American Idol

Ok I admit it...I am a bit of an American Idol junky! It is the only show that I really ever watch on TV. I don't get to catch every show of the season ever but I have been watching regularly for the past two seasons. We don't have Tivo so I don't get to save and watch later...but it's ok.

The auditions are not my favorite. I feel so terrible for the people that really think they can sing. They are so heartbroken when they are turned down. That poor guy with no front teeth that sang the moses song. That was sad...and the judges just shattered him laughing so hard.

I also really have a hard time with the crudeness that they allow during the auditions. Falling the people around that are having a bad attitude...just encouraging them get even worse. UGH! That is just not needed.

The only part I like about the auditions is trying to pick who I think will make it to the top 25!

I don't know their names yet...but so far my picks:

The girl with the daughter that has the disease that was on the first night. Her family even prayed around her before she went in to audition.






The guy that said he has a style like Red Hot Chili Peppers. Great voice...I think he will go far.

Drew the farm boy. Love his country sound and he just seems like a great wholesome, well mannered guy with a good voice. Simon needs to open up and accept country...I can't believe he said no to this one!





The girl that immitated Britney Spears. She has a phenominal voice. She really nailed all the songs she sang!

I think I might be forgetting a couple. I will come back and add them later! LOL

I did get pretty miffed both nights. I do not think they should have let that old guy get on and sing his R rated song. He said it was about abstinence....but it was uncalled for. Then tonight I got mad about the judges bashing Bruce...the guy who had agreed with his dad for abstinance until marriage. I absolutely can not believe the judges bashed him...and then Ryan had the voiceover as Bruce walked away...that said kiss some girls so you can come back next year as a man. Are you kidding me? That was just wrong. Do we wander why the U.S. has so many teen pregnancy problems?? The nations #1 show even bashes good moral decisions. That guy should have made it on to Hollywood. He had a much better voice than a couple of the ones they sent on. Plus, he would have made a great role model for teens of this day and age.

The one thing that I have been impressed with both seasons that I have watched, is how God has used this show to plant seeds. As well as to spotlight some Christian artists. Melinda was amazing last year...and she has went on to do some great things in the Christian arena. My favorite by far though is Chris Daughtry. HE ROCKS and he is proud to be a Christian! Even on the past two nights of auditions there have been Christian songs sang, and so many people proudly wearing their cross necklaces. Families praying together. WOOHOO! On national television!

Praying that the Lord will use this season of American Idol to bring him glory! Let's support the Christian talent! I am ready to start voting!

So who are your picks so far?

Partially Hydrogenated Oil

If you know me...you know that I have been trying to avoid partially hydrogenated oils in my families diet for at least the past year. My dad, being the health nut that he is, started reading articles about it and telling me to stop giving it to my kids. I did a little of my own research and then understood why he was so determined to make me listen! This is the reason that one of my goals for 2008 is to cook more meals for my family. From scratch....not boxed or bagged stuff full of junk even though it looks healthy.

In short, trans fats are poisons. They interfere with the metabolic processes of life by taking the place of a natural substance that performs a critical function. And that is the definition of a poison. Your body has no defense against them, because they are not natural. Partially hydrogenated oils do not exist in nature.

Substances that are literally metabolic poisons like partially hydrogenated oil are banned in Canada and Europe. And even some US cities like NYC, Boston, San Francisco have banned it in their resteraunts. However it is still widely used in many resteraunts all over the US and in nearly everything you pick up off the grocery store shelves. It's used instead of butter because it adds texture and flavor to foods and is much cheaper than real butter.



It is seriously hard to avoid this stuff! When you start reading food labels, it is astonishing how many products you will find that contain partially hydrogenated oils. Most chips, crackers, instant coffees and cocoas and oh so much more....even frozen meals! I rarely buy anything anymore without first looking at the label. The stuff is even in some candy!

Here is what you can do: For starters, read food labels and avoid anything that contains the words "hydrogenated". That means partially hydrogenated oils, hydrogenated oils, or anything of that kind (and mono-diglycerides,Interesterified Oils as well- these are just new names they are giving hydrogenated oils to confuse people). When eating out, avoid deep-fried foods at all costs,most resteraunts deep fry with partially hydrogenated oil because it is cheaper! Buy real butter and NOT MARGARINE....margarine is full of the bad oils.

Not only are Partially Hydrogenated Oils bad for you...they also make you get fat. Ever wander why the US has such an obesity problem when other countries do not?? Hmmm....cause this junk is banned there! When you eat normal fats, the body metabolizes half of them in 18 days. When you eat trans fats the body requires 51 days to metabolize half of them.

Tell others to boycott foods containing Partially Hydrogenated oils. There are dozens of references in scientific literature documenting the ill effects of trans fatty acids especially in relation to heart disease. If you have difficulty in convincing someone of the value of avoiding trans fats, the extensive references now available in the scientific literature are helpful.

Here are just a few links to some of the info I have read:
http://www.bantransfats.com/index.html

http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/PartiallyHydrogenatedOils.html

http://www.recoverymedicine.com/hydrogenated_oils.htm

http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/conditioncardio/135/

Resolved

The new Faithbooking challenge at Faith Sisters is set to go live tonight. The challenge is to Create a layout or piece of art that can be displayed to remind you of your New Years Resolutions. So I have been thinking today about my goals for 2008.

1. Scrapbook at least 20 mins a day. Hopefully more!
2. Read my bible daily.
3. Be a shining light in all situations...no more gossiping and complaining!
4. Provide homemade nutritious meals for my family everyday.
5. Attend Intercessory prayer on Thursday evenings.
6. Attend Bible Study Fellowship.

I am so looking forward to a wonderful 2008!

Thought and picture for today:
"Are not two little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's consent and notice." -Matthew 10:29


I took this picture in my mother-in-laws backyard. The whole tip of the tree was filled with birds when I went out.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! My prayer is that we all have a very blessed and prosperous 2008.

It is our tradition to bring the New Year in with a music party at my mom and dads. Every year for as long as I can remember Dad and Mom have hosted this music party. All of dad's music friends come over and jam all evening. Other friends and relatives also join us to enjoy the music and fellowship. Those of us who don't join in the music jam usually end up playing games.

This year we played Canasta....which is a game taught to us by Grandma Vinnie. It was her absolute favorite game. Christina and Brenda played the new Life Twist and Turns game with the kids.



The musicians are all getting older and each year it seems that they pack up earlier than the last! Once they left the rest of us watched New Years parties from the past that dad had recorded. The party that was last recorded before this year was 1998. Brooke was really into shaking maracas that year and Grandma Vinnie was right there dancing and shaking with her. PRICELESS! It was so great to see those videos of Grandma! Tyler was a 5 month old baby. There was a few minutes where Grandma was singing to him. It made me realize how neglectful I have been with videotaping. Ever since I got heavily into scrapbooking I have taken bazillions of photos. Yet I rarely ever pick up the camcorder. In fact our camcorder got broken in 2006 and we have never even replaced it. I want to try to save up for one now. Even if you don't watch the videos until 10 years later! It is just so awesome!



Both of my nephews are now learning to play the violin. Yes, those tiny violins are real! They broke out there intruments to join in the jam session! We had such a great time!

What I have learned in 2007

1. Everything happens according to God's plan.

2. Being content with what the Lord has blessed me with, instead of always wanting so much more.

3. I am blessed with some pretty extraordinary children! Brooke and Tyler both got straight A's. Nick doesn't get grades yet but he got all high scores! They have so many talents and gifts. The Lord has great plans for their lives.

4. Change isn't easy, but it can be a blessing in the end.

5. Girlfriends can bring you through even the hardest of times (Amy, Sunny, Karma, Diana and my sister Christina)

6. When you hear that small voice telling you something....you should listen and discern....if it aligns with God's word...it is the Holy Spirit. LISTEN!

7. Prayer is powerful. Pray, Pray, and Pray some more.

8. Working from home is the best job in the world...and I kinda took it for granted. How I long to be working from home again.

9. Even after all these years in the business, I still LOVE scrapbooking more and more!

10. My parents were right about how preteens turn into miserable creatures to live with! It has only just begun with Brooke...but I am praying that I will be able to keep an open communication and loving relationship with her even through these difficult years.


2007 was one of the hardest years of my life. Leaving Prints went out of business....which in turn took away my entire income. I ended up having to go back to work as a substitute teacher.

Our studio was flooded in Feb when a water pipe froze and burst and did over 200 thousand dollars in damage. I spent countless hours with the remodel and had to sacrifice so much family time. Things are moving along at the studio....we are nearly finished with the remodel and it is just beautiful!

Due to the children department lacking we felt the call to change churches and searched for a month to find a new church home. It was a hard change and we don't get to see our old church family as much as I would like...but we now have a whole new church family and are truly blessed by every aspect of our new church home. Praise the Lord that when we left our old church some changes were made and now they are thriving again as well!

Even among all of the chaos and hard times...the Lord was at work and I saw his fingerprintes nearly everyday. I know that it all happened for a reason.

Leaving Prints Closed and I lost a very good income- but now instead of trying to get rich...I have learned to be content with what I have. Karma, Sunny and I have put our scrapbook industry expertise into an even better use by starting www.faithsisters.com which has truly been a blessing to us...and to all of the sisters that have joined! Had we still been with LP then we may have never moved on with this endeavor.

The Studio was ruined- now we have a newly remodled studio!

Had to leave our old church family but have gained a new family and feel so at home at our new church.

Did I see the blessing right when it was happening? Absolutely not! But the Lord was never far away. Every time I felt overwhelmed I just went straight to prayer...and he kept giving me those little reminders that I needed....those fingerprints to show me that he was right there leading me along the path He wanted me to take.

I am looking forward to a blessed and great 2008!

So what did you learn in 2007?

Thankful For My Family

The past few weeks have been so busy that I haven't been blogging much. It was good busy though because most of the time has been spent with family...doing family stuff!

We had Thanksgiving at my moms house. There were a total of 29 of us gathered together for Thanskgiving dinner. It was a fabulous day of yummy food and family fun. The rest of the weekend was spent visiting with my little sister who was in from Atlanta. Whenever Julie is visiting we spends lots of time playing Canasta. It is our favorite card game ever! We only had time for a couple of games during the whole weekend cause we also spent a lot of time shopping!

The day after Thanksgiving...otherwise known as Black Friday...Christina, Brooke and I got up at 3:30am. We shopped the day away. That was until we had to sneak Christina off to her getaway.

Brent had booked a special weekend at the Blennerhasset hotel for their anniversary. Christina had no idea. Julie and I went over the night before and packed a bag of her stuff. While we were out shopping, Brent got everything ready and the plan was to meet him there by 3pm at the hotel. We were to bring Christina into the hotel lobby where the only Starbucks in the whole town is located. Julie was to pretend that she had a Starbucks craving. Well we couldn't get Christina to stop shopping! Finally we got her away from the store and headed to Starbucks. Brent was there waiting. His car was in the parking lot. Christina was riding with mom in her car. Brooke and I were driving my van. I pulled into the Blennerhasset parking lot and immediately saw that Brent had parked right in the front of the lot. So I started to turn to go out of the lot so that mom would follow me...and she didn't but instead went right up beside of Brent's car and parked. I alerted Julie about the car by pointing as discreetly as possible! We thought mom had realized too....but apparently she hadn't. Julie and I had tried to get everyone to follow us, Julie was walking by Christina trying to block her site of the car! Mom was trying to get us to walk right in the direction of the car...eventually she decided to follow us! We got Christina in and when she saw Brent she said..what are you doing here! Needless to say she was super surprised. She had no idea what else he had in store for her. At 6pm we were all to meet them at the Actors Guild for a play "The Pump Boys and The Dinettes". She was really shocked when they walked into the actors guild and there we were!

The play was really good. We all really enjoyed it...even Chad liked it!

I don't have any pictures to share because my camera is broken. :(

Christina had a great time on her anniversary! She is lucky to have such a great husband who plans fun surprises like that for her!

Things I love and Things I don't like

Things I love...
Jesus, pickles, my hubby, my kids, talking, being a mother, Gods Word, pedicures, scrapbooking, our church, reading, a clean house, necklaces, blogging, diamonds, talking, sweet tea, massages, talking (but not during a massage), being with my friends, KLOVE, vacations, Casting Crowns, mexican food, fonts, Oliver Garden minestrone and salad, Dr. Pepper, the beach, Canasta, eBay, Live Concerts, Google, scrapbook conventions, my parents, American Idol, my preschool kids, the magic eraser, my laptop, my lazyboy loveseat recliner, fresh vegetables from my earthboxes, cheeseburger soup, pickles, shoes, hanging out with family, Girl Trips and Mustang Convertibles.

Things I Don’t Like...
Clutter, bugs, dust, long lines, sassy preteens, math,people chewing with their mouth open, politics, smacking gum, commercials, being late,chipped nail polish, barking dogs, complaining, jealous people, cold weather, cleaning and bills.

33 Miles

Sunday 33 Miles lead worship in both services and then had a concert Sunday night. It was amazing! I mean...I love their CD but seeing and hearing them live was just amazing. Jason's voice really is that awesome...just all by itself with no digital additions! They are one talented group of guys.

We ended up having a packed house Sunday night! Almost 600 people in attendance! Youth groups from all over and lots of adults too!

Then after the concert those of us that helped with the concert had a pot luck dinner with the guys. They are such sweet, awesome men of God. I sat across from Chris the guitar player during dinner and chatted with him about his new baby. His wife is due any day now...he was hoping to make it home before the birth so he wouldnt have to spend money on an emergency flight!

If you haven't heard 33 Miles then I strongly suggest that you head to their site and at least hear There Is A God. It is my favorite song by them!

What Its All About!

My kids were just too cute this evening. The boys begged and begged after dinner to scrapbook. See what having a clean scrap room can get ya! So they both made a couple of pages. Chad even came to sit and watch them. They both really got into inking! Nick especially!

The Tyler Swimmin page was done completely by him! I was quite impressed!

They both did a Chuckie Cheese Layout! I know someday they will love looking back to see that handwriting! For some reason I can't get those two layouts to upload..could be cause of the photos uploading to snapfish right now? Guess I will post them later!

After we finished their layouts they wanted to look at their albums. Nick absolutely LOVES to look at scrapbooks. He is so funny! "oh look this is our first ice cream cone." "This is our first time riding bikes." To him every page is about the first time doing something! So cute! He does get really upset looking at his baby book though...seeing all the wires and stuff on that tiny little body. Tonight he said,"mom, I don't even remember being in all that pain." Broke my heart! I assured him that I don't think he was really in pain..most of the wires were for monitoring him to make sure that he was ok. He has looked at his baby books a hundred times and tonight he finally discovers that he still has a bunch of the wires that were hooked up to him! He just thought that was so cool!

I started this blog as a place to journal everyday happenings so that I would have something to look back on for more scrapbook journaling and such...however I haven't done a very good job. So trying to get better. Decided to jump on here and get this fun evening scrapping with my boys documented!:)

I have been uploading photos to snapfish ALL day. It is taking forever...of course it probably wouldn't take so long if I didn't have 4 years worth of photos to upload! I have some of them backed up on CDs and some of them aren't....my digital photos are just in a MESS! SO trying to get that all taken care of and started out with uploading them to somewhere besides my hard drive so I can have a backup. Then to figure out which ones have been burnt to CDs and which still need to be! Then to get a better storage system figured out for all the CDs!

Thursday Catch Up!

I have been a bad blogger! Things have just been so busy with the Studio remodeling and all that fun stuff I just haven't been online much. The worst thing about not being online is missing my FAITH SISTERS! I could just spend hours on there trying to catch up with all that has been chatted about in the past week since I have been online! Some gorgeous new layouts in the gallery too! WOOHOOO! Faith Sisters also went over 200 members last week! AWESOME! There are lots of freebie digital designs added to the faith sisters shop as well! So many awesome things happening there! Gives me goosebumps to think about it!!!:)

I have been making myself spend time cleaning up clutter and organizing my scrap room! YAY! I still have a ways to go but I am happy to report that my room is now scrapable! I even spent last night scrapping for a few hours! Working on some Christmas Presents!

Tyler stayed home sick yesterday and I kept him home again today because he was so sick last night. He seems to be doing better today. Praise the Lord!!

We spent the weekend with the most wonderful group of scrappers EVER! I just totally loved them to pieces! Since they are only about an hour away I am hoping to be able to scrap with them more often! They were so much FUN!



Getting ready for Thanksgiving! We will be gathering at Mom and Dads. I am so blessed to have a large extended family who gathers together for the holidays. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays!:)

Right now I am working on uploading the last several years worth of digital photos to snapfish.com so I have them saved somewhere besides my hardrive. I think this is going to take me FOREVER! Will also be posting some applebutter stir pictures here as promised.

Meal plan for the week...um I a get a big fat F! This is what happens when I do not plan out my meals for the week! Mon- ate at Logans, Tues- ate at Logans (2 dinners for $12.99 and kids are only $2 a piece you just can't beat that!), Wed- Sloppy joes and baked squash (the squash was leftover from the weekend!), Thur- was going to be roast but my crock pot is at the studio so now???, Fri- Leftovers
Yeah so next week I gotta have a meal plan ready on Sunday!

Calgon Take Me Away!

SO TIRED! I worked all day at the studio. Accomplished alot so I am happy about that but I am so beat! My back was already tired from all of the sitting on the floor organizing photos this weekend. So I started out kinda sore and tired. Now I am REALLY sore and tired. Have I ever said how much I do not like be miss handy woman!

So today I painted ceilings. Glued cove base to the walls in the bathrooms and shower rooms, all 4 of them. Hung a bunch of ceiling tiles. Installed a flourescent light in the kitchen(that was a first!), cleaned the kitchen (health inspector coming Thurs for the every so often inspection). They had just worked on installing a new window and drywall in the kitchen so this wasn't your eveyday kitchen cleaning...oh no...it was the 3 hours to get it all drywall dust free kind of cleaning...and I am sure when I go back tomorrow some more drywall dust will have found its way back onto everything...does the stuff ever go away??

We didn't have take out...My darling brother cooked us dinner! He made a huge pot of chili and brought it down for us! Wasn't that so sweet of him! It was really yummy too. Perfect day for chili cause it was FREEZIN here!

Well I am so tired! If I wasn't so addicted to http://faithsisters.com/ I would have never have logged on tonight...but I just had to catch up with all my sisters! Tammy McClain posted the most awesome mini album for the Faith Prevails Challenge and I can NOT wait to scraplift it! If I wasn't so tired right now I would be tempted to go scrap in my semi-clean scrap room!

Meal Plan Monday!

Here is a picture of my trick or treaters! Derek (nephew) batman, Nick storm trooper, Brooke Cat, Tyler Soldier, Stevin (nephew) spider man.

Been cleaning up my scrap room and organizing pictures. Still have a ways to go but it is coming along! So excited to be able to scrap in my happy place again!!!

OK so I am totally loving this meal plan Monday thing! Lawanda you are so right..it really does help! Even though things got switched around a little bit last week I wasn't stressed out every day trying to figure out something to fix. It was wonderful!

So to add a little twist to the plan every week I am going to start trying at least one new recipe out of one of my MANY cookbooks each week! (If we like it I will share the recipe for you to try out too!) see below for this recipe I tried today! YUM!

So here is the plan for this week!

Monday- Chicken Ole' (see recipe below) Just fixed this for the first time. We loved it!

Tuesday- Take Out cause Chad and I are working at the studio prepping for our upcoming retreat

Wednesday- Crock Pot chicken, potatoes, green beans (yeah chicken twice in one week...it is on sale at Kroger! LOL)

Thursday- Tuna Noodle Casserole

Friday- Leftovers

Saturday - Chad is on his own cause I will be at the studio all weekend cooking for the retreat....we will be having taco soup for lunch and Chicken Cattatorie for dinner(OK I have no idea how to spell it but I can make it and it is yummy!)

Chicken Ole'

This one is from my Desperation Dinners Cookbook (meals in 20 mins). Fixed it for the first time tonight and my family LOVED it!
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves2 teaspoons olive oil1 extra-large or 2 medium onions2 large green bell peppers1 can fat free chicken broth (or two boulion cubes and one cup water)1/2 cup white wine1 can diced tomatoes2 1/2 cups instant rice1/2 cup sliced pimento stuffed green olives (optional)1/2 cup frozen green peas (optional)1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic2 bay leaves1 tsp dried oregano1/2 tsp ground cumin1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste1/4 tsp black pepper
1. If the chicken is frozen, run it under hot water so you can remove packaging. Place the chicken on a microwave safe plate and microwave 3 minutes, uncovered, on high, to begin defrosting.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil, over medium heat, in an extra deep 12 inch skillet that has a lid. Peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the skillet as you chop.
3. Cut each breat into 3 strips about an inch wide, then add the chicken (fresh or partially defrosted) to the skillet and raise the heat to high. Cover the skillet and cook while seeding the bell peppers and cutting them into 1 inch wide strips. Cut the strips crosswise in hald and add the peppers to the skillet all at once.
4. Add the broth and wine. Cover the skillet and bring the liquid to a boil. Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes. Keeping the pan covered as much as possible, add the drained tomatoes, rice, olives, peas, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, salt and black pepper. Stir well.
5. Cook at a rolling boil until the rice is tender, 5 minutes more. Remove the bay leaves, stir well and serve!

Exhausted!

It has been a busy week! With today being the very busiest day of all! Yesterday was jam packed too but after two days of it I am beat!

Tues- phone calls, cleaning, Applebutter with Lawanda (pictures coming soon)

Yesterday was spent on errands and cleaning. Had lunch at the Der Dog Haus with mom and dad before their house closing. Yay! The house is finally sold. Dad is having sellers remorse and wishing they would have just stayed there but I think it is the best thing. They now live closer to us..only minutes away. The old house was just way to huge for two people. Heck it would be huge for my family of 5! After lunch went to Home Depot to pick up some supplies for the studio construction...we are nearly finished..just those minor things....which still take forever to complete. Think we will ever be DONE? After home depot went to drop door knobs off at my uncles so he could take them down to the studio...then off to pick up Brooke at school. Then home to cook dinner and get the kids costumes ready. I decided at the last minute to dress as a farmer...such a shame that nobody got a picture of me :) Headed to Awana....it was a crazy Awana night with all the kids being so excited about trunk or treating afterward. The game room was AWESOME! They had black lights and glowy balloons floating around, it was really cool in there! (pictures later)

After Awana we went to the parking lot for Trunk or Treat. It was the first time for our church to do trunk or treat. We had 24 trunks....some of which were decorated so stinkin cute! Brooke decorated out trunk and passed out the candy. She did a fabulous job....all the kids loved it!!
After trunk or treating we stopped by mom and dads to trick or treat. Dad was having a band practice. He is now paid to fiddle in a blue grass band! Pretty neat huh! This was the first time I met the band.....the lead singer/guitar player said, "So these 4 are your grandchildren" Mom had to correct him that I was the mom and the other three were the grandchildren....keep in mind I was dressed as a farmer...and I had pigtails and a cowboy hat...maybe I should wear that get up more often???? hehe! The band sounds AWESOME! Can't wait to see them at a performance! So proud of my dad! Came home and checked emails and faith sisters. Then talked to sunny for hours! We got the new faith sisters challenge posted! Went to bed around 3am...cause Sunny made me stay up with her to finish her tribute layout for her grandma! It turned out beautifully!

Thursday- got up early, cleaned a little, checked email and faithsisters and then went to the studio to paint. Before I could paint I had to sand. In no less than 10 mins I looked like a snow woman. I hate drywall dust! Got all the walls that needed finished! YAY! Now just have to do a spot on the ceiling that had to be repaired tomorrow. Swept the floors in the bedrooms and then headed home for a shower. Got ready for the evening and then remembered that I had brought the wet paint roller home in a bag so that I could touch up a place in my bathroom....we painted our bathroom Gobi Dessert just like the hallways at the studio;) (YES....pictures of my newly remodeled bathroom coming soon...Lawandas hubby built me a beautiful vanity). So fix the wall in my bathroom...in my good clothes! Luckily I didnt get paint on me!

Then off to the store to find Brooke some shoes for her Choir concert tonight. She grew out of her black shoes! UGH! Had 15 mins to get shoes and be back at the boys school for family night at 5:30. We ate pizza and veggies and cookies and then looked at all the science projects. My nephew Stevin won first place with her How To Clean Pennies project! YAY Stevin!

Brooke and I had to leave for the Jr High so Chad and the boys stayed there at family night. Got to the Jr High at 6:15. The place was filling up quickly...had to save seats for Chad, mom and dad. I hate saving seats! The concert was great. Brooke looked so pretty in her chior robe. Chad made the comment that Brooke was by far the prettiest girl in the 7th grade choir. Maybe we are biased but I have to agree!:) Oh yeah....on our way back from getting shoes I stopped to beg my aunt to let me borrow her Cannon Rebel DSLR! Wanted to play with it to see how I liked it...since it is the one I kinda have my eye on. She didn't want to let me borrow it and said her stomach was sick when I left with it! Jeesh she has a whole lot of faith in me huh! OK So I played with it at the concert...and now I want one even worse! Chad played with it a little too....and tonight he asked me more questions about why I want that one. Crossing my fingers that I will be getting one for Christmas/birthday. PLEASE<>PLEASE! My camera is dead....won't work at all. Rather then spend a bunch to get it fixed I just want a new one...real bad!!

So after the concert we took the camera back to my aunt. I really didn't want to but I knew she would kill me if I kept it longer! LOL Then stayed there blabbing for way to long! Got home after 9 and still had to clean the house cause mother in law is coming tomorrow. YIKE! So got the whole downstairs cleaned up and swept...now just gotta clean the guestroom and upstairs bathrooms. It's good to have company so I am forced to get the cleaning done! Been so busy with everything else that the house has been a little neglected! well at least one level is straightened and cleaned now!

Now I am off to bed! JEEESH! ANd I thought I was tired before I started typing all that. I always get a little rambly when I am tired.....apparently when I am typing too! LOL

Meal Plan Monday

So here goes for another attempt at meal planning for the week!

Last week didn't work out so well since I got sick!

Monday- Chicken and Stuffing Casserole, baked beans and biscuts
Tuesday- Cheesy Mastacolli
Wednesday- Hot Dog Roast after Awana for Trunk Or treat
Thursday- Grilled Chicken, green beans, noodles
Friday- Dinner out on Chad
Saturday- Tuna Salad Sandwiches
Sunday- Roast, veggies and biscuts

I have been Tagged

I was tagged by Karma

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

My 7 facts:
1. I love music...any kind but mainly listen to contemporary Christian these days.
2. I worked at Hills Department Store for one year during college.
3. Have been forced to become a "handy woman" know how to hang drywall and install toilets among many other handy things!
4. I was a High School Wrestling Statistician for all three years of high school...none of the wrestlers girlfriends liked me cause I rode the bus with the team.
5. I LOVE PICKLES! Eat them nearly every day.
6. Canasta is about the only card game I know how to play...but I am really good at it! Chad won't play with me anymore cause he can't beat me.
7. I always thought I wanted to be rich but I have recently learned to be content and live simpler!

I tag:
http://luv2create.blogspot.com
http://marilee1951.blogspot.com/
http://everything-eva.blogspot.com/
http://www.sunnykohler.blogspot.com/
http://mama4joy.blogspot.com/
http://redheadscrapper.blogspot.com/
http://papercutzandpraisez.blogspot.com/

Relaxing Sunday

It was a very relaxing Sunday! Started the day off with a wonderful church service and a great sermon on Bold Love. The pastor announced that a couple who just recently started attending church and was just baptised like a month or so ago had a premature baby today. The baby wasn't suppose to be born until January...so she is quite preemie. I requested special prayer for the baby and will be doing my best on Monday to find a way to get in touch with the family so that the church can help them with whatever needs they might have. I am sure that they will have a huge finincial burden because I know Chad and I did when Nick was born premature and spent time out of town in NICU. All the expenses of hotels and meals really can break you fast.

After church I relaxed with Chad on the love seat. He watched football while I took a Sunday afternoon nap! Still recovering from being sick the past couple of days. Going to church apparently wore me out! I had intended to get some scrapping done today!

Went back to church tonight for snack supper and then bible study. Then stopped at mom and dads for a quick visit and to get my plants that mom gave me! I hope I don't kill them with my brown thumb! Mom and Dad had an atrium room at their old house and now that they have moved they no longer have room for all their plants! Mom gave me the Burrows Tail which she has had since I was a kid. She also gave me another plant whose name escapes me right now! It is suppose to freeze here tonight so I also had to bring in my other plants that have been enjoying the summer outside!

An update on my attempt at preplanning our meals! It was a good first attempt but I got sick and ended up not being able to cook. I did try to cook chicken and noodles on Fri evening...I nearly passed out halfway through so Chad had to finish...but it still turned out very yummy and Satuday I was feeling some better...so maybe it helped!

Today I didn't do the roast cause I hadn't made it to the store as planned earlier in the week since I had been sick.....SO Chad requested Tuna salad sandwiches. I think the man could eat that every day of the week! LOL

I didn't get any scrapping done today but I did spend tonight preparing the handout for my scrapbook class at Crafts tomorrow night. Hoping to get my phone calls made in the morning and then spend the rest of Monday scrapping!

Pre-planning Meals

I had another day off today! YAY! It's rainy again so I just couldn't resist a little nap. After my nap I got busy finishing up laundry. I feel like I have actually accomplished something today! I have the last load in the washer and even have half of the clean clothes put away! YAY! A productive laundry day. Even got the kitchen sparkling with fresh mopped floor!

In my attempt to get things clean and organized I have decided to try my good friend Lawandas menu planning idea. She has been posting her weekly menu on her blog every week. So here goes Lawanda! I am gonna give it my best shot to do this every week and stick to it!

Mon- Pizza (I only had a half hour between school and teaching scrapbook classes!)

Tues- Tuna Salad Sandwiches

Wed- Poor Mans Steak, green beans, cheesy biscuts, mashed potatoes and gravy

Thur- Veggie Soup

Fri- Grilled Chicken, brocoli and cheese, baked beans

Sat- Chicken Noodles, carrots, biscuts

Sun- Roast, potatoes, Carrots and noodles

So lets hope this helps me be a little more organized! I am hoping to start my routine of grocery shopping on Sun night again. I used to always do that but then got into this funk where I just scrounge around to figure out what to cook at the last minute! Lawanda has inspired me to do better though!;)

Rainy Day and Camera

It has been one of the super rainy days here. Just when it seems like it is stopping it starts up again...so dark and dreary all day. The kind of day that just makes me want to SLEEP! Why is it that I get so stinkin tired on rainy days??

I had great plans of getting the laundry finished and the house mostly cleaned up. Well as I mentioned I was sleepy today so not so much got done. I have at least finished half of the laundry. Hoping that I won't have to work tomorrow so that I can get the rest finished. The life of a substitute teacher...never knowing if you have to work or not the next day. It does kinda get old!

My camera is kicking the bucket, on it's last leg, making me crazy! It all started while we were camping. Of course the leaves were such beautiful brilliant colors. The only time we have caught the leaves at the peak....and my camera goes crazy. I got a few good pictures during our hike but but missed so many opportunities for fabulous shots the rest of the weekend. I was so depressed.

I have secretly been craving a digital SLR. I checked out the Canon EOS Rebel XTi Digital Camera w/ 18-55mm Lens at Sams Club tonight when we went to get tires. It looks pretty yummy but I havent done my research yet. Trying to convince hubby that it would be the perfect Christmas/Birthday present. So anyone know anything about this camera? Would love some reviews! Gotta make sure this is the one I want to ask santa for!

Here is a fun little thing that was sent to me...

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car): Snowball Grand Caravan

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie): Vanilla Macadamia Nut

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name): SMcV

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal): Sage Yorkie

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born):Michelle Parkersburg

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first): McVsa

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink): The blue tea

NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers):Paul Lloyd

9. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names):Anne Alroy

10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Boso Boston

11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Christmas Daisy

12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”):

Mandarin Orange shirty

13. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree):Bagel Willow

14. YOUR ROCK STAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour” and the year): The Scrapbook Sun Tour 2007

Catching Up

Just a quick note to let you know that the finger is healing...and I will soon be able to type better and catch everything up on here! I have been a very bad blogger:(

Life has been super fast paced. We had our trip to NYC then I subbed all week, then Scrap Camp Oct 12-14, subbed all week and then our annual primitive camping trip at Kumbrabow State Forest. Have lots of photos to share from Scrap Camp and Kumbrabow but for now will leave you with a couple. The one above is the van loaded down with all of the Scrap Camp stuff! YIKES! There was barely room for me!

I do love salad but really I wasn't eating the whole bowel!

Praying that this finger will be back to normal so I can go back to two handed typing! Even the shortest blurb takes me way to long!

The picture of my family is after a hike straight up the side of the mountain! As you can see from the background we are in peak fall leaf season! The colors of the trees was absolutely amazing! I have never seen the leaves in such vivid colors. The Lord surely painted a beautiful view for us!

Kung Foo Fighting

Everyone has been getting such a kick out of my story I decided to just go ahead and share it...most of you will eventually hear it anyway...since I have been warned by many that I will never live it down!

So I posted on Monday how much I really did NOT like Chinatown! WELL!!!! Apparently I was still a little shook up about the whole purse experience because Monday night about 2AM I had a terrible nightmare! Someone was chasing me. I don't really remember much but just going on what my hubby told me! He said I was yelling and screaming and woke him up. When he touched me I bolted out of bed and crashed into either my dresser or the wall...he wasnt sure which. I scared him to death cause he thought someone was really in the house..he was ready to bust the glass of his gun cabinet! LOL He said he yelled at me and I got right back into bed and curled into the fetal position. I was immediately back to sleep...well I don't really think I ever even woke up cause I do not remember it at all! Poor hubby could NOT get back to sleep cause I had scared him to death! LOL

Well Tues morning I woke up with terrible pain in my hand! I was trying to get ready for work and everything that I did HURT like crazy. By the time I got to school my finger was looking purple and swelling. I thought..man I must have laid on my hand or something it is really hurting. I called hubby to tell him about it and he said.....you must have done that while you were fighting off whoever was chasing you! I had no idea what he was talking about! So then he told me about my performance and me scaring him to death! LOL He figured I must have hurt my finger on whatever I crashed into in my sleep!

The school nurse put a temporary splint on my finger and provided me with ice all day. I walked around with my hand sticking up all day cause if I let it hang down it throbbed even worse. The school nurse kept telling me to get it xrayed after school. Well I went and sure enough have a hairline fracture! ARGH!

Chad says he is going to make me a padded room to sleep in! he probably should! I haven't had much sleep walking since I got pregnant with Brooke....but when I was a kid I would end up anywhere but where I started out...I would laugh hysterically in my sleep..even walk outside, but would usually wake up when my feet hit the cold ground. I surely hope that this isn't the start of my crazy sleeping again! When I was a kid I never injured myself...getting old has its disadvantages!

Typing with one hand isn't easy so I will end here. Sweet DREAMS to all! :)