update on a Friday

1. Life has been busy. I am mostly busy keeping the house clean, show ready....So much fun..

2. File this under "Things I Don't Care About"- Oprah's show ending....don't care. I will admit that I DVR'ed her show with Sarah Palin but I have not had time to watch it....Oprah annoys me. I know I am in a minority here....'cause she's OPRAH....

3. Tonight's easy dinner: Ravioli Lasagna....Check this out....(not my idea, but a fellow TKD Mom)..

a. Pour some sauce in the pan (I doctored up some jar sauce), stack frozen ravioli $2.50 a bag at Wegman's.... (I chose Cheese filled because Greg is all about cheese)

b. Then pour some more sauce on top....

c. Then add layers of whatever cheese. For Greg's meal, I added Parmesan and mozzarella..

I am serving this with Homemade Foccacia Bread. Which is super simple to make...I should make it more often but I get stuck on other breads...if he likes this, I'll be fixing it frequently. It's super simple and pretty inexpensive. He's not a picky eater :)

4. Started working out again. My trainer is trying to kill me slowly. I didn't think a human could be this sore and still breathe. But apparently, it's possible....The key here is consistency. If I could just work out a little each day.....I wouldn't be so dang sore. But I feel guilty pushing the kids' school schedule to accommodate my health. Consequently, I don't feel at all guilty when the laundry has to wait.

5. Hoping to occupy a space on the couch and watch a movie tonight.

6. If you're a local Baker, Harris Teeter has my Beloved King Arthur Flour on sale for 2 for $5.00. I was jumping up and down as much as my sore legs would allow as I loaded my basket...It doesn't take much to please me. Cheap Flour does it....

7. I am compulsive and can't cut my list off if I am near #7....

the adventures of Mohawk Boy....

For MONTHS, Adam has relentlessly nagged Greg and I for a mohawk....
(Greg cuts both boys' hair).....
I was against it because I don't want my sweet lil boy to look like a ruffian.

But he got one!

This past weekend, when I was headed out to the Ladies Retreat, Adam knew he'd be getting a haircut, so he asked once more if he could have a mohawk....so I said, "If you can convince your Daddy, then it's fine with me..." Apparently, I misjudged his ability to convince his Daddy,,,,

Skip ahead in the story a bit....I'm sitting at my Ladies Retreat, studying Proverbs 4:23 and checking my e-mail during a break...and what do I see...? These photos!

All of the ladies at my table got a kick out of it....I couldn't stop giggling....

At least his head will be covered mostly for the next month or two, while we go through winter. We did tell him that this is his ONLY mohawk, so he'd better enjoy it while it lasts. It is a bit disconcerting to walk through the stores and have people stare at me and at Adam, and the judgement on their faces is clear. It's ONLY HAIR, people.....

Thinking about getting him some pointy elf ears......I don't care, he still looks cute to me :)

my house has its own blog.....

Because I am a wild compulsive blogger...
Because I get to tell the stories...
Because I read somewhere that a girl started a blog for her house and it was what sold it :)

http://lovelivesinmyhouse.blogspot.com/

Yep, my house has its own blog......We'll see how it works out from here...
We've already had a good deal of interest :)
I pray this house blesses someone in the way it has blessed our Family!

Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
a. an iTunes gift card
b. a Wal-Mart gift card
c. a Bose iPod docking type station-clock combo
d. a DC photo safari
e. a laptop
(with my budget, I prefer A. or B..... :)

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
a beautiful scarf....

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
handmade frames.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
I was REALLY spoiled as a child and rec'd soooo much. But the one gift that I remember losing hours with was my Simon toy.

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
Jonathan wants a trumpet and a girl (not necessarily in that order). Micaela was an iPod, and Adam wants a basketball hoop thingie. And they ALL want a Wii....

6. What is your favorite holiday food?
I cannot name just one. The list is LONG......but I love dressing and cranberry sauce. And Peanut Butter Oatmeal Fudge. And hot chocolate. And Coconut Cake.....and a million other things.

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
I will be making cards for a Veteran's Home. I love making cards! And these sturdy men, who've served our country, are so grateful. It's very tender to watch them as they open a box of cards that they can then mail out.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
"It's a Wonderful Life." of course.....but I also love "Elf", "Polar Express" and "Love Actually"....

9. Favorite holiday song?
every single Christmas carol. I love love LOVE singing Christmas carols...just don't tell anyone :)

10. Favorite holiday pastime?
napping. No explanation needed!

Our “sleigh” is a Madsen Bike filled with gifts and goodies from Provo Craft to help you create those handmade projects including a Yudu screen-printing machine, a Cuttlebug, a Cricut Expression Machine, a Your Story thermal book binder, and a Knifty Knitter loom set. That’s not all - we’ve got treasures galore - a Dyson Blueprint, an Easy Walker Sky stroller from MamaBargains.com, two Sidekick baby carrier bags from Kemby and an Amber Alert GPS unit and a full year of service.

That’s over $3,800 in gifts!

So copy this meme (you know you wanna) and Send a link to your post via email with “Wish List Meme” in the subject line. You can even tag a few friends to participate in the meme.
How cool would it be to win?? I actually gasped when I saw the Dyson, I'll admit it....
Someone has to win, why not me?

ten more days.....

Do you realize that Thanksgiving is only TEN DAYS away....?
I love Thanksgiving....
I have great memories of Thanksgiving from my childhood.
My mom was, and still is, an amazing cook. She could put Paula Deen to shame. :)
I love the whole deal: the turkey, the stuffing, a few pies, WAY too many dishes to wash, full tummies, napping on the couch.....and above all else, being grateful.
No matter what's going on in your life, you have a lot for which you should be grateful.
The list of blessings in my life is long. I am lucky. So are you.

Now.....I have to start planning and gathering recipes. I was just telling someone at the Retreat what a great frugal addition a turkey is to your menu...I can get about 20 different meals out of one turkey..but truth be told, I fix the same three recipes. Maybe this year, I'll make the full 20 to the delight of my husband :)

What are you most thankful for this year?

I am most thankful for perspective. It's constantly changing and shifting but I am changing with it. I am thankful that God is opening up my heart to be more welcoming to whatever changes He has in store for us. I am thankful for my beautiful family. So thankful.

Veteran's Day

My favorite Veteran is of course my husband.
He, like countless others, has served -and is still serving- his country admirably.
So to my husband and all the others, thank you for your service.
We are the Home of the Free because of the Brave.

thank a Veteran.....

Deals for our Vets.....(collected from a variety of resources....)

Home Depot is offering a 10% discount until November 11. (Lowe's gives the discount YEAR-ROUND)

Get a FREE Veteran’s Day MP3 List at Amazon.com.

FREE Bloomin’ Onion and Beverage at Outback.

Golden Corral is offering a FREE meal on November 16 from 5p-9p too! While it’s not a Veteran’s Day FREEbie, it is still related to showing appreciation for Veterans!

Need a cane? Sam's Club is giving away 25,000 free Hugo folding canes to Veterans on Wed., Nov. 11 and you don't have to be a Sam's Club member. However, you may need proof of military service. The Hugo folding canes retail for $29.99.

Applebee's Restaurant is offering a free meal, from a limited menu, for vets on November 11th. Their webpage lists the required documentation: a military ID, an LES, a membership card from a Veterans' organization, a photograph of you in uniform, actually wearing a uniform, a copy of your DD214, or a copy of a citation or commendation. It's nice that they list those so clearly. It appears that they are offering the free meal all day.

Pizzaria Uno is offering a free entree or individual pizza, with purchase of the same, to all veterans and active duty military members.

Free Doughnut at Krispy Kreme on Wednesday 11/11! mmm, doughnuts...

In the Midwest, Hy-Vee stores with in-store dining are offering a free breakfast from 7-11 on Wednesday.

(excuse the fonts...the entry is freaking out....)

back in the saddle...

this post is all random stuff...because I am feelin' pretty random....

1. do you like Taste of Home? It's a GREAT magazine....you can access the digital edition of the October/November Taste of Home magazine here. It is LOADED with Thanksgiving recipes and photos of every single recipe. I bought my mom a two-year subscription for $4.00 and she LOVES it...

2. Our house is officially on the market....I now to get to keep it super clean of every minute of every day for the next however-many-months....which should be easier since we threw away 90% of the clutter.....(I say 90% because we are still working on the Garage, which in our house is Man Land, and I wouldn't even know what to touch and what not to touch....so I leave it alone...)

3. I am writing this to you from the comfort of my office chair. On which now rests a super fabulous oh-my-goodness HoMedics Shiatsu Heat Massaging Chair thingie.....It was my birthday gift :)....and I LOVE IT....

4. The aforementioned chair will be pretty handy, as I am about to FINALLY start working out again (yippee......) The house has taken all of our time and I abandoned the gym :(

5. Less than a month and I'll be waking up in Alaska.....I am all of a sudden soooo looking forward to the trip home. Real snow and all...

6. More later...........

we interrupt my break for this announcement....

You know I <3 all things SwagBucks related.....which is why I need to ALERT you of a new rule....
For those of you who have been saving your Swagbucks to cash in for Christmas gift cards (like yours truly), it appears they have just implemented a new 5-rewards-per-month rule:

This new rule will only let me "earn" $25.00 each month. That's going to make getting that new LCD TV a little tougher :)----I am not getting an LCD TV...I am hoping the movers break ours next year so we can get a new one though :)

Now, back to cleaning on my "break".......can someone just come buy my house so I don't have to clean anymore?

gone...

I have so much going on in my life right now that The Blog is falling to the wayside.
I am too busy actually livin' life........
So I am taking a break from The Blog :)
Might be a day, might be a week. Don't know...
One thing's for sure: I'm going to relax soon (hopefully)....

what are you....? an R or a C?

I'm a "C".....

I was proud to see VA elect Bob McDonnell last night. He will serve VA well.
Was it a statement about Obama? Maybe....
Let's get back to basics, you know, that whole CONSTITUTION thing means something to some of us.
Obama is NOT my guy. Neither are many of the people with an "R" after their name.

I want CONSERVATIVE leaders.....And most of the time, we can find them more often in the Republican Party.



Let's get going, America.
Reclaim our country.
It's the best BECAUSE of Americans.
Don't just sit there, watching DTWS, get involved.
VOTE.
Call your elected officials.
Get into it.
It's YOUR country.
Act like it. (and yes, I know it's your right to do nothing, but your liberty is at stake....)

it is Wednesday......how's that for clever?

1. I am tired. So tired that I have not even watch LAST WEEK'S "Biggest Loser".....or this week's...

2. I have de-cluttered, then purged, and then I de-cluttered some more :) I must say though, it looks and FEELS much better. I know I'll eventually revert back to my old stacking habits, but when we move, I really should reduce what we have IN THE HOUSE...It just FEELS better.

3. The house goes active tomorrow on the MLS listing thingie. I am not done. I'll be cleaning pretty much all day and night. But I know this will be worth it. Even if the house doesn't sell in November, it'll sure be cleaner!! It's all in God's hands. It'll go according to His plan, and I have to prayerfully accept that. When my anxiety about our beautiful little house selling creeps on in, it's my husband's voice I hear, saying "trust Him, honey."......

4. I do wish I could clone myself though. And one of Me could order the Other Me around, and then maybe another Me could do the Sock Basket (which truth be told, is fairly empty....) Be let's be honest: one of me in this world is truly enough :)

5. I am listening to my new fave song "Never Alone" by BarlowGirl. Too bad the kids are still sleeping, that's a great song to blast.

6. Today, on my many errands, I will actually be going to a post office. If you know me IRL, I have a thing about to PO. It irks me. I hate to go ship actual packages. Probably stems from the PO LOSING so much of my mail!!!!.....{breathe, Suzanne...} Hope springs sternal. They better not lose this box: it's coffee for my Mom :)

7. That's all the bloggin' for me today. I have kids to wake and motivate, as well as LOTS to do. I just didn't want my 4 loyal readers to think I'd fallen off the Earth....

can you believe it?

I survived for 12 hours today with NO INTERNET ACCESS.
I amazed myself by doing 4 loads of laundry.
And some painting.
But now I have the 'net back and all I wanna do is sit some more.....
but my husband is bringing home more paint.
I swear, whoever buys our house better LOVE it.
It looks so darn good, I almost wanna stay.
(I said, ALMOST....nothing will not make me wanna move to WA!!)

stop....

Instructions for today:

1. Stop talking.
2. Appreciate the small things.
3. Be thankful for them.

More instructions will follow for tomorrow :)

(Saw that flower while walking at a gig today.....it's just a small reminder...)

Wooo HOOOO!

It's Friday.
That makes me happy :)
In addition to the fact that I have a date tonight with my sweetie, we've majorly de-cluttered the house and packed out some huge stuff (more to come!) and tonight we will (hopefully) enjoy 3 kid-free hours. That's a BIG deal!!
We're going to the movies, going to see "Law Abiding Citizen" with Gerard Butler.....
And maybe I'll take him to Cold Stone Creamery (I have a coupon that's burning a hole in my pocket!!) It's been a long week, I am ready to relax a bit and enjoy some time with my husband.

What do you guys have planned?

Supposed to be Wordless Wednesday

Ha! Can't be Wordless....

The week is about to get a lot busier. We'll be moving major stuff OUT of the house so we can tackle grime and painting :) fun!
Thank God that Greg took leave this week. It has helped so much. Adam sure loves having his dad around. Today, they were pressure washing the house and driveway. Do you see that brick sidewalk behind them? It gets ZERO sun, ever. So it developed a lovely greenish gunk on it. It didn't stand a chance against the pressure washer! It's good to have handy men around!
Still praying that this whole process, the getting the house ready, the putting it on the market, the eventual sale of the house, will be blessed. I want our home to be the same blessing to a family as it has been to us. When our kids are grown, they will remember THIS HOUSE as their childhood home. I hope a nice family buys it! It's all in God's hands!

Now, I must go rent a storage place. The real fun is starting....isn't it?

the maid has the day off......

I tell my kids that all the time when they forget to pick things up....ha ha ha....
So there's a contest.......you could WIN a maid....do I even need to tell you how fast I signed up for that? I also entered my Mom, so if she wins, boy will she be surprised!!

Enter to win FREE house cleaning!

What could you do with more free time? Murphy® Oil Soap invites you to find out!

One Grand Prize winner will receive a year of free house cleaning from Merry Maids® ($3,500 value).

Read sweepstakes rules here.

Monday

Where I want to be:
but realistically, where I *am*:
But in 40-something days, I'll be here:
My sweet husband, will be here, by the week's end: (say a lil prayer for him)
Just going about what I need to do, prayerfully, trusting in God to know what's best for me. I mean, He *is* in charge after all...