Phase 2 - Spare/Junk Room

Ok....spare room done. For now. Its really just that, a spare room. We don't have a bed for it, so it just stays empty. We have laptops so we don't really need an office. BUT, regardless of what we do or don't use it for, there is no excuse for THIS:

I mean really? This just catches everything...
What color is my carpet? my walls?

It didn't start this way....and it won't get like this again!

Nice! All that stuff was either purged or taken down in the basement to put on those shelves! Guess now I'll have to fill it up again....shopping is in order!

Yay, there is a floor! Baby swing is for niece....that sucker is too hard to put up and take down over and over....

Some odds and ends....they will have a home at somepoint!

NOW, time to make chili, take a nap and relax a bit before we head out to a friend's house for New Year's and the VT game!!!

Phase 1 - Basement

Phase one of the purge/clean/organize mission is almost complete. It might look like it is finished based on these photos, but there is another load of stuff coming down from the spare/junk room to fill up the empty spaces. I started very early this morning and got all this accomplished before 9:30. LH was up at 6:30, so after a big cup of joe, I dove right in. Hubby helped me last night get rid of lots of stuff and put a few things in the attic, so I had a head start. He slept in and by the time he was up, this was all done!

Junk from finished side - waiting on floors...
Hubby's work bench...if you look closely - it's there!

My arts and crafts area....

WOW....I can see what I'm doing and find what I need. Over on the shelves is my glasses, gifts, and wrapping supplies, ect.

All detergents and cleaning supplies in one place...

Finally, I see the wall. The bookcase will be moved eventually and the shelves will get more stuff!!!

Now, he can work at his work bench. Or at lease find his tools when he needs them.

Next - spare room.

Purge, Clean, and Organize

This is the master plan this weekend. Hubby and I are off for another long weekend and will be working feverishly to get our house in some sort of order! I loathe clutter and it is starting to put me in a mood!

The basement is still "in progress" - meaning that nothing else has been done since we've taken up the carpet and moved everything in the unfinished part. We have a shell of a living room - tv, couch and toy chest. That's about it. We hit a snag and are trying to fix that problem but it's close!!!! I know it. Plus, we were setting aside money every month in our budget for the supplies but we found out we are getting bonuses in our January checks, so we opted to use some of that to finally finish everything up in there - quick!

The unfinished side will get an overhaul as well. Ever since moving my crafting station in there, I have now decided to add to it. It will now be a painting, crafting, and wrapping station. There is a peg board already in place above the table, so it just needs some dowls and a small shelf to hold odds and ends. Check out this from Sippycups - great inspiration! The other shelves that were purchased months ago will now hold all those bulky kitchen appliances that are used far and few between as well as some entertaining dishes, napkins, etc. I want to have easy access, but I want it out of the way. The other shelves that are down there will hold stuff like coolers, toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies!

Upstairs will be more of an issue, especially in LH's room. I try to do this type of organizing when he is not there, but he might have to be witness to toy parts getting trashed, old "baby" toys getting stored, and making room for all his new items!

Onto the "spare" room, aka office, aka junk room = MESS! Even hubby thinks its bad! It's really bad. There are piles of whatever we needed to get off the kitchen counters or wrapping supplies to baby stuff from where we kept my niece! ALL of it will be cleaned out. There is a closet in there with shelves that hubby so graciously put in for me when we moved in almost 4 years ago. Originally they were for those miscellanious kitchen and entertaining items previously discussed, along with wrapping supplies and gifts thrown in that has now turned into a catch all from extra easter eggs, baskets, etc. Well, now that I have a place to put all that stuff downstairs in the basement, I should be able to utilize it more for other things - like extra sheets/towels that are spilling out of the linen closet.

We have a plan. It has to go in a certain order or we will get frustrated and it won't work or make any sense! It's almost like a domino affect. In order for one area to be cleaned out, another area has to be prepped! We will get this done. I will document the progress...BEFORE and after!

I'm on a mission!

It's exactly what I askeded for!

This is what Little Hauss kept saying after every single thing he opened on Christmas morning. It was so cute. He is so appreciative for everything and seeing the joy on his face was priceless, even when he got socks!

He really is a super special kid. He just lights up our hearts and helps us remember what this time of year is all about. We enjoyed Christmas Eve service with our family and all the kids sang Jesus Loves Me during their children's message. It was sweet and I shed a tear or two. Then, we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus twice on Christmas day!

He was perfectly patient all day. He sat through opening gifts and breakfast, more opening gifts at my parents, and then took a good nap only to go back over to my parents for dinner, but then he was done. He had barely finished his meal before asking to go home to play on his new toys. We obliged and had the best time playing the Wii until our arms hurt. Mommy is not so good and very competitive, but we had a great time!

Now, we are in training so we are prepared on New Years Eve. We will be going over to our friend's house to play games and watch the VT/UT game! It should be a fun night.

I promise to post pics of Christmas soon!

Santa was good....really good

Santa was good to us this year.....I didn't realize I was such a good girl! HA! This is what he left for me!

HP Mini Notebook

Real Simple Magazine Subscription

Wii

YUMMY!

My new favorite CD!

AND then I had some money and gift cards, SO, I treated myself to THIS:
Finally, I have a camera that works! It was great deal because I can use my old battery and memory cards in it!!!!

Wii are ready, are you?

So excited we are getting a Wii for Christmas! Well, Hubby went and got it this morning and it will be our gift to each other as well as Little Hauss - a family gift if you will. I refused to pay full price for it and have been seeing deals here and there, but I couldn't get to the store in time to get one of the 10 they had or by the time I did go, they were gone.
Luckily, I got an email last night from Toys R Us and they were offering a gift card when you bought the console TODAY! Lucky for us that Hubby could go after he got home from work about 7:30 this morning!!! He also got very lucky and was able to use the gift card right after purchasing the Wii! Usually, they make you wait about 6 hrs or so before it will be activated. I guess the store clerk was in a giving spirit!
So, he walked out with the Wii, extra controller and an extra game!
Little Hauss will be so excited! We are thrilled because we've both wanted one for about a year now. I guess now we'll be asking for games and Wii Fit!
Family Game Night here we come!!!!!

A few more pics...

Some more pictures of the beautiful day we had! This snowstorm was a blessing for us during this busy season. It allowed us to slow down and spend some real quality time together all weekend.

Everyone waiting their turns
Gorgeous mountains that we are surrounded by- I take them for granted sometimes but I shouldn't.

Piggy and Reggae taking a break

Their little brother Pootzie all bundled up going for a ride

LH and his girls

O'er the hills we go....

Laughing all the way!

We took Little Hauss to a local golf course infamous for sleighriding when it snows this morning! He wasn't 4 steps out of the truck before he was trying to slide down the hill!!! It was an absolute blast! I took lots of pictures. We met some friends there and all the kids (and parents) had so much fun!
He did so well going down and walking back up - even carried his sled a few times. Most of the time he convinced a dad at the bottom of the hill to carry it up for him!!! Sneaky!
Here are some of the pics from the day!

Ready to Go!
Saucer was FAST!!!!!

Love my boys!

His daddy carrying the sled back up!

Proof I was actually there!!!

Once in a lifetime

I did it! I not only went out in the snow, I went sleigriding with the whole family! Excuse the video! I guess I had the camera on the wrong setting when I asked my friend to take the picture, but you get the idea! Proof for all to see that I did it! It was fun, and I'm not saying that it wouldn't be, but I'm still not a fan of the white stuff! Cold, wet, and did I mention cold and wet?
So, here it is.....Not sure when or if I'll do this again anytime soon!

Winter Wonderland

Have I mentioned my love of snow? Nope, because I don't love it! I think it is beautiful and nice to look at, but I don't want to play in it. That is not the case for hubby and Little Hauss. Hubby has always liked it and loves to ski, have snowball fights, etc. I prefer to sip cocktails, sit by the fire, and watch from a window!!!

Well, we are in the middle of the mother of all snowstorms ever since I've lived here. We had a big one back in 1996, but I don't think we got this much (this fast). The record was in 1969 at 14 inches (in December) and we are well on our way past that now. Last night on the late news we were already at 10 inches and it is still falling! Our little town has made the national weather (Gigi called to tell us that we were on the Weather Channel). It will definitely be a white Christmas.

This is about an hour and a half after it STARTED....I swear the sky opened up and we endedwith about 3 inches in 2 hours or less!

He is going to have so much fun today!!! The dogs wouldn't come in last night. Our baby girl Zoey has always loved the snow!!! I'll try to get some video of her today!

Now, this is all fun and games, but let me tell you how scared I was coming home. My plan was to work all day yesterday, but after learning of the weather, I was going to leave early (the school was going to close at 4) and it was expected to start at 12. I thought if I could wait until 2 (after nap) I'd be fine! Oh my!!!! I have a subaru and its all wheel drive, but nothing prepared me for the drive home!

The snow started around 2:15. By the time I left work, made it to the daycare and we were on our way, it was nasty outside. Cars were slipping and sliding and wrecking! I was nervous. I went one way and there were cars just stopped (on a gradual incline) but it was around the curve, so I couldn't see what was going on. I turned around and then went the other way. I didn't think that all the way through because there is a steeper hill and a curve that could be dangerous! That was a mess and I finally made a decision to go for it...THANK GOODNESS the car in front of me kept going! I didn't attempt to turn on my street and pull in the driveway. I parked in front of our neighbors house and let hubby go get it! He loves driving in this stuff! LH did a great job and I didn't let on how scared I was. He was more worried about his toys he got at the Christmas party - so he was content! I got home around 4 and will not be leaving anytime soon! Thank goodness I have painting and cooking to keep me busy. AND we have tons of movies to watch! I think this will be a great family weekend! We need it - a chance to slow down after how busy we've been! So, for that I do love the snow!

Oh, and even though I didn't get to my girls night out, I did have my White Christmas Cosmos!

A little sappy

This will be Little Hauss' 5th Christmas. I can't believe it! He has grown and changed so much. He's becoming such a great little boy and teaching us how to love him even more than we did before. He is letting us be giddy and full of excitement and joy as this Christmas comes around as we experience this special time through his eyes.
He had his program at school today and I got teary as I thought of next year - he will be in Kindergarten! Wow how the time has flown! Not only did he shine as he sang all the words to 4 beautiful songs, but he listened to the Pastor tell the wonderful story of Jesus' birth and answered quesiton after question. Later the Pastor told us how bright LH was and how much he has learned in just a few months (they have a weekly Chapel and music) and how much he's retained! I'm sure if you were looking on, you'd realize we were busting at the seams with pride! We are sharing in the joy of Santa and the excitement of gifts this time of year, but it makes is extra special knowing that we also share with him the true meaning of Christmas and he's loving every minute of it! Here are the last four years with him. A total blessing!

Breeding Ground

So all the pregnancies and baby showers I've talked about over the past 6-8 months are coming full circle finally!!!

Had a sweet baby boy born last night and a little girl should be here by tomorrow, then 2 more kiddos in January, followed by a couple more in the Spring! Its so exciting!! I can't wait to meet all of them!

White Christmas Cosmos

This wil be your new favorite festive beverage after you try it!!! It's mine! I enjyoed them with friends last night and I will now be making them for my girls holiday party on Friday! I bet Carrie Bradshaw would love to have this recipe for her Sex and the City girls.

Ingredients:

Vodka

Sanding Sugar

1/2 cup White Cranberry Juice*

3 T Vodka

2 T frozen limeade concentrate, thawed

1 T orange flavored liqueur

Cranberries for garnish

Directions:

In shallow dish, add small amount of vodka, in another, add sanding sugar. Dip rim of chilled cocktail glass in vodka and then in sanding sugar. Set aside. Fill a cocktail shaker half way with ice cubes. Add juice, vodka, liqueur, and limeade concentrate. Shake vigourously for 5-10 seconds. Strain mixture into glass and garnish with cranberries. Makes 1 serving.

*We didn't have just plain white cranberry juice, so we substituted with white cranberry peach juice! Delish!

Enjoy!

Roll Tide Roll

Last weekend, Gigi and Pop were here and we all hung out to watch the Alabama Game, complete with outfits for the whole family! We also got LH to sit and smile at the camera.

This is a cheese....oh well, still a good pic of the cousins!

Blessed and then some

Wow!
Hubby and I volunteered this afternoon at the Christmas Store. It is a local charity that provides clothes, household items, food and toys for families in our area. I have heard about it but never really knew much more. I am so glad we went. My mother in law asked us to help with some people from her office and we had nothing going on, so of course we were willing!
It was such a great experience. We helped individuals and families shop for themselves and others. They get to really "shop" and choose what they want for themselves and their kids.
I used to volunteer in College all the time but have gotten out of the habit in the last few years. I'm so glad that we got to do this and especially right now during the Holiday season. It really puts life in perspective! As much as we gripe about life, it really isn't that bad especially when compared to who we helped today!
So, make sure you kiss your kids and your loved ones and thank God everyday for what you have!

A visual!

This is the result of the car door slamming incident! It looks really bad and for the first day, it felt bad too! BUT, as of right this moment, he is wrestling with Hubby and doesn't notice it much anymore. He is more fascinated with his nail being black and that it will fall off and another nail growing back than anything else! I guess this is a typical boy!

Boo Boo

OUCH!

Little Hauss slammed his hand in the car door catching the tip of his ring finger on his right hand! First, I'm pretty sure the 100 mph winds had something to do with the shutting of the door on his poor finger, and second, I've never heard a scream like that! Poor baby!

Half his nail was purple before we even made it in the house! After ice, hugs, lots of kisses, a golden oreo and motrin, he calmed down enough to take a bath and somewhat forget about the throbbing pain. He would have little bursts of tears every now and then, but overall he seems to be okay now!

Even with all of that, he and Hubby still managed to decorate the tree while I was out tonight. We usually do it together, but haven't had the time, so I guess LH just got sick of waiting so took it upon himself to get the ball rolling! It is the most beautiful tree ever! There are clusters of ornaments here and there but overall, it is wonderful! He is such a sweetie to want to do that for me!

Whatcha Say

Is LH's new favorite song. It's on the top 20 pop hits and it's by Jason Derulo! He sings along and thank goodness he doesn't know ALL the words because I'd be answering some questions (like what is lust and others), but for the most part, he can keep up!
We sing it as a duet and if I try to sing along with the boy, he tells me that I can't sing the boy part, but only the girl part! Ha!
Along with that, he likes Miley's Party in the USA, Down by Jay Sean, and Lady Gaga's Paparazzi! We enjoy our time singing together in the car! He asks for the music to be turned up so he can rock out! It's very cute!

My favorite song he sings however, is Away in a Manger! He belts it out all day long! They must have learned it at preschool because he's been singing it for a week or so. I was so proud of him at church because his Sunday School Teacher told me that he was the only one who knew all the words to it!!!

Tis the Season

I'm slowing down....mentally that is! I'm on the verge of a breaking point! Nothing horrible, but my brain is not functioning at its normal speed lately. It might be all the office luncheons and holiday gatherings that I've been trying to juggle (and it's only just begun)!
Don't get me wrong, I love this time of year, even the hustle and bustle, but it's starting to take a toll on me!

I was ahead of the game as of last week and now I feel like I'm barely going to finish. How in the world does that happen so quickly? I got my cards early, addressed the envelopes, but they haven't been mailed yet....just got stamps today! I knew I needed them, but it was just an issue as to when to find time to actually get to the post office! Hubby did it this morning! Thanks to him, we can now send out our cards tomorrow or Friday!

The lunches are nice - no cooking, no thinking of what to pack, just going and enjoying company of fellow co workers in a relaxed setting (and most of the time lasting a little longer than the normal hour), but it is interfering with my errands and other things I need to cross off my ever growing to-do list! I hardly ever take a real lunch...its always a working (personal) lunch. It's my time to get things done so I don't worry about it in the evenings, because you guessed it, they are already full too! Parties, dinners, meetings, and such (um, tons of painting) are being squeezed into every free moment we have! Mostly my moments. I know they are coming and I enjoy them, but I feel like sometimes I don't fully enjoy them because my mind is always preoccupied of what I should be doing instead of enjoy where I am.

SO, that is my motto. Enjoy the moment I'm in! If I can't do that, then obviously I don't need to be out doing whatever it is I'm doing.

So, even though I have finished my shopping and addressed my cards, here are the things left to do: (this is more for my sanity so you may stop reading now if you don't care about my to-do list)

• Stamp and mail Christmas Cards
• Wrap both Grandmother's presents and send back to TN with Uncle by Friday
• Make appetizer for Church Circle Christmas Gathering tonight!
• Walgreens and Kroger for small items that I forgot over weekend
• Wrap birthday presents for 2 little boys this weekend
• Purchase 2 gift cards for Hubby's work function on Saturday
• Paint, paint, and paint some more....(finish orders for this week and prepare for 2nd open house on Sunday afternoon)
• Wrap coworkers gifts for Monday
• Decorate tree....yeah, its up and has no ornaments
• Pick up pictures that I ordered online
• Fix lights on garland on porch that went out the other day
• Continue baking/cooking/preparing meals and such to stock up my freezer
• Try to find a FREE babysitter for next weekend....2 events, same night, no money to pay a sitter (well, we really do, but I'm just being cheap so if I find someone willing to watch LH, great, but if not, we are homebound)
• Paint some more...I'm sure!
• AND find more time in the day.....sheesh!

That's just this week and through the weekend....there is more that follows for next week! I'm sure you're lists are just as long and schedules just as hectic! Tis the Season!

He's at it again....

Little Hauss is just the funniest kid I know! I know he's mine, but seriously all those things I read years ago about Kid's Say the Darndest Things really is true!

• I told him I was sleepy yesterday and he matter of factly told me that I needed a longer nap and that he wasn't sleepy because he took a long nap the night before!
• I told him we were going to Sam's and Michael's the other day and he asked who they were and if we were going to stay there so he could play with them!
• He was in the tub with 2 of his giraffe toys and I could hear him saying "Daddy Giraffe, what do I do now?, Well, baby giraffe, you need to take a bath. Get your hair wet and wash your body with soap. Okay daddy giraffe" - I guess beacause that's our conversation in the bath everynight.
• He told me his leg pit hurt the other day....WHAT? Ya know, my leg pit as he pointed to the place behind his knee! It does kind of make sense!
• He told me that I couldn't use the blue soap in the bathroom because it was man soap! (Hubby had refilled the dispenser with men's body wash for what reason I'm not sure), but that since it was man soap, girls couldn't use it!
• I told him somthing was cool the other day and he told me that it was cute. I asked why it was cute and he informed me that girls say cute, boys say cool! And now he can spell cool!

Open House Tonight

I'm so excited about my open house tonight for my crafts! I have been frantically getting things together today and yesterday because there are so many little things that I didn't even think of! For instance, a mailing list, tablecloths, change for cash sales, a calculator, etc. I've been busy making price lists and tags for all of my items. Also, I printed some photos of stuff that I've made in the past so that people can see all of designs. I was fortunate enough to borrow a beautiful ornament tree from Southern Living at Home to display all of the ornaments I've painted recently. The same friend, Daycare Daddy's wife, has let me keep almost everything I've made for her so I could display it tonight. I've even had to go pick up 2 items from her that I gave her not realizing that I needed it back! She'll get them back soon to give away for Christmas!

I think I'm ready! There are 3 hostesses and we will be modeling hand made necklaces while sipping wine from pretty hand painted goblets! At least I will build my client list and have fun doing it!

25 Days!

Until Christmas!!!! I love it! I'm super excited about this Holiday season. You wouldn't really know it from my lack of decorating this year, but really, I'm loving it!
Hubby drug out all the decorations and he put together the tree, then went to bed! Little Hauss and I put the rest of the stuff out and even decorated his tree in his room with all of the ornaments he's made over the years, complete with a strand of red lights! Now, I honestly don't know where these lights came from. I have acquired a diverse collection of Christmas decor over the past 12 years from various sources, so who knows. I've never used the red lights, but never thrown them out either...I guess they came to good use! His room has a glow that reminds me of the red light district in Nawlins'! I can't say that around him though, because he will ask way too many questions that I'm not prepared to answer.
Oh, and the questions we are fielding these days are incredible.
LH is asking about Santa, where he lives, what he lives in, the reindeer, how he flies, how can he be in every store and the parade, and about all the elves. The elf is the big one. Nelson finally graced us with his appearance over the weekend. Not to be missed by LH - he was asking where he was when we were decorating. Thank goodness I was in the right mind to store him separately from the rest of the decor! I informed LH that he would probably come that night while he was sleeping because we now had the tree up and he knew we were ready for Christmas. He just has a knack about these things and would come see us. Well, you would think that would be enough...notsomuch! He wants to know how he flies back to the North Pole every night, why his eyes are always open, when does he sleep, how can he really see LH all the time even when we are not home, why he doesn't have shoes, and all other sorts of crazy questions only a 4 year old can come up with. It's exhausting. AND, he's so literal and inquisitive, that he doesn't just let you answer "because it's magic"!
As anything else, we are super busy, but it will be fun! Friday is the parade and it will be a perfect start to a fun filled month!
So, as we prepare for this time of year, we are also talking about the true meaning of Christmas. LH is very aware of what Christmas means and why we celebrate it. We are not going to let him forget that and teach him that the extras are just that - just another way to celebrate the birth of Jesus!

Black Friday Shopping Recap

I did go out today! I did NOT go out at 4 am, nor did I go anywhere near Toys R Us, the mall, Target or Best Buy. I actually did go into Walmart but not until about 7pm for dogfood!
I did shop. I went to Walgreens and Kroger! I didn't have to fight any crowds, stand in long lines and I got everything on my list! I know you're shocked! Ha!

Freeze Sucka!

Little Hauss got a sweet gift from his Papa last week and loves dressing up in it! He and his daddy are two peas in a pod now! Here he is showing off his new gear!

Securing the area!

Checking himself out! I think he likes what he sees!

A good excuse

I didn't get any of the Christmas decorations out this weekend. I had every intention, but a few things got in my way.

One, a great housewarming party for a good friend Friday night. I stayed much longer than I anticipated and had a wonderful time! It was great to just hang out with a lot of the girls I haven't seen in a while! Two, delivering some glasses and hanging out with the boys on a drive around town Saturday morning....followed by a baby shower lunch! Third, Hubby and I went to see the new movie, "The Blind Side"! It was a great movie and made us really appreciate all that we are blessed with. He was the lucky guy that had 5 dates since the girls I usually go to movies with came to the same showing! And lastly, the best excuse of the whole weekend - a chubaluvin' baby!!!! Yep, I got to keep my niece all day! Well, from about 8:30 - 3:30, but anytime is fine with me.

We put together the swing and had the coffee table pushed to the side with a bouncy seat on it, blankets on the floor and stuff scattered all over the living room and kitchen! Hubby looked at me at one point and asked what happened to the house! I just said, welcome to life with 2 kids! He's still on board with the plan, especially after today! And of course, I've got baby fever bad! Little Hauss did ok. He loves his cousin, but today was the first time we had her for an extended period of time. He was a little hyper, but really sweet with her and wanting to hold her, lay with her, and just be near her. He did get a little clingy a couple of times. At one point, he had been sent to his room for frog jumping over her on the floor (giving me a heart attack), but when I went to talk to him, he asked if I still loved him! Poor thing.....he's all good now and was in tears when she left! It's too cute!

So, the plan for decorating has changed. Hubby has agreed to get all the stuff out for me Tuesday so I can work on it Wednesday when I'm off!

The best thing about putting out the decorations is that Nelson comes out too! He is our Elf on the Shelf that we got last year and its the best thing ever to keep the Little Hauss on the "nice" list.

So, even though the plan didn't stick, I had some great excuses!

Just a lunch break

To treat myself for working ALL five days this week, I decided to venture out at lunch to run to Wal-mart and the Dollar Store. Yes, very exciting I know, but entertaining no less!

Wal-mart itself wasn't too bad, except for the store employee who definitely needs a talking to about personal hygiene! He had frizzy hair pulled sloppily back in a ponytail, with his over stretched out navy shirt unbuttoned clear down to his navel complete with a sweat ring around the neck! Nice!

The real entertainment didn't start until after I left Wal-mart believe it or not! I got stuck behind a red camero at the stop sign coming out of the parking lot. I was beginning to think she was turning left, because for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why she hadn't gone yet. I guess her hair was to heavy to move her head side to side that fast to check for traffic! Really, the biggest hair I've ever seen. It looked like she had a space helmet on. She finally turns and I am still stuck behind her on the street as she is taking her merry ol' time down main street (during the lunch rush on a Friday no less). She turns into a parking lot (the same one I need to go to) but I proceed to the light, wait through an entire cylce of light changes, and by the time I get into the lot, park and am walking to the Dollar Store, I see her still getting out of her car!!!! And she is all decked out with a purple velour jogging suit and her big hair! I'm pretty sure she might have gotten the door shut and her car locked by the time I entered the store! Laasssss!

I'm only in the Dollar Store for a few minutes, find what I need, hear the ladies that work there discussing how they are "so over all the drama here"! I guess there is drama everywhere, but I really don't think I want to know about theirs! I get to the checkout line and see a woman clearly not college student age in her pajamas! Really? I thought that was only an "outfit" (if you even consider it that) seen on college campuses!

Hair is about the same size except my lady had an orange color!!!

So, I guess there really are the "people of walmart" in our area. I even pulled a few images courtesy of the people of walmart website for this post!

Revived

I'm out of the funk - still a little bummed that I have to work all five days this week, but I'm almost over the hump! Next week being off 5 1/2 days is helping me get through this!

The thought of Christmas decorations being put up this weekend (yes, you read that right) is going to keep me cheerful for the next month and a half! I wish my house could stay decorated all year round! I guess it could, but then I would be that crazy lady with the year round decorations - as if those people with year round Christmas lights aren't bad enough!

I'm even listening to Christmas music - yeah, I'm that girl!

Keep on Going

That is my motto for today!

Since I work part time, I don't reap any benefits (besides every Friday off and a super flexible schedule), but no real benefits. I am blessed to be covered under Hubby's insurance and what I make part time is almost as much as some full time jobs out there, but I don't get paid holidays, vacation time, or sick leave!

With said flexible schedule, I can adjust my hours in my pay period to make sure that when a holiday is near I can still work my full amount of hours in a shorter amount of time - which is great, except I'm exhausted!

I love my Fridays off (and Thursday afternoons) but when this week rolls around, I get in a funk because I know that I have to be in the office everyday all day! I shouldn't be whining, but it just brings me down! You would think that it wouldn't affect my mood until Thursday afternoon around 2 (when I should be leaving for the weekend) but I think I set myself up for a gloomy week knowing that I'll be here the whole time!!!

The funny thing is, its not the work that is the gloomy part, its the stuff that I know I can't get done because I have to work - I've been completely spoiled with saving all my errands for Thursdays and Fridays that I take for granted that all these people that work full time have only evenings and weekends for all of that.

Ok, so with that said, I'm going to start thinking positively and remember that I'm blessed to have such a wonderful job and I will get it all done....ALL of it....just like any other full time working mom!

He said What - take 2!

Little Hauss has been at it again. He continues to say the funniest things and keeps us laughing.

While over at Mauggie's, he got out a ball of yarn and rolled it out along the floor. When he started putting it back together, he handed it to me and said "I can't yarn it up anymore". Huh? but too funny.

Hubby and I were having a moment in the kitchen (just a hug) and LH comes up asking if there is room for three? So sweet!

I was taking LH to Mauggie's on Saturday morning and on the way there he informs me that when we get there, he will get out of the car all by himself, walk up the sidewalk all by himself, open the door and go up the stairs all by himself, and I don't need to come with him. Ok, that's fine. We get there, he climbs to the front seat (because he can't open the back door all by himself) and proceeds to ask me how he does this? How do you do what? Open the door - I've never done that before he said. Oh, pull on the handle! Ok, bye Momma! As I'm speed dialing Mauggie to tell her he is heading in all by himself, he is standing at the front door waving me off telling me that I can go now! Already? He's not 12 yet!

We've been taking him to church with us (big church as he calls it) and getting him used to sitting there for a whole hour! Its a challenge and we usually don't remember much of anything the sermon is about, but eventually he'll be more acclimated. Yesterday, we were taking communion, and as they start talking about the bread of life, LH, grabs his tummy and said, "do we get to eat the bread next?" Yes I said. "Oh good, I'm hungry and need a snack!" Ok, not really the purpose of communion, but it'll have to do for now!

I can't remember what day this was last week, but we were putting the dogs downstairs and he helped me open the door to the basement and told me that Zeus's boy parts were wiggling (he's not fixed)! Oh my!

All in all he's really well behaved and listens pretty well, but lately, he's been giving us some attitude and arguing! It grates at my nerves when he back talks, but its even funnier when he's correcting us (but I would never let him know that it's funny)!

Oishii

YUMMY in Japanese!

Pop was in town for the day and took Little Hauss and me out for dinner to a sushi restaurant (one of our faves) and then to get ice cream (even though it was 42 degrees and windy). Well, since they didn't have a children's menu, we got LH some teryaki chicken skewers and rice while Pop and I ordered a sushi boat for 2.
So, as our salads and miso soup were brought to the table, LH was practically crawling over me to get to the ginger dressing soaked lettuce with his very cool "special" chopsticks! I started putting some salad on a plate for him and our sweet server brought him his very own salad! He had so much fun picking at his salad and slurping the rest of my soup!
She brought the skewers first and he was very excited about them (probably because they were on a stick - a four year old boy loves anything you can eat off a stick) until our sashimi/sushi boat came out! He almost dug his chopsticks into a blob of wasabi before I caught his arm!
I kept trying to talk him into eating more of his chicken, but he couldn't seem to take his eyes (and chopsticks) off the sushi!
I gave him a california roll thinking he would like that best - WRONG! He practically spit it out! Then he wanted a salmon roll - which I just assumed he would dislike because of the wrap. He asked to just have the "middle" (the fish). No rice, no wrap, just fish! Ok, why not - suuuureee.
He LOVED it!
So, needless to say, Pop and I shared some chicken skewers and rice along with sushi while LH snacked on some shrimp, tuna (ahi and yellowfin), and salmon. No rice, no soy sauce - just fish!
We thanked Santiago (the chef) personally and told him we would definitely be bringing daddy back with us next time for a family dinner!
This is so much fun that I have another sushi partner!

***I did check to see if eating sushi would affect LH at his age, and it won't - he just shouldn't eat tuna more than once a week due to higher mercury levels!***

When you're hurt and can't work...

Or part-time, knocked up and have no maternity leave benefits, Aflac is your insurance of choice!

Ok, to clarify, I'm not preggers, but we are working on it!

Seriously though, we are getting Aflac to cover me for that moment when I'll need it the most! I am part time and hubby has wonderful health insurance, but it doesn't pay me for my time off work. I mean, they love me and all, but they aren't going to pay me for having a baby! I'm lucky they will keep my position open while I'm out (when that day comes).
We needed to have a plan - because I love a plan! And this plan pays me!!! Can't beat that. We sign papers tomorrow and the policy will be in effect as of then. The catch is you have to have the policy in place for 40 weeks (9 months by any OBGYN's calendar, but 10 months by any pregnant woman's calendar) before reaping any benefits!
The cool thing about this coverage, is it isn't only for maternity, but for any accient or hospital stay! So, heaven forbid I puncture a lung or break my back, I'm covered! Nice!

I wasn't sure about this, but after talking to my agent (and friend) I'm sold! Also, it's fairly inexpensive! Gotta love it!

Win a Flirty Apron from Second Time Around

I love to cook and since I spend so much time in the kitchen, I was excited to enter this giveaway at Second Time Around.
Check it out for a chance to win!
My favorite is Women's Original Chic Pink - even though this was a tough decision!

Thankfulness

Christmas is 44 days away!!!!!

But, we can't forget about one of the most important Holidays that hits right between Halloween and Christmas - yes, Thanksgiving!
It is actually one of my favorites. Maybe because it isn't over commercialized - the only hoopla you see is at the grocery store! It is a perfect holiday to focus on family and what we are truely thankful for! I love that I get about 5 days to be off work, spend time watching the Macy's Parade, spends hours and hours in the kitchen with my mom (yes, I live in the kitchen, but LOVE it), playing outside or watching the boys play outside, start getting Christmas decorations out and just relaxing!
This morning, I was discussing how wonderful Thanksgiving is and asking LH what he was thankful for. He said me, daddy, and the dogs! Tonight we will work on more things and see what he comes up with. I told him that we would go through some of his toys and books this weekend so he could pick out things he doesn't play with or want anymore and we could donate it to children who don't have any toys! He was really excited about that! =)
Every year, our Sunday School class provides meals for 2 needy families in our area and this year we will help deliver them. I'm excited that LH will be able to go along and meet these special people that we are helping. I know he's only 4, but he's so perceptive, that I'm hoping he starts to understand just how blessed we are! But again, because he is only 4, and he doesn't necessarily see any differences - which is a blessing in itself! They just see people and love them no matter what! Love experiencing things through a child's eyes!

He said what?

Oh, Little Hauss has been cracking us up this weekend...

We were reading a book the other night and as I started on the first page, he stopped me and told me that I never said who illustrated the book! What? I've never said "illustrated by". They must do that at school! Either way, it blew me away that he even mentioned the illustrations!

LH told us today after Church that piggy was not his girlfriend anymore, but her older sister Ricola was. I asked why and he said because when he asked piggy, she shook her head no, so he wanted Ricola! Even funnier, their mom text me and said that they were talking about how funny LH was on the way home. I told her of his decision to change girlfriends, and we were laughing that they were already fighting over boys!

We were in the car running errands and LH wanted a snack, but he said after we go to the Orange Store (aka Home Depot), can we get a bite to eat? A bite ot eat? Hubby was laughing that he said that and asked where he heard it? Mommy! I guess I say that! Who knew!

Last Thursday on our way home, Gigi and I were chatting in the car on the phone. She asked if he would talk to her....so I asked LH if he wanted to talk to Gigi. He said, um, no, but I will on Saturday! So, the next time we talked, which was probably Friday, I asked if he wanted to talk to Gigi, and he said, um, no, in December!!! The funny thing is that he is dead serious but he has no concept of time!!! He finally talked to her last night!

Today at lunch, he had 8 grapes on his plate (he counts everything) and Hubby asked if he divided them in half, how many would he have. Since LH takes everything so literally, he started biting each grape in half and putting the other half back on the plate! We were just in stitches because he was doing exactly what his daddy asked but not what Hubby meant! But you couldn't be mad at him, because he wasn't doing anything wrong! Too cute.

I'm sure there were more, but I can't think of them now! We just love him so much!

Busy with New Projects

I finally got to paint some today and made lots of new festive items just in time for the Holidays! Things are going to get busy soon because I've agreed to do some open houses with a friend of mine who makes jewelry and paints beautiful art. She started doing open houses last year and invited me to join her the end of this month! We've already got 3 shows scheduled! Check out the new products at Glitzy Creations! I'm excited!
This is part of my "evalution". I was debating how much time and energy I wanted to devote to my painting. I have done it for years and always gave as gifts or did small orders for friends but now I'm thinking that I'll really pursue it more agressively. By doing the open houses, I'll get a better client list for emails and updates and hopefully a few more open houses throughout the year. I finally have time to devote to it now that I'm only working part time and Little Hauss is more self sufficient and can entertain himself for longer periods!
This should be fun!

Evaluation

Maybe its the age (30 - aghh) or maybe I'm just in a phase of my life, but I am evaluating. I'm evaluating my plans, goals, objectives, calling, and purpose! I sound like a company during its annual goals & objective review or evaluation of their mission statement, but that's kind of what it is for my life.

Things have changed in my life - with friends, family, work, and just my outlook on life (some good, some not so good) but I'm adjusting. I'm determined to find what it is I'm searching for and I know that it will I will come to terms with what it is I need to focus on. So, I'm changing goals - not necessarily setting new, but just tweaking!

I don't expect changes overnight or that it will be easy, but I'm prepapred for whatever it takes to get my goals accomplished and I feel good about that! Better than I thought I would.

Possible Christmas Card Material

Still haven't seen the other hundreds of photos our friend took, but she sent this one to me!!! I am thinking it is a very good possibility it could end up on this year's Christmas card!

Ruff Ruff

The pups got us in trouble with the law last week! Wait, we are the law, but not the right kind of law for this! We work in the county, but we live in the city (a very small city with notsomuch action for the local law enforcement - obviously), so we were in trouble!

The beloved pups were making some "noise" (aka barking) last Thursday evening and we got a call to please put them inside. Now, because we work for the county law, we are in tight with the city law...that's just how things work around these parts! So, that's how we got a call about the dogs instead of the oh so formal notice they will tape to your front door. Hubby's friend got the call and texted him (at the football game that I was supposed to be at too) asking if we could get the dogs in because one of our neighbors was complaining. Hubby called me and I had to leave my friend's house (right before kickoff mind you) to get my noisy dogs inside.

I get home, barely get dogs inside (which by the way were not barking when I pulled in the driveway), and the door bell rings. This sets off my baby girl and she is pretty much through the front door to get at the nice officer standing on the other side. Well, hello officer *** (yes I know him - like I said, small town), oh, really? my dogs were barking? (as Zoey is still growling on the inside of the door). That's unusal as they don't bark unless something or someone is in the yard. Uh huh, yes, I know the neighbor you are talking about because he's complained on our next door neighbors in the past. He's got nothing better to do! Yes, they are inside. Oh, you are going to go talk to him now, ok, well thank you!

So, down in the basement they go and I quickly change into my pajamas because I need to get comfy to watch the game - since its already started and all! Ding Dong.....really? So, I check the peep hole and can barely make out another officer at my door as he is standing to the side. Well, this time I open the door and chastize him for not standing where I could see him (and swear at him under my breath as I'm standing on the front porch with mismatched pjs on). He laughs and I tell him that he's lucky I even opened the door because he knows that Hubby works at night and I am home all alone and wouldn't answer the door without knowing who was on the other side! He coulda been shot (yes, we have guns and yes I know how to use them). So, officer *** (he used to work with Hubby and me), I just told officer *** that the dogs don't bark unless someone is in the yard. I know the neighbor and he's a piece of work. He probably had nothing better to do, heard some dogs, and for all I know walked up here in the yard and they barked at him. So, what can he do? I mean, how many times did he call? Twice? really, in a 45 minute period? Insane! Well, it's only 8:00 pm and he has no valid complaint until at least 10pm when then noise ordinance goes into effect (because I know the city ordinances like that). Yes, I understand he could take a warrant out and take us to court. Yes, I know he's a retard! Yes, I know he complains on a lot of people. Thanks so much for your time...have a nice night! Oh, and by the way, I'm so glad that you and officer *** got to spend the tax payers money on this important situation and there wasn't something far more serious going on in the city that you might have needed to attend to! Thank goodness for no real emergencies!

So, I see the neighbor driving up the street with his window down on Friday afternoon, and as I glare at him, I almost, really almost, barked at him! If LH hadn't been standing right beside me, I would have!

Family Pictures

We had family pictures scheduled today. This morning I woke up to rain! Our pictures were to be outside on the Blue Ridge Parkway! I was freaking out! I had a cooler packed and the picnic basket ready to go and coordinated outfits all laid out!

Well, we made it! And they turned out to be great! We drove up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and had some portraits done then let LH run free! He scared me half to death because he was standing at the edge of the overlook - I was certain he was going to end up down the side of the mountain! Thankfully, our photographer is a mother of a very active 3 year old little boy herself, so she was great at getting him in "action"!

Our best friends went with us as well and we got some pictures of the kids together! This is LH and baby Tater! SOOOOOOOOOOO sweet!

Halloween Rounds 1, 2 & 3

This Halloween has been nothing short of a whirl wind! Saturday morning, I took Little Hauss and his precious piggy downtown for the Fall Festival. It was fun, crowded, hot and a big fat mess! I will probably sit it out next year! The kids had fun trick or treating on Main Street and enjoyed some games, then we finished the morning off with a lunch at McDonald's!

Later in the afternoon, we headed to Piggy's neighborhood Halloween bash for some pizza, crafts, games, a pinata, and then trick or treating. Hubby and I would love to live on the street with such great people and wonderful kids, but for now we'll settle for being the adopted family from a block or so over!
Thought the fun was over? Notsomuch! Our Church had their annual Trunk or Treat tonight, so we loaded up the kiddies once again for a fun filled night! LH was kind of over it! He even got to the point where he stopped taking candy!!!!!

He's happily tucked in bed for the night thanks to the time change and I'm not far behind! Hopefully he won't be asking for candy for breakfast!!!!

Hair Gel

Not the best, but you get the idea! This is what happens when we have a wait at the hair salon and there is stack of books with hairstyles to browse through. He wanted a mohawk, so I guess this is better! We had to go get hair gel today to make sure we could style it as good as his hairdreser did! He's loving it and I'm loving it too!

Smarty Pants

Little Hauss is a smarty pants - sometimes I love it and sometimes notsomuch! He remembers everything and won't let you forget it.

Yesterday, I got off work early, so I headed home first before picking him up at preschool. Hubby was up, so we hung out a few then both went to get him. From the time LH got in the car, he grilled Hubby on the caramel dip. The dip we signed up to bring for the class party that is today. Hubby said he didn't get it. "Well, you were supposed to go to the gym, then to the store to get the caramel dip, then go home to sleep Daddy" says LH with a tilt of the head and some tude in his voice. Really? He's just too stinkin' smart for his own good sometimes. What happened next? You guessed it....off to the store!

I just need to start telling him what's on my to-do list instead of writing it all down. At least I'd save a lot of paper!

I WON!!!!

First of all, I never win anything.....

BUT, I won this great coupon book with over $30 in savings from Coupon Clippin Mommy! This will just add to my current obsession of finding steals and deals!

It is from P&G so it will help save on lots of health and beauty items that I despise paying retail for!

Bloggers For Boxes: Operation Christmas Child

How in the world have I never heard much about Operation Christmas Child, or have I and haven't paid attention until now, I'll never know.

So, A Southern Accent posted about this wonderful event and I wanted to share! Operation Christmas Child is an event done near the holidays that helps send less fortunate children presents in a shoebox! She came up with the idea of using the blog as a way to promote more awareness and get fellow bloggers involved!

I'm asking your help to take part in this event. Go to Operation Christmas Child for more information on how to pack a shoebox, locations to drop off and about the great kids you can help! Collection will take place the week of Nov. 16-23!

It just so happens that LH's preschool is a drop off location in our community, so I feel there is no excuse for us not to participate!

I know things are tight for everyone, but just remember that there are kids in need that we can help brighten their day with just a few items from the dollar store!

Handsome at its Best!

I have had this jacket for months - waiting for LH to finally wear it! He did and loved it and looked so handsome! So grown up! *sigh*

Sharp!
Escorting Mommy to her seat at the wedding!

Ready for the 3D IMAX movie - and snacking on some popcorn too!

Always has to touch it! Can't just enjoy looking at it! It's a boy thing!

Brrrrr! But you couldn't tell he was cold! Loving every minute of it!