OK, so I may need to chill...

We have been SUPER busy lately with Girl Scouts, school, and sporting events. As of late, I totally feel like I barely have time to do much with myself (my roots can testify to that) let alone take on anything extra. Well, middle daughter brings home a sheet for me to fill out for the Spring softball league. Now don't get me wrong, I could totally make time for this, but middle daughter doesn't have an athletic bone in her body! Not only that, she's not the outdoorsy type and whines if we say.... go to the zoo in 70 degree weather. I understand that it is supposed to be "fun" and that it's all a learning experience, but the mother in me wants to save her from any kind of disappointment and bad emotions that "may" occur. I'm very proud that she has the confidence to even consider it, and seems totally excited at the prospect -- for now, anyway. She's VERY artistic, and talented in so many other ways. I can so see it now though, she in her twenties, us having an argument over some silly thing that young adults argue with their parents about, and hearing, "it's all because YOU didn't let ME play softball when I was 8!" Can't you just hear it??.... So, I will take her to sign ups, and maybe she will surprise me. If not, I will be that comforting, protective mother that I set out to be initially, but had to step aside to allow her to grow... Hope it works out...

Gettin' back into the normal swing of things...

December kept me WAY busy. I love the holidays and all they bring , but in some ways, I'm also relieved to see them go. I just feel like a chicken with my head cut off, running from here to there, getting the shopping done, attending parties, school events, preparing for our own family events, that I truly get exhausted.


Makenna, my middle daughter, turned 8 this December. We had a slumber party with 11 girls, much better than the grand total of 20 last year, and she had a good time. A week or so before her birthday, she did the most awesome thing. She donated her hair to Locks of Love! I was so proud of her for doing such a caring thing for others. Even though she's starting to go through a "talking back, uggghhh noise making, stomping away phase",(better be anyway) she has the biggest heart.

We try to make it to the Adolphus Children's Christmas parade in Dallas every year. We actually missed last year so we were super excited to go this year. It's never a disappointment. I'm a sucker for parades, though. The kids loved it. For Dallas, it's a pretty good production. Not quite Macy's, but it sure works.

I host Christmas at our house every year. This year we didn't have the crowd that we normally would. I was really afraid it wouldn't feel quite right without an overcrowded house, but it really turned out to be very enjoyable. I didn't feel nearly as stressed the day of as I usually do, that in itself made it nice.

A good friend of mine flew in from Michigan and spent New Year's Eve with us. We didn't do much this year, just a quiet night at home watching the ball drop while munching out on snacks. It was nice, but quiet. Not a bad way to ring in the new year, I suppose.

I hope everyone else had a great Christmas and an awesome start to 2009!

6 things that make me happy!

I've been tagged by fellow blogger Chris at What's in Sissy's Head? I have to list 6 things that make me happy! Luckily, today is a good day so I can do this with some ease...

1. My children and everything about them. No matter what my mood might be, without a doubt one of them will do SOMETHING in a day that will make me smile.

2. Diet Coke. It's the way I get my day started, and without it, my whole day seems to be off course.

3. Being productive. I love the feeling at the end of a day when I can reflect back on the events of that day and truly feel like I've accomplished a lot.

4. My friends. I don't really have what I would consider an "abundance" of them, but the ones I do have, I absolutely treasure.

5. Christmas. I love everything about the holiday. The giving, the music, the lights and decorations, the parades, just every little thing about it.

6. Church. It seems like even on days that I don't feel like going, I'm always glad that I did.

Now, I shall tag a few :)

Black Friday deals and steals! -- Part I

I LOVE Black Friday, it gives me the ultimate adrenaline rush! I start planning and mapping out my shopping schedule a couple of weeks in advance every year. View some of the awesome deals of the day at the following links and get your BF shopping game face on! Have fun, use caution(especially if shopping alone), and land some awesome deals!

Walmart: http://www.blackfriday.info/sales/wal-mart-black-friday-ad.html

Walmart also has pre - black friday online sales going on, check out their site for some great deals.

Best Buy: http://www.blackfriday.info/sales/best-buy-black-friday-ad.html

Word has it that they've added an awesome door buster deal, a HP G50-104NR Laptop with Canon 3-in-1 Printer for $349.98 ... so be there early!

Bath & Body Works: $100 Limited Edition VIP Gift Bag w/$40 Purchase - $15.00

Kohls: http://www.blackfriday.info/sales/kohls-black-friday-ad.html
Opens at 4am for doorbuster deals!


When shopping this season, remember handmade and handcrafted items make awesome gifts! Check out etsy @ http://www.etsy.com/ and support a crafter while snagging great gifts!

What a week!...

What a week this has been! For me, it has been emotional, for more reasons than one. The election is behind us, we have a new president. This, for me, stirs up much fear and emotion. Not for any other reason than I do not agree with his proposed agenda. I wish I could say the same for others... On election night, I was very disappointed at the fact McCain lost, as he was my candidiate of choice, but, there was no denying the historical aspect of the evening. That being said, I'm ready to move on from that historical moment, and watch Obama get down to business. I will be glad when people start calling him President Obama(kinda) instead of labeling him by his race as the "first black President Obama." I will continue to pray for my country as I always have, and for guidance and direction for the newly elected president.

On a lighter note, we've had a great week outside of that. Halloween was great and, of course, the girls got WAY too much candy. They had a great time though.

Kenna was selected this week by her school to be a part of the UIL Creative Writing. I couldn't be prouder! I feel kind of bad because I did not encourage her to try out, her teacher did. Now I'm fully aware of the fact that Kenna is artistic, and often expresses her creativity through that outlet, but I had no idea she had a knack for writing! Madison is, at this moment, on a trip for a jump rope workshop down in South Texas. I haven't spoken to her yet this morning, but I hope she's having a great time. I'm sure she is. I have been working with Morgie on her handwriting and motor skills. She is improving every day! Sometimes she is very difficult to keep focused and interested, but most of the time she really has the desire to get it right.

November and December are always incredibly busy months for me, as I'm sure they are for most people. But I absolutely LOVE this time of year! I'm SO ready for Black Friday, Christmas music, and all of the other aspects of this great time.

Last minute Halloween ideas!

Halloween is tomorrow, are you finding yourself scrambling around trying to come up with some last minute ideas? Try utilizing some of what you might already have! Try dressing the little one up as a farmer using already purchased overalls with a button down collared shirt. Top it all off with a straw hat, and you're good to go! Do the kids have any sweatsuits? You can make a bunny costume in no time using a white sweatsuit by attaching a ball of cotton or fuzz by safety pin to the bottoms. Then make ears out of stiff paper or cardboard and attach to a headband! Use face paint to complete the look. One year, my daughter went as a black cat. We used a black leotard, a feather boa pinned to the bottom for a tail, and completed the look with a store purchased cat ears headpiece. I painted on some whiskers and a nose, and she was so cute! You'd be surprised with what you can come up with last minute just by utilizing old clothing items and things around your house. Look around and see what you come up with!

Busy day yesterday...

I finally went and got my hair cut. I'm sporting my new doo today! It was nice to get a little break and I feel so much better!

We had our Court of Awards ceremony for Girl Scouts last night. I just love Girl Scouts. It was so cute watching the Daisys bridge to Brownies -- they were SO proud. It's a great organization for girls of all ages. I'll be an assistant leader next year, and I'm really looking forward to that. It will keep me busy though. This was Makenna's first year, and she enjoyed it very much. She experienced many things for the first time with the org. Not to mention, they have awesome cookies, what more could a person want?!

After the ceremony, I attended an Uppercase Living Party at a cafemom friend's house. It was nice to meet other moms and I look forward to playdates and such. Uppercase Living, in case you don't know, is a company that sells "decorative expressions." They have some really neat things. Check them out:
http://www.uppercaseliving.com/
I enjoyed the evening very much. I was too tired to download pics last night, so I will do that today and post some later of the ceremony.

NKTOB made me giddy??

Just yesterday I wrote about how I was coming to terms with getting older. This morning, well for about 30 minutes anyway, I felt like a giddy little teenager watching New Kids on the Block on the Today Show. I mean afterall, they were the hottest boy band of MY young life, and I know I'm not alone in my thinking. Well, guess what? They're not quite new, and definitely not kids, anymore. Even still, it was so much fun watching them and singing along to the songs... yes, I even still remember the lyrics! I think I will try and see them in concert when they come to town and soak up the youthful feeling for an ENTIRE two hours! I can't wait....

Mother's Day gift ideas

Say it With Suds!

Traditional old greeting cards are fine, but everybody exchanges them, same old thing year after year…sigh… Why be ordinary? Say—you’re the greatest, best, coolest, most wonderful…. mom, dad, sister, friend, dog… with a message on a bottle. Introducing Not Soap, Radio’s NEW line of GREETING CARD bubble bath/shower gels (its formulated as both!), SAY IT WITH SUDS

All natural products. Can be found at:

http://www.notsoapradio.com/products.html

For the gardening mom:

Gardenia Bonsai tree-

Garden Bonsai tree: The Gardenia's shiny, dark green foliage provides a striking contrast for its white blooms. The bonsai flowers appear intermittently throughout the year, perfuming your home with the gardenia's legendary fragrance. You can find this along with other blooming bonsai trees at ProFlowers.

http://products.proflowers.com/bonsai/GardeniaBonsai-2774?REF=fgvpffeed+giftscomfeed_2774&ssid=4

Scrapbook in a box kit - Aunt Gertie

This great kit includes: 8 X 8 preservation album, 1 sheet of label & frame stickers, 1 sheet of die-cut tags, 1 sheet of clear alphabet stickers, Ribbon & buttons, instructions & templates. 17 pages, easy to assemble, layouts, and all papers cut to size for fast assembly. Great kit for a scrappin' beginner. This can be found at JoAnn fabric and craft stores. Check the website for one near you!

http://www.joann.com/joann/index.jsp

Have a Happy Mother's Day!!!