Pretty much a total loss!!!

Friday night we got hit by a storm that threw down golf ball sized hail...

as you can imagine.... our garden was destroyed!!!

I am trying to look at the bright side, like...

we only have a few hail holes in our siding...

our home is still standing....

the car that got nailed with hail is our beater car....

(sad thing is, my brother in-laws car was here too... UGH!)

No one got hurt...

After 6" of rain fall, we still had a yard left....

( The flooding after the rain!)

(our shrubs were hit hard, and all of my flower pots were broken!)

But it is so hard to not think of the loss in the garden!

Our garden is our food supply for the next year! Most of the veggies we eat all year come from the garden! It is also the place my husband and I get to spend much needed time together in... each summer it brings us closer to each other and closer to our children....

I will leave you with some photos of the sad plants!!

(not pictured is our corn... stripped of most of its leaves... so sad!)

SAD SAD TOMATOES!

PEAS STRIPPED RIGHT OFF THE FENCE!

ONIONS FLATTENED AND BURIED

RIPPED APART BROCCOLI

FLATTENED GREEN BEAN PLANTS

Where have I been???

WOW, long time, NO POST.... UGH!

Here are some updates....

***I ran my 1/2 marathon on May 30th! It was HOT HOT HOT... people passed out from the heat! I did OK. Some say it is one of the hardest runs around here, because STILLWATER, MN is a bunch of hills... YES, but I did train on hills.... BUT NOT IN THE HEAT HEAT HEAT! So, my goal was 2 hrs 24 min.... and I ran it in

2 hrs 30 min, 17 sec.

NOT toooo bad for my first, on a hard course, in the heat!

***My oldest baby turned 10! YES, double digits! UGH! He had friends over and went to see the last SHREK! WOW, he is getting so tall, just inches from being as tall as me..... And so kind, and so handsome!

***I figured out what was wrong with my stomach! The extra acid was being caused by the YAZ I was taking! YES, the birthcontrol I started taking right before the stomach issues, caused the stomach pain! GO FIGURE.... I asked the doctor and the pharmasist about this, and they both told me NO, that couldn't cause it!!!! BUT I tested the theory out when I ended my pills last month, and YES, I could eat without meds! SO I never started back up and have been FINE ever since.... HMMMM????

***My Baby Girl Graduated From Kindergarten!!!! Thanks Mrs. Haasis for doing such a great job this year! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU SHAYLA!!!!

***My kids are out of school for the summer! We have lots of plans! The MN Zoo, Como Zoo, Crystal Cave, Water Park, Beach, Camping 2 times, Science Museum, Movie Theater, Parks/picnics, etc..... YEAH for good times! My middle 2 are in Summer school classes for 3 weeks, and my youngest has gymnastics for 5 sessions!

***Our Garden is looking great, except for the fact that we have been getting RAIN RAIN RAIN for over a week, and NO SUN!!!! The temps for the last 2 weeks have been very COOL! Things are growing, but not like they should.... SO, we shall see! I am sure when the rain stops, we will then go into a dry spell! Just our luck! I also picked a few pounds of strawberries yesterday and will be making Jam today!!!! YUM!!!!!!!!!

***I got a new job! YEAH!!!! My brothers girlfriend has a little special needs boy. He is great and we have baby sat him a lot in the past! BUT just a few weeks ago, she asked me to be his WEEKEND PCA! I will now get paid to do what we were doing for free! Taking care of him on the weekends (every other) and playing with him!!!! This is a answered prayer!!!!
***My Oldest and I will be doing a run in 2 weeks, just after I turn 34! I will be doing a 10K and he will be doing a mile! We are both very excited for our first run together!! I will also be running another 1/2 marathon in OCT!!!! I am excited about this one, since I know it will FOR SURE NOT be hot...... and the route is NOT hilly at all!!!!!!!

OK, that is it for now..... I am sure there is plenty more to write about... BUT I will stick to that for now!!!!!!

9 more days...

UGH, only 9 more days until I run my VERY FIRST 1/2 marathon!

Last sunday I went out for a 12 mile run and it was horrible! I was VERY tired because of a girlfriends weekend away, and it was VERY hot outside! I walked which isn't normal for me.... and I sweat a ton, and I even threw up at mile 9! What I didn't do is have shin splits which also isn't normal for me... so that part of the run was good!

I have one more longish run, just 5 miles tomorrow morning, then a 4 mile on monday and a 4 mile on wed. and then that is it! ALL bringing me closer to 13.1 miles!

I will of course post any photos and my results!

I decided that I was going to have a party that night in honor of ME! Drinking and Pizza and a Fire, and Smores.... and FRIENDS!!!

After next sundays run, I will decide if there will be more LONG runs in my future! Keep tuned in to find out!

RUNNING RUNNING RUNNING....

So, I have been running! Running most days, Training for a 1/2 marathon on MAY 30th!

I am up to 10 miles this coming sunday for my long run... IF I feel good about it, I will try and do 11 miles!

I have set a goal of doing a 1/2 marathon in 2 1/2 hours...

At first I thought that was very slow... I mean really, I only run at about 5 1/2 MPH on average (sometimes faster, and for sure slower while climbing the hills!)

BUT then I started to remember...

I am NOT a small runner like most... IN FACT,

I am considered an ATHENA! YES, someone that weighs over 150 lbs (no height restrictions) is considered a BIGGER runner! HUH??

Oh well, atleast I have a chance in HELL of winning in something... OK, kidding....

Anyways, a friend of mine quoted a quote to me the other day... it says....

"It's not how fast you finish, but that you had the courage to start!"

Amen sister!!!

SO, I have the courage... now to get to that starting line on the 30th and give it my all!

So far so good....

Remember this way back at the beginning of the year???

THE YEAR OF SIMPLICITY!!!!!
Keep things simply;

use what we have,

borrow what we need,

lend what others can use,

sell what is of value that we no longer want,

and give away all that we can that is just sitting around!

Well, this past weekend I did a garage sale with a friend of mine.... Selling off some things that we NO LONGER needed!
I Made $299.25

The kids all together made $23!

We SOLD some things that were just laying around.... Some bigger toys, but mostly kids books, some clothes, kitchen stuff, JUST STUFF!!!!

The last 2 hours of the sale on Saturday, we decided to give most things away for FREE! It was so fun to see the looks on peoples faces when we told them most stuff was just FREE!!!

NOW, I am not sure I will ever do a garage sale again... I mean the money is great, we plan on adding sides to a small trailer and a crazy looking bike rack to it also, for camping... with the money we made.... BUT I LOVE to give things away!!

AS FOR THE NOT BUYING NEW CLOTHES...

(except for underwear, socks, shoes, and my tank tops)

WE ARE ROCKING IT!!!

No clothes shopping for us! I do have a thrift store list that I plan on getting to in the next couple weeks... the boys need tank tops, and some more shorts... NOT sure what the girls need... and hubby needs more work jeans!

AND THE BEST NEWS...

We have stuck to our budget for almost 4 months now! YEAH!

We have paid off $3440 in debt ($1000 of that to a car we owe my hubby's brother for.) We have put over $2000 into an emergency fund (tax return made this possible!), and we are putting aside EXTRA MONEY from my husbands paychecks (he works commission....)

SO LETS SAY WE NEED $1000 each week to make budget.... and he makes $1123 for the week, we put $123 in savings.... then the following week he makes $925, then we PULL $75 from savings.... So far we are AHEAD... but slow times are coming... but by then hopefully that will be a bigger cushion!

We have even REFINANCED our house to a 15 yr loan... at a lower interest... and the payments only went up $250 a month... NOW TO SCRAP THAT TOGETHER EACH MONTH....LOL!

SO, like the title says....

SO FAR SO GOOD!!!! ALMOST 4 months into the year, and I don't even have a wanting to go shopping!!!! THIS FEELS SO GOOD!!!

EASTER FUN!

Here they are..... all the cousins on my husbands side!!!

Matt: 15

Eric: 12

Trevor: 9 1/2

Lucas: 8

Ahren: 8 1/2

Shayla: 6 1/2

Kaylin: 4

Megan: 5

Alissa: 7

YUCK... guess what the doctor thinks I have....??

OK, so for about 6 weeks or so I have been having stomach pains... which have been getting worse for the past 2 weeks or so!

Anyways, these pains come when I eat... and after I eat just a small serving of something, they get bad and I feel super full and yucky! I am sometimes to sick to my stomach to even get anything done... UGH!

SO, yesterday I went to the doctor, and he thinks I have

FUNCTIONAL DYSPEPSIA!

AKA: TOOOOO much stomach acid working in there.... causing pains!

If you wanna know more.... I read lots online of course and found this site very helpful!

http://www.ayushveda.com/health/dyspepsia.htm

I am not sure if that is it for now... but I will take the meds he gave me and see if it helps...

UPDATE COMING IN THE FUTURE!!! But for now, I will keep eating little meals and hope that the meds help!

Is this why we are getting fat????

(Photo from Food Network)

YES, that is a BURGER on a GLAZED DONUT!!!! UMMM...can you say 1600+ calories???

As you all know...

I am alittle FOOD CRAZY! Always looking to CHANGE what we and others are eating!
I love the heavenly homemakers blog and today she had a great blog about ICE CREAM!!!!!

YOU have to run there and check it out.... If this doesn't gross you out... then maybe you are not human???!!!

the-ice-cream-experiment

My new BIZ!!!

I am so so soooooooo sooooooooooo excited!
I am working on all the necessary things to get moving on my home business!
I have my WEB Domain bought, my papers are on their way to register my name, I ordered biz. cards, I am working on all the PAPER WORK I will need, the contracts, the legal stuff....
I am ready every book I can get my hands on... and working on my SKILLS!!!!

SOOO look forward to the LAUNCH of my new website soon and the big NAME announcement!

Birthday Party Fun

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGAN(5) AND KAYLIN(4)!!!

2 Birthday Girls Cakes! Kaylin Loves Pink and Megan just loves LIONS!!!!

Happy Birthday Kaylin!!!!

This is what Chaos looks like when girls start to open presents all at once!

My Baby Turned 4!!!

WHERE has the time gone??? My baby.... MY BABY GIRL.... MY VERY LAST BABY.... turned 4!

Kaylin has always ONLY done things when she KNEW she could do them!

*Sitting up... When she began to sit up, she just sat up, NEVER falling over!

*Crawling... the day she turned 6 months old, she got up on all 4's and crawled.... never trying, just doing!

*Walking... The day she walked, she got up and walked... no 1 step or 3 steps, Just walking!

(1 YRS OLD!)

*Going up and down the stairs... When we built our home, we made a gate to match our railing... but we really never had to use it, because she wouldn't even go near the stairs until the day she turned around and crawled down them!

*Talking... Kaylin never really said much, until she could just SAY IT! She of course said MAMA and DADA and other little words, but one day, she just spoke in 2-3 word sentences!

*Chewing gum... Kaylin had to have been the youngest child I have ever met who could chew gum... She started at just over 1 yrs old.... and just started chewing it... NEVER swallowing it! I am sure this is because we are all gum chewers... BUT STILL... 13 months and chewing gum...!

(2 Years Old)

*Potty Training... I tried and tried from 2 1/2 on to potty train the girl, but she just really wanted nothing to do with it! Then the day before she turned 3, I told her "Big Girls who are 3 don't wear diapers, they wear underpants!" and when she woke up on her birthday, she put on panties and never looked back! No accidents, No night time wetting, NOTHING!

She has ALWAYS been this way.... Not really doing until she knows how to FULLY do it! I am NOT sure if this is bad thing or a good thing... HMMMMM......

(3 Years Old)

For being the baby in the family, she is VERY independent! She wants NO help with anything! She will TELL YOU HOW IT IS, and repeat pretty much anything you DO NOT want her to!

She is also very loving still, she wants to cuddle at story time, and dance with you in the kitchen!

Hanging out with Mom is of course, STILL COOL!

She has started liking FRIENDS and wanting to PLAY with them...instead of IGNORE them!

AND, right now she is my spoiled baby, because she gets to spend all day with mom while all the others are in school!

She loves to play barbies, Polly pockets, littlest pet shops, Little ponies, Kitchen set, and Baby dolls!

She is AWESOME at Memory, Go Fish, Counting, but most of all Singing! (She loves Taylor Swift!)

SOOO, Happy 4th birthday baby girl! Your mommy and daddy love you very very much!

EASTER BASKET STUFFERS

So, I just added some a new (new to my shop that is) item!

Chalk Board Mats!!!!
They are super duper fun! Just need a piece of chalk and an imagination!

You can use these babies for anything really! Practicing spelling, math, pictionary...etc.....


What a great functional item to stuff into their easter baskets!



While you're there, a Kids Tote would also make a great stuffer, or Doll Diapers !!!!

My STUDIO...

OK, I don't call it my STUDIO...LOL, I call it MY ROOM! As in "GET OUT OF MY ROOM, I AM BUSY!" or " I AM GOING TO MY ROOM!" or "HEY, WANNA SEE MY ROOM?"
This is the room I LOVE in my house.... it is ALL MINE... ALL MINE!

It is not finished yet... I don't know if/when it will ever be finished... but all it really needs is a door and molding and base board... and a closet door! For now there is a sheet hanging in the door way, and that works just fine (although, it does NOT stop others from just walking in...

HELLO, ever heard of knocking on the sheet????

This is the place that all my creativity flows and the place that I make all the wonderful items I put in my Etsy Shop!

Fun things like Doll Diapers

Or Little Bags for kids that are great for trips to the library!

And Kids Aprons so they can help you in the kitchen!

Of course there are other great things like I SPY QUILTS, and CHALK BOARD MATS, and MONEY APRONS, that are also great for wearing around the house while you are cleaning, to put your little items in!

There you have it..... MY STUDIO!

P.S: No it isn't always that clean.... but I couldn't show it to you messy, could I? AND YES, the cabinets and drawers are all full of FUN FABRIC!!

What has the world come to???

THRIFT STORES ROCK!

So, yesterday I headed to the THRIFT STORE because it was 50% off day for presidents day! It is always crazy there, but I did learn that you should go right around lunch time... The huge 10am rush seems to be clearing out and others are busy going to get lunch... It is still BUSY, but lots better than getting there right when the doors open!

SO here is what I got... ALL FOR ONLY $47.63!!!!!

Trevor-

5 size 12 pairs of jeans

1 size 10 pair of jeans

1 size 10 pair of basketball shorts

1 size 4 1/2 pair of Nike skater shoes

1 size 12 Pair of Tan Cargo Pants

Lucas-

2 size 8 pair of basketball shorts

Shayla-
3 super cute tank tops

Kaylin-

1 purple gymnastics outfit!

MYSELF-
2 Tank tops for running

2 tank tops for summer (if you know me, I LIVE in tank top for 1/2 the year!)

3 Tee Shirts, 1 NICE cute shirt, and 1 shirt for my Sister In Law (the black and turq. one!)

Hubby-
Not Pictured, but a Plain Grey Sweatshirt

Family-
Magic Tree house book, 1 Deltora book, Scatergories for kids, and a dora memory game!
(NOT pictured is a Flower shaped Ice Pack for the cold lunches!)

I did set a goal for this year.....
My goal is....

To buy all our clothing needs at the thrift store,
except for Underwear, Socks, and Tennis Shoes!

***I know some people could never bring themselves to shop at a thrift store, and that is OK, but my belief is "WHY BUY NEW?" when these shops have so many nice things just waiting for a new home! I have never had anyone come up to me and say "Great Shirt, Did you get that at the thrift store?" In fact when I usually follow it up with "THANKS, I got this at the thrift store!" They are usually shocked that something cute and in great shape could be second hand!

My challenge to you is.... Try out a thrift store if you never have! You do NOT know what you are missing out on...

DAVE RAMSEY!

So I have a new love... a daily LOVE! I love to listen to DAVE RAMSEY! I get him on my SMART PHONE with stitcher!
I have read his Total-Money-Makeover book and even gave a copy to my mother for mothers day (don't worry I wrote NICE things in it so she wouldn't think I was being mean!
Ok, what is my point???
My point is... We have one large debt... it came about from having our last child (she cost almost $5000 to have OUCH, but soooo worth it!) and from having to finish things around our house after we built it... things that we would be FINED if we DIDN'T do them... like retaining walls and such!!
Anyways, I have goals, it is part of the 101 goals in 1001days... I started mine on Feb 1st of 2009... and one of those goals is to pay off that debt by the end! Which is OCT 29th 2011, RIGHT after my baby goes to school ALL DAY!
SO I have decided I want to get that goal done quicker, so I am going gung ho with selling things on EBAY... and craigslist in my area! So far in 3 weeks I have made over $300 selling OLD partylite stuff from my days of selling!
$300 added twards are monthy payment feels AWESOME!!!!!!

Anyways, I encourage all of you to start to read/listen to dave ramsey, EVEN if you just try it out... you might learn to like it! He has great finacial advice and just SAYS IT LIKE IT IS!!!!
So try it out, you can listen HERE on his website, you can listen to archives also! You can also download them to your ipod, or get stitcher for your smart phone!

THEN come back and let me know what you think!

Check this out....

http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Three-Wolf-Short-Sleeve/dp/B002HJ377A

Scroll down and read the comments! They are too funny not to pass on!!!!

Mission Monday....

A DAY LATE:::::::

SO, your mission, if you choose to take it on..... is.....

ORGANIZE YOUR FAVORITES/ BOOKMARKS!!!

YES, take the time to delete the "WHAT THE HECK ARE THESE DOING HERE?" the "WHEN DID I VISIT THAT SITE?" the "HUH?" and the "WHAT WAS I THINKING BOOKMARKING THAT?" Then organize the good ones, make folders, condense them down......

I am doing this right now because it takes way to long to SCROLL to the very bottom and PULL up a NEW one that I FEEL must be ON TOP so I can click it all the time!

Remember to make a FAVORITE BLOGS folder and then ADD MY BLOG...LOL!!!!!

This message will self destruct in 10 seconds!

My Baby Turned 8 today!

OH LUCAS, my dear son, Lucas! My how you have gotten so old so quickly....

As some of you may know and some of you may not.... Lucas was our defiant one from the VERY beginning!!!!
You see, his due date was January 26th.... Of course my first born came 3 weeks early, so Lucas was due to arrive anytime in January....
I begged my body to NOT allow him to come on JANUARY 19th, of all the days in the month!
BECAUSE today was my oldest brothers birthday.... He was killed in a accident in 1998 at a very young age of 26.
I knew having a child on this day would be hard on my mother... SO I begged the baby inside to NOT be born on the 19th!
Well, wouldn't you know it... that defiant baby just had to NOT LISTEN! And that was the beginning of our son Lucas!
Needless to say, he is our VERY VERY SPIRITED child! I just know he will be the next Donald Trump....
So happy birthday to my son, who is turning my hair more grey and who has me praying for patience daily! I LOVE YOU, and wouldn't ever give you away for a calmer, less spirited child.... You are what keeps are family on it's toes!

Butterscotch Oatmeal

BUTTERSCOTCH OATMEAL

1 egg, beaten

1 3/4 cups milk

1/2 cup brown sugar (can use less)

1 pinch salt

1 cup rolled oat

2 tablespoons butter
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the egg with milk, brown sugar, pinch salt and cinnamon (if using). Mix in the oats; bring to a simmer. When the oats begin to boil, cook and stir with a wooden spoon until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the butter until melted. Serve immediately.

Dreaming, dreaming, dreaming.....

Of picking these babies! ONLY 5 months until that dream can come true....

and Picking these yummy Peas......

and 7 months until we can enjoy all of this......

BUT for now I will enjoy all the garden food that we PUT UP for the winter months! Peas, Corn, Green Beans, Strawberries, canned Tomatoes, dried onions, broccoli, carrots, the list goes on and on!!! YUM!

25# OF OATS!!!!!

SOOOOO What do you do when you get your Co-oP order of 25# of Oats???You start start searching high and low for recipes to use it up! At .09 a Cup, it is a great deal!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is the first of many OATS recipes to come!!!!!!

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

1 cup flour

1 cup rolled oat

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup strawberry Jam

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, mix everything together but the jam. Measure out 2 cups of this mixture. Leave the rest in the bowl and set aside. Take the 2 cups of the mixture and press it into the bottom of an 8 inches square pan, coated with cooking spray. Using a large spoon, distribute jam on top of the mixture in the pan. Spread it evenly all over. Take the remaining mixture and spread it over the jam. Press down lightly. Bake 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into bars.

The Christmas Story....

Shayla the littlest donkey!

Lucas the Angel and Trevor the Inn's Keeper!!!

(don't worry Lucas, being an angel for an hour won't hurt you!)

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

Here is your first

THURSDAY CHALLENGE OF THE YEAR.....

MAKE A BUDGET ....

Yes, make a budget if you don't already have one!

You can make it easy, with just a few catagories...

Or you can make it more complex with many catagories....

I used to do ours very complex, but each month I was frusterated figuring out each catagory, breaking receipts down to put in each catagory and then throwing that month out the window because I was too frusterated!

SO now I go EASY....

A few catagories

Gas

Household

Food

BILLS (all bills added up go here)

Clothes

Out to eat

OTHER

(in the other catagory is things like: Kids sports, birthday gifts, parties, all those OTHER expenses that come up each month!)

I do ROLL OVER left over money in a NUMBERS ON PAPER sense!

Say I only spent $15 on clothing and our budget is $50....

The following month I have $85 in our budget for clothing!

Some people like to take the extra and put it twards debt reduction... that is also a very good idea! I just roll ours over because I keep everything so low... I have to.... We can go 2 months without needing anything in the clothing area, and then BOOM, we all need new socks, and 2 kids need new shoes, and hubby needs jeans, ETC.....

Thus the reason we ROLL OVER!

The best advice I heard about a budget was....

"MOST people do not go into debt buying little everyday things.... they go into debt with their BIG purchases, so make sure that if you budget anything... BUDGET THESE PURCHASES!"

OK, now grab a notebook, make some sort of budget and stick to it for the next few months.... DO NOT STRAY FROM IT.... TRY HARD TO NOT purchase anything you DIDN'T budget for..... After 3 months, if you didn't enjoy it, I give you permission to quit and go back to your old ways!

OH, I almost forgot.... Our family theme this year is.....

THE YEAR OF SIMPLICITY!!!!!

Keep things simply; use what we have, borrow what we need, lend what others can use, sell what is of value that we no longer want, and give away all that we can that is just sitting around!

A Look Back At Me....

I got this from Beth at "not a bow in sight"
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? I started running and LOVE IT... I even ran my first 5K in 29 min!
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn't make one....
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? UMM... My neighbor/friend had her second baby girl in june!
4. Did anyone close to you die? A Family friend died at a young age of 38... So Sad
5. What countries did you visit? I didn't leave the country, but I did take a Girlfriend trip to FL!
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? More Patience
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? The end of Feb. When my husband and I went on a second honeymoon to celebrate our 10 yr anniversary! Of course it was just a weekend trip to the cities... but still!!!!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Working out an average of 5 times a week!
9. What was your biggest failure? Not getting my moods under control
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I got a really bad Posterior Shin Splint in my right calf while training for my 5K.... It still aches to this day, just not as bad!
11. What was the best thing you bought? A grain mill
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Kaylins, for waking up on her 3rd birthday and deciding she was a big girl! NO MORE DIAPERS... and no accidents....
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? OH, there is just tooo many to mention
14. Where did most of your money go? Our house....
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? My girlfriend trip to FL!
16. What song will always remind you of 2009? "YOU BELONG WITH ME" By Taylor Swift... only because all of my kids love to sing this while we dance around the kitchen!
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer? a) happier b) the same c) richer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Take time with each of my kids
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? worrying about stupid stuff
20. How did you spend Christmas? Christmas Eve- Jims families Christmas Day- My families.... like always
21. Did you fall in love in 2009? Everyday.
22. What was your favorite TV program? 1) "BIGGEST LOSER" 2)"CSI:NY" 3) "CSI:MIAMI" 4) "THE OFFICE" 5) "PARKS AND RECREATION" 6) "30 ROCK" 7) "COLD CASE" 8) "SVU" These are really the only shows I watch.... and I am usually on the elliptical...LOL, oh I also love to watch DR.oz and The Doctors/dr.phil when I workout also... (LOL, that is a lot of DR. TV!)
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Hate no... but dislike... a few
24. What was the best book you read? Love and Logic books
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? I love to just search around on ITUNES, and find music I wouldn't have thought I would ever like....
26. What did you want and get? To be accepted into college!
27. What did you want and not get? Better ways to deal with inner anger
28. What was your favorite film of this year? "Up"
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I hung with my kids and husband and I turned 33
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? There is so much
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? "mommy chic"
32. What kept you sane? Running
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? HUH???!!!
34. What political issue stirred you the most? Healthcare And bailouts.
35. Who did you miss? I really missed my Dad this year... even though he has been gone for 7 yrs now....
36. Who was the best new person you met? My oldest sons, BEST FRIENDS, Parents! They are Great! It is so much fun getting together with them... all the kids playing (they have 3 boys, 12,9, and 8...., their youngest has Downs... he has so much fun hangin with the girls!) We have been so blessed by their friendship!!
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. "Be calm, take a deep breath and PRAY!"
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "be your best friend, tell the truth and over use I love you, go to work do your best dont out smart your common sense, never let your prayin knees get lazy and love like crazy"

Is it love....

AH, it is always nice when your YOUNGER sister (even if it is just by 19 mo.) can wrestle you to the ground! OH, and it is always nice when your YOUNGER sister (even if it is just by 19 mo.) is now TALLER than you...... AH, Lucas, don't worry, someday you will be bigger.... SOMEDAY!