Update

Mom is going home today. She ended up having 7 biopsies. We'll know the results in a few days. There is still the possibility that she just has a very infected polyp. She's not in any pain right now, but the doctors say she'll feel like she was hit by a truck after the pain medication wears off later today. Please keep praying for us!

It is literally snowing up a storm outside. I slid off the rode three times trying to get home this morning. It looks like we'll be staying home tomorrow. So much for Carson's speech evaluation.

I think some scrapbooking is on the agenda for this afternoon since I'm snowed in. I feel like doing some cooking, and I'm thinking chicken and dumplings sounds very good for dinner. Thanks for checking in!

Prayers Please

Please say a prayer for my mom tomorrow. She went to the hospital last night with what she thought was a flu bug and found out that she likely has colon cancer. She'll be undergoing a biopsy tomorrow. We still have hope that there is another explanantion, but the doctor wanted us to be informed that it could be cancer. She's had no other sypmtoms so we're pretty shocked.

Things could get very interesting since we're expeting a snowstorm beginning tomorrow and lasting through Friday. I have been waiting since September for Carson to have a speech evaluation at the university and it's scheduled for Friday. I hope we can get out. Looks like I need to make a grocery run tomorrow. We don't get a lot of snow here and things pretty much shut down when it does snow.

I'm going to take it easy and watch some tv, then head to bed early. I'll update as soon as I hear anything tomorrow. Thank you for the prayers!

Productivity

I never left the house today. When the alarm went off for church this morning I convinced myself that last night's church dinner counted for the week. I know, that's pretty weak. Greg did make it to church to work the lights. I think I would be much more motivated if we left for church at the same time, instead of him having to be there an hour early.



I ended up getting all but one load of laundry done, which was huge since I had gotten pretty far behind this week. I spent the morning catching up on the blogs I read and looking around on twopeasinabucket.com.



I made the Pioneer Woman's roasted chicken legs for lunch with German fried potatoes and black-eyed peas. The chicken legs were flavorful and very moist, but I just cannot make myself like anything but boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I can't stand the weird tendons and other gross parts of the leg. Oh well, I'll make breasts next time.



This afternoon I was feeling a little overwhelmed by everything I needed to get done and ended up letting myself get into a pretty snippy mood. I ended up spending the afternoon working downstairs at my scrapbook desk. I got all of this done:

13 assorted Valentines

16 invitations to Carson's Valentine party

30 invitations to a cousin's baby shower

Pictures added to this swap layout that Becky made

I'm feeling pretty good about the few things left on my list. I was planning to work on my lecture for class Tuesday night, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.

I just heard on the local news that Chelsea Clinton made a stop in our town today. That's big news around here. We're not exactly on the campaign path. I'm still undecided on who will get my vote, but it would be very interesting if Chelsea had two presidential parents. We'll see what Super Tuesday brings.

I'm traveling for work on Tuesday and I can't wait. I've had way too many days sitting in the office doing paperwork lately. It's time for a road trip! Have a wonderful week and don't forget to leave me comments. I have a little something in the works for my next giveaway!

Party Squared

I'm a party girl this weekend. The spa party was awesome last night. Good friends, good food, great products and pampering. I had a fabulous time! No pictures though. It was a PJ party and I might have had mutiny on my hands had I busted out the camera when we were wearing eye pads and had mouths covered in exfoliation cream. I can't wait for all of my fun new products to arrive!

I watched Riley yesterday. He is the sweetest little guy. Carson helped me by feeding and entertaining him so I could make my party food. He's just a little bit jealous when Riley's around, but he does pretty well.

Man, how I had forgotten how much time and equipment is involved in caring for a ten-week-old. I felt like such a supermommy pulling up to meet Greg for lunch in my minivan with two kids to unbuckle and bundle up, a bag of toys to keep Carson occupied , the infant car seat complete with fleecy cover, and a huge diaper bag to tote along. The one-armed feeding the baby/trying to eat my own food trick came back pretty quickly, but I must admit I have certainly gotten used to the independence of an older child. We'll have some adjusting to do when we have our next baby.





Today I went to see a baby for work, then we went to the Jackson Diner for lunch. It was yummy. We made a quick stop at the store for some mailing supplies (Dawn-your package is being mailed Priority on Monday. Sorry!) and then to the grocery store for ingredients for my awesome new mac-n-cheese recipe. We had a few hours to relax at home before we headed to church for our pastor's 25th wedding anniversary party. There were several hundred people there and we managed to keep it a complete surprise. Needless to say, his wife cried.

Greg made a great slide show of their married life that made her cry even harder.

Greg has a business making slide shows for special occasions. He mostly does weddings, but has also done retirement videos, and birthday party videos. His website has more info and sample videos if you want to take a look. My brother's wedding video is the Penny/Link wedding.

Several girls asked for my recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip at the party last night, so I thought I'd share it here. I made it for every Christmas function we had in December and there was rarely any left. It's easy and oh-so-yummy.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 pkgs cream cheese, softened
2 cans chicken breast, drained and flaked
aprrox 1/2 bottle of hot wing sauce or regular hot sauce
1/2 bottle blue cheese salad dressing (or ranch, if desired)
1 pkg shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Mix cream cheese, dressing, and hot sauce with mixer until smooth. Stir in chicken and 1/2 of the cheese. Spread in a greased, shallow casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips.

and here's the recipe I created today for baked macaroni and cheese:

Macaroni and Cheese

1 16 oz package elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 sticks butter
1 cup cornflake crumbs
1 pkg shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 pkg cream cheese
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dry mustard

Melt 1 stick of butter in large saucepan. Stir in flour to make a roux (slightly brown the flour). Add evaporated milk and regular milk. Stir to combine. Add garlic salt, onion powder, and dry mustard. Cut cream cheese into fourths and add to saucepan. Cook, stirring frequently until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar cheese until melted. Add macaroni and stir until coated with cheese mixture. Spread evenly in greased casserole dish.Melt second stick of butter and stir in cornflake crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs on top of macaroni. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

I realize it sounds complicated, but just do it. You won't be sorry. And by the way, don't be afraid of the dry mustard. It doesn't make it taste like mustard, but gives it more depth of flavor. (translation=makes it gooooooood!!!!!!)

Sophia posted a challenge on her blog earlier in the week to list some things that you do well. Not for bragging rights, but more to remind yourself when you're having a rough time that you do have talents and gifts that affect others. At the party last night, the consultant had each girl tell something nice about me. I was thrilled that nobody needed more than a few minutes to come up with something. :)I'm recording what the girls said here to remind myself that the next time I want to have a pity party, I do have gifts that affect others. Here goes:

1. Jayne said that I am an awesome B_ _ CH! (That's a compliment coming from her.) :)
2. My mom said that I fight for the things I believe in and for those who can't fight for themselves.
3. My mother-in-law said that I buy great presents for people.
4. Jane said that I'm very organized and that I've always made her feel included.
5. Amy said that I am an awesome cook. ( I told you I rock in the kitchen!)
6. Jaime said that I was there from the very beginning to support her when her preemie was born and that I was important in helping him his first three years.
7. Becky said that I'm a good friend and that we always have fun together.
8. Dana said that I have always been welcoming to her and that if I'm at the office, fun will be had.

That's it for tonight. Tomorrow is church, another new recipe or two, and some scrapbooking and card making! Stay tuned!

The Agony of Defeat

Our team lost tonight. In what ended up being a close game, the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks lost to the Moorehead University Eagles. We still had fun! It was our mascot, Rowdy the Redhawk's, 3rd birthday, so he had a halftime birthday party. Over a thousand t-shirts were launched with air cannons and mascots from other local sports teams as well as a few restaurants and businesses were at the game to help him celebrate. The Moore and McCoy families joined us for the evening.

Work was uneventful. I'm looking forward to my party and watching my nephew tomorrow. It will be his first trip to Aunt Amy's house. I have the Pack-n-Play and all of our baby toys out and ready to go. I'll take lots of pictures. :) Have a wonderful weekend!

A New 'Do...and No Spew!

I haven't gotten the full-blown flu, just intermittent nausea. I think the preventative Pepto I've been chugging and the happy, anti-upchucking thoughts I've been thinking have really helped. Ok, probably not, but hopefully I've made it out of the danger zone.

I left work at noon to get my new 'do. The stylist talked me into leaving my hair slightly longer than the Kate Gosselin picture since I had been used to it being quite a bit longer than the pic. I think it looks good! I even walked on the wild side and had some copper highlights added to my normal blond highlights. Here's the before:

and the after:

It's hard to see the reddish highlights in the pictures, but they're there! I'm glad I decided to be daring.

Brooke left a comment earlier in the week asking what my hair was like when Greg and I met. Greg doesn't care much about my hair and would never say anything either way about how it was cut or styled. Tonight I had to point out that it was significantly shorter and red. He's oblivious. I did decide to put a little "hairdo's throughout the years" montage together for your enjoyment and comic relief. Here goes:

Our wedding 1998, shoulder length and in an updo with curly tendrils

Chistmas 1999, big and a little flippy in the back

Spring 2001 shoulder length and layered

Disney 2004 very short and easy

Cruise 2005 longer and very flippy

So, there you have the long and short of it. :) It's definitely easier short and I think I'm just a short hair person.

We went to Red Lobster tonight for Cecil's birthday. It was yummy! I didn't get a great picture because Carson refused to smile once the waiter brought the food. He likes to eat.

Tomorrow is work then a SEMO University basketball game with some friends. Friday is my spa party! I'm ready for some relaxation. Make Thursday great!

Spew

Today was busy. I had a site visit to a child care facility this morning for three hours, an hour-long conference call about a new research study on obesity that I'll be advising on, a therapy appointment with a baby, and class. I'm beat.

Greg woke up at 5:30 am with the stomach flu. He stayed home. I am feeling more pukey by the minute, but am praying that I make it to my hair appointment tomorrow. It's time for Kate Gosselin hair!

My sister came down with the pukes at 4 pm. We were all together on Sunday. Things really aren't looking good for my chances to bypass this trip to Barfville.

I'm headed to bed with the Pepto. Tomorrow is my father-in-law, Cecil's birthday. That means eating out. I can't be sick. Goodnight.

PS to Disney Dawn: Yes, you won! Send your address and I'll send prizes. :)

And the winner is.....

Dawn! Greg pulled the name for my drawing so things would be completely impartial. Dawn, please email me the address where I should send your prize. Yay! Big thanks to all who commented. Keep it up, I have another little random giveaway in mind and you never know when I might be looking for a winner!

Yesterday we hung out at home again. It's cold and we're trying to save money, so this will be a recurrent theme. Carson has decided that the best place to watch is a movie is snuggled in our bed under the electric blanket with a bowl of snacks. Life is good.

Last night we went to my parents' house to celebrate my brother, Jeremy's, 28th birthday. Mom made lasagna, salad, garlic bread, salsa, guacamole, brownies, and pineapple upside down cake. It was a multicultural meal and very yummy.

I got so much done today. I would have rather taken it easy for the sake of Dr. King, but I had a lot to do. We did school work this morning while laundry was in the works. Greg came home to join us for lunch, then headed back to work. This afternoon I ironed Carson's outgrown clothes for a consignment sale. I gave up about halfway through. Tonight I created a PowerPoint presentation for my class tomorrow night, typed a report on a child, and worked on Carson's lesson plans. It will be a break to go back to work tomorrow.

I tried a new recipe tonight that was delicious and easy. Greg and Carson agreed. Here it is:

Beef Tips
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
2 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2(.75 ounce) packages dry brown gravy mix

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet heat oil over high heat. Saute the onion until almost translucent.
Add the stew meat and cook on high heat until meat is browned on all sides; about 3 to 5 minutes.
Pour 2 cups water, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce into the skillet. Stir in garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Stir gravy mix into beef. Bring to a boil stirring frequently until slightly thickened. Serve over rice, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes.

You could also throw it all in the slow cooker on low all day, or just brown the meat and bake it at 350 for 1-1 1/2 hours.

That's it for tonight!

Voyeurism

I am addicted to reading other people's trip reports on the DIS forums. I am fascinated by how other people spend their time at Disney. Some of their itineraries would drive me insane. I am not big on hopping to three different parks a day or just winging it when it comes to dining reservations. I am methodical in my planning, so as to maximize our time at in the World and see and do as much as possible. I am one of those people who is stressed out when there is too much down time. I can't stand the thought that I might be missing something exciting. I'm also that mom that says, "No way are going to the hotel for a nap! He can sleep tonight." Weird, I know. This is why we usually go on vacation alone. I scare those fly by the seat of your pants vacationers. They literally infuriate me. Greg deals well with my planning and obsessing over details and our vacations are packed full of fun. I love it!

Anyway, I've spent the last 3 hours perusing the boards and reading trip reports. I have so many decisions to make!

We stayed home all day today. I cooked lunch and dinner. The meal theme of the day was, "let's eat what's in the pantry so we can possibly afford this Disney trip." We'll be having this theme frequently this year. Our menu included BBQ chicken bites, potato wedges, and baked beans for lunch and burritos, Spanish rice, and refried beans for supper. Not bad for eating what's left in the pantry.

Several friends asked for the recipe for the potato soup I made for scrapbooking, so here it is. It's originally from my coworker, Syd. It's really easy and really yummy!

1 large bag frozen, shredded hash browns

1 bag shredded cheddar cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 cups whole milk

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 sticks butter

salt and pepper

Melt butter in large stock pot. Add onion and saute until tender. Add hash browns and cream of chicken soup and stir until combined. Pour in milk. Heat, stirring often, until potatoes are tender and milk is heated. Stir in cheese until melted. Season with salt and pepper. It will need a good deal of salt. Serve with extra cheese and bacon bits, if desired. You can also just saute the onions in butter, then throw it all in the crockpot on high for about 4 hours.

I'm beat! I'll draw the winner of my giveaway in the morning. Thanks to all who commented!

P.S. to Brooke: I'm getting together a little hairdo montage in response to your comment. Stay tuned!

Time's almost up!

You have until midnight Saturday to delurk and post a comment in order to be entered for my giveaway. Get those comments in QUICK!

Yesterday was interesting. I went to Sikeston and evaluated the baby that I mentioned in the last post. His mother was very young and appeared to either be slightly nuts or on some type of drug. I actually deal with both types of people on a weekly basis, so it really doesn't faze me anymore. I could not understand her speech and she kept leaving the room in the middle of my questions. I finally just got up and followed her around the house until she answered all my questions. After nine years of working in all types of people's homes, nothing really surprises me. You just have to roll with it.

We went out for BBQ at The Branding Iron with my in-laws last night. I was relieved to not have to cook. I love cooking, but it sucks when I work both jobs in one day and get home well after dark. I also talked with Becky for awhile, which is always nice. I spent the late evening/very early morning reading the DIS boards for tips on planning our trip to Disney World. (I talk about it like it's a sure thing. It makes me feel better.)

Today Carson and I picked up my brother and baby nephew and gave them a ride to the doctor for the baby's shots. We all went to lunch, then Carson and I dropped them off and headed for Hobby Lobby and Big Lots. I got some great deals on groceries at Big Lots. I need to shop there more often.

After shopping, I dropped Carson off at my mom's office so he could help her work tonight. He gets to help in the concession stand at the college gymnastics meets. He loves to socialiaze with everyone and he makes $2.50 a night. Big money when you're 6. I then went to my friend, Christy's, house to make some potato soup for scrapbooking group tonight, rather than driving all the way back to my house. It turned out awesome as usual. I rock in the kitchen. I was even a Pampered Chef Lady for a couple years. I've also never had a problem with pointing out my own talents. Can you tell?

Scrapbooking had record attendance tonight. We decided that we need to have a meal every month at the crop to get everyone there. I forgot my pictures, so I worked on baby shower invites for my cousin and talked and ate a lot.

Back to yesterday's post: it seems like I have 5 votes for cutting my hair and 0 votes for letting it grow. I made a hair appointment for Wednesday, so I've got a few days to decide what I really want. I may even throw in some very subtle red highlights. We'll see!

Sadly, I am giving up on reading Love in the time of Cholera. I always finish a book, but I just cannot get interested in this one. I'm moving on to The Thirteenth Tale. I might try the movie version of the Cholera story.

I have no plans for Saturday and I am thrilled. Make it a great weekend!

Who's there?

I came in a little late on the knowledge that this is National Delurking Week. I think it's time for all of my readers to make your presence known. I am thrilled that I've already had several hundred visitors since I started blogging again and I thank all of you for stopping by. However, it would be great to hear what you have to say, so here's a little challenge for you-Anyone who is willing to to delurk and post a comment between now and Saturday will be entered to win a nice little goodie basket full of surprises. I have a hankerin' for some shopping and I'd love to go shopping for my lucky reader. So, you've got some choices: post a comment just letting me know you stopped by, ask me a question, comment on my crazy life, or share a quote or piece of wisdom that you've been holding on to. That's all. I like feedback and the feeling that all of this time spent neglecting my family and home while blogging is worth something to someone. Thanks!

In other news, I had two meetings this afternoon and feel like I got very little accomplished at work today. Tomorrow we have an office baby shower at lunch, which is always good for 2 hours away from the office. After work I am heading to Sikeston, a town 30 miles south, to evaluate a child and to make a little stop at the scrapbook store there. It turns out we most likely won't get much snow, so travel should just be rainy.

Today I ran into a friend that I hadn't seen in a few months. We have the same color and texture hair and she has the cutest short hair cut. I am seriously debating cutting my hair really short again. It's so fine and soft that it starts looking stringy at about the length it is now (see picture in sidebar for current length and style). So here's my debate. Feel free to chime in here. Should I keep growing my hair out into a layerless, chin-length bob as planned, or cut it short and hassel-free like Kate Gosselin?

I love her hair and have actually had mine cut even shorter in the past. It' s a lot easier in the mornings, but I have spent so much time growing my top layers out to try to get to the chin-length bob cut, which should also be cute. So, bring on the opinions. Goodnight!

Lights, Camera, Action

My class went very well. All of the cameras connected, all of my students showed up, and I could hear everyone. I have a smaller group than usual, with only 13 students total in the three locations. I can't really see any faces of one of the groups, but at least I can tell how many people are in the room and hear all of them. I think it will be a good semester.

I finally have the class website up and feel like I have a very basic understanding of how to add to and edit the website. I hate feeling so illiterate about computers. Yesterday I went to the faculty lab to have a student tech help me put some info on the website and he asked if I was a teaching assistant. I explained that I was faculty and had been teaching for four years. He told me that I wasn't old enough to be a faculty member. I was at least 10 years older than him. I'm not sure if that was a compliment or a jab. He was an interesting guy.

Tomorrow is another office workday. I haven't had to travel much lately, but I do have a few day trips coming up out of town next week. It's hard to work in the office all day when I've been doing home visits and field work for the last 8 years. I should get plenty of paperwork done this week.

There's a chance for snow Thursday. I hope we get enough for Carson to use his new snowman kit. So far we've only gotten about an inch all winter. I'd like a nice, snowy Friday to curl up with Carson and my baby nephew, Riley.

Friday night is my monthly crop, then we have no plans for the weekend and I'm off on Monday. I have baby shower invitations and valentine party invitations to make. I'm set for a cozy weekend inside.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Soup and Scrapbooking on Sunday

I got a lot done today. Carson and I skipped church and slept in again this week. We're going to have to work on getting to bed earlier and getting back in the church routine. Since I quit working in the nursery, we've gotten way too lax about attendance. I also don't like sitting by myself on the weeks Greg has to run the lights for the band. I need to get over that.

This afternoon I made a big pot of extra yummy vegetable soup and we curled up in the living room and watched License to Wed. It was funny, but certainly wasn't one of the best movies I've ever seen.

I spent the late afternoon and evening wrapping my mother-in-law's birthday presents, making 6 12x12 layouts and three cards for a swap on Friday, and doing four loads of laundry. I feel like I got a lot accomplished. Here are the fruits of my labor:

I still have to get a few things ready for my class that starts Tusday night, but it's going to have to wait until tomorow. I'm taking off early tomorrow to finish up my class stuff and get ready to go out to dinner for my mother-in-law's birthday. Have a great week!

Blessed

I'm not feeling materialistic at all today. It is so hard to understand why things change in the blink of an eye. One of my babies passed away on Thursday. It was unexpected and has completely devastated his family. Please say a prayer for Spencer's family. He was the sweetest blue-eyed angel that you could imagine. I am so blessed to have my own healthy baby boy.

I did not make it to the funeral today because I was 2 hours away presenting child abuse and neglect training. I thought of Spencer often today and realized that spending today training others about how to help prevent abuse and neglect was the greatest way I could have honored his memory.

My training went well. I am so honored when the trainees stay around after dismissal to tell me that they liked the training and wanted to thank me for my time. It helps me remember not to freak out about the little things like when the PowerPoint presentation won't work (today!) or when we get off track talking about what they are concerned about and I don't get to finish every activity I had planned.

Greg rode along and dropped me off at the training site, then went geocaching. He found 16 caches today. That's a lot. He said there was hiking involved and his wild, wind blown hair proved it. He looked a bit like a mad scientist when he came to pick me up.

Yesterday I watched my baby nephew, Riley. Carson wasn't too impressed with his 8-week-old cousin. I got my baby fix and am looking forward to next Friday to do it again.

I also attended a fabulous spa partyand came home so relaxed. I needed the girl time and refreshing eye pads after the sad news this week. I booked my own spa party, so stay tuned for pictures.

I'm beat! My feet are screaming from standing all day and I have got to get back on a better sleep schedule. Have a great Sunday!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

Today was good. We had a skeleton crew in the office, so things were very quiet. I spent the morning studying several hours worth of Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect training material. I feel well informed about Difficult Behaviors in Infants and Toddlers as well as Building Supportive Relationships with Parents. I hope the participants in my six hour Saturday training are ready for some exciting material.(insert heavy sarcasm here)

Tonight was dinner with my mom, mother-in-law, and another friend, Carol, at Olive Garden before heading to Bunco at the university. We only played 3 rounds tonight but had a great time, as usual.

I'm feeling a little materialistic lately, so I thought I'd share a few of the things that are making me drool at the moment. Just in case anyone wants to chip in a few hundred dollars toward my next birthday gift, you've still got 4 months to save up!

I have been checking out these purses made with Amy Butler fabrics on etsy.com for several months now. I think I may just give in and order one next paycheck. It's so hard to decide which one I want.

I also want a Bosch mixer like this:

It's $300. I've been researching and this mixer seems to outperform a Kitchenaid mixer hands down. And it's red. I like red.

I would also like one of these to get me pumped up and ready for my daily exercise. It's also red. I really like red.

And last but not least, I would like 6 night/7 day package including airfare to here:

It's been three years. I need a Disney Fix. Carson and I are going to the travel agent tomorrow to pick up brochures. I have some dreaming to do.

Some Answers

Firsts and Lasts

The Firsts...

1. First real best friend

Angie Parker We met in preschool and are still friends today

2. First school

The Primary Annex in Jackson, MO

3. First cell phone

a huge bag phone that I thought was so cool

4. First funeral

who knows? My grandparents owned the funeral home, so I was at lots of funerals.

5. First pet

hmmm, the first pet I remember was a black and white dog named Barney

6. First big trip

Hawaii on my honeymoon

7. First fight

Angie and I had some big ones growing up

8. First celebrity crush

New Kids on the Block

9. First time out of the country

A cruise to Mexico in 2006

10. First job

Cashier at the local ice rink

11. First car

1985 Ford Tempo

12. First myspace friend

don't have any

And The Lasts...

13. Last person you hugged

Carson

14. Last car ride

tonight, home from my inlaws

15. Last time you cried

Monday night watching Steel Magnolias

16. Last movie you watched

Steel Magnolias

17. Last food you ate

Beef stoganoff that my mother-in-law made. It was yummy!

18. Last item bought

My lunch at El Torero

19. Last shirt worn

My favorite green swaeter

20. Last phone call

My brother, asking me to babysit

21. Last text message

A Merry Christmas message from a former student

22. Last kiss

Carson when I kissed him goodnight

23. Last thing you touched

the keyboard

24. Last funeral

My cousin, Todd

25. Last time at the mall

Saturday

26. Last time you were excited for something

I'm excited for Bunco tomorrow night

27. Last person you saw

Greg-he's in the floor eatching TV

28. Last thing you drank

Iced Tea

29. Last person that broke your heart

Hasn't been broken lately

30. Last time you were really honestly happy

Last night Greg made me laugh so hard I couldn't breath and had tears streaming down my face

Top Ten MySpace Quizzes and Surveys

It's Raining, It's Pouring...Let's go for a Drive!

Today it rained. And rained. And rained again.

Work was uneventful. I arrived at a meeting dripping wet from the rain, but other than that, it was just another work day.

Then, the fun began. While working with this beautiful boy during his weekly appointment, my cell phone kept ringing.

I just assumed Greg really wanted to talk to me about dinner and ignored the phone until after the appointment. When I left the house of the adorable child pictured above who shall remain nameless, I noticed that the phone calls were from my friend and coworker, Christy. She needed help. She was on her way to an evening meeting an hour from home. She was driving our shared work car, which has just about been run into the ground. She had a flat tire and was sitting on the side of a major interstate highway in the dark, 45 miles from home, praying that she did not get plowed by a semi. Her husband is currently working out of town and I was the only person she could get to answer the phone. So, I took a little 2 hour round trip drive this evening to rescue her. She actually told me she was 10 miles closer than she was. I really pissed some other drivers off by driving 50 in a 70 mph zone searching for her car in the dark for 10 miles. Oh the things we do for friends! She's lucky I really like her.

Greg, Carson, and Greg's parents were kind enough to delay going out to dinner and then ordered for me at the new Jackson Diner. My chicken gyro was "eh," but Greg's Chicken BLT Grinder was fabulous. We'll be headed back to the diner very soon.

I have logged my WW points for the day and ended up with a point to spare. I had planned to exercise today, but the rain, unscheduled road trip, and ankle pain from my little tumble yesterday was enough to convince me to skip the walk today. I'll try again tomorow.

Thursday is Bunco and Friday is a Spa Party at friend's house. Good times!

Break a Leg

So, I fell today. I tripped over my dog in the kitchen while rushing to get dinner ready before my friend, Angie, came over to visit this evening. I had just said, "Spanky! Get out of here!" when I turned and went down. My knee is killing me, my shoulder is aching, and there is blood seeping between my real and acrylic pinky fingernail. It hurts.

Here's the culprit looking rather guilty.

I sulked for a few minutes until I realized Greg was in no way going to be able to get the gravy the right consistency without assistance. I made a fabulous pot roast today, altough I went the crockpot route rather than cooking in a dutch oven for hours like The Pioneer Woman. It was still really good. Browning the roast really does make a big difference. You should try it.

I survived my 4 hour interactive TV training and feel confident that I'll be able to at least see or hear the students, if not both. Luckily, I'll have tech support just a phone call away. Next on the list is learning to build the class website later this week. I'm becoming such a techie.

I got some insider Disney tips from Dawn today. She's the queen of all things Disney World and gave me lots of good info. Check out her blog. (There's a link in my sidebar if this one doesn;t work.) She's witty and posts lots of cool Disney World pics.

I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting of the year tonight. There were no Monday meetings last week due to the holiday. I've logged my points for the day and I'm feeling rejuvinated and ready to get back on track. I had planned to walk tonight until I fell. Hopefully I won't be too sore tomorrow. I'd love some friends to join me on this journey! Registration is free right now.

I got the sad news today that my local scrapbook store is closing after 8 years. Now the closest store will be 30 miles away, and it's not that great. Looks like more trips to St. Louis and Dexter will be on the agenda.

I am off to finally finish The Christmas Bus and choose a new book to start tomorow. Make Tuesday great!

Lazy Sunday and Disney Dreams

We had a lazy Sunday today. I didn't get to sleep until 3:30 am, so we slept in and hung out at home most of the day. I really have to get back in a better routine.

I managed to put together a short presentation for a training a I have to attend tomorrow. My class is transmitted via interactive TV to three other towns, so I have to learn to manipulate the cameras and sound to see and hear all of the students. I had a student camera man last time, but he was eliminated due to budget constraints, so it's all me now.

I'm planning to build a website for the class to keep from having to send papers to all the locations. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some help with the website setup at work tomorrow before the training.

I spent part of the day planning my next trip to Disney World. We are hoping to take a trip while the Christmas decorations are up this November or December. It's going to take some sacrifices to get there, but at least we've got lots of time to save!

I'm off to finish reading The Christmas Bus so I can start something new. Have a great week!

Feeling a little spacey

We visited the Space: Dare to Dream exhibit at the university today. It was great given that nothing like this ever comes to our rural town. It was certainly not Kennedy Space Center, but Carson enjoyed it.

Never mind that man behind Carson in the first picture. Carson wasn't quite tall enough and I haven't ventured in to the world of Photoshop yet. I'm thinking I may need to learn photo editing this year.

Greg went geocahing in Perryville all morning. Carson and I hung out at home until this afternoon when we all went to the museum. After the museum we headed to the mall to pick up some Wallflowers at Bath and Bady Works. Big mistake. It was like Black Friday in the store, with people waiting in line to check out half way out the door. They were having their semiannual sale. I gave up and browsed the other stores. Finally, I gave in and got in line. My house smells yummy like Brown Sugar and Fig.

When we got home, I ironed all of the curtains I washed last weekend, then finished the calendar I started last night. It took longer than I thought, but I am loving my Cricut. I still have a lot to learn to be able to understand all of the features.

Borrowing this from Heather's blog:

{2007 in review}
1. What did you do in 2007 that you have never done before? hmm..I went to Orlando during peak season...I will never do that again

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions and will you make more for 2008? not at all. I am starting over this year

3. Did anyone close to you give birth in 2007? yes, my sister-in-law, Rachel, gave birth to Riley Todd in November. He's a cute little dude and very cuddly.

4. Did anyone close to you die in 2007? yes, my cousin, Todd. He had been very ill for a very long time.

5. What countries did you visit this year? none

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? patience and financial peace

7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? no particular date stands out. We had lots of great days!

9. What was your biggest struggle in 2007? To commit to getting healthy and follow through.

10. Did you suffer any illness or injury in 2007? Nothing unusual

11. What was the best thing you bought this year? Our van. Now we have plenty of room for traveling.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Carson. We have very high expectations for him and he does pretty well given his vision and motor difficulties.

13. Whose behavior dissappointed you? Carson's teachers. I'm not quite sure that they enjoy their jobs.

14. Where did most of your money go? To eating out. This will be changing in 08.

15. What did you get really really excited about this year? Our vacation.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007? nothing stands out

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: much happier, much nicer or richer? Definitely not richer. I'm working on being nicer and happier.

18. What do you wish you had done more of? Stayed home and enjoyed time wth my family.

19. What do you wish you had done less of? Stressed out about things I have no control over.

20. Did you fall in love in 2007? I realized that Greg and I sure have been through a lot and we still laugh at each other every day.

21. What was your favorite TV Program in 2007? LOST..it's finally coming back on this month!

22. What was the best book you read this year? Eat, Pray, Love. It's good. Read it.

23. What was your greatest musical discovery this past year? The Wicked soundtrack. Made even beter when Becky and I went to see Wicked in December

24. What did you want and get? My Cricut.

25. What was the best movie you saw this year? I didn't see hardly any movies this year. I should go to the movies in 2008.

26. What did you do on your birthday and how old did you turn? I turned 31. We went out to dinner.

27. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying? If I would have lost at least a little weight and got back in the exercise routine.

28. How would you describe your personal fashion statement this year? Stqandard work outfit (black or khacki pants or capris with a colorful shirt or sweater). Jeans and t-shirts after work.

29. What kept you sane this year? Playing Bunco once a month, croping at least once a month and going on vacation

30. What celebrity did you fancy the most? I don't give a lot of thought to celebrities.

31. Who did you miss this past year? The girls I met in Utah in 2006. I would love to get together with them again soon.

33. Who were the best new people you met this year? I had some great students that I still hear from.

34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year: Things really will look better in the morning, no matter what.

Tomorrow is church, then I'm planning to work on lesson plans for Carson and for my college class that starts in a few weeks. I'd like to scrap too if I have extra time. I'm also thinking pot roast may be on the menu after reading this on the Pioneer Woman Cooks blog. Yum!

No rest for the wicked

Some of you may have noticed that you received an email from me at 1:48 this morning. That would be because I was still awake at 1:48am. I was still awake at 4am. This does not happen. I'm usually in bed by midnight at the latest and asleep 30 seconds after my head hits the pillow. My head was hurting and I have a hard time going to sleep when Greg is already sleeping in the bed. He messes up my covers and makes weird annoying noises, like breathing. I'm a little anal about the whole bedtime routine. I go to bed first, or we go at the same time and I fall asleep way before him so I don't have warm, noisy breathing in my face. Aren't you glad to know all this?

Anyway, I was finally asleep around 4, then awakened at 7:40 to the tune of, "Mommy, get up! I want cereal!" My reply was, "Open the cereal drawer and eat it out of the box." That lasted 5 minutes until he returned to inform me that he needed a drink too. So, I was up. It's been a rough day, but I seem to have my second wind at almost midnight.

Carson and I took the day off from school work and hung out watching TV and playing this morning. We had lunch at Casa Mexicana, then headed to my office where he watched movies in the conference room for an hour, then proceeded to move from cubicle to cubicle entertaining the staff.

We stopped at the used book store to make some trades on the way home. Carson got a new Magic Tree House book and several other science themed books. I picked up Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner and Plain truth by Jodi Picoult.

We rushed home in time for me to pack up my scrapbook stuff and head to the local scrapbook store to crop with my buddies. I didn't get much done, but did get paper and pictures matched for an 8x8 calendar. I'll have time to finish it tomorrow. Becky and I chatted a lot and as always got far less done at the crop than we would have scrapbooking at home. The visiting is the best part though!

That's what I look like after getting less than 4 hours sleep. It ain't pretty, but I had to have proof that I got something done tonight. Becky looks cute though. She got 4 12x12 pages done. I got 3 8x8 pages done. Did I mention we were there for 5 hours?!?! Something is not right.

Tomorrow I am hopefully sleeping in. Greg is going geocaching in the morning. We're taking Carson to a NASA exhibit at SEMO University (where I work) in the afternoon. Nothing is on the agenda for Sunday. Thank goodness!

I'm borrowing this from Becky's blog. I think I've still got time for a New Year's List.


2008 New Year's Wish List:
1. One habit you'd like to break totally. Eating out due to laziness. I really need to plan ahead more.

2. One person you'd like to get to know better. I hope to meet all sorts of new people this year. I'll talk to anyone, so it's usually not a problem.

3. One random act of kindness that you'd like to make a habit this year. I'd like to make more time to have friends and family over for dinner just because.

4. Something that you'd like to own by the end of 2008. Completed scrapbook albums.

5. Something that you'd like to get rid of by the end of 2008. About half my body weight.

6. One change you'd like to see in your life in 2008. Actually getting healthy instead of just talking about it.

7. One thing you'd like to memorize in 2008. The freakin' computer keyboard. I still watch my fingers when I type.

8. Something that you'd like to improve on in 2008. Having more realistic expectations of people. Apparently not everyone is as driven to occupy every minute of their time as I am.

9. Something new you'd like to learn in 2008. How to say no to more commitment. This will probably never be mastered since I am so inept at trusting others to get the job done. (this is not without good reason...I've been burned a few times)

10. Something you're looking forward to this year. Vacation...hopefully to Disney World in December

11. One thing you're going to make sure DOESN'T happen this year. Weight gain. It has reached the point of absurdity for me not to deal with this.

12. One person that you want to be closer to this year. Carson. It seems like it's time for bed as soon as we get dinner, baths and school work done. I really want to have more time to hang out with him and enjoy his awesome little personality.

13. One place you want to visit this year. The Smithsonian when I'm in D.C. in April

14. One thing that you'll move from 2007's to do list to 2008's to do list. Getting in shape for baby #2

15. One old acquaintance that you'd like to reconnect with this year. Randy..I haven't seen him since the night of my wedding almost 9 years ago and I'd like to know he's still alive

G,night! I'm off for some sweet sleep.

Smells Healthy in Here

So, I decided to head back to Weight Watchers. In 2006/2007 I gained back all of the weight I had lost a few years ago on Weight Watchers. They kept mentioning something about a lifestyle change that apparently didn't manage to stick in my brain.

I spent New Year's Eve eating chips, dip, chex mix and bacon appetizers until the stroke of midnight. I was in heaven until about 2 am when I woke up with horrible nausea and heartburn. I guess I can thank God for reminding me that a change to healthy eating is certainly in order.

I've been on the wagon since 12:01am 01/01/08. I cleaned out the fridge, stocked it with healthy goods, and gave up my Coke cold turkey. So far, so good. (Although I did have a minor anxiety attack when the sticky bun episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay came on tonight.) :)

We've also done a major overhaul on the clutter in our house. Greg hauled 2 van loads of stuff to Goodwill and numerous bags of trash to the curb last weekend. It feels great to be living in a clutter free house. It also felt great to deliver a huge box of my scrapping stuff to a single mom on a limited budget. She was delighted with the delivery.

I stayed home with a migraine today, most likely due to junk food withdrawal. This means I will have to take Carson with me to work in the morning while I finish a report. That's always interesting. Tomorrow night I'm cropping with friends, which is always a great time! Have a great Friday!

We now resume our regularly scheduled blog already in progress.

Hi. Yes, I do realize it has been more than a year since I typed a blog post. Things got really busy over the past 15 months. Not that busyness doesn't happen to everyone, but I really seem to attract it. Anyway, I'm back!

Several big events happened since the last post. Here's a brief rundown.

In November 2006, my sister, Juli got married to Ashley. We were all in the wedding party.

Don't they look cute!

In June of 2007, my brother, Jeremy, got married to my sister's best friend, Rachel. Long story on that one. We were all once again in the wedding party.

In August, we took a really great vacation to Siesta Key, Cocoa Beach, and Orlando, Florida. We visited Kennedy Space Center, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure,and Sea World. It was fantastic! (other than the 16 hours in the van!)

In October, Carson turned 6. We made the difficult decision to take him out of school and begin homeschooling. We have our days, but overall, he's learning so much more.

In November, my nephew, Riley, was born to Jeremy and Rachel. He loves to snuggle with his Aunt Amy.

In December, Carson lost, and swallowed, his first and second teeth. He informed us that he smelled the Tooth Fairy when she visited and that she smells very much like a baked potato. He's nothing if not imaginative!

We also had a great time celebrating Christmas and New Year's Eve with family and friends.

That's the very abbreviated version of our lives since the last post. Greg still works for Drury Hotels and I still teach college courses and work with children with special needs. Our family is happy and healthy and looking forward to a new year of loving, laughing and learning together! Look for more new posts soon!