So long October....sniff sniff..

Although Thanksgiving is my all time FAVE holiday, followed closely by Christmas, October is hands down my FAVORITE month of the year. The weather is always nice, the fall atmosphere starts in, I can start wearing jackets, sweatshirts and stuff...not to mention my anniversary is in October. I just love this month. So I am sad to see it go.

This past Tuesday I celebrated my 8th wedding anniversary (YAY!). I love my husband with everything I have. But on some things we are polar opposites. See, my husband HATES holidays. He thinks of them as 'just another day'. Its stupid to celebrate things. I don't know why he is like that, but he is. Well, for the first time EVER I got an anniversary present. My hunny bought me a 10 month old male yorkie. I was estatic. He is absolutely precious and its someone else I can set my maternal instincts into since I feel like I have no more "babies". His name is Toby and I love him dearly.

I am so excited! I feel like my family is finally and perfectly complete!! :) oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! I hope you have fun and be safe trick or treating!!

spectacular craptastic weekend

Oh yes, it was WONDERFULLYcraptastic!! Well, we had issues with our septic pump, and that made for good times let me tell ya.

Then, the opportunity I spoke about a few months ago didn't pan out and it went to someone else over the weekend which broke my heart.

But, I took the kids to the school's halloween carnival and they looked adorable and had a good time. then hubby bought my FAVORITE cheap pizza for dinner last night and rented a movie I had been DYING to see so I had a somewhat enjoyable Sunday evening really.

So, here's hoping to a BETTER WEEK!! Although, for Monday's this isn't really topping my charts in terms of good days...so here's hoping yours is going much better than mine! ha ha ha!!

I had a blast this weekend

This weekend was awesome. I don't know why, but I loved it. It was perfect. Despite the constant cloud cover, sometimes drizzle and all that of course.

First, Friday I got my new phone!! Love it!! Its a Samsung Rogue and I am in love with it. Although I loved my old phone and was pretty bummed it was shutting down on me, I am very happy with its replacement :)

Saturday, our girls had their first fall ball games. We played three games. Our head coach was out so it was me, the other assistant coach and a parent. and we only six girls for the first game and seven for the last two. But guess what, our girls played their hearts out. I could not have been more happy. These girls played with everything they had and it was amazing to witness. We won the first two games and lost the third. The two teams we beat had nearly double the girls and they were teams that beat us in the Spring which made these victories much sweeter. I am pumped to continue watching these girls grow. What makes this team even better is that not only do the girls that I had show up Saturday absolutely love softball, but their parents encourage it and support it. These girls are only going to get better and they showed every one out there Saturday that even with the odds stacked wwwwaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy against them, they are still a force to be reckoned with. Its pretty awesome to be a part of that.

Yesterday, wasn't a lot going on. Just pretty lazy day. I had a board of directors meeting at the ball park. I really enjoy being involved there and I am excited for the things that we have coming up. Other than that, me and the hubs simply lounged around and did nothing. Which I always enjoy :)

one week with no internet...TORTURE

Well, I have had no internet for a week and its been torture!!! So much has gone on and I don't know if I will remember to blog it all!!

First, and most excitingly.....DEREK GOT A JOB!!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!! It is in a new field and it will give him the opportunity to have an actual career and not work in a factory/plant setting his whole life. I am so proud of him getting this opportunity and, even though he won't admit it, I know he is secretly excited! :) He has normal hours again, 7 - 4ish and off on weekends. Its laying networking and fiber optic cables and stuff like that I think. Its a different job site every day so he's not in the same spot all the time which is SOOO Derek.

My recovery is going well. I was pretty sore through Monday and back at work by Tuesday. The pain pills were a wonderful help and my husband was perfection through it all. I didn't get up and move much and when I did he was right there to pick me and carry me around and wait on me hand and foot. AND he didnt COMPLAIN AT ALL. Such a sweet hubby :)

Now, my kiddos are off to Aunt Alli's tonight and to the theme park tomorrow so tonight hubby and I can go out to dinner and then off to a friends house to plan there wedding in two weeks! Fun times a comin!!

****special note****To any one reading this, keep my friend Ashley Jo in your prayers. She is pregnant with baby no. 4 and there are some serious complications and she may be losing her baby. She is such a wonderful mother and this has been so hard on her emotionally. She should know today and my heart and prayers have been with her all day. Love you AJ and I have faith it will turn out okay.

I survived

I had my surgery yesterday. I feel as though I have been backed over by a truck a few thousand times. My whole body is stiff and I am tired and miserable. I must say that this whole experience has made me realize how wonderful my family is. Derek may appear to to be an ass to most people, but he is such a wonderful person! He has taken such wonderful care of me. He has helped me tremendously walking every where, waiting on me hand and foot, taking me to the bathroom and fixing my food and helping me up and down and laying down and everything. I love him to pieces and this is the side of him I wish more people could see :).

Apparently, it was a great thing that I had my gallbladder removed now. Apparently even my doctor was shocked at how bad of shape it was in. I had over 3o gall stones. No wonder I have been so ill and in pain. I am ready for the recovery to be over so that I can feel better!! Well, the pain meds are starting to kick back in so its naptime for me! :)

Whats crackalackin?

well, I know I've been gone...I just haven't had much to write about. The kids are gearing up for school and are so excited. We started practice back for fall softball - SO EXCITED!! The girls are doing awesome and we have a new girl which I am stoked about.

On the bad news side...Derek was laid off. I am so not happy about it but I have faith that we will be okay. Derek is having a hard time adjusting, but he will get there. :)

Well, until next time!!

My poor hunnies / Happy Father's Day

They get to go to the dentist tomorrow. I am a bad mom. I have never taken them to the dentist. Shanna went when she was one to have her teeth fixed from her allergy...but since, never. Our insurance situation got screwed up when the layoff happened and I switched jobs and we just never got the chance to do it...and then time marches on...and its just one of those things that I overlooked. I know I know I know. Horrible. Well, we are going tomorrow and poor Carson couldn't be more ready.

His back molar (thank the Lord its a baby tooth) is broke in half. We are not sure how it happened, but it happened Thursday at Magic Springs so we have to get that looked at. Shanna's not so looking forward to it though...

Today we had a wonderful day with Derek. It was just a nice afternoon watching Andy Griffith reruns - his absolute favorite. It was nice. I went to the cemetary and visited with both my real dad and my stepdad. It was sad, but I left roses - and said my hello. Well, to my stepdad anyway, I won't go into the story about the visit with my real dad.

well, I hope you all enjoy father's day with all those father's in your lives!

proof of marriage?

Okay, so this is totally retarded in my opinion...hubby's work wanted proof of eligibility for insurance purposes. Totally get that - they needed proof that Derek was the father of my children and that I was his spouse and therefore eligible to be on his insurance plan. So I send him to work with birth certificates and our marriage license.

Then I get a letter in the mail a day or two ago...requesting proof that we were still married. WTF? How do you get proof that your still married? That is the goofiest thing I have ever heard of! SO I sent him to work to ask...they want a copy of my drivers license. How does that prove that we are still married...We could have divorced last year and my drivers license would still have my name as Shoptaw and my address the same!! THat is retarded!!

Okay, I thought I would share the retardness with you all!!

Medical update

Well, I survived! ha ha ha...Thursday night was the worst night of my life. I had to drink 1/2 gallon of the "prep kit" and I probably kept 1/4 or less down. It was awful. B.A.D. I don't think I would wish it on my worst enemy to be honest. I finally got to bed and was so nauseated I didn't really sleep between that and my nerves. Friday morning wasn't too bad. I didn't actually get back there until about 11:45. They put my iv in and gave me two things one to relax me and one to make me forget (HALLELUJAH) - within literally seconds everything went black. I woke up 2 hours later to my mom laughing because apparently I had been "awake' and repeating the same questions over and over due to the "amnesia medicine" and though I remember bits and pieces of yesterday afternoon and evening, apparently the amnesia medicine lasted awhile! They did discover pockets, which confirms that I have divroticulosis and I also have gall stones which means my next step is removal of the gall bladder. FUN FUN. The doctor is apparently very concerned that I have divroticulosis, because apparently it is pretty much unheard of in someone so young (I am only 25) So, not only am I LOVING my genetics right now, I am also researching increasing my fiber intake without taking a pill everday and the lifestyle change ahead in that I can't eat certain foods anymore...so long my beloved strawberries - unless I can figure something out there! :( But I look at this as an opportunity to educate myself and my kids on eating healthy and leading healthier lifestyles. Already, I have done a good job with my kids...they prefer fruit over other sweets and enjoy veggies and most "grown up" foods that small kids hate. So I can't complain too much.

Speaking of bragging on my kiddos...I was so tickled this morning. I gave my kids their first real allowance. I forgot to last week so they got double this week. They have done spectacular in helping around the house and helping me out. We recently redid their rooms and they got "nice big kid" furniture and stuff for their rooms so they are acting more responsibly. Shanna has always been like that. She's almost neurotic about it, Carson on the other hand could usually care less. Shanna gets her OCD from my side of the family. My dad was DIEHARD OCD. My kids are pretty mature for their age - especially Carson - and I can sit down and have a serious conversation with them if I need to. So we sat down and discussed the fair things for them to do in order to receive "a paycheck" like mommy and daddy every week. $5 per week for the following: They pick up their own rooms, make beds each morning, keep their bathroom neat (no dirty clothes in floor, no toothpaste in sink, empty the trash can if its full), take turns feeding their cats in the a.m. and p.m., take care of their dirty dishes (by placing in sink or trash) and water Papa Wheeler's plant outside on the front porch. Most of this is stuff they should do anyway, but my kids won't so we call them chores and a few are only done weekly so its not so bad. When I do my cleaning on the weekends, they usually love to help out anyway. Carson absolutely loves to clean tubs (don't ask me why), Shanna loves to help dust and they both love to sort laundry. So I was absolutely thrilled that they kept up their rooms for two straight weeks and was so happy to give them allowance this morning. I was even more proud when CArson went straight to his piggy bank and decided to save his money and Shanna did the same. They really are good kids.

Now, to brag on the hubby....he's been such a doll the last two days. He was very sweet and concerned and helped me so much the last two days and took care of me. It was absolutely precious and I love him to pieces for it. We went grocery shopping this morning and he was helping me pick out "healthier" foods for me, checking fiber content for me and so forth. He has been pretty worried about everything going on and it was so sweet to see him act like that yesterday. Completely out of character for him to be like that in public or in front of other people. It even threw my mom off! :) Its nice for people to see the sweet side of him I only get to see most of the time. he he he

Well, I am off to finish MY list of chores today since the kiddos are at the lake with the church...I just wasn't up to it today.

what happens when you ask a 5 year old whats for dinner...

You end up making (from scratch - cause nothing else is good enough for the princess!) chicken enchiladas and home made mac n cheese...

Yes. That is the weirdest combination EVER. So, my house smells like the yummiest mac n cheese and my favorite chicken enchiladas.

AND...I have to brag...my hubby is working grave yard this week and is getting home right after
I leave for work. So I get home today and guess what....my kitchen was SPOTLESS. Sparkling. Clean and BEAUTIFUL. And the three laundry baskets of laundry that I didn't do last night cause I fell asleep early...WASHED. DRYED. FOLDED. HUNG UP. Is he not a prince or what!?!?

I am so happy. So I can eat my dinner...and R.E.L.A.X.

A true blessing in disguise.

**warning: This is kinda long, but something I have been thinking about for a week or so and thought I would share**

The last week or so I have learned that I am going to have some procedures in the near future.
Nothing too major and nothing that does not happen every day and everyone will likely go through at some point in their lives. But, still, I am 25 and have NEVER had any major procedures done or been through anything medically (other than childbirth) that required a visit to the hospital or a stay in the hospital. (Thank the Lord). Since that is coming up, I was talking to the Mr. about how he would have to step it up for a week or two and take the reigns of the household and work two jobs at once...mine AND his....which got me to thinking. A year ago, this would not have happened. It made me realize how much has happened in the last year and how had the tornado not hit our house last April, my marriage would not have survived.

For starters, my marriage was really going through a bump. Derek and I were just not clicking like we normally do and we were constantly at each others throats. Like seriously. It actually came to a head one day about a week before the tornado hit and I kicked him out. It only lasted one night and we were working to getting back to ground A. But it just wasn't happening. So I was going through a pretty down time in my life. Neither of us really knew if we were going to make it and weren't really sure where to go from there.

The night the tornado hit, we had the tornado that hit our road and about 4 more that travelled over us. The sirens went off repeatedly all night and from about 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. we were running back and forth from our living room (trying to clear out what we could from the waterfall coming in the large hole in the roof directly over our movies and entertainment center) to the storm cellar (which is UPHILL in the wind and rain and over the two full grown pine trees that were between us and the cellar now). Alot of running. After we got hit and began assessing the damage we sent the kids (who were obviously traumatized and scared to death) to Derek's grandmother in a neighboring town, about 15 minutes away. She has a storm cellar and they weren't hit and had power so we sent them there so they wouldn't be so scared. My sister showed up and we were in my house trying to move stuff out of the living room. You couldn't hear anything for all the thunder and the literal waterfall in my living room (this is no exaggeration - it was an actual cascading waterfall coming into my house). All of the sudden, the wind started making funny noises and I looked out the window and saw a flashlight going biserck at the top of the hill. It was waving frantically in every direction and moving down the hill...I stepped out on the porch and heard Derek's voice screaming my name at the top of his lungs. I could hear the absolute terror in his voice and then I heard the sirens. My sister and I charged up the hill against the wind (which was blowing in every direction imaginable) as fast as we could. I learned after we got to safety that another funnel had been spotted at the firestation through the woods and was coming down the exact same path. It was at that moment, when I heard the fear in his voice, saw how frantically he was attempting to not break his neck and run down hill in the rain and jump two trees and saw the panick on his face that he was terrified something would happen to ME. I think that is when he realized it too. The next day when my mother-in-law and I were talking, I made the comment that we were truly truly lucky and God was watching over us. She made a remark that was like a light switch coming on. She said "or maybe he was trying to tell somebody something". In that absolute moment, I realized he was. He was speaking to me and Derek and showing us that we had alot to be thankful for. Alot that we cared about and would be devestated if we lost.

To this day, our relationship has never been stronger. We have our moments of course, but it has been so much better since that night. Dealing with everything we have had come our way in the last year would not have been possible if we had not had that eye opener.

Not to mention the lesson that it taught our kids. It could always be worse. We were extremely lucky that we live in the "gorge" that we do. I complain about living down at the bottom of the hill all the time because our yard is awful when it rains. But, had we not been down there, our home likely would have been blown over and sent sailing across the neighborhood very very easily. My kids realized that in a second, everything can be lost. I think that has made them very very grateful for the things in life that they do have. Since their rooms were destroyed and have had to be redone, they take care of their things better, want to make sure everything is taken care of and kept neat and special. I could not be more happy that this happened to our family when it did. It was truly one of the few "blessings in disguise" that I will remember for the rest of my life. I realized that the answers to lifes questions are not answered in black and white. God answers your prayers with actions and when you are not sure where to go, you have to pay attention, because sometimes the worst things in life are the answers you are truly looking for.

happy belated mother's day... :)

Sorry fellow bloggers...haven't had my computer all weekend. My boss had to work on a brief so I loaned to her while she was at the hospital with her hubby (he's okay now -bless his heart) so she could work on it.

I had the busiest weekend. I watched my little man play ball Friday night. I absolutely love the ball park. Have I mentioned that lately? ha ha ha...he did so good and we FINALLY beat a team that tends to cheat. Okay, the team doesn't, but the coaches are the kind that tend to bend the rules. They weren't happy that we beat them! and my little man hit the winning run in! I was so proud. They all did good. Of course, I worked the concession stand and watched the majority of the game from there. :( but its okay, I don't mind helping out when needed.
Saturday morning we got up at 3:00 a..m. and left for Memphis. We went to watch Pinks All Out. The boys were so excited. I thought it would be nice to get away and spend time with my boys. 3+ hour drive. LONG. and it was POURING DOWN RAIN. I am talking 10 buckets of rain per second. Horrible. Then we get a ticket b/c my tags expired two months ago and I had no clue. We didn't get the reminder in the mail (go figure). We finally get there and its still raining. Well, we were there aaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll day. For like 16 hours of racing. That's alot. and the sun came out after the rain so we were all stinky and sunburned and then it got cold. Yeah, it was miserable but it was fun to watch, I have to admit. But I dreaded the forever long ride home and we were both so tired. I had to drive the last 1/2 of the way back b/c Derek about fell asleep behind the wheel. It was like 1:30 a.m. before we made it home. But Carson had a blast. But I have to admit not worthing missing my teams game on Saturday. They postponed last weekends game to this past Saturday but we had already bought my ticket, so I had to go. :( But its okay.

Then Mother's DAy! We had a lovely lazy day. My mother in law found a little baby turtle and gave it to Shanna. She loved him. She refused to let him go. So we ended up buying a 10 gallon tank (then we found out they carry salmonella - so we got a lid for the tank and come up with the rule that NO ONE TOUCHES THE TURTLE!). He's already spoiled. Got a big ole tank, a few rocks, a little swimming pool with a rock in it and everything!! She even named him Brock. Don't ask, I don't know - why would you name a turtle Brock? She's so silly.

Now, its Monday. the Monday from You Know Where!! But n e who...so that was my weekend. Hopin for a better week!! :) I know, this post is totally retarded and random!! ha ha ha! Talk to you later!!

Grateful...very very grateful

Well, yesterday was the day. I went to the doctor to find out the results of my ct the day before. I was sitting on the table and all I heard when the doctor walked in was "blah blah blah...which surgeon in town do you want to use?" Mom was with me and she said you could just see the color drain from my face. My mind went completely blank...I literally said "uuggghhh..wh..what..huh..why do I have....surgery?" I am sure I sounded like a pathetic mess. I almost started bawling. He was like "um, your ct was CLEAR....so you have to have a colonoscopy". Ha. So, if I would LISTEN that might actually help things! So, good news, my ct was perfect. My abdoment, colon, intestestines, uterus, ovaries and pelvic area show absolutely no abnormalities andlook wonderfully healthy! Praise the Lord!! I was so scared. Like to the point of tears. But the bad news is...I get to have a colonoscopy when I am through with my antibiotics. Yuck. Yuck isn't even the word. UGH.

So last night as I made my wonderfully wonderful biscuits and gravy from scratch I was thinking about how relieved and grateful I was for a clear ct. I got to thinking about the wonderful things I am so thankful for.

1. My husband. I am so lucky to have someone in my life that I can share everything with. He drives me absolutely batty and sometimes (like later last night) I want to hit upside the head with my favorite skillet (the cast iron one he bought me for easter - awwww) but nevertheless, he is my best friend and the other half of me and I absolutely adore him for that. : )

2. My kids. I still can't believe I am even old enough to have an almost 6 year old and a 7 year old (some would argue that I am not) but they amaze me every day with their brilliance and innocence. They are my sole reason for getting up every morning (literally, cause without me they would not make it to school ha ha ha! j/k) and I can't remember how I functioned before without them.

3. My friends. I remember after my kids were born, I honestly had three friends. My husband, and my two best girlfriends. One, BArbie, who I have had since I was 13. who is not my best friend anymore. She is my sister. I have considered her my sister for some time now and I tell people she is my sister. I love her dearly and there is not a thing in the world I wouldn't do for her. She doesn't live close by so I hardly see her, maybe once or twice a year, but I talk to her all the time and I miss her dearly. the other, Brooke, has been my best friend since Derek and I started dating. Her husband is Derek's best friend so we are together every day. I remember how lonely I would get after my kids were born because I went from having tons of friends to having three and it broke my heart. I didn't feel welcome anywhere without them with me. I was depressed and lonely. NOw, I have a great group of friends that I would not trade for the world. I love seeing them all and I am so grateful that they are in my life.

4. My grams and my mom. I know that without these two women, I would not be the person I am today. They are the strongest women I know. The things these women have experienced in their lives is almost at times straight out of a soap opera and its a wonder that they both haven't been committed! I know if I experienced half of what my grams has, I would have to be! I love them dearly and can't imagine life without either of them.

5. Vanilla Rootbeer from Sonic. Ha ha ha..I know! My life owuld not e complete without it! :)

Well, I enough of my ramblings for the day!! I am off to see my lil super hero play some ball tonight. Wish us luck!!

AWARD TIME!! WOO HOO!!

okay, so I am STILL learning the ropes with this blogging thing....but I did get an award!! The hard part is doing what I am supposed to with it...so I am giving it my best effort.....I tried to upload the thingie below my post, but it didn't work...so I need advice in that department...now for the rest of it :D

Thanks to my friend Ashley (I figured out how to link! yippee!!! I know, so sad right? ha ha ha)
for this award...

Here are the rules for recieving it

1. Link back to Ashley.....CHECK

2. List seven things I love....CHECK

3. Link seven blogs, and of course let them know...Um, I don't know how to let them know!! :( so I will do my best!! :) **note** the little help topic I read said when I link it will let that person know...so I am hoping that's right...we shall she I guess!!

So here goes...

SEVEN THINGS I LOVE:

1. Without a doubt, obviously, my husband is number one. I love my husband more than anything. He is my best friend in the world. He drives me crazy and some days I would like to club him rather than look at him (ha ha ha..joys of marriage huh?!) but at the end of the day, I can't imagine life without him. We have been married for 8 years in October and I was 17 when we were married (a year after we started dating). People told me then we would not make it more than a year or two b/c I was too young and he was still so young (he was almost 20). I smile when I think about how 8 years later, he is still my best friend and the love of my life.

2. Again, obviously, my two kids. Carson and Shanna are my reason for being. I can't remember how I survived in this world without them. I had them at 18 and 19, and to some people I missed out on a lot having kids so young and not "experiencing life" like most people, but I don't regret it and I don't feel like I missed out on anything. Parenthood is not a piece of cake by any means and there are days that my patience is tested to the end and I think 'what the hell was I thinking?' but one smile from either of my kids and I realize that my sole purpose in life was to raise these two to be the absolute best that they can be.

3. Severe Weather. I know, I know. I can hear ya'll going "WHAT?!" As some know, a tornado hit my house last year. Well, it hit my yard (I live in the woods, literally) and threw a fully grown pine tree into my house and my inlaws house next door and all over every where around here and killed my 8 month old golden retriever, Sadie (before you freak out, she was no where to be found when we went into the storm cellar and we assumed she ran under my inlaws house or she would have been with us. I miss my baby girl). But since I was a kid, tornados and severe thunderstorms fascinated me. Something about the fact that in literally a split second it can go from beautiful to terrifying has fascinated me my entire life. I am still not scared of storms, but I do respect them and I don't tempt fate by standing out in the yard looking for it to come. I did see this tornado coming from across the street and was lucky enough to lock the cellar door just as the tree hit it. I used to chase the storms in highschool with a volunteer firefighter. To this day, I still get that rush when the weather gets bad. And as wierd as this is...severe weather relaxes me. The wind, the rain the lightening...its soothing to me. I know, I am a strange cookie. :) My mom tells me that everytime. As I write this blog on Easter Sunday, it is POURING BUCKETS outside and the thunder is just loud as it can be. I think these are the BEST. SUNDAYS. EVER.

4. I love trees. I think trees are beautiful and amazing. What can I say, I was born country and this country is what I love! Again, I know I am wierd like that. When I was a kid, I used to put books and snacks and a bottled drink in a backpack, put it on, and climb up this one particular tree next to our house and read for hours. I love trees. Even though I am terrified of heights. :)

5. I love softball. Its the sport of champions. Softball has been a part of my life since I was 4. It was the one passion me and my stepdad (the one that recently passed away) shared. I played from 4 years old until I graduated highschool. I was a sanctioned umpire my junior and senior years of highschool. Then I had babies so I stopped. As soon as Shanna turned 4, I started helping coach her team. I still coach now and I love it and my LADYBUGS!! WOO HOO.

6. My favorite color is Mossy Oak. I know your laughing. If you live in the country like I do, Mossy Oak is a color. Hell, its a way of life. I love it to the point that about 25% of my house is decorated in it. Not to the point that I have animals hanging from my walls, but my comforter, my ceiling fan, light switches, pillows, the inside of my car and alot of my wardrobe are mossy oak. :) Its an obsession. I LOVE IT.

7. and last but not least. I love music. Any kind of music. My mood can change instantly based on the music. I can go from happy to sad simply by hearing "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton. I can go from blah to pumped up by hearing anything up beat...I love everything from Bach to the Bangles to Aerosmith and Guns N Roses to Willie and Waylon to Charlotte Church to Ozzy Osbourne to Linkin Park and Disturbed. There is at least onesong in every genre I love. :)

and the seven people I am going to link to...well, I linked all of my followers (except the one who awarded me, cause I didn't think I was supposed to do that) and the blogs I LOVE LOVE LOVE to read and am hopelessly addicted to and still don't have seven...so sorry about that : ) !

1. Mommylicious

2. Love, Meagan

3. Misadventures of a Newlywed

4. My crazy Life with Four Kids

5. Life as a Mom at 21!

6. Not Quite Martha Stewart

You should try these blogs out!! They are spectacular! :)

Happy Awarding!

Weekend in Review

I had a busy weekend. We had our second tournament this weekend and our girls are getting better every day. They didn't play to their potential the first two games, but by the third...they were doing spectacular. We lost every game, but I don't care. The girls had fun, I had fun and they played so well the third game. I act as though each of those girls are my own kids and I love them to pieces. I am a mother hen like that. I don't care what people think (I know some folks think that is wierd) but when the girls are inside that fence, they are my girls :) and I could not have been a more proud mother hen than I was Saturday afternoon. We play again tomorrow and I am pumped.

*****

Today, me and the hubby went to eat breakfast. I decided today that I would do the unimaginable for me....I went easter shopping a week in advance. I spent less than half of what I did last year (which was obscene and when I was done and realized it, I had a small heart attack...I just get TOO into things like this...I love it, seeing their faces light up in the morning at their surprise, its just wonderful) and I finished my sons basket, the majority of my daughters and about half of my hubbys. Yes, I spoil my hubby and he gets an easter basket too. The kids ask why Mommy never gets one. Daddy says its cause mommy was bad this year (ha ha ha...then he says he is kidding) but I tell them its cause mommy told the easter bunny to not make her one but give it to some one who needs it more. :) I like to think I am teaching them a lesson in giving. That usually satisfies their curiosity some. I know my geniuos 7 year old will figure it out in a year or two...so I like to enjoy it now.

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And finally...I am a movie whore. I love movies. I watch movies all the time and I have a wide array of DVD's in my home. We watch a lot of movies. Its mine and my hubbies thing. I love em. I watched soooo many movies last weekend and this past week that I thought I would share my reviews. I was sick last Sunday and my tv isn't working so I got online and watched movies all day on my computer. Here's my rundown:

Made of Honor - LOVED IT. Patrick Dempsey is such a great romantic comedy actor and he did a spectacular job in this movie. I loved the fact that part of it was in Ireland (cause I am party Irish) and I fell in love with McDreamy all over again. Great girls night movie.

Nights in Rodanthe - Okay, well, I am completely obsessed with Nicholas Sparks novels. I read them constantly, own the majority of them, and I love them hopelessly. So, needless to say, I LOVED LOVED LOVED this movie. It was a tear jerker and a heart tugger. Great girls night movie.

Bride Wars - my computer messed up 3/4 of the way through this one, and I couldn't finish it, so I have to finish it later...but 3/4 of the way in...it was HILARIOUS. I love Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway and they had me rolling. Great date movie.

Vicki Cristina Barcelona - I am not sure I spelled that right. okay, I love me some Scarlett Johannsen. This movie was different. It was good...but wierd...first off, you got Scarlett in a three way relationship were she is sorta bi....different. It was just wierd. ITs good to watch once and get out of the rutt of just watching the same stuff over and over...but not one I would watch over and over again.

Twilight - I watched it to see what the hype was about. For the first 15 minutes...I was like "okay, this is not going to be good"....then about 1/2 way through...I was like okay - scratch that last thought, I am loving this...by the end, I was like BITE ME PLEASE. :) I am hooked.

Sex and the City - okay, I never watched the series. I caught a rerun once and I couldn't get into it. But again, watched it to see the hype. I did like it. A good girls night out movie. A little graphic at times, but overall okay.

and last but not least....

Juno - OMG...the best movie line of all time: (as she is waiving a positive pregnancy test back and forth) - "this ain't no etch a sketch...this is one doodle that can't be undid home skillet". The wit and logic of this pregnant 16 year old is absolutely hilarious. I would recommend every one watch this. It is fantastic. One of my faves for sure.

So, now you know what to watch if your in the search for a good flick in the near future. I will let you know when I watch something new. ;)

Good News/Bad News

okay, so today was a good news bad news day.

Good News: My hubby starts his new job Monday!!! (its at the same place, just a different part of the plant)...so yeah!! Why is that such good news....cause he no longer works the funky 12 hour shifts that alternate between nights and days...which means that no longer will we have two consecutive weekends every three to four weeks to make plans and no longer will I have to be single mommying it for weeks at a time like I have all month!!! Why you ask?? Because NOW my hubby works from Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.!!! SCORE! I am sooo excited to have a normal family life again. I have been feeling so alone and depressed and stressed because I am literally pulling all the family weight solo. It sucks and its stressful. No more!! I get to see my hubby and have an actual marriage again instead of a roomie! YEAH!!!

Bad News: His plant is getting to ready to lay off 40% of their employees until mid July. Boo. No idea which one yet, but I do know that for today, its not him!! Thank the Lord!! I just hope and pray that he avoids the lay off. I know those chances are slim to none right now b/c he's kind of the low man on the totem pole since he's only been there a few months...but hey, a girl can dream!!

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In other news...we start our first softball tournament this weekend. So ready for it! I can't wait. Despite the fact that two of our key players were stolen to another team less than a week ahead of time...we will recover. We got a pretty good little team and I am so excited! But of course, if this rainy weather doesn't let up, we might not get to play :(

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Oh, and more yucky news...I think I am allergic to Maybelline Mascara. It has been bugging the crap out of my eyes. So I am going to have to get new mascara. I fell in love with Sephora at Park Plaza Mall the other day. I would love to go back and play!! I could easily spend some serious money there (but I can't bring myself to actually do that) and waste an entire day there. I want to try this Dior mascara they have there...I have read AMAZING things about it...but not sure I can bring myself to spend $24 on mascara...even if the tube is like double the size of hte stuff at walmart...especially since we aren't sure if Derek is getting laid off soon...so I get to mascara shop this weekend! So excited! If there is one thing I love to shop for, its mascara. I don't know why, but mascara has always been my one "I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT" item since I was like 16. I know, I am such a dork!! But I'll let you know what I find!!

Friday Night Fish Fry

We had a fish fry, our family tradition, at my sister's house Friday night. It was so much fun. It was the first time that we have had ALL 14 grandkids and all 8 siblings and their signficant others, with the exception of my hubby and my sister's hubby, present. So there were nearly 30 people there just in our immediate family! crazy huh? It was a blast and I believe that my dad really enjoyed it. I am sure it was nice for him to have all of his kids and grandbabies around. ;)



Me n my dadL-R; F-B: Katrina, Haley, Emma, Aaron, Carson, Andrew, Elizabeth (holding Braylee), Anna, Dad, Kaelyn, Austin, Shanna, Keaton, and Tyler!!

I had such a blast spending time with all of them.

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Fast forward two days...and I am spending a day at home on my hubby's birthday doing absolutely nothing, when I should be doing a million things, with a severe headache and a sick baby boy. Boo. I feel so bad for him. His asthma is really acting up and he's congested and the sinus draining is making him throw up. He's just miserable. :( Its a short week for him at school, so I am hoping he is feeling better soon.