Sunday, December 23, 2007

Merry Christmas!

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Happy Holidays

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1443522980

Elf yourself!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Holiday Tour of Homes

Heidi Jo is hosting a Holiday Tour of Homes Extravaganza.
I'd like to share my holiday decor with you.
My Nativity Set


Hayley's Nativity Set


My Miniature Christmas Teapot Sets & Candles

(I collect miniature teapot sets of all kinds.)


My Table Centerpiece

My Purple Poinsettia with Glitter

My Picture Perfect Christmas Tree

(Decorated in purple, silver, and irridescent.)


The "Charlie Brown" Christmas Tree
(Decorated with ornaments from Dean's & my childhood, ornaments I have bought the kids, and ornaments the kids have made.)


The Mouse Countdown Calendar

(This is from my childhood.)


The New "Cool" Stockings

(When we get our fireplace mantel finished, these will hang there.)

(Hayley-pink, Dean-green, Tanner-blue, Me-Purple)



Santa's Milk & Cookies

Monday, December 10, 2007

Christmas Baking is Done!

Christmas baking is finally done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finished up on Saturday with Rosettes. Now, if I could only find friends and family to share my Christmas goodies with.........

Friday evening was Dean's work Christmas party. It involved a good meal, many door prizes to the employees, and karoake. Dean received his bonus and won the table centerpiece (which I will be regifting) and a $50 gift certificate to M*enards. [You may not believe in regifting but if it's something I don't like or need and it was not given to me by a special person, I feel I should be able to give it to someone who will enjoy it.]

Saturday I spent four hours shopping for Christmas gifts. I only have two left to buy, plus a few more stocking stuffers. While shopping, I found purple poinsettias - with glitter!! How COOL!!! My favorite color is purple. I bought two - one for my office and one for home to match my purple sofas, purple decor, and purple decorated Christmas tree! [They came in purple, pink, blue, peach, ivory and red.] I spent three hours wrapping gifts, which I LOVE to do! And got most of the laundry done. Then I spent the evening making Rosettes.

Sunday the kids had to acolyte at church and then I finished up the laundry and caught up on my TV watching on the DVR. The CEO at Dean's work had a manager's Christmas party at his house Sunday evening. There was lots of food and drinks and people - about 30 to 40! It was a full house! Afterwards we all played a few games of Catch Phrase.

So what did you do this weekend? Got all your shopping & gift wrapping done?

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Snowed In = Baking Marathon

Saturday at noon the kids and I started our Baking Marathon being it was snowing like crazy outside! We made Candy Cane Snowballs, Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints, Butter Pecan Fudge, Cookie Dough Truffles, & decorated the Sugar Cookies we made last weekend! We finally finished at 8 pm! We were exhausted! Next weekend we'll finish up with Rosettes and then we should be done!

(No, I didn't make these!)

What did you do while you were snowed in?

Monday, November 26, 2007

Thanksgiving Festivities

It seems that when you're approaching a 4-day weekend it looks like a really long time to have off and you'll get a lot accomplished. But when you get to Monday, you ask yourself, where the heck did those four days go!!

WEDNESDAY - I worked until 4:00. Then I had to make two salads for Thanksgiving dinner. My sister, Jodi, came to town to stay overnight. We ran over to Dean's parents to see Dean's brother, his wife and their four kids that had come to town for the holiday.

THURSDAY - Dean, my sister, Dean's parents, and Dean's brother & his wife & daughter participated in the Turkey Day 5k run / 2 mile walk. Dean & his parents walked while everyone else ran. This is the third year that our family has participated in this event. However, it was the 8th annual Turkey Day event. If I could be guaranteed that it will be at least 50 degrees that day, then I would also sign up to walk but I don't see that happening. Therefore, I become the DB - designated babysitter. This year, I watched my own two kids plus Matt who is 7, Charlie who is 4, Nolan who will be 3 in January, and Joe who just turned 2. Wow - I think I was a little out of practice!

We had Thanksgiving dinner at Dean's sisters here in town. We hung out there the entire day. There was lots of food, conversation, and games. We had a Guitar Hero contest where the kids paired up everyone to compete against each other! It was lots of fun! (Btw, I beat Dean the first round.)

(Dean's brother, Dave, & his wife, Becky)


(Dean & I)
(Dean & Tanner)
(Tanner & I)
(Dean & Hayley)
FRIDAY - I'm generally a crazy shopper (but not an insane crazy shopper) who is generally out shopping by 6:30. But not this year! I just didn't see anything in the ads that I just had to have yet I felt like I needed to go out because I love to shop!! So I decided to sleep in yet get up in time to make it before the deals ended at 11 am. My dad called me at 9 am just as I was getting ready to leave the house and asked which store I was in. I told him I was still at home; I hadn't left yet. He said, what? Are you sick!? :) I was home by noon. (I may have found better deals in SF but I just don't want to travel that far so I'll just have to be satisfied with W.)

Then we met the relatives at the movie theatre to watch The Be*e Movie. It is a really cute movie. I suggest you see it! The kids and adults all enjoyed it! Then we spent the day at Dean's parents, had pizza for supper and went to the Holiday Lighted Parade.

The cousins wanted to have a girls sleepover and a boys sleepover. I got the boys! Which actually ended up being only one boy coming because the other one was too naughty and the other was kinda young (4).

SATURDAY - Hayley and I went shopping for 2 1/2 hours. I did not plan on this. She was looking for a Christmas tree for her room. She's been wanting one for a couple years now and I told her that would be a great item to spend some of her birthday money on as this is something she will keep for many years. Then we dug out all the Christmas decor and started decorating.

SUNDAY - I started my Christmas baking! I rolled out Sugar Cookies which we'll decorate tomorrow. We made Peanut Butter Mice, Pretzel Rods dipped in homemade caramel and candy coating, Caramels, and Million Dollar Fudge. Plus I got 7 loads of laundry done!

MONDAY - We're all starting to come down with colds that the out-of-town guests seemed to have brought and shared with us! :(

Hope your Thanksgiving was great!

WOW! Can you believe Christmas is only a month away???

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Turkey Day!


Hope you all have a GREAT and THANKFUL Thanksgiving!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

The Light at the End of My Tunnel

I woke up to this yesterday morning!! YUCK!!!


I've been feeling a little stressed lately so earlier this week I decided I was taking a trip to SF on Saturday! That will definitely cheer me up!! It was the light at the end of my tunnel. I was so excited about going I could hardly wait! Now, I do go to SF quite often but this time I decided I was leaving the kids AND the hubby home! I thought about asking a friend to go with me and decided no - I wanted to be by myself and only worry about me and where I want to go.

I was in the bathroom and had opened the blinds and saw snow! I yelled, "Are you kidding me?!" My hubby downstairs just laughed because he knew exactly what I was referring to! See, I'm a wimp when it comes to driving in rain, snow, ice, wind, or the dark! I prefer bright sunny days! But I decided to suck it up because darn it, I was going to SF!

I got going about 9:30 am and just as I was getting on the interstate saw three cars and a police car on the shoulder of the on-ramp. I couldn't see any damage to the vehicles but I did notice tracks in the snow from the overpass all the way down the big hill to the on-ramp where the four vehicles were sitting. Then I got even more nervous but I wasn't turning around. According to 511, I only had to go about 15 miles and then I'd be out of the yucky weather. So I, and the cars around me, all drove 60-65 mph for about 25 miles before we finally saw dry road! Yay!!

I had a nice long list of things to get but it didn't go so well. They were out of stuff and I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. I wanted new Christmas decorations for the tree in a purple / burgundy color and a white tree skirt. Plus I was looking for another artificial tree for downstairs but didn't find one that I just had to have. And the crowds were awful!!! I should have known better!

But I did come home with 12 new shirts, 2 pairs of dress boots, and some decorations for my office!!

I ended up running out of time and spent an hour driving in the dark!! But luckily I had no encounters with deer or anything else!

In the evening, Hayley had a birthday party at a hotel and Tanner went to movie night at the church so Dean and I had a date!!! Drinks and munchies at Minerva*s.

Today, Tanner & Hayley had to acolyte at church for the first time! It was so cute to watch them perform their duties!

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Still Busy!

Just thought I'd drop by and let you know I'm still here!

I had hoped that after the birthday month everything would start settling down but that hasn't been the case.

For Halloween, I decorated a bunch of mini pumpkin cakes (pictures to be posted soon). The kids went trick-or-treating uptown and then around the neighborhood. The kids like to hurry up and get back so they can hand out candy. In M, our neighborhood was super busy with kids and we handed out a TON of candy. We thought the same would be true in this new development we're in, in W but no, WE WERE WRONG! We had A LOT of leftover candy. Add that to all the candy the kids collected and I think we're set until next year!

Friday evening Dean & I had a little time to ourselves (aka without kids). My boss had a double celebration - her husband's 40th birthday party and the christening of their new shed. The party was held in the shed which was supposedly heated but it sure didn't feel like it! And I was even drinking hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps!

Hayley is finally having her birthday sleepover on Friday. She invited five girls - don't know how many are coming yet. Just found out today that one of the girls she invited is having her birthday party sleepover this Friday, also, and they each invited three of the same girls!! So it might be a small sleepover but that's ok! Should be fun but can't wait for it to over!! And the sleepover means I'll be decorating ANOTHER cake on Thursday. This time a pink electric guitar for her RockStar birthday party.

Saturday we are going to the town play with Dean's parents and Dean's sister and her family. Should be a fun family event.

Then I'm hoping to RELAX! Thank goodness it's a three-day weekend!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Happy 38th Honey!

The birthdays are FINALLY over!!! Dean is the last one of the bunch and his was Saturday. It was very low-key - just like Dean!! We just hung out at home. (I was VERY exhausted because the PBL Conference was Friday & Saturday.) Maybe we'll do lunch tomorrow, just him & I to celebrate.

Thanks for being a good husband and dad! We don't know what we'd do without you!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!

Hope it was a good one! Love you!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Happy 11th Birthday Hayley


Dean had to go to the cities today for work so we couldn't have Hayley's party tonight. Instead we will have it on Thursday. Hayley also decided to wait until then to have her birthday meal out. She mentioned Apple*Bees - boy, do we like Apple*Bees or what?! Tanner chose it, I chose it and now possibly her! It's yummy food!!

Tonight I baked her cake and tomorrow night I will be decorating it. Hopefully it goes as smoothly as Tanner's did! She decided on a RockStar birthday party so I'll be decorating an electric guitar. Wish me luck! We're just so darn busy that she won't get to have her birthday sleepover/karoake party until the middle of November!! Better late than never!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Today I Turned...

28 ....... Again ........ :)

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Single Parent

Single Parent: A parent who cares for children without the assistance of another person in the home.

Yes, this has definitely been my life this week. Dean left on Sunday to attend some training for work in the cities. He returns tomorrow evening. NOT soon enough!!! It has been a CRAZY week. Besides working full-time, Hayley had dance two nights this week, the kids had Church school one night (which required a parent to also attend as it was acolyte training), work has been SUPER busy, I hurt my back last night throwing fifteen 40 lb bags of rock off my dad's truck so I have to ice it, making sure the kids' homework gets done, making my boss a cheesecake for Boss's Day, it's been raining which means I have to leave work to pick the kids up from school, take them home, and then head back to work, and I have to plan Hayley's birthday party that's next week. That's what I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure there's more....

Needless to say, tonight I'm doing much of nothing and I think I deserve it!!!

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Happy Golden B-Day Tanner!

Tanner turned 12 on the 12th! Happy GOLDEN Birthday!




Tanner chose to eat at Apple*Bees for his birthday meal. He even got sung to! And he LOVED it!! We had a family party with cake and ice cream. One of Tanner's cousins stayed overnight Friday and they had lots of fun! Here are some pictures of his day.

The cake didn't turn out the best but it's the first one I've done in five years so I think it's pretty darn good!

(Sorry your tribute is late Tan-Man but better late than never!)

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Fall, Fall - Stay Away!

I am enjoying this nice weather so please stay away a little longer...

Or better yet - A LOT longer!

Monday, October 01, 2007

A Girls' Weekend

This past weekend was a Girls' Weekend. Just Hayley and me!

We started out by leaving Saturday morning at 9:00 for SF. We had plans to stop in M and meet Julie at the homecoming parade but it was just so darn windy- like hurricane windy! It just so happened that we were both heading to SF that weekend so we decided to try to meet up for lunch. Well, it didn't work out. But hopefully we'll get together soon!

We did some shopping, had lunch at IH*P (at Hayley's request), and did some more shopping! My friend Maria's little boy, Jordan, turned one! She had a birthday party at the Ram*da Inn. She put a lot of work into the party. She made up DVDs of all the home movies they've taken of Jordan and played those. She did a frog theme. She made a bunch of mini cakes with fondant and frog suckers. It was really cute! It was such a fun time - swimming, supper, presents, and cake! [I began babysitting Jordan when he was only five days old!! I baby sat for him for a semester. I was his 1st babysitter!!]

Then we stayed overnight at my sister, Shar's. Shar already had other plans to go out with her friends but graciously let us stay at her place. After a hard night of partying, Shar got up early to cook us pancakes for breakfast. Then we did some more shopping! For dinner, we ate at S*nic (at Hayley's request).

I bought myself a birthday present - even though it's a few weeks away! I've been searching high and low for a gold and silver watch - that I like. I finally found one!! It's awesome!! And I got a REALLY good deal on it and it was the cheapest one on my list. The hubby is happy! Plus I bought a gold and silver charm bracelet. I'll have to take a picture - it's really neat!

We finally got home about 5:30 pm on Sunday and boy, were we tired!!


Wednesday, September 26, 2007

I'm Back!

So it appears that I've still got a few readers so I will keep on blogging away! Thanks for hanging in there! It's been CRAZY-busy around here the last month!

My friend, Maria, and her little handsome boy, Jordan, from M came to visit us yesterday. We hadn't seen each other since June so we had A LOT of catching up to do. It was so GREAT to see them and visit. I'm already looking forward to our next get together. Jordan turns one on Saturday so Maria is throwing a BIG birthday party at a hotel in SF so the kids and I will be heading there for the weekend.

I have finally given into the fact that fall is here. So I went shopping yesterday for fall decor for our home and my office. I think I did pretty good! We have a craft store here in town and they have SO MUCH fall decor it's almost ridiculous! Plus it was all 30% off!! HELLO!!! I was in the store for an hour because I couldn't figure out what to buy and what I could do without. I'll have to take pictures and share them with you. I really enjoy decorating for holidays/seasons/events!! At my last two jobs, I was in charge of holiday decorations.

My co-worker had her baby today so after work my department went up to the hospital to visit. She is so adorable!! It almost makes me want to have another........but NO, there's no way in heck I'll be having another!

October 1st I will be going full-time at my current job. I'm excited yet I've really enjoyed working part-time and I'm going to miss that. Since school has started I've been working four days/week from 8:30 to 3:15. Now I'll be working five days/week from 8:00 to 5:00. However, two mornings a week I'll go in late so I can take the kids to school and Dean will take them the other three mornings. The kids are so excited about walking home from school. I don't know why. I'm sure this will change after they've done it for awhile or it starts getting cold. This is a HUGE step for me. I know I need to let them grow up but I feel like I should be there. On cold days, Dean, I, or Dean's parents will hopefully be able to pick them up.

I really, really don't like that fall is here because that means winter is right around the corner. And you know what that means??? SNOW!!! (Oh no, I can't believe I said the s-word.) People in my office have given up their short sleeve shirts and sandals but not me! NOPE! I'm still wearning short sleeves (yes, I'm freezing sometimes) and I'm still wearing sandals! Just try to take those away from me! I'm going to hold onto summer for as long as I can.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Are You Still There?

Does anyone still read my blog? I've done such a terrible job the past two months of updating it that I'm beginning to wonder if I've lost my readers. If you're still out there checking my blog, please let me know. If I've still got followers, then I'll promise to do a better job of keeping my blog updated.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

M-T-M Giveaway

Multi-Tasking Moms and Ladies Tools Online are hosting a giveaway. If you're interested in a stylish set of tools, check it out!

Thursday, September 06, 2007

A Sign You Haven't Had Enough Sleep

You put your toothbrush in with your make-up brushes!

The Bad Part - You don't even remember doing this!!

So I got done brushing my teeth and put my toothbrush away - or so I thought! I walked across the room to grab a tissue and when I returned to the sink I saw this!

WHO'S toothbrush is that in MY make-up brush holder?

OH NO - Is that MINE? It couldn't be! So I yank open my drawer where my toothbrush is supposed to be and - NO WAY - it's NOT there! That's MY toothbrush in with MY make-up brushes, so NOT where it's supposed to be. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't normally keep my toothbrush with my make-up brushes.

How did that happen?? How is it I CANNOT remember doing this - it only happened 60 seconds ago! I thought someone was playing a joke on me but my kids were still in bed and my hubby was in the shower. And I don't think there was anyone else in the house.......or was there??

I think I definitely need more sleep!

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Tanner Funny

A discount furniture store here in town is liquidating their inventory. Although they don't have the best furniture, I thought I'd better check it out. I certainly did NOT find any GREAT deals nor did I find any GOOD deals. Near the end of our browsing, this conversation takes place:

Tanner: Wow! $17!! (referring to an UGLY floor lamp)

[Now I'm thinking he's surprised that such an ugly lamp can cost SO much.]

[But he's really thinking WOW, you can buy a lamp for ONLY $17!!]

Tanner: I can afford lots of things with my own money in here!

I was laughing so hard because he was totally serious!!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Too Tired To Cook

It's Friday evening and you don't want to make supper. It's been a long week and besides, you've cooked all week. You deserve a break. So you dig out the coupon book that you bought from the B*y Sco*ts fundraiser to see where you can go out to eat. You come across the G*dfathers' buffet and boy, does that sound good! You read the fine print to make sure you can use it as some have restrictions. Sure enough, it's valid Monday - Friday. Everyone else agrees that G*dfathers sounds yummy............

Only to discover when you get there that they are NOT serving the buffet. Nor do they EVER serve the buffet on Friday nights. WHAT?!?! But the coupon says it can be used Monday - Friday!! G*dfathers informs you that they only serve the buffet on Tuesdays and Thursdays. WHAT?!?! So, we left...............without having the buffet...............and went across the street to B*rger K*ng. But B*rger K*ng just wasn't the same (obviously) and it did not HIT THE SPOT.

You should have just stayed home and cooked!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

What Kind of Sandal Are You?

You are Flat Sandals


Casual yet flirty
You look great in a simple top and jeans
Your look is approachable and cute!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Summer Vacation - 2007

Last weekend was our fun but low-key summer vacation.

Saturday morning we headed to the fair in SF. This was the first time we've been there. Of course, it had to be 95 degrees!! I like it hot but not this hot, especially when we're planning to be outside all day. We spent FIVE HOT hours (11 to 4) there before we finally called a time out. We checked into our hotel so the kids could swim. Dean & I had enough points on our separate hotel rewards cards for a free night but with Dean's they were fully booked and with mine we could only get a Level 1 or Level 2 hotel. We normally stay at the nice Ramada with the wonderful waterpark which is a Level 3 hotel or the Best Western with the waterpark - no rewards card. Being I didn't feel like spending $160+/night for a rewards room at the Ramada when I could get a room for free elsewhere, we decided to stay at the Ramada Limited. Well, we won't be staying there again. The hotel was alright. We've definitely seen much worse. The pool was so lame. They closed the hot tub 15 minutes after we got there (which after being outside in 95 degree heat I don't know why the kids wanted to sit in there in the first place - I normally don't allow them to sit for more than 5 minutes anyways) and there was so much chlorine in the pool that our eyes just stung sitting in the room. Needless to say, the kids did not enjoy the pool and only swam for 30 minutes. Next time we'll go for the waterpark!

The kids were a bit timid of the rides when we first got to the fair. After some (ok, LOTS) of prodding from Dean & I, the kids finally started going on them and LOVED them! They couldn't get enough!! The ferris wheel took A LOT of prodding for Tanner and then he gripped that center bar tight the whole time! Watching the kids on some of those rides got me sick to my stomach. It's a good thing I didn't go on them!! Plus, with it being so hot, we drank and drank and drank LOTS of liquids!! But no one got sick! YEA!!

After swimming, we went to Olive Garden for a yummy supper! Then we went to Falls Park which the kids really enjoyed. At 8:30 we headed back to the fair so we could see it in the dark and stayed until 10:30. Then we headed back to the hotel and finally crawled into bed about 11:30. What a late night - especially for the kids! Our feet were killing us after being on them for 8 hours!!


On Sunday Dean went golfing with my friend Ellie's husband, Mike, while the kids and I shopped for back-to-school clothes. We found quite a bit for Hayley, some for Tanner, and quite a bit for me. Oh yeah, I'm not going back to school. Oh well, I thought I needed some more new clothes anyways. After golfing, Dean joined us for some shopping. Aftewards we met Ellie & her family at Chevy's for supper and then went back to their house to visit. We finally got home about 10:15!! We were pooped! I told Dean to grab the toiletry bag and leave everything else in the car and I would unpack it on Monday! Our feet were way past killing us after being on them for an additional 7 hours!! (No, I don't wear appropriate shoes - I believe in fashion before function!)

I was hoping to get to the Omaha Zoo but right now it doesn't seem like it's going to work out this year. :( Although our vacation was low-key this year (last year we went to the Black Hills), we had lots of fun!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Multi-Tasking Moms to the Rescue

Multi-Tasking Moms is having a contest. Wahoo!! momAgenda has agreed to sponsor Multi-Tasking Moms. Yeah!! That means someone can win a fabulous momAgenda Desktop Planner! I would LOVE to win this planner! Our lives can get pretty hectic and as my kids get older, it only get more hectic!

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Big Brother 8

Oh, I am so mad that Eric did NOT get evicted tonight! It was his time to go!! Amber - you could have overcome your predicament by going directly to Eric and telling him that you were revoking your promise because of what he did, apologize to your daughter for taking back your word, and then pray about it!! This was a decent way to go about it and you didn't do it and should have, espcially after Eric blabbed about using your secret against you when the time was right!! Geez, girl - YOU ARE STUPID!! I hope it comes back to bite you in the butt!

I wish Jessica hadn't won HOH. Jessica - you are a weasel. I hope it comes back to bite you in the butt, too! I can only hope everything turns out for the best considering all the people that have stipulations on them - eating slop the rest of their time there and not competing in POV competitions.

At least Kail doesn't have to eat slop and forgo competing in the POV competitions. Being on the nomination block three weeks in a row has to be extremely stressful. I'm sure part of her is relieved to be gone!

Thursday, August 02, 2007

A Hayley Not-So-Funny

It was a SUNNY and HOT afternoon. The temperature reached into the 90s. We spent three (sticky) hours at the pool. We had just left the pool and were climbing into our truck.

Me: Did you kids have fun?
Tanner/Hayley: Yep!
Me: Wow! I think I sweated off some fat sitting there!
Hayley: Yeah, I think you did!
Me: What?! No, Hayley, the correct answer would be, "Mom, you didn't have any fat to sweat off!"
Hayley: Mom, you don't have any fat. You're skinny!
Me: Too late honey!

So I called Dean to ask if it was alright with him if I let Hayley walk home.

Dean: No. Why?
Me: (I repeated the above conversation.)
Dean: (laughing) Oh boy, she's in the dog house!

So after we got home and Hayley asked me for permission to do something I jokingly told her no, she was in the dog house the rest of the day. Her response?

Hayley: Mom, we don't have a dog house so I can't be!

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Happy Post-Day to Me!

It's my 100th post!! Enjoy finding out 100 (hopefully) interesting facts about me. If you don't want to know 100 things about me, then don't read this post!

1. My dad had the honor of naming me.

2. My mom left my dad and I when I was about a year old.

3. My dad remarried just before I turned three.

4. My stepmom already had two kids of her own, Kelly and Jodi, my step-sisters.

5. Kelly is two months younger than me while Jodi is two years younger than me.

6. My dad and stepmom had a child together, Shar, my half-sister.

7. Shar is 7 1/2 years younger than me.

8. My biological mom remarried and had two boys, Ikaika and Keola.

9. My half-brothers are of Hawaiian descent, live in Washington, and attend high school and junior high school.

10. I've only met my half-brothers three times.

11. My biological mom and I do not regularly keep in contact. However, my biological grandma (her mom) and I have stayed in constant contact. How crazy is that?!

12. My dad and stepmom divorced about five years ago. (Not soon enough but THANK GOODNESS!)

13. My stepmom and I did NOT get along. EVER!!!

14. I have a VERY close relationship with my dad. We talk about (almost) everything!

15. I'm a neat freak and perfectionist.

16. I can also be somewhat of a slob!

17. I am a shopaholic!!

18. I LOVE to read.

19. I like to read really good books more than once.

20. I seriously think I'm addicted to my lap top, the internet, and blogging! NO JOKE!! (Intervention anyone?)

21. I love watching reality TV shows.

22. For years, my all-time favorite movie was Dirty Dancing.

23. Currently, my all-time favorite movie is How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

24. I like playing board games and am VERY competitive.

25. When I was 12 or 13, while on my bike, I got hit by a car while riding on a highway. (Totally my fault.) Luckily the car had slowed down considerably and only my tire got hit and bent.

26. In junior high, I was a gymnast. However, after 3 years I quit because I was too scared to do flips! (Oh, believe me. I tried and it wasn't pretty!) I became the gymnastics student manager because I really enjoyed gymnastics.

27. I was a cheerleader all four years of high school. I cheered for girls' basketball, boys' basketball, and football. I still LOVE cheerleading.

28. My first vehicle was a white Ford Tempo with red interior.

29. One night in high school I didn't get home until 3:30 am!! Much to my dismay, my parents were awake when I got home. They had been out driving around looking for me and calling my friends! (How embarrassing!!)

30. I received an under-age citation when I was 16. I was sentenced to 90 days probation but was released after 40 days for good behavior.

31. I played the flute 5th - 12th grade. I also played the piano and I still can. (Not great but pretty darn good!)

32. I worked in a small town DQ-type establishment for seven summers!

33. I graduated from high school with a class of 41 students - one of the biggest in a LONG time in our small town of 1200 people.

34. My high school GPA was 3.76. (I rarely studied.)

35. I attended one year of college immediately following high school.

36. I had LOTS of fun during this first year of college and enjoyed the freedom from my parents (who were VERY strict).

37. I received a 2.53 GPA in my first year of college. YIKES!!

38. My second vehicle was a light blue stick-shift Corsica with only an AM radio. (It appears I went backwards - from an automatic to a stick and from an AM/FM radio to an AM radio. But my Tempo had a leak in the radiator, LOTS of miles, and was older. I learned how to drive a stick and to LOVE the oldies!)

39. I took Spanish classes in high school and college.

40. I got pregnant during my first year of college.

41. I gained 45 pounds during my first pregnancy.

42. Tanner was born October 12.

43. Three months later I was pregnant again.

44. Dean's mom realized I was pregnant before Dean & I did.

45. I gained 40 pounds during my second pregnancy. (I had lost 40 of the 45 pounds from my first pregnancy only to regain it all again so soon!)

46. Hayley was born October 23.

47. My birthday is October 19.

48. Dean's birthday is October 27.

49. Dean proposed to me a month before Tanner was born.

50. Dean and I were married when Tanner was 7 months old and I was about 5 months pregnant with Hayley. (Our wedding was originally planned for June or July and I had already bought my dress when we found out I was pregnant with Hayley.)

51. So we did what any normal person would do, we moved our wedding up to May 18th so I could fit into my dress!

52. We did not have a good wedding for MANY reasons. Therefore, we rarely discuss it as it does NOT bring fond memories.

53. Eight years after leaving college, I went back to college to finish my degree.

54. I was hired as the Cheerleading Coach for the university when I went back to college.

55. Rather than the traditional four-year degree, I received a five-year degree.

56. I graduated with a BS in Professional Accountancy and BBA in Finance.

57. I have at least 150 college credits so I can now sit for the Certified Public Accountant exam. (This is a goal of mine, however, I no longer want to be a CPA. I'd still like to take the exam being I attended the extra year of school and because I believe in achieving my goals. Plus, having the certification is bargaining power in the career world. It's about $800 to take the exam and only about 30% of people pass it the first time!)

58. My GPA during my last four years of college was 3.92. This included many semesters of 4.0. Being my classes from my first year of college transferred, so did my GPA of 2.53. Therefore, my overall GPA ended up being only 3.65. (Good but still disappointing.)

59. My third vehicle was a white Dodge Grand Caravan. It was GREAT for two very young children. Once they got older, I decided I'd rather have a "chic" vehicle instead of a "mom" vehicle.

60. My fourth and current vehicle is a silver Ford Explorer with leather seats. (We bought this brand new and it's the first brand new vehicle for both of us.)

61. Dean and I are total opposites! It keeps life interesting, that's for sure!!

62. My hubby has a twin brother. Dean is 6'2" and has blonde hair and blue eyes. Dan is 5'10" and has brown hair and brown eyes. (I'll never get them mixed up!)

63. Dean is Catholic while I am Lutheran and our kids are being raised Lutheran.

64. I've lived in five cities, one of them twice, and two states.

65. I've already bought four homes in my lifetime! (We're already making plans for our fifth home which we are hoping to build within five years.)

66. I've never lived alone!

67. I HATE the dark!!!

68. I've been to Walt Disney World four times.

69. I HATE flying!!! I take anxiety medication and motion sickness pills!

70. I am deathly AFRAID of snakes! I can't look at them on TV or in the zoo! (I even get the heebie-jeebies just talking about them or listening to someone else talk about them.)

71. I am a WIMP when it comes to spicy foods. Mild salsa is too spicy for me!

72. I have MAJOR sleeping problems.

73. I sleep better in a car than I do in my own bed!

74. I really LOVE color! (Can you tell?)

75. I have a birthmark on my inner thigh. It's lighter than the rest of my skin.

76. Foods I LOVE: peanut butter, cheesecake, and potatoes.

77. Foods I HATE: brussel sprouts, lobster, crab, blue cheese, mushrooms, and ricotta cheese.

78. Favorite beverage: diet coke.

79. Favorite alcoholic beverages: diet coke & Malibu, margaritas, and pina coladas.

80. I see better with my right eye than my left, even with corrected vision.

81. I cannot stand to listen to someone clip their nails. I get totally grossed out!

82. I also get grossed out when someone cracks their knuckles - yet I do it and it doesn't gross me out.

83. I once drank a capful of Everclear alcohol. (I don't recommend it.)

84. I've been to South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, Colorado, and Washington.

85. I've also been to Canada and Mexico.

86. I enjoy baking.

87. I HATE to drive or even ride in a vehicle at night. I try to avoid it at all costs!

88. I have a HUGE CRUSH on Matthew McConaughey. He is such a HOTTIE!!

89. My favorite colors are purple and pink.

90. I HATE coffee and highly doubt I'll ever like it.

91. I've always wanted twin girls. (But this momma ain't having NO more babies!)

92. I like to do karoake in the privacy of my own home with or without the kids.

93. I don't like to go to movie theatres. I'd rather rent the movie and watch it at home.

94. I'm ALWAYS cold - unless it's 90 degrees and I'm sitting at the pool.

95. I LOVE to eat out and would do it everyday if I could!

96. I absolutely HATE cold weather!

97. I am a pack-rat. It is so hard for me to throw things away no matter how important it is or isn't.

98. I'd rather email or chat with my friends in person rather than talking on the phone.

99. I love to organize stuff!

100. I love funky purses and funky socks. You will not catch me carrying a boring purse or wearing boring socks - unless I'm golfing - then I might wear a pair of boring white low-cut socks.

Hope you enjoyed this post and don't think I'm a CRAZY person! :)

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Christmas In July

Friday was Christmas at our house! My Lia Sophia jewelry came! It was SO much FUN to go through it. I'm SO excited I can't wait to wear it all. I'm going to be one stylin' chick! However, Dean was not too happy with my 14 pieces of new jewelry but as usual, he will get over it.

My dad and his lady friend, Pat, came to visit Friday evening so I invited my sister Kelly, her boyfriend, and their three kids over for a grill out. Then we had some YUMMY desserts (rhubarb cheesecake and peanut butter chocolate dessert). Afterwards we played some games - Kids Battle the Grown-Ups and Battle of the Sexes.

Saturday we did some shopping because it was Crazy Days. Boy, was it some LAME Crazy Days!! But I did manage to find a few deals. After lunch we played miniature golf and then my dad and Pat left.

Early Sunday morning Dean & I worked on the landscaping. (Dean's been working HARD on it the past week. Good job, honey! It's appreciated!) The sprinkler system was finished on Tuesday and then Dean started working on the edging. This morning we worked some more on the edging - we're over halfway done! Boy, was it HOT and we're talking 9 am! (When the edging is done, I'll post pictures.) We're hoping to get it finished Monday evening. Then we'll need to finally decided on and buy our rock and patio pavers. After working hard all morning, we decided an afternoon swim sounded good so we headed to the pool. Then it was a LAZY afternoon!

Monday, July 23, 2007

Weekend in Omaha



Friday at 6 pm Kari & I left for Omaha to celebrate her 30th birthday. We stopped in SF for supper and arrived at our hotel in downtown Omaha about 11:45 pm. Probably not a good idea for two girls to arrive in downtown Omaha at midnight!! But we survived! We stayed at The Magnolia Hotel. It's an old historic building that's been updated. Check out the pics - it's really COOL!!

Saturday morning we headed to a GREAT mall and Old Navy and did some damage - but not TOO bad!! I bought three tank tops from The Buckle, two shirts from Aeropostale, a shirt from NY & Co, four shirts from Charlotte Russe, a pair of purple flip flops from Old Navy, a bracelet from Wet Seal, and a pair of jeans from Gap for myself. I also bought Hayley a t-shirt from Aeropostale, two pairs of flip flops from Old Navy, and two head bands with the long ties from Charlotte Russe. She's been wanting one SO bad! Poor Tanner didn't get anything! It's so much more fun to shop for girl stuff! Next time buddy!

Then we headed to Charlie's on the Lake for supper. Obviously they serve a lot of sea food which I really don't care for but we found something I like. They had escargot, calamari, mussels, lobster, crab, etc. Eeewww!! (Kari often goes to this place when she's in Omaha for business.) It was a GREAT atmosphere! Ducks were roaming around freely amongst the guests. Of course I just had to feed them some of our bread and then they REALLY liked me!! One duck kept staring at me - I was getting a little afraid - it finally left after I made a sudden movement - not on purpose, though. For our meal we chose a salad of spinach, water chestnuts, red onion, and strawberries topped with a almond encrusted chicken breast and drizzled with a yummy viniagrette. SO GOOD!! They had an endless list of flavored martinis to choose from. We chose a cookie dough martini and a raspberry lemonade martini. After two sips, we were both buzzing!! CRAZY!! Then for dessert, we had white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. YUMMY!!


Funny story about our waiter at Charlie's. (Kari was trying to decide if she should have a whole martini or we should split one because she was driving and neither of us are big drinkers.) When our waiter was trying to take our drink order we were talking. The conversation went something like this:


Andrea: So Kari, what do you want to do?

Kari: I don't know. What do you think? Should I have a whole one?

Andrea: Have a whole one. We can sit here all night until you feel like you are ok to drive.

Kari: I don't know if I should.

Andrea: Have a whole one. We'll each get a different kind and share them. We've got no place to go.

Kari: OK. Let's each pick one.

Waiter: Where are you guys from? North Dakota? Canada?

(Kari & I laughing!)

Andrea: Why would you say that?

Kari: What did we say that makes you think that?

Waiter: The way you said you have no where to "go".

Kari: (pointing to me) That was you!

Waiter: (talking to Kari) You said something, too so I realized you were traveling together from somewhere.

So evidently we have accents!! I think it's CRAZY!! South Dakotans do NOT have accents! Everyone else does!! It was so funny!!

After our meal, we headed back to our hotel to drop off our purchases and walked to the Old Market. We checked out a bar called Billy Frog's (I think that was what it was called). Right by the front door is a display of driver licenses from all over the US - although, none from our SD. But we did find it amusing seeing a very old lady up there and a crazy looking lady. Not sure why they were up there. I'd hate if one of those were mine!!

Sunday we got up, had breakfast and we were on our way! We got back home about 4 pm. I was SO tired as I only had about 3 hours of sleep EACH night!! Saturday night there was a party going on in the hallway until at least 3 am! I was so ready to kick some butt!!

Sunday night I went to bed at 10:15 and I think I was out in 5 minutes!! I didn't wake up until 7 am and then slept off and on until 9 am. I'm hoping tonight goes just as smoothly!!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Dean the Landscaper

Monday Dean started our landscaping project which involved renting a skid steer to level the yard. (Yes, Amanda - he rented a bobcat.) :-) I was a little worried about Dean using the bobcat. I was inside just waiting to hear the big crash of him running into the house!! But it never happened - THANK GOODNESS!!



Tonight Dean was out pulling weeds. I probably should have been out there helping him but instead I was inside watching last night's episode of Big Brother (gosh, I LOVE that show) and trying to narrow done my choices from the lia sophia catalog. Boy, was that HARD WORK!! I'm pretty sure I was working as hard as my hubby was!! Then my lia sophia sales lady showed up to close my party and then we got to chatting. Sorry, honey! I can't wait to get all my loot - and boy, did I get a lot of loot - but PLEASE, don't tell my hubby!

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Oh, No - The Big 3-0!!

Happy Birthday to my best friend Kari!



It's true! You're turning 30 and there's nothing you can do about it. So grin and bear it!! :)

I somehow survived it so I know you will.
(Oops - did I just admit to being at least 30 years old?!?! No way, I couldn't have!!) :-)

We're heading to Omaha this weekend to celebrate her first weekend of being 30. It should be lots of fun. I hear they have GREAT shopping!!

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Lia Sophia Party

On Friday the 13th, I hosted my Lia Sophia Jewelry Party. Although I didn't have the turn out I was hoping for, it was still a GREAT time. I served munchies, margaritas, and pina coladas. YUM-O!! I had received a couple orders before the party, I still have to collect some orders, and three people were able to make it to my party. So really not too bad overall but I just wish more people would have been able to come to the party. Summer is just too busy for people! Now I have to narrow down my selections or I'd be ordering half the magazine because I think the jewelry is AWESOME! I can't wait to get my jewelry!

We decided to do most of our landscaping ourselves. We had got a couple bids and decided we really didn't want to spend that much money (although we had the money set aside from the sale of our house in M this past January). It's really hard to spend money when you've been holding onto it for so long! So we're going to save ourselves some money and do the landscaping ourselves. Heck, it migh even put us into shape!! Yahoo!! That would be a GREAT bonus!! We just purchased the edging stones. Dean will be renting a bobcat this week and leveling the yard. Then the irrigation guy will come install the sprinkler system (possibly even this week he said) and then we can finally get started. Boy, I can't wait to have a YARD! I'm having a tough time finding the tan rock I want, though. I didn't find it at Menards. I know it's out there somewhere because I've seen it at other houses darn it!! When the yard is done, I say a MARGARITA & PINA COLADA PARTY on the deck!!

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Our 4th of July & Weekend

We had a low key but good 4th of July. By the way, I'm glad everyone liked my creative flag on the 4th. I was laying in bed Wednesday morning thinking about doing a post when this came to mind. Normally I am NOT creative so I greatly appreciate all the nice comments! Thanks!

Wednesday afternoon, we went to the parade. Boy, was it HOT!! Afterwards, we hung out at home and then grilled out before heading to the stadium to partake in the activities there - a clown making balloon animals, baseball toss with radar gun, two bands were playing, concessions, and prizes. Then at dark, the fireworks show started. It was an AWESOME show!! The city did a very good job. But very LOUD - poor Hayley had her ears plugged during the ENTIRE show. (She seems to have sensitive ears and I think it's because of her having tubes in her ears when she was younger.) When we got home we did some sparklers and then went to bed.

Friday evening we went to the pool with Dean's sisters' families. If I can't go during the day because of work, I guess we'll have to start going in the evening. One of Dean's sisters was in town for her 20th reunion.

Saturday we all slept in! We REALLY needed to catch up on our sleep. And holy cow, Tanner did. He slept until 9:00 AM - he has NEVER slept that late. (Friday he slept until 8:00 AM and I was impressed by that and then Saturday he goes and blows me away again by sleeping even later!) He's always been an early riser - 6 to 7 am; I told him I was going to have to pull out his baby book and write this milestone down! :) The kids and I headed to the pool for the afternoon. Dean refused to be outside being it was so HOT! The kids met up with some of their old neighborhood friends from M. They had so much fun! My car said it was 100 degrees when we left the pool at 4:00. YIKES!! No wonder why I felt so sick!! After supper we hung out at Dean's parents' house with Dean's two sisters' families.

We had an interesting evening last night. We got home about 9:00 pm and couldn't get into our garage. Dean and I both tried the garage door opener SEVERAL times before I finally got out of our vehicle to try the keypad. But that didn't work neither. Finally after several attempts, a neighbor across the street yells that there's been a power outage. OH, GREAT!! So we parked outside and went inside to find out we definitely had no power. It was too dark to do anything inside so we played some card games out on the deck before coming in so the kids could go to bed. The kids brushed their teeth by flashlight while Dean & I brushed our teeth by candlelight. But the candlelight wasn't enough for me to remove my contacts. I had to go get the flashlight and set it on the sink so it was pointing up towards the ceiling so I could remove my contacts! Finally Dean called the utility company to get some info on the power outage. We were told that the power went out at 8:20, they didn't know what caused it, and they were working on restoring it. Thank goodness it had cooled down some outside but it was starting to get a little warm and stuffy inside. Dean & I decided to go to bed at 10:15. We were in bed for about 5 minutes when all of a sudden the power came back on - oops, left some lights on. So Dean & I got up and started resetting everything. So we were without power for 2 hours!! Glad it wasn't during the afternoon when it was 100 degrees!

Sunday afternoon we had our neighborhood friends from M over before they left to go back to M. They were up here camping. Otherwise Sunday is just going to be a LAZY day for us. Everyone deserves that now and then!

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Happy 4th of July

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Sunday, July 01, 2007

Police Station

Yesterday was an interesting day. I had to go to the police station to be finger printed. NO, it wasn't for a crime I've committed! It was for my job. I am considered an affiliate staff member of a division of the government so I need to be finger printed. I have NEVER been to a police station and hope I NEVER have to go back. It was real intimidating. I couldn't WAIT to get out of there. These days you don't have to deal with those messy ink pads. It's all computerized. Everything went well except for my left pinky - it was having issues! After three tries, they finally gave up with an incompatible read. It looked fine to me but evidently the computer didn't think so!!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

I Survived My First Day of Work

Amazing, I know! But it's been a LONG day and I am SO ready for bed. When my alarm went off at 6:30 I thought there was NO way I was going to survive my first day. The earliest I've been up all summer is 8:00!! Rough life, I know! :)

It was a rather dull day because all I did is really sit and watch my co-workers do their job although during the afternoon I got to do some of the data entry. My co-workers and boss are GREAT! It will definitely make going to work a lot easier. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little more exciting. I believe we have a meeting with customers to close a loan so that should be interesting. Just a reminder, if you don't remember, my position is Assistant Loan Officer.

I think I'm going to enjoy my job but I'm also going to REALLY look forward to my days off!!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Still Sick

Well, I'm not feeling better yet. This is not how I wanted to spend my last days of "freedom" or how I want to start my job tomorrow!

I thought I was getting better on Saturday and even went to the pool and down the tube waterslide and lazy river! (I don't think I'll be going down the tube slide again - I did NOT enjoy it!) However, Saturday evening I started getting sicker. My sore throat was almost gone but then I got a cough. And I've been coughing ever since!! So my sore throat is BACK but not nearly as bad!! And my sides, chest, stomach, and back ache from all my coughing. And of course, I'm not sleeping (what is new?) so I feel like the walking dead!! AWESOME! NOT!!

Yesterday I wasn't feeling too bad so we went to the pool. You can't keep the kids and I away when it's sunny and 90! I figured I was going to try to sweat out my cold. When that didn't work, Hayley and I enjoyed the lazy river. It's hard to believe someone can be cold when it's sunny and 90 but with me, everything is possible. The water was cold and when the sun went behind clouds and with the wind, oh, I was cold!! So I guess I even tried freezing the cold out of me. But none of it worked. I still have my cold!

So tomorrow I start my JOB! I'm looking forward to my first day of work but yet dreading it. Darn it, I should have taken the whole summer off!! I had the opportunity but didn't seize it! Wish me well - it should be interesting being I've been out of the workforce for so long!!