mememememe

Let’s Talk About Me. Why not?

I am... sleepy.

I want… someone else to clean my house.

I have… a wonderful hubby.

I wish… I could go sit down and read AND stay awake!

I know… lots of cool people.

I hate… mushrooms.

I fear… loosing my mind for real.

I hear… birds chirping.

I crave… a night out with hubby.

I search… for balance.

I always… want more.

I usually… put off things until the last minute.

I am not… patient.

I miss… home.

I love… books.

I never… can get the house clean!

I rarely… miss Bible study.

I cry… whenever anyone else does.

I lose… my cool. TWO TODDLERS! What can I say?

I should… go try and rest.

I worry… but I try to give it God instead.

I dream… about thrift stores and the $1 aisle at Target.

I was… even fatter.

I need… to get motivated.

I can… finish this!

That was exciting, eh?

My Husband Rocks Monday!

Saturday, July 4th will be our third anniversary. I never thought that my life would get easier being married. In so many ways it has.

Everything I lack, Jason makes up for. For example, let us just say that I am no good with money. Jason is the money guru. He has our money invested in our future, the boys' college funds, stocks and in savings for the near future, too. Our debt is minimal. If I was in charge, that would be another story.

Married life is also easier for me because I don't have to worry about food and shelter. Jason also takes care of this (well, the military does right now but...) for us. I don't have the stress of going to work each day. Or the stress of the job market and the current state of the economy.

Our newlywed years are over but I feel closer to my husband and more like a team than ever before. Sometimes I think that it is odd that we get along so well but I know it is such a blessing. I thank God for that every day and for my wonderful hubs, too! Man, my husband rocks!


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My Big Helper!

Flashback Friday 1976

This is my parent's wedding picture. October 1976

TGoF .11

Precious and Mighty God, I thank You today and every day for/that...

1. peace and quiet.
2. poop that stays contained in the diaper or that even makes it into the toilet!
3. my wonderful, patient husband.
4. the Tylenol/Motrin cocktail.
5. frozen burritos and corndogs.
6. other moms that go through "it", too.
7. Bible study.
8. genuine friends.
9. craft supplies.
10. the Word.
    

Things I Love Thursday!

In the last few months I have become completely infatuated with cappuccinos. Thank goodness I live in Italy where they are available on every corner. Oh, wait, there is a coffee shop on every corner in the states, too, huh? I have a hard time leaving housing before it get hot to drive up to town to get a cappo. So, I bought an espresso maker at a yardsale for $10. I got this Mr. Coffee one. This Mr. Coffee one will hopefully be my upgrade! Simply put, this Thursday I am loving cappuccinos! Warm, frothy, rich and yummy! Next time you're at the coffee shop, try a regualr old cappuccino, order it with skim. That is how the Italians prefer it.

Harry Potter Re-Org!

This is our dreaded "Harry Potter" closet. It is in our laundry/bath room and is partially under the stairs. I let our homeschool activities take over the closet. We couldn't get to our wine rack! Time to re-org!

I forgot to take a before picture, so this is about halfway through taking everything out of the closet.











These are the after pictures. I inherited the shelf! I got the "shoe organizers" at a local store and they turned out to be a great fit for DVDs! On the top shelf are all-in-one-organizers from Thirty-One and I love them! They have handles, can be embroidered and have a pocket for easy identification as well. I have four; three on the shelf and one between the carseats.

More Craftagious!

Here are the cards I made during our "all-nighter" on Saturday. I got home at 1:30am! It was a ton of fun! Love those girls! These were all done with Stampin' Up products.

My Husband Rocks Monday!

This post will be short because it has been a long day. My 20 month old had a fever of 103, I've been piggybackig motrin and tylenol, his temperature is back to normal. But it was a long whiney day. My wonderful husband left work early to help me keep my sanity. Those little things means more than he'll ever know. Unless he reads my blog.

Craftagious!

A birthday card.
This is a mini card. 2.5" wide and 4" tall.
Thinking of you...
Everything is Stampin' Up!

MOMS Club Craft Day

Joshua built a "house".
Patrick is in deep concentration thinking of what to do next.
Joshua working on his awesome box!
Patrick looking at everyone else's boxes.

The MOMS Club got together to decorate gift boxes for Father's Day. It was a lot of fun and Joshua was very excited to show Daddy his gift, well the box that the gift will go in.

Funky Art Giveaway!

Our Homeschool Adventures is giving away a totally awesome Funky Artist Set! I love it and I know that my boys will, too! Go see it for yourself!

Super Summer Swap!

Hurry and sign up for this awesome swap! It is for the kiddos! Go to Life of a Dairy Queen and read all the details! The last day to sign up is 6/22... that is Monday. I'm so excited to join in the fun!

Nikolas' Big Boy Bed

Out with the old (I wish).
In with the new...
This is Joshua's bed.
He was jumping and kind of scared himself in this picture.
He was saying that it is "me" bed.

We set-up Nikolas' big-boy bed. We got some Cars bedding, like Joshua's but not exactly the same. He loves jumping on it and getting off it to play. So, eventually we'll transition him out of the crib. No hurry. Yes, their room is very boring. I'm looking forward to painting when we move. And setting up the actual beds that we have for them that eventually will be bunk beds.

TGoF .10

Amazing God & Father, today and every day I thank you for/that...

1. Jason and I are able to do this Bible study together. We have a good marriage and I know that with your love it will become great!
2. your Word that encourages and gives me wisdom.
3. our beautiful, healthy, lovey-dovey, cuddly boys.
4. time to craft and have fun with the girls tomorrow!
5. Jason getting accepted to State Department.
6. all the new babies (NOT ME!) arriving and coming soon!
7. people that truly care.
8. corticosteroids. Only because nothing else seems to work on this dang eczema.
9. friends that take the boys to the park because they know I'm not feeling too hot, even when it is hot outside.
10. ice cream and brownies.
    

Flashback Friday 1981

I was three in this picture. 1981ish.

Things I Love Thursday

TheDiaperDiaries.net hosts Thing I Love Thursdays. I've decided I need to join in the fun! I will do a review of something that I love every Thursday.

This week I am loving the Clorox Greenworks Products! I love the glass and surface cleaner. I clean everything with it. Here is some information taking from amazon.com. I wish they had more items available at our commissary but I guess I'll have to wait until we get back to the states to try them all. I also use the toilet bowl cleaner, but one can only get so excited about cleaning a toilet. I really do love the smell of the cleaners! And the fact that they are safer for my family and the environment!

Product Features

• Powerful, natural glass & surface cleaner without harsh, chemical fumes
• Biodegradable, non-toxic, plant-based, non animal-tested, non-allergenic, full ingredient transparency, recyclable packaging
• Recyclable packaging
• Endorsed by Clorox
• Certified by DfE (Design for the Environment) and backed by the EPA

Information on Green Products A growing number of manufacturers are producing green home cleaning products that are healthier and more environmentally responsible. Currently, there is no industry standard definition for natural cleaners. The manufacturers of products in our Green Store have represented that they are not tested on animals, come in recyclable packaging, and contain ingredients that are non-toxic, biodegradable, and free of petrochemicals. You will find the ingredients for these cleaning products clearly listed on our web site or the product package. Paper or plastic items in our Green Store are ones that the manufacturer states are either 100% biodegradable or made from 100% recyclable material. Batteries featured in our Green Store are ones that that manufacturer has indicated are rechargeable.

Some Favorites

I have a sinus infection and am low on brain power. Today I'm just going to show you show of my favorite blogs (in no particular order)!

• Home Sanctuary
• ABC & 123
• Simple Mom
• Like a warm cup of coffee
• No time for flashcards
• Organizing Junkie
• The Great Adventure
• Reinvented
• Three Blondes and a Redhead
• Totally Tots
• 1+1+1=1

Bloglines is an awesome way to blogread and be alerted when your favorite blogs have been updated! It makes all those blogs easier to sort through, as well!

ABC Home Preschool

ABC Home Preschool is the curriculum that Joshua is using and loving. It is available for age 2, 3 and 4-6. You can get a deal if you get all three downloads together. The price is very reasonable. It is a nine month curriculum. I love it because you load it into a binder (or you can order it made and ready to go) and use page protectors, which makes the workbook reusable. I added a zipper pocket with dry-erase markers and a microfiber cloth. Joshua cleans each page as he goes.

My Husband Rocks Monday!

Jason and I met online in July of 2004, while he was deployed to Afghanistan. We moved in together in December 2004. The rest is history. While I could talk for hours about how honest, giving, devoted and loving he is today I am going to talk about his patience.

First of all, his patience with me is amazing. I have a tendency to procrastinate or maybe not even get things done at all. I start things and don't finish them. I get really excited about something and it will only last about two months, then I'll move on to something else. I am a complainer. I complain about being overweight and then don't want to listen to his advice (he has lost about 50 pounds). I finish the ice cream. I let things bother me too much. I get flustered by the boys too easily. I let things build up and then I explode. But my amazing husband is so calm and rational. He reassures me of the Lord's plans. And that there is no reason to get upset. He puts up with my flaws, mostly overlooks them. I'm sure he has to take quite a few deep breaths and counts to ten dozens of times in any given day. But I would never know. He rarely ever says anything negative... about anything.

Secondly, he is more than patient with our boys. They are full of energy and excitement and curiosity. The do not stop until their heads hit the pillow. They get into everything. Jason always takes time to sit with them and love on them. Sometimes they'll watch cartoons together or wrestle or tickle each other. I know how important these things are to the boys. They are very important to me as well. I know this also helps Jason de-stress, just to let loose after a long day at work before he starts his homework at night. But he doesn't think about why he does it, he doesn't make special plans to do it, he just does. It is his nature.

That is another reason (or twenty) that my husband rocks!

The Bike: Part Three

This is Jason posing with new fairings, the rebuild and finished product. Now it looks like a real race bike!

Obsidian Dawn

For those of you that like to dabble in (or completely dive into) graphic design, you'll know what I'm talking about in this post. My wonderful husband (see My Husband Rocks Mondays) knows I love messing around with designing, art and photography. For Christmas he got me a new HP Touchscreen computer AND The Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection! Basically, it is every Adobe program in one box! WOW! I have no idea how to use 95% of it but I am stoked! I also got the "Dummies" book for it and am very slowly learning new tricks. There are millions of tutorials online, as well. I found a great resource for paintbrushes, images, tips and tutorials. Obsidian Dawn has all these things for FREE! There are a few rules, which I am abiding by doing this post. There are also instructions on how to download everything. So many sites expect us rookies to know how to do everything. Anyway, this is a post to thank Obsidian Dawn for helping out the rookies! and sharing lots of free stuff! I made the banner on this post using free paintbrushes and Photoshop CS4!

The Bike:Part Two

Jason dumped his bike on the track, the same day as those awesome pictures were taken. He is fine! Just a sprained ankle and about $1000 worth of damage. If hadn't had all his leathers and new boots on, I probably would've been picking gravel out of his skin for months. This is the first time he has ever gone down and THANK GOD it was on the track where there is nothing to hit or run into. I'm just glad he is alright. This was about two months ago.

The Bike: Part One

This is Jason at the track. Yes, that is really my husband on that crazy thing! He loves riding! Sad to say that there are not my pictures. A professional took them with a HUGE lens.