The boys and the Wii
I got this shot through the kitchen window. As soon as they saw me, they became...dramatic and soon bolted :)
Going exploring
Egg drop
The mommas
The kiddos
Cody found a stray balloon left over from the egg drop.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Jane Austen Tea ~ December 16th
We celebrated Jane Austen's birthday at Esther's house by having a tea/book exchange/egg drop/eating fest/all around great time!
The boys and the Wii
I got this shot through the kitchen window. As soon as they saw me, they became...dramatic and soon bolted :)
Going exploring
Egg drop
The mommas
The kiddos
Cody found a stray balloon left over from the egg drop.
The boys and the Wii
I got this shot through the kitchen window. As soon as they saw me, they became...dramatic and soon bolted :)
Going exploring
Egg drop
The mommas
The kiddos
Cody found a stray balloon left over from the egg drop.
Monday, December 20, 2010
church
I don't talk about church very much. I haven't belonged to a church family in a long time. We've visited churches and stayed at one place for several months, but I never felt like it was 'my' church. We loved (most of) the people, but their beliefs just don't jive with ours. And then that thing happened...that thing that's not really that big of a thing, but a thing nonetheless.
The only time I truly felt like I belonged to a church was back in 1998. Kitty went to a church and got me to go with her. Please keep in mind that this was when I was 16 and pregnant. They accepted me. I loved their music, I loved the people and what the pastor had to say. After I had Britney, everyone immediately fell for her. I really felt like we fit in somewhere...finally. I continued going to church there until Bobby and I got married a year and a half later. Brit and I went to church the following Sunday, and as soon as we walked in the door, the pastor cornered me. He started spouting off his crap, which basically came down to him thinking I had lost my mind. "How could you get married to someone his age?! He's almost my age! And you're so young! You should have talked to me first! I could have talked you out of it. I could have helped you see this is a mistake!....BLAH BLAH BLAH" Never once did he ask me if I was happy, or that he would like to meet Bobby. He just judged. He judged Bobby without ever laying eyes on him. He judged me and it was crushing. He was everything I was afraid he would be the first day I walked into his church pregnant and nervous. I never walked through those doors again.
The kids and I (Bobby had to work) went to church this morning. Karen has been inviting me to Epic for at least a year. I've heard amazing things about this church. I've wanted to go. I really have, but I've been afraid I guess. I don't want to fall in love with a place, the people, the music, the feelings and then have that ripped away from me again. That hurt. A lot. But I feel like it's something I need...something we need as a family. I'm really glad we went today. When the service was over, I didn't want it to be. It's the kind of place my old church was...great atmosphere, great music, great message, great people. It was one of those times when I felt like everything the pastor said was being said directly to me. It's the kind of place I've been wanting to be a part of again.
It's time to give another church a try. A real try. I can't be afraid of the 'what if's' anymore. So Karen, thank you for inviting us 3,671 times. I'm glad you are a persistent woman:) I will see you at church next Sunday.
The only time I truly felt like I belonged to a church was back in 1998. Kitty went to a church and got me to go with her. Please keep in mind that this was when I was 16 and pregnant. They accepted me. I loved their music, I loved the people and what the pastor had to say. After I had Britney, everyone immediately fell for her. I really felt like we fit in somewhere...finally. I continued going to church there until Bobby and I got married a year and a half later. Brit and I went to church the following Sunday, and as soon as we walked in the door, the pastor cornered me. He started spouting off his crap, which basically came down to him thinking I had lost my mind. "How could you get married to someone his age?! He's almost my age! And you're so young! You should have talked to me first! I could have talked you out of it. I could have helped you see this is a mistake!....BLAH BLAH BLAH" Never once did he ask me if I was happy, or that he would like to meet Bobby. He just judged. He judged Bobby without ever laying eyes on him. He judged me and it was crushing. He was everything I was afraid he would be the first day I walked into his church pregnant and nervous. I never walked through those doors again.
The kids and I (Bobby had to work) went to church this morning. Karen has been inviting me to Epic for at least a year. I've heard amazing things about this church. I've wanted to go. I really have, but I've been afraid I guess. I don't want to fall in love with a place, the people, the music, the feelings and then have that ripped away from me again. That hurt. A lot. But I feel like it's something I need...something we need as a family. I'm really glad we went today. When the service was over, I didn't want it to be. It's the kind of place my old church was...great atmosphere, great music, great message, great people. It was one of those times when I felt like everything the pastor said was being said directly to me. It's the kind of place I've been wanting to be a part of again.
It's time to give another church a try. A real try. I can't be afraid of the 'what if's' anymore. So Karen, thank you for inviting us 3,671 times. I'm glad you are a persistent woman:) I will see you at church next Sunday.
Monday, December 13, 2010
God's sense of humor
Animal Services had dogs walking in the Christmas parade with these cute little "Adopt Me" vests on. There was one that I just loved. I couldn't stop thinking about this dog. It was a brindle and white Pit Bull mix and was just precious. We even went up to see all the dogs at Animal Services the next day. I needed to physically pet this dog...I really can't explain it. While we were there, we looked and petted all the other dogs. There's a beautiful white Husky with blue eyes that we know Brit would love. That kid has wanted a Husky for years. Needless to say, I had dogs on my brain. I was looking on the computer at the newspaper ads, and on websites specifically intended for people like me. You need to understand that I was JUST looking. We have two amazing dogs and like I said on FB, I need another dog like I need another hole in my head. JUST looking...promise! :)
Yesterday evening, we decided to get pizza for dinner. We haven't had pizza in a while and haven't eaten out much lately. We opted for Alfonzo's and headed across town. They're closed on Sunday...They're closed on Sunday...If I repeat it, do you think I'll remember the next time it's a Sunday and we want Alfonzo's? I can't tell you how many times that's happened.
We were driving back home and we saw a black dog on the side of the road next to a very busy intersection. Bobby pulled over into the parking lot next to her and I got out. She was hunkered down in the grass, shivering and completely scared to death. Bless her heart, she had ice cycles hanging off her stomach and tail. I picked her up and we took her home. Bobby grabbed one of the crates out of the shed and put it in the garage and Brit put towels in it. She was so afraid. It was pitiful. We gave her a bowl of water and some food. She inhaled the food and drank nearly the whole bowl of water. Then we left her alone for a while. Later we put Cassie's collar on her so we could walk her. She wouldn't even stand up...forget about walking.
Bobby decided to put Logan up in the shed, and let her out in the backyard. Great idea:) She finally got brave enough to walk around.
She is SO sweet! She is not aggressive in any way and got along fine with Cassie last night. She LOVES the kids.
Blogger is insistent this picture be sideways!
I got up at 6:00 this morning and let her out. She's been in the house most of the day. We introduced her to Logan this afternoon and then Brit and I gave her a bath. She's been asleep on one of the flannel blankets ever since.
She's young, maybe three or four months old and she's had a hard life. She's scared but has already made a HUGE improvement since last night. She's loves to be petted and have her belly rubbed...such a sweet little girl:)
We don't know if we'll keep her, but we feel like we saved her life. So for right now, she is safe, fed, warm, clean and being loved.
Thanks God...I get it. :) I'm just glad we found a dog instead of an unexplained hole in my head!
Yesterday evening, we decided to get pizza for dinner. We haven't had pizza in a while and haven't eaten out much lately. We opted for Alfonzo's and headed across town. They're closed on Sunday...They're closed on Sunday...If I repeat it, do you think I'll remember the next time it's a Sunday and we want Alfonzo's? I can't tell you how many times that's happened.
We were driving back home and we saw a black dog on the side of the road next to a very busy intersection. Bobby pulled over into the parking lot next to her and I got out. She was hunkered down in the grass, shivering and completely scared to death. Bless her heart, she had ice cycles hanging off her stomach and tail. I picked her up and we took her home. Bobby grabbed one of the crates out of the shed and put it in the garage and Brit put towels in it. She was so afraid. It was pitiful. We gave her a bowl of water and some food. She inhaled the food and drank nearly the whole bowl of water. Then we left her alone for a while. Later we put Cassie's collar on her so we could walk her. She wouldn't even stand up...forget about walking.
Bobby decided to put Logan up in the shed, and let her out in the backyard. Great idea:) She finally got brave enough to walk around.
She is SO sweet! She is not aggressive in any way and got along fine with Cassie last night. She LOVES the kids.
Blogger is insistent this picture be sideways!
I got up at 6:00 this morning and let her out. She's been in the house most of the day. We introduced her to Logan this afternoon and then Brit and I gave her a bath. She's been asleep on one of the flannel blankets ever since.
She's young, maybe three or four months old and she's had a hard life. She's scared but has already made a HUGE improvement since last night. She's loves to be petted and have her belly rubbed...such a sweet little girl:)
We don't know if we'll keep her, but we feel like we saved her life. So for right now, she is safe, fed, warm, clean and being loved.
Thanks God...I get it. :) I'm just glad we found a dog instead of an unexplained hole in my head!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Parade and Blue Screen of Death
We decided to surprise Brit and Cody and go to the Christmas parade last night. This was mostly a surprise because I always forget about it. Well, I don't actually forget about it, but I always think it's closer to Christmas and not at the beginning of the month.
While we were out running errands yesterday, a darn commercial about the parade played on the radio and Brit was listening. She immediately asked if we were going:) Well...surprise baby girl.
We talked about taking hot chocolate and then someone came up with the idea of spiced tea. I love spiced tea. It's one of those things I used to make every year and just didn't get around to it last year. We grabbed the ingredients on our way home and I made up a double batch. Mmm.
We dressed VERY warmly, threw blankets, pillows and chairs in the back of The Beast and brought Cody's snow bibs and a huge thick winter coat for each kid. We had our spiced tea in our thermos and were set. But were we warm enough? Heck no! It was COLD outside!! It was 30*..BURR! It didn't stop us from having a great time. We got to see several people we haven't gotten to see in a while. Sarah and Tori were in the parade and then stood with us and watched the rest of it after they finished. (We parked toward the end of the parade) We saw Bobby's friend that he's known since they were kids. Good times...
Then we got home, and the first thing Britney noticed was that the computer screen was black and wouldn't turn on. Bobby couldn't get it either so he restarted it. Everything seemed to be working fine. He was online for a few minutes, then I got online and then...nothing. The computer froze up and it happened. No, I mean "IT" happened! The big thing that I'm always afraid of witnessing. The Blue Screen of Death! Bobby worked on it for hours. I was SO upset with myself. I had just thought about backing up the pictures last week. Did I actually do it? Nope. So I'm being selfish and feeling miserable and then I look at Brit's face. She was devastated. Completely and truly heartbroken. "I've lost everything. My poems, my stories, the novel" I felt HORRIBLE for her. I couldn't believe I hadn't even taken the time to think about what everyone else had lost. At that point, I pulled the laptop out. I figured if she had copied and pasted it into Nano's site, then it would still be there. We could copy and paste it to the laptop and then put it on disc. We pulled her account up on Nano, but the story isn't there. It still says she won and that she gets a free copy of her novel. I'm slightly relieved because at the very least she'll have the version she submitted. Of course she has spent days editing her story since then, but it was something semi positive. During this time, Bobby had taken out the hard drive and swapped it with our external hard drive. He had changed out the memory...several times and had done everything he could. The computer is dead. But he said he thought the hard drive is good so he hooked it up to Brit's computer and there they are...all of our pictures and files. To say that we are relieved and thankful doesn't quite cover it. Brit has all of her writings and I have my pictures...our lives make sense once again.
Bobby and I stayed up until 1:00 coping pictures onto disc. We finished this morning. The motherboard is shot and at this point, I don't know if it would be better to try and fix the computer, or buy a new one. Either way, we're going to have to wait a while. We both have laptops so we won't be left completely in the dark.
I'll share pictures from the parade as soon as I can. They are still safely tucked inside my camera's memory card:)
While we were out running errands yesterday, a darn commercial about the parade played on the radio and Brit was listening. She immediately asked if we were going:) Well...surprise baby girl.
We talked about taking hot chocolate and then someone came up with the idea of spiced tea. I love spiced tea. It's one of those things I used to make every year and just didn't get around to it last year. We grabbed the ingredients on our way home and I made up a double batch. Mmm.
We dressed VERY warmly, threw blankets, pillows and chairs in the back of The Beast and brought Cody's snow bibs and a huge thick winter coat for each kid. We had our spiced tea in our thermos and were set. But were we warm enough? Heck no! It was COLD outside!! It was 30*..BURR! It didn't stop us from having a great time. We got to see several people we haven't gotten to see in a while. Sarah and Tori were in the parade and then stood with us and watched the rest of it after they finished. (We parked toward the end of the parade) We saw Bobby's friend that he's known since they were kids. Good times...
Then we got home, and the first thing Britney noticed was that the computer screen was black and wouldn't turn on. Bobby couldn't get it either so he restarted it. Everything seemed to be working fine. He was online for a few minutes, then I got online and then...nothing. The computer froze up and it happened. No, I mean "IT" happened! The big thing that I'm always afraid of witnessing. The Blue Screen of Death! Bobby worked on it for hours. I was SO upset with myself. I had just thought about backing up the pictures last week. Did I actually do it? Nope. So I'm being selfish and feeling miserable and then I look at Brit's face. She was devastated. Completely and truly heartbroken. "I've lost everything. My poems, my stories, the novel" I felt HORRIBLE for her. I couldn't believe I hadn't even taken the time to think about what everyone else had lost. At that point, I pulled the laptop out. I figured if she had copied and pasted it into Nano's site, then it would still be there. We could copy and paste it to the laptop and then put it on disc. We pulled her account up on Nano, but the story isn't there. It still says she won and that she gets a free copy of her novel. I'm slightly relieved because at the very least she'll have the version she submitted. Of course she has spent days editing her story since then, but it was something semi positive. During this time, Bobby had taken out the hard drive and swapped it with our external hard drive. He had changed out the memory...several times and had done everything he could. The computer is dead. But he said he thought the hard drive is good so he hooked it up to Brit's computer and there they are...all of our pictures and files. To say that we are relieved and thankful doesn't quite cover it. Brit has all of her writings and I have my pictures...our lives make sense once again.
Bobby and I stayed up until 1:00 coping pictures onto disc. We finished this morning. The motherboard is shot and at this point, I don't know if it would be better to try and fix the computer, or buy a new one. Either way, we're going to have to wait a while. We both have laptops so we won't be left completely in the dark.
I'll share pictures from the parade as soon as I can. They are still safely tucked inside my camera's memory card:)
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Nano WINNER!
I told you about Brit participating in Nano HERE. Well, we have BIG news! She won! Britney wrote just over 50,000 words in 30 days! She actually finished a day early:) We are so very proud of her!
She had just submitted her novel...
and did a little celebrating!
She had just submitted her novel...
and did a little celebrating!
Putting up the Christmas tree
A couple days after Thanksgiving, we felt better and decided it was time to get the tree put up. We did have a slight problem though. Our bookcase was right where the tree goes, so I got to move things around a bit...
It's now next to Tango in the den/computer room so he has something to read. I'm glad. I was afraid he was getting bored.
Bobby helped me carry boxes out of the shed and we got to work.
We got the tree put up and the lights on one night
and put the ornaments on the next morning.
Ha! That is SO me!!
The finished product
and two happy kiddos:)
The nutcracker with his mini-me.
It's now next to Tango in the den/computer room so he has something to read. I'm glad. I was afraid he was getting bored.
Bobby helped me carry boxes out of the shed and we got to work.
We got the tree put up and the lights on one night
and put the ornaments on the next morning.
Ha! That is SO me!!
The finished product
and two happy kiddos:)
The nutcracker with his mini-me.
Coming Clean
Okay...here's the thing. I just haven't felt like blogging lately. I haven't shared anything for so long, that the thought of trying to catch up frightens me. Should I just start yammering away and eventually get to everything, or should I just start from now? Act like you haven't missed anything? Decisions...Decisions...
I think I will yammer.
As I was looking through my pictures, something caught my attention. I noticed a trend in my clothing choices...
I love my purple long sleeved t-shirt! I love any color long sleeved t-shirt really, but this is the only one I have. I grab it every chance I get. It's like wearing pajamas during the day time and you all should know how I feel about my pajamas:)
I think I will yammer.
As I was looking through my pictures, something caught my attention. I noticed a trend in my clothing choices...
I love my purple long sleeved t-shirt! I love any color long sleeved t-shirt really, but this is the only one I have. I grab it every chance I get. It's like wearing pajamas during the day time and you all should know how I feel about my pajamas:)
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