Onions Anyone?

We are really enjoying Gizmo and he is such a lovable puppy. He follows me everywhere I go, including the bathroom. When I am on the potty, he comes and sits between my feet. I thought that my days of that were over, the girls used to do that and Kelsie will still come in there to talk to me when I am taking care of business! Anyways....Kevin and I kept seeing onion peels, you know, the papery part on the outside, all over the house and could not figure out where they were coming from. When we first got Gizmo I made him a bed in the living room in a wicker basket but quickly had to take that away because he was chewing on the basket and eating the pieces of wicker. I bought him a regular doggy bed and he seems to appreciate that. With all that being said, I have a basket in the kitchen that I keep my potatoes and onions in. We finally caught the onion culprit...thats right it was none other than Gizmo! He keeps climbing in that basket, obviously thinking that I was kind enough to make him a bed in the kitchen. He keeps eating the peels! I have the basket now full of things and he is unable to get in there anymore. When he thinks it is time to eat he will go sit in front of his bag of dog food and bark until someone gives him some...how smart is he? Puppy pad training is going pretty well, he uses it 95% of the time but there is still that time about once a day when he forgets. When we go outside he likes to follow now and absolutely loves carrying a leaf around in his mouth. He likes to chew on anything that he can get in his mouth and we get a kick out of watching him play with his toys.

Scattegories!

SCATTEGORIES
I thought that this was pretty fun to try and do. I hope that you all enjoy it! Feel free to take it and send it on! Having a name that starts with the letter J makes this difficult!

SCATTEGORIES . . . it's harder than it looks!

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things..nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial.

Try to use 1-word answers. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question. You also cannot use the same word twice.

1. What is your name? J---
2. A four-letter word? JUNK
3. A boy's name? JACKSON
4. A girl's name?JESSICA
5. Occupation? JOURNALIST
6. Color? JUNIPER
7, Something you wear? JOCKSTRAP ( I personally don't wear one!)
8. Beverage? JUICE
9. Food? JUMBALAYA
10. Something found in a bathroom? JOHNSONS

RIP G

So....lots has happened since my last blog! On Thanksgiving Day I started getting a sore throat and that little burn in my nose....you know the one...the first tell tale sign of a cold!I got up on Black Friday and went shopping at Walmart with Megan & Heather (OK...so it was by way of cell phone!. This was my first experience of Black Friday shopping. Kevin and I had been on the Internet scoping out the deals and I had my list made of what I was going to get. I got there at 4:45 am and left with my deals in hand along with a bloody knuckle where a not so nice shopper smashed my finger between her buggy and mine! OK.....the flu bug kicked in on Saturday and I was literally on the couch until Friday. I tried to be respectful of my hubby, who took WONDERFUL care of me by the way, and stayed clear of the bed so as not to give him my germs....he got sick on Thursday. Kevin catered to my every whiny need, went to the store and bought me medicine, new socks, all my fav drinks and goodies as well as a box of Calgon bath beds so I could soak and relax, how sweet, huh? I was also missing my ooober bloggers Jodi & Erin.....they had let a few days pass without blogging but Im glad to see that everyone is finally catching up. Got my tree and decorations up now,a little shopping done...feeling the Christmas Spirit. Kevin's grandmother passed away yesterday so we have family coming in from all over. My brother and sister in law from Illinois are coming and staying with us which I am excited about. Even though this is a sad occasion, we are all feeling blessed that all the family gets to come in close to Christmas although totally unexpected. This is the first time since 1985 (kevin's Dad's funeral) that all 3 brothers will be together...can you believe that?????? His niece that no one has seen in 23 years, including her dad, Kevin's brother Mike, has also come in from SC. Brother Steve that lives in Illinois has a daughter that lives here in Charleston. She is pregnant and due in Feb...they were not planning on coming out until the baby was born but now he gets to see his daughter pregnant. SO.....even though it is for a funeral, this will be a big family reunion and everyone is super excited. I asked Kevin if her was very sad and he said not really.....his grandma (G as they called her) was 99 YEARS OLD...can you fathom that? Up until last year she was going to get her hair and nails done and still able to go and do things. She lived a FULL LIFE he says and that makes him happy not sad. Sorry for all the rambling...I had a lot to say!

Gizmo it is!

We finally decided that our new little baby looks like a Gremlin so we decided to name him GIZMO! Being that he is the perfect size to dress up, this poor little man has been dressed in Build-A-Bear clothes all weekend.....everything from a bikini to a High School Musical shirt to a leather Harley jacket! The girls changed his outfits many times a day and I have to admit, he did look pretty stinkin cute! He even had PJ's on for bedtime! Here are a few pics to enjoy!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Kevin got me a Shih Tzu puppy for my birthday and gave it to me yesterday! He worked out a great deal with a new client that owns and operates a pet store. I have been wanting one for awhile now but they are sooooo expensive, glad he has connections! Now, the question is what to name him. Kevin likes Zeke and I like Baxter....what do you think? He is 2 months old and weighs one pound, he will weigh about 6 pounds when he is full grown. Please see our poll at the right of the page or feel free to suggest other names!

Another sleepless night

Kevin and I are both fighting off a cold and it is getting quite annoying! I have been taking Ny-Quil at bedtime and Sudafed PE (non drowsy) during the day. All is well except the NyQuil is short lived. I sleep for about 4 hours and then I am wide awake. Not to mention that these dry my mouth out which in turn makes me get up to get a drink which in turn makes me get up to go to the potty. Yesterday I was up at 4am, went to WallyWorld, fixed breakfast and was back in bed by 9am. I woke up at 3pm and when Kevin got home from work at 8pm we soon headed to bed and were both asleep by 10pm. OK.....I have been up since 2am....done laundry, emptied and filled dishwasher, have a breakfast quiche in the oven and have been working on my latest baby blanket. What time is it you ask? 5:24am! The cycle will surely repeat itself with me going back to bed and sleeping most of the day but I am back to work on Friday night so I guess I am stuck in my up all night routine! I hope you are all sleeping well!

Happy Veteran's Day

First and foremost...Happy Veteran's Day to my 2 favorite Veterans....my dad and my husband. The first 17 years of my life were spent being raised as a military brat and I have to say, I absolutely LOVED military life. I then spent one year as a military wife , which again, I LOVED....that must be why I am so addicted to the Lifetime series "Army Wives"...I have never missed an episode! OK.....SO...did you know that you can take a picture to the Walmart bakery and they will magically transform that picture to an edible sugar sheet? Yes, its true, for $5.00 you can eat any image you want! I took Kevin's basic training Army picture there today and made him a Happy Veteran's Day cake...and we even ate his face! He was very touched by the fact that I made him a cake not to mention the fact that his picture was a blast from the past, he was only 18!

The Hungary Italian

A few weeks ago Kelsie started referring to Kevin as "The Italian" and has been cracking jokes on him ever since. This weekend she decided that he was not an American, only an Italian. We explained to her that he was born in Ohio which made him an American but she still is not convinced. It has been quite funny, the things she says to him. The picture I have posted is actually a Post-It note that she stuck to his back and he did not know it....he walked around for awhile with it on! Please excuse her spelling ability...it looks as if she actually made him into 2 different ethnicities!

OK...I was wrong

Once I looked at the pictures I noticed that her hair might be uneven so I cut it again and it looks perfect now!

No more bangs

Bri had finally been convinced by all of us that it was time to let her bangs grow. She started this venture during the summer and has made some quick progress. Today she asked me if I would cut her hair up to her bangs so that it would all blend in (thanks goodness because I have been suggesting this for awhile now!). As you see from the picture she has a haircut just like Momma but even though it looks uneven in the picture, I assure you it is even! She is either tilting her head slightly or I am tilting the camera! Please note the fake smiles that are classic to Brianna and I also put some highlights in her hair but they are not noticable in the picture.

Election Results

I am very saddened by the election results...I am sad because my George Bush will be leaving office and also because Emcee Cain (giggle for Aunt Sara) will not be our next President. I will put my faith and trust in Obama because he will be our next Pres but I am still sad that the Republicans are out of office. Let's hope that America made the right choice and show our support for our new President Barrack Obama...sniff sniff. Maybe the next time I am in Texas I will run into George W at the Cafe for breakfast.

I'm on a roll!

I have finished another baby blanket, this one is for Kevin's niece. He actually has 2 nieces that are having little girls....Willow Marie is due in February and this one is for her baby shower Nov 15 and Brianna Noel is due in December so I just started on hers. I also have requests for 2 more after that so I will be busy. I am so excited that I learned to make these that I think that I will continue. The supplies only cost $8.00 per blanket and it takes me about a week to make one. Gladly taking requests!

Bad Mommy

SO.....I am a self proclaimed "bad Mommy" at least for October 30th. I took the girls and Bill's niece and nephew Emily and Brody trick or treating and then the girls to the Savior In Satan Out party at their church. I had such beautiful pictures...the key word here being HAD. I came home and downloaded them to the computer, deleted my card on the camera only to find that there was an error and the pictures had not downloaded! Needless to say I have NO PICTURES of my cute girlies in their costumes. So, just pretend that you see how cute Bri looks as Cleopatra, Kelsie as a bumble bee and Kaylie as a clown! At the party we made cupcakes, caramel apples, masks, went on a hayride, there were corn dogs, french fries and ice cream sundaes for snacks and lots of games, music and dancing, not to mention FUN! I am so mad at myself about the pictures, I have never missed a year of getting a picture of them in their costumes. For those of you with young kids, not to worry, even at 18 they still dress up and go trick or treating!

That Time of Year

Yep, it's true, it is that time of the year to get your flu shot. Being a respiratory therapist I must get on my soap box and encourage everyone to get their shot. Many people claim, falsely I might add, that you get sick from the shot. WRONG! There is no longer a live virus in the shot, it is all synthetic and will not make you get the flu. Anyone allergic to eggs though can not get the flu shot. We are already seeing some positive flu nasal swabs coming in which is a little early in the season and I am sure that RSV is soon to follow. When the little ones get sick, congested and snotty the best advice that I can offer is a cool mist humidifer, saline up the nose, bulb syringe suctioning the nose and the most important tip of all is this...if your child is congested, steer away from dairy products, especially milk or formula. Pedialyte is a miracle worker and what we do at the hospital is we water down milk and formula half and half with unflavored Pedialyte. Milk tends to make the mucus thicker and the Pedialyte helps to thin it down and make the mucus easier to cough up. Also, if your child gets a croupy, barky cough...take them outside in the COLD AIR! They will not catch a cold from being outside in the cold air...the cold makes the airways dilate, reduces swelling of the airways and makes breathing easier...thus the cool mist humidifier. I got my flu shot today and aside from a sore arm, the shot itself did not hurt so get out there and get immunized!

Tag You're It

Rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people & posts their names, then goes to their blog & leaves them a comment letting them know that they have been tagged & asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog.


10 YEARS AGO I...
1. HAd been at my job for 6 years
2. Had been divorced for almost 2 years
3. HAd lived in WV for 8 years
4. Had been to Erin & Bobby's wedding
5. Cant remember much more

5 THINGS ON TODAY'S TO DO LIST...
1. Clean up the kitchen
2. Get Emily & Brody ready for trick or treating
3. Go to a Halloween party with my girlies
4. Throw out my pumpkin...it's looking pretty pitiful!
5. Finish up a baby blanket

5 THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A MILLIONAIRE...
1. Move into a bigger house
2. Dump a ton into college funds for the girls
3. Pay off all our bills
4. MOve to Texas in about 6 years
5. Give to charity


5 PLACES I HAVE LIVED...
1. Fresno, California
2. Omaha, Nebraska
3. Knob Noster, Missouri
4. Mililani, Hawaii
5. Montgomery, Alabama


5 JOBS I HAVE HAD...
1. Babysitter
2. Wendy's when I was 16
3. Lifeguard
4. Poop picker upper
5. My fave…a Mommy!!!


Okay, now I’m tagging 5 people…Erin, Megan, Mom, Heather & AUnt Sara Tag...you're it!!!!

Getting creative in the kitchen...

This morning I decided to try a new idea for breakfast. Being that tomorrow is Halloween and tonight is the actual trick or treat around the area I decided to make orange pumpkin pancakes. I added food coloring to the batter and then this is the genius part......I have a metal pumpkin shaped cookie cutter. Yep, you see where this is going....I put the cookie cutter on the griddle and poured the batter in it. The trick is to spray the inside of the cookie cutter with some Pam and then wait until it starts to set before lifting it off so that your batter doesnt run everywhere. We ended up with the cutest pumpkin shaped pancakes! Happy Halloween and safe trick or treating!

Privacy

Since I have added the live feed that lets me know who visits my blog, I need to know how to set it to private so that only the people I want to read about our lives can do so. Jodi or Erin...can you help a girl out? If you can figure out how to do this please let me know. This blog was intended for friends and family only...I am glad that Saint Albans, WV finds us so interesting!

Crocheting Galore

When I was 9 years old, my Ninny taught me how to crochet. I have only ever known how to do a double stitch but am proud to say that I taught myself to follow a pattern and made a baby blanket. Please note the star pattern you see....I am pretty proud of myself, the question is....who is next to have a baby boy? I am already half way done with a pink and white one....it only takes me a few days to make a blanket. The pattern calls for 3 colors but I was not happy with that so I am only using 2 now. Some people better start getting pregnant....hint hint.

Photo Shoot

Here are a few more pictures from our "photo shoot".

Twilight

Kelsie has never been much for one to sit down and read a book that is not required by school. For the past week she has been begging me to get her a book called "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer. Apparently there are 3 books in this series and the movie is coming out on November 21st. You see, ALL the girls at school are reading this book and she is the ONLY one that doesnt have it...even her teacher has read it! When we were at WallyWorld this weekend I picked up the book for her and she has coveted it as if it were a million dollars. She is already letting me know that she will need the other 2 books in the series but I will see if she finishes this one first. You see, the plot of the book is about a vampire. For those who dont know Kelsie, she is a super chicken. She even got scared this weekend watching the Halloween movies on the Disney Channel. We watched "Mostly Ghostly" and "Hocus Pocus" and those scared her enough for me to have to sleep with her so I am curious to see how she reacts to a vampire book. At her school they have a contest for the yearbook to nominate a "Miss Tidal Wave" (their school mascot is the Tide if you were wondering) and the girls interested have to submit one picture of themselves and it cant be a professional photo. A committee judges the pictures and the best one wins but they wont know until the yearbook comes out and the winner is published. Last year she won honorable mention. The pics are due this week so she and I took some pics and the one she is entering is the one you see on this post.

Have Car Will Drive...Finally!

Kaylie has had her learner's permit for about 2 years now, refusing to get her license until she had a car of her own. After years of saving birthday and Christmas money and her job at Subway, my baby finally bought her first car! It is a 1994 Toyota Camry, hunter green in color. She bought it from one of the teachers at school. I thought that her being a senior and turning 18 were bad enough milestones to make me feel old but this is the icing on the cake. She is growing up so fast and now her having her own car means that she is no longer dependent on her momma for transportation. Next year is COLLEGE and that in itself will be enough to break my heart!

Pumpkin Carving

Kevin and I only have one kiddo this weekend...Kelsie. Brianna is spending the weekend with a friend, they went to see "high School Musical 3" last night and Kaylie has Homecoming and then work on Saturday. We went to Chili's for dinner and it was YUMMO! Kelsie and I went to WallyWorld to get a pumpkin and I was determined to get the biggest one we could find...this meant Kelsie having to climb into the bin to get it. We got home, watched a Halloween movie on the Disney Channel and proceeded to carve our pumpkin. WELL....the biggest pumpkin also means the thickest pumpkin and we had a heck of a time carve this thing out. Once I was done I was ready to throw it out the door I was so aggravated. Today we will hopefully go to a pumpkin patch to browse around, we have never been to one and also we are baking some Halloween cookies. It is cold, gloomy and rainy here today, my idea of a perfect fall day!

Newsworthy

Ok.....SO...I just finished crocheting Brianna a scarf to match her new winter jacket and was wondering where my girlies were. I stepped out into the backyard and heard them talking and Kelsie was yelling something about the cameraman not following her fast enough. SO...Im thinking to myself...what cameraman, surely there was no stranger here and surely she wasnt talking to one if there were. NO. They had high heels on (with their PJ's, in the middle of the afternoon)and were pretending that one was a news reporter while the other was the cameraman. Or camerawoman in this case. So, curious, I took a seat by the door and listened. And about peed my pants. Brianna was a newsreporter that was talking about the "strange phenomenom that was affecting the leaves on the trees, making the colors change and making them fall off the trees. Could it be from the recent explosion at the Bayer plant next to us, could it be chemicals from the science projects at the University next to us or could it be something really bad? She wasnt really sure but thought that some investigation should be happening." At this point in the newscast I heard Kelsie, the current camerawoman ask this....."Do you think possibly that your strange phenomenom could simply just be FALL??????" Brianna seemed genuinely dumbfounded and said this (thus the almost pee my pants moment)...."ya know....I never even thought of that." We now know that Brianna does not stand a chance being a weather reporter!

BAck to work...WOOHOO!

I am really excited to get back to work on Wednesday...no, I am not feverish, just stir crazy! I still have a few stitches that have not dissolved yet and some swelling that makes me feel as if I have a wad of tobacco in my chaw..not that I have ever had a wad of tobacco but Im sure that this is what it would feel like. Only one fever yesterday and none so far today so things are looking good. A person can only watch so much HGTV and Lifetime movies plus our bank account needs me to go back as well! I am able to eat real food as long as I am careful but still nothing that is sharp. Kevin has done a really good job of taking care of me and keeping me company but the majority of his time has been spent with me so Im sure that he is looking forward to me returning to work so that he can hang with his buddies.

Random Quirks

We all know that I have quirks and it is so funny to see what the girls have picked up with some of their own...

Kelsie will not drink ice in her drinks and prefers her pop to be at room temp

Brianna likes ice in her milk

Kaylie always has to have a straw to drink from

Brianna is the only kid who likes donuts

Kelsie never orders burgers, always chicken nuggets while Brianna always gets a burger, never chicken nuggets

All the girls put ranch dressing on just about anything

Kaylie hates ketchup

Kaylie and Brianna love pancakes while Kelsie despises them

No kid will eat a waffle

Brianna loves sushi

Kelsie & Brianna think that ramen noodles are part of a daily food group

I buy Hershey syrup just for Kelsie to drink

Kaylie likes Mountain Dew, Brianna likes Dr. Pepper (she calls it Dr. Kelp) and Kelsie likes Pepsi

Kelsie will only eat cheese pizza but likes to pick off pepperoni and it it plain

The girls like to tear up bread in their oatmeal...gross

All the girls refuse to sleep without their bras on

Kelsie HATES for anyone's feet to touch her...thanks Auntie Erin

Brianna will pee her panties if laughing too hard or if tickled

All the girls prefer mechanical pencils as opposed to regular ones

All the girls love to drink coffee

Kelsie and Bri will only drink unsweet tea while Kaylie will only drink sweet tea

Random things that melt my heart

Some random things that the girls still do that melt my heart to mush.....


Kaylie, even at 18, still calls me Momma or Mommy

Kelsie always calls me Mommy

Brianna calls me Mommykins

Kelsie & Brianna still hold my hand walking through Walmart or any store

Kelsie loves to sit on my lap still

Kaylie loves for me to brush her hair for her after a shower

Brianna loves to fix my coffee for me and I drink it, grounds and all

Kelsie & Brianna still love to color pictures for me

The girls love to fix me breakfast in bed on Saturday mornings

Kaylie always makes me brownies for my birthday

Kelsie uses my toothbrush instead of her own

Kaylie brushes her teeth in the shower

The girls love to cuddle in my bed with me

Kelsie still tries to sneak in bed to sleep with me

The girls love to hear stories about when they were little and stories about my childhood

The girls love to make me bracelets out of beads or string, which I proudly wear

I taught Kelsie to crochet and she loves to sit beside me and we crochet together

Brianna still loves to be babied by me

All my girls tell me they love me about a million times a day....you can never hear those words enough out of your babies mouths

Kelsie & Brianna like to smell me.....they say I smell good and it makes them feel safe

Daddy Day Camp

The weekend before last, the one before my surgery, was my weekend to work and the girl's weekend with Bill. Their stepbrother Chris is at Ft. Benning, Georgia for basic training for the Army and it was family weekend so Bill & Polly asked Kevin to keep the kids while they went to Georgia. This was the first time that he has actually kept them by himself. On Friday we picked up the kids, I headed to work and they went wild. Not literally, but in a sense. I came home on Saturday morning to empty pizza boxes, movies rented from Blockbuster and a spontanious trip to Wally World. On the counter, (no attempt was even made to hide the evidence) were boxes of Little Debbie snack cakes, Pringles, a case of Coke, a cannister of Slim Jims, cheese and crackers, peanuts and just for nutritional measure 3 cans of pears. I normally do not buy all that junk so they went all out. Saturday Kevin took the girls 4 wheeling with his bunch of friends and their kids and the girls had a blast. Sunday was spent sleeping in, coloring pictures for Mommy and eating Taco Bell for dinner. They were very good about letting me sleep suring the day on Sunday but I did get up early so I could spend some time with them. Monday morning I got off work a little early and fixed them breakfast, did their hair and took them to school. Kevin did a wonderful job with the girls and they loved all the special attention and goodies that they got.

There is an 18 year old in the house!

My baby girl is now an offcial adult! Kaylie turned 18 yesterday and she couldnt be more excited. I made her a birthday cake the looks like her tattoo and she loved it. I am still recovering from surgery...I had it on the 23rd. That Friday after surgery I ended up with strep throat and an infection under my stitches. I have been taking oral antibiotics and on Tuesday I had to get IV antibiotics at the hospital. I go back tomorrow and get another IV dose if needed. I have ran a fever for almost a week now but it is not constant anymore, I have only noticed it twice today. The swelling is finally improving, I can almost put my teeth together when I close my mouth.

Kaylie, Kelsie & Brianna's MumMum

The girls MumMum, my ex mother in law is in ICU. She has 3 brain aneurysms, one of which has successfully been removed. They were unable to get the other 2 because she was not stable enough to withstand surgery that long. It took 8 hours to get the one that they did get. It was behind her eye and was so big that it was forcing her eye out of the socket. Yesterday she suffered a stroke which has left her paralyzed on the left side, even unable to open her left eye. Her speech is slurred slightly but it is her mental status that is most disturbing. She is combative, beligerent, confused at times....completely not herself. The neurosurgeon has said that this behavior may be a temporary thing or it may be permanent. The girls are quite distraught over their MumMum, I can honestly say that I am also disturbed. I visited tonight and it was horrible to see the behavior that she exhibits and she would never act this way in normal life. Please keep us, especially the girls and Bill's family, in your prayers.

Jaws III

For the past week I have been unable to eat anything that requires chewing....Frosty's, spaghetti-O's and baked potatoes have been my main diet. I finally got in with my oral surgeon yesterday and I have one wire that has come through the jawbone and gumline and has abcessed around it and on the other side there is a wire about to come through that is also causing me pain. Why the wires you ask? If you remember....25 years ago I had jaw surgery where my jaw was broken, repositioned and then wired together. In the past 3 years I have had wires removed twice for the same problem, they have worked themselves out of the bone to the surface. The 2 that remain were too deep at the time and Dr.Wise could not get to them. Now, they are making themselves known (boy are they making themselves known!)and he can drill them out now. His office is submitting the info to my insurance company for authorization since I will have it done in the hospital as opposed to his office. Hopefully I will be able to get this taken care of next week. In the mean time, I have pain medicine and an antibiotic to take care of the abcess infection. These are the last of the wires, third time is a charm!

Another school year is about to begin

Tuesday marks the beginning of the new school year and my heart is breaking. I will have one girl in high school, one in junior high and one in elementary school. When I think about Kaylie starting her senior year I get all choked up...where has the time gone? I came across her kindergarten graduation picture yesterday and it seems just like yesterday she was putting on a backpack that was almost as big as she was! Now we talk about college and senior pictures and the ACT exam. BJ was the only kid that needed a backpack this year and it will probably be the last time I take her to get one, she will be in junior high this time next year and we all know that they are too cool for backpacks. They rarely need help with homework anymore, the only time Kaylie wants help is if she wants me to do it for her! Kelsie decided not to do band this year and BJ thinks she might want to try her hand at cheerleading. These kids are all growing up so fast and just think, in a few years Grammy & Grampy will be having great-grandkids and Heather and I will be getting grandkids....how is that for making everyone feel old? Here is another thought to make us all feel old....in 2 years I will be turning the big FOUR-OH!

Back to school shopping

Kaylie has been working all summer at Subway to save money for a car. Every payday she puts half of her check into savings and spends the other half. Ususally on Wednesdays (her paydays) she and I go shopping and she takes me out to eat for a mother daughter date. Yesterday we went to the mall and her boyfriend Garrett met us there. Yesterday was his first day of college and when asked how it was he simply said "awesome!" Anyways, Kaylie wanted her hair done at Regis in the mall. She got it colored back to her original color, highlighted and cut into an inverted bob that is stacked in the back. The boys (Kevin & Garrett) prefer her hair long but I thought it looks really cute on her. We did some other shopping where she picked up some things for school then went out to eat. Needless to say, she spent her entire paycheck in a matter of 3 hours!

A Tisket A Tasket a Picnic in a Basket

This past Saturday was the hospital annual picnic at Cedar Lakes. We have gone for several years and we all look forward to it. Several of my co-workers also attend with their families and we always sit under "our tree". It provides shade, is close to the food and children's activities and we are able to set up our chairs and turn the kids loose. There are stands set up with cotton candy and sno cones (all you can eat) as well as the Schwann's ice cream truck and tons of other food under the bigtop. This year there was face painting, horse buggy rides, and several blow up things like the Jupiter Jump and water slides. There is also fishing and a swimming pool as well as a live band and karaoke. The kids come check in every so often but Brianna spends alot of her time riding the horse buggy from one end to the other instead of walking. We had a great time and then it was time to head to the races which just happen to be right next to Cedar Lakes. The races always run late so we didnt get home until 2:30 AM! The little boys in the picture with the girls are Austin and Alex, my nephews. Their family went to the picnic with us and then we all headed over to the races together.... LONG fun filled day!

The Return of the Domestic Diva......

OK....I am a little embarrassed to post this on our blog but it was too funny not to. After a late night of hanging out in my brother in law's garage and watching the boys work on the racecar I returned home to finish loading my dishwasher and noticed that I was out of detergent for it. Being that it was 2am....Kevin suggested that I use the liquid dishwashing soap instead. I guess I missed the part of the conversation where he told me to use a SMALL AMOUNT....me being the ever so domestic diva, filled the entire cup with the soap. Let's just say that the picture I am posting is nothing compared to what my kitchen floor turned into!SUDS are still everywhere! I am running the dishwasher through a second cycle and looks like it will need a third just to clear the suds out of the dishwasher! The lesson here girls is always make sure you have dishwasher detergent on hand at all times! Happy laughing at me!

Gyozas

One of my all time favs that my Mom fixed when we were growing up is gyozas. I have fixed them 3 times in my lifetime and no one else in my family likes them!I fixed them for Kevin today, confident that he would love them.....I was disappointed. He loved the rice but could take or leave the gyozas. He ate the middle out of them and tossed the shell. Guess I will only get them if I make them for myself or my mommy makes them for me. :(

A stitch in time...

As some of you may know, I got stitches in my finger last week. I cut it with a knife trying to cut a zip tie off of my food processor. I wasnt going to get stitches and use the liquid bandaid instead but a quick stop by the ER to have one of the PA's look at it landed us there for 3 hours to get stitches. I cut it down to the muscle. It only required 3 stitches but it was my first time and I was scared to death! Once the lidocaine shots were done, I felt nothing. We had to leave them in for 7 days and Kevin removed them for me. I was more scared to have them taken out than I was to have them put in. It hurt a little bit but he did a wonderful job (he has removed many of his own over the years). Silly us never even thought to take pictures :(

First Tattoo

After many years of begging and pleading, Bill finally gave his consent for me to take Kaylie to get her first tattoo. She has begged us for about 5 years and planned to get one in September when she turns 18. She cashed her paycheck and we were off to the tattoo shop. The design is mine and the lettering is my handwriting too. She did awesome, especially for a girl who is scared of getting a shot...she actually fell asleep. She loves it and shows it to everyone!

Wonderful visit!

We had a wonderful visit with Mom, Ninny and Aunt Becky! Ninny brought me the flag that the government presented her when Grandad passed away and we put it in a display case that will also display his medals...I can order replicas online. Also a little tid bit of info for my fellow bloggers...Jodi mentioned that she wanted comments for her blogs for when they are published into a book. I have transferred all of mine thus far into a book but the comments do not show up, only pictures and posted blogs.

The beach jar

I read that Jodi was wondering what she could do with the sand she brought back from the beach. I tried to describe what the girls and I did with the sand from their first beach trip but decided to post a picture so she could get a better idea. We got a mason jar and filled it with sand and some shells then got a candle lightbulb kit and put on top...makes a cute little nightlight in the kitchen and preserves their treasure while also safely displaying it!

Nice surprise

Yesterday Kevin and I got a nice surprise....I got off work at 9:45! I only had to work 3 hours because we did not have enough work units to keep 3 people. It was thunderstorming and we got Chinese takeout, cuddled up in our jammies and watched "The Bucket List". For those who have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it, it was wonderful! Today he left to go back up to Parkersburg for the week, they had a golf tournament today and I am back to work tonight. I really enjoyed getting to spend some quality time with him, our times these days is minimal. On another note, the girls have this new thing about cooking breakfast themselves. Last Saturday morning Kelsie & Brianna made fried eggs, bacon and coffee. Bacon was good, eggs.....well, lets just say that Kelsie could not tell how much salt was coming out of the shaker! We definitely needed extra blood pressure medicine that day. As for the coffee.....it was pretty good, a little weak but good nonetheless. Later that evening Brianna decided to make some more. She walks up to us and asks how to get the coffee off of the water filter. Our coffee maker has a water filter disk that sits on top of the filter basket. They had put the coffee grounds on top of the filter, did not remove the old filter of coffee grounds (from about 2 days before) and made the coffee that way. We showed them how to properly make coffee and now they are pros.On Thursday Brianna decided to make breakfast for me and Kelsie. The eggs were really good but the toast.....I had a new loaf of bread....I took a bite of the toast she had made and almost threw up! She had used an old loaf that I had not thrown out yet, had about three pieces of bread that had apparently MOLDED! Yep, my child fixed me moldy bread...she said she didnt want to open the new loaf until the old one was gone.

What the HAIL??

WHOA....we just had a HUGE, unexpected thunderstorm that came from nowhere. One minute Kevin is outside sweating in the sun washing his car and the next is suddenly got dark and started storming....with marble sized hail! It was quite scary for me, I hate thunderstorms anyways and when the wind starts not to mention hail, Im fit to be tied! It only lasted for about 10 minutes and flooded everything. Kinda looked like snow in June.

New Glasses

I finally got my new glasses, READING glasses that is and if my eyes get tired. Im not a fan of wearing them and have procrastinated ever since I was told I needed them but I finally found some that I liked.

World's Best Invention

My kids, like most, are mac & cheese addicts. I finally found at Sam's what we have had at the hospital up on the pediatrics floor forever.....frozen Kraft Mac & Cheese! They come in frozen packets that all you do is heat in the microwave for 2 minutes and you are considered a genius. My kids, and myself included, think these are the best inventions in the world and they are cheaper than the Kraft Easy Mac.....SO, I thought that I would share this wonderful invention with you other mothers....try it, you will be the coolest mom ever, well an even cooler mom than they already think you are!

Hannah Brianna Montana

Brianna's birthday is officially not until Friday but since I am working that day and it is her weekend at her daddy's, she declared today her birthday cake day. She chose a marble cake with chocolate icing and wanted it decorated in "Hannah Montana". It was hard to find something suitable for a cake but I managed. For her birthday dinner she wanted homemade Philly cheese steak sandwiches and chips and queso so that is what we feasted on! She also had picked put some fluffy pink princess slippers for me, in flip flop fashion and I am proud to wear them. Last week while Kevin was out of town the girls decided to design their own sleeping shirts and used his white undershirts....cute as they are he wont be wearing them anymore! Kaylie is our new working girl....she starts her job at Subway on Monday.

Kevin & Jenn under one roof?

I know, it seems amazing these days but its true, Kevin and I were actually in the same house this weekend! On the other weekend that he is home I work so our time together is limited. As you can tell, we spent some time in the pool with the girls. Brianna likes to tie a towel around her neck, her "superhero cape" and run around trying to fly. Can you believe that she will be 12 next week? My baby is growing up and just think, this time next year I will be the mother of 3 teenage girls...I now know how my parents must have felt!

Tan lines

Days of sitting outside watching the girls in the pool has led to me having some pretty fancy tan lines....yep, it is true, I have the dreaded flip flop tan lines! Kevin, with his half Italian DNA, looks like a brown pinto bean. He spends his sfternoons by the pool at his hotel and has quite the beautiful tan going on. Kelsie decided to tag all the poles from where Kevin moved the fence with her signature...Sharpie style! Hope all are enjoying the hot summer days.

Pool Fun

We got the kids a blow up pool so that they could have something to do this summer other than stay indoors on the computer. Kevin set it up in the side yard, moved the fence and really worked hard to make a fun place for the girls. Needless to say, they have spent HOURS in the pool. Kaylie only likes to get in if no one splashes her or gets her hair wet. She spends most of her time laying out and tanning with her Ipod. The other two love to play and Brianna has FINALLY learned to go under water without plugging her nose....a huge pet peeve of mine. Grammy has tried to teach her in the past but she finally mastered it this year. Kevin's stepbrother gave us a set of patio furniture so I enjoy sitting out there watching them play. Notice Kelsie's new fridge sign!