these are the people running our country. If you can find a way to get past media bias and dirty tricks, you can find very interesting information, some of it pertains to me and my family some of it doesn't. You can never be too informed. I have been saying for months that I do not want to hear about change, I want to hear about accountability. It was pointed out to me that with accountability comes change. Exactly! I teach my children that with every choice they make there will be an outcome and you must be aware of both sides. I do not tell them what to think, but ask them to be intelligent in their choices. I feel that is what we need to do as Americans also. This country was founded on ideas and the ability for all citizens to be able to have and create something out of their ideas.
Senator Obama said something to Joe the Plumber that made my skin crawl. "Share the Wealth" This comment was made while Joe was questioning Senator Obama on his stance for taxing small businesses. So my question to Senator Obama is , if the average citizen wants to start their own business then that citizen's money should be shared with someone who did not have the great idea, hard work ethic, and nerve. Now I do not mean that anyone who doesn't start a business does not work hard or is not creative or brave. Quite frankly I do not want to live of off the backs of others.
I want a country that will help if I need it not one that holds me up. That is not what our forefathers had in mind. We do not need new programs, that will be paid with taxes. Reform the ones we have or cut them. I do not want the government to control my health care, ultimately that will be what becomes of Senator Obama's health care plan. I asked a friend of mine how to word my resistance against this health care plan without sounding too radical. Her response was to imagine supporting health care for people who make poor lifestyle changes and indulgences. She is right. I can not afford health care now how will I be able to afford it for someone else? I guess these were just some of the things I needed to get out into the open. Please do your research and know that you vote affects the country not just your household. Take a few minutes to do research go to both candidates websites. Know the background of the candidate you choose. Vote Intelligently!
Please visit............
http://www.johnmccain.com/Home2.htm

http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

http://www.factcheck.org/

Time Management

2008-10-15T07:17:00.003-04:00

Why do I always feel like I am having to dig my self out of a hole. Lately my time management skills are nowhere near where they need to be. The kids schedules,Hubby's schedule, my school,housework and sporting events. I feel like I am losing control. I have always kept a calender on the fridge, it is now too messy to know what all my symbols and things mean. So I have been looking online for something to help me organize my time. If anyone has any suggestions please share.No time for blogging I have a rough draft due that I forgot about!