So Busy!

I have lots to write about but Eddie has been off since Christmas so we've been enjoying our family time together, shopping, playing, cooking and watching movies.
He goes back to work on the 3rd but then we will be spending that day with my parents because they are leaving to go back to New Jersey on the 4th and who knows how long it will be before we see them again. Then on Friday we will be spending time with the adopted Grandparents.
Right now we are cooking Chicken gumbo and watching the Simpson's Movie.
So I'll write about our Christmas and New Years this coming weekend when things calm down around here!

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A Playful Christmas Evening =)

What a wonderful, exciting, busy day we had. The kids are happily playing with all of their toys and we parents are exhausted! They got lots of stuff and we even found some secret Santa gifts on our porch this morning! And no, we didn't do it and I'm not 100% sure who did but it was a nice surprise =)
I'm tired so I'm turning in but I'll write about our day tomorrow and post some pics that I took with my new camera!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!
Goodnight.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

December 24

Wow! Today was a busy day! Eddie had to work so the kids and I slept in til about 10. I got up and slowly got going but the minutes were just flying by. So I got ready, got the kids ready and started baking sugar cookies. After I finished we made a quick trip to Walmart for 2 things and to drop off some Christmas cards to our favorite workers there. Then some McD's for lunch and when we got home a little after 1 Eddie was already home. I took a break to eat but then had to ice the cookies, clean, and start cooking for our dinner with the "Adopted" Grandparents. It doesn't really seem like much, but my goodness I was busy up until the second they got there. The Grandparents came over for 6 and I had some yummy starters waiting...cheese, pretzels, tostitos, wheat thins and an awesome spinach and artichoke dip that I had a friend make for us. For dinner I made Spaghetti with meat sauce, meatballs on the side, salad and garlic bread. And for dessert we had cherry pie, honey cakes and sugar cookies. After we ate it was time to open presents with them. The kids were so excited! Brenden and Chase got remote control helicopters, Logan got a Leapster L-Max with a Thomas the Train game and then she had given them a HUGE stocking that she had decorated herself with the kids names. It had lots of cute little toys like cars and bath stuff and these really cute little drumming Santa's and bears that are really loud! She gave Eddie and I some Snoopy Christmas decorations that light up and hang on the window, which was really cool because I had almost bought one of them a few weeks ago! She also gave me a new ornament for my tree that was a ball with an angel that reads "I believe in Angels and you're the reason why". She calls me her angel, it was so sweet =) And she also gave me a glass angel to add to my collection, so now I have 11. I will have to take a picture so y'all can see. We gave them the present from the kids, we got them an ornament with 3 little bears in a stocking that read "Grandma and Grandpa's Sweetie's and on each bear was a kids name. Eddie and I gave them a $50 gift certificate to Corky's BBQ.
Speaking of taking pictures though, Eddie let me open my present tonight so that I would be able to use it Christmas morning! He got me an Olympus Stylus 730 digital camera! It's Awesome, I love it! And the kids got me a memory card and a carrying case so I got to open that too! I took some pictures and they are so much better quality, it's got a huge display screen and it's so easy to use, I'm so happy! I will post some new pics on Wednesday b/c I am so busy until then!
Right now I am trying to make sure the kids are really asleep so I can do what I need to do, if ya know what I mean ;) I am SO tired too but can't go to bed yet, UGH! Then I'm sure we'll be up early tomorrow, doing presents, eating breakfast, getting ready, getting kids ready, gotta bake 2 casseroles! And be at my parents house for 1:30, eat there, open presents, play then head home, unload car, bake 2 more casseroles, rest (yeah, right) then be at Eddie's parents for 5:30! Eat AGAIN! open presents and then we usually don't get home until midnight! Oh my, I'm getting dizzy!
So much to do but yet so worth it and the kids have a blast. So wish me strength and luck!
I hope you all have a great day tomorrow!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night =)

PS...Chase is still stirring, he needs to go to bed! And a funny about Logan...he took his Leapster to bed with him! And when we told him to put it away he tucked it under his legs, so sweet =)

December 23

Tonight was dinner with my parents. My Dad is in town from New Jersey. They came over at 5:30 and I had cooked baked ham, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, asparagus and rolls. And for dessert I made my honey cakes and fudge. We had a nice dinner then sat around talking for a bit after. It was nice to be able to spend some time with my parents.
After, Eddie, the kids and I hoped in the car and went looking at Christmas lights.

December 22

Ah Saturday! One of my favorite days =) Not too much planned for today. I made a big trip to the store for all the stuff I need to bake and cook for our Christmas eve dinner with the "adopted" grandparents and then for my parents and Eddie's parents houses on Christmas day. That was hectic! There were like a million people doing the same thing, it was crazy. I had more things I need to do but a big storm was coming so I decided to go home. Of course Eddie decides he wants popcorn that evening and I went out to get it with Logan right as the storm was coming through, real smart :/ Lots of rain, wind and temp dropped about 20 degrees!
Tonight Eddie cooked dinner for us and after we all sat and watched a movie and ate popcorn.

December 21~ Lunch With Old Friends!

Well, today started out a little flat, and I mean that literally! I was meeting 2 of my good friends from high school at 12:30 and I had 1 errand to run before so the kids and I left early. I had to go to the Ford dealership (the one my hubby worked at for 15 yrs.) to pick up a hand made book mark that his best friend's wife made for me. So we turn in to the dealership and I hear this bad noise. I knew the left back tire was bad so I moved my side mirror down to look and it's flat on the ground! So I pull in slowly into a parking spot and take a look and the tire is shot. No hope of just filling it with air this time! And I just knew Eddie was going to kill me...not like I did it, BUT I was the one driving when it happened! So I go in and find Thomas, he's the parts manager there and Eddie's best friend. I felt so bad b/c they were having their work Christmas lunch! He went and got one of the tech's who is also a good friend of ours and he and David changed my tire =) I kept apologizing, but they told me to shut up! They said they both have wives too and know that Eddie would do the same for them. Which actually, Eddie has, he went and changed Thomas' wifes flat tire a few years ago. So good thing for good friends!
I was a little late for lunch but not too bad. We went to Chick-fil-A and my friends had already gotten tables, 1 for us and 1 for the kids. We got our food, got the kids settled and then started yapping about old times. It was great! When the kids were done eating they all went to play in the indoor play thing and we got to talk for almost 2 more hours! It turned out that my kids and my one friend's kids got along so good, they had a blast playing together. By the time we left they were all asking when they could get together again. So we will try to do that. The one friend with kids only lives about 10 minutes away so that would be doable. The other friend was my best friend in high school but she lives in Ft. Worth, TX so I don't get to see her often. But she's moving back this Summer so that's exciting, we'll be able to spend more time together. It was just SO wonderful to get to spend time with my old friends =)

December 20~ Dinner with the Neighbors

Today was hot and rainy and just yucky! Thank goodness I didn't have much to do. We all watched a movie then after Kaiden left we made a quick trip to Fed-ex to mail off a Christmas present that will not make it in time (sorry A.!) At least your kids will have some gifts to open after Christmas, LOL! Then we came home and relaxed. A little bit later I got up to go to the restroom only to find out we were all of the sudden out of toilet paper! How does that happen? So had to make another trip out in rush hour traffic, ugh!
Tonight Eddie had his company Christmas party...employees only, no spouses invited =( That really sucked and I am a little ticked but what can I do? But that's okay, we had more fun anyway. Tonight we did the kids present exchange with their friends on the street. Our neighbor 2 doors down from us invited us over for dinner and the kids all opened their presents and then we ate some chicken spaghetti and dessert. After the kids all played outside then Bren had his friend sleep over. It was a fun night =)

December 19~ Christmas Caroling!

Tonight was our Caroling with the Neighbors party. We all met at our neighbor Kris' house and brought food and drink, there was about 25 of us. I brought the sweets, I made my special honey cakes and some red and green cupcakes for the kids. After we all ate we went caroling. We started on our street then worked our way down 2 other streets. And I'm happy to say that this year almost everyone opened their doors! Our first year we had so many people not open their door.
Somehow I got the title of "band leader", LOL! Not being conceited here, but I am the best singer(so they say)...I've sang all my life and was in Acapella Choir all through high school so I'm used to performing in front of people. It's like one of us had to lead and if I didn't do it it was a mess so that's why I stepped up and would tell them what song we were singing and what note we'd start on. Well, I couldn't tell them what note because no one knew what I meant so I'd sing the first few words so they knew what I meant, LOL! It was SO fun. And even funnier was Logan really took to the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer song and was singing it really loud while walking between houses. It was so cute.
After we all went back to Kris' house and just talked while the kids played in the street. And we're all so thankful that the rain held off...last year was a total bust thanks to the rain. We still had our party and ran out in the rain and caroled to one house but it just wasn't as fun. It was perfect tonight, clear and 65 degrees.

December 18

Today we delivered our cookies and cakes to some friends of ours. And boy am I glad we did it today and not Friday. There were a million people on the roads, bumper to bumper, driving like maniacs! It was crazy! All I wanted to do was get home alive!

That was it for today. When we did finally make it home we ate lunch, Logan napped and I actually got to sit down and watch Ellen. That was a treat =)

Constipation!

Yea, I know, lovely title! But maybe someone will read this and give me some advice. Since October Logan (almost 3) has been having some poop problems. I guess he had one poop that hurt and ever since he's scared to push it out. So instead he runs and hides in the bedroom, holds onto the bed slightly bent over and crosses his legs trying so hard to hold it in. He does this over and over. So first we tried suppositories, no go, then laxatives, made his tummy hurt so then we tried an enema...that did the trick, although he really hates it! So we got the poop out. But he keeps doing it, and here it is December now and he's still doing it. How do I get him to stop? I've pulled all the tricks...bribed with treats, told him he's hurting himself, told him he's gonna have to go to the doctor, yelled, I don't know what to do to make him stop holding it in!
Any advice?

December 17

Another Monday, ick! Today we colored Gingerbread men. That was about it. Kaiden was even sicker then she was last week and had diarrhea so I called her Mom to come get her. The last thing I need is a tummy bug to go through all of us right before Christmas, not cool!
In the afternoon the kids and I iced the sugar cookies and then I packed them up in their goody bags so I could deliver them Tuesday.
And tonight I went shopping again by myself! Just had a few more things to pick up.
Nothing more to report. The days are flying by and Christmas will be here in a blink!
Night

December 16~ Baking!

Today was pretty chilly, only 50*! Yeah, I know that's hot compared to the North! But I did just as I said and stayed in baking all day. And to make it better, Eddie took the kids with him to run some errands! So I got to bake and have quiet!! Whoo Hoo!

December 15~ Shopping!

Wow, what a busy day it turned out to be! We went to Cabela's and it is HUGE! And jam packed full of people. One complaint, the store was so cluttered with merchandise, and man do they need to stop putting shit in the walkway, it was so NOT shopping cart or stroller friendly. But besides that it was pretty cool. They had a walk through aquarium, a laser gun shooting range, and museum type settings with lots of dead, stuffed animals! The kids liked it. AND while we were there we picked up their Christmas presents! If I had any clue that we were going to do that I wouldn't have brought them! But we were still undecided on what their big present from us was going to be. Well, we somehow ended up by the BB guns. And after looking at them and the kids really interested and me thinking of "A Christmas Story" how Ralphie wanted one SO bad we decided to get Bren & Chase Red Rider BB guns! Just like the one Ralphie got! So while Eddie was looking for some help to get them I took the kids upstairs to the Fudge shop so they wouldn't see. My Mom said they have the best fudge so we had to try it... it was okay. Of course my favorite fudge would be at this really cool store at the top of the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. It's awesome! So anyway, Eddie got the guns...ended up getting Brenden a different one that was better for his age and Chase got the Red Rider. But then he took them out to the truck and had to figure out how to hide them, HA! One fit under the back seat and the other didn't so I sat in the back and Chase didn't even notice. After that, Eddie came up to find us and we were going to eat at the restaurant there but it was just to packed. So as we started to leave we saw a gun for Logan that looked just like the boys except it wasn't real of course, just made realistic sounds. He's going to be so happy that he has a gun like his brothers! And I know that anyone who reads this is probably thinking we're crazy for getting our kids guns...don't worry, that's normal here in Louisiana! And, it's just a BB gun! They will only be allowed to use them with adult supervision!
Okay, so we headed back to the city and found a place to eat. But then we still had to find the bike we're getting Logan! Eddie went to a few places last night and no luck. So we were going to try 2 more places and if we didn't find it we'd order online and pray it came in time! So, we go to the first place, me & the kids wait in the truck and what do ya know? They have 1 left! We know we need it right now b/c it might not be there later... BUT we have the kids with us! How in the heck were we going to hide a whole bike? AH! Eddie pulled it off, I just made sure that the kids were watching the movie, turned the volume up and Eddie snuck up from the back and gently laid it in the back of the truck! We went straight home and made the kids get out in front the house while I went and parked in the back of the driveway and transferred all the stuff from the truck to my car trunk! So as far as I know, we pulled it off.
Tonight I actually left the kids home with Eddie and went shopping by myself. Okay, I went to Walmart...but good enough! I knew they would have almost everything I needed plus I needed to get some groceries. I did end up finding everything I needed except for one Doodlebops DVD. I walked around and enjoyed myself, stopped to look at things without a million kids nagging me. It was okay! Then I went to Game Stop for 2 gift cards and to the Dollar Tree where nothing is over $1! I needed gift bags and why pay $3+ each when I can get them for $1 each?

Now I am pooped and am going to get some sleep b/c tomorrow I am going to bake all day. But one more thing...remember me complaining about the weather being so HOT! And it didn't feel like Christmas at all? Well, we finally got some cold weather! Our high today was 78, it rained a little and then got very windy and right now it's 42...and our low is supposed to be 35. That would be a 43 degree drop in less then 12 hours! It's only supposed to be 52 tomorrow, which is pretty cold to me so it's a good thing I'll be staying in baking all day =)

Night!

December 14

I got a little Christmas shopping done today! Not much, but a start. I got a gift for my brother and the softest stuffed horse for Logan (he loves horses). Then I made up my mind on what to get Eddie finally. He has wanted some Nike Shox for quite a while now but has never found a pair that he likes. I found a pair on Eastbay.com that I know he would like and were a decent price. But then when we were getting our Christmas Tree at our local hardware store he saw an iPod Dock thingy and said that he had been wanting one and that it was a really good price. So that's what I got him. It's wrapped and under the tree! Tonight we were going to try to go shopping together but of course there's no one to watch the kids so he went by himself. We are looking for a certain bike for Logan and can't seem to find it. So if we don't find it by tomorrow evening I will order it online and hope and pray that it comes in time for Christmas!
He also made a trip to Comp USA, they are closing for good so he was looking for some good prices on X-box games. Didn't find those but he did find one of the gifts we're getting for the kids for 10% off. Not much, but better than nothing I guess! So we are getting closer to being done. Tomorrow we are going to the new huge Cabella's in Gonzales. They say it takes a few hours to make through the store and that they have a restaurant with some good food and they make the most awesome fudge. So we're gonna eat, get some fudge, enjoy the views and shop. I'm hoping to find a Christmas present for my Dad in there.
We've been watching a Christmas movie each night and I'd like to recommend Elf with Will Ferrell. He's so funny and really makes the movie. The kids LOVE it so we've been watching it a lot. That and Rudolph, Logan's favorite.
Goodnight =)

Kaiden's Curly Hair...

Got straightened today! I was doing my hair and decided to do Kaiden's as well. She's got the natural ringlets that are adorable but bounce up so much that her hair looks much shorter then it really is! The boys and I always wondered how long it would look if I straightened it so today we found out. Of course, by the time her Mom came to pick her up the curls had all bounced back out!
Before-



















After-

December 13

Today we made our clothespin reindeer ornaments. They came out really cute! Then we played with some Christmas stamps and ink pads. Tonight Eddie hosted a wholesale appreciation party at work so we just chilled out, ordered in some pizza and watched Polar Express. All of the kids actually sat and watched the whole movie, Logan fell asleep next to me so I did my Christmas cards.
Only 11 more days til Christmas and I still have no presents bought for my kids! Am I the only one this far behind?? I do plan on getting all that taken care of this weekend.
Have a good night =)

Sick baby =(

Why do kids always get sicker at night? I've never understood that. As the night progressed Logan got worse. So I stayed awake (until 3 a.m.!) watching him breathe and Chase too since his asthma has gotten worse. Then I hear what I thought was a baby seal coming from the bed! Nope, just Logan coughing or should I say barking? So I got on the computer and started looking up "runny nose and barking cough". I came up with Croup or Bronchiolitis. But he doesn't have a fever and he's eating and drinking well so we won't rush off to the Doctor just yet. Actually, Logan hasn't been to the doctor since he was 8 months old! His Doctor and I had a very big disagreement on Vaccine's and she told me if I didn't vaccinate him that day to leave and that she nor any of the other Doctor's would ever see him again. So be it, I left and have not gone back! But I also have not yet found a Doctor that shares my views on Antibiotic use and Vaccines and such. Logan will be 3 in February and to this date has never taken any Antibiotics or any other meds besides Tylenol, Motrin or Benedryl which we only use when absolutely necessary.
So today he was better but now that night has fallen he's getting worse again. I just hope I don't get it because I hate being sick, but especially hate being sick at Christmas!!

December 12

Well, another day wasted! We slept in today because Kaiden didn't come, she isn't feeling well and I think she gave it to Logan. He has a runny nose now. Chase's asthma has been getting worse with an attack almost every night. Ugh, why now? So we just kinda rested today.
Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
Goodnight.

Picture touched up...

My neighbor/friend Brandi had a better touch up program then I and did this for me...

Can you tell the difference in Chase's face? To me it looks smoother and not as patchy.

December 11

Another not so productive day. We spent most of the morning trying to take the perfect Christmas picture. Out of all I took I only kinda like one! I usually take the kids to my friend Bobby, he had his own studio on his property right down the road from us and we've been going to him since Bren was a baby. But this year I waited to long to call and make my appt.! I called and he said he'd call me to get me in but never did. So that's when I got the bright idea to try to take them myself! And I didn't do too bad, the only problem is that Bobby always does touch ups so that you can't see Chase's eczema. I've tried to do my own touch ups here with the programs I have but it's just not working out. I'm going to call him one more time tomorrow and let's just hope he answers and can fit us in real quick.But for now, here are some of the pics we took today:
My 3 Boys



















Logan



















Kaiden




















Logan & Kaiden


















I have no idea what made them laugh so hard!

December 10

Today was a pretty uneventful day so nothing exciting to report. It's Monday, what can I say...I don't do Monday's! LOL!

We did school and the little ones colored a Santa hat. We'll do our clothespin Reindeer tomorrow.

It's still hot, rained today and does not feel like Christmas. I have a headache so I'm going to bed.

Night, night.

December 9

Today was the Jones Creek Christmas Parade that we go to each year. It was very hot this year (86* with a heat index of 91) but we had a great time and the kids got lots of candy and trinkets. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera. I can't wait to get my new camera, so it'll be in my purse at all times like usual!

After that we went on a hunt for some new Christmas tree lights b/c I couldn't get the old ones to work. I didn't find the function lights so I just bought regular 100 ct. ones instead, oh well. When we got home our neighbor down the street was decorating the house across the street from me. The people that live there are my kids other "adopted" grandparents. They are in their late 70's and not able to decorate as much anymore so we helped them out =)

After the neighbor was finished my kids went with him to his house (he's the one who watches my kids and they love him) and I started decorating our tree. Of course when Logan came home he wanted to help to so I saved him some kid friendly ornaments to hang at the bottom. He was so excited! I will take some pictures in a little bit and post them.

December 8

We got our tree today. We usually get it after the Christmas parade on Sunday but since we didn't have much to do today I figured we would get that done. I haven't decorated it yet though. We'll do that tomorrow afternoon after the parade. I did get the lights out to check them and of course half of them aren't working. I'm going to try to go through them and figure out why because they are the good, expensive lights with the 8 function switch. I really don't feel like going out trying to find some more right now.
It was kind of weird shopping for a Christmas tree when it's 86 degree outside! Then we came home and did some landscaping and replanted 2 small trees...sweating our butts off! Another hot day tomorrow for the Christmas parade which sucks because all of my cute Christmas clothes are for cold weather. Guess we'll be in shorts and short sleeved shirts! It's supposed to be in the 80's for the next few days but will be cooler by the end of the next week, finally. But we'll see how long that lasts. I just wish it would snow so the kids could see it and play in it. Ha, like that's going to happen here. But as soon as I finish writing this Eddie has asked me to look for a place in the mountains, maybe upper Tennessee since that's not too far for us. Even though my dream mountain vacation is the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. We used to go there a lot when I was younger to this awesome place called Peaceful Valley. Just need more time to be able to go there. He always takes off the week between Christmas and New Year so we don't have too much time and want to be back for New Year's Eve so we'll see what I can find.
Have a good night =)

December 7

Today was our errand day and I totally forgot to bring our bags of stuff to donate for our good deeds day! Hopefully I can get that dropped off in the next few days.
Tonight was a small Friday night street party here. My kids and I and few of the neighbors were outside talking when another one of our neighbors drove in with her boyfriend and some friends. They had tried to go to her boyfriends homeowners assn. Christmas party with his other neighbors and the friends had their 2 kids with them. So when they walked into the party the old stiffs told them that kids were not allowed so they got mad/upset and left. So Kris brought them back over to our street in hopes that we were out there and of course we were. She had picked up some gingerbread cookies and made hot chocolate for the kids (even though it was 70 degrees outside, LOL!) So their friends kids and our kids all ate, drank, played and had fun listening to the music and watching all the Christmas lights and all of the adults just stood around talking. We have the best street!

December 6

Only 18 more shopping days! I actually have 2 gifts bought so far! Not good, huh? But I did order 2 more things online today. It's a start and I'll be done by Christmas weekend as always.

So today we finished our Christmas Trees. They came out so cute! The little ones did such a great job at decorating. I just put the glue dots down for them and they stuck the sequins on. I will take some pictures this weekend. We didn't get to our craft I had planned today b/c we were finishing those up so we'll do it next week.

That's about it for today, I am exhausted and going to hit the hay early tonight.
Have a good one,
~K

Doodlebops!

Logan and I went to see the Doodlebops tonight! I was so happy to see that it was the real Doodlebops that we watch everyday and not tour stand in's. Logan liked it but is to shy to dance and get all crazy. It's like he starts to and then turns to make sure no one's watching, silly boy!
Anyway, we had a great time.
But goodness gracious, someone should have warned me how expensive those shirts and toys would be! Wow, is all I have to say, they are making a killing. I knew I was going to get him a T-shirt because I like to do that for every concert we go to, but then of course they put those fun, flashy toys right there in the kids face to see! The T-shirt was $25. Dang, they were only $20 at the Blue Man Concert and that was adult size! And then he had to have one of those whirly, twirly, light up, thingamajigers...$20 bucks, WHAT? But I guess it was worth it, the shirt is so cute and he played with the twirly thing the entire time which is why right now it's sitting up cooling off! It got so hot where the batteries are and stopped working.
Here are some pics from tonight:

A goofy smile!

December 5

Only 19 more shopping days!

Today we finished our advent calendars and started on our Christmas trees. First they colored a Christmas tree color page while I cut Christmas trees out of a foam sheet. I still need to finish cutting them tonight and then tomorrow we will decorate them.

Christmas Movies

What are your favorite Christmas movies?
Here are a list of mine, in no special order.
1. A Christmas Story
2. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
3. A Charlie Brown Christmas
4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated)
5. Frosty the Snowman
6. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
7. The Santa Clause 1, 2 & 3
8. The Grinch (Jim Carrey)
9. Home Alone 1,2 & 3
10. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
11. Scrooged
12. Elf
13. Polar Express
14. Deck the Halls
15. Christmas with the Kranks
16. Jingle All the Way

December 4

Today we made our Advent calenders. They came out really cute! I was supposed to finish cleaning but after digging through my crafts box I realized I was low on a lot of stuff that we will need for our upcoming crafts so we took a trip to Walmart. We got jingle bells, google eyes, pom pom balls, ribbon, sequins and tacky glue. The only thing they didn't have (or maybe I just couldn't find) was the ink stamp pads for our Christmas stamps. There is a stamping store up the road so I'll just pick it up there Friday. So now we are ready for our fun Christmas projects!

After Walmart I took the kids to the lake and we fed the ducks. They love doing that. It was so funny because there were like 50 ducks, geese, and birds and then all the sudden in the middle of all these birds we spot a Nutria. Now I'm sure a lot of you are asking "what in the heck is a Nutria"? LOL! It's hard to explain because it's in a class all it's own, but the closest thing I would compare it to is a huge rat or a beaver. These are native to Louisiana and are actually considered a nuissance because they ruin the land. Sadly, when I was younger my Dad used to take me to the marshy area in Plaquenine's Parish, LA and make me shoot them for target practice! Here is a link that explains it better and has a picture: http://www.nutria.com/site.php
They are actually a lot bigger than it looks in the picture and if you saw it you would seriously think it was a beaver. The one we saw today was kinda cute except for his big yellow buck teeth! And now I understand why my Dad made me shoot them...they really do ruin the land. They have burrowed all under the grass and dirt at the lake to where it's dangerous to even walk out there in fear of falling in a hole or just through the ground itself where they have weakened it. So today we just stayed up on the concrete and threw the bread down.
Okay, off to go plan out tomorrow's activities!
Night =)

December 3- My Christmas Plan

Well today I did just as I said and cleaned and organized the house. I think I got a good bit accomplished but still have more to do! I still have 3 toy boxes to clean out! One of my ideas for our Christmas plan is to have a good deeds day...ya know where you donate stuff to a homeless shelter, women's shelter, Red Cross, etc. So my kids old toys will definitely find a good home =) And I have a few bags of clothes to donate as well.

So tomorrow I will try to finish cleaning. Then we can move onto the fun stuff.

Here is my plan so far:

Dec. 4- Make Advent calender's. Then color Christmas pictures while I clean. Oh, and go buy Blake Lewis's (2nd runner up on last season's American Idol) new CD!


Dec. 5- Make Christmas trees out of construction paper and decorate them.

Dec. 6- Make Christmas necklaces from painted red and green noodles. And me and Logan and his girlfriend/neighbor Kylee and her Dad are going to the Doodlebops concert that night!

Dec. 7- Good deed day, we'll go donate the toys and clothes somewhere, not sure yet.

Dec. 8- Might go to the downtown Christmas parade, not sure yet.

Dec. 9- Jones Creek Christmas parade! Then after that we will go pick out our Christmas tree, come home and decorate it while listening to Christmas music. My favorite day =)

Dec. 10- Make clothespin reindeer.

Dec. 11- Make toilet paper roll Santa's

Dec. 12- Make Christmas picture ornament out of old Cd's.

Dec. 13- Make Snowflakes

Dec. 14- 19 I need some more ideas! But I'm sure we'll come up with something.

Dec. 19 or 20- not sure yet depends on the weather, but we have our neighborhood Christmas party! We meet up at the neighbors house for some food and drink then all go Christmas caroling around the neighborhood! It's so funny and everyone has a blast!

Dec. 21- That morning I am meeting up with 2 old friend's from high school for Brunch. (Remind me to find sitter for the kids, HA, yeah like that's going to happen!)
Then that afternoon and evening the kids and I will make lots of home made Christmas cookies and icing then have fun icing the cookies and decorating them. And I will make my Grandma's Honey Cakes.

Dec. 22- Eddie and I will try to go out and have a nice dinner together, by ourselves, no kids!

Dec. 23- We will bring plates of our Christmas cookies and treats to our special neighbors and wish them a Merry Christmas =)

Dec. 24- I will have the kids "adopted" grandparents over for Christmas dinner. Then we will exchange gifts with them. After that we will drive around town and look at Christmas lights.

And Dec. 25! Such a busy day for us. We usually get up by 9 a.m. We all walk out to the den together where Eddie is waiting with the video camera. The kids go check out what Santa brought them and check their stockings. Sometimes we eat a quick breakfast in between, but then we open the rest of the presents and the kids play for a while. Then we all get ready to go to my parents house for 1 o'clock. There we eat Christmas lunch and then open presents. The kids play some more and then we do desert. We get home about 4:30 I bake another casserole for an hour and then we're off again at 5:30 to Eddie's parents house! We eat AGAIN! Then open presents and the kids play some more. And then more desert! He's got such a big family that it takes forever for everyone to eat and open presents and then everyone starts drinking and we usually don't get home until about midnight! It's very, very, long, exciting, tiring day.
But it's still my favorite day of the year =)

December 2

I'm going to follow Becky's lead and do a Christmas plan. I don't have a list yet but do have many ideas. Each day leading up to Christmas Day we will do a Christmas activity as a family. Tomorrow we will be cleaning and organizing the house to make room for all of our Christmas decorations and new Christmas presents that are soon to come =)

Celtic Woman- A Christmas Celebration

I was flipping through the channels last night and onPBS were the Celtic Women. They were airing their Christmas Celebration Concert. It was awesome! I have heard them before and loved them then, but I especially love Christmas music so that was even better. Their voices are so angelic, so pure, just so beautiful. So if you haven't heard them search online and take a listen.

December 1

I cannot believe it is December already! It's like once Halloween hits everything just fly's by. Only 23 more shopping days! Ha Ha! So who has started their Christmas shopping? Not me! I would say I am a little behind this year, but really, thinking back I don't think I ever shop til after Dec. 1. We did finally figure out what we are going to get the kids so that is good. Now we just need to find a day and a time and someone to watch the kids so we can go shopping. That's the hard part. It really sucks not having a family that is willing to watch your kids, not just because they have to but because they want to. I mean I could go by myself and leave Eddie with the kids but the kids Christmas shopping is something we like to do together. But I so will not get into that again. I'm so sick of how bad our family (parents in general) SUCK!
Onto another subject before I lose my Christmas cheer!
Okay, so the neighbors are outside right now as I write still decorating! I am done with mine, but I didn't say I was done with the neighbors, LOL! There's a house across the street one down that is a lease house. The people there aren't very friendly really. The son and his girlfriend finally started to wave as they pass by. So tonight I walked over there and saw the son sitting on his side porch with his laptop so I walked up and said "excuse me", I think I scared the crap outta him! I introduced myself and he gave me his name and I asked him if they would be decorating. He said if they got some lights they would, so I told him I had some extra lights left and asked if he minded if I put them up. There's this one little Japanese Magnolia tree that is bare right now and reminds me of the tree on It's a Charlie Brown Christmas, he said he didn't mind at all. So I wrapped the tree in white lights and me and the kids are gonna make a star out of foil to put on top! I thought that would be cute. I also told him that another neighbor might wrap his other tree and he said he didn't mind at all. The neighbor across the street has a fun tree to wrap and the other neighbor is gonna do theirs. I think by the end of the weekend the whole street will be decorated! We call it the street that Christmas threw up on, LOL! But have so much fun doing it =)

Elf Yourself!

A friend of mine sent me an e-mail yesterday that was too funny. It had a link and when I clicked on it I saw the funniest thing! Click my link to see my kids and our dog "get elfed"!

Hey, I just made a total elf of myself. Check it out by clicking the link below (or copy and paste into your browser).

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1124677418

This elfin' greeting brought to you by OfficeMax®.

When you're done watching you can "elf" whoever you choose!
Have fun!

I'm cute, I'm cute, she thinks I'm cuuuuuuuuute!

Yes, we love Rudolph! LOL! Actually, yesterday as we were checking out at the grocery store the checker asked Chase about his eczema. At the end of their conversation she said "Well, I think you're cute". So as we're walking out Chase is singing "I'm cute, I'm cute, she thinks I'm cuuuuuuuuute" just like Rudolph and making us laugh so hard! He is really such a cutie =)

(this pic was taken in August, he was on corticosteroids and his eczema was so clear)

Finally Finished Decorating!

Well, the outside at least! All I had left to do was to put up the lights around the eve's of the house. So I got the lights and borrowed the neighbors ladder, I put the ladder up to the house, climb up it and then chicken out, LOL! I did get the snowflake lights up around one of the lower eve's but the rest is to high and there's a tall point in one spot that scares me to death. It's like each time I got to the top of the ladder my body started to shake! I could have waited for Eddie to get home but by then it would have been to dark so instead I called my little brother. He came by, climbed right up the ladder like it was nothing, got on the roof and went right to it. Thank you little brother! I'll take some pics this weekend so you all can see =)
TGIF!
~K

We Love Santa!

This evening we went to our local hardware store/garden center where our neighbor (Chuck) across the street (the one who decorates like crazy!) plays Santa each year. We met the kids adopted grandparents there for some fun pictures with Santa. You can even bring your pets for pics with Santa as well!
But what was sooo cute was the fact that Logan did not realize that Chuck was Santa. He shyly went up to him and I sat him on his lap but he wouldn't smile, just kinda had a scared look on his face. But he did better then last year, he made sure to keep at least 2 feet between he and Santa last year! Then after Brenden, Chase and Snoopy took their pics, we had walked off and Logan ran back up to him and was telling him what he wanted for Christmas so I sat with them and we got a pic of him halfway smiling. I just thought it was so sweet that he really didn't know it was Chuck. Although had he known we would have gotten a big ole smile for sure!
I have some pics but Chuck is scanning them for me so as soon as I get them I will post them because they are too cute!
Here ya go...These were poloroids that were scanned so the quality is not so great, but you get the picture! All of our eyes look funny, especially Brenden's, oh well!

Look what we did today!

Today as our home school art project we went to the neighbors house and made Gingerbread houses! Well, more like Graham cracker houses, LOL! With 5 kids it's cheaper and easier that way. So we used Graham crackers, cake icing (but Bren had a good thought when he suggested that next time we use peanut butter) sprinkles, Christmas colored malted milk balls, m&m's, candy canes, Christmas peeps and gummy swirls. My friend Dana and I helped the little ones put the houses together and then let them go at it with the decorations. They had a blast! And the end results were so cute =) Thank goodness I took pictures before things got too crazy though...another neighbor came over to check out the kids houses and while playing around made Kylee's house crumble! Then while trying to get a picture of all 3 of my kids Logan was being a brat hitting on Chase and when he grabbed for the table he grabbed the plate his house was on and it started to fall then crumbled too =( Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
Here are some pics...
Check out Brenden's, I think that's a Gingerbread Mansion, LOL! And check out that icing on his face!



Chase in the process of decorating! See Logan trying to climb out the window, LOL! And he did a few times after that!















Logan decorating =)





























The whole crew!

Gotta lose some weight!!!!

Oh My Goodness! I am embarrassed to say this...but I gained about 17 pounds this Summer. How, I have no idea. I was so active, always moving, swimming, chasing after someone. I didn't eat as much being we were so busy, I just don't know how this happened! It just sucks because I worked so hard to keep the weight off after having Logan =(

So not like I didn't already know I was going to have to lose this extra weight, plus the 30 I also need to lose to be at the weight I'd like to be, it gets even worse! My brother's fiance came by today. I thought it was kinda odd since she never comes over by herself, but she had something important to tell me. What she wanted to tell me was that she and my brother have set their wedding date and that I am going to be a Brides Maid! Of course I accepted and thanked her but I guess the thought of having to wear a dress hadn't yet crossed my mind. Even when she asked to use my computer to show me the dress she had picked out, still not registering yet...and even when she showed me the dress, still not getting through to me! LOL! It wasn't until after she left that I came back in to take a second look and view the full view including the back of the dress did I realize what I had just gotten myself into, AHHHHH! This is one of those dresses that only looks good on a size ZERO, and their ass would still look fat! I am a size FOURTEEN! I HATE dresses to begin with because they never fit me, not without alterations. I am a top heavy girl...a 40 DDD to be exact with a decent waist and medium hips so they really have to alter the top. But even if I were to lose the weight and say get down to a size 9/10 where I'd like to be this dress still wouldn't look good. And the other 3 brides maids will all be having babies a few months before the wedding so I'm sure they can't be too happy with this dress choice either! I am SO hoping she changes her mind between now and the wedding. Which by the way, is scheduled for November 22, 2008. So I have like 10 months to lose it before dress fitting time next September. Oh, and I'm also buying one of those slim fit body shaper things ...I'm sure ya'll have seen the commercial!

So if anyone has any ideas, advice, anything on how they lost weight please send them my way!

(Aha! Thank you to Becky for telling me how to put the picture where I want it!!)

This is the dress except it will be Midnight Blue...and it better have one of those shawl, cover up thingy's!!

Potato Casserole Recipe

This was my grandma's recipe, she made this each Christmas and it is my favorite holiday dish (heck, it's not just for holiday's you can make it any day of the year!) So to carry on her tradition I make this each Thanksgiving and Christmas and each year I am asked to make more because the one dish I bring just isn't enough. Well, it is, just not enough because everyone wants seconds and thirds, LOL!

Potato Casserole-

1 bag frozen southern style hashbrowns

1 16 oz. light or regular sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 sticks margerine

2 1/2 cups corn flakes

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup chopped onions

salt & pepper to taste

Thaw southern style hashbrowns overnight in fridge.
Preheat oven to 350*
Mix together sour cream, soup, onions, s&p, 1 cup shredded cheese and 1 stick margerine, melted. Combine well then slowly add in thawed potato's. Stir all together until well coated. Pour into 9 x 13 baking dish and set aside.

In another bowl crush 2 1/2 cups corn flakes, add 1 cup shredded cheese and 1 stick margerine, melted. Mix well. Spread evenly on top of casserole and cover with foil.

Place in oven for 30 minutes at 350*. Then take foil off and back for another 20 to 30 minutes until top is light golden color.

Let cool for 10 minutes and then enjoy!
It's so yummy!!!

(Although I have found that for some reason little ones do not like the topping?? (my fave part!) but as they got older they loved it. So if you have a picky one just scrape the topping off!)

Windy, Cold, Rainy, Warm, BLAH!

That's what it was this weekend! Saturday it was windy, freezing cold and rainy. We went out to run a few errands and eat and that was about it. Today it was very rainy and warm! We did absolutely NOTHING! Boring! Well, I did go to the store and to Subway, that was my excitement for this miserable day. This rain just ruined everything. I still need to put my lights up around the eve's of the house but I am too scared to get on the roof so Eddie is going to do it but definitely not in the rain! So that was a no go. Now I'll probably have to wait til next weekend =(
Go away rain!

Fun Friday!

Yesterday was a gorgeous day! Unlike what today is supposed to be. The kids played outside ALL day back and forth between my house and the neighbors house 2 houses down. My neighbor (the one who my kids love and he babysits for me) took off work so he could put up his Christmas lights. He had his 3 yr. old little girl that day so Logan was happy he had his friend to play with. They ran and played and rode their bikes up and down the street then watched movies and played some more between our 2 houses. I actually got to go to the store by myself while he watched them and then cleaned while the kids played outside. It was windy and cool so we had our doors open. It was just a really great day!

Something Very Special

While at my parents for Thanksgiving my Mom, sister and I were talking about my Grandma (Mom's mom). She passed away this past March 1. I was talking about how I like carrying on her love for baking and then got onto the subject of how I was upset that I did not get anything special to remember her by when she passed. That reminded my Mom that she had something of my Grandma's for me. She took me back to her room and handed me a 14 carat gold nugget pendant with a 1 carat diamond. I am so happy to have something that will always remind me of my Grandma =) But what made it even more special was the engraving that I did not see on the back of it! When I was showing Eddie, he noticed it and read it out to me...engraved on the back was: LMH - REG 1935-1985. It was the gift my Grandfather gave to my Grandmother for their 50th wedding anniversary! When I told my Mom she did not even know that was on there.
I'm going to take it to the Jewelry store this next week to have it cleaned and appraised and then pick out a thick gold chain so I can start wearing it!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

The things I am thankful for-
I am thankful for my family & friends. I am thankful for the food we have on our table and for the roof over our heads. I am thankful to have such a wonderful husband who works hard to support the kids and I. I am thankful for our good health. I am thankful for many other things as well, but you get the point!
Today we are going to my parents house to spend Thanksgiving with my husband & kids, my Mom, my sister & her 2 kids and my brother and his fiance. My Dad is in new Jersey working and won't be here with us but he will be thought of. My Dad will be coming in town for Christmas. Usually my Mom isn't here either, but she is in town early this year to help my sister with her new baby.
I can't wait to eat some yummy Turkey and all the fixings! I hope that this Thanksgiving is a great one for all and that you all have many things to be thankful for as well =)
Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Started Decorating!

Well, I finished painting the trim on the house, and got my new bushes and mulch in so its time for the Christmas lights to go up! I did get the bushes wrapped, the snowmen in that line the walkway and my front door and porch area are almost done. Eddie and/or my brother will put the lights up around the house eve's sometime this weekend I hope and then I will put out my blow up's, Rudolf and my snowman and snowoman.
It was really hard to start decorating because again it was 81 with another heat index of 91*. Crazy!
My neighbor across the street was out there in the dark trying to finish up his lights. He's made this huge Christmas tree in his front yard. It's gonna look pretty neat when it's done and turned on. We were all trying to finish by tomorrow night so we could have a little light turn on ceremony!
And right now as I write this the wind and rain are coming through, a cold front. So at least tomorrow on Thanksgiving it will actually feel like Thanksgiving should. For the next few days the temps will be in the upper 50's, lower 60's and at night in the upper 30's, lower 40's. Then back up to 70 next Wednesday. Finally, we can stop wearing our Summer clothes for a bit!
Tonight I am baking. I made 2 batches of my Grandma's special recipe, Honey Cakes. Although I don't know why they are called Honey Cakes because there is NO honey in them, LOL!
I think they came out pretty good but they need to cool and set overnight. Then I made up my Potato Casserole. (If anyone wants the recipe let me know and I'll post it!) I let it set overnight then add the topping in the morning before I bake it. It is my favorite holiday dish to cook. Everyone loves it and begs me to bring more each year. This year I only have to make 2. I made one for Eddie's Thanksgiving feast at work today and then one for my parents house tomorrow. Eddie's parents went to Texas to visit with his Mother's parents. Her father is in the hospital since late October after being in a car wreck. He has 2 ruptured disks, I think they said that are pinching some nerves and he cannot feel his left side to write or walk, which sucks because like my Chase he is left handed! He is 90 yrs. old and they are afraid to put him under anesthesia to operate b/c the last time he almost didn't make it. So I think for right now they are doing physical therapy which is really hard on him, poor thing.
Okay, off to go bathe the little one and get ready for bed so we won't be too tired tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Swimming in November?

Yep, that's what my kids did today! It was 81 degrees with a heat index of 91*, ridiculous, huh? Logan & Kaiden didn't want to put their suits on so they sat and read books =)
Here's some pics...

And the decorating has begun!

When we got back from the movies yesterday 2 of the houses on our street were already done being decorated and the 3rd was in the process! That's the house that does it big and he is halfway done. I feel like I'm last now since I have not even begun! I have started cleaning, That's a start. I still need to paint the outside trim around the kitchen window and the front door trim and put my new Camellia's and some kind of green bush in my flower beds so I can wrap lights around them. I will try to get that done this week so I can start decorating on Sunday. I can't wait!

Eddie's Birthday!

Today is Eddie's 37th Birthday! I made him breakfast (or maybe it was brunch since it was already 10:30!). It was his day so we did what he wanted to do...we went to Circuit City to go find some games that were on sale (didn't find them) and then he decided he wanted to go see a movie. We saw Dan, in Real Life. It was just okay, nothing to rave about. I thought it would be a little funnier with Steve Carell and all but it was more like a love story. After that we went to O'Henry's...home of the FREE birthday steak, LOL! I must say, his steak was awesome! Then we went home and had cake and ice cream and gave him his gifts. I got him a wallet, Bren got him a really cool LSU mug, Chase got him some dress socks and Logan got him a pack of mini M&M's =)

My Hair, Going Out and a REAL Babysitter!

(in the picture from Left to right: Eddie, me, Eddie's brother Frankie and my brother Rush...for some reason the pic is distorted and our eyes look funny!)

Well, today (Saturday) I finally got my hair done! It's only been 8 months since my last hi-lite! I was seriously in need, my roots were horrible and my hair was dark, flat and lifeless and that was really making me feel like shit. So now, my hi-lite's are back better than ever and I feel so much better =) My girl even trimmed up the back, waxed my eyebrows and even did my eye shadow for me since we were going out later for Eddie's B-day. I go to my friend Karen, we've been friends for about 9 years and she is a fellow hairstylist. I do not trust anyone else with my hair!

So I head home with my awesome hair only to have my husband be a complete dick. Not sure why, he said something about hating it streaky, which it isn't. After a few washes it kinda calms down and falls into place. All I wanted was a " hey, you look nice" or something. But whatever, I love it and I feel better and that's all that matters.

So after that I had to make a quick trip to the mall to get Eddie's birthday present. I had wanted to get him some Nike Shox tennis shoes but instead got him a wallet and some dress socks and will get the shoes for him for Christmas. Then I made a little detour before leaving and found the cutest shirt to wear out that night!

Then I had to get home to clean up and feed the kids because Eddie and I were going out to celebrate his 37th B-day (which is really Sunday). We actually had a REAL babysitter coming! Her name is Alicia and she will be 15 on the 18th. We met her through her mom who is Chase's nurse at the ENT where he goes for Allergy shots each Friday.

When I say REAL babysitter, I mean that it was someone that was not a family member or close friend. It's not often that I get to go out but when I do it was usually our good friend/neighbor Marlen that would babysit. He's a 49 yr. old (doesn't act or look it!) man with a daughter the same age as Logan, he's really cool and super with my kids and most of all Logan loves him. He listens to him and doesn't even cry when we leave him there. He's truly the best sitter ever! But, he didn't have his daughter this weekend and his roommate is super sick so he couldn't watch the kids. I didn't want to ask my mom or Eddie's parents because they always say no so we just stopped asking! So I was stuck wondering what the hell to do and that's when we thought of Alicia. Her mom had told me that she loved to babysit and would love to do it so I figured why not give it a try?

Her parents brought her over at 7:15 and we started to leave when Logan decides he is coming with us. Well, me! He told everyone that he and I were going to Walmart! So he goes up to Alicia and gives her a hug and tells her bye then goes around the room with hugs and byes for his brothers and Eddie. It was kinda funny but sad at the same time. So I had to explain to him that Daddy and me were going out and that he and brothers would stay with Alicia. He fought me and wasn't letting up so I had to think of another way to get out! And as much as I hate doing this, I had to do the sneak out =( I got him interested in showing Alicia our movie cabinet so when he sat down with her to show her his movies I snuck out the back. Damn, I hate doing that! But he was fine, so she said. Until right when we got to the restaurant she calls to tell me that he took a poop and would not let her change him! He wanted me! AHHH! I ended up telling her to just do what she had to do to get it changed. By the next time I text her he was on the couch on sleeping! Which he never does so that shocked me! A little bit later she text to tell me he was awake but was being good thinking he was playing X-box! LOL! He holds an extra control while the boys play and thinks he's really playing too! Hey, but whatever works!
Okay, so Eddie and I met up with a bunch of friends at a local restaurant/bar and watched the LSU game, ate, had some drinks and just sat around talking. After that we went to our little daiquiri/bar hangout. When we pulled up I noticed my sister's car in the parking lot and was surprised to see her when we walked in. I felt kinda bad because I forgot to invite her to come out with us! Being she just had a baby 2 months ago, I just figured she wasn't ready to go out yet, oops! Anyway, she was just as surprised to see me and we all sat together and talked, it was all good. We left around midnight because I didn't want to be to late with the new sitter. When we got home they were all sleeping except Brenden, Chase woke up when we walked in and he rode with me to bring her home. On the way home I asked her how everything went and told her to be honest! She said that my kids were probably the best kids she'd ever babysat! Whoo hoo! That was good to hear! Only bad thing was that Logan called her a bad word after she made him let her change his diaper, whoops :/ After dropping her off I drilled Chase about the night and what he thought and he said everything went well and he would definitely want her to watch them again in the future so that was good to hear too =)

Another thing, I'm not used to is having to pay for a sitter! I had NO idea what the going rate was these days and she told me to just pay her whatever I thought was good. So I paid her $30, I figured $10 per child would work. She said what I paid was good so I guess I did okay!

Road work & Speeders

Okay, we live on a very small, narrow, dead end street and right now it is under construction. There were really only 2 spots that needed fixing but they decided to fix some cracks in the road as well, which was stupid in my opinion! So, right now the whole right side of the street is blocked off. Next week my side will be jackhammered (at 6:30 in the freaking morning) and then they will lay the new concrete on Wednesday. It's been a real pain in the ass and I cannot wait for them to be done. With our street being so small it's really hard to drive down the street let alone pull into my driveway. But what is worse is that we have 2 new houses at the end of the street and the new people that have moved in have a BIG speeding problem! Like it's not bad enough that they speed when the street is normal, they are now speeding even more with half the road blocked off! Speeding on our street to begin with is just ridiculous and now it's just absurd. The speed limit is 15 and when I say that these people are going every bit of 50+ I'm not kidding. Even with the road blocked off they are doing this! So I called the owner of the 2 rent houses and nicely asked if she could remind them that the speed limit is only 15 and there are a lot of kids on our street, etc. and she was a complete BITCH! I wanted to curse her out so bad! Instead I just got stern and bitchy like she did. And the next time I see her I am going to tell her that when something bad happens I will hold her totally responsible, maybe that will set in some reality for her. Anyway, she tells me to call the sheriff so I did and they told me to call the traffic division in the morning. So I called them and the deputy tells me honestly that I'll never reach anyone in that department but that I could leave a message and they'd call me. Well, that still hasn't happened and I doubt it will. So I have no idea what to do now. And it's not just me, it's all the neighbors that are pissed about this. But being I am the neighborhood watch captain it's my job to get this taken care of. I did have a little meeting with the president and one of the board members and we are going to see what can be done. So far, we have stopped 2 of the drivers that were speeding. One was a dick, probably b/c I'm a girl and the other was cool but I think that's b/c my neighbor who is a guy did it. Anyway, we'll see how things go and then decide what actions need to be taken. I just hope it doesn't take something bad to happen before something is done.

Daylight Saving Time

I really do not like Daylight Saving Time. I wish they'd end it all together! I love it when it stays light in the evenings. The kids have fun playing and wear themselves out more it seems and we see the neighbors more often and stand around outside talking. But here we were tonight at 5:45 already dark and the kids mad that they had to come inside =(

Here is some interesting info on DST. The main one being...Remember to change your batteries in your smoke detector!



Just as sunflowers turn their heads to catch every sunbeam, so too have we discovered a simple way to get more from our sun.

Daylight Saving Time gives us the opportunity to enjoy sunny summer evenings by moving our clocks an hour forward in the spring.

Yet, the implementation of Daylight Saving Time has been fraught with controversy since Benjamin Franklin first conceived of the idea. Even today, regions and countries routinely change their approaches to Daylight Saving Time.

Here, you can learn about the history of daylight saving (or as some may say, daylight shifting), the standardization of time, and when regions around the globe spring ahead and fall back. Enjoy!


Date change in 2007

On August 8, 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This Act changed the time change dates for Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. Beginning in 2007, DST will begin on the second Sunday in March and end the first Sunday in November. The Secretary of Energy will report the impact of this change to Congress. Congress retains the right to resume the 2005 Daylight Saving Time schedule once the Department of Energy study is complete.

Spelling and grammar

The official spelling is Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight SavingS Time.

Saving is used here as a verbal adjective (a participle). It modifies time and tells us more about its nature; namely, that it is characterized by the activity of saving daylight. It is a saving daylight kind of time. Because of this, it would be more accurate to refer to DST as daylight-saving time. Similar examples would be a mind-expanding book or a man-eating tiger. Saving is used in the same way as saving a ball game, rather than as a savings account.

Nevertheless, many people feel the word savings (with an 's') flows more mellifluously off the tongue. Daylight Savings Time is also in common usage, and can be found in dictionaries.

Adding to the confusion is that the phrase Daylight Saving Time is inaccurate, since no daylight is actually saved. Daylight Shifting Time would be better, but it is not as politically desirable.

When in the morning?

In the U.S., clocks change at 2:00 a.m. local time. In spring, clocks spring forward from 1:59 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.; in fall, clocks fall back from 1:59 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. In the EU, clocks change at 1:00 a.m. Universal Time. In spring, clocks spring forward from 12:59 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.; in fall, clocks fall back from 1:59 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.

In the U.S., restaurants and bars have various closing policies. In many states, liquor cannot be served after 2:00 a.m. But at 2:00 a.m. in the fall, the time switches back one hour. So, can they serve alcohol for that additional hour in October? The official answer is that the bars do not stop serving liquor at 2:00 a.m., but actually at 1:59 a.m. So, they have already stopped serving when the time changes from Daylight Saving Time into Standard Time. In practice, however, many establishments stay open an extra hour in the fall.

In the U.S., 2:00 a.m. was originally chosen as the changeover time because it was practical and minimized disruption. Most people were at home and this was the time when the fewest trains were running. It is late enough to minimally affect bars and restaurants, and it prevents the day from switching to yesterday, which would be confusing. It is early enough that the entire continental U.S. switches by daybreak, and the changeover occurs before most early shift workers and early churchgoers are affected.
Some U.S. areas

For the U.S. and its territories, Daylight Saving Time is NOT observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and Arizona . The Navajo Nation participates in the Daylight Saving Time policy, even in Arizona, due to its large size and location in three states.

A safety reminder

Many fire departments encourage people to change the batteries in their smoke detectors when they change their clocks because Daylight Saving Time provides a convenient reminder. "A working smoke detector more than doubles a person's chances of surviving a home fire," says William McNabb of the Troy Fire Department in Michigan. More than 90 percent of homes in the United States have smoke detectors, but one-third are estimated to have dead or missing batteries.

** This info was copied from: http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/b.html **

Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is only 18 days away! I have no idea what our plans are this year. Most years we go to Eddie's parents house but I think they will be out of town this year. Then my parents will actually be in town this year but I really don't care to go there either! I had originally wanted to go back to the beach but the condo we wanted has been reserved and Eddie's Grandpa is in the hospital in Texas so we might need to make a trip out there. I guess we could always do our own Thanksgiving here at the house.

And then of course 32 days after Thanksgiving comes Christmas! My favorite time of the year! Not because of the presents but because I love all of the lights and decorations. Especially on our street! We have the most decorated street in the neighborhood. Almost everyone decorates and it's just so bright and pretty. Our neighbor across the street does it big with tons of lights and yard decorations, he has always won first place. Last year was his first year that he had the lights in sync to music that was broadcast on a radio station. So when you pulled onto our street you would tune your radio to said station and you could hear the music he was playing and watch the lights blink to the music. It was so cool. Once people found out about this we had tons of traffic on our tiny street enjoying the lights and music. There is also another neighbor up the street that tries to compete, it's too funny. He puts a huge 12 ft. tall blow up snowman on his roof along with 12 ft candy canes made from PVC pipe along his walkway. Seriously, turning onto our street is like turning into Candy Land! I will post some pictures (hopefully I'll have a new camera soon!) when the street is fully decorated so that you all can see. I know the neighbor across the street will be starting his decorating this coming weekend. I will have mine done by Thanksgiving weekend. I can't wait!

My poor camera =(

Well, after 2 yrs. my camera has had it! When we went to the beach in September it must have gotten sand in the lens area. So for a while it would just sound rough but still opened but I guess the more times it opened the sand worked it's way up into the gears that open and extend the lens. It started getting worse to where I'd have to kinda pull on the lens and then Halloween night it just gave up and won't open at all now. Which really sucks because I love to take pics! It's not worth getting fixed because so many more advanced digital cameras have come out since then and I'd really like a better one. So I guess I'll be asking Eddie for a new digital camera for Christmas and hopefully he'll give it to me early!

The "adopted" Grandparents

Continued from the Halloween entry about their "adopted" Grandparents...
These are old neighbors/friend's of mine, they live across the street from my parents house and I have known them for 17 years. Sonny is 70 and Kathy is 63. Sonny has 4 daughters from his first marriage and he might have grand kids, I'm not really sure. He hasn't heard from his children since 1990! He said that once he put them all through college he never really heard anything from them unless they needed money. So he stopped dishing out the money to them and hasn't heard from them since! He and Kathy married about 29 years ago. She was 34 then but they never had any kids together. We've never really talked about why, but I know she wanted kids and would have been a great mom.
So, she has "adopted" my kids as her grand kids, which is really cool because as most of you know my parents and Eddie's parents are not very good grandparents. Sad, but true. We have battled with this since Brenden was born and it's just gotten much worse over the years. Eddie's parents live literally 2 minutes away, yet we never see them. The only time we see them is on Birthday's or Holiday's, so I'm gonna estimate once a month. When we do see them we do not feel comfortable or welcome around them, and the kids feel this as well. Now, my parents have a house about 4 minutes away from us. Right now they live in New Jersey. My Dad only comes into town for Christmas and my Mom comes in with him and she stays until March. BUT, even when they did live here we did not see them that often and they never came by to see the kids unless I said something about it. And my Mom has been in town since late August because my sister was pregnant and then she stayed to help. Well, the only reason we've seen her is because she came to Kathy's across the street while we were there swimming. She finally came to the house just last week BUT again only because she wanted me to cut her hair! Not really to come by and visit with the kids! And my kids even tried to give her a hug when she came in and she just went straight to the couch, no hugs =( And when she left, again the kids tried to hug her and she just got in her car so they ran over and gave her half a hug as much as they could with her sitting in her car! It's just sad. Every time they go to Kathy and Sonny's they get hugs and they talk to them and make them feel loved and welcome, the way it should be. And Bren & Chase have even said how they feel about when they are with them compared to how they feel with their own grandparents.
Would you believe that their own grandparents not only do not offer to come visit but they don't babysit them either. I can count on one hand how many times they've babysat!I know so many of my friends who's parents can't wait to watch their grand kids or have them sleep over. My kids have NEVER slept at their grandparents homes! So whenever we have somewhere to go together most of the time I just wouldn't go or just recently our favorite neighbor Marlen watches them!
But what's weird is my Mom is really close with my sister and her kids. She does everything for her kids. Maybe that's because my sister still lives in my parents house and has never really grown up! Who knows.
Anyway, my kids also have another set of "adopted" Grandparents. Our neighbors across the street from where we live now. Mr. Dewey and Ms. Margie, they are in their mid to late 70's and have 3 kids and many grand kids. But being we are across the street, they see my kids very often. Probably too often, LOL, since Margie started giving Logan cookies, he now goes over there every afternoon for his afternoon snack of cookies, water and a banana! Even more, they have the kind of refrigerator that has the water/ice feature on the door! Logan LOVES this! And has learned to use it well. She thinks it cute that he likes to do everything himself so she has put the baggies and cups within his reach so now when he goes over there he gets everything all by himself. It is really cute and they think he's hoot. They also give Bren and Chase treats and love to watch the kids play outside from their kitchen window. Brenden is the their lawn boy and they pay him good and even give Chase & Logan little chores like watering the lawn and plants for $1.
So even though their "real" Grandparents SUCK, it's good that we have such nice, goodhearted friends/neighbors to show them how a Grandparent should be. I really could go into waaaaay more details about the things we've had to deal with with our parents because it's a lot worse than what I've written here, but it just makes me mad so I'll leave it at this.

More Halloween Pics

A few more pics...Chase with Ms. Debbie. Logan as Pablo, Kaiden (the little girl I watch) as an elegant witch, Logan & Kaiden together and Brenden went and changed into his Daddy's Halloween costume! It's pretty scary and he did actually scare a little boy off the street, LOL!