Me and My BIG Mouth!

Earlier this week Colby got mad at his Daddy. He stopped across the room and sat down beside me by the couch and looks to me and says, "Mom you are right. Daddy is an asshole!"

YIKES!!! Gotta watch what I say more!!!

Butterflies For a Vampire

All abord the TWILIGHT train! I realize that I got on board a little later than some, but if you haven't taken a ride with Stephanie Meyer's vampire saga then you need to jump on!

I was hesitant to read them at first, however once I began I found myself lost in the unusual happenings of the little town named Forks. I have always loved reading and writing. When I get involved in a book my mind takes me to a place in the story and I see it unfold before my very eyes. When I get caught up in a good book I have a hard time putting it down. This was definitely the case this week as I completed Twilight and New Moon ( can't wait to purchase Eclipse and Breaking Dawn tonight!)

I did find myself all aflutter with butterflies for the male lead in the book, Edward Cullen. As I read about the sensual way that he kised Bella's jawline and held her against his chiseled chest I couldn't help myself. I reached over to my husband sitting next to me and smacked the back of his head. "Why can't you kiss me like this vampire?" I demanded. He responded with "Looney Bin, here she comes." Thanks Honey!

This did leave me to reflect a little though. Remember those early days in our relationships when the butterflies in your stomach made it nearly impossible to breathe? When a kiss could bring you to the point of passing out? When you planned every moment around when and where you would see each other again? Ahhhh, I remember those days fondly! Now, don't get me wrong, I do LOVE my husband with all of my being, but I miss the butterflies. Now the butterflies come when it is time to sit down and pay the bills. I nearly pass out if Jeremy helps around the house. I look forward to seeing him most days still, just not on Thursday's when Grey's Anatomy comes on!

But, it was nice to get lost in the teenage romance of Edward and Bella...........I felt the butterflies again and was able to remember those care free teenage days so fondly.

I May Have Lost The Battle, But I Have Not Lost The War!

Today I experienced defeat. For the past week I had given up caffine..........however it has followed me around calling my name. This morning I had to give in to that wonderfully sweet taste of Dr. Pepper. Ahhh! I feel much better now! The quirky moments of the past few days seem far away now! I can now find humor in the things that have made me cringe lately.

Like yesterday. I walked into the living room and noticed my son was puffing air into the cat's mouth. As I stared on STUNNED he then starting gently pushing on her chest. I asked him what he was doing and he said "I'm a doctor on Grey's Anatomy and I am giving this cat PCR!" No that is not a typo, he said PCR. Maybe Mommy is a little TOO addicted to Grey's!

I picked Colby up from my mom and dad's one day this week after I got off from work. He had no socks on because the good fairy had not put any in his drawer and Jeremy apparently does not have the ability to get them out of the clean clothes basket.

One day at a local middle school in which I was working a hormone driven 8th grader told me he thought I was a hot Mexican.

My washing machine has decided that it will only periodically work correctly. Now my arm is the new adgitator in the 8 year old Whirlpool washer.

My son took three baths in one day. The first because he was dirty from outside play, the second because he picked his nose until it bled, and the third because he used his finger paints to give himself a tatoo on his belly.

See, I DESERVED that caffine! I am still dedicated to my diet, but this one time I think you will agree it was okay to give in!!!

How Paranoid Am I?

Today as I sit in a classroom filled with 28 coughing and sneezing children, I informed them that I loved them, but not to touch me at all today. I positioned bottles of hand sanitizer at 10 feet intervals around the room and I Lysoled everything in sight each time they left the room. Am I paranoid about the germs floating through the schools right now? YES! There is SO MUCH going around right now.....stomach bug, flu, strep throat, etc. I HATE the sick season and hope to make it out without a visit to the doctor. Scour your kids when they get home today if you want the cooties to stay away like I do!!!

Sticker Shock

Today I went to the grocery store to stock up on all the wonderful things that are going to help with the diet I am now on. Much to my dismay I found that the "diet" and "low-fat/no-sugar" items were so much higher! For so long I have conditioned myself to buy cheap groceries and today I was shocked to find out how much some items cost! I am a HUGE coupon person and I did save $33 with my coupons, but my bill was still higher than I am used to. We typically spend $120 every two weeks at the grocery. Tonight I spent $150 for my two week supply. Is it any wonder that many working middle class and low income families are a bit over-weight? In foreign countries the poor are skinny because they are starving, yet here in the good ole' USA our poor are larger due to high fat and artificial ingredient content! Just had to vent on my sticker shock tonight!!

A Boy and His Dog

Today I caught my dear son licking the dog. Not just a little bit like he was trying to taste him, but a full fledged lick. When asked what he thought he was doing, he replied "Max licked me so I did it back." Logical, but it leaves one wondering what other bad habits he may pick up from our family dog. Ugh!!!

That Terrible Picture

We have all had it happen to us. We sit down to go through pictures only to find one that makes you feel like a complete and total train wreck. The one that makes you want to dash to the dentist to have your mouth wired shut and run to the plastic surgeon for nips, tucks, and sucks in all the right places. That moment was for me yesterday.

As I sat down at the computer to put my rodeo pictures online the family photo we had taken flashed on the screen and I cringed. As the tears welled up in my eyes and the dam nearly burst, a very close friend happened to call. I told her what I had just looked at and asked her to talk me down off the ledge I was planning to climb for a certain fate...........she told me to "Shut up and suck it up!" and so I did.

Last night I placed my trusty weight loss ticker on my blog to make myself accountable to my readers. I also drug the exercise bike into the living room so I have to trip over it if I am trying to avoid using it. I am ready and determined to drop some pounds. It is time and I WILL DO IT! Help me stay focused please.

So, what was your terrible moment that sent you into a weight loss fury? Share it!

My Son, The Ladies' Man

Colby and his new "girlfriend."

Colby thinks he is hot stuff!

An awesome view.

My guys.

This weekend we went to the rodeo at the Ag Expo Center thanks to a Valentine's Day present from my Daddy. We had great seats and it was a lot of fun. Colby really enjoyed the bull riding the most. At intermission he asked to stand by the rail. Since it was only about five feet away from us, we let him. He stood by the rail and looked at the arena. After a few minutes he turned around and started looking at the crowd. He saw a girl that he later told his Daddy was "beautiful" and she said hi to him. Colby tipped his cowboy hat at her and then winked about three times. We all cracked up! She started talking to him and was having a great time. When intermission was over Colby came back to us (we were just across the isle from them). He asked if he could go and sit with his "new girlfriend." We told him he could as long as he was good. He sat with her for about 10 more minutes and then came back to us. After the rodeo she came over to tell us thank you for letting him sit with her. She told us all the things parents love to hear about how cute and smart he is. We got to the car and Colby said, "Gosh the ladies love me!" I laughed so hard.........Jeremy said he must have gotten it from him..........I guess I'll let him think so............but Colby is way more suave than Jeremy ever thought about being! What am I in for in the years to come???????

I Have A Confession........

I just took my Christmas Tree down today. I am admitting that I am terribly tacky. Just thought my loving readers might want to know what kind of head case you are dealing with here!

The Best of Intentions

For Valentine's Day Jeremy and I don't make a big fuss over each other. We usually exchange cards and go out for dinner. This year he had to work so I decided I would cook for us before he went in at 2:00. Jeremy had to go to his mom's this morning and help with clean up from the storms so he was instructed to be back at 1:00 for lunch.

As I wrote in an earlier post, the menu consisted of red pepper chicken alfredo and garlic bread - oh, and Colby ended up with chicken noodle soup yet again! All was going well.........pasta cooking, sauce heating up, chicken grilling, oven preheating for the bread.

I was washing the dishes I had used so far and Colby came into the kitchen and said "Mom, lunch smells yucky." That comment is not strange for him because he is so picky, but nevertheless I stopped and took a big whiff and I smelled something strange also. I couldn't quite figure it out, but then the oven dinged because it had preheated and was ready for the bread.

I opened the oven door and smoked BILLOWED out in my face. I quickly shut the door like I could hide my mistake (sure). I had stashed a nearly empty cake pan in the oven to keep Colby from picking at it and it had burned up in the preheating process! My next move was to get the pan out of the house. I opened the back door and grabbed the pan and flung it outside. The house was so smoke filled that you could barely see............of course this was the exact moment Jeremy picked to walk through the front door. What else could I do but put a big smile on my face and say "I am smokin' hot for you Valentine!" He busted out laughing and all was well..............Maybe if he ever buys me a gift it will be some lessons on common sense!

Valentine Mush to Drunken Lush

Ahhh.........love is in the air! It is Valentine's Day. It is also the one day of the year that I pull out the fancy china we got for our wedding and serve a homemade romantic diner. This year's menu includes red pepper chicken alfredo and garlic bread. I thought that with the Italian meal that maybe a wine would be nice with it....we don't really drink, but I have these beautiful wine glasses that came with the china so maybe this one night............

So as I enter the chaos that is Walmart at the holidays, I begin to load up my cart with the essential Valentine items - meal ingredients, card, some flowers, candles, and a bottle of $2.97 Boone's Farm wine..........some kind of berry because it will be pretty with the china and meal.........don't know what I'm looking for anyway.

Since I know about a zillion children I hid the wine in the bottom of the shopping cart so no one could see. As echos of "Hi Mrs. Vincent" filled the isles of Walmart, my secret was safely tucked away. I got to a check out line that was fairly short......what a treat! I placed all of my items on the belt with my wine carefully hidden in the middle. The cashier picks it up to scan and guess what....she's not 21 so she can't sell it to me. She says, "No problem, my manager will be here in a minute and scan it." Great. So as an eternity of time passed on (in reality it was only about three VERY long minutes) and the check out line started to really pile up, the manager finally arrives........no wait. She didn't come to us, but the next lane so my cashier says, "Hey, this lady has alcohol and I can't ring it up." As I turned three shades of red the manager approaches to do the deed and to my wonderful surprise the Boone's won't ring up.........before I could say forget it she pulls out her handy dandy radio and calls (oh so loudly) for a price check on the Boone's. By this point the 10 people in line behind me are irritated at the wait, but amused at the idiot customer who is ready for the earth to swallow her up whole. I grasp for words to break the tension I feel and the mood of the other shoppers so I look at them and say "I'm guessing this is God telling me to put the bottle back!" and a little old woman behind me says "You had better take it home honey.........after all of this you have earned it!" OUCH!!

Day of Frustration

Today has been such a day of frustration for our family! We had our taxes done today and we have to pay in! I thought that was only for "rich" people, but we proved that to be a myth today! So much for paying off some debt with a refund!

Then this afternoon when Colby and I came home, we were greeted with wind damage galore! His trampoline is broken and now wedged between a fence and Jeremy's old truck so that it won't blow away (how crafty am I?). The swing set (wooden) snapped in half in front of our eyes (Colby cried over this one :( ). Also a storage building that we have outside blew away.

It could be so much worse, but at the same time I am so aggravated with things being torn up!! I need to SCREAM!!!!!

Sorry to vent, but remember that I do not have an adult to talk to at night and need to get things off my chest from time to time! Sorry to fuss!!

My Hard Work Has Paid Off!

About a month ago people all across the area gasped for air and clutched their chests at the mailbox. Was it good news inside? No.........just astronomical electric bills! Our bill was $245! I know some were worse off than we were, but I nearly died when I opened the bill! I feel that $245 is entirely too much money to pay on a monthly bill so I made it my personal goal to lower my WRECC bill.

With that said, I took many actions to try and achieve my goal. The main change was that we burned wood.........we had been burning wood since we moved into this home, however we burned wood religiously......waking every couple of hours to check the fire so that it did not go out. In addition I set the heat pump to only come on if the house got below 60 degrees (which it never did thanks to the stove!) I also washed clothing on cold wash/cold rinse, hung most clothing up to dry instead of using the dryer, and hand washed dishes instead of using the dishwasher. We also unplugged any item that was not currently being used.

I know that to some these changes sound like a burden, and on some days they were, but once I was used to doing things differently it wasn't so bad.

The result.............our electric bill for this month came today and was only $170!! I saved $75 by making my changes! I was thrilled!

With the way things are economically in our country right now, every cent we can save helps out..........and saving $75 made me feel like I had achieved a huge success!

Could I Be Dreaming?

Today was so wonderful that I am afraid that at any moment I will wake up and it will all have been a dream. We had PERFECT weather today and were able to be outside all day long - that was such a blessing for all of us! I was also able to air out the house and everything is so nice and fresh feeling now.

Also (I hope you are sitting down for this one) Jeremy helped me out all day! I know, I can hardly believe it myself, but it is true! We washed the curtains, cleaned out a storage building, went for a walk, picked up the yard, hauled in wood for the next cool snap, and HE WASHED THE DISHES!! Don't get me wrong, he is a GREAT husband, but he lacks in the "help around the house" department. He was so wonderful today and I am so thankful for that!

Colby had a lot of fun playing outside with us and the neighborhood kids.....we seem to attract them all ( I counted 8 at one point), but I enjoy him and his friends playing at our place so I can keep tabs on him.

It was such a wonderful day..............hope it wasn't a dream!!!

Chicken Noodle Soup

There is an incredible phenomenon happening at my house.......apparently one can survive on only chicken noodle soup! You see, Colby is in one of his phases. The only thing that he will eat is chicken noodle soup. Now, I have tried to feed him many, many things, but he will only take a bite of anything else if I am lucky. Put a bowl of soup in front of him and he is in heaven! He eats like a champ. I am not worried about him wasting away or being malnourished (thank God for vitamins and V8 Fusion juice!), but it amazes me how he can eat the same thing over and over again! As a toddler he got on a Cheez-it kick for a while, but it didn't last this long. He will probably get to a point where he can't stand the stuff, but for now this is his main meal............makes cooking easier on Mommy!

Has your child had a funny food phase? What was it?

Celebrating My Birthday

My handsome little date for the evening!


I love my boys!


Vincent, party of 3!


Me and my hubby

This past weekend my family and I finally got to celebrate my birthday. On Friday night my sister, Meagan, took me and Colby to eat at Red Lobster. We also went to the mall where I busted a 75% off sales rack wide open - 3 nice shirts for $18!!! We had a good time. Colby loves his May-May and its fun to spend time with her when we can........I am looking forward to her getting married and moving closer to us!

On Saturday Jeremy spent the day in the northern part of the county helping people clean up some damage from the storm. Colby and I cleaned house. That night we went to diner at Pepper's, which is Colby's favorite place to eat. We then went to see Hotel for Dogs. It was a super cute movie that we all enjoyed.

Thanks to my family for a nice weekend together!

I hope that everyone is recovering from the ice storm. We were so fortunate to not have damage or power outages. Our hearts truly go out to those who are suffering so much right now. If you have a mess and need help cleaning up, please let us know and we will be happy to come and help you out! Take care and good luck!