A date with Ben

This morning when Sam came in to snuggle with me, she had a 5lb diaper...dang it! This is gonna be a chore for sure!! Its like correcting her body to only respond during the day instead of during the night. After breakfast when I was about to change her, she decided to poop first. Yet another milestone will be catching the morning constitutional in the toilet instead of the diaper. Ahhh the joys!!

Once the diaper was removed, she didn't even fight the undies!! She still corrected me if I said she was my big girl..."I not big girl, I Sam!" And its still cute!! The first two rushes to the potty were for naught...she sat there, probably tooted, and said she was done. But that third time, she wanted to go on DJ's toilet, so off we ran and once she got up there, she peed right away!! SO awesome!!!!! So very awesome!!!! And even tho we went thru 4 pairs of undies, due to dribbles, she peed every single time on the toilet!!! So, I daresay she's trained for the major hurdle at least!!! Then again, I haven't taken her anywhere yet!! That was part of my reasoning for doing it now, we had no plans to go anywhere that would mess it up. Sticking close to home that first week is crucial in the training.

By 10:30 Howie came home from work...graveyard PLUS! The thing they were working on (no clue what, but it was explained to me) leaked twice, so they took it apart twice...third time was a charm and he got to leave. He came home, ate, and went right to bed. DJ went next door shortly after that without telling me...such a rascal!! And without a coat!! So when he and K came by to see if they could play inside, and I said no, I made him put a coat and hat on. Then they went back next door to play. He came home for lunch (which it turns out, was a break for the boys as they were turning on each other) and stayed for a bit...Sam and I were watching the new Tinkerbell movie....its really cute!

Howie got up just about 2 and snuck up on, scared me silly...thanks for the warning Sam and Snickers!!! HA! He wanted up at 2:30, but I guess his body said it was time to get up! DJ was back over next door playing inside, it was 33 for most of the day...right now, its 21 BRRRR!!!! It was then that I decided to head into town to see Ben. Alone!! Kidless!!!! Imagine that!! So I dug thru my yarn bag as I have a project that's half finished...I ran out of one of the colours of yarn that I picked...and I really want these felted slippers! I also grab my extra Avon books to drop off at my spot in Safeway...and in the hunt for the slipper, I found a box of baby stuff that I don't need or want, so packed it up to take to the consignment shop.

They don't take consignments on Thursdays or Fridays...remember that for next time will ya! Of course, while I'm there, I peruse the stuffs!! I found a pair of pants for DJ, a pair of brand new church shoes for Sam, and a new cd of kid songs for each of them! I almost got this V-Tech lap top for SamSam, its pink and cute...but I didn't like that the key board wasn't conventional....if you're gonna give a kid a lap top and make them feel like mom/dad, then make the keyboard the same!!! Let them learn it right early! No?

I put my purchases and my box of consigns in the car and walked down to see Ben. Ohhhh all his Christmas stuff is on sale....and its lookin a little bare in there from where all the extra displays were! I steered clear of most of it, a few things found their way into my basket. Before I knew it, I was in the heaven yarn section and discovered right away, they didn't have the colour I need for my slippers...not even one close to it! blah!! So then I wandered over to the patterns, as my g/f Erika finished off this gorgeous cowl sweater for herself recently, she told me the pattern number, so I looked for it...no bueno!! And none of the ones there caught my eye. I then went and found some yarn to make myself another scarf to go with my black coat.  I then found someone who knew yarn and asked about the strand I had in my hand...she pulled out the colour swatch thingy, and I didn't even match!!! So, maybe I have a different brand than I thought even...kinda disappointed! might have to rip out the slipper I have done and get new stuff and start over. ARGH!!!

As I was slowly leaving the yarn section, I spied a book about those oversize hats you see everywhere...even men wear them! So I perused it, and of the 6 patterns I could do 4, so not a bad investment....and each hat takes one skein of my fave yarn...so back I went for a couple more skeins...oh darn!! I then needed to get out!!! Stop looking at things and just pay for my stuff and leave!! lol Turns out, time-wise, it was time leave anyways!

I got home to very enthusiastic kids. You'd think I'd been gone all day!! Not just 2 hours...crazy kids! I was told Sam hadn't peed for real while I was gone...she'd had two false alarms, but no pee. Well, wouldn't you know it, as we're talking about it, she says she has to pee!!! And she did!! YAY!!! I gave her her shoes and she immediately put them on...DJ tried on his pants and put them in the laundry...and they both put their new cd's on in their rooms...and walked away! Oy! 

After dinner I grabbed a shower and put clothes away that were waiting for a day or two....there's 3 more that need that kind of attention...oops! lol Hey, at least its all clean!!! Right? DJ was in his pj's when I came out and Sam was sitting on the potty....so I got her up and in the bathroom to pee for real...and within a few minutes, she did! Just love her smile of accomplishment! Put them to bed and watched the Husky/Husker game (aka Holiday Bowl) with Howie til he went to bed. And actually, finished watching it without him...yay they won!! All the while, I got started on my first hat :) and got a good two inches done so far! I'm working with smaller needles and my knuckles aren't liking it!! *sigh*

Til next time...God bless!

Potty Training: Part Deux

Why is it the unpleasant ways to wake up find me!!!?!??!!? This morning DJ woke up at 7:30 in a panic...he'd peed the bed...MY BED!!!!!! On Howie's side mind you...and it happened while he was sleeping as it was a cold mess, not a warm one...he was quite grossed out about it all too! He stripped right away and got clean pj's on...then grabbed me a towel from the closet to lay and soak up what it could. He then went out and watched tv and Sam joined him. I got up and came to investigate the incessant barking...which is when I discovered DJ outside in his pj's and boots!!! WHY!?!? He went to see if next door was up! It wasn't even 9!! As I'm scolding him my phone rings...its next door asking if DJ got home okay...oy!

After breakfast was done I decided Samantha was going to do the potty training thing again! Only this time, no timers, and we'll just listen to her body cues. She was NOT impressed with my decision!!! And fought me and begged for a diaper...but I was firm and said no. Meanwhile, she's peeing like crazy on the toilet!!! She'd have a few dribbles in the undies, but then pee on the potty just fine! Every time it was time for undies, she'd beg and cry these crocodile tears...but in the end she'd put them on. She got extra treats and even pop just to keep the fluids flowing!! We didn't have ONE accident today!! We did go thru 4 pairs of panties due to dribbling, but she was a CHAMP!!!!! Eventually the begging for a diaper stopped. She still corrected me whenever I told her she was a big girl "I not big girl, I Sam!"  So cute even when she's being stubborn!

This afternoon we had the younger boys from next door over to play and even with the extra commotion, she did awesome telling me she needed to pee....of course she tells me backwards...she'll say  "I went pee" instead of  "I need to pee" but hey, I know what she means! Howie came home from work and went straight to bed...he's pulling double duty tonite and needed sleep! So when DJ asked to go next door, I said sure, but that if it wasn't okay, he needed to come back...he didn't come back! lol So I got busy making sketti sauce and then getting Sam ready to go with me to the bank.

OHHHHHHHHH most important news (according to DJ of course) is that it SNOWED!!! And boy, did it snow!! It started coming down around 10 and didn't stop all day! It was an ebb and flow kind of snow...it would be big fluffy flakes and then teeny tiny flakes but non-stop! All told we got about 2 and a half inches...and its good packing snow!! As Sam was peeing for the last time before heading out, I called next door to see if DJ could stay while I popped into town to do banking...and she offered to keep Sam too...well, heck yeah!! So I walked her over there instead. They were watching Despicable Me downstairs, so she joined them and off I went.

Our road was the worst!! As I drove down our foothill the snow lessened the closer I got to town. In fact, there was NOTHING in town! At least, where I was, there was no snow! So I got my banking done and headed back up the hill. I almost didn't make it up our street either...and our driveway was fun! lol Picked the kids up and got water boiling for dinner. Sam dribbled in her undies over there and was wearing a pair of Caleb's underoos...Scooby Doo ones even! She didn't care...but when we got home she needed to pee and wanted her own panties! Good thing I still had a pair in the drawer for her.

After dinner I gave them a bath and as I was washing DJ up, we heard Howie get up, so he helped with the bed time stuff. Oh, Samantha got in the water and immediately said she needed to pee...got her out and she sat on the toilet, but nothing....so off she got and went back in the bath...she sat down in the water and started crossing her legs saying she needed to pee...so out she got, dried her off a second and put her up on the toilet...this time I told her she wasn't getting off til she peed...and she instantly went! Then after the bath, I asked her if she needed to pee again, she said yes, got up there and peed right away! I think she's got the whole "idea" of it all now!!! SO glad too!!

Once they were tucked in I sat with Howie as he ate his dinner...and then boom, he was gone to work! So I watched re-runs and folded two loads of clothes...strangely, had to gather clothes up to make another load just to get Sam's undies all clean for tomorrow. Imagine that...being so caught up on laundry that I'm scrounging for a load!!! HA! Will wonders never cease!! Speaking of that load, gotta go put it in the dryer before I head to bed.

Til next time...God bless!

YES!!!! We're goin to a puppet show!!!

Was Samantha's enthusiastic reply when I told them we were going to watch a puppet show at the library this afternoon. She had NO clue what a puppet show was about...nor the fact that I tried to correct them to saying marionette puppet show...WAY different!!! lol

Before this tho, we headed to the shed to do the book share...which I had very happy kids to go with as Toy Story 3 is in the truck...so they were ready and willing to go with me! Makes it easier for me!! It was a light load today...and we were back home in time for lunch! DJ took off tho and went to K's house to invite him to go with us the puppet show. Yeah, he forgot! Good thing I called over to see if the invite had been spoken...and to send DJ home for lunch.

Once all 3 were buckled in we took off for the library....dropped off the books and then parked to go in for the show. It was a full house!!! There was an oval taped to the floor that all the kids were to sit around...they found a spot right away, which I wish they'd stayed at as that would have made for better pix...and when they spotted me, they moved over to my side of the room. From the first puppet, which was just a demo of how a marionette works, and how easy it is to make one from a teddy bear at home, Samantha was scared and came to sit with me. The boys were intrigued from the get go!

The show flew by!!! I couldn't believe how quick the half hour was up! I lost track of how many puppets they had...close to a dozen if not more...and the songs were silly and funny. The boys got to hug a few and have a few run all over them...it was a fun show!! Afterwards the three of them were running around a now empty room having a hey day! Til the librarian told them to be quiet...which they listened to! So we headed out to the kids book section and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the board books section was replenished!! We ended up getting 9 books!

On the way home we dropped the rest of the books off, and then headed to the bank...but I'd forgotten to put my bank card back in my wallet ARGH!!! So we headed home instead. As soon as the kids were out of the truck they all traipsed to K's house...even Sam! Which shocked me!! But she wanted to go play, so who am I to say no....it felt weird being home alone!! So quiet!! And what do I do with this new found silence...fold laundry and load the dishwasher!!!! ha! Howie came home and was equally dumbfounded by the silence! And ruined it by putting football on! lol Since he was home, I ran to the bank to make my deposit.

Once back home it was full on dinner prep!!!! After dinner was just play time...and I deleted all the non-pictures from DJ's camera to free up memory on it...from the whole thing, there were 3 that were worth keeping. They're both enjoying being a shutterbug!! And telling ME to say "cheese" while they shakily snap a picture! Its very cute!!! And then it was bed time!!!! YAY!!!!! They both wore new pajamas...and I really think they need to make pj's in the odd sizes...not just 6/8/10....DJ's a 7, so the 6's are too small, and the 8's are 4 inches too long!! He could care less that his pant legs were rolled up 4 times! Hey, maybe I'll get my mom to put a few basting stitches in there til he grows into them!! Good idea!!! :D

Once they were tucked in to bed, I went and took a shower...as I was getting dressed, Howie was getting ready for bed! He was waiting for me to be done. So I came out and got comfy in his chair and watched a Glee re-run...don't watch too many re-runs, but Glee is just fine with me!!! Then there was REALLY nothing on, so I watched a movie from my dvr that was boring....but I did get a whole hat knit up! OY!

Til next time...God bless!

BECU takes the win!!!!!

This morning the kids were easily entertained with their still new toys...we've only had one casualty so far....a drum stick...to be fair, its plastic and has a groove which in the wrong (DJ's) hands, is easily broken with force. This morning after I was able to go to the bathroom by myself, I found them both in Sam's room, she on the bed surrounded by all her dinos, and DJ on the floor creating a song for the mp3 player that came with the piano. And he had the headphones on his head ready to listen to his music creation. SO cute!!

After breakfast I called the bank to see what could be done about the extra 400 missing from our account since Zumiez said they couldn't find my transactions....spoke with a REALLY nice person who was very understanding of the situation and gave me several options. I'd already called Zumiez before breakfast and found out that the manager had the day off...and would be contacted in a couple hours when she got up...WHAT!?!?! lol This should be a priority! After a couple more phone calls it was finally discovered that we all were looking at the wrong dates...I'd given them the posting date, not the date I  was actually in the store! Oops! Once they had the right dates, they were able to find the extra charges quickly!!! And even refunded them before calling me!!! SWEET!!!!! Crisis averted!

The rest of the morning was spent on Avon orderings...I didn't really push this campaign as everyone is just recovering from Christmas...I expected that! DJ meanwhile was outside racing his bike with the boys next door who had new wheels to race with...they all were having fun!!! So that left me and SamSam on our own for lunch....we both enjoy these times! About an hour later tho, she and I were laying on the couch and she stood up and looked out the window and asked when "JJ" was coming back in. Awwwww sweetness!!! Not to worry...he and the boys came in to play!! All the new toys were even newer!!! lol And louder!!! Those boys like to sing...so the mic on the piano got some use!! Couldn't tell ya what they were singing...tried not to intrude!

Howie got home late but shortly after he did he put his new ear buds in and read the paper....NOT fair!!! If I have to listen to 4 kids, he should have to too!!! ha! I was quite jealous...but someone needs to referee!! Where's my whistle??  About 5 the boys went home and DJ finally settled a bit before dinner. Which was steelhead once again....we're all gonna be SUPER smart with all the fish we're eating!!! Dinner for 4 tonite, plus two lunches, cost roughly 2.00! Quite the steal eh?? 'Course, I'm not counting the cost of the fishing gear and gas....shhh! 

After dinner I bathed the kids and the new bathtub toy made her way into the water...which makes bath time SO much more fun...and longer!! "just a few more minutes Mum!!!" Finally got them done and in bed!!! As I'm tucking DJ in we were foolin around and I was pretending to use him as my pillow and falling asleep as he's talking to me...by the 3rd time I'd done this he takes his right hand and hits his forehead with an open palm and says "For crying out sakes" OH I bust out laughing!!!! I had to ask him what exactly he said as I thought I was hearing things...so he repeated himself, action included, and I laughed even harder!! Oh its moments like that that just melt away the day!!!

Since there was nothing on tv I watched a dry movie...I was tempted to just erase it...in the end I had a 20 minute power nap...oops!!! Told ya it was dry!!! Then I started Pineapple Express....which I think is best viewed in an altered state as its pretty stupid! And not funny stupid...just plain stupid!! I shut it off and watched regular tv for a bit. Ay!

Til next time...God bless!

Happy Boxing Day

This morning I woke up with DJ once again...Howie was off fishing before church. While the kids were off watching tv (or so I thought) I got up and got dressed. Turns out they were downstairs admiring the box that DJ's basketball hoop. Y'know, in case it grew legs and moved...

As I was making the requested egg mcmuffins, Howie came home. So he got changed while I finished up. Then got everyone dressed and ready to go! Attendance was a little on the low side but it was still good. I'd say DJ was of moderate behaviour...and after, he was very animated talking to the lady behind us about what he got for Christmas. That was cute!!! We headed home for lunch and it was a quiet ride (to church too actually) as they had requested Toy Story 3 for the truck. SO quiet as they were mesmerized!! I was able to call the store and inform them of their 400.00 mistake...they got back to me while we were in church, and found no record...this will be fun tomorrow by phone. Oy!

This afternoon, I had the extreme pleasure of taking an afternoon nap!! Such a luxury really!!! Then I got up for a shower as I was heading to Seattle to a dive bar to listen to Blaine Larsen...a country artist from WA who's made it to the big time...this was more of a jam session than a concert. And truthfully, it reminded me of my early twenties, listening to bands do covers of all songs. I met my g/f Denise and another friend of hers, Cindy, at a park n ride and off we went for the Little Red Hen. Boy, was it a small venue!!! We got the last table available as half the tables there were reserved for Blaine's family. It took a good 20 minutes for the ONE waitress in the place to make her way to our table...we ordered everything we wanted since it took so long to get her in the first place...HA!! What a joke!! My dinner took 45 mins and Denise's two apps took another half hour after that!! Stupid!!!

In the meantime, we were entertained by the band. Lots of old school country songs...some older than me even!! During the first break I went up and met him and got a pic with him. I'd forgotten my camera, but thankfully Cindy had one. So I'll have to wait for her to email me my pic! It was during the second half that the people watching got VERY interesting!! This one chick was so pissed about something that while ON the dance floor, she ripped her bra pads out of her bra and flung them anywhere. I was in tears with laughter!! Insane!! Her friends got her drinking water from that point on!! Thankfully, I was only asked to dance once, the rest I didn't make eye contact with. I can't two step, but I'd sure love to learn!!!

Shortly after 11 we hit the road. I mean, we had heard him play for 3 hours!! Longer than any concert!! That and Denise has to work tomorrow...and since she drove, she was the boss :) I have to tell you how incredibly grateful I am for heated seats!!! Dang was it chilly tonite. We're in for a cold snap this week...brrrrr! On the way home I stopped at the shed to shop. Kind of an odd time to do it, but I needed lunch stuff for Howie. Which I got! Then came home and put his lunch together. Now, I'm off to bed!!

Til next time...God bless!

The cutest way to wake up

Was to DJ running back in after asking to go watch tv (I really do think he forgot it was Christmas) and saying "Daddy, you're not gonna believe this, but santa REALLY did come!" hahaha oh that was just perfect!!! SO perfect!!! Even after that exclamation it still took SamSam another 15 minutes to get up...at which point I was getting dressed...she was still so sleepy and DJ was trying to get her to understand that santa had come....love it! Not one gift open yet and the excitement was awesome!!!

The santa gifts were ripped open with great vigor!!! DJ wasn't sure at first just what his gift really was til we told him it was a drum set and he says "Just like I asked for!!!! Awesome!!"  And Samantha was equally thrilled with her set of dinosaurs!!! Both gifts were ripped open...using scissors and screw drivers...what ever happened to the days of a toy just being in the box!??! Dang!!!! Then the stockings were literally dumped all over the floor as everyone rooted for whatever was at the bottom. Yes, my son was VERY pleased with the new strawberry shampoo he got! And the candy...equally excited!!!

We then ate a quick breakfast after explaining that the rest of the gifts had to wait til we got home with Jake...then we got dressed and headed out the door...a bit later than we wanted....we got a phone call from my mom and dad, so that took priority! The drive there was full of questions "are we there yet:?" "will there be lots of presents?" and the like. We arrived just in time for breakfast (HUH?) and so we unloaded our gifts and sat down to eat.

The kids couldn't wait much longer for the gifts...and so they got divvied up...and the kids were told to go ahead and rip into them!! And they did!!! SO much stuff!! Each got a new blanket (currently on their beds) of Toy Story and Tinkerbell (you know who got what right?) and matching pj's (currently on their bodies) and they'd already gotten new matching night lights (currently plugged into their walls) and sticker books and paint book....and new clothes, and each got a TS3 doll..DJ got Buzz and Sam got Jesse...and she also got a new baby girl and a bath time Dora. DJ got the BIGGEST gift there and it was  4 foot tall adjustable basketball hoop!! Oh and DJ got a glow in the dark solar system that hangs from the ceiling...and a Crayola digital camera...he's SO excited for that!!! Sam's fun gift was a new piano that does A LOT!!!! Even has a mic and recordable mp3 player she can listen to herself on.

Once all the paper was picked up and boxes stacked we headed for home....following Jake, he just had to have the lead! *shakes head* but we still beat him home by a couple minutes :D We got in and got a bit settled before allowing the kids to attack the gifts! Just as we were getting started next door came by with a little something for the kids...DJ was very happy to see K!! Then back to ripping paper!! Their, ummm, unmistaken pleasure at all the clothes they were opening was undeniable...ungrateful kids! ha...just kidding...but they could have gotten a bit more excited about them!!! Honestly!!! lol I'm far too practical and they're still young! They did get 4 new movies (finally some new stuff in the truck!) and Sam got new squeaker shoes...and DJ got got glow in the dark solar system that sticks to the wall/ceiling.  Jake got what he wanted too...gift cards!!!! hahaha not much fun to open up really...but at least I don't have to suffer thru his unmistaken pleasure at getting clothes!

Again, when all teh paper was picked up things started getting put away in rooms....blankets put right on bed and ready for children to climb into. ALL the toys were out of their boxes...V-Tech takes the prize for the most difficult to get into!!! SHEESH!!! Jake left during all this as he had dinner plans at home...and probably more presents to open. Meanwhile DJ was not letting up about wanting his new planets put up...so I got busy prepping all 8 planets and 200 stars for his wall...that was tedious! But once they were prepped, it was easy to get 'em up on the wall...even gave SamSam 25 of them for her wall. These ones went on the wall and the other ones he got we hung from the ceiling...that was a two person job!!! And more difficult than it looked! lol But OH he was SO thrilled with it all!! He and I laid on his bed a few times before bed just to look up at them all.

Dinner wasn't traditional by any means...no turkey or ham...we had New York cut steaks!!! And they were YUMMY!!!! Howie cooked them to perfection!!!! I did cheesy shells and veggies on the side. The kids had their fave, nuggets...and wolfed them down!!! Dessert was candy from their stockings....happy kids!!! I then got another call from my mom and dad as the first one was short! So fun to chat with them and get caught up...they'll be here in 3 weeks. SO excited for that!!

Kids went to bed with smiles on their faces....and quite easily under their new blankets in their new pj's! Howie went soon after as he's planning to fish the last day of his vacation...hope he catches us another one for dinner!!! YUM!!! I watched a movie and just vegged!! On Strike For Christmas...cute movie!!

Til next time...God bless!

Merry Christmas!!!

This morning my kids gave me their first gift of the holidays....they both slept til 9!!! Can you believe it!?!? DJ woke up at 7:30, went out to the living room and came back to bed. He said "its still dark out Mum, go back to sleep" and he did the same!!! SO awesome!!! And since there was no noise in the house, Sam slept til we got up! What a gift!!!

We were just finishing breakfast when Howie came home...fishless again...but he had fun and lost two. As he was finishing his breakfast Jake came upstairs! We were a little shocked that it was still in the AM time frame! About 11:30 Howie took off to go shopping...yeah, he was one of "those" crazies out there today!!! So while he was gone, I go busy bathing the kids. While I was in with Samantha, Jake left for home as he had eating plans for 2 at his mom's house and then work tonite.

After bath we did lunch, which thankfully wasn't a messy lunch as that would ruin my efforts in the bathroom! Then we snuggled down on the couch and watched Madagascar...well, they watched it, I listened to it. DJ was with me on the couch and Sam was enjoying Howie's chair to its fullest! Just after 2 Howie called to see if we should just meet him in town for the candlelight service at church...but that wasn't til 4, so he came home instead. Once he was in the house, I went and got myself ready to go.

The church looked awesome in the glow of all the candles!!! It was a different kind of service in that we had a musical presentation, but nothing theatrical. Nor was there really a sermon. AND we had BOTH kids to contend with! I have to say, Samantha did AMAZING!!! If I could put DJ in class and keep her with us during regular Sunday sermons, I'd do it in a heartbeat! She was very attentive and enjoyed all the singing (and wanted to dance in the aisle) and clapped whenever she thought that person did a good job. It was cute! DJ on the other hand, man was he fidgety!! And loud. And obnoxious. grrrrrrrrrr

After church we headed home to make dinner. I'd picked up a flame crafted ham from Freddy's in the shopping expedition this last week...so I was anxious for that!! It was a small ham, more than enough to feed the 4 of us and some leftovers. I also did scalloped potatoes and green beans and carrots. DELISH!!! Dessert was goodies that the kids and I made for santa...peanut butter cookies from the freezer!!! SO easy with those two "helping" me out. They really only like to watch them bake in reality!

Since dinner was done far earlier than we anticipated, we put the movie Polar Express on and watched it together. Howie had a good snooze to it! When it was done (later than I thought it would be) the kids went right to bed...with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads!! DJ wanted to wait up to hear the reindeer on the roof...which is how he fell asleep so fast! Not one peep from either of them!  I did wait about 15 minutes before pulling out the last of the stuff to wrap. Since Polar Express showed the gifts from santa wrapped, I figured I'd better follow suit...and used a different paper than what's already under the tree. I also played with DJ's gift as I'm sure I won't be allowed to once he gets his hands on it!!! haha He's gonna FLIP!!!

Til next time...Merry Christmas!!!

Happy Festivus

Today I actually learned the origin of  Festivus...wasn't much of a Seinfeld fan when it was in its hey day....so it doesn't surprise me that it originated from there! The airing of grievances! HA! Like I need a holiday for that! I have a blog! :)

This morning DJ was first up as usual but he and I snuggled together talking about what was happening for the day...I could hear Samantha in her room talking/singing to herself and I'm thinking she rather enjoyed that little bit of time to herself! DJ and I got up and she was quiet...but she soon came out of her bedroom and joined us. We had breakfast and started our day!

Howie got home just about 11 and he was fishless...he did lose two tho...no worries.... we were still having fish for dinner! He told me it was 3 when DJ came to our bed, and he came out to the couch....so I told him to grab a nap since we'd already talked about doing a movie for tonite. He rather liked that idea and took me up on it! And the kids were great! We watched tv snuggled on the couch....something we haven't done all week really!

As we were eating lunch Howie woke up and joined us...soon after I went to take a shower as I had an Avon delivery to make...I left rather quickly after the shower too as I'd gotten an email about one of my clients needing to leave work early. In the end, I missed her by mere minutes. I sure did try tho! On the drive home I stopped at Freddy's to see if they had the movie I wanted...Inception...they didn't, so I went on to Albertsons and they didn't have it either. So, I got Salt with Angelina Jolie...I knew that would be a hit for Howie. And while I was at it, I got another one purely for me! Sex & the City 2!! Total chick flick!

I got home and Jake wasn't here yet...but he wasn't too far behind me...and we sure did hear him pull in! Sheesh!! And to think he WANTS it that loud! *shakes head* I can only imagine how loud his music is/was to cover up the noise of the dual mufflers. AY!  Dinner prep started pretty much right away...at which point the bbq  let us know it was out of propane...ironic no? I thought so!

After dinner chaos happened with the kids all wrestling and running around! I got the kitchen cleaned and the coffee ready for tomorrow before getting the kids in bed. I let them go late as they were having fun with Jake. It was close to 9 when we got down to the business of movie watching. And while there's a lot of muzzle action in Salt, it really was good! As soon as it was done I put SATC2 in and both boys scattered! Ha! Howie went to bed and Jake to the computer and then bed. I had NO idea it was a 2 and a half hour movie!! Goodness!! It was good tho!! Now I'm up far too late!! Yikes!

Til next time...God bless!

Off to see the Red One

This morning DJ woke up next to me...as usual....and Sam was still sleeping...before long they were both playing in her room...I could hear them and their music! So I lay in bed checking email, and fb and saw the text Howie sent that he'd caught two fish already and was on his way home! SWEET!!! He got home before I even got out of bed....DJ was snuggling with me talking about what was gonna happen for the day and we heard the garage door open, so he took off to go see the fish! Sam too!

I made breakfast for all of us...DJ wanted scrambled eggs, so that's what I made! Everyone enjoyed them! Howie went and took a shower while I got the kids dressed...Samantha was more than pleased with the dress and DJ fought me tooth and nail for wearing something Christmassy...he won that one. He was being obstinate as he wanted to stay home and play with the neighbours...the boys had come knocking while I was dealing with Sam...and he took off to play.

Just as we're gathering up to leave the propane company truck pulled up...I'd called yesterday in a panic as I'd finally checked the tanks and we were at 5% on each tank....NOT cool!!! We're supposed to call them when it gets to 20...below that and they get mad at us! And I learned that they do our area on Mondays and Tuesdays...but the driver had a few other stragglers out our way and was gonna fit us in on Thursday. So I was pleasantly surprised to see the truck today! Didn't like the 450.00 bill!!! OUCH!! Good thing its prepaid! :) Yeah, I'm that good!! haha Our last fill up was in either June or July...and I'm good with a budget! Ask Howie!

I packed us up a lunch and once the propane was done we hit the road. First stop was my g/f Anneke as the extra fish went to them for their dinner. They were happy!! Her hubby is a fisherman too...so he was very happy for fresh fish for dinner! Next stop was the hearing aid place. My right hearing aid hasn't been working since Shelton in Shelton...and since its quite the trek to get there, we fit it into today's jaunt. Wasn't til we got there and read the notice on the door that we found out they'd moved. AND we'd driven right by it! OY! So back we went the way we came and dropped it off.

Then Best Buy and the mall. Seems driving around finding a parking spot was quite obnoxious! But in the end we found an AWESOME spot!! So awesome! And the entrance we chose led us straight to the red guy.....and the line up was INSANE!!!! Wasn't til we saw him walk around a half hour later that we realized he was on lunch break...duh! On his walk tho, he came back by us and DJ was smitten!! Just in awe!!! His eyes were just pure joy!! He even got to touch his hand like he was a rock star!! SO cute!!! haha

Once he got started tho, they were pretty quick moving. As we were feet away from being our turn I coached Samantha as she was starting to show fear about going up to him...and I'm not sure what I said, but when it was her turn, she went RUNNING into his arms!!! DJ followed and it was so amazing!! No tears, all smiles and they actually talked to him!! He asked them each what they wanted and DJ said "drums" and Sam said "piano" They hugged him and got a colouring book from him and we were done. The picture is MOST adorable!!! *sigh* made the hour long wait totally worth it!!!

Once done we hit the mall for Jake's gifts and were done in 20 minutes!! Not too bad eh? Whew! We couldn't get out of there fast enough! Next stop was the hearing aid place as they'd called and it was done. Thankfully it was just a wax build up and and easy free fix! I was dumb tho in not leaving the left one with them to get cleaned...so since the tech wasn't busy, she took it quickly and got it cleaned. I can hear in stereo again!!! YES!!!!! That was a long 2 weeks!! And unbalanced! Y'know, it does explain all my bruises the past two weeks too...huh!

Before we left town we hit up the fishing store for Howie...of course...and then a g/f's house to drop a gift for her baby's first Christmas...then Walmart (where else?!?!) for ONE thing!! A feminine thing....so I went straight there and then detoured to the toy section...DJ saw that there was a boy version of SamSam's Violet dog and wants one. Of course, he wants everything these days! So, I thought I'd check to see if they had it and how much....they didn't have it. I did see one Violet, but nothing else! And even that was in the wrong place. So I headed to the check out line...which were insanely long! I got in the self serve line and waited forever! Finally I was free and back in the truck on the way home.

One stop at the salon I deal with for collection purposes and then to pick up dinner in the same plaza. Yup, we did Teryaki for dinner! It was so close to 6 by the time we came into town, so we cheated for dinner. The kids GOBBLED it up!! Samantha ate twice as much as I gave her! She kept asking for more! Love when they eat so easy!! After dinner Howie went to work on fishing stuff in the garage and the kids and I started watching a movie. Wall-E....I'd never seen it before...and I gotta say, if I never see the ending, I'll live! There's no dialogue really and its boring! After 20 minutes of it DJ asked for it to be off...NO problem!! It was time for bed time to start anyway....so pj's were gotten and put on...hands were washed and teeth brushed...books read and prayers said.

I have to say, I love the sound of kids in bed!! GOLDEN!!! They went to sleep quickly too with all the excitement of the day! Howie and I watched Human Target, which was tame but comical...and then he watched a new show he'd found on the Outdoor channel called the Joy of Fishing...it was okay...and mostly local, so that was fun. The cooking segment made us both hungry too! lol Just before 10 he went to bed and I got busy making Manure Balls...the last of the Christmas goodies!!! And super easy! While they were setting, I went and watched tv and knit. Good nite!! Very good nite!!

Til next time...God bless!

I love dostco!!!

Was what I heard from DJ on our way to costco!! This was after his AWESOME hair cut!!! Oh I have my little handsome boy back!!! Such a different kid with that short 'do! His head looks smaller even!! lol I kid you not! Since our hair dresser is going on a self imposed maternity leave when she has her baby, who's due in a couple weeks. So we pushed our necessity for a hair cut off by 3 weeks....man, those were three LONG weeks in terms of hair! Granted, his hair wasn't in his eyes, but it was sticking up horridly all over!!! And his duck tail came back in full force! As a reward for doing so well, he got a Kinder Surprise and enjoyed the heck out of that chocolate...didn't even share it with me! Rascal! Samantha thoroughly enjoyed playing with her friend Aliya while we were busy. I even got my bangs trimmed...much nicer looking when she does them than me!

As we were approaching costco I could see all kinds of flashing lights, but had no clue what was goin on...as we got up to where it was I could see it was a logger truck....and something underneath the first load (it was a double hauler) had snapped and therefore it shifted the load...and he was in the middle of the intersection from the off ramp...literally in my path! So they were getting everything down to one lane, and then re-directing traffic around the truck. They were still setting up flares that's how soon it happened before I got there. So we got gas, did our shopping and had lunch before leaving...so about an hour and a half later and they had finally gotten a crane on the job to help remove the logs. Looked like an all day job to me! They blocked off my entrance to the freeway, so I ended up taking the looooooong way home! During which both kids fell asleep....ahhhhh silence IS golden!!!

Made a stop at the bank...and the shed and still got home with sleeping children...so I unloaded and put it away...and pee'd by MYSELF!!! (if you follow me on facebook, you know what I'm referring to!) before getting them up...they'd had an hour, and I didn't want it to ruin bed time. DJ is such a pill when he wakes up by force...Samantha takes it in stride and just needs snuggles! He did snap out of it quick and went out to play with the boys next door...I had to call over at one point it was SO dark out at 4:30 that I couldn't even see them!!

Howie was gone all day helping his dad move in with his girlfriend....he came home just before 4 with a new to us dining table that should seat ALL of us at Thanksgiving!! Its HUGE!!!! Then he was gone again to return the truck to work...so we were on our own for dinner....which I kept simple! Tonite was a bath nite, so as soon as we were done I got down to the bathing business! Then bed time happened!! YES!!!! Samantha has picked up on DJ's penchant to say "Mummy, can I tell/ask you something?" and to have it doubled is just wonderful! (note sarcasm!)

Once they were in bed I got busy making the last batch (altho I may make one more...) of caramel corn and cleaning the kitchen as I went along. While it was in the oven Howie went to bed so as to not let the smell drive him crazy!! haha There was absolutely NOTHING on tv unless it was Christmas related...so I watched my last dvr'd movie....it wasn't anything worth mentioning....but it did fill the need. And I got some knitting done. Last nite I started a hat...right before I went to bed I noticed I'd twisted it up...so not much of a hat! I frogged it tonite and started over....about 4 rows in I realized I'd done the exact same thing!! ARGH!!!!! Third time was  charm and I got further than I'd gotten last nite!

Til next time...God bless!

My little helper girl

This morning I was pleasantly surprised that it was 8:30 when DJ woke up...AND there were no added unpleasantries to the bed!!! Howie was out fishing again, so it was just me and the kids. We got up and had breakfast before hearing from a fishless Howie....but he did have fun!! Not nearly as many people out today since it's a Monday and all.

He got home and I was in the process of bundling the kids up to head out to go to the shed to do the books and then on to grocery shopping after sharing them out. As I'm buckling SamSam in her seat, DJ spies the boys next door (plus one) out playing, so he asked if he could stay home, and Howie was okay with it, so he did. Samantha and I took off!

She was set up with Barney and I put my ear buds in and listened to a podcast I had on my phone...good laughs! Got all the books sorted and even took time to reorganize the shelves a bit....someone put shelves up last week and they're awesome!! SO much easier to work with! So instead of putting books up on the very top shelf, I moved all the DVD's and VHS tapes up top. And opened up the other side by bringing the containers I had movies put into on the floor. Much better!

Then we headed to a bank in town to interoffice an Avon order...first time doing that! But hey, it saves me gas! And she'll probably get it quicker! Then we stopped by the library....I was also smart enough to grab our checked out books and CD's and return them.  On our way to my bank we got held up by a train changing tracks...Sam thought that was neat to see the train so close and all the flashing red lights...and of course the whistle! 

As we're in line for the bank she sees the big M for McD's and since I'd promised the kids lunch there if they got their buns moving this morning, we stopped there. She specifically asked for nuggets and fries...so cute! I've noticed how much more clearer her speech is...and the S's have finally arrived in full force!! Seven is now seven, not heaven...so cute! We parked and ate in the truck...and then off we went to Goodwill to drop the rest of the books off. Which was good since they took up the whole back of my truck! Next stop was Fred Meyer and Samantha was more than excited to head into Play Land...there were a few kids there and she was happy about that.  I zipped thru my shopping and was done in 40 minutes! Sheesh! I thought it would be far busier since we're SO close to Christmas...but seems that wasn't the case.

Since we had time, we stopped at the dollar store and Albertsons (which was ADORABLE to hear her say!) and got what we needed before heading home. We got home and the boys were mellow, watching a movie together. Howie helped me carry things in and DJ helped me put it away...many hands sometimes don't make for lighter work...just sayin! Then I grabbed a shower as I had a seminar to attend tonite.

I left at 5 and had a local delivery to make...which wouldn't have taken me 25 mins to get to, but that 5 o'clock traffic was killer! And I would have been on time if I hadn't gotten lost! Stupidphonemapsthing! It totally gave me the wrong info! I called Howie all in a panic and it felt like it took me forever to find somewhere to turn around and get back on the highway. I did finally there 10 mins late but hadn't missed anything. Whew!

Got home shortly after 9 and Howie was still up watching Sing Off...have ya seen that show?? Reminds me of Clash of the Choirs way back in 2002 when I first laid eyes on Blake Shelton!! *sigh* lol No, I'm not obsessed...trust me on that! In any case, the Sing Off is quite amazing!!! Since everything else is on re-run due to Christmas, I ended up watching a movie from my dvr collection...whittling down the list! I think I only have one more in there! Yikes! Better find more!

Til next time...God bless!

My kind of SUNday,

But it didn't start that way....you know how I have told you the most unpleasant ways to wake up...found another one this morning. I went to roll away from clingy DJ and my leg hit the wet spot...a cold wet spot...sat right up and turned the light on and discovered the cat peed on the bed. DAMN HIM!! How many lives has he got left now!??! I thought we'd finally come to an agreement here! Things were going go smoothly!!!! ARGH!!!!!!!

DJ woke up when I sat up, so I got him to move over to Howie's side, at least he's short enough to not reach the wet spot. He did fall back to sleep, briefly...he was up again about a half hour...and actually didn't wake Samantha up!! No, he bugged me instead! lol I do love the snuggles tho! He asked where Howie was, and was hoping he caught a fish for dinner. He did!!! A small one, but it was more than enough to feed us!  And the dog, and the good cat, and one serving left over. YUM!!!!

We rode to church in two vehicles so I could go on from there and do my Avoning. How odd after 3 months of having an off schedule, to be able to go by myself!!! AND actually see my peeps!!! SO awesome!!! First stop was Jake as he had a cell bill to pay. Then off to drop off books and orders. I even got a great visit in with my g/f Joanne! Even tho the kids have broken up and gone their own ways, we promised we wouldn't! Whew! After an hour  I got back on the road and finished up what I needed to do...and was on my way home when I called Howie, who reminded me I had an errand to run for him...so I quick changed my direction and accomplished said task! Some fishing thing...*rolls eyes*

I also stopped at the shed on the way home and scored some great fruit for my vitamix...still shy on some ingredients and then I can get started! I was gonna make an orange sorbet, but dinner was late and before I knew it, it was 8pm and bed time for the kids. Who both fell asleep quickly thanks to the outside time they got out in the gorgeous sunshine today!! Simply beautiful!!! At one point in my drive, I was atop a hill and looking at the Cascade mountains with their snow caps, and in my rear view I could see the Olympics in their majesty too! Stunning!

I did end up dozing for a few while putting DJ to bed...he was so snuggly! And when I came out a half hour later, Howie was finishing up watching one of his fishing shows and then went to bed. So I put away the laundry and helped make the bed. Then I got settled and watched the finale of Survivor....wow what a twist with Fabio winning his way into the final 3! And then to go on and win it all....damn! I do think he's too young...21 is still quite wild and no clue about money! My vote would have gone to Chase....nuff said! LOL

Til next time...God bless!

Birthday Dinner plans

This morning started with Miss Independent thinking it was okay to take her diaper off and going potty like a big girl. So cute! Then she came to me with a diaper, and clothes...and told me she wanted a "big girl diaper" on...I tried suggesting that to be a big girl she needed panties...but she was having none of it! This may take a bit of convincing! In any case, once she got dressed we snuggled on the bed for a few minutes before I got up. I told them about the birthday dinner plans for tonite and they were both very excited about seeing their brother and grandpa and Ellen!

Sam decided she didn't want breakfast and DJ was being slower than a slug to get at his...so I ate mine in peace while they fooled around. Howie called me just as I was about to call him and told me he was on his way home fishless...I am so ready for some fresh fish!! Last nite's windstorm was forceful! He told me of branches and trees down all over the place! Thankfully the wolf wasn't able to blow our house down! Our power did go out tho as the clocks were flashing.

DJ got dressed and headed out to see if the boys next door could play....and Sam and I got busy making brownies for dessert tonite...she loved that!!! And would go check on them in the oven as I left the light on for her. She even set her stool up in front of the oven to sit and watch it easier. It was cute! I can see her at 8 making all kinds of cakes in her easy bake oven....you know she'll have one!!!! lol

While the brownies were baking, I got to tidying up and unloading/loading the dishwasher up...then Howie reminded me that I needed to go get a card for Jake...so I took Sam with me, who'd been in panties for a while with no results...so back in a diaper she went. I fear I'm confusing her, but with a 16 minute ride to town, I'm not about to chance it! As we were leaving Howie was vacuuming and getting the kitchen floors done...which was awesome!

Little Miss did fantastic in the store and stuck by me more than when its two of them....we found what we were looking for and headed out...only to turn right back around as we forgot the dang birthday card! OY! Then we headed over to do an Avon delivery at the salon I deal with, where she was a charmer! Then we buckled back up and headed home. Since no one had arrived yet, I quickly hopped in the shower. When I got out Jake was here...and snoozin on the couch!! Must be nice to be 17!! Howie then took a shower too and still no Grandpa and Ellen. They weren't too far behind tho, and got here about 4:30ish. The kids were excited to see them both! Samantha's usual greeting of "spin me, spin me"

Dinner was yummy and easy to do...burgers, sweet potato fries (with pesto noodles for the kids) and corn. Can't get easier than that!! DJ was the first one to finish...he was HUNGRY!!! And he knew there were brownies to be had! Which we had much sooner than we would have had them had it been my choice! Jake was pleased with the attention and of course the full car detail we gave him as a gift. Finally something he wanted!! Whew! He said he's gonna wait til Spring...once rainy season (aka, winter) is over.

Everyone left about 7 which gave me plenty of time to bathe the kids! DJ sure did need it! Stinky kid he was! And then bed time happened blissfully...and easily. Once they were tucked in, I headed to the shed to see what had come in. On my way there, on a windy part of the road, I spotted a deer...but not quick enough! So I braked a bit and kept on driving...I clipped its head with my side mirror (on my side) and I'm pretty sure I ran over a hoof. In any case, it shook me up!! I went home the same way, praying I wouldn't see a deer lying on the road...and there was nothing. I really hope its okay...

I came home and told Howie, who was in bed, about the incident...he said I should have hit it harder and we'd have been eating venison...yeah, not my style! I put the stuff away and got down to knitting...watched a corny Christmas movie...so far, there's only been one that I've enjoyed. :(

Til next time...God bless!

I remember like it was yesterday...

This morning dawned too early and with too many people in my bed!! I was smushed between DJ and Howie when Samantha wanted in on the fun...and I got rolled over on...and it was just not a nice way to wake up! Howie didn't much like it either and headed out to the couch (he should have taken DJ's bed) and I was still stuck in a sleeping sandwich! It was barely 6:30 and sleep must still be had...thankfully we all fell back to sleep til DJ woke up at 8...and both he and SamSam went out to find daddy while I burrowed down in the covers for another hour.

While Howie was getting ready for work, I made us breakfast....and DJ too as he apparently didn't want anything when Howie offered breakfast. And he wanted pizza....I know, I'm mother of the year for giving it to him, but its no different than giving him a piece of toast with butter on it...right? Come on, justify with me here!! lol And as Howie said, its the breakfast of champions....oy!

Howie left for work and the kids got nekkid to get dressed when there was a knock on the door....K and C were outside callin on DJ...they came in to play for a bit and then the 3 of them headed outside in the sunshine to play. So I snuggled with SamSam and Dora and dozed off...woke up to her saying she pooped in the toilet, and she was bare bummed!!! YIKES!!! I go in there and the diaper is on the floor by the toilet and she's got the lid up on the toilet. So I ask her if she wants to put panties on and she thinks that's a great idea. I really had NO intention of potty training when I woke up this morning! But we put the panties on...got the old shower curtain out for under the potty chair...and got it all set up. Set the timer for 10 minutes....and started the whole business of training. She also got a can of pop to up the fluid intake. Her first tinkle ran down her leg and she didn't like it...and it was in between our ten minute sessions....so I clean her up, talk about where she's supposed to pee and whatnot...and off we went drinking more and setting the timer. About a half hour later she was wigging out and wanting a diaper on NOW! I distracted her for a few minutes and all of a sudden the light went off on her face and she was peeing and KNEW she was peeing!!!! YES!!!!!!! She was so excited!!!

We ate lunch and started on a glass of apple juice for her...she was loving all the extra fluid!! Soon after the boys came back in for something or other and distracted her...and me! So I asked if she needed to pee and she said yes, so off we went...and within seconds she peed a FULL bladder's worth!!! SWEET!!!!!!! I began to think this was far too easy...and a half hour she proved me right...as she peed on the carpet in the living room and then came running to me....yikes! So we talked about where the pee goes, again, and changed undies.

In the end we went thru 4 pair of panties, 1 towel, 1 roll (yes the whole roll) of toilet paper, and 4 diapers in total. After dinner she and I headed out to the shed for the specialty glean...since there's no bathroom there, I put her in a diaper and off we went. She did great the whole time out and when we got home an hour and a half later she was dry. It was totally my fault for not stopping what I was doing and making her sit to go pee. As soon as I finished bringing stuff in she told me she had to pee and had literally just done so in the diaper....stupid move on my part. *smacks forehead* So we put the panties back on and she kept on with her apple juice from before. At this point, she thinks its fun to just sit on the potty any 'ol time and pretend to pee. Its the wiping she thinks is the best!

Meanwhile, I got a call from next door askin if DJ can spend the nite...but of course! So he came home to get his pj's on and take his toothbrush over there. As he was leaving and hugging on me I told him I'd miss him...and that undid  him a bit. He got to the bottom of the stairs and his eyes started welling up with tears and he said he'd miss me too....and almost changed his mind about going. Instead he asked me to walk him over, so I did...and off he went without a backwards glance.

Howie came home from work and grabbed some dinner and while he was reading the paper and I was folding laundry I got a call from next door saying that DJ was on his way home. Poor kid only made it til 9:41 before he HAD to come home! When he got in I asked him why he didn't want to spend the nite and his response was "I don't like their dark" hahaha. I offered to let him take his night light and he said no, he wanted to be here. And went right to sleep without a hitch!

Til next time...God bless!

Chatty Cathy Samantha

This morning after breakfast we slowly got ourselves ready to head out to do some Avoning...DJ had already gone out the door and was playing with the boys next door...and Samantha was standing there telling the boys what to do (very cute!) and they, of course, weren't listening...especially DJ, which upset her!

The boys suggested DJ stay behind, to which I required parental okay...so they obtained that and SamSam and I headed west to do our deliveries. First stop took me to a new client's place of business and it was good to see her again. Then I dropped by one of my rep's houses as I had something for her. Then we went even more west to Everett where I had 3 orders to deliver. Sam wanted to come in for this one, so she did...man does she ever behave when its just her!!! And she delights in the praise I give her for being so good a listening! The biggest of smiles! She found some stuffed toys around the Christmas tree of where we were and was happily playing with everything as I chatted up anyone who wanted to talk to me! Got another new order, which puts me at 5 clients in that one office...not too shabby! Like it when they cluster together like that!!!

About 1 we headed for home...thought I'd have one more delivery, but she never returned my call...so home we went! Miss Samantha is quite the talker! She reminds me of my Grandma...pointing out everything to me as we drive past it and telling me everything she knows about it. And if she saw a santa figure...boy did I REALLY know about "la laws"...still love the way she says that too! She also had me change out dvd's whenever we stopped...and sang along to most of the songs on the Barney one...just precious!!

She fell asleep somewhere on Hwy 2 and there's nothing I could do about it. I did stop at the shed to see if there was pizza for lunch, which there was, and she slept right thru that! She did not however sleep thru DJ's attack when we pulled into the driveway. Once inside I gave her lunch right away and ate something myself...DJ said he'd eaten already and went back outside. And that's where he stayed til almost dinner time. He was "helping" again with the lights next door. He came in and told us "I can't go on the roof, no, no...I'm too little" To which we both agreed with him! lol

About 4:30 I got a text from my g/f Denise who was in Monroe about meeting up...but Howie wasn't home yet and it would have been easier to go alone than to bundle up everyone. She told me to stay put and she'd come out to us...so I invited her to stay for dinner. So, she did! Samantha immediately checked to see if she was friend worthy by asking her to spin her around in the living room...yup, she made a new friend!! Ahh that's my girl! lol

After dinner she took off for home and I took off for the bathroom to bathe the monsters...DJ needed it more than anything...I thought he only got dirty feet in summer...he proved me wrong!! He was filthy! Once clean tho, they were both put to bed. Let the silence commence!! Howie took out the garbage and I took out the knitting....good nite for it! Knit my way thru Big Bang Theory (oh that had me laughing out loud a few times!) and the two Psych shows from the other nite in dvr.

Til next time...God bless!

Did you know santa uses Fed Ex???

Yeah, me either!!! lol

This morning gave me two deliveries...one I knew, and one was a total surprise!! The first one was Avon!!! I think my driver missed me...he said as much! He knew I'd gotten lost in the whole district shuffle and that I was being kicked to UPS...and was sorry every time he drove by the house (there's two other reps on my street) and wished he could help me out. So, now I'm back on track!!! Finally!!! I hope he didn't find my naked children too traumatizing...we were just getting clothes out for the day...but DJ just HAD to open the door buck naked...it was all I could do to get him in the house!!

I got to sorting while the kids kept on being their lovely buggy selves!! I swear, someone changed kids with me!!! These two today were at each other constantly...and about little things! Quite distracting! After an hour I did finally get everything sorted and bagged up ready to go! At which point it was lunch, much to DJ's pleasure!! These kids have GOT to stop growing! I'm not liking how fast these spurts come on! They both gobbled up their lunches and wanted more...WHAT!?!? Where's it going!??!

DJ ended up going outside to see if K could play and found them all working on their outside lights...so he stayed and "helped"...yeah, I'm sure! lol It took Sam a good half hour or so before she realized she was on her own and asked where he was. So cute! About a half hour later, DJ was escorting the Fed Ex guy up the stairs and calling for me. I had NO idea what it was as I wasn't expecting anything at all! The box did give it away tho as I was able to clearly read Vitamix on the outside.

Now, the only people I know who have one is my mom and dad...sure enough, the return address on the shipping label was my parents. MERRY CHRISTMAS to me!!!!!!! Yes, my mom did say it was for all of us, but we all know who its really for!!! Moi! SO happy!! I couldn't open the package up fast enough...but before I did I im'd my mom to let her know I'd gotten it. She was shocked at how fast it arrived...not sure when she ordered it, but it was quick according to her. I rearranged (much to Howie's dismay) the counter top space to give it a prime, fairly easy to use, spot...right in the corner!!! :) Close enough to the sink for cleaning and yet tucked away under the cupboards out of the way. This will change my whole way of shopping!

Howie came home as I was folding yet another load of laundry...and I did manage to find another two loads today...when will it stop!?!?!!? Somebody make it stop!! DJ came home just as I was about to serve up pizza for dinner and he was enjoying shocking us with his cold ears and hands...man, were they COLD!! And again, both of them gobbled up dinner!!! To be fair, it was a yummy pizza! In fact, without all the fussin and fighting we've had lately on Awana nites, tonite was a breeze!!! We were early leaving, which was good as I was on fumes to the gas station. I still missed checking in 3 kids, but their parents are leaders and get there early.

DJ had fun in his class....they had cupcakes, and candy and a Christmas party! He even told me that the girl that's been picking on him was "really nice to me tonite!" which made me smile!! And on our way out the door, he called out a good nite to a friend from his class and when the boy returned the salutations, he looked at me and said "he knows my name!!"  So cute!

Once he went to bed, Howie wasn't too far behind him...so I got the coffee and breakfast ready for Howie, and sat in the chair and had a good knit! Finished up a few projects, and started another one!! Even got to finally watch one of my dvr'd Christmas movies...have a few waiting for me. Good nite for me!

Til next time...God bless!

Baby You're a Firework

This morning I thought I had DJ at my back...til he came in a 8 and I discovered it was SamSam at my back! Have no clue when she joined me...but she was sound asleep! DJ didn't want any more sleep, so he came out to watch tv...shortly thereafter she joined him in his tv watching.

After breakfast I kept on the laundry mission....it really does seem like its never ending!!! Especially this week! I do finally have the last load in the dryer...and two loads waiting to be folded! Ugh! And I'm sure if I walk around the house I could easily gather up another two loads...see? never ending!!

I think both kids are going thru a growth spurt as they're both eating non-stop! After lunch DJ kept bugging me for more food so I gave him a timer and told him when it went off he could ask me again for more food. In the meantime, he ended up going next door to see if the boys could play and ended up staying for a couple hours...

As I was about to get dinner started I checked on Sam to see why she was so quiet....and found her snoozing in Daddy's chair....not exactly what I had in mind for her, but I guess she needed it...so I got dinner simmering and then kissed her awake! Just like Sleeping Beauty, she awoke!! And was not pleased with me..so we snuggled in the chair and watched Alvin and the Chipmunks. Howie came home and took a nap on the couch since it was so quiet....we do enjoy his absence lol

He came home rather quietly...I heard the squeak of the door but Howie missed it...and then all of a sudden he discovered DJ on the couch! And then it was dinner time....I did rotini noodles for the kids and regular noodles for us. The kids liked the difference, I think. After dinner, I bathed the red stains off them and put them to bed. Samantha was tricky one thanks to her 40 minute snooze....after a half hour of being in bed she decided she needed to potty...so Daddy helped her (can we say delay tactic!) and then she went to bed for real.

Glee was a re-run, so I decided to bake some toffee bars...sure do smell yummy!! Howie went to bed before they started smelling good, as he's on a 12 hour fast for blood work at work tomorrow. Now they're done, but the chocolate didn't melt properly...so darnit, we'll have to keep some at home! Since it's still early, I think I'll go knit!!

Til next time...God bless!

P.S. I've had the Katy Perry song, Firework, stuck in my head...check it out!

Yes, I have ticklish teeth!

This morning was not only a Monday morning....it was also Four Fillings Day!!! Ugh!!! And with all the sleeping in I did yesterday, it took me til 3 am to fall asleep! And that was after DJ tried to climb into bed with us! So, thankful it was 8 when they got up! DJ took it upon himself to get his own breakfast...two snickerdoodle cookies!!!! They do have the same ingredients as bread....just in different amounts. And really, they have to be better than pop tarts!!! Right??

Shortly after 9 we got a knock on the door and K and C came in to play and watch tv with my two...that worked for me! :)  DJ of course is in heaven having K here...and Samantha knows how to leave the boys alone if need be...so it was all good! They got called home for lunch and I fed mine...and the boys came back to play...but this time they ended up outside playing! YES!!!! Perfect opportunity for me to grab a shower!

I had scheduled Michaela to babysit while I went to the dentist as Howie couldn't get off work early....so I left happy kids at home...DJ gave me a hug and a kiss and took off running!!! What a change from yesterday! lol On the way to the dentist I got a call from them asking why I wasn't there when my appt was for 3 pm...and I reminded them that I'd gotten a call to change it to 3:30 and that I was on my way there....oy! So as soon a I got in there they whisked me back to the waiting hygienist and she got right to work! It's been 2 years since my last cleaning (that sounds like a confession doesn't it?) and so she did a thorough job!! I think she even got more glue off from the braces I had on over 20 years ago!! Man, that's good glue! As soon as she was done I was led to another room for the four fillings.

I get in there, get situated and tell them my "strong dislike for needles" and that I'm squeamish...so the assistant suggests nitrous oxide, which I decline as I've never had it before...and then the dr suggests going without any numbing since they're all such "bite surface cavities" and don't require much drilling. he told me it would be more annoying than painful....and no worse than my tattoos....so I say, go for it! There was only one spot where it made me zing a little...and they suggest I listen to music or something on my phone...so I put in my ear buds and pushed play on  podcast. It was smooth sailing from there...and I was completely done the entire appointment in an hour and 15 minutes!

I must also say, this was the most wonderful experience I've ever had at a dentist office! Four fillings included!! Such a relaxed atmosphere...and he's a nice doctor! And it was relatively pain free! I was expecting to eat soup or scrambled eggs for dinner tonite, but we had a normal dinner! AND, the absolute best part for me...the fillings themselves are so smooth, I can't feel them!! Know how ya leave and you actually FEEL the lump of whatever it is they've put on your teeth and it takes a couple days to wear it down to normal...I walked outta there not even knowing I'd had work done! That's just awesome in my books! 

I got home shortly after 5 and got dinner going...Howie was doing the dishes and I let him finish :D I'm such a nice wife! lol After dinner, it was odd, no one needed bathing...so they watched some Spongebob Squarepants thing and Howie decided it was a bit on the scary side and changed it...so we'll see if anyone wakes up tonite! 

Once everyone was in bed, I got busy making Christmas goodies...chocolate covered pretzels!!! Oh so yummy!!!

Til next time...God bless!

Weekend Update

What a whirlwind weekend!!!!!! Sheesh!!! I think I may actually look forward to a Monday for once!! But oh what a weekend it was!!!

Friday morning I was packing and gathering the last of my Avon orders to submit, dealing with kids and doing dishes! That was a busy morning!! Just before 1 I was finally on the road to get my bff Jackie (hereby referred to as JD, not to be confused with the other JD, Jack Daniels) and then we were off to Shelton for a Blake Shelton concert. Since Shelton is 3 hours from my house, there was no way I'd be driving back!! So, JD got us a room down there and I drove. Nice drive there...it was dry for 95% of it...only when we got in Shelton did it start to rain! We got to our hotel at 4:15ish and started getting ready. Then we headed out in search of food...great little Teryaki place 3 driveways up from us...just what I needed! I hadn't had it since mom and dad were here in July!

We got done dinner at 6 and headed to the venue...then stood in line for our tickets as they were all at will call...and so was my meet & greet pass. Yep!! I got to meet the Tall One!! *remembers to breathe* We got in the event centre and found our seats...I was in front row and JD was one row behind me, and 2 seats over. About 6:50 I got in line for the m&g and waited with all the other crazy women! My g/f  Earika was on her way...her flight from Cali was delayed by 5 hours due to fog...and then she got stuck in MASSIVE traffic on the way to Shelton and completely missed the m&g with me and the opening act....who I have no clue who she was.

The m&g was quick...but SO worth it!!! I'd made him some caramel corn and put it in a bucket....made a sign too that said "I'm may not be Katy (Perry), Kellie (Pickler) or Zooey (Deschanel) but I AM here!! Yeah, I left it in the car in our rush to get to the tickets. Dang it! It was perfect too! And only one other person had a sign that I saw...stupid move! GRRR Anyways...I was 4th from the last person in line, and when I got in the room it suddenly got very small! And warm!!! So I started fanning myself....and the head security guy was laughin at me and telling me how white I looked (thanks!) and asked if I needed a chair. I just smiled and fanned myself with the cd insert I'd brought to have signed!

 I get up there and he puts his arm around me and says thanks for coming, and I told him who I was (my twitter handle no doubt, another stupid move!) Then we posed for the picture his tour manager took, and I handed him the bucket. He asked what was in it, and when I told him caramel corn I made for him, he told me he loved me! Ahhhh *SIGH* lol  Very sweet guy! Very tall too! He's 6' 6" and smelled clean. There's no other way to describe that part...he's a hunter, so I'm guessing cologne is out of the question for him...so clean is the best way to describe him. I expected him to smell like Bacardi truthfully! :)

Then I headed out to wait for him to do his thing on stage. Shortly after 8 he did just that!!! His first song was a new one...or at least to me it was *shrugs* but every song after that I was able to sing along to! Remember that security dude? His post was literally in front of me!!!! And they were NOT letting anyone up close to the stage area for any reason...unless it was alcohol...well, he had these two twits come up trying to get past him to the stage and he refused, and one of them tried dancing all over him (oh I laughed) and he had the cop next to him escort them away. After they left, he looked at me and started fanning himself like I'd done earlier...yeah, I laughed then too!!

The concert itself was uber short!!! Far shorter than any concert I'd been to of his (this was number 3) and it was unusual how short it was. The encore was only 2 songs too!! Turns out he had a red eye to catch back to wherever he was going, and he LEFT right after the last song! Boo hoo!! We were hoping to find out where the after party was!! Guess that shot that out of the water!! So I then tried snagging the set list from the stage and managed to get it! SWEET!!! Not sure what I'll do with it, but hey, I have it! My g/f Earika did finally make it before he took stage...and she even caught one of his guitar pics and one of the drum sticks! Nice score for her!! Since she had a room at the casino, we went with her for check in and then headed up to her room to dump our coats and whatnot.

Then we went and met up with other twitter friends at the bar in the casino. We walked in and there was this hypnotist dude doing his thing...OMG it was FUNNY!!!!! Hilarious!!!!! My cheeks haven't hurt like that in a long time from laughing so hard!!! Fabulous entertainment...as long as you're not one of his peeps on the stage that is!!! Once he was done, half the bar cleared out...and I noticed one of the crew guys in line at the bar for drinks...so I pointed them out to my g/f's and we bought them a round of shots!!! They appreciated that and came to say hi! And then stayed with us for the rest of the nite. It was fun to learn a little behind the scenes stuff! Then the drummer came down and joined us. A few others from the crew drifted in and out but didn't stay.

We shut the bar down!! Which was also early...they closed at 1 (I think, I kinda lost track of time about 10:30 according to JD...and because of JD, the drink, not the person this time) and we also lost Earika...and she had the only room key...and our coats...yikes! SO we went to the lobby to see if they'd give us a spare...and we were told they needed video recognition of us going in the room and it would be a few minutes. Just as she was coming to tell us we could go in, in walks Earika!! So we went up with her and grabbed our stuff and headed to our motel.

Saturday morning, even tho I had no kids to bother me...I was still up at 8!! And we were both showered, packed up and out the door by 9:30! Not too bad!! I was a little slow moving, but not head hurting. My hip hurt tho from dancing. We met up with a friend of JD's and had breakfast at Denny's across the street. Then went to Walmart to do some shopping...then got gas and hit the highway! It was a rainy mess of  a day too! Not fun to drive in! We did have one stop on the way home per Howie's request at some fishing/hunting store...so I stocked up on stocking stuffers for him!! :)

All in all, it took me 4 hours of driving to get home!! I was whupped!!! Everyone was happy to see me tho! Kids climbing all over me, hugging me, kissing me...kinda nice to be welcomed home to jubilantly!! We were supposed to go be part of the Olde Christmas parade with church, but we missed the time deadline to be IN the parade, and Samantha was coughing horribly. I grabbed some homeopathic cough syrup at Walmart for her. So we stayed in and kids went to bed normally. Howie left at 8:30 to go to work to set up for santa's brunch today. I put on a Christmas movie and wrapped gifts. Good nite!

Today I got told to sleep in as late as I wanted....and I woke just before 11!!!! Yeah, I was shocked too!! Kinda nice tho!! I called the babysitter and asked if she could come earlier since Howie's work thing got moved up four hours earlier....no problem. I got up and got dressed before alerting the kids I was up. Howie knew as we were chatting on fb...which JD called us nerds for! lol

The brunch was okay...we were the tail end of it, and so the foot wasn't fresh or piping hot :( but santa did come see us and I managed to snag a pic of him for the kids. OH, DJ had an absolute melt down like I've never seen him have about me leaving. He was all excited for Kathleen to come over and babysit, but miserable about me leaving. Screaming, crying, stomping...it was awful! I called 20 mins after we left and he was still sitting outside...not crying, but he'd told her he was waiting for me to come home. I told her where the chocolate was and to bribe him in...it worked! lol

He was extra happy when we did get home about 5...and came with me when I drove Kathleen home. On our way home we stopped at the shed to see what was what...and do some shopping. Then came home and got dinner going for them...Howie and I were still full! After dinner I bathed the stinky kids and then we got 'em in bed! And I've been sitting here for an hour typing all this out...ya still reading?? Whew!!!

Til next time...God bless!

Yes, I'm alive!!!!

And this is just the post to let you know that as I'm whupped!!! Oh, what a weekend tho!!!! WOW!

Til next time...God bless!

I've come full circle

This morning went smoothly....til I had the brilliant idea to let the kids bathe together...WHY do I allow myself this torture!?!? First of all they LOVE to splash each other!!! (I'd do well to remember this when I need to clean the bathroom) And they feed off each other!! Plus, they're starting to run out of room for both of them to be in there. DJ's just getting too big!! he can touch one end with his feet and the other with his head! Dang him for growing!

After lunch I got busy making some more caramel corn...this time, much to Howie's delight, the majority of it was for him! I think I only have one more batch to make for Christmas goodies and then move on to other more perishable goodies! YUM!! It was then I got a message from one of my nieces requesting my address as she has a Christmas card for us...with pictures!!! This struck me as funny and sad at the same time...funny because, I just mailed off Christmas cards to my Aunts...with pictures!!! And sad because I'm now the Aunt they're sending pix to and I'm far too young for this business!!! Did you know I have 2 great nieces and 2 great nephews!! FAR TOO YOUNG for this!!!

Just as I laid on the couch after putting the caramel corn to cool on the table, the front door opened and Howie came in! Was not expecting that! Nice surprise! Samantha was SO happy to see him! I love watching her love all over him! Its such a genuine love! So he took my spot on the couch and I put the caramel corn away. Then went and grabbed a shower before heading out to my Avon meeting.

The Avon meeting I went to tonite was the first one for me in my new district! And I was first....so I got to meet my new DSM and have a few moments with her alone. That was cool!! She handed me a gift bag with some stuff in it....always love the freebies!! Since the first part of the evening was for leadership, there were two other ladies who joined us and we chatted a bit. Being the new person I answered a lot of questions...which is fine! I'm an Evanoff....I can talk! :)  Then some recognition was done and we were handed money (play) to use in the auction...I ended up walking away with a tonne of stuff! Again...LOVE the free stuff! Once we were done, more reps started trickling in...two of my girls came, so that was fun! They each got a gift bag of goodies too!

After the meeting the 3 of us headed to Ben's to do some walking around! I went in there to get these wriggly snake things the kids have been begging for...come to find out, its a cheap magic trick...and neither of my kids would "get it" so I put the kibosh on that idea! So, I started walking around...and got 4 skeins of beautiful purple yarn to make Sam a sweater with...and then found some stocking stuff for them...and then found the ultimate gift for DJ! Oh he's gonna love it!!  You'll have to wait to hear about it tho! :D

I got home and Howie was still up, so I showed him my loot and put it away. He got his fishing clothes ready and headed to bed. I got comfy in his chair and knit the rest of the nite away! Got Sam's scarf done...now I just need to do a hat for and she's set! Made it a little wider and longer than last year's model...which is still used regularly...more as a dog leash (?!) than as a scarf...granted, its been in the 50's here lately! LOVE that!

Til next time...God bless!

Rainbow hunters

This morning both kids slept til right before 8 which was much appreciated!! Samantha decided she needed to be changed instantly and brought me a diaper and wipes! And then picked her own clothes out...pale purple pants with sparkle hearts and stars...and a bunny shirt that's says "If you think I'm cute, you should see my daddy" She likes it for the bunny...lol

After breakfast I packed up a lunch for us and got us all ready to head out to do some Avoning. It was at this point that Miss Samantha chose to poop! Now, if you know my daughter, you know this takes at least 20 minutes!! So I puttered while she strained. Finally she says "I'm done mummy!" and I change her...sadly, one rabbit pellet is not considered a real poop in my eyes...and she did this yesterday too, so I gave her a suppository. Oh she hated me!! Kept begging for daddy to rescue her. DJ meanwhile had gone over next door and invited K over...so we waited 15 mins for SamSam to adjust to the supp...C came over too, so both boys sat on the couch and Samantha snuggled with me on the floor not wanting to sit down. I don't blame her! After 20 mins I needed to leave...with DJ supps work fast...not with Sam!!

We left just after 11:30 and first stop was the post office!! Got those stamps exchanged...she tried upselling me til I realized what she was doing...the difference between what I had and a book of stamps was 1.00...so I suggested she give me a 1.00 stamp...worked for me!

Off we went to Lynnwood...since it was a weekday, no one was home so I did a lot of drop-and-runs which go quick!! Samantha fell asleep about noon and had a good 45 minute nap! She needed it! DJ and I had lunch while we drove around town.

We got done with the Lynnwood peeps and headed to Everett for our last stop. The weather today was HEAVY rain!! Some of my fb friends were talking about thunderstorms and lightning even! Nothing up here, but it sure was gloomy out...then the sun came out. Well the rest of the day was scattered showers here and there...and some sunny breaks...as we were driving up to the last stop, we saw a rainbow. And found the end of it in another direction...that was cool! And, as I'm looking at it I see a double rainbow!!! Yet, if I took off my sunglasses I couldn't see the 2nd one. Thought that was kinda wild! Even took a pic of it!!
As we headed home DJ fell asleep!! Finally a break from the "mummy can I tell you something" questions! Sam and I kept looking for more rainbows.....and found one more on the way home!

When we got home Sam said she wanted to sit on the potty...and so I let her...she sat there for a half hour and did nothing...poor thing! Howie came home and I put away 3 loads of laundry and got dinner going. Since it was an Awana nite, we ate early and DJ and I took off right away. Samantha did finally poop...YAY for Howie!!! lol Hey, it got the garbage taken out too!!! I'm a happy woman!

DJ gave me a "Proud Mummy" moment...tonite was 'store' for his Cubbies class...they earn points for things in class and apparently he had 15 pts to spend...he was told he could get ONE hotwheels car, or THREE of the knock off ones...he chose the 3 of them!!! HELLO!!! Its THREE!!!! LOL  yeah, I was happy he chose what he did! And he was more than happy with his choice too! Couldn't wait to get home and show Howie...and they're currently sitting on his dresser waiting for morning.

Til next time...God bless!

Not just once, but

Every time I get the Avon delivery its like Christmas!! I just love it!! Checking out everything everyone ordered. Checking out my own stuff! I just love it!! Oops, did I say that already?? Haha

So this morning when we heard the UPS truck (for the last time, YES!) pull up we all went crazy! DJ ran to open the door, Samantha soon followed, Snickers was barking her head off and I'm trying to calm everyone down! Sheesh! The driver was being extra cautious of Snickers...in his words "its the dog the 'never bites' that bites" Meanwhile, Snickers would lick someone to death before she'd bite! Once the dust settled I got down to the business if sorting! I had plans to meet up with a client at Ben's...such a tragedy to go there! She was waiting for me, so I unloaded her stuff and took the kids inside for a skein of yarn. And walked out with a couple other things...tsk tsk! lol

We also dropped off books at Goodwill and drove thru the bank. Then stopped by the salon I deal with...it reopened 2 weeks ago and was busy when I got there! I'm so glad they're open again!! Got a nice order too while I was there! Then we made another delivery on the way home and dropped off a book to another. We got home and K was waiting outside for DJ who was more than happy to play!! SamSam said she wanted to go inside, we she and I did just that. While she settled herself with the tv, I got busy with the dishes and making sketti sauce for dinner.

Howie came home in a world of hurt and took a cat nap on the couch. I got busy with Christmas cards only to discover that I was given the wrong stamps!!! SO frustrating!! I asked for American stamps, which are .44 a piece and I git .98's...guess I'm adding a stop to tomorrow's list. Argh!

After dinner I bathed the red faced monsters!! Then wrangled them into bed! While I was doing prayers with DJ, Howie put himself to bed...seems his cold returned with a bit of a vengeance. Poor guy!
Once everyone was quiet I sat down an thoroughly enjoyed watching Glee!! Their Christmas show was FAB!!! After that I got busy making a batch of caramel corn...but shhhh, don't tell Howie as it wasn't for him. He hates when I do that!!

Now that the dryer's done, I need to switch over the clothes so I have pants for tomorrow!

Til next time...God bless!

Yep, I live in the sticks!!!

This morning DJ came in to sleep with me at 7:45 (NICE!) and that's when I discovered that Samantha was sleeping on Howie's side...made me chuckle!! Our mini conversation tho woke her up and off they went to watch tv and peruse the toy ads again...still a hit!

After breakfast I got started on the laundry...seems we've used up all the reserves!! I was on my last pair of pants too! The kids finally got dressed for the day all the while dancing around. Samantha is becoming more and more vocal and its awesome!! Today I caught her drumming on the empty coffee can and singing "Lala Laws is coming to town"....that's how she says santa claus...its darling!!

Lunch was an adventure...DJ is starting to show some signs of growing up and asserting independence...by pouring his own drinks...he gets the glasses down and then helps himself to the koolaid or whatever he's in the mood for. Trouble is, he thinks Sam wants the same thing as him and she usually doesn't. In any case, she got some Cherry koolaid in a cup and all was well. Til DJ made a sudden movement and I was all of sudden wearing some cold koolaid in my lap!! Thankfully it was only a couple inches worth at the bottom of the cup. Did I mention this was my last pair of pants!??!? Oh and the clothes that were in the washer waiting to get dried, were mostly Howie's stuff...yeah, still no pants!!

Thankfully, it was a balmy 50 someodd degrees and I chose capris...ha! I'm sure I looked sexy in capris and winter boots!! At least I could keep my ankles warm. I bundled the kids up and off we headed to the shed so I could pack up all the books. Took longer than normal as I decided to do some tidying up and organizing of the video tapes we seem to be in abundance of. Meanwhile the kids were happily watching a movie. DJ however was on the loose in the truck and must have pushed every single button he could.

It was just about 3:30 when I got in the truck to head home fully loaded with books. I turned the key and got nothing!!!! NOTHING!!!!!!! Well, I got a bunch of clicks...and a whole lotta lights on the dashboard....but no engine turning over. *sigh* Did I mention we live in the sticks!??!!? And I'm down a long driveway...in front of a trailer and beside a garden shed. Yeah, not at all like gettin stuck at Albertsons...*sigh* So I called Howie who was just packing up for the day and told him my damsel in distress story and told him we'd wait for him to come boost us.

I didn't have to wait that long after all as someone (thankfully someone I know from church) came to shop and she had a portable battery charger!!!! So she hooked it up, and we had a mini debate about where to put the black clamp...but since it was her machine, I went by her rules. She'd said she used it just yesterday so wasn't sure how much of a charge was left on it. I tried it right away and nothing....waited 3 minutes like it says and still nothing...so I got out and put it on the terminal of the battery and waited 3 more minutes and voila! We were running!!! YAY!!!!!! I packed up her gear and put it back in her truck and then headed for home!! Whew!!

DJ decided to check next door and see if anyone could play with him....and he was in luck!! Sam had no desire to go out so we stayed in and had a tickle fest! Hers, not mine! I also got some laundry folded and switched over. Before long Howie was home for an hour. So while he was here, I grabbed a shower!! Tonite was Jake's football banquet...it started at 6:30 so he ate while I showered and then took off pretty much as soon as I was done. DJ had come in, so I got started on dinner. Ham and eggs! YUM!!

Getting the kids in bed was a bit of a chore...but I did win eventually!!! And both kids fell asleep quickly! I got busy doing some Avon emails and surfing youtube. Howie came home and went to bed shortly thereafter! Finally I sat down to watch tv...I'd dvr'd the newest award show...American Country Awards....yeah, I wasn't impressed really...how many awards shows do we need??

Til next time...God Bless!

There is NO mail on Sundays!!

This morning happened far too quickly for my liking!! I could have used another 4 hours easily!!! ha! It didn't help I found DJ hogging the bed again at 6:45...so I rolled him to the middle and then had to pee....when I got back in bed, both boys were snoring away. I heard some thumping around in Sam's room, so laid there waiting for her to wake...she'd gone to bed as 7 last nite...SEVEN!!!! She was that tired I guess! By 7:30 DJ was up, and so was Howie, and then so was Samantha...I got to sleep in a bit. Howie woke me shortly after 9 and I got up to get ready for church.

I gotta say, I love Christmas!!!! Our church was decorated yesterday, and it was just gorgeous to walk into the sanctuary and see it all decked out! Love that! And all our songs were Christmas carols...wonder if we were practicing for next week's carolling parade??? lol DJ was a tyrant!! Well at least in my eyes he was...very distracting today! And buggy! Does it help/hurt the case when the person sitting behind you tells you "oh your son did SO good today during church! He really did!!"  A: that means you noticed him and he wasn't good and B: you have NO idea!!! lol

We stopped at the shed before going home...got the kids a pizza for lunch which they were thrilled about! Been a while since we've had one. It was a nice lunch and both kids ate faster than normal!!! SO nice for a change! I got Jake's school pictures yesterday, so after lunch I cut them up and wrote all the deets on the back. Howie was busy reading the paper and ads,. which this time of year are quite full of "Iwants" or "eye wants" and my two are no exception! It was SO cute....Howie gave them the Toys R Us mini book...the Fred Meyer insert...and the Target book...and they spread them out on the living room floor drooling over every page!!! Taking turns pointing at different toys on the pages. Oh it was heartwarming!! And so freakin cute! If  I had all the money in the world, I'd give them a few Iwants!!

I left shortly after 2 for my volunteer stint at a gift wrapping station in the mall in Everett...Howie and the kids were outside putting lights up on the house. I arrived at the mall 15 mins early, which was a good thing as it took me 10 mins to find parking!! I knew roughly the area to park in, but it was by the movie theater, which is usually busy in any mall! Finding the gift wrapping station was easy too...but I was looking for a table in the middle of the aisle, not an empty store. So that was a nice surprise! The two people who had the earlier shift had NO ONE!!!! So they sat there chatting for 4 hours...not a bad deal! Of course, within our (I had a gal named Deanne with me) first half hour we had 2 people! Not too bad! In total we had 5 people use our service! I did some knitting and some chatting...so not a bad deal! I sure did enjoy coming home to see some lights on our house!! The stapler broke just after he finished the front entry way, so hopefully more this week once we get a new stapler....

Since my shift didn't end til 6 and we had to wait for security to close the store up, I missed dinner time here at home. Howie had it all under control, once he found the rotini noodles to cook, with fresh Steelhead that he caught yesterday to bbq. YUM!!!! He said the kid gobbled their fish first and LOVED it!!!! So awesome! I ate my dinner with some help...not that I shared, but they sure did try to scam me out of my dinner! Brats! Once I got done eating I got them pj'ed and brushed and into bed. We now have a nice routine going in that Howie tucks DJ in and I tuck Samantha in...and then Howie waits to be called by Sam, and kisses are given, and I turn on her music. Then I go tuck DJ in and say his prayers with him. Nice and smooth!

Howie wasn't too fr behind the kids...and I got to sit and knit!! Amazing Race was good! Don't think I could do the white river rafting...looks more painful than fun!! Desperate Housewives has me wondering how they're gonna get outta that jam...or if they're building up for a series finale...which would NOT be kool!! Brothers & Sisters was quite comical! Good knitting nite!!

Til next time...God bless!

P.S. by the time you read this, my cousin will be home in the arms of his wife! Thank you Jeff for your service for your country!!

Christmas Partay number one

This morning Howie went fishing...so that meant I had woke up with kids in bed! And SamSam was coooooold! oh her little toes were a rude awakening!!! I was smart last nite and left them each a sippy cup in the fridge....worked like a charm too!! Howie messaged me at 8:30 that he'd caught a fish! And that he was on his way home already! Perfect timing really!!  I made him breakfast with us which was kinda nice! Then I went and showered for the day as I had to head out to do some Avoning...minus the Avon! Just books this time.

I left at 11 after MANY kisses were given to DJ. Since  no one was home anywhere, the books were flying out of the car!! Makes it easy really! I got done just before 2 and stopped at Arby's for something to eat. I must say, their fries aren't that good...I'm a McD's girl for fries! Next stop was ToysRUs for the santa gifts...boy, are they gonna be SURPRISED!!!!!

Then finally homeward bound!! Howie was in the shower when  got home which was good timing!! I grabbed my makeup and headed to the dining room. Then came the fun of trying to figure out what to wear...in the end I didn't wear what I'd originally set out to wear in my mind...which is fine! I did end up wearing my long straight hair piece...such fun!!! But man, after 6 hours, I was ready for it to come OUT!!!!

Dinner was fabulous as usual! I was smart and took the beano in my purse...and actually remembered to take it!!! The Apple Cup was today (that's University of Washington vs Washington State University) which is THE game of the state...and they had a corner set up with one of the massive screens televising it! It came down to the wire too! Just before the overtime happened I told Howie to go watch it...he was antsy and couldn't see the screen from where we were...man, there sure was a lot of cheering! Huskies (UW) won and the evening finally proceeded! In the end they gave away 12 trips to Disney World and 17 to Disney Land...nope, we weren't the lucky ones! Must be nice tho!

After the speeches and video clips we were released to go play at the mock casino they set up. Even with fake money, I'm still not a gambler! Howie did good tho...he turned his 3500 into over 100K...if only!!! I had a great time hanging out with my girls Tiffany and Wyndi! We had some pix taken with the professional photog that was there, and then just chatted. The last time the 3 of us got together was 6 mos ago! I see Tiffany more often tho...but damn, is Wyndi ever busy!

About 10:30 we said our goodbyes and headed for home! Glad Howie was driving as I was a tad intoxicated...not too much tho as I was cordial to the big guy when we got our coats. Even got a kiss on the cheek from him. Got home and got the low down on how the kids were. They did great for dinner...and then bath and teeth...and then Sam fell asleep at 7...we'll see how that pans out for tomorrow morning for Howie. DJ did good and went to bed fine. Even woke before we went to bed so he was happy to get some loves before sleeping again.

Now, its my turn for sleeping

Til next time...pray for safety for all troops!