The hub and I have made a life altering decision recently, We will be buying a house soon. There are many factors to this decision but I think the biggest one is just SPACE. We would like it. We don’t have it. It is a good thing!

The hardest thing for us will be money issues but I think once we start we will be able to do it. Its just going to be a bit hard for some time. I think we will value the hosue get get more for the work that it will take to get it. Things that come too easily can be taken away just as easily. I want to value this, care for it and really work for it. Buying a house and committing yourselves to a 30 year mortgage is never a easy thing to do and we finally realized that it will NEVER be easy. So we are going to JUST DO IT!

The kids are mentally decorating their rooms and hoping for a dog when we do move. We would like to stay near where we are now so that we can keep them in the same schools. Girly wants to stay near her BBF Blondie Girl, and Teen. Boy just wants his own space.

We know this will be hard, and we will have many challenges but I am looking forward to having a house of my own that I can decorate however I wish. I have a more modern taste than my housemate does so it will be FUN to spread out a bit.

Wish us luck on our venture in to homeownership.

Lack of blogging has been mostly due to being busy. So let’s review the last two months or so.

Kids- Darling Girly girl was in summer discovery program at her elementary through June and most of July. She really enjoyed it as she hates being bored and likes to do STUFF. So the weekly field trips and crafty projects they did kept her busy. She still is on an animal kick and really enjoyed Wheeler Farm. Except that she was miffed that they would not let her ride the ponies.

GG, also had a birthday at the end of July. SO now I am the proud mommy of EIGHT year old. She they insisted that we let her get baptized. So she did that and was very happy indeed *** Side note from me, The HUB and I are just happy we don’t have to go thru the whole Baptize thing again. Its DONE and over Thank GOD!

The Big KID, AKA Boy Teen, is I believe having a pretty good summer; He had not been in any programs and had been mostly hanging out around the house most of the summer. Despite our attempts to find him some summer programs to do it was decided that as long as he did his chores and followed the rules he would be ok at home. He has done pretty well aside from a few days of SLOTH. He has read MANY books and plays many games. He currently is reading Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman his favorite of all authors. He did go on a nice camping trip in the end of June with his Boy Scout group.

As I said before the GG has been on a animal kick. It’s been ongoing for some time now. Her hearts desire is to own a dog. We have been in discussion about this for quite some time and ALMOST get her one for her birthday. At the last moment we decided that a dog is a family pet and if we get one it will be for all of us. That being said we have decided on a breed. Schnauzers are known to the family as the Grandparents of Hub once bred them and they are a more allergen proof dog. They are also smaller, active, friendly dogs. I have been actively looking at rescue dogs since we have decided to go for an older dog. I am NOT training a puppy. It has been decided that we will wait till at least September to get a dog. Mostly so we can finish cleaning the back room and do some painting.

The kids will be getting ready to go back to school soon so I will be much less stressed out. I worry when they are home alone too much and tend to try to rush home and check on them too often much to the dismay of the Boy Teen.

I don’t understand why so many people love the summer as much as they do. Maybe they just don’t have school age children.

My kiddos are out of school next week and since I can’t put he elder one in day care this year I’ve decided not to put either in. (save me a little money) This decishon comes with its own set of problems in that the Elder is going to be home alone while I’m working in the morning.  The young one, GG, will be going to the School Summer program for a month. After that I will be working afternoons for the rest of the summer so that Mom-in-Law will be home with them. I am not looking forward to the madness of the schedule changes and getting all my hours in at work will be a challenge.  I shall have to see if I can manage it.

The Elder Kiddo (EK) just turned 13 this last week and is all happy to officially be a teenager and have even more reason to torment his old parents. He is very happy with his birthday present of a lovely green cell phone that he can use to report problems and update us on his status.  EK is old enough to assume responsibility for being home alone part of the time. I just wish I could stop worrying about the house burring down.  That’s being a mom to you.

Over the last three weeks we have remodeled out Kitchen. it was very OLD and outdated as well as not practical for modern life as we know it. So I’m posting some before and after photos. here. The old kitchen was the one the house came with 50 years ago and had metal cupboards. It was not pretty to say it politely.

Old Kitchen

 

We went to a very professional company and had them do the installation for us. They rocked!  it only took two days for them to install all the new cupboards and the countersWe got a new dishwasher and microwave that we love!  I’m so happy we did this!

My lovely blue wall!

So today I took stock of  all those progjets that I should have gotten done by now. I have a few things that I’ve been putting off because its easier to play on my laptop on facebook than to sew a ton of stuff together in some semblance of some finished progect.  But alas, time is a wasting and i need to get to it. So these are the things I need to do.

Make a quilt of my cuz, shes making me a blankey and i’m making her one too!

Soon Will be a Quilt!

Sew a dress for the darling girly girl.

Clean out my sewing box and stick some of the extra fabric and such in storage.

Finish reading the latest Kim Harrison (wait, thats not a WIP, nevermind)

Send photos to cuz, huh, I can just post them here!  So these are photos of a WIP that actully got more or less finished.  My bedroom makeover was long overdue. I went to visit my BFF in California a few months ago and the nice lovely hubby painted. It was his present to me. (maybe I should go out of town without him more, he totally makes it worthwile to come home!)  So for Chirstmas we got a new Headboard and nightstand for my side of the bed and we bought a rug and got bedspread to match and VOLIA!  Room is now pretty! I’m so happy! 

We are really happy with the way our room turned out. So my nice cuz has offered to make me an afaghn to go with the room so here’s the pics so she can see who it looks.

Other WIP’s for me will be painting the bathroom, cleaning out the kids rooms and doing lots of other horrible time consuming projects. But at least I can say I have a (mostly) finished room!

An E-mail I recived recently. It made me laugh.

 

FOR THOSE WHO LOVE THE PHILOSOPHY OF AMBIGUITY, AS WELL AS THE IDIOSYNCRASIES OF ENGLISH

1. DON’T SWEAT THE PETTY THINGS AND DON’T PET THE SWEATY THINGS.

2. ONE TEQUILA, TWO TEQUILA, THREE TEQUILA, FLOOR.

3. ATHEISM IS A NON-PROPHET ORGANIZATION.

4. IF MAN EVOLVED FROM MONKEYS AND APES, WHY DO WE STILL HAVE MONKEYS AND APES?

5. THE MAIN REASON THAT SANTA IS SO JOLLY IS BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHERE ALL THE BAD GIRLS LIVE.

6. I WENT TO A BOOKSTORE AND ASKED THE SALESWOMAN, ‘WHERE’S THE SELF- HELP SECTION?’ SHE SAID IF SHE TOLD ME, IT WOULD DEFEAT THE PURPOSE.

7. WHAT IF THERE WERE NO HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS?

8. IF A DEAF PERSON SIGNS SWEAR WORDS, DOES HIS MOTHER WASH HIS HANDS WITH SOAP?

9. IF SOMEONE WITH MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES THREATENS TO KILL HIMSELF, IS IT CONSIDERED A HOSTAGE SITUATION?

10. IS THERE ANOTHER WORD FOR SYNONYM?

11. WHERE DO FOREST RANGERS GO TO ‘GET AWAY FROM IT ALL?’

12. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU SEE AN ENDANGERED ANIMAL EATING AN ENDANGERED PLANT?

13. IF A PARSLEY FARMER IS SUED, CAN THEY GARNISH HIS WAGES?

14. WOULD A FLY WITHOUT WINGS BE CALLED A WALK?

15. WHY DO THEY LOCK GAS STATION BATHROOMS? ARE THEY AFRAID SOMEONE WILL CLEAN THEM?

16. IF A TURTLE DOESN’T HAVE A SHELL, IS HE HOMELESS OR NAKED?

17. CAN VEGETARIANS EAT ANIMAL CRACKERS?

18. IF THE POLICE ARREST A MIME, DO THEY TELL HIM HE HAS THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT?

19. WHY DO THEY PUT BRAILLE ON THE DRIVE-THROUGH BANK MACHINES?

20. HOW DO THEY GET DEER TO CROSS THE ROAD ONLY AT THOSE ROAD SIGNS?

21. WHAT WAS THE BEST THING BEFORE SLICED BREAD?

22. ONE NICE THING ABOUT EGOTISTS: THEY DON’T TALK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE.

23. DOES THE LITTLE MERMAID WEAR AN ALGEBRA?

24. DO INFANTS ENJOY INFANCY AS MUCH AS ADULTS ENJOY ADULTERY?

25. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A CIVIL WAR?

26. IF ONE SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMER DROWNS, DO THE REST DROWN, TOO?

27. IF YOU ATE BOTH PASTA AND ANTIPASTO, WOULD YOU STILL BE HUNGRY?

28. IF YOU TRY TO FAIL, AND SUCCEED, WHICH HAVE YOU DONE?

29. WHOSE CRUEL IDEA WAS IT FOR THE WORD ‘LISP’ TO HAVE ‘S’ IN IT?

30. WHY ARE HEMORRHOIDS CALLED ‘HEMORRHOIDS’ INSTEAD OF ‘ASSTEROIDS’?

31. WHY IS IT CALLED TOURIST SEASON IF WE CAN’T SHOOT AT THEM?

32. WHY IS THERE AN EXPIRATION DATE ON SOUR CREAM?

33. CAN AN ATHEIST GET INSURANCE AGAINST ACTS OF GOD?

 

 

I’ve been giving thought to a simple idea; “You are only as young as you feel”. I’ve decided that in order to stay young I need to do things that make me feel young.  Better yet to make you feel like you are still a FUN person and not a stick in the mud old lady/man.  After endless “because I said so!” and “If you don’t behave I’m grounding you for all eternity!” you may be feeling the need for some adult fun. I firmly believe that being an adult does not mean you are old; it simply means you have a different sense of what is truly fun. I think I will share with you my favorite ways to feel young and to be fun.

1.  Take a day off. Do something just for yourself.

2.  Make yourself look pretty. Do your nails, dye your hair, go to the spa or give yourself a spa treatment. (Facials are fun to scare kids with)           

3.  Go out on a date. Preferably with your husband if you have one. Order something really bad for you. Tiramisu is a personal favorite.

4.   Buy something TOTALLY impractical. Red High heels that you have no outfit for or a totally cute pair of earrings. Oh, come on you know you want to!

5.  Wear something sexy to bed.  Flannel and cotton is great for everyday but you know your husband will appreciate that silk teddy you got on impulse. (See number 4!)

6.  Don’t talk about your kids for an entire evening. It’s fun to see how long you can go while on a date with your spouse without mentioning your kids. It’s nearly impossible!

7.   Do something with your kids that makes them and you laugh!

8.   Laugh, as often and as much as you can.

9.   Do something with your friends. Go out to lunch. Go shopping, buy those red heels!

10. Be Naughty. You know you like it!

Since I don’t know what makes you feel young, feel free to add comments on how you keep yourself feeling young at heart.

Happy New Year Everyone!

I’m excited for this coming New Year.  In the last day of the old year I got a new nephew! He is a really cute baby. My sister is a great sister to give me another baby to spoil. I have no intention of having more myself so it is a good thing I’ve got her to provide me with baby cuddles

New Nephew! Photo taken by his excited cuz, my girly-girl.

My hubby and I always intend to start the year by resolving to work out more. Not a easy thing when we are die hard couch potatoes. This year a friend convinced him to train for a half marathon. He is all a flutter with plans to run on the training plan and monitor his heart rate and so forth. I am being as supportive as possible when I have no real excitement for it.

I would like to train for the 5K walk/run and so that is my plan. I’m starting off small though. I know myself too well; if I start hard and have a hard time I will quit. So I’m trying to trick myself into working out more. I’m parking at the back of the store lots, getting off the bus a stop early, walking to the further off bus stop. Stuff like that. (it helps that I take the Bus)  We tried to join a gym; that was a total loss. We went ONCE.  In 9 months of membership. ONCE, and then we got busy and kids needed us and I got pneumonia- with residual adult onset asthma after. Its part of the reason I’m not looking forward to working out. Asthma is not a fun thing to have when you are walking out doors in 15 degree weather.

We’ve worked on healthy food choices in the past and try to stay away from “junk food”. With the notable exception of  “Football Days” we don’t eat crappy food. * Football days are special days in our house and we are allowed to eat “football food”.

Other big resolutions of mine for the year include looking into more full time jobs, being involved with more family events, helping my kids with organization skills. Oh must not forget lose that extra 20 or so pounds. I defy you to find a woman who does not want to lose weight in the coming year.

I have every hope that THIS is the YEAR I will finally do the things I plan to.(What, I can always hope, can’t I ?!?!)

I Rock Better Than you Do!

It really is a Toy Yoda, Not a Toyota!

Little Kiddo took a pic of ME!

Hey, here are some pics of Christmas merriment, So Enjoy! Big New Years Blog Next week!

Uncle C. Tunes a little pink guitar for the god kid, The things they make him do.

Hey, I rock at ROCK Band!

Its that time of the year again. Shopping, Family get togeathers, tring and failing to find the perfect gift for my husband.

 

Now I like Christmas as much as the next gal, but this is way too  much stress on little ol’ me. But anyway, all you nice people out there, Go ahead, have a nice happy freaking Christmas!