Just a quick post...

I told my friend Carolyn that I would post this info on my blog. She is doing a FUN giveaway on her blog (a whole bunch of scrappin' goodness!) If you're interested -- go visit her before the 31st!!!

I will try to post again soon -- haven't been feeling like my usual chatty self lately.

Have a good week!

One last mention...then I'm done...

Well, I finished the first three books in this series and I LOVED every minute of them. I'm telling you girls -- if you haven't given in to these books yet, you need to....they are really so good. (And yes, I will quit talking about them after today! LOL)

They are the types of books that I was able to read incredibly quickly (for me anyway -- about two or two and a half days per book) -- and each time I didn't want them to end. I cannot wait for the fourth and final book (Breaking Dawn) which comes out next week I believe.

While I was reading the first book, my husband got his Entertainment Weekly magazine that happened to have Twilight the movie (which comes out in December) on the cover. So out of curiosity I got on the internet to check out some info -- and wow! I discovered a whole world of people who are completely obsessed with this book series! I had no idea it was THAT big. You would not believe the list of fan sites I found or how truly insanely obsessed they are -- not that I'm judging. I was just so shocked! It's Harry Potter-style mania -- but somehow even more intense or something.

Gotta love authors like Stephenie Meyer or JK Rowling. One a stay-at-home mother of three who was just hoping to make enough money to pay off her minivan. And JK Rowling as a single mom who couldn't even pay her electric bill while she worked on the first Harry Potter. (Or so I've read.) Talk about success stories.

On to other things...

Does this picture scream summer fun or what...

I'm going to miss summer vacation....it is coming to a close way too quickly.

I've been feeling a bit "non-chatty" this week, so I haven't been visiting blogs much. Hopefully I'll find more time and chatter in me next week.

Happy Thursday!

A Mom's Tag

After reading this Mom’s Tag on several other blogs (Alice, Wendy, Cally) – curiosity got the better of me and I decided I had to do it myself. I was very interested to see what types of answers my children would give me. I have to say, it was quite fun to watch my two oldest kids consider each question and hear what they had to say.

I did not let them hear each other's answers until we were all done. Here are the questions I asked and the answers they gave:

1.What is something mom always says to you? Ry: Take a shower! (ha ha! He hates that I make him take a shower every day!) Rach: I love you.

2. What makes mom happy? Ry: Her kids being happy. Rach: Her children being good.

3. What makes mom sad? Both said: Her children being bad.

4. How does mom make you laugh? Again, both gave the same answer: She tickles me.

5. What was mom like as a child? Ry: A good girl. Rach: She looked like a baby.

6. How old is mom? Ry: 38 (correct!) Rach: 48?? (NOT correct!)

7. How tall is mom? Ry: 5’9” (I wish! He was about 5" off!) Rach: I don’t know.

7.5. How much does your mom weigh? (my friend Alice added this one for fun) Ry: 70 pounds (ha ha ha!!) Rach: I don’t know. (good answer – smart girl!)

8. What is mom's favorite thing to do? Ry: Scrapbook & hang out with her kids. Rach: Playing with her kids.

9. What does mom do when you're not around? Ry: Hangs out. Rach: Cries.

10. If mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Ry: Winning a scrapbook contest. Rach: Loving her kids.

11. What is mom really good at? Ry: Scrapbooking. Rach: Loving her children.

12. What is mom not good at? Ry: Video games. Rach: Shopping (ha ha! - that's only because her dad freaks out every time I spend a penny.)

13. What is mom's job? Ry: Taking care of her kids. Rach: She doesn’t have one anymore, but she used to have one like Daddy’s.

14. What is mom's favorite food? Ry: Can I say a drink? If so, it’s a margarita. (as mom hangs her head sheepishly) Rach: Salad.

15. What makes you proud of mom? Ry: That she is such a great mom. (truth? Or a little sucking up to mom perhaps???) Rach: That she loves us.

16. What do you and mom do together? Ry: Color and read. Rach: Go to the pool and have family movie night.

17. How are you and mom the same? Ry: We both have brown hair and brown eyes. Rach: We have long hair, our eyes are the same color and we love each other.

18. How are you and mom different? Ry: Uhhhhhh….(he said that for a really long time, then said...) I’m a little short-tempered and Mom is not. Rach: Mom is big and I am little.

19. How do you know mom loves you? Ry: She spoils me. Rach: I see it in her heart. (awww…huge lump in my throat!)


If you're a mom and want to play along -- come back and let me know you did!

And -- I still have that sweet blog award from Jeanne to pass along. I'll do it -- really I will!

Hope you all have a great week!

Find What's Missing....

When it comes to losing teeth this girl does not mess around. One front tooth fell out last week -- the other followed this week. She now speaks with a slight lisp and sounds a little bit like someone who has misplaced their dentures. She looks so darn cute.

This week, my good friend Jeanne gave me the sweetest blog award and wrote the nicest things. (thanks again Jeanne -- you are awesome!) I am going to pay it forward this weekend.

That's all I got tonight -- gotta start my new book, purchased today....

Happy Weekend!

So Good It's Bad

I mentioned in my previous post that I was about to start reading this book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I did -- and I LOVE IT!

Why then do I say it's so good it's bad??? Let me tell you why.

I read about 11 or 12 pages of the book on Sunday afternoon when I was sick. Being sick, I didn't really feel like reading, I felt like sleeping. So I put the book down and did not pick it up again until about 9pm last night. At noon today, I was on page 324. I am having a hard time putting it down.

This is bad because my bathrooms need cleaning -- but I've been reading. There is laundry that needs folding and it's getting wrinkled because I have been reading. The grocery shopping I finally made myself do was quite unorganized because I did not get organized before I left -- because I was reading. And the kids have had my attention today, but on a smaller scale than usual because I have been reading.

(Alice -- you need to cave in and get this book!) It is SUCH a fun read! Very intriguing. At least in my opinion. I would definitely recommend it.


In other news -- my sweet pup is ELEVEN years old today! As I have mentioned on numerous occasions, she has slowed down so much these days. She doesn't run or play too much anymore, but her favorite toys in the past have always been plastic dog toy footballs. Her last one was lost by our vet when we boarded her there and so today, the kids and I bought her a new one as a birthday gift. When I tried to get her to play with it, she looked at me like I was crazy! She was not going to run after a football for anything. She gave me a look that said, "Lady, I am seventy-seven in people years and you want me to CHASE A BALL???" We are hoping she changes her mind -- even if it's just a little bit.

I will try to catch up with all of you soon! Happy Tuesday!!

More Randomness...

Well, the kids flu bug or whatever the heck they had caught up to me yesterday. I had a fever and ZERO energy. I went to bed at 8pm. I can't tell you the last time I went to bed at 8pm. But I'm feeling better this morning -- a little run down, but hoping by the end of the day we will all be getting back to normal.

The other day when we were outside I took some cloud photos. I didn't do a great job, but I just love big puffy clouds like these. The ones that almost look fake. I think they're so pretty.

And of course it's always fun to play the "find a shape in the clouds" game with the kids!

Speaking of the kids, we finally talked my nine-year old son into reading Harry Potter.


He is a great reader, but sometimes when I suggest reading, he gets mad -- like it's so awful and boring. If he just picks up a book and gets going -- he enjoys it so much. His dad and I love the Harry Potter series, so his dad kept bugging him to try reading HP. He finally did so just a few weeks ago and he has gotten through the first two books. I'm really proud of him. I think that's pretty good for a nine-year old. I'm interested to see how he does if he decides to continue with books 4, 5, 6 & 7 -- all much longer than the first three!

Speaking of books -- I have really been thinking a lot lately about the children's book I started quite a while back. Why am I not making time to work on it? Sometimes I get really excited about trying to finish it up and start another. But I am so undisciplined and maybe I'm just lazy. I think I also have a HUGE problem with finding time for things I want to do. I feel guilty or something. I'm also wondering if I'm crazy to think I can write a book. I bet there are tons of people out there who want to write books and feel they have a talent for it. I am not giving up -- I just need to get organized and make time for it.

Alright, I need to run. I hear kids yelling and it isn't in a good way!

Have a great week!

A post so random it will make your head spin...

At least I warned you. Because seriously -- I have nothing in particular to blog about, but I feel a whole lot of ramblin' comin' on!

I will blame the forthcoming ramble on the fact that I have been couped up in my house for a week due to my kiddos being sick. Because as fate would have it -- I secretly celebrated in my head yesterday that my daughter did not become ill. "YEA!" I thought to myself, "Rachel did not get sick when the boys did!" And even though I didn't say it out loud, sure enough I jinxed myself and Rachel had a fever of 102 degrees yesterday afternoon, with a continued slight fever this morning.

Being at home this week, I did learn a few things. One is that I hate -- let me repeat that -- HATE -- Moon Sand. Some of you already know I have a love/hate relationship with Play-Doh. I love that it occupies my kids for a period of time and I actually like to make things with it myself with my kids. What I hate are the multi-colored specs that I seem to find for days after we've played with it, even though I've swept, vacuumed and cleaned the table multiple times. (Hmmmm....maybe there is an issue with my housekeeping skills....). Anyway -- back to Moon Sand. Nicholas got some for Christmas and I spent the past six or more months ignoring it. Then he got a Moon Sand playset for his birthday last month and I thought -- okay, it's time to try it. ((SIGH)) What a mess!!! The box sings its praises "Easy to clean, won't stain -- blah, blah, blah..." Let's just say the moon sand is back in hiding and will likely become an outdoor toy at this house.

Another thing I learned this week is that I am a klutz. Well, okay... I already knew that one. But I have stubbed the same two toes three times in the past two days and darn it, it hurts. In an effort to not make the other foot feel left out, Nicholas dropped his tippy cup on my other foot today in just such a way that my toes are red and throbbing. At least the toes on both feet match now.

With all this excitement, I could feel the need for a straight jacket coming on and I attempted to get out of the house by myself for a while this afternoon. Sadly, after 45 minutes it was obvious I needed to go home before I spent money I really should not be spending right now. I had already splurged on a frappuccino (did I spell that right?) from Starbucks and had visited my favorite local scrapbook store where I spent just a little bit of money. Then the guilt began to creep in, because A) I knew my hubby wanted to go swimming with the boys and couldn't do so until I got home and B) I really, REALLY do not need to buy anything scrapbook related whatsoever. I think I could quite possibly scrapbook every single day for 10 years and STILL not run out of supplies. But they have a magical power over me and I buy them anyway. Not so much anymore -- but I still do on occasion.

So back home I came and now I am hoping to find time to read my new book. It's Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. I have heard so many good things about this series of books and I finally caved to the peer pressure. Not that I was fighting it -- it's just next to impossible to find these books at the library and I was hesitant to buy them. But I caved this past week and bought the first one and am very excited to get started reading. I also did start re-reading Pride and Prejudice this past week, but may put that on the backburner to read Twilight.

Okay -- I think I have rambled quite long enough and if you've stuck with me this long -- then God bless you for your patience!

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Rough Day

I have two sick kids. Fevers. Chills. Puke. Lots of moaning and discomfort.

It's actually a strange bug/virus that my oldest got on Monday out of nowhere. He was fine all day -- then around dinner time he had a 102 degree fever and was just miserable. Literally all of a sudden. Within eight hours he was fine again.

Today -- my youngest got the same thing around 2:30pm after appearing to be fine most of the day. He did tell me a couple of times he was cold and I just thought he was playing. Then when he wanted to take a nap, I KNEW something was wrong.

My oldest got his fever back as well.

Very strange.

So my poor kids who had big plans for tomorrow -- one was headed to Dollywood with friends, one was having a friend over for the day -- are now stuck doing nothing. I just want them to get well. (And yes, I am just holding my breath as far as my daughter -- will it be her turn tomorrow? I certainly hope not.)

My oldest, who has had LOADS of fun this summer (really, we've done quite a bit) told me his summer was ruined -- it was the worst summer ever. One bad day and his life is ruined. Poor thing...so funny how his fun memories are completely erased by one small illness.

So I'm still hoping to catch up with all of you soon. Once the plague has left my home. :)

Hope you're having a good week!

Chick Flick Extravaganza

All weekend I could not remember what day it was -- all the days felt so mixed up. But today certainly feels like Monday. Not that it's a bad day -- I can just tell it's Monday and the start of a new week.

This past weekend, my hubby was gone for four days. Once the kids went to bed each night (which wasn't always very early, I might add!), I took full advantage of having the house to myself and spent some time scrapbooking, (and there may have been some margaritas involved too...hee hee...) and I managed to watch THREE "chick" flicks. This is so unlike me. I don't really like to spend a lot of time watching TV and movies. I enjoy movies, but usually prefer to read or scrapbook -- or sleep! -- once I get the kids to bed. And if I watch a movie with my husband, it is usually something filled with explosions -- "chick" flicks are few and far between.

The movies I watched were:



All of them were pretty good. I really enjoyed "Atonement" -- it was so well written I thought, but a little sad. "Becoming Jane" was good -- I love Jane Austen books, so it was fun to watch. I am now completely in the mood to read "Pride and Prejudice" again. A Jane Austen book was also part of "The Lake House", which I found to be a little far fetched, but still completely what one expects from a good chick flick.

I am always SO appreciative of time to myself -- time when I don't feel like I have to accommodate anyone else and can just do what I want with no worries & no one to make me feel guilty for it. I don't have this very often at all. It truly is the little things like this that are the biggest blessings sometimes.

On the same note, I was going through some books I hadn't looked at in a while and found one I bought some time ago. It's the Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude -- it has inspiring quotes and a space for you to write something each day that you are grateful for. At the start of the book, there is a list of 150 "often overlooked" blessings. Some of them seem almost silly, but they truly are things to appreciate that maybe we take for granted. I thought I'd share a couple of things from the list today:

* When hope is restored

* Meeting a kindred spirit

* Acceptance after struggle

* The kindness of strangers

* Answered prayers

* Reading a book that changes your life

*Taking tiny and big risks and having them pay off

Those are all pretty good, don't you think? I'll try to remember to share some more over the next few days.

Alright -- time to get moving. Hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend. I'll try to catch up with each of your blogs soon -- I'm getting behind again! Have a great week!

My Boys

I've actually done a little scrap-

booking lately, so I thought I would share a page today.

Am I the only one who loves photos like this one -- where you capture two or more people walking, holding hands? There's something sweet about them, don't you think?

Another reason I love this particular picture is because there was a time not too long ago where I felt like my oldest son didn't give much thought to his little brother. He wasn't necessarily mean to him, but he just didn't engage with him much. It would make me a little sad for my youngest because he adores his older siblings. But finally -- thankfully -- my boys seem to be doing things together -- hanging out together. I can see the love they have for one another. It makes me feel happy inside.

I tell my children all the time how lucky they are and to appreciate having one another. They may not get it now, but I hope they will as they get older. I am an only child who always wished for siblings. I have brothers-in law and sisters-in-law now and I love them all, but I still to this day wish I had siblings of my own.

Hope you had a wonderful 4th of July. We did! But I certainly have my days all mixed up now. It does NOT feel like Saturday today!

That's all from me for today. Hope you enjoy the weekend!

Every Single Time

My youngest son is totally into the Disney/Pixar movie Monsters, Inc. this week. He doesn't really watch the whole thing...he likes the first 30 minutes or so and then gets tired of watching, but a couple of times, the other kids have gotten hooked about the time Nick was done, so I leave it on until the end. Three times in the past four days, I have seen the end of the movie -- and I am telling you -- it makes me cry every darn time!!! Not kidding -- every time! I feel so silly, but it's just how I am. And sometimes, letting out a few tears feels good.

Yesterday I was also looking at some old photos of my kids and again, I had the strongest urge to just cry. Look at my little ones...

Ry is about three and a half -- Rach is about 14 months. It all goes by way too fast. (And do you like my living room decor -- boring white walls and more toys than furniture???)

Sometimes I feel like I've wasted a tremendous amount of time. The years are flying by and I often feel I have so many things I want to teach them -- so many things I want them to know -- so many things I wish I had done differently. You can't turn back time and when you're in the middle of the day-to-day chaos, it's hard to focus sometimes. (For me anyway.) I guess you just do your best and hope it will be enough.

There really is no point to my post today -- I'm just feeling weepy and sentimental.

Not much else to report. Hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July weekend -- do you have any big plans? We might try to catch a parade and then we are going to a get-together with some wonderful friends. It should be fun!

Enjoy your day -- chat with you soon!