20 days???

that's how long it's been since i have posted? wow...talk about time flying. i have been pretty wrapped up in school and keeping my head above the water. oh, wait, isn't it Christmas, too? that always helps push the days by faster and faster. just too much to do.

i only have 3 secret santa gifts to buy for and shopping for Roberto. the only reason i haven't shopped for him is because i just finally got him to give me his list THIS MORNING!! now i just have to wrap it all. i kind of like that part. seeing the presents pile up under the tree. knowing that my kids will open each one and be happy to see what it is. that fills my heart that i made them happy. i know that is materialistic but when they are 14 and 16 and living in the world of "today" i will take what i can get.

i am a huge blog reader and this time of year is the best!! i have gotten so many recipes it is insane!! i could go broke buying all the ingredients to make them all. plus i would be handing out food to every Tom-Dick-and-Harry that walked by.

one of my favorite blogs is Donna Downey's. i get so much inspiration from her. she put a link on her site from someone who inspired her. Suzi Blu This picture just spoke to me. i love her art. i have been finding a lot of whimsy art like this from different artists and i wish that i could buy a bunch of them, frame them all, and make a wall of them in my scrap room.



















i am glad that Thursday was the kids' last day of school. i like having the kids home for Christmas vacation. call me crazy but it makes it feel like "home" when we are all here. though i will tell you that little Miss Bailey is running around in her car like if she doesn't put 10,000 miles on it before the end of 2007 it is going to turn back into a pumpkin. she came into my office 2 days ago and tells me that they are going to the movies. i said "what did you say" and she repeated herself. i repeated myself. lightbulb moment for her "CAN i go to the movie?" i told her that just because she has a car it doesn't mean that she gets to do what she wants when she wants. she still has to ASK. did i mention that she is 16?? help me when CJ gets to 16!!

Roberto is loving, loving his job!! it is a strange adjustment for us though. he doesn't leave for work until about 8:20am and gets home at 6:30ish depending on traffic. that puts dinner a lot later than we are used to. it works well for him because he is not a morning person so getting to leave for work a little bit later is good for him.

well, i thought i would share my favorite Christmas decoration of my home. NO ONE gets to touch it. i put it up and i take it down. it is from Pottery Barn and you can bet i am the only one in this family that understands what that means. LOL i still need to get some kind of xmas decoration for the mirror and take the foliage garland that i have there down but i haven't found anything that strikes me yet.

















i purchased this set of 3 snowmen a couple years ago at Costco. they bend so you can position them anyway you want. again with the 14 year old boy. this is what i get:



















and then there is the not-so-nice of a gestering snowman:























and last but definately not least the snowman that is taking a dump. CJ is very into detail. he is sitting on a container of 'chocolate' frosting and reading a newspaper.
























Merry Christmas!

Peace.

been down

my closest friends know that i have problems with ups & downs. i am in a down that i can't kick. maybe it's the shorter days, the big-time changes in our lives, the stress of Christmas...which usually isn't a stress but is this year.


i talked with a friend yesterday who helped me see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. she helped me make a schedule. i did. it's way more packed than i thought it would be but i am going to give it my all. so far, so good. i know it's only been one day but i did yesterday perfectly. as soon as my morning coffee and blogging is over i am on to day 2. i will finish day 2 if it kills me. thanks friend.


berto is working at the Benton County Senior Dial-a-Bus. he is dispatcher and is in love with his job. he loves to dispatch and loves helping the older people who need this service. he has even had to run out twice now and pick-up and/or drop-off two clients that a certain bus couldn't or didn't get to. he even thought that was pretty cool. there is some room for advancement so that is good as well. i am very happy for him. and to be honest....the paycheck.


i am so in the mood to scrapbook but just know that i can't because at this late date my school work has to come first. i need to make sure our crop group has a scrapbook day in January. hint, hint, Anne, go check the schedule!! i am all packed and ready to go!!


since this post seems so down (sorry about that) i thought i would post some funny pics. those of you who know me well know that i am ALWAYS behind in my laundry. there is always a pile of dirty clothes on the floor in my bathroom. the other day Bug and Jack were wrestling around in the pile of clothes and out runs Bug with the arm of my bra around her. not around her neck but over her head and behind her 2 front legs...almost like a harness. i swear....not a single person in this house did it to her. how she did it is beyond me. then, as i am taking pictures she gets one of the hooks stuck in the carpet and can't go anywhere. we were dying laughing. 'gotta love a pet that can keep you laughing.

peace.