Miss Missy

Peeking in to say "HI!!"

2008-09-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

I'm amazed at how fast time has flown!!!

Life is so busy right now that I barely have time to catch my breath. A lot has been going on - mostly good stuff!

Buddy started his new school last month. He loves it (thank you for all that shared your stories with public vs. private schools). According to him it's "three times better" than his old school. I'm sure after the novelty of the tether ball courts, cafeteria and grass wear off it will be just another school but for now, he's having a blast!!! I'm so thankful I made the move. We are so blessed to have him start a new school with 4 of his best buddies. This made the transition smooth and so easy.

Daughter started her senior year. Yikes!!! She's doing awesome. My girl has definitely grown up. She still has her "teenager" moments but those are few and far between. She took her senior pictures a couple weeks ago. A slap of reality! I really need to accept that she WILL be going away to school next year and she WILL be gone from home. I could cry every time I think of it.

Buddy's soccer season has started up and it looks like it will be one of the best seasons ever! He's got three of his good friends on the team and we are really good. Buddy has scored 2 out of his 3 games. He's really doing well. It's a great team and great parents.

J had his ACL surgery last month and is doing much much better. He's going to physical therapy and is almost to full range of motion - but not quite. He's happy now that it's football season. His fantasy football team is in full force and we've both joined a football pool for the season. That should make things every interesting!

I'm still walking every morning. Still have the goal of 10,000 steps every day. We average 4 -5 times a week and I'm so happy I am still doing it. I think my walking partner and I both need our "walks". This is the time we share, vent, talk about everything to each other. I'm blessed to have my friend and my walking partner. Other wise there is no way I'd roll my behind out of bed at 4:30am every day.

My little blog is now a year old! I can't believe it. I first started on September 4th last year. This was the anniversary of when I was proposed to. Yikes! Can it really be 2 years since?

Sister had taken the Summer off to clear her head and really decide what she wanted to do with her life. She has worked in the entertainment industry for so many years, the hours and drive (she commutes from Ventura County) was really getting to her - mentally and physically. Today she starts a new show for the Disney Channel. She's excited to get back into the swing of things.

Work is so busy but good. We are hiring so it is very very time consuming. Interviewing, hiring, training leaves no time for anything. It will be great when everyone is up and running, until then, I'm doing all the running.

I've missed my little on-line diary. I really miss reading and commenting on my favorite blogs.

Have a wonderful week!!!

How NOT to Write a Cover Letter....

2008-08-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

This is what I have been doing for the past 2 weeks. Reading dumb people's lame attempts to get a job.... hmmmm wonder why they are unemployed...

"To Whom It May Concern:

I would like to submit my résumé for consideration for the Lead Customer Service position that you have available. As you will see, I have an extensive background in customer service. Realistically no mater what job a person holds weather dealing with other employees or clients, the service aspect always plays a part. I am not just randomly sending out résumés, looking at XXXX and there products. This seams to be a place that I would really enjoy working. I am moving to Oxnard August 3rd from the Woodland hills area. I would love to set up an interview to see if this would be a good fit for me as well as for National Coatings. I am available to meet at your convince.Thank you for your time and consideration."

Please people, have someone read and re-read anything that is sent out to prospective employers. Be sure to capitalize when appropriate and for goodness sake - don't misspell the person who is doing the hiring's name!!!! I'm Missy - not Missey.

Dear Co-worker....

2008-07-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Co-worker,

It annoys me to no end when I send an e-mail to you and you immediately come into my office and ask "So, what do you want?" I can almost guarantee that as soon as I hit "send" I will hear you coming down the hall in 3.5 seconds only to ask "What are you saying?". I carefully draft my e-mails to you, writing things in the simplest terms possible. Yet, you don't take the time to read through them and try to understand what I am saying or asking.

If I wanted to chit chat, I would have come to your office or picked up the phone and called you. I don't have that time nor do I want to chat with you. I'm sorry if I'm harsh, I'm just tired of this... 9 flipping years....

Signed,

Your irritated co-worker

Bittersweet

2008-07-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

Leaving this afternoon for Orange County for Uncle John's memorial and funeral tomorrow. Funerals are bittersweet - it's very sad to say goodbye to your loved one but usually you see relatives that you have not seen in a long time. I can't wait to see my Uncle Sonny (my mom's brother) who is traveling out from Montana. I love this man. Can't wait to see my mom's cousin Janice from Arizona. Adore this lady.

I'm so happy we are all going to be there for my aunt and cousin who have undoubtedly been through the worst week of their life.

Sad that Uncle couldn't win his fight but happy he doesn't have to fight any longer.

Really???

2008-07-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

What the heck AARP?? Why did I get this today??? I'm only 40.

What kind of sick joke is this??? : )

Uncle John

2008-07-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend my Uncle John lost his battle to alcoholism. Such an awful disease. He's been fighting this fight for as long as I can remember. We so badly wanted him to beat this disease but in the end beat him - it took hold of his life, became his life and eventually ended his life.

Uncle John - my aunt's husband

Uncle John - my cousin's dad

My cousin that got married two weeks to the day her dad passed away.

Uncle John was a powerful, very smart man. He loved the sun and loved to fish at their home in Mexico. He swam everyday and did the LA Times crossword puzzle sitting out by their pool. He always smelled of Coppertone and loved to BBQ. This was the Uncle John I knew. Not the Uncle John that spent his last days/months/years suffering from the final stages of alcoholism.

We will bury him this Friday. His years of suffering, fighting, hurting, and battling are over.

Currently I'm....

2008-07-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hopping on the Flckr bandwagon and uploading all my pictures to Flickr. I have everything on Shutterfly right now so it will be a time consuming project but I'll be so happy once I get it all done.

Making an appointment for J to see an orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday.... when will men realize they aren't young anymore and their poor bodies aren't the same as they once were. He messed up his knee BIG time last night playing basketball. Poor guy is hobbling around on crutches with a big A knee brace on....

Drooling over this recipe. I just bought a box of Nilla Wafers on a whim. Now I know what I'll be using them for!
Signing Daughter up for her the ACT test in September and her next round of SAT testing in October... So hard for me to grasp that she is a Senior and that she's going to be graduating this year!!!
Making appointments for manicure and pedicure for tomorrow. I received so many gift certificates for my birthday - time to put them to use!

Staring at my Google Reader with more than 1,000+ posts that need to be read...
Unsubscribing to a lot of blogs I thought I would read, but have not. I need to get them off the reader so the bolded blogs stop driving me crazy....
Debating whether or not I want to walk in the morning....

Miss Missy What Have You Been Up To??

2008-07-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the encouraging words to get me back into the blogging groove. : )

So.... what have I been up to??? A lot! I've been so busy with work, life, kids, family, etc.

Still walking and have been at it again continuously - my goal is 10,000 steps a day. Yesterday I walked 15,120 steps. Woo Hoo!!!

My sister threw me a wonderful surprise birthday party at the beach. I'm truly blessed with a wonderful family and lovely friends. It was an amazing day mixed with new friends and old friends. My sister and I with our friend K - she was my first friend when I first moved here from Texas - I was a wee 8 years old!!

J and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary on June 29th. I can not believe it has been a year!!!

Buddy won the raffle one night at his baseball league's All Star play offs - a whopping $70 bucks! The grin never left my little man's face. So precious. "This is the best day ever - I wish I had a time machine and I'd go back and relive it"...

Daughter is almost done with her college summer school class. She's such a good girl!

Gave notice to Buddy's school that he would not be coming back next school year... I'm completely at peace with my decision and feel very good about it. Thanks to all that helped me with the pros and cons!!!! Buddy has totally embraced the idea - when we drive by he says "there's my new school" (with a big smile)

Work has been so so so busy I have had barely any time to catch up on my favorite blogs. My googlereader seriously is out of control. I think I need to unsubscribe to a few... dozen.

I'm having a serious love affair with a new pair of shoes (Unlisted Modern Style)I got for a steal! Macy's had them on clearance from $59 to $29.40 with an add'l 30% and then an add'l 10% off that so I paid under $20 for my new babies. I've been on the search for a new pair of black heels. I love these AND they are comfortable. What else could a girl asked for??

Who, What, When, How

2008-07-07T15:46:00.001-07:00

Who: Me
What: Need to find motivation to blog again. I am so busy with everything - life, work, friends, family, etc. - yet I feel nothing is exciting enough to blog about... I guess I'm in a bit of a blogging slump right now
When: Soon. I miss keeping my on-line diary up to date.
How: ????

Happy Birthday To Me

2008-06-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

She's pretty, isn't she? I splurged at bit... but got a good deal at the Coach Outlet ; )

Let me catch you up....

2008-06-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

Life has been so crazy busy the past few weeks. I'll try and catch you up on what is going on in my not-so-exciting life.

Spent 2 days in Vegas for work. Blah
Buddy is now officially a 4th grader

Daughter is now officially a senior (holy crap!)

I'm officially "sporty" - I mean 40 (holy crap x a million)

Received new and improved Roomba - thanks iRobot.com!

Sporting a new Trailblazer
Buddy will be going to the new school (read: public) in the fall

Daughter's fashion show was HIlarious.... a total bust. Bless her little heart. I only have one photo to show... she was mortified/I was entertained.
Buddy lost his boogie board (in the ocean) at his beach party and I suddenly became a lifeguard. I went running into the ocean in my clothes to rescue my baby! He's a swimmer but not a strong swimmer and especially not in waves. Yes, I'm THAT mom

Walking partner is on vacation.... so am I from exercise : ) I've been bad!!!

I'm caught in the vicious cycle. I know I'll have more energy if I exercise but I'm too damn tired to exercise....

How cute is Duncan sleeping with Daughter? They were both sacked out - didn't even hear me take the picture.

That's it for now.

I can't think of a fun title....

2008-06-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

It's going to be a very busy weekend and an even busier next week.

Tonight we will probably do our usual movie night to see Kung Fu Panda. This movie looks so incredibly cute.

Tomorrow -

Hair appointment cut and color and not a minute too soon. My roots are wanting to come out to play.

We also have Buddy's end of the season baseball party. I think it will be fun. It's not the usual pizza party but a picnic and baseball game (kids vs. parents).

Sunday -

Church

Fashion Show - Daughter was asked to do this by our wedding photographer. It was all fine and dandy a month or two but now that it's here she's sooo not into it. It will be cute [insert teenage eye roll here].

Sometime this weekend I have to fit in laundry, grocery shopping, manicure, pedicure, clean and packing.... I have to go to Vegas Monday and Tuesday for work. So not looking forward to it but it's part of the ol' job.

Wednesday is Buddy's end of the school beach party.

Thursday is the last day of school. My friend and I are surprising our boys with a secret mom/son day trip. Taking the Amtrack to Santa Barbara for the day.

Friday I will be celebrating a milestone birthday.... and it's Friday the 13th I hope that doesn't mean anything. Thank goodness I'm not stupidstitious.

10,000 Steps

2008-06-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

Many websites recommend we walk 10,000 steps a day for long term health and reduced chronic disease risk. 12,000 - 15,000 steps For successful, sustained weight loss.
And to build aerobic fitness make 3,000 or more of your daily steps fast.

So, yesterday I bought a pedometer. It's a great little tool that senses your body motion and counts your footsteps. I've heard that wearing a pedometer and recording your daily steps and distance is a great motivating tool. My walking partner and I have gotten a little bored with our daily walk. So we decided to add to it. We added another mile and two more inclines. Now, instead of walking at 5:00am we are starting at 4:45am. Who the heck am I? I'm a crazy walking woman!! Our walk is now 5 miles long with 5 good inclines.

When we finished our walk this morning I was already at over 9,900 steps. I love this little tool. As of right now (12:59pm) I'm at 11, 299 steps. (yes, I'm wearing it at work - yes, I know that's dorky).

Go get one. They are cheap under $20 and a good way to help keep you motivated.

I Hate Buying Milk!

2008-06-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

Why Missy? Milk is so good for you?

Actually, I love milk but I hate seeing the expiration date.

It really makes you realize how fast time is flying by doesn't it? We are already half way through 2008! How did we get to June so quickly??

It hit me this weekend when I bought milk how quickly next week is creeping up and what that brings...

Let's just say - "Sporty" is the new Forty

SATC

2008-05-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

I received a text from my friend K this morning....

"Did you know that there is an off site meeting today? Carrie Bradshw is speaking at 'Edwards' Air Force Base" this meant "Take a long lunch today and let's go see Sex and the City at Edwards Theater". Back in the day when she and I worked for the Government we would have totally done this. Actually we did... twice. We went to see Phenomenon with John Travolta (this movie makes me bawl every time I see it) and Batman (can't remember if it was 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, ...)

We had such a good time working together. We worked hard but we also had a lot of fun. We often would still the engineer's Cushman and take a cruise around the base.

Or have margaritas at lunch and come back a little tipsy.

We had a lot of fun....

But getting back to my original thought - I never really got into SATC. I didn't have HBO when it was all the rage and would catch an episode every now and then when it was in syndication. But never was bit by the Carrie or Miranda bug. I liked it but never made it a point to remember when it was on so I wouldn't miss an episode.

Do I have to turn in my "girl card"? I hope not...

Needless to say - even though I'm not a huge fan - I'd go see this in a heart beat with K. But not during work, I've grown soft with age.

Missyllaneous Thoughts

2008-05-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

So busy with work, life, everything. So here is a post about a little bit of everything....

Walking everyday and still enjoying it. I didn't walk on Saturday and was a complete blob all day. I felt terrible. Not sure if I did I not walk because I was lethargic or was lethargic because I didn't walk. Determined it was the latter so I got up early Sunday and did my incline walk. I was a little crampy during the walk but I did feel better. Monday I did the walk again and had no problems.

Have fallen in love with our friends M&K. I've known M since he and I were in high school and our boys have gone to school together since Kindergarten but didn't really get to know each other until our boys were on the same baseball team. I've always adored K but have come to really cherish her and our friendship. We have so much in common namely our love for our kids. I've actually found someone who dotes, oohs and ahhs over their child the way I do Buddy. Weee! The men definitely have a BROmance going on. They love coaching baseball together, the Lakers, cars, their boys, their wives, etc. It's truly a beautiful relationship.

Over the weekend we met our wonderful friends at the Ventura Harbor for dinner and a little fun at the arcade. The boys had a great time!And so did the big boys... total bromance....

The garden is coming along quite nicely.

I haven't been down to look but word has it that these little flowers have turned into little baby tomatoes... So excited!!!

Gas is out of control!!! I snapped these picture 6 days apart. $.12 cents in 6 days?? Crazy! These prices look so much better than

these prices
Not because of the actual cost but the pricing structure. I love patterns and love math and things that make sense. I drives me crazy when the prices do not go up in even incriments. That does not make any sense! Does this bug anyone else?

Sister got one of these.....So jealous but so happy for her. She's worked in the film industry for over 15 years and until recently she's been happy or content with her job. She's worked on several films and television shows but I've seen her become less and less happy with her work situation. She was commuting everyday from Ventura to LA. It was taking a toll on her and her health. So she has decided to take a break from all that craziness and go back to school. More specifically, photography classes. For as long as I could remember, she's always had a camera in her hand taking pictures of everything. So I suggested that she do something she loves, get involved in the photography community. And she took her big sister's advice. I am so living vicariously through her! I'm excited for her. I see the spark in her eyes again, it has been a long time since she was happy.

Saw Indiana Jones over the weekend. My advice.... save your money and wait for it to come out on DVD. I don't want to give away any secrets but rid-i-cu-lous is all I have to say about that.

Work e-mail has been down since Monday. It has been the BIGGEST hassle not having e-mail. We can send out but cannot receive. As of 4:04pm we just started receiving mail. I can only imagine what my in-box will look like tomorrow.

Buddy's baseball season is almost over. I'm so sad to see it end. I love being at the baseball field. We have 2 more games to go. I will miss cheering at the games with these ladies.

A girl I went to school with is a teacher at the "new" school we are looking at. Not only is she a teacher there - she is a 4th grade teacher. Meaning Buddy would have her has his teacher next year if we decide to move him there. We have a meeting set up to go and visit with her and the school on Monday. This should be a big deciding factor.

We have decided to down grade J's Silverado truck and upgrade my SUV. I like that idea. We'll be on the hunt for a new car this weekend. Trailblazer is the front runner at this moment.

Tomorrow is Friday and I'm thrilled. WEEE!!! Happy Friday!

Weekend Update

2008-05-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

Work is still crazy busy but I love when I feel productive and get things done.

The weekend was great!

Friday - we bbq'd and watched the Lakers win!! Woo Hoo! Now they just have to do the same thing tonight. GO LAKERS!

Saturday - I got up early and did my incline walk up the hills. I love that walk. It's tough but a great workout and I have a beautiful view of Ventura once I reach the top.

I had received an e-mail that Victoria Secret's Annual Sale was going on so my sister and I went to check it out. I love VS sales.
Sadly, the sale was on-line only. So my gift certificate will have to wait until next month....

Buddy had a game that evening so I piddled (my dad's word) around the house until game time. He did great and we won! We went to dinner with a few of our friends after the game.

Buddy had been wanting to see "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". I had yet to see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe so I thought I'd be lost if I didn't see the first one. Saturday night after dinner we had popcorn and put the DVD in. It was a good movie. I admit I fell asleep during parts but got the jist of it.

Sunday - we visited a new church. It's a newer church and smaller than I am used to but I really liked it. I've been wanting to get Buddy more involved in kid's activities at a church - especially if we move him to a public school. Our friends are heavily active in this church so we thought we'd give it a try. All three of us liked it and are going back this Sunday.

After church we picked up the pottery the kids made on Mother's Day. They turned out great! I need to take a picture of Buddy's claw thingy but Daughter's pasta bowl turned out great! I love it!

Before

After

The picture really doesn't do it justice but it's beautiful.

Our house was blazing hot on Sunday so we decided to find refuge in the movie theater and saw "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". It was really good. I'm so happy I saw the first one otherwise I would have been completely lost.

On the way home we stopped by the prospective school. He's too cute... his interest was peaked when I mentioned they had hot lunch every day and on Tues/Thurs they had a salad bar. It's definitely up for discussion and not out of the question. This morning Buddy told me he'd like to visit and see how the classes and teachers are. So we'll see.

In sad news.... Roomba stopped working.... he has to go back to Santa's workshop to be fixed...

Duncan does not miss him. But I do.

**Random question - what the heck is up with Shutterfly's links??????**

**Random excitement - I love that I can change my weemee's outfit to match what I'm wearing today. Duncan is not with my in my purse but I can pretend**

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-05-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

Work is so busy right now. I have had no time at all to post about the weekend or catch up on all my favorite blogs. My Google Reader is out of control right now.

I am busy but I did find time to make a weemee.... Yes, I'm a big fat copy cat! : )

The weekend was great. I will recap when I can.

Happy Tuesday!

Weekend Plans

2008-05-16T16:22:00.001-07:00

I hate being cold. The slightest bit of chill makes me uncomfortable. It hurts me. The wonderful warm weather is making me so happy. I absolutely love the heat. The toasty weather is suppose to continue through the weekend. Yippee!!!

We don't have too much planned with is fine and dandy with me. This week seems to have been really busy so I welcome an uneventful weekend.

I've been doing so well on my walking routine I've surprised myself. Monday will be starting 4 weeks of continual walking. Who would have ever thought that I'd say I enjoy exercise?? Not me, that's for sure! But it's true, I do. So I plan on walking in the morning both Saturday and Sunday. Who is this talking?

Tonight we are going to bbq tri-tip and watch the Laker game. Go Lakers!!!

Buddy has a baseball game tomorrow night. I love watching him play. I am his biggest fan : )

I really want to talk to him this weekend about the possibility of moving schools. Before I do this, I think I need to set the stage and take him over so we can "check out his friends new school". And then I'll see what kind of vibe I get.

Sunday I get to pick up our ceramics the kids painted on Mother's Day. Can't wait.

Other than that, I don't have too many plans. Well, the normal coupon cutting, grocery shopping, cleaning and laundry.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Private vs. Public (cont'd)

2008-05-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all that shared their experiences with public vs. private schools. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the insight.

Our district is fairly small with 4 middle schools and 3 high schools. As far as the elementary schools, the school I'm thinking of putting him has one of the highest scores.

We are still thinking and praying about where we will put him. Thank you again!

Private vs. Public

2008-05-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

I'm having to think about something I wasn't planning on. I hate that. I don't like being thrown curve balls. So I'm in bit of a dilemma right now.

Both kids have gone to the same private school since preschool. Daughter went all the way from preschool through middle school here. It was a bit of a strain financially but I always did what I had to do to keep her in the school. I thought it was for the best.

I thought by having her in the private school I was not only paying for a Christian school environment, a safe place but a good education. I thought that she would be well prepared for high school. Unfortunately, the education was not as good as I had hoped and I feel she was not where she should have been when she went into high school.

Buddy is in 3rd grade and I have started thinking about what I'll do when he's in middle school. Should I put him in public middle school? Should I keep him private? Should I move him 7th and 8th grade? Thoughts that were in the back of my mind but not pressing. He still has a few years.

Until I got a call from my friend whose son is one of Buddy's best friends. She and another one of our friends are moving their boys to public school next year. We talked for a long time and she expressed her fears, feelings and reasons (both ladies also have boys going into middle school) for making the move. This started me thinking... and re-evaluating everything. I have a list of pros and cons. I went to the school (happens to be right around the corner from our house) and picked up registration forms JUST IN CASE.

Pros
A California Distinguished School
Prepare him for future public schools (middle school/high school)
Cafeteria (right now he has to eat lunch on the black top)
After school program
Summer program
Not year round (do not have to worry about the extra weeks he is out of school)
He can make friends anywhere
The school has a great reputation
Will be moving with two of his best friends
Same school schedule as Daughter
Playground and Grass (there is no grass for the kids to run around on at his current school)
Will be able to save more for his college (tuition is around $5,000/year)

Cons
Leaving the Christian school environment
Leaving many friends
Leaving a controlled environment
Outside influences

Good teachers/staff at his present school

So many thoughts are going through my mind right now. I want to do what is right and what will be the best for him.

Mother's Day

2008-05-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

Late Mother's Day post. Stayed home yesterday to take care of baby girl who was home sick with the stomach flu. Bless her heart. I hate to see her sick but love the days I can take care of and dote all over her.

Mother's Day was great! J went to Irvine to be with his mom so Sister, Mom, the kids and I headed to Sage Brush Cantina for brunch. I can't believe it had been 10 years ago since the last Mother's Day we were there. It was a nice brunch.

Baby girl is so tall and my mom is a little shorty.
Love this boy so much!
My mom's pride and joy

Me and mom

After eating, Daughter, Buddy and I were trying to decide what to do the rest of the day. Daughter was kind of in the mood for a movie but the only two that were suitable for the whole family were Speed Racer and Iron Man. Buddy and I had already seen them which are both very good and we didn't mind seeing either one of them again. We couldn't all decide on a movie so Daughter had the great idea of going to Fire Fly. It's a fun little place where you can paint your own pottery. Great idea!

Both picked out what they wanted to paint. Daughter picked out a perfect pasta bowl to paint for me(I've been wanting one for so long but could never find one in the colors I liked)

and Buddy picked out at claw, talon type thing. It's a boy thing I guess....

They worked so hard on their pieces.

And the final products before they are glazed and go into the kiln...

Buddy's claw thingy

And sweet Daughter's plate for me.

We were there for a couple hours and will be able to pick up the pieces on Sunday. I can't wait. They always look so different when they have been all glazed and fired.

After our painting expedition we went home to BBQ.

It was such an awesome day. I loved spending time with my babies. I'm such a lucky mom.
Why are we all three looking at different things???

Mother's Day 2004

2008-05-10T08:54:00.000-07:00

One of my most favorite Mother's Day was 4 years ago. I was given tickets to an Angel game. My first time ever to the "Big A".

We arrived really early so we could soak everything in. The seats were awesome. We were on the first base side right up at the rail.

Parents don't let your children do this - it is not allowed. oops.. But how cute does he look???

As we were getting all situated one of the workers approached us and asked how old my son was. They were looking for children to participate in the pop fly contest. Buddy was too young but we piped up and said that Daughter played softball. He asked if she wanted to do it and she shrugged and said "sure". Nothing phases that girl. They had her go down on the field and because it was Mother's Day it was only fitting her mother accompany her! : ) They had her practice a couple pop flies and one of the players came over to help her - remember this was my first time here and I didn't know any of the player's names so I was clueless who this Jose Guillen was giving my daughter tips on how to catch the pop fly.

After warming up they had her catch three balls and for each they would giver her a prize. Baby girl caught them all and ended up on the jumbo screen.

As I had mentioned, this was our first time at the stadium or watch an Angel game. We had no idea how truly awesome it was to have Vladdy catch a ball literally over my head. No clue who he was at that time... silly clueless Missy.

Hello Cutie

To be honest, I can't remember if they won or not. I just know that this was one of my most favorite Mother's Day and the day I became an Angel fan.

My sister and Daughter

It was a beautiful day

It Doesn't Hurt To Try

2008-05-09T11:08:00.001-07:00

The blog I mentioned a few days ago has been having give aways all week and today is the final one. Go here to enter.

From her site:

All you need to do to enter the contest is enter YOUR WEBSITE ADDRESS in the Comments section of this post. So many of you have cool websites, and I’d love to have them listed all in one place. If you’d rather not share your website address OR do not have a website, just list your favorite website in your comments. Maybe we’ll all find a new site to read!

One entry per person, please (this’ll be strictly enforced, my homies); contest will end at 10:00 pm Pacific Time Friday! And because I’ll need to spend a little time cleaning up accidental duplicates and/or empty comments before randomly selecting the winner, I’ll announce the winner Monday morning.

How fun would it be to win this?

Go!

Stepping Stones

2008-05-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've only had a few jobs in my life but each were stepping stones to get me where I am today.

First Job
When I first got out of high school I was going to college and working part time. I found a job at a law firm as a file clerk/receptionist/errand girl.

Second Job

I was only at the law firm for 6 months when I had the opportunity to work for the Naval Air Station at Point Mugu. I don't even remember what my title was but I was very low on the todem pole but over the next 11 years I worked my way up to a Financial Analyst. I went through a lot while I was working here. I got married, had a baby (sweet daughter) and went through a divorce while I sported my Government badge. I faced tough times here but some of my best memories were here as well. I had the best co-workers. It was the only place I've ever worked where I could work all day and then stay out drinking until way too late with people I worked with. We were all young and basically grew up together. This is where I met one of my best friends.

I decided it was time to leave when there were talks of having a Reduction In Force (RIF). It was time to get off that sinking ship. Time to get out from under the Government umbrella and into the public workforce.

Third Job

I found a job very quickly at a company that manufactured GPS antennas. I was in charge of all the contracts and customers. This was a fun place to work as well. This is where I met one of my other best friend. I worked here for 2 years.

It's also where I met "Buddy" unexpectedly. My sweet boy.

The day that I left on maternity leave was the last day I ever stepped foot at the job. I lived on faith alone that I'd be taken care of and I was. After Buddy was born I started looking for a job. I could not be picky so I answered every ad, job posting I could find. One day I received a call from a lady interested in my resume and asked if I could come in for an interview. Everything sounded great, it was a small company 15 minutes from where I lived, I'd basically be doing the same thing I was at my last job and the pay was a little better.

Fourth Job

I went through two interviews and was offered the job. I started the day after Mother's Day 1999. 9 years ago this weekend. I've been blessed to be part of this company for 9 years. I've grown with this company professionally, spiritually and personally. They have seen both of my children grow into the wonderful people they are. They have supported me during the tough times of a single mom. They have confidence in my talents and abilities and have compensated me very well.

I was blessed to have found this company. Not only for the job but this is also where I met my loving husband J - 9 years ago.

Helpful Hint - How to Store Fresh Herbs

2008-05-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

I love to cook with fresh herbs. My favorites are basil and cilantro. I'd buy bunches, use a little and then they'd go bad in a matter of days. I ran across a way to keep your herbs from going bad.

The trick involves the clever use of a plastic bag.

How to Store Parsley, Cilantro, and Other Fresh Herbs

Method
1. Snip off the bottom of the stems.

2. Make sure the leaves are completely dry. Better to hold off rinsing them until you're about to use them.

3. Fill a jar or a water glass partially with water and place the stem ends of the herbs into the water in the jar. **Be sure to tell your significant other to be careful with the glass/jar and not to knock it over trying to get to the OJ**

4. If you are storing the herbs in the refrigerator, cover loosely with a plastic bag. Cilantro loves cool temperatures and should be stored in the refrigerator. Parsley can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Basil is ideally stored at room temperature and not in the refrigerator, because it is susceptible to damage from cold.

5. Change the water after several days if the water starts to discolor.

Fresh parsley, cilantro, basil, and other fresh herbs can last up to 2 weeks or longer when stored this way.

Source

I love helpful little hints

Familymoon - oh the memories

2008-05-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

My post from yesterday got me looking at our pictures of our familymoon last year. We spent 7 great days in Puerta Vallarta - actually Nuevo Vallarta at Paradise Village. It was all inclusive resort, right on the beach and I was in heaven doing absolutely nothing!!!

Buddy thought it was the coolest thing ever being able to order anything any time he wanted. Daughter was in heaven having lobster every night and spending the day at the beach.

J loved the never ending Coronas.
And me - I just loved having my family all together.

The second to the last day we found a little coffee shop in the resort that we never knew was there. We were happy to have our fake Starbucks.
Such a fun timeDaughter being serenaded and loving every minute of it.

We took the water taxi into Puerta Vallarta one day. It was so flipping hot and humid poor baby girl (who is a bit claustrophobic) did not do too well. Every chance she got, she jumped in front of a fan or into an air conditioned store (there aren't many).

This cracked me up.

We spent so many hours doing nothing but this. It was so wonderful.
Boogie boarding all day was so much fun. Check out Buddy catching a wave.
Another reason why I adore J - he knew and understood that I could never leave my children for a "honeymoon" and was the one that suggested the familymoon.

It was definitely a trip we will never forget. It was a great way to bond as a family.

Motivation

2008-05-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

I have had the idea to post my weight and exercise goals here so I'm held accountable and have motivation to make my goals. Cute little missjordypants had the same idea . So, I've listed my goals and my exercise log to the right so I am encouraged to continue on.

I've been walking everyday now for 3 weeks. I'm really happy I started doing this. It kills me to get up in the morning at 4:45 but I feel so much better when I'm done. It definitely helps to have a walking partner. It forces me to get up and get out there.

I've never been driven by my weight, but more on how my clothes fit and how I feel about myself. 123lbs and a comfortable size 4 seems to be the weight where I feel the best. That's where I was before I got pregnant with Daughter (gulp 17 years ago) and that's where I was when I got married last year.

So now it's out there. This will help me stick to it (I hope)

This was taken last year in Puerta Vallarta. This is where I want to be again - ideal weight, all tan and margarita in hand!

Prom 2008

2008-05-05T09:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a big day for Daughter - Taking the SAT (Boo) - Going to the Prom (Yay!)

Her day was jammed packed. It started off early, a quick breakfast and then she was off to take her SATs. After the test she had just enough time for a quick bite before her hair and makeup appointments. Most of the girls got dressed at the house where the limo was picking them up. 30 kids all went together. So the limo had to be huge... and it was!!!

All the parents gathered to take pictures. It was quite the scene. Very sweet though, we all love our kids!

Daughter and her best friend Chels wearing their Fashion District dresses. : )

Daughter and her date - they have known each other since they were in preschool. Just friends.

Some of the girls

Some of the guys

Almost time to leave. There were so many kids!
Getting ready to some how get 30 kids in the limo....

I like this picture because you can see Daughter's hair and back of her dress. So pretty!!!

Some how they all managed to squeeze in.

They headed off to dinner in Malibu at Gladstone's which was great they said. The dance was - "eh" But they all had a great time!!!

So Cute!

2008-05-02T10:53:00.001-07:00

Last night was Buddy's Spring Musical at his school. My heart melted looking at him in his little suit. I am such a baby when it comes to my children. I get teary eyed at the drop of a hat. I was choked up all during the performance.

Oh my gosh! I love this boy!

He's such my little man!

Mom and Sister came too

Have a great weekend!!!

We have baseball and a book report to do. Weee....

Miss Missy is a Dork

2008-04-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had read all over the Internet about Baskin Robbins $.31 scoop night.

Join us for 31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin-Robbins®and help us honor
America’s firefighters.Participating stores will reduce prices of small
ice cream scoops to 31 cents.* At some locations, you may also have an
opportunity to make a donation to your local fire charities.

What a great deal and for a good cause! I was all over that!

Last night buddy and I had to go shopping for a suit for his school musical - he looks so cute in it I could eat him with a spoon! After shopping we stopped for a quick bite and then I had the brilliant plan of getting our grub on at 31 flavors for the $.31 scoop. We ate and I even spread the word to a nice couple sitting next to us about the good deal. I figured it would be pretty busy so I warned buddy we might have to wait in a line. As we drove up, to our surprise it wasn't really crowded - Score!!! There were a few people in line but not as many as I had expected. The general population didn't know what I knew about the good deal. Ha! Suckers!

While we were standing in line I noticed the sign.... Crap! The $.31 scoop isn't until the next day. What a loser I am. And those poor people I told at dinner - they were all excited too. As long as we were there we ordered up two child scoops only to find out that it was $1 Scoop Tuesday! Well in that case make it two regular scoops!!! Woot Woot! Maybe I didn't get my $.31 scoop but I felt a little better with the $1 scoop.

How much is buddy hating taking this picture?? Can you see the little bit of Chocolate Fudge Brownie on his lip??

So tonight - April 30th get your ice cream on!!!

Yummy Hamburgers

2008-04-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

Please note: This is not a picture of my hamburger - it just looked really good!

I love that J loves to BBQ and he does it so well. Any chance we get we will fire up the grill. This is my favorite recipe for hamburgers.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 envelope of Lipton Onion Soup Mix
6 hamburger buns, split

In a large bowl, mix together the Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion soup mix, egg, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Crumble in the ground beef, and mix together by hand. Form into 6 patties.

Place patties on the grill, and cook for 5 minutes per side, or until well done.

A New Favorite Blog

2008-04-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

I can't remember how I found this yesterday but I'm so happy I followed the trail to this great blog. The Pioneer Woman - I could spend hours going through all the goodness here. She describes herself as

I’m a thirty-something ranch wife, mother of four, and
moderately-agoraphobic middle child who grew up on a golf course in the city. I
attended college in Los Angeles and wore black pumps to work every day. I ate
sushi and treated myself to pedicures on a semi-regular basis. I even kissed James
Garner in an elevator once. Now I live in the middle of nowhere on
a working cattle ranch. My days are spent changing diapers, chipping dried
manure from boots, washing jeans, and frying calf nuts. I have no idea how I got
here, but you know what? I love it. Don’t tell anyone.

Over a decade ago, I gave up my pumps and the conveniences of city life, all for the love of a rugged cattle rancher. Come read and enjoy our wild tale of romance.

She has a wonderful cooking blog where she has beautiful step-by-step photos of delicious dishes. How yummy does this look?

From this

To this

She also has GREAT photography tips. With great Photoshop tricks.

The Home and Garden section is fun too!

I love finding new blogs!!!

Happy Birthday to My Mom!!!

2008-04-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

Today is my mom's birthday.

We took her to Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas yesterday for a yummy brunch and tasty mimosas.

What a special lady she is. I am so blessed to have her as my mom. She's loving, kind, caring and patient. Lord is she patient. She is a preschool teacher and is loved by all her students and their parents.

Last week at her school they had a box car parade. She's so adorable in her little Anaheim Angel car she made.

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Being a Better Missy

2008-04-24T16:11:00.000-07:00

I've made a commitment to myself to be a better, healthier, more productive, more organized Missy.

Step 1 - I was in such a bad habit of having my morning sugar-free non-fat Vanilla latte everyday that I would get bad headaches if I didn't have it. Really bad for me and not to mention expensive. What did I do? I stopped by Albertsons picked up a can of General Foods International Coffee. For what it costs for around 2 lattes I can have a 8. Step 2 - Exercise! I used to work out religiously back in the day. I just don't have the time anymore during the day. I was feeling blah and yuck. What did I do? I've started waking up at 4:45am to be out of the house by 5:00am to go walking. My friend and I walk for an hour up in the hills near where I live. These are steep steep streets and are a great workout. I'm feeling much much better, sore as heck but feeling better about myself. 5:00 is early and even though I'm sleepy - I feel so much better after my walk.
Step 3 - Get to work earlier. This has been easier because of 1 and 2. I don't stop in the morning for coffee and I'm up earlier so this has been quick easy.

Step 4 - Start the work day off right. I had gotten into the bad habit of checking my Google Reader as soon as I got to work which would cause me to get very distracted and not be a good little worker. What did I do? I've set a rule for myself - I can't check anything until after I've gotten three things accomplished and off my desk. This has helped a lot!

Step 5 - Organize my life better. Sometimes I think I have it all together and am so organized until I start reading all the fun stuff on this blog. I need to do a better job of organizing my house, office, finances, life.

Go Lakers!

2008-04-23T11:54:00.001-07:00

Playoffs - Game 2 - tonight

I'll have one happy husband if the Lakers can continue on through the playoffs.

Sharing Some Exciting News!

2008-04-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

I just read on another blog that one of my favorite books will be turned into a movie. I'm so happy - I can not wait to see the movie.

My Sister’s Keeper film news: During a brief visit to the LA set last week I had the pleasure of meeting many of the actors, and watching them work. Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric are brilliantly portraying Sara and Brian Fitzgerald - you’re going to be very impressed. As for the Anna and Kate’s characters, Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva are such remarkable little actresses that they literally had the entire crew in tears during one particularly emotional scene - an assistant was handing out Kleenex! Kudos to Nick Cassavetes, the very gifted director who is working all this magic. I will be going back to the set soon, meeting the rest of the actors (including Joan Cusack and Alec Baldwin) and will post more about my second visit - I can’t wait!

I just had to pass on this news!

Tie One On

2008-04-21T11:33:00.001-07:00

I made a couple Tie Blankets this weekend. They are very easy to make. I wanted to have something warm and cozy for Buddy's night baseball games.

JoAnns had perfect Anaheim Angel fleece fabric. They have every print you can imagine. These are nice presents to make. **Mother's Day is coming up**

What you need -

2 lengths of 54-inch wide fleece, each 2 - 2 1/2 yards long in coordinating colors or patterns
A 12-inch ruler
Fabric scissors, sharp

Step1

Work on the floor. Clear enough space to lay the fabric out flat and to move around the edges of the fabric.

Step2

Position one piece of the fleece, softer side down, on the floor. Smooth the fabric so that it lays flat. Place the second piece of fleece, softer side up, atop the first piece.

Step3

Make sure the edges of the two pieces are even on all four sides. Use the scissors to correct uneven edges. Note that there are two short sides and two long sides of the rectangle.

Step4

Move down about 5 inches on one of the short sides and make a cut 5 inches deep into the fabric. Cut perpendicular to the edge of the fabric. Move over one inch and make another cut 5 inches deep. Continue making the cuts 1 inch apart. Stop within 5 inches of the other end. **this is an important step**

Step5

Start working across the adjacent long edge. Measure in about 5 inches and make a cut 5 inches deep so that it intersects the last cut on the previous side. Remove the 5 inch square corner piece.

Step6

Continue fringing the fabric by making a 5 inch deep cut every one inch, stopping 5 inches before each corner and removing a square from each corner. Keep the two layers of fabric even atop one another as work continues.

Step7

Take the two strips of each cut and tie them together in a knot. Continue around the fabric until all the strips are knotted and the blanket is completed.

Wash and tumble dry per the instructions on the fabric bolt.

I love how the blankets turned out. Very warm and cozy.

The fabric was normally $12.99/yard but I had a 50% coupon.

I made two - one was 2 yards ($21 total to make) and the other is 2 1/2 yards ($23 total to make). I personally like the smaller one. I was a nice sister and made the bigger one for my sister.

Crowds, Dresses, and Dessert

2008-04-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the big shopping day downtown in the Fashion District. I was all set with my maps, lists and recommendations. We zipped down the 101 to the 110 with no traffic and quickly found a parking lot.

Our first stop was Trendy Too, I had been told they had the biggest selection. They did - a lot of dresses. Sadly, the girls would not let me take pictures - I got a lot of eye rolling and "mommmmmm".

Let me preface the rest of this post with the fact that my daughter is some what claustrophobic. She does not do well in areas with a lot of people (and dresses).

She gets overwhelmed very easily (her room is proof of this....). We started looking at all the dresses and trying to decide on a style, color, etc. We didn't have too much luck here so we tried our luck at another store. Our next stop was Cinderella.

This store was PACKED full of girls waiting to try on dresses. Both girls' faces lit up though when we walked in this store. All the hard work had been done - all you had to do was pick out one of the dresses on the wall and try it on. Ahhhh.... the only trick was they could try on only 3 dresses. At first I didn't understand the reasoning but after spending time in the cramped store, I liked that policy. Get 'em in and get 'em out!

Chels found her dress here, very pretty, very elegant and it was at a good price. Ash had found one but I could tell that it wasn't what she really wanted so I talked her into looking at a couple more stores.

Our next stop was Nobell. This store was bigger and not even as crowded as the first two. A much better environment for my little claustrophobic baby. She looked through the racks until she found the perfect dress she had been looking for. Frosty blue with just a few rhinestones on the straps. Very pretty, very elegant, very Ash. And it was on sale... very me.

We headed down Santee Alley to look for jewelry and shoes. Here is where I learned that Chels' mom, my dear friend Bet is also claustrophobic. We always joke that Ash could be her daughter and Chels could be mine. Chels and I could have shopped down there all day! I was loving it.

It took Ash and Bet just a few stores and they were done.

That was fine, we had accomplished what we had come down for.

Being that it was also the first of the playoff games for the Lakers we decided to leave the area before the traffic go too bad.

We had a lovely lunch at Cheescake Factory and ended it off with a scrumptous piece of Key Lime Pie to share.

YUM!

**Update - I already have the green light to take pictures the night of the prom. The kids are meeting at a friend's house for all the parents to take pictures before jumping in the limo and going to dinner.** Mark my word - there will be pictures. ; )

"You're quirky but very cute.."

2008-04-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

So timely is the tag by the lovely Jordana. Yesterday morning my husband sent me an e-mail with the title "You're quirky but very cute..". I thank God for him and his patience with me and my million quirks.

Here are the rules to the games.

1. Link the person who tagged you.

2. Mention the rules in your blog.

3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.

4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.

5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

1. I have to make my bed every morning. I can't stand to leave the house with an unmade bed. I don't care if it makes me late for work or the kids late to school, I hate an unmade bed. This has not always been the case and I'm not quite sure when I picked up this quirk but I have it now. I cringe with the thought of climbing into a bed that has been unmade all day.

2. I'm odd when it comes to my grocery cart. I like to try and have things grouped as I shop. When I unload the groceries on the belt I like to have the frozen items together, cleaning items together, dairy items together - you get the idea. Drives me bananas when I shop with others and they just throw things in my cart. ::shudder::

3. Poultry grosses me out. I love to eat chicken, I cook all the time with it, but I hate to touch raw poultry. I don't know if I'll ever be able to cook a Thanksgiving turkey - it gives me the chills to think of having to clean and prepare it. I like to get the frozen boneless breasts of chicken that are individually frozen so I don't have to touch it.

4. I LOVE the smell of bleach. To me, if it's clean it will have the slight scent of bleach. I love all and probably have all cleaning products that have "with bleach" in the title - Dawn with Bleach, Lysol with Bleach, etc. After I clean and my hands smell a little like bleach - I like that. (yes, I'm very weird). My husband jokes that I'd probably love it if there were a cologne that had a bleach smell - he's right.

5. I hate to be mismatched when it comes to bras and panties. I shudder at the thought of wearing black bra/white undies. It's for no one else but me, it makes me feel pretty. Even if I don't like a particular outfit, as long as I'm matching underneath - it's all good. I won't, I can't buy a bra without buying panties that match.

6. I sleep on my side and have to have a pillow on my head. Just something over my ear actually. I think it all stems from when I was little I had a teddy bear and would sleep with it on my head/ear. I like it to be quiet when I sleep, so a little something on my head helps. Everyone laughs at me, but I don't care - a good night's sleep is when I'm all sandwiched between my pillows. mmmm sweet dreams, nighty night!

I now tag the following little pretties...

A Shopping We Will Go

2008-04-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

Daughter has her Prom next month so it's all about finding the perfect dress right now. She asked me to take her and her best friend Chels to the Fashion District to shop for prom dresses this weekend.

I've shopped downtown years ago but not for dresses, namely prom dresses. When I'm entering uncharted territories I like to be organized, have a plan, a map, names, numbers, etc. I research the crap out things. I know I drive people crazy but I like to be in the know. I like to have answers and know what to sort of expect. So far, I've got maps, list of recommended stores, and helpful hints I found on the wonderful web.

The girls are quite excited to go - I hope we have luck finding what they have in mind.

Ready for their 7th grade dance.
~
If anyone has any helpful hints, store recs - please let me know. : )

Got Books?

2008-04-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

PaperBack Swap is a great website and very easy to use! If you have books that you want to trade - this is very handy.

1. I listed all the books that I recently had read (and one that I just couldn't finish)

2. Added some books I want to read to my "Wish List"

3. Within hours of listing my books I have I received notices that all 4 of my books had been requested.

4. I printed up the mailing labels they provided.

5. Packaged them all up nice and neat

6. Took them to the post office and sent them off to their new owners.

Today I got a notice that one of the books I requested is on it's way to me. : )

A Bad Egg

2008-04-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

Random question for the day.

Do you know how to tell if an egg is bad (without cracking it open)?

There is a small air pocket in the large end of the egg. When the egg is fresh, the pocket is only about 1/8th of an inch deep and as large around as a dime.

As the egg ages, however, it loses both moisture and carbon dioxide — shrinking — so that the size of the air space increases. And the size of the air space determines the buoyancy of the egg.

~So if you submerge a very fresh egg in water, it will lie on the bottom.

~An egg that is a week or so old will lie on the bottom but bob slightly.

~An egg that is three weeks or so old will balance on its small end, with the large end reaching for the sky.

~And a bad egg will float.

Go Daddy!

2008-04-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

Spoke to dad last night - (in his most southern Oklahoma accent) he told me "The visit went real well, the doctor ran the tests and said I didn't have to come back until next year" Still praying for good results on the PSA test (which he should have in a couple days) but for now everything looks great!
.
Since his episode a few weeks ago, he's stopped smoking. This is HUGE for a man that was smoking 2 - 3 packs a day!!! While Sister and I were visiting we helped convince him that he'd probably need the patch, or pill to help stop.
.
3 weeks today was the last time he had a cigarette. So proud of that man!!!

I'd hug my dad everyday if I could!

It's Almost 5 O'Clock

2008-04-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

It's almost time for me to have my "date" with my dad.

I've been thinking about him all day!

My dad is a prostate cancer survivor and is suppose to have his PSA levels checked every 6 months. I recently found out that it's been a year and a half since he's been to the doctor to have this test. He put off the testing after he found out his doctor had retired and never found a replacement doctor.

While my sister and I were out visiting we found him a doctor and set up his appointment. Today he went to have his PSA levels checked.

I'm praying his appointment went well.

My New Toy

2008-04-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

I picked up this bad boy last weekend at Target. My first label maker.

I was fascinated with this idea - so I had to put mine to work.

I now have nicely labeled spices in containers I can easily see and get to.

Thanks Winnie!!

Miss Missy's Weekend

2008-04-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend was great! The weather was hot but I love it when it's hot. I would take a day over 100° before I'd take a day in the 40°'s. I hate to be cold - love to be hot.

Woke up early Saturday morning, and opened all the windows, hung all the rugs outside to air out and piddled around the house until it was time to head out to Buddy's game.

The game was great!!! It was a nail biter but they won!! Woo Hoo! I have to brag a bit... Buddy has the best batting average on the team. The boy hit 3 of the 4 times he was up on Saturday. Before baseball season started he had serious reservations about wanting to play this year. He was moving up in division so it was scary for him. He thought he wouldn't be able to hit off the pitchers... silly boy! So proud of my little Buddy.

Jay worked a bit out in the garden getting it somewhat ready to plant. Our little garden area has been neglected so it's a complete weed patch.

This sign should read weed patch instead of tomato patch.

Sunday was another gorgeous day! I woke up early and took Duncan for a walk before church.

He loves to go on walks - I can not even look at my tennis shoes without him going crazy. I feel so bad sometimes when I just don't have time for a walk - I'll put my shoes on outside so he doesn't see me.

Picture of Daughter and Duncan

Daughter is gorgeous as usual - Dunan is not up for a photoshoot.

After lunch we headed over to Lowes to pick up plants for the garden. We aren't quite ready to plant yet. The ground needs to be broke up and topsoil added.

J worked had turning our little weed patch into an almost garden.
Looking so much better!Some of the plants waiting to be planted.

While J worked in the garden I picked avacados. We have two trees that are full of this tasty fruit.
These babies are just waiting to be turned into guacamole!

What's on Tap...

2008-04-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

for the weekend.....

I have quite a few things I want to do and need to do.

We have buddy's baseball game tomorrow. So happy it's a day game so we will be able to soak up some of the yummy rays. It is suppose to be very nice this weekend. Wee!!!

I ran across these pictures of him his first year of tee ball in 2004. My baby has come a long way!!!

So cute I could eat him up with a spoon!!!

Loving the warm weather. Just want to open all the windows, air out the house and do some much needed Spring cleaning. I'm a list lover. As I mark items off my list I can see my progress and feel I'm accomplishing something.

Gardening, gardening and more gardening!!!

In the past years, we already have our garden planted by this time. We are very behind on our planting which makes me sad. I love home grown tomatoes and home made salsa. I became quite the salsa maker last year. Love it!

List of Vegetables to plant

Beefsteak Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

Zucchini

Onions

Corn

Cucumbers

Speaking of tap - will definitely have a to have a couple of these this weekend!!!

Have a great weekend!!!

Books I've Read, Reading and Want to Read

2008-04-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

I go through spurts of reading books. I don't do it often because I get too engrossed with a book that I do nothing but read. The laundry suffers, the cleaning is half way done and all my poor husband sees is the front of the book while I have my nose buried. The kids were on Spring Break so I decided to read a couple books and take advantage of no homework.

Books I've Read

I had heard great things about My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. This book did not disappoint. It was so well written that when I finished I actually missed the characters. She wrote in each person's perspective so you got to know them and how they were feeling. At the end I felt as if I knew them and was sad when I finished. There haven't been too many books that I actually was sad to finish but this was one.

The subject is so thought provoking. Being both a mom and a sister I'm not sure what I would have done had I been in this situation. I think every parent would, I know I would do anything to keep my children alive and healthy - but at what cost? I stopped so many times while I was reading and thought, what would I do?

A definite must read.

At the airport on the way back home from visiting my dad I picked up Marley & Me. I had also heard this was a sweet book. It was, very sweet and funny. It was a quick read and I think any pet lover would enjoy it.

I heard they are making this into a movie with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. As much as I enjoyed the book, I'm having a hard time seeing how they can turn it into a movie.

Book I'm ReadingCurrently, I'm reading Mistaken Identity. It's a true story about two girls (Laura Van Ryn and Whitney Cerak) that were in an accident killing one of them. They were misidentified after the accident leaving one family caring for the girl they thought was their daughter for five weeks while she was in a coma. Another family grieving over their youngest daughter only to learn the daughter they thought was dead was actually alive. I've been in tears multiple times while reading this book. An incredible story.

I didn't know until after I bought the book that the two families were recently on the Today Show.

Books I Want to Read

Book I Can't Finish

I LOVED Wicked so much that I ran out the next day and bought the book. I still had so many unanswered questions regarding the story. I dove right into it and quickly came to a halt. The book is dark and I couldn't get into it. I would force myself to read it hoping I would magically like it. The consensus I get is some loved the book and some hated it. I think the ones that loved it maybe read it before the play. Maybe because time has passed since we saw the play I can get back into the book. I was comparing the two too much.

This Makes Me Chuckle

2008-04-09T11:28:00.000-07:00

Every day when I arrive at/leave work I see this across the parking lot.... It cracks me up

(click the picture to hopefully enlarge)
Bad Ass Boys
Drive Bad Ass Cars

Visiting Dad

2008-04-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

My sister, Jacob and I flew out early Friday, March 28th. My Brother who lives in Austin also flew out meeting up with us in Tulsa.

My dad had no idea we were coming out to visit. Thinking back, I'm not sure if surprising someone who just got out of the hospital with an accelerated heart rate was the wisest thing to do. Oopps Sorry Dad!

My dad lives in a little tiny town about 2 hours south of Tulsa, Oklahoma with a whopping population of 1,400. In Vian there are no Vons, no McDonalds, no Burger King, nothing. The newest addition to this little town is Subway. They had a grand opening last year and it was all the rage. The nearest town that has anything with a drive-thru is about 20 minutes away -Salisaw. The most exciting thing in this town in the Super WalMart. What makes it so super??

They seriously have a nail salon IN the store....
I seriously was grossed out...

My dad was released from the hospital and was home resting when I called him for our "date". Little did he know I was only 30 minutes away. : ) He was feeling pretty good, just really tired and weak. They had put him through so many tests at the hospital he felt as though he had just ran a marathon. Bless his heart. He didn't know how to react or if he was seeing things when we pulled up.

The property he lives on is roughly 500 acres. It is so quiet, so peaceful and so pretty.
I love this picture of my dad.
He has wild turkey,

deer

(this is taken from his front porch. On the days that it didn't rain we had visitors almost every night.)

and a fishing pond

It rained most of the days we were there - even had a tornado warning one night. The one day it was nice we went fishing. Well, we sat and waited for the fish. They just weren't biting.

Bless Buddy's heart - he was such a patient little fisher man.

We each have our own streets on my dad's property. I have my very own blvd.

Jacob's Junction

Ashley's Acre

Buddy was heaven during the trip. He came back amazed at all he saw - deer, turkey, tadpoles, and hail.

More pictures of dad's land

My Dad's house is filled with pictures of us when we were little up until today.

I made this for him when I was only 7 years old. He has it proudly displayed on his dresser.

(looks like the poor little guy lost part of his arm over the years)

The trip out was such a treasured trip. I'm so thankful we went. And so thankful he's doing so much better.

A big fat THANK YOU

2008-04-07T10:17:00.002-07:00

Thank you for the well wishes, good thoughts and prayers regarding my dad. He's doing much better now.

I'll post a complete update later but wanted to let you know I appreicate your thoughts.

So Relieved

2008-03-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy!!!! We leave tomorrow morning for a week. It's an impromptu trip, but Buddy is on Spring Break, my sister has the time off so it all worked out perfect.

I'm sad to leave Daughter but she'd rather enjoy her Spring Break her than Oklahoma.

My Dad

2008-03-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm a daddy's girl through and through. I've mentioned it quite a few times that my dad (who lives in Oklahoma) and I have a standing date everyday to talk on my drive home. Usually, if one of us can't make our "date" we'll call and let the other know.

Yesterday my sister called to let me know that my dad was at the doctor for "tests" and that he wouldn't be home in time for our talk. And that there was the possibility that he might have to stay over because the tests were running late and instead of sending him home and bringing him back they decided to keep him. This didn't sound right. My dad is notorious for not wanting to worry us so he doesn't tell us the whole truth. My sister and I both didn't think it was on the up and up so we started calling around to different hospitals with no luck of finding him.

He called last night around 5:35 but I missed his call. I was beside myself because I didn't hear my phone ring. He didn't leave a message and when I tried to call back it went right to voice mail.

This morning my sister found the hospital he was at and asked to be transferred to his room only to learn that he couldn't take calls because he is in the ICU! I understand his desire not to upset or scare his girls but if you are in the hospital you really need to let us know why you are there. I'm telling myself that was the reason he was calling me last night was to let me know that he was ok and not to worry. I would worry but I'd much rather him tell me than not tell. I'm a big girl. Tell me!

My uncle talked to my sister and said that he checked himself in because he could tell his heart rate was accelerated. He had a massive heart attack 11 years ago, has diabetes and is also a Cancer survivor so he's on a lot of medication. They are keeping him to run tests and monitor his heart rate.

I'm in tears thinking of him in the hospital by himself.

MapQuest says it's 22 hours to drive. I'm going.

Weekend Wrap Up

2008-03-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

Friday
Was Buddy's birthday party. Bowling Party!!!
I had 12 ACTIVE boys ranging in ages between 8 - 10. They all had a great time. Especially the birthday boy. He was in heaven with all of his friends.

He loaded up on gift cards to Target.

One of his favorite gifts was from my sister - an iPod Shuffle. He was so surprised and so excited "I can't believe I have an iPod Shuffle"...

This is the look of - Is this what I think it is??

Saturday
All his gift cards were burning a hole in his pocket so I took him to Target so he could pick up some things. And because it has been such a crazy busy week I had not done any birthday shopping or Easter basket shopping (bad mom) I took notes on what grabbed his attention. After shopping with him I quickly dropped him off with J so I could go back to Target and also hit up Toys R Us to pick up birthday presents and Easter basket goodies. Just like Christmas Stockings, I'm big on Easter baskets.

I dashed in and out of the stores like a mad woman. I only had 2 hours to do everything I needed to do.

Made it home in just enough time to get Buddy all dressed for his game and put on my Angel jersey and we were out the door.

Buddy's team and the team we were playing were both 2-0. This game decided who would be the only team in the division that would be undefeated. What a crazy game. Early on we were down 5 - 1. Our little guys did not give up. The game was back and fourth and the parents were all into it.

Buddy had an awesome hit that started off the rally.

Rally Time!!!

In the bottom of the last inning we were tied up at 10 - 10. We were down to our last out and the batter was at a 2-0 count (2 strikes, no balls). We had a runner on second ready to go. Bless his little heart - the batter hit a home run!!! We won the game 12 - 10. It was awesome. They boys were so excited as were the parents.

I'm so thrilled that we are on this team and I think this season will be a great

After we got home from the game, we put together the baskets and hid the eggs.

Daughter's had gift certificates for a manicure and pedicure, key chain with a

Duncan dog on it,

lip balm ball

and a few other little odds and ends. According to her it was a "Dank Easter basket".

Buddy's was filled with toys

Slim Jims (gross but he loves them) and a few other items. He was so happy with it.

I've always done Easter morning the same way. The kids put out empty baskets by their doors so when they wake up in the morning they have something to put the eggs they find in. I leave a trail of eggs down the hall into the living room where most of the eggs are hidden.

Sunday

Buddy was the first one up of course - it was his birthday AND Easter!! I felt like I had just gone to sleep but I couldn't blame him for being so excited. Daughter has always been so good to get up early and play along finding the eggs. This year though she was so tired (she had worked the night before) she "let" Buddy find and keep all the eggs.

Duncan was a great help.

After finding the eggs and opening the baskets

we made a birthday/Easter breakfast with chorrizo, potatoes, bacon, sausage, and eggs. I think he was thrilled - he declared "I love our family". Precious.

Continuing on with our busy busy weekend my mom and sister came over for a birthday/Easter bbq. J loves to bbq and I love to eat bbq so we are a good team. He made ribs and steaks, I made twice baked potatoes and mom brought a yummy pasta salad. He wanted a lemon bundt cake with lemon frosting for his birthday cake. I present to you the ugliest (but moist and yummy) birthday cake.

He loved it even if it was ugly.

We had to get ready for our next event of the day.

The Laker game!!!!!!

See what I mean about it being a busy weekend??? We left Ventura around 4:30 and made it in record time to the Staples Center.

We got our food and settled in our seats when I noticed that you could text a message to have it displayed up on the jumbo screen. I quickly went to work and within a few minutes

The first half of the game was awful. J is a Laker fan through and through - he said this might have been some of the worst playing he's ever seen. They were down at one time by 27. The second half was much much better. The Laker's defense was back in the game and had only a few turnovers. They were able to catch up and tie it in the last few minutes of the game. We were having such a great time. The darn Warriors shot a couple 3s in the last minute winning the game at 115 - 111. A 4 point deficit is much better than a 27.

All in all it was a great game and a great way to close out the big birthday/Easter weekend.

Easter/Birthday

2008-03-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

Easter happens on the first Sunday after the first full moon that followed the spring equinox. This year, the spring equinox occurs Thursday, March 20 and will be followed by the first full moon on Friday, March 21. Thus, Easter will be celebrated around the world on Sunday, March 23 due to an unusually early full moon.

The last time the world experienced such an early Easter was in 1913; the next Easter set for March 23 is not projected until the year 2228 - over 200 years away.

Not only was yesterday Easter, but it was also Buddy's birthday. Even though it was a hectic hectic week, it was special knowing that the combination celebration Easter/birthday was a rare occurrence and will never happen again in any of our life times.

It was definitely a special 9th birthday for Buddy. According to him - it was the best birthday ever!!!

Weekend recap on it's way.

He Makes My Heart Smile

2008-03-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

Most mothers of little boys all say the same thing - there is a special bond between a mother and her son. I agree 100% but feel that because Buddy is all mine our bond is even tighter, more special, and a bigger love than I can even put into words. When Buddy was born I prayed that he would never feel as though he was missing out on not having two parents. I prayed that I would have the right words when/if he ever asked. I prayed that I could love him so much that he would never miss someone else's love.

I am confident I have.

I love him so much I get tears in my eyes when I look at him.

This picture cracks me up... I guess he was not happy for the first day of 3rd grade.

I love him so much he makes my heart smile.

March 23, 1999

2008-03-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

This was the day I was finally going to meet my baby boy. I had to be at the hospital by 8:00am so my mom came over to stay with Ashley while I was at the hospital. I had woke up early that morning so I could write in my journal that I kept for Ashley. I told her how much I loved her and my love for her would be no less now that we were adding a new baby in our lives. I was always going to be her mommy.

My wonderful friend Jan was also my labor coach, picked me up that morning and we went to the hospital. I was given a huge room : ) and got hooked up to the monitors. Daughter’s birth had been such a breeze I was hoping for the same experience. After all, I had heard that the second birth is easier and faster than the first. Since my water had not broken Anne broke it to start the labor process. Ow, that was not fun! My contractions started but they were very small and not regular at all.

My mom and dad and sister had been in and out of the room during the day. It was nice to have them there. Nothing was happening so they upped the dose of Pitocin. Then the fun started. Remember the part about the second birth is suppose to be easier and faster than the first?? That’s a pile of crap! I was having terrible labor pains and was not dilating at all. At this point, I had to have the lights off, I couldn’t stand any noise, I didn’t want to see or hear anything! Oh and I had to pee a million times but I was hooked up to the IV so I had to drag that thing all around with me.

Finally it was time to be checked again to see if I had dilated any further. I told Jan that if I was still at a 4 I wanted an epidural. Screw the pain! Sure enough I was still at 4. We ordered the epidural and within a half an hour I was feeling no pain. I’m talking no pain! Girls, listen to Missy – don’t try to be a rock star – get the epidural.

After the epidural started to kick in, the lights came back on, my mom and dad were welcomed back into the room. I wanted to hang a disco ball up in my room and have a party. Most importantly my daughter was there. One of the huge reasons I wanted the epidural was so she wouldn’t have to see me in pain and be scared. I was having gnarly contractions (I could tell because the monitor was going crazy) but I couldn’t feel a darn thing. Best.invention.ever!

I started to dilate quicker and finally the time came to push. This was a bit trickier because you can’t feel down there so you don’t know if you are really pushing or just making an ugly face. I didn’t have to push for too long before Buddy was born. He was born at 7:10pm.

Finally MY baby was here. I had waited for this day for a very long time. I’ll be honest here, he was not a looker when he first came out. But he stole my heart the minute I looked at him. Ashley fell in love and did not want to leave her brother’s side. She wanted to hold him and kiss on him.

We quickly all fell in love with Jacob Andrew. And I continue to fall in love with him daily.

March 1999

2008-03-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

My little buddy turns 9 this Sunday, March 23rd.

My story of Buddy’s birth is quite a bit different than mine of my daughter. Not so much the birth but the story leading up to it.

November 1997 I started working at a new company after leaving the comfort and stability of a oh-so-boring job with the Government I had for 11 years. The people were very nice and the atmosphere was a lot of fun. After 5 months of working there a guy caught my attention and we began to talk, a lot. I learned that he had recently separated from his wife. We hung out often usually hiking or biking. It was a fun time for me and I was quickly falling for this "guy". I had just turned 30 and was having the time of my life. My daughter and I were just about to move into our own apartment – things were great!

We moved on July 19th 1998 and that following Wednesday I found out I was pregnant. The same day this “guy” told me he and his wife decided to work things out and were getting back together. I remember feeling so helpless and so alone and so stupid. How could I be so naive?? I waited a week before I told “him” – and his response was “I can’t be there for you and/or the baby”. I knew I’d have this baby all alone. I cried so hard during those days. I didn’t know what or how I was going to tell my daughter. How was I going to tell my family?

I don’t remember what day it was that I told my mom and sister but I do remember the day I told Ashley. It was Halloween of 1998 and was only 7. She was so confused and so upset – she felt that by me having another baby, I’d love her less. I remember her crying in her room and me crying outside her door – both of us not knowing what the future was going to be like. Over the next few months Ashley embraced the thought of a baby brother coming into our lives. She would love to feel him kick and would talk to him all the time.

Even though I was alone I was so happy. Even though I had to face “him” everyday at work and not let on that I was hurting (I had way too much pride to let him know) I was still happy because of my baby boy. I didn’t want anyone at work to know about “us” so I never told a single soul whose baby I was carrying. Looking back now, I have no idea how I did it or where I found the strength to do that. We are a lot stronger and get through a lot more than we think we can.

March 15, 1999 was my last day of work and my last day to have to see “him” everyday. I walked out of there so happy and felt so free. Finally!

My due date was not until March 23rd. I spent the week up until the birth getting everything ready. My family and I were so excited for the baby to be born. My dad flew into town so he could be here when the baby came.

I remember going to the doctor on Monday, March 22nd for my regularly scheduled appointment. Everything looked great – my midwife Anne (the same one that delivered my daughter 8 years before) asked if I wanted to induce the following day, my due date (I love punctuality). Of course!!! I ran out that day picked up items for my labor bag and got a pedicure (toes have to look cute up in the stirrups).

I was so excited, yet scared to death of what the future would be like.

A Trip to the Island

2008-03-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

Anacapa Island that is. I've lived in Ventura for over 30 years and went to Anacapa Island for the first time yesterday with Buddy's 3rd grade class. Between the two classes and adults there were about 100 of us on the trip yesterday. The weather was gorgeous and the ocean was calm. Anacapa is about 14 miles from Ventura Harbor and took us about one and a half hours to get there. On the way over we were treated to one of the most awesome sights I've ever seen. A mega pod of dolphins. It's hard to explain just how many dolphins were out there and very hard to tell by these pictures.
They were every where, all around the boat. The captain explained a mega pod as 1,000s of dolphins - as many as 300 on the surface and 3 times that amount under the surface. It was truly spectacular.

Also on the way over we were greeted by a couple of whales. According to the Captain it's mating season so they were, you know....

It was very chilly on the way over.

When we arrived we were transported from our boat to the beach by little "dingies". That took a hecka long time to unload.

Once we all made it ashore they children were told to explore the little beach to find something for the "Naturalist" to discuss. There were plenty of shells, rocks, sticks and sea urchins.
After our discussion on the beach we hiked up the little mountain to get to the other side so we could get to the tide pools.
My heart was racing as I watched Buddy go up this little mountain (I'm afraid of heights and even more afraid when my baby is not within an arms reach of me) Yes, I'm one of "those" moms.
After a hike over a ton of rocks and we made it to our first tide pool destination.

The kids had a blast. Our guide led us on a longer and rockier trek to what were to be even better tide pools. They definitely were. Buddy was so over climbing on rocks at this point.
We all made it back to the beach with only a few kids that fell, scraped their legs or backs on rocks or bit it while climbing on rocks. I was so happy to be back on the boat. I was ready to go home. As we left we circled the island for this shot of sea lions soaking in the sun. It's hard to see them - but they are the there.

The Anacapa Island Arch
On the way back to Ventura Harbor we encountered another mega pod of dolphins. It was so fun to see once again before making it home.

Most of the children were wiped out on the way back home.
And Buddy was still smiling..... I love that boy so much!!!

I Love Coming Home....

2008-03-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Day or night I usually drive up to see this.....

or this

Duncan is always in the window ready to welcome us home.

What a good dog.

Can you say tired?

2008-03-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

I can and I am! This weekend was so incredibly busy but a great one!

Friday

After work I rushed over to the O-Sabi Restaurant where Ash was going to have her birthday dinner with about 17 of her friends. I wanted to be sure the menu was all set up with the owner. It's not cool to have your mom go with you to the party. So I went early to go everything and make sure it was all situated.

After getting everything set for baby girl's party I had an appointment to get my hair cut shorter. I had just had it cut last month but was too chicken to go for the cut I really wanted.

But after seeing this hair cut more and more and loving it more and more I knew I had to do it. I even stalked a lady in Toys R Us just to ask her about her hair and if she loves her cut. She did love it and said it was so easy to style and manage. ding, ding, ding.... just my style! So I called and made another appointment to take it shorter. Next appointment I'll lighten it up even more but for now, I'm so happy I did it!!! I'm definitely no Jenny McCarthy but still am liking. (It's hard to take a good picture of yourself)

Saturday

Opening day for Buddy's baseball. I love baseball season so much. The weather is great, longer days, spending hours at the baseball field. So happy it's finally here! The baseball team had pictures at 10:00am and then their first game at 5:00pm (with the threat of pm rain showers...)

J had team picture duty while I was off to pick up Daughter and her friend from LAX. They had spent the last couple days with her friend's family up in San Francisco. They had a wonderful time! Shopping and sight seeing. They bought sweatshirts from Ed Hardy. They are just too hip. I had no clue who the heck Ed Hardy was. Mom is so not cool.Once I picked them up we were off to lunch and then the Vanilla Bake Shop. Ventura County lacks any type of cupcakery - it's a complete shame. Our plan was to grab a quick bite and then pick up the "babies" I had pre-ordered. We found a CPK near Vanilla Bake Shop so we decided that would be our best bet. Parking SUCKS in Santa Monica!

Ash ordered the featured Penne pasta with a basil pine nut pesto cream sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. With chicken, shrimp or chicken & shrimp (so yummy)

Chels ordered the Chicken Tequila Fettuccine. Spinach fettuccine with chicken, red, green and yellow peppers, red onions and fresh cilantro in a tequila-lime and jalapeño cream sauce. Equally yummy!
After lunch we were off to pick up the cupcakes. The girls had never been in a place that specialized in cupcakes - neither had I for that matter. We were in awe especially after I had just read an article about Vanilla Bake Shop in The Nest magazine. The girls were quite impressed. They wanted to try the Icebox Dessert Shots . Ash had the Triple Berry Short Cake and Chels had the Meyer Lemon Tarts. They both oohed and awed over how yummy they were. As we were walking out the door we eyed the "babies" in the case especially the Key Lime (Yellow Butter Cake, Key Lime filling, Creamy Vanilla Frosting, Graham Cracker Crust Crumbles) I had been pretty good not to taste any of the Dessert Shots but that Key Lime was crying out to me. We turned around and ordered three to go. Can I just tell you I was in love with that little cupcake? Seriously, the best ever! We joked for the remainder of the trip home about how good the babies were to eat and other sick jokes about taking shots and eating babies. Of course were referring to the dessert shots and baby cupcakes.

We made it home just in time for me to put something warm on and make it to Buddy's game before the first pitch. It was quite chilly out side - I was so happy to have my Angel jacket and my Angel blanket. The wind started to pick up a bit during the game and we got colder and colder. I'm a big baby when it comes to being cold. I don't like it. It hurts me. The clouds got darker and the threat of rain became more then just a threat. We cheered on our boys and the rain started to fall and as it got colder and colder. Buddy was up and laid down the most perfect bunt ever. No one saw it coming (especially me). It was awesome. That started the rally that eventually led to our win.

It was great! Angels record 1 - 0.

Sunday

I spent most of the day at home doing boring things such as laundry, cleaning and clipping coupons. Most of the day I had chicken in the crock pot with salsa for yummy chicken tacos we had for dinner. Buddy never got out of his pajamas - oh to be 8 again. I made it to the grocery store and saved $78 with my coupons. Came home and started dinners for this week. I know it's going to be a busy week and I like having home cooked meals. I made spaghetti for tonight and will be having taco soup probably on Wednesday.

By the time 9:00 rolled around I was exhausted. I was literally asleep as soon as I hit the pillow!

Have a great week!!!

My Girl

2008-03-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

I was so happy to be able to recount the days leading up to and the day of Ashley's birth. What a wonderful memory.

I have a ton of pictures of me and her taken over the years but as she gets older it's a bit tougher to snap them. Here are a few of us. I am blessed to be a mother of a wonderful daughter.

At her 9th Grade GraduationIn Hawaii Ventura Beach
Puerto Vallarta

She was my Maid of Honor
I love my girl

My Baby Girl

2008-03-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

I know it's an old cliche but I can not believe how quickly 17 years has flown by. We've had our "mother/daughter not-so-good moments" but for the most part we have been great friends, she and I have gown up together.

From the beginning, her father and I had a terrible marriage. We were both too young and naive to be married. I knew early on I did not want my baby to see her mom sad and miserable. She was only 6 months old but she gave me the strength to get out of an awful marriage that would have ended sooner or later. I had to be strong for her I didn't want her to grow up thinking her mom was weak and not strong enough to stand up for myself. I didn't want her to grow up seeing her dad treat her mom badly.

I wanted to give her the best life ever. I wanted everything for this sweet baby girl.

(Yikes! I obviously thought BIG permed hair was OK)

Thank you God for Ashley. My baby girl means the world to me.

17 Years Ago Today cont'd....

2008-03-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

March 14, 1991 1:00pm

I had already pre-checked into the hospital a couple days before so there was little waiting. I was given my room and hooked up to monitors. Everything looked great. My midwife Anne came in to check on me and said things were going well. A couple hours later she decided it was time to help move along the contractions with Pitocin. I was hooked up to an IV (the absolute worst part of labor for me) and was given the drug to induce labor.

The contractions started to come quicker and harder but still nothing that was unbearable. "A" surprised the heck out of me and was a great Lamaze coach. I did my breathing and made it through really tough contractions.

I remember being so sensitive to any sounds that it drove me crazy when the nurses would chit chat while I was "heee heee whooing" through the contractions. Shut the heck up ladies!!! The nurses kept asking if I wanted any kind of pain medicine but I was feeling ok and didn't want anything. I was doing good.

Around 6:00pm it was time for me to push. I pushed a couple times and Ashley Nicole was born at 6:23pm. (I have tears in my eyes as I write this) She was beautiful. I know a lot of moms say this but she truly was. She was wide a wake and looking around and just gorgeous. They cleaned her up and as they did this I reached into my handy labor bag and enjoyed my Snickers bar. I was starved! The ice chips just had not done it for me.

Ashley was the first grandchild on both sides (after we were both cleaned up) the room was packed with our families. We all oohed and aahhed over our sweet baby girl.

She weighed 6lbs 7oz and 21 1/2 inches long and was precious. God had given me the most beautiful baby girl.

That night after everyone had left and it was just Ashley and I. I remember just holding her amazed that she was finally here. As I sat there, I had no idea how much that little girl would change my life.

17 Years Ago Today cont'd....

2008-03-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

Thursday, March 14, 1991

Even though it's been 17 years I can remember this day like it was yesterday. It was one of the best days of my life.

I woke up that morning and took a shower. Again I felt a trickle, discounting it to nothing more than me not being able control my pee I continued on. And so did the trickle (I'm sorry for the TMI). I continued on getting dressed and thought that maybe this time my water had broke. Yippee!! I called my doctor and once again went in to get checked. They confirmed that I was indeed in labor and I would be having my baby that day!!! March 14th, my due date. I love punctuality. Since I wasn't having contractions they scheduled me to go to the hospital at 1:00pm and take it from there. I called my then husband and told him the news and then called my sister. I was beyond thrilled!

I went home and started getting my stuff together. By this time I had teeny tiny contractions - more of tightening of the stomach. Nothing bad at all. "A" (then husband) got home around 12:30 and we were off to the hospital with my little labor bag in tow.

to be continued.....

17 Years Ago Today cont'd.....

2008-03-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

March 13, 1991

After I found out that I would not be delivering that day I went to breakfast with my sister and dad (who had surprised me by showing up the day before). Even though I wasn't going to be having my little girl that day I still got to have breakfast with my dad and sister. I was craving strawberry crepes from IHOP big time! Strawberry crepes were about the only thing I craved while I was pregnant.

We enjoyed our breakfast together and then I went home to rest (I had caught a cold and was not feeling too well) and to also re-check the items in my "labor bag". This was a bag I had packed with all my goodies my Lamaze instructor had recommended. All I remember having in there were tube socks (because your feet get really cold), tennis balls (to help massage the back in case of back labor) and a Snickers bar (because I love Snickers). Everything was all ready to go.

Now all I had to do was just wait.

to be continued.....

17 Years Ago Today....

2008-03-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

I was pregnant and one day away from my due date. I remember waking up that morning and letting our dog Keisha out. As I turned to go back to bed I felt a trickle. "What the heck? Did my water just break? Oh my gosh!"

Being the (insert sarcastic tone) sweet, kind and loving husband (now ex-husband) he went on to work and told me to call if I was in labor. I was beyond thrilled though, my baby girl was going to be here soon. I had a great pregnancy, felt wonderful and now it was time to meet Ashley. I called the doctor and was told to come in so they could check if what I felt was embryonic fluid and if my water had truly broke. I was so excited. I took a shower, got dressed and was on my way to get checked. Mind you I hadn't felt anything else since the little trickle that morning.

I got to the doctor's office and they checked me out. I was told that my water had not broke and sometimes in the late stages of pregnancy women lose control of their bladders. What the heck? I'm only 22! Oh well, disappointed and sad I went home. Not only was I not going to have my baby this day I can't even control my pee!!!

to be continued......

Weekend Plans

2008-03-07T13:45:00.000-08:00

Saturday

Having a Garage Sale - My sister and I are probably the only two that enjoy having garage sales. But then again, I have fun with my sister regardless of what we are doing. We have this down to a science. (I'm printing out price labels as I type this). I would like to think that the garage sale shoppers appreciate how organized we are. J is so happy to almost have his garage back. It's so jammed right now.

Buddy has baseball practice tomorrow afternoon. Next week is opening day - he's on the Angels this year. He's been on the Giants for the past two years now and it would kill me to have to don the Giants gear when I went to his game. You can just imagine my delight when I learned he was on this team. I have many Angel hats, a new jersey (with my new last name that my sweet husband gave me for Valentines day), and a great Angel blanket Daughter made me for Christmas (she does love her mommy). Oh, and I can't forget my jacket J gave me 2 years ago for my birthday. Can you tell I love the Angels???
I'm sure whatever money Buddy makes by selling his toys will be burning a hole in his pocket so I see a trip to Toys R Us in our future.

Sunday (Spring Forward)

Church
Serving enchiladas at a church function. Such a good servant am I.

Last weekend was so busy I didn't even get to the grocery store. Lucky for me my shelves are stocked thanks to Grocery Game so I didn't even miss a beat. But this weekend I need to get to the store and get my coupon on.

Clean and do laundry.

I Know What I'm Buying This Weekend....

2008-03-07T10:56:00.001-08:00

I bet the new Target has this....

Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER!

2008-03-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

I've had this little cook book forever but have never tried anything out of it. The other night buddy wanted to make cookies but I was so not feeling it. But being the nice mom that I am I reached for this little gem and found the easiest chocolate chip cookie recipe ever!

Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
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DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in the oil and eggs until well blended. Mix in chocolate chips. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from pan to cool on wire racks.

According to Daughter they were "Dank". I guess that means "really good" in teen slang.

Websters says something completely different -

dank
Pronunciation: \ˈdaŋk\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English danke
Date: 1573
: unpleasantly moist or wet

hmmmmm...

And I Thought My Life Wasn't Exciting....

2008-03-05T10:38:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought I was a boring, married, old woman with two kids and a not-so-exciting life something exciting happened.... I was one of the first to visit the new Target in Ventura. The largest Target in Ventura County. Yep, you heard it right, I was one of the first to see it and all it's glory. Yesterday Target had a "soft opening" (Grand opening is this weekend) for the new 2 story Target.

I've never been in a 2 story Target before so you can imagine my delight with the cart conveyors... so fun!

The Target is the old home of Robinsons May (or some of you might remember it as May Company) at the Pacific View Mall.

This mall has been my hang out since I was a wee little Missy. I remember it when it had a Woolworths and when Macy's was Broadway long before it was fancy. Long before it was enclosed and had a second story.
Oh man, I am old ^, and married and obviously boring if I'm so excited about going to the soft opening of a new Target... Woo Hoo can't wait until the Grand Opening this weekend!

Time to Reflect

2008-03-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

I am the type of person that feels the need to do everything for everyone. It's my nature to nurture. Life has been so busy lately and I feel like I've been neglecting parts of my life that I need to focus more on. I try to do too much and I don't know when to say "no" and tell myself that I can't do it all. If you try to hold too many things something is going to drop.

Sadly, my little blog has been neglected. I have to tell myself it's ok not to post all the time and not rack my little brain for interesting and exciting things to write about. Because to be honest my life is not so exciting. I can only write about my Roomba and Duncan and Buddy so many times. : ) I have a permission slip to take a break .... so I guess it's ok.

The Best Food EVER!!!

2008-02-25T17:02:00.001-08:00

The Social House in Treasure Island is fabulous. The food was wonderful, the drinks were tasty and the dessert - YUMMM! I didn't want to freak too many people out so I was only snapped a few pictures. We opted for the "Trust the Chef" - we had about 8 courses of whatever the chef thought we would enjoy. It was so good. By far the best food/experience I've ever had. Thank goodness work was picking up the tab. For 4 of us it came to $550!

This was just one of our dishes. It was absolutely the best sushi I have ever had!

This was my drink (looks a lot better in person) Sunrise Martini

We sat outside right over the pirate ship at Treasure Island.

I love this place....

Viva Las Vegas...

2008-02-19T14:58:00.000-08:00

I leave early tomorrow morning for Las Vegas. I wish I could say that I was meeting my dad there, or going with J or going for a girl's weekend trip or anything remotelyy fun. Instead I'm going for work... So not looking forward to it but at least it's only for 2 1/2 days.

The big highlight of our trip is dinner at Casa Di Amore. This is an AWESOME Italian restaurant off the strip. This will be our third year going back there. The food is wonderful, the atmosphere has the old Las Vegas feel to it and what service is outstanding. They have complimentary limo service and a delicious Amarone wine. I highly recommend this little hole in the wall if you want yummy Italian food off the strip.

Patrick Henry Hughes

2008-02-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

I am a sentimental sap and am easily moved to tears watching movies, television shows and even some commercials choke me up. One of my favorite tear jerker shows is Extreme Makeover - Home Edition. This Sunday night's episode was one of my favorites episodes.

The family this week was the Hughes family. What an amazing family, what an amazing young man and an incredible father.

Patricia and Patrick John Hughes’s eldest son, Patrick Henry, (19) was born without eyes and without the ability to fully straighten his arms and legs, leaving him unable to walk. The wheelchair-bound Patrick Henry has not let obstacles stand in the way of achieving his goals.

Patrick Henry showed extraordinary abilities at a very early age despite his physical challenges.Patrick Henry is an amazing pianist. By the age of two, the toddler could play songs on the piano after hearing them only once. The gifted young man is not only a university student, but also plays a wide array of musical instruments, is an accomplished singer, and an exuberant trumpet player in the University of Louisville School of Music Marching and Pep Band.

The remarkable Patrick Henry has commented in previous interviews he feels he’s “been blessed” and is grateful for his abilities.

His father, Patrick John Hughes, works a night shift so he can accompany his son to university classes during the day, providing visual aid to the eager student as needed. Inspired by his son’s “can do” attitude, Patrick John also guides the wheelchair, keeping pace with the other 220+ marching band members during practice and game formations. **What an amazing father!!**So many of Patrick Henry’s accomplishments are made possible with the additional, inexhaustible support of his mother, Patricia, and brothers, Jesse and Cameron.

Patrick Henry was born with several birth defects but has the most amazing attitude. One statement that Patrick Henry said tugged at my heart - he looks at his "disability" of being blind as an "ABILITY" because he does not know what anyone looks like on the outside but gets to know the person on the inside. Sometimes we (myself included) are so wrapped up in what people look like, what they wear, how different they look that we don't even get to "know" the person before judging them.

I want to be more like Patrick Henry.

You can see a video of Patrick Henry here...

Little White Lie....

2008-02-16T20:35:00.000-08:00

Baby girl has been fighting off a terrible sore throat for the past few days - she had been fighting going to the doctor. But this morning it had gotten so bad that finally she let me take her to Urgent Care.

They opened up at 9am so I figured we'd be pretty close to the front of the line if we got there when they opened. Wrong! We drove up at 9:10 to find a full waiting room. It was hurting her so bad by this time that she was practically in tears. I walked inside to put her name on the list and found out that we were 10th! While I was filling out the forms the girl that was 5th on the list came up to see how long her wait was - "oh,,, about an hour". A quick calculation on my part determined it would be 2 hours at least until we were seen. Crap!

My girl is in pain - there is no way she is going to be able to make it sitting in this waiting room... (remembering something her dad/my ex had told me) I added that her chest was hurting a bit too. The lady at the front desk looked up and said "bring her on in"... score!!! I hate to lie, I really do but in this case I had to tell a little white lie to get her in. At Urgent Care it is first come, first serve - unless there is dizziness, severe pain, or chest pains.....

15 minutes later we walked out of there with an antibiotic and cough medicine prescription (cough medicine because she must have been coughing so hard that made her chest hurt??).

Happy Valentimes Day!

2008-02-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

(I love how my son says Valentimes.)

I've been spoiled rotten this whole February so far. Everyday since the 1st my husband has left me little treats at work or at home. He's such a great Valentine! Last month I "hinted" that I really wanted to see Wicked - later that day he gave me an early Valentines gift of 4 tickets to the show for all of us to go.

Feb. 1st - I came into work to find a little heart shaped candy dish with Hershey Kissables and a diffuser set.

Feb. 2nd. A big cookie that read "Be Mine" (this is not a picture of my cookie - I ate it before I even realized I should have taken a picture...

Feb. 3rd. - Bath and Body Aromatherapy Massage Oil

Feb. 4th. - My little heart candy dish was filled up with Hershey Kisses

Feb 5th. - Bath and Body Aromatherapy Pillow Spray (I love this!!!)

Feb. 6th. - Heart Chocolates

Feb. 7th. - Pink and Brown (our wedding colors) little note pad set

Feb. 8th. - Lotion from Bath and Body

Feb. 9th - Chocolate Truffle Candle shaped like a heart!

Feb. 10th - A whole assortment of Bath and Body lip glosses

Feb. 11th - Heart Paperweight he made with our picture in it. Very cute!

Feb. 12th - Heart Cookie

Feb. 13th - Cupid Corn - So cute!

Tonight we are taking my mom and sister out to dinner. They don't have a Valentine so we thought it would be nice for us to take them out. awwww...

Take a Dip.....

2008-02-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

French Dip that is. I love basically all foods that you dip, soak or dunk. Topping that list is the French Dip sandwich. I've always wanted to make it but never really found a recipe that struck me. Until yesterday I found this wonderful recipe on a food blog I frequent.

Crock pot French Dip Sandwiches

Source : Crock It Cookbook by Barbara Murray

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

3 lb boneless beef chuck roast

1 pkg Mushroom/onion soup mix

1 10oz can of beef broth + 1 can of water

French rolls or sour dough bread

In a medium bowl whisk together the broth, water and soup mix. Trim any excess fat off of the meat. Add meat to crock pot, then pour broth & soup over it.Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove meat to a large bowl or plate using a slotted spoon. Use two forks to shred up the meat & remove any excess fat. Toast the bread and make sandwiches with the beef (we added some horseradish to them) serve with a bowl of the au jus from the crock pot for dippin'.

This was so so good. I know we will be having this quite often. I sautéed onions and it was perfection!

What A Weekend!!

2008-02-11T09:45:00.001-08:00

Last week was not a good week - I was sick and busy at work and tired and did I mention sick? I ended up working from home on Friday. I didn't want to subject the office to my continual hacking. It helped so much not having to get out. I had zero energy Friday so we stayed in, ordered a pizza and just relaxed watching movies.

Saturday I was refreshed and had more energy. I made breakfast for buddy before his basketball game. (My poor boy - his team has yet to win a game..... his coaches are the WORST in the world) At least it wasn't a complete blow out like the games beforeWe were playing the 10th placed team (we are the 12th) so it was a little more evenly matched up. He's usually never says anything but this time he said "I can't believe we lost again..." how sad. But 2 minutes later he's happy as a clam - I love him.

After lunch at Baja Fresh - I love the Mango Chipotle Chicken Salad - it's so yummy!And then I was off to get my hair cut. I've been toying with the idea of getting it cut short - I really love Victoria Beckham's hair but didn't really think it would work with my hair because of the wave I have. All the kids are doing it and I'm tired of just putting my hair up in a clip or ponytail. I left it in the hands of Bethanee at Michael Kelly to work her magic and I came away with this not so short doo. (Please excuse the blurry picture...)

We lightened it up a bit and I really like it - but might go back to have it cut a little shorter.

Sunday - I woke up full of energy and loving how it is beginning to feel like Spring. I love Spring - I love the smells and way the air feels. I also love Spring Cleaning. I had hit up Smart and Final the day before and loaded up on cleaning supplies. Never mind the 4 different bottles of Windex, the two different kinds of Lysol cleaner, or the many bottles of Pine Sol... My name is Missy and I am addicted to cleaning supplies.... it could be a lot worse.

I was on fire! I was a lady with a mission. Laundry was done AND put a way. My coupons were cut and my grocery list was made. The house was clean with the fresh scent of bleach (I'm strange - I know this), the kitchen was clean, the bathrooms were sparkling, the rooms were all picked up and I was a happy happy lady. I love clean and I love being organized. I especially love starting off the week this way. It just seems to put everyone (when I say everyone I mean me) in a better mood. Everything has a place. People are not running around looking for their shoes, or socks.

J was also in the cleaning mood (or was trying to stay out of my way) so he washed and cleaned both cars!

What a great way to start off a week!!!!

One Product - A Ton of Uses

2008-02-05T15:56:00.001-08:00

I have always been a fan of helpful little hints. I especially love it when you can use one product for a variety of uses. Vinegar is one of these amazing little products.

**Warning - this is a long list..**

Household Hints

Floors
No-wax floors: To wash no-wax floors, add ½ cup of white distilled vinegar to a half-gallon of warm water.

Carpet stain removal: A mixture of 1 teaspoon of liquid detergent and 1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar in a pint of lukewarm water will remove non-oily stains from carpets. Apply it to the stain with a soft brush or towel and rub gently. Rinse with a towel moistened with clean water and blot dry. Repeat this procedure until the stain is gone. Then dry quickly, using a fan or hair dryer. This should be done as soon as the stain is discovered.

Windows & Walls
Streakless windows: Simply wash with a mixture of equal parts of white distilled vinegar and warm water. Dry with a soft cloth. This solution will make your windows gleam and will not leave the usual film or streaks on the glass.

Washing woodwork:You can ease the job of washing painted walls, woodwork and Venetian blinds by using a mixture of 1 cup ammonia, ½ cup white distilled or cider vinegar and ¼ cup baking soda with 1 gallon of warm water. Wipe this solution over walls or blinds with a sponge or cloth and rinse with clear water. Dirt and grime comes off easily and the solution will not dull the painted finish or leave streaks.

Water or alcohol marks on wood:Stubborn rings resulting from wet glasses being placed on wood furniture may be removed by rubbing with a mixture of equal parts of white distilled vinegar and olive oil. Rub with the grain and polish for the best results.

Kitchen
Garbage disposal cleaner: Garbage disposals may be kept clean and odor free with vinegar cubes. Vinegar cubes are made by filling an ice tray with a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar and enough water to fill the ice tray and then freezing it. Run the mixture through the disposal, and then flush it with cold water for a minute or so.

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Coffee maker cleaner (automatic):White distilled vinegar can help to dissolve mineral deposits that collect in automatic drip coffee makers from hard water. Fill the reservoir with white distilled vinegar and run it through a brewing cycle. Rinse thoroughly with water when the cycle is finished. (Be sure to check the owner’s manual for specific instructions.)

Clean the microwave: Boil a solution of 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar and 1 cup of water in the microwave. Will loosen splattered on food and deodorize.

Deodorize the kitchen drain:Pour a cup of white distilled vinegar down the drain once a week. Let stand 30 minutes and then flush with cold water.
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Clean the refrigerator: Wash with a solution of equal parts water and white distilled vinegar.

Clean and disinfect wood cutting boards:Wipe with full strength white distilled vinegar.
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Brass polish: Brass, copper and pewter will shine if cleaned with the following mixture. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of white distilled vinegar and stir in flour until it becomes a paste. Apply paste to the metals and let it stand for about 15 minutes. Rinse with clean warm water and polish until dry.

Ant deterrent: Ant invasions can sometimes be deterred by washing counter tops, cabinets and floors with white distilled vinegar.

Cleaning Stainless Steel Appliances: Apply vinegar with a soft cloth to remove streaks from stainless steel appliances. Try in an inconspicuous place first.

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Cleaner Dishes and Glasses: Pour 1 ½ cup to 2 cups white distilled vinegar in the bottom of dishwasher, along with regular dishwasher soap. Wash full cycle.

Remove Refrigerator Smells: Place 1 cup apple cider vinegar in a glass and set in refrigerator. Within 2 days, any smell is gone!
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Bathroom
Bathtub film:Bathtub film can be removed by wiping with white distilled vinegar and then with soda. Rinse clean with water.

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Shower doors:Rub down shower doors with a sponge soaked in white distilled vinegar to remove soap residue.

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Toilet bowl cleaner:Stubborn stains can be removed from the toilet by spraying them with white distilled vinegar and brushing vigorously. The bowl may be deodorized by adding 3 cups of white distilled vinegar. Allow it to remain for a half hour, then flush.

Unclog the showerhead:Corrosion may be removed from showerheads or faucets by soaking them in diluted white distilled vinegar overnight. This may be easily accomplished by saturating a terry cloth towel in vinegar and wrapping it around the showerhead or faucet.
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Pets
Pest fighter:A teaspoon of white distilled vinegar for each quart bowl of drinking water helps keep your pet free of fleas and ticks. The ratio of one teaspoon to one quart is for a forty-pound animal.

Pet accident: Test the color fastness of the carpet with white distilled vinegar in an inconspicuous place. Then sprinkle distilled vinegar over the fresh pet accident. Wait a few minutes and sponge from the center outward. Blot up with a dry cloth. This procedure may need to be repeated for stubborn stains.

Other
Bumper stickers:Remove bumper stickers by repeatedly wiping the sticker with white distilled vinegar until it is soaked. In a few minutes, it should peel off easily. Test on a small invisible area of the car to ensure there will be no damage to the pain.

Paintbrush softener: Soak the paintbrush in hot white distilled vinegar, and then wash out with warm, sudsy water.

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Cleaner for Gold Jewelry (Winner of June 2007 Vinegar Online Use Contest)Use one cup apple cider vinegar. Submerge solid gold jewelry item in vinegar for 15 minutes. Remove and dry with cloth.

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Remove Lime Stains from Car: Pour a small amount of white vinegar on a clean cloth. Gently rub the area of lime staining with the cloth until the stain is gone. Test a small are first to ensure no discoloration.

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Worn DVDs:If you have a worn DVD that has begun to stick or suffers from the occasional freeze-frame, wipe it down with white distilled vinegar applied to a soft cloth. Ensure the DVD is completely dry before re-inserting in the DVD player. (Note: This only works on DVDs that are scratched of dirty through normal wear.)

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Laundry Hints
Wine stains: Spots caused by wine can be removed from 100 percent cotton, cotton polyester and permanent press fabrics if done so within 24 hours. To do it, sponge white distilled vinegar directly onto the stain and rub away the spots. Then clean according to the directions on the manufacturer's care tag.

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Freshen baby clothes: The addition of 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to each load of baby clothes during the rinse cycle will naturally break down uric acid and soapy residue leaving the clothes soft and fresh.

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Clothes washing magic: Clothes will rinse better if 1 cup of white distilled vinegar is added to the last rinse water. The acid in vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, but strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents.

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Blanket renewal: Cotton and wool blankets become soft, fluffy and free of soap odor if 2 cups of white distilled vinegar are added to the rinse cycle of the wash.

Deodorant stains: Deodorant and antiperspirant stains may be removed from clothing by lightly rubbing with white distilled vinegar and laundering as usual.

Keeping colors fast:To hold colors in fabrics, which tend to run, soak them for a few minutes in white distilled vinegar before washing.

Leather cleaning: Leather articles can be cleaned with a mixture of white distilled vinegar and linseed oil. Rub the mixture into the leather and then polish with a soft cloth. Scorch marks: Lightly rub white distilled vinegar on fabric that has been slightly scorched. Wipe with a clean cloth.

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Setting colors:When you are color dyeing, add about a cupful of white distilled vinegar to the last rinse water to help set the color.

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Shower curtains:Add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to the rinse water when you launder your shower curtain. Do not spin dry or wash out. Just hang immediately to dry.

Unclog steam iron:Pour equal amounts of white distilled vinegar and water into the iron's water chamber. Turn to steam and leave the iron on for 5 minutes in an upright position. Then unplug and allow to cool. Any loose particles should come out when you empty the water.

Clean a scorched iron plate: Heat equal parts white distilled vinegar and salt in a small pan. Rub solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark or burned stains.

Cleaning Vintage Lace: Soak the lace in cold water, rinsing it several times. Next, hand-wash the lace gently with a wool detergent, such as Woolite. If rust spots are a problem, try removing them with a mixture of white vinegar and hot water.

Food Preparation
Getting the last drops:When you can’t get the last bit of mayonnaise or salad dressing out of the jar, try dribbling a little of your favorite vinegar into it, put the cap on tightly and shake well. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ve been wasting.
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Cooking fish:Try soaking fish in vinegar and water before cooking it. It will be sweeter, more tender and hold its shape better. When boiling or poaching fish, a tablespoon of vinegar added to the water will keep it from crumbling so easily.
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Cake icing:Cake icing can be prevented from becoming sugary if a little vinegar is added to the ingredients before cooking. The same is true when making homemade candy.

Boiling eggs:When boiling an egg and it’s cracked, a little vinegar in the water will keep the white from running out.
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Keeping potatoes white:A teaspoon of white distilled or cider vinegar added to the water in which you boil potatoes will keep them nice and white. You can keep peeled potatoes from turning dark by covering them with water and adding 2 teaspoons of vinegar.

Freshen vegetables:Freshen up slightly wilted vegetables by soaking them in cold water and vinegar.
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Fruit and vegetable wash:Add 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar to 1 pint water and use to wash fresh fruits and vegetables, then rinse thoroughly. Research has shown that vinegar helps kill bacteria on fruits and vegetables.

Frying doughnuts:Before frying doughnuts, add ½ teaspoon of vinegar to hot oil to prevent doughnuts soaking up extra grease. Use caution when adding the vinegar to the hot oil.
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Flavor booster:Perk up a can of soup, gravy or sauce with a teaspoon of your favorite specialty vinegar. It adds flavor and taster fresher.

Meat tenderizer:As a tenderizer for tough meat or game, make a marinade in the proportion of half a cup of your favorite vinegar to a cup of heated liquid, such as bouillon; or for steak, you may prefer to a mix of vinegar and oil, rubbed in well and allowed to stand for two hours.
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Fruit stains: Remove fruit or berry stains from your hands by cleaning them with vinegar.

Fresh lunch box: It is easy to take out the heavy stale smell often found in lunch boxes. Dampen a piece of fresh bread with white distilled vinegar and leave it in the lunch box overnight.
Get rid of cooking smells: Let simmer a small pot of vinegar and water solution.
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Fluffy Egg Whites: Soak a paper towel with 1-2 Tablespoons of white distilled vinegar. Wipe mixing bowl and beaters or whisk with the vinegar-soaked paper towel, then dry with a cloth or paper towel prior to whipping egg whites.
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Fluffier Rice:For fluffier and great tasting rice, add a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar to the boiling water before adding rice. Rice will be easier to spoon and less sticky.

Health
Soothe a bee or jellyfish sting: Douse with vinegar. It will soothe irritation and relieve itching.
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Relieve sunburn: Lightly rub white distilled or cider vinegar on skin. Reapply as needed.

Relieve dry and itchy skin:Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to your bath water.
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Fight dandruff: After shampooing, rinse with a solution of ½ cup vinegar and 2 cups of warm water.

Soothe a sore throat: Put a teaspoon of vinegar in a glass of water. Gargle, then swallow. For another great gargle: 1 cup hot water, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon vinegar, gargle then drink.

Treat sinus infections and chest colds: Add 1/4 cup or more vinegar to the vaporizer. (Be sure to check vaporizer instructions for additional water measurement.)

Skin burns: Apply ice-cold vinegar right away for fast relief. Will prevent burn blisters.
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Chest congestion: To clear up respiratory congestion, inhale a vapor mist from steaming pot containing water and several spoonfuls of vinegar.

Toenail fungus: Soak toes in a solution of vinegar and water, using 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water, 15 minutes per day.
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Arthritis ReliefMix a teaspoon of half apple cider vinegar, half honey in a glass of water with a teaspoon of orange flavored Knox gelatin.

Lessen Morning Sickness:Drink some apple cider vinegar in water, with honey added. This concoction can help calm a queasy stomach.
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Stop Itching:Apply a paste made from vinegar and cornstarch. Keep on until itch disappears.

Cleaning Heavily Soiled Hands:Moisten cornmeal with apple cider vinegar. Scrub hands, rinse in cold water and pat dry.
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Soft Feet: Combine 1 cup white distilled vinegar to 2 gallons warm water. Soak feet for 45 minutes then use a pumice stone or file to remove dead skin from heels and callused areas of feet.
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Wart Remover: Mix lukewarm/warm water with a cup of white distilled vinegar. Immerse area with wart and soak 20 minutes everyday until wart disappears.

Bug Spray:Combine equal amounts of water, white distilled vinegar and liquid dish soap in a spray bottle. Use on skin, as needed.

When Did I Become My Mom??

2008-02-04T12:11:00.000-08:00

Growing up my mom always had a certain way she liked things to be done (towels folded a certain way, dishwasher loaded a certain way, beds made a certain way, etc.) I never could understand what the big deal was. "Be happy I'm doing it" is what I always thought.

When did I turn into my mom? Either I never noticed I too had a perferred way of doing what seems to be everything or I've slowly been turning into Mama... Sorry Mom - now I understand your frustration!

Folding towels. I have a certain way of folding our towels. This is a perfect size to fit into our shelves. Plus it looks nice. I'm so guilty of sneaking and refolding the towels after someone else has folded them... Soooo my mom...

And now thanks to Tasty Tater Talks I discovered this awesome way to fold sheets and pack them away nice a neat in the pillow case. I quickly had to pass this on to my mom... she loves it!!!

Unmade bed. I hate to crawl into a bed that was not made. I can't stand to leave the house with the bed being unmade. This is definitely something I've had to adjust to being married...
This is so my mom... I never ever used to be like this. When did that happen??

I love my mom and respect her for so much. She raised my sister and I as a single mom and did a terrific job!!! I am actually happy I'm like my mom - she's a wonderful woman!

Hopefully one day my daughter will appreciate and understand my silliness.

Missing In Action

2008-02-04T11:38:00.000-08:00

Work is so busy that I missed blogging all last week. Nothing too exciting has been happening (I'm actually thankful for that) so I don't have really anything blog worthy.

At work I'm trying to coordinate 4 tradeshows in 4 different states that are all back to back. If I pull this off without any hiccups I will be amazed. In addition to this I'm working with a marketing firm totally revamping our marketing literature. We started up with a new telemarketing firm for new leads that I'm tracking. Oh and throw in training a new customer service rep. I've become quite the juggler. This all makes for a tired Missy.

At home life is sweet and simple right now.

Buddy is playing basketball and his little league starts Spring Season today so this will add to our already busy weeks.

Daughter is doing well in school and happy with her new job.

My sister went through a rough week. On Friday the 25th she found out that her dog Jackson had a cancerous spot on his leg and couldn't get him into a specialist until the following Tuesday. The weekend was an emotional roller coaster for her. 8 years ago she lost a dog to cancer and that was all that was going through her mind. Tuesday we took him in for tests - Thursday everything came back showing that the cancer was only in the one spot and had not spread to his organs. They have surgery scheduled for tomorrow. Bless her heart. And in the middle of all this she had a birthday. We took her out to Chicago Ribs and ate and ate and ate. It was very very good! We ordered the FeastIt had a little bit of everything. The onions rings are so good. So yummy!

Cinco De Mayo

2008-01-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

Quick post as I am swamped with work.

The weekend went by really quick. I was not feeling 100% so I tried to stay home and out of the rain as much as I could. Yesterday I was in the mood for some soup so I made Albondigas with home made meatballs. It was delish if I do say so myself.

Buddy loved it.....

Buddy: This is good - does it have tomatoes in it?
Me: Yes, it has tomato sauce
Buddy: I thought so. I could taste the Cinco De Mayo
Me: (thinking) Cinco De Mayo, how can you taste Cinco De Mayo....
Me: Oh, you can taste Pico de Gallo.....

I love that boy so much!!!

Countdown Begins...

2008-01-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

OHHH HAPPY DAY!

Pitchers & Catchers Report: 22 days!!!!

I love baseball season for so many reasons.

1. The Angels

2. Vladimir

3. Summer is right around the corner

4. Angel Stadium

5. Drinking Coronas watching baseball games.

6. The Angels

Little Banged Up...

2008-01-23T10:36:00.000-08:00

My poor daughter was in an accident yesterday.

She's OK - Thank you God - but she's a little shaken which is to be expected. She was on her way to school yesterday when she was rear ended. Her truck thankfully had little to no damage but his jeep was pretty crushed in the front. I'm so happy she wanted a truck for her first car.

She went on to school (finals week) and later that night we sat for a couple hours in the Urgent Care. So not fun - but not as bad an an emergency room. The entertainment consisted of an old TV (with a VHS tape player) showing the movie"Junior" with Ahhhnold. Ewww not a good movie at all!

Daughter had x-rays which showed her neck to be pretty strained so they gave her a stylish neck brace and wrote a couple prescriptions (which mom will hold on to) and sent us on our merry way.

She was feeling pretty good this morning. So fingers crossed that she stays that way.

Isn't She Pretty??

2008-01-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

I love her.
She's my new KitchenAid Mixer I got for Christmas. I use her any chance I get - making biscuits, mashed potatoes, bread, etc. If the recipe says "Mix" - she's my go-to gal.

I've always heard about how much people loved their mixers but I didn't realize how helpful and handy they are until I was blessed with my very own on Christmas morning. I didn't ask for the Heavy Duty or the Artisan - I just wanted the simple Classic one. She's just perfect for me.

Last night we made some yummy (but too sweet for my liking) oatmeal butterscotch cookies.

Last night I also learned the J does not like butterscotch.... hmmm never knew this until he took a bite of the cookie and smiled trying not to make "that face".... Now I know...

I Love You Mr. Clean

2008-01-17T15:37:00.000-08:00

As strange as it sounds, I love cleaning products. I love them all Lysol, Pine-Sol, Clorox, Windex, Comet, etc. But my all time favorite cleaning product is my Mr. Clean Eraser. I kid you not - this little baby will clean everything!

I use it to clean my stove top, outside of the refrigerator, erase scuff marks left on your floor, clean the baseboards, scuff marks on your patio furniture, cabinets, and walls. I seriously walk around the house looking for something to clean when I have my eraser.

"It's like crack for cleaners"

My new found appreciation for Mr. Clean came when I was cleaning my kitchen sink and it just looked yuck - I reached for my eraser and it turned my sink bright white again.

Mr. Clean is my cleaning best friend.

We Are All Heroes...

2008-01-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

Guitar Heroes that is.

Daughter "Rocking It"

Our whole family has gone mad over this game. It's the first thing Buddy goes to as soon as he walks in the house. Daughter has no problem sweet talking a turn from her little brother. She has mastered that thing and Buddy is in awe of his sister. Last night he whispered "She's amazing" as she battled AND beat Slash!

I think our whole family could play this for hours. I can definitely see why it is such a huge hit!

Weekend Wrap Up

2008-01-14T11:25:00.000-08:00

Friday night
Lately we have been going to the movies on Friday nights but this week not too much was out (that was kid friendly) so we just stayed in, rented movies and enjoyed our microwave popcorn.

Saturday

It was a very early game for Buddy. His basketball coaches are frustrating the heck out of me! Look at the score - you'll know why. J takes him to practice and says they really don't do a lot of drills - basically just shooting. Our poor boys were having the ball stolen from them left and right! Poor Buddy - but he still loved it.

Buddy and I decided we were going to check out Game Stop to see if they had anything new for the Wii. We both were excited they had Guitar Hero for the Wii in stock. $89.99. He had $65 left over from his Christmas money. I suggested we go home and go through his older GameCube games and trade them in. So home we went and he found about 12 games he no longer played. After a quick lunch we headed to the mall and traded them in. He got $73! Woo Hoo. I paid the extra and we are now owners of Guitar Hero (a.k.a the best video game ever invented). I frickin love that game!

While at the mall I stopped into Forever 21. My new favorite blog is My Super Sweet Fashion Diary. She keeps an on-line diary of her fashionable outfits. I'm not good at putting outfits together - I have to see it and then copy. She's got a knack, a talent and I'm constantly thinking while I'm shopping - what would mssfd wear? I stopped in really quick (Buddy was itching to get home to play his new game) so I quickly found a couple things and headed home. One of which I liked the other - I'm taking back.

I thought this would be cute paired with some tights.

Front

BackI have been wanting to use my new KitchenAid. I cheated a bit with this cake but add orange zest and made a yummy orange glaze for the top. It was so good. Trader Joe's Vanilla cake is quick, easy and not really sweet.

Sunday

We went to church and then I spent the rest of the day cleaning and watching football. Poor Peyton and Romo. I was happy for the Chargers though and for Brett!

Last night I made some yummy Cheesy Garlic Biscuits with chicken and broccoli. So good!!!

I Saved $103.24!!!

2008-01-14T10:05:00.000-08:00

It's been quite a few months since I've coupon shopped using Teri's List for shopping but yesterday I reaffirmed that it does pay to take the extra time and be a smart shopper. I saved close to 50% on my shopping trip yesterday. What would have been a $225.24 bill came to $122. Woo Hoo.

I'm not going to lie - it is a time consuming process but once you get your system down it's quite easy (and for dorks like me, it's fun).

Here is my system:

Ralphs is the only store right now that doubles coupons so I only shop there. Advertisements from Ralphs are mailed on Tuesdays - sales run from Wednesday - Tuesday.

Sunday morning I Log in to http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ to get THE LIST.

Sunday-Tuesday - Shop with TERI'$ $HOPPING LI$T

Make sure you have your coffee. : )

I print out the list of the items I want to buy.

Make sure I have all the coupons out of the newspaper (LA Times).

Start cutting - everything. Even the things you don't think you'll ever use. Sometimes they will be free and you could give them away or find a use for them. (except for items you KNOW for sure you won't use)

I have an idea of what coupons I'm looking for off of the list so I put those in a pile and the ones I'm not going to use that week I'll put them in piles so I can file them after I'm done.

File the ones I'm not going to use this shopping trip.

I have a good idea of the layout of the store so I put the coupons I'm going to be using in groups according to the aisles.

I take my list, grouped coupons and filed coupons with me to the store. I refer back to the list while I'm shopping just to be sure I'm using the right coupon, have the right item, etc.

I've found that if I take an envelope to put the coupons in AFTER I've found the right product I save a lot of time. So when I get to the check out I give them the ones in the envelope.

I also take my filed coupons with me - some times something might be on sale and I have a coupon for it but it's not on the list.

I know the process sounds tedious and way too time consuming but once you have your own system down shopping with be a lot less of a pain.

I buy things even if I don't need them at that time - I like to have nice stocked cabinets. So I have it when I need it and don't have to pay full price.

Things that Make Me Happy from A - Z

2008-01-11T09:57:00.000-08:00

A - Anaheim Angels. I love, Love, LOVE my Angels and am thrilled that baseball season is getting closer.

B - Break-ups. I'm happy that I've experienced heartbreak and break-ups as a teen so when my daughter recently went through one I knew exactly what she was going through and could be a shoulder for her to cry on.

C - Cereal. I can eat cereal anytime of the day. I do not discriminate I love them all from Grape Nuts to Captain Crunch. I'm a lover of all cereal.

D - Duncan. My Duncan dog makes me smile everyday. I can seriously not think of a day that went by that he didn't do something that made me smile.

E - Eating. I love food - what can I say?

F - Five o'Clock. For two reasons - 1) Quitting time and 2) My standing phone date with my dad. We try to speak every day during my drive home.

G - Girlfriends. I'm so very lucky to have friends that I've known since I was in grade school, friends I used to work with, and even my Internet friends. I cherish my friendships and I would do anything for these girls as I know they would do the same in return.

H -Husband. He makes me feel so loved every day.

I - "I love you" coming from my son. He will stop what he's doing and come find me just to tell me he loves me. Doesn't matter where or when (even on a field trip with his class) he will tell me he loves me every day.

J - My son's name starts with a J - he makes me verrry happy!

K - The Knotties on the LA Board. They are funny, smart, witty, creative and helpful.

L - Love. Being loved and being able to love makes me happy.

M - Matching bras and panties. I hate if I am mismatched. It's a weird thing and probably too much information but it's like a bad hair day for me.

N - New Hat. I love hats. A new hat definitely makes me happy especially an Angels hat. I have sort of an obsession...

O - Ornaments. I collect Christmas ornaments and every year when I decorate my tree it makes me happy to go down memory lane.

P - Pasta. I love any and all pasta.

Q - Que - as in BBQ. We are BBQ junkies. We will BBQ anytime we can. J is quite the master of the grill.

R - Roomba. As sad as it sounds, my Roomba makes me happy. I'm happy I don't have to vacuum anymore.

S - Sisters. I am so very blessed to have my sister. We are extremely close and I consider her my best friend.

T - Tomatoes from my garden. There is nothing like home grown cherry tomatoes.

U - Unconditional love of my mom. My mom is such a wonderful giving woman. Her love knows no boundaries. She has devoted her life to her family and being with her makes me happy.

V - Ventura. I love living in Ventura.

W - Work. The actual work doesn't make me happy but I'm happy to have a job that I don't hate and I enjoy.

X - X-rays with no cavities.

Y - You. For reading this post all the way to "Y".

Z - Zoo. The Santa Barbara Zoo is one of our favorite zoos around. I have many memories of taking both my daughter and my son there when they small.

National Delurking Week

2008-01-10T12:49:00.000-08:00

So I learned today that it is National Delurking Week from NannersP and Winnie and Wan . I love to read comments and would love to see who is "lurking" out there. : )

The Grocery Game

2008-01-09T09:57:00.000-08:00

I need to get back to cutting coupons and shopping more wisely. I used to save so much money by taking the extra time cutting and organizing my coupons.

I found a great website (thegrocerygame.com) a few years ago and it has helped me so much when it comes to coupon shopping. It's a great tool to help find the "rock bottom" prices on hundreds of products each week and match them up with manufacturers' coupons for the best possible savings at your local supermarket. She makes coupon shopping so easy. And it's amazing how much you can save.

I really had to change my way of thinking though when it came to grocery shopping. There are basically two ways we spend money on groceries: "Stockpiling," and "Need" shopping. By stockpiling items you will eventually need, you don't have to overpay when you do need it. It's basically thinking ahead in terms of shopping. When you "need" shop, you only buy those items you need at the moment or for that particular week. Because it's an immediate need, you will pay whatever price the supermarket is offering, thus grossly overpaying. The fee is minimal compared to the savings.

While it can be a bit of a chore - the reward comes when you walk out saving over $100! I've just motivated myself to get cutting and start saving again!

What He Got

2008-01-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned a few times how much I loooove my Christmas gift from J. So what did I get him?? He had mentioned a few times how much he wanted to have our "speeches" from our wedding framed - so I did. We saved the actual papers we read from at our wedding and I'm so glad we did. It turned out very nice. And we was so happy with it.

We both decided to write something nice to say to each other at our wedding. We had decided this months in advance of the wedding but I could never figure out what exactly I wanted to say. Until I was talking with one of my best friends about a list we had made years ago when we worked together. This list came from this book. And then I knew what I would say to him.We were given a list of characteristics we would want in a mate and were to put them in the order of importance to us. My friend and I worked and worked on our "lists" until we perfected them based on what each of us wanted in a person. That was 15 years ago that I made that list and have had it ever since. I've kept it as a reminder of what I want in a soul mate and not to settle for anything less than what I was looking for.

I told him that I no longer needed my list - that I had indeed found my soul mate and that my search was over when I found him. (awwwww - corny I know).

His words were beautiful and brought me to tears.

So now we have them framed and hanging in our room as a reminder of what we said to each other that day. A day I will not forget. : )

What I Did This Weekend

2008-01-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

This weekend was filled with fun and not so fun and not even close to fun...

Fun - Buddy started basketball. He's played soccer and baseball for many years but this was his first time at basketball. It was absolutely the cutest thing ever (at least I thought so). Many of the kids have never played basketball and an official game for that matter. I loved watching him play. Sadly, the teams were not evenly matched up and we lost by quite a bit - at one time the score was 18 to 1 (us having the "1).

Regardless of the score - Buddy still had a good time and I think he won't mind all the running at practice anymore now that he got a taste of what the game is really like. He was only one of the kids to shoot AND make two free throws. I was so proud!

Not so fun - I took down and put away all the Christmas decorations. I love decorating my Christmas tree but because I have so many ornaments - it makes putting everything away a long and tedious job.

Duncan helped....

Not Even Close to Fun - we are in an older house and the plumbing is terrible. This weekend the two bathroom sinks wouldn't drain. We had the plumber out twice without any luck. So today they are coming back out to replace piping. So not fun. We have been without sinks for two days. We have to brush our teeth in the kitchen sink - buddy commented that we are living "like hobos"...

Fun - Daughter found out that she landed her first job. Yay!!! I'm so excited for her. She has been wanting to work as a hostess at a popular steakhouse where we live and found out yesterday she got the job! So happy for her!

Not so Fun - Daughter's first day of work is today and they require the employees to wear Hawaiian shirts. We found out last night at 5:00. So we split up and went on the hunt for a Hawaiian shirt in January... in the pouring rain. Not an easy task but we found one at the men's department of Macy's.

Not Even Close to Fun - part of my search was a trip to Ross Dress for Less. Did I mention it was pouring rain???

Weeeee!

2008-01-04T16:13:00.001-08:00

For Christmas Buddy asked for a Wii from Santa. Being the awesome boy that he is, he got it! We have been playing that non-stop since Christmas day.

Here is Buddy helping my dad bowl on Christmas Morning. Too cute!

I've had so much fun but realized out of shape I am. For days my shoulder hurt from playing tennis. And then my lower back hurt from boxing. I've had to take a break.

I'm really wanting to get Guitar Heroes for the Wii and also American Idol and Dancing with the Stars.

I'm in love with someone else....

2008-01-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

I met him on Christmas morning. My love for him took me by surprise because I never thought I could fall in love so quickly. It took only seconds and I was hooked. I'm embarrassed to say I might even be obsessive and possessive with him. Every time I see him move around the house I'm in awe and fall in love all over again. He's so helpful and is a neat freak like me. He doesn't mind picking up after others. He's smart, sleek and handsome.

Surprisingly, J is the one that introduced us. He knew I was in love the minute I laid eyes on him. He sees the way I look at "him" - he understands and can not deny it.

My family can not understand my infatuation with him and I see them roll their eyes every time I remark how wonderful he is or how much he has changed my life. I think the only one that understands is my mom. She too is in love with him and wishes he were hers.

I'd like to introduce you to..... my Roomba.

He's amazing!!!!

.... I've just scared myself with this post. It's sad but oh so true. I love my Roomba!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! part 1

2008-01-03T10:16:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas and a very quiet New Year's Eve. Dad arrived the Saturday before Christmas so we had a couple days to visit before the mad rush of Christmas hit. It was great! Have I mentioned that I love my dad?

I was proud that I finished all my shopping and wrapping on the 23rd! Yes, I'm one of THOSE. I don't care - I love the hustle and bustle. I seem to do better under pressure. My mom and I hit the mall and finished our shopping just in the Nick (get it? St. Nick?) of time....

We had a house full Christmas Eve. Great food, great company, a great time. Until I burned my thumb on a stupid votive. I didn't realize that the wick was right next to the glass and I picked it up burning the crap out of my thumb. I can usually tolerate pain pretty good - until I get burned or am nauseous. THEN, I'm a huge and I mean HUGE baby. I spent the rest of the night soaking my finger in water and holding a cold pack to it. I even cried. I told you I was a big fat baby! A blister soon appeared. So gross.

I tried not to let that damper my spirits but sadly it did. It's hard to be a great hostess while soaking your thumb. I think the pain finally stopped well after midnight while we were *ahem* Santa was wrapping stocking stuffers. This has always been our traditions (one of a thousand) to stay up and wrap stocking stuffers. This year I posed the idea to Sister to maybe wrap them the night before Christmas Eve. "But that's our tradition" she whined... so we planned to stay up and do them again as we have every year. But this year we had 5 extra stockings to stuff and I had a flippin' burned thumb (try wrapping one handed) and my poor sister got a bad migraine. She has to take medication every day to keep them under control but every once in a while one will sneak up on her and take her out. My poor sister was wrapping presents in between running to the bathroom and laying down. Needless to say - we have both decided that we will now change our tradition to wrapping on Christmas Eve Eve.

We finally finished around .....3:00AM!!!!!!! And was back up at 6:30 to see what Santa had brought. We always make quite a production out of this. While grandparents, aunts, and uncles wait at the end of the hall the kids (daughter is not really into this at 16 - but she is a trooper for her brother's sake) come in to see what Santa has brought.

We all had a wonderful time opening presents. J was thrilled with his electric drill and other tools. And me... well, it was love at first sight! (please excuse the scary, no makeup, only had 3 hours of sleep picture) I got my wonderful Kitchen Aid mixer. I love her - she's so pretty and helpful. I adore her.

I was blessed to get another wonderful gift.... I have decided that will get a post of it's own.

Partial Christmas Post

2008-01-02T13:17:00.000-08:00

I have so much catching up to do - but most of my pictures are at home so I'll have to wait and post those later.

Christmas was awesome - I was so happy to have my dad in town. I'm like a little girl when it comes to my dad. He's so great.

Every year we try to come up with fun and exciting and different Christmas presents for him. He's got every gadget known to man but doesn't want to use them for fear they will be stolen or get broke. We buy him clothes but I know he's got a closet full with tags because he doesn't want to ruin them.... So this year we decided to go down to the beach and take pictures of us. He loved them.
My sister, brother and I
Sister
Me
Buddy
And a beautiful sunset to end the day.