Sunday, May 31, 2009

BIG THANK YOU'S!!

I have so much to be thankful for. Not just here at home, but for all you wonderful ladies who I've met since blogging! It's really like "another world" to me! A world only other bloggers can understand, right?!

So, on that note, I want to give out some THANK YOU'S to a few bloggy buds of mine (and some of yours too)!

First, I want to thank my sweet, dear friend Lisa @ Family Life! It feels like she is someone I've known outside of blogging! I love it when you just "click" with someone without all the effort! She had a giveaway not too long ago, and I was the blessed winner!! Yay, me! She is a Mary Kay Consultant, and I got to choose which product I wanted! I opted for the Age-Fighting Moisturizer, because that's exactly what I'm trying to do...lol. On top of that, she sent me TONS of samples! Now, who doesn't like getting free samples from the make-up counter? So, thank you, Lisa...so much!! I love everything, and thank you for your sweet note!
Photobucket

Second on my list are thank you's for some awards I received. I have to admit that I have been totally lagging on posting these, so please forgive me!!

Renee at Always A Southern Girl blessed me with this award! She is so sweet and I am always encouraged by her posts. She is so open and honest, and is always seeking the Lord for direction!! Thank you, Renee!


The next one is from a new blog pal from Together We Save. If you want the heads up on coupons and sales, this is the place to go!! I've seen this award before and thought it was totally cute, so I was excited that someone passed it on to me! Thank you so much!


Last but not least, this comes from my friend, Kelli at Random Thoughts Of A Supermom! She is super sweet and has the cutest boys!!! You should check out her blog, too! In fact, she is having an awesome giveaway right now!! Thank you so much, Kelli!


Link

Saturday, May 30, 2009

MIRANDA'S BIRTHDAY DINNER

My sister in law wanted to take us all out to dinner for Miranda's birthday, so the birthday girl got to pick where she wanted to eat at. She chose Giorgio's Italian Restaurant, and boy, it was yummy! Just the bread alone with the garlic butter is enough to satisfy! After our delicious dinner, we came home and had cake that Miranda made all by herself! Strawberry cake with strawberry frosting! A perfect way to end her night!

All of us including my sister-in-law on the left!
Photobucket
Still deciding what to have for dinner...
Photobucket
This picture cracks me up because of Eli's expression. Veronica must have been doing something to annoy him...lol!
Photobucket
You know I couldn't do a restaurant post without sharing pictures of the food! I'm sooooo predictable by now, aren't I? I ordered the Fettucini Alfredo with shrimp. I really need to get out of my comfort zone and order something different!
Photobucket
Eli's yummy burger! Yah..he's pretty predictable too!
Photobucket
My husbands lasagna! He said it was awesome!
Photobucket
Isaiah's personal pizza!! I blurred the edges on some of these pictures so you wouldn't have to see the junk on the table!
Photobucket
Danny & Veronica ordered the same thing. Fettucini Alfredo.
Photobucket
My sister in laws mound of spaghetti!!!
Photobucket
Miranda's personal pizza!
Photobucket
Oh my gosh..it took forever just to take their picture!!! By this time, I didn't care how they posed!
Photobucket
Love my sons shirt. Here's a close up!!
Photobucket
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Photobucket

Friday, May 29, 2009

FRIDAY PHOTO FLASHBACK

I started "Friday Photo Flashback" because I have so many pictures from my PRE-digital camera days. I thought it would be fun to scan them and share them here with all of you. I'm having so much fun doing this, that I would love for you to join me, too! So dig out the photo albums and put your scanner to good use! Just sign in to Mr. Linky so we can all visit and comment on each others blogs!

1983

My mom found this picture of me when I was in 8th grade!! I remember being able to wear lip gloss at this age! I had such great memories from middle school! It's so weird to think that my eldest is the same age that I am in this picture! Oh..and what is up with that shirt????
Photobucket
Click on the Mister Linky box below and a new window will open. Add your info so we can all visit you!!


Thursday, May 28, 2009

14/52 PICTURES OF ME

I'm participating in a year long challenge, created by Carin at Forever In Blue Jeans. The goal is to be in one picture a week, for 52 weeks. Since us moms are always behind the camera, this gives us a chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family. So, click here if you want to join in on the fun!

It was my oldest daughter's birthday on Tuesday, so we had a picnic at the park that afternoon! The kids were all playing in those play structures so I figured that was the perfect time to try to get my picture with them! I wanted to use the self timer option, but yah right! They can barely stand there when I'm taking the picture!

Oh..and this picture is so funny because my son kept making goofy faces and poses in the background! Of course, my daughter's phone is ringing off the hook from her friends wishing her a Happy Birthday, and in case you are wondering, my three little ones were busy playing in the sand!
Photobucket

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

WORDLESS & WORDFUL WEDNESDAY

This is a picture that my friend took when they all went camping last weekend. Four of the guys and my daughter, Miranda, climbed up a steep trail on the side of that cliff and they all took turns jumping off it, which was approximately 35 feet down! Apparently, my friends (the girls) didn't know that my daughter had no fear of heights, and they thought she was going to get in trouble by my husband for jumping off. Of course, the guys that were up there with her were totally encouraging her to do it...lol. She was totally not in trouble! My husband was like, "Wow, Miranda!!" But, just so you know, our friends waited right there at the water to make sure she was okay!

See my girl in the middle of the picture??? She rocks! You go, girl!
Photobucket

Be sure to visit 5 Minutes For Mom for more Wordless Wednesday, and 7 Clown Circus for Wordful Wednesday.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

HAPPY 12TH BIRTHDAY, MIRANDA!

I officially have two 12 year olds living under my roof right now! Well, it will be that way till July 11th when my eldest turns 13! If you're still a little confused, I'll clear it up for ya. My two oldest children are 10 1/2 months apart, so for a month and a half, they are the same age!

But today, it's all about her, and I look back and think how fast these 12 years have gone by. Ever since she was a baby, she was always just a tiny little thing! But, let me tell you, big things come in small packages!

She's so independent and definitely has a mind of her own. One of the qualities I admire about her is that she will not compromise her beliefs in the Lord, and she is a leader, not a follower. She knows what she wants and she's not afraid to try anything! She's strong, yet sensitive. Beautiful, yet modest. But she is also honest, smart, funny, loud, brave, and loyal.

I just pray that the Lord will use her in a mighty way, and that I continually look to Him for guidance in raising not only her, but my other children as well.

We love you, Miranda! I'm so blessed to call you my daughter.
Photobucket

Monday, May 25, 2009

A CAMPING THEY WILL GO...

The key word being "THEY"...

Do you recall my post last Monday when I said that we were going camping that Friday?

Do you remember how I wasn't that thrilled about going, but I was going to suck it up and go with a great attitude?

Well, it turns out that I didn't have to...

My youngest son Daniel still had a phlegmy cough, so we decided it was best that he stay home and get better before he gets worst (picture me with a big smile on my face, fist in the air, and saying, "YESSS!")

He was a little bummed out that he couldn't go, so I had to make sure he had a good time with me! Remember, he is my "BOYS BOY" and he would love nothing more than to be in dirt all weekend!

Of course, I had to take a picture of all of them before they left. And I don't know what's up with my oldest sons face..lol. I don't know if he's still half asleep or if the sun's in his eyes?
Photobucket
"Peace out!"
Photobucket
Saying his goodbye to Mocha! Can you see her through the holes?
Photobucket
All packed up and ready to go!
Photobucket
Bikes on!
Photobucket
"Please...can I just go???" Just kidding, he wasn't doing that. He was just being silly!
Photobucket
So long, farewell...until we meet again!! In other words..."C-YA!!"
Photobucket
Of course, I wanted to make the most of mine and Daniel's alone time together, so we had this to look forward to later on!
Photobucket
And the next day, we did this! We saw #12 (Night At The Museum) with my mom. The movie was really cute! Better than the first one, in my opinion! Alot more action!
Photobucket
Danny & my mom before the movie. He was saying, "No more pictures..no more pictures!" LOL
Photobucket
So, overall, it was a QUIET, RELAXING weekend!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

JUST GET IN THE CAR!

If your kids are anything like mine, it takes them FOREVER to just get in the car and go!

Am I asking too much of them to just walk in the garage, put their shoes on, and get in the car....in less than five minutes? While I'm sitting in the drivers seat, I start to notice the "drama" slowly unfolding. Miranda is looking around for her other shoe, Veronica needs help tying her shoes, Isaiah forgot something in the house, Eli can't find his jacket, Danny still has to put his socks on, and finally, Veronica starts whining because nobody is helping her (although she is more than capable of doing it herself). Now if that's not enough, Eli & Danny decide that this would be the perfect time to chase each other around the car!

Oh, and this is Danny's new thing. He will start riding his bike, literally, seconds before we have to leave! Who does that?

You get the picture, right?

So, it was no different when we were getting ready to go out to dinner the other night. Before getting into the car, Danny & Eli decided it was the perfect opportunity to horse around. This time they decided to kick it up a notch.

'Nuff said...
Photobucket
And no worries, he didn't really shank him, it was only a plastic knife. :)

Saturday, May 23, 2009

MY UNIMPORTANT FAVES TAG

I was tagged by my sweet friend, DaniJoy at Taking The Gospel 2 Gijon! We're supposed to list 6 of our favorite unimportant things! I really liked this tag, and enjoyed sharing some of my faves! You should try it, but I have to admit, it's not as easy as it seems!

1. I don't know why this picture came out so yellowish, but at least you can still see my Clorox Green Works natural all purpose cleaner! This was my first step in "going green" and I can tell you that this is my favorite cleaner to use! It cleans everything from the kitchen counter to the bathroom mirrors! I can't imagine going back to anything else! That bottle is almost empty, but no worries, I got a full one under the kitchen sink!
Photobucket
2. Ahh..I gotta have my Coconut Creamer! When I notice the bottle is almost empty, I start to get in panic mode! Can you imagine how devastated I am when they run out of it at the grocery store? The first thing that comes to my mind is, "I hope it's not discontinued!" I know..psycho! I will drink any coffee just as long as I have this in it!
Photobucket
3. My scanner! Without this bad boy I wouldn't be able to scan all those awesome pre-digital photos for my Friday meme, "Friday Photo Flashback!"
Photobucket
4. There's just something about sweet cherries on a hot summer day! My mom bought these for us, and I could not wait to rinse 'em up and eat them! It brings back memories of me being in the car with her when I was a teenager, and she would pull off to the side of the road to buy some if the cherry stand was open!
Photobucket
5. I know that I said I would drink any coffee just as long as I had the above said creamer in it. Well, that's not 100% true. Let me clarify. It can be any coffee, but it has to be coffee from Starbucks! We try all the different flavors, but my favorite is the Verona! YUM!
Photobucket
6. Last but not least, I love candles! I don't care where they came from or what brand they are. I just love how relaxed they make me feel!
Photobucket

So, there ya have it! Thanks Dani Joy, for tagging me! I had fun doing this! Now, if you want to share your unimportant faves, consider yourself tagged!

Friday, May 22, 2009

FRIDAY PHOTO FLASHBACK

I started "Friday Photo Flashback" because I have so many pictures from my PRE-digital camera days. I thought it would be fun to scan them and share them here with you. I'm having so much fun doing this, that I would love for you to join me, too! So dig out the photo albums and put your scanner to good use! Just sign in to Mr. Linky so we can all visit and comment on each others blogs!

This was the last job I had before I became a stay at home mom! I worked there for 6 years. I was a Customer Service Rep for a Credit Reporting Agency that dealt with mortgage lenders. It was an "okay" job. I did my job, I got paid, and such was life! Besides taking care of my "needs" I didn't have anyone else to worry about. That was the single life! I still keep in touch with a couple of my previous co-workers, and have found MANY of them on Facebook, including the three people in this picture!

Oh..funny story. The guy on the far left. His name is Chris. He and I were just friends, and he asked me to be his partner in a pool tournament at this country western bar he went to every week! So, I did, and we did pretty good! The gal next to me is Cindy, and in fact, I hope to see her this summer since she just moved back down to the Bay Area. On my left is Louis, and he wants to have a "reunion" with all the old First American crew!!

So, here we are, back in 1995! I still don't know why I took a camera to work! But, I'm glad I did!!

Photobucket


Thursday, May 21, 2009

13/52 PICTURES OF ME

I'm participating in a year long challenge, created by Carin at Forever In Blue Jeans. The goal is to be in one picture a week, for 52 weeks. Since us moms are always behind the camera, this gives us a chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family. So, click here if you want to join in on the fun!

It was just Daniel & I at home alone this past Saturday while my husband and the rest of kids went to a birthday party. It was so nice and quiet! It literally felt like a mini vacation!

Daniel's such a trooper to take a picture with me because he is sick here. Can you tell by his "I'll try to force myself to smile" expression? He got that croup sounding cough on Friday, and he was just starting to feel a little better on Saturday.

As I was messing around on my blog, I realized that I didn't have any pictures to share this week, so I asked him to go outside with me to take a picture. He's so sweet, he didn't even hesitate to get up. However, after the 5th or 6th picture he finally said, "Okay, this is the last one."

Photobucket
Oh..and I have to point out that when my son looked at this picture he said, "Your teeth look yellow!" Now, I'm not a shallow person, but I'm letting you all know that my teeth are not yellow! LOL! I could have even made this picture B&W and not even mention that little comment, but I like this picture in color better. Oh, and excuse my glasses, you can see the reflection on the right side, plus they're practically falling off my face! It was like 97 degrees outside and I was in a hurry to get a quick pic!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

WORDLESS & WORDFUL WEDNESDAY

ONE DOWN, FOUR TO GO!!

Photobucket
This is an old picture that I scanned the other day! I was planning on using this for my Friday meme, but I really wanted to use it now.

This is my oldest daughter when she was around 3 years old, so that would make this the year 2000! Isn't her hair cute? I loved it cut like this! Everyone used to ask me where I got her haircut!

I don't remember exactly what we were doing here, but I'm thinking it was at a birthday party!

And before you think I'm actually serious about the title of this picture, no she did not drink all five cans of soda! Maybe two, max!

Be sure to visit 5 Minutes For Mom for more Wordless Wednesday, and 7 Clown Circus for Wordful Wednesday.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

I HEART FACES-WEEK 19

I Heart Faces is a photography blog focused on the art of capturing faces and other various emotions. This is such a fun carnival, with different themes each week.

This weeks theme is: "MY FAVORITE FACE PHOTO"

Photobucket
On Sunday it was a whopping 99 degrees in my neck of the woods! My kids (minus two that were sick) had enough of being cooped up in the house and wanted some "water fun." I think her smile captured the fun time they were having! You would think they were at a pool, but I was just wetting them with the hose! My kids are so easily entertained!

"I
am submitting this photo into the www.iheartfaces.com Blurb Book photo contest. I am granting I Heart Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I Heart Faces web sites."

Monday, May 18, 2009

MAKING YOUR HOME SING MONDAY

I am linking up with my friend, Mom's The Word to participate in her Monday meme, "Making Your Home Sing Monday." It's a day when we share what we are doing to bless our families in our home. If you would like to join in, click here.

This Friday we're going camping with a bunch of our friends!

Approximately 10 adults and 22 kids!!!!!!!!!!

Some of you are probably thinking, "Wow, how fun!!"

I'm thinking, "Not!"

And it's not because I'm some kind of priss or girly girl.

I'm just not an outdoorsy, campy type person. Put me up in a hotel and I'll be a "happy camper." Heck, (is that a bad word?) I'll even take a motor home!

The friends we're going with all love camping and they have assured me that I will have fun! Not that I don't believe them...I'm sure I will share many a laugh while I'm there. It's just imagining myself sleeping in a tent, waking up feeling gross, looking gross, and then taking a shower in a stall (okay, yes, there are showers, but it's still outdoors)! Plus, my kids are constantly reminding me about camping, as if I have forgotten! My husband, on the other hand, is all excited because this is right up his alley. I actually feel somewhat responsible as to why we all have not gone camping before!

Anyway, with all that said, I will bless my family by being enthusiastic about going! I will have fun, and I will not be a martyr on this trip! I will just suck it up and "go with the flow." Who knows, I may end up having the time of my life! Yup, that's the attitude I'm going for!

But, I do know one thing.....

You will NOT see any pictures of ME!!!