"Relaxing means a full datebook?"

I've been really busy since I last blogged!  School is almost finished!  The everyday stuff is complete for both the kids.  We just have a few loose ends to tie up and I need to do their portfolios.  However, since I won't receive their books for next year until the end of July, I'm putting that off until I have those.  Then I can sit down and finish all of it at once.  

Last week, we had a fabulous visit with my sisters!  We got to spend the entire three day weekend with them and my brother-in-law.  We ate, played games, shopped, went to the movies, and just hung out together.  It's awesome that in addition to being related to me, they are also my best friends!

We have planted our vegetable garden and put in one huge flower bed and one small flower bed.  Things have gone pretty much non-stop!  I literally have every single day filled up in my date book up until we leave for Virginia Beach next Friday!  I'm filling up the spaces in between everything going on with crafting, cleaning, and catching up on my reading.  

I have been reading "The Vampire Academy" series by Richelle Mead and the "Pretty Little Liars" series by Sara Sheperd.  I really am enjoying both writers!  I have gotten to the point that I really prefer authors who write books for young adults.  I like the stories and the fact that there isn't all kinds of useless profanity or sexual situations that seem to have no bearing on the story.  I really prefer books with really complex characters, and these two writers do a terrific job of that!

I am also working on several crafting projects....a couple of summer scarves with embellishments, a couple of baby blankets, a sweater, and an afghan.  I'm also working on my cross-stitch project here and there.  I'm not so sure its going to be completed by Christmas.  Staring at hundreds of little x's for more than an hour gives me a headache.

I have also decided to start cleaning houses!  I don't have a full daycare any longer and the kids that I have are all mostly in school.  So I can do the cleaning in the morning and have the kids in the afternoon.  I'm really actually looking forward to it...cleaning in quite calming.  At least for me!  I find it very therapeutic!  Also, doing something that's this flexible allows me to keep staying home with my kids and homeschool them.  I'm also building up some inventory so that I can open a shop on Etsy.  I'm hoping to get all of that completed by this fall.  I actually have a really good idea for a specialty item that I designed!  I'm going to make a bunch of them and see how it goes!

Jeff and I were in the church nursery this last Sunday.  I have so much fun playing with all the little munchkins!  It's a lot of fun to hang out with them and watch all the funny stuff they do!

Jeff and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary yesterday.  We didn't really do anything...he had to work and the kids have not been feeling great.  So, we just stayed at home yesterday evening.  I grilled some steaks and potatoes for dinner and we all sat out on the deck and enjoyed the sunshine.  

I have a lot of things to get prepared for our vacation next week!  We will leave on Friday, spend the night in Delaware and then head on to Virginia.  We are actually staying in Sandbridge.  We are really looking forward to the week that we get to spend with Jeff's family!  After we check out of the beach house, we made reservations for a hotel in D.C.  We are spending a couple of nights there and plan to go to the zoo and the Smithsonian.  I can barely contain my excitement!  It's a good thing that I'm pretty busy from now until then!  I hope your summer starts out as wonderfully as mine!  Until next time, God bless!

"A Busy Weekend, The Last Days {of School}, and Changing for the Better!"

We are counting down the days!  Eight more days of homeschool left!  Which, honestly, is a really good thing because the likelihood of me throttling one of my children increases about tenfold on a daily basis.  This is due to the fact that we are at the end of the school year and both of them are bouncing off the walls crazy from the time they wake up until I put them to bed.  Thankfully, I am mostly a very patient person and I understand how they feel.  We have experienced a lot of staying inside time because the weather hasn't been so terrific.  We have only had a couple of sunny days in the last couple of weeks, so it makes it even harder to keep them contained.  All they want to do is go outside and run around all day, and that has been mostly impossible.  Poor little monkeys.  They are just stir crazy!  And I totally get it.  Which is why neither of them have been throttled.  Yet.

We had a really great weekend.  Friday evening, we went to see the musical production of BIG, by Rutland Youth Theatre.  It was really well done.  Jeff's friend Saskia is the director and I admire the fact that she can get fifty kids ages 18 and under to put on a musical.  I'm not even sure I could get fifty kids that age to listen to me for five minutes....  On Saturday, we hit the $1 flip-flop sale at Old Navy.  Then we had a few essentials to pick up at KMart, Wal-Mart, and Hannaford's.  Unfortunately, by the time we got to Hannaford's, the kids were pretty much done and I spent so much time trying to get them to chill that I forgot a bunch of stuff that was on my list.  When we got home that afternoon, it was really nice so the kids went outside to play while Jeff mowed.  Jeff got the mowing and weed whacking done and then he and the kids were raking up the grass clippings when it started to rain again.  I stayed inside and cleaned house and baked cookies.  We all showered and then sat down and watched "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring".  I've seen that movie tons of times, and I still cry.  Sunday morning was a great church service and then we went to a friend's house for a combination birthday party/ barbecue.  It was a really nice day, so all the kids ran and played and got disgustingly filthy.  Then we had to make another trip to the grocery store to pick up all the stuff I forgot on Saturday!  It was a really great weekend!

I decided last week that I was going to start clipping coupons and saving money.  I have been watching "Extreme Couponing" on TLC and getting lots of hints and tips.  I have a whole strategy planned and have been clipping coupons and watching ads and getting ready for this weekend's shopping trip.  Then I had a major snag in my plan!  The coupon printer that I downloaded (which worked for my shopping trip last weekend) no longer works.  I have all these awesome coupons, which combined with store sales will save me a ton of money.....and I can't print them.  It's unbelievably frustrating.  I'm going to keep trying it because maybe it will start working again.  I'm also going to try to figure out why it isn't working.  I have all the correct system requirements and it says that it's downloaded, but I can't find the download anywhere on my computer.  It just keeps disappearing.  If anyone out there is a computer genius....I would appreciate some tips or suggestions.
I actually have picked up my knitting needles again this week.  I'm behind on a few things.  I have several gifts to make, but all the rainy weather made me too lethargic to craft.  I would seriously sit there and fall asleep mid-row while rocking in my glider.  So I tried switching to the couch.  I just fell asleep there, too.  Only I was way more comfortable there...and heaven only knows what the kids got up to while I was catnapping for 10 minutes here and there.  I just felt it was probably better that I not be dozing, so I put down the needles.  Now that I have started back in on a couple of projects, the weather is once again leaning toward rainy and icky.  Honestly, it's a bit obnoxious.
Now, for my weekly deep thoughts...My thoughts so far this week have been sparked by our church service Sunday which centered on the book of Acts.  The thing that stuck with me was this phrase, "What do you want your home to be?"  And I can think of a million things I want my home to be for those who come here.  Peaceful, kind, understanding, loving, hospitable, generous, non-judgemental.....are just a few I can think of off the top of my head.  But then it occurs to me that because of how things are on a daily basis here, my home rarely gets to be any of those things for those of us who live here.  So how do you change a home?  You have to change the people who live in it, of course.  Or at least the thoughts and actions the people living in it.  Since I can only really be responsible for changing my thoughts and actions, I'm working on those things for myself.  Honestly, I didn't realize how hard it would be.  Children learn by example.  So changing my thoughts and actions and encouraging my children to do the same has been my priority.  Change, however, does not come easily.   And I find that when I'm dealing with people who always expect one thing from me are not pleased when they get something different.  It really makes me understand how addicts can fall into dangerous patterns.  You keep doing something not necessarily because you want to or because you're proud of your choices, but after a certain point, it's the behavior that everyone expects from you.  It's the easiest knee-jerk response.  Sometimes, it's easier not to rock the boat.  To give in to what everyone expects.  At my home, I'm the pushover.  Everyone knows that I really dislike conflict.  Therefore, when there are disagreements, I get stomped like a weed.  And often, even if whatever conflict happens is not my fault, I'm the one left apologizing to everyone.  After Sunday, I realized that I did not want that.  I don't want my kids to think that it's okay to let other people have whatever makes them happy (even if it makes you unhappy) to avoid conflict.  So, I am changing my actions.  Please don't take this the wrong way....it's not as if I am currently having disagreements with anyone or anything like that.  My family is not awful to me or abusive in any way.  It's just a pattern that I notice.  I even notice myself giving in to my kids because I desire to have peace with them.  That's not really what I think is best for them.  I want them to be at peace.  I desire to be at peace.  However, I have come to the realization that I might have to fight for my peace.  So I'm ready and willing to do that.  I want my home to be whatever the people I love need it to be.  I'm willing to work hard for it, even if it means rocking the boat a little.  It will eventually settle....I hope that your homes are all that you want them to be!  Until next time, God bless!

"Easter....and all the days around it in which I was a total slacker"

So much for my weekly blogging resolution.  In defense of myself, I have been really busy.  Not just a tiny bit busy.  We are talking "every day on the date planner filled in with stuff written in margins" busy. I would love to fill all of you in on every single detail of those weeks, but honestly, I was so busy that I forgot most of what happened.  Just kidding...I remember it.  I really just don't want to bore you with the minute details of my very un-exciting life.  So how about some highs and lows?
We will start with the highs:
1.  No homeschooling for the kids!  They had a week of spring break and then last week I cancelled classes because we were really super busy and none of us felt very well at all!
2.  Jeff, Hayden, and I had the opportunity to be in a production at our church on Good Friday.  We worked really hard on it.  I designed all the costumes and told my mom how I wanted them to look and she sewed them!  She is so amazing!  We got to work with some really talented and terrific people in our church that we absolutely love and adore and put on a production that touched a lot of people.  Jeff and I were very nervous about it because neither of us had actually been onstage in years!  But I am so proud of what came of it and I am very happy that we did it!
3.  Birthday $!  I was very blessed to have been sent birthday money and gift cards this year.  Which you will all be proud to know that I spent on books...and crafting supplies.  Mostly books!  I love to read so much and it is such a blessing to have a dozen new books that I  haven't read yet.  Because as most of you know...I re-read when I can't find anything new...so I'm feeling very loved right now!  Plus-I got some really cool crafting stuff...so expect some thank you cards that are way beyond awesome!
4.  Easter.  We went to church, which is always a blessing.  We love our church so much and all the wonderful people in it!  I was watching the other day as Hayden was going around and talking to some of the men in our church and noticing that they all would lean down to him and stop what they were doing to have a conversation with him and treat him with respect, kindness, and love.  That's not something that you find very often and I am so thankful that Hayden has such wonderful examples to look up to.  After church we came home and had a really nice dinner which Roni, Mom, and I prepared.  Roni made a ham and I made some homemade scalloped potatoes.  Mom made the rest of the sides and a couple of desserts.  I chipped in some dark chocolate gluten and sugar free cupcakes as well.  They were really delicious.  I will post the recipe on my recipes page!  Thanks to the weather, we got to spend a few hours outside hiding eggs, blowing bubbles, and having a Nerf gun war!  I always treasure time with my family!
5.  Testing.  I had numerous tests done from when I was in the emergency room last month and everything that came back was normal thus far.  I am still waiting on one more result, but the technician said that she didn't see anything to worry about.
-Those are not necessarily all the highs....most of the days have been really terrific!  Especially while Jeff was also on Spring Break and we got to spend time together as a family.  We don't really have to do anything or go anywhere.  We just love being together.
Now..onto the lows...
1.  Allergy shots.  Booooooooooooooo.......I know that they are helping my body.  But, honestly, they make me feel SO crappy!  I feel tired and flu-like.  The week before last, I barely had any itchiness and I thought, "Yay!  I am taking these so well!"  Talk about jinxing myself.  Last week, I had big, nasty, red itchy spots all the way down to my elbow and all around my upper arm.  Kind of like sleeves.  The itching comes from the inside, too.  So-there is no way to make it stop.  The worst part is that every week, just about the time I start to feel all better, it's time to go and get my shots again.  Please pray for me!  They make me so crabby!
2.  Sick kids.  Thanks to the weather and our stressful schedule that just finally let up, neither one of my kids have been feeling very terrific.  Snotty noses, headaches, general ickiness.  Poor little monkeys.  I guess I wouldn't say that they are actually sick...because it isn't that bad.  But they sure aren't their normal, cheery selves!  Please pray for them as well!
Hmmmmmmm.....I guess that is actually it for the lows!
As I said, mostly, my life is very un-exciting!  It's mostly filled with those small moments that I really try to imprint on my brain.  Like when Hayden hugs me for no reason or when I sit down and color in a coloring book with Cebelle.  Sitting around and having a great conversation with friends...or sitting around with friends and realizing that they have become family.  I am very blessed in my life with wonderful people whom I love and who love me.  There is no greater gift than that.  And on those days when the lows have got me really low, those people are the ones who pick me up and make me smile.  Which in its own way, makes the lows high.....
God bless you all, and may all of your lows also be highs!

March 4-6 or "The weekend we got everything done....mostly"

We had a very good weekend!  Jeff came home Friday afternoon and I was able to get a bunch of my cross-stitching worked on while he and the kids played games.  I didn't really feel very much like making so we had some Mickey Mouse Chicken Nuggets and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  Not my finest nutritional moment-but I was exhausted and pretty much done for the week.  I was so looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday-and of course, Hayden got up at 7:15.  I find it perpetually annoying that he sleeps AFTER 8 on the days that I get up at 5:30 and on the days I can sleep until 9 or whenever I want- he is up with the sun.  It's just one of nature's cruel jokes, I guess.  Jeff and I tell him that we can't wait until he is a teenager and wants to sleep because then we are going to roll him out of bed every morning at 5:30.
Saturday we just hung around the house.  I did a bunch of stitching and knitting, the kids got to play their video games, Jeff played with his phone...we all watched "The Wizard of Oz" together because the kids have never seen it.  It was really funny because they kept asking what was the matter with the color for the first thirty minutes of the movie.  Then when Dorothy arrived in Oz, Hayden said, "Oh, there it is!  It finally fixed!"  Which of course, we all found pretty funny.  Mom decided to make some cinnamon rolls that evening so I made some orange cream cheese frosting to go on them.  Then I scrambled some eggs and cooked some bacon and that's what we had for dinner on Saturday.
Jeff and the kids and I got up and went to church Sunday morning.  I'm always excited for our Sunday services.  Even though the weather was really rainy and nasty.   Jeff and I are starting a marriage class through our church and I'm really looking forward to that.  It's always nice to spend time with people who help lift you up.   After church, we had to make a run to Rutland because Jeff needed some last minute stuff for his one acts this weekend.  We picked some stuff up at Wal-Mart.  I got a new workout dvd.  It was only $6 and it has three 10 minute workouts for abs and cardio.  I did one of them after we got home and it was really awesome!  We also stopped off at Home Depot and ate lunch at Burger King and filled up the van with gas.  All the while, the weather was deteriorating rapidly.  The loads of rain started turning into a nasty mix of sleet and freezing rain and snow.  The temperature dropped, so the water that was on the roads started to freeze.  By the time we got home, there was about an inch of snow and it has kept going all night.  We are supposed to have two feet when its all said and done.  It's pretty much a mess.
However, because we were home and tucked safely away we were able to get SO much accomplished!  The kids cleaned their rooms, we cleaned the whole rest of the house and vacuumed all the rooms, the dogs got dry baths and their teeth brushed, and all the laundry got washed.  We even had time to watch a movie at the end of the night.  We had "Case 39".  It was creepy, but pretty good.  Or, I guess, not as awful as I expected it to be!  So, despite the nasty weather, we had a really great weekend!  I'm hoping that it moves over into the week because Jeff has his shows this weekend, so there are still many things to get done!

March 1 or "The day that tissues did their job"

Holy cow!  I slept until almost 9 this morning.  Even more amazing, Hayden slept until almost 9 this morning!  That hardly ever happens!  I woke up and the first thing that I noticed, much to my elation, was that the sinus headache that has been plagueing me for the past few weeks was gone!  No pressure, no pain, and no swollen eyes!  I should have known that with Hayden sleeping so late and then wanting to snuggle and the no sinus headache was not a signal of wonderful things to come...
I sent Hayden to get dressed for the day and hopped in the shower.  Literally, as soon as I stood, my nose started running.  I used tissues and hopped in the shower, thinking how glad I was that all that ickiness was finally leaving my body, thereby causing my head to not hurt.  Except ever since I stepped out of the shower, I have been reaching for one tissue after another in a constant stream.  I have gone through nearly two boxes.  Now, I am NOT complaining about all of this....even if that is what it seems.  I am happy to be feeling better, but I am completely grossed out by having to blow and wipe my nose all day.  It is just so nasty and unladylike!  Also, even though I have tissues with lotion, my poor nose and face are a sore, raw mess.  And my hands are cracked and bleeding from the constant washing and sanitizing because I do not want to spread my germs to everyone else.  I have been using all manner of lotions, creams, and ointments today....but still.....ouch.
As for Hayden, turns out he isn't feeling too great either.  I know this because he has been bouncing off the walls wild and crazy all day long.  Cebelle is also not feeling great.  I know this because she has been whiny and clingy all day long.
So of course, homeschool was a bit of a trial.  All three of us are a bit crabby and short with each other, and the smaller ones are having issues with their listening ears....But thank God, all the schoolwork was finished and all the lessons learned.
I tried to do some cross-stitching, but quit after about an hour.  I have no interest in reading or knitting, either, and that is very unusual for me.   I really hope that we aren't all coming down with something.  I don't feel badly, just very tired and worn down.  Hayden says that his head hurts and Cebelle said her ears are itchy, so I am thinking that some Claritin and an early bedtime tonight might do everyone some good!
I think I'm going to make some comfort food for dinner-Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets and some french fries.  I will probably eat my nuggets diced up over a salad....or on a sandwich.  I had some peaches and cottage cheese for a snack earlier, so I am not terribly hungry, but in order for early bedtime we are going to need an early dinner.
Today was trash day, and I forgot to take the trash out this morning.  I think that the garbage men must get completely annoyed with me.  Our company calls us if we forget to pull the trash out to the end of the driveway.  Honestly, they have to call me at least once a month.  I feel bad because it must be very frustrating for them.
I got my Schwan's home delivery today.  I got one of their frozen fruit blends that have pineapple, mango, strawberries, and peaches.  I thought that it would be really delicious stirred into my Stonyfield Farms French Vanilla Yogurt with my toffee almond granola.  I LOVE yogurt and granola for a snack.  It's filling and good for you and it satisfies a craving for sweet.  I sometimes get Bare Naked Granola in chocolate and Stonyfield Farms Chocolate Underground Yogurt and then strawberries....it's to die for.  So delicious!
People are generally surprised by how healthy we eat.  We don't generally have a ton of junk food around.  Dad loves potato chips and diet soda, so we always have those around.  I don't really care for potato chips.  I would much rather have tortilla chips with some great salsa or something like that...or some Wheat Thins or Triscuits.  I don't generally drink diet soda.  I find that if I drink one, it generally makes me crave some really unhealthy foods.  So if I want soda, I will drink a regular soda.  I allow myself one a day, though I don't always drink one everyday! Mostly I drink decaffeinated iced tea with a little bit of equal.  Cebelle is mostly a vegetarian (she will generally only eat chicken...occasionally, we can get her to try something else....but we are working on it!)  so we eat a lot of legumes...we love beans, lentils, hummus, etc.  We also eat salad with nearly every lunch and dinner.  My kids love most vegetables, fresh and cooked, so we usually have a salad plus two more cooked vegetables at dinnertime.   They usually don't eat much veggies for lunch except for olives, cucumbers, or carrots with dip.  That's not to say that we don't have a junky meal once or twice a week.  But, when we have that meal-I try to make sure it's the best that we can do.  Our Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets are breaded in whole grain...and the french fries that I get from Schwan's are actually pretty low in fat and calories compared to other brands.  Hopefully, I can teach them to eat well and keep making good choices so that they never have to struggle with weight like I do.
I am very much looking forward to Jeff getting home.  Mom and Dad took off for their casino trip today since the both of them were feeling much better, so I have been alone with the kids all day.  I very much need a quiet moment or two.  My kids have no sense of privacy, even though they made signs on their bedroom doors that say, "KEEP OUT!"  For some reason, they don't think that it applies to them.  They will even bust in while I am going to the bathroom, even if there are three other adults here to help them. The irony is that it is never anything very urgent.  They come busting in and will throw out something like, "Can I watch my favorite show in two hours when it comes on?" while all breathless from running. Since we have no locks on our bathrooms, the dogs are also able to open the bathroom doors.  If they can't manage it, the kids will help them out.  So often for me, a quick trip to the restroom ends up in a party with two dogs who stare and make me very uncomfortable and two kids who need to ask me an urgent question about something happening within the next six months.  So, quiet moments are hard to come by for me.  Having Jeff here to keep everyone out of the bathroom for five minutes is an awesome thing...even if it is very small!  Truth be told, I can't function without the madness, though.  I have to have a tv on to go to sleep because quiet weirds me out.  The day that I went to the allergist and spent over two hours in a quiet room by myself, I nearly had a panic attack.  So, while most of the time, I'm glad for the craziness (its where I'm happiest!), I need a break from it...even if it's just for a few seconds.
I hope your evening is spent in your happy place!

February 25

Ahhhh...another Friday, another snow day, another middle eastern country in turmoil, another Charlie Sheen debacle.  *sigh*  What is the world coming to?
In all seriousness, I think that the things going on in the middle east are something to be concerned about.  Not because I believe that the end of days is drawing near or anything like that....but because whenever something like that is happening, innocent people get caught in the middle of the turmoil and as human beings, we should all be concerned about that.  Just like Egypt, just like Somalia, just like the public workers in Wisconsin.  Things are happening in these peoples lives that they have no control over and they may very likely suffer for it.  Ignoring it because it doesn't touch our lives right now is foolish.  As for Charlie Sheen, well, he is on my list...(no, not that kind of list, people!).  This is my list of:
CELEBRITIES WHO NEED TO LEARN TO KEEP THEIR MOUTHS SHUT BECAUSE WHEN THEY OPEN THEM STUPID IS THE ONLY THING THAT COMES OUT
1. Kanye West
2. Lindsay Lohan (disclaimer***this name includes anyone in the Lohan family)
3. Miley Cyrus
4. Jon & Kate Gosselin (disclaimer***these are not really celebrities!)
5. Michelle Bachman (yeah, I know...not really a celebrity, either.  But she certainly makes a public spectacle of herself often enough)
6. Camille Grammar
7. Charlie Sheen (the newest addition.....)
In all fairness, these are only the latest people on my list.  Which means that they are the ones annoying me lately.  This list is subject to change at any point during the day.  Especially if I have occasion to see clips from Fox News.
Jeff had a snow day this morning, so we got a call at 5:15.  I had daycare kids coming at 6:30 and I ended up not being able to go back to sleep.  The kids only stayed for half a day because the weather was getting bad, but Hayden and Cebelle had a blast playing with them.  I gave Hayden and Cebelle the day off school as well since their friends were here to play, with the understanding that we will make the day up next week.  We will probably spread it out over a couple of days so it's not so overwhelming.
I got so much accomplished in my cross stitch today.  I almost completely finished one whole section.  My shoulders and back are killing me now....but it looks awesome!
Hayden and Cebelle have been playing their video games since their friends left.  They are only allowed screen time on the weekends.  They have a total of  6 hours that can be used on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  We have beads in jars and they have to 'pay' me for every 15 minutes of screen time.  It's an attempt to teach them time management as well.  Apparently, we are going to need to think of a different tactic because they have used up 4 hours this evening.  But, it has only been a few weeks, so maybe they will figure it out.  Jeff has spent the majority of the day playing with his iPhone.  It's a good thing nobody limits his game time.....
Barnes & Noble gave two free NOOKbooks this Friday.  I love getting stuff for free!  I started reading "Gossip Girl" today.  I have never watched the series, but I'm almost finished with the first book and I am really enjoying it.  I always planned on watching the series when I get a chance.  Maybe over the summer sometime....
It is still snowing outside and we have a good amount.  If I had to guess I would say that there is probably half a  foot or so out there and as far as I know we are under a warning until midnight tonight.  I don't mind it....Roger will plow us out in the morning and we will play and shovel the sidewalks.  It's good exercise and always a lot of fun.
We just finished our dinner and are getting ready to settle in for the evening.  I'm looking forward to getting a decent nights rest tonight (fingers crossed...I did drink a lot of caffeine today!) and hopefully sleeping past 6 in the morning.  I hope all of you have peaceful dreams and a wonderful weekend!

February 24

I woke up with a sinus headache again this morning.  I was contemplating sleeping in when Jeff got up and got in the shower at 6:45.  But, much to my surprise, Cebelle came and crawled in bed with me at 6:55 wide awake and ready to go.  Since she normally sleeps until 9, you can imagine my concern.  I was worried she wasn't feeling well, but she was just well rested and ready to wake up.  She has been going strong all day long.  Hayden woke up at about 7:30, apparently on the wrong side of the bed.  He has been a bit of a cranky pants today.  He has complained non-stop.  About everything.  I'm actually getting pretty sick of it.  I could understand complaining when he doesn't get his way-but complaining even WHEN he gets his way?!!  Ridiculous.
Regardless of his crabbiness, he finished his schoolwork AND the homework that is due tomorrow because he wanted to watch Prehistoric Planet.  It is one of his favorite all time shows.  He has a DVD of all the episodes that originally aired on the Discovery Channel.  He can pretty much recite the narration line by line.  It's pretty impressive considering that it's over two hours long and he doesn't get to watch it very often-maybe once every three months or so.
The kids have been playing "Eye of the Tiger" pretty much non-stop on the stereo system all day.  They know every word and they have made up dances.  It's pretty entertaining.  That doesn't mean that I'm not going to take the iPods and delete that stupid song off as soon as they go to bed tonight because if I have to hear it one more time I'm going to gouge out my ear drums with my knitting needles.  But it has been pretty funny to watch them.
In other disgusting news, I went to check Cebelle's bed today because she got up so early, I was worried that maybe she was hiding toys or there was a mite infestation (old house-we have dealt with that before) or that her heater was just being too loud.  What I found was that one edge of her beautiful white bookshelf headboard was the home of (please jump to the next paragraph if you get easily grossed out) a crusty, dried up collection of boogers.  I still get dry heaves when I think about it.   When I called her to question her about it, she yelled at ME and said it was because I didn't put tissues in her bedroom.  I pointed out that there were tissues and toilet paper down the hall in my bedroom and bathroom and that she could have gotten up and used them.  Then she said, "But I get in trouble when I'm running around after bedtime!"  Touche'.  And as mom, dad, Andi, and Jeff said, "At least she wasn't eating them."  Ick. So.  Gross.  I think this is going to be an awesome story for future prospective boyfriends, however.  Between that and all the naked baby-butt pictures I have of her, it's possible that I can blackmail her into not dating until she is 21.
I actually had lots of reading time today since we got out of bed so early.  I finished a book by Juliet Marillier today and then had enough time to read "Witch & Wizard" by James Patterson.  I was interested enough that I will probably read the rest of the series.  Especially considering that I read this one in just over an hour.  Have I mentioned how much I adore my NOOKcolor?
I also worked on my cross-stitch project while the kids watched their shows and played their music.  I am going to work some more on a baby blanket this evening.  I'm in the process of making some spaghetti for dinner.  I took some sinus medicine and am not feeling particularly munchy.  The kids wanted spaghetti, so that is what I'm fixing.  They are both pretty tired this evening because of the early rising, so there is a lot of bossiness and grumpiness in the still going on "Eye of the Tiger" choreography session.  I'm thinking that it might be a good night for early bedtime.
On that note, I need to go drop the pasta and get out the salad!  I hope you all have a peaceful evening!

February 22

So, today was a pretty great day!  Hayden got almost 100% on his spelling trial test.  He left the 'r' out of approximate so I gave him the chance to spell it orally and he got it correct.  Therefore, he does not have to take the test again tomorrow.  He also took a math quiz and got 100% on that.  He did extremely well today and was very excited and proud of himself.  Cebelle did wonderful, as always!  She is starting to read nearly everything!  She is doing really terrific!  I woke up this morning with a ridiculous headache.  Actually, I went to bed with it last night.  I figured I was just really tired and I would feel better once I rested so I didn't bother taking anything.  However, the stupid headache kept waking me up because it hurt so bad and at that point, it hurt too bad to get up and take medicine.  Then Cebelle had a bad dream and came and got in bed with us and I really didn't sleep well at all.  So I got up this morning and took medicine.  When I get headaches like this, they almost always turn into migraines.  And I have taken different migraine medications (including injections) and not really had any of them be successful.  I try as much as possible not to take very much medicine because I want it to work for my body when I really need it to.  But this is the combination of medications that will get rid of this kind of headache within an hour or so and not let it become a migraine:  400mg of ibuprofen, a decongesting nasal spray (like Afrin), 500mg of Tylenol, a saline nasal spray, and a dose of Sudafed.  I don't take them all together.  I take the ibuprofen and sudafed first with a dose of saline nasal spray and then about an hour later I take the rest.  About twenty minutes after that, I am headache free.  I have tried tons of other things and this is the only combination that works.  Any less of these medications, or skip out on one of them, and I'm still getting the migraine.  Thankfully, this doesn't happen very often.  My kids knew that I had a headache this morning, so they offered to rub my neck while we were all sitting on the couch this afternoon.  They are so sweet and thoughtful.  Cebelle offered to rub my head for me, but mostly she just ripped hair out of my head.  But  her heart was definitely in the right place.  Even if she did make my scalp bleed.
I worked on a baby blanket today and the cross-stitch that I've been working on for a while.  It's a slow process, but I really enjoy it.  I also read some of a book that I borrowed from the library on my NOOKcolor.  I am loving being able to get library books online and delivered right to my device.  It means I don't have to comb through shelves...or comb my hair for that matter....
The kids are winding down while Jeff sits in here and plays on his iPhone.  I swear the money that was spent on his iPhone and my NOOKcolor was the best money we ever spent.  We are like kids with the bestest toys ever!  We have tons of stuff to read and do (I have started storing knitting patterns on my NOOKcolor so I don't have to print them out) AND as a bonus, playing with either device will calm our children and make them forget whatever they were throwing a tantrum about.  Miracles......that's what they are.  Except now, both of the kids want iPhones and NOOKcolors of their own.  Thankfully, their birthdays aren't until September and October so we won't have to deal with any of that until the end of the year!  That was my adventurous day!  I'm going to end it by curling up on the couch with my hubby and watching some TV.  I will probably knit a little more of the baby blanket before I head to bed.  I hope you all have sweet dreams and a wonderfully adventurous day tomorrow!

Weekend!

We have had a really nice weekend.  Yesterday we didn't have to go anywhere so we spent most of the day just laying around and reading books and spending time together.  I'm proud to say that the television didn't even get turned on until last night after the kids were in bed.  It might surprise people to know that we really don't watch very much television.  Most days, unless I have daycare kids that really want to watch cartoons (and those are carefully picked and chosen), our television doesn't come on until after the kids go to bed. And then Jeff and I either watch a movie with mom and dad, or we catch up on a couple of shows on our dvr.   Last night we watched Inception.  I really liked it, though I was a little bit disappointed.  There was so much hype about this movie and its twists and turns and how people couldn't figure out what was going on that I guess I expected too much.  However, I did really enjoy it and it's nice to see a movie with orginality because that is so rare these days.  Everyone is taking old ideas and trying to make them new again, and I imagine that I am not the only one that finds this annoying.  Doesn't anyone have original ideas anymore?
Anyway, I got some new books for my NOOKcolor and I read one last night/today.  "Dead in the Family" is the latest installment of the Charlaine Harris written Sookie Stackhouse series.  I love this series.  Its original and funny and full of thought provoking ideas.  I have only seen the first season of "True Blood" and would like to watch the rest because I really love the characters.  Maybe I will get to that this summer.  The next book that I will be starting on my NOOKcolor is "Awakened"  which is the 8th book in the House of Night Series by P.C. and Kristen Cast.  I love reading series of books because I really like seeing characters develop.  I love vampire stories, too.  Ever since Ann Rice and her vampires and witches, I love reading about the supernatural.  I think if you are going to read and suspend disbelief and immerse yourself in a different world for a while, why not make it one where just about anything is possible and the characters are larger than life.  I also loved the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.  My sisters got me reading those.  Actually, there isn't very much that I won't read.  I love stories of just about any kind.  I just love reading.  I always have.  I still own books that I read and treasured as a child.  Most of them are worn from so much reading.  My copy of "Charlotte's Web" is barely held together and if you opened it, I think that most of the pages would fall out.  I hope my children will treasure their books as much as I have every one of mine.
We were eating dinner last night and the kids were talking about stuff that they learned, especially about monuments around the world.  We were quizzing them about famous landmarks and monuments and Jeff asked them what was in China.  Cebelle shouted very enthusiastically, "Food!"  I guess that since we are fans of Chinese food and she hasn't gotten to that part of the world in her history yet, that was the first thing that came to her mind.  It was pretty hysterical.  We finally got them to say the Great Wall of China after referencing Mulan.....
The kids are mostly just running around and enjoying being kids.  Jeff is out of school this week for break, so we are all happy about that.  It's unfortunate that he has to be gone every night this week because his show at the Paramount goes up on Wednesday.  But we are all happy to have him here during the day.
I finished knitting the two wristers that I was working on and I had enough yarn left over that I decided to make a matching cowl to go with them.  So that's what I'm working on now.  It's about a third of the way finished.  I'm sure I will be able to complete it in the next couple of days since we don't have much going on.  I've been looking at some new patterns and I ordered a couple of new books.  I always love to learn new techniques in knit and crochet.  And truthfully, I use patterns mostly like a recipe...as a kind of guideline.  I take something that I like and usually make something different out of it.  I just like to be inspired by other peoples' creativity.
I'm getting ready to put some dinner on the table.  Kielbasa and macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight.  It's pretty much the kids favorite.  I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes last night for my dad.  He's a big fan.  Then the kids are off to bed and I think that Jeff and I are going to watch "Going the Distance" with mom and dad.  It's the last Netflix movie we have here and since Jeff will be gone every evening this week, we need to watch it tonight.  I was watching an episode of Fringe a few nights ago and Joshua Jackson had this line that reminded me so much of his Dawson's Creek days that I was thinking maybe I should get all the seasons of that on our instant queue and watch it while he's away all week.  Should be good for some laughs at the very least!  Anyway-I will let you know how it goes!  Have a wonderfully adventurous week!

February 8

So I woke up in the middle of the night last night with some awful acid reflux.  Straight out of deep sleep into full on panic mode.  I felt it come up into my esophagus.  Disgusting, I know.  It burned my throat so bad and I couldn't make it stop.  Meanwhile, I'm freaking out because I have never had anything like this happen before.  I drank a ton of water and took pepto and tums and propped myself up with pillows and finally went back to sleep.  It was possibly one of the weirdest things I have ever had happen in my life.  I suspect it was due to the fact that I ate poorly yesterday and took ibuprofen, tylenol, and aleve for my headache (not all at the same time....I'm not completely irresponsible!)  So-needless to say-thanks to my adventure at 3am I slept later than I normally do.  I woke up at about 8:30 and showered.  I came downstairs to find that mom had made pancakes and Hayden was already eating.  He is such a sweet boy and when he woke up and I was still asleep, he wanted to make a special day for me.  So he helped mom take out the recycling, empty the dishwasher, and make breakfast all before I woke up and showered.  What a terrific kid. He also got 100% on his spelling trial test which means that he didn't have homework tonight and he doesn't have to take his test tomorrow.  He is super excited.
Cebelle got up and ate breakfast with me.  She is having a bit of a blonde day today.  She goes through these phases periodically.  Today she walked up to me with her earphones on, ipod in hand, and very upset.  She said, "Mom!  I can't hear my ipod and I don't even have it paused!"  And she was near tears.  I looked at her, picked up the end of the earphones, and plugged them into the ipod.  And then I said, "That usually helps."  She giggled and then walked away.  It was so funny.  She did things like that all day.  It certainly makes for an interesting day because she is very prone to drama.  And for her-everything is dramatic.
The weatherman predicted another 4-6 inches of snow for us last night into today.  It started snowing late last night and it wasn't too terrible.  But by 1pm-we had about 6 inches and the snow was still coming down at our house.  The kids went out and helped shovel and played in it for a while.  It was supposed to stop by 11am.  It finally quit here about 6pm.  We ended up with probably a total of 12.

Its just so pretty.  I think we are due for more at the end of the week.  At this point, when I step into the parts that aren't shoveled, the snow comes up over my hips.  Almost to my waist.  I'm not looking forward to mud season.

I've been working on several projects lately and I thought I would post some pictures of them.

This is a group of handbags I have been working on.  They are not quite finished.  The black and beige one need sewn together and then all three will need linings and snaps.

This is a counted cross stitch.  The completed pattern is about 16 x 18 inches.  It is for Christmas.  I'm hoping to have it finished by then.  The part that is completed took me about 14 hours of work so far.  

These I am SUPER excited about because these are for me!  They are cabled wristers.  They are like really long gloves without fingers.  They are made of a gorgeous variegated yarn that is silk/wool/bamboo.  Its super soft and I adore the colors.

I'm heading to put the kids to bed.  Jeff is in rehearsal until 9 tonight so I'm going to settle down and finish my wristers.  I told the kids that they could do a calm quiet activity until I was ready to take them upstairs.

This is what they are doing right now.  My sweet little angels.  I am so happy that they love each other and like to spend time together.  Sweet dreams!

February 4

I had a great Friday!  I had a daycare kid who I always have tons of fun with today.  The kids got up and ate good breakfasts and did their school work with no complaints.  I was able to read some books and knit some.  Jeff got to come home right after school.  And then we listened to a bunch of 80's and 90's music.  So much fun.  It's funny how so many of those songs bring back so many memories of friends and good times.
It's also really funny how much both of our kids love that music!  They were both sitting in here shouting, "put that on my ipod!" while we were listening to stuff.  It's really hysterical.  Hayden was doing his math today and listening to his ipod.  All of a sudden, he is singing "U Can't Touch This" word for word.  I was snickering and giggling.  Then he started dancing in his seat and I literally almost fell out of my chair.  I love that my kids love music.  It has always been such a huge part of my life and I hope it will be in theirs too.  I'd say they are already off to a pretty good start.
I spent a lot of today reading on my NOOKcolor.  I adore it.  I don't think that anything will ever replace a real book in my hand.  I know its weird, but I love books.  We have hundreds of them.  Our kids have hundreds more.  I love the way they look, they way they feel, the way they smell.  I think books are really special.  I LOVE my NOOKcolor because I can keep thousands of books in it if I want.  (Right now there are 60 books-most were free- and I think I have about the same amount of knitting/crochet patterns on it)  I read really quickly.  I can read a 300 page book in a little over an hour on most days.  Sometimes it will take me closer to two, but rarely.  I'm not trying to brag....I'm just trying to explain why a NOOKcolor is a really good solution for me.  I have plenty of things to read and lots of choices.  I even have a copy of the Bible in mine.  The ESV or English Standard Version.  I think that my NOOKcolor is awesome, even though I don't think I will ever be able to completely replace books.
The kids are in bed and I'm getting ready to settle down for the evening.  I wish all of you many terrific weekend adventures!

February 3

Today was a pretty normal Thursday for us!  Schoolwork was first on our priority list as always.  Our Thursday school load is pretty light except for every 6th Thursday when we have Chemistry labs.  I got some reading done.  I am re-reading the entire In Death series by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts).  There are 32 books in the series and I own the first 27.  I intended to purchase the last 5 sometime in the next few weeks so I decided to read them all again up to that point.  I love this series because its mystery, sci-fi, and a little bit of romance....mostly I love Nora Roberts as a writer because she writes very compelling character driven stories.  I won't deny...some of her romance novels are a bit schmaltzy, but the characters are amazing.  I am also reading a few books on my NOOKcolor.
I also worked a bit on a baby blanket today.  I have several pieces of it finished and I really think its going to be beautiful.  I'm getting ready to start some wristers and a hat for myself made from this gorgeous silk/bamboo/wool mix yarn.  I hardly ever make stuff for myself.
The kids spent their day listening to their ipods mostly.  I'm glad that I don't have to hear Alvin and the Chipmunks fifty times a day with the CD player.  I do have to constantly remind them to turn them down, but they are pretty good about not listening too loudly.  They are cracking me up with their eclectic taste in music.  Hayden has been grooving to "Another One Bites the Dust", "Mission Impossible Theme", "Eye of the Tiger", and "Imma Be".  He sings the lyrics out loud to most of them.  It's completely hysterical.  He has now decided that someone needs to put "Toxic" on his ipod.  I told him that I firmly believe that ipods should be Britney Spears free zones, but he said, "But I really like that song!"  So I will probably cave and let him have it.  Heck, I like the song too.  But it gets stuck in my head.  Right now, I'm humming the chorus.  Crap.  There goes my night.
Cebelle is still grooving on Taylor Swift.  She also loves Lady Gaga.  She doesn't really like any "boy" songs.  I suspect this is because they are out of her extreme high soprano that only dogs can hear range.  I love it when she sings out loud with her earphones on too.  I asked her earlier what she was listening to and she said, "Mom!  I'm shuffling songs and I don't know all my letter sounds yet!  How am I supposed to know what song this is?"  Fair enough.  She has a point.  She's also a diva, so I keep the arguing with her to a minimum.  You can't argue with divas.  Even if you win, you lose.
The kids also spent some time outside this morning shoveling the walkway.  We got another four inches or so after we shoveled yesterday.  It was really too cold to spend too long outside.
All in all, we had a pretty terrific day.  I'm getting ready to go wash my face and tuck the kids in.  Jeff and I will probably watch a couple of shows before we head off to bed.
Thanks for sharing the adventure with me!

February 1

Wow.  What a day.  My horoscope said that I would experience family issues today.  That was the understatement of the century.  Don't get your hopes up, my friends.  I'm not dishing dirt on myself or the people that I love the most in this world.  I will say this about today:  When you love as deeply as we do in our family, it's easy to get your heart broken and your feelings bruised.  Little things become big for no reason at all except that someone was hurt by someone else's carelessness or thoughtlessness.  But the flip side of that is that small things can also bring great joy.  And little acts of kindness become big because of someone's willing heart and acceptance.  The best part about today, even though it was tumultuous, is that when you love deeply, you also forgive completely.  We are all human.  And we all make mistakes.  I own up to my part of that in this instance and in every other.  I am far from perfect.  But that's the way that God made me, so in some ways, that makes me perfect.
I have been working on a couple of baby blankets and a cross-stitch project.  But I had a headache again today.  (Thank you, storm front, for the 3 feet of snow we are going to get PLUS the sinus headache)  So I didn't really work on anything and couldn't get motivated to start anything new.
The kids are doing awesome in school.  Cebelle flew through her work this morning with flying colors.  Hayden missed several on his spelling trial test, but he is learning that it is a consequence of not studying.  He keeps thinking he can figure out a shortcut where he doesn't actually have to study the words.  I'm letting him experiment with it to prove my point.  My luck, he will prove me completely wrong tomorrow and ace the test and it will all blow up in my face.
I'm hoping to sleep in tomorrow because Jeff doesn't have to go to school, but I'm also betting that the kids will wake up at 7:30 because I don't have to get up early.  That's what usually happens.
I'm looking forward to a big snow.  We have plenty of food and lots to do and I think that snow is so beautiful.  I will post some pictures tomorrow!  Since everyone else is getting lots of snow too, I'm expecting to see lots more pictures!  I hope you all have a safe and adventurous snowy day!

Weekend!

So-my weekend didn't really go as planned.  However, it was still amazing!
Saturday turned out to be a day that the whole family (mom and dad, Jeff, the kids and I) made a Costco run!  We were running low on some stuff and mom had to go, so she and dad decided that we should come along.  We bought our staples, ate all the samples, and had a really good time together.  That's one of the things that I have always loved about my parents...they are really fun people!  We finished the evening off with dinner at McDonald's and watched The A-Team after we put the kids to bed.  I loved the series and I wasn't terribly excited about the movie...but I actually thought it was pretty good!  Or at least..not as bad as I was expecting!
We got up this morning and went to church.  The message today was about Jacob and how in the beginning of his life, he was a deceiver and took his brother's inheritance.  But then he gave his life to God and he ended up being the father of the sons who were the beginning of the twelve tribes of Israel.  Its an amazing thing to think about.  How God will accept us no matter who or what we are and then He will make us more.
After church we came home and had lunch and cleaned.  Then I worked on some jewelry.  This is the necklace that I completed:

Its made with crocheted flower elements, glass beads, pearls, gold plate disks, and chain.  I'm pretty happy with the way it came out.  I tried several different configurations and this one was closest to what I saw in my head when I thought this up!  I will probably sell it for $30.
We are celebrating this evening.  My parents' thirty-sixth anniversary is today!  I made some barbeque ribs, potato salad, and baked beans for dinner.  It's one of their favorite meals.  I hope they have many more happy years together.
I probably won't sleep well tonight.  I rarely do on Sundays.  I generally spend most of the night thinking about all the stuff I need to do this week and trying to figure out how I'm going to get all of it done!  You would think that since I always get all of it accomplished that I would stop the not sleeping....but I guess maybe it's habit by now!
Wishes to all of you for a wonderful nights sleep and a wonderfully adventuresome week!

January 21

Today was a really long day for me.  Daycare kid here at 6:30 am and until 5:30 pm.  I don't mind getting up early.  I really actually enjoy the quiet before everyone else is awake.  I also don't mind the long day.  I love the daycare kids and I get a huge kick out of them!

I am so glad that it is Friday because that means I will get to sleep in tomorrow snuggled up to my husband!  (meaning that we will sleep until 8...but hey, we will take what we can get!)  We will get to have some great family time which I always look forward to.  And I am hoping to get some crafting time in.  

I have been working today on a few ideas that I have for some jewelry designs.  Right now I'm in a process of trial and error trying to figure out how to get everything to work and look the way that I want it to.  As soon as I have that figured out, I will make a bunch of these designs to sell.  They are nature/vintage/punk rock inspired.  I know it sounds weird-but if it looks like I want it to I think it will be amazing!  And if it doesn't....it will never see the light of day!  

I'm also hoping to get some reading done.  My NOOKcolor has a Free Friday book every Friday and today's free download was Septimus Heap Book 1.  I have been wanting to read this book for a while, but our library never seems to have the first book in.  I have read the first couple of chapters and I think that I'm really going to love this series!  Since it's supposed to be really cold here tomorrow, I'm thinking that I will spend the day like this:

Clean the house

Throw some dinner in the crock pot

Shower and put on my fuzzy pants

Read, craft, and play games to my heart's content

I think it's a pretty good day as far as Saturdays go.  That's the plan anyway.  We shall see what adventures tomorrow brings!

January 20

So most of my adventures today were during our school time.  Let me start out by saying that I did not begin homeschooling thinking that it was going to be a walk in the park.  I was terrified.  Completely.  Of not doing a good enough job, of my kids not getting enough social time, of failing them as a parent because I was too wrapped up in being a teacher.  But we found our stride and we make it work.  Most of the time.
Then there are days like today.  Hayden is eight years old and he is doing the equivalent of a public school fifth grade curriculum.  And most days, he breezes right through.  No complaints or issues.  He does, after all, have a genius IQ.  And that isn't just parental bragging.  We had him tested.  We knew he was really special when he was speaking in four word sentences by the time he was nine months old.  And he has remained so.  But despite his IQ, Hayden is only 8.  Sometimes its really easy to forget that because he doesn't act like a typical 8 year old.  So when he has a day like today, where he is acting like an 8 year old, it's stressful for the both of us.  Normally, there is a lot of arguing and whining and begging involved.  And that's just from my side.
So now that we are finished and he is playing his video games, I am sitting here watching him and reminding myself how blessed I am to have him.  How special I must be because I was chosen to be his parent.  And that will carry me through.
Luckily, Cebelle did not have school issues today.  Her independence is asserting itself very forcibly lately.  She gets up and refuses to put on clothes.  Or brush her hair.  Or pretty much anything else that happened to be my idea.  I am trying to pick my battles with her because she extremely strong willed and has a pretty hot temper.  Honestly, sometimes I just have no idea what to even do with her.  But on the other side of that, she can also be the sweetest, empathetic, kindest, loving little girl in the world.  So I look at her and I remind myself that I am blessed to be the parent of a child who knows her own mind and is passionate about what she believes in.  And that will carry me through.
So now I am trying to decide what project I want to start next.  I have finished up knitting a couple of purses and I am working on a huge 12x16 cross-stitch.  I think I'm going to make a few pieces of jewelry tomorrow.  These is a necklace that I was commissioned for at Christmas:

I love the way it turned out!

I am thinking about making some similar pieces in different colors.  I'm trying to build up my store so that when I get my Etsy profile set up I have plenty to sell!  I figure if I'm going to do it, I need to have enough inventory to make it work! 

But that's an adventure for a different day!