What did I come in here for?

I have known for some time, that I am getting older. My mind, is not quite what it used to be. I walk into rooms and don't know why I am there (including the BATHroom on occasion!), I leave the house several times before leaving for good with ALL of the items that I need, I have gone to the market without a list and stood, dumbfounded in the aisle, wondering what I could possibly need only to fill my cart and realize when I get home, that I have NOT gotten the milk that I went there to get. I forget things, lots of things. I write lists, if I lose a list, I will sit and do nothing because I simply cannot fathom what it is I am supposed to be doing! Having children, speeds up this process. I am sure that I should not have a third child because I will forget to put him/her in the car, or change a diaper, or... feed them? Oh, I guess that they would cry loud enough to remind me of that. I have forgotten to brush my teeth, or grab my keys and on one extremely, stressful and crazy morning when Gavin was a newborn...I forgot to put on pants. I might be considered dangerous if it weren't so funny!

I bring this up, because I have been on the computer for over an hour this afternoon and I know that I do not have time to be here. I came on...and then I checked emails and got side tracked and printed some recipies and some nutritional information for some eateries, then I moved some photos from one file to another and then I fixed up my virtual file boxes where I keep all of my pictures. Next, I read some blogs which prompted me to upload a few songs to my Ipod...we won't even get into that! I hardly even know how the thing works, let alone feel like there is ANY time that it would be appropriate for me to plug these things into my ears and tune out my entire family. Last time I did that .... the dog was eating a stuffed animal and Ella was pounding on the back door screaming to be let in to go potty and I heard...nothing. (a blessing perhaps?) I digress...I finished reading the blogs and then realized that I had no idea why I was on the computer at all... and when I did realize, my first thought was that I should post about this whole, silly and rather sad scenario.... so ... here I am.... online... and wondering..... what DID I come in here for?!?

I do remember, it was to fill out my forms for my student loans and now, that I have that firmly rooted in my mind, I will go....
before I forget!

May Grey

I had NEVER heard this saying before...but, that perfectly suits what is going on here with our weather. Thursday was Andy's and my 9th anniversary...we had the usual busy-ness that comes with a regular week day. We had planned a date night to go to a fondue restraunt next weekend, but the baseball "end of the season" party got planned for the same day. We will go to that bbq and then out to the movies, and try to reschedule the fondue for another time! The weather on today is EXACTALLY like it was on our wedding day, cold and drizzly. Kind of scary since we had a garden wedding. I had considered an entire post dedicated to our love story, but...alas, it has not come to fruition. Perhaps I will do this next year!

Ella was still not feeling great on Friday and while I was working, she curled up on the couch and took a nap. The dog was asleep too, and I must admit that I was a bit jealous! But, it was certainly a perfect day for this. We had an "around the house treasure hunt" before dinner and the kids found the treasure chest hidden in the pantry. Inside was "Beauty and the Beast", which Ella had never seen, and there was popcorn and candy. So, after dinner we curled up on the couch together, with a cozy fire blazing and watched a movie. What a wonderful rainy, cloudy, May Grey day!

Me? Busy? What would make you say that?

Noramally, I would have put text between the photos, but blogger decided to display only the html for the pics and not the pics themselves and I couldn't figure out where to type. Well, I COULD have figured it out, but didn't feel like it!
We had a busy week! I realized that I STILL have not posted about our camping trip two weeks ago...and....the kitchen IS done. Andy finished it while I was gone scrapbooking... I will post about that this weekend!

Gavin played his last baseball game on Tuesday and not only got on base EVERY time he went up to bat but he also tagged two kids out in one play (is that called a double play?) What a dunce I am sometimes! Unfortunately, I did not get to see all of this, because in the middle of the game, Ella had to go potty and it was not good. She has had tummy troubles this week and we have not ventured to far from a potty. I left work early yesterday so that Andy and I could split the child care duties for the day, he took the a.m. and I took the p.m.

I got to go with Gavin on a special field trip on Wednesday (while Andy stayed home with Ella). Gavin participated in a special program called, "Reflections" at school. It is an art program and he did a drawing to represent the theme, "I can make a difference..." His work was done in crayon and was a scene about recycling and taking care of the earth. Anyway, the lower graders who participated got to go on a special field trip to the Norton Simon museum of art! It is a place that I have been wanting to take him, so I jumped at the chance to chaperone! I did not have to drive, but got to ride with my friend Martha and 6 kids. We split off from the group, (there we 26 kids all together) and toured the museum and talked with the kids about what we were looking at. It was a really fun day, and I think that all of the children got a lot out of it!

Last night was Open House at Macy school and we got to see all of the work that Gavin has been doing. The focus for the last few months has been on science; frogs, toads and plants in particular. It was fun to have him show us around his classroom. We also visited the 2nd grade classrooms to check out what is in store for next year!

We had visitors last night too! Our friends, Rachel and Mike were in town for Whittier College graduation and they came by to show off their 10 week old baby, Izzy. She is a bundle of cuddly, cooing joy and it was delightful to get to hold her. Izzy talked to me and told me all about her exciting life and her big sister, then she got a little fussy and after she ate, she crashed out on Andy's chest. He really is magical with babies. I am now saying, "Let's have another" and he is saying, "No". We keep going back and forth...but niether of us has been in the "yes" camp at the same time (this is most likely, a blessing). Rachel is the incoming Alumni Board President, so she had some "official" business to do Thursday night and Friday morning. It was so great to see them and re-connect. I really do wish that we had more time to cultivate our friendships...

Tonight will be a family night with a treasure hunt and a movie complete with popcorn and candy. A perfect night when the weather has decided to get cold and rainy. Off to enjoy....

Father Daughter Ball - Finally!

This is Andy adding something to my honey's blog.  She has been asking for this, I think for about two weeks and I had a few extra moments and some ingenuity so I finally got this thing in a format that will work here. 

Ella and I went to a Father-Daughter Princess Ball a few weeks ago and I can pretty much say that it was one of the highlights of my life to this point, so much so that I came home and put together this slideshow with a most appropriate song.  My daughter was priceless that day, and I know it will be one of those moments in time that a father never forgets.  I still get choked up watching it.  Enjoy everyone.

--Andy

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

In a land far, far away...

I am away...in scrapbook heaven! This is my scrapbook retreat weekend and I am loving it. I was getting a bit bored however and decided to take a break and post (and check in on 'lil Kelsey). I started my weekend on Thursday, when I left home fairly early in the morning to go to The Block in Orange... I had a massage appointment at Burke-Williams and spent some wonderful time alone, at the spa.

You can check it out here: http://www.burkewilliamsspa.com/home.htm

I got into the jacuzzi, lounged in the sauna and dripped in the steam room. Then it was time for an 80 minute massage....AWESOME. I took a gloriously long and unhurried shower and then wrapped up in my nice robe to relax by the fire and nibble a crisp apple. I dressed and got ready and reluctantly said good bye to my "home away from home". I was there for about 5 hours, and I did not want to go, but adventures awaited me. Off to Yorba Linda...

I am at the Ayres Inn and hanging out with an college friend. We checked into our room and started right in! I got a lot of stuff organized and ready, for 3 full days of scrappin! We went out to dinner and did some shopping at Michael's for some supplies. We worked until 11 p.m and then I crashed out to get some sleep and be ready for the next day.

Friday, we scrapped....cropped...trimmed...gabbed...enjoyed...relaxed and generally had a great time! We went to Vons to pick up some snacks and enjoyed lunch by the pool. Dinner time came before we knew it, and we were off to the Olive Garden. The day went faster than I expected but I got a lot done and fell into a wonderful sleep.

Saturday was more of the same, and I never even left the hotel. I just scrapped my brains out from 9 a.m. until 12 midnight! My eyes were bleary and my buns were sore, I went to bed late and felt wonderfully exhausted.

Today is our last day, I did finally sleep in a bit and now I am ready to work! I have completed 1/2 of 2007. I had really hoped to do the whole year, but I am pleased with what I have accomplished. I have already taken all of my luggage to the car and had breakfast. I am looking forward to seeing my family too! I have NEVER been away this long and have only been away from Ella for one night! I miss them and feel refreshed and rejuvenated and ready to get back to my real life... but... not yet.... there is still scrappin' to do... and I am off to enjoy it!

A new light in this world

I was going to sit down and write about my oven, or my weekend, or some other extremely silly thing, but then I got this link:

http://sweetpeakurtz.blogspot.com/

My cousin has just finished a very trying pregnancy. She had the usual complaints, plus a terrible bout of itching, but she found out that her baby had some complications, and then she found out that they had some more. The two big things were, a blockage in the ureter to the kidney and the second was some swelling in the ventricles of the brain. The swelling got worse and the Dr.'s urged lots of testing. Just a mont ago, they discovered that on top of all of that, the baby was breech. Valerie and Doug, after much praying, decided to let God handle it. They knew that the tests could not give them "real" answers, only more questions and they also knew, that they were having this baby, whatever that meant for them. It was an emotional and often scary pregnancy with lots of unkowns... the Dr's told them that the baby could be fine, or she may not live... and anything in between. There was a great deal of concern over Down's Syndrome or other chromosomal disorders and lots of talk about mental retardation and developmental delays. The Dr.'s seemed to paint a rather grim picture, but Valerie kept her eyes on the light of God and hoped for the best. The last ultrasound showed some good news, Baby Girl, had turned around and was ready for a "traditional" natural child birth.

Kelsey Joy was born on Mother's Day. After a quick labor, she came into this world with great, exuberant and lusty cries. She was able to nurse and appeared very "normal", as her Gramma put it. Kelsey went to the NICU to be observed and is doing very well. There have been lots of tests, and there will be more. I ask that you pray for Valerie and Doug, that they may have peace and I ask for prayers for Kelsey, for health and wholeness.

Feel free to check out Kelsey's blog....it really helps me to realize, that a month without an oven, is really... not that big of a deal.

Weight Loss Update and Tricks For YOU!

I continue to find success! I had a great weekend camping with my family and had the joyous experience of having to pin up my pants to keep them from falling down! I ate reasonably during the weekend and splurged a little on some chips and ice cream, but really ate well for the most part.

I know I had mentioned the "Wendie Plan" in a previous post, but I don't know if I went into detail. Basically, it helps you to use ALL of your alloted points during the week. I am a stickler for the rules and found myself always ONLY eating my low points, every day. I beleive that this is why I got "stuck" and could not lose another pound. Since following the plan, I have dropped another 2 pounds and only have 1 more to reach my second goal! (145) That will make a full 10 pound loss! (maybe more like 12, but I didn't weigh myself before I started because I was too afraid!)

You can read more about the "WendiePlan here: http://www.angelfire.com/crazy4/ahealthylifestyle/WendiePlan.html

I have found it to be working for me, and it allows you to eat "big" one day per week, which is not only a nice treat, but helps to rev up your metabolism!

The second discovery is this website: http://www.hungry-girl.com/. I must give credit where it is due, my friend Marie turned me on to this one! They have a free newsletter and lots of tricks for food trades and swaps and lots of good info right on the site! There is a recipie for chocolate cupcakes that sound AMAZING and are only 2 points! Yes, it gives the point value too! I am going to order the cook book and have been getting the newsletters, I have also printed out a stack of food ideas and recipies.

I am off to scrapbook and get ready for my weekend. I am still after Andy to try to put that slide show on YouTube, if he doesn't, I will post pics from The Ball! Details on our beach weekend, coming soon! Hope you all had a Happy Mother's Day! I did!

Oven drama

The drama continues! The repair guy ordered the part, the part came in, they scheduled a service call, the guy showed up, the guy put in the part AND.....
The BRAND NEW part, was no good! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Electric ovens are great, except when the electrical panel that controls them goes out! Right now, I would love a good 'ol fashioned gas oven, and I wouldn't even mind lighting it with a match! The part has been ordered ... AGAIN. They say it should be in early next week. I told the guy, that so long as it was in by Thanksgiving and I could cook a turkey, I would be happy! (I hope he doesn't take me seriously!)

We are heading out to the beach for the weekend to camp. I don't know if Andy tried to upload his slide show to You-tube or not... I will ask again. I would write more tonight and give you some pics....BUT... I want to work on my scrapbooks! On Tuesday night, I set up my table in the family room and caught up Ella's book. I have some journaling to do, but I will take that with me to work on during the weekend. Tonight, I want to finish up my 2005 book. I am getting ready for a big scrapbooking retreat and I don't want the tail end of these projects to weigh me down.

We had some work done on our back porch this week, too. An electrician came out and ran some wires, outlets and plugs, but... you guessed it...it is another not quite finished project and I do not want to put up pics until it's done.

I really hope that Andy can find the time next week to FINISH the kitchen...then, I will post! We are just so busy every night and every weekend, but now we have 3 projects going on that are not quite done...I hate that more than anything else. Next week, we will focus on the wrap ups, because during the Memorial Day weekend, we are going to start our next project. The bar in the kitchen....details to come!

Another week over

Another busy week is over and I am into another! Last week we had baseball games, dance classes, tumbling, scrapbooking and a trip to Dream Dinners. I have still not blogged about Dream Dinners, but they have really saved my life! I go and make 13 meals for the month in about an hour! It is incredible...but I will post on that another time!

During the weekend we, went to a Pancake Breakfast at Ella's school, headed to the local nursery to pick up plants for a project, stopped at Target for some supplies, watched Gavin play baseball (he hit a home run and a triple!) and later, Andy took Ella to a Father/Daughter Ball. He made a great slide show and I am going to try to upload it later!

Sunday, I taught Sunday School and then we came home and worked around the house. We set up our new garden fountain (an anniversary gift to ourselves), but we still need to have power run for it. The electrician is coming out later today, I hope that we can have this done before June! We also planted some pots for our front porch, I will post pics when that project is done. Andy did filing and I did laundry and later we had dinner with Andy's parents. We paid bills and had our beginning of the week "touch base" meeting. A busy but productive weekend.

Two weeks ago, our oven died. The electrical panel burned out and no buttons worked, at all. Luckily, we have a home owners warranty plan that pays for things like this to be fixed. The oven beeped like crazy, so Andy pulled the unit out and unplugged it. They sent out a guy, he wrote up stupid stuff like "They tampered with the machine and tried to fix it themselves" and got our claim denied! I was sooooo mad!!! I went around and around with the insurance on Friday and finally handed it over to Andy. He got them to send someone else out today and he said, no problem...they will order the part. So, I may have an oven again by the end of the week. Thank goodness! We are truckin along and going to have loads of fun this week...especially because we are going camping over the weekend!