Life "Inside"

I have a little "hillbilly" in my house....

2009-02-08T10:05:00.007-09:00

Yes, my son could have a future in the hills somewhere with a mouth that looks like this

Yeah...the girls are just gonna be lining up for this toothless little man! (sorry about the fuzzy pic quality, but holding still for mom to take the pic was sooooo not cool)

So Mom & I are back from Hawaii & I am once again reminded just exactly how much I hate the cold. Blech!

So now life is all about work & cleaning house & schoolwork.....for another 35 days at least............

Hey Mom........

2009-01-15T21:43:00.003-09:00

In just 8 short days (next Saturday) this is what we have to look forward to.....

High 80°F

Precip 10%

And that makes me VERY, VERY

Seriously?????

2009-01-14T21:09:00.003-09:00

43 °F
Light Rain

Okay...how did we go from -28º just 5 days ago

to 43º now (we had a high of 48º earlier in the day).

Talk about crazy!!

And did I mention that we had our first weather day off of school

(for ice) today in over4 years??? The kids were sooooo excited!

R. is hoping for another day off tomorrow...............

The election was over a month ago.....and yet the drama continues....

2008-12-13T21:54:00.006-09:00

Anyone who has read my blog knows where I stood on the election and which candidates had my support. However.....the election is over & yet the mud slinging continues.....on both sides. And it is making me crazy...... In our home we have talked about it for hours on end. For us there only one solution and it goes like this:

1 Timothy 2
1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

Stepping off of my soap box..............................

Time to relax.....

2008-12-10T02:23:00.004-09:00

The semster is O-V-E-R! And I am so very gratfeul.....

I got my first good night of sleep in months last night....& a nap this morning to boot. Which explains why I am up in the middle of the night bloggin. Ooops!

So I am look forward to some down to be with my family....& sleep...& read a big stack of these...

The thought of it practically makes me giddy!

And tonight I vegged out in front of the T.V. and watch one of my favorite movies

Love it too!

So....now I can just breathe a digh of relief & enjoy......................

And the award goes to................

2008-12-03T18:33:00.004-09:00

ME! Thanks to the uber sweet Angie at Angelica Grace designs. She totally blessed me with this award today! Love her! If you haven't visited her blog &/or checked out her fabulous designs, you absolutely cannot wait a minute longer! Without further ado, here is the translation for the award...

This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships!This blog is exceedingly charming. This kind blogger aims to find and be friends. This blogger is 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 writers like this one and those nominated below! The rules...Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

So, as instructed, I'm choosing the following eight bloggers to send this award on to:

1. My mom, Jackie -The Red Jeep Club

2. My aunt Stacy - Okay, here's the thing

3. My partner in crime Jennifer-It Finally Happened

4. Barb- From My Heart

5. Brittany- Mommee & her boys

6.Laura- Lovely Lalo

7. Kami-Kami's Khlopchyk

8.The Dragonfly- On Dragonfly Wings

You all ROCK! Love ya!

T- 6 days........................

2008-12-03T04:38:00.003-09:00

I can't wait for until Monday, December 8th.

I wish December 8th was still a month away.

I'm just a little bit (okay a whole lot) conflicted.

Whether I am wishing for it to be over or wishing for more time- the fact still remains I only have 6 days left. And to be honest , either way, the thought of the next 6 days completely overwhelms me.

So bear with me for just a sec while I grab some cheese to go with my nip of whine here............ I am so.....ugh.....I already used the word overwhelmed didn't I? I can't believe next week this degree will be done.....never mind I have already started the next one (let's not even think about that right now). But standing between me & next Monday is a v-e-r-y boring paper on the Japanese "Bubble" economy, a HUGE final exam & last, but definitely not least I have to complete my thesis. My achilles heel. What just might be the very death of me.

But all joking aside, I am struggling. REALLY struggling. I told K. the other night that it hurts.... everything hurts. I'm talking physical pain. Really, really bad. It is stress....I know it. And I just have to press through it. I know I 'bit off more than I can chew' this semester. I know I should have waited until next semester to start the next degree plan...but it is way too late for that now.

Anyway...all I am asking is for a few...okay a bunch..of prayers to get me through this next 6 days. Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.............

See ya on the flip side......................

16 things..............

2008-11-23T09:31:00.007-09:00

So Tam posted this on her blog & suggested that 'everyone' join in so...........here are 16 things unusual things about me.................

1. I loathe raw meat....I hate to touch it, look at it, smell it, etc. While I eat meat regularly, it MUST be well done.

2. I hate to be a passenger in a car!! I like to drive, but being a passenger brings on a panic attack.

3. I ♥ Diet Coke ♥! Especially fountain Diet Coke....in fact Diet Coke is so important in my opinion that there is actually a hierarchy to the packaging of Diet Coke

A. Fountain Diet Coke is the VERY BEST!

B. If fountain isn't an option, a cold can will suffice

C. I will settle for a cold 16oz plastic bottle if necessary

D. And as a very last resort I will drink Diet Coke from a 2lt bottle, but only if it has just been opened otherwise it is too flat....blech!

4. When I was 4 my mom let my uncle, Stacy's husband, take me shopping at Kmart for my Halloween costume. Keep in mind he was a 19 year old boy & it was the 1970's. Mommy's little princess came home with a Gene Simmon's Kiss costume with a plastic mask that looked like this........

I had no idea who Kiss even was. I just liked that the masked had 'makeup.' Oh yeah...that was cute *insert sarcasm*

5.When I was 18, I cracked my head open & had to have stitches.....what makes this significant is that is HOW I did this. Instead of going sledding at the sledding hill during a big snow storm, my friends and I decided to tow a sled around the subdivision behind my Geo Metro. Yeah not so smart.......I flew off going around a corner & cracked my head on the pavement.

6. When I was a kid growing up in Ohio I was certain that upon adulthood I would be one of the lucky individuals who moved south (*read WARM)....Florida was the ultimate choice. And more that anything I wanted to own a swimming pool...................yeah, Alaska is just slightly off the mark on that one....

7. I hate random noise. Like when somebody taps their pencil or clicks their nails together...........ugh, it makes me sooooooo crazy! I also hate eating noises....like people chewing or moaning when they really enjoy their food. *shivers*

8. Although I don't mind a good debate in real life, I can't stand confrontations on TV or in movies. I HAVE to change the channel. Or if someone is about to totally embarass themselves on TV, I just can't bare to watch!

9. I am a nomad at heart. I love to travel & would love to move around....but I am married to the anti-nomad. He likes to vacation in places he in places he's already been to & he would rather that we never move again....I guess being a military brat (as he was) & then serving in the USAF for 22yrs, which requires a ton of moving, will do that to a person..........

10.I am the only person in my house who can't roll my tongue :( They treat me like I am some sort of freak

11. I really dislike "academic" speak. I am well educated & (not to brag) but quite intelligent, but I don't like when people try to use huge & complicated words to impress others. Being a human dictionary does not = intelligence...it just pretentious

12. I also really dislike pretentiousness in general.....I am not impressed by big houses or luxury cars. If you have those things then good on ya. I don't hate the 'things,' I just find it petty when people try to use them to somehow define themselves or impress others. That is the funny thing about Alaska (which can also probably be said for a lot of places in the U.S.), but the people who put on the biggest show are not usually the most successful. Okay...stepping down from my soapbox........

13. While I have very, very few possessions from my youth (like less than 5 total) I do still have & use the NIV Bible that my Dad gave me when I was 11.

14. I avoid "Hits" & "Bestsellers" like the plague. For instance if everyone raves about the hottest new book or TV show, I am instantly turned off. Yes, I know I often end up missing out, but I just don't like to 'jump on the band wagon'

15. I hate birds. Any & all birds! I don't fear them, I just don't like them. So if you really want to get on my bad side, buy me a bird feeder... Blech!

16. I had pica while I was pregnant. I ate ice incessantly...to the tune of a 10lb bag a day!! Destroyed my teeth, To this day I still can't drink a glass of water without chomping on the ice. And like Diet Coke, I also prefer certain types of ice over others....I especially like the type of ice that is like miniature snow balls. One friend pointed out it is the type of ice that they give you in the hospital when you are in labor. Yummy!! So that means, I will go out of my way to get a fountain Diet Coke with premium ice. That is like heaven....almost as good as a pool in Florida :)

So do you think she'll buy this excuse?????

2008-11-22T12:32:00.012-09:00

Dear Professor-of-my-seminar,

Yeah, I know my thesis is due in just over 2 weeks and I should be working on my paper 24/7 and yet I just spent several hours surfing the net & once I stumbled upon Cupcakes Take the Cake I was ♥IN LOVE♥! So please excuse me if my paper is absolute crap but I was doing major cupcake "research"!

Sincerely (yeah...not really...but it sounds good),

Stressed Out Student

Yeah...I have 'short timers" syndrome...big time! I am just so ready for the semester to be O-V-E-R! I should be thrilled that only 3 weeks seperates me from my diploma.....but all I can think about is how much I dread doing my remaining work. Blech! (Yes, I'll admit I am being totally bratty) But I do love looking at cupcakes.......

Check this out....OHMommy @ Classy Chaos is having an uber fabulous giveaway so please so go...enter...NOW!

A year ago in my life....

So it's cold.....VERY, VERY cold....

2008-11-19T08:49:00.008-09:00

-1F. to be exact......bitter, stinking cold. And it is only mid-November. I have a feeling this winter is going to be a doosey. Such is life in the "Great Land." Yeah, whomever dubbed Alaska the "Great Land" definitely here in the summertime. Seriously.....

And if it isn't cold enough here in the Valley, tomorrow my mom and little R. are flying north for 4 days to Fairbanks. Yep.....they are choosing to go where it's even colder. Crazy, if you ask me! However, their trip has great purpose. Can you guess why anyone in their right mind would go to Fairbanks in the winter (hey, right now I myself am wondering why anyone would live in the Valley in the winter *wink*)? Well, the nightlife of Fairbanks is NOT the reason for this visit. In fact their reason for going is much more special...................

They are going to visit Santa Claus. At THE Santa Claus House. In the town of North Pole. Every little kid's dream. My mom took D. a few years ago & now it's R.'s turn to go. I love that my mom does this with my kids........it is one of those special things in one's childhood that will stay with them for a lifetime.

So while they head north, D & I will be hanging here at home. School (for the kids) is out for the remainder of the week & we are just going to enjoy the down time. Translated= D. will probably have a few sleepovers with her little tween friends while I have my face buried in textbooks.

On another note, I totally forgot to blog about something that happened here a few weeks ago......the Sunday after the election, I sat church and was totally blown away by the week's sermon. I am really bummed that I didn't blog right away because I intended to provide a link to the audio of the sermon....but now it's gone. Anyway......the message that week was from Romans and references government and leaders in relation to our responsibility as Christians. There is no way I can fully summarize the pastor's message but the piece that struck me above all was this (paraphrased)-

It doesn't matter at this point if we are happy with the election results or whether we like our future leaders or not .... at this point, God expects us to be prayerful.....to pray for our future leaders....all of them. To pray that they will act in the best interest of their nation and that the Lord will continue to work in their lives, as we should pray for all people.

It was very moving.....very, very moving. The entire congregation was touched (no matter where their stood before or after the election). And while the message of God was the most significant part of the morning, as I sat with my friend Aleisha (both of our hubbies were away at work), we noticed across the aisle to our left sat an older couple with tears streaming down their faces....yet they weren't really tears of sadness....instead you could see on their faces acceptance and agreement with the pastor's message. The couple was Chuck & Sally Heath.....Sarah Palin's parents. It was moving to see that these people who were so close to the election process were willing to accept God's task for them with open & willing hearts.

Okay...enough about that...I think you get my message.........

So....before I go for today, I once again want to ask for your recommendations for good books......nothing heavy....beach reads.....yep....there is some beach time in my future. More about that later :)

So....how pathetic is this???

2008-11-15T21:22:00.006-09:00

How pathetic is it that falling gas prices practically make me giddy?

Just a little over a month gas prices were shooting through the roof. At the worst gas here was about $4.70/gallon for regular (not even the expensive stuff). Seriously.....I was getting ready to make the kids start biking to school- not a good thing in winter in Alaska.
And now gas is here is below $3.00/gallon....$2.94 to be exact! So.....again how pathetic is it that I am happy about see less than $3.oo at the pump? Really pathetic if you ask me................

So here is a bunch of randomness......

2008-11-02T20:58:00.006-09:00

I don't care if we did gain an hour last night or not 'cuz I am still way tired

We bought entirely too much crap @ our school auction last night. Well not really crap.....but when the check to the school was more than we spend on a month's groceries, you know we spent too much! But the hubs keeps reminding me 'it was for the children.' And I must admit I am oh-so-grateful that it is our schools ONE & ONLY fundraiser. Plus we had an absolute blast (our table was just a tad bit rowdy)! What did we buy you ask???? Well.....hubs got Rock Band 2 for his Xbox 360,we bought D. a handmade bedside table for her room, we bought a certificate to Bouncin' Bears for R.'s birthday (yeah we are just a bit ahead of the game since his b-day isn't until March), I got a beaded bracelet.......oh, and we *think* we won a Bocce Ball set- we just forgot to pick it up off the silent auction table! Oops!

Can I tell you how sick of school I am??? Just in case you were wondering....................... enough said!

I am sooooo read for all of the election crap to be over. All of the mudslinging is making me crazy!

Did I tell you I am sick of school?

My CAbi order came in & I love every piece of it! :)

Yeah.....has anyone started Christmas shopping? I really gotta get on the ball with this. Ugh!

Can I tell you how irritated I was to see a 5th grader in D's class wear an uber slutty costume on Friday at school. Yes...sadly I did say 5th grader & slutty in the same sentence. I feel bad about that but seriously when an 11 year old shows up to school in thiswhat I just said is the least of some poor kid's issues...................... And NO I am not kidding :(

My friend Zoe (who actually is a diehard liberal, while I am a diehard conservative) have decided we are tired of all the PC terminology out there. As my hubs says, he is an American....not a Mexican American or Hispanic American....he insists he is an American & that's that! So in protest she & I have decided from here on out we will introduce each other as "Female Americans" just to appease all of those P.C. junkies out there. Yeah....it's getting to be that time of the semester & we are a bit irritatable.......

So it is really cold here (like low single digits) and I am dreaming of spring already.......so soooooooo sad.....

Later gators :)

I drank the Kool-Aid......

2008-10-26T12:55:00.008-08:00

the Dyson Kool-Aid that is......and dang it is A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

Let me back up a tad.......

Friday night my mom & I were hosting a CAbi party here at my home. So that afternoon I was doing the obligatory "tidying up." As we were vacuuming the stairs my Dirt Devil bit the big one. We are talking dead with a capital "D." My mom oh-so-graciously came to my rescue by loaning me her Hoover Wind Tunnel and all was well. In fact the party was fab-u-lous!

But....insert a very big but here...... that didn't solve my long term vacuum issue. We simply cannot live a single day without a vacuum. Why you ask?

This 80lb fur ball is why. As much as we love her....she is a giant shedding machine. Seriously we constantly have dog hair everywhere. A vacuum is a necessity of life around here.

So yesterday before we headed to a Halloween party I drug my kiddos to the store to lay down some cash for a new vacuum. And after a ton of research I bought this new beauty....

It works wonderfully! Can you see all the crud in the cannister?? That is what the Dyson picked up after we did a thorough job with my mom's vacuum cleaner. It was crazy!

Notice how Shotzie refuses to look at my new Dyson in the picture....it was no coincidence...she truly refuses to look at it. The only reason she was even this close to it was because she had been given a very firm "Sit. Stay" command. I think the big D. is her new arch nemisis. :)

I only wish our Target had had the pretty pink one in stock.......................that truly would've been heaven!

So where have I been?

2008-10-21T18:45:00.004-08:00

Every-stinkin'-where.......that's where :)

Yep......college classrooms, the college library, my office (or on the sofa with my laptop), elementary & middle school classrooms......you know I am just all kinds of crazy I tell ya! So I am pressing on with this Master's program (4 classes this semester) & uber-busy writing my thesis on Japanese American internment during WWII (as it applies to freedom & democracy.....yada, yada, yada) plus I having been subbing in our local school district. Yeah.....i have all kinds of free time, ya know (said with by best Minnesota accent)?

So obviously I've been busy....with nothing exciting to write about but I do have to throw this little tidbit out for my sister Femmie. I know she'll get a total kick out of it....................

Today I taught 8th grade at our charter school. Part of my day included an hour and a half lesson in Pre-Algebra. Yes, Femmie....................I said algebra. Okay....let me tell you all that right about now my sister has not only shot diet coke out her nose all over the comouter screen, she probably has also wet her pants laughing so hard........................and with good cause, I tell you. Let me explain.......while we are both relatively smart (not to brag) & are really good students (with slight over-achiever issues) we both absolutley suck at algebra! Seriously....this notion is absolutely hysterical! And the kids actually thought I 'had it together". One girl even said "I wish Mr. G could explain it like that!" And another said as I left "Man I wish you were our regular teacher."

See, Femmie....there is hope for us yet...........................:)

Just because it is FUNNY!

2008-08-30T12:18:00.003-08:00

So a while back my uncle sends me this video via email. This is the Uncle that my son seems to think is just the coolest guy in the entire world. Said uncle also happens to be married to fellow blogger (also named) Stacy.
Anyway my son saw this video & is majorly impressed. However my son also seems to think that because my Uncle sent this video the Uncle MUST be friends with these guys. And that my friends, has majorly increased my Uncle's "coolness factor" in the eyes of my 6 year old son. What is a mother to do???

Alaska (& the nation) is all abuzz

2008-08-29T13:05:00.002-08:00

So I don't usually use my blog as a platform for my political views but this is HUGE! Too huge to ignore! My phone has been ringing all morning & everyone here is soooooo excited. So before I go I jus wanna say one thing....GO SARAH!....well, GO McCain & Palin! :)

And it brought me to tears.........

2008-08-26T22:21:00.007-08:00

So today I was out shopping for groceries, going about my day......buying the necessities but admittedly throwing some random odds & ends in my cart as I went. You know what I mean~ the Banana Split Oreos & the ole standby case of Diet Coke...the things that are NOT necessities (although on most days I would argue that diet Coke is essential- I digress). And as I placed these little extras in my cart I never gave them a 2nd thought.

So as I am pushin my cart out to my van I see a young man sitting on the ground outside the door & didn't really give him a 2nd thought until I heard someone raise their voice in that general direction. As I glance over my shoulder I see the young man is sitting on the sidewalk with a 'pack' complete with a monster-sized back pack & sleeping bag. He also had a sign saying

Stranded while traveling

Fell for a job scam

Out of money

Very hungry

Will do ANY work

Desperate

And there was a middle age man giving this young kid "the business."

Man: Get out of here....we don't welcome bums in these parts. Why don't you go join your amigos in Anchorage?

Kid: Sir....I wish I could....I really am stuck

Me: Quit trying to mooch off the good people of this community

Kid: I'm sorry sir. I just really am hungry................

Now, for those of you who don't live in Alaska I need to explain that Anchorage (40-ish miles from here) has a horrible homeless problem. Many of the grocery stores have had to quit selling mouthwash like Listerine because the police were finding hundreds of empty mouthwash bottles littering the homeless 'camps' in the woods. And wouldn't you know that stores in these areas were having an astonishingly high amount of 'missing' mouthwash inventory. Hmmmmm?????

And if that isn't enough, about a year & a half ago the homeless people of Anchorage wanted to unionize. Seriously. And they wanted to be able to lay legal claim to certain street corners for panhandling purposes.......yeah.....serious problems.

With this in mind I have to admit I regularly have had to turn a blind eye to beggars in our community. But something about this kid just struck me. So I went to my car, loaded my packages & prayed for guidance. Then I got in my car & drove off........

*****now do you seriously think this is the end of my saga?????****

I drove to the fast food joint next door & bought a gift card. Then I drove back & parked in front of the young man & walked right up to him. I have to admit I was shaking (why? I'm still not sure) when I looked him in the eye.

Me: Are you truly hungry?

Him: Yes, ma'am I am. (you know, I think he was shaking worse than I was)

Me: Then go eat (& I handed him the card)

Him: Thank you ma'am. Really-thank you.

Me: God bless you

And as I started to walk away I saw that he was starting to cry.

I made it to my car...and then I fell apart.

I know it may have been a scam....but if it was, oh well. He scammed me for a couple burgers, NOT a bottle of booze. And my heart broke thinking if it was a scam this young man must be so lost that he thinks this type of life is okay.....

But something deep in me said it wasn't a scam.

And I wondered if his mom knows where he is right now. And my heart broke for her .....

And then I wondered if maybe she is the type that just doesn't care & then my heart broke for him.....

And then I cried for my own children. I prayed that they never have to face such circumstances...to be alone & hungry......

And I was ashamed that I had been so concerned with Oreos & Diet Coke................

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......

2008-08-22T11:49:00.005-08:00

can you keep a secret? Cause this is some serious stuff here............

We have officially made it through the first week of school and I have a big surprise for the kiddos.....I won't be picking them up in my uber chic minivan (you know that is gonna traumatize them LOL)....instead I will arrive in a friend's vehicle to snatch up our combined crew & we are headed to the Alaska State Fair!

You gotta understand living here in AK, the fair is a huge deal.....we are talking BIG TIME! It is funny & scary all at the same time. All the kids beg to go, all the teenagers sport their skankiest outfits to troll for dates (okay not ALL of the teenagers, but a huge number of them), and all the adults go to stuff their faces with any kind of fair food you can possibly imagine. And while you can find a fair just about anywhere in the good ole U.S.of A., you have to keep in mind we only have 1 (yes, just 1) fair per year. There's no driving to the next town or county to go to another fair. There's no Six Flags or even rinky-dink amusement parks. This is IT! And boy is it expensive.......$10 per person admission, food is crazy insane high & the Alaska Fair gurus don't believe in all-you-can-ride armbands. I *think* last year it cost us about $60 for ride tickets and our kids each only got about 6 rides. It is highway-stinkin-robbery! Yet, it is a HUGE Alaskan tradition. I mean how can you possibly not go to see the 100lb cabbages & 700lb+ pumpkins???

And the kids know nothing about it! I love surprises! Love, love love 'em!! The kids know we are gonna do something fun but I have been convincing for them for months now that I wasn't messin' with the fair chaos this year. I even overheard them trying to figure out what we are doing . They discussed that it can't possibly be the fair "cuz mom said we weren't going this year." Can you say 'Bah Humbug?' But I am giving in & I will brave all of the craziness. They are gonna be sooooooooooooooooo excited!

So I am thankful that it is Friday so I can have my kiddos home with me for 2 whole days. I've missed them this week. However, I don't know how much quality time we'll get together as they sleep off the inevitable sugar-hangovers as a result of all the fair food. And while they'll be thinkin' mama is the greatest tonight, they will surely change their tunes as I detox them with copious amount of green smoothies for the next 2 days . :) Hey, what are moms for?!

But you gotta promise not to tell................

Time for a quick "breather"........

2008-08-20T08:39:00.004-08:00

The kids are back in school & getting all settled in. Now I am just trying to enjoy my week off before classes begin for me. While I miss the kids bunches while they are gone, I have to admit the quiet has been kind of nice. I've just been getting a few things done & enjoying some 'mama time.' This morning I am going to a brunch that one of ladies from church is hosting. Can't beat that- 2 of my favorite things: good friends & good food!

I know I am way behind on posting my photos, so for the viewing enjoyment of our OH family in particular (but I hope everyone likes them) over the next couple days I am just gonna put up a variety of photos from the summer :)

And speaking of Ohio family~ I can hardly wait.....in 2 1/2 weeks my sister & brother-in-law are coming to visit! It is gonna be the best! We are soooooo excited!

So as I promised here is just a few from GEORGIA 2008

D. Showing off her 'moves' in the pool

The kids at the Georgia Aquarium

R. on the jet ski at Westpoint. And NO he was not riding alone! He just wanted a pic by himself :)

Me go-carting with our nephew

The reason we spent sooooo much time in the water (lake, pools, etc.)

How sweet it is...................

2008-08-04T21:37:00.005-08:00

So you all know about our 'flood' issues and our extended vacation....blah, blah, blah....

Anyhoo....in the midst of all the chaos we had to postpone D.'s 10th birthday party. See we were due to have a sleepover 2 days after the Great Laundry Room Flood of '08. Bless her heart she didn't complain a single bit about having to cancel. And that was a very good thing cuz how in the world would I have had a house full of 10 years old girls in the midst of house demo????

So with school starting 2 weeks from today, I have realized 'if' we are going to do this whole slumber party thing, time is of the essence. D. is such a great kid and says we don't need to have one at all but she is a awesome kid that never asks for anything. It is our priviledge to give her her 'special day.' The party is now scheduled for this coming Sunday night. Withing our group of friends weeknights actually work better during the summer so the date is set.
So our *spur of the moment* theme is "D's Sweet Shop." This came about because my dear friend Denise, who owns both NonEssentials and Cups, Cones & Candy , volunteered to come up to the party and bring all the fixings for a banana split bar. She adores D. & says this is her present to her. Denise so rocks! So we are gonna run with that & turn it into the theme of the night. decorations will be pretty simple but bright candy colors. And party favors will be candy colored Chinese takeout boxes filled with candy from Cups, Cones & Candy. Now I am just looking for some misc. ideas for the evening. Soooooooooooooooooooooooo if you have any ideas, any at all, let me have it...........

I can't wait to hear what you guys come up with!

Back in the Great Land.....

2008-08-02T23:01:00.002-08:00

So we've been back in Alaska for a couple days now & I feel like I have accomplished NOTHING! Doesn't that just make ya nuts..........
I have laundry to do.....but I finshed the Shack. Again I have to say it say it was amazing!
Final exam still isn't done but I have until noon on Monday so it's all good :)
I also need to get our house put 'back together'- construction is done. Now to put everything back in its place........... wish me luck cuz I am sure gonna need it.

Have a great weekend!

Instead of focusing on my final exam.....

2008-07-31T23:32:00.005-08:00

I have been goofing off a tad....okay just for a few hours

First of all I am totally blown away by a book I am in the middle of
I don't want to give it away for those of you who haven't read it but it is utterly amazing. Although it is fiction the author William Young presents our relationship with God in phenomenal way. If you haven't read it you absolutely must...... And if you have don't talk to me about it for another day or so cuz I'm not quite finished yet. No spoilers!

Another way I have been procrastinating over my school work is by watching America's Got Talent. While I am not a huge TV junkie I love this show. Last season I was able to just pick a favorite act & stick with it. Not this season! I am totally torn...........
For your viewing enjoyment here are my 2 choices

and

Why can't they both win? They are both incredible! Man this is going to kill me............

Okay, back to my final I must go! Wish me luck!

Hey y'all.................

2008-07-27T19:35:00.003-08:00

yep......in typical "Life Inside" fashion I have been MIA (again). Since nearly the beginning of the month we have been soaking up the sun in Georgia & it has been glorious! Especially considering the fact that the summer in Alaska is one of the worst in history....seriously they are saying we might very likely set the record for the wrost summer on record. Blech!

So we've been loving the heat & sun here just south of Atlanta & the kids have loved spending time with their cousins that live here. We will be all-too-sad to get on the plane come Tuesday morning. There remains one bright point in our return trip- we get to spend some time with some dear friends in Burbank, California. The kids are so excited to see where their friends live & we might even hit the beach for a bit! I promise to share oodles of pics once we get back home.

Speaking of home.....by the time we get home our house repairs should be complete........oh yeah that right, y'all don't know about our house issues. The very issues that kept me away from blogging in the weeks leading up to our trip......

About 2 weeks before we left I went down to the laundry room to throw in a load. As I walked down the hall wall in our lower level, something seemed "off".................well, to make a long story uber short, the drain in my laundry room backed up. The water then soaked in the carpet in my hallway outside the laundry room & proceeded to flow wherever it possibly could. All in all it'll be over a $13,000 repair! YIKES! Thank the good Lord for a awesome homeowner's policy! And rather than stress, I am attempting to find joy in the fact that my hallway, 2 bedrooms (the spares) & my family room will get brand new carpet plus the laundry & bathroom will each get new vinyl flooring. The downside of all that is that is the part of the house that DIDN'T need new carpet! LOL

On a completley different note I have a heavy heart this evening. I sat down here at my in-laws to do some of my schoolwork on my laptop & thought I would take a peak at the Anchorage paper online first. To my utter shock I found out a friend of mine passed away on Monday. We knew each other through our daughters being on swim team together. She was only 41 & apparently passed due to heart failure following a surgery. Since I have been gone for several weeks I know very few details.......but to say I am shocked is an understatement. My heart aches for this dear woman's her family.......... her girls were so young...........she was so young herself............

Later...............

Show a little love.....

2008-06-03T12:46:00.003-08:00

for a new blogger! My friend Jennifer just started blogging today, so stop by her site for a visit & show a little love. She is fabulous.....a bit crazy at times, but I love her for it! You've all heard the saying:

A GOOD FRIEND WILL BAIL YOU OUT OF JAIL BUT A TRUE FRIEND WILL BE SITTING NEXT TO YOU SAYING 'DAMN THAT WAS FUN'

Yep, that's Jen & me in a nutshell! GOT. TO. LOVE. IT!

God save the Quee..uh...the Cupcakes?????

2008-06-02T16:55:00.004-08:00

While we eat pretty healthy fare in our house ( except my 2 nights out last week *Ooops*), I couldn't help but laugh at this clip from ZeitGeist...the News You Cannot Use! I love a little...okay, alot.....of sarcasm. Femmie & I would so have a blast if we could convince this guy to come over for dinner! Dare to dream...................

Hitting the town...twice in one week!!!!

2008-06-01T09:47:00.007-08:00

Yes......the SAHM who normally has her head buried in school books hit the town twice in one week. To be honest...twice in a 3 days period. What is the world coming to????

First, on Wednesday night my friend Jen & I went to the long-awaited Elton John concert in Anchorage. You see, EJ has never played in Alaska before so this was a huge deal. So we abandonded our housewife-wear (AKA sweatpants & pony tails) & hit the town.....stillettos and all..............

Before the concert we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Bernie's Bungalow...great food (I had the Thai Lemongrass chicken) and sitting in the sun. And little did we know Bernie's & one of the local radio stations was hosting a party for all the people who couldn't get tickets to the concert. It was EJ music & trivia galore..................

After stuffing ourselves we headed to the concert. It was crazy...it was packed but it was oh-so-fun! Sadly, neither of us took cameras with a strong enough lens to get a really good picture (I mean you all know mine got STOLEN).....but none-the-less, it was fabulous!

Sorry about the poor video quality...I was using D's little pink Sony Cybershot...plus....I had a raging drunk sitting next too me who kept wacking me as she danced. And believe me ...she danced whether the song warranted it or not......

In fact in the clip you can hear Jen talking about how "jerky" her dancing (and I use that term loosely) was.....seriously you would have thought she was at Headbangers Ball or something..... Then you somebody mention YouTube. That wasn't about my video clip, but the girl sitting to Jen's left who was taking video of the crazy drunk with her iPhone & uploading it to YouTube and Myspace right there from section 215! You gotta love the digital age.......................

So after totally exhausting ourselves Wednesday night we took a day to recoup & then hit the town again Friday night with a group of six women to go see the Sex and the City Movie. Jen & I drug them all down to Bernie's with us again for more yummy Thai food. This time I had the Coconut Curry Chicken washed down with a couple of Bernie's delicious Cosmos

There was loads of crazy antics (like Jen popping across the street to get $$ from the ATM.....but when I went off in search of her I found her trying on shoes in Nordstroms. But I do have to give it to her...the shoes were really cute....) But alas....we headed off to the movie & we got there safely thanks to our DD MaryAnn. :)

Afterwards we hit Outback for another round ...plus some warm yummy bread! It was a fabulous night. And now this mama will be crawling back into her housework/schoolwork shell for a another month or 12. But it was fun while it lasted.......................

STOP the insanity already......

2008-05-25T16:01:00.004-08:00

Seriously, in the last 2 weeks my life has felt as crazy as this little dude looks....no joke!

Let me break it down for you:

·I have not been able to log into my blog in over 2 weeks......yeah....you can imagine the things I was thinking about that. And the Blogger techies couldn't tell me why. Go figure! But I am back on now, so keep your fingers crossed!

· Little R. got a wicked case of strep the last week of school & missed all of the festivities at school. That meant the hubby & I were playing "musical children" during the busiest week of the school year.

·So last Tuesday we were getting into my van to head to the school for the kids' exit interviews (end of year conferences) & as I climbed into the driver's seat I couldn't help but notice the front seats had stuff everywhere. Apparently someone had broken into our van overnight & was looking some goods. Of course they found my uber-expensive digital camera that was in the console between the front seat (mistakenly kept there so I wouldn't forget it during all of the aforementioned school activities). They also stole our dual-DVD system. But with that the joke was on them......first of all they forgot the power cord. I know for a fact a replacement for it runs about $25. So once they buy a cord to power the system, they will discover it BROKEN! Ha! Jokes on them........ serves 'em right!

Needless to say I am super mad about the whole ordeal. I ♥LOVE♥ my camera *makes super sad face*. And the whole ideal of somebody breaking in creeps me out. I mean we live in a nice, well-lit subdivision. But this just goes to prove nobody is immune. The cop that came out said tons of people in our town have been hit in the last 2 weeks or so like we were . They suspect its kids doing the work......great........just what I wanted to hear........

· Anyway...if you are still with me, it gets better.............

Thursday night I am grilling up some fabulous steaks for dinner & I hear R. say to his sister "I'm going inside, my eye hurts!" I took a quick look at it as he came onto the deck & it was a bit red. I told him to go get a wet cloth & I'd be right there. Anyway...I'll spare you all the details but in less than 10 minutes the area around his eye had swelled to the size of a baseball & the conjunctiva (the membrane in the eye socket) had swollen up & was actually bulging out. Ewwww......it was so not pretty. Needless to say we were at the ER in under 10 minutes. For a brief moment I wondered if we were overreacting.....then as soon as we set foot in the door, the nurse at the triage desk took one look at him, and told us not to move. Even though the waiting room was packed, they ushered us straight back to an exam room.....they didn't even take his name. While we were pleased with the immediate attention, we got really freaked out then. You know to be concerned if they don't even take time to slap an arm band on you.

In the end, they determined he was having an acute allergic reaction to a bug bite & were able to get him fixed up with some meds & such. Then we followed up the next day (at the ER doc's recommendation) with both our pediatrician & an opthamologist. In the end everyone is in agreement - little dude is having progressively worse reactions to bug bites. We have seen bad reactions to mosquitoes in him before....but this was this was the worst (thus far). So now we armed with prescription emergency antihistamines out the wazooo as well as the almighty Epi-pen! Fun...............oh yeah.......................

So there is my fun in a nutshell......how are things going with everyone else????

Oh & by the way, since I wasn't able to log on to blogger, I wasn't able to reveal the answer to the the Jellybean challenge. The number of Jelly Bellies in the jar is 3670! Seriously...talk about sugar rush! And the winner is...............drumroll, please....................Corey. Congrats! I will be contacting you via your blog Corey to get your goodies to you!

Lator gators.................

So it'a time for the "Slow Down".......

2008-05-05T16:56:00.007-08:00

At least in my delusional little mind it is.....

Friday was the last day of Spring semester- can you scream hooray???? I did :) And in the last 3 days I have had literally dozens of people ask me if I'm "done". Cheerily I say "Yes I am....for the next week & a half!" Pretty sad that I am ecstatic about a week & a half off...... But you gotta take what you can get!

So...the kiddos have less than 2 weeks left of school before summer vacation & we are all thrilled about that. However, I about had a heart attack when I woke up last week to this

Holy guacamole.....seriously people we got a record amount of snow (over 10 inches in a matter of hours in APRIL none-the-less)....3 weeks to the day before summer vacation. Something is seriously wrong with this situation! But now the snow is gone **crosses fingers** and its is 60 degrees as I type. Let's pray that it stays this way.

On another note....I have decided my children must get jobs. Jobs to support their Webkinz addictions. They are kind of high-tech Beanie Babies. It is some weird elementary school craze that is sweeping Alaska and from what I hear, the rest of the nation. Well last Saturday, Patty who owns Sidekicks here in the Valley hosted the annual Webkinz party & it was crazy! There were Buy One-Get One Free specials followed by an entire afternoon of games....games for which she gave Webkinz as prizes.....literally hundreds of them. My kids won over a dozen Webkinz combined that afternoon. And then we found out later in the day that D. had won the "Guess how many Jelly Beans Are in the Giant Jar" game and won not only the aforementioned jar & Jelly Bellies, but also a bag full of Webkinz & goodies!

Seriously it was insane!

On another note~ my kiddos sent me flowers for my last day of school on Friday (with the help of their Gma.) They made my heart melt....

until little R. came and snuggled up on the sofa with me

R: Do you like the flowers Mama?

Me: I LOVE them!

R: We got them for you cuz it your last day of school.

Me: I know...you are tooo sweet!

R: We only have 2 weeks of school left.....

M: Yep! Then we'll be home together for the summer.

R: So when my school gets out what kind of present are you gonna get me?

UGH!!!!!! Seriously....only out of the mouth of a soon-to-be 1st grader.....

So, since I am feeling cheery with school being out & all I figure I'd have the first ever "Life Inside" contest. I will take entries until one week from today, Monday May 12th at 12noon AST. In the comments give me your guess of how many Jelly Beans are in this jar. See the above photo of my almost-10year old holding said jar to get an idea of how big it really is. For reference she is 5 feet 11/2 inches tall. The winner will get a care package of some Alaskan goodies! Good luck!

P.S. Mom & Jen....you can't play cuz you already know the answer, but I promise I'll make you Cosmos really soon!

You have got to me kidding me.....

2008-04-09T22:37:00.009-08:00

That is what I thought as I drove into the UAA campus this morning. As I pulled out of my driveway before dropping the kiddos off at school, I was so depressed about how hideously brown my grass still is in the 2nd week of April. Spring is always sooooo slow in coming here.
Anyway, have you ever heard the saying "Be careful what you wish for?".....while I was wishing my yard didn't look so...uhm...YUCK, the Big Man upstairs had a little surprise in store for me.....

Let's just say my 42mile commute took me almost 3 hours & by the time I got home this afternoon my yard looked like this...........

I know I am really working on the PMA thing but this seriously put a damper on my mood............

Good grief it is the 9th of April........... I mean it was so bad that the University canceled late afternoon classes (yeah, I wasn't so lucky) & D's youth group was nixed too......in April people.......

I want Spring! I want green! I want flowers! I wanna wear flip flops! *okay...tantrum is over & I promise I'll try to behave from here on out*

And do you wanna know who is just LOVING this? The dog! Look at the crazy mutt! See all the prints in the snow on the deck? Those are ALL from her wallowing in the snow...............

On a more constructive note.....

I did manage to find something in the midst of this "Indian Winter" that cheered me up (if only just a tad)...

I don't think you can make out what the line I have circled says:

Bag refund -0.05

I got 5 whole cents refunded to me for taking my own bag to the store. I carry a Chico bag in my purse & I ♥ it! And mine is pink to boot!

I do it 'cuz I am sick of 10 billion plastic bags taking over my house. I do it 'cuz it is good for the environment. I do it 'cuz this sucker holds a ton......and now when I use it they are gonna give me 5 cents to boot! I love this! You know...if I did this like 2 million or so times, I could put one of the kids through college or something :)

Hey...just humor me here...did I mention how much stinking snow we got today?????

Hmmmm....I think my sour mood is screaming for a Diet Coke, don't you? Better yet, I think rather than putting my "windfall" (ya know the 5 cent deal) into a College Saving Plan, I am gonna start saving for my own Fountain Soda Machine for here at home.....now that would be cool.........

The quest for a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) continues.....

2008-04-06T23:10:00.006-08:00

So, it's 11:11pm on Sunday evening & I still have hours of work ahead of me. So rather than whine & complain, I decided to "take 5" and type up a quick entry and focus on a few little things that I am thankful for this evening.....

Let introduce you to my "Best Friend" this semester....well, I mean not BFF like my dearest "Jennicrust" but it sure has gotten me through the past few months! I *heart* Zipfizz Liquid Shots! This stuff puts those popular energy drinks to shame without all the yucky side effects! Love it! Oh & did I mention the one I just downed about 15 minutes ago..........

Next on my list is the one, the only Diet Coke!!!! Seriously, I love this stuff so much that if I was still in 8th grade I'd have "Stacy ♥'s Diet Coke" all over my notebooks! I don't care what anybody says, this stuff is the elixir of life! And it is excellent as a Zipfizz chaser (but only when I am working on a major project)!

Okay...I think this photo speaks for itself...enough said.....

So why am I up so late if you ask?? Well I am working on a major research paper for my Western Religion class. I have been working on this monsters for days now, but I just can't seem to get it 'wrapped up'....

Secondly I have to be logged into the University website at midnight to secure my classes for the fall. One of the 2 classes I NEED only has 15 slots....wish me luck!

Ya know, I was talking to my husband on the phone this evening & he was wonderfully supportive of how hard I am working right now. And while I was tempted to bask in his sympathy for a minute or 10, I forced myself to buck up.......

I told him I am grateful for the following:

~that I have the opportunity to go to school at all (I know there are so many women out there who will never have the opportunity)

~that he is so supportive of what I am doing (he has even turned a blind eye to the ever-mounting housework that needs done around here)

~ that I have an uber awesome Mom & BFF who are willing to help me out with the kiddos when I have class

~ lastly that overall I have the 'ability' to succeed in school. I know that sounds conceded...what I mean, compared to many of my classmates school comes fairly easy for me... note I said comparatively................

Okay...enough rambling...I guess my point is that I am trying to stay focused on the positive things right now. If I start to let the 'negative' creep in ,it can get out of control & well I just can't waste my time or energy on that garbage.....

Update: Score! I got all the classes I needed for Summer & Fall semesters!

*****************************************************************************

On another note please keep the Smith family in your prayers. Angie's C-section is scheduled for 2pm Monday. I am amazed by this family's faith and their ability to trust in whatever God's plan is for baby Audrey.

Just 10 more sleeps.....

2008-04-05T22:27:00.005-08:00

That is what little R. told me as I tucked him in. And this is what he is counting down to....
Seriously.....he is way excited. In fact we all are! My mom, my husband & I are going with the kids on April 16th to see the Cirque Dreams show in Anchorage! And its Kids Day to boot so there will be street performers outside the theatre an hour before show time. This type of thing doesn't make it to Alaska very often. And while I am thrilled my kiddos are looking forward to it, I myself am more than ready for something fun in the midst of all my schoolwork.

So...if I haven't made it clear enough yet, we're excited! Hopefully the show will live up to our expectations! I'll let you know :)

And in case you are wondering about all this "schoolwork" I have & if it truly is all that bad, here is a peak at my "To Do" list for the next 3 weeks! C'mon you know you're jealous! So if any of you have any extra time on your hands & wanna volunteer for one or more of these assignments, I'll gladly share!

And although I am uber busy I am trying to have a more positive outlook these days so I will share something with you that made me happy this week!

I am a summer girl at heart (I know, bummer deal for someone that lives in the arctic) but I LOVE Springtime flowers! Tulips, daffodils..... you name it! And these were so pretty.....and in the bathroom none-the-less. They just made me smile!

Night all!....I am off to bed to read a few chapters from the novel that is 'due' on the 9th!

Trivial details of my life can't compare.....

2008-04-02T18:04:00.003-08:00

While I was all geared up to bore you with details about my lame school work & the uber lame book we are reading in my Lit. class (which I admit I absolutely loathe!!), I am throwing those topics to the wind to share with you this link! Please pray for Tricia & that her double lung transplant (that is taking place while I type this blog) goes well! If you do nothing else today, you have to go & read their (Tricia & her family's) story. My thoughts & prayers are with this family....I hope yours are too!

Enough for today...I mean seriously what can compare to the that.............

Soup, anyone?

2008-03-30T17:31:00.008-08:00

Yeah....I know that in this photo it looks pretty darn UN-appetizing, doesn't it? (I apologize for the poor photo quality...gotta love cell phones!)

And oddly enough it is the very thing that I look forward most to every Friday morning....to get me through three hours of the most boring class that the University offers......boring, boring, poke-my-eyes-out-with-a-dull-pencil boring. But I take heart in knowing that 1/2 way through we will be given a 10 minute break in which I will treat myself to this $3.25 bowl of deliciousness. Clam chowder from the coffee stand at the college.....oh yeah, we've hit the big time!

In fact this past Friday my fellow soup-loving classmate & I even joked about how pathetic it is that the most exciting thing in our lives on Fridays is some meger looking clam chowder served in a styrofoam cup. Talk about bad attitudes...........

So I come home and I read Jody's blog & find the link to Angie Smith's blog. Angie & her husband are facing a trial unilke anything I can even begin to imagine.....their story has touch me beyond words....you just have to read it for yourself.............. This woman is such a pillar of strength in such a dark time.

And then I finished writing my paper on Elie Wiesel's Night. The book chronicles Wiesel's time spent in Auschwitz during WWII. If you haven't read it, run...don't walk....run out & buy it! Powerful beyond words. And as I was proof reading my paper, I realized that God was silently showing me something like this "Hello? Stacy? Do you hear me? I know you are bogged down with all the little 'things' in life & that you are tired.....but don't forget you are also very blessed."

Yep.....I am tired...more tired than I have ever been.....between commuting to Anchorage for school 4 days a week, all my school work and then running a family & household and all my countless projects and commitees at the kids' school plus doing the parent thing alone 50% of the year....I am beat! But really what do I have to complain about?

So I guess The Big Guy was trying to give me an attitude adjustment in a kind and gentle way. My Friday morning bowl of soup isn't pathetic at all.......and I have to be grateful for all of these little blessings.....each & every one.

Do you ever have those times that you find these little lessons are all around you when you least expect it ?

Okay...back to my school work! Have a great week:)

Move over Wedding Crashers......Mommy Crashers Are in the house....

2008-03-03T16:56:00.003-09:00

So Saturday we had little R's 6th birthday party at Bouncin' Bears, the new 'cool' place to have a party around here, especially for the 12 & under crowd. Well we had a huge turnout (29 kids...that is including the siblings of all the kids we invited......seriously this place is popular) & the kids had a BLAST! However, the attendent told me to let her know if "anyone comes in with a present" that we don't know?

Huh?

To make a long story short, she tells me there is a 'ring' of moms who are trying to crash parties........yep, crashing the parties of 6 year olds. Why you might ask? Well, it is like $7.00 a kid to go to Bouncin' Bears for "Open Jump"that is held throughout the week (& on weekends if no parties are scheduled). Well for the convience of people who might want to attend Open Jumps on the weekends the management has posted a schedule on their website to let them know when parties are scheduled.

So..................instead of forking over say $21.oo if a family has three kids & waiting (like decent folk) for an Open Jump opportunity, these schmoes are showing up to some unsuspecting kid's party with a $5.00 present in hand, hoping to save themselves 16-or-so dollars......and hey they might even score their kids a cupcake, juice box & goodie bag in the process...................uhm, can you say L-O-S-E-R-S! And I guess this hasn't just happened one time....it has become a regular problem! Good grief!

And an update since my last post......I lived through last week's Lit. midterm, but now I am prepping for NE Asia in the 21st Century midterm tomorrow night & Western Religion for Wednesday! Ugh....................such is life................

The waiting game.....

2008-02-27T09:34:00.006-09:00

Right now I am sitting here:

In the Alaska Consortium Library waiting for my Canadian Lit Professor to post our midterm on Blackboard. We can take the test anywhere we want....we just have to print it out & present her w/ a hard copy by 11:30am AST. So needless to say, I can't do it from home considering we live 47 miles from campus! Wish me luck! (actually this shouldn't be too bad...this is my favorite class this semester. It is the Northeast Asia Midterm that I have next Tuesday that's gonna kill me!

Later gators!

By the way...if any of you are Shelfari Members (see my bookshelf at the right) let me know so I can add you to my friends list!

Chic Flicks & Research Papers........

2008-02-07T19:43:00.000-09:00

It is still ridiculously cold here........we've spent weeks in the negative temperatures now! Blech! I am counting the seconds until Spring....I want to drive on dry roads, my kids want to play outside, I WANT my kids to play outside, I want to be able to walk across campus with out risk of life or limb......most of all I want to open up my windows & let fresh air fill my house. Yep.....cabin fever has officially set in :)

So as a means to cope with the 'winter blues', My friend Jen & I spent the entire morning curled up on her sofas, watching chic flicks & eating homemade beniets. OMG! There were oh-so-yummy! And I am confident (*cough-cough*) that they were totally fat-free! :) And if they weren't, I don't wanna know....... (buries head in sand)

Although it was uber cold & windy, it was a perfect, lazy morning! First we watched, one of my personal favs, Calendar Girls.

Jen & I are certain when we get old we are going to be exactly like Kris & Annie...well, with our clothes on. But the whole laughing hysterically at inappropriate times & getting into mischief.....yeah that will be us. Who am I kidding? It already is us! After we laughed & cried through the entire flick, we washed it down with copius amounts of diet Coke & Love Actually.Another personal fav!! I mean what isn't there to love about this movie!!! It is brilliant. So in addition to growing old & mischievious together, Jen & I have decided that we most definitley need to move to Britian together. I lived in Suffolk county, England for several years & loved it. But Jen & I have decided we need to live there together...ya know, for the experience. Now we just need to convince our husbands of this.

So, in case you are wondering.....I totally slacked on my school work for this cinema experience. Yep.....total slacker college student...that is me! I have a huge persentation tomorrow, a test & another presentation due on Monday, a paper for Tuesday, an exam on Wednesday, and a huge paper for next Friday. Oh I can't forget the 2 novels I also have to finish by the end of next week. Yep....I'm just a bit overloaded. So I'm not sure if today's 'free time' was a erroneous move or a sanity saver. Only time will tell..........

"Spring" Semester

2008-01-15T09:21:00.000-09:00

Yeah...the nut job that decided to call this "Spring Semester" obviously has never been to Alaska in mid-January. The new semester started for me yesterday & there is just one (G-rated) word to sum it up~ YUCK! It started with an hour-plus drive into Anchorage on totally crappy roads....like seriously crappy! Then an uber-long hike from the parking lot to my first class in -18 degree temperatures. No, sadly that is not a typo. If you have been unfortunate enough to enjoy such temps you can related to the distinct sensation of taking a breath & feeling the little hairs in your nose literally freeze. Let's just say...NOT pleasant. Then after class one, I rush back to my (cold) car & drive clear across campus to endure an equally as long walk to another class with only 15 minutes to accomplish this task. Uhm...yeah...I was LATE! Professor was not happy, but what can you do??? Oh & did I mention the face-plant I did while walking across the parking lot.....yeah, definitely one of my finer moments! And I get to repeat this fun process 3 morning & 1 evening each week....well, hopefully no the face-plant part. So for your viewing enjoyment I share a photo from my front porch from this morning.....

Please note: it is 9:30 am & there is NO sunlight....BLECH!

you can't not see the mountains in the background which are usually VERY prominent...why you ask? because of the snow that it falling...FUN! FUN! ....it is coming down pretty good but it is super fine so it didn't show up in this photo

can you tell I have a bit of the mid-winter blahs.....yep!

And this is my stack of books for this semester....well except for the 2 that are on my bedside table & the one that is in my purse & 3 that haven't shown up from Amazon yet & the 14 (yes, 14) that I have waiting on hold to pick up at the library today.......I tell ya, the fun just never stops :) So I'd better get to my reading while the house is quiet & the kids are at school. I have an entire book to finish for Canadian Lit. tomorrow & I have class from 7-10pm tonight PLUS the long commute each way

Now if that didn't lift your spirits, I don't know what will :)

50 Random things....

2008-01-12T15:24:00.000-09:00

Ok, I saw this on Brittany's blog &thought what better way to get my lazy self back on the bloggin' wagon after an uber-long hiatus.
1. Do you like blue cheese?ewww..no!
2. Have you ever smoked heroin?Blech!! No way!
3. Do you own a gun?Not me, but my hubby does
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic? Sadly, I have never had Sonic!!
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointment? Not usually
6. What do you think of hot dogs? They are UGLY!
7. Favorite Christmas song? Trans Siberian Orchestra's "Wizard in Winter"
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?Diet coke...I know, such a bad habit
9. Can you do push ups? Yep
10. What do you order at starbucks? SF Cinnamon Dolce Steamer
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? Wedding ring
12. Favorite hobby? hands down its reading!
13. How do you eat your eggs?scrambled WELL!
14. Do you have A.D.D.? not that I know of
15. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? I try to do too much at once
16. Middle name? Marie
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment...Dang I wish my textbooks would get here, there is wat too much laundry to be done & I need a nap
18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Groceries....so that is many, many things...most importantly Diet Coke
19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Water & Diet Coke...that's about it
20. Current worry right now? the aforementioned textbooks
21. Current hate right now? the cold
22. Favorite place to be? Hawaii with my family
23. How did you bring in the New Year? with my family, parents & of good friends at our house playing a crazy video game marathon
24. Where would you like to go? HAWAII!
25. Name 3 people who will complete this? If you are reading this consider yourself TAGGED!
26. Do you own slippers?nope...but I have "House Crocs"
27. What shirt are you wearing?Grey Hooded "North Pole" sweatshirt
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?hello??? we live in Alaska....Flannel baby!
29. Can you whistle? yes
30. Favorite color? Bright pink!
31. Would you be a pirate?can a be a hot pirate like Keira Knightley...if so, then yes!
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? none
33. Favorite girl's name? my daughter's name...but I don't put in on my blog so let's just say it begins with "D"
34. Favorite boy's name? see above...it begins with "R"
35. What's in your pocket right now? no pockets
36. Last thing that made you laugh? Mr. Bean's Holiday
37. Best bed sheets as a child? seriously...you won't believe this but my Empire's Strikes Back sheets under my lacey pink bedspread on my frilly canopy bed
38. Worst injury you've ever had? Severe hernia after I had R.
39. Do you love where you live?
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? 3
41. Who is your loudest friend? Jen :)
42. How many dogs do you have? 1
43. Does someone have a crush on you? I sure hope he does
45. What is your favorite book? Too, too many
46. What is your favorite candy? Reeses's
47. Favorite Sports Team? OSU Buckeyes!
48.What song do you want played at your Funeral? What will I care...I won't be there :)
49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? reading
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Don't the kids realize its Saturday??????

Get out your wallets.....

2007-11-20T19:49:00.001-09:00

cause I am going to have to start taking donations for little R.'s "Therapy Fund". Seriously I think I scarred my child for life today.......

Before picking him up from school I stopped at the mini-mart for a diet Coke & I threw a bag of gummi bears up on the counter for my boy as a little treat

So as he climbs in the van & tells me what a great day he had, I hand him this bag of yumminess....

R: thanks mama! Can you open them?

Me: Sure thing buddy!

At this point I notice he puts a single bear in his little mouth with a grimace and then swallows it whole. What the???? The boy LOVES candy, any and ALL candy...he would eat it 24/7 if I let him......

And then it happened....the tears started to flow.......by the bucketful.....accompanied by silent sobs. No drama.....I sat there dumbfounded as I watched my son's heart break in slow motion.....and yet I had NO idea why.........

Me: Baby, what's wrong?

R: I can't do it......(at this point he hands the bag of gummies back to me )......I just can't eat them

Me: Does your tummy hurt?

R: No mama....I just can't eat Dadu's babies. (at this point he totally fell apart in my arms)

Yes....readers meet my son's very best friend in the whole-wide-world, Dadu. He loves this bear like most little boys love their dog. The innocent love of a child..... They go everywhere together. R. was devastated when he realized Dadu couldn't go to kindergarten with him. And what did I do....I tried to feed him Dadu's babies???? What kind of mother am I????? Holy crap!

And if that wasn't bad enough, for the next 2 hours he would just spontaneously break out sobbing and say "I just can't get it out of my mind...." It was just so pitiful!

So, yes, I get the Bad Mom of the Year award...maybe even the decade.....I totally (even if accidently) messed with my 5 year old's head big time today.....

Monday Randomness.........

2007-11-19T18:50:00.000-09:00

yep, I have been a bad, bad blogger....but, in my defense I have never claimed to be a good one :)

yes, I have neglected this poor blog but I have been uber busy with various facets of my life

it' soooooooooooo cold & sooooooooooooo dark & it's not even Thankgiving yet :(

I have loads of photos to share but d@mn blogger won't let me upload them today.....ugh!

have any of you seen Old Navy's new holiday bath & body line? While I was standing in line to return a pair of jeans for R. today, I "sampled" their Green Apple Cider lotion.......hey, my hands were super dry & I love yummy smelling stuff. All I can say is eewwwwwwwwwww.........that was 8 hours & a dozen handwashings ago and I still stink to high heaven. Let me warn you, that crap smells like Hall's Cherry Cough Drops. Yuck! I don't know who in creation thought that smelled even remotely like apple-anything but they were sooooooooo wrong! Save you $$$$$

So what food are you most looking forward to on Thanksgiving????? Me.....hmmm.............I think that would probably be good ole white meat turkey! Yummy! Well & a side of gravy would hurt either :)

Holy Questions, Batman!

2007-10-29T08:42:00.000-08:00

Without further ado................

Kellen: We (in the lower states) are so fascinated by Alaska (being dark part of the year, is there snow all the time, how cold does it get, can you plant a garden...?).

Yes, it is quite dark throughout the winter months. We live in the Mat-Su Valley about an hour outside of Anchorage. During the height of winter, the sun 'rises' at about 10:30am & sets by 4pm. Frankly, it sucks! You know its sad when my hubby & I head to Walmart to 'soak up the rays' of the fluorescent lights! But we have it much better than the people who live further north (yes, you can still travel about 750 miles futher north) in Barrow get 3 solid months of darkness...the sun does NOT rise at all! On the flip side, summer ROCKS! We get 20+ hours of daylight! There is nothing like playing with your kids outside at 11:30 at night and it is still daylight! Talk about the ultimate summer vacation! Here is my all-time favorite photo....it is a time-elapsed image of how the sun travel s across the sky throughout the day here on June 21st each year...uber cool!

No the snow doesn't stay year-round.....our's melts sometime in April.....each area of the state is a little different. The only places that retain snow are the highest elevations, like the mountain peaks & such.

In our area, the winter temps often dip down to about -20 degrees F. but in the summer we also get up in the 70's and 80's.... The worst part is the windchill. We live in a windtunnel because we are situated between 2 glaciers and boy do the winds howl! It gets pretty bad, but we manage. To put in perspective though, our kids are required to go outside at school until the temps drop below -10 degrees F. Needless to say we invest in warm winter gear :)

And YES you can have a garden, especially in our region. The Mat-Su Valley is the only area of the state can support true farming. We can grown a variety of vegetables..... plus squash and cabbage get incredibly large....think of what that all the sunlight can do! The giant veggies are a huge attraction at our State Fair every year.

Krystyn: Do you find yourself sleeping less hours during the Summer when there is so much daylight?
Yep! It is pretty amazing how quickly your body adjusts! There are studies showing that the average Alaskan sleeps about 10-12 hours a night during the winter and less than 6 in the summer! Somehow the sunlight just energizes you!

Kate: Do you love it? What have you gone back to school for?

Uhm...most of the time I love it....the are definitely the downsides.....long winter, being so far from our families, being so far from everything in general....but still I am not ready to leave. I don't know if we'll stay here forever, but for now this is home.
I am back in school finishing a BA in History while concurrently working on a post-baccalaureate K-8 teaching certification. My first degree was in Early Childhood Education, but that isn't what I want to do anymore! When it's all said & done (2 years from now) I'll have my certification & my M.A.T. (Master in Teaching). Wish me luck :)

EC: once heard (from someone in Alaska) that almost everyone carries shotguns in their home because you never know when a random bear or large animal will happen upon your home or area in which you live - is this true?

Hmm...come to think of it most people here do have guns! Where we live we don't necessarily have them in case animals come near our home, although a black bear set up residence in our subdivision recently. That being said, it is pretty common for people to take a gun with them when going hiking, fishing, etc.....cuz there is a good chance you might run across a bear. We have several friends who have bear skins on their walls that they didn't go out hunting for...essentially they killed them when the bear snuck up on them in the woods.

Are your big cities like our bit cities?
Anchorage is our largest city, and while it is has everything you need, it is still behind most major cities in the Lower 48. We go 'outside' and just drool over all the shops, and restaurants, and activities....okay its topics like this that make me want to move......ugh!

Finally - Doesn't it ever bother you that you can't just "drive across country" like someone would if they lived in NY and wanted to go to California? Do you ever feel landlocked?

Honestly, that is the one thing that probably bothers me more than anything else. Like I said, we have been here for 11 years and before that we were in Europe. It has been years since I have been able to just go on the quintessential American Road Trip. It is pretty frustrating! My mom-mobile (aka the magnificent minivan) is itching for the open road!

Brittany: Oh boy I hear ya.... I grew up in Stark County, Ohio so I have heard it all! up here a lot of people are from the Pacific NW, so they are clueless about anything east of the Mississippi. When I say I am from Ohio I might as well just say a "pasture out in the middle of podunk!"

Kami: No Aldo...while we are getting more stores all the time, the selection still pretty well stinks! :)

Lunanik: I guess the question that springs into my mind is...why live in Alaska?? I don't want to sound rude, I've heard that Alaska is wonderful, but...live there? permanently?
We moved here in 1996 when my hubby was stationed at Elmendorf AFB. It was supposed to be a 4year tour....we ended up staying 8 years on active duty & then he retired after 20+ years service in Sept 2004. We still haven't made up our minds whether we'll stay permanently or not..... only time will tell.....

ohmommy: what clothing items do you put on the kids before venturing outside? What are the best gloves, underwear, etc,,,?

Layers! Layers! Layers! And we don't skimp, even the slightest bit on quality. I have friends who buy the $14 Spiderman snowboots from Walmart up here & I just cringe.....its bloody cold people! So we stick with stuff that is well insulated, and temp. rated. Brands such as Columbia, Lands Ends, Obermeyer, L.L. Bean, etc rate their products to tell you what temps they are suited for. We make sure the kids have WARM gear & we always have spares. You can't afford to have a mitten go missing around here without a spare......oh yeah, mittens over gloves.....your own body heat is better at keeping you warm than any glove.....
And my kids LOVE Acorn socks...they keep the tootsies uber toasty!

cry it out (Mike): As to your request, does Holling still live in Alaska? How about Dr. Fleischman? What ever happened to Chris? (And my real question is ... do Alaskans get a lot of questions about that show? Or is it just me?)

LOL! Good one.... oddly enough I never watched Northern Exposure during it heyday because we were overseas. But once we moved here I learned that the 90's series was based on the small town of Talkeetna, home to the world famous Moose Dropping Festival...yeah you gotta see it to believe it...

When we first moved here there were a lot of questions about the show...but that seems to have died off on recent years.

alexandra's world: Have you seen a difference in climate lately? Like, less snow? The whole global warming thing... I'm obsessed with it now!

Hmm.... its hard to say. Each & every winter is incredibly different. We still get incredibly cold & tons of snow. And we haven't seen the extreme temp. increases in the summer like the rest of the US. I am sure there are effects, but not to the degree the Lower 48 is experiencing them.

And last but certainly not least......my dear sister Femmie: Wait...I do have a question... when does Alaska get to come home??? That seems like the best question of any posted, and I bet the crazies on the phone don't ever ask that one! We sure do miss you guys...and we aren't shoveling snow yet...does that persuade you at all?
Good question...I really don't know sweetie! while I'd love to say soon, it's only been less than 6 months since we were there last. I wish I had an answer...... Hopefully a isit is in our near future. And as far as moving, I am gonna have to keep working on the hubby with that one....he wasn't impressed when he MSN ranked Canton among the 10 worst cities for jobs in the nation.... ugh! But you know I love ya! :)

Someone commented that they were suprised to see our house- whilewe don't live in igloos, our houses are so different from Lower 48 houses. They totally lack in architectural detail. They are built to withstand the elements...period! I love to go outside & see all of the "pretty" houses (yes, I am whining...)

Ya wanna hear something really lame...I get mopey about the weirdest things......I hate that I have never lived anyplace where there has been a Target (but we are finally getting one next year.) I hate that we don't have pumpkin patches and apple orchards. I hate that we don't live close enough to go to an amusement park for the day. I hate that there are only like 3 places to have your kids birthday party, so believe me those 3 get old really quick! I hate that I get to wear short & flipflops less than 3 months out of the year. I really hope that someday I get the chance to live in a warm climate, even if just for a short while. When I was little I wanted to live in Florida more than anything.....I think I got my directions confused somewhat..... I hate that just to get my family out of state it costs a minimum of $2000! And I HATE that no one will ship anything of a substantial size to AK....no Pottery Barn desks or IKEA...it stinks! Okay...enough whining already ........

Anyway...thank you everybody for your questions & all of those of you who left awesome comments ( I am sorry I didn't mention everyone...I gotta get back to my schoolwork...but I'll be sure to visit all of your blogs soon)! I really enjoyed them :)

**** And yes my kids call my mom "Gma"...not just Gma, but Grandma-Gma. It's quite funny. When D. was little, my hubby nicknamed my mom Gma, cuz he said Grandma was just too long to say. Well it backfired....my kids actually lengthed her name......

It's officiallly here................

2007-10-25T16:24:00.000-08:00

Winter that is......I can't deny it any longer :(

Driving to class last night was absolutely miserable........the roads were 'yuck' and the crazy drivers even 'yuckier'........it's always this way with the first snow of the year

And shoveling this

Means its time to break out this One of the few good things about winter here is that it's the perfect time to indulge my hot beverage cravings. While I often make homemade hot chocolate for the kiddos, I like to have the flavored ones in the packets (above) that I can whip up when I need a quick 'fix'. Last year I totally flipped for Bigelow Tea's Eggnogg'n Tea......oh my....if you can get your hands on this stuff, it is perfect with a splash of milk. Simply divineJust the other day I was killing time in Fred Meyer after Kindergarten pick-up & happened upon my new obsession: Bigelow's Pumpkin Spice Tea! This stuff is like true love in a cup :) Again, a bit of Splenda (or sugar, if you please) and a dash of milk = Perfection!

And if you are a WW member like me, the good news is this stuff is 0pts!!! (No, I don't count the milk because I literally use less than a Tbsp per 16oz mug)

So...while I loathe shoveling snow, it made me smile to fill up my 'goodie' basket......just in time to settle in for a long, long winter...............

Speaking of winter.......I was on the phone the other day with my insurance company that is based in Texas & the Customer Service rep. launched into the "20 questions about Alaska" thing......

For the 11 years I have lived here, I have been asked literally thousands of questions about Alaska. I have come to accept what should be a 2 minute call turns into a half an hour discussion on life in the Great Land. I don't mind at all.....it just stinks when you're in a hurry.

So dear lurkers...and loyal readers alike.....ask me anything you want to know about Alaska and I'll answer your questions in my next post! Ready...set...go...................

Grandma love........

2007-10-23T18:18:00.000-08:00

My mom soooo spoils my kids...in a good way...but I mean really spoils them! They have a tradition that she buys them the small Starbucks travel mugs at practically every holiday (okay...just the 'major' ones) & they love it! It's their special 'thang'! Anyway, my kids were all bummed out that "Gma" was gonna miss trick-or-treating with them this year 'cuz she is away work. But she surprised them yesterday with a special delivery (via moi...) of Halloween Starbucks mugs & $10 gift cards to get their Frappe on! They were oh-so-happy!

As little R. says "Gma rocks!"

And speaking of Halloween surprises, we got "Boo'd" tonight! The kids were sooo thrilled & they are now plotting their Boo strategy for a few friends!

Real life experience # 5 (I think)....

2007-10-19T23:21:00.000-08:00

okay I haven't done this feature in a long, long while but I think it is time to bring it back baby......

take it from me......if you leave the house for a few hours and you return home to realize the whole freakin' place wreaks....yeah, seriously wreaks....of uber stinky canned dog food nonetheless...do NOT spend 45 minutes trying to eliminate the source of such smell by fumigating your house with Lysol ...yeah, I mean the garbage can, the dog kennel, the kids rooms, etc......first check to see if your dumb ass left a full can of Iams open on the kitchen counter, instead of putting it in the dog's bowl the morning, where it rightfully belongs....just in case you were wondering....

***I intend to make this a new feature of my blog. I consider it my civic duty (***cough cough...choking on my own line of crap here***) to help others learn from my mistakes*****

A girl's gotta love a good challenge....

2007-10-19T11:00:00.001-08:00

Like I don't have enough on my plate right now (you know I should be doing midterms).....

While it was probably not intended as a challenge, I love a question that challenges me to think. And I love random info, so I am going to challenge all of you as well. Nilsa presented me with this question regardling my last post:

If your classmates were playing the same game amongst themselves, how would they describe you and your 30-something pal?

Hmm...good one Nilsa! They would probably say something along the lines of this:

They-who-have-nothing-better-to-do-than-give-colorful-commentary-on-fellow-students.....yes, these 30-something wannabes (don't they realize that 30 is sooooo old) that sit in the back of the room giggling hysterically about who-knows-what. Seriously, they may have mental issues....either that or they have NO lives, if they find this class so freakin' funny. While we are all here for the benefit of higher education (*okay, this is stretching it a wee bit*) , they are obviously content with paying thousands of dollars to the University for the sake of a good laugh.

Oh, and if fellow students were to describe the one that looks like this separately it would be She-who-drinks-too-much-damn-Diet-Coke-and-appears-to-be-in-desperate-need-of-a-day-at-the-spa.
So my fellow bloggers....how would you be described??? Give it your best shot! And feel free to to analyze me as well...I have thick skin, I can take it!

***Disclaimer: In case you are wondering, I really am not a mean spirited person. IRL, I am actually really friendly! I was just raised in a family with a incredibly weird sense of humor. Everything & anything is fair game for, as my mother put in in my last post's comments, colorful commentary. Take for example this ancient post.... this is a running joke with my sister & I. We just can't help ourselves. And if that isn't enough of an excuse, blame our parents!

Let me tell you a tale.......

2007-10-18T09:12:00.000-08:00

Just sit right back & you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip

That started from this arctic port aboard this tiny ship.

The mate was a mighty sailing gal, The skipper a profess-or

Sixty passengers set sail that day for a three hour tour,

A three hour tour…..

Okay, I am definitely NOT a song writer....in fact this little diddy (the of course is totally stolen from Gilligan's Island) was a fellow classmate & my attempt to stay awake in class last night. Yeah pretty sad, I know. Honestly the class is pretty decent.....okay, don't laugh at me.....my Wednesday night class is senior level History, specifically History of Film: The Disney Studios. Yeah, for senior level course it is a bit of a fluff class, but overall it is pretty good. Our professor approaches the class from the very origins of the Disney studios & the incredible impact Walt Disney himself had on American culture. It really is pretty cool....in fact, it is one of the most popular classes the University of Alaska Anchorage offers.

Okay....so why do I need to 'keep myself awake' in such a great class? Well the one down fall to the class is the endless hours we spend watching the 'bonus features' attached to the original Disney classics. For example, last night alone we watched 2 1/2 hours on the making of Bambi before we even started the movie. A total of 3 1/2 hours watching the big screen. Holy crap.....

So my classmate & I have taken to quietly entertaining ourselves to make the time go by a bit faster. It is sad that a pair of (*cough*) 30-something moms must resort to such measures...... The above song is just one example. We have also become amateur psychoanalysts. So let me give you just a brief run down of a few of our oh-so-interesting case studies.......

First we have She-who-wants-to-be-an-artist.

* I thought you might appreciate her stylish 'do. If you are interested, I could get you the name of her hairdresser. Note the two-tone color...very chic*

This is our most unusual case. Every week this classmate shares her 'artwork' with us which looks remarkably like this......

While we are not qualified in the area of the arts, we are intrigued by said classmate's ability to create incredibly detailed 'lives' for her cartoon characters. Honestly, it's kind of creepy......let me elaborate:

She-who-wants-to-be-an-artist: Wanna see my new stuff?

Us: uhhhh....

She: Yeah, this is some of my best stuff....

Us: *Blank stare*

She: This is Olivia (shows us a 2x2 inch black & white sketch a female head) and she is 34 & married. She has 3 kids, but the middle one is her favorite. But she has anxiety attacks & her husband is sleeping with some lady he works with. And Olivia had a very traumatic childhood.....blah, blah, blah.....and last week at the grocery store she had an confrontation with a lady that goes to the same hair salon......blah, blah, blah.... (this goes on forever)

Me: Uhm...have you used her in other drawings....

She: Naw...I am too busy 'creating' her in my mind.......

Yeah, creepy! And this isn't an isolated incident. Every week there is a new character.....a simple drawing, with an incredibly elaborate 'life'. okaayyyyyyyyyyyyy then......

Then we have He-who-carries-a suitcase. Yeah dude carries a full-size suitcase to class every week to carry his school books. Upon arriving to class, he slings it up on the table & sets up 'camp'. In case you are wondering, he only carries textbooks & notebooks in the case. But I keep waitng for a dead bosy to fallout of it. Seriously...who carries a full-size Samsonite to class?

Then there is She-who-talks-a-lot. The girl that worked for Disney for less than a week but claims to be a Disney expert. And she all of, maybe, 22..... And we spend the entire class listening to her try to talk oer the professor or the documentary. Ugh...shut up already. And last night she decided to make herself at home & brought a bean bag chair to class. Yep, she just plopped down at the front of the room & made herself comfortable..... Hello?? This is college...

And finally I will tell you about They-who-need-to-get-a-room. Yep, they sit right in front of us...and make-out constantly. WTH?? This is not the place people! And when they do come up for air, he feels the need to try to strike up a conversation with us. Yeah....we'll pass thanks. You know, we should probably cut her some slack. I mean how can she possibly resist him.....with his mullet, Britney Spears hooded sweatshirt worn under an 'official' Howarts (of Harry Potter fame) Corduroy blazer. Yeah..he is smokin' Any girl should be so lucky.....NOT!

So there you have my Wednesday evening in a nutshell :)

Holiday confusion.....

2007-10-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

While I should be thinking about this,I can't seem to get this off my mind!Yes, folks...just 69 shopping days until Christmas. Now before you throw stones, let me explain that I am not a "Christmas junkie." While I absolutely love the holidays, I am not one of those people who start decorating the day after Halloween. I avoid the Christmas displays that are already popping up in the stores like the plague... I'll check them out come very late November. However, I do like to get a jump on my Christmas shopping! I hate staring down the barrel of the Xmas shopping-gun in the middle of December, knowing I am under pressure to get my shopping done. So I start now...buying a little here & some more there, in an attempt to be done prior to December 1st.

So now, I am plotting my strategy....who gets what & where can I get the best deal. Living in the Last Frontier, I rely heavily on web shopping. While we have a fairly decent selection of stores in Anchorage (and surprisingly growing number of stores here in the Valley), I LOVE the ability to shop at home without driving from store to store. Hmmmm...this ties into my previous blog entry...less time in my van equals less gas...yada, yada, yada........you get the picture.

The kids are actually pretty easy this year. For a while now, we have been trying to help our kids understand how to be grateful for all of our blessing & focus less on mounds of gifts. For the last couple Christmas/birthdays we have encouraged them to select one main thing they would really like. They have come to realize when they get too much stuff, they get overwhelmed & it makes us all a little crazy. I thought they would have a difficult time grasping this concept (especially little R.) but surprisingly they have totally embraced it. So we get them one main thing & then , of course, they get gifts from our extended families. The item we get them is usually fairly big & then we focus on doing things like angel trees & such....it's amazing how they've shed the "I want presents mentality." They have learned to think beyond themselves.

So this year D. wants a compound bow like this one. She loves shooting archery with her dad & is hoping to joining junior leagues at Fletcher's in January. She has been shooting a recurve for a while now, but she ready to step up her game :) And all R. has been asking for for over 6 months now is a Nintendo Wii. While video games are not my favorite thing, at least this is semi-interactive. And it is all he has asked for...seriously......Okay.....I caved. He'll be so excited Christmas morning! And I keep reminding myself that with these presents we are NOT bringing a gazillion miscellaneous toys into the house. That thought alone brings me a bit of peace. :)

So now I have begun thinking about all the other gifts that are on my list to buy. A favorite around here for the kids friends are holiday PJ's. Last year I wasn't sure how it would go over, but it was such a hit. I have been been asked once this year already if we were planning to do the pajama-thing again. You betcha! They are practical, apparently the kids think they're fun, they are reasonably priced (amazing, in fact!), and well.....you get my point. Oh, did I mention the parents of said kids love the fact their kids have matching jams for Christmas morning photos! It may sound cheesy,but believe me it is really neat! So if you are interested check out these PJ's at The Children's Place. They come in 5 uber cute colors, plus the quality is fabulous! We have bought them for the last 3 years & let me tell you the oldest ones still look like brand new! And if you do decide to purchase a pair or 5 be sure to use this awesome discount from Coupon Mountain. Seriously, how can you go wrong at only $13.20 a pair (with the discount). Anyway...enough Christmas chat for now........

So...if you have any great Christmas ideas for this year...please, oh, please share with me :)

Blog action day.....

2007-10-15T10:50:00.000-08:00

So I was cruising the blog circuit this morning (in attempt to avoid working on my Ethics midterm) & I discovered on Love is Blonde that today has been declared Blog Action Day. It is a day set aside to address environmental issues.

What would happen if every blog published posts discussing the same issue, on the same day? One issue. One day. Thousands of voices....

I personally think this is a fabulous idea! I'll admit in the past I avoided 'environmental issues'...call it denial or whatever, but I'm guilty. Furthermore, we are very politically conservative. And (don't shoot me for saying this) but it often seems enviromental issues & liberal politics go hand-in-hand. So we just stayed "on our side of the fence." However as time has gone on K & I, have become a bit more aware of the impact of environmental issues in general. Then I took a Physical Geography class this past summer, and boy were my eyes ever opened. Now I don't claim to be uber green...I wish I was. But dang, is it ever hard....... especially living up here in Alaska. For instance my family's eco-footprint is not pretty.

So here it is.......

A List of Really Small Things I Do To Help the Planet, Which are Probably Too Small on Their Own to Make a Difference

1. Our entire house is equipped with compact fluorescent bulbs. In fact, this was the very first thing we did right. When we built our house 7 years ago we put this bulbs in straight way. I'll admit, at that time we did it strictly for $$ reasons. After living in military housing for years & not having utility bills, we wanted to save as much moola as we could. But in time we learn they weren't just money-savers, but they also are planet savers too! Ya wanna hear the best....in the 7 years we've been in the house we haven't had to replace a single light bulb yet! Score! If you haven't switched yet check out some of this info....

2. We ditched our full-size SUV. Yep, about 2 years ago we down-sized from a Ford Expedition to a minivan. Okay...not as good as a compact or hybrid, but definitely a step in the right direction. My Exp. got a whopping 14/mpg while my van averages 25-30/mpg. I'm sure it helps that I'm not a crazy, speedy driver. :)

3. I have started utilizing reusable grocery bags. Frankly I got sick & tired of all of those dang plastic bags. I swear once the enter your house they multiply. It's scary! So I caved and bought a couple $1bags from the local supermarket & I am hooked. Not more junky plastic bags allover the place & they sure hold a lot more than the single box of cereal (I'm sure you know what I'm talking about here).

4. We have pretty much (hey we aren't perfect) cut out bottled water. I invested in a few Nalgene bottles for the family as well as a couple of this incredibly cool CamelBak bottles for the kids. They have been a huge hit. We are creating less waste & definitely saving $$. Hmmmm... I am beginning to see a reoccurring theme here.....

5. I donate & recycle as much of our unwanted "stuff" as possible. Just because I no longer have a use for something, doesn't mean that someone else doesn't....

6. And on that note, I make it a game each & every week to put as little garbage in our can as possible. Amazingly, what is hauled away every Friday has gradually decreased over the last year or so....

7. Okay and the obvious...recycle, recycle, recycle.....We try recycle the standards (plastic, cardboard, paper) and then the less obvious choices such as printer cartridges, old cell phomes, etc.

I could bore you with the list of things I have created that I want to implement around here for greater change but instead check out these 57 Tips. I'll admit it's really tough. Living in Alaska, we have access to very little 'local foods', public transportation in our town is non-existent, and we require a whole lot of energy to sustain us. Oh boy do we ever screw up our ec0-footprint with our annual flying.....seriously...it takes forever for us to get anywhere. UGH! But the key is we're trying...... If I can be honest here (no throwing tomatoes please), I don't know if we'll ever be living very green, but I think there is a enormous percentage of the population who are a lot like me. You know, wanting to do something but are totally intimidated by these people we see on TV who have given up their cars & living totally on solar or hydro-power. Uhm...yeah...that's not me. But what's key is that there is a place for the average American like me to do a little something ...and eventually it'll add up to a whole lot. Get my drift?

Hump day.....

2007-10-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

yep folks, we are half way to the weekend! Oh...I guess that mean we are even closer to midterms next week...ugh! I digress......

Anyway, since I will be busy for the remainder of today (I have to coach Battle of the Books after school & then my History of Flim class is tonight) I though I'd leave you with a couple photos & a link to check out.....

First this is the awesome view from my front porch yesterday evening. I love autumn, yet its way too short here. It lasts about all of maybe 2 weeks. Bummer!

Second I want you to check out this uber cute kiddo in this photo. His name is Denis and he is a student in Paraguay at the New Horizon School . My aunt Sue is the lady in the photo & she is the principal of the school. In fact, about 7 years ago she left her position as a principal of a school for special needs in Ohio, sold her house & decided to devot her life to mission work by opening this awesome school in Asuncion, Paraguay. Denis is in 3rd grade & we have been sponsoring him since he started Kindergarten. We pay $30/ month & that covers his tuition, uniform, some food, & some activities. I can say it's one of the best things we've ever done. Atleast twice a year we get a letter & photos from him, and often I'll recieve a letter from his parents as well. It's been amazing to see him grow in thrive through these photos. So recently another missionary was going to Asuncion & offered to take small packets from all of the sponsors in the US to the children. We were limited to what we could put in a gallon ziploc. I sent some art supplies (because it's his favorite), a letter, some photos & well...it's not important. He always writes a thank you letter for such packages. But this time I got a suprise email from my aunt of our photos with she & Denis. Pretty cool, eh?

And you thought all I could talk about was college & vomit jokes, huh? :)

**By the way, I have to tell you how incredibly proud I am of my Aunt...I think what she is doing is amazing. There are so few people out there willing to make that type of enormous sacrifice.....wow..........

And Tuesday goes like this......

2007-10-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

·I have a raging canker sore on the inside of my bottom lip-totally hot, I know. I wonder if it has anything to do with the immense amount of stress this semester has inflincted upon my life?

·WW weigh-in went well this morning....I was down almost 2lbs since last week. Just a few more to make up for the little bit I gained over the summer. UGH! But atleast I'm on the right track........ Hopefully I'll be able to reach goal by Christmas. I gotta be optimistic :)

·I sent my dearest hubby out this door this morning to take the kiddos to school & he returned with a garment bag of Cabi clothes for me.....now that's what I call L-O-V-E! Seriously, a mom from a little girl in R's class gave him my Cabi order (from her patry about a week ago) in the parking lot. I love new clothes...especially Cabi clothes. In case you are wondering, I got the sweater vest & tuxedo tee outfit from the "Oxford" line shown in the collection. Darn copyright won't let me copy a photo, or I would show you.

·Have I told you that I think my daughter must have been switched at birth in the hospital?? Get this....the kid loves Algebra. Okay, that is just bizarre. I mean my 4th grader can do Algebra better than I can (or my hubby for that matter.) Does anyone else see something wrong with this situation?

· I just had to share this photo that I took of R. this summer & was just now able to get it off my cell phone. Yes, people this is a pic taken with my hot pink Razor. We were in downtown Anchorage at a park in the city. And the uber cool thing....it was take at about 10 o'clock at night. Have I told you I adore the 24 hours of daylight in summer thing?? Sweeet.....

Overheard today in our second home....uhm...I mean the minivan...

2007-10-08T17:11:00.000-08:00

As we're driving home from R's kindergarten fieldtrip today I overheard the following comment:

"So what if you looked in your pocket and there was vomit in it, but you didn't vomit...."

All I can say to that is eewwwwwwwwwwww.............................only five year old boys, I tell ya!

All aboard...the Random Train of Thought...

2007-10-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

where it stops...nobody knows:)
·It's 34 degrees...and my kids are playing outside for the sheer fun of it. For what it's worth, I think they are nuts....but I won't tell them that, cause exercise is always good for little kiddos! And just in case you are sitting there wondering what the big deal is, let me show you how kids in Alaska dress to play outside in 34˚ weather.........

Short sleeves, even some shorts...but by golly don't forget the stocking cap. And the only reason my child (the one in the middle) isn't wearing a cap is cause she has all that stinking hair & she claims it's "too warm for a hat".
And no it's not just me...some loser mom who allows this. This is this Alaskan standard. This morning I went to the grocery store & I must have seen at least 10 adults in shorts. Mind you several of them were wearing shorts, a polar fleece jacket & flip-flops. Go figure.

· I am working on yet another paper. This one is for History of Alaska. Blech....I guess I have had a crappy attitude about this class since before it even started. Why? Uhm...the instructor required 11 texts -8 of which he authored. Uhm....let's see......if your book is so crappy that it doesn't sell on its own merit don't force your students to buy it just to make a buck. My method to avoid padding Prof. Jerk-boy's pockets......the public library, thank you very much.

·I can honestly say the state of Alaska doesn't contain enough diet Coke to get me through the next 2 years. K. keeps reminding me that if I stick to it that in 2 "short" (doesn't seem short right now) years I'll have not only my post-baccalaureate Teaching certificate but my M.A.T. (masters of arts in teaching)...but right now I just wanna give them a wad of $$$ and get it over with. ***Yes, in case you are wondering...this is Whine-fest 2007***

·Tomorrow is R.'s first school field trip. We are driving....an hour into Anchorage (& back, obviously). Please pray that they put nice little boys in my car...not the ...well, you know...the ones......cause if they put the ones in my car, it'll be one long-long drive :)

Shhhhh!!! Don't tell anybody....

2007-10-05T16:57:00.000-08:00

What I am doing right now: randomly blog surfing and indulging in yet another diet coke

What I should be doing right now: writing a paper on the African practice of Female circumcision that is due by midnight tonight...eewwww....

There are no words to describe how badly I am dreading this......

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

2007-10-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

I'm am sure you are all acquainted with the infamous line from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" where the teacher played by Ben Stein is truly the most boring man on the face of the planet. Well, not anymore. I am privileged (please insert massive quantities of sarcasm here) to been reading a book that makes Stein seem utterly charming. It is for my Philosophy 301-Ethics class. Pardon my French but Introductory Ethics is the most bogus piece of bullshit I have ever read. As I sit hour-upon-hour trying to weed my way through this boring text I imagine the author, Fred Feldman to look & sound just like the man above. I literally hear that monotonous voice droning on & on in my head. It is truly painful. I begged & pleaded with K. today to read my assignment for me. I mean seriously, isn't it the least a husband can do for his wife? But do you think he'd come to my rescue....oh no!.....he'd rather go to the archery range. As if....

So here I sit, racking my brains to trying to make sense of egoism, act utilitarianism and a bazillion other theories that just seem to contradict themselves. Besides you know it's bad when your text was written & published in 1978 and there hasn't been a new edition since.....now what does that tell ya....

**side note-Krystyn if you see this, please e-mail me at akscraps@yahoo.com I miss reading your blog & would love to be 'authorized'!!

Just pluggin along.....

2007-09-28T08:50:00.001-08:00

Nothing much going on here, and yet I am crazy busy at the same time.....

· First of all, I am insanely swamped with school work. To put it mildly, this semester is a killer! I am sharing this photo of some of text books this go round. Yes, I said just some...there are more but honestly I am just too lazy to round of the rest just for a photo op.......... C'mon, I know you're jealous. And I won't bore you with the list of papers I have to write (believe me the it's lonnggggggggg, the maps & a bazillion points on them I have to memorize, the films and documentaries I have to watch, blah, blah, blah........ Go ahead...just shoot me now!

· I am getting everything together for Battle of the Books for D's school. I am coaching grades 3-6. It's a phenomenal program, but you guessed it...more reading. Atleast these books are a piece of cake for an old fart like myself. Our first meeting is next Wednesday to fill the parents and students in on what to expect between now & January. Then we'll have our first practice the following week. So as I start to hypervenilate from it all, I just remind myself that "it's for the kids" and that it'll all be okay. I put "it's for the kids" in quotes because it has essentially become the moto of our school. It's a Charter school and we are tremendously dependent on the volunteer efforts of the student's families. And considering that my kids are getting a top notch education , I have no reason to complain....... As Dorie in Little Nemo would say just keep swimming......

·Oh, let me give a little 'horray' that Cross Country season is over for another year! I am so proud of my girl for having the drive to do it (cause I sure as heck am not a runner) but I am always a little relieved when we have a break and the mom-mobile isn't on the run quite as much. She did great at her race, finishing her 1.5mile with the pack. If you have ever seen a XC race, there are those runners who come in way ahead of the pack (the super fast kids), there is the 'pack' (the majority of the runners seem to finish within a few minutes of each other) and then there are the runners who bring up the rear...the race is harder for them but my hat is always off to them. Here's a little secret...I always cry when the last runner comes in. I try not to let anyone see my tears, but I have to stay and watch that last kid come in. Talk about determination, to know you are last & still have the perserverence to cross the finish line. To me that is real strength. Anway...back to D. Last year she was not last, but she was farther back than she was this year by far. We'll have her final times today.... *here's a funny little fact, last year & this year she wore bib #1 for the entire district. We have no idea why, but she thought it was pretty cool.*
·As I mentioned before, I am not a runner...never have been & I don't know if I ever will be. But my daughter seems to be rubbing off on my son. Weekend before last, D. wanted to run the Titan Trail Run, a race sponsored by a local middle school. So I sign her & a friend up. And sure enough little R. decided he wanted to do it too..... Well of course that meant I got to walk the trail with my little dude. Seriously, no matter how much I dislike running, I simply can't throw my 5yo out on a 1.4mile trail by himself. So we got up uber early on a Saturday morning, but it was so worth it. And we did it.....but the best part of all was watching R's face light up when they gae him a medal for crossing the finish line. He said "Mama..this is my best day ever. I never-ever-ever got a medal before!"

And he was so bummed on Wednesday at D's race that he couldn't race too. He is only & Kindergarten and XC doesn't start until 3rd grade. So to pass the time and satisfy his need to run, this is how he spent the afternoon......

running up & down the sidewalk that bordered the starting line....in Crocs nonetheless. Crazy kid!

The dreaded "Cards"........

2007-08-29T09:08:00.003-08:00

Our kiddos school has what the kids call "the Cards".....essentially it is how the teacher's deal with poor behavior in the classroom...this includes talking, not pay attention...pretty much everything. It goes like this...

If your card is on GREEN-you are havin a rockin good day (every child starts each day out on green)

If you have to pull to YELLOW-dude you have been warned (actually you probably have been warned twice & the teacher is trying to drive her point home)

If you pull to ORANGE-kiddo is having some issues today & gets set to the principal to get the fear of God put in them

If you pull to RED-dude your life as you know it is over, meaning you can't return to the classroom until the principal has a conference with you, the teacher & your parents.....your life seriously sucks...........

So here we are & it's day 5 of little R. going to school. As soon as he climbs in the van each day he tells me "ohhhhh mommmyyyyyy......so & so pulled to yellow today.....that is not good" and Monday he even shared that a particular boy in his class pulled to orange.....

Well, yesterday I go to pick him up & I am waiting on the sidewalk. Then I spy my very sad looking 5 year old coming down the line...........and I knew.

Me: what's up dude?

R: It was an accident.....*sniff* I'm *sniff* soooooooooo sorry (this was follwed my a floodgate of tears)

Me:What happened? (like I didn't already know)

R: (this part I hard trouble deciphering between the gigantic sobs) I pulled to yellow........

Honestly all I could think was "SHIT!". It's a incredible sunny day (which are soon to disappear in Alaska) & now I gotta be "bad cop". Crap.....why didn't he do this on Friday when his dad was home. I don't wanna deal with this (said in my whiniest voice ever)!

So little man got an early bed time & the task of telling his dad over the phone last night what had happened. Oh how he dreaded telling K. You would have thought I had sentenced him to soliatry confinement. And when I got to the class this morning his teacher pulled me aside to tell me she was shocked that he took it so very hard yesterday. She said he was truly devestated & cried (silently) for over an hour he 'pulled his card'. So I guess we'll see how he fares today..............

Kid quip of the day....

2007-08-27T16:54:00.000-08:00

Little R. man just came running in to tell me (at the top of his 5 year old lungs...is there any other way?)

"Mom, we are boogin this party out........"

What do this mean you ask....hell if I know......apparently it has something to do with retrieving long-lost articles from behind said child's bed.....go figure....

Where, oh where, did the summer go......

2007-08-27T15:52:00.000-08:00

it's official...

both of my kiddos are now in school.....all day each & every day.....

last week was uber hard for me...you know, sending my baby off to school....

I cried like a baby...over my baby becoming a big boy and all ......I was oh-so-sad.....

but he is lovin' it...... & his big sister is turning out to be a fabulous 4th grader

they both make me incredibly proud.....

and how cute is this.....my baby talking to his best friend, Da-doo the teddy bear, in the car on the way to kindergarten..... he was telling him to be good for mommy & that he would be home soon....
he had as hard of time leaving Da-doo as I had leaving him.......

in case you are wondering, for this mom the first day of kindergarten sucked..... you know in that weird over-protective mama bear kind of way..... *sniff*

I seriously need to learn to shut my brain OFF...

2007-08-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

last night I came home from my last class of the semester & life was good. I was sooooooo glad to finally be finished with my Art History class. Like I said before my instructor was a complete quack. Anyway, I get home early (a first for this class), have a Dairy Queen Buster bar (did I mention we FINALLY have a Dairy Queen....) & hit the hay early with the kids. A full night of restfull sleep was mine & I intended to take full advantage of it. Or so I thought.....

I seriously dreamt some of the craziest shit last night & when I woke up and thought about it, all of my dreams had something to do with that class last night.

First I dreamt about attending the wedding of a high school friend of which the enitre theme was clocks. There were clocks everywhere. Do you think this might have anything to do with the girl in my glass who did her powerpoint presentation on an artist who used clocks in his pieces to represent how time stopped when he met his wife.....hmmm...

Then I seemed to flash forward to another friends wedding at which a bunch of us (all friends from back in the day) were standing on a balcony overlooking a ballroom singing some incredibly bizarre songs. If that wasn't odd enough, one of my friends kept messing the songs up & was insisting it was because the songs were "too Catholic". Again, might this have anything to do with the dispute between our instructor & a classmate last evening over the 'heavily Catholic infulences" in a piece......

Then just before I woke up to my phone ringing, I was standing in a hallway talking with one of my lifelong friends about the fact that we are both in our thirties & unmarried. Huh.....she hasn't married yet but I've been married for almost 11 years. In fact I was the first of my friends to get married....it was incredibly bizarre..... Again, there was a huge discussion last night in class about Van Gogh, as well as a few other artists, who never marrried. Our instructor was insistent that a passionate artist has no room in their life for a mate because they are 'married to their work'.....yada, yada, yada...........

I guess instead of the Buster Bar I should have opted for something containing a dash of Grey Goose & I might have slept a bit better....................

Bad, Bad blogger.....

2007-08-02T13:10:00.000-08:00

yeah I know I have been away for entirely too long & yes I know this isn't the first time. I guess whenever life gets crazy, it's my poor sweet blog that suffers. But I guess that is better than forgetting to pay the bills or neglecting my children. Seems to me both of those could have serious, if not criminal, consequences....so until I invent the 48 hour day, the blog will have to take the hit.

Anyway....I've been uber busy here. In case you are remotely interested here is the Alaskan Summer recap (thus far....there is still 2 1/2 weeks until school starts):

· As illuded to in my previous post...I am back in school...full time none-the-less. And today is the very last day of the semester, thank the Good Man up above! I scored A's in 4 out of my 5 classes so far. I am still waiting to see how poorly I did on my Philosophy of Eastern Religion final that I took last night. Honestly I don't think it went well at all........seriously I don't get any of it. If any of you undertsand the 'flow' of Shintoism, please enlighten me. And later I'll have to devote an entire post to the quack of an Art History instructor I have. Believe me, this woman is nuts.......

· D. had her very first experience at summer camp in July & loved it! She is already begging to go back. Girl must have some thick skin.....it rained the entire time she was there with a high temp of 65˚. Although I love the outdoors, I HATE to be cold. But she had a blast & now her brother is already begging to go. Sadly he has 3 years to wait.......

·Like the majority of the civilized world I anxiously anticipated the release of the newest Harry Potter book & once I had it in hand, there was no putting it down. I loved it.....but I cried. I cried when Harry saw Dumbledore. And I cried when it was over........I can't stand goodbyes & this one was huge! I feel like I'll never see a friend again......... why can't the series go on until Harry is like 80 or something?? Seriously?? **okay, yeah...I am a total sap**

·And while this really isn't very exciting, I am the proud owner (insert major sarcasm here) of a new range & dishwasher. Yes both of my old ones bit the dust. Really.....it was ridiculous. And when I called the appliance repair guy he told me that it would honestly cost more to repair them than to buy new. What? And when I went to Lowes in search of new appliances the sales clerk told me the average lifespan of appliances these day is 5-7years. Mine were both 6. No wonder our environment is in such a state.... the answer to everything anymore is buy new & put the old in the dump. Ridiculous if you ask me! Luckily a friend of a friend was interested in taking the old range off of my hands to 'tinker with' for a house he is in the early stages of building. "Have at it" I said...atleast it wasn't ending up in the landfill like my dishwasher & TV.

·Oh yeah...I forgot to mention the TV. The poor thing is diserving of a eulogy or something. Our 32" RCA TV finally took a dive. It happened the first day that K. was home from work. His first few days home he is up at 0'dark-thirty & he leaves me to sleep in while he vegs out in front of the Outdoor Channel. Well on the morning in question he anxiously woke me up before dawn & told me "it's a sad, dark day". At first I was confused, but then I thought back to the last few morning when I attempted to turn cartoons on for the kids & how the TV didn't seem to want to 'switch on'. We knew this day was coming for a long, long time. The question was when...... you see K. bought this TV when he was just an Airman in 1987. You read that right.....it was 20 years old. And in recent years as our friends upgraded to HDTV & plasma, we remained in the dark ages. Our old friend weighs over 150lbs & the original remotes haven't worked in almost a decade (Thank goodness for Universal Remotes!). After the appropriate moment of silence, K headed straight to wake the kids for our trip to Best Buy. He was joining his friends in the 21st century.......a HDflat screen was in his very near future. Within a few hours it was out with the old & in with the new..........thank goodness Santa had brought him an Xbox 360 last Christmas so now we can all enjoy Halo 2 in all it's HD glory....otherwise I simply son't know how we would manage.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the whole dishwasher thing went way in my favor......see I purchased a clearance model Whirpool. It was a good model, but it was being replaced & so they had dropped the price. Hey, girl is all about saving a buck or 2. Anyway....I was happy with my purchase especially since I love save money. And since the clerk had said the new models are only 'supposed' to last about 7 years why would I spend a bazillion dollars anyway. Fast forward to the Lowes delivery guys bringing in my dishwasher....except it wasn't my dishwasher. After a bit of back & forth on the matter the guy realizes the wrong one has been loaded on the truck. But no worries, they will *try* to bring the other one out today. And if not, then sometime next week. Huh? Didn't I pay for next day delivery??? Finally the guy tells me "You shoulda just kept your mouth shut lady & kept this here expensive model" *you gotta love the proper speech & all* So I call the store & the clerk who sold me my appliances tells me that if coming back out to my house is going to be too inconvienent then I could just keep the one they delivered me. What's the big deal you ask......well I 'lucked into' an $850 Bosch Dishwasher. Yeah baby! This thing is beautiful!

Well....I guess that sums up my summer. It doesn't sound busy when you read it like that but believe me the school part kicked my butt! Thankfully I have 3 whole weeks before Fall semester begins!

Ohm................

2007-06-01T09:49:00.001-08:00

yes, ohmmmmmmmmm, like in yoga. Although I have heard 'ohm' in yoga classes or thrown it around jokingly when pretending to meditate instead of doing something serious, I never knew there was actually a symbol for ohm. That was until 2 weeks ago when my Philosophy of Eastern Reigion class kicked off. Okay....I am a Christian girl through & through and some of this mysticism stuff is way more than my brain can handle. Let's just say it's not my bag....

Although I have done a bit of yoga, it has been entirely for the benefit of my gluteus maximus, not for any form of spiritual enlightenment. And while I highly believe in the power of prayer, meditation is completely beyond my comprehension. You know what I am saying....the whole "clear your mind" crap....."make it void of all thought".....have you ever tried to do this?? For me it is impossible. I always have good intentions then I end up thinking about the most bizarre things like "do I need to pick up new razor blades at walmart?"or "when is swimming lesson sign ups", or "I wonder whatever happened to Patty, the front desk clerk from the CDC in England". I mean , seriously, when my mind wanders ...look out. There's no telling where it'll end up. So needless to say clearing my mind is impossible......

That was until yesterday (you knew this was coming didn't ya)..........I was in the middle of a paper on Greek mythology for one of my other classes when the phone rang. It was my youngest sister calling to say she is coming to visit in June. We got to chatting & the paper fell by the wayside. When I finally returned to it about a half hour later, I relaized I had left a sentence half finished~the thought was incomplete. I sat there wracking my brain, trying desperately to recall what I had been referencing................ Nothing. For five full minutes I sat staring at my computer screen & not a single thought passed through my mind. Not even random ones. Then I realized "this is that ohm stuff!"...so this is what it feels like. But talk about a hell of a time for it to finally happen.......... If I was a believer in all that eastern stuff, I'd say my karma isn't so good.....

Don't know why...but this soooo makes me happy

2007-05-25T13:48:00.000-08:00

Ohio bound....

2007-05-04T13:51:00.000-08:00

Yep...we're outta here! See ya next weekend!

Can somebody recommend a good book.....

2007-05-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

like I said in an earlier post, I am an avid reader. At any given time I can be juggling 3 or 4 different books and, truth be told, I completely neglect my 'after-the-kids-go-to-bed housework' to bury my nose in my latest find. So in the last 2 weeks I have read the following:

And now I'm stuck....I need a good book...a really good book...especially because I will be stuck on Saturday for 12+ hourson an airplane ....please help. Any & all suggestions will be greatly appreciated:)

Tales from the scale.....

2007-05-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

First let me say, today was a fabulous Weight Watchers weigh in.....yours truly was down 5.2lbs....oh yeah!! That was way better than the 1.2lbs I gained last week. Ugh! But as of today I am down a total of 41lbs!! I have 7.2lbs to "Goal".....but then we'll see from there. My "Goal" is the maximum I want to be, but I need to see where this adventure finally takes me :)

Although I left the meeting on cloud nine, I did pick up an article today that kind of took the wind out of my sails (if only for a moment)..it was about Liv Tyler & her post baby weight struggles. She told about how she had been 'huge'. After raw diets, fasting, working with a trainer & colonics (you have got to be freakin' kidding me) she is only able to get down to a size 6. She said back and shoulders are still really broad. Okay..girlfriend is 5'10 for Pete's sake! Honestly I adore Liv as an actress but this is just pure insanity. At almost 6ft she is going to such extremes to get to 'only a 6'......she went on to say that at this point in her life she'll never be a size 0. Seriously..... I truly try not to pay attention to all the Hollywood hub-bub but stuff like this makes me just a little nuts. I fully accept we will never morph into some utopian society that accepts everybody exactly as they are, but give me a break people. It's kind of like the NutriSystem commercials with that Zora girl ...talking about how she is down from a size 10 to her highschool weight & in a size 4. Notice Zora's "Before & After shots"..... This a another tall girl...Zora is 5'8. Now I'm not knocking these girls for doing something to make themselves feel better, but do they honestly think their stories are inspiring the hundreds of thousands of women who have significant weight issues in our country . Uhm, I think not....(stepping off of my soapbox now)

Well...that's all for tonight..it's time to bathe the grubby critters (my kiddos). Now that it has warmed up (a whopping 58degrees today...just try to contain yourself) the kids spend the entire evening outside. Tonight they were out the door before I had cleared a single plate from the dinner table.
First they tore up the streets on their bikes and now I am off to tear them away from playing hockey in the cul-de-sac with the neighbors kids. Wish this 'fun wrecker' luck.........

Tagged.....

2007-04-30T12:43:00.000-08:00

So I've been tagged by Carrie to share seven RANDOM facts/habits (aka: idiosyncracies) about myself. Here goes:

1. I HATE raw meat. I am totally a meat eater, but it must be very well done. But worse than that, I can't stand to handle raw meat. I don't 'do' chicken with skin or bones, or anything that needs much handling at all. I even know at which store the seafood department will cut the skin off my salmon fillets. And, yes, I drive 20 miles (R/T) out of my way to get said fish. When I make a pot roast I dump it from the little styrofaom tray thing, directly into my crockpot. The thought of touching it gives me the major creeps! yeah...weird...I know

2. I also hate birds. Any & all birds! I don't fear them, I just don't like them. So if you really want to get on my bad side, buy me a bird feeder... Blech!

3. I also hate random noise. I don't expect my house to be quiet, but fidgeting noise drive me crazy. Like if someone is tapping something or clicking or whatever.....it's worse than Chinese Water Torture.

4. I avoid "Hits" & "Bestsellers" like the plague. For instance if everyone raves about the hottest new book or TV show, I am instantly turned off. Yes, I knwo I often end up missing out, but I just don't like to 'jump on the band wagon'. I didn't even read the first Harry Potter until a week before #6 came out. Talk about stubborn.....

5. On the topic of reading....I am a speed reader. When I was in a 'gifted program' in elementary school they put me through a speed reading course. Ever since, I have devoured books. For example...when I finally caved & read Harry Potter...well, I read Books 1-6 in less than 7 days. Thanks heavens for the library & used book store. Otherwise we'd be broke due to my reading habit.

6. I have this thing about 'toe nail'. Mine especially, but it could apply to any & all women. I think toe nails should always be painted. No excuses.....I can't think of the last time i didn't have polish on mine.....atleast 10 years ago...seriously.

7. I hate the top sheet in the bed. can't stand the feel of it. I want a blanket directly on top of my body. So if you were to come inour room first thing in the morning, you'd see the top sheet shoved completely to K.'s side of the bed. It makes him crazy, but after all of these years, he's just had to adapt.

Okay...there you have it.....so I tag anyone & everyone who needs something to blog about...Cheers!

Today I am.....

2007-04-22T15:43:00.000-08:00

Happy! Not about any single thing but I'm just in a good mood. The sun is shining, it's 59degrees & although it is still a hideous brown outside Spring has finally sprung :) Thus, I will share a few of the things that I am happy about today....

Yesterday was Salon Day. What girl doesn't love getting her 'do on. Both D. & I got pampered....a color & cut for myself & demineralizing, deep conditioning & a cut for my girl. She sooooo needed it. Being in the pool at least 3x per week wreaks havoc on my baby's hair. She was thrilled to walk out with curls rather than the frizz we regularly battle.

I am happy about my can of Enviga.....let me tell you I DO NOT believe it burns the extra 60-100 calories per day as the can claims. But I love the taste & the extra little kick of caffeine it gives me. I love green tea & I adore soda bubbles so this stuff totally rocks! Thank you Heather for bringing me that first can. Love it!

I am loving Planet Earth on the Discovery Channel. It is an absolutely beautiful series. I am not ashamed to tell you I have allowed my kiddos to plant their little bottoms in front of the TV all day to watch this. In fact I have encouraged them to just chill out today & watch TV for a change. It helps that we are in the AST (Alaska Standard Time) Zone so everything comes on so much earlier here. Have I said this show is freaking amazing..... If anyone is so inclined to buy me the series on DVD for any upcoming holiday in the next year, please know that it would be 'the perfect gift' :)

And last but not least, I have started tackling a job that I have been longing to do for ages, but I just couldn't seem to ever start~redecorating my kitchen. It is currently done from floor to ceiling (well almost) in an Americana theme with way more Longaberger than I care to add up. It's been this way for years....like 8 or more. And I am soooo bored. Bored with the Americana, bored with the colors & bored with 'theme decorating'. My tastes have changed over the years & my kitchen, sadly, has not. So a while back I decided I would start redorating when I found things I really loved. So I have started...it's going to be a long process but I am moving in the right direction.

First are my new dishes. Just came across them in the store. I love the color & how they fade from light to dark as you move out from the center (it's kind of hard to see this in the photo). And I recently found this incredible frame at a quirky little store here. Each of the colored pieces is an individual pieces of glass tubing. It really is beautiful. I have pick up a few other odds & end but I won't bore you with them...yet.Later gators :)

Friday randomness.....

2007-04-20T10:40:00.000-08:00

It's finally Friday...I think that's a good thing

Been uber busy with school, preschool, etc.....but whatever, time is flying.

2 more weeks until we go to Ohio...we can hardly wait. Only thing left to do is pick up our dresses from the alterations place next week :) Here is D in her dress 'partially done'. She is going to look sooo beautiful!

Last night we attended the annual Preschool Family Dance. The kids had a blast....but came home exhausted! You gotta love that

And lastly I am gonna leave you with a picture of my little dude, totally digging his 'coffee'....hot choc is so much better when it comes from the coffee stand. And this mama loves the drive thru coffee stands :)

Who signed me up for this???

2007-03-31T09:02:00.000-08:00

It's the very end of March & all I see is snow, snow, literally tons of ice & more snow.....ugh! I mean, really, when did I sign up to live in the freaking arctic...

Oh yeah, it's coming back to me now....almost 11 years ago, an incredibly handsome man suggested something like this:

"I love you.....will you marry me.....the rest of our lives together (this is where I slipped into a delirious state & missed the rest of the conversation).....yada, yada....moving to Alaska....yada, yada.....Honey, I love you more than anything, please say you'll be my wife...."

Yeah, I knew I should have paid more attention, but you do crazy things for love. And although I am still madly in love with K. all these years later, I have reached my max of winter in Alaska for this year. Yes, I said this year....every winter I hit this point. We have now been in winter-freaking-wonderland (yep, that was oozing sarcasm) for 6 full months now & I am fed up. And in case you are wondering, as soon as break-up (our term for when everything thaws & turns to muck) is over & summer arrives, I'll be in love with Alaska again. But not today. Not this week. Especially not after our recent jaunt to Hawaii. There is nothing like leaving negative tempertures & stepping off a plane 6 hours later in an 80degree paradise :) We had a fabulous time but it made coming back here so incredibly depressing.....

so without further ado, here are just a few of the photos from our trip....

My boy had a fabulous time at the beach...he's already dying to go back

And we are so blessed that the kids get along so well.....they had a blast at the pool togetherSee don't I look like I belong in Hawaii????

K. was totally in his element boogie-boarding

D. loved the metal bike racks that lined the Honolulu streets....too cute

So, now we're home, back in the groove.....

We're anxiously waiting the arrival of our Spring. The kids are back to their school routine & along with that comes the crud....yep D. already has had a virus....fever & puking and all. Fun! Fun! I do have a bit of spring fever...the cleaning bug & the craving to redecorate. Every year I say I want to redecorate, but never get around to it. Well this is the year..just little things, but I'm definately tired of our look. I can already see the money flowing out of my bank account...

And last, but certainly not least, in just 6 short weeks my sister Femmie is getting married. We are so excited. But there is so much to do to get ready...dresses, tuxes, shoes & all that stuff...oh and a uber fun GNO (girls' night out). I am just starting to hash out all the details. She knows about the event but there are some 'secret squirrel' aspects to it...so SHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Okay...of to my "In-Anticipation-of-Spring" cleaning :) You know you're jealous........

How time flies......

2007-03-02T13:24:00.000-09:00

again, I have neglected my blog for entirely too long.....I doubt anyone checks it anymore :) But then again, I never thought anyone would in the first place..................

since my last entry

~ I've lost 18 more pounds, for a current total of 38lbs gone.

~ I've found out my baby sister is pregnant & so is my brother's new wife. WOW!

~ Another sister, my dearest Femmie, is getting married. In just just over 2 months, we are all flying home to be part of the big day. The wedding is going to be fab-u-lous! I can hardly wait :)

~I attended my first swim meet & cried like a baby while my little girl swam her heart out.

~I bought my first pair of size 10 pants in over five years. Man, I never thought I'd get here :)

~ I got 'roped' into being Battle of the Books Coach for our school. Uhm.......alrighty then..... I'm sure you'll hear more about that later.

and tomorrow I will wake up to a 5 year old.....yep, my baby is gonna be 5. Where has the time gone. Just when I think I am a giant loser for not posting here more often, then I focus on what I have been doing...being with my babies as much as I can. Like my hubby says...before long we'll begin to lose I.Q. points with our kids & there is gonna be a period of time that we aren't so cool to be with.......I so dread those years.....

So it's Friday....I have an hair appointment in a few hours to cover the grey I have earned from the aforementioned 5 year old. I also have a CAbi Party to attend. Then tomorrow we will spend the entire day indulging the little man, as it's his special day. I foresee a Happy Meal in my future. I also have to begin packing...in just "7 sleeps" (as R. likes to say), we are on our way to Hawaii. I can hardly wait. Right now it's 5 degrees here with 25+mph winds. I am sooooooooo ready for some sun!

After an uber long hiatus.....

2006-12-05T20:18:00.000-09:00

Yep, I've been MIA for quite a long while.... I was going to apologize for my lenthy absence but then I realized it's totally okay to take time out to focus on certain areas of my life as needed. And that's exactly what've I've done :) and it feels damn good.....

So needless to say, life has been busy...very busy...
~ I've been spending oodles of time with my kiddos. I love them to pieces & want to enjoy them before *poof* they are all grown up

~I've really been focusing on me & my health. With the help of Weight Watchers & incredible amounts of time in the gym, I have shed 20+lbs in the last 3 months. I still have a bit more to lose but I have made a major dent in the issue.....

~ I have become a Swim Team Mom. D. joined our local pool's USA swim team & is loving it. It's a fabulous program, however, I have become a permanent fixture in the bleachers of the pool.....

~ I have been Christmas shopping. I really wanted to get it done early this year before the shopping-at-the-last-minute panic attacks set in. My goal is to be totally done by our anniversary on the 14th, so when we go on our annual anniversary date there will be no need to visit a toy store.

~and while we are on the subject of Christmas, I am teaching myself that it is okay to have limits. I am not talking about monetary limits (although I subscribe to those as well) but I mean limits in a general sense. Every freakin inch of the house does not need to be decorated. We do not need to attend every single party & I do not need to bake 40 different kinds of Christmas cookies. And you know what ...even while letting a few of these things slide...we will have a fabulous holiday! I have been known to tell my friends that if you make everything special, then nothing is special anymore....I guess it's time to head my own advice :)

~ I've also been working on getting some sleep. I've given up late night TV & internet time to get a full 8 hours ...providing the kiddos are on the same page. But it's a fabulous goal & totally worth shooting for.

~ all in all...I've been striving for a healthier, simpler way of being. I just want to be content...not always frazzled...and if it means I do not write as regularly on my blog, that's okay too... Ciao for now :)

Hot Damn!!!

2006-09-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

Just when I think it's a ho-hum Wednesday with nothing exciting, my friend Jen calls & gives me practically the best news I have heard all year....................Target is coming!!! Just a short 12 miles from my house. It's been rumored for quite a while now, but that's always the way it is around here. You can't believe anything you hear...... But today it was in the newspaper...all those wonderful rumors are true! We are getting a Target!!! We have lived in Alaska for 10 years now, & before that we were in England. It has been sooooo long since we had a decent selection of stores that I can hardly believe this. Let me tell you, when good shopping is a thousands of miles away (I'm talking Seattle) Target is like a dream come true. I am almost giddy!!! I am so sick of Walmart, I can't even begin to tell you..... It's funny, there are women who post on 2Peas about how far they have to drive to get to a Target...you know, like 45 miles....what I wouldn't give, it would take me over a week by car. But before long that won't be an issue any longer... ***can't you just feel my giddiness***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On another note I rekindled an old relationship this morning...I had a date, with Billy Blanks, you know...the TaeBo dude. We haven't 'gotten together' in about 6 years. But this morning I dusted off the tape (yes, VHS...that tells you how old it is) & spent a few minutes with the man......20 minutes to be exact. And tomorrow my butt will burn, but it will be so worth it. There is a swimsuit & a Hawaiian beach in my future (March), so Billy & I will be spending lots of time together. It's a good thing K. isn't the jealous type............

-2.2lbs

2006-09-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

So this morning was my WW meeting. I think...wait, I know...I set my expectations just a tad high. Anyone who has ever done Weight Watchers knows that members often experience a large loss their first week on the program. I once sat in a meeting where a lady lost over 9lbs. her first week.**this was my first official weigh in since recommitting, but I have been following the plan for 2 full weeks now...so who knows what I really lost the '1st week'***
Anyway, after I weighed in & took my seat, I was a bit bummed that I had lost only 2.2lbs. I quickly realized I had to get out of this funk if I want to be successful at this long term. Then a remembered something that happened in a meeting I attended right after having R. 4 years ago. A lady was a bit discouraged because for over 2months she was only losing about 1/4-1/2lb a week. Our leader then pointed out that 1/4lb. is one stick of butter. And who wouldn't be thrilled to have 1/4lb less fat on their body.
Until today, I had totally forgotten about that analogy. And as I sat in my seat all depressed, when I should have actually been thrilled, I realized I needed a change of perspective. So when I left the meeting I stopped & bought 3 lbs. of margaine (a hell of a lot cheaper than butter). I brought it home & stacked 9 sticks (2.25lbs) of it out on my dining table. And I looked at it for a very long time. And I realized that I am thrilled to have that off of my body. Then I took those 9 sticks & put them in a gallon Ziploc and tossed them in my deep freeze. Next week I am going to take that bag back out & I'll add to it again.....it may be only one stick or it may be another 9. But I am going to use this as my personal reminder of what I have lost & hopefully in this next year I'll have a huge stack of margarine in my freezer.....then I'll through it all away, once & for all.

:Dorkey, I know...but I just gotta find what works for me :)

All aboard.... the Random Train of Thought that is ....

2006-09-10T20:47:00.000-08:00

as I promised here is the update....nothing too exciting...but my update none-the-less.

~I have recommitted to Weight Watchers
once again. I know I mentioned it earlier this year, but once we went on vacation I totally blew it. But I started again at the beginning of the month & went back to meetings last Tuesday. So far, so good..... I have been eating well, staying within my points & working out. So now I'll see what this weeks weigh-in holds.....

~ we have been getting out & hiking as much as we can, especially while the weather permits. Autumn is in full swing here, so we are making the best of it before ski season hits....

~ D. is loving school & even joined the Cross Country team. I am so freakin proud of her. I am so NOT the natural athlete & so for one of my kids to really love sports & exercise really suprises me. What a girl!

~ We had a pretty good weekend. Yesterday I took the kids to really neat place in Anchorage, Bear Tooth Theatre . It's an old movie theatre that the have updated in a fabulous way....they removed every other row of seats & replaced them with tables. And they serve incredible food....you order before taking your seat & they bring it right to your table. It was a blast! We saw Pixar Cars & had an awesome dinner. We (the adults that is) even got to enjoy a Hefeweizen....now how can you beat that????? ( I even budgeted WW points for the beer)

~Thanks to
Greta for tutoring me on the link deal! :) And Em You gals rock!!!

And now it is Sunday night, the kiddos are in bed & I am off to go watch a few episodes of Lost: Season 2. Of course, I bought it already.....how could I not????

Later taters.....

Shout out for more help.....

2006-09-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

okay fellow bloggers...fill me in on iPods. Give me any & all info one might deem important in buying an iPod. Yes....I am clueless. And D. wants one for Christmas. So I've got to get researching now..... And although cost will be a factor, I am not so much worried about that part right now because we have the opportunity to get one at about 35-40%off due to a discount available to someone close to us. So let me have it.....we'll just call this iPod 101

Okay...so i am a blog-loser....

2006-09-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

I just haven't been able to get my hiney in gear to blog lately.....I promise I'll give you my so-not-exciting update later this weekend......

***Oh, if any of my blog buddies know how to insert a link into a blog entry w/o just pasting the whole link into the document (you know, where your readers can click on the link...I am so not a techie) please, oh please, let me know. I can't figure it out for the life of me. Thanks :)

Why, oh, why did I rent it???

2006-08-23T13:34:00.000-08:00

The entire 1st Season of "Lost" that is... holy shizzz....why did somebody not warn me.....all I can say: Lost is so freakin' addicting! Like I have said before, I don't usually get caught up in the all the hype...you know the hottest shows, the latest greatest thing. Actually I normally tend to avoid them like the plague. "Why?" you ask...because I know how I am....once I get wrapped up in something~it is all over. And I hate the idea of being committed to watching a certain program on a certain night at a certain time or face being totally out of the loop. That being said, I have been a tad curious how so many people could possibly be so caught up in "Lost". Well, that was until I made the mistake of renting discs 1 & 2 from the 1st season. That was this past Friday. It is now Wed. & I have already returned to the video store twice & finished all 16 episodes of season one. Uhmm...yeah, those 16 hours I spent glued to the TV might explain the 47 loads of laundry I need to do, or the 95 bills I need to pay, 715 dishes that I need to wash or the 17,000 square feet of floors I need to vacuum & mop. And yes, I am exaggerating just a tad but what can you expect..... My life seems so mundane after watching Dr. Jack Shepard use the spines of a sea urchin as intravenous needles for a blood transfusion or trying to figure out what's in the 'hatch'. I tell you, this show is completely mind-gripping...suspenseful...captivating....totally unrealistic....but it totally rocks all the same. And to make matters worse....I obviously haven't seen Season 2 yet. It comes out on DVD in September....and Season 3 starts the end of September..........I am sooooooo screwed.....

Kids + Camera= ????

2006-08-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

So Friday night the kiddos & I loaded up and headed to Elmendorf AFB for the dreaded commissary run. If you have ever experienced a trip to the commissary, then you know what I mean.....if you haven't, then consider yourself lucky. And in case you are thinking "If it's so stinking awful, then why do it?" Well, groceries on base are about 1/2 the price as shopping off base and when living in Alaska (where all of our food is shipped in $$$) that is HUGE. Anyway, it's an hour drive to the base & the kids were dreading the trip, so I was trying to be upbeat & make it fun. D. spotted my camera on the front seat & asked if she could take a couple pics. Sure...why not....it's digital...I can erase it all later. And, yes I deleted about 40 photos of complete blur. But here are a few of the better ones..... Capturing her brother doing what he loves to do..... Thank you Uncle Bud :)
This is R.'s self-portrait..... okay...we have some work to do here :)
And D's self portrait......

And me giving D. the 'enough already look'...although it really didn't turn out half bad. Go figure..... I may even use this for a bit of changein my profile pic...hmmmm

Okay...so she's growing up.....

2006-08-17T10:13:00.000-08:00

I am sooooo not ready for this. First it was her toys....see before we went to Ohio in June we had a yard sale with some friends & got rid of a bunch of stuff. As we were prepping I encouraged her to go through her toys & pick out stuff she doesn't play with anymore. Nada! She was insistent on keeping her things (which is really unlike her~ normally she is hyped to send out the old to make room for new). So fast forward a month & a half. Our guys go to Georgia for a week & it's just us girls. Well we revamped her room....new bedding, new cutains, a new lamp & a new bookshelf. In the midst of all this, she went through her walk-in closet & got rid of 95% of her toys....no kidding. I was shocked. She says "Mom, I'm getting too big for all that stuff. Besides I'll still play with Brother & his toys, okay?" Uh, sure, whatever........

Later in same week, we are in Fred Meyer & I'm looking at CD's.

D: Mom, can I go over there (points) & look at the IPods??

Me: Uh, do you know what an IPod is?

D: (with the clearest 'duh!' look I've ever seen) Yeeeeaaahhhhh.....you know the thing that you download music onto & listen to the songs you want. Do you me to show them to you????

Me: No...that's okay...I know what they are.

D: Then why did you ask??? (at this point she wasn't being smart, I truly had confused her.)

She goes off & spent a good chunk of time looking in the IPod case. The she comes back & the first thing out of her mouth:
"Mom, do you think I can ask for an IPod for Christmas?"

What???? I was ready for her to get rid of a few toys...you know, the little annoying Polly Pocket pieces you find everywhere, but I was soooooo not ready for this!

Then, we make a trip to Walmart & she asks to look at nailpolish. No problem. She has some money of her own & wants to know if she can buy something....sure thing.....I about fell over when she asked for little girls press-on nails. I had no idea they even made these!!! Well, I let her get them, but only for when we are gonna be home for a couple days. Dang this girl is changing & I am so not ready for it..........

So how did I treat my "baby's-growing-up-too-fast" blues?? I spent the evening finally organzing my scrapbook cubes that I got for my birthday back in March...yep, March. Can you say slacker? And doing so I got inspired to create a few new things...I'll let you know how it goes:)

Some rainy day fun

2006-08-16T16:12:00.000-08:00

So it's been rainy here for like forever & I'll be the first to admit it sucks!So what do we do...we load up 2 women, 6 kids & 2 dogs and head out for a 3 mile hike. Oh yeah! Armed with our rain jackets & puddle boots we head to Crevasse Moraine to let off some steam. As soon as we arrive, my dear Schotzie found a huge puddle at the trailhead & went diving....ewwwww, nasty wet dog.
But the kids were much better behaved & kept the stomping to a minimum (fearing loss of life or limb at the hands of Mom)! They had fun though & got some really good exercise.
And if 3 miles of hiking the steep hilly trails wasn't enough, when we got back to the van the girls begged to climb the 'sledding hill' & come back down the 'hidden trail' (read:mega steep). Hey, knock yourselves out!
And in case you are wondering, I'm serious about this being a sledding hill. And the 'stairs' the girls are climbing are just old railroad ties buried in the hillside to keep people from plummeting to the bottom. You should see the kids sledding on this sucker in the winter...it's nuts!

FISH ON!!!!

2006-08-13T22:50:00.000-08:00

So we went fishing out of Whittier with some friends this weekend & had a fab-u-loso time! It was wet,it was foggy, it was raining & it was fun!

So here I am with my catch of the day...a beauty of a silver salmon! Boy will that baby be good smoked :)

Robert did pretty well himself.....but he wasn't too keen on hold the dead fish :)

Desi rocked~ she caught her limit (2 silvers) that day!

Me & my girl....we had such an awesome time. Have I mentioned lately how much I love that kid......

I loved just looking at all the boats in the harbor. It was just so peaceful

And I just love the look of this hotel, right on the waters edge...

Anybody want a shrimp???

No? Then how 'bout a bucket of them??? We only left the shrimp pots out for about 5 hours (normally you try to leave them atleast 12) & we still got about 75 shrimp...75 HUGE shrimp! De-lish!

More photo love :)

2006-08-11T16:12:00.000-08:00

Diet Coke....a girl after my own heart..YUM!

My boys on the 4th of July

let's get this one out of the way & move on to happier topics...

2006-08-11T16:07:00.000-08:00

This is my baby girl about 24 hours after the dog bite.....but before it abcessed. Needless to say it got much worse before it got better. But a month and a half later things are looking better everyday.........

So I finally got the photos uploaded from our trip......

2006-08-11T15:44:00.000-08:00

and I am slowly going to start sharing them. Enjoy............

Here are my super travelers waitng for the plane to Ohio....... Thank goodness for Gameboys :)

Within 24 hours, my kiddos were living it up in the water!

*The photo of D. to the right was taken about an hour before the dog bite incident. Seeing it just tears my heart out...it's amazing how quickly things can change... it kills me to know that a part of my baby girl's heart is forever changed.

After a uber-long hiatus.....

2006-07-29T22:50:00.000-08:00

I'm back. We were in Ohio for an month & I really truly intended on posting while I was there...but things got complicated.

First let me say that all in all in was a good trip...I was thrilled to see my family & we had some really great times. I can't wait to go back again soon:) Yes, I even find myself fantasizing about moving back there, but as we all know, it's not quite so easy in real life.

Yes, things got complicated.....we arrived in OH on June 28th & spent the first night with my family in Louisville. They next morning I packed up the kids & we headed south an hour plus, to my dad & stepmom's place in Bergholz. I thought we were off to a really good start.....'thought' being the key word here. After we had been there about 3 hours, I went out on the 4-wheelers with my dad to check out some improvements that have been made to the 500 acre piece of land they own. When we arrived back about 1/2 hour later, one of my sisters tells me that D. has been bitten by their beagle. I go rushing into the house to find my baby girl (yes, even at 8, she is still my baby girl) has be bit in the face. To be honest, I really still can't talk about it a whole lot. I thought I could...while I was there...but I was surrounded by people who were going through it with us. But once I got back to Alaska, I've found it very difficult to talk about without completely falling apart.........
I will say this...she is okay...there are scars...we had a really rough time of it. In addition to the initial incident, 2 of the wounds abcessed significantly & she ended up back in the hospital. After hospital treatment )including opening those wounds back up to drain them), loads of antibiotics, & lots of TLC, we saw an awesome plastic surgeon in Canton who said things are looking really good . She is left with one very small scar & 2 slightly larger scars with knots of scar tissue underneath. The surgeon said we should not expect these scars to heal anymore than they already have, as they are keloid scars. They will eventually have to be corrected with plastic surgery.......but that's a long ways away.
D. seems to be doing well emotionally...she'll talk about it with people she trusts but is still dealing with the whole situation. Lying in bed last night I was trying to figure out why the is so hard to deal with now, almost more so than when it happend. The best I can come up with is that while in Ohio, we were kind of forced to cope. We were out of our element & just going through the motions.....but now we are home, in our comfort zone and finally allowing ourselves time to heal....and it's hard. Like I've told several people close to me, it's absolutely the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with...worse than high-risk preganancies, worse than losing loved ones...just the worst...it's my baby & I couldn't protect her..I just want to be able to take it all away ..any that all on that topic for now......

So now we are getting back in the swing of things. Re-bonding with our dog, visiting with friends we missed like crazy & gearing up for the school year that starts August 22nd. Over the next few weeks I'll try to share photos & details of the trip.

Later gators....

Headed in the right direction????

2006-06-22T19:13:00.000-08:00

our food habits, that is.......I am thrilled with Safeway's newest line...Safeway Organics.I finally feel like 'packaged' foods have made a step in the right direction. Believe me, my kids get their fair share of sugar-coated-crap, but I try to find a sense of balance. You know, try to offset all the junk with a bit of good. So Safeway definately has got my business with this line. And as if being healthy wasn't enough, the prices are great too...well, compared to all the other healthy food sold up here. (On this one) Safeway rocks!!! Now if they would just create organic Diet Coke? I'd really be lovin that. How about tequila....you think it's organic???

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So let me tell you about my day....
My friend Kim & I have planned for the last couple weeks to have a Girl's Day out. And it took loads of planning & organization, but we got it all worked out for today. This was a particularly big deal as we have never done this before..the 2 of us, no kids......hmmm, what a thought :) So our big girls were going to Girl Scouts Day Camp & we had a sitter lined up for the little guys. We were set. The boys had soccer camp from 9-10:30am but another friend (who also has kids in soccer camp) said she'd drop the little ones off at home, where the sitter would be waiting. We were golden.....or so we thought. I get up early this morning to be sure I was ready for a 9am departure....we were to hit the road right after dropping the girls off at GS camp. We would be free until 4pm. As I get out of the shower I hear the phone ringing....it's Kim. Our friend who was transporting the boys called her to say her kids weren't going to soccer camp due to the light rain. Mind you, soccer camp is "rain or shine". Okay...we can deal with this....time to regroup. So Kim arranges for her father-in-law to transport the boys & all will be well. Girls are off to GS camp & we head to the soccer fields....it's now 9:10 but we are just a tad behind schedule. We arrive at soccer to see all of the coaches with the 'big kids' group (ages 7-10) and 3 of the littler kids sitting in the pavalion with a mom. Hmm? Coach says (in his uber-thick British accent) "We canceled for the little guys since nobaody came".......what??? we are only 10 minutes late & 3 others are here...the only 2 that didn't show belong to our friend who bailed this morning. "We'll try again tomorrow" he says. Okay...regroup again..... we call the sitter who lives next door to Kim & see if she can watch the boys a tad early. Uhm....yeah, but she needs atleast an hour to get ready. Okay.... that's not really early but we'll just wait it out.....what choice do we have. So we hit the coffee stand & head back to her house to wait on the sitter. At 10:30 the sitter shows up like she just rolled out of bed in her pajama pants, flip flops, and a ratty pony tail......this took an hour???? If that's true, then girl must have been lookin really rough this morning. So at 10:40 we pull out of the driveway...an hour & a half late, but we are grateful to just be on our way. Then I jinxed us.....I said "Do you hear that??? Silence...isn't it beautiful." Not 2 freaking minutes later my cell phone rings.....crap, it's a number I don't recognize.....who could it be??? Yep, the First Aid Tent at Girl Scout Camp. On that side of town it had started to rain pretty heavily & D. had managed to get her shoes filled with water while playing tug-of-war. She was freezing.....poor thing was sobbing when she got on the phone. "I just want you to come & get me Momma" she begged. At that I just motioned for my friend to continue straight instead of merging into a turn lane to head for the highway to Anchorage. So we go pick up my girl...... we decide just before picking her up, that we'll just take her with us. Out of our four children combined she is the oldest & is hands-down the easiest to take withh us on a day such as this. There's just one problem.....her shoes are soaked. And a trip home would mean 1/2 hour in the opposite direction. She has spare socks, but who takes extra shoes to DAY camp??? So a detour to Payless (in a nearby stripmall) is necessary to get girlie some shoes. She was thrilled....she ended up with Patriotic Airwalks (knockoff Crocs). Finally we get on the highway toward Anchorage (an hour away) at 11:39. A mere 2 1/2 hours late. After travel time, we have a whopping 2 1/2hours to ourselves....well, ourselves & an 8year old. But we weren't about to be beaten...we hit the ground running & made a major dent in Nordstroms. I found some cute shorts for the trip & some much needed undergarments. Oh yeah... you gotta love having your daughter along to try on bras...fun, fun! And that leads us to the quote of the day:

D: Mom this is crazy??
Me: What?
(as she points out a very lacy, revealing demi bra with rhinestone straps)
D: Why do they have all these fancy bras???? It's not like anybody's ever going to see you in it.
Me:(gulp) Yeah...pretty silly isn't it. (As I pray that she keeps thinking this way for a very long time!)

If emotions are rollercoasters....

2006-06-21T19:10:00.000-08:00

then my life is an amusement park. You know for the most part it's pretty fun...some bits keep you on the edge of your seat, never knowing what thrill is just around the bend. And, of course, there are the areas that make you wonder "Who the hell thought this was a good idea??". All-in-all it's good though. We are happy, healthy, & well taken care of. Each & every day I count my blessings...... but you know there are the days when a girl looses her head....I was there this morning. Just a little cry-fest....totally self-imposed, worrying about things that are really minor in the big picture. Today I was freaking out about our upcoming trip....
~how will I fit "IT" all in?? Seeing all my family, making sure I spend enough time with everyone & don't end up with a lapful of regrets at the end of the month.
See, my parents divorced when I was like 2 or something...long before I could remember it. And growing up it seemed totally 'normal'. It's only been since I've been a mother myself that I've realized how abnormal it really was. Sure, loads of kids come from 'broken homes', but it wasn't until the last 7 or 8 years that I understood how much that can suck. Really suck. My parents are both great & I love them both to death. And no, I have never wished them 'back together'. Nope, I can't see it. But what I do remember is trying to share holidays & weekends and stuff. That stunk....not just for me, but for everybody. And now I am getting ready to go home for a visit. A friend called me last night & asked if I was getting excited......then it hit me. I had a massive knot in my stomach & my heart hurt...you know, the heavy feeling in your chest. At first I couldn't figure it out.....then it dawned on me. I was already trying to figure out in my mind how I was going to 'split' my time. Nobody has said anything, it's just what I associate with home. Damn. I am 32 years old & I really need to get over this. So I talked to my dad, & my mom, & my aunt & my sister & my hubby and I cried.....and I've cried some more. My 'face' from this morning has been transfered to a pile of tissues littering my van, my bedroom, my livingroom.....okay you get the point. They've all assured me it'll all be okay...and deep down I know it will. But I still worry. It's times likes this (and a whole lot more) that I think it would be easier to just move back east so everyone was closer and trying to see everybody in both mine in K.'s families wasn't so hard. I don't know...maybe someday...
And just when I didn't think I could cry any more...my little man came & wiped my tears. "I love you Momma. You wanna buy me some ice cream?" Yep, this is the part of my 'amusement park' I love.

And too cute not to share.....

2006-06-21T16:56:00.000-08:00

This photo is from this past Sunday.....my girl's 8th birthday. I can't believe she has gotten so big!!! We spent the day at my Mom's....a few presents, a freaking fabulous dinner of crab legs (D's favorite) & at D's request, banana splits for dessert. The kids got to end their day 4-wheeling in the woods. G-ma rocks!

Okay so Blogger is jacked up.....

2006-06-21T16:39:00.000-08:00

& it won't let me put more than 2 pics per post...

So R. goes to play at his friend K's house & comes home looking like Pigpen from Peanuts.....infact, I am sure he smelled like him too. The very first words out of his mouth:
R: Mommy, can I play Gamecube?
Me: Not until you take a bath, dirt-boy
R: Why???? I just taked one the other week.....
Me:Eeeewwww... Don't let people hear you talk like that. They'll think I don't feed you either.

So someone please tell me how my cutie-pie goes from looking like this to looking like THIS.......

And believe me..this picture doesn't even begin to illustrate the degree to which my son has gotten filthy. God really challenged me when he gave me a boy......I had NO idea!

And did I tell you how thrilled he is to pee on trees??? And not just out in the woods either...at the park, at the soccer field...I even had to drag him away from one (toward the public restroom) while visiting a local garden center with a friend the other day. It doesn't help that said friend also has a 4 year old son fond of 'give the trees a drink'. I think I just need to start carrying a margarita around in a sports bottle. Whatcha think? I call it liquid sanity :)

Strangers out my window........

2006-06-21T16:13:00.000-08:00

so I am diligently vacuuming my floors this afternoon & using the attachments along my baseboards (I know, all this detail is just way too exciting!) when I see movement out of the corner of my eye. Huh?? There were 3 strange men standing out on my back deck. And just before my heart came completely out of my chest, I realized they must be the guys here to install our fence. I knew they were supposed to be coming, but they were also supposed to come on Saturday, Monday, & Tuesday....so I had just kind of given up hope. But taa-daa!!! Schotzie girl now has her own little playland!! And believe me, while I am loving the fence now....I will be LOVING the fence come January when it is butt freezing cold outside! Who wants to take a dog out to pee when it is -25 degrees Fahrenheit??? I never thought I'd be so happy to see $1700.00 worth of chainlink in all my life!!! Some people carry pictures of their children...I'll be carrying pictures of my new fence. **Can you say dork??** So I just now need to come up with a name for this sweet thing....any suggestions???

The last day of spring......

2006-06-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

tomorrow officialy marks the beginning of summer & let me tell you it is awesome here in the Land of the Midnight Sun!!! Alaskan winters may suck, but summer ROCKS!!!
So far we have been having a super busy summer.....picnics, soccer camps, birthday party, Girl Scout camp, hundreds of moquito bites, a wicked summer cold, chicken pox, a 4year old with horrible (words truly can't describe how bad this is) smashed finger........
okay maybe summer hasn't been all fun & games so far, but we are enjoying it none-the-less!

The Narnia party was awesome & D. was sooooo suprised!!!! We had a houseful of giggling girls....man can those girls go the distance when it comes to staying up late. Who'd a thought??? D. also got some really awesome Narnia presents from her friends. One girls even made her a custom Narnia frame. I'll share more pics once I can find them amongst the thousands of files on this bloody PC.

Other than that, we are gearing up for our trip...just one week to go & so much to do here at home in the meantime. But we are all getting excited to go see our family in Ohio......look out Stark County.....here we come!!!! I mean really....just look at the type of rifraff that are headed your way....be very afraid ;)

A boy.....$100......& a hooker......

2006-05-25T08:12:00.000-08:00

Get your mind out of the gutter!!! Last night we went to Anchorage & got my boy a 'hooker'....it's official name is Adams Trail-a-Bike. It will hook on to my bike & he'll be pulled along. There are pedals for him to use but at this point I'm well aware they provide me very little assistance. R.'s little friend K. informed him it is called a "hooker". What can I say...they're 4! So last night R. too got a hooker at REI. $100 well spent! The boys are so excited for the weekend to take their hookers out on the town! And the big sisters are equally excited that we can actually go on long bike rides because we won't have to worry about the little dudes keeping up.

Fashion imapired.....

2006-05-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

so I am sitting in my Weight Watchers meeting today & this lady walks in.....she is a well known realtor in our area. She is wearing this awful loud print blouse with an equally gawdy fushia denim jacket, a neck scarf (uhm...did she not realize it was 75 freaking degrees outside!) while carrying a lime green purse that was big enough to carry a small child. As if this wasn't bad enough she these HUGE 'I-am-attempting-to-channel-Paris-Hilton-sunglasses' throughout the entire meeting. We live in rural Alaska, lady...no paparazzi to avoid here. And to top it all off she wore the ultimate...... Yep, a dimante Bluetooth. I couldn't help but chuckle. When are people gonna realize a Bluetooth is NOT a fashion accessory. WTF? Now I am not knocking technology...I have a Bluetooth myself....but for in the car. And it looks more like this ....

I just don't get 'it'.....it's an item of convience but it sure the hell isn't stylish. And unless you are the Pope or the President or something, you can not possible tell me you are so freaking important that you have to have your phone attached to your ear 24/7. I seem to remember just 10 years ago when most people didn't have cell phones & we all managed just fine. I guess what I am trying to say is that I personally think people who wear their Bluetooths all the time look pretty ridiculous. ***If I have offended some of you I apologize, but since this is my blog, I'm gonna tell it like I see it!**

Next order of business.....
I am still at work on D. girl's party. We are busy chosing a image for her cake. Our local bakery does the computer image cakes & so far this is what my girl has chosen

I think it'll look freakin awesome!!!! Just 9 days until the big event!!! Wahoo! And while I am counting down...3 more days of school & 34 days 'til we go home for a visit!!! Someone is getting excited....and that someone is me!!!

Just for Femmie....

2006-05-22T13:50:00.000-08:00

because this is my blog & I can......(in reply to your comment on my previous post)

Fem~
I miss you too...more than you know! Never when we were growing up could I have ever imagined we'd be so close as adults. I can't wait to get home...I'm not just home sick, I'm "Femmie-sick" and it's only be a few months. Somehow it seemed easier to be apart 10years ago than it does now. I pray every single day that God will find a way for us to be closer again. Your not just the best sister a girl could ever want..you are the bestest of best friends!
It's funny...when I was writing about change I started to talk about becoming less tolerant & such (who me???) but for some strange reason, I left all of that out. But it's true. It seems the older we get, the more alike we become. I guess we turned out okay after all. Ya think AK has anything to do with all of this?????
So girlie...I can't wait to get home!!! I miss you oodles & can't wait to meet the infamous L.

Lub ya! Forty nerdy!
TR

"cause everything changes...

2006-05-22T13:08:00.000-08:00

nothing ever stays the same"

Yep...it's that time...there is change in the air & I'm okay with that.

You know, those times in your life when everything is evolving & you actually feel ready...you welcome it. That's where I am at right now.

So these are a few changes that are imminent or already in motion...
~ my sweet friend Kippi & her family are leaving the Greatland. Bummer...but it's good for them...closer to family & a new start in a lot of ways
~K. started his new job....the wheels are in motion
~end of the school year signals a new one is just around the corner
~friendships....changing in many ways.....hmmmm.....
~lots of changes for my family back in Ohio
~and then there is me.....I am changing but not in any ways I can really describe. Some of my intersts have changed, my views, my goals.... I am becomeing stronger, more opinionated, more certain of who I am & what I believe. It's like getting to know somebody new, except we share the same skin. I'm thinking I like this gal....I look forward to getting to know her better.

Things I wish would change....
~Uhm, I'd like to see a huge drop on the scale when I go to Weight Watchers. I seem to think I might need to start tipping the ladies who weigh me...if I give them enough moola then maybe I'll see some progress....whatcha think?
~I wish I could become more focused. I tend to be a bit 'scattered' & find it hard to get a whole lot done unless I am under a lot of pressure. This really needs to change

......although I 'wish' for some change, I know I just need to enjoy the ride...cuz who knows what change might bring.......

One more week of school, one more week of school

2006-05-19T10:38:00.000-08:00

****Sing it with me now***One more week of school!!!! I don't know who's more excited, me or the kids!!!! I LOVE summer (bummer deal for a gal that lives in the Arctic)!!! And I love when my kiddos are home with me! Let the good times roll.....

K. started a new job yesterday...still at the North Slope on a 2 weeks on/2 weeks off schedule, but now it is day shift!!! Horray! The last year of him flopping from days to nights every 2 weeks has been hell! Not only is this a bit of a promotion but it is a HUGE quality of life improvement!!!

2 weeks from today is the Narnia Birthday bash!!! It's slowly coming together. So far I have the invites done, I have recieved the winter scene stuff, a life size cut out (picture the stand-up things they make to promote movies) of Aslan, a lampost, Narnia passports are on the way, a cake with a computer image of a movie scene on it, uhm.......I can't seem to remember what else. I need to find some Turkish delight or something similar, plates & cups & such, scavenger hunt stuff, & make the wardrobe (out of a fridge box). I'll keep you posted.......

Life is just so busy right now....the last week of school always is, picnic & parties & awards stuff & conferences. I need to try to fit some sleep in there somewhere!! :) And yes, that means life has been so busy I have been neglecting my blog & haven't been reading my bloggin buddies works as regularly.... for that I do apologize. Although I must admit, I did a bit of blog surfing last night & realized I have way too many blogs bookmarked. There a bunch I still love, but there are a few I frequented in the past that now I think "WTF?". Everyone has the right to say what they want on their own blogs, but there is some crap (stuff that is just over the top in a sexual nature, excessive liberal shit & so on) I just don't need to be bothered with, KWIM? I guess I have just reached a point in my life where I need to weed out the stuff that 'gets to me' & concentrate on the things that really matter. So I will be making some changes to my favorites...well...I guess I just got off on a tangent, eh? LOL

Anyway, have a great weekend & I'll leave you with this photo...Ijust took this from my livingroom window. When I am getting all bummed about living so far away from everthing & everybody, I look out my front window and all is well! (Sorry about the poor photo quality.....we are south facing & have a pretty decent glare going on)

Lata.....

If you looked up "Glutton for Punishment" in the dictionary

2006-05-12T21:50:00.000-08:00

this is the picture you would see .....yep, that would be me!!!! Once again I have gotten myself into a major project that has me saying "WTF?".
You see my baby girl will be turning 8 next month & we have entered the "Birthday Zone". This is the time that begins around 6 weeks before the big day (but has been known to occur as early as the day after the previous year's festivities). During this period, the upcoming event becomes the most important date of the entire century. The entire family eats, sleeps & breathes birthday. Being the good momma I am, I asked D. what type of party she wanted to have. Her response: A Narnia sleepover party Sounds cool...I love Narnia & it is way better than some of the crap out there. So like all parents know, you log on to BirthdayExpress.com & find your theme. Wait...no Narnia stuff??? What gives??? I spent hours searching :Narnia Birthday" & "Nanria Parties" and had very little luck. I found a few ideas but believe me, it was slim pickins. So now here I am, 3 weeks from the party date (although her official birthdate isn't until June 18th) & I am scramblin'. It seems that in order to pull this sucker off, the whole deal will be from 'scratch'.
Today I spent a good portion of the day at the Craft Garden (local scrapbook store run by a good friend) working on the invitations. I am proud to say they are done....and not to toot my own horn, but they R-O-C-K! D. loves them! ***the image above is a scan of both sides of the invite. It's postcard style & we packed them in the clear envelopes. I wish the scan did them justice** What she doesn't know, is all the other stuff I am working on. As far as she knows, she has the invitations & we'll have a themed cake & they'll get to watch the movie. Boy is girlfriend in for a surprise. We're talking winter scene, a real lampost, Narnia passports, scavenger hunt, a life size Aslan.....it's gonna be so cool! I'll keep you all posted as this deal comes together.........
So as I said....I am such a glutton.....but my girl is sooooo worth it!!!

Anyone have some cheese....

2006-05-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

to go with my whine????
Yep..I'm whiney today & for those who just might give a shit, I will tell you why.........................

~it's freakin' May 7th & we woke up to snow. WTF??

~it's only May 7th & we are already in 'Hurry-up- & -get-it-done before summer is over" mode

~if you are seeing a reoccurring theme it is summer is too damn short in Alaska :(

~I love all my friends, but I miss having a 'group' of friends. A few years back I had a 'group' of friends who all went out for dinner or just hung out together for the hell of it. But now, I have a bunch of friends, but who just aren't friends with each other & it kind of sucks.....whine, whine, whine.....

~I just feel like I am in a rut...maybe I need more diet Coke....yep, that's probably the answer....

That's all for now folks.....

So...this is what I've been up to....

2006-05-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

nothing terribly exciting, yet I have hardly had a moment to stop & catch my breath. It seems I am always on the go with this, that, or the other..... My friends look at my (fabulous pink & black) planner in absolute awe.....the calendar is simply jam packed. Especially this time of year~ just 3 more weeks of school. But that also means 3 insanely busy weeks! Picnics, field trips, performances & so on....

And if that wasn't enough I made the mistake of visitng the bookstore about a week & a half ago. For me, this is incredibly dangerous. I love any & all books....but I seem to have a problem. Once I 'get into' a book, I get absolutely nothing else accomplished. So I go to Walden's & walk out with Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Magyk, & a few others. Plus D. got books 1-6 of the Nancy Drew series. So for over a week now we have had our noses buried in the books. In that time I have finished the above 2 plus How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete & How to Talk to a Liberal (if You Must). Now I am working on Flyte the sequel to Magyk, as well as a few others. I always seem to be reading 4 or 5 books at any one time, & usually from all different genres. I guess I am just weird that way. But if any of you are Harry Potter fans, you simply have to read Magyk. I can't wait to read it again with D.
So now you all know where I have been hiding & if anyone has any other good book recommendations, just let me know :)
Have a great weekend!

And they call it puppy love......

2006-04-26T10:47:00.000-08:00

My baby girl's dream has come true....she has always wanted a dog & now that she has one, she has never been happier. She & Schotzie lay in her bed together while she reads at night. It is soooooo stinkin' cute! It makes my heart to see her so happy :)

I have been going through pictures I've taken over the past few weeks & have come to realize I will never get caught up on my scrapbooking. Oh well...such is life. However, I am going to have so much fun making Easter pages for this year. Check out my little bunny dude from the preschool Easter party....too cute
I am still counting down the days (61 days) until Ohio...I can hardly wait!!! I have been so homesick for so long :) And the kids are getting pumped up too! Look out Buckeyes, here we come :)