Girls Rock!

My friend Richard saw this movie tonight, and told me to look it up, and I am IN LOVE.

All you mom's with girls, watch this. This is what we need. This is what I needed when I was a teenager and lost, and not sure how to fall in love with myself. The preview gives me chills.

Karianne, it made me think of you. Maybe cause you rock so hard. ;)

My kid is odd

Becken's newest thing is that whenever I take his photo, he cheeses it up, then turns around. He then insists that I take a photo of the back side of him. I've never had a kid do this! It cracks me up everytime.

When he takes photos, of his cars, he takes them from each angle. Front, side and back. What a thorough little guy.


Double fisting it with his bobos. I have a pic of his sis doing the exact same thing at this age, but I can't find it.

Yes, he is all Car-ed out! Hat, new pjs, long underwear, sandals. Holding onto Doc and Leak-Less
You gotta get the full effect!

This boy makes me laugh from my toes every single day!

4/29/08 Happy Things

• Marking even one task off my "to-do" list.


• Having thirty or forty-five minutes of complete quiet in the house before the crowd arrives back home.


• Visiting this blog.

April Birthday Pics

This is from my niece's party. She's 10! I can't get over it! She is so mini me from when I was a kid. Except she is much taller. She wanted clothes for her birthday. And some sort of ipod like all of the MP3 players her cousins have. But I'm so old school on those now that I have no idea which one she ended up with.





Here are some pics from my birthday at Red Lobster. I included the first one so you could see my new hair. I love it! It is all short and tousled in the back, but still piecey on the ends. You can tell how exhausted I was in the last one!

I'm so sad that our birthdays are done for another year!

Happy Monday updates!!! :)

Jonathan, my oldest, is 7. He had his first ever soccer game yesterday. And they won!!!!!!

I am involved with MOPS www.mops.org ... I'm on the steering committee, and I just found out I can go to convention again this year!!! I'm sooooooo excited!! It's in October, and this year it's being held in Dallas. I got to go last year too, when it was in Orlando, and truly thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime event. But the elders at the church are sending us this year, so our cost is down to almost nothing! A true miracle!!

Happy news I had to share!!!!!! Hope everyone is having a happy monday!

Coffee Talk

So my date was okay. It was definitely fun to dress up and enjoy a gentleman's company. But I could tell that we didn't have as many interests in common as I would have liked—with also a discovery of a dealbreaker: dogs.

BUT then I had coffee with a guy on Sunday. It sort of just happened, and...

it.

was.

fabulous.

:)

I don't want to get my hopes up too soon, but I can tell this guy is really mature, really strong spiritually, really smart, and really funny. And I can tell the coffee date was good for both of us.

It makes me happy that old memories that seem to torture really do fade when you meet someone new. It doesn't seem possible, but then it happens, and it feels really good. Even if this new guy doesn't work out, I think he was a wonderful reminder that (maybe) all the good ones are taken yet. :)

Can something bittersweet be happy too?

We have finally been working on having the kids sleep in their own beds. It needs to be done. It's been a longer run that I thought that it would be.

We took down their bunks and they now have beds side by side. Ivy's bed in all princessy and flowery. Bec has Cars bedding that is a contrast in textures. The comforter is horrendous. No matter how much fabric softener I use, how many times I wash it, it is scratchy and rough. But his flannel sheets are one of the most soft that I've ever felt. I try to not touch the comforter even when I make his bed.

Last week, Bec slept for 3 nights all night in his bed. Ivy slept twice. We all still get some snuggle time as each parent will lay with one child until sleep. The kids take turns asking which parent they want.

I miss them. I'm proud of them. And on a minor level, this makes me happy to see them become independent.

Oh Happy Weekend!!! :)

Karianne! Love ya girlie!

The weather is gorgeous today! I love my new job! My new happy pills (thank you Karianne) are not only making me feel better already, but they are making me unhungry, so I'm hoping to continue the weight loss that had stalled over the past few months!!!!

I love my job! I had a fabulous shopping day yesterday with an ever more fabulous friend!

Deep breath. Sip of coffee. Tips head up to the sunshine (as I type this from my deck)... Life. Is. Good.

Kelly's Happiness for the Day

I have a date tonight! :D Hee, hee, hee!
Is that happy enough?

Using What You Have

My mom gave my kids a huge box of strawberries (or strawbabies as Bec says). They ate a lot of them, but of course they weren't all gone before they were getting a tiny bit soft. So, I made jam using the following recipe. I gave some to mom, sis, and Nana and they all really liked it. I really love how it isn't much sugar, so the berry taste comes through.

Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
4 cups strawberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 package powdered fruit pectin
1 1/2 cups honey

Cooking Instructions
1. Mix the strawberries, lemon juice and pectin in a heavy-bottomed, stainless-steel pot.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the honey.
3. Return to a boil and stir slowly for 10 to 12 minutes. The mixture will resemble a thick syrup when done. Let cool, then pour into a storage container, cover and refrigerate.

But wow, was it expensive to make! The pectin was almost $4 and the honey around the same. Thank goodness the berries were free! For my next batch, I know a place where I can buy the pectin for $2 and hopefully the honey for less as well.

And isn't it funny, that I can make jam and think, no biggie. But cooking dinner throws me into a tizzy! Must be the frequency factor. :)

4/25/08 Happy Things

• Helping my 12-year-old daughter find an outfit for school that was appropriate for the jump-a-thon but that also made her feel cute wearing it.


• Watching my 17-year-old daughter help translate for a Spanish-speaking woman trying to resolve her library fine with a not-particularly-patient library worker.


• Knowing that I can sleep in tomorrow morning!

Let's hear it for cereal on sale!

Last night we were out of town and I happened to stop at a Big Lots store. My kids eat like 2 varietes of cereal, and that's it. One happens to be Shredded Wheat and I buy a box every week. Well, they had the huge box of the exact brand of Shredded Wheat they love for $3. And it was a huge box! So I got 5 boxes. When I was unpacking the bags into the van I realized there was a coupon for a free box on the side of each package! So I got a box twice the size of our normal box for the same price, plus a coupon for another free box! Great deals rock!

4/24

Finding out that your library has a ton of dvds that your kids have been wanting to watch. For free.
I came home with bulldozers and Dora for the boy. Spongebob for the girl. And zen baby for me. I was the hero tonight.

Ten Things I Love

To continue our theme, here are my answers:

I LOVE

1) My beautiful daughters.
2) Meeting new friends, keeping old ones.
3) Going to the movies.
4) Traveling to new places.
5) Visiting our local library.
6) Spring, Summer and Fall
7) Falling in love.
8) Diving into a good book.
9) Going out to eat at a great restaurant.
10) Fresh flowers.

Ashley

What do I love?

I absolutely LOVE how many of you girls are signed up on Facebook now. Makes me so happy!

World's shortest post, but I just thought I'd share. ;)

Ten on Tuesday

This week's theme for Ten on Tuesday seems to fit here. So here goes! These lists always confuse me. Of course you will list your family, etc but are those "things"? So, I will literally list certain things...

'10 Things You Love About Your Life'

1. my library. in our town we have a few libraries. but at the main branch all of the librarians are kind of old and mean. and if they aren't old, then they are harried. but at my branch the librarians are nice. They take care of me.
2. my cell phone with the full keypad. I love to text. I love to get texts. my phone makes it all so much easier.
3. my purse collection. i can't favor any one over another.
4. elvis, my laptop.
5. my class ring that my sis bought me for Christmas.
6. my very worn, gold, rhinestone and camo flip flops. Oh, they are a sight to see. I remember when I spied them across the room at Nordstrom. I had a pounding heart hoping that they had my size. That was years ago. They are falling apart.
7. My altered journals because they are such a part of me.
8. honey scented bath bubbles from Avon. I'm not supposed to use bubbles. But I still do because of these.
9. My Christmas china. I bought the set while I was a teenager. And I'm still so thankful that I bought it. Worth every penny.
10. my treadmill. This sounds weird, even to me since I despise exercising. But it is always there for me, just in case.

4/21/08 Happy Things

• Watching "This One's For the Girls" on YouTube with my 12-year-old daughter Sugar Plum.


• Wearing my favorite, old sandals for the first time this spring.


• Playing with my four-and-a-half-month-old nephew Conor and listening to him laugh. (A baby's laugh is the best sound in the whole world!)


• Having good friends leave comments on my blog and IM me hugs and encouraging words.

(Cross-posted from my "regular" blog.)

Being Selfish

This weekend I have my kids all to myself! Their dad is golfing in another state and we are having a weekend of no expectations, no schedule and tons of fun. Junk food and messes will prevail. Sleeping in and staying up late will be the norm.

When they were younger, thinking about being on my own would strike fear in my heart. But at some point between the last time and this weekend things have changed. I have been looking forward to this all week. I like it this way so much better.

It's party time!

My daughter turns 2!

This past Saturday, we celebrated my youngest daughter's second birthday. She was adopted last May from Lianjiang, China. We had a small, family party, inviting all her favorite people, including cousins Cutie Pie and Smiley. While most kids are obsessed with Elmo, Mei Mei loves Cookie Monster. She continues to flourish each day, becoming a happy confident, sweet little girl.

To all of you

Thank you for making me feel so special on my favorite day of the year! U guys make me happy every day by being in my life and sharing your lives with me. (seriously teary eyed as I write this)
Love,
K

Friday Fifteen

Fifteen things that made me happy today (so far)

1. giving an almost perfect massage to one of my clients first thing this morning. there are times as a therapist when you really get into the groove of someone's energy and you subconsciously react to it. This can go well or badly at times. When my flow hits, it feels like I have taken the massage to the next level of care. When I leave my treatment room it is like coming out of a trance, being in an altered state. It happens now and again, but when it does it is so rewarding. And you can't control it either. It works or not. Today it worked perfectly.
2. Chris and I finally deciding as a team that the kids are sleeping in their rooms from now one. Starting tonight. Peace be with us.
3. Having appts on Sunday. Whenever I work on Sunday, my weekend turns out very well.
4. We have a sitter for tonight and she called to say she can come 30 minutes early! If Chris isn't off of work by then, I'm going to wait for him at Borders by myself. And I have a gift card there.
5. Going to Ross and finding adorable cards to send my thank yous out on.
6. Finding Ivy the cutest little swimsuit known to man. She hates it, and has refused to try it on, but it is still the absolute cutest.
7. Coming home from my mom's with a box filled of goodies for me and my kids. Wipes, string cheese, frozen yogurt, doritos, milk. That woman always thinks of us while shopping and saves us so much money.
8. Time to blog thoughtfully and deeply, just for me, but hoping you guys get something out of it too.
9. Listening to "My life in france" by Julia Child in the car. So interesting and makes driving bearable.
10. re-reading the shell seekers and enjoying the rereading.
11. Anticipating the look on Chris' face when I show him the Nike short outfits that I bought for Bec. He will be thrilled because Bec will match him. He already calls him mini-me!
12. Beginning to plan my brother's 30 birthday in September. We are doing another prom fundraiser like we did for mine last year. This time we are doing pancreatic cancer fundraising for my dad's memory. We have the hall secured for the date that we want. Now, we are trying to think of a theme. Black and white? 70s? Western? My vote is black and white because I found the cutest dress that I could wear. But, it is J's choice. His birthday and all...
13. Gus. (Gus is bittersweet) I have to write about him and I hope that I will today on my pc blog. Every year I try to write, but the words won't come. I want to share him with you, but it is hard still. Auntie loves you and misses you baby boy. Happy birthday. I am going to read your book to Ivy and Bec today and will show them your pictures.
14. Do you remember the email I sent out looking for Domino magazine? Well one of my clients responded, telling me that she gets 22 subscriptions to different magazines and would start saving them for me. I went to her house to pick up what she has so far and my trunk has 3 paper handled shopping bags full. I had to carry them using 2 hands.
15. My neck. This is another long post that goes back years that I need to share, but the short version is that my neck is getting better.

Happy Birthday Carrie and Karianne

I knew that Karianne's birthday was coming up because she referred to her "birthday weekend" in an email to me.

But I did not know that it was Carrie's birthday as well this past week until I looked at all the birthday dates in the email that Kelly sent out!

Pretend this email was sent out LAST Monday...

Happy Birthday to Carrie on Thursday!

Happy Birthday to Karianne on Saturday!

I hope you two ladies each had a wonderful birthday!

Sorry I'm so late. :)