Merry Christmas!

I seem to be spending a lot more time on Facebook, then I do here. I haven't had time to keep up with both.

Things are very good here, hectic as usual this time of year. Been struggling trying to get to work the last week. Managed to drive in myself all of last week. Saturday Craig drove me in, since we were catering a wedding, and he was going to be working anyway. I did not want to drive in all the snow with my car. The clearance just isn't very high, and I do not have studded tires or chains. So, he drove Saturday. Sunday we stayed home. We had a lot of freezing rain, and then a lot of snow in the afternoon. A branch is broken on my ornamental plum in the backyard. I was very sad. All of the brances are touching the ground, but so far only the one is broken. Hopefully no more do. It has taken 10 years for that tree to shade most of the backyard.

I am off until Friday now. Contemplating house cleaning and wrapping gifts. I got all of my goodies made on Sunday, and need to plate them, and box the ones I am giving away. I did not go crazy with the baking this year. Ended up only doing brownies, magic bars, peanut butter blossoms, and muddy buddies. Was trying to keep it simple. It all is appreciated, so I don't worry about going too fancy.

My family is coming over tomorrow night. I am supposed to have Bryan and his wife, and all of the kids. Kaitlyn and Lewis went up to their mothers house last weekend, and were unable to get home on Sunday. They live up in the foothills, and the road requires 4 wheel drive usually when it isn't even snowing, so I don't know if they will make it down before Christmas or not. Thursday morning, we will be doing our usual. Breakfast and lunch with Craig's family, and dinner with my aunt and uncle in Woodburn. Last year I was very sick, and was unable to go to my aunts house since she runs adult foster care. This year, so far so good (knock on wood), everyone is well, and hopefully we will have a fabulous day.

Merry Christmas to everyone that reads this! I hope you and your families have a wonderful Holiday!! Enjoy the snow. Go make some snow angels!

Christmas tree 2008

Koben and mommy

Koben being a ham

Connie, Matt, Heather, Craig: Beach trip 2008

Connie, Heather, me: Beach trip 2008

Beach house

Craig refusing to smile.

Connie, always a smiler.

Koben not wanting to wake up.

Family photo: 2007

Chloe and mommy

Koben getting into sisters paper.

Koben saying ppppllllttt to mommy

Koben helping mommy "clean" kitchen

Koben's usual stance in front of the t.v.

Well, Koben is finally interested in television. Took almost four years, but I can now have an hour of peace to myself while he is watching noggin. Not sure if that is a good thing or not, but it's working for me. He gets bored after awhile, so it keeps him from watching too much, which is nice. Today he had his six month evaluation, where they find out what decibel he is hearing with his aids. Then they tried to find out how he does when you talk to him. Asking him questions to see if he understands what you are saying. He was being highly uncooperative, and didn't want to tell anyone where his nose was. Little stinker. He sometimes really needs to warm up to things, and he can be very stubborn. Don't know if that is him, or a preschooler thing. After preschool he has another evaluation. It is the one they do yearly, to determine whether he still needs to be in the program or not. I'm pretty sure he will still need to. His speaking is not where it needs to be. He is getting better, but there is still a lot of ah ah and oh oh at our house. He still thinks he is a dog, so we spend a lot of time playing puppy. He's so funny...what a cutie boy.

Happy Gobble Gobble!

We just got home from Bryan's house. We had a nice time. It was his first holiday in their new home, and I'm pretty sure it will be his last. Too stressful. How silly. When will they learn? Every time we have people over, I make it simpler and simpler. Eventually it's not a big deal, but the first one is always the worst. We had traditional dinner. The kids played, we lounged and talked. Pretty decent I would say. I was grateful I did not have to have it at our house (I would of had to clean!) Plus, we do Christmas Eve, so it's more than fair! I took fruit salad and Rice Krispie Treats. I had to actually make two batches, as the first treats turned out weird. How do you mess up a rice krispie treat? I've always used one bag of big marshmallows. Always. So, I'm reading the back of the box, and it says 10oz bag. I look at my bag, it is a 16oz bag. So, I wondered if I had been using smaller bags. I look at the recipe, it says 10oz or 40 marshmallows. So, I throw in the 40 marshmallows, and yes, there were some left over. Not a lot, but some. I mixed it all up, went to bed, woke up this morning to cut them. "Crack" they go. They were hard! I wondered why they weren't so sticky in the bowl when I was stirring them. Jeesh. So, I had enough to do one batch, but not two like I had originally done, and I had no chocolate chips left to melt on top. So I had one plain batch of treats. Needless to say, everyone in my family only likes them with chocolate on them. So, no one would eat them. Gee, lucky for me, because I like them sticky and with no chocolate. Yay for me! By the way, yes, the second time I made them, I did throw in one whole bag. They are sticky and soft, just the way I liked them! Not holy goodness, those are breaking my teeth.

They are still sitting on the counter. Craig swears he will eat them. Maybe they will soften up??!!

We had a good time at the coast. The weather was beautiful, we didn't even need jackets! We fully enjoyed our time with our friends, and have even talked about taking the kids up next year and renting the house for a week, all of us. It sounds like fun, and we all know the kids would enjoy it, the house is definitely big enough. We had two extra bedrooms that were empty this weekend, plus an area with fold out couches and a futon. We could certaintly fit a few more people in. Now it is time to contemplate Christmas. We won't have as much expendable cash to spend this year, so I am trying to get creative. There are several people we usually include in our gift list, that do not want to be included this year, because they too, are a little strapped for cash. So, I guess that saves me some money. We will have to do Christmas the old fashioned, traditional way, you know, where it is about the spirit, and not the merchandising. Where people spend time together, not at the mall. Gee, you know, what Christmas is actually about, the birth of our Savior, not the sale at the Gap?

I might actually fully enjoy Christmas this year. Think of all the shopping time I am saving!

So close!

I'm on day 7 of a 9 day stretch, and I am exhausted! We leave for the beach Thursday, late afternoon. I can't wait. The kids are excited to stay with friends, and we are excited to be with our friends. Funny how you can look so forward to 3 days. I look more forward to this, than I do an entire week of vacation. It's really nice to hang out with your friends without having to worry about what your kids are up to in the next room. Oh, and the sleeping in is really, really, nice too!

Haven't had too much excitement to post. We've all been sick. I took Monday off, and was off on Tuesday, so I basically sat around on the couch for three days, which made my back stiff. I need new furniture!!!!!! Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully in the spring. It's been forever since we've had a new couch! Chloe is the only one that was able to escape this cold/stomach flu combo. Sometimes I wish for a nasty 24 hour bug, instead of those upset, grumbly tummies that go on for a week or so. I really should have gotten us all flu shots, but at $28.00 a pop, I just couldn't make myself do it. I really should just do it for the kids. They have never had them, and Craig and I haven't had them for years....not since the insurance stopped covering it. So, we'll see, I may still take the kids in. You know what will happen, they will get the shots, and then get some flu that was not on the strain for the shots....story of my life! =) Oh well.

I'm anxiously awaiting our yearly 3 day trip to the coast next weekend. We will be with 3 of our friends. We always have a great time, and Craig and I very much look forward to the three days a year we have no child vacation. Makes me feel guilty. NOT!!!!

Ok, ok, you all know I love them to bits. But we all deserve a few days away.

Ok, so you are going to get double of this phot, but look, I finally did it on my own....jeesh. I feel like death warmed over today, and I don't know what posessed me to try and figure it out, but I managed to do it. Could I explain to you how I did it? Hmm, no, probably not. But, I did get them posted here, and on my facebook page, so I figure that is a plus. Now I need to take some more pictures! Yahoo!

Aren't y'all proud of me?

Crazily, I also have now joined facebook. Why you ask? I don't know. It seems my friends have all joined facebook, but know nothing about blogspot. Why does there have to be so many of these pages for people to join? Jeesh.

I just haven't had much to say lately. Odd for me, eh? My house is a mess, I'm tired, and I'm trying super hard to not get Craig's cold. Zycam so far seems to be my new best friend. The kids and I have all been taking it. If he would listen to his brilliantly smart wife, and take it when he starts to get sick, he to, would be enjoying the benefits of being able to breathe and not have "yuck" come out of his nose. But no.....sometimes those boys just don't listen to us! =) He sure is cute though, so I'll keep him.

I have no idea how I got that picture on there, but hey, look, it's a picture!!

How can my daughter be so smart, yet lack so much common sense?
Why won't my son learn to use the potty?
Why do I always talk to myself in the car?
Why am I feeding all the neighborhood cats?
What is Koben's obsession with fruit snacks?
Will my house ever be spotless?
Where do all the fruit flies go when you get rid of the spoiled fruit?
Will I ever go to Europe?
Will Chloe ever learn to clean her own room?
Will I ever have anything super fascinating to say?


Chloe's word list for this week.

Pundit-A learned lesson
Skein-A length of yarn or thread wound loosely.
Skulk-To lie in hiding or to creep about
Personification-Attribution of human qualities to inanimate objects
Dyslexia-Difficulty in learning causing a person to have trouble reading
Palindrome-Word, phrase or sentence that reads the same backward to forward
Doily-Small ornamental mat of lace or linen
Querulous-Grumbling, argumentative
Blatherskite-Someone talking nonsense
Smorgasbord-Buffet featuring various dishes
Baksheesh- A bribe
Placebo-Something which often makes the ill feel beter but has no medical value
Dreary- Gloomy, dismal
Tarry- To wait
Indolent-Lazy

I thought about putting together a story using all these words, for you reading pleasure, but I've been gardening and doing laundry, and checking email for the last hour or so, and I am just really too tired for that much brain power. Maybe next week.

I haven't had a comment in so long, I think I am the only one that is reading this! Oh well, I am perfectly ok with that, seeing as how I use this as a journal anyway. I decided last week that I am going to start writing a book. Nothing fancy. Non-fiction. Sort of an auto biographical, which shouldn't be too exciting, seeing as how my life is nothing out of the ordinary. I'd like to journal Koben's life a little though. The journey we have had until now. We will see how it goes. Not much else to report at the moment. Will report more later!

Update

This is the first day I have had off since last Tuesday. We were preparing for the bridal show in Salem last weekend, so I was working 12-14 hour shifts, and really, was not home. So, today, I am a slug, doing laundry and sitting, since I have basically been on my feet for seven days. My legs and ankles were pretty swollen, and my body ached like I had run a marathon. We load a 17 foot U-haul for the bridal show, stuffed full. I would say it went well, and will know more as people come in, in the upcoming weeks. The next bridal show is the weekend after New Years.

Can you believe it is October? I can't.

Craig has been quiet at work lately. On Saturday, he and our brother in-law hauled all the rest of our garage sale items that never sold into Canby to Kiwanis. Finally we can walk in the garage. Hopefully now that things have quieted down a bit, he can finish the moulding in the house.

Chloe has aced her vocab and spelling the last two weeks. I can hardly believe it. I am very impressed. Yesterday she was received an award for good citizen month at school. It was a surprise. Mom, dad, and I attended the assembly. It was really cute. My father can't believe how grown up she is. I got her school pictures back today, they look awesome. I had her hair cut a couple weeks ago, into a layered bob, and all her curls came back. I haven't seen them since she was three years old, when I cut her curls off. I thought that was interesting. Here I thought she would have a hair do she could take care of herself. Now she wakes up with a mess of crazy curls in the morning, but, it doesn't take nearly as long as it did when it was long. And, I don't have long strands of hair all over the house.

Chloe's words for next week. ( Since they don't have school the rest of this week due to conferences.)
Vitriolic
Pretentious
Divisive
Counterfeit
Curmudgeon
Perspiration
Fallacious
Mediocre
Fiasco
Catalogue
Malodorous
Plenipotentiary
Aggravate
Fatigue
Derelict

Crazy, huh?

Koben is learning is numbers and letters very well. I am so proud of him. I came home last night, exhausted, and he was sitting on the floor, with a game/toy chloe had when she was little. It is Winnie the Pooh, and it has all the letters in the alphabet, and on one side, numbers on buttons that are different shapes. There is a screen, that shows the number, or letter, and pooh asks you to find the letter or the number. Dang if the boy didn't know all of them, and he repeats them as he pushes them. I was blown away. I had been working with him and that toy for quite awhile, and he just didn't seem to be getting it at all. In preschool they have been working on matching up colors, and he mastered that long ago, even if he can't tell you what the colors are. So, I'm thinking that he is matching the letters up with what he sees on the screen. Craig and I were very impressed. If we just give him the tools, and leave him alone, he actually knows a lot. But, the teachers at school tend to push him, and I think, expect a lot for him right now, so he doesn't do it for them. He goes thru stages where it doesn't look like he is "getting" something, then if you drop it for awhile, he will come to you, and show you that he knows it perfectly. He's so cute.

To Woodburn I drive, after I drop Koben off at school, to have my hair cut and highlighted. It is 1:30, construction everywhere in Molalla. None, at all, all summer, and now that the rain is going to start, they decide to work on the roads. I will never understand that.

Home I drive, running late, at 3:30, the time Koben gets out of pre-school. Held up by the nice construction men 4 times. 4 times. Yup, 4 times. Molalla is a small town, do they have to work on the entire town at once? It makes it rather difficult to commandeer when you are in a hurry, trying to speed thru town, doing 40 in a 25, barely stopping at the stop signs, other than in front of the fire station, of course.

By now, it is 3:45, I am 15 minutes late, Koben is the last child there, matching colored bears into colored plates with his speech therapist.

No one minds that I am late. And here I hurried.

Why do I put myself thru so much stress? Why was I so worried they would be angry? Why do I always try to please everyone? Jeesh.

Then we went to the grocery store, where I spent $75.00, and came home with four bags and two gallons of milk. Why was it I stopped shopping at Safeway? Crikies.

Then we went to the gas station, where we waited in line for a half hour. It wasn't until the end, that I realized today is the last day you can use your fuel pump rewards. Yeah, like they won't extend that. They know when they have a money maker going.

Then it was thru the car wash, since by then I was too revved up and stressed out to actually wash it myself. So, I wasted 8 bucks. Fool.

So, now I am finally at home, groceries put away by my dear Chloe, so I won't even worry that she went out to ride her bike and left all the empty grocery bags in the middle of the floor. I guess she only has so much weather left to ride her bike in. Koben is in the backyard swinging, and I am ready to throw some laundry in, pick up the living room/kitchen/dining room, and make dinner.

As I sit here, I notice I grabbed a t-shirt out of Craigs drawer (which I steal all the time) and I am noticing I put it on without looking at it.

It says "This is what a cool dad looks like"

*sigh* whatever will be, will be. =)

My life before my eyes.....

Finally I come up with a title, oh, but the memories............=P

Yesterday Craig and the kids and I, along with my parents, my brother, his wife, and two of his kids, went up into the Molalla river corridor to spend the day along the river. Bryan bought a quad a few weeks ago, and Craig and I hadn't seen it yet. Mom and dad took the kids up with him last weekend, but Craig and I were working. It was a beautiful day to spend along the river.

Bryan's quad. I guess that is what they call it. Basically it is a dune buggy, but for ATV. It seats two, side by side, with 5 point harnesses, and has a roll bar and a windshield. So, you strap yourself all in, hold onto a bar in front of you, and they harness you in on the sides with a mesh "door." Oh, such protection. Did I want to go on this thing? No, I really didn't. I am not afraid of motorcycles necessarily, I had one when I was a kid. But, you see, I have this problem with the fear of flinging off the side of the mountain into the river below. You know, just one of those funny little phobias people have. And, seeing as we were in the "mountains", oh, lookee, there was a cliff, with the river below. So, they push me into this "contraption" and off we go. Now, I will say, I had my eyes closed half the time, but I did get a good look at the speedometer, and 40mph in this tiny little "thing" up a hill, around corners, in gravel for goodness sake, was a bit much for me. Really, when you are going around the corners, is your machine really supposed to slide sideways in the gravel. Oh yeah, he says it is. Uh, huh, well, I am 5 feet from the edge of the shoulder (ok, so maybe it was a little farther, but it didn't feel like it) so, I'm thinking it is not a good idea to slide sideways. Up a hill we go, into huge dips, over big rocks, dust flying, and he's looking at me laughing "how ya doin? Are ya havin fun? This is fun, isn't it?" and I scream back "I always knew you wanted to kill me, is this your opportunity?" and then he laughs.

Now, I have to say, my mother told me it was fun. He took her last weekend, she thought it was great. So, I'm thinking, he either went easy on her, or the lady is really loosening up a bit too much in her old age.

Craig, on the other hand, thought it was a blast, and now he wants one.

And so does Koben, who wanted several rides, and spent a chunk of the day ready to go with his gloves and helmet on. But, really, he is three. He doesn't know he could be hurdled off the side of a mountain at any minute. He thinks it's great fun. But he trusts everyone.

So, other than the 15 minutes of my near death experience, in which my life flashed before my eyes (didn't take very long) we had a really good day.

We had a nice spot by the river, built a fire. Looked at the salmon.

Oh yes, the salmon. Apparently we set up our day camp at the spot the hatchery has been dumping the salmon to put nutrients in the water so that the wild salmon will come up and spawn. So, here we sit, in front of us, about 15 salmon, all about 2 feet long, with their tales cut off and their bellies split open and all their eggs all over the place. Priceless, really. So, we grabbed long sticks, and pushed them down the river a little further, so that they were in deeper water, and would not smell. Sounds worse then it actually was. Then we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, wandered around, looked at the river, and I got in some good book reading time. It was a very nice day all and all.

Except for the part where I almost lost my life.

Ok, ok, so I wasn't even close.

But man, it sure felt like it.

It's Friday!! Yippeeeeeeeeeeee!

Ok, so it's not really Friday for me, seeing as I work Saturdays, but we don't have any catering this weekend, just cakes, so Saturday should be a breeze.

I may have just ruined the day by saying that. Watch, now I will have some massive Bridezilla girl come in. EEeeeekkk.

I just finished dipping 100 cupcakes for tomorrow. I feel very sticky.

Seeing as how I jumped back on the weight loss bandwagon, I had a hard time not licking my fingers or the spoon when I was done. I was a very good girl this week. I have not had any chocolate since Monday. =)

Really, to some people that may sound pathetic, but for me, that is good. Not really that I hadn't had any chocolate, but any sort of sweet bad for you thing in general. We had cinnamon rolls, danish, cupcakes, cake, and two bags of halloween candy in the store, and I had nada. Good job Jonna, pat on the back.

I really am just mostly concentrating on serving sizes. You know, a cup of shredded wheat doesn't even cover the bottom of my cereal bowl.

Jeesh

Oh, goodness. I have been reading through some of my old posts. Retrospect is funny. Here I babbled about all of the things I wanted to get done this year, and I realize how many did not get done. Eeeek.

Ok, so the flooring thing was almost accomplished. We still have the closet and the baseboards to do. Craig hasn't actually done anything involving the flooring since about July. He has been working with me most Saturdays, so he hasn't had much time to finish it. It is completely liveable this way, so I guess it's not so bad. I will be glad when it is over, and I have my breakfast nook area emptied out again, since at this moment it has wood in it.
I however, am upset with the scratch in my new flooring. Supposedly my young son, who is infatuated with sitting in laundry baskets, pulled a basket out of the laundry room, which is by the back door, and it must have had some gravel, or a rock, or something underneath it, because when he sat in the basket and Chloe pushed him across the floor, it left 2 squiggles running from the rug in the living room, into the kitchen. Granted, you can only see them in certain lights, and it really isn't that bad, but it kinda bums you out, because it's laminate, not wood, so you can't sand it down and refinish it, or put a stain on the scratch. Bummer.

I did however get my bedroom and laundry painted like I said I would. Of course, I haven't hung my shelves back up in our bedroom, nor have I bought the new book shelve that I want for beside my bed, nor have I put up the curtains that go with our new bedding because I need curtain rods, and I just can't bring myself to spend a fortune on them. So, I need to curtain the bedroom, Koben's bedroom, the living room, and the dining room. Ugh.

Poor Craig never got the front porch finished this summer either. Oh well, I really couldn't ask him to add that on with the other things. Maybe in the spring.

I never bought my new dishwasher either. As life often hurdles a curve ball at you, you discover things aren't what you hoped they would be. Craig had hoped for a nice bonus with his tax return, but they used the money to make up for the years that were lean, and to pad for the future. We did get more than last year, because we were finally able to write off some stuff we have had for a few years, but it wasn't what we were hoping, so that kinda spoiled the dishwasher, possibly new furniture idea. Things like that happen when you own your own business, and especially when you do imports, and it is an election year, and the economic future is up in the air, or so these people all say. Oh well, there is always next year, right? We will need to do something about the furniture next year, it is really getting worn out. It doesn't look horribly worn out, but it is really uncomfortable. So that will definitely be on the list for spring. However, the dishwasher works just fine, but is not the right color, so that will just have to wait. Although, they really don't cost that much, so maybe I can slip it in. I know I have a Lowes, and a home depot card, but I really don't want to use them for a stupid little dishwasher. Besides, after the stupid thing with Home Depot and the fraudulent use of our home depot card, I am cancelling it this month when I finally pay off the water heater I bought in January, but couldn't start paying for until July when they finally figured out we weren't the ones that put the $2,000 dollars on the card. Our bill was only $500.00. Snots.

Other then the massive amount of yard work I always have, and never completely finish (I'm not yard anal like my mother. =P) I feel like we accomplished a fair amount this year. With food and gas prices higher than normal, I'm glad we got that much accomplished.

I just can't think of titles anymore. I'm too tired. Why am I tired? You know, I really am not sure why I am tired. I have felt like this for a week now.

Maybe it's because I think I am getting carpal (sp?) tunnel in my left hand also now, so my arms are falling asleep while I am sleeping so I toss and turn each night. Time for a wrist guard for the other arm.

Maybe it's because I didn't fill my thyroid medicine for four days (first time ever I did that) and now my system is all whacked, which makes me tired, and also rashy. Now I walk around yawning and scratching my tummy/hip/thigh. Fun fun fun

Maybe it's because I have been trying to keep Koben from peeing on the floor all day while he is wandering around in his Thomas the train underpants. (no, he is not close to being potty trained yet.) I am grateful we no longer have carpet.

Maybe it's because I haven't excercised in 6 days. That makes me tired.

Maybe it's because I never have two days off in a row, and sometimes you really just need two days to recupe.

Maybe I am just depressed. Nah, I don't feel depressed, just a littel ho hum.

Maybe it's because I just haven't had an alone day in awhile. As a mother, am I truly entitled to one? I really just crave them. I have days where I wish I could call in sick, send the kids to school/daycare and sit on the couch watching bad, boring television and drinking cocoa. Or watching a cabinet full of chick flicks. I have a serious Steel Magnolias/Fried Green Tomatoes/ Man in the Moon/ Ya-Ya Sisterhood need that needs to be met.

Either which way, I think I will survive.

That is, if Koben kindly picks up all the legos in the living room. Otherwise mommy goes ballistic.

Here are Chloe's vocab words for this week. she has to take her make up test tomorrow since she had a dentist appt. Friday and missed the test. I got an email from the teacher saying 8 out of 18 kids got the spelling part right, and 5 out of the 18 got the vocab part right. I had her take another test here at home, and she got the vocab correct, but missed one spelling word. She could go to school and miss several. I remember doing that when I was little. You know you totally have it, but when it comes time to take the test, you have issues.

Arboretum
Ragamuffin
Inscrutable
Incorrigible
Inevitable
Impeccable
Uncouth
Poignant
Irksome
Importune
Bluster
Insignia
Hieroglyphic
Appendage
Chaperone

I have to be honest. I missed importune. To beg urgently. I had it confused with Inoportune. Gee, does this mean I won't pass the fourth grade?
I liked fourth grade ok. I had Mr. Schalock. He was a great sport. I told everyone he was my dad. =) Of course, Bryan had him to, so he knew all about us Schlack kids. Of course, he knew me quite well, since my punishment for constantly talking in class while I was in Second grade, was being sent to Mr. Schalock's class to sit quietly and get teased by the nine year olds. So, of course when I entered his class, he already knew I was trouble. I had dorky, short permed hair when I was nine, and since there was a boy named Moe in my class, and a girl named Laree that he called Larry, you can guess which "stooge" I was.

Good times, good times.

Beats "jonah the whale" any day.
Ugh, I hated Elementary school.

I am so glad picture day is over. Chloe and I almost went to blows yesterday morning trying to get her ready. I had to make her sit in her closet while I went to cool off. I think I actually hurt myself yelling at her. Granted, she has a walk in closet, so really, it wasn't like major trauma or anything. I asked her why she wanted mommy to go insane. She had an outfit she really wanted to wear, but it was pants and a long sleeve shirt. Cute as sin, but she was afraid she would get hot. So, I gave her some other ideas, and I even went to the little sweet peas store here in town, (which is resale, but they have some killer things) and bought her two shirts that would also work with the pose and color of background she wanted. (jeez, like we had that choice when we were kids) So, she went round and round with me, nothing was right, all her clothes suck, she looks horrible, everyone will laugh at her, she looks like a dork, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah........................my blood pressure had to have been high.

Finally, I call Craig, because I just really had had it with her. He told me to give her two choices, and if she couldn't pick one, then she could wear whatever she wanted and not get her pictures taken at all. Really, why hadn't I thought of that? I had given her the two choices (I wasn't getting anywhere with that) but I hadn't thought of the no pictures at all thing. So, that just made her cry and fuss and roll around on the floor awhile longer. Finally, I told her she was wearing the pants and shirt outfit, she could put shorts and t-shirt in her bag, and that was the end of it, I wasn't going to play the game with her anymore. Finally I get her dressed, her hair done and so on and so forth. I even let her wear a pair of my dangly 14k gold heart earrings I have that were a gift from Craig years ago. Man, I'm a softy.

Needless to say, I think they will turn out ok, she looked way cute. She said she refused to smile with her teeth showing, because they are just really in need of some help right now, but her teeth grow in so slow, it is going to be awhile before we can do anything about it. She said she didn't want to be remembered forever with ugly teeth. Made me laugh.

So, I really just can't wait for the teen years.

On a side note, I am just really happy I don't have Bryan's step daughter, who has been expelled from school already this year (8th grade) for taking a knife to school. Story goes it belonged to a friend and she was returning it to them. Whatever, regardless if that is true or not, why would you be stupid enough to wave it around and get caught? Duh. Home school for the rest of the year for her. Maybe she wanted to go out of jr. high in style. Maybe one day she will realize it just made her look like a tard.

Here is Chloe's list from her new reading group this year. She has to spell each word, and then match up the definition to them each week. On top of that, every two weeks she needs to read a book that is at least 1oo pages (and it has to be something she has never read before) and then write a review on the book.

Spellbound
Anecdote
Speculation
Potent
Rustic
Elegant
Epitaph
Pedagogue
Grievous
Dominant
Itinerant
Ingratiate
Magnanimous
Supernumerary
Voluntary

I have to tell you, there were a few there I couldn't remember the definitions for. It has been a really long time since my advanced vocab class in highschool. I could spell them all, but I couldn't remember what magnanimous and pedagogue meant. I take it this means she is in the advanced class? Don't really know. I know last year her teacher had her stop spelling half way through the year because she had already completed the third grade and half the fourth grade list. I thought it dumb that she didn't keep challenging her, but hey, I wasn't overly fond of a lot of things that happened with that teacher last year. I'm hoping this year will be better.

But really, I don't remember having words like that in the fourth grade. Do any of you? Well, I do feel stupid while watching Are you smarter than a 5th grader, so maybe I just forgot it all.

Do you ever have one of these days?

I just don't feel like doing anything today! It is my day off, I should be having fun. But, no, it was all I could do to take a shower and be ready for the day. And it is 12:30.

On a side note: Why does my son love fruit snacks so? What will happen to him if I let him eat them every day? On Saturday he had four packages. Not my fault, I swear. I was working. Daddy gave him two packages, and when we stopped by our friends house Saturday night, she gave him two more. Granted, there are only about six pieces in each package, but still.....His poo hasn't turned green yet. I consider that a good sign.

So, Koben and I are hanging out today. We've put puzzles together, and played with his Sesame Street flash cards that have numbers and letters and pictures on them. Today Koben learned to recognize goats. He already knew hat and cookie, his two favorite things. Butterflies and magician were a little harder for him.

At this moment he is picking his fruit snacks up off the floor and eating them. Good thing I cleaned floors on Sunday, eh? How was I supposed to know he would hold onto the back of the chair I am sitting in, and then just fall over? My kids are so clumsy.

Koben starts school in an hour. Last week was hard on him. He was sooo tired. Having preschool during his nap time is not a fantastic idea. Poor little guy.

While he is at school for two hours, I think I will get some coffee and plant my bum in a lawn chair under a tree with a book. Do I feel guilty doing this? Hmmm, well, not overly. I cleaned my house this weekend. Do I still have some laundry to do? Yes. Will it still be there when I am done reading? Yes. Will it ruin my day? No, probably not.

See? I'm well adjusted.

blah, blah, blah, blah, random thoughts.

I wish I were in a hammock, under a tree, with a book and iced tea.

Ok, so I wish it were kaluha and cream, but hey, this is a family blog. =)

I wish my father would go to the doctor so they could find out what is up with his stomach. I'm afraid it's something bad, he thinks it's dehydration.

I'm angry the seamstress left me at work alone to pin a hem and bustle on a wedding gown from David's Bridal. I do not pin. I do not sew. I thought it was a bridesmaid gown that was just trying on the work she already did. Ugh.

I feel needy. Yet, I had too much chocolate today, which completely ruined the hour of "dancing like a crazy fool" I did in my living room at 5am this morning.

I can not wait until our beach trip in November.

I'm glad Koben loves preschool and Chloe loves her new teacher.

I wish I was closer to my family members.

I wish my friends from high school lived in this state. =(

I wish people would quit crossing the middle of Hwy 99E. I would hate to see a person get hit.

I"m very sad my crepe myrtle did not bloom this year.

I really need to clean my toilets.

I hate laundry.

I wish I had a motor home.

How does the squirrel run up the utility pole and then onto the wire without getting electrocuted? Doesn't one foot touch the pole, and one foot touch the wire?

Why do people ride motorcycles in shorts, no shirt, and flip flops. How do they shift in flip flops? Have they not seen the safety movies? Do they not know what their bodies will look like if they hit the pavement at 65mph? Crazy loons.

I wish Craig were not so upset I cut off all my hair.

Thank goodness Chloe finally decided to cut hers off too, I am so tired of doing it every day.

Today, I wish I had a lexus. Yesterday it was a BMW, tomorrow I will just want my Camry.

Who would name their daughter Jasper?

Why do I find those fancy assisted living places so appealing, when every old person I know hates living there?

I am blown away with how busy the auto parts stores on both sides of my work are. Crazy. I hardly ever go there, but the parking lots are always fool. I'm in the wrong business.

I would really like to be in Hawaii right now.

Or Jamaica

Or Costa Rica

Or today, being 9/11, I would like to be at ground zero.

Who am I going to vote for?

Is it November yet? I am sick to death of Craig and the fox news channel. That is all we ever watch. And then he gets angry if I go in the other room to watch t.v. Well excuuuuse me, I can only take so much politics.

Why did UPS pick brown?

I got nuthin...

Sad, when I have nothing to talk about. Now watch, my post will be really long. That either means I thought of more as I went along, or I'm just really good at talking about nothing.

School started last week. Yay in some ways, ick in others. It's nice to have the kids out from under your feet, but I hate going back onto the school schedule. I don't get home until 6:30 or 7pm everynight, and getting dinner on the table, everyone fed, and the kids bathed and in bed by eight is impossible. I haven't made it yet this year. (as I speak it is 8:10 and chloe is just now going into the shower, which will take her a half hour. *sigh*) Tonight was open house, so I can say I had an excuse for being later.

Koben starts back to school tomorrow. He will be attending Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30 to 3:30. Don't you just think that is the most convenient time for a full time working mother? Boy, I did. Last time it was 9 to 11. I loved that. I could take them both to school, have two hours of peace to myself, and have until 3:30 to run errands, have coffee with dad, or do stuff at home. Now I have to take chloe to school, come home and then take him back in the afternoon, which living where we do, does not give me a whole lot of time for appointments or errands. Then I have to rush to pick him up at school and be back home by the time Chloe gets off the bus. Jeesh. Oh well. The way his preschool seems to work, there could be a whole different time by January.

Other than that, there is nothing going on here. I think we are through our busy season at work. Craig has been helping us out, so our flooring has yet to get done. We still have the bedroom closet and the moulding to do. Hard to say when that will get done. Right now my house is a disaster area, and I need to spend some time digging out the clutter that has accumulated. Fun! Fun! Fun!

That really was mean of me to take pleasure in that poor womans pain. What was I thinking? I really do have a nasty, vengeful side. Where did I get that from? I thought I was growing up, being a responsible, caring adult, and then WHAM! I turn into spiteful girl. I just have problems with people who think they are better than everybody else. Just because you are wealthy, it doesn't make you perfect.

I have an only child this weekend! Chloe went camping with Craig's sister, and brothers and cousins. Poor Koben is still too little to go. He was ANGRY when they left work today together to go straight to rooster rock and he had to go with daddy. Gee, if he would just realize that if he goes potty in the toilet, he would get to have more adventures...........but no, he's completely content to stand here next to me with a wet pull-up and syrup all over his face/hands/arms/hair/legs.

Don't ask me how it got on his legs.

Sorry nice waitress at Shari's.

We haven't decided what we are doing this weekend. We both work tomorrow, but we talked about going to the fair on Sunday. There is also a mineral and gem show at the fairgrounds in Canby that is pretty cool. It's free to get in, and only takes up about an hour of your day, but it's neat to see the different rocks and stones and petrified woods. We will also probably take Koben to the park and out to lunch. He is a jungle gym rat.

As I am sitting here, my little man just came up next to me and openend the cabinet door that we use as a pantry and pulled out a sand shovel and a balloon animal. Lately he has also taken to keeping his milk cup in the tall cabinet next to our t.v. that holds dvd's. He thinks it is his refrigerator. Some days he puts in his cup and then polks at the glass in the door of the cabinet.

Must be a microwave those days.

Kids. They crack me up.

Well, until just now. I smelled something as he walked by.

oooohhh, it gets better.

Ok, so this kinda makes me laugh. I know it's wrong that it makes me laugh, and God may spite me, but really, I told God I was sorry...............

So, today, I am at work, minding my own business when Mary Jo, one of the gals in the hair salon next door, runs over and says "oh my, Jonna, will you please come in here and look at this and tell me if it's lice in this girls hair. You know what it looks like, I've never seen a bug, just eggs." So, here I am, instantly scratching and feeling like things are crawling on me, but being the sport I am I go check it out. Besides, for some reason I am fascinated by icky things. Mind you, I don't want the icky things in my house, but I like to look at them elsewhere. So, I go over there, and all I had to do was walk in the doorway and look at this girls head, and you could see the lice CRAWLING ALL OVER HER HAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, ew, oh ew, oh ew. Poor little thing. So, I'm like "uh, yeah, there is no question, and I would say she's had it for awhile." Her mother (who kinda always rubs me the wrong way) starts spazzing, and picking the bugs out and throwing/flicking them on the floor of the salon. I thought Mary Jo would have a nervouse breakdown, but she didn't say a thing. So they separate her hair, and you can see them crawling, and there are eggs scattered everywhere. When Chloe had lice in January, it was NOTHING like this. What I think is funny/odd is that the mom was talking about how she brushed her daughters hair (and then her own hair with the same brush) right before they came to the salon. Would you not notice that? She said her daughter has been sleeping in bed with her, and complaining of a very itchy head for weeks, and she thought it was dandruff. I would think you would notice that before now. The poor kid was at camp a month ago, she's been camping, to the coast, the fair, everyone's house, you name it. Jeesh. The thing that irritated the poor mom the most is that she had a date that night, and here I am thinking, man, you better cancel that, with as many eggs as they can lay a day, you're talking about up to 100 eggs a day. I think I would be getting a jump on that. I guess the lady is a neatnick, so all I can say, is at least she vacuums daily, that will cut down on the cleaning. I tried to give her some advice, but she just looked at me like it was icky that my kid had it (mind you, I only found two bugs last night, and none tonight, so =P) Apparantly her status is higher than mine. She's very stuck up. =P =P =P After she left, Mary Jo had a melt down and sprayed her entire salon with the cleaner they use on their combs. Then she bagged all her towels into a plastic bag, put them in her nylon bag, and then put that in a metal can to take home to wash. She said she would be taking a shower first.

Anyone feeling crawly yet? Oh, all I can do is laugh. I'm not sure why The Lord decided I needed to go through this again, but I'm grateful it wasn't so bad. However, that woman is kinda a snot, and I only have one word for her.

Karma

Oh jeesh...

I have a daughter with head lice. Again!!! You have got to be kidding me!!! Where does she get it when she hasn't been to school or daycare?????

Only thing I can think of is zoo, omsi, or the beach. But where? She didn't try on hats, she didn't ride any rides that you would put your head up against, besides, they are are hard surfaces, so where? Possibly a restaurant, since we ate out every night we were on vacation? I just don't know! Ugh. Only bright side is I think I caught it early, and it isn't nearly as extensive as last time. I'm only on day two of head checking, and I hardly found a half dozen eggs. Ew. Why me? Why her hair? And it she would be having to grow it out, so it's three inches longer than the last time. I swear, I almost shaved her head.

Did another week truly go by?

Yup, another week did go by!

I really can't report anything exciting. I spent most of it working. On my day off on Tuesday, Chloe and I went to the dentist. Oh boy! I finally, after 9 years, have a filling that needs to be replaced. I haven't had anything done since I had all that work done after Chloe was born and sucked all the flouride out of me. So, I get to go back. Yipppppeeeeeee. At least now we have dental insurance, so it won't cost me an arm and a leg. Chloe also needs to go back. She had an area on her back molar that a sealant obviously did not reach, so she has a sticky spot that needs to be scraped and filled. I guess it's just a surface cavity, and won't require any novacaine.

After the dentist we went to Office Max to get school supplies. I spent $18.00 and got just about everything. Good deal. She does still need a spell checker, which everyone seems to be out of, but I think someone around us should have one they never use. I don't want to have to buy one, they are about $20.00. Really, do they need a spell checker? I never had a spell checker in the fourth grade.

Other than that, I have been working, working, working. This was a big bridal weekend, so of course we were swamped, but we made a gorgeous wedding cake. Well, actually we made two, but one I really loved. It was a three layer cake, separated with 3' pillars and stuffed with pink roses, alstermaria (no, I can't spell that) and greens. The top and bottom layer were ivory frosting with chocolate brown scrolling, and the middle layer was plain ivory with a pink ribbon and bow wrapped around the middle. Then we put the three layers atop two more huge layers of cupcakes. the two cupcake boards are separated with champagne glasses. The cupcakes were white cake, in gold foil, with a chocolate dipped ganache on top and pink and white flowers. Yum! it was very tall, and very cute when it was done. We actually lifted the entire thing onto glass blocks, and then surrounded the blocks with more flowers, and white rose petals. It was way pretty! The second cake we did was three sqare layers, also separated, with light pink frosting and white borders and dots and a black ribbon on the base of each layer. Very retro. Then we filled the between layers with pink dahlias and white hydrangeas and lifted the cake and filled the underneath also with the hydrangeas. It was very pretty also. It was nice to do something new and different with the cakes. So often the girls pick something out of the book and we change it slightly, or change the colors, but we don't often get to change it so much, so it was fun.

Well, it is time to work on cleaning this house. It is sorely overdue. Later we are going over to Craig's parents house and I am going to make dinner to celebrate Craig's mom's much belated birthday, due to all of her surgeries lately. We are having Shrimp alfredo. Yum!

Good day to all!

Vacation!

Aww, and my vacation is almost over!

Sunday morning we drove to Seaside. The weather was nice. Cloudy, and a little breezy, but not cold. I had a t-shirt on, and the kids and Craig had on sweat shirts. We wandered around all day, the town was a zoo. Little did we know that Seaside would be having their annual volleyball tournament, so there were a lot of people there for that. Mom and dad came down from Rockaway Sunday afternoon and had dinner with us in Seaside. Then we drove to Rockaway to stay the night, only everything there was either booked, or way more than I needed for just one night. So, we ended up in Garibaldi, which is just up the road. I am telling you, hotels are just way too expensive. I remember when Craig and I first got married, and you could stay in a hotel for $60.00, but now everything is so damn high! I mean, jeez, it's a small town, it's a Comfort Inn, and it's not even on the water, and it's still $134.00? Oh, and then of course there is the tax. I am looking at my visa statement online this morning, and it actually cost me $151.00. Nice, eh? For one night. For one room. For one room with uncomfortable beds. For one room that had some other persons toenails on the carpet. Yum.
Monday we played in the sand for hours (or I should say, Koben played in the sand for hours. He was in heaven.)I walked the beach looking for cool rocks and numbing my feet in the water. The weather Monday was beautiful. Blue skyed, sunny, warm, and a little breezy. Stupid me actually forgot sun screen, so I swiped a little from dad since his was almost gone, and used it on my face and the kid's faces and arms, but didn't apply any anywhere else on myself, so I now have a very nice burn on my neck and collarbone since my shirt was boat necked. Let's just say it's Thursday and I'm still in pain. After we left Rockaway, we stopped at the cheese factory in Tillamook (again) and had ice cream and showed Koben the sights. Then we headed home.

Tuesday..........oh, Tuesday. Tuesday was two dollar day at the Oregon Zoo. I had planned to go that day, strictly to save money, because we wanted to go to the beach, and the fair, and Omsi. Which each can easily cost easily $100.00+. So, off we go to the zoo Tuesday morning, and I knew it would be crazy. Did I think it would be that crazy? Oh my, I can't even exaggerate. As you drive up to the parking lot, they steer you back down and around to use the shuttle parking. Only they don't actually tell you where the shuttle parking is. Instead, you resort to following the poor fool in front of you who is following the yutz in front of him. Which leads you to a lot, full of other people unpacking their cars and waiting around for the shuttle. Until some park official comes wandering up to tell you that is not the lot and you can't park there. You have to actually cross the freeway and park in a church lot. As we leave this first lot, which in itself is a challenge, as people are not bright enough to understand that the person closest to the exit goes first, and the rest file out. Oh, no, that would be too hard. So, the lot jams, since the person in the back, who feels like the shuttle may leave without him, zooms to the front of the lot, and basically makes an ass out of himself. So, finally, as we leave the lot, the park guy puts up a sign saying that the lot is not for shuttle parking. Gee, if only he had gotten there sooner.

So, we find our way to the church lot. And there is this line of people. And I don't mean a line, I mean a LINE. I really couldn't tell you how long the line was. We squeezed our way through the line. (yet again, folks not smart enough to realize you don't block the driveway to the lots, jeez, it's like a mad rush) So, we parked in row G (for Good Lord, this is going to be a long day) and had to trek down to row M which is where the line started. We got in line at 10:30, and reached the zoo at noon. As you get off the bus, you see the ticket line. Which travels up the sidewalk to the forestry center. Nice. We entered the zoo around 1:00. Ugh. Our kids were so good during the whole thing. Chloe didn't say a word (which is so unlike her, I actually wondered if she was sick) and Koben only had a couple whiny moments, which I thought was good for a kid who had no idea why he was standing in line. Once we got into the park, we had lunch, which we brought. Everyone was hungry, tired, and thirsty, and we hadn't even started yet. So, once we ate, it was about 1:30. We entered the portion where you give your tickets, and the girl said that their count was at almost 10,000. And it was barely afternoon. Jeesh, no wonder the bathrooms look like they do.
We were in the park until about 4:30. We had a nice time. It was crowded, but not so crowded you felt like you couldn't see anything. We saw most the animals. The polar bears and the penguins were not in the areas we could see them in. And I don't think we saw the leopards or the tigers (which I don't feel like I have seen the tiger the last three times I was at the zoo. Is there actually one there?) The Dino path was cute. Do I feel like they should charge you extra to see it? No. It's not THAT fascinating. Koben was so cute when we got to the T-Rex with it's big roar. He looked scared the first time. He was totally unsure about what was going on. By the third roar, he was roaring back, and I must say, his roar is impressive!

So, all in all, it was a very long day at the zoo, but it only cost us $27.00.

Wednesday we slept in and hung around the house until about one, and then we wandered over to the Clackamas County Fair. It was pretty much the same as it's been every year since I was born. We bought ride tickets for Chloe. $20.00 got her four rides, and one for me. Wow, $4.00 for 45 seconds of entertainment. Lovely. Last year each ride took 6 tickets. This year it was 8. Same exact rides. Now I will call that inflation. We left the fair about 8pm.

The fair, however, did not cost me $27.00. I'm guessing somewhere around $100.00. Now you see why we went to the zoo Tuesday. =)

Today I am having coffee and pedicures with my good friend Connie, who is also on vacation this week, and then Craig wants to go for a drive thru the Molalla river corridor, which is pretty, and runs along the river.

Tomorrow we are going to Omsi. Finally. It was a gift promised to Chloe for her birthday, (which was in May) that we just have never gotten the chance to do.

Saturday I go back to work, and Craig is catering a wedding for us in Troutdale. At 100 degrees, he 0ught to be very happy.

Sunday we are going to a bbq at Raju and Heather's. Craig is going to help them put railings on the deck he helped them build last summer.

All in all, it's been fun and relaxing. Of course, I could always use another week of vacation.

Or a year. A year would be nice.

Exciting to me, boring to you.

This is after I got both kids hair cut for $15.00, and bought Chloe two pairs of shoes, and Koben one pair at Payless for $42.00. I was on a roll.

Large wicker basket-2.99
2 small wicker baskets-.99 each
1 giant bag fruit loops-1.49
family size package soft tortillas-2.69
12 pack individual gold fish packs-2.99
1 family size box shredded wheat-2.99
5 cans tuna-.69 each
2 -1 lb lunch meat-1.99 each
2 family size bags fig newtons-1.79 each
1 family size package smoked polish dogs-5.99 (8 giant sausages)
1 pack kraft american cheese-1.99 (8oz)
1 pack sliced cheddar- 2.39 (8oz)
1 pack light sliced havarti- 2.39 (8oz)
1 pound butter -2.49
4 cans no sugar added sliced peaches (del monte) .99 each
4 cans sliced pears- .99 each
1 family size bag honey nut O's - 1.99
1 box keebler crackers-1.49
1 16oz container grated parmesan cheese-2.29
4 loaves wheat bread- .99 each
1 Familiy size box smart start strawberry shredded wheat-2.69
4 cans spaghettios-.89 each
3 cans family size cambells tomato soup-1.49
2- 1lb jars prego spaghetti sauce-1.79 each
1- 100 calorie pack snack-1.69
2- cans cream of mushroom soup-.79 each
2 boxes fruit snacks-1.69 each
1 jar jam-1.99
1- 7lb container cat food-5.99
1- bottle ocean spray orange juice-1.99
1-package oreos-1.59
1-package oatmeal cookies-1.29
1- container shave gel-1.79
1 package q-tips-.99
1 box 90 calorie chewy granola bars (package of 48) 7.99
1 box pop tarts (darn chloe) 1.49
4lbs bananas-2.79
1 case diet coke (24 cans) 7.96 (not much of a deal, but hey, I was there)

Grand total (give or take a couple bucks for my typos)
$115.38

A happy mom for saving $54.47

I still need a small amount of fresh fruit, and some veggies, which I didn't buy there because I was going to mom and dads, and I didn't want to keep track of a whole bunch of stuff that needed to go into the fridge. They have pretty good deals on apples, and some fresh veggies. And of course I need milk. But, since costco has decided to use retard cartons for their milk now, I won't be buying it there. I will still pay Safeway for that, I guess. Other than that, I was totally stoked. that is the same amount of groceries I would have paid almost $200.00 for at Safeway. I will need some meat, but we have half a pig in our freezer, so the only meat I buy is ground turkey and chicken breast and the occasional steak.

Very happy, very happy indeed.

Phew, made it!

What a week! Bridal season is in full swing! Monday I was off, and didn't do much. Koben had school. I cleaned floors and did laundry. Tuesday was busy at work, getting ready for the weekend. Wednesday I steamed 6 wedding gowns and 10 bridesmaid gowns. I didn't get home until after 9pm. Thursday I baked 2 wedding cakes and 150 cupcakes for this weekends weddings. Friday I started catering, and in the evening dipped all of the cupcakes into the chocolate ganache we put on the tops. We had two weddings on Saturday. One at 2 pm for 130 people, and one at 6:30 for 100 people. Small for us, they weren't big weddings, but having two on Saturday is always hectic. Craig came in at 11:30 and went with Lisa to the first one while I stayed with the store and Darlene and I got the second wedding ready so Lisa and Craig could swing back through and unload the one and load the second and take off again. Craig didn't get home last night until almost 11. We are both pooped today, and we didn't get out of bed until almost 10. So, here we are, still lazing around. I am going to go out and try to get some yard work done today. Mom always comes over and plants these beautiful things in my yard, and I hate taking care of them! I keep hoping that as I get older, I will learn to love it like she does, but it hasn't happened yet! Bryan doesn't seem to mind it, and his yard looks great. Guess I better step it up a notch! So, out I go into the gray gloomy day. At least it's not super hot, right?

Only one more week to go until vacation!!! Yay!

Middle of the day thought: I hate cake.

150 cupcakes and three wedding cakes later...................

I really hate cake.

Tomorrow, I will no longer hate cake.......just food.

Towie!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all I hear right now. Towie, Towieeeeeeee, Tttooooowwwwwiiiiieeeeeee. This is Koben's new game. Yell your name over, and over, and over again. Towie, is of course, his sissy, Chloe, who is in the shower right now, and I am really not sure why he is yelling at her. Usually it is Moooommmmyyyyyyyyyy! Yup, that's me. Craig had to take him in today for his evaluation because I couldn't do it. They had repaired both of his hearing aids, and they needed to check and make sure they were working properly. I guess while he was in there, they decided to put him into the sound booth and do a full evaluation, which they just did in May, and I didn't realize they were doing. So Craig got to see what Koben and I have been doing every six months since birth. He thought it was pretty interesting.

Ok, so now Koben is screaming. Do you think "Towie" popped him one for screaming while she was in the shower? He is wearing his straw sheriffs hat and holding his finger saying "owwie, Towie hurt, wwaahhhhh" Cute, eh? They turned his aids up more, since his canals are getting bigger, so now he should really be able to hear what is going on around him. I didn't notice that they weren't loud enough. I don't think it is a huge difference. If only it would make him speak quieter!

Nothing exciting going on around here. Super busy at work this week. Gotta love August. It is our busiest month. I had better kiss my kids now. However, we do go on vacation next Sunday, so it will be nice to spend a week with them before the mad rush at the end of the month. Hopefully they have a good time at the coast and the zoo, and Omsi, and whatever other mischief we can get ourselves into. I'm just looking forward to a few meals out. I'm sick of cooking. It is so hard to do when you have been working all day, and in my case, I've either been cleaning up from a huge event, or cooking for a huge event. It doesn't make me real stoked on "whipping" up a meal at home. One can only be so creative, and creative I am not when I'm tired and it's 7:00 and everyone is whiny and hungry.

I guess I will go put the little sherrif to bed. Little looked really weird there. I hate that when you know you've spelled something right and it looks weird, or you really sound out a very common word, and you realize how weird it sounds. I must be tired!

Exhaustion......Deena, I can never think of a title either!

I'm pooped! Summer wears me out!! Toooo many girls getting married. Guess I should be glad business is still good even with this economic down turn they tell us we're having.

Jeesh, had to take a time out. My cute little man decided to try to climb up the rung of my chair I'm sitting in to see the computer screen, and he slipped and whacked his nose on the edge of the counter. Nice, his first bloody nose. He's such a boy. Good thing his nose is mostly still cartilidge!

I've been putting in a lot of overtime at work, so I haven't been home much. Last weekend a couple friends and I took a good friend of ours out to lunch for her birthday, Monday I took Koben to school and went to the doctor in the afternoon, and then took my dad over to my aunts house to pick up my uncles truck that needs some work done. Not too exciting, I know.

We have two weddings to cater this weekend. One tomorrow night, which I will be serving at, and one Saturday night, which Craig will be serving at. I get off at five, and mom is watching the kids for a couple hours. Stinks for Craig, working on the weekends, but it's a bonus for me when I don't have to do it, and it's good extra money for our vacation. Or staycation, whatever they are calling it now.

Next Wednesday at school, they will be doing Koben's autism evaluation. At this point, he is picking up speech much faster, and his enunciation is improving, but their concern now is that he doesn't always make eye contact with people when he talks. Especially those he doesn't know very well. His teacher seems to think it may just be because he hasn't picked up on the formality of having to do it yet. I didn't explain to her that I was well into my twenties before I could look people in the eye when I talked to them, and to this day, some people make me so uncomfortable, I won't look at them. Craig is the same way. Perhaps we are autistic, not shy, gee, who knew? Man, if they tested everyone in the world for autism, I would like to see how many they think have some form of it. Oh no, I put my socks on after my pants this morning, instead of the other way around, I wonder what they call that. Or hey, I talked to myself halfway home today, maybe they should commit me. Koben is right now waving a pom pom over the air conditioner vent crazily, I really should have him put on some sort of a.d.d. medication. Chloe is on the couch right now twirling her hair, gosh, I hope she doesn't start eating it. Geeeeez. If they would only commit those that truly need it, and leave the rest of us with slightly humorous eccentricities alone, we would have it made.

On a side note, due to high food prices, I have been forced to start shopping at the canned food outlet, and let me tell you, it's like yahoo, bargains are us. At first I felt a little weird, I didn't think I would ever have to get to that point, but all we have in Molalla is Safeway, and it is speeeennnndddy. I'm tired of having a weeks worth of groceries cost me $150.00, and I still have to go back always because I forgot something. Granted, you have to keep a keen eye at the canned food outlet, check expiration dates, check package sizes so you don't get cheated, that sort of thing. Their dairy items aren't really a bargain, but I knew that going into it. You can't really have overstock on that sort of thing. However, I can get four pounds of bananas for $2.79, which is excellent, and cereal is anywhere from 99 cents for generic (which is fine by me) to $2.49 for name brand. Cereal at Safeway is crazy expensive. $4.00 to $5.00 for one box. And truly, how many bowls do you get out of that? So, like tonight. I bought the bananas, three loaves of bread, a package of hot dog buns, 2 packages of hot dogs, a pack of sliced cheddar, and american, a one pound package of sliced lunch meat, 3 boxes of cereal, a box of fruit snacks, three packages of cookies for the kid's lunch, a pack of toilet paper, three bars of soap, a half gallon of milk (only cause I was desperate) a pack of fig newtons (ewww, for Craig's lunch) a box of graham crackers and one other thing I can't remember, and I spent $32.00. Yahhhoooo! Almost everything I bought was a brand name I could get at Safeway, and yes, some are names from markets in other parts of the U.S. but hey, I'm not picky. If it's good enough for the folks in South Carolina, it's good enough for me. Especially when I'm on a tight food budget. I still go to safeway for all my dairy products, and Costco for toiletry type items, and other fruits and veggies, but I'm feeling pretty stoked. My pantry is a lot fuller than it has been in a long time. Hallelujah! I don't always feel so *gasp* when it comes time to buy food, but we put new tires on Craig's car this week, and I'm still paying on Kobens hospital bill from March (which they finally just sent me this month. $450.00, eeeeek) and my $800.00 dental bill from last year before we got the insurance, so yeah, my food budget is getting sucked up by the extra stuff. Plus that dang gas, which everyone is whining about, so at least we are all in the same boat! Boy, I got my 20 cents a gallon fuel discount at Safeway last week. Saved me $2.75. I only had to spend $200.00 in groceries to get that. Of course, I could have probably gotten the same amount at the canned food outlet for $100.00. Aaahh, life. Always throwing you a curve ball!

Favorites

Chloe asked me the other day, what my favorite color, food, gum, soda, on and on. I just really didn't have any answers for her. I knew her favorite things. Tuna fish, spam, tomato soup, cocoa puffs, tomatoes, chocolate milk, you know, all the things a mom should know. But, I didn't have any answers for her regarding my favorites. So, instead I told her what my favorites were when I was her age. We are definitely not similar in those categories.

My favorite color at nine: Yellow
Chloe's: Purple

My favorite food at nine: Hamburgers
Chloe's: Tuna fish

My favorite candy at nine: Butterfinger
Chloe's: Tootsie rolls

My favorite Ice cream: Mint chocolate chip
Chloe's: Mint chocolate chip

My favorite gum at nine: Juicy fruit
Chloe's: original

Funny how as an adult, I can't come up with a favorite anything. Goes to show things are so much more serious when you are nine.

When I was a kid, I loved beets. Chloe hates them. However, she loves fish and seafood the same as I did when I was her age. I love sweets, Chloe loves sour. However, we both loved to read at nine.

I can't wait to see if Koben is more like me, or Craig, or different from both of us. Chloe and Craig both love the sour foods, hate beets, and they both eat their foods the same way, their least favorite item first, and their favorite last. And both of them eat the crust off their sandwiches and toast first, and then eat the inside. And here people tell me how much Chloe is like me. We may look similar, but she is very much her daddy's girl. Koben, however, has his mommys sweet tooth. Uh, oh.

Thought of the day......

I wish I were in Hawaii.....................=)

I'm slowing down!

Ok, now I see why people fall behind on this blogging thing. You just get too busy!

No, I haven't figured out the picture thing. I managed to get all the pictures onto my computer, but it is not cooperating like it should when I try and get them onto my blog. I swear I'm doing everything I thought I was supposed to be doing. Maybe when I have more time, I will putz with it again. I didn't think I was a moron, but you never know.

We've been busy around here. We had a great time on the 4th, and wore the kids out. We did the parade and a bbq with friends, not getting home until after midnight. When I left for work Saturday morning, the boys were still asleep. Craig said Koben didn't get up until almost eleven. He was so worn out. Poor little guy.

Today I'm off, starting my new schedule with Koben's preschool. He started his summer session today, so Chloe and I are home for a couple hours before we go pick him up. Bryan and Dee gave Chloe a twin over futon bunk bed that they were trying to get rid of. They bought different bunk beds for the new house. So Chloe is getting used to her bed being high. She loves it though, and now considers it her reading corner. She didn't want to get out of bed this morning, she wanted to stay on the top bunk and read. I need to either buy a cover, or make a new one for the futon, since the old one is oatmeal covered and had an accident somewhere along the line with Kendra and some nail polish. Plus Dee and Bryan both smoke, so Chloe's room smelled like a bar after we brought it home, and I have been febreezing and cleaning it. She will really enjoy it though, and I'm excited for her, I always wanted a bunk bed or couch in my room growing up. Darn spoiled little girl. At least she is not picky about always having new things. Chloe is totally content always with anything that is "new to her". She doesn't care who had it. Clothes or anything. I'm proud of her for that. We'll see if it continues into the teen years!

Yesterday I put the kitchen, dining room, and living room back together. We still have to do the baseboards in those rooms, but the flooring itself is done all the way to our bedroom. It sure looks nice. We are very happy with how it turned out. I will miss my carpet when it comes to the noise factor, that is for sure. But, I knew it would be loud, and I'm sure I will adjust.

Well, I must go pick up my cutie from school, and mom wants to go to Wal-Mart. (Again, ugh)
Gotta love her, she is a good mommy!

Isn't he cute? He is hard to wake up in the morning!

This is one we did at work when Lisa was tutoring me, so I didn't do it, and hopefully I will remember how she did it. You will all have to bear with me while I'm learning, or please post notes and help in my comments! Like how do I get the wording underneath and not beside?

It's amazing what one can find under their couch!

Ew, have you ever looked under your couch? Dust bunnies, dry cereal, socks (finally, I find the one I've been looking for, and here I blamed the dryer) toys, magazines, books, but, thankfully, nothing alive, or was once alive. =P That's always a plus, right?

And, another week goes by. Not a darn thing exciting going on. I took Monday off instead of Tuesday, and mom, Chloe, Koben and I went shopping. Neither of us came home with much. It seems like there are times I don't find anything I like, and times I find tons that I like. So mom came home with bra's and a shirt I believe, and I came home with bra's and two pairs of capri's. (for any of my fuller figured friends out there, Lane Bryant is running a buy 2 get two free on bra's. Makes them $15.00 a piece, which for them, is a heck of a deal) Not that this is a very lady like thing to discuss, but hey, it's my blog, so I guess it's ok! Besides, there are too many people out there that should be wearing them, and aren't. Ick.

We are still kinda quiet at work. June is never really a big rush for us. The weather is too undependable. We have had dresses go out, and tuxes, and that sort of thing, but not a lot of catering. Most of the inside venues in the area have one specific caterer they use, which is why our catering is so popular during the summer, when the girls are getting married outside, and they can pick whoever they want instead of being stuck with crappy food at way too high prices.

Last night we went to Craig's parents to have my birthday dinner. His mom made me indian fry bread and meatloaf, which probably sounds weird, but is excellent. It is basically a smaller, thicker version of an elephant ear. Horribly bad for you, yes, but excellent. We only eat it once a year. And his mom's meatloaf is fabulous. Both of my children scarfed down their dinner, and Koben is not a meat eater at all.

Tonight my mom is having us over for dinner, also for my b-day dinner ( you would think I was turning 100, but we go through this with everyone in the family. There is always two dinners.) She is making bbq'd ribs. Holy moses, those are good. I really don't want to know how long I will have to spend on my bike this week to burn that off. Oh well. I guess you only live once, right?

Flooring update: The dining room is done. Craig is working on the last half of the living room, which he should have done today, and the hallway is almost done. All we will have left is our bedroom, which may be a nightmare. For those that have not seen our bedroom, we have a king size log bed, that has a canopy-like frame surrounding the top of it, which are connected to big posts. Our room is not a whole lot bigger than the bed. We are hoping we can slide the bed to one side, do that side, and then slide it over and do the other side. I really don't want to have to take it apart. There are some big bolts on that thing. We have also never taken it apart, and we had it delivered and assembled, so we weren't really around to see how it went together. So, I guess we will play that by ear. I love the flooring though. It cleans really well, and it looks good in the house. The dining room may need something though, with the oak table, and oak hutch, and then the wood flooring. The walls are a dark olive green. So, I can either paint the walls, or add some color elsewhere. I keep meaning to put drapes or valances in there, since there are four windows, but it gets a little spendy when you are purchasing drapes and rods, so we will see. I could also put a rug under the table, but isn't that why I put those floors in the dining room? So I wouldn't have icky on the carpet? So, we will see!

I also have a very rough idea of how to put photos on here finally. Lisa gave me a quick rundown at work last week, but you know when I go to try it, I will forget everything she taught me, so I will work on that when I have more time, I know it will take me awhile!

Busy weekend....

Well, the weekend is finally over, and the garage sale went well. I would really have rather been at my cousins wedding, but hey, you win some and lose some. I felt guilty as my mom was recapping about all the family that was there, but sometimes things just don't come together like you hope for them to. Hopefully we will be able to get together sometime this year.

The garage sale was a fair success. We were slammed Saturday morning, and by evening had made about $250.00, so we were happy about that. My big highlight was having a man buy some baby clothes from me and hand me several pamphlets asking if my life could ever be saved, and what will I do when the earth ends and I have nowhere to go because I am not a believer of the Jehovah way. I felt odd for a few seconds, and then decided everything would be ok. Brainwashing can happen quickly I discovered. I'm extremely content in my belief and relationship with My Savior, and I can guarantee you, his pamphlets had nothing to do with it.

Sunday was much slower, which I know it always is, but we still made about $50.00. I would imagine we would have made a lot more, had I not decided to start giving away things for next to nothing. We just had so many kids stuff. The clothing was out of control, between the things I had for my kids, and the stuff Suzi had for hers. So I started telling people if they could fill a 13 gallon drawstring garbage bag with clothes, I would give it to them for $1.00. We had one woman, who had just picked her niece and nephew up, who were probably 2 and 10, and they obviously were going to be staying with her for awhile, and she said they came with only the clothes on their backs. So, I loaded her up and threw in some extra shoes and stuff for her. Then I had another lady show up, who was looking at the stack of really nice baby blankets I had in the grass, and she said she had a good friend who's husband is a minister, and they just took in three children who's parents were crack addicts, and had thrown their infant daughter out a window and cracked her skull. She said she had been praying for a way to help them, but she didn't have alot of money, so she wanted to buy her some blankets for the baby, who was about 6 months old, and the little boys, who were 2 and 3. So, I told her that she could have all the blankets for a $1.00, and I would donate all the rest of the childrens clothes for her friend. She said that they had just started a fostering ministry, so she could use whatever clothing she could get her hands on, so I filled about five bags for her, and threw in all the childrens shoes and toys that I had. She was very grateful, and worried that I wasn't making any money off of her. I told her that I had already decided to donate everything left from the garage sale to the Country Christian church for the youth mission they do every summer on one of the indian reservations, so I was more than happy for her to take whatever she could use. I think in the end, she gave us $10.00, which was unnecessary. But I felt good when she told me I had answered her prayers and would make her friends day.

About that time, my best friend Connie showed up at my house, and told me to get my purse, which I thought quite odd, since she lives 20 miles from us. Apparently she and Craig had been conspiring for my birthday, and he knew I was going to be kidnapped that afternoon. She took me to Sherwood to meet up with our other friend Heather, and they purchased a manicure and pedicure for me, along with a coffee, so I must say, that was a nice afternoon. My feet had really been bothering me, and I haven't had a pedicure in a long time. Later we met up with Craig and Connie's husband Matt, and Heather's husband, Raju, and had dinner and then went back to Connie and Matt's house. Their twin daughters and Chloe watched Koben while we were at dinner. So, I must say, it was a lovely surprise, and we have wonderful friends. Last year they all surprised me with a party, which I must say, I have never had a surprise party, so this year, I really wasn't expecting anything. Craig is getting really good at keeping secrets. Dang him! I think he worried that with the party last year, and the extremely incredible work he had done to my wedding ring, he wouldn't be able to top it, but how soon they forget that anything that surprises me is fantastic. I don't require much!

So, tomorrow, I turn 31. Ickola. I liked 30 better. Because then, you are just 30, but now I'm IN my 30's. Icky Icky Icky.

By the way, Craig is halfway done with both the dining room, and the living room. The floors look awesome!