The Queen of This, That & Everything

Perspective

2011-04-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

Live Every Moment is hosting a Photo Challenge. The Topic is Different View/Perspective.

Well, this photo of the top of my brothers head certainly gives a new perspective to his thick crazy coilick. He has another just like this one at his forhead.

Link up to LEM with your photo showing a Different View or Perspective.

Another 5QF

2011-04-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

Stop by My Little Life and link up with your 5QF

1. Have you ever had surgery?
Yes, a few..................3 c-sections, a hernia repair and a tummy tuck. The tummy tuck was by far THE WORST!!!

2. Ever ride in an ambulance?
Yes, twice.....once as a passenger and once as a patient.
The first time was when I was 4yrs old and was hit by a car. I don't remember the ambulance ride as I had gone into shock from my injuries........Remember kiddies ALWAYS look both ways before riding a bike into the street!!
The second was last Mother's Day when The Princess was taken by ambulance to the hospital and admitted for severe bacterial phnuemonia.

3. How are you in a medical emergency? Panicked? Calm?
Well, I've only been in to medical emergencies and I was calm both times, well if you call laughing uncontrollably "calm". Hubby fell down our back steps while taking out the trash one night and severly tore tendions in his ankle...I couldn't stop laughing, even though I was calm and helping him and taking him to the ER, I just couldn't stop laughing at the image of him covered in trash....still makes me laugh.
The other was again last Mother's Day. I was totally calm through everything, but once The Princess was settled in her hospital room and she was sleeping peacfully...I fell apart!!

4. Do you have a garden? Flowers or veggies?
That would be a big fat NOPE!! I loath gardening!! I have a thing about my hands getting dirty....and gloves just make it worse!! Although we attended open house at school the other night and my kids each brought home a sunflower and a sugar pea plant they had started and Hubby helped them plant them in the back yard...does that count??

5. When did you move out of your parents house?
Well I moved out twice............the first was when I was 19, Hubby and I rented a small house together, then I lost my job and couldn't afford my portion of the rent anymore, so we both moved back home to our parents. The second time I was 23 and Hubby and I had bought our first house.

I've started a new Blog

2011-03-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

I've started a new subject based blog to document my genealogical journey. If you have any interest in genealogy of family history, stop by Telling Their Tales and become a follower.

I'll be sharing lots of tips and free printables, along with the stories of my ancestors.

Ofcourse, I will still be posting on This, That & Everything about this, that & everything.

5QF

2011-03-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

Join the fun!!

1. Have you ever forgotten your child in a store or at school?

Store-NO, School-YES........three times!!!!!! The Countess will never let me live it down!
2. Where did you go on your very first date? (Like...first first, not first with your spouse or current significant other!)

I was in the 4th grade and my mom took me and my "boyfriend" to the mall.....we held hands.. :-)
3. What's your "silly" fear? (We're not talking water and heights.)

I fear being poked with a pin, like a thumb tack..........I actually start to panick. Hubby thinks it's hysterical to chase me with a thumb tack.
4. Confrontation: do you cause it, deal with is as it comes, or run far far away?

Depends.............I'm not one to back down when I think I've been wronged in someway, but I also don't go out of my way to cause a confrontation,
5. Wood floors or carpet?

Wood floors!!! My last house had wall-to-wall carpet, my house now has wall-to-wall hardwood.........I'll never go back!!

Five Question Friday

2011-02-11T15:56:00.000-08:00

I've been MIA for almost a month, no real reason other then LIFE!! I started my second semester atschool and have just been swamped with the daily goings on around here.

How about a 5QFriday for fun............

You can play too, just visit My Little Life for details

1. Would you rather be on ABC's Extreme Home MakeOver or TLC's What not to Wear?

WOW!!! REALLY...I have to CHOOSE!!! Uhgg!

Ok, let's talk this through a minute.....I would love, love,LOVE a new wardrobe...who wouldn't!! But if I'm being practical I would have to (reluctantly) chose Extreme Home MakeOver.
Reason being, I HATE my house.....specifically I hate, hate, HATE my kitchen!!! It is completely disfunctional! My house was built in 1962 when, apparently, people were VERY thin and families were the typicallly mom,dad and two kids. This house was certainly not built for a family of six...and a dog!!

Plus, I beleive builders back then felt waisted space was a GOOD THING.......today it equalls DYSFUNCTION!!!
2. Do you have any tattoos?

Nope. Thought about it a time or two, but .....no.

3. Do you tell your kids about things you did growing up?

I do. I think it's important. Let me explain why I feel that way........My mom was nearly killed in a car accident at age 14. She had lied to my grandparents about where she was and who she was with at the time. Imagine their surprise when the police showed up at their door to inform them their daughter had been in an accident and wasn't beleived to live long due to her injuries. Next, My mom had a baby at 16 (got pregnant at 15) She then had 4 children by the time she was 20. (My Dad was 18 whe baby #1 was born).
I knew ALL this growing up plus much more and it made me think twice about lying to my mom and about having sex. I basically learned from her mistakes.

I have told all my kids about me being hit by a car at age 4 because I didn't look both ways before riding my bike out into the street. Result..........my kids ALWAYS look both ways beofre going in the street. They have learned from my mistake.

As my kids get older I have no problem telling them things I did that are age appropriate to them. I would NEVER tell my 9yr olds now about my drunken high school escapades, but when they are in high school...absolutly.

I want them to know I am not perfectandhave made mistakes in my life and I want them to know it's OKto make mistakes, just try not to repeat my mistakes.

4. If the traffic signal turns yellow, do you stop or speed up?

I speed up. (hangs head)
If my kids are in the car they are very quick to point this out to me!
5. What's your preference: chocolate or chips?

Well that depends. If it's near that time of month......chips for sure. I crave salt like nothing else. But an just a regular day I'd prefer chocolate over chips.

The Duchess Turns 8

2011-01-15T18:33:00.000-08:00

On January 15, 2003 I arrived at the hospital at 7"00AM for my scheduled c-section. Hubby and I could not wait to find out if we were having a boy or girl....although Hubby was so convinced we were having a boy he wouldn't even discuss girl names.

At 9:44AM the doctor announced "You have a big baby girl!" I will never forget the look on Hubby's face.....it was complete and utter shock!!! He turned to me stunned and said "What on earth are we going to name her??" I gave him my top two picks and said "Pick one."

The Duchess weighed in at 8lbs. 10oz. & 21". MUCH bigger then her 5lb brother and 4lb sister who had been born just 13 months earlier!!

That's right...13 MONTHS between TWINS and another baby!!! CRAAAZZZYYY!!!!!

I suppose I should explain The Duchesses conception......well, not THAT part....get your minds out of the gutter!!! But more the HOW I learned of The Duchesses impending arrival.

I went through nearly 4 years of infertility prior to conceiving my twins through IVF. Over those 4 years I worked with 4 different doctors, had NUMEROUS medical procedures and was told by ALL 4 doctors I had a 0-1% chance of every concieving or carring a baby to term without medical intervention. My infertility journey is a long and complicated one I'll share another time.......

Ultimatley I had a successful IVF cycle in which I concieved triplets....Yep TRIPLETS! Sadly just one week after learning we had concieved 3 babies, I lost one. Thankfully the other 2 continued to grow and arrived healthy, although 6 weeks premature.

When My Boy and The Contessa were about 6 months old I started feeling very yucky throughout the day. Several things went through my mind..............the flu, exhaustion, or even a allergy to dairy (I craved milk like you would not believe, but felt horrible every time I consumed it!)...........never, and I mean NEVER did pregnancy even cross my mind!!!

While on the phone with a very dear friend, I was telling her how I had been feeling for the past several weeks. Her response.....she laughed and said "I bet your pregnant!" "yaeh, right." was my flipant response.

Later that night I was telling Hubby about the conversation with my friend and her comment about me being pregnant. Suddenly I noticed Hubby had stopped what he was doing and just stared at me. "What?" I asked him. He quietly said "I've been thinking the same thing." "You WHAT!!!???" I was stunned.

"I've been thinking your pregnant too. You've been acting the same way you had early on before." He said

You know in the movies when a character has a revalation or realisation and they get that look and the camera zooms in on them?? Yeah, that's how I felt right in that moment. It was like I was watching a film of my ealrier pregnancy with the twins in my mind and comparing it to how I currently felt and suddenly....and I mean SUDDENLY I knew!!! I just Knew!!! He was right. My friend was right. I was pregnant!

I left right then, and headed to the drugstore for a pregnancy test. I came right back home and walked right into the bathroom and took the test. There were two lines before I even laid the test down!!!!

I waited the alloted time and grabbed it and walked out to show Hubby the test. He was on the phone with his brother and I just shoved the test infront of him. In mid-sentence he said into the phone "I gotta go!" and hung up.

The first person we told was my sister, who had also been the first to learn we were pregnant with the twins. The next day we told our parents and other family members. It was a scary and joyous time all at once! And sadly just 3 days after my very first ultrasound, my stepdad passed away unexpectadly. So, as you can imagine I was an emotional mess throughout my pregnancy.

The day The Duchesses was born was such an emotional day for my family. We had endured the loss of a loved one and now were being blessed with a new family member to love. It was VERY emotional!!

So, how is The Duchess 8 years later..........
*She is very loving, very kind, very smart
*She is Beautiful
*She LOVES school, and wants to be a teacher when she grows up
*Her favorite color is brown, followed by purple and pink
*Her favorite food is a tie between meatloaf and tacos
*She loves to play Barbies
*She likes to read, draw and color
*She REALLY wants an Ipod Touch, which she is saving her money to get on her own
*She loves Full House reruns
*She Loves Taylor Swift
*She is PERFECT in every way!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETPEA!!!!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

2011-01-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

This week has just flown by for me.....I can't believe it's friday ALREADY!!! I have a very busy weekend ahead, which I'll share with ya'll next week.

For today how about a little 5QFriday

You can play along too, visit My Little Life

1. What is your current favorite book, and why? I haven't been doing much reading latley, but my Fav is the Outlander series.

2. Do you go to the dentist regularly? YIKES!! Ok, seriously..........I have NEVER been to the dentist. (bow's head is shame)
There are a number of reasons for this......I grew-up in a very poor family and we couldn't pay the cost. Then when I was older, I was barley making ends meet and there was no $$ left for dental or even medical care. Then I had kids and I make sure to take them every 6 months.....which in turns leaves no $$ left for me or hubby. Excuses I know, but it's the truth. (walks away in shame)

3. What is your worst memory from High School? I would have to say my worst memory was finding out my boyfriend asked my best friend on a date.....she declined and immediatley called me.....but the impact was the same as if she had accepted. It sent me into such a tail spin......resulting in an eating disorder that took me years to recover from. I was a sophmore in High School. Although because of that event, I met my Hubby the follow year...almost exactly to the date, and have been madly in love with him for the past 21years!! So I guess you could say the worst was for the best.

4. What do you hope to be remembered for in your life? I hope to be remembered period! So many people pass away and are forgotten. We had inscribed on my step fathers tombstone the following phrase.........."Move on, be brave, dont' weep at my grave, just please don't ever let your memories of me fade" That pretty much how I feel.

5. Are you superstitious or do you have any superstitions? Yes and No. I don't fear I will break my mothers back if I step on a crack and the number 13 is one of my favorites. I'm not afraid of black cats crossing my path or of open an umbrella inside. However, I will not break a mirror, walk under a ladder and if I spill salt I toss it over my shoulder. I ALWAYS say "God Bless You" when someone sneezes and I say "God Bless Me" when I sneeze.

2010 Highlights

2010-12-30T16:18:00.000-08:00

Last year at this time I couldn't wait for 2009 to come to an end. This time I'm feeling very nostalgic for 2010.

Take a walk with me down memory lane as I recall highlights of 2010...

My girls in their dance recital in January.

The Duchess turned 7.

Building the bike jump with Daddy.

The Cub Scout Pine Car Derby.

My Boys baseball games.

Watching Cousin T's baseball games.

Allergy season.

Coloring Easter Eggs.

Easter Egg Hunt.

Decorating Easter cookies.

Target shooting with the BB gun

The Slip and Slide

The Contessas Girl Scout Ice Cream Party.

Hubby making his own decoys

Little League Day at AT&T Park with the SF Giants

The Princess spends 4 days in the hospital bravely fighting bacterial phnuemonia

The Princess (with her two best friends) graduates from preschool.

The County Fair

The 4th of July Parade

Swimming!

Fireworks at Uncie T's

The Princess and her guitar.

The girls mastered the art of making friendship braclets.

Giving The Pooch a bath

Our family trip to the river.

Girl Scout Camp

2010 Football season

Family bike rides.

Walks along the old railroad tracks.

The Pooch finally mellows

Sisterly bonding

The Princess turns 6

The Princess has her very first slumber party

The SF Giants win the World Series

Halloween

SF Giants day at school

Countless hours of dress-up

Playing on the roof

Thanksgiving

Grammie was the Mystery Reader in the twins 3rd grade class

The Contessa and My Boy turn 9

Mommy dropped The Contessa and My Boys birthday cake on the kitchen floor!

The Christmas House

Going to the Nutcracker Ballet with Grandma

The Contessas slumber party

My Boy's slumber party

Pillow Fight!!!

Lunar Eclipse

Decorating Gingerbread Men Cookies

Riding Sleugh

Riding Lesson with Auntie Lis

Christmas

I hope your 2010 was as memorable as ours and here's to hoping 2011 is even better!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

It's my birfday!!!

2010-11-22T18:16:00.000-08:00

Yep, today is my birthday! I'm a year older than I was yesterday. To celebrate my day here is a list of 10 little known facts about little ol' me.

1. I have NEVER had a birthday without a cake.

2. I'm 9 months younger then my Hubby.

3. I always thought it interesting that my birthday is on the anniversary of JFK's assasination. I Love history!!

4. I was born at 1:02 am weighing 8lbs. 9oz. 21inches

5. I am the shortest person in my ENTIRE family over the age of 12! No joke!! Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Neices, nephews I'm the shortest at 5'2"

6. I love thunder storms and rain.

7. I do not think Brad Pitt is sexy.

8. If I had been born a boy my name would have been Nathaniel Benjamin.

9. I was born the day before Thanksgiving x-number of years ago.

10. I wear a size 9 shoe! Crazy I know considering my lack of height!!

Their Eyes Were Watching God

2010-11-18T16:05:00.000-08:00

Every once in awhile I step out of my normal reading genres and find a book worth sharing.

Their Eyes Were Watching God is just such a book. When I first stared reading it I though.....Oh good lord I'll never get through this, however I'm VERY pleased to say I got through it and what a joy it was!!

We first meet Janie Crawford, a black women in her 40's, when she returns to Eatonville, Florida in the mid 1930's. She has returned after leaving town with a much younger man and all her neighbors are speculating on why she has returned WITHOUT the younger man.

As the book progresses, we hear from Janie herself the accounts of her life, starting at the time of her childhood living on a plantation with her Grandmother, up to her return to Eatonville.

This is a very enduring love story, with a few twist on the "Happily Ever After" part.

I will admit the dialect takes some getting used to, but after a chapter or two it flows easily.

5QFriday........on Saturday. LOL!

2010-11-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't participated in Five Question Fridays over at My Little Life in awhile, but decided to join in today............Here are the questions.......join in too!!!

1. If you could have any talent and turn it into an occupation, what would it be?
I would have to say scrapbooking. I have scrapbooked for years and truly love it. It would be great to make a little money doing it!!

2. Would you rather have a house at the beach or a cabin in the woods?
Cabin in the woods!! I love the smell of trees. The ocean scares me!

3. Is there any meaning or reasoning for the names you chose for your child/children?
My Boy shares a middle name with my Hubby, which is my hubby's grandfathers name. As for his first name we just liked it.

The Countessa's name, both first and middle are uniquely hers.

The Duchess...now don't laugh......her first name came from a Disney movie....When I was pregnant Hubby was SOOOO confident we were having a boy, he wouldn't discuss girl names. When she was born Hubby was STUNNED!! He said "What are we going to name her?" I told him he had two choices...both from the Disney movie Aristocats, and he choose which he liked better. Her middle name is uniquely hers.

The Princess had one name for two hours after her birth, then we changed it. We changed it to a name Hubby liked much more, which also happens to be my Great-Great Grandmothers name. Her middle name is my stepfathers last name. He had passed away a year before she was born.

4. What is your guilty pleasure? (I know we've done this one before, but I'm guessing people's "guilty pleasures" change frequently. At least, mine do!)
Currently that would be Halloween candy! Namely Milk Duds!

5. Do you live in a house that is deep cleaned or straightened?
Staightened daily, deep cleaned once a month. I just don't have time to REALLY clean everyday. I always do a deep clean the last weekend of the month.

Halloween Recap

2010-11-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

Here's Hubby and My Boy.

We started our day off with a early morning football game, and My Boys final official game of the season. We ended the season 8 and 3, ranking us as 2nd place in the league.

We will have our "Mitey Mite Bowl" on November 13.

After the game we headed home to do some pumpkin carving.

Here's The Contessas Jack-O-Lantern

Here's My Boys

And The Duchesses. You can't see them in the picture, but it has eyelashes.

And here's The Princesses. Her had eyelashes too.

The gang heading out to Trick-or-Treat.

We had:

A Pirate - The Contessa

A Ninja - My Boys best friend

Frankie Stein (daughter of Frankenstein) - The Duchess

A Pink Fluffy Bunny - The Princess

And a Ghoul - My Boy

We spent nearly 3 hours going house to house, and running across a dark field....more on that another time.

Fun was had by all!! I hope you too had a spooktacular Halloween!!!

How are you doing your Holiday shopping? (Review coming soon!)

2010-10-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

If your like me.........a home-body at heart, then you'll probably be doing alot of your holiday shopping online.

Recently I was told about CSNStores.com, which is an online retailer with over 200 stores to shop at. I can find anything from furniture, like a counter stool to tools to shoes to baby gear. In one sitting I can find something for everyone on my holiday shopping list!!

I have been given the opportunity to review an item of my choosing from any one of the CSNStore.com shops. I have my eye on a few of the kitchen appliances. Although I'm in love with this super cute picture frame! Oh, there is sooo much to choose from!!! What's a girl to do!!??

Stay tuned to see what I ultimately choose to review!!!! In the mean time go check CSNStores out!!

A Confession

2010-10-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

A subject I have never discussed here on This, That & Everything is that my husband is a diehard hunter. I have not discussed it because I am opposed to hunting, it's just not my thing. My husband owns his own company and hunting allows him to forget all the headaches of work and enjoy some time out doors.

He grew up in a hunting home and began hunting at nine years old. When he and I began dating I knew right away how important hunting was to him. I even went hunting with him a few times!! Shocking consideing I'm not much of a nature girl!!

When we had kids, and long before we had them, I knew my children would grow up very aware of guns and hunting.

Our Boy went on his first duck hunting trip just after his 3rd birthday.

This photo was taken on Sunday. He finally fits into the wadders his Grandpa bought him 2 years ago!

He has a love of hunting that surpasses his Dads!!

I think it's a boys love of mud and dirt, personally!

Note the dirt on his lip, not to mention the mud caked on his glasses!!

He was very proud of his mohawk.

Please note the filthy hand!!!

From October to February this is how my boys spend their weekends!

The Princess turns 6!!

2010-10-24T15:54:00.000-07:00

The Princess, my baby, turned 6 last week!!

It seems like just yesterday she looked like this!!

Where have the last six years gone??!!

We had a Barbie party this weekend with all of her friends from school.

11 little girls can be VERY loud!!!!!

We topped her party off with a surprise slumber party

with her two best friends.

They were three very happy little girls!!

2010-10-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

This is the Countessa.

She has always been my shy reserved child....even a bit fearful of things she wasn't familair with.

She spent the first two weeks of kindergarten hiding behind the book case in the classroom refusing to speak to anyone.

She spent the first two weeks of 1st grade glued to her brother.

For the first two weeks of second grade she refused to leave my side before the morning bell rang.

For the first two weeks of 3rd grade she was a bit more adventerous. She would venture off to play with friends in the morning before the first bell as long as I agreed to wait for her to go in class.

To my pride and amazement this child ran to the car after school yesterday with a smile bigger than any I've seen and announced she had been voted

3rd Grade Representative on Student Council!!!!

I can not express how happy I am that my shy little girl has grown so unbeleivably confident in just the past few months.

Congratulations Peanut!!!!!

Although, this now means mommy has to get her up and ready for school an hour earlier twice a month for Student Council meetings!!!!!

Have I mentioned.....

The girl DOES NOT like to get up in the mornings!!!!!!

The Princess........Looking back....

2010-09-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

The Princess on her first day of her final year of preschool.

August 2009

She was so excited to be one of the "Big" kids at her preschool.

Her first day of Kindergarten

August 2010

This day was sad for me, but exciting for her.

I was sad to be sending my baby off to "Big Kid" school and she couldn't wait to start!

They grow up so darn fast! Can't she stay little forever!!??

The Duchess...............A look back

2010-09-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Duchess on her first day of Kindergarten

August 2008

She could not wait for this day to arrive!!

She was so eager to go she was ready before anyone else that morning.

Her first day of 1st Grade

August 2009

As you can tell by her smile, this child LOVES school!!!

Not to mention she was incredible proud of her lost tooth she lost just a few days before!

Her first day of 2nd Grade

August 2010

She continues to LOVE school and all things learning related.

She can't wait to do homework each day and her favorite thing to play.........

SCHOOL!

The Countessa...........Through the Years

2010-09-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Countessa and My BOy on thier first day of kindergarten.

August 2007

WHat this photo doesn't show

is that for two weeks following this photo

The Countessa SCREAMED

every day I dropped her off at school. It was a nightmare!

Her first day of 1st Grade.

August 2008

As you can see by her expression, she was not the least bit excited for this day to arrive!

She held it together though, I was very proud of her.

The first day of 2nd Grade

August 2009

Her self-confidence is starting to blossom and really shows here.

She was so excited to head off to school this morning.

The first day of 3rd Grade

August 2010

Her self-confidence continues to blossom.

She loves school, loves her teacher and has lots of friends.

THe only things she doesn't like about school is buying lunch and homework.

My Boy......Through the years

2010-09-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is the first in a series of post I'll be doing reflecting on the

changes my kiddos have made over the past few years.

A little of Mommy reminising if you will.

My Boy and The Countessa on their first day of Kindergarten.

August 2007.

They were both so excited for this day and a little nervous.

Unfortunatly later that night he fell and ended up needing 3 stitches in his forhead!

What a way to start of his school experience!

My Boy on his first day of 1st Grade.

August 2008

He was so eager for school that year.

Seeing friends he hadn't seen all summer and making new ones.

His first day of 2nd Grade

August 2009

His cockyness is starting to show..........is that good or bad?????

First day of 3rd Grade

August 2010

He's toocool for school now!

Getting this one shot of him took nearly 10 minutes and he REFUSED to remove the hat!

I couldn't even get him to give me a real smile!

Kids Binders

2010-09-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

Binders are wonderful storage tools and I use them ALOT!! Here are a few of my Kid Binders.

I have a binder for each child to hold all the certificates and awards they earn. These include attendance awards, spelling awards, sports ribbons ect.

Then I have my Kids Craft Binder. This is for all those little activities I come across to try with the kids.

The Boys of Fall

2010-09-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

The last four weekends we have been devoted to football. My Boy, who was a Corner Back last fall and for the past three weeks is now a Middle LInebacker. This causes a bit more anxiety on my part.

My Boy weighs 60lbs, this makes him one of the three lightest kids on his team of 36 players.

He was in the Corner Back position becxause he is fast, however his head coach felt he was being wasted in that position because he is such a strong agressive player.

This translate into he see's ALOT more action as a Middle Linebacker, which in turn causes me to wring my hands on the sidelines when he goes down on a tackle waiting to see if he gets up injured or unijured.

I was VERY proud of him on this Sundays game. He DID get hurt, got the wind knocked out of him and twisted his elbow, but he got right up, shock it off and said he was good to go.

His team is 4 and 0. So far two of the teams they have played this year were teams they lost to last year, so I'm sure you could imagine how happy the players are about that.

Here's to another great game played by

The Pintos!!!!!!

Go Green and Gold!!!!!!!!!!

Living The Busy Life and trying to find TIME for it all!!!

2010-08-31T13:28:00.000-07:00

The kids have all returned to school for another year of learning!! I am now the proud Mama to 2 Third Graders, a Second Grader and a Kindergartner!! The kids are all very happy with their assigned teachers, as am I. My Boy and The Countessa actually looped up with their second grade teacher, who we absolutly loved, so we are very pleased to now have her for third grade!

We have had a few bumps with getting into the groove of doing homework each night, but each day they get a little less resistant.

I am several weeks into the college scene and so far my only complaint is being the oldest person in each of my classes! I guess that's what OI get for taking day-time classes rather then night courses.

In my English class yesterday I met a young girl who it turns out is the cousin of one of my former roommates back in the mid-90's. Her exact words to me about him were "I don't talk to him much, he's MUCH older then I am!" Can you say...OUCH! He's my age!

I'm really loving my history course! I'm actually considering a History Major and pursueing a History Teacher credential. The only hesitation I have on that is it would put me teaching ages 13-18....I don't particularly care for that age group when it comes to teaching them. I'm still leaning heavily on an Elementary School credential....grades 2 or 3. We'll see. I have 4 more classes I need to take before I can enroll in the credentials program, so I have time to webble-wobble on my choise.

My Boy is in the full swing of football. He is currently a corner-back on starting defense, but his coach his considering moving him to a running-back on offense because he is the 3rd fastest kid on the team. I'm torn on this. right know he is in a relatively "safe" position...meaning he is less likely to gewt hurt. Becoming a running-back will put him in a much more dangerous position....after all he's the kid the other team is going to try and take down!!!

So far his team is undefeated. Last weekend we went up against a team that everyone felt was much better prepared then us.....we won 28 to 7!!!!! This wasn't just luck either! Our team rocked it!!!!

With school and football and dance with the girls my poor blog has had to take a backseat the last few weeks. I'm hoping that things, our I, get settled and into a better grove allowing more time for all the "extra" stuff I want to do...my blog being just one of those extras.

Easy Egg Baskets

2010-08-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

I made these English Muffin Egg Baskets this morning and they were SUPER easy, and REALLY yummy!!! My kids devoured them!!! Even The Princess who HATES bread!!

Ingredients You'll need:

English muffins of any flavor (our regular bread works too)

eggs

bacon

butter flavor cooking spray

butter

Tools You'll Need:

2 rimmed cookie sheets

aluminum foil

circle cookie or biscuit cutter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line one cookie sheet with foil

Cut bacon into small pieces and lay in a single layer on foil lined cookie sheet

Using cookie cutter, cut centers from english muffin or bread.

butter the cut pieces of english muffin or bread

Spray second cookie sheet with butter flavor cooking spray

place english muffin or bread pieces on sprayed cookie sheet

place both cookie sheets in preheated oven

after about 1-2 minutes remove cookie sheet containing muffins/bread

Crack one egg into the center of each muffin/bread piece

return cookie sheet with eggs to oven

cook until whites of egg are no longer clear, but remain shiny about 5 minutes (over-easy eggs)
watch bacon for desired doneness (5 minutes will make for crispy bacon)

remove bacon and egg baskets from oven
Place bacon on a paper towel to remove grease
Use toasted muffin/bread centers for dipping

EAT and ENJOY!

Printable Version

2010-08-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

Join MannLann5 for another week of Getting To Know You Sunday

1. Do you think mustaches are sexy? That depends, some yes, some NO. I think it also depends on whos face it's on.

2. What's the last concert you've been to? Don't laugh.................George Michael circa 1988, before the bathroom bust. I don't get out much!! :-)

3 What was your favorite 80's sitcom? I loved, loved, LOVED The Wonder YEars.

4. Were you named after anyone? Yes. My parents had choosen a boy name, but hadn't agreed on a girl name, my Mom wanted to name me Alex, my Dad said he WOULD NOT have a daughter named Alex.
So, the day after I was born, my mom's younger sister, Hillary,came to visit in the hospital. My mom said "Well, what about Hillary?" with my aunt in the room mind you, and my Dad said "Yeah, sure that's a great name." And that was that. Although growing up I was mostly referred to by a nickname. In addition to being named after my aunt I was also named after my Grandmother for my middle name.

5. When you buy new clothes, do you wash before wearing? Not usually, depends on the smell of them. Some new clothes smell pretty bad, others just smell clean.

6. If you didn't blog, what would you do with your spare time? Like I have spare time to even blog!!!

7. What is your favorite department store? Macy's

8. If you were to get Laser Hair Removal..where would you get it? Without question my under arms!!!!!

Computers,Milk, School, Blog and stuff

2010-08-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

That title about sums up the last few weeks!!!

First Computers & Milk...............they do not go well together!!!

Let me explain............

Hubby left a glass of milk on the computer desk while he went to answer the door.

This adorable (not so Little) hound decided to jump up on the computer desk............

Result................

(not actual picture, but you get the idea!)

This left us with a non-functioning computer for about 2 weeks while we tried to figure out a solution without having funds to purchase a new computer.

Our solution.......take a functioning keyboard from a non-functioning computer and put it with our working computer and remove our non-functioning keyboard. And wala here I am, back in bloggy world with just a minor hiccup!

School.........

We have continued our summer homeschool program and are getting geared up for the new school year to start. The kids go back August 23, while I start classes August 16.

We are in Back-to-School shopping mode and each of the kids so far has gotten 2 new outfits, the Princess got a new bacPac and lunch box, while the older three got new shoes. I am only shopping sale racks and I told the kids we would do a few shopping trips to get a few more clothing items plus the basic school supplies needed.

Blog..........

After nearly two weeks without computer access, I logged on today to discover my blog background had disappeared!!!!!! Apparently Cutiest Blog on the Block has deleted the template I used! GRRRRRRR!!!!!!

So I am left having to make some unplanned-for changes around here. I shouldn't complain though...the templates ARE FREE and it's good to change things up every so often!!!

Stuff......

My Boy has started football for the 2010 season

Go PINTOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These cutie patuties are getting ready for another year of dance!

(This photo was taken their first year!....2 years ago!!)

And....And......And.......

This SweetPea is starting Kindergarten!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting to know you...and other stuff........

2010-07-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

Join in on Getting to Know You Sundays hosted by MannLann5

1. If you had to choose a country to live in besides USA (or the country you live in), which would it be? I would LOVE to live in Scotland or England. I've never been to either but I'm a history nut and the amount of history and old castles..... Oh I would be in heaven!

2. Which would be worse, wearing flip flops in the snow or wearing gloves in the summer? Gloves in summer!! I HATE being hot!

3. Fried or Bake and why? If I'm being totally honest....FRIED!!! Fried foods are "feel good" foods for me. I'll take fried chicken over baked chicken any day of the week and twice on Sundays!

4. If you were an entertainment reporter, which celeb would you love to interview and why? Julia Roberts. I love her personality. I tink she would be a fun interview.

5. What was your favorite book as a preteen/teenager? I wasn't a reader growing up so I can't think of anything. I love to read now though........Outlander Series!!!!!!

6. List your top 3 guilty pleasure television shows. In no particular order.............Real Housewives of New Jersey, Americas Got Talent and Wife Swap.

7. What bumper sticker slogan best describes you/your attitude/your life? "Have a Nice Day!" said and implied in MANY differnt ways from genuin to extremly sarcastic.

8. If you were to join a circus - what performer would you be? A clown. Although I find clowns a little disturbing I would, and do, love to run around and act silly.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other news.........

I'm officially a college student....again!! Yeah Me!!! I have decided, after many months of thought, to return to earn my teaching degree to teach elementary school.

I went to college after high school and earned a degree in Early Childhood Development and worked in that proffesion for 10 years prior to having my twins. Once they were born I stopped working to focus on raising my family, with the intent to go back and earn my Elementary Teaching Degree once they were in school full time.

Well, then I ended up having two more kids and that plan got set back further. Now that The Princess is starting kindergarten and will be in school 5 days a week, I deceded now was the time!

Hubby is behind me 100% and I love him all the more for it!!

I start classes August 16..........I'm a bit nervous, but VERY excited!!!

Summer Homeschool

2010-07-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

We are back to our Summer Homeschool schedule after two weeks of illness. I can't say the kids are super pleased, but I certainly am!

We are well into our Virtual Road Trip across the USA and thought I'd share some info and printables.

Our first state was California.

Here is a State Fact Sheet we have used to learn some basic facts. This info was gathered from numerous websites and State Flash Cards we have.

We did some copy work using my State Worksheet

We located and colored California on this map

We used this blank map to place state capital, rivers and lakes

We colored the state flag, sate bird and the state flower

We read the books shown below

Stay tuned for our Oregon adventures!!

Getting to know You Sundays........

2010-07-11T17:10:00.000-07:00

Play along at MannLann5

1. What is YOUR definition of sexy? I have to say watching my hubby with my girls. I love it when he lets them do his hair...hairclips and all. I also love that he is still wearing the friendship braclets thye made him for Father's Day.........this was their first time making them and they are VERY colorful!

2. Would you rather clean up puke or change a poopy diaper? After two weeks of the stomach flu going through my house, I politley decline to answer..............I've done my fair share of booth lately!!!

3. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Definetly an introvert. I need alone time daily to simply recharge and regroup myself.

4. If you had to give up one of your 5 senses for a year..which one would you give up? Taste for two reasons...1.I'm not a good eater and find it hard to swallow many foods...vegies, fruit and such. And 2. I think after a time eating with no sense of taste would make eating boring, therefore I would eat less....my love handles would be very thankful.

5. Cake or Pie? Cake.......White with buttercream frosting!! MMMMMmmmmmm......

6. If you could play any character on TV (old or current) who would you play? Gosh, I can't really think of anyone! I watch mostly reality shows and I certainly don't want to be any of those wack-jobs. So digging back in my mind I would have to say Paige Matheson from Knots Landing..remember that show??...LOVED it!!!

7. My favorite website is.....? I enjoy Confessions of a Pioneer Women

8. The highlight of my day is....? When all my laundry is done....washed folded AND put away!! Makes for a happy Mamma!!!

Follow Me, Chickadee...and other stuff

2010-07-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

MannLann5 is hosting a fun friday follow. Stop by and link up.....and don't forget to follow me, chickadee!!

On the home front, we are ALMOST sick-free. Hubby is still a bit under the weather, but on the road to recovery. We will be back to normal business by Monday I'm sure!!

Thanks to all who voted for Corey Powers!!! Finalist will be announced Monday!!!

Please VOTE!!!!

2010-07-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

I need the assistance of the blogging world at large! My very good friends son is a finalist in the Sing Like John Mayer contest and he needs your votes!

If he wins he will get a face-to-face meeting with Columbia Record Executives....this is his DREAM!!!! Please help!

You can go here to vote and look for Corey Powers from Novato CA

Please VOTE

Fever, Diarrhea, vomiting........OH MY!!!!

2010-07-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

Yep, our home has been hit by the dreaded stomach flu!! It started last Tuesday with The Countessa and has slowly, but surely, made it's way through the family. Currently affecting Daddy and My Boy.

I love being a mother and all that intails, but I kid you not, I have had my fill of cleaning up bodily fluids!!!!

Hope to be back to regular blogging with the complete recovery of all family members very, very soon!!!!

Ten on Tuesday

2010-06-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

1. We've taken a break from "Summer Homeschool" this week due to the kids being at bible camp all week. They are loving it! We'll get back on our summer schedule next Monday.

2. I'm hoping to get some of my printables loaded for our Virtual Road Trip curriculm by weeks end.

3. I think I've lost my mind.......................more on this later

4. I have lots, and lots, and lots of photos I would like to share here.............would be helpful if my photo editing software was cooperating!!!!!!!!!!

5. I LOVE my new washing machine!!!! My laundry has been cut in half due to the load capacity! LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. "The House That Built Me" is my current favorite song. LOVE IT!!

7. We just learned that our old house has gone into forclosure. I feel bad for the woman who bought it from us. Sad. It was 5 years ago tomorrow that our sale closed. I Loved that house!! All my babies were born there! Lots of memories in those walls!!

8. I wish Hubby and I had extra cash kickin around so we could buy back our old house and have it as a rental property. I can dream!!

9. We are FINALLY having summer weather!! 90's today, but back down to 60's tomorrow and the rest of the week.

10. I'm 37 years old, quickly appraoching 38, and have FINALLY decided what I want to be when I grow up!! More on this later!

Schools Out!!!!

2010-06-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was the last day of school for the 2009-2010 school year. We have official begun our summer vacation and thankfully the weather is acting accordingly! It's been in the low 90's all weekend. Which means we have spent long hours poolside and unfortunatley we have the sunburns to prove it! Just an FYI.....not all sunscreen is waterproof!!! I learned this the hard way! The poor Duchess got burned the worst, but is healing up.........she looks like a snake shedding it's skin.

Today marked the official start of our summer "homeschool" curriculm and I was surprised by how excited the kids were to get going with it! It was actually alot of fun!

Here is our summer curriculm:
* Vitual Road Trip-- learning about states. Our first State is California. I will post my printables for this when we complete a lesson.
* Workboxes-- Various activities from Spelling, Vocab work and math. Mostly presented in game format
*Daily Journals-- At the end of each day, before bed, the kids each write what their favorite part of the day was and draw a picture to go with it.
*Summer Scrapbook-- We do this on Fridays. I take many pictures during the week and on Friday the kids get to pick which pictures they want printed. I print them and they each have their own 12x12 scrapbook with various supplies to make a page for the week.
*Family Tree-- Genealogy is one of my major hobbies and latley my kids have shown alot of interest, so I decided to have them each make their own family tree book with all their relatives documented.
*Summer Reading Program-- This is a fun program offered through our local library which allows the kids to earn prizes for reaching certain goals...5 books read, 10 books, 15 books ect.
*Pen Pal Journal-- I got this idea from Confessions of a Homeschooler who got it from another homeschool site. So far my kids LOVE this activity!!

I will have many photos and printables to share shortly.

Weekly Wrap-up and Stuff........

2010-06-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

This week has been very, very busy. We are approaching the end of the school year which means lots of class parties, class presentations, graduations. Result.....I haven't had much time for blogging. Words can not describe how I feel about the last day of school...next Thursday. Relief, sadness, excitment....are just a few things I'm feeling these days.

We have a busy weekend ahead with My Boys baseball team party and my girls Girl Scout Family Picnic. No sleepin in for me this weekend!

How about some Friday Follow Fun Stuff............

First up 5QFriday hosted by My Little Life
1. If you could go back to college would you change your major? Or, if you were to go to college right now...what major would you choose? This is something I'm strongly considering! When I went to college ???? years ago I majored in Early Childhood Development and worked for 10yrs as a preschool teacher and I owned a homebased preschool. I haven't worked since just prior to concieving my twins. Recently I've been strongly leaning towards returning to college to get a Elementary Teaching degree. I would LOVE to teach 2nd or 3rd grade. This fall The Princess heads to kindergarten, so it may be an ideal time for me to return to school part-time........we'll see......

2. What do you love most about your home? Right now that is a VERY tough question to answer!! Currently my plumbing is on the frits.....kitchen sinks clogged and one bathroom is clogged. If this was a fluke I'd be ok with it, but it is a FREQUENT accurance and I'm SICK of it!!!! So at this moment, I don't like anything about my home!!! Execpt that I have one!

3. What types of books do you like to read (if you like to read at all)? I LOVE to read! I like historical novels mostly.....books about kings & queens. Currently I'm reading about vampires......no not Twilight.......Occassionaly I'll throw in a mindless trashy romance if I need just a quick read.

4. What is the grossest thing you've ever eaten? I have a rule I follow.....if it smells bad there is NO WAY it taste good! This has helped me avoid anything nasty! That rule aside, I think the grossest thing I have ever eaten is Miracle Whip! GROSS!!!!!!!

5. If you HAD to be a character on a TV show, whom would you be? Hmmmm, this is tough, I mostly watch reality shows, but I definetly wouldn't want to be any of those people. I guess I'd have to go with Jennifer Love Hewitts character on Ghost Whisperer. I don't watch the show much, but I think it would be pretty interesting to commun with the dead.

Next up Friday Fill-Ins

1. New York is my favorite place to travel to.

2. When I think about my childhood, I often remember playing Barbies.

3. Sincerilty makes for a good friend.

4. The wind in the trees, the rain on my skin, makes me happy!

5. Life is so exciting!

6. My best friend knows when I need her.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting to bed early, tomorrow my plans include swimming and Sunday, I want to RELAX!

Defining Moments

2010-06-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

Our lives are made up of moments; large and small, meaningful and unidentifiable. Among the moments that make up our lives each of us experience “Defining Moments.” These are moments in our lives that change us forever.

Defining moments change your opinion of someone or something. They can change your view of a subject or the world at large. Bottom line, they change who you are from that moment on.

May 26, 2007 held a defining moment for me. On that day my Grandfather passed away. His passing in and of it’s self was not a defining moment. We knew it was coming, and had known for several days.

In April he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. He was given a few options for treatment; chemo, surgery or nothing at all. At age 84 he was a very active man, he loved photography and traveling the world. It came as no surprise to any of us that he chose surgery to remove the cancer. His thoughts were go in, get it out, and move on.

On May 16, 2007 he went in for surgery. He came out as he had predicted…cancer free.

On May 20, 2007, while still in the hospital recovering, he suffered a massive heart attack and had to be resuscitated three times. He ultimately ended up on a respirator. He would never come off.

On May 24, 2007 I saw him for the first time in over a year. When I entered his room he was awake and alert. When he saw me, the man I had grown up with as the patriarch of our family; strong, stable, sobbed. A piece of my heart broke away that day. I sat simply holding his hand. There were no words I could say. I knew he was dying and although I had much I wished to say, I simply held his once strong hand.

On the morning of May 26, 2007 his doctors informed us he was in complete organ failure. It was left to my Grandmother, his wife of 62 years, and his six children to decide whether to keep him on the respirator or let him go.

Once the decision was made my Grandmother asked that we all be present for his passing. I walked silently into his hospital room along with my Grandmother, my mother, my three sisters, my four aunts and five of my cousins. The nurse explained not only to us, but also to my Grandfather, what would happen next. He shook his head in agreement with silent tears rolling down his cheeks.

As the machines were shut off and the respirator toob was removed my Grandmother held his hand. All the while my mother and her sisters gathered around his bed. In less than two minutes he was gone.

On May 26, 2007 I walked into a hospital room in Arizona as one person, but I left as a completely different person. Being present for my Grandfathers passing was a gift and a defining moment in my life. I am so grateful to have had him as my Grandfather for 35 years and I’m blessed to have him watching over me now.

Friday Fun...........

2010-05-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

1. Is there something you've always wanted to try but just can't muster up the courage to actually do yet?

I've often thought of getting an anklet tatoo. I'm just not totally sure I want to permanently mark myself.

2. If you had $100 handed to you in cash without your significant other knowing about it, what would you spend it on? Most likely something at Target!! Not sure what, but I know I'd find something fun!!

3. What was your favorite piece of playground equipment as a child? I ALWAYS played on the bars and rings. My hands were a blistered callus mess. The Duchesses hands look like mine always did, she loves them too!!

4. Do you prefer a sweet or hearty breakfast? I'm not a big breakfast eater, but I lOVE bacon and eggs (over-easy) with country potatoes and sour dough toast with lots of butter!!! YUMMMMMM.

5. Are you a Neat Freak or a Messy Bessy? I'm my goodness, total Messy Bessy!!! I can't keep my room or my house clean for more then a day!! It's awful! I'd like to be a Neat Freak, but it requires time and dedication I just came seem to muster on a daily basis!!

Join in at Friday Fill-Ins

1. Bisquick Oven Baked Chicken -- the best food to take on a picnic.

2. Summer is my least favorite season.

3. I own atleast 2o pairs flip flops.

4. To love someone is to be alive.

5. I hate going on a long hike.

6. When I crave food, it's usually something salty....chips, sunflower seeds, nuts....

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to my daughters dance rehearsal, tomorrow my plans include attending my daughters dance recital and Sunday, I want to sleep in!!!!!!!!

Hair Do and Target gift Card winner!

2010-05-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

After much debat I finally decided to get my hair cut. Here is my before & after......

Before my hair was long, all one length and boring.

NOW......................

It's shoulder length, layered, bouncy and fun.

I LOVE it!

(Sorry for the wonky scanned photo!!)

I showed this photo to my hairdresser...........

and told her I wanted similar, but no identical. The over-all cut is the same but I went shorter.

Now, for my fun little $25.00 Target Gift Card GiveAway WINNNER..................

jociegal said...

I am going to guess hair do #3! Can't wait to see what you chose!

Congrats "jociegal"!! Email me at thisthateverything@comcast.net to claim your gift card!

it's WEDNESDAY!!!!!

2010-05-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

I found a new blog carnival that is sooo me....you can join the fun too just visit
Our Daze in the Desert

You know your a mom When.........

Your daughter throws-up all over your feet and you calmly say "It's alright, just let it all out.".......

This photo makes you think of all the laundry you will need to do............

This photo brings a tear to your eye......

When this little cutie brings you a wilted flower and you think it's the most beautiful flower EVER!!

Ten on Tuesday........Just random thoughts.........Oh,and a GiveAway!!

2010-05-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

1. My little Princess went to the doctor yesterday and was given a clean bill of health! YEAH!!

2. Through my genealogy research I have just discovered that Katherine Parr, last wife of Henry VIII was a distant cousin. I decend from her maternal uncle Thomas Green!! Her mother was Maud Green sister to Thomas Green!! How cool is that!!!!

3. It is mid-May and we have had rain for the past 2 days. YUCK!! A year ago today the temp was 93, today it's 56. Atleast my yard is REALLY green and all my flowers are in full bloom.

4. I have My Boys first IEP meeting with the school staff on Thursday to find out what, if any, services will be provided to him next year to help improve his reading ability. I'm a little on edge about this meeting. As I stated here, We strongly feel he has dyslexia, and the likely hood of in school services being provided is pretty slim.

5. I can't beleive my kiddies have just a few more weeks of school. I'm busy getting summer activites lined up. I usually do various camps, but that's not in the budget this year, so I'm madly putting together little activites to do at home. I'll be sharing them here once we get rolling...be sure to check in to see our "Virtual Road Trip" across the USA learning about all the states. I also have some fun nature walk activites lined up. In addition to a fun summer scrapbook each of the kids will be making as our summer progresses. My girls are super excited and keep asking if we can start "NOW!"

6. Thanks to the generosity of neighbors and friends I have not had to make dinner once since coming home from the hospital! It's nice! Although I feel kinda awkward accepting meals when The Princess is back to her healthy self. My good friend say "Just enjoy it! People want to do it, let them do it!!" Last night a fireman friend made us a yummy pasta dish, ceasar salad and homemade croutons......all of which he made himself and delivered himself. His wife said he was so cute in the kitchen and wouldn't let her help at all. Thanks Rich!!

7. I cleaned out my closet yesterday and discovered...I need a new wardrobe!! I also discovered I have not purchased a new article of clothing in almost 2 years. YIKES!! I definetly need some updated stuff.

8. I saw a lady at the deli yesterday that had the CUTIEST purse. I'm kicking myself that I didn't ask her where she got it. It was super cute and as with my wardrobe, I need a new purse!

9. Do you ever wish there was a master "customer card"? You know the little cards you get from various stores that offer you discounts or custmoer rewards? I have about 15 of these and let me tell you...it's annoying! I wish I could just pull out one card and be on my way, instead I have to sort through a stack to find the one I need. I know it's a little thing, but it's the little things I find annoying!

10. Remember this post? Well, I did it!! I got my hair cut!! For fun I'm going to giveaway a $25 Target gift card to celebrate!!! Just leave me a comment with your "Guess" of which hair do I chose!! Entries accepted until 8pm Pacific Standard Time Friday May 21. Winner annouced Monday May 24th!!

Getting to Know You -- Sunday

2010-05-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

After a very long stressful week I need a little fun blogging.

Join in the Getting To KNow You blog Carnival hosted by MannLand5.

1. The most expensive thing hanging in my closet is.....? Hanging?? Hmmm at Kate Spade Tote Bag. Not Hanging, my wedding dress...it's preserved in a box on a shelf.

2. Have you ever played a team sport? I was a high school cheerleader....does that count as a team sport??

3. If you were a bug, what kind would you be? I really hate bugs, but if I had to pick one to be it would be a dragonfly...they can be very pretty and colorful.

4. Where on your body is the worst place to get sunburned? My face. Makes me very, VERY itchy!!

5. Are you happy? VERY!!

6. People are always abbreviating..are there any abbreviations that make your skin crawl when people use them? I don't get the whole text abbrevaition language. I'm a non-texter, partially due to the abbreviations, but mostly it just irritates me in general!!

7. Do you love where you live..or could you live anywhere? This is a tough one. I hate the town I live in, I grew-up here and wished I lived anywhere but here! I dislike ALOT about the house I live in, but I deal. I LOVE my street and my neighbors! I live on a quiet court with just 4 others homes and are neighbors are the best we have ever had!!

8. What, if any, extreme measures do you go to to keep yourself from overeating when you're full? Pour salt, LOTS of salt on it so I won't keep picking at it. Plus I drink a big glass of water before eating so I feel full on less food.

Mother's Day 2010...one I will never forget!

2010-05-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

My Mother's Day began as all prevoius Mother's Days have. I got to sleep in and my kiddies woke me with breakfast in bed. The rest of the day..........not so usual!!

When my kids came in to give me my breakfast I immediatly noticed The Princess was not among them. Initially I was not surprised, she had been vomiting and running a low-grade fever the day before. Hubby said she was asleep on the couch.

I opened my gifts from the kids and then they left me to eat my breakfast and take a shower.

When I came out of the shower Hubby came in and said The Princess was breathing oddly. I went out to look at her and her breathing was very quick and shallow. She was still asleep and Hubby said she had refused all food and water since waking 2 hours earlier. He also told me she had not urinated. This meant she hadn't urinated sine 8:30am the morning before!!

I called her pediatrician and spoke with an advice nurse. The number one concern was dehydration. The nurse put me on hold to speak with an Emergency room doctor. She came back on the line and said his recommendation was to "force fluids and schedule a phone appointment for later in the day." Then the nurse, GOD Bless her, said "I'm not comfortable with that and I 'm checking for an appointment to bring her in." The Princess was scheduled for a 2pm appointment. It was currently 11am.

From 11am to 1:30pm The Princess mostly slept. She would be awake one minute and then seemed to instantly fall asleep to awake crying that her tummy hurt just minutes later. During this time I was able to get her to eat a pedialite popsicle.

We arrived for her appointment and they immediatly started giving her 5ml of pedialite every 5 minutes. Her temp was 101 and she had started sounding crackly when she breathed. Still her breathing was quick and shallow and her skin would sink in at her collarbone area.

The nurse, Tony, put a Pulse Ox machine on her and all of a sudden alarms started going off. Her oxygen saturation was 88%. From that point on we were never left alone! She was given 2 breathing treatments that brought her level up to 90% but it would drop back down after the treatment. She was then put on oxygen and taken STAT for chest x-rays.

After the x-rays her doctor came in and said "She has sever phnuemonia and I'm sorry to tell you but she needs to be admitted, the ambulance is on it's way." Needless to say I was SHOCKED!!! I asked that my husband be called and told what was going on, I was staying with The Princess because they were starting an IV right then and getting IV antibiotics going right away.

My poor Hubby was at our Boys baseball game with our other girls and was completely caught off gaurd! As far as he knew I was taking her to the doctor and going to meet him back at home. My friend told me he got off the phone and literally said "She's in an ambulance being taken to the hospital." She said he didn't know what to do!!

The hospital she was being admitted to is 45 minutes from her peditricians office. With lights flashing we made it there in less then 30 minutes. She fell asleep in the ambulance and the poor sweetpea vomited as soon as we arrived.

She was rushed upstairs, and honestly the next few hours are a complete blur to me. There were doctors and nurses coming in alot, lots of tubes and wires being attached to her. And through ALL of this she did not cry once!!!!! Even when her IV was being put in!!!!

For the next two days she barely spoke. This was very hard on Hubby and I because The Princess is a very chatty, very active little girl, and to see her lying in this big bed with an oxygen mask on and tubes everywhere and her not speaking was brutal!!!!

During her hospital stay it was also discovered she had a partial collapsed lung on her left side, which we were told was not uncommon with phnuemonia to the degreee she had it. It was completly on her left side and was moving in a "V" pattern up her right side.

What is very scarey is this all happened without warning, with no prior illness and in less then 24hours. It came on fast and hard!

She spent the next 3 days in the hospital, and I never left her side. Yes, I remained in the same clothes from Sunday-Wednesday!! She was released yesterday afternoon and has to conitnue antibiotics for 4 more days and has to have albuteral breathing treatments every 4 hours. She goes to see her pediatrician on Monday and at that point we are hoping for the all clear diagnoses!

This photo was taken Monday Night. She had been switched from an oxygen mask to little tubes in her nose which were much more comfortable for her.

Her Brother and Sisters had been very worried about her so Hubby brought them for a breif visit so they could see she was getting better.

By Tuesday afternoon she was able to be taken off supplemental oxygen and was more willing to interact with people. Here she is playing Tic-Tac-Toe with her Auntie PamPay.

Here she is getting one of many breathing treatments. These were done every 4hours around the clock.

By Wednesday morning she was almost 100% back to her normal self!!

During this entire ordeal she was an incredibly brave little girl. Here she is getting her IV removed.

Here she is pointing to the pain chart used through out her stay to communicate with hospital staff about how she felt. She is pointing to how she felt when she first arrived..."Severe Pain"

Her sisters were VERY happy to have her back at home. Here The Countessa helps her do her breathing treatment.

After bath last night, I found her and The Duchess cuddleing and chatting in The Duchesses bed.

I am so thankful to have My Princess feeling better and back home!!

This most certainly will be a Motherer's Day I will never forget!!

And I am especialy thankful to the Kaiser advice nurse I spoke with on Sunday morning.

If she hadn't ignored the doctors recommendation I don't even want to think of what might have happened to my little Princess!!!

Marble Racers WINNER!

2010-05-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

I had 4 entries for the Marble Racers 6-pack and the winner (randomly selected through random.org) is

Amy said...

my son would absolutely love these

Congratulations Amy! Please contact me at thisthateverything@comcast.net to claim your prize!

Please stand By!

2010-05-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

I know some are waiting to see who won my first giveaway. I will be posting the winner (and my reason for the delay) tomorrow May 13!

5QFriday!

2010-05-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

Join in the fun at My Little Life.

1. What is your worst memory of your siblings? Oh My, I was the youngest of 5 kids, I was picked on quite a bit...............If I have to choose just one it would be my sister T smacking me in front of her friend. I really hated T as a kid!

2. What was YOUR naughtiest childhood memory? (Must be something YOU did, no pawning it off on someone else!) I cut a freinds hair!! I got in HUGE trouble! HUGE!! I was 7yrs old.

3. Where do you like to go to relax? I love to take a looooong hot shower to relax.

4. What was the last thing you won? hmmmmm, I really can't remember.

5. If you could be on a game show, which would you choose A Minute To Win It

A Day at the Ball Park.

2010-05-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we took My Boy to the SF Giants vs. Colorado Rookies baseball game at AT&T park. This is something we do once a year, but this was the first time we took just My Boy with no sisters. He had a great time!

Before the start of the game, all the Little League teams got to parade around the field.

Here is My Boy with some of his teammates and his two coaches, Daddy & Ross.

My Boy too TONS of pictures. Here's one of Me and Hubby.

After the game all the kids got to run the bases. My Boy LOVED getting to do this!

McCovey Cove.

After the Pro-Game, we stopped at the little Jr.Field and My BOy and two of his friends played ball with a few teenage boys. I have to say to these teenage boys....Thank You for being so kind and playing so fairly with these little boys.

My Boy and two of his very good friends.

My Boy was a pretty tuckered out kid on the ride home!

Review and a GIVEAWAY!!! Winner Chosen!

2010-05-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Today is an exciting day at This, That & Everything! I've recently been given the opportunity to do a product review of Light Up Marble Racers, a toy made in the USA and distributed by Skullduggery, Inc. In addition the company has generously offered to provide one of my lucky readers a 6-car collector set of these fun little toys! How fun!!!

As soon as these arrived my son could not wait to rip the packages open and get started.

My kids are big fans of any type of car toy!

There are 6 different styles of car you can collect.

Each contain a rolling marble in the center that lights up with a flashing red and blue light!

My kids loved that the best!

Each car comes with a set of stickers to put on the clear body.

This was a little difficult for my kids and required lots of adult help.

The kids loved racing these across our dining room floor to see who's could go the furthest and who could make theirs light up first. It made for an enjoyable afternoon of laughter and shouts of "I won!"

These are a fun unique car and would be great for any kid who enjoys Hot Wheel or Matchbox type cars.

They are not recommend for children under age 3 and under as they do contain small parts that could cause a choking hazard. Again, they do require adult assistance in placing the stickers.

If you would like a chance to win a set of all 6 collector cars

you can do so by leaving me a comment on this post.

You can earn extra entries by:

*becoming a follower of This, That & Everything

(leave me another comment letting me know you are a new follower)

*Tweet about this giveaway

(leave another comment letting me know your twitter name)

Entries will be accepted until 8pm Pacific Standard time, ~~Tuesday May 11th~~ Giveaway is over!

Winner will be annouced Wednesday May 12th.

Good Luck!

*Light Up Marble Racers are only available for purchase at CVS*

It's baseball season

2010-04-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

We are half way through our 2010 baseball season and my son has been loving it!

He is ready to go to a game an hour before he actually has to be and can't wait to get to the field.

His favorite position to play is Catcher. This is his first year getting to play that position regularly and he get's so excited. After each game he always say's "Mom did you see me catch that really fast one!?"

This is is 4th year playing baseball and Hubby and I are amazed by his continual interest in the game and how much his skills have improved.

This weekend we look forward to taking him to a REAL baseball. We do this once every baseball season, but this is the first year it will just be Hubby, My Boy and I. The Girlies have a birthday party to attend.

Be sure to check back in on Monday to hear all about our Ball Field adventure and for

my very first GIVEAWAY here at This, That & Everything!!

What was I thinking!!

2010-04-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

I woke-up this morning with a ton of energy and motivated to get my laundry room cleaned out and organized. For the last hour I have been kicking myself and repeatedly saying

"WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!!!!!!!!

Currently, this is what my dining room looks like!

All this stuff needs to find a home back in the laudry room.

But my laundry room looks so nice!!!!!!

uhhh, what was I thinking!

A Dog's Life

2010-04-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

On Monday I came home from the grocery store and after being home about 20 minutes I discovered this...................

Now, my first thought was ..."Is he alive!?"

Then I saw his chest rising. He was just SOUND asleep!

This dog cracks me up! He is the only dog I have every owned that sleeps all spread out. He never sleeps curled up.

I guess I should take this as he's extremely comfortable in his environment!!

Please excuse the dirty window. I do have 4 kids!!

FMM--5 Things I Love!

2010-04-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

Join in the fun and participate in FMM at The Silver Lining

This weeks topic

Five Things I love

In addition to my Husband and my kiddies I love............

This speaks for itself!

This too speaks for itself!

And these too. These are my weakness, my love!

Hydrangeas!

Vintage photos!

These are my Mother-In-Laws ancestors. We are currently on the hunt to find out "who" they are.

Fun in the Sun

2010-04-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we had nice enough weather to break-out our slip & slide. The kids had been asking for weeks, ever since the Easter Bunny brought the slip & slide actually, to play on it. We've had such unsettled, wet, cold, windy weather lately we couldn't do it. But on Saturday we had 70degree weather and not a cloud in the sky! It was beautiful!

Even Daddy joined in the fun. Although he came away convinced slip & slides are not meant for anyone over the age of 10! He was a bit sore the next day!

It looks like we may be able to bring it out again this weekend, inspite of 2 days of pouring rain once again!

Tracing Your Genealogy-- Step 2

2010-04-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

Now that you have written out a pedigree chart, started Individual Information Sheets for each member on your pedigree chart and hopefully spoken to other family members it's time to start a Family Group Record Sheets for each family. These will help to keep families together and help to aid in your searches. Sometimes when you can't locate information on your direct ancestor, you can often find information on one or more of their siblings, but to do that you need to keep the family members grouped together.

Before you begin an online search at any of the genealogy sites or go to a genealogy library you should set research goals. A Individual Research Goal sheet will help in setting goals for your ancestor search; what information are you looking for, where should you look.

Now you are ready to start your search. Ancestry.com is a great site with lots of records to search, however there is a membership fee to view records. You can use the message boards freely and often request help with a search or viewing a document if you choose not to become a member. I am a member and am happy to help if I can. You can email me at thisthateverything@comcast.net.

Don't forget to check for local genealgy societies in the areas you are searching. Many states and counties have such societies and they can be extremely helpful in locating local documents.

During your search be sure to write out a Research Log. This is were you can quickly jot down information you gather during your search and keep track of the outcome. This will help in avoiding a duplicate search.

Now go start searching. I'll post next week on how to keep this all organized and keep names and families from getting too confusing and overwhelming.

Allergy Season is upon us.

2010-04-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

My Boy has severe hayfever and every spring we go through more allergy medication than you could possibly imagine. This past week was no exception.

Hubby took the kids for a hike and about half an hour after they left, Hubby called and said "Get eye drops and get the shower ready for The Boy!...Hurry, we'll be home in less than 5 minutes!."

I opened the front door and My Boy's eyes were more swollen they I have ever seen them. I imediately put drops in his eyes, gave him Benadryl and had him get in the shower. It took a full 24 hours for the swelling to go down.

This after only hiking for 10 minutes! My poor Boy!

Getting to know you.

2010-04-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

Another fun Blog Carnival. Visit

Mann Land 5 to play along.

1. What color do you wear the most? Black

2. Would you rather have $10,000 dollars or a dream vacation? Today I would take the $10,000 to pay taxes, now if I had read this yesterday before tax bill arrived, I would have sayed dream vacation!

3. Do you have a weird, quirky or unusual habit? I talk to myself..........outloud. I'm taking complete conversations.

4. I really need to start..........? to make more money!

5. What was the first blog you ever read? The Pigbear about 3 years ago

6. Do you collect anything? Oh my, over the years I have collected soooo many things! Barbies, Mary Moos, sea shells, books, stickers.......currently I'm not activily collecting anything...shocking!

7. How old were you when you had your first kiss? LOL!!! 16. I was too afraid to before that!

8. Do you text/twitter while driving? I don't text or twitter ever.

Who Do you Think You Are?

2010-04-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

If you have not seen the new NBC show Who Do You Think You Are? You are missing out. This has become by far my new favorite show. Each week it follows a celebraty as they journey back in history to discover their family roots. Sara Jessica Parker discovered she had a ancestor who was put on trial for being a witch during the Salem Witch Trials, Lisa Kudrow discovered an ancestor alive that had been presumed dead, Mathew Brodrick discovered he had an ancestor that died fighting in the Cival War. The show airs Friday nights on NBC and Susan Saradon will be the next celebraty to discover her ancestry.

My passion for genealogy began nearly twenty years ago while I was in college. I was taking a Cultural Diversity course and the class was given an assignment to put together a family tree project. In starting that project I discovered how little I really knew about my heritage. I decided then to discover all I possibly could to learn more about my ancestors; who they were, where they were from.

I began by sitting down with my Maternal Grandfather to discover what information he had. He started by writing out a pedigree chart starting with myself and working backwards. I was amazed by the abundance of information my Grandfather was able to provide me with. He was able to provide not only names, but dates and professions as well as locations for each of my ancestors. That day I walked away with a pedigree chart going back four generations on both his side of my tree and my Grandmothers. I was fascinated.

In the nearly 20 years since that warm June afternoon, I have been able to trace several branches of my family tree, some as far back as the 1500’s. I have been able to solve long time family mysteries and accurately document many stories that originated from family folklore. I get such a rush from discovering another ancestor and being able to step one step further into my family history. I have learned on my journey that everyone has a story and I have made it my responsibility to record my family’s story for future generations.

I am by no means a professional genealogist, but I have learned a lot in the last twenty years and I would like to share my journey with others interested in tracing their family history. I will be putting together a series of post to add you in your quest, take what information works for you and adapt the information I provide to help your self discover your ancestors. So let’s get started…………..

Getting Started:

The very first step in the genealogy process is to start with what you know. The best way to do this is to start a pedigree chart beginning with yourself and working backwards from you. I have included a blank Pedigree Chart for you.

Once you have filled in as many names as you can from knowledge you already have, start an Individual Record Sheet for each member on your Pedigree Chart. Individual Record Sheets will be used to record all information you discover about that ancestor as you make your way back through history. I have provided a blank record sheet for you.

Your next step will be to talk to other family members and see what additional information they can provide. This is when your Individual Record Sheets will come in handy. You will know exactly what information is missing and will be able to gear discussions to fill in as many blanks as you can.

Have fun discovering your ancestry and be sure to check back for additioanl steps and tips for continuing your journey into the past.

How about a Five Question Friday post............

2010-04-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

You can join too! Go to My Little Life to play along!

Today's 5 Questions:

1. Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?

Without a doubt Reese Witherspoon. I think she is just the cutiest thing, and I love all her movies!

2. Did you ever go to summer camp?
Nope. #1 because I never had any desire too and #2 my family could not afford it.
3. What sends you running and screaming in the other direction?
Spiders, creepy crawlies, snakes, mice, kids with dirty hands or runny noises....that sort of thing.

4. What is something you do that drives your spouse nuts?
Oh gosh there are many........tunning out the kids, eating sunflower seeds, spending hours, yes HOURS, reading a good book. I'm sure there are other's, but these are what have come up this week. LOL!

5. What is currently your favorite song?
Name the song....gosh I have no idea! I am currently liking the Carrie Underwood song, I think it's called Temporary Home. It makes me thinkn about my Grandpa and the day he died surrounded by family. It makes me cry everytime I hear it, but I love it!

Ultimate Blog Party 2010

2010-04-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in the Ultimate Blog Party 2010 hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom.
Here's what 5 Minutes for Mom has to say about the Ultimate Blog Party 2010:

The Ultimate Blog Party is a virtual party celebrating online friendships.

Join the party and find new blogging friends, connect with longtime blogging buddies and maybe even win a prize

To participate visit 5 minutes for Mom for the complete details, write a post on your own blog introducing yourself, then link up to 5 minutes for Mom.

So who is The Queen and what is This, That & Everything?

I am Hillary, aka "The Queen" and I've been happily married to my high school sweetie for nearly 13 years (we've been together for over 20yrs!)

We have four amazing kids!

First we have our 8yr old twins.

"My Boy" & "The Countessa"

Next we have our 7yr old daughter

"The Duchess"

Then we have our 5yr old daughter

"The Princess"

And our family would not be complete without our 2yr old Black Lab

"The Pooch" and frequently "The Wild Beast"

This, That & Everything was born out of my desire to connect with other Mom Bloggers and to share how I functional on a daily basis in a busy household of 6 + A dog.

Here you will find reviews of products & toys our family loves. Reviews of books I enjoy and sites I love to visit. You will also read about our daily lives and those wonderful "mommy moments"...you know those moments when you think to yourself..."Who are these kids, and what has happened to my life??"

I also like to share my organizational ideas and things that help me get through the day in a somewhat organized fashion.

This, That & Everything is exactly that.........it's about a hodge-podge of ideas, thoughts and randomness. I love getting comments and love getting new followers!!

The top three Blog Party Prizes I would love to win are:

#32 A $25 Target Gift Certificate

#73 A $30 Amazon Gift Certificate

#37 A $20 Visa Gift Card

If those aren't available I would love any of these prizes; 20, 31, 41, 48, 52, 61, 63, 84 or anything for kids ages 5-8 or something just for mom.

Happy Blogging!!

Super Stretchy ABC's

2010-04-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Easter BUnny brought this fun game for The Princess to help her with letter recognition. I have to say this is the funnest game our family has played in a very long time! Not only does it help The Princess with her letter recognition, but she loves trying her hardest to get all the correct body parts where they need to be.

This game is very similar to Twister, but instead of colors your chiild has to put her foot, hand or ear on certain letters or pictures. For each body part she is able to correctly place and hold, she gets those tokens to go in a litttle toy box.

At the end of the game, when all the foot print tokens are filled in, the "secret letter" is revealed. The player with that token is the winner, if no player has that token the game goes to Thing 1 and Thing 2.

We have played it EVERY night since Easter and we have had a ton of laughs! I highly recommend this game to families with preschool and school age kids!!

Under Construction!

2010-04-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of making some changes around here. Please stay tuned.......

Tag Tuesday

2010-03-31T16:48:00.001-07:00

I came across this fun game of "tag" here and decided to join the fun and spread the word. You can visit Adventures of A Military Family of 8 to get the rules on how to join and play along.
I'm off to "tag" Hope you join in!!

Tag You’re It (from MilitaryFamof8)

If you don’t know what “Tag, you’re it!” or “Tag Tuesday”

is, simply put, it’s a game of Tag

You “Tag” your new friends and they “Tag” you as well.

(instead of leaving “following from…” comments which is what prompted me to start “Tag”

since I heard many friends say they didn’t like how impersonal that sounded)

The Special “quality” about “Tag, you’re it” is that through this game,

you can post the url’s to your blog, twitter, facebook, networkedblogs, Etsy store, links to voting pages that you are in, contest/giveaway pages and anywhere else you want followers in

Today is Tuesday, New blank list goes up,

The Rules to playing “Tag, you’re it” are simple:

add your information to the spreadsheet

“Tag” everyone else above you on the list

Check back regularly to “Tag” new friends below you (list is open all week)

“Tag” back everyone who has “Tagged” you (remember to add or follow in addition to leaving the Tag comment)

One thing I do have to bring up, PLEASE be kind and do not erase or change peoples information, I occasionally have to fix url’s

Here is the Spreadsheet

Also, if you can, help promote the word

The more people know about Tag Tuesday,

the more people will Tag you

here is the link to this page:

http://bit.ly/c0wsLR

I included the link in case you want to post on twitter or anywhere else & need a shorter link

Finding direction....

2010-03-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

I started this blog several months ago for reasons I'm still not sure of. LOL! I felt, at the time, it would be a nice way to share ideas and tips with fellow "mommy bloggers." However, lately I feel like my blog has no direction. As my title states I dabble in a little of this, a little of that and a lot of everything. It's hard for me to decide on one thing to focus on.

I read a lot of various types of blogs....funny blogs, mommy blogs, homeschool blogs, cooking blogs, scrapbook blogs, photography blogs, organization blogs.....and when I think of how my blog fits into any of those catagories I can't say it fits soley into one over another. I guess I just have too many things I would like to share!!

So, I guess what I'm saying is this blog is about all of the things that interest me and the things I find joy in. You can be assured that reading this blog you will read about any of the following on any given day with no rhyme or reason......

*All of my life's "Mommy Moments"...you know the moments when you think to yourself "Are these MY children??!!"

*How I organize and stay organized with 4 kids, a wild dog, and a busy self-employeed husband.

*My attemps at photography and cooking.

*Anything scrapbooking related

* homeschooling finds (I don't homeschool, but I do LOTS of homeschool activities with my kids to enhance their public school curriculm.)

*And pretty much anything else I feel like writing about!

Ultimatley, my blog is about This, That & Everything! I hope you enjoy what you find here.

Children really are immune to the cold!

2010-03-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had several days of rain and generally cold weather. Now I spent most of my days inside, nice and warm, currled up with a good book. My children however...............

They put on swim suits and headed outside to enjoy the rain!!

They were singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas!"

After several minutes of taking pictures and listening to the lovely chirstams carols, My husband thought it would be even funnier to watch them all fight over ONE towel!

With four kiddies, there's never a dull moment!!!

Scrapbook Storage Binders

2010-03-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

These are my "Fun Binders" These are mostly used for scrapbooking and photography.

First I have my Magazine Control Binder. Another confession....I'm a magazine junkie!! This is a binder I use to temporarily house the pages I tear out of the many, many magazines I read. I say temporaily because the items regularly get moved to other more topic specific binders.

My first topic specific binder is my Scrapbook Layout Idea binder. This binder is for all the layouts I tear out of scrapbook magazines. I have this binder broken down by the number of photos featured on each layout...(1-16+).

Next is my Photography Binder. This is for all the photography related tips and articles I tear out of magazines or print off the internet.

Then I have my Scrapbook tip & Techniques Binder. This is for all the fun little ideas I find I would like to try.

Then I have my Kids Craft Binder. This is for all those little activities I come across to try with the kids.

I have several other binders I use to store various scrapbooking supplies and items like acrylic stamps, flowers, Cricut cartridges ect.

And so our journey begins.............

2010-03-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

As a parent there are things in life I had hoped my children would never have to face. My fears have strictly based on my personal experiences in life, so when my son had to start wearing glasses at the age of 18 months, I cried. I wore glasses as a child and I know how cruel other kids can be to a child wearing glasses. I experienced the teasing and never wanted that for any of my children.

And now, today marks another fear realized. My son most likely has dyslexia and today we have begun our battle with the school district to get him the help he needs. Now I say "most likely" has dyslexia because he has not officially been tested. That is something my husband and I will have to have done on a private basis, the school district does not even recognize Dyslexia as a learning disability!! I know only too well that it IS a learning disabilty!! I have a sister with Dyslexia and have watched her struggle throughout her life. I never wanted that for any of my children!!

So, today I submit my letter of request for assessment and my school district has 15 days to respond to my request. They can deny, but they have to have strong reasons for denial, which if by doing so they would have to flat out lie about his abilities. My son is 8years old and reads at a 5year old level!

Please wish us luck as we begin to travel the frustrating and looooong road ahead.

Looks can be deceiving!

2010-03-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

Look at that sweet face, isn't she just precious!!

She has a flare for fashion.....

She's kind to animals.............

She makes us laugh daily.....

All this I must remember!!!

Looks CAN be deceiving!!!

Breathe, mommy, breathe!!!!!!!

Things that make me smile

2010-03-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things that are making me smile today..

Cupcakes I made for the Duchess Birthday

My Girlies!!

Colorful tutus!

Fake mustaches!

Face paint

This child!!!!

And this child!!

And this man!

What's making you smile today?

Not Me Monday!

2010-03-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

This is my first time participating in Not Me Monday! You can join in the fun too, visit McMama to play along.

Here are my list of things I did not do over the past week...

I did not make a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies just so I could eat the dough...Nope not me!

I did not look at The Princesses filthy dirty feet last night and say..."Oh, that's fine you can take a bath in the morning!" and then put her to bed....Nope not me!

I did not forget about a load of laundry in the washing machine for 3 days! Nope that certainly was not me!

I did not laugh hysterically at a news report about owls swooping down and grabbing chihuahuas in a local town. Nope not me!

I did not make a finacial blunder causing our checking account to become overdrawn. Nope that was not me! Sometimes people do pay their mortgage twice right? Right!

I did not tell The Contessa she was dreaming when she saw me go in her room to deliver tooth fairy money. Nope not me!

I did not tell my son he couldn't have a pet lizard, using our dog as the reason, and not the fact that they creep me out. Nope not me!

Friend Makin' Monday

2010-03-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

Go to aefilkins to join the fun and make new friends!

I am....at peace.

I think....every cloud has a silver lining.

I should...be folding laundry.
I dream....every night. Makes for very restless sleep at times.
I want....enough money to go to Europe this September on a family girls trip with my sisters. London, Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome...14 days...PLEASE!!!!!

I know...everything will be OK.

I don't like....bananas! NASTY!!!

I smell...like vanilla.

I hear....Regis & Kelly.

I fear....being lonely.

I usually...take a HOT shower to relax at night.

I search...genealogy sites for long lost ancestors.

I miss....my first dog, Adeline everyday. She was my first baby. She was given to me by my Mom on my 17th birthday. She passed away at the age of 16.....that was 5 years ago and I still miss her everyday!

I always...drink milk with dinner.

I regret....not having a better relationship with my Stepdad while he was alive.

I wonder....what the day will bring.

I crave....SALT!!

I remember...everything. I have a REALLY good memory and can recall, in detail, events that took place when I was barely 2years old.

I need.....a housecleaner.

I forget....very little unfortunatly! There are alot of things I wish I could forget!

I feel....blessed.

I can....do anything I set my mind to.

I can't....dwell on the bad stuff.

I am happy....in my life!

I lose.....my sunglasses frequently.

I sing....very loudly in the car, even when I'm not alone!

I listen...to country musice 90% of the time and classic rock 10% of the time.

I shop.....way to often.............Hello, my name is Hillary and I'm a shopaholic!

I eat....all the wrong things.
I love.....my family & friends.

Recipe and Shopping Guide Binders

2010-03-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

I love trying new recipes and frequently tear recipes out of magazines and print from online sources. I rarely use a store bought cookbook. But with all of those pieces of paper I needed to find them a home. What better then a BINDER!!!

First let's talk about my Recipe Binder. Here I put all the recipes I tear out of magazines or print off the internet. I keep a calendar at the front for monthly menu planning and I have a section for meal ideas. The recipes themselves are sorted into the following catagories: Main Dish, Side Dish, Breakfast, Baking. Each recipe is slipped into a sheet protector.

Next I have my Price Guide Binder. This is a handy tool when planning my weekly shopping trip. To be honest this has taken me some time to build, but is worth every minute spent.

This binder is divided into the following catagories: Fresh Fruit, Fresh Veggies,Breads, Dairy, Condaments,Can Fruit, Can Veggies,Can Food, Box Food, Pasta/Rice, Meat, Cereal, Frozen Food, Baking, Beverages, Paper Goods, Toiletres, Cleaning, and Snack foods.

At the front of this binder is a zipper pouch that holds reciepts I need to go over. I have a printed "Cheat Sheet" at the front that list the abreviations I use for each store; LK for Lucky, SW for Safeway ect.

In each section I have a sheet for each food item. On the sheet I list the size of the item, the store abreviation and the price. So for example I buy Jar Applesauce so on that sheet I have noted that a 47.8oz jar of TreeTop cost $3.99 at Safeway and $3.49 at Lucky. This helps me to try and save as much as possible on my weekly shopping runs because I ALWAYS compare the listed price with the sale adds.

5QFriday....

2010-03-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

I've been reading this blog for awhile and decided to join the 5 Questions Friday.

Here are the questions for today...

1. How much time do you spend on the computer a day? Maybe an hour, sometimes alittle more. It really depends on wat's going on in my real life that day.

2. Will you pay for your children's college or raise them to pay for their own way? Just this last fall Hubby and I opened 529 College Funds for each of our kids.

3. Have you ever been in a car accident? Yes, Three. My mom and I were hit at low speed when a car was backing out of there driveway and didn't see us; no one was hurt. Another one when I was 7 or 8 we were in an accident on the freeway. The car infront of us ran out of gas and we hit it an da car hit us from behind. No one was seriously hurt, aside from my aunt splitting her lip open. And the last was when I was in my early 20's I was rearended at a high rate of speed when I was at a dead stop at a red light. I ended up with severe whip-lash.

4. What is your favorite book? I LOVE the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

5. Do you make your bed everyday? I attempt to. I'd say it actaully gets done 4 out of 7 days.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-03-09T17:28:00.000-08:00

1. Cookies are taking over my life........Girl Scout Cookies that is. I am the "Cookie Mom" for two, yes TWO girl scout troops, so currently I have CASES and CASES of cookies in my garage. I (heart) Girl Scout cookies!

2. I'm really, really tired of our crazy weather........Saturday HOT, Sunday warm but windy, Monday HAIL, Tuesday FREEZING and WINDY!!!

3. For two nights in a row my son has slept on my bedroom floor. He's afraid sharks will eat him if he stays in his bed.........hmmmmm, it's a mystery to me as to HOW sharks will arrive in his bedroom, but if he wants to sleep on my hardwood floor, Okeydoughkey.

4. It is currently 5pm and I have no idea what I'm making for dinner.

5. I am on to my second round of Amish Friendship Bread. This stuff is YUMMY!!!

6. What do you say to a close relative that has recently had a stillborn and tells you she WANTS to talk about it. I know listening is best, but I feel so sad and helpless.

7. I have a family reunion to attend this weekend. This is the side of the family I see only once a year and always feel awkward going in. Each year I think I won't feel so awkward, but as I approach the door it hits every time!

8. Baseball season is upon us and we will be spending MANY days at the ball field. My son is on a great team this year and is very happy to have his Daddy as one of his coaches.

9. My washing machine just bit the dust, and by JUST I mean JUST NOW as I was typing this!!! Fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10. Don't worry, Be Happy! :-)

Forever altered.....

2010-03-04T14:58:00.000-08:00

For the past several months I have been reading this blog. In recent days she has been blogging about her trip to Kenya. I encourage everyone to visit her blog. I am forever altered by what she is writing and showing us through her amazing photographs and her from the heart comments.

By reading her post I have realized how much I have and how little I appreciate it! I'm ashamed to admit that, but it's the God's honest truth. I will be continuing to follow her journey in Kenya and in hopes of doing so I will be able to change my thought patterns FOREVER and learn to appreciate how wonderful my life truly is! Thank You McMamma for opening my eyes!

My Design Style--FMM

2010-03-01T13:20:00.000-08:00

Join Friend Making Mondays hosted by Amber at aefilkins.

This weeks topc...................What is your design style?

According to Sproost my design style is.....

50% Wine Country Style

50% Mountain Lodge Style

I must say..........100% accurate!

I love dark warm tones.

My only wish is that my home looked like these!!!!!!!!!

My Household Bills Binders

2010-02-18T15:52:00.000-08:00

Keeping track of household bills has always been a thorn in my side, I have to say!

In years past I would loose bills, forget about bills and frequently pay bills late. That is until I found my binder system!! Now my bills have a home and I have a system for filing and paying them that works for me.

I have 4 binders I use for bills and investments:
1 for household/utility bills1 for credit cards and loans1 for business related bills (my hubby owns a Landscape Construction Co)
1 for our investments (IRA's, College Funds and Stocks)

These binders are broken down by bill and at the front of each binder I have a form listing due dates, amounts due, dates paid and amounts paid. It's handy to have this information at-a-glance.

Each day when my mail arrives I go through it immediatly. I NEVER let it sit...that is to dangerous for me!! If it sits, it piles up!! I shred and recycle all junk mail first. Then I open all bills and 3-hole punch them, I keep my hole punch in the cabinet that house my Bill Binders. As I file each bill I write down the needed information on the form at the front of each binder. Checking this form is one of my MIT's listed on my Daily routine.

Now I always know where my bills are and I never pay bills late!!

I'm baaaaaaaack!!!!!

2010-02-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

Yeah!!! I've been MIA for various reasons, but primarily due to a MAJOR computer crash!! It took almost a month for me to get our nearly 10yr old computer back up and running after a major virus attack. Why not just get a new computer you ask??? TRUST me, I said the same to the King numerous times, but alas money is tight and the computer WAS repairable. Even if it did take nearly a month.

To add to computer failures, our household was once again knocked out by a sick bug. Thankfully nothing as severe as H1N1 we delt with last fall, but still bad enough that we all missed days from school or work. One good thing that has come of the sickness is the King is FINALLY being tested for sleep apnea! He is doing his sleep study tonight and hopefully we can get his nighttime breathing issues resolved. AND I can get a good nights sleep instead of constantly worring about his lack of breathing!

We have also been hard at work converting our garage to a more functional living space....scrapbook area, toy room, art room, vidoe game room ect. It took a few weeks to get all our "stuff" cleared out and sorted into what was being donated, what was pure trash and what was keep. Then the process of getting all our "keeps" organized and put away. We aren't quite finished, but the garage is definetly looking better then it has in the past 5years we've lived here. I'll post pic of our progress soon.

Now that our computer is repaired and life is getting back into a routine I can get back to blogging!! YEAH!!! I have a ton of post floating around in my head, not to mention numerous drafts already written!!

And then there was rain

2010-01-20T09:18:00.000-08:00

And rain, and rain, and MORE rain!

It has rained more here in the last three days then it has rained in the last three months! We had a midafternon thunder storm pass over us yesterday and me girls were thrilled to have it occur during the dy instead of the middle of the night like it had the night before. Interesting how thunder is much more acceptable in the light of day.

I was awkened at 5am this moring when a huge gust of wind blew through my room, I had forgotten to close my bedroom window before I went to bed. My blinds went crashing about and papers flew everywhere off hubbies dresser. Quite a startling wake-up call, especially from a sound sleep.

Forcasters say 2 more storms are headed our way, but they should be less violent then todays storm. Currently our winds are gusting up to 60mph. Not good for tree's in very saturated ground! The news reports of tree's falling on houses the last few days is staggering. My heart goes out to the affected home owners.

I plan to spend the rest of today huddled nice a warm in my house working on some projects I've been putting off. What better time to do them then on a stormy day.

A milllion and one things to do................

2010-01-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

Yep, I have a million and one things I could be doing, things I should be doing.............my house looks as if Toys R Us has vomited up all over the place. I have laundry piled up in my hallway that needs to be sorted and washed. I have dishes piled in my kitchen sink. My kitchen counter is so cluttered with stuff that I can't recall what color my counter actually is. But............

My kids have been feed, they are content, they are playing, they are happy.......That's the important thing right!!?? Even if it's 1pm and they are still in their jammies!!

On a day like today when it's pouring down rain, it's cold, it's dreary, I tend to let my regular chores wait. I really shouldn't because come tomorrow I have that much more I need to get done. But still, I 'll put them off unmtil tomorrow and go watch Black Beauty with my girls....................

Feeling "Yuck!"

2010-01-16T14:37:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling icky all week.....no energy, headaches frequently, sore throat, plugged ears.....just plain "Yuck."
I didn't want another day to go by without some sort of blog post, even if I'm not feeling 100%.

Yesterday while reading my usual blog stops for the day I read about this and decided to join, even if I'm a day late...

1. Worst trouble you ever got into as a teenager? Gosh, i was a pretty boring teenager and didn't really get into trouble. The worst thing I think I ever did was go to a friends house at lunch and get into the licquor cabinet. We took several shots of some horrible liquid and then returned to school. I had english right after math and I had to take a test. I wasn't drunk, but very buzzed. My teacher came by my desk and leaned over my shoulder and whispered "You should really start the test on the first page." and walked away. I KNOW he knew I had been drinking but never said a word to me or anyone else. I could have gotten in a lot of trouble!! Thanks Mr. B!!!

2. Are you a morning person or a night person? Definetly a night person. I dread the mornings and have my entire life. Of my 4 children only one is a morning kid. The other 3 sleep in!!

3. Are you a one-handed or a two-handed Texter? Due to my phone being from the stone-age I'm a one handed texture.

4. Democrat, Republican, or Independent..or maybe even Green Party (whatever that is). Well let me see, I'm the daughter of a very liberal Democrate and I'm married to a very strict Republican. To keep the waters calm I prefer to remain Independant!

5. Are you a pet person? If that pet is a dog, yes. I don't care for cats and rodents should not be pets along with creepy-crawly-slithery creatures.

Hair Do's _ Votes needed!!

2010-01-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

Another week of Friend Makin Mondays at aefilkens

This is perfect for me today!!!

I am in desperate need of a hair style change, please vote for one of the below do's to help me decide!!

My hair is currently waist length with no bangs.

I've been eyeing these hair do's...

Hair Do #1

I like the layering around her face.

Hair Do #2

Again I like the layering around her face.

Hair Do #3

I like the length here.

Hair Do #4

If I were really daring I'd do this.

What's your vote????

A Thousand Words Thursday

2010-01-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

I love this activity. Visit Cheaper Than Therapy to play along.

A picture is worth a thousand words..............

Medical Information Binders

2010-01-06T08:50:00.000-08:00

I have learned over the past few months how important it is to keep medical record information contained and accessable at a moments notice. To acheive this I put together Medical Record Binders for each member of my household. These binders are broken down into the following catagories: Visits, Lab Work, Immunizations, Procedures, and Reciepts. At the front of each binder I have the medical record number, emergency contact information, allergies, current medications and a list for any OTC medications.

I have also put together a binder for my mother, who is currently under a doctors care for an on-going illness. It is such a valuable tool for my sisters and I, who take turns attending my mothers' appointments with her. It allows each of us to make notes of the appointment and have past notes handy. It also keeps each of us up to date on her care.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

2010-01-05T19:23:00.000-08:00

A fun activity at Not Before 7:00 documenting the funny things kids say.

This story needs a little background info: My Son was playing around with Hubbies wallet; pretending to take money, looking at pictures. oh, and My son loves all things "cowboy."

Fast forward: We are at the gas station and Hubbie goes to pump gas. He opens his wallet and his Wells Fargo credit card is missing.

Hubbie opens the car door and looks at our Son "Did you take my card?"

Son "No."

Hubbie "Well it's not in here!"

Son "Did it have horses and a wagon on it?"

Hubbie "Yes!"

Son "Nope, haven't seen that one."

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My kids and Hubbie are playing "Simon Says"

The Countessa says " Daddy you be the Simer now."

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I hear The Princess get up about 3:45am and go into The Countessa's room Then I hear:

"Countessa what are you doing?"

"I'm sleeping!" The Countessa replies rather grumpily

"Do you want to color?" The Princess asks. At which point I enter the room and send The Princess back to bed. The Countessa never replies.
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Friend Makin' Monday

2010-01-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

Another fun week of Friend Makin' Monday.

Today's topic: Favorite photos from the holidays.

My 8 yr old "Preemie" holding up her stocking on her birthday. 8 Years earlier she fit inside that same stocking.

Visiting a local "Christmas House"

My girlies ready to go see the Nutcracker Ballet

The Duchess just hangin'

My Sion decorating his cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve

My kiddies bonding on Christmas Eve

Ready for bed on Christmas Eve

The Duchess opening her "Teacher's Supplies" from Santa. This photo doesn't do her excitment justice!

The Princess with her much wanted guitar. Thanks Auntie PamPay!!

And finally, the Biker Gang. Grammie got all 4 kiddies Razor 360 Big Wheels.

12 minutes, 12 memories

2010-01-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

For details about this activity visit Stacy Julians Sprinkles site.

Here are 12 photos from 2009 that make me smile... in no particular order

Project Life By Becky Higgins

2010-01-02T13:42:00.000-08:00

In October I placed my pre-order for Becky Higgins Project Life. Then I patiently waited for my kit to arrive.

I was so happy to open my front door on December 30th to find the box sitting on my front porch!! YEAH!!! Just in time for the new year.

Last night I pulled all the kit contents out and started to assemble my album. The colors of this kit are absolutley beautiful!!

There are many different ways to use the kit, but I'm going to use it to chronicle one year of our life as a family. I still haven't decided whether to do it one day at a time or one month at a time. I would like to say I will do it one day at a time, but honestly, that may be to much for me to keep up with along with everything else in my life. One month at a time may be a more realistic gal for myself. That's whats great about this kit...I can decide AND I can even change my mind a few months down the road without it interferring with the flow of the album!! LOVE IT!!!!

So, with this kit I'm on the road to one of my new years resolutions....Bringing scrapbooking back into my life!

Banging in The New year

2010-01-01T19:58:00.000-08:00

For the first time we let the kids stay up until midnight to celebrate New years.

At midnight we went out onto our court with pots.......

a colander...........

and wooden spoons to bang in the new year.

The Countessa was not willing to participate in the banging or even in a group photo (That's her running for Daddy)

Our Neighbors thought it was hysterical and came out to take pictures too. We live on a small court with only 5 other houses and my kids are the youngest on the court. All the other "kids" on our court are either pre-teens, teens or college kids.

So long 2009

2009-12-31T18:23:00.000-08:00

Good riddance is more like it!

2009, you have been an absolutely miserable year. I will never look back on you with fond memories, or kindness. I hope to never look back on you again!!!

I will tuck you into the back of my mind with the other years of misery in my life....1973, 1999, 2002, 2007....now you 2009.

I waited, and hoped, and waited, and hoped with all my might that you would at some point be kind. Instead you heaped more pain and misery into my life.

Now as your days draw to a close I say so long, good riddnce, adios, Hope to never see you again!!!

But more importantly I say HELLO 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What took you so long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A picture is worth a thousand words

2009-12-31T10:10:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon this fun activity here and decided to join in.

My kids collected ALL the leaves from around our court and piled them on our lawn. They wanted a "mountain of leaves" to run and jump through. My neighbors were thrilled to have their leaves cleaned up, hubby not so much!! LOL!!

Scrumpdiddlyumptious Desserts

2009-12-29T23:02:00.000-08:00

I am a master baker wannabe and because of my wannabe status I have a tendancy to collect dessert recipies from magazines, blogs, cookbooks and many other sources. Over the last couple of years my stash of recipes has grown to astounding porportions.

As I stated in my New Years Resolution post I want to start baking from scratch more often, so to help achieve that goal I have started another blog to chronicle my baking endeavors. I hope you join me on my journey of baking fun, enjoyment and I'm sure a few disasters along the way.

Friend Makin' Monday

2009-12-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

What are your New Years Resolutions?

Over the years I've made many resolutions, some I've kept, some I didn't, as I'm sure is true for us all. This year I'm making my list again and I'm sure I'll keep some and loose others, but it's the setting of a goal that makes New Years Resolutions worth making.

Here is my list:

1. Bake from scratch more often............I tend to use box mixes ALOT.

2. Get my garage organized and made a more useful living space. Not just a home for junk!!!

3. Get another dog...a smaller one about 20lbs maxs.

4. Improve my photography skills

5. Scrapbook atleast 2xweek. I have not done this in over a YEAR!!!!!! It is my favorite hobby but due to life crisies over the last year scrapbooking was set aside. 2010 I'm bringing it back into my life!!!!!

6. Start a weekly family game night. My kids are at the age now where they LOVE to play games like Monopoly, Life, Sorry ect.

7. Make a random act of kindness once a day, to a family member or a stranger.

8. Stick to my already set up daily organization system; daily to do's ect.

9. Excersise at leat 30 minutes a day; go for a walk, use Wii Fit, go for a bike ride

10. Laugh and smile EVERYDAY, even if the day sucks!!!!! Find SOMETHING to laugh or smile about!!!!

Puppy Update.

2009-12-22T17:33:00.000-08:00

He's baaaaaack!!!!! My wild crazy puppy is back to his wild crazy self! He went to the vet yesterday and had all staples and stitches removed and was given a clean bill of health.
The last four weeks have been tough for him, our kids and for my husband and I. We have had to keep him heavily sedated and we've had to keep the kids interaction with him minimal, otherwise he would get too excited. Yesterday, I kid you not, he ran around the house at full speed for nearly 20 minutes before completely pooping out and falling asleep in the middle of the living room floor. It will take some time to build up his endurance again, but we are so very thankful to have him healthy again!!!