2009

This holiday season is coming to an end.

Exactly at 12am.

Wanted to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year!

Love you all and be safe!!

MHR #13

To My Love

by Carl Kramer

So cold and dark, so empty and alone,

never knowing what real love was.

So fragile and closed, so hateful and cruel,

never to open my heart to anyone.

And then there was you.

So scared, so new,not knowing what was to come.

I gave you what little I had left.

Hoping that you would want me the way I am.

Timid and frightened, wanting to love again.

And then there was you.

A little relief from the beating that my heart took, trying to remember what it was like.

You showed me that it was real and true.

Your touch so gentle, you saw right through.

All the pain and distrust disappeared that day the love consumed me.

Felt so perfect, so right.

Still hesitant to let anyone see who I really was.

And then there was you.

Believing in me, trusting me, loving me unconditionally.

Letting go of all the fear, anger, and regret.

Knowing that it's ok just to be who I am.

Crying, laughing, talking, sharing emotions that I tried to hide for so long.

All because there was you.

This was written by my husband. He really is a great man. We've been through so much, but each day we get stronger.

MIA

I appologize that I haven't updated in a very long time!! (well, about a week)

*yeah, like I have a cult following or something.

We've been very VERY busy over here!

Christmas shopping, wrapping, baking, WORK (*hurl*).

It's sad. I honestly have not been enjoying this Christmas season at all.

Hell, oh- I mean work, has been stressing me out.

Then nothing's done around the house due to working.

Then it's an ongoing trainwreck from there.


*done complaining* (for the time being)

Sunday was my last day at work until Friday!!! YAY! I'm starting to relax a bit and trying to enjoy the Season.

We're having Hubby's family over for dinner tonight, then fun Christmas festivities from then on!

I really hope that, with whatever holiday you celebrate, that you have a wonderful Christmas and an awesome New Year!

You bloggy friends truely are wonderful!

Love you!

Christmas

*Twas the month before Christmas*

*When all through our land,*

*Not a Christian was praying*

*Nor taking a stand.*

*See the PC Police had taken away,*

*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*

*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*

*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*

*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*

* December 25th is just a 'Holiday'.*

*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*

*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*

*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*

*Something was changing, something quite odd! *

*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*

*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*

*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*

* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*

*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*

*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*

*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*

*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*

*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*

*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!*

*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*

*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*

*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*

* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*

*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*

*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*

*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*

*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*

*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*

*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,

not Happy Holiday!*

Please, all Christians join together and

wish everyone you meet

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is "The Reason" for the Christ-mas Season!


This was definitely a post close to my heart. My work has us answer the phone saying 'Happy Holidays'. We're not aloud to say 'Merry Christmas' because we might offend someone.

Yeah, I don't follow directions very well! ;)

Mine! Mine! Mine!

Yes, I'm yelling like a bratty little kid fighting over a stupid toy.

Only thing is, that it's not a stupid toy.

It's pretty!

It matches! (*gasp* matches? I don't comprehend...)

It's a FIESTA!!! *oh yeah* Doing a little *shakey*shakey* dance

One of my favorite crazy women is have a freaking AWESOME giveaway!

Who is this wonderful crazy woman, you ask?

It's only Jaci over at Ravings of a Mad Housewife!

Go HERE to enter for the matching dishes!!

It's truely sad that I don't have a matching dinner set! :(

Head on over and tell Jaci I said 'Helllloooooo!' (Mrs. Doubtfire, anyone?)

Yay! I Won A Award!!

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

I was given this award by Young Momma over at Perfect Pen. She always has some fun stuff going on over there! *Yay*

Now I get to bestow this upon some of my fellow bloggers. *sigh* Just so hard to choose!
My sister Tara @ Exhibit A
Stacy (one of my bestest! ;) @ My life with 3 boys and a Fat Cat
Natalie (another of my bestest! ;) @ Hi, my name's Mommy...Oh, wait! Natalie!
Jaci @ Ravings of a Mad Housewife
Sissy @ My Kids Might Be Martians
(I love you two, Jaci and Sissy!)

Young Momma also decided to Tag Me! Here goes! (oh, and I've cheated...all that I've given the award to are my tags! May not be eight, but it works!)

Mis Ochos

8 TV shows I love to watch:
1.ER
2.Grey's Anatomy
3.The Real Housewives of Orange County
4.Nip/Tuck
5.Biggest Loser
6.Dirty Jobs
7.Top Chef
8. (yup, ran out)


8 Things That Happened Yesterday:
1.Went and bought more Christmas lights
2. Took the recycling out (seriously a HUGE amount!)
3. Played with the little gremlin
4. Did a butt load of dishes
5. Caught up on Grey's online (gremlin was napping)
6. Caught up on ER online (still napping)
7. Went to work (blah)
8. Played some Gameboy in bed after work

8 Favorite Places to Eat:
1. Olive Garden
2. Longhorn
3. Italian Oven (RIP)
4. Home
5. Mom's house
6. Gionino's Pizza (dine in area)
7. Kramer family parties (AWESOME German potatoes)
8. Burger King (Hi, my name is Karol. I'm addicted to fast food)


8 Things That I Am Looking Forward To:
1. Christmas with family
2. Helping with Owen's school Christmas party
3. Spending time with my friends
4. Watching the boys on Christmas day- it's awesome
5. Getting a nap
6. Hopefully taking a trip to Oklahoma
7. Someday quitting my job
8. Starting school to get a 'big girl' job


8 Things On My Wish List:
1.Healthy Family
2.Hubby to find a better job to make him happy
3.For me to start school, and do great
4.For us to buckle down and get rid of the debt we have
5.To lose 40lbs
6.For Grandma to get better
7.For Mom to get out her funk
8.For everyone in the family to get along


That was my 8. Like I said above, the friends that got the awards are also tagged! I'm going to go take a nap.

MHR #12 How we met

(I'm slacking, so you get My Husband Rocks Friday on a Saturday!!)

Today, the topic is how we met.

Our story is not easy, it's been a very bumpy road. Every couple endures pain and struggling, we were no different. Marriage is a blessing, but it's also hard work.

August of 2001.

I was working at a restaurant as a server. I was only 20 years old, and in a very selfish state of mind. Still partying, using questionable substances, but I knew it was starting to get old.

Carl started working at said restaurant as a bus boy. He had dyed blonde hair (this was 7 years ago, he thought it looked good), and had a severe bad boy look (more of the 'thuggish' look, actually). He was not my usually style at all, but he was cute.

What really got me was the way he worked. The bus boys at said restaurant worked their tails off for the servers. Busing tables, carrying large trays, getting needed items from the kitchen, making them salads, just about everything. He was a very hard worker. Very respectable, and did I mention cute?

I was very shy around him, I don't know why since he was not my style at all. I had two friends that I partied with frequently that worked there also. I got up the nerve to ask him over to their apartment. He said yes!

Carl and two of his buddies showed up at the party. (I was seriously giddy, there was just something about him) We talked and his buddies hit it off with my friends. We all had a good time. Nothing happened that evening, it was honestly just a good time had by all.

I find out later through some people at work that Carl had a girlfriend. 'Well that sucks' is all I could think.

Well we went about our work and nothing happened for about a week.

Until his friend decided to tell Carl's then girlfriend that he had messed around with me at that party. Huh? Seriously? I laughed.

I laughed even harder when I found out she broke up with him because of him messing around with me. Seriously? I've always hated that drama crap.

September 2001

He invited me to a bonfire at his friends' house, because he was single now (*eye roll*)

We really hit it off that night. We talked about all the problems his girlfriend and him were having, and the fact that his friend was an ass for trying to start drama.

That night we had our first kiss.

Then it was us from then on.

(ex tried to start more trouble down the road, but all I could do was thank her for believing the lies.)

Merry SITSmas!!

Merry SITSmas!

I hope everyone feels all warm and fuzzy with the bloggy love! I feel honored and privileged to be apart of some thing so amazing.

Here are a few of my favorite people that I know in real life and have met on SITS:

Natalie
The Red Headed Mama
Jaci at Ravings of a Mad Housewife
Aubrey at Fam Five
Lex at Life and Crimes of a Mom
Oh, yeah....



My boys are tickled to have Christmas here, and I hope so also for you! Here are a few of my boys favorite things!



Don't forget to go visit Tiffany and Heather over at The Secrets In The Sauce, they're giving away prizes each hour and a $200 gift card to Target!! Who doesn't need that?!?! Nicki is next in line on Mr.Linky!

HOLY FREAKING COW

I WON!! I WON!!! *SQUEEEEEEEE*

I posted about a month ago (here)about the ladies at The Secret's In The Sauce giving away this Bissell Vacuum!!



Some SERIOUS happy dancing going on over here!!


I think my poor husband and kids think I've 'officially' (yes, there have been questions of slight craziness) lost it.

I'm ok with that.

Hell, I have a new vacuum!!!

*SQUEEEEE*

I love getting mail!

I had taken part in an auction where the proceeds went to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer.
Lex was auctioning off her beautiful jewelry that she makes herself!! She raised $140! That's awesome!
(she also did my blog-makeover!)

This is what I 'won'! It just came in the mail today!!




*squeeee* (that's my excited squeal)

I'm honestly very grateful for Lex. She's a great woman with amazing talent!

You need to go visit her over at Indelible Creations, she's doing a great price at Christmas blog makeovers!

Thank you Lex. I really appreciate you taking your time for an awesome cause. You are a very talented woman!
(*extra thanks for the extra! they're beautiful!)

MHR #11

I have done a My Husband Rocks post in a few weeks. *bad wifey*

I'm not the most easy person to live with. *gasp* I know.

He's still here, and still trying to make me laugh.

Since we have two little gremlins (said with the utmost affection, of course), we don't get to go out together very much.

I bought us ticket to go see Jeff Dunham on Sunday Nov.30Th.

Holy crap he's freaking hysterical!

Here's a taste if you've never heard of him:



None the less, we're very excited for a REAL date night! Honestly we haven't had one in FOREVER!!

I know he's excited because this is his favorite comedian, and he gets to spend the evening with me without the gremlins underfoot!! YAY!!

Crock Pot Creation # 4

*This one I actually got to try!!

Creamy Cooker Chicken
by Violette Harris Denney from Carrollton, GA
(makes 6 servings)

1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2 cups sour cream
1- 10 3/4oz can cream of mushroom soup
6 boneless, skinless checken-breast halves

Directions

1. Combine soup mix, sour cream, and cream of mushroom soup in slow cooker.
Add chicken, pushing it down so it is submerged in the sauce.

2. Cover Cook on Low 8 hours.

3. Serve over rice or noodles.


My weird methods
I didn't have anymore chicken breasts so I used frozen bonless chicken tenderloins.

Hubby, Kids, and My Thoughts
Hubby said it was like the pork chop recipe that we did a couple weeks ago. Boys ate it up! I loved it over rice, it was a very simple meal.

All in all, another winner! *yay*

Stolen

Let's see if you can follow this....(kinda funny they way I stole it!)

I was at my favorite site, The Secrets in the Sauce and was reading the 'Saucy' blogs.

I happened upon a wonderful blog titled The Road Less Traveled. (a must read)

She happened to read a post on Tiffany's blog.

Tiffany stole it from Jori,

who stole it from Cara

who found this awesome site called Where The Hell Is Matt?.

*whew*

That being said, here is the video that I stole from Mrs.DeMiranda.

It's a amazing.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Crock Pot Creation #3

Yeah, tuesday I completely forgot to crock pot for hubby and the kids. They managed though, nobody was starving!

Chicken and Vegetables (can you tell I'm starting with the easy stuff?)
by Jeanne Heyerly in Chenoa, IL
(2 servings)

2 medium potatoes, quartered
2-3 carrots, sliced
2 frozen chicken breasts, or 2 frozen drumstick/thigh pieces
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 cups shredded cabbage
16oz. can chicken broth

Directions

1. Place potatoes and carrots in slow cooker. Layer chicken on top. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion, and garlic. Top with cabbage. Carefully pour chicken broth around edges.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 8-9 hours.

My weird methods:
This one I definitely doctored up a bit because it was only made for two servings!
I put 3 chicken breasts instead of two. I did not use cabbage because I don't think the boys would've liked that. I used 3 potates, 2 carrots, and 3 garlic cloves, and an extra splash of chicken broth.

Hubby and Kids Thoughts:
Hubby said it needed more seasoning. Kids ate it. Both said it was alright, but nothing fantastic.
So we'll see if we attempt this one in the future!

I'm Done. I Quit.

That's what I want to scream (while throwing anything within reach) at my a**hole bosses.

Back story:
I've been employed at a certain restaurant for almost 4 years. I've been bartending 1 1/2 of those years. I'm a good, hard worker. Teamwork, neatness, quickness, politeness, and manners are my strong qualities. I actually do above and beyond what is expected of the bartenders there. I'm not tooting my own horn, but I actually have strong work ethics. *gasp* Work ethics? What's that? If you'd work in this restaurant, you wouldn't know the meaning of that.

There are two drunks that come in that I don't deal with. The one has walked out on his bill 4 times, but is able to come back in the next day to pay and receive more drinks because 'he's a paying customer'. (paying customer, my ass. waste of space is more like it) The other is a mouthy drunk. I definitely know how to handle my own, but I don't put up with shit either.

We have another bartender who is a joke. But the managers think she's the savior of the bar. She gives out free drinks (all the time, which is TERRIBLE for our liquor count!), she hangs all over the guys (she's engaged with an 11 yr old son), and acts like she's 13. She's very immature and extremely unprofessional. But the bosses think she's the best thing since white bread.

Last Night:
So last night I go into work at 4. I went into my bosses office to ask for a raise. Now mind you, bartenders always have made more than the other employees. I explain to him the reasons that I know I deserve a raise (as stated above). He checks to see what I'm currently making, and when my last raise was.

'I see you received a raise in August of 2007'. Um, yeah, I was making less than minimum wage then, that's why I asked for one, and that was over a year ago. I'm barely making minimum wage as it is now. He'll see what he can do. Whatever.

The end of the night comes, and my front of the house manager is making conversation with our customers (our employees mostly). Someone makes a comment on how the bar used to be so busy with regulars (our one fantastic bartender got fired 3yrs ago for something stupid). My manager had the balls to say that the 'other bartender' has more clientele than he's ever seen.

I'm sorry, what? Just because she hangs ALL OVER them, free drinks all night, and provides them with illegal substances (that she does outside on her 'smoke break')makes her clientele awesome? What a joke. This is a family restaurant, not a strip club.
The manager has to unlock the back door for me to leave. This is the following conversation.

Me: Tell me, do you think I'm doing alright back behind the bar?

Him: Well, yeah.... (I felt there was something underlying with that)

Me: Well, what can I do to improve?

Him: Well it just that 'other bartender' seems to be more...

Me: Layed back?

Him: No, she's caters more to the guys.

Me: Don't you mean she hangs all over them? (I'm starting to turn red here)

Him: Well if that how she's making us more money, I guess it works.

Me: Well I don't find it necessary for me to hang all over anyone. I cater to everyone. I don't kiss ass, though. Is that bad? (sarcasm was all over that one)

Him: For your standards, no.

Me: (f@#$%ing fuming now) Alright, bye.

For my standards???!?!?! I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I needed to be a skank to work at the bar here. I'm sorry disgusted, sickened,and furious.

I'm going to find another job. That's it. I bust my butt for nothing. There's no encouragement here. I'm not asking for a cookie, just a simple 'thank you' or 'good job'. I do more than anyone ever has behind that bar.

I'm going to find another job, work out the bills, and find a school for a nursing program so I don't have to work in another restaurant after school.

Oh, the Nastiness!

You know it's a sad sick world when you find people making things out of tampons.

Yes, you heard me. Tampons.

I happened to come across this hysterical blog called Glitter Gone Bad.

Glitter Gone Bad posts about crafts gone wrong. It's funny and scary at the same time.

Please, if you're the crafting type, don't use feminine hygiene products as crafts supplies.

That's just really freaking nasty.

Crock Pot Creation #2

Made it to #2! *Yay me*

(seriously groggy this a.m. so bear with me if this doesn't make sense, or if I mess it up ;)

Pork Chops and Gravy
by Sharon Wantland in Menomonee Falls, WI
(makes 8 servings)

8 pork chops
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. oil
2- 10 3/4 oz. cans cream of mushroom soup
1 large onion, sliced
12oz. can evaporated milk

Directions

1. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Brown in oil. Drain. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. In separate bowl, whisk together mushroom soup, onion, and evaporated milk until smooth. Pour over chops.

3. Cook on High 3-4 hours, or Low 6-8 hours.

Variations
To increase flavor, stir 1/2-1 cup sour cream, or 1/4 cup sherry, into mixture during last 30 minutes of cooking time.

My weird methods:
Really didn't have any with this one, oh except that I only had 6 pork chops, not 8 and it worked fine.

Hubby and kids thoughts:
Once again hubby thought it was great! All he had to do was make up some rice and a veggie and it was game on! Owen loved it! Cole was being his normal pissy, picky self.

All in all, another winner! Yay!

Crock Pot Creation #1

I'm not a cook. I can bake and love to try new recipes. With that said, I'm attempting to teach myself to cook. I can make a mean roast beef, lasagna, and baked ziti.

That's about it.

Until now. I've got a crock pot and the Fix It and Forget It crock potting book.

I feel bad that I work 4-5 nights a week and I leave hubby to fend for himself and the kids. (don't feel too bad, his cooking is awesome)

So here's the first of many (hopefully) recipes I've tried out.

Pot Roast- by Carole Whaling in New Tripoli PA
(8 servings)

4 medium potatoes, cubed
4 carrots, sliced
1 onion, sliced
3-4 lb. rump roast, or pot roast, cut into serving size pieces
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 bouillon cube
1/2 cup boiling water

Directions
1. Put vegetables and meat in slow cooker. Stir in salt and pepper.

2. Dissolve bouillon cube in water, then pour over other ingredients.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours.

My weird methods:
Apparently I have a small crock pot, because I could only fit in 2lbs of the roast.
I cooked it on High for about 3 hours, then switched it to Low because I started late.

Hubby and kid's thoughts:
He thought it was awesome! The boys thought it was great because they didn't have to wait for daddy to cook!

Over all it was a winner! *yay me!*

(oh, and it's sad, but I don't think I'll get to try any of these because of work!)

Paramore's Decode from the Twilight Soundtrack

Decode from Paramore Spain on Vimeo.


Oh, be still my heart. I found Julie on Blog Around the World, and she had this AWESOME video! Her hubby has been working on the video!! (Me *so* jealous!)

Thought I would put this out there for my fellow Twilighters!!

(Oh, I'm so team Edward! *sigh*)

Me lovey this, long time!

You see this? I want this! No, scratch that, I NEED this!! (especially since I'm currently using my parents hand-me-down from 1892)

Now, you need to go here to enter for the contest. Um, but remember...I need this, and it would be a lovely Christmas present to me!! :)

I tell ya, those ladies over there at The Secrets in the Sauce are freaking awesome!!
(come join...we'll let you live, I promise)

Stuck in My Head

Why am I stuck?

I see me, where I want to be..

It's there, right at my fingertips.

so close,

just..can't...get...there.

I have support,

I have the love,

I don't have me.

Who am I?

I am a wife, mom, daughter, sister, and a friend.

Wait, aren't I a woman?

Are you sure?

I'm not.

I feel stuck in my head, my mind.

Sometimes it's hard for me to come out.

Everything else comes first.

Me? I'll get there.

Hopefully, I'll find me.

It's hard to find yourself...

over...

and over again.

One day, maybe I'll be unstuck.

One day.

Mother of the Year

Completely lost that award.

Yup. Gone.

(like I was in the running :eye roll: )

I go to pick Owen up from school on Friday. A teacher was holding his hand, she informed me that Mrs. Teacher (his teacher...not her real name, duh.) wanted to speak to me. She was handling the kids in the gym, so we had to walk down the hallway to go see her. He was terrified (which he should've been, I was fuming)

She informed me that he was hitting a boy in gym class (playing, he's not malicious at all) and got sent back to his room. She proceeded to tell Owen how he was too smart to be acting out in class the way he has been.

This is how his week went:
(punishment chart- move your name each time you're in trouble, first it's a warning, then 5 min time out, 10 min time out, 15 min time out and letter home, 20 min time out and trip to the principle's office)

Monday: Good day! No name moving
Tuesday: Moved name 3 times- talking out, not listening, and not doing work
Wednesday: Moved name 3 times- talking out in hallway, not doing work, and misbehaved in swim class (misbehaving in swim class results in standing on the wall at recess for the rest of the week)
Thursday: Moved name 1 time- talking out
Friday: Got sent back to class from gym class

Mrs.Teacher and I decided to do daily behavior charts instead of weekly, hoping to curb this behavior.

She also told Owen if he moved his name this week he wasn't going to participate in the school's Halloween parade.

That boy was petrified of me. In good reason too. I was beyond embarrassed! I was practically in tears when we left.

We got back to the house (MIL was there to watch them, so I could go to work) and he got sent straight to his room. He got spanked (*gasp* yes I spank), he's to not get out of bed until 4:30. No calling for grandma, nothing. He gets up, and NO toys, NO t.v., he's aloud to color- and that's it. (I think MIL was a bit scared of me at this point)

And through all this punishment, the only response (other than crying, of course) was to know if he could go trick-or-treating.

Nope.

Yes, I said it. I took away his trick-or-treating. He knew he messed up big.

If he has a good week, then we can go trick-or-treating in my hometown on Friday night.

So far, he had a good day yesterday.

We honestly don't think he's ADHD, trust me, I've seen that.

I just pray that Carl and I work hard together on him to straighten up. He's 6, I wish he could be a kid a bit longer. He's such a loving, energetic, caring boy. I don't want to crush his spirit. But it's not looking that way. He just loves to play, but he needs to learn to listen and respect. I'd hate to see him held back, and that would be awful. He'd be worse if that happened. He's at the top of his class academically, but not in the maturity area.

Oy. This will be me, soon, I'm sure.

Houston, We Have a Big Boy Bed!

Well we've had the big boy bed set up for 2 months, but we're starting the switch!

My lovely hubby didn't take down the crib because he wanted to do an easy transition. *snort* NOTHING'S easy with this little gremlin!

Carl decided to put him in his big boy last night without checking to see if the mattress pad was on, if the sheets were washed (they were brand new), or to cut his juice habit off at an earlier time. None of the above were done. *eyeroll*

He was trying, I can't complain too much with him trying!

Fast forward to this morning. I took the older gremlin to school, and the 2 yr old gremlin and I went to the laundrymat to wash all of the comforters.

*taking a 2yr old to a laundrymat- not a smart idea, but surprising he was very good!

Then we came home, made up all the beds, and then I took down the crib.

After lunch came nap time. *gasp* Duh-du-dunnnnnn.

(overlook the holy blind and green shag carpet, that's to be updated later!)

Nap time went fine. He layed in bed for about 30minutes just looking around, then finally fell asleep!

We'll see how tonight goes!

MHR #10

We've made it to #10 post about how My Husband Rocks!

He cleans the cars.

Helps with the laundry when it needs to be done.

Does dishes, when they need to be done.

Helps Owen with his homework when I'm at work.

Helps keep Cole from climbing the ceiling.

He still tries to keep me sane. As hard as our marriage can be, he still tries.

That's all I could really ever ask for.

*************************************************************************************

Just a friendly reminder to go on over to visit Lex for her giveaway!! She's also doing auctions of her awesome jewelry for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Wave of Light

I cannot even begin to fathom the pain of the loss of a child.

Every family that has been through this tragedy will be in my prayers.

Oh, How I Love My Secrets in the Sauce....

The wonderful ladies are at it again! Now we're having a Blogathon!! WOO-HOO! I honestly can say that I've 'met' some awesome women over there, and the bloggy love is amazing!! One of my best friends, Stacy, brought this wonderful site to my attention. (Thanks, Stacy, like I needed another addiction. Oh, and Carl thanks you oh-so-much!)

The site is dedicated to sharing blog love, and getting new (and old) blogs some attention! Now who doesn't LOVE some attention? (now this attention-loving-whore is all for it!!)

My first ever blog added to my blog roll was Jaci (pronounce Jack-e, get it right or she'll throw down!) over at Ravings of a Mad Housewife. I thought the name of her blog was interesting, and the rest was history!

Now Jaci ended up getting a blog-makeover from Lex at The Life and Crimes of a Mom. Lex's site is Indelible Creations where she does blog layouts and gorgeous jewelry.

I found the next hysterical woman at SITS. Melissa over at Stretch Marks is as real as they get. She has an awesome outlook on life, and a sarcastic sense of humor to go with it! (my kind of woman!)

Mama Kat always has something going on over in her neck of the woods! Mama's Losin' It shows us how to cook with the kids, write some crazy stuff, and she's got a great sense of humor! I'm sure she's getting all kinds of acknowledgement with this blogathon!

Now, last but not least, is Amanda. She has a split personality. No, really, she does! She's a nice mommy over at My Kids Might Be Martians, and a REAL mommy over at Mama's Other Side. She's a freaking riot! (just a heads up- she does have a potty-mouth on Mama's Other Side!)

Those are some amazing women that I love to read that I've found on SITS. I can't wait to see who I get to meet through this blogathon!!

He rocks #9

It's that time again!! I'm going shake things up a bit today! I was visiting one of my favorite blogs the other day when she did this fun way to describe the one you love. Maternal Mirth did this for her daughter. I figured I'd do this for the hubby!

Here goes!

This is what he's been learning. He's currently 1-0.


This is how he'd like to think our family is...


But this is how our family REALLY is...


He refers to my youngest as Stewie...


He refers to my oldest as Squirrel Nuts (only in our home..and please don't ask me why, I still haven't received a complete answer!)...


Even with the obscene names he calls the boys, he's still...


He makes an honest effort to love me.


We've had our ups and downs...


But at the end of the day...

Fun Giveaway!!

You may wonder who did this wonderful blog layout for me? Well the miracle worker's name is Lex! She did such a amazing job, and was so much fun to work with! She's doing an awesome giveaway- a custom blog redesign!

Since she's already worked her magic on my blog, I plan on Paying It Forward to a friend if I win! (oh, I'm so not telling who I have in mind!!)

Pay Lex a visit and tell her I said Hi!
Oh, and you need to visit Candid Carrie. She's helping Lex out by shamelessly advertising! (love you ladies!!)

He Rocks #8

It's another friday!!

Here's why I think my husband rocks.

The other night (2am-ish) the stupid smoke alarm kept chirping. Not a very pleasant sound. I realized that the batteries must have gone out.

So I'm awake. I asked Carl to get up and take the battery out so it wouldn't wake the boys (and so I could sleep!).

At first he said no, and rolled back over. Nice.

Just a reminder, I'm 5'3" (on a good day). There's no way I could find a step stool tall enough for my short behind to get up there! And I wasn't dragging a kitchen chair all the way up to the second floor!!

Then my loving husband out of the kindness of his heart (and the sharpness of my elbow) decided to take the battery out. It's nice to know that I could wake him to do something for me in the middle of the night, and to have him still love me!

I'm Baaaack!

We got back last night about 10pm-ish. (that's ohio time)

Oy. It was one heck of trip!!

The trip down (Nags Head, North Carolina) took 13 hours, because of all the stops due to these two!

Now Owen wasn't really sure what to think of the ocean, and cole wanted nothing to do with it. He was happy throwing his sand toys everywhere.

The weather was INSANE! We got there on a saturday and until thursday it was hurricane winds. Cole wasn't having the beach at all. So we played inside for awhile. (yes, the house had arcade games that we could barely peel the kids away from!)

Now on one of our nights of drinking, (yes, the kids were sleeping, geez) we went crabbin'. (like clubbin' but crabbin', ha. nevermind) This man here, aka my hubby, was the main source of our entertainment. He loved to chase him some crabs.


Then we hit up an aquarium. (don't mind the glare, the sharks were getting out of hand- had to keep them in line) And threw in a lighthouse.

Here's the gremlins. Yes, I admit, they're beyond weird.

Oh, and that crazy weather? Here's some pictures of that and some dumbass who drove his truck on the sand up in Hilton and got smacked by a wave. That's when he said 'Buh-bye truck' cuz it was gone, it ended up done in Kitty Hawk.


Found out that my son is an entrepreneur.

One more evening of fun drunkeness. (we went with my good friend Stacy and her crazy hubby)

We had ONE beautiful day, on friday, for the beach. (oh, buddy, I got crispied)


And the trip home was just as long. 12 hours back to Ohio with 5 Disney movies.(thank you brother-in-law for letting us borrow the portable dvd player!!)


Vacation is awesome, but it's good to be home!!

(for some reason my spell check is not working, please be nice if I butchered a few (dozen) words! Thanks!)