The Aftermath Of Christmas

Well, let's see... where could I possibly start? Christmas has been so busy! On Christmas Eve, our plans were to go to my maternal grandmother's house at noon and then turn around and be at my dad's mom's house by 3:30 at the latest. I knew we would be there sometime since that is the 'fun' family. We joke and play and are not all serious. Don't get me wrong, I love my Boom Boom (my Mom's mom). She loves me to death and I am never wrong with any decision that I make. So, that can often times come in handy. Especially around my mother who makes me feel like nothing I do is good enough. I know that she loves me, but I just wish she would not be so condescending to me about things. But, such is the life as a daughter, right?

Anyway, we ended up not leaving my dad's mom's house until about 6:30 or so. Only to get almost 45 minutes away when they called and said that I had left my camera! So, back we went. Then, we got to my Mom's house and, since that is where the kids all wanted Santa to come, got ready to get the kids settled in. After we had them settled, we took a load of stuff home to empty out the trunk and get our own showers and stuff since we had used Mom's water for the kids. Then, back to Mom's it was.

Santa came, Bryan woke up at 4 am but went back to bed and Max woke up at 6. They opened their gifts from Santa shortly after six. However, our dear narcoleptic princess, failed to wake up. Kaelyn slept until 8:30! That may not seem bad until you take into account that she went to sleep at 6:45 that previous night. I could not believe that she slept that much!

Then, after breakfast, we took Bryan to see his "mother's" father. Max came with us too since Bryan has a cousin that he likes to play with. Unfortunately, Bryan's 'mother' decided that she had the right to interrupt our holiday by calling both Tony's call phone and at her father's house. Thank God we did not have to speak with her. Bryan told his Papa that he did not want to talk to her and he did not force the issue. She did not even send him a Christmas card, gift, or even catch up on the child support she owes. But, I bet she got her live in boyfriend something. Such a waste of air.... but, anyway, long story short... Bryan got a 20 inch TV with a DVD player from him. So, along with the gifts that Santa had brought, another trunkload had to be taken home and then Tony had to come back to get the remainder loaded, eat dinner, and then we went home.

I slept for like 13 hours after we got home. We were all exhausted. I hope to get some video or pics or something loaded up soon. Maybe when life slows down enough for me to catch up?

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

New Dishcloths Make Me Happy!

Ok, story starts with my mother getting a coupon for $10 off of any $75 household item purchase at Target. Below is the reason that I needed such a coupon and the resounding effects that my purchase today had on me!

Well, my children seem to find it amusing to think that they are Indiana Jones running from the boulder and another one of them will jump on the 'boulder' to save their brother or sister. In this instance, the 'boulder' is my laundry hamper. You know the plastic circular ones? Yep, you can imagine how it looks! It is split down the side absolutely disastrous and I have been meaning to get another one.

So, I go to Target to get some new hampers (seeing as how mine are destroyed) and I needed quite a few. So I knew that, seeing as how they are at least 8 bucks each, that would be around 32 bucks of the 75 that I needed to spend.

Well, I get there and they have ONE. Yes, that's right, ONE! Well, I decide to get that and settle for regular baskets for everything else. So, I get two baskets and the one hamper. I decided to get a new shower curtain for our main shower and then they actually had the shower stall size one for our second bathroom that has a really small shower in it, so I had to get one of those. I found a new floor mat for my kitchen to go in front of the sink in the floor. Then, I saw something that I just had to have!

I literally HAD to have it. Know what it was? Dishcloths! I had never seen any that were this cute and they came in a big pack with 8 of them! So, I got them. Well, they had another multi-pack that came with 2 potholders/2 kitchen towels/2 different kind of dishcloths. IT MATCHED! So, I had to have those and then I found microfiber cloths like I had just seen the other day on TV and wanted so badly! So, I got those!

Well, when I get up to check out, turns out that the hamper that they had was cracked! No wonder it was the only one left! So, the lady says she is sorry and took it off the receipt. No harm, no foul! I still got to use the reciept since my total purchase was more than 75 bucks, but I totally should not have spent that money! However, with mildew on the shower curtain no matter how much you clean it and having had the same hampers and dishcloths for over 3 years, I think I was due some new ones!

You would not believe how happy that those cloths made me! I am so happy to have new dishcloths. I was in the kitchen almost all day today catching up on dishes and cleaning since I had my new cloths. I wonder how long this will last!?!?!

Weekend In The Mountains

So, I am TOTALLY not a mountain girl. Or, so I thought. Hubby's work hosted their yearly company picnic at Chimney Rock (a mountain state park with trails and a waterfall). I absolutely LOVED it. The kids had a blast! They did a scavenger hunt trail walk thing for the kids and they had so much fun doing that. Then, we went to the top of 'The Rock' which is at 2280 feet! The kids were great! They posed for my pictures, loved the view, and loved the trails. After we got down from the top we went to the waterfall which was another trail that had to be hiked. (Which, trust me, my calves are STILL paying for! You don't realize just how out of shape you are until you hike a mountain!) I got some great pics and I hope to have them up soon!

Busy, busy, busy

Here lately I have been go, go, go all of the time. I find myself so very exhausted that I just want to sleep all day long, but far too much goes on in one day for me to pass it up!

I have to go shopping tomorrow to get the final things for Bryan's party and it will be a "me" day. I am dropping my little guy off in the morning to spend the day with my grandparents and the other two are staying with my husband. So, I will get to go for breakfast and relax while I shop! Is that not awesome!?!

Just remember me as I am trying to clean my entire house for the party on Saturday! Whew! Something says that tomorrow while I am shopping will be my last bit of peace!

Gallery Walk...

I am a devoted scrapbook.com-er. I am always on and most of the time, with no reason or excuse. But, that's over with! Ever since Imagine.lilacs started a "challenge" called the Gallery Walk, I am always on scanning galleries and having a blast catching the inspiration from them. I never actually sat and did that before. I was just aimlessly posting and waiting the PMs and questions that arose. So, I wanted to take a moment to post my immense thanks to imagine.lilacs for showing me a new reason to be online!!

For shame, for shame!

Ok, so I am very, very naughty. I realize this. However, with all that has been going on with me, the last thing on my mind was a blog. I don't really have all that much knowledge to share with anyone, so it is really not like I was missed or anything. But, I am making a pact with myself that I will try to write at least one time a week!!

So, Melinda does not make it? How on earth do you explain that?

I still don't see how in the world Melinda Doolittle did not make it. She is the only one (in my opinion) that can REALLLY sing and make me feel it, kwim? Jordin is all fine and dandy (and yes, I voted for her as well!) but I thought that based solely on singing that Blake should have been out. Don't get me wrong, I adore him. I listen to the iTunes that I have from him religiously, but I still think that Melinda deserved to go through to the next round more than he did. Even his own family was stunned that he made it through! Not that I am hating on him, because I am not....

I just don't get how it is fair that she was sent home, kwim?