30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 18

Day 18- Something you regret

Who wants to talk about what

they regret? Aren't we supposed

to not regret anything?

I can say that I do not really

have anything that I just

regret doing or saying or

anything like that.  I mean,

yes, there are things that I am

sure I would maybe have

done differently given the opportunity,

but I wasn't. The decisions I have

made got me where I am today.

That's the thing about regrets.

People say, as I just did, that they

possibly would do some things

differently given the chance.  But

you don't get another chance.

Life is a one way street in that,

once you have done it or said,

there is no going back.  And of

course when you (and I) were younger

we did and said things that now

look horrible and so immature.

But that's what we were. immature. We

grew up, and now we know how to

make right decisions (for the most

part) and have the common sense

not to do something that we will later

think we will regret.

So, again, I don't think there is anything

that I would take back doing or saying

in my past... it's what happened then,

not what is happening now or in the

future, which is all that matters anyways.

30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 17

Day 17- Something you are looking forward to

HELLO! It's the holiday season..

what's NOT to look forward to!?

I love the holidays. Obviously, since

I have my Christmas decor out

already.. still needing a few touch ups

before I post pictures. Maybe a trip

to Hobby Lobby will help. :)

But, in the near future, I look 

forward to seeing this:

Thanksgiving turkey!!! YUM!

Seeing these people:

 only about HALF the family that will be

at Thanksgiving!

Watching TWO kids have presents this year:

 Kyler's Santa last year

And enjoying time with family. most importantly:

 Pictures this year will have sweet H in them! yay!

( I was about 10 weeks preggo here last year)

AND I am definitely looking forward to baking

and cooking all kinds of goodies for everyone!

That is my favorite thing to do!!!

Happy Birthday, D!

Today is my sweet D's

26th birthday. :)

We don't really do a

whole lot for our birthdays

since we have kids now..

and his so close to the holidays.

BUT.. I have been known

to do some pretty awesome

things for him in the past!

I took him to NOLA

one year to see his fave

band at the time, Tool.

I kidnapped him and didn't 

tell him what we were doing

until about an hour before

the concert started.

Another year I took

him Pittsburgh to watch

his beloved Steelers play.

In the frigid cold weather.

Then last year I had him

a surprise party, Football

themed of course.  It was a hit!

But this year, I have had so

much going on.. that it's going

to be pretty low key.  I wrote

him a letter that he will read

tonight, and Kyler made him

a card all by himself.  He knows

we all love him, even though

there won't be anything special

going on! We love you, D!

You are an amazing husband,

an admirable father, and the

hardest worker I know.  Thank

you for doing the things you do

and taking care of all of us!

You are forever loved.

j, k, and h.

We love you 10!

(inside joke)

30 Day Challenge- Day 16

Day 16- Dream Home

Even though we just bought a house

this summer, it certainly is NOT my

dream home.  We just needed

another bedroom for Harper and

a little more storage.. so we bought

this house:

our home (just for next couple of years)

BUT....when we do decide to leave here,

we will be building... so of course I have

thoughts and pictures and writings of

what I want in my dream home. 

1.  HUGE kitchen. I am big cooker

and baker.. so I spend 80% of my

time in the kitchen. And I have a lot

of bake/cookware and dishes... A lot.

So I need space. and I must have a 

walk in pantry. I just must.

Something like this:

 i love the island here. perfect for

breakfast time before school!

 I like the layout of this one. Simple, yet practical.

 Walk- In pantry. a MUST for any mother.

2.  Master Bathroom (with 2 sinks)

Me and D get along just fine with

our one bathroom and one sink.

Always have.  On occassion, we

all 4 will be in our one bathroom

together, and it's all good. But..

in my dream house, we will have 

at least 3 bathrooms. For sure.

 I like the layout of this one. Not so much

the colors...

 but I love the cabinets here. and the 

color. Bright and crisp. Perfect color

for me to see first thing every morning.

3.  Walk In Closet. Oh yes. I know 

I have a lot of clothes, but D has

more than I do. Not because he

buys them all the time.. but because

he just keeps everything. He's like

a clothing hoarder. So we struggle

with closet space. I had some of my

clothes in Harper's closet.. but now

she is getting more and more, as

it should be... so I moved my stuff

back to our room. Enter walk in closet:

 I like how it is part of the bathroom, not

the bedroom. And on a side note, I want

my master bathroom to be by our bedroom,

as in, you have to walk through the

bedroom to get to the bathroom. So it will

just be ours. Not guests.. .so the closet

can be part of the bathroom! Voila!

4.  Wrap around porch. 

I have always loved the look of

a porch, and envision myself and D

rocking on it for years to come. So,

I gotta have it:

5.  Back deck.

We have a small piece of concrete in

our backyard right now for a patio

area, but I want a deck that leads out into

the yard..so we can still have a good time

without being on the grass:

 Picture this with a fabulous sitting area,

huge man grill, and lots of kid toys

all over the place. :)

6.  Vaulted ceilings and beams.

This is more of a D dream thing than mine,

but it is pretty! I could hang some cool

lights if we had vaulted ceilings. And I

wouldn't mind the wood grain so much..

as long as I got to pick out the wall color:

7.  Last, but not least... we're talking

about a dream home.. so I most

definitely have to have a playroom. But

I want like a teacher classroom playroom.

The ultimate place to be. So my kids will

always want to play in here and sleep

and relax in their bedrooms. I have such

a hard time keeping Kyler's room clean,

even though he is a very tidy young man.

Enter the ultimate mom room:

isn't this just fabulous? I love the built

in book shelves. I have a lot of books. 

And will only to continue to have more. The

colors are great and I love the map on

the way back there. Very educational.

So.. that is my dream house. I doubt

any of this will make it into our real

house one day, except for the beams.

I'm sure D will make sure those are there.

A girl can dream, right?!

30 Day Challenge- Day 15

Day 15- Favorite Bible Verse

There are many verses that come to mind

that I love to read and re-read a lot...

But this one has always been my favorite,

and I come back to it more often

than any other one.  It reminds me

that everything I have is from God..

my house, my car, my cleaning supplies,

my food, my couch, my bed... even

the little things.. my make up, my perfume,

my computer I am typing on at this 

moment.  It all came from him. Every

little bitty thing comes from him. Everyday.

Day 16 is going to take some thinkin...

so it may be Loooooooooong by the

time I write it. :)

30 Day Challenge- Day 14

Day 14- Picture You Love

Of course I couldn't pick just ONE picture I love..

but I did narrow it down to 3. so sue me.

oh ya. that's me. get it girl! :)

this is me about age 4 i would say.

be glad i didn't pick the one with

a cig in my hand and stilettos on.

 i just love this picture of kyler. it looks like 

something taken for a magazine!

excuse the sticker at the bottom of this. it is

in my scrapbook and the sticker won't come off.

this is me and my two cousins, kyle and kelly.

we were the 3 amigos back in the day. :)

now we all have our own little families now!

i am now married with 2 kids, kyle is getting

married in june, and kelly and his girlfriend just

welcomed a new baby boy! yay! we are still

pretty close, though! footed pj's and all. :)

30 Day Challenge- Day 13

Day 13- Goals

Goals.. Everyone has them, and with this time of

year coming, everyone has the "lose weight" 

every other non realistic goal at the beginning

of the year! Not me! My goals include:

In the near future:

1.  Start re vamping our OLD house we bought. geez.

2.  Graduate from college in May. Can I get an AMEN?!

3.  Receive my teachers license in the mail that says

I am officially certified to teach. Hallelujah.  

4.  Ease into both kids being at school 10 hours

a day, everyday, while I finish school. It's

only 4 1/2 months. I'm telling myself. 

At the moment life goals:

1.  Be the best mom to my children that I can be.

2.  Be the wife my husband says I am. always.

3.  Teach for 25+ years and retire.

4.  Teach at a private school for a time period.

5.  Stay healthy and happy.

Yea, cheesy, I know.. but doesn't

everyone pretty much have the same goals?

You have to work for what you want,

which is exactly what I am doing. And

when you get what you worked for, you

really just want you and your family

to be happy and healthy. That is all that

really matters. :)

 

50 Free Cards?! Yes, Please!

Shutterfly is doing an awesome

thing this holiday season for us bloggers! :)

They are giving away 50 free cards

to those who blog about how cool they are!

And they are some kind of cool! Shutterfly

has the cutest cards, and hundreds to 

choose from!!! Find your perfect fit here.

I looked for hours the other day and FINALLY

came up with some of my favorites... it

 is just so hard to choose which one I 

will get! Here are my faves:

 Cinnamon Candy Lace

I love the red and green design on this one! So cute,

and perfect for 3 pictures! One for K, H, and me and D!

 Classic Red Square

I LOVE the 8 spaces for pictures! I love

pictures, so the more room, the better! I like

the simple middle part as well! Very classic,

yet modern in its own sense!

Fa Lala

The colors on this card are so vibrant!

Very contemporary! Love the design

and how the layout can be changed!

This one is at the top of my list

at the moment!

Candy Boxes

I love the layout of this card. And how

the colors offset each other, yet go

together so well. And the spaces for 3 pictures.

I pretty much love everything about this card.

Retro Kaleidoscope

This one just looks so timeless. Classic. Love the 

colors and the little saying! 

I send out 70+ cards a year, and I love

getting new and unique ones every year!

I take them seriously, and want them to 

be PERFECT! Shutterfly is going

to get me there this year!!!

Now, YOU go to Shutterfly and order

your Christmas cards from them! Promise, you

will definitely find the perfect one for you

and your family!!!! GO!

I've got the itch...

As if I wasn't already in the

holiday season looking for new

and fun recipes to try out...

my Food and Family book came

in today from Kraft Foods. Start

getting yours here.  I look forward

to getting these every quarter!  They have

such fun recipes and awesome tricks

of the baking and cooking trades.  I 

cook out them so much, I have food

stains and water spots all over most of

them.  I always get holiday recipes out

of these books to give for gifts instead 

of presents.  Homemade food is much

more presentable (and yummy)

than a generic gift every year! And Ihave

so much fun deciding on what to make..

I usually end up doing a little of everything

since I can't ever decide.  I live for the 

holiday baking season. Some of my

favorites on my list to conquer this year are:

 Banana Bread Minis. perfect for gifts!

 Turtle Cake. I'm thinking Thanksgiving dessert.

 Chocolate Mousse Cake. anytime...

 Mexican Monkey Bread. Good

Christmas dinner appetizer.

Spinach and Artichoke Cups. Good snack

to have handy while enjoying family time!

Can't wait to start baking and making!!!

30 Day Challenge- Day 12

Day 12- What You Believe

I believe that...

1. You have to work for what you want in life.

2.  Children are the best presents God can give.

3.  Without Jesus, my life would probably

reflect those lives in Hollywood...

4.No good deed goes unnoticed.

5.  Laughter is the best medicine.

6.  A family that prays together stays together

(i know, it's cliche, but it's true)

7.  Baking is good for the soul. :)

8.  Decorating for Christmas 2 weeks before

Thanksgiving is perfectly normal.

9.  Graduating in May of 2011 will

be the 4th best day of my life.

10.  Getting a job after graduating will

be the 5th best day of my life.

It's in the air...

Christmas is going up at

my house! I am SO excited.

I love the holiday season and LOVE

putting up my decorations. This

year is kind of frustrating for me

because I have to find a new spot

for all my stuff.  This is the first year

in our new house, so finding new places

to put my things is kind of difficult with

less spaces in the kitchen and such!

After it's all up and finished, of course

there will be pictures! But, I'll leave

you with last year's decorations...

at my old apartment. that i miss. 

miss so very much. :/

Can't wait to take pictures this year with 2 

little blessings instead of one! :)

30 day Challenge- Day 11

Day 11- Favorite TV Shows

Favorite TV shows? Who has just one?

Not me. I have many shows I like

to watch, even though I don't

watch that much TV. We only

have 7 channels at our house,

plus the Netflix.. so most of the time

we are watching a movie instead of TV.

And most of the time I miss

my favorite shows and end up watching

them online the day after. But I always

try and make time for my favorite

favorite show:

 Grey's Anatomy. Sigh. I love it. I can't 

help it. LOVE it. McDreamy, McSteamy..

all of them! Drama and doctors. yum.

 Cake Boss. I wish to do what he

does one day. Only I don't have

an entire family that I would work

with on a daily basis like he does!

 Bad Boys, Bad Boys... me and D watch this

almost every Saturday night. It's our thing.

 Gossip Girl. I know, melodramatic characters,

but so full of drama! I guess I like to watch

fake drama! I like all the backstabbing

and fights they all have! And then I am

thankful that my life is NOT like that. I

just enjoy watching it.

 48 Hours Mystery. another one

of me and d's thing. we like to watch

it and give our own opinion on the crime

and the back story.  He's a psychology

major.. he lives for stuff like that.

OTH. love love love them. Again,

like GG, melodramatic.. but so fun!

I love the characters, and the boys

are so fun to look at! :)

30 Day Challenge- Day 10

day 10- What Am I Afraid Of?

today's challenge is not my favorite. I mean,

who wants to talk about what they are

afraid of? Not me, of course.. but here goes.

1. Sickness

Couldn't find a picture that didn't gross me out,

but I have a fear of being sick, as in having a

disease.  I am pretty sure this fear comes

from my past of having cancer, and the thought

is always in the back of my mind that it could

come  back.  I have been in remission for

12 years now, thank the good Lord.  But I still

try to "plan" what I would do if it or another

form of disease came back that I would have to fight.

It's different now that I have a husband and kids

to think about. Scary thoughts actually. 

2.  Snakes.

yes, this an actual picture of mine.  EW!  I cringe at
the sight of these, or even the tiny green grass
snakes in the yard.  A  snake is a snake to me. Period. 
And these HUGE things... were in my dryer when I moved
into my new house this year.nAnd they were IN MY HOUSE
while I slept on the floor with my family the first night.
OMG. The thought of them getting out and slithering
around my house while I was asleep is almost too much for me.
Let's just say, when we found them in the dryer,

I had a nervous break down and refused to
do the laundry for a while. A long while. 
I still get uneasy when I open the dryer

to get clothes out. Chills.

3.  Mice.

yup. who isn't afraid of these things?  Again, I have had

a couple of too near experiences with these things as well. Ugh.

I had one run over my bare foot one time.. can we say heart attack?

Now we have one that comes in and out of our house since it 

has gotten cold.  Stupid little mouse, please go outside

and live in the field. It's much safer for you and much

saner for me if you would. Thanks.

4. Hospitals

yea, yea...why would I be afraid

of hospitals if they make you better when

you are sick? Oh I don't know other than

the 7 surgeries I have in my 24 short

years of life. Ya. 7. Broken wrist surgery (age 12),

Lymphangiogram (age 12), Bone marrow biopsy (age 12),

lymph node taken out of my neck (age 12), 2 C-sections 

(ages 20 and 23), and another one when I was 18.And

all the countless hours I spent at St. Jude, even though

they are God sends up there. A hospital is a hospital.

So, that's a lot to me. So when I go into a hospital

it sorta freaks me out a little. 

I'm sure there are some other things

that I am afraid of, but those are the

top 4 that came to mind instantly. I'm

not THAT big of a scaredy cat, right?!