Merry Christmas!

One of my most favorite songs is "Remember When" by Alan Jackson. I want to remember all the little things, the special moments that make Christmas what it is. I want my children to know what a special sacrifice their Lord made for them...the birth of the Savior, the reason for the season. I want big cookie messes, and paint ornaments (that take a week to dry cause you use so much), and pine needles, lights, songs, family, friends, Christmas Eve service, presents and the joy of being able to create traditions that hopefully our kids will pass on to their own. It goes by fast....May you have your own special Christmas! Bean is still convinced it is going to snow tomorrow...cause that what happens on Christmas day. She also told me to tell Santa - to drop the presents down the Chimney as that will be easier for him...no risk of getting stuck I guess!

The real meaning of Christmas...

as recited by the Bean. Enjoy!

Tag - I'm It!

1. Open the 4th folder in your computer.

2. Choose the 4th picture in the folder and post in in your blog.

3. Describe the picture.

4. Tag 4 people.

So here it goes - and yes this is the 4th folder in my picture file - Great Timing!! Although the file only has three pictures in it - so this is the 3rd pic in the file technically speaking!

This is our first Christmas with the Bean. She is going with the flow and enjoying Santa this year. It was at the mall by my Aunt's house. I think the Santa is very nice looking. Perhaps our Santa picture will be nice and calm like this...I hope anyways.

So the four people I tag - cause I think they will play along are: Cindi, Elisa, Lisa and Dusti!

Tunes on Tuesday!

Here is my latest mix - learn it - love it!! Warning the "Let it Rock" is addictive. As always I download the clean versions so I don't have the bad language!

• Shut Up and Let Me Go, The Ting Tangs
• Just Dance, Lady GaGa and Colby O'Donis
• Love Lockdown, Kanye West
• Crush, David Archuleta
• Kaleidoscope Machine, Katie Costello
• Come on Get Higher, Matt Nathanson (voice like butter - love this song)
• Pot Kettle Black, Tilly and the Wall
• Adventures in Solitude, The New Pornographers
• Birds, Emiliana Torrini
• Let it Rock, Kevin Rudolf and Lil Wayne
• Lucid Dreams, Franz Ferdinand
• So What, Pink

Wonderful Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving over at my Aunt's house and really enjoyed just chilling all day. I have pictures, but unfortunately the camera is still residing at my Aunt's house so I can't upload any today. It has been a lazy and busy weekend all at the same time. I did venture out to the stores at the wee hours of the morning on Black Friday with my good friend, E. I have to say that this was (by far) the most crowded I have ever seen the stores and (in my opinion), there were really not that many great deals to be had.....I got the one thing I set out to get - a new computer monitor, 22" Flat Screen. Our old monitor was at least eight years old - and the size of a small car (ok just kidding - but it was a honker). This is a Christmas present for my dear husband, but he wanted to set it up immediately. Thus I am looking at it - all shiny and new on my desk right now.

I am also enjoying the smell of a very REAL and ALIVE Christmas tree. I don't remember the last time we had a real tree. Generally we don't get a real tree cause our cat used to drink all the water and try to play in the depths of the tree. Since our cat passed away and our dog has absolutely no interest in the tree, we figured it would be a great time to get one. I have to say I love it - except for the needles. Those needles are like dog hair....they are no where and everywhere at the same time! Hope to post pictures soon...and I hope that you had a very blessed Thanksgiving!

Weekend update, Uber Crafty Me and Mothra no more......

So this weekend, Roon, in all his hunting glory got a Buck. I think "got" sounds nicer than the alternative word...so let's just stick with that shall we? We are going to have a whole lotta sausage in a few weeks. I love me some deer sausage.

Bean got a headache around 5:30 on Friday night...by 9:30 she had the chills and a high fever. After 24 hours of Motrin/Tylenol, I web checked in for CareNow and was able to get her seen on Saturday night. Turns out it was strep throat so I am really glad that we went. After a trek all over across town trying to find a pharmacy that was open and stocked with Amoxicillin, we struck pay dirt at Walgreens (our fourth pharmacy). She really started to feel better late Sunday night so I was very happy and relieved. Thank you Jesus for Saturday doctor visits.

For those who were wondering about "Mothra" the mutant moth - it is dead. Mothra flew in the house and hid from me for a day. It then decided to go hide in the refrigerator. I just knew the stupid moth was eating my leftover pizza. After some coaxing from my girlfriends we decided the moth froze and was no longer a threat to me or the contents of the fridge. When Roon got home - he found Mothra's body and disposed of it. I do not like Moths!

Here is a fun picture of the Cereal Box Turkeys and Turkey Leg Hats we made. The Turkey leg hat's were featured in November Family Fun magazine and the cereal box turkey's can be found here at this awesome blog - linky.

recycling at work here

Bean and Emma - we improvised with newspaper cause I did not have any brown paper sack lunch boxes...still came out cute!

The Week in Review........

Can you believe it is almost Thanksgiving! Wowsa! We had a busy week with the Thanksgiving festivities at Bean's Pre-K. It is so much fun to be in her classroom and see her world at school. I think her personality is always going to keep us on our toes. We noticed that her name was on a green circle and singled out with one other little boys from the rest. Oh- she must have done something extra special I thought...but it was just another yellow light stop. We stop a lot on the yellow light - the learning color. Basically you lose your green light privileges for not obeying the rules. Our little Bean likes to talk, and talk and well you know talk. The teacher has moved her a few times and the good news is that she is an equal opportunity talker. She likes to chatter no matter where she is ;) I think I like the yellow right now - she is learning and she is not afraid to be a leader and risk taker. Dig the pilgrim outfit above. We have video of the event - but unless I can figure out subtitles there is no way of really making it all out. Bean's big line was directed to the Native Americans, as a pilgrim and she said "We are cold and hungry and running out of food." Proud moment I tell you, can you say Oscar?

Since soccer season is over for the winter, we are exploring sports to try again. We tried a new gymnastics class and she loved it! The teacher was doing evaluations and she went ahead and evaluated Bean. Bean passed every basic skill on the sheet and is ready to move to the green level. Once she finished green, it is blue and then from there she can be invited to the Select Pre-School Team. I notice that in sporting events the word "Select" is all abuzz. Hmmm..is that a ploy for the kids or parents I wonder. Anyhoo I know what you are thinking and yes visions of Olympic gold have started to dance through my head...aww I need to get a grip she is just four now. Sometimes I think as a parent it is easy to forget just how little they are - when all the buzz words like "select" and training and she is never too young to start. I want Bean to do what she loves, not what I love. So if you see me turning into uber competitive crazy Mom - let me know.

Speaking of - funny story about me being uber crazy competitive mom (UCCM) - cookies. Bean chose for our family to bring cookies to the Thanksgiving feast at Pre-K. I asked her what kind she wanted to make - chocolate chip. So I got out my handy dandy Betty Crocker mix cookies and I baked. But I felt something was missing - I needed a special something for the adults. I needed the Rockstar of all cookies. I knew immediately I would turn to my friend google. I found an AMAZING recipe for white chocolate cranberry cookies...I even dreamed about how good these cookies were going to be. So I get up the next morning, drop the Bean off, and come home to make my masterpieces...and yes I thought they were fabulouso!! I admit I put them in a prettier bowl (yes the UCCM in me) and waited. And then the teacher and another Mom came up and told be how delicious they were and how they needed the recipe Stat!....Oh those little things - whey no problem - they are so easy and I will get you the recipe. That was the calm exterior of my outside self - inside the UCCM in me was doing cartwheels and ready to run a marathon (ok not really - but you get the picture). I guess that being world's greatest Mom race starts early...I need to remember that is is a journey not a race ;)

Tomorrow I will update you on our weekend and for those who are anxiously awaiting - I have a Mothra update(I will explain later).

Problem Solver

Bean and I were at Target yesterday and did our usual pass through of the toys. As usual the only aisle we went down was the Barbie aisle. Bean was very dismayed to see that all the Barbie and the Diamond Castle "Alexa" dolls were sold out. Where are they? She talked about that the rest of the day...as she is highly concerned about inventory as this is her most requested Santa item right now.

At Church she told her friend Emma about the situation. Emma told her not to worry "Alexa is available at Walmart." Bean relayed the message to me so that Santa knows where to go. LOL!

Tunes on Tuesday!

I am overjoyed to tell you that Enya has a brand new CD out today! I just downloaded it and already can tell that this is going to be on replay for a long time at my house. If you are not familiar with Enya...then my heart aches for you....because you need to be. Enya has an angelic voice that can soothe your soul, literally. During college, when I was totally stressed out, I would play Enya and get lost in my dreams and thoughts. This album is a Christmas album, but I can see my listening to it in July. So - if you have some extra cash and want some warm tunes to mellow out to, then go get you some Enya. The album is called And Winter Came.

For dedicated Enya fans - what is your all time favorite song? It is hard to narrow it down to one, but I have. It is Marble Falls, which was on the Shepherd Moon album. How it really caught my attention was that it was featured in the movie, The Age of Innocence. I have listened to that song over and over again. It is that good. Tell me what your favorite Enya Song is!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Even though Bean is just 4 years, she has strong opinions on what she would like to be. In an effort to document her changing views and likes, I am going to try to ask her once a week and post on my blog. This is a way for me to remember life at age 4 and for ya'll to laugh along with me. Answer this week: "I would like to be a Doctor, so I can help people. Do you need a shot now?" We answered yes and she proceeded to tell us that was not possible now as she is not a grown up. LOL! She also noted that she would like to be a member of a parade in the marching band. Now that is random!

Kroger's Mega Sale

Kroger's is having a great sale where if you buy 10 participating items you receive $5 off your order instantly. You can do this deal up to three times in one transaction. Here is my haul today - note the coffee mate is not part of the deal, but I had a coupon making it $.99 and I really want to try this caramel apple flavor. I saved 86% and paid $7.75 for all this!

Happy Election Day!

Your vote counts! Our vote today impacts the generations to come. It is a privilege to live in a democratic country! During the presidential election 4 years ago - we watched the media frenzy (via TV) in a cramped hotel room in Moscow. We had one English speaking station, the BBC, and that is all I am going to say about that! I got desperate after a few hours and watched Armageddon (Bruce Willis movie) in Russian...thankfully I knew what was happening so it was a nice distraction. Happy Election Day! On a side note: explaining the election process to a four year old is quite entertaining ;)

Trick or Treat!

So this morning my Mom calls me to ask if we are all right. Uh - yeah, why? There were a couple earthquakes last night early this morning! What? Sure enough some of the surrounding cities felt tremors associated with two small earthquakes. Now that is tricky on Halloween!

For the treat - I give you this. It is not everyday I get to wake up and put eyeliner on my husband. Yes - every year my husbands work goes all out with a costume contest (that is mandatory for them) and they spend the day doing a scavenger hunt, trivia, and bowling. Yes - every year. Every year I plead with Roon to be Richard Simmons as his costume. Sadly - I am denied....but guess what - great minds think alike - cause the boss (owner of husbands company) came as..........Richard Simmons! Here is the hubs this year...do you know who he is? Happy Halloween!

Static Electricty and Wedgie-Free Wednesday!

Yes - got your attention huh. No these two things are not related whatsoever!

With the chilly weather comes something that I find very daunting and troubling. It is static electricity. I think I got shocked enough times yesterday at Kroger to have enough power to charge my cell phone via skin contact. It is ridiculous! No matter how I try - opening doors with my foot, touching things with quarters or my keys, staring the item down, pleading...I am still getting shocked. I hate it and need help! You see where I grew up we had humidity - lots and lots of humidity. I dare say I don't miss it much - unless it is this time of year. Sometimes I find myself waiting for someone to come out a door - so I don't have to open it. The madness has got to stop! The first time I saw Office Space (the movie) with Peter staring down the door - I nearly fell out of my seat! I KNOW how Peter feels that is me! BTW- If you have not scene this movie and you don't mind some foul language - you will totally think it is funny if you have ever worked in a cubicle environment!

So - in my attempt to allude static electricity I have thrown away perfectly good shoes....I figured that they were surely the culprit...but alas my efforts were for not. I just wanted to share with you my saga and hopefully I can conquer it this season. I think I must drag my feet or something...so maybe I will go back to the days of marching band and just march everywhere - don't make fun if you see me - I am desperate here. On a side note: the Bean thinks that "stinging people" with static is quite entertaining....hmm.

So back to Wedgie Free Wednesday - go win yourself some free panties courtesy of Hanes. Here is the linky: http://www.wedgiefree.com/

I already have won one pair! Very exciting treat to receive in the mail...

Gotcha Day!

Every year we celebrate the day we were united together as a family through adoption! We call it "Gotcha Day" cause that is the day we welcomed Bean into the family. But to be totally honest - we were smitten from the moment we first met Bean. Her personality is big and she has a "spark" that can just draw people in. I can't explain what a blessing she is to us. Being her Mommy - makes me a better person. God knows the plans he has for us....and thank you God for bringing her into our lives.

We try to do things that are fun and exciting for Bean. Since she is the all American girl now - we figured why not go to American Girl! The excitement of this day has been building and Bean was about ready to bust before we could even get to the store. She immediately declared she was going to get Kit Kittredge - cause we saw the movie. We looked at every doll in stock and all she could say was "Can we go buy Kit now?" She is a girl who knows what she wants. So Kit - welcome to the family - I have a feeling you will be going everywhere with us.

We ate at the Bistro, with Kit of course, and just really enjoyed our day together! It was a busy day as we started off with donuts at Shipley's and a soccer game. Then we went to American Girl, breaked to watch the 2nd half of the Texas game (hook-em horns), and then were off to a party at our friends house. It was action packed and a lot of fun!

Happy girl and her Kit

Matching Hats

Sharing a shake with Mommy

Look at that smile

Hanging out with Daddy - and special shout out to Daddy for hanging out at American girl, eating at the Bistro and really helping out with all the accessory decisions!

Arboretum

Wow - we had a fun visit to the arboretum last week. Roon had the day off although and although we got off to a rough start (my car battery conking out) we had a wonderful outing. For those who are wondering - the giant acorns - from the "Crafty Me" post were found in the parking lot of the arboretum. There is beauty everywhere! Enjoy the pictures.

Crafty Me

Glittered Acorns. I got this idea from a blog called There is No Place Like Home! She has saw awesome ideas on home decor, crafts and recipes. We had a lot of fun and it was a cheap and easy project.

Super Saving Sunday at CVS

After a brief hiatus from CVS - I am back to the red and white again. Yeah for CVS! I missed you! I did take a couple of CVS surveys last week and should make $10 in ECB at the end of the month. I did three transactions today.

Transaction #1

I paid$3.58 after coupons and ECB I had already earned. I earned $7.98 in ECB for the Gum toothbrushes, $2.58 for the Candy Pumpkins (my absolute favorite and I can have six for 3 WW points!), and $.99 for the glow stick. I used the $7.98 ECB towards my next transaction.

Transaction #2

I paid $.26 out of pocket after the $7.98 ECB and $.75 cent off coupon of GUM toothbrushes and earned another $7.98 ECB and $.99 ECB.

Transaction #3

I paid $11.72 after coupons ($2 off each pull-up and $3.00 of the Johnson's no More Tangles) and used the ECB earned above (except for one $.99 cent one). I earned $10 in ECB and I still have a $.99 cent one left. I will roll those over later for more great deals.

I tried to break this down in chunks for those of you who are really trying to understand the coupon thing. Check out your CVS ad - some of the stuff above is a two day special only! Happy Couponing!

My latest creation/addiction

So I am trying to drink more orange juice to get all my vitamin C. Problem is - I don't always enjoy orange juice - as I find it kind of acidic so I prefer the watered down version. But in a flash of brilliance - I have resurrected the magic bullet and concocted my version of a low fat Orange Julius. Did you ever have those at the mall when you were growing up - so fabulous.

Anyhoo- I got it down to a big ole cup for just 2 WW points. Combine 1/2 cup 1% milk, 1 cup Tropicana Light N Healthy, 1 packet of Equal (I am sure Splenda will be great too) and crushed ice! Blend the refreshing treat in the magic bullet and WALLA! I need to be on the magic bullet infomercial - don't ya think?

Little Ole Baker Me...

Made this amazing spiced pumpkin bread I got from Amy's blog at MomAdvice blog. Here is a linky to the recipe here. Oh how I wish there was smello-vision! It makes four mini-loaves so you have enough to share or freeze!

I generally do not like pumpkin - in fact though I adore the way pumpkin pie smells I do not like the taste at all! Same goes for sweet potato anything and sadly pecan pie. I don't know why - but I think it is a texture thing with these things. But - I was fully prepared to not like this bread - and woa nelly - it ROCKED! I loved the goodness that is within! Make some yourself and let me know if you love it too!

I love Fall and cooler weather

We have been busy with soccer and fun fall stuff. Above are a couple pics of the hot air balloon festival and sky diver's. It was perfect fall weather and a beautiful launch.

I am loving drinking hot chocolate right now....I know it is still not exactly cool here - but hey close enough right? Oh and the return of cooler weather means I get to wear my jeans again! I mean I still wear them during Spring and Summer (just not very often) cause you get hot legs ya know.? I bought a new pair of jeans today and I think I had a light bulb moment. I love the look of wide leg jeans - but come on - they are like 5 inches too long and unless my Crocs grow heals - that is not happening. So - I decided hey what about the petite jeans. Bingo - ding ding ding. Jeans that fit and are not too long! Technically I am not a petite - but I am "making it work" as Tim Gunn would say and improvised to get the style I wanted. My style really needs help as most days I throw on work-out clothes. I am always optimistic that I will work out sometime during the day! Yes - most days it does not happen - but it takes time to make a habit right? So I am in the habit of dressing to work out...now comes the working out. LOL! Hope you are enjoying your Fall too!

It is a pink world in the land of girls soccer....

In the under age 5 division that is! Girls who are 4 and 5 years old playing soccer are spirited and entertaining to say the least. The first couple of games they really struggled with what goal to kick to and what to do with the ball. I can't believe in just 4 weeks how much all of them have improved. Bean loves playing and socializing at the same time. The girls are learning that they can't tickle each other on the field otherwise the ball passes them by....They are also learning that running while looking at the sky is not a good idea as you may collide with your own players. Generally every game girls come off the field "done with soccer." About 2 minutes later - they are back playing - only to come off with the biggest smiles ever. The art of drama is not lost on these girls.

Bean came off the field confessing that the ball hit her in the mouth on purpose and she does not want to play soccer any more. Trying not to laugh....we encouraged her to keep trying and that the ball does not hit her on purpose. Needless to say the very last play of our most recent game (and yes we did not bring the camera for once) the Bean got the ball, took it all the way down the field and scored. She immediately looked back to make sure that Mommy and Daddy were on their feet recognizing her soccer triumphant. It is her first goal thus far and we could not have been prouder.

Back to the pink component....We have had 4 soccer games thus far and each team has been some various shade of pink. You better believe that this was not lost on Bean and she loves her some pink. At first we longed to be one of the pink ladies if you will...but now we appreciate the cone orange that we are! At least we never get lost in a crowd!

Brave little trooper!

Well, after a week of a lingering cough I decided it was time to see the Doctor. Bean had no other symptoms other than this wet cough. The doctor checked her lungs and hear a little rasp - but her pulse ox numbers were only at 97 and they should be at 99-100. So we started up breathing treatments for the next two weeks. She is a real trooper - but I tell you she gives the Doctor like a full on interrogation. What are you doing? Where is that going? What is that for? Are we done yet? I am ready to go?....She really does love her pediatrician, but she hates having her temperature taken and a throat check!! I think she may hate that worst than shots - but the jury is still out on that.

Please pray that this is being caused by allergies and not asthma. We started allergy medicine today.

Some Random Things...

Long time no blog - sorry about that - sometimes I think about it but forget it before I remember to blog.

Bean said the funniest thing the other day. Roon had been in the bathroom and sprayed air freshener (thank you!) before coming out. Bean walks in - does a big sniff - and says "Daddy your poop smells great." LOL - that was too funny.

I am watching Biggest Loser again. I ate a giant cookie while watching it. I vow to do better from now on. My goal is to lose 10 pounds in October. Roon's sister is getting married and I do not want to be fat in those pictures.

I did a body test on the Wii fit tonight. I may never be able to test again as it says I am 29 tonight!! Generally I am in the 40's on the Wii - so I will take that number any day.

Are you watching Fringe on Fox? It is like Lost meets the X-Files. That JJ Abrams has one vivid imagination.

See me on YouTube

Hey there!
My good friend Bonnie has created a make-up line called Avasiare with her business partner Tanya. They have amazing environmentally friendly products. They treated us to a girls night out at a swanky hotel and gave us all make-overs. That was a fun treat and I tried to be brave when it came time to false eyelash application. You see - I have an irrational fear of eye lash curlers and basically anyone coming near my eyes. It makes for great fun at the make-up counters and eye doctor. Anyhoo - I did it and rocked the false eye lashes. Check out my video below and go by and visit Avasiare - they blogged about me too!

What is the Dealio?

Just in case you were wondering - I am still on the prowl for awesome grocery deals! Above is a picture of my Albertson's run this weekend. All this for $5.50 after store discounts and coupons. Coupons are cool!

Tunes on Tuesday

I have not posted any new music lately - but I did get some I-tunes cards for the ole birthday - SO I got some new stuff! WOO HOO - (thanks B & D).

I got this great album by Joshua Radin called Simple Times. It is so folky and earthy and mellow - oh how I love it. Go take a listen at I-tunes and let me know what you think.

Hello darling!

Meet the newest member of our household. Yes it is a vacuum. Yes it is a Dyson. Let's all do the happy dance now - Break -

Okay stop dancing. This is what I used my Birthday money for! Thanks to all who contributed to the Dyson fund and a special shout out to my Aunt for taking me to Kohl's, sponsoring this b-day gift and letting me use her rocking discount coupon! I heart you Dyson. Please be good to me.

Our last vacuum did not make it very long....it had a special feature where the dirt and debris would actually blow back at you rather than being sucked into the canister. That really sucked - and not in a good way - you know. I need to go through and retire the vacuums that no longer function in the garage. We have three that no longer work and 2 small canister ones and a hoover floormate. I have vacuum issues. I blame my Dad who also has vacuum issues. The sad thing is I am already eyeing the Dyson Root - handheld vacuum and the Cone handheld vacuum....there is always Christmas ;)

Oh my Goodness - What a Weekend

Wow - What a way to turn the big 35 or as my husband says the 10th anniversary of my 25th birthday! Roon planned this amazing surprise party for me on Saturday night with catering and even party trivia. He knows me so well. I am so blessed to have so many dear family and friends that came to the celebration. It was so neat to see people that I have not seen lately and just hang out! Lots of people came in from outside Houston and my sister and her family came in from central Texas. Two of my bestest high school friends came and that made me feel young again. When I was younger I had a hard time making friends....when I got better at it - I hung on to those freindships dearly...because I realized what jewels my friends are to me.

I have to say that God was watching out for my family/friends during Hurricane Ike. Several people told me that since they were coming in for my party...that is one of the reasons they evacuated. The Galveston/Houston area is a mess right not. My parents ventured home at 4:00 am yesterday. Their house is ok considering. The fence is gone and the roof shows some possible damage, but the house is still there ;) They have no power and gas is in very short supply. The cell towers are damaged so we have limited communication with them right now - but they both had to be back at work. The news is saying it could be 3-4 weeks till some people get power pack.

My brothers family is still here with us - as their power is off - and there is no reason to go home until the stores, the house and the gas stations are operating again. They have two small ones and my SIL is pregnant with a baby boy - so they are riding it out here with us. The Bean and all of us are enjoying getting to spend time with the family.

Roon and my brother drove down to Conroe on Sunday with gas and a generator for my brother's in laws. They said the power was off from exit 155 down to Galveston. That is 155 miles of I-45 without power. They saw lines of 200 plus car hankered down hoping to be lucky enough to buy gas. Roon said it was unnerving to see all the power lines down and how bad even the outskirts of Houston appeared.

It has been a busy few days but I wanted to say "hi" in bloggy land. I have lots of posts to catch up on and I hope to get those going soon. Take care Everyone!

Please say some prayers for our folks and brother's family!

What a week - I tell you. Yesterday was my birthday (more on that tomorrow), I got an upper respiratory infection and my family is trying to get out of Hurricane Ike's path. Three years ago - they endured a miserable experience while leaving from Hurricane Rita which bypassed their area.

Please pray that my parents get outside of Houston to my brother's house tonight and that they all make it up here safely to my house tomorrow ;) With traffic, weather, gas shortages and such they could really use your prayers.

Also Roon's Dad and Step Mom are staying to wade it out - they live a little further out, but we are worried about them and ask for your prayers for their safety as well.

Thanks!

Touching Story

I came across the story of this young couple who was badly injured in a plane crash with four young children.....the blogger's name is Stephanie and her blog is here: http://www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

Her family support is amazing and her story will touch your heart. Her family was interviewed on the Today Show and her sister's blog is here: http://blog.cjanerun.com/

Keep them in your prayers as they have a long recovery ahead of them.

New School and Pre-K

Ready to Go!

Bean and her teacher.

My baby is growing up so fast! Last week she started Pre-K and is just eating it all up! We had to switch schools at the last minute - Praise God - cause it was definitely a God move. I had felt that our old school was having leadership problems and the main reason I kept Bean there was for the teachers. The day of registration her Pre-K teacher called to tell me she was leaving and I knew it was time to make the move. Thankfully God orchestrated everything and we are now in an amazing Pre-K that is just awesome. Bean loves being a big girl! The second day of school they had a drama reenactment of the Three Bears. It just cracked me up to hear Bean talk about it. She gets in the car and says "Mommy, we did a story today and I was the Momma Bear." Great I say. She crosses her arm and says "Yeah, but I was really upset- I wanted to be Goldilocks." Ahh - the drama "literally" starts early here. I explained the importance of every one's role in the story and how integral Momma Bear is and I think she appreciated that ;)

Vacation Re-Cap

Our vacation was nice and relaxing with just the right amount of activity thrown in. Bean spent the week with Nana and Gramps. Roon and I headed to a wonderful B&B in San Antonio. It is a crying shame I have no pics to show you - but apparently - we take no pics of us anymore - LOL! So the camera did not come out till Sea World. Roon and I relaxed on the River Walk, went to an art museum, ate, slept, slept some more, watched DVD's and ventured to the flea market. Now I googled this flea market before we left and I have to think the people reviewing it lied. I will leave it at that. Friday we met Bean, Nana, Gramps and Annabellecus at SeaWorld. We had loads of fun and the park was not crowded at all. We got to walk right up to almost everything. We started at the Dolphins (see below) and had a great time feeding them. Bean would only view them from afar though.


Then we went to see the Pirate 4D Show. Bean was out quickly on that when the 3D bugs started shooting stuff out at us. After some quality "what can make it better time" in the gift shop - we met up with our group and headed to Shamu. That was awesome - although Bean needed to be reassured that Shamu was not coming in the stands to see us personally.
After lunch we went to the Sea Lion Show - which hands down - was the Bean's favorite. Very cute show indeed.
Here is Bean and Roon on the Shamu Express. This is the only ride that I also rode as well. Roon tackled the Steel Eel and Great White - but I was not feeling it. Ok - I have to admit that the older I get the less of a ride person I am...sniff sniff.
It was a great day all around. On Saturday we headed to a good ole fashioned Labor Day Fish Fry. Boy Howdy there was a lot of fish and people there! It was a great week - but we are all glad to be home and back in the swing of things.

Pre-Vacation, Shrimp Boil Ya'll!

Look at all this goodness!

The corn rocked my world!
So full we can barely move!

Just before we left to go on vacation we did something fabulous that I highly recommend! We went to the Saturday night Shrimp Boil at Central Market. Can you say hand licken, knee slapping, tongue tingling, jumped out of the Gulf Good? I can! The shrimp were uber fresh...like they literally had just been caught that morning fresh. Since I grew up on the TX coast - I know me some fresh shrimp and these were sure them. We all got into it and ate till literally we could eat no more. Makes me want to eat some more shrimp!

Catching Up!

We are back from vacation and I have pics and such to share later. Bean had a wonderful time at her Nana and Gramps and the husband and I enjoyed some couple time and some relaxing at a B&B!
I have to say our vacation got even better when the vet called late Friday about Alex. She is boarding after surgery so that they can monitor her recovery. Her pathology results came back CLEAR and she is cancer free. The mass is benign! Praise GOD! I am glad we did the surgery as the vet said if we had not she would have kept re-opening and infecting the wound. Also knowing that she does not have cancer is a huge blessing and relief on us all.
Thanks for the prayers and all kindness ya'll have extended to us!

Making Smores at Home!

So I got this brilliant idea to make smores at home. I assembled the necessities and let the microwave to its magic. After nearly having a "stay puff marshmallows man" explosion in the microwave - we were able to enjoy the fruits of our labor. It was a good fun delicious mess!

Alex is having surgery

Well, Alex's wound has not gone away and they are worried that indeed it is the mass cell cancer they suspected. She will be having surgery on Wednesday morning to remove it all. Please pray that they can get it all, that there are clear boarders and that she will be cancer free.

Thank you! Here is a cute picture of her!

Got Pen's?

I do!

I was able to buy 10 sets of Bic Pens for .50 each and use $1 off two coupons. I forgot one of the coupons, so I had to spend an extra dollar (yes it was painful)....but here is the cool part. If you spend $5 in school supplies and $5 in Pert, you can request a rebate of up to $5.00 from Pert. So (are you with me here?), I paid $4.96 out of pocket and bought 10 sets of pens and two bottles of Pert. I will mail in for a $5.00 rebate and Walgreen's will pay me $3.79 by utilizing the easy saver rebate. Can you say money maker?? I used $4 in Bic coupons (remember I forgot one) and two $2 off pert coupons.

I think I am going to donate most of the pens to my friend who has been to South Africa to minister to Aids orphans. She says that the kids are always asking for things to write with. Sometimes we have to remember that a pen is more than a pen - it is the power to write, dream and create.

Let there be a pretty light fixture!

A couple weeks back we ran across a clearance light fixture sale at Lowes. I found a cool fixture that went well with the others we already have for $11.55. Since I have a handy husband I knew I had scored. So with a little work - I give you our new light fixture for the hall. Neato Huh!

New!

Example of old fixture