Vacation Day One

For the first time in my life, I was ready to leave on our trip the night before. I had all the bags packed and sitting by the table, ready to be loaded in the car. I suppose I could have went a step further and loaded the car but I wouldn't want to spoil Kevin. I had to run Kaelyn up to get "the trims cut" off her hair so that slowed us down a few minutes. We were to be in Columbia by 10 am to pick up the rental car. We didn't quite make it but managed to head out of Columbia a little after 11. Our car was a 2007 Chrysler Sebring. It was a nice car but a little tight with all we were bringing with us plus the four of us. We squeezed in and made it okay.

We drove to Seminole, Oklahoma, arriving there around 7 pm. The girls were so good, watching movies and coloring in their color books. I actually got to read an entire book, The Shack, during the drive. I highly recommend this book and would pass on my copy to anyone interested in it. You can read about it here www.theshackbook.com

We first went to Kevin's Aunt Norma's home in Seminole. She had dinner waiting for us...Meatloaf, corn and the best twice-baked potatoes. I meant to write down the recipe and forgot so Norma if you read this, I want that recipe please! Norma has a beautiful home filled with her collections and cross-stitching. The girls did good looking and not touching.

After dinner, we drove out to the Crews farm. Kevin wanted to see his Aunt Karen, who he hadn't seen in years. His Aunt Janice, Aunt Reba and Uncle Fredore were also there as well as Grandma Crews. The Crews farm is so peaceful and I love sitting on the front porch of the home, looking out over the property. Reba and David keep the grounds immaculate.

After visiting, we returned to Norma's and had a good night's sleep.

We didn't take any pictures on the first day of our trip but here is one of the Crews farm:

Home Sweet Home

And as always, "We make plans, and God laughs". The girls and I just got home tonight, three days after our planned arrival home. My Uncle Tim passed away so we split ways with Kevin in Kansas and went to Nebraska for the funeral. But we are home now and I will start writing about our trip tomorrow.

Packing Up

It's almost 8 pm and I still have a ton to do! But I will get there. I am so excited to leave. We really need some family time.

Here's our itinerary: leave tomorrow and go to Seminole, Oklahoma. We'll go to the Crews family reunion in Bowlegs, Oklahoma on Saturday and then leave that night for Magnolia, Texas. On Monday, we'll drive to Galveston for two days and then return to Magnolia until Thursday morning. Then we start the very long trek home.

Just in time for the weekend!

I could write more, but time to pack.

One More Day

Only one day before we leave on vacation. And I have a ton of stuff to do. Why do I always wait until the last minute? We are renting a car and driving to Seminole, Oklahoma for the Crews family reunion and then we'll drive on to Houston, Texas to visit Kevin's mom and dad. I am trying to mentally prepare myself for that many hours in the cars with the girls. They are actually very good riders but this will be a lot of riding! I have the DVD players to help entertain them.

Only My Husband...

Kevin is a nature fanatic. He likes all animals but really prefers the creepy-crawly ones like snakes, lizards and bugs. He has a box in the garage of turtle shells that he has collected over the years. He is constantly bringing home live turtles that he saves off the highway. And then I have to convince Kaelyn that no, we really can't have a turtle as a pet.

The other day, he came into the house and yelled "Do we have any nail polish remover?" I answered, that it was under the bathroom sink, then thought to ask what he wanted it for. "Nothing," came his reply. Nothing? Kevin needs nail polish remover for nothing? This set off alarms in my head so I went to check. He had found a butterfly and put it in a jar with a cotton ball with the nail polish remover on it, in order to kill and preserve the butterfly. Great.

Later that same week, I had bought two bottles of rubbing alcohol to make carpet cleaner. I noticed that half a bottle was gone and asked Kevin about it. He once again, replied "nothing" when I asked what he had done with it. One look was all it took for him to come clean. He was using the alcohol to soak a bird's skull that he had found in the yard!

Last week he came home with a giant moth that he befriended at the gas station on his way home from work. This thing is BIG and scary looking, but also quite beautiful, if you like that sort of thing, which I guess Kevin does, but I do not! This moth (butterflys have antennae with knobs in the end, moths have feathery protusions) has been living in our playroom all week. The first night it was here, it took flight and landed on Kevin's hand, and either defacated or laid eggs on his finger. We weren't sure which. Kevin was so proud!

I finally identified the species of moth, it is a type of silkmoth native to the Rocky Mountain area. I don't know how she got to Missouri! Notice, I called it a "she", it was eggs she was laying on Kevin's finger. I have learned a great deal about the life cycle of this moth and I am afraid that I will be learning a lot more. During her short stay, she has laid close to eighty eggs in my window sill, which of course Kevin plans to nurture. They should hatch in 9-14 days. After laying all of these eggs, the adult moth will soon die, and the circle of life continues.

Did you know that an adult silkmoth does not eat, that it doesn't even have any type of mouth? Interesting. I am sure I will be updating on our moth saga but in the meantime, here are some pictures of the little lady.

Family Fun Day

According to the Fly Lady, Saturday's should be Family Fun Days. So, this is what we did yesterday. All of us drove to the lake and first went to the Lake of the Ozarks State Park. We swam in the lake and enjoyed the sunshine. Then we had a picnic lunch before going to Ha Ha Tonka State Park to walk the trails. I had always wanted a picnic basket set but never could justify spending the money on one. After Kevin's Grandma passed away, we received hers. The girls had never seen it, and they were so impressed with the pastel plates, cups and silverware. They each picked out their color and ate from that. On the way home, we stopped at Sonic and had ice cream cones. It really was a perfect day! Here are some pictures.

Frustrated!

I was going to write a long post about our day today. With pictures and everything. But my computer is not acknowledging my memory card tonight for some reason so I can't load my pictures. Maybe tomorrow. I am tired tonight anyway.

Walking in the Rain

I walked again today...not for as long but it was raining out. But I still walked. I want to stay on track and make NO excuses for exercise! At least I didn't about croak from heat exhaustion.

Fly Lady

It is no wonder that I accomplished next to nothing while I was still working. Mind you I worked a lot of hours and Kevin and I worked opposite one another so we were rarely home together. Kevin tried but his idea of cleanliness and mine are a little different. I feel I have been busy all day and still am just getting the work done. The house is looking pretty good but I need to start working on some of the "special" projects, otherwise known as closets. They are overflowing. I am rereading the Fly Lady book and am going to try to follow her routines. She is awesome!

Overheated

I did a really dumb thing today. I overslept until about 10:15a. With Kevin not off until 11pm, he doesn't get home until close to midnight. I have a hard time sleeping before he gets home. We seem to be sleeping in later and later, all of us, including the girls. I really wanted to get back to my walking today so I headed out at 11:20 am. I walked for 45 minutes down a gravel road near our house. It was a pleasant walk, and as I walked I listened to the Fly Lady podcast. Once I turned around and headed back, I realized that I was really getting tired and hot. I finally made it home and crashed on the bed. I looked at the thermometer we have, and it was almost 95 degrees! I was red from head to toe. I took a cool bath and drank a lot of water. I have a slight headache and some nausea but am feeling better. I also have diarrhea (too much information, I realize) so don't know if this is all from the heat or something else going on. I tend to get overheated easily so will stay inside for the rest of the day. I needed to get some groceries but the air conditioner isn't working in my car and I wasn't about to head in after this happened. I guess I am going to have to start training myself to get up earlier to walk when it is cooler out.

Interview

Okay, the job interview was a little strange. It went well, I thought. The lady doing the interview was very nice but seemed concerned that the job entailed doing the same stuff I did at Woodhaven. She wondered if I had gone to school to get my Masters just to keep doing what I had been doing for eleven years. I have to seriously consider that myself. We'll see...I'm not going to worry it too hard until I get offered the job! Then I will have some decisions to make.

We got the girls another little pool yesterday. The last one we bought got a tear in the bottom and wouldn't hold water. They had fun. I also got myself an awesome lounge chair. I have been really trying to pinch pennies so this was a bit of a splurge for me but I really love it. It is so comfy and since I have to be outside when the girls swim, at least I can be comfortable. It felt so good, laying in the sun with a good book, that I got sunburned again. This time on my legs. Course I don't think they have seen the sun in several years!

Job Interview Response

I emailed Kevin about being nervous about the interview and I just had to share his response because it was that sweet:

I think you should be relaxed becuase you have the option. But in the same breath we should trust God. I think he knows about our circumstance and he probably has more information about us than we care to know but he knows what is best for us and you. I want you to go into that whole hearted and prepared to find something that you have been looking for and asking God for. This way if it isnt what you have been praying for you will know. ILY

Job Interview

I have a job interview tomorrow. I am getting a little nervous about it. I haven't had a job interview in over eleven years. Yikes! I'm not too nervous though because I know I know my stuff and I don't really know that I want a job anyway. I am enjoying being at home and hope to pursue my business so that I can stay home permanently. But we'll see.

Mom and I started sewing on the dresses for the girls. We didn't get too far. The sewing machine kept acting up. I realize now why I don't sew. I am way too impatient for sewing. But there are so many cute patterns for little girls that I want to learn how to do this.

Nothing else new to report for today.

The Crews Zoo

I have decided to really try to potty train Kate. So far today she has peed in the potty chair three times and pooped once in her training pants. Not too bad of a start! She's not coming to me and going, but will sit down when I ask her too, and offer her some candy. She'll sit there until she squeezes some urine out and gleefully claim her prize. So, I'm not sure if we are on the right track or not. There has been a few times when I have went into the bathroom and noticed urine in the potty chair that she just did herself. I would love to have her trained before our week long trip but that may be asking for too much. I just put her down for a nap in training pants and the little plastic cover thing. I am going to try to just use diapers at night.

In other news, we are puppy sitting all week. That is always a good time. One of the puppies is so cute. I have changed his name from "Hitler" to "The Poky Little Puppy". He is the laziest little thing. Whenever I can't find him, I know to go look in the laundry room and there he'll be curled up on the dirty clothes. It is definitely a zoo around here now, especially at food time with all four dogs vying for their bowl first. And Sam Henry, the cat, on top of the washer, meowing for his bowl. Add in the three birds, singing their songs of hunger and wowza! Welcome to the Crews Zoo!

Goodbye, Farewell, So Long, Vaya Con Dios, Good Luck, Wish You Well, Take it Slow, Easy Come, Girl, Easy Go" Party

Tonight was our party at El Jimador. We had a nice turn out and it was fun. There were a few awkward moments but all in all, it went well. I have worked with these people for so many years, it is hard to say goodbye. But I have faith that I am being moved into a different direction and am open to the possibilities.

It was strange walking back into the office building, no longer an employee. So different, yet so much the same. I got a big hug from our HR director and he commented that I looked stress-free! I'm working on it! I'm sure I looked much less stressed than the last time I saw him, giving him my resignation with tears streaming down my face. That was the hardest decision I have ever made. I will always believe in the mission of this company and will always take great pride in the team I built and the services we provided. But I had accomplished all I could there and it was time to move on.

Losing Track

We got a blow up pool last night and got it put up and filled this morning. The girls had so much fun playing outside today. We put the pool so the slide goes into the pool and they pretended it was a water park. The water was so cold but after a few minutes out in the heat, it felt great to walk through. We are all pink now as I didn't think to use sunscreen. The girls are taking a cool bath now and soon they will be in bed and it will be my turn.

I worked on my internship goals some more today and got them sent off for review. I also started working on my portfolio, or binder to keep everything organized. I checked and had received a grade for the last class I took, another A. As the internship is pass/fail, I have completed the program with a 4.0 GPA! Go me!

Still trying to think of a company name and am leaning toward Heather Crews Consulting. Not very original, but also not limiting to what kind of consulting I may do in the future. Kevin suggested Gemini Consulting and Training but did a Google search and it is way overused. Too bad, I kind of liked that one. I need to sit down with a thesaurus and see what I come up with.

Back to Business

This is my fifth week of unemployment. I have loved every minute of it. But I have accomplished next to nothing and I do not want to waste this time. It truly has been a gift dropped into my lap and I want to use it to my advantage. So, it is time to get busy. I reworked my internship objectives tonight and sent them in for review. I have a meeting on Thursday to discuss my first consulting job. It's with Woodhaven, but hey, they are paying me to do work for them so it counts! I am trying to find a name for my company and am hitting lots of dead ends with that. Any ideas out there?

I am going to start back to walking in the morning too.

And I bought material to make the girls some sundresses even though I don't sew.

And I really, really want to start scrapbooking.

And I need to keep on organizing my house and closets and garage.

And I discovered podcasts today and I already downloaded 11 to listen to. But I can multitask and do that whenI am walking so that is all good.

And can't forget our "Goodbye, farewell, so long, Vaya con dios, good luck, Wish you well, take it slow. Easy come, girl, easy go." party for all of us that have recently left Woodhaven, Thursday night at El Jimador.

And vacation in just three weeks.

Whew!

Here is a picture from our girls weekend:

It was a lot of fun and good for the soul!

Lazy Day

Today was a lazy day. I felt out of it all day. I didn't do much of anything. I need to get busy and get some stuff done. This summer will be over before I know it. Kevin got the time off for vacation next month and I need to get some stuff accomplished before then. I am excited for our trip. We are going to Oklahoma for the Crews family reunion and then onto Houston to visit. I want to go to Galveston for a day and take the girls to the beach. I also want to go to Sea World in San Antonio but not sure if we'll swing that. It will be nice to get away as a family.

Tomorrow is girls weekend. Sheila and I are going to Kansas City to spend the night with Enola. We get to go to my favorite restaurant since it is my birthday! I love my friends!

We Are Home

My sister called on Monday afternoon. Her babysitter's husband had passed away unexpectedly and she was desperate for someone to watch Lily this week. The girls and I packed out suitcase and headed for Lincoln. We got home late last night. Kaelyn and Lily are five-months apart in age. I was so impressed with how well they are playing together now. Finally! It made our three days there much more enjoyable.

Love Shack

My HS BFF came over for a bit last night. We drove into Boonville and run to Walmart and drove through town, reliving the past. It was a beautiful night. We opened the sunroof and blasted Love Shack on the stereo and for a few moments, I felt sixteen again.

American Sign Language

I just pulled out all of our sign language books, of which there are eight, and I am going to start studying. My goal is to become a certified American Sign Language interpreter. I have always wanted to learn to sign but since meeting Kevin and his family, my desire has only strengthened. It is important to me that my children learn sign and can communicate directly with their grandparents and aunts and uncles. This is their culture. I am trying to find a community intro class that Kaelyn and I can take together. I know now is the best time for them to learn as their brains are young whereas mine is old and slow!

Sad!

I have been cleaning around the house today. Just vacuuming and mopping floors, a little dusting and a few other extra jobs. The house was looking pretty good when Kaelyn takes notice. She looked around, and commented "Is somone coming over, Mom?"

Graduation

Kaelyn graduated from preschool last night.

Little Sister

Friday night at the hotel, we all went swimming. Kaelyn was taking water into her mouth and spitting it out. My Dad saw this and told her to stop, that maybe someone had peed in the pool. Kaelyn thought for a moment and said, "Maybe Kate". I laughed and laughed when I heard this. I suppose it is only natural that as the little sister, Kate will forever be blamed for all the wrong-doings these two get into. Kate cannot defend herself yet, but I wonder what Kaelyn will do when she can. However, in this instance, Kaelyn was probably correct...it is likely that Kate did pee in the pool!

Our Trip

I have to say it is so good to be home. I had looked foward to this trip for months, and it was a great one, but it is always good to be home. The trip home last night seemed to take forever. We were all tired and cranky and that made for much fun when there were five of us crammed in the car. But we made it.

The weekend...we picked up Christy at the airport Friday morning and headed north to Des Moines. We went off the beaten path and stopped by Madison County, Iowa. We drove through Winterset, and saw the birthplace of John Wayne. We laughed as we imagined John Wayne, staying in Iowa, and just being a regular local. We got directions and headed to see Roseman Bridge (above), the covered bridge that was the star of the movie "The Bridges of Madison County". It was very pretty out there and I was glad we stopped.

On Saturday, we went to Adventureland, an amusedment park east of Des Moines. It was the first time for Kaelyn and Kate going to an amusement park. Kaelyn loved it and Kate was a hand full. She was tired but it's really not a place for a two-year-old. She was actually very patient, riding in her stroller. Kaelyn rode rides all day and had the best time.

Graduation was Sunday. It went well. For some reason, they left me off of the commencement program and didn't have a seat for me. I had to sit in the very last row. But it all worked out and it is done. Now I just need to finish my internship to get my diploma and I am done!

Playroom Pictures

Finally, here are the playroom pictures. It was worth all of the hard work and was good for me to have a project to throw myself into these past few weeks.

The playroom in it's entirety.

The Diamond Wall. It took Kevin and I three tries and four rolls of painters tape to get the diamonds to measure right. Then I hand stenciled a rose at each junction of the diamond. There are two "K"s also stenciled for Kaelyn and Kate.

I painted this entertainment armoire to match the decoration. It also has diamonds on them but I went back over it with glaze to give it an antique look. The same roses and "K"s are stenciled on it.

Mirror, mirror on the wall. This is for the girls to play dress-up.

We, and when I say we, I mean Kevin, laid this new flooring. It is a vinyl tile that comes in strips like wood floor. It really looks good and I am happy that it is moppable as this room exits to the backyard so dogs and little people are always tracking in.

American Idol

I love American Idol but since I am so busy during the day and evening, I have to DVR it. I love my DVR. Pause, fast foward, rewind...so much control, right at my fingertips. I find myself, for a split second,wanting to rewind the radio when I miss something. I sometimes wish life were like that...there are so many moments I would love to rewind or pause and even a few I would like to fast forward through! But, back to American Idol. I do love it and am very happy with the final two. I love David Cook. Watching the show on DVR, I have my own way of judging. I watch them all but if they aren't catching my attention, I fast forward through them. Kind of like the Gong Show. Mind you, I am usually watching this at 12 am so I have to do this or I'll fall asleep. That being said, I have never forwarded through David Cook's performances. They always keep me entranced. I love his voice and he has such charisma. I can't wait for next weeks show.

Final Farewell

I went to the farewell barbecue for my work tonight. It was really nice and I felt special. It was also very hard as this was so much more than a job for me. I will always miss it but know I made the right decision. I worked with the most amazing people, both clients and employees. The company I worked for is having some troubles right now and it's unfortunate because they do a lot of good. I truly hope they can work through the issues.

One more day before our trip to Des Moines. We got a lot of housework done today, with mom's help. Thanks Mom! I am close to getting my house back. Now if only my washer was working! Mom has saved the day there too doing umpteen loads of laundry for us. It's amazing how much laundry we go through. The play room is done! I took pictures and will post tomorrow. I am too tired tonight.

Lots of Laundry

I walked for over an hour today with my new iPod. I love it! It sure made the walking seem to fly by.

As the days go by, I am more and more convinced that I made the right decision for me and my family. I am still working to get the house cleaned and organized and then can just maintain it. I hope to get some serious work done with my mother-in-law here next week. But in the meantime, I have to have the house at least presentable when she gets here. I made a list dividing out all of the rooms in the house and am trying to follow it. Then the washing maching starts leaking water out the bottom. I took three loads to mom's tonight and have at least another three to do.

Excited!

God does provide one way or another. After talking to friends, I realized that the iPod that I needed, uum wanted, was around $150. I didn't need (want) it that bad. Then I remembered that my cousin Karl had been trying to sell one when he moved here. He had been given one at a promotional thing and didn't have much use for it. So, he gave it to me. I am so excited and trying to load a bunch of my CD's on to it. Not only that, but the ones I needed/wanted was 4GB and this one is 30GB! Not really sure what a GB is but that is okay!

We are close to getting the playroom done and it is so cute. No one could ever accuse me of doing anything halfway. I think we are going up to the PTO carnival and playground dedication this afternoon. And that is all from this neck of the woods.

Great Day!

Today was a really great day. My BFF Enola came to spend the day with us. We did a whole lot of nothing and had a great time doing it. We walked to the restaurant and had lunch. We took the girls to the school playground and watched as they played in huge water puddles pretending to be mermaids. We had dinner at mom and dad's and then came back and got the girls ready for bed. It was so nice just spending time together, having a chance to talk and catch up.

Otherwise nothing much new to report today. I am going to go paint diamonds on the wall in the playroom now.

iPod Search

I am still trying to get the playroom done. It is taking forever! It's going to be really cute when I am done, just not sure when that will be!

I have walked 45 minutes the past two mornings. I want to get an MP3 player to walk with. I did a search last night and realized that I know next to nothing about them. So I called my friend Jennifer and she told me that I needed an iPOD Nano. The walking has felt so good. Yesterday I headed out of town and walked down a gravel road. It was so peaceful. I am reclaiming simplicity in my life and it feels great!

Manic Monday

I have spent a good part of the day painting the toy room. It looks like a princess threw up in there! It is pink and purple and blue and lavendar and dark pink and tinkerbell green and well, you get the picture. I need to do the wallpaper border and a few other things and I think it will all come together. Kevin got the floor done this weekend and it looks great. I am so excited to have a floor that I can just mop up after the dogs run in with dirty feet.

Kate is finally starting to really talk and I feel like we are getting to know one another. I was on my way out the door to work when she would be getting up in the mornings. She goes to bed at 7 pm so our time together was limited. I am really enjoying my time with her. I look at Kaelyn, five already, and realize how fast they grow up and I don't want to waste a single minute. This is the most important job I will ever have.

It was a good weekend. Mom, Dad, Kaelyn and Devan loaded up in one car while Kellie, Kate, Clairice and I loaded up in mine and we all headed for Nebraksa on Friday. It felt great to be headed out of town. I hated to leave Kevin home but he got a lot done for us while we were gone. We didn't do much but just spent time together as family. We had to referee the girls some as they squabbled like five girls together will but they had fun. As always, just being with my sisters, is healing to me.

It was a good trip, I feel strong and ready to face the week.

Happy May Day

Well, I guess May Day is officially over now but I was wondering if anyone celebrates May Day around here. We always did when we lived in Lincoln. We would decorate little "baskets" and fill them with candy. Then we would take them to our friends' homes and leave them on the doorstep, give a knock and run! It was so much fun. When I moved here, no one seemed to know what I was talking about.

I started painting the play room tonight. I used Posies for Pooh and Honey Pot Purple on one wall. On the main wall, I put one coat of Fairest of Them All and am going to put diamond shapes all over with Pretty in Pink. Kevin is going to use Bibbidi Bobbidi Blue to make a cloud ceiling. I have always wanted a cloud ceiling! Yes, I know...this room is for the girls but I can't help being excited about it! Not sure what to do with the other walls yet.

And my best news of all is that Christy, my mother-in-law, will be coming to visit us for six days. She will go to Des Moines with us for our graduation and then come stay with us for three days. Her positive nature is infectious and will be a good influence on me. She is also the best painter I have ever seen. When she was here for Christmas, we painted the dining room and living room. I hope to do our bedroom this visit.

SAHM?

Life is a journey...I try to live by this motto as truer words were never written. This blog may actually become interesting as I document my transition from career mom to stay-at-home mom. And maybe not.

The highlight of my day yesterday was that my girls actually had three meals. And then Mom burst my bubble and said that they'll probably get fat now! Fortunately I think they have more of Kevin's skinny genes than my pleasantly plump ones so they won't have to worry about that. Prior to this change, our meals were hit and miss. We had fast food at least one time a day, hence my ever expanding figure. But no more!

And regarding my figure, I walked with the girls in their stroller twice yesterday and it felt good. Our little town is so pretty. There was a nice breeze blowing and fragrant lilac in bloom. It was really nice and it felt good to be doing something for myself.

Amazing how everything can change in just a few short days!

Well, this has been some week and it's only Tuesday. We just got home from Kaelyn's Kindergarten night. We got to visit her classroom and the playground. Guess which one she preferred?!?

A long chapter in my life is coming to an end. Change is always hard but as much as I have agonized over this decision the past few years, I just knew the time was right. I am excited about what the next chapter will be for me and my family. I plan to spend the summer at home with the girls and then see what autumn brings. But for now, I am gainfully unemployed! And very happy to be!

Getaway

I am feeling better tonight. Just in time for the weekend. And I actually have the whole weekend off. Wowza! Kevin and I may leave town for a night and stay at a bed and breakfast. I'll see how I feel tomorrow. We do need the time away, to spend together. It is so hard to stay connected in our busy days and I hate that. I spent the evening searching the net for some place to stay. Many places were full but I found some great places to go next time we want to get away. Here are a few that look good: http://www.chateauavalonhotel.com/ , http://www.yateshouse.com/ ; and http://www.thegardenhousebnb.com/ . We want to go somewhere close to home and somewhere we havn't been before. Last year we went to St. Charles and stayed here : http://www.booneslick.com/ . We stayed at the cottage and it was so nice. Kevin is sitting on the porch of the cottage in the above picture. And here I was, enjoying my favorite part!

Great Grape Taste

It's pretty sad when you're sick and all the medicine you have in the house is Children's Dimetapp Cold and Allergy Elixir in Great Grape Taste and you feel so bad that you take it anyway. And for an adult, that means four teaspoons every four hours. Four teaspoons is a lot of elisir, Great Grape Taste or not! And then as we are out of dishwasher detergent, there isn't a clean spoon in the house so I used the children's syringe to take my medicine.

I still feel like crap.

I went to Barnes and Noble and bought four books earlier today: Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky, Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin, Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield and The Ultimate Cheapskates's Road Map to True Riches by Jeff Yeager. What to read first?!? As with most things in my life, my reading tastes are qutie eclectic.

I went to happy hour on Tuesday with my co-workers to celebrate our supervisor's birthday. I had really good Bruschetta (but not as good as Bucca di Beppo Bruschetta) and two Pomtinis (pomegranante martinis's) Yum!

Happy Belated Anniversary To Me (Us)

I have been so busy that the days and weeks are running together. I can't believe that it is only Monday! Of course, working on Saturday and Sunday makes "weekends" obsolete.

But...things are looking up and we have gotten a lot accomplished at the home where I have been spending much of my time. That's the important part, the paper work will wait.

Yesterday was my marriage anniversary. I say it that way because we also have a wedding anniversary. Six years ago, Kevin and I eloped to Las Vegas and tied the knot. It was the most spontaneous thing either of us have ever done. We are both pretty cautious and reserved. After we did it, we were both scared and decided not to tell anyone for awhile. Kevin left me in the hotel room and went down to the lobby for a cigarette. While he was gone, I started calling people and left messages with our big news. Kevin was back when the calls started pouring in. His eyes grew wider and he finally asked "how many people did you call?" Just my family and my Woodhaven family!

It's been a good six years and we have accomplished a lot. Kevin graduated with his Bachelor's degree in 2004. We will both graduate with our Master's degrees in a few weeks. We have two beautiful, funny, and intelligent daughters that light up our lives. We have jobs that we love "most days" and a warm and inviting home. Well, not so inviting at the moment but soon it will be again. As soon as Mom comes over to help me clean it. We may need a bulldozer.

I am hoping to get shifts covered and be able to go to St. Charles this weekend for a quick getaway. We need it.

And yes, I do expect present for BOTH of my anniversaries.

Little Princesses

I am back at work for another awake overnight. I just got fully recovered from Wednesday night!

I have been here for 2 1/2 hours and already gotten a good deal of work done. That's the silver lining, I guess.

Today was Kaelyn's birthday party. She chose a princess theme, but not Disney Princess. I found cute decorations on-line and worked from that. It all came out nice. We had the party at mom and dad's because our back yard is very muddy and quite frankly, I just haven't had time to clean inside the house! Actually I think Kevin and I are at a impasse over the house. We are both frustrated and tired and nothing seems to get done. At this point, I need to take a weeks vacation just to get the house picked up. It's that bad.

There isn't time for a vacation anytime in the near future.

But back to Kaelyn's party. It all went very well and we had seven little princesses and one little prince attend the party. I had bought foam tiaras for the kids to decorate and bought the little boy a visor instead. He chose to decorate up a tiara though. He looked pretty cute in it too! The funny part though is that when Kaelyn and I were making invitations and counting up how many we needed, I mentioned Tyler's name. He is one of Kaelyn's oldest and bestest friends so I knew he would be at the party. But when I mentioned his name, Kaelyn exclaimed, "But he isn't a princess!"

ER Visit

I did an awake overnight last night. That means I had to go to work and stay awake the entire night. I am way too old for that business. I had a lack-of-sleep hangover all day because of it. I tried to nap this afternoon but just couldn't do anything more than doze. And just when I thought I had both girls in bed and was ready to hit the sack myself, Kaelyn starts screaming that her cheek hurts, and her ear hurts. Uh oh, I know what that means. Ear infection! Every time Kaelyn has a cold, like she did this weekend, she gets an ear infection. She was screaming and hitting her ear, inconsolable. I finally got her to take some Motrin and called mom for advice. She came and got Kate and Kaelyn and I headed in to the little hospital in Boonville. We were in and out in thirty minutes and Kaelyn is back on antibiotics. And now I am really tired but sleep still eludes me.

My Baby

It has been a whirlwind of a week. My days have been constant running, trying to get everything done, with no end in sight. I keep reminding myself, "I love my job, I love my job, I love my job". I am so thankful though for the awesome people I work with. They have made this time of change so much easier.

So, I'm not getting too much work done on my internship. I have some great ideas though. If only there were more hours in the day.

And last but certainly not least, I registered my baby for kindergarten today. She seemed to do very well with the screening and seems excited for school. I was thrilled to learn that they may have summer school and the pre-kindergartners can go two times a week for half days. I was trying to figure out something for Kaelyn to do this summer so that would be great. It is looking like there will be 15 kindergartners in the fall. My graduating class had 15, so that is a good number. The teacher seemed very sweet.

Here is my baby, almost five years ago. Kaelyn's birthday is Friday. I am going to school with her in the morning, taking cupcakes for her to share with the class. I'll stay for the rest of the morning, as it is "Trike Day" whatever that means. Ms. Gerhard promises it is fun so I am looking forward to it. Afterwards, I think we'll go to Columbia, have some lunch, and then go to the mall for haircuts and manicures. I can't wait!

Yawn

Just finished my second fifteen hour day in a row. I am tired, tired, tired, tired...going to bed now because very soon now, it will start all over again.

Never quit!

Read this on the web tonight and wanted to share.

Life happens. It will happen again and again - the routine demands of life will overload you, or unexpected events will blow in from nowhere and threaten to drive you off course.

You might run into a crisis at work and feel overextended, your kids
might get sick, your computer might burn itself to smoldering
microchips (as mine did while I was writing Unstoppable Women), or your babysitter could announce she's moving to Des Moines.

Life has infinite possibilities - and infinite ways to complicate your plans.
When such things occur, we all must confront the urge to give up. Don't do it! When you're tempted to rationalize - "Well, I'll quit for now, but I'll get back on track tomorrow or next week" - seize the day! Take one immediate action to get yourself moving toward your task before the temptation to once again throw in the towel gets too strong.

Quitting is a habit. Every time you quit, you damage your self esteem and send your psyche the message that you're incompetent. You are competent! And each time you take action and stick to your commitment when you felt like quitting, you'll gain a newfound confidence that makes the next step increasingly easier.

Blessings

Today has been a very long day. Some days it just seems like everything is futile. I could sit here and complain, but instead, I am going to list my blessings...

I have two beautiful daughters who are healthy, happy and fun. They always make me smile.
I have a handsome husband who also makes me smile.
I have a loving family who supports me in all I do.
I have a beautiful, warm home...mess and all.
I am educated and will graduate next month.

There are so, so many more that I can't begin to list them all. I am thankful for them all, though.

I am so very blessed and do not want to waste time feeling sorry for myself. So, I won't!

Fairy Dust Glitter

I had a surprise visit from my old BFF this morning. We were all still in bed asleep when I heard knock, knock, knock. I tried to ignore it but she just kept knocking. My house was a disaster! I hate to have people see how we really live! I managed to push that aside and sit down and have a nice visit with her. Despite only living a little over an hour away, I haven't seen her in three years. We are just both busy with our lives. When I am with her, I become seventeen again. It's kind of nice for a few hours!

I am still working on Kaelyn's invitations. Once I get the prints made, I glue them to cardstock, and then add a bow and other adornments. I printed out the address labels and addressed the envelopes. I used glitter glue on part of the invitation and then dusted the entire card with fairy dust glitter. I got more on my floor then on the cards. Oh, I also stamped stars all over the back of the cards. They look nice. I'll take a picture of the final project tomorrow. The part is only two weeks away and I am so not ready.

I just looked down and I have fairy dust glitter all over my bosom. Nice.

I just had to do a google search to find out how to spell "bosom".

Sad Day

I am feeling a little sad today. I have spent a lot of time this week on the phone with my best friend from high school. We shared some wild and crazy times together. She was there for me during a very hard time in my life. She is having some hard times of her own now so we have been talking and reminiscing. Some of the memories make me laugh and some make me cry. It was the best of times and it was the worst of times, I guess.

You're Invited

Hello Dolly!

So, Dolly Parton was on American Idol last night. Side note: I love Dolly! Jolene, Here You Come Again, 9 to 5...great music! Anyway...Kaelyn walks into the room and sees Dolly on the screen. "I know her!" she exclaims. I look at her dubiously, certain she has never heard of Dolly Parton before. "That's Hannah Montana's Aunt!" she told me. And of course, she is right. I have seen Dolly on Hannah Montana lately. And that is why she is the smartest kid in the world.

Bathroom Makeover

I must have felt bad for doing nothing because I decided to makeover my bathroom. Tonight. I have one coat of Sycamore Grove paint on the walls and one coat of Bright White on my vanity and medicine cabinet (they were oak colored...too much brown!) My bathroom is really small so it didn't take too much time. Kaelyn helped me paint and she was so cute, stripped down to her underwear, painting with her little brush. I bought a new shower curtain, although it is the same one I already had.

I love the colors on the curtain but I was never happy with the way the walls came out. It matched okay but it was a Crest toothpaste blue color. Now the walls are a chocolate milk color with the white trim. I think it will look nice. I'll post a picture after Kevin gets it done tomorrow. Notice, I start the mess and Kevin gets to clean it up!

Lazy Weekend

How can an entire weekend have gone by and I have done NOTHING? I sit amongst the mess I call home and can't muster the energy to do a thing about it. Kaelyn had some "sick bugs" yesterday and woke up vomiting. I didn't get much better. She slept most of the day. Today Kevin seems to have caught the same sick bugs and is still in bed. I am just praying that Kate doesn't get it.

I did take a nice walk with Mom and the dogs yesterday. It was a little cool but felt good to be out and about. My goal is to do some sort of exercise daily. I found the cutest little water bottles at Walmart yesterday. Each one hold 32 oz. of water and are easy to handle. I bought three of them and plan to go get a few more to give to my biggest loser team members at work. They come in pink, lime green and blue...of course, I bought on of each. Still, they were only $1.47 each.

And that is all that is going on around here!

My Hometown

I took a long walk yesterday around my Hometown. I love this little place. Someone recently insinuated that because my family has not lived here our entire lives, that this isn't really home to us. I beg to differ! Home is truly where the heart is and my heart is in this little town.

My grandpa came here in his early twenties to work the pipeline. My grandma moved here as a teenager when her mother married a local man. They met, fell in love and married. This was home to them. I never met them as they passed away before I was born, but my dad and my aunt and uncle made sure I knew them through sharing stories and memories. They seemed a little adventurous and they lived in a lot of different places and worked various jobs, but this town was always home to them. It was always home to my dad, and even my mom, who has her own hometown, has a soft spot for this little town. And it will always be home to me.

After we moved to Missouri, and I was struggling at the school in Columbia, Mom and Dad made the sacrifice to drive to work every day so I could go to school here. I can never thank them enough for making that decision for me. I loved every minute of going to school here and now I am making that same sacrifice for my own children.

Despite only living here for six years, while I went to school, every time I visited before moving back, I was made to feel welcome. My grandma only went to school here for six months, and my dad for nine years, and I for five years, but I am still proud that my daughter will be a fourth generation Panther next year!

Happy Easter

We had a great time in Kansas City. I highly recommend Disney productions. Before the show, we ate lunch at Famous Dave's barbecue. I had never heard of it but I guess it is a chain place. It was really good and the service was great considering there was eleven of us, and five of those under seven!

I will post some pictures from the show tomorrow and a longer weekend update. I am too tired tonight.

TGIF!

Today was a pretty good day. I went to the Biggest Loser competion at work and got signed up and weighed. That was depressing. We are in teams of four and have twelve weeks to lose weight for case prizes.

After work, Mom, Dad and I went to look at a house that I have had my eye on for several years. My parents and I are kind of strange like that, we love to look at houses. I know the realtor hates to get our calls. Anyway, I loved the house but it is really out of price range. It is unfinished and will get pretty pricey to finish it. Someday, perhaps. We have bills to pay off first.

Speaking of depressing, depression is a funny thing. I knew I had been down in the dumps for several weeks. I had no energy and no motivation. Then today, it is like a cloud has lifted and I feel better. Maybe now I can get my house cleaned!

LOOOONG Day

Today was a very long day. I have some vacation hours to use up so I thought I would take a half day off. I wanted to get the girls' Easter pictures taken. That didn't happen. Both girls were absolute terrors the entire day. I put Kate to bed at 6:30 as she hadn't napped all day and I got Kaelyn laid down at the same time with a movie. Kate went right to bed but Kaelyn is still awake. It is almost 11 pm! I don't know how she does it. I have tried everything. It is crazy!

In other news, I put our Biggest Loser application packet in the mail yesterday. We each had to complete a 10-page written application, submit photos and the 10-minute video, which was more like 14 minutes. So, now we wait.

We have our trip to Kansas City coming up this weekend. I am way too excited to see Disney on Ice: Princess Wishes for the second time. There are eleven of us going: the four of us, Kellie, Mom, Devan and Clairice, and we are meeting Tracy, Greg, and Lily there. Then we are going to stay the night in Kansas City.

I want to go back to the Italian restaurant down at the Plaza that Kevin and I found when we went to the city for his 40th birthday. It was so out of the way that we almost walked past it. We had been to three other restaurants that had waits of over an hour each, and we were starving, so we popped in there. It was called Bucca di Beppo's and it was the best Italian food I have ever had. I have been craving their homemade bruscetta since then. Basil!

Reading

I love to read. Now that I nearing the end of school, I have time to read whatever I want. I would try not to start a novel, during school, because I always had other things to do, like study. Most of the time, when I start a book, I keep reading until I am done with it. Just this week alone, I have read three books. Something Blue by Emily Giffen, Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, and Cousins by Rona Jaffe. They were all very good. It has been nice to curl up on the couch or take a long bath with a book. I have missed that.

Otherwise, it was a quiet, lazy day. I had plans to go into Columbia to get out of the house but I never mustered up the energy and sent Kevin to do our errands instead. I took a few short naps and read and played with the kids. It was a nice day.

Biggest Loser Revisited

We are having a Biggest Loser competition at work. It starts next Friday. I think I will play, it sounds like fun! The winning team will win $100 apiece so that is a nice incentive. It will give me something to do while we wait to hear about our application to the real deal.

My Birthday

I want a tanzanite and diamond ring for my 35th birthday. Which is coming up very soon. But they are expensive.

Work From Home

I "worked from home" today. Which actually means I worked from mom and dad's today as there is no way I can get work done here. I spent a little over three hours at their house and got three IP's done! And it's only the 13th. I am usually pushing the end of the month with these. I feel like I accomplished so much!

As Dad is retired, he was home and he had the cable music station tuned into Elvis, only Elvis all day long. It was great! That man had the most amazing voice (Elvis, not my dad, who is where I inherited my tone-deafness from). Afterwards, I came home and played with the girls and talked to Kevin. We played outside with Bella and picked up the yard. Then we took a walk to the post office and back over to mom and dad's. It was gorgeous weather. I am so ready for spring.

My Day

I started my internship a few weeks ago. I have to get 400 hours in to complete my internship and receive my master's degree. So far, I have 7 hours down and 393 to go! The good part is I get to do the hours at my agency, as long as I am doing things other than my regular job. Our Administration team is being very supportive and I am thankful for that. I will have the opportunity to work on different projects within the departments of the agency. I need to get my goals and objectives wrote up and approved though.

We graduate May 18 and are going to Des Moines for the graduation ceremony. I am getting excited! But I am also considering having a party here afterwards to celebrate with people that couldn't come to the ceremony. Any excuse for a party!

I am going to work from home tomorrow and am hoping to get a lot accomplished. I may have to escape for a few hours over to mom and dad's to accomplish this though. It is hard to get anything done here at home with the girls. I love them but they are sure demanding :)

Simple Abundance

Some days I sit down here and just don't have anything to write about. Most days are average and quiet and actually I am quite thankful for that! All I really desire in life is simplicty.

Date Night

Mom and Dad agreed to take the girls last night so Kevin and I could have a date night. The stipulation was they would take them around 7 pm, otherwise known as Kate's bedtime. We were planning on dinner and a late movie. We even agreed on a movie that we both wanted to see, The Jumper. By the time we got them over to mom's and settled in, and back in the car, Kevin turned to me and asked if I just wanted to head home. I said "No way!" We had a sitter and we were going out. Kevin reluctantly (but quietly) agreed, and headed for Columbia. We made it about four miles when I started yawning. I looked at Kevin, and asked "how about we just go to Wal-Mart, get some popcorn and soda and go home and watch a movie?" He readily agreed. And that is exactly what we did. We laid on the couch and watched the first Pirates of the Caribbean. I had bought the trilogy for Kevin for his birthday and we hadn't even opened it yet. It was a great movie and a relaxing evening...just what we both needed!

Grandma's Cookies

Kaelyn and I just got done making chocolate chip cookies to take to a bake sale at my work tomorrow. We used Grandma Christy's recipe and they turned out great! She makes the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had.

The first year that Kevin and I were together, he had gone to Houston to his mom's for Christmas. She sent him home with a tin of her famous cookies. A few weeks later, we were at my house and got a phone call from the police station in Fulton, where Kevin lived at the time. They had reports of strange noises coming from his apartment. The police investigated and also heard the strange noises. They peaked in the window and saw this man using Kevin's weight machine! They knocked on the door and the man let them in. He was drunk as a skunk and they arrested him for breaking and entering.

When we found out, we drove over to Fulton to check if anything was missing. There wasn't, but the crook had gotten into Kevin's tin of cookies! He left them sitting out on the coffee table. Maybe that is why he was working out on the weight machine, trying to burn off the cookie calories he had consumed.

Love Story

My good friend Hope is getting married next month. Their story is a one of a kind love story that I plan to publish someday! They have been together on and off for the past thirty years and are finally getting married. This is the front of the invitation for her bridal shower. We have had so much fun planning all of her wedding details. I can't wait for the actual wedding!

Sick

I finally went to the doctor today. I had a terrible sinus headache for the past two days. My head throbbed every time I moved. When I realized that I had sat at my desk for over 30 minutes with my head in my hands, I decided to get up and go to the doctor. He didn't say that I had a sinus infection but did say that I had fluid on my ears and gave me some antibiotics so hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.

The mouse count is up to five. The funny part is that Kate is walking around the house, pointing to anything on the ground, and making a cry sound and saying "scared!"

Quick Trip

I made a last minute decision to head out of town Friday afternooon. My cousin's daughter was getting married in Nebraska but I wasn't planning to attend. After the week I had, and knowing that Kevin was working twelve hour days on both Saturday and Sunday, I decided to pack up the girls and I and head out. I rented a car, to save miles and wear and tear on mine. We got a brand new, bright red Dodge Charger...sweet car! We headed out around 5 pm. It should have been a five hour drive. Notice I said should have been. I took the wrong interstate out of Kansas City, I-35 instead of I-29. It took me a long time to notice. A really long time. I went over two hours out of my way. The bad part is knowing how many times I have made this trip in my lifetime...more times than I can count.

We got to Greg and Tracy's at 12:30 am. I carried Kaelyn in and she went right back to sleep, but Kate thought it was time to play. I finally got her to sleep at 1:30 am. We all had to be up early as the wedding was at 11 am and about 40 minutes away from Lincoln. The wedding was simple and lovely although I spend all of it in the church basement trying to keep Kate quiet. A two-year-old with only six hours of sleep is not a happy toddler! The reception was held at a historic inn called the Wilber Hotel. It was nice to spend time with family and get my mind off of work.

On our way back to Tracy's, we picked up Runza's for dinner. Runza's are my absolute favorite fast food. They were originated in Lincoln, and there are restaurants in Nebraksa, Kansas and Iowa. I highly recommend them! Their french fries are awesome too.

We all got a good night's sleep last night and packed up to head out this morning. I miss having Kevin around when I have to load and unload the car. The trip was much quicker coming home, taking the right road helped.

It was good to get home, even to my very messy home. And yes, Sam Henry did leave another dead mouse right where he knew I would find it...in front of the computer!

Another Day, Another Mouse

I promise that this blog is not going to be all about my cat catching mice but it's fascinating to me. Tonight I am relaxing on the couch watching American Idol and see Sam Henry at of the corner of my eye having a grand old time playing with something. I investigate and yes, it is a dead mouse. He was tossing it in the air and pouncing on it, again and again. This wasn't a baby mouse, either! I finally got him away and managed to scoop the mouse up into the dust pan and flushed it down the toilet. Aren't you proud of me, Mom??

I guess I need to go buy some mouse traps.

In other news, tomorrow is looking to be a very hard day. Some parts of my job will always be hard for me. I have to remain focused on the individuals I work with, and what they deserve. Hopefully it will be over quickly.

And then I think I am going to head for Nebraska to spend some time with my family. Nothing like family when you are feeling down.

The Mouser

"Now if I can just make a mouser out of him, I will really be happy."

The above thought from last night sure came back to haunt me today. Earlier this evening, Kaelyn, Kate and I were all piled up on the couch, watching TV. Kaelyn held Sam Henry close to her and I was petting him. A few minutes later, Kaelyn starts screaming something that I can't quite make out. I look over at her and she is waving something in the air, screaming "mouse!" She tosses it at me so I jump up, screaming, and knocking Kate off of the couch. I look down and the mouse is hanging on my sweater. I shake it off and it falls to the floor. The girls and I run to the dining room for safety. We look back and see that the mouse is still rolling around but it's bleeding. Kaelyn is screaming "kill it, kill it!" and Kate is just looking terrified and whimpering behind me. I tried to talk Kaelyn into picking it up and discarding it but she refused. She called my mom and told her we had a rat. Mom came over to save the day and although commenting that the mouse was just a baby, she did dispose of it for us.

So, what I can figure out is this: Sam Henry must have had the mouse in his mouth or regurgitated it. Somehow the mouse fell INTO Kaelyn's turtleneck shirt. She had mouse blood on her chest and all over the inside of her shirt. I have no idea how that happened. It was crazy. We all calmed down after that.

The moral of the story is be careful what you wish for.

Here Kitty Kitty

Last summer, I brought home two kittens for the girls that I had gotten free at a flea market. My mom hates cats so I never had them growing up and know next to nothing about them. One of the cats took to the litter box and the other didn't. I would place it in the box and it would run off, hide under my bed and poop there. Gross! By late summer, I had had enough and moved the cats outdoors. We made them a little house on the porch and kept feeding them.

Kate's cat (the good one) we named Sam Henry. For awhile he disappeared and we all missed him. And then one day, just a few minutes after Kaelyn mentioned how much she missed him, here he came strolling across the yard. It seems that our neighbors across the street had adopted him for a time and renamed him Bacon Bits.

Sam Henry/Bacon Bits was back to stay and spent the winter in the little cat bed that Kevin made. Earlier this week, we decided to try him back in the house as he is such a sweet kitty. I picked up a litter box today and he ed it twice! Is it sad that that was the highlight of my day!?!

The funniest part though is that Kaelyn picked up the phone and called my mom this morning and told her that Sam Henry was living in the house again. She informed her that is was alright because he wasn't the one who had been pooping in the house!

Now if I can just make a mouser out of him, I will really be happy.

Homecoming Queens

The previous post just wasn't complete without these pictures. Oh, to be young again!

Biggest Loser

My old friend Missy came to town today. We have decided to submit applications and a tape for the next season of Biggest Loser. We drove around town and took video and talked about the past. The application is 10 pages long and asks all kinds of personal questions, some of them quite funny.

Missy was a year behind me in high school and we weren't friends then. She was Homecoming Queen at our little school in 1990 and she crowned me Homecoming Queen in 1991. After we had both graduated, and I moved back to the area after college, we got to know one another and realized we had a lot in common. Like a love of make-up and products. We became very good friends. So, we used that angle for our application video...former beauty queens turned fatties!

Mom and Kevin are already worrying about what will happen if we are chosen, considering contestents have to go the California for an extended stay at the Biggest Loser ranch. I told them that we can worry about that when we DO get chosen (not if, when!) Regardless, it was a great time getting a chance to spend a few hours with my friend. And I have always wanted to say that I applied to be on a Reality TV show!

Longest Week Ever

Guess who's getting sick now! Yep, you guessed it...me! The girls still aren't feeling very well. I stayed home with them yesterday. I swear, this has been the longest week of my life. I stayed with them Monday and Tuesday, Kevin stayed with them on Wednesday and Thursday, and me again yesterday. Kate especially, is so grouchy. She is usually very sweet-natured so this is a big change! I was feeling pretty rough last night but it's not as bad this morning. We'll see.

Yesterday was a hard day. I was disappointed by someone I care a great deal for. It's hard always being the bigger person.

We have a birthday party today for Kaelyn's best friend at Chuck E. Cheese. She wants to wear "fancy clothes', and I am not sure what that means. I guess I'll soon be finding out.

My Princesses

Today was a good day. For the most part. We had an ice storm during the night and all the area schools were closed. I went ahead to work and got some stuff done. I have filled both of the vacancies that I have spent the past three weeks interviewing for. They'll start in the next few weeks and I am happy about that.

Otherwise not too much to report. So instead I will post a picture of my two princesses.

Back to Work

Back to work today and I was at a dead run all day. I had three job interviews with potential candidates for the positions I have open and a two-hour long committee meeting. I did find time to sort through all the papers on my desk so I don't feel quite as behind as I probably am. My job is really flexible with allowing time off but no one does the work while I'm gone!

The girls are feeling better. Kevin stayed home with them today. They should feel good enough to go to daycare tomorrow. It seems like everyone is sick right now with this crud. I had three employees call in and another in the emergency room this morning. All with the crud.

I am praying that I remain healthy because I do not have time to get sick!

My Sick Babies

I just had to post pictures that I took a bit ago of my sick babies. Kaelyn has been camped out on the couch

like this for two days, watching Sponge Bob.

Kate crawled on the loveseat when

we got home and didn't move again.

That is unheard of from my very

ctive two-year-old! Don't they look miserable?

@#$#@% Pediatrician!

As I mentioned yesterday, Kaelyn had been sick all weekend. She started with a cough earlier in the week and by Sunday, she was running a low fever and saying "ouch" after every cough. I was up until 2:30 am with her coughing and vomiting last night. Her fever was up to 102 degrees this morning.

I called the pediatrician's office and left a message with the nurse. They called back an hour later and wanted to know what Kaelyn's symptoms were. After I told her, she replied that they were really busy and a bad cough was going around and to call back if her fever got worse. In other words, just wait it out, you worrisome mother, and quit bothering us!

I had to go to Columbia anyway, so I decided to go by the local Convenience Care clinic, which isn't very convenient by the way. After paying $100 (for both Kaelyn and Kate) and waiting 45 minutes, I am told that the wait will be another two hours. Try keeping two sick kids calm in a waiting room for three hours! They told me I could leave and come back. Back to the car we went, and I drove around town, letting the girls nap.

An hour later, we returned to the clinic, and got right in. They must have remembered us. By this time, both girls are feeling so crappy that they have both crawled on the exam table and laid down. Kate was looking worse by the minute, nose running, miserable little cough, and rubbing at her ears. Kaelyn gets checked out and yep, infection in both ears and her throat is raw. They run a strep test and it is positive. Kate has a fever and her ears are red too. The kind doctor prescribes antibiotics for both of them and we are on our way home.

All of this to say, always trust the mother's gut instinct. I knew my babies were sick. Really sick. But the pediatrician's nurse made me doubt myself which almost caused me to put off getting medical care for them. That would have likely meant a trip to the emergency room in the middle of the night tonight when Kaelyn's ears started aching.

But all is well and I am learning to trust myself and my knowledge about my own children, which is what parenting is all about.

HeatherCrews.com

I have been wanting to start seriously blogging for some time now. To do this properly, I realized that I needed a pretty new look and new name. Unoriginal me decided upon my own name after all this is a blog about me. Argue with that logic!

So, I spent the majority of the day on the computer alternating between setting up my new domain and webpage and playing Webkinz. But that's another story.

Kevin had to work today so it was a long day at home with just me and the girls. Kaelyn is sick and Kate is your average two-year-old. I am happy to have completed this project though and also the six loads of laundry that I did.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our WEDDING anniversary! Not to be confused with our marriage anniversary which is in April. We had our first date six years ago today and our wedding five years ago today. We've accomplished a lot in the past six years. We have two beautiful little girls. Kevin finished his Bachelor's degree, and we are two claseses away from our Master's degree. Kevin has found a job that he loves, while I continue to have a love/hate relationship with mine. We bought a house and have turned it into our home. It's been good.

Today we plan to celebrate simply. Kevin is finishing my patio that he started earlier this summer. It's nothing fancy, just the large grey bricks laid out, but it will do. We didn't want to build anything permanent as we plan to build a family room on to the back of the house in a few years. This patio will last us until then. Later this afternoon, we are going to Jeff City to get a fire pit bowl thing for the patio and some steaks to put on the grill. We will cook dinner together, eat, and then enjoy a bottle of wine on the patio with a small fire going. Sounds like Heaven to me.

I do want to say, that marriage is work, HARD work. It's a relationship and all relationships take time to nurture and build. It's easy to blame your husband or wife when things aren't going right. Conflict can build pretty fast. Kevin and I have been through all of the normal up's and down's that come in the first years of marriage. That said, I am proud of where we are. I feel closer to him now then ever before. We have learned to communicate openly and with trust. That is pretty good considering we eloped at the spur of the moment after having only known one another for seven months. I want our marriage to be a success story!

Resolutions/Individual Plan

I have been doing a lot thinking about my goals for this new year and trying to develop a plan to meet them. I am a firm believer that to meet goals, you have to have a plan to get there. Yet I have never taken the time to set these goals. This year is going to be different. Today I am going to write my Individual Plan. This is what I do for a living...I devlelop Individual Plans for the folks that I work with. I have always felt that I need a plan too. So, today I am going to write one. I am going to identify my dreams and goals for the upcoming year and my plan to reach them. This will incoude meausrable steps to help keep me on track. Can you tell I am excited??

The Holidays

Whew! I am glad that they holidays are over. We had an amazing Thanksgiving and Christmas but I am exhausted. I was never so happy to go back to work yesterday. Then, this morning, both girls have colds so we stayed home. I am taking them to the doctor tomorrow. Kate has her one-year appointment and I think I'll sneak Kaelyn in just to make sure she isn't getting an ear infection.

I have a lot of plans for this upcoming year and journaling more is one of them. It does help me to pause and reflect at the end of the day.

I am also trying to get organized. I have been getting the www.flylady.com emails for the past few years but haven't stuck with it. One of my major goals this year (okay, a resolution) is to follow her guidelines. She teaches you how to declutter your home and life and I sure need that! I ordered three books online that go alone with her principles...one for Body Clutter, one for the home and another for cooking meals. I can't wait to get them.

Of course, I am resolving to lose weight this year but haven't gotten off to a very good start. I need a plan and I have been giving that some thought. I still belong to Gold's Gym so I need to sit down with my planner and write down when I will go and stick to it! I know exercise is such an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.

I bought some craft/office organizers today for my office space. I can't wait to get them up. I think we are going to redo the backroom into a play space for the girls so that will be nice. Maybe not a play space but a place to keep toys. All in all, some good goals.

I hope everyone had wonderful holidays. I will post pictures soon.

Whattaweek!

It was another non-stop week. But the business makes the days fly by.

Kaelyn's Halloween party was so much fun! The kids were all cute in their costumes. I have been very impressed with her little school and she loves it. Her and I went trick-or-treating that night while Kevin and Kate stayed back to pass out the candy.

Last night Kevin had to work an extra job so the girls and I met a friend at the mall. We let the kids play at the playplex and then rode on the Merry-Go-Round. That was fun too.

And it's finally Saturday. Housework, school work, not sure what to do first.

Halloween Costume #1

Isn't that just the cutest picture you ever did see? Those are my girls in ONE of their Halloween costumes. They are really going to be Big Bo Peep*** for the actual holiday but I just had to get a picture of them in the Snow White dresses too. Kaelyn already had her dress from the parade this summer and when I saw the little one for Kate, I just had to have it. Actually, for Kaelyn's first Halloween, she had two different costumes too.

***Kaelyn is Big Bo Peep as opposed to Little Bo Peep, because she "isn't LITTLE!!"

Autumn

We have been in full fall mode this past week. On Tuesday, we had family and Halloween pictures taken. We took pictures with the autumn leaves in the background. They came out very good. I'll post some soon. Later that day, we went to the pumpkin patch to take a hayrack ride and pick out some pumpkins. Last night, we had my work Halloween party so donned our costumes for that. Today, Kaelyn and I ventured out to for a fall bonfire, weinie roast and another hayrack ride, this time for work. We made s'mores but I couldn't get Kaelyn to try one. She ate her marshmellows untoasted and ate the Hershey's bar plain. On Halloween, Kaelyn has a party at school and then trick-or-treating that night. Whew! Here are some pictures from the pumpkin patch trip earlier this week.

Routines

Has it really been almost a month since I last posted? Shame on me! It's been busy as usual around here. It's taken awhile to adjust to Kevin being home each night but we have settled into a wonderful routine. We were all craving some routine in our lives and now we have it. The girls (and me) are responding well to this predictability. They are going to bed better and earlier and getting up at the same time every day. I am getting to work earlier. We have dinner at home each night (well, almost every night). It's been good.

We had school this weekend. Tracy was sick and didn't come so Mom and the girls headed back to Columbia. Kevin and I enojoyed dinner at the Hereford House at Zona Rosa. We were really impressed with Zona Rosa...a new open-air, town square with shopping, hotels, fountains and restaurants. We did a little walking and shopping after our meal. We then went over to Applebee's and had a drink at the bar. The Cardinals game was on so we watched that for awhile. Back at our hotel room, we watched the movie Lake House from the big king-size bed. It was a nice night and always I am extremely thankful to Mom (and Dad) for their help with the girls.

Scenes From Our Town

As I left home yesterday morning, I stepped outside and was greeted by the mooing of cows. I have not seen these cows, yet I hear them mooing, quite loudly, often enough. I got in my car and backed out of our drive. As I drove up our street, I passed by our neighbor, dressed in a suit, coming home from church. Our neighbor is in his nineties, and unable to legally drive a car. He drives a large tractor about town to do his business. He parks the tractor in his driveway. As I drove further, a man riding a horse down the highway passed by me. Parked in front of the town cafe amongst the cars, was an Amish buggy, the people inside.

Aww, small town life. I love it!

Pictures of the Month

I love these two pictures. Kaelyn was in the tub and Kate crawled in there. This is how I found her. She wants to be wherever Kaelyn is...it is so cute. Last weekend, Kaelyn was sick. She spent all day Sunday on the couch. Kate would crawl over to her, pull at her blanket, or pull herself up to pat at her. She really didn't understand why Kaelyn wasn't running around the house like she usually does.

It's been a good week. We are settling back into the routine of having Kevin home all week. We actually cooked dinner at home several nights this week. Work is going to get busier (is that possible?) for me for the next few weeks. We have an upcoming move, one of my supervisors is leaving, strategic planning in a few weeks and then a big survey at the end of October to get ready for. School doesn't start back up until October 20th so that gives a bit of a break.

Happy Birthday Kellie

My oldest sister turned 50 today! I wish to look as good as she does when I am fifty...hell, I wish I looked that good now!

My summer obsession Big Brother 7 came to a close tonight. Now what will I watch on TV three nights a week?

Kevin is home and I am loving it. He helps me so much that my stress is already decreased. I hadn't realized how long and tiring the past six months have been with him away from home half of every week.

We celebrated our anniversary of the day we met on September 1. It's been five years. We also had our wedding reception on that same day four years ago. It's been a roller coaster ride, but I would take the ride again. I figure if we can make it for five years, we can make it five more.

Kate at Eight Months

Here is Kate's pictures we had taken a few weeks ago. This one is my favorite, even though you can't see her face too clearly. It shows her kissable, chubby little legs that I love so much.

Where Did My Baby Go?

Today was Kaelyn's first day of preschool. And yes, I cried. However, she did not. She was very excited and more than ready to go this morning. She has always gone to a babysitter so it wasn't the leaving her that hurt my heart. Preschool just makes her seem like a big kid. And she is my baby. Kevin was back in St. Louis (last week, we hope) and it was bothering him, not being here. We called him on our way to town, and he talked to Kaelyn and wished her a good day. I know this will be a great experience for her.

We had a great trip over Labor Day. I will post pictures soon as I get them uploaded from the camera. Now it is time for bed.