I wanted to share a picture of the clock I made for my MIL for Christmas. She is so hard to buy for. So, I made her an altered clock. The picture is of Steve and his 3 sisters. The picture is kind of old-taken back in 1997 before we moved from Ohio to Utah. It's simple but she loved it.

After re-reading my last entry, I realized that I sounded like such a "whiner". The week definately got better. I finally got some much needed sleep. I didn't get to sleep in at all before Christmas. I still have few more days to catch up before the kids go back to school. They start back on Wednesday. I am dreading all that running around. :( They really kicked it in and helped me around the house. We are slowly finding a place for all their new stuff and they have even gone through their closets and cleaned it out. Steve is on his way back from working in Cocoa Beach and might even be home for dinner. It all depends on the dreaded traffic.

I finally went to the eye doctors and I am getting glasses! I am really pleased with the frames I got. They are so different from the big ones I used to wear in college. It will be nice to be able to see clearly. I have never had my eyes dialated before and it was a really strange feeling. Since they aren't that bad, I only opted for the glasses and not contacts.

Weather is warming up again. I have all the windows open and there is a nice breeze. The kids are out playing probably driving the neighbors crazy. One of the reasons we picked this house was because it was on a cul de sac. Figures we gee the only "anti kid street".

For dinner, we are grilling out a pork tenderloin. I have had it marinating since this morning. I got a new crockpot for Christmas so I am hoping to use it this weekend. Steve wants me to do Sauerkraut but I am not sure I want the house to smell right now. I love it but I just can't hand the "after smell". I also got Paula Deen's new cookbook so I am going to go through that for some good recipes. I love to cook just never home to do it.

Well, better switch the laundry around. It just never ends. I don't mind washing it or folding it but I hate putting it away.

Have a great Friday!

Well, I finally got some pictures uploaded, but I can't figure out how to upload them to where I can type next to or underneath them. One of these days, I AM going to figure this out. Picture #1 is of Emily. She is waiting very patiently for her turn to open a present. Mark got a GI Joe. He came across Greg's old stash and just loved them. Unfortunately, they aren't as popular as they were when Greg was little and harder to find. Found this one at Big Lots. Greg wanted a weight bench so he could "work out" in the garage. Well, I had to leave it in the back of the van because it was just too heavy to get out and plus no where to hide it. He had no clue. So, Santa typed up a certificate and put it in an evelope telling him to look out in the back of the van. He was so excited. Last but not least is our lovely Liz. She is not a morning person and hates getting her picture taken. So, I take them anyway just so that someday she can't say "how come there are no pictures of me?" Well, I have them, she's just not smiling in any of them. Oh well.............

This is the week out of the year that I dread. The let down and all the hard work of Christmas is now over. Now I have to look forward to Steve's long hours for the next month. Greg's baseball season will be firing up and Elizabeth will be getting ready for SAT and another newspaper deadline. This is probably when I need Steve the most and he will be nowhere to be found!

I was sitting in the bath last night thinking about 2007 and I suddenly got so depressed. It hit me that Elizabeth will be a senior in high school! She is our oldest and I have never experienced this feeling. Where has the time gone? What if she goes far away to college? I also am dreading my birthday in October. Ugh...............I will be the big 40! Not looking forward to it.

I went through in my mind all the things I want to accomplish in 2007. My priority is to get Mark "figured out". I know the teacher wants a conference when school resumes so I am not looking forward to that. He behaves horribly in class. He struggles in Math and just can't grasp the concept. The teacher doesn't recommend taking him to Sylvan or Huntington but the school doesn't have the "resources" either. I know that I am going to have him tested for ADD eventually and I am also going to push the CAP (Central Auditory Processing) test with his audiologist. She said she could probably test him mid way through 1st grade or when he is 7. I am just at a loss and feel like a failure when it comes to him. None of the other kids had these problems or acted the way he does.

I have also decided that I am going to use the word "no" more and "it's about me" more. I spend so much time taking care of the others (kids, hubby), that I have totally let myself go. I used to be anal about my hair, make up and how I dressed (Jeans & T-shirts have become my new wardrobe). I used to get my hair cut/highlighted every 6-8 weeks. I go months between cuts now and I color my own hair. I miss my hightlights! So, first thing I have done is make an eye doctors appointment. I have put it off for YEARS. I used to wear reading glasses in college but stopped wearing them when Liz was born. I know that I need some kind of glasses. I just never took the time to make the appointment. So, at 4:30 today, I am off to get my eyes checked. Plus, I am able to kill off the remaining balance in the FSA account. I am going to try making Steve have a "date night" at least once a month. So what if the kids have to stay home one night a month? He and I are on two different levels. Sometimes I feel like he has "checked out". I want him to be more than just the "provider". I want him involved in the daily running of what's going on with this family. He is clueless. If you were to ask him, he couldn't even tell you what the kids doctors, dentists names are. So, another one of my "resolutions" is to get him more involved with his kids and less involved with his work. I know his job is important but his family is more and I think he forgets that.

Well, enough of my rambling. Need to switch the laundry around before I leave. If you read this far, sorry for all the complaining. Have a great Hump Day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. (I know it's late but I am just now sitting down for the night). Lots to update soon.

I have never done one of these "questionnaire's" off someone's blog but I thought what the heck. I got this off off Laura's blog. So I thought it would be fun to do one just because.


1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapped. It's all part of the tradition and fun.

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial. I like to keep my tree from the weekend after Thanksgiving until the first of the year. I would kill a live tree. Plus, it's not worth the hassle of trying to find a "recycling" place.

3. When do you put up the tree? The weekend after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? I usually start taking the tree down after the kids go back to school in the new year.

5. Do you like eggnog? LOVE it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My baby doll that I named Jennifer and she also came with a fancy cradle.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes

8. Hardest person to buy for? Mother-in-Law. She has everything.

9. Easiest person to buy for? The kids

10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Mail

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? An ugly purse.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, The Christmas List, Three Days, Christmas in my Hometown, One Special Night (I am a Christmas movie junkie).

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Early November

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes. But not because I didn't like it. I already had it and didn't have a receipt.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Homemade Fudge, Buckeye Balls

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? The tree came with clear but we strung in some extra with color.

17. Favorite Christmas song(s)? All Is Want for Christmas Is You, Anything by Johnny Mathis

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home. I want my kids to wake up in their own house on Christmas morning and not in a hotel room (there's too many of us to impose so we would stay in a hotel)

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yup. I have 4 kids!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? The kids get to open their new pajama's and gifts to each other on Christmas Eve. Then we have to wait for Santa!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The lines at the stores. More shoppers and less cashiers.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Anything the kids have made for me through the years, love any of the handcrafted ornaments and I love Snowmen.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Spiral Glazed Ham, potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole and corn (Mark's reaquest).


Been a crazy few weeks here at our house. My in-laws came for a quick visit and Liz and Greg had exams. Today was their last day of school until January 3 (yikes. That means they are home with me). We leave for Disney on Sunday morning and I can't wait. Just like last year, two of the kids are sick. So, I am just waiting for the other two to come down with it. I got several of my packages mailed today and only have one left which hopefully will go out tomorrow. Man o man. Every year I say I will be done and on the ball and every year I push it to the limit. For the first time EVER, I don't have my house decorated. Hopefully, I can get my lazy kids off their butts and help me. They just don't care. Maybe now that the stress of exam week is over, they will get into the holiday spirite.

Well, better feed my gang. Have a great weekend.

December 1--only 25 days until Christmas

Hard to believe that today marks the first day of December. Where has 2006 gone? It has just flown by. But, I love the month of December. Today marks the 25 days of Christmas on ABC family and I love watching all the Christmas shows and movies. I am disappointed though that they are pushing the Harry Potter movie this season. However, they are showing Polar Express which has become one of our family favorites. Mark loves that movie and we actually watch it year round.

I had planned on going to one of the malls today and do some shopping. I woke up not feeling so great so I have decided to stay close to home and work on some handmade stuff I have to do. I am almost done with Mark but the other kids are another story. It's hard when they are older. I was just thinking the other night that if it wasn't for Mark, I could start putting the presents under the tree as I wrap them. So, at least we still have Santa for another year or two.

The kids only have 2 weeks of school left. Elizabeth is starting to get in her "panic" mode over her exams. She is so hard on herself with her grades and school work. Yes, that's a good thing but she worries way to much to where she makes herself sick. I remember her very first teacher/conference in kindergarten and the teacher pointed that out. Boy was she right. She just got inducted into 4 honor groups at school last week--National Honor Society, BETA, Spanish Honor Society and Quill and Scroll. WOW. She definately inherited her dad's smart genes. She had her heart set on going to the University of Florida (GO GATORS), but now she wants to look into Northwestern. That's so far away. I don't know how I feel if she goes too far away. I always figured she would be in Gainesville which is only a couple of hours away. Okay, must stop thinking about it. It makes my stomach hurt.

Changing subjects......Today's to do list:

Finish Decorating House for Xmas
work on Altered Projects
Laundry
Sweep and mop kitchen Floor
Maybe a quick trip to Target (it's nice and close)
(If I can accomplish a few of those, I will be happy.)

Now onto the weather: I am so jealous of all the midwesterners and northerner's who got snow. I know they are probably not happy with it, but I miss it. We are sitting in the low 80's but it is muggy, muggy, muggy. I had to turn the AC back on.

Finally, we are off to Disney in less than two weeks. We are going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party again. We went last year and had soooooooooo much fun. Last year the kids all got sick but we are shoving Vitamin C drop and lots of vitamins in them. We only go for two days but there is nothing like seeing the Magic Kingdom decorated for Christmas.

Well time to get off the computer and crank up the Christmas tunes. Happy Friday!