Bonjour, 2010!!!

Here's a pic of moi with les filles. We had a lot of fun drinking du vin and eating du pate et du fromage. Adieu, 2009! So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, good night.

I am very much looking forward to 2010 for a fresh start in so many ways. I am purging my household of junk today. We are getting our finances in order. I will be joining Weight Watchers at work next Monday. We will be eating better as a family, once and for all. I'll post my resolutions tomorrow, one of which will include spending less time on the computer. LOL!

Happy new year's eve!

A new year, a new me, a new attitude

How cliche is it to say that I'm making resolutions to lose weight and make healthier lifestyle changes because January 1 is almost here? Well, it just so happens that I am making these resolutions not just because it's the new year but because my doctor told me to do so!

I had already made the decision to make better financial decisions in the new year, buying only what we need, not what we think we need (random items that eventually turn into junk). Now I'll be making healthier decisions about food and exercise. I am thinking of joining Weight Watchers tonight. I am ready to buy food that is better for the entire family, too, since my kids eat too much junk food.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that another great change in me will be the frequency at which I will be scrapbooking. I am committing to cropping at least once per month with a friend. Not only that, but I will be purging my scrapbook room of supplies I never use.

Next year will be all about streamlining myself and my life. Change is coming, and it will be for the better. Wish me luck!

Have a peaceful new year!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Baby, it's cold outside!

The mercury on the thermometer is heading south. I had bus duty after school all week this week and it got progressively colder each day. Thank goodness today is Friday and my bus duty is over for the next several weeks.

Will I scrapbook tomorrow? I certainly hope so. I have been suffering from a major creative block. I hope to remedy that soon or Chris might turn my scrapbook room back into his office. It is presently not doing much more than just holding paper and lots of junk. Maybe with this cold weather, I will be inspired to stay warm and get things done this weekend. If nothing else, I can clear some stuff out the room so my mind isn't cluttered with debris. I want to get over this creative dilemma.

Yes, I can!

It's December already?

Hard to believe but it's true. Other tidbits of information:

~Chris just celebrated the big 4-0. Welcome to middle age, sweetheart!

~Lizzie will be getting her cast off in two weeks; her broken arm is healing fine. You'll be back to your old self in no time, darling!

~Sean is doing well; he scored very well on his October math assessment. Way to go, son!

~I am glad that Christmas vacation is in a few weeks. I have a lot of organizing to do over the break.

La vie est bonne. A la prochaine!

Halloween Party today

We're having our annual Halloween Party tonight. Chris and the kids have put in a lot of much work making a haunted house in the basement. It is spectacular and a bit scary!

I have been down for the count with a bad sinus infection but I am feeling OK right now. I am so thankful for modern medicine in general and antibiotics in particular.

Fever?

I feel suspiciously feverish tonight. I wonder if it's all in my head or if it really is a fever? Of course, I can't find out thermometer so I may not find out until tomorrow. If I still feel puny, I'll go to the school nurse and have her take my temperature.

On a lighter note, here are some pics from the family photo shoot at Antioch Park...

Happy Fall, y'all!

It's all good.

Another pretty big repair bill today--the oven's ignitor went out and we had to pay $200 to get it repaired. Well, now we have an oven that works and yummy fresh-baked cookies sitting on the counter. Those were delicious $200 cookies!

Quik Trip black cherry slushies are amazing!

It's funny how sometimes the little things in life can be so nice. I'll probably have a headache in the morning from all the sugar but I'm enjoying this slushie tonight!

Stay gold, Ponyboy

I love my two kids more than anything on the planet. While at Build-a-Bear workshop today, I realized something: my 10-year-old son will not be sweet and innocent much longer. I don't mean to alarm anyone; he is not delving into the occult or anything. What I mean to say is he will not want to make a build-a-bear for many more years. He will not want to play with his sister for very much longer. He is growing up before my eyes.

But I love that he made his owl, Hedwig, today.

I love that he made pretend voices along with 6-year-old sister on the way to Costco.

I love that played with his new friend for a couple of hours when we got home.

And I love that he still sleeps with his stuffed animal friends.

I am just holding on to these wonderfully innocent moments because my little boy will be going into middle school after next summer. My little boy will be a tween and it won't be cool to sleep with stuffed animals or play with one's little sister or go to Build-A-Bear.

But at times like these, I like to recall this beautiful poem I memorized in the 7th grade:

"Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower,
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down today.
Nothing gold can stay."
--Robert Frost

Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold.

Good news!

I can see the floor in my scrapbook room again! Hooray! Now if I could just get off the darned computer and get some scrapbooking done, that would be a miracle.

July 27

To do today:

1. Spend time with kiddos and their cousins.
2. Go to dentist w/Lizzie.
3. Clean out SB room.

My, how time flies...what I still need to do...and other musings.

Time Flies:
It is July 23 already. Wow. Three more weeks until school starts for both me and the kids. What's up with that? It has been a speedy quick summer so am trying to slow down a little and enjoy my time off.

Here's a lowdown of what we've done so far this summer:

-Disney World
-Miami to visit Grandpa and to see the ocean
-I worked for 3 weeks and the kids went to camp at the park
-This week, we're at home and taking life slowly.

What I'd still like to do this summer:
-Go to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
-Go to Kaleidoscope
-Paint Lizzie's room
-Meet Barb and her family in Columbia. I haven't seen Barb for almost 20 years.
-Clean out the garage and possibly have a garage sale
-Clean out and organize scrapbook room
-Organize the rest of the house.
-Scrapbook our Florida vacation
-Stain the deck
-Treat for grub worms and bag worms--actually Chris will probably do this.
-Hang out with the cousins and neighbor kids
-Get an exercise routine going

Yes, I realize that is a big laundry list of items to accomplish in the mere three weeks until school starts. But I hope to get as much done as possible. I just don't want to beat myself up if I don't get it all done.

Sometimes you live with chaos for so long you no longer see it for what it is. I just took several photos of the messes around here. How embarrassing to share it with the world but maybe I'll get off my duff and do something about it.

J'adore la pluie.

It's raining yet again in the heartland, which is excellent for the grass and other plants. I can't wait to see my lilacs bloom. Hopefully we'll have a warming trend that will stay for a while. I'm getting anxious to plant perennials but we'll still have to wait a few more weeks for that.

I'm in my scrapbook room today trying to salvage any semblance of order. I hope to make some sort of a difference and get some scrapping done. Of course, I told the kids we would go see "17 Again" so that will take some time away from my project. That's OK. I think my kids' excitement and Zac Efron are worth it!

Catching the writing bug again...

I have begun working on my romance novel once again. I have been reading my normal Harlequin romances and I think I am going to give writing a shot again. I think if I had a week of totally uninterrupted time with no distractions (including the internet--ha ha), I might be able to actually finish my manuscript. Of course, how likely is that to happen since I have work and family responsibilities, like most people do? Maybe this summer while the kids are at day camp I can get some real writing done.

Spain rules! by Lizzie

Wow--two posts in one day! But for a good reason...

I will be taking this Cathy Zielske class at Big Picture Scrapbooking:

http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/microblogpromo.php

I can't wait to use my Facebook expertise and finally attempt to figure out Photoshop Elements.
I took CZ's class in KC back in October and I love her personality! I can't wait to begin. I may even post some of the layouts here. Cool.

Time is marching on...

"You're older than you've ever been and now you're even older.
And now you're even older
and now you're even older.
You're older than you've ever been and now you're even older.
And now you're older still."
--They Might Be Giants


I am now 40. Hallelujah!

Time is flying like always, almost out of control. Life is good but busy. I picked a fine day to wake up too early--daylight savings time has just begun.

We are getting much needed rain here in the Heartland. The grass will be greening up quite nicely soon and the trees and flowers are beginning to bud. However, it is going to get cold again next week, just in time for spring break. :)

I'm thinking of scrapbooking in a few moments. I know--what a miracle, huh? I am just THINKING about it though. Will I actually do it? LOL!

Happy Sunday to all!

Living life to the fullest and paying the price, literally.

We have had car repairs out the wazoo in the last couple of weeks, our dishwasher needs to be replaced, our cats needed medical attention, etc, etc, etc. When it rains, it certainly does pour. I suppose it could always be worse, huh?

I hope you've enjoyed your holidays!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Happy New Year!

I won't say that I am making any formal resolutions--those never seem to work. After all, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Speaking of old, I will be hitting a major milestone in age--40, to be exact--this year. So my informal resolution in 2009 is to live it up and enjoy life. I believe this February 23 will be a hard day to digest but isn't age just a silly number after all? And turning 40 is better than the alternative.

I want to be a good example to my children and enjoy life to the fullest. I want to remember to appreciate my family, my friends, my job and my home. I want to remember just how fortunate I am in life and I want to appreciate all the blessings I have.

Thank you for reading. Here's to a more positive 2009!

(Here's a photo of one of our new kittens!)