A year ago today...

Our referral arrived!!! We didn't see Jaiden's face until Aug 1st but our daughter's information was delivered today. Where did the year go? When your on the flip side it goes so slow....

Totally Tuesday

You know it's going to be one of those days when you get halfway to work and realize that you forgot to drop your kid off at daycare!!! That is how my morning started out...I was just cruising along when I hear a noise from the back and realized that Miss Jaiden was still with me! Oh my goodness!!! If she hadn't spoken up I'd have just taken her right to work with me. What was I thinking!? So I had to loop back around and start back over again. Her daycare is only 5 min from our house so I'm not sure what was on my mind when I passed the turn???

We had a pretty good nights rest last night so it can't be lack of sleep. After I went in and soothed her a bit she fell right to sleep and slept until around 12:30. I went in and soothed her back to sleep again and this time the dog was crying so I had to take her out to go potty. The full moon sure was nice last night at 1 am :) So maybe I am a bit out of it today. Gotta work on getting that REM back.

ooooh boy it's Monday

It was mega hard to get outta bed this morning and I'm only on my second cup of coffee but my eyes are still half shut and my mind is still foggy....I'm draggin today. Last night was night one of Jaiden's giving up the bottle. She usually wakes in the night and has a bottle...last night (at 2 am she woke hungry so we spent some quiet bonding time over scrambled eggs) she fell right back to sleep till then and slept till 6am which was nice but me, I can't seem to wake up this morning. I need my mid night REM. To start our week out on a very positive note, my pal Dusty made this adorable colage of the 117b girls (aren't they sweet!) Hope everyone has a great week!!!!

Target has a great sale going on!

Jared and I went out shopping this morning and had a great time. It's been a long time since I took him out all alone and I think he really enjoyed the extra attention....although he kept be magnetically pulled towards the toy aisle somehow. His leapster finally went kaput so we picked up a Leapster TV...his first video gamester for tv. He's never quite gotten the hang of Xboxes or Playstations but the large buttons and easy to manage hand controller is just right for him. He's always loved his leapster, he's had it since he was two so it is time for it be be retired. It is going to the home of wayward and much loved toys.

School supplies are on sale today at rock bottom prices so if you have kiddos starting school or just love art you should really stock up. 24 ct Crayons were only .20 per box! I love a great sale so the boys now have enough school supplies to last them through the remainder of their education I think...but probably not. Call me weird but I like the smell of a new box of crayons, you know before they get all greasy and broken up into bits. It's so exciting to put new school supplies into a brand new back pack in preparation of that first day of school! Jared scored some new shirts and shoes too, we bought pants last weekend (no tax in Minnesota!) I wish there were more shopping available on the MN side, we have to do most of our shopping in North Dakota although we live on the Minnesota side. (Grand Forks is right in the middle of these two states)

Wave of Love

Here is the girlfriend chain. It shows a line of little girls holding hands facing the immensity of ocean waves. Alone they might be washed away, but together they stand strong. Thank you each for holding my hand somewhere along the way when I was facing a wave of my own. I hope you will reach for my hand when your own wave threatens.

W e've shared... Our hearts Our time Our secrets Our fears Our hopes And our dreams. Let us never break the chain of friends!

*As I read the blogs of the bloggie friends that met over the past weekend I felt a sense that somehow this has brought us all together in a tightly woven net. Women from all over, that were once just online buddies got together and became forever friends. That is such a beautiful thing! I am fairly new to the blog world but it has been such a wonderful experience for me to get to know each person just a little bit better with each post I've read. I've laughed, cried and shared memories with each and every one of you at some point and each time you visit my blog it's like you are here in my home having a nice cup of tea and a chat. It lifts me up when I feel blue, it's my inspiration when I am running low, it's my outlet to share my joy, my frustrations and my triumphs of life. Thank You to my friends for all the moments you've shared. I'm touched beyond words can say.

Some photos of our day :)

I took the day off because 1) I didn't think I'd be up for a day of work after taking Cody to see Nickleback Tues night (great concert!) 2) it was our 12th anniversary

Hubs had to work so I spent the day with the kiddos instead of him but the day was gorgeous - sunny and warm so I ran out to my deck chair every time I got the chance so by midafternoon I was getting pretty pink :0)

During one of my solor sessions Jared comes running out to say "Mom! We need to bake a cake cuz I haven't had cake in 100 years!!!!" So, on one of the hottest days of the year we bake a cake. It turned out rather yummy too, it's my first double decker that didn't flop. I like to "whip it" (the mix) for 2 minutes and that makes the cake come out so moist and fluffy that it practically melts in your mouth. It was chocolate fudge and I used peanut butter for the writing. Hubs and I went out to a cozy local pub for a quiet dinner and then came home and had cake with the kiddos. The greatest day ever!

Ask me anything

I've had so much fun participating in this post on other blogs that I am going to try it myself. Is there anything you would like to know?

12 Years ago in Texas....

One man took one woman to be a lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish forever and ever. Scott and Kim were joined in holy matrimony and a single mom became a wife and mother of three.

There's been lots of good times and we've seen our share of hard times but through it all love has prevailed. He is my rock and I am his mystery - we are one and yet two very different. Sometimes I wonder how it works and other times I wonder how I could live without him. He keeps me grounded and I take him places he's never been or would ever dream of going. He's my best friend and everything in between.

I have the best husband in the whole world! Now I need help because I can't figure out what to get him...Help Please!

12th Wedding Anniversary = Silk
When most people think of silk, they probably think about it’s beauty, or the feel that only silk can produce when worn against the skin. But I doubt that many people think about what an incredibly strong material silk is, before nylon and other synthetic materials were developed, silk was used to make parachutes during WW2. During and after the war, parachutes were highly sought after by European women. One can only imagine how many wedding dresses, lingerie and other garments were made from the recycled silk parachutes.

So it’s easy to see why silk would be the symbol for the 12th wedding anniversary gift, because just like a twelve year marriage it can be soft, beautiful and incredibly strong, all at the same time.

Going to Gramma's

*Jaiden with her big sister Sarah (Sarah lives with her mom in Missouri but flew in to visit Gramma for the weekend)

Ok, we are back from our trip to Gramma's - it was fun to see family again and we celebrated our nieces birthday late Fri night.

Saturday the babes went to cusins house while the older broads + Cody went with Gramma shopping. It was fun, and Cody is a very tolerant young man - he was very good natured about following us around town to "old lady stores" as he put it (later) not within hearing of Gramma of course. We were searching for accesories for Grammas house to go with her new paint job in her living room. She found some really cute things to go with her Tuscany decor.

We finished up at Kohls (my favorite store) where I stored some major savings on back to school clothes for Jared and found some nice chair pads for the dining room table for only $6 ea! Oh and chocolate colored towels for Cody's bathroom that were normally $45 just $15 ea - they are sooooo soft!

Sat night Jared had a bit of tummy ache which kept us all up most of the night so we were more than ready to head home Sunday even though it meant saying an early farewell to Sarah. We never get to spend enough time with her. Jared threw up twice on the way home and then slept the whole day and well into the night so today I let him stay home with Cody and he slept most of the day away but is once more feeling himself again this afternoon.

Did we make it to the concert....? Yes! Yes, we did! it was so much fun! We liked Little Big Town a lot - they opened the show. Martina sang a lot of older songs and really jacked up my favorite (I have been blessed) by singing it into another song and the band kept playing the other song...it was annoying on the ears. boy she sure can belt it though! I was mega impressed how she could sing so long and put so much passion into it. Of course the concert ended with "Independence Day" we should have known...but it was fun anyway. She opened the concert with my current favorite "Anyway" there were many songs that I wish she had sang and many I wished she hadn't but hey - the concert was fun and it was free so I cannot complain. She is still a classic.

oh and to top it off - Saturday at Walmart I scored a copy of the Deathly Hollows for only $17.95 and much to my mother in laws horror (I've never read any of the other books) I read the last paragraph first! Cody has been a big fan since around 7 when the first book came out - and he went from not being able to read to speed reading these monster books almost overnight. I've never attempted to read one yet because I have this thing with reading books and then having to WAIT for the next one to come out. It drives me nuts. I have to know if I'm going to like the book first or if it is going to be a wast of my time, because if I actually take the time to sit and read a book and then it has a poor ending then I get really annoyed and usually takes me a long time to pick up another book. If I find a good read, I get consumed and have to finish it before I come back to "reality" so in order for me to start the Harry Potter series I needed to know if it was going to be worth it. I say much to my MIL's horror because she was so upset when I flipped right to the back of the book and started reading - she is an avid book lover and has never ever in all the years she's been reading looked ahead to the ending of a book.

Well, I won't give it away but I liked it enough to want to start the series from the beginning. Now I would like to hear from those that have read from beginning to end - what did you think?

Happy Girl

We have Martina McBride tickets!!! Yep, I know I may have mentioned somewhere the fact that we both hate the song "independence day" but love MM and just yesterday hubby brought home tickets! I guess we can always make a potty run when she breaks into that song. They were free tickets - given to the military and they are nose bleeder seats but hey, I'm stoked anyway. She is one of my favorite singers and we don't get out all that much so this will be fun! It's Sunday night at 7 - we are supposed to go out of town this weekend to visit family so hopefully we will be back in time for our date night with Martina.

Red sofas...

Ok, here they are, the red sofas with which I must match a color to my walls. They are a ruby red (or poppy?) not sure exactly but a very vibrant color none the less. I would like to warm up the room, it gets a lot of sunlight so it is bright and sunny and I would like it to be more welcoming. Please tell me what you think. oh, and the curtains came with the house - hubby hates them but they match better than anything I can figure out to go with them. Any ideas? think design on a dime :)

Girls of 117b

Mission accomplished! Jaidens photos are sent in and we can look forward to seeing our girls of 117b all together again real soon.

July 4-12

Feeling a bit blue...

You Need Some Yellow in Your Life

Yellow will make you feel happy, perky, and hyper. And with a little yellow, you will project an aura of energy. If you want attention, you've got to get a little yellow in your life! For extra punch: Combine yellow with blue or orange The downside of yellow: People associate it with sickness and deceit The consequences of more yellow in your life: You will have more mental clarity, especially when faced with difficult problems You will be protected from depression and moodiness You will be a lot less likely to burn out or feel stressed

What Color Do You Need?

I've been very moody lately - it's been an emotional roller coaster ride. Not sure what's going on with that but I've been meaning to paint the upstairs a different color. right now the kitchen is a muddy color (painted when we moved here) it's kinda an army green so it goes well with my colors - red sofas and tuscany dishes in the kitchen. I would like an old world European feel but not sure what color (or tequnique) to try, plus the area above the stair is a bit intimidating and will take scafolding to reach...so the color has to be "just right" if you know what I mean. there will be no room for error and it has to be a color that will make a good impression when we get ready to sell in 09' I would like it to feel warm, bright and welcoming but soft and comforting as well. The kitchen, dining and upstairs living room are all open to each other so the colors have to flow together. Please help me to decide on a good shade for this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

TGIF

It's FRIDAY!!!!!

(and the fair is in town!) We checked it out on Wednesday but they were just settin it up so there wasn't much to see but it brought back memories of the fairs from childhood; the ferris wheel, the carousel, the tornado - what was your favorite? Mine is always the animals. I loved the bunnies this year, there was the cutest bunny with long soft angura (sp?) fur. And one that looked like a siemese cat...soft and silky!

Tag you're it!!! :)

if you are reading this post consider yourself "tagged" Now quick, grab a camera and go snap a photo of your fridge. This is the "what's on/in your fridge tag" I will post a photo tonight but I just thought of it and would like to see how many brave hearted bloggers I know :) My fridge is a mess so maybe you will get both - do you really want to know what lurks inside??? I do! let's chill together! Post on your blog (or here) and let me know so I can check it out. Happy Chillin'

I was going to post the clip "Happy Birthday Mr President" sung by the late Marylyn Monroe but after watching it on YouTube - gag me with a spoon! I'm not going to drop this site to that kind of low. Ugh! Sorry all you MM fans out there - so not impressed.

I wanted to say Happy Birthday to President George W. Bush (my all American hero) we share a birthday today :) May all your wishes come true!

Happy Birthday America!!!

We celebrated today the traditional American way. Dressed in hues of red, white and blue we went downtown and walked in a parade and then had lemonaid, popcorn and a caramel apple. I painted the kids faces with flags, fireworks and a ladybug for Jaiden. It was a GORGEOUS day, bright sunshine and a beautiful blue sky and as we were standing on the pavement waiting for the parade to begin it was a bit hot - the kids were roasting (me I was in HEAVEN) Downtown was pretty crowded and there was a line for just about everything, including food so we let Jared jump in the bouncy castle for a while, looked over a few of the antique cars (loved that the 71 corvette was right beside the 66 mustang fastback - mine and Scott's favorite cars and birthyears, well almost...Scott is 67) We discovered today that we do share one thing in common - we love Martina McBride (she will be here in concert this month) but we do NOT like the song Independence Day...not sure why but that came out in conversation today as we were discussing concerts and why I would rather go to a Nickelback rather than McBride concert...much to the amazement of my teen son whom thinks I am soooo old and not cool most of the time.

I am trying to make another video - some of us playing around in the yard yesterday and of the parade today. There is one of Jaiden in her room - please excuse the mess - it's almost a "where's Jaiden?" as she is camoflauged in toys. Can you find her? Hope you all had a special day with loved ones and friends. I will sit here, with my milk and Kaluha and reminisck as I catch up on what ya'll have been up to...