My Mommy Life

Another sad day...

2010-04-21T16:50:00.002-04:00

We learned today that my mother-in-law's tumor has grown and another spot is showing on the MRI. She is meeting with more doctors tomorrow. It looks like after all the chemo she has been taking for the past year, it's not doing much to help her. At first it did but now it's not working at all. Not sure what other treatments are out there, but I hope they can give her soemthing. She is still being very faithful and I pray God helps her. She has had full faith in God since she got diagnosed last May. I know her trust in Him is what has kept her fighting so hard and I hope she never loses her trust in Him.

Please keep her in your prayers. Thank you all!!!

Pics & a prayer

2010-04-20T19:02:00.007-04:00

Here are some recent pics we've taken. Also, my mother-in-law needs lots of prayers right now. She has been admitted to the hospital for an MRI due to the sensations on her left side have got worse. The doctors do believe that the tumor has began to swell again, we will know more tomorrow. Please keep her in your prayers tonight. Thank you.

Happy Homemaker Monday

2010-04-19T15:15:00.004-04:00

The weather in my neck of the woods: Cooler and very sunny. Our temps are finally back to the low 70s instead of the high 80s...NC weather is crazy!!!

One of my simple pleasures: a Mr. Goodbar!

On my bedside table: alarm clock, lamp and some papers, oh and tweezers.

On my t.v.: HGTV

What our menu will be tonight: leftovers

On my to-do list: LAUNDRY! I really am dreading this, which is why it didn't get done over the weekend. YUK!

New Recipe I tried last week: Pot roast in the crock-pot using cream of mushroom soup and an onion soup mix/packet. It was very good & creamy.

In the craft basket: FunFusion...KeKe is obsessed with doing this but I think she is still too young b/c she doesn't have the patience to finish one.

Looking forward to: my husband getting another job.

Homemaking tip for the week: purging toys when your child isn't home = no melt-downs! :-)

Lesson(s) learned the past few weeks: being a wife is REALLY hard work and I think it may be easier to be a mother than a wife.

On my prayer list: my MIL who is still fighting an aggressive brain tumor, my DH for his job search and my grandma B. who is struggling financially and isn't able to pay for all her meds.

Devotionals, Scriptures, and Key Verses: "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband" Ephesians 5:33

The originator of Happy Homemaker Monday is Sandra over @ http://familycorner.blogspot.com/. Go visit her!!!

Weekend Recap

2010-04-19T08:45:00.003-04:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend. It seems like time goes so much faster these 2 days of the week...must be all the fun we have!!! Anyhow...Happy Monday!

Our weekend flew by! It was definitely one of the busiest weekends we have had in a while. Friday night was good..not a whole lot going on. We actually spent the night searching for a weed-eater to borrow. Finally, we found one before it got too late because we had to hit the bed early since KeKe had to be up bright & early Saturday.

My mom's church went to a girls jamboree on Saturday and so she picked up KeKe around 6:15. KeKe is not a "morning" person. Thankfully, she cooperated and got dressed and ready without much fuss. It made me think about how fast she is growing up. Kinda sad but that's life. A few hours after she left, my in-laws came over and then we went to lunch with them. We talked about everything that's been going on with my mother-in-law's health. We believe she has had another stroke and so the doctors increased her meds again to help keep the swelling down on her tumor. I still wish they could do surgery but it's too dangerous. I pray that the chemo and radiation pills will help her get well one day. I think about how sad it would be for KeKe to lose a grandparent at such a young age. I am almost 31 and thankfully, I still have all my grandparents. I hope she can keep hers til she is older too. After my DH & I got home, we realized we forgot about my cousins birthday party so we had to rush back out the door and go to that. When we got home, my DH had to hurry to get ready to leave for his wrestling show. I was going to go but I knew KeKe would be coming home so I waited for her. When she finally got home, we went to Wal-Mart and then grabbed dinner. The rest of our night was spent playing music and playing games and her prancing around in my high heel shoes. lol she is such a "tomboyish princess".

Sunday came fast!!! KeKe slept til 11am...I am sure she was exhausted from her church day camp on Sat so I let her sleep. She woke up in a great mood again!!! Hmmm, what is going on?! My DH & I made waffles for breakfast, then we decided it was time to go cut grass. DH jumped on to outline our yard from the neighbors and well....the tire on the left back came off the rim. DH surprised me and fixed it!!! Gosh, I need to give him the "Husband of the day" award. He isn't much on fixing things like most men so I made a huge deal out of this and repeatedly told him how proud I am of him for fixing it. Normally, he would leave it for another day or pay someone to fix it. I was very IMPRESSED. So, then I jumped on the riding lawnmower to cut the grass while he ran the weed-eater. KeKe played on her swing set...and guess what....
SHE CAN SWING ALL BY HERSELF!!!!
I am so proud of her too. My little girl is getting so big so fast. After the yard was done, we showered and took the weed-eater back to our friend. Then we rode around town and grabbed lunch at Sonic. KeKe enjoyed herself a "slush-ly", as she calls it! So cute!!! Afterwards, we came home and played & cuddled with KeKe and had us some family time.

It was such a wonderful weekend even though it was sooooo busy. I took a few pics so I will have to post them. We all need time like this to spend with our family and just enjoy the days together, although I am at work right now and so wish I could be at home with KeKe. I am still working on a solution for that. Thanks for stopping by to read about our weekend.

I think I am BACK!!!!

2010-04-17T05:56:00.002-04:00

I hope that this time, I am back to Blogger! Boy have I missed it!!! I feel so disconnected with life these days and for some reason, I have this desire to be back here. Maybe it's because I really miss all the wonderful blogs y'all write or maybe it's because there are so many other people out there dealing with my same issues. Whatever the reason may be, I am glad that I have been able to sneak around the last few days on my favorite blogs to catch up on all I have missed. I hope I can get a chance to read every blog I follow.

So many things have been going on, good and bad. I need my outlet back. I need to feel normal (if normal...means spending time on the internet). I need to get back to reality and stop feeling so sorry for myself. So....here I am!!!

I've been MIA again!

2010-02-21T15:05:00.003-05:00

I know I have been MIA around here but I have had more challenges to deal with. Last month one of my sisters came to stay with us (which she just moved out on Friday) and so I have been busy trying to help her, along with trying to help myself! I've always been the one that everyone turns to for help but I have been needing to take time to help myself...so that's where I am going to be for a while. Changes are coming for the better. Sometimes life is so complicated and mean but we have to do what is best for us. (I am praying March will be sooo much better)

I still do miss reading everyone's blogs which I plan on catching back up on my favorites when I can find more time. Funny I should mention time b/c these days it seems there isn't time to do anything. I hope everyone is well and I hope you will still continue to check back soon and not remove me. Have a great day fellow bloggers!!!

What do you think?

2010-01-06T00:01:00.007-05:00

Post-It just came out with my soon-to-be-favorite-label...Label Pads. I saw the commercial earlier today and my mind has been crazy with all the ENDLESS possibilities. I mean, I really feel like I could label my whole life now. I know it sounds crazy but these labels just look like fun...I love making lists and notes anyway so I think this will be a great pad to have around the house. Heck, I may even be able to get my hubby to see where the dishes go when he unloads the dishwasher...hahaha!!!

Seriously though, I. am. in. love. at. first. sight. with this new product! I am definately going to Wal-Mart to pick this up. I am just curious if any of you have seen these or used these yet??? Please let me know. And, no, please don't remind me that I am acting crazy over Post-It Notes!!! lol

Happy New Year!!!

2009-12-31T21:02:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!!!

We didn't get a babysitter for tonight, so we stayed home and decided to bring the new year in all together...just the 3 of us! KeKe decided she wanted ice cream so we went to the good ol' DQ and got milkshakes, a slushie and a dipped cone! Yummy!!!

(It is slightly cold here and it's drizzling and foggy so I think we made a good choice to stay home tonight and be warm)

I think we may finish the night off by watching a movie, possibly play with Barbie's and play Disney Princess checkers. Right now, KeKe is finishing her milkshake and watching SpongeBob, so I think with all the sugar she has in her right now, we may be up to watch the ball drop on tv this year. Last year, we all fell asleep early.

Life these days...

2009-12-28T11:35:00.002-05:00

My life these days (or should I say the past few months) have been so extremely busy. Not only did my personal life start to have problems but the Holidays were sneaking up on me. Then, tragedy struck across North Carolina and began to make me think twice about every move I made.

From a few days before Thanksgiving til the past week or so, North Carolina had over 20 deaths from car accidents. One struck semi-close to home (my husband's cousin and her 2 small children were killed the night before Thanksgiving) and it has made me think more carefully about the value of time with my daughter, the mindset you need on the roads, watching every car that is driving towards me, I find myself looking through intersections as I drive through them...it has just made me become scared of driving. I think being scared is a good thing, especially since most people on the roads are in a hurry and just careless, and I do know sometimes sad accidents happen for no rhyme or reason! Please cherish your time with friends/family, because you NEVER know when they may be taken from you. We just are not ever guaranteed to see tomorrow. Hug, kiss, and love your children.

Anyway, now that Christmas is over, I am praying that my mind will slowly return to normal. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Ours went by pretty well. We had family over on Christmas Eve for dinner, we spent the majority of Christmas day at home and had dinner at my in-laws, then on Sat. night we went to my aunt's for dinner. I also had a 2nd cousin that was born on Dec. 14th and I finally got to meet her on Sat. night. KeKe got tons of gifts and I passed out lots of Amish Friendship Bread starters (that is some yummy bread).

As New Year's comes closer....wow, only 4 days away now, I am making a list of New Year Resolutions. The 1st thing on my list is...........eat healthier! I am planning on cutting out most of our red meat which will leave us with chicken, turkey and fish. So, I am also looking for delicious and healthy recipes for those 3 meats. I really want to cut out fried foods if possible but down here in the south, that might be a hard one! :-) If you have any you would like to share, please pass them along and please have a safe New Year's!!!

KeKe's 4th Birthday Pics...sorry it took so long.

2009-12-04T04:36:00.016-05:00

Sorry it's taken so long to post these. Hope you enjoy.

These are the cupcakes I made for her party. They were vanilla with vanilla frosting and chocolate frosting.
Then I added light pink sprinkles. Everyone loved the cupcakes!

This was the "goody bag" basket. I just wanted something that looked nice. Everyone thought this was a nice touch.

Here is 1 of 2 pics of how her decorations looked before the party.

And pic 2 of 2 of the decorations.This was her blowing out her 4 candles on her cupcake! I still can't believe my baby is 4 YEARS OLD already!

This is her getting ready to start eating her cupcake!

I thought I was back!

2009-11-17T16:46:00.002-05:00

I thought I was back but then I just didn't feel into it. I have been in a funk lately, not sure if all the stress has gotten to me. I just don't feel like doing anything, plus the time change didn't help. I will just call it Fall depression! I hate that I haven't been on here seeing what everyone has been up to. I love reading blogs and learning all the awesome tips you all give. I need to try harder to just sit down and take a little break for myself and read all these blogs I follow. I am sorry!

Hopefully, I am back!

2009-11-04T19:48:00.003-05:00

Hopefully, I am back to blog again. I have to say, I have missed it. Things are still not going as well as I had hoped for by now, but blogging is something I do for myself and I need it right now. I have been praying so hard for things to get better but I don't see that happening anytime soon, so I must "carry on with my head held high".

While away, I came up with some ideas that I had mentioned a few months ago, that I wanted to change on here, so hopefully I can make this happen. Oh, I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween.

I will probably add KeKe's birthday pics by the weekend, I finally got them loaded on the computer. She had a great party and our Halloween party turned out good too. I don't have pics from the Halloween party b/c we had borrowed a fog machine and you couldn't see anything. I promise, I tried to take pics though.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-04T19:29:00.005-05:00

This was almost wordless...this is from KeKe's birthday. Her birthday fell on a Wed., and the party was the following Sat., which I will post pics soon. This is the cake we bought her on Wed. and she threw a fit and told me I ruined the cake because I put 4 candles on it...that girl is funny! After her attitude got better, she opened 1 gift from us.

Been Taking & Will Continue Taking

2009-10-29T20:01:00.004-04:00

I have been taking a blogging break for personal reasons. I will continue to take a break until things get better. Hopefully things will work out, I am praying I will get the answers I am seeking.

I will try to post KeKe's birthday pics as soon as possible, please be patient. Her party was great and thanks for the birthday wishes for her.

Happy 4th Birthday KeKe!

2009-10-21T03:36:00.009-04:00

(this was taken when she was a couple of days old...it's a pic of a pic so the quality is not great)

Happy 4th Birthday to my sweet baby girl! I can't believe that it has been 4 years already since I was blessed to become a mother. KeKe has been such a wonderful blessing and we have enjoyed every moment. She is loving, smart, funny, silly, very girly and extremely independent. She is my dream come true! I love you KeKe more than you will ever know.

I hope she has a wonderful birthday. We have a party planned for her this Saturday and tons of people are expected...all the kids from her sitter's are supposed to come too.

October is here...and it's gonna be busy!

2009-10-01T19:46:00.003-04:00

October has finally made. I am kinda sad to see the summer go but with all the heat we had this year, we need these cooler temperatures. I am actually loving the afternoons because we have been opening the windows and we can hear neighbors cutting grass, the birds singing and Galaxy loves going to the screen door to look out while KeKe yells through the window screens and sings. The neighbors may hear her so I better keep an eye what she yells out, at almost 4 she will say just about anything! lol

So anyway, this time of the year usually isn't so busy for us, except for KeKe's birthday. This year it's different. We have something planned every weekend. This weekend, we have KeKe's cousins' 5th birthday party on Saturday, next weekend is one of my cousins' baby shower and the DH has a wrestling show, the next weekend DH has a concert but KeKe & I are free from plans...we will just be missing him, and then the next weekend is KeKe's 4th birthday party and then the last weekend my DH has decided to throw a costume party on Halloween night (for the adults only...this will be fun I hope b/c I haven't ever been to one nor have I hosted one). Looks like we are gonna be busy bee's this month.

Pumpkin Pie Dip

2009-10-01T10:00:00.003-04:00

Pumpkin Dip Recipe

Ingredients:
1 can (15oz.) Pumpkin Pie filling
1 cup Brown Sugar or 2 cups of powdered sugar
1 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Ginger
1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg, optional
1 Package (8oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

Preparation Directions:
Place pumpkin pie filling and cream cheese into a large bowl and mix together.
Add all other ingredients.
Mix ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
Refrigerate at least four hours or overnight.
Serve with apple wedges and graham cracker sticks.

Tips: For a lighter dip, substitute sour cream for cream cheese.

Wordless Wednesday...(almost)

2009-09-30T17:26:00.007-04:00

Last Saturday we went to the beach (Atlantic Beach) for the night. It was really windy and it rained an awful lot but MacKenzie did get to play in the sand some.

This was on the way home...she had to have some marshmallow peanuts!

Happy Homemaker Monday

2009-09-28T05:24:00.007-04:00

The originator Sandra, over at http://familycorner.blogspot.com/ does this every Monday. I enjoy reading it and hope you will too. Please go visit her site if you are not already following her.

The weather in my neck of the woods: Still hot and humid. The forecast is 86 degrees. Some more rain is expected!

One of my simple pleasures: KeKe falling asleep on my chest while sitting next to me in the chair.

On my bedside table: Alarm clock, lamp and a tray for catch-all stuff, Robbie's cup of water and papers.

On my t.v.: Nothing...it's really early.

What our menu will be tonight: Not sure yet, probably something with ground beef.

On my to-do list: Get the house ready for KeKe's birthday party.

New Recipe I tried last week: None, but we had a bucket of fried chicken from KFC which we never eat, so it's close to being new...lol

In the craft basket: Still everything...I have to organize it b/c I haven't had time for it since the move. And planning for KeKe's party.

Looking forward to: cooking dinner tomorrow for our friends.

Homemaking tip for the week: Put all your baby/toddler socks in a washable mesh bag w/ a zipper to stop socks from getting lost.

Lessons learned the past few weeks: Sometimes you can control things, other times just pray!

On my prayer list: My M-I-L who is fighting a cancerous brain tumor and both of my Grandma's for their health could be better.

Devotionals, Scriptures, Key Verses: Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Should we have another baby???

2009-09-28T04:51:00.003-04:00

Please read...I would love to have your opinions...

My husband & I are deciding whether or not to have another baby. Our daughter has been asking for a little brother for quite some time and now she is going around telling people she is going to have a little brother. We have told her we are talking about it but right now she is not going to be getting a brother because I am not pregnant. At almost 4 years old, she understands that I do not have a baby in my belly and that's the best way to tell her.

Over the past several weeks, I have been wanting another child. Not quite sure why NOW but the urge is strong. Maybe it's because I secretly have wanted another one for a few years, maybe it is because everyone I know is having babies, maybe it is because I don't want KeKe growing up alone. Whatever it is, it is a strong feeling I have to have another one. I feel like we need this for our family, if that makes sense to ya. It's hard to describe how I feel.

My husband wants a boy really badly and we all know now that KeKe wants a brother. I am undecided. I would love to have a boy b/c I have always wanted a son but at the same time, I think it would be awesome for KeKe to have a little sister. I am the oldest of 5 total brothers/sisters & 1 step-brother. My parents had me and my brother Frank (we are almost 2 years apart), then after my parents separated and re-married, they each had another son & daughter with their new spouse. I grew up close to my brother Frank, but my next 2 siblings were born when I was 9, then the next when I was 12 and the next when I was 19. I never was close to any of them really except for Frank and I believe it was because we were so close in age. So, if we are going to have another child, I think we should do it before KeKe gets too much older, plus I feel like God is telling me that the time to have another one is now.

My only problem is that we are not financially ready for another child. I know, I know...no one ever is, right? Well, I think my husband could have a more steady income before we get pregnant, so we know we can afford to raise our next child. I know that even if I were to get pregnant really soon, it would still be 9 months before the baby would be born, which is plenty of time for the economy to get in better shape and in return our income could get better...but what if it didn't? I am not a very optimistic person but I try to be more positive over things than I used to be, like if we did end up pregnant, I know that God will help us to support our family. It just really scares me, that's all.

Anyway, my post is more about whether any of you can give me any advice on having and providing for another child. Please pass along any tips, ideas, or anything you feel like sharing on this matter, as long as it's nice. :-)

How safe are our schools???

2009-09-25T19:10:00.000-04:00

How safe are our schools for our children? How are our schools protecting our children?

Over the past few weeks, I have been wondering about the 2 above questions. My concern comes not just for my own daughter who will be starting in 2 years but for all children that attend public schools. I know everyone has an opinion on public schools but this is what my opinions are...feel free to share yours!

1. How safe are our schools for our children? My opinion is that after reading this article http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090925/ap_on_re_us/us_toxic_water_schools , that our schools are not safe for our children. Where are the state taxes used when this is happening? I mean here in NC we pay tons of taxes for everything and then to read this, I just wonder why the government officials are paid so much when our children are gonna suffer from drinking school water! This is so sad!

2. How are our schools protecting our children? This question is because of the Swine flu. Two weeks ago, 3 girls in our subdivision came over to sell fundraisers for the elementary school. One week later, 1 girl is in the hospital with a fever that wouldn't go down due to having the swine flu and 2 days after that, another girl came down with the swine flu. My deal with this is that those 3 girls whom are friends with my daughter, came into my home...during which time they possibly had already came contracted the virus, since it takes a week for symptoms to appear. Why are our schools sending children out when there is the Swine flu epidemic out there? Do they not understand that the children are going to homes and can pass the virus to their neighbors or even that the children going around to these home selling the fundraiser, that the children can come in contact with someone that has the virus. HELLO???

What is wrong with our public schools? Is our children's health worth risking over MONEY!? It really makes me upset. I have come so close to calling my local school board and fussing them out over this. It is not worth my daughter's health to give the schools money for a fundraiser! Yes, I understand they need to make money, but right now is not the time for fundraisers in my opinion!

Thankful Thursday

2009-09-17T11:58:00.005-04:00

This week, I am thankful for:

-my husband and daughter
-our health
-my job; my DH is still trying to find work since his business his so slow
-the 2 doughnuts my boss brought me yesterday (I drank water with it so maybe it isn't too bad)
-my husband cooking most of this week
-my husband helping me around the house
-cool nights that in return will reduce my light bill b/c we haven't had to use the a/c much
-hugs and kisses every night from KeKe and "I love you's"
-God; for listening to my battles and helping me understand why and for loving me

WFMW

2009-09-16T18:45:00.004-04:00

Works For Me Wednesday

What works for me...You may already use this in your own home but someone out there may not know about this.

Instead of using a knife and fork to cut pancakes, I use a pizza cutter. It comes in handy for other foods too. I also use a chopper (like a cabbage chopper used for making slaw) to cut up spaghetti and other pasta noodles.

Both save me time and can cut the food small enough for a toddler to eat without you worrying about pieces being too big.

For more Works for Me Wednesday ideas, visit We are THAT Family!

Rambling from Katrina...

2009-09-14T17:28:00.007-04:00

Rambling...hmm. Well, I just saw a quote that says everything that I feel.

"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much." -Mother Teresa

That quote says it all. Everything I have dealt with this year is in that little quote. I have been searching hard to find solutions to problems that I wasn't expecting to happen to my family this year. There have been financial ups and downs, which goes with any self-employer (my DH owns his own construction business), we bought our 1st home & moved (I did all the packing/unpacking), anything that comes up for our daughter has to be dealt with by me (I have to figure out another sitter when ours gets back surgery and can't watch kids for a while or if KeKe gets sick, I have to take off work to take her to the doctor) and all of this has added another problem...my DH. As a couple, I have felt like I have been taken advantage of most days since I haven't had much of his help. These last few weeks, he has been very helpful around the house with cooking and cleaning.

Anyway, back to the quote...well, I know that God will not give me any problem that He thinks I cannot handle...I know this for a fact. I have had to deal with many bad things since a child and He has always shown me a way through. So, I know that with everything I have been dealing with this year, He is still by my side. He will come through when it's the right time. Til then, I must be strong and take it all day by day. I have been learning to enjoy the good moments of each day and treasure them dearly. I have also found that by keeping the good times going through the day, that our nights are not so hectic. It's amazing how different things can be with a little positive attitude.

Maybe, just maybe, that is what God has been trying to get me to see. I just hope that things continue to go as great as they have been over these past few days. Life has been so great. I actually am excited how things will be this week.

KeKe & the internet

2009-09-12T05:20:00.003-04:00

KeKe loves the internet. She also loves our laptop. She has been able to use the computer since before her 2nd birthday. Everyone is impressed with how well she can move around on the computer. Sadly, the girl can press buttons on the keyboard and open programs that I have to use the mouse to open. Sad, yes I know, especially since I use the computer everyday at work! lol

Last night I was letting her play some games online. She has about 3 online sites she LOVES. Well, I walked away for a few minutes to do something and all of a sudden I heard the dreaded whining of an almost 4 year old in the background. I come running back into the living room and she is upset at the internet for taking too long to open her website. I couldn't do anything but laugh. Even with high-speed internet, the girl is quick! I informed her that the reason the page wasn't opening was because the site was having problems and we can close it and go to another site. Oh NO! She looks at me and says "no, we just have to be patient and it will open"...at least I have taught her to wait for things...lol.
I ended up closing it out anyway and she was happy with another site.

Her favorite sites are:
www.nickjr.com
www.starfall.com
www.jumpstart.com

All are free sites and has some good educational games. She needs a challenge so this gives her a good outlet. She also has some games on cd's that she uses that are Reader Rabbit, Jumpstart, and a few others. Do you have any favorites your little one enjoys?

1 Bag = 5 Nights of Dinners

2009-09-04T20:03:00.018-04:00

Today when I came home, I had a great little magazine in my mailbox just waiting for me to read! It is Kraft foods "food & family" magazine. It only comes out about 4 times a year but I always enjoy it when it arrives in the mail.

Anyway, the Fall '09 edition has tons of fast and quick dinner ideas. What I really enjoyed about it was the 1 bag=5 nights section. It tells you a grocery list and then includes the recipes and yummy looking pics for each meal idea given.

If you don't receive this magazine, please check out their website at:

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/Budget/1Bag5Dinners/1Bag5DinnersLanding.aspx

The dinners in this issue are: Stove-Top one dish chicken skillet, sloppy tacos, Velveeta cheeseburger mac, Velveeta cheesy chicken & broccoli rice and a pizza and regular mac & cheese. My family will be trying some of these this week, we need variety! lol

I already make a dish very similar to the Stop-Top one dish chicken skillet and my family just loves it. The sloppy tacos will have to be adjusted to using something other salsa b/c I don't like it and the Velveeta cheesy chicken & broccoli rice will also have to be altered using another vegetable because my husband & I don't like broccoli. It's fun to take recipes that are easy and simple and make them your own, especially when it only takes another minute to replace something you don't eat in it.

If you need recipes, let me know and I can include them on here. Thanks for reading. Have a great night.

New Look for a New Start

2009-09-02T04:25:00.008-04:00

I have a new blog background. I was looking for something more shabby yet country but without all the flowers. I have to say that I really like this one. It's not too much to look at yet it's not completely blah. Plus, there is a reason for the new look, but I am not telling you why just yet.

You will have to come back and visit me to find out what I am up to. I have decided that I want to change how I blog and what I blog about. Originally, this was just for me to have as a journal but I feel like I needed to do something different. So, with a new look, I am on to starting a new story, actually several stories about different topics. The new topics will hopefully, and I do mean hopefully, consist of decorating our new home, our newest addition Galaxy, it will still include things about KeKe and our family, about cooking, and sometimes about finances.

So, please stick with me as I try to redirect my blog into something I hope everyone will enjoy.

TGIF

2009-08-28T22:23:00.003-04:00

TGIF...Thank God It's Friday!

I have had a busy, busy week. I've been so busy I haven't even had time to come on here to post or even read any other blogs. I have missed it. So, for the moment I am back.

Well, my week has consisted of taking extra good care of Galaxy. Since she had the stitches under her left eye, we had to put some ointment on it 2x's a day. It's been hard getting used to having a cat. I mean, she sleeps all day and she is up all night so it should not be bad, but she meow's or cries at the bed. She doesn't jump which the vet says could be b/c she wasn't allowed on furniture with her previous owners or she may have arthritis. The vet said it's harder to know about arthritis in cats b/c the symptoms and signs aren't there like it is with dogs. She is 9 yrs old so I take that in consideration. She did manage to get on our bed 2 nights ago...on her own. I was THRILLED! I love cats and having one to cuddle with at night is so...soft and relaxing...especially with the purr's. So, anyway today the stitches were removed. She is still a bit overweight so the vet recommended keeping her on a diet...she has a big swagging belly right now from the weight she has already lost. I love Galaxy and so does KeKe.

Well, besides adjusting to taking care of Galaxy, I have been working on KeKe. She has these terrible whining moments that drive me insane. Literally. She won't talk, she just pulls on her clothes, screams, points to what she wants but when you give it to her she doesn't want it. I have told her she needs to talk to me to tell me how to help her. Like tonight, she woke up after falling asleep on the couch and had one of these fits. She refused to talk and all that was wrong was she was hot. So, noticing she was hot, I turned the fan on....oh that opened another can of worms. Finally she calmed down and we changed her into her pajamas and she is now watching Monster's Inc. (how many times will that dvd play?)

So, how was your week?

Our new cat...Galaxy

2009-08-23T19:22:00.002-04:00

We adopted a cat yesterday morning from PetsMart's Snowflake Rescue. Her name is Galaxy. She is about 9 years old. She was abandoned from her owners after they could not afford to pay her vet bill due to a urinary tract infection. The vet contacted Snowflake Rescue and since they were packed full of other animals waiting to be adopted, they called us since they knew we were looking for a cat that had been declawed. I have recently found out from the Rescue that it is painful for cats to be declawed...we did not know that. Anyway, they called us and asked us if we wanted her. We said yes...guess what??? The vet fixed the urinary tract infection, also fixed the left eyelid that was turning in and gave us medicine to put on her stitches for FREE! The vet was so happy we were going to take her b/c if we didn't, they were going to have to put her to sleep. That was hard to hear! She is such a loving, peaceful cat. It is a shame that no one else wanted her. I am happy we saved her life. So, meet the newest member of our family...Galaxy!

Last Weekend

2009-08-23T18:52:00.016-04:00

Last weekend, KeKe & I had quite a bit of time together. We were able to spend some quality time just being girls. I know its a week late but I have been busy this week. I hope you enjoy.

Here she all excited getting ready to make cupcakes with her Girl Gourmet stuff. And all the stuff we used to make cupcakes and frosting.

Here she is mixing and then we filled the cupcake liner, placed it in the "baking" dish for the microwave.

Here she is waiting by the microwave...she loves to press all the buttons on it. And then after a few seconds...the cupcake is ready....looks like styrofoam. No, I don't know if it tastes like it. She enjoyed eating....look below.

After we made the frosting that comes with it, she decorated it and then....

She got to eat it all up! She enjoyed it so much she almost finished the whole thing. She never eats the cake part so I was really surprised.

After this, we made mini blueberry muffins for her. I normally make a batch to freeze so it is more convenient for me to just pop them in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds for 4 of them. She eats these as snacks and breakfast. She loves muffins.

Finances-The Start

2009-08-21T22:26:00.005-04:00

Finances & Marriage...what a hard job!

Well, the reason I haven't been posting is because my husband & I have needed some time to discuss important family matter...our finances! YUK! I dislike talking about it with him because I feel like he should know what's going on and he could care less. For the 5 years we have been together I have taken care of finances...but that's gonna change my friends.

I felt that it was important for him to know how to handle the finances in case I get sick or worse, get killed. Both spouses should take care of the finances of the home to ensure that everyone & everything is taken care of. You have to make sure you both are on the same page, because if you're not, it will cause the one taking care of it feel stressed. Trust me! I am there right now.

My husband thinks that I am better at it, so he wants nothing to do with it. I personally believe he cares nothing about it...he doesn't want to talk about, open the bills, write the checks, pay the bills over the phone or computer, or even run the #'s through the calculator.

So, after feeling like I was on my own, I had a breakdown and demanded we discuss this. He actually sat at the table. We talked about what all the bills were and how much, how much income is coming in, how much more we need to be able to live comfortably...and then his phone rang. He got up from the table and talked on the phone for 30 minutes while I was still at the table waiting....steam began boil! After he got off the phone, I was good...I didn't say a word, I just gathered all the papers and got up from the table. He had given me a HUGE clue! HE DOESN'T CARE AT ALL!

So, after talking with some close friends of ours about this...I came up with a plan. My plan is to do like our friends...we will have most of our income go into our joint checking and we each will have our own "play" money. Our "play" money will be for lunch/dinner out, movies, clothes, hair cuts, individual trips. Our joint checking will cover all the bills, family vacation funds, our daughter's needs, groceries and home/auto repairs. This will solve the issues that arise from spontaneous shopping from either of us and force us to save for what we want. The deal...we cannot question each other what was bought with our "play" money and when it runs out...we will have to wait until our next payday.

Since our friends seem to never have financial arguments, I think this may work for us. It makes since and it will hopefully keep him from over-spending since we cannot touch the joint account if we don't have enough "play" money. If we don't have enough, we cannot buy it! It's that simple.
Sadly, my husband thinks this plan is going to make it where I can hide stuff (money) from him. Impossible...he knows the password to our bank account online. I love this plan! It relieves stress from me just talking about it.

I will post more details about how we actually put this into action as the weekend comes. I hope we can start this weekend. But we are supposed to get a cat from the SPCA and a dog from a family friend who is moving. So, tomorrow is Pet Day. And we also have a birthday party to go to...outside with a huge water slide...as long as the rain from the hurricane doesn't decide to fall a flood around here.

I hope all is well with everyone. If you feel like sharing your story, feel free. Have a great weekend.

Just another plain 'ol post

2009-08-13T16:24:00.004-04:00

Today, KeKe had to stay at my dads while I went to work. She enjoyed herself so much she fell asleep on the way home. I ended up putting her in our bed just so she would have a good nap.

I know I really need to get some pics on here and there are some good excuses why I haven't already done it yet. The reasons are: I have found the USB cable to connect it to the laptop, our other computer lets me put the memory card in it but we don't have internet and well, I have been lazy when it comes to untangling cords (which is where I think the USB cable is). So, maybe this weekend I can look for it. Oh, the best reason...I can't remember to take pics...even when the camera is in front of me. I think I just get caught up in the moments and then it's like..."lightbulb" and it is usually to late to take a pic.

So, getting back to today. I am starting another blog for KeKe. It will be to record things that happen (good and bad), special moments, holidays and birthdays. It will be a blog that will contain information like a journal, to let her know how things were when she was a little girl. I haven't decided what type of background it will have yet. Gotta think on that one.

Well, the weekend is almost here. This week has flown by. Hopefully, the weekend will be slow. Ah, who am I kidding...it never goes by slow. lol

Do you have your "Blogs I Follow" ?

2009-08-11T18:39:00.005-04:00

Mine are gone! Completely gone. I have added a few back and guess what? They won't show up either! So, my thought is that something is wrong with Google again. Last friday I had a problem opening other people's blogs. I know that was a Google problem. I hope it doesn't remove them forever. I remember most but there are a few I followed that I don't remember their blog name so I may never find them.

PLEASE FAVORITE BLOGS...COME BACK SO I CAN READ YOU! I WILL MISS YOU IF YOU LEAVE MY LIST FOREVER. PLEEEEAAAASSSSSEEEE!

EDIT: Blogger is experiencing problems. Some people are affected and some are not. They are working on this issue but isn't sure what is causing this problem.
This is where I found this information: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=3c3340dbeaf28344&hl=en

Happy Homemaker Monday

2009-08-10T20:16:00.012-04:00

The originator Sandra, over at http://familycorner.blogspot.com/ does this every Monday. I enjoy reading it and hope you will too. Please go visit her site if you are not already following her.

The weather in my neck of the woods: Very hot and humid. The forecast was 98 degrees. Talk about a heat wave!

One of my simple pleasures: My precious KeKe sleeping next to me all night and waking up with a smile...yes, she slept with me last night and never once kicked me. lol

On my bedside table: Alarm clock, lamp and a tray for catch-all stuff.

On my t.v.: It was House Hunters until KeKe decided she wanted to find something...she has been flipping channels for 10 minutes...ha! She is even laughing at different stuff along the way.

What our menu was tonight: Pizza and homemade cheesesticks with sauce. Thank you my DH, Robbie.

On my to-do list: Figure out a new budget since Robbie doesn't have any income coming in.

New Recipe I tried last week: Didn't try any but I have plans to do one tomorrow.

In the craft basket: Everything...I have to organize it b/c I haven't had time for it since the move. Plus, it's 2 months before KeKe's birthday and so I need to plan that.

Looking forward to: KeKe going to work with me on Thurs. and Fri. while the sitter is having surgery.

Homemaking tip for the week: Put laundry away as soon as it finishes in the dryer. No piles for the little one to play in after it's folded.

Lessons learned the past few weeks: Don't count your chickens before they hatch! Sometimes prayers are not answered quickly and money can run out.

On my prayer list: My M-I-L who is fighting a cancerous brain tumor and both of my Granma's for their health could be better.

Devotionals, Scriptures, Key Verses: Proverbs 14:1 "Every wise woman buildeth her house; but the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands."

I got a Blog Award...and I am passing it on.

2009-08-09T17:57:00.010-04:00

I got a blog award on Saturday but didn't even know it b/c, well honestly, I haven't had time to read all the blogs I love to read. Thank you so much Bobbi from Casa Camacho. Her blog address is: http://bobbicamacho.blogspot.com/ . Sorry, I don't know how to directly link it. Please go visit her if you get a chance. I really enjoy her blog.

She listed 10 things about her and so I think I will tell you all 10 things about me. Here I go:

1. I love my husband and daughter.
2. I really dislike rude people.
3. I really don't like to wash dishes...or even load the dishwasher.
4. I think I have OCD.
5. I think my husband can't drive. REALLY, he can't. lol
6. I love fast food...I know it's bad!
7. I like a clean home.
8. I worry about everything...even things that are none of my business...I worry for my friends, I guess so they don't have to. Ha! I am so nice.
9. I need to get KeKe on a bedtime schedule badly.
10. I love cooking but not cleaning up the mess it makes.

So, there's 10 things you may not have known about me. What are 10 things about you? Here are some of the chosen ones that I have passed this award to:
1. http://mommysavesalot.blogspot.com/
2. http://classyandsophisticated.blogspot.com/
3. http://sunnyflowerdays.blogspot.com/
4. http://toaprettylife.blogspot.com/
5. http://hollyhappyhomemaker.blogspot.com/
6. http://latinmomof4punks.blogspot.com/
7. http://domesticdivasfancy.blogspot.com/
8. http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/
9. http://athomewithelizabethgary.blogspot.com/
10. http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/

My plans for next week...

2009-08-09T08:27:00.003-04:00

My plans for next week will be to get my family more settled and organized, unpack more boxes, make some new recipes for dinner and keep on loving my husband and daughter.

Since our move a month ago, we have been crazy busy! I have just about got KeKe's room finished for now. We still need to paint, hang her ceiling fan and put up curtains. Yes, we have been that busy! And we are strapped financially so paint and a nice curtain rod will have to wait. We already have the ceiling fan and my DH will have that on his honey-do list for this week.

Our bedroom is painted but we still have some touch-up at the top of the walls. We have curtains but no curtain rod...we need a really long one and they are like $30+ so that will be on the to-be-bought later list.

The kitchen is functioning pretty well. I have all my things put up but again...I want to paint and yes, you guessed it...it will have to wait. I have these beautiful hydrangea dishes by Martha Stewart that I love but they look really feminine and my DH is not crazy about it...so I would also love to get new dishes. I want something country, so my colors to-be are creamy yellow and and red. I would love to get solid colored dishes and put a few nice looking rooster pics & plates up on the wall and one of those nice & expensive rooster lamps. It's the dream for now. I know everyone just about has roosters but I just couldn't think of anything else.

Our family room is where the tv is and is our only functioning living room right now. It has a couch, chair w/ ottoman, 2 side tables, a small bookcase and the tv....pretty plain...but it was what I already had at our much smaller house we were renting. Yes, we need furniture badly but it, too, has to wait. We have other priorities right now.

Our guest room...still EMPTY! Completely EMPTY! Guess it's a good thing I haven't moved boxes in there or we may never get a guest room. lol. Well, my sister Lydia is giving us a full-size bed that we may put in there or trade it with KeKe's bed but then only 1 guest would be able to stay b/c she currently uses a twin....I'm still thinking on this one. But I can't pass up a free bed from my sis. I just have to go get it out of storage soon...and the weather here has been the upper 90's so it can wait....lol.

So, anyway, back to my plans...my hubby needs a desk in the family room b/c he has taken over our dining table...not good when it comes to dinner time and we eat everywhere but the table. So, I am trying to think of a cheap solution which may be to use my craft table a just stick a chair under it b/c I haven't even had time to open up my craft table...I have been super busy.

I also found some awesome sounding recipes last week that I want to try this week and they look pretty inexpensive, so if they come out tasty and cheap..I may start posting them. We need variety and this seems to be my cheap fix.

I am sorry to my blogger friends for not being on here so much lately, but I have had a lot on me with the move and some other issues. I hope to be able to start getting back into blogging soon. My family comes first and it's worth the time and energy to fix my family before anything else. Hope ya'll understand.

New Home update...

2009-07-15T10:41:00.004-04:00

We have moved into our new home! Thank you all for your prayers.

We closed on our new home last Thursday. We got moved on Saturday and had our 1st night there on Saturday too. Lots of new noises to learn at night.

KeKe is loving her room and her playroom. I have got KeKe's room, the kitchen and laundry areas unpacked for the most part. I still have most of my clothes in containers but hopefully I can get that unpacked by the weekend. I still cannot find anything anywhere though. I am working til 1pm everyday and this week is VBS so that is taking time away at night. We still haven't even changed the front door lock. It is sitting on the kitchen table. We love our new place but know we have a long way to go to make it feel like our home.

We are so thankful to God and everyone for helping us through this journey. Now, if we can just take some time to get some sleep, we may be able to get something done. lol. We are waiting for Time Warner Cable to run a cable line in our subdivision, which may take several weeks, so we will not have internet access, cable tv or home phone for a while. I will try to post more updates from my work internet. Thanks again everyone!

Happy July 4th!!!

2009-07-04T23:13:00.004-04:00

I hope everyone has had a happy and safe July 4th holiday. I certainly did!

After having such a stressful week and being fearful of losing a place to sleep at night, and not eating or sleeping much, and then sleeping most of the day yesterday, I am feeling better. Not sure why but I hope it is the Lord working on helping me. I concluded that there is really nothing I can do about our problems and I will just have to see how the week goes. It may go good or it could fall apart. I will have to take it one day at a time.

Last night we actually went out to a movie and dinner with some friends we haven't seen in a long time. It was really nice to catch up with them and get out of the house to not think about my problems. It opened my eyes! I feel like I can manage better if I take it day by day. I cannot think about the possibility of things going bad right now. It could bring my depression back and that frightens me a lot.

Today, I washed dishes...yes, I have to hand wash my dishes b/c we do not have a dishwasher (not an electric one anyway). Then my step-mom called and talked about cooking out. I really had no plans up to this point of doing nothing but be a hermit and sleep the weekend away. However, I agreed to the cookout and we ended up at one of my brothers houses. It was just 7 of us but we enjoyed it and it was good to see my dad smiling so much and that made my day. You see, my dad works a lot of hours at night and so I don't get to see him much so today was really special to me...and I forgot my camera....which just sucks!

So, I hope everyone had a great holiday and hope that everyone knows that sometimes things are just out of our control and we must let the Lord help us with our problems.

Having a good birthday that's turning us homeless...

2009-07-02T22:40:00.005-04:00

Well, I have had a birthday like no other. It has been good and bad. Not sure if that makes sense but I will explain.

You see, I woke up running late for work and that had me thinking that it may not be a good day but I was trying hard to be optimistic. I had my gas light come on on the way to the sitters...I thought this isn't good b/c I am already late and I don't have time to stop...it will have to be enough to get me to work. I made it to work without being late or running out of gas. That made me happy...

I walked in the door to work and had about 5 birthday wishes all at once. Well, I consider myself a morning person but that was a lot of "Happy Birthday's" for 8am. It was nice that everyone remembered b/c my DH didn't even say anything when I left this morning...he was still half asleep so I will let him slide. He did call me around 10am and sang happy birthday to me. That was sweet.

Well, my boss' got me a potted mum and a cake...we all ate cake at 10am. WOW...talk about a rush of sugar! The cake was chocolate with cream cheese frosting...it was good but really sweet.
After we ate cake, I heard back from my DH about the closing. Remember, we were supposed to close this past Tues but it got moved to next Tues.? Well, let's just say that the underwriters are still not happy with the inspection reports for some dumb reason and we cannot close this coming Tues...not making it a good birthday. In fact, I have been depressed most of the afternoon and night. I am mad, sad, angry, hurt and upset all around. I just can't believe that they won't accept the state certified inspections...ummm HELLO, that's what you use people. I think the underwriter is not good at her job or something but this story gets worse.

My DH and KeKe got me a dress, some sandals and perfume. It was really sweet of them. I love it all. I love both of them very much.

I am mad and angry and upset because I am scared we will be homeless. We gave our 30 day notice on June 15th and so that means we have to be out of here by next weekend...b/c we have to have the place cleaned before we turn the keys back to the landlord. Well, if we don't close next week, not only will we be homeless but we will be losing $1,000.00 b/c HUD was going to give us that amount back if we closed within 30 days of them signing the contract. This means we will be suing someone. It does not look good right now. I am also sad and hurt b/c I thought that hope and faith was on our side but right now it does not look that way. I need our new home. My daughter needs to be able to sleep in her own bed not in our minivan. I am so scared we will have no where to live next week. I can only pray at this point that God will help us by next week. I have let this get to me sooooo much that I can't sleep or eat. I feel constantly sick to my stomach and I just want to cry myself to sleep forever. I pray God will help us through this. I pray he will provide the answers before my daughter has no bed to sleep in. I pray that he will keep us from being homeless. I pray he loves me and my family and can help us.

This week is gonna be REALLY busy!

2009-06-30T20:51:00.004-04:00

Well, as of right now, we are closing on our new place next Tuesday. I am excited but exhausted. I have a million things to get done and not enough time. Tomorrow we are having dinner at our friends' house. Thursday is my birthday, which I turn the dreadful , 30!!! So not looking forward to turning 30, it seems like it was just yesterday when I was 18 and free to do whatever I wanted, when ever I wanted. Gosh, you know something? I am getting OLD! Anyway, then Saturday, we have like 4 places we've been invited to go. Don't these people realize I am a busy, busy woman right now?

So, with my giving up time to spend with friends, I am gonna be behind on packing stuff up. I have packed up little stuff like 2 hall closets, the pictures in the living room, books from the bookcases, vases and nic-nacs, the movies and well, that's about it. Tonight my DH and I finished going through stuff we had piled in the garage. We reduced our KEEP pile to less than 1/2 of what was in there. A majority of it is yard sale/goodwill stuff and the rest went into a huge yellow bin from one of our friends work.

It feels really good to have let so much stuff go. In order to keep memories, I tend to hold onto stuff to remind me of those times, people or places. I have a problem keeping junk but not as bad as my mom. I am grateful that the Lord has helped me to get rid of things that I no longer need. It's cleansing to my soul. Plus, I don't have to take all that crap to the new place...YAY!!! lol

My last post has prompted me to try hard to talk softer and nicer to my KeKe in hopes that she will listen. She listens to an extent b/c she says she will clean her room and then lie to me and tell me cleaned it or that she is too tired and needs help but then starts pulling more toys out of the toy box. My, oh my, what I am going to do my baby girl who is obviously thinking she is the QUEEN? She has been punished at least 10 times tonight and it does not bother her at all. She just tells me that she isn't going to do what I ask, says "whatever" and "no" to anything and everything. Is it normal for an almost 4 yr old to act like this. Is it me, is it the older children she is around during the day, I just don't know!
Well, just in case I am MIA for a few days or more, packing for the move is what I will be up to. Hope everyone has a safe and great July 4th in case I don't have time to tell ya'll later.

Changing My Life-Part 1

2009-06-28T18:44:00.002-04:00

Changing My Life will be a small journey of my quest to become a better wife and mother and follower of God. I am not even sure how to write about this but here it goes...

I have had such a heavy heart for some time now. I have tried my hardest to be the best I can for my family but I believe I am failing. I think this is because I am not living as God wants me to. I want to be my best but I have to listen to Him and His guidance. I haven't been to a church since Mother's Day and I do not belong to a church for several reasons, but I believe that I can live as He wants me to by following His word in the Bible. Then, I may find a church but there are a lot of hypocrites out there that attend church for all the wrong reasons and I do not wish to be around people like that.

Since my heart has been heavy, I have slowly been breaking down. I am always tired, I cry, I feel like I am failing as a mother and wife. I do not put my husband before my child as God wants me to and I am working hard to change myself to do right. Not to go into major details, I have trust issues with men and I believe that is why I have trouble putting my husband before my child. I just know God wants me to put my husband first and I am listening to Him speak to me daily. I hope I do not fail God again by going against His word.

Another thing that has been hurting me is my job outside the home. I am really believing that my true calling in life is to be a wife and mother. I cannot be this while working outside of the home. I cannot take care of my family as I should and I am letting them down. However, financially I cannot quit my job right now and I am praying that God will take care of my family and our needs. I am done worrying about everything and I am letting Him handle my problems and fears. This is a huge deal for me because I have not let Him in my heart in a long time.

My husband constantly feels that I don't give him enough attention or time. My daughter talks back and does not respect me or our home. I feel like such a failure but I cannot do everything if I am not home to take care of it. I feel really alone a lot of days. I feel God talking to me and I hear him loud and clear. I am tired of being sad, alone, depressed and just plain tired. I trust God completely.

I have talked a little to my husband about this. He says that I cannot quit my job right now. We need my income until he can figure out what he needs to do with his job and his company. He really enjoys working for the insurance company but still feels obligated to his company. I have left the decision to him as to what he wants to focus on to provide for his family. I have learned that God does not want me to tell my husband what to do, so I am trying to be understanding about all this.

I just hope I can stay on track and follow God. If anyone has any ideas or advice, please feel free to comment. I will post more on this topic as time goes by.

KeKe has a low fever...

2009-06-27T02:15:00.003-04:00

KeKe started having a low grade fever last night around dinner time. Her cheeks were slightly red so that was a good indicator that something was up. Well, she was still acting fine so I didn't make a big deal of it.

Well, around 2am she woke up...WIDE AWAKE...and I immediately felt her forehead and she is still pretty warm. I checked her temperature this time and it is right at 100 degrees. I gave her some children's tylenol and now she is watching Barbie & The Diamond Castle and having me read the Three Little Pigs. I love my baby girl and so that's why I am doing this at...2 AM!

I am tired but she comes first, I just hope she isn't getting sick. I feel like it's my fault when she gets sick b/c she has to go to the sitter's so I can go to work and is around a lot of kids. Unfortunately though, I can't recall any being sick this week...hummm...or anyone else we have been around now that I think about it. We did go out to dinner on Wednesday and then Wal-Mart...but she didn't touch anything at Wal-Mart and I held her most of the time. Not sure what is going on with her body but I hope the tylenol helps fight it off. I REALLY don't want her to be sick.

Now, it's got me thinking about what's been heavily on my mind lately. Guess what it is??? I have this URGE to stay home with her full-time again. She has been acting very badly and been very mouthy and not being real nice. I think it's from the kids at the sitter's (most of them are older than her...ages like 6, 7, 9, & 12). Her daddy thinks the same thing. Her behavior has been UGLY!!! I know that she would not be saying the bad things she says if she had not heard it from the bigger kids and be watching violent video games while she is there. I don't want her in daycare but I can't get my point across that I don't want her around the bigger kids. She isn't even 4 yrs old and knows stuff about boyfriends, guns, hitting people with hammers and I can keep the list going. I have been having a heavy heart lately and feel like I am letting her down by not being there to stop this. I know I cannot protect her from everything but I just want her to be a baby a while longer and not know the things these older kids are watching & doing. I don't think we can afford for me be home with her right now for several reasons. The main reason is my DH's income is not stable and may be decreasing in half soon. It scares me b/c I work part-time and cannot pay all these bills on my own. I mean, after gas and the sitter, there isn't much left and it makes me feel like I am working just for her to go to the sitter and learn BAD behavior. I feel like a failure! I have also been feeling the urge pushing me to be a better wife and mother in a Godly way. We do not belong to a church and do not attend one regularly but that is something that has been on my mind...I think God is speaking to me to tell me something has to change in my life. I need and crave to be a great mother and wife and I feel like I am failing everywhere I turn. My DH and KeKe are my top priority and I am letting them down in every way. And...I am tired! When I say tired...I mean mentally and physically tired. I am exhausted to cook and I feel like I am neglecting to spend real quality time to my DH and KeKe. I feel like God is telling me to stay home and take care of them they way I really should. Not to mention I have been reading blogs lately that talk about homekeeping and how that is what God wanted for women. I feel like I am letting Him down too. I don't know what else to do right now about this but it's draining everything from me b/c I believe God is speaking to me to take care of my family. I pray that I can find the answers and strength to do what is right for my family and please God at the same time. Well, I guess I should get off and try to get KeKe to sleep now that this is off my chest. Maybe I can sleep for a few more hours before it's back to packing. Any advice or tips would be appreciated. Hope everyone has a good weekend just in case I can't back online over the rest of the weekend.

What I've been up to lately...

2009-06-22T19:44:00.006-04:00

My weekend was wonderful! Of course we were looking forward to Sunday not only because it was Father's Day but it was also our Anniversary. Our 1st Anniversary as husband and wife. It's was a wonderful day. Oh, I got a hydrangea bush (same light blue color we used in our wedding) as my gift and we are going to plant it at our new place. My hubby can be sooo thoughtful when he wants to be.

Monday we found out from the mortgage underwriters that we needed to have our septic and well tested...rememer we were supposed to close on the 30th! THANKS UNDERWRITER LADY FOR DELAYING OUR MOVE! She wanted these tests b/c the new place has been vacant for almost a year...guess she was concerned over our drinking water? Who knows, anyway...Monday was not my day thanks to her. I am just so ready to get moved and I had plans of doing a July 4th cookout and my birthday is the 2nd so now you know why I wanted to be in our new home.

Tuesday...we started having trouble finding people to call us back for the water test...my DH was having a bad day then. Our best friend, B, works for a septic company who agreed to do the septic test for free! YAY! That made my DH a bit happier.

Wednesday...well, I forgot to mention that on Monday we found out that HUD had not sent the signed contract to our realtor for the closing (our place was a HUD forclosure)...and the lawyers had not signed their paperwork either so our closing date is now July 7th! Sucks but hopefully we really can close on the 7th. We also went to Raleigh and had a company that is state certified test our water (it will actually take about 10 days...hope they hurry) and that cost us $117! Ouch to our pockets...that was money we wanted to have to paint our new place with...oh well. We must be able to drink our water or else the painted walls won't matter if we got sick from bad water, right?

Thursday...the day is still going and so far no surprises. We are both just exhausted from the underwriters requests and my mother-in-laws cancer.

Update on her is: she has begun chemo, she was sick for a day (no nausea just tummy issues) and she is actually gaining strength back on her left side and is in better spirits. She is staying awake longer and she seems almost back to her ol' self. We know that there is still a long road for her to travel during this but we are praying that she can make a recovery. Sadly, we think the doctors are not ever going to do surgery b/c it's in her brain so far that surgery will not help. My DH found out a few days ago that it has spread to another part of her brain but we don't know much more than that. I hope the chemo helps her.

Is it just me or what?

2009-06-18T18:45:00.003-04:00

I don't really want to complain today but I feel like I need to get some stuff off my mind. If you get bored, just stop reading.

We are supposed to be closing on June 30th and so that means I have less than 2 WEEKS to get everything packed. Well, this afternoon my hubby decided to tell me that he thinks we should go to a friend's daughters ball game at 8pm...so he wants me to have a late night, right? So, I tell him that I'd like KeKe in bed by 8:30pm b/c she needs to be on a schedule and I have been working on that this week and don't want to ruin any progress. I also told him I need to stay home to pack boxes. His reply is "oh, so you don't want to go?", well, duh!!!

I am the only one packing b/c he hates it and I have KeKe pulling stuff out of boxes and I only have about 12 small boxes packed...mainly books, games, crafts. When in the world am I going to get this done if I have to go somewhere all the time and when she is pulling out stuff already packed? Is it just me or do I deserve to have some help? Guess where he is right now? In our bedroom playing games on the other computer....just GRRRRRRRRRRREAAT! Oh, did I mention that he laughed when I asked him to help. Is it ok for me to be a bit upset? Well, I am and I think I am not packing another box until...well, the day of closing and then lets see who is laughing...it will be me. (heeeeheee...sh, don't tell him). Sadly though, our anniversary is Sunday with Father's Day and we are not going anywhere b/c we are trying to be good and save money for the new place and on top of not going anywhere...I think I may be a "bitty" over the weekend after the way he's acting today but hopefully I will cool down and just pack and keep my mouth shut! Why are men so mean?

Weekend Havoc...

2009-06-13T21:27:00.004-04:00

We have had a bit of weekend havoc upon us. KeKe has been going through some type of change that is driving us completely nuts. She is great one minute and then the next, she is whining and complaining and talking back. We have tried everything to get to the bottom of her "issues" but I have concluded that this is just her going through another developemental change. I have been sticking to my word on the discipline of sending her to her room to let her have some time to cool down and stop the talking back. She also has had a few problems with spitting...odd but whatever! She has not spit in so long so I don't know what's wrong with her.

Is this normal for an almost 4 yr old? Am I doing something to make her act out? I hope I am able to control myself until she outgrows this stage.

Other than that, our weekend is going ok. We had a friend from Wilmington come up last night and he leaves tomorrow and my sister, Lydia, is staying tonight. KeKe is spending the night with the sitter, Granny, so she can go to church with her tomorrow. At least her attitude was better this afternoon so Granny doesn't have to deal with my drama queen child! Hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend.

Wordless Wednesday (well, almost wordless)

2009-06-10T05:48:00.006-04:00

Here are some pics my daughter took the other day of herself and me:

It's Been Too Long...

2009-06-09T20:42:00.010-04:00

Well, it has been forever since I cleaned my purse out. See the pic? What a mess...I just could NOT take it anymore!

And all of that came out of this medium sized bag:

And now only some of it, the important stuff, is neatly inside this beautiful purse my DH had made for me (I am so scared this is going to get ruined) :

The switching/cleaning out of the purse was tonight's project and last night I made a tutu for KeKe's ballet recital on Sunday! My baby has finished her 1st ballet class...I think I may cry...

This thing was EASY to make but very time consuming.

This is the material (cut into strips):

This is what it looked like while I was making it:

And this is the tutu completed:

Decorating ideas needed...

2009-06-07T15:03:00.004-04:00

I think I really need some help! I have a huge task to complete and I am not sure how to do it. You see, the place we are buying is freaking HUGE! There are 2 living rooms that I have no clue how how to decorate b/c my husband & I have very, very different ideas on decor. I like simple decor like country stuff. He likes more contemporary stuff. I don't know where to find the balance to make us both happy. I like a clean, feels-like-home feeling and he's more into straight lines. Then today, he takes me to JoAnn's fabrics & crafts...well, lets just say we didn't walk together much in the store b/c I liked the striped/flowered patterns and he was into...something. I didn't really like the ones he likes. He was looking at weird patterns and beach patterns. Who knows...

Anyway, I need help on ideas of what type of decor we can do. Most of the stuff we have is country. It's mainly stuff I had before we met (which tells you I may need to go shopping but I would love to keep the budget down). We thought about buying or making curtains and then decorating all the rooms at the new place around the new curtains. Do you think that's possible? It kinda scares me but I don't know what else to do. I am all out of options and ideas. Please HELP ME!!!

Speaking of the new place...we are being told that the closing should be around July 1st or 2nd (the 2nd is my bday...that would be a nice present) but guess what??? I haven't began to pack...anything!!! I really need some boxes first but they are hard to come by. Our grocery stores break them down to recycle and our ABC stores have small boxes...what a way to support alcohol lovers...yuk! Oh well! Oh, hope ya'll had a nice weekend.

I am a Follower...

2009-06-06T07:42:00.004-04:00

I follow quite a few blogs and there are 2 that I am having trouble opening? Not sure why. One just makes my computer acts like it's dead...meaning it locks it up. The other one is showing posts from someone else's blog and I don't even have that person saved to follow. CRAZY! It's just crazy if you ask me! I think I am pretty computer literate but this blogger.com makes me feel dumb sometimes. Do any of ya'll have problems like this? Just curious.

Our New Home

2009-06-01T20:55:00.004-04:00

WE BOUGHT OUR 1ST HOME TOGETHER! YAY!!!

We have finallly bought our 1st place. We are so excited and also relieved since the pressure to find a place is over. It's not a house but a really nice doublewide (4bedrooms and 3 baths) with tons of room (especially if we decided on more children...which we have recently made small talk about but sh!, don't tell anyone b/c I actually may have my DH up for another one). Anyway, today is my DH's 32nd Birthday so us finding out today that we have our home was a wonderful SURPRISE! Plus he got to have lunch with me...so I think his day was good. We also went and visited his mom, who is still not real well. She is having some paralysis problems so the surgeons don't feel comfortable on operating on her brain. So, she is having to take radiation pills and then do chemo. We are praying that this will work for her but it's still going to be a long recovery. Oh, here's a pic of our new HOME:

Relaxation is here...

2009-05-23T09:13:00.004-04:00

My relaxation is finally here...although it will be short lived. KeKe stayed with the sitter Thursday night and Friday night. It was really nice to be able to sleep until 8:30am this morning. I had told everyone last night I was going to sleep as long as I could, but I am an early bird, so 8:30am will be fine with me, Heck, it beats waking up at 6:00am like I normally do and plus there is no whiny 3 yr old to break my mood for a happy day. Don't get me wrong, I love my KeKe with all my heart but sometimes mommy just needs some time to herself.

Speaking of time to myself, Thursday I went to a scrapbooking class (which was free!) and I took our best friend's wife and her best friend. We made 3 cards and I loved it ALL! It was soooo what I needed for myself. Everyone knows me as being creative but I rarely have time to do anything creative. I took up scrapbooking several years ago...like while I was pregnant with KeKe and well, I never got to finish anything. I was really slow at it at first b/c I was so new at it and I am a perfectionist...so everything had to look perfect on the page or else I restarted the page. Now, when I get a few free moments, I enjoy working on my pages and I can usually get one page completed in a night...that's right, ONE PAGE! No, I am not slow...I just need it to be perfect. Yes, I know nothing is really perfect in life (except for my precious KeKe). Anyway, I may take up the craft of making cards now. It was easy and fast...a lot faster than scrapbook pages.

So, today before I pick up KeKe from the sitters, I have tons of laundry to get done. I have already picked up in her room and changed her bed sheets and now I have to do that in our bedroom and then I am done on the housework. It really is so much easier to pick up as it is messed up b/c once the tornado has hit inside this place...I don't want to touch nothing...I would just rather dump it all in a dumpster and start all over with our belongings. Sad but true!!! Can you tell I hate housework...I just feel it takes time away from my DH and KeKe. When I finish cleaning, I may do something crafty...I am in the mood! (sorry honey, not that mood...lol)

Hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday weekend!

May Daze or May Days

2009-05-21T11:03:00.004-04:00

Is it May daze or May days? May has flown by so fast, I just can't believe it. It feels like there has been so much going on that my family and I are in a daze and really not enjoying our days. I think it might be time for a mini-vacation of some sort. We could go camping for the weekend or take a trip to the beach. We just really need some R &R!

May was supposed to be a month we were looking forward to since here in NC it means nice weather...but it's rained almost every freaking day, we have had no luck with our mortgage lender or a house, my DH's company is still dead for the most part, KeKe was loving ballet and then last night she kept walking out of class, we are not saving any money...as usual, my clothes feel tight...might be the birth control I went back on a few months ago...so I feel like a bloated pig, my mother-in-law is severely ill with the brain tumor and my DH and KeKe are driving me nuts. My mini-vacation might have to wait til June sometime...oh, did I mention...my DH's birthday is June 1st and our anniversary is June 21st...I don't have anything planned for either! Am I a lame wife or what? Oh no...no guilt trips here...I am a very busy wife who is working hard to keep my family sane in this time of crisis. I will get my DH something for his b-day but I don't know what it will be yet.

Anyway, it has not been May days for my family...just May daze. We are living in a fog of uncertainty and we need to pray for some clarity for June.

Prayers are really needed...

2009-05-20T18:57:00.004-04:00

PRAYERS are really needed for my family. Last Wednesday we found out my mother-in-law was sick. She was admitted to the hospital and we found out she had a brain tumor. On Sunday, the doctors performed a biopsy. We then found out it was CANCER! She has a cancerous brain tumor the size of a tangerine on the right side of her head. She went home Sunday and has to go back on Friday to talk to some a doctor that is looking to perform the surgery to remove it. This surgeon actually, is wanting her to be awake while he tries to remove the tumor. If she does this, there is less of a chance for paralysis to happen. It's not guaranteed to not cause her left side to loose all feeling but there's hope that it will prevent it. We all pray that she comes out still able to move her left side. We know that the surgeon will probably not be able to remove all the tumor and that the remaining part will be treated with radiation to shrink it and chemo to kill the cancer. Oh, I forgot to mention...it is a fast growing tumor so the docs say that they cannot wait too long to perform the surgery or she will begin to have her health decline.

Our problem has been KeKe in all this. She is only 3 yrs old...how do you make a 3 yr old understand that her favorite NaNa is so sick. She says stuff like "awww, why does she have to have surgery" but she cannot really understand the severity of this. She loves her NaNa so much that my DH and I really did not want to tell her. We finally did and are glad b/c we don't want to try to shelter her from life. She will have to learn like the rest of us that bad things happen to people we love. We all just hope that NaNa makes a full recovery so KeKe can grow up having her around. We all love her and pray that all goes well. More will be posted as the surgery is done to remove it. Please keep my family in your prayers. Thank you.

Simplicity must come soon...

2009-05-05T20:38:00.003-04:00

Simplicity must come soon...to my home, my office...my life!

I am so desperately craving more simple measures in my little world. There are so many days that are rushed through and the weekend comes and theres no slowing down. Where does the time go? I mean I look forward to Friday nights b/c I mentally think "yay it is the weekend" and the next thing I know, it's Sunday night and I think "Oh my gosh, the house isn't clean, the laundry isn't finished and I have to go to work tomorrow". Well, guess what??? I absolutely begin to PANIC!!! Really, I do. I just hate knowing that the house isn't together and I don't have the next day to do it b/c I will be working....speaking of work...guess what???

I may be working full-time again. It all started b/c I asked for a few more hours (8 hrs. actually and now they are wanting a full 40 from me). Anyway, the problem I have is that I love getting off early at 1pm and having some me time and time with KeKe and the other problem...the economy is in such bad shape I think I am crazy for not wanting the full 40 hrs per week...anyone these days would love to have those hours and pay. So what is wrong with me??? I don't know. I am fighting with all the reasons to do it and not to do it.

Some of the reasons are:
1. More money: money is always needed but at what sacrifice do you work and have no time for your child?
2. OOOPS!!! There are no more reasons. Nope, NONE!

Now maybe you can see my dilema on more hours at work. Plus, I feel like I spend tons of time cleaning every afternoon, so if I work til 5pm...how am I going to keep my house clean? How do any of you other full-time moms do it. I mean I have a 3 yr old that destroys everything behind me as I clean and a husband that doesn't pick up behind himself. The 3 yr old is trainable but the hubby is not. Trust me I know this for a FACT!!!

So, anyway, I am in need of tips, ideas, anything to help me get and stay organized to keep me sane if I go back to work full-time. I have searched the internet, I have read some of ya'lls blogs, and even searched for anything I can in magazines and books. Just to let ya'll know too, I crave organization, planning details, lists, etc.

Please forward any tips and ideas. I would ask my mom and grandma how they as women handled raising a family while working full-time but that's not gonna happen b/c well, my grandma didn't work and my mom didn't really "raise" me while she worked full-time at nights. The past is so ready to be written into a book but for now I need to get by with living my life and I want KeKe to have LIVED and not live like I did in my childhood. SAD but I survived so I am not going there in this blog. But really, I need help because I don't know who else to ask. Thanks.

The Days of My Life

2009-04-12T18:34:00.004-04:00

The days of my life...are full.

Every Monday through Friday, my day consists of me waking up, getting ready for work, waking KeKe up and getting her ready and rushing out the door. I wake up around 6am and leave at 7am to head to the sitters...an hour later I am at work. I work everyday from 8am to 1pm, every minute there is busy! I am busy every minute there with taking calls for me, returning calls for me from the previous day, invoicing, dealing with accounts payable stuff, writing checks for office supplies or job materials or reimbursements, filing folders after the invoices are done, running credit cards through, payroll and so much more. Then when I leave work, I may or may not grab lunch (b/c I am trying to watch our pennies for the new house), then head to the sitters and I am home an hour later. Well, if KeKe hasn't already taken a nap, the I get to deal with clingy "hold me, I don't want to lay on the couch" as soon as I get in the door b/c she ended up falling asleep on the way home. Well, then I deal with that for an hour or so b/c her attitude goes downhill when I lay her down anyway. Don't get me wrong, I do hold her...some days, but she is 3 and I do have chores to take care of. So, when the attitude perks up, I talk to her about her day and ask her what she'd like to do (which is usually to watch Hocus Pocus). Well, mommy needs to get stuff done around the house, so what do I do...I let her watch Hocus Pocus. That gives me a good hour and a half to clean... I mean SPEED CLEAN! After the movie, its usually about dinner time and sometimes she helps and sometimes she goes to her room to play. After dinner and cleaning up dinner, we usually spend the remainder of the night on the couch reading books, playing games online or I get to be a baby and she is my granny. She takes very good care of her baby and even brings me a small baby blanket and a babydoll bottle. She is so sweet. Anyway, after playtime, which is usually around 8:30pm I try my hardest to get her in the bath and in bed by 9pm...NEVER happens though. You want to know why?

Well, it seems my KeKe is so strong-minded that she can make herself stay up late as 2am just to go against my wishes for her to lay down and go to sleep. She can make up excuses for anything, she will find things to talk about, she will even pull the occasional "I'm hungry" or "I'm thirsty" or "there's something hiding in the closet! She is a drama queen daredevil with no fears...even the evil eyes she gets from me when she won't be quiet and go to sleep. I believe she just loves to talk...she is truely a GIRLY GIRL. And I love her...every bit of her.

Anyway, the days of my life are continuous. There was a beginning...3 years ago and there will never be an ending...EVER! She will be part of my days forever. There is no instruction manual and some days there is no appreciation award, and I will be right here the next day ready to start these days all over again. There are times when I need a break but she is a part of me that I will never get rid of and she will always be in my heart...and so my breaks are not ever completely away from her. My thoughts are always on her...what is going on the next day, what does she need, does she love her life, am I raising her the right way, do I let her get away with too much? Whatever my day has going on and no matter how tired I may be...I am KeKe's mommy. I will help her anyway I can. The days of my life are HAPPY!

Planning for a Simple Life

2009-04-10T20:36:00.004-04:00

I want to have a simple life.

Life throws us curves when we want to live simple. It is our decisions that determine whether those curves let us live simple. We have to be smart about our choices and work hard to make our life more simple. Life is too busy and too rushed. It's time to slow down and LIVE!

I want to live more simple for tons of reasons but the main reason...KeKe, I want her to enjoy her childhood and I want her to experience a slower paced life. I want to see her enjoying the nature outside more and to feel free from all the expectations that a fast paced life pushes on you. I want her to be young and carefree. I don't want her to grow up worrying...about money, her parents arguements, why we can't afford something she wants to do, why we can't go on vacations and so on. I want her to have a FUN life.

I have slowly been taking steps to achieve this goal (I started right after I had her). I felt like she deserves all of me...she should never feel like she isn't wanted or needed. She should always know that no matter what, I am here for HER. She is my whole world...at least until she is old enough to take care of herself. I just have to remember that I have to take care of me so I can be there for her. I want her to always know that she is loved.

Since life is rushed around work, fixing dinner, visiting family, running errands...you know the list goes on and on, I feel like we as a family need to slow down and enjoy our time together. We all have started helping each other pick up around the house, set the table, cook dinner (instead of eating fast food) and fold laundry...when we work together the tasks get done faster which in return, leaves more time for us to spend together. We are spending more time at home so we can be together more and we are spending less time (and money) on driving around to places like the mall just because we want to get out of the house. Now when we feel that way, we just go outside to the backyard and sit and talk and swing or kick the soccer ball. We are learning to enjoy one another and how to be a FAMILY.

We want a simple life and we aren't making any sacrifices to get there. We are taking it one day at a time. Right now with the house hunting, it is a bit hard but hopefully, we will be there completely real soon. We want a simple life so we are a BETTER, HAPPIER, more LOVING family.

I know that when we finish getting a more simple life, we will all be less tired, less grouchy, and more satisfied and rested. We want KeKe to learn to be content in life instead of being busy and full of discontentment. We want her to VALUE her life and know her PURPOSE on Earth from God.

April Showers...Literally!

2009-04-09T21:20:00.004-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I've written so hopefully I can catch you up on all that's going on in my life. First, the house hunting is continuing tomorrow...all DAY! We have about 8 places to check out on top of the 2 we saw today. It's getting on my nerves even more (my eyelid is twitching because I am so stressed). Anyway, KeKe's ballet was cancelled this week for Spring Break...really, who cancels a weekly 45 minute ballet class for Spring Break for 3 yr olds that have no clue what Spring Break even is? Whatever! Maybe that should be my new word...WHATEVER!!! I am sounding like a whining 13 yr old but at this time...I don't care. I am stressed and tired all the time. I am really afraid we will not find a house before the weather gets hot and I HATE moving in the hot Carolina heat! Oh, which brings me to my other headache...the April showers. It has been raining about every other day here and is to be raining every other day for the next week. If our local weather guys say NC is in a drought, I may have to send them an ugly email to remind them of all the freaking rain we have seen lately.

Sorry about venting but I need somewhere to release all this stress. My hubby is not interested in hearing it and my little girl isn't old enough to understand it, so I am putting it on here. I can't wait for things to settle down but I am anxious to get moved and get grounded so we can raise KeKe in OUR own house and give her the pink room she soooo badly wants. Oh, we are going to see a place tomorrow that is priced way below our budget and we are praying that it's not too much of a fixer upper so we can make that one our next HOME.

Moving on to something else...I am so happy that this is Easter weekend. I am off tomorrow and Sunday we are going to Greenville, NC to visit some of my family and do the traditional Easter Egg Hunt. I haven't been there in years so I am a bit nervous to see some of the family but excited too. Happy Easter everyone!!!

Going crazy...

2009-03-30T17:52:00.005-04:00

I am having another crazy week. We have been house hunting for a few weeks now and it seems like everything is still too expensive for our budget and each place we see seems to look worse and worse. I really thought this process would be a bit easier since the country is in a deep recession or depression...however you want to see it. There is just not a lot of homes for sale in the areas we want to buy in. I hope that is good for the families living in these areas, which hopefully means there are not terrible lay-offs, although my mom and stepdad are both laid off right now. So, I know that NC is suffering from layoffs and we kinda wanted to take advantage of the forclosures and find a home but some of the homes are more work than we want to do. We are really at our wits end right now and are actually considering moving to the coast if we have to find a home outside our neighboring cities. We really want to qualify for the USDA loan to help us but it limits our areas and we have to stay northeast of Raleigh. It's tough and we are considering taking a break. Oh, did I mention that everytime we see a house we REALLY want to see, that our agent (whom we think is not on our side) tells us it's already got a contract or is sold. We are getting tired of this game and we have to keep her as our agent until April 10th and then we are going to find someone who will help us. We are actually doing the searches online ourselves and we then have to give the MLS# to the agent so we can see the houses b/c she is just not searching for us. I hate that she is not helping us but if we don't come across something tomorrow, I think my DH and I are done searching for a week. How long does house hunting usually take? Did any of you have this kind of trouble? Do you have any tips?

Keeping up with the Flanagan's

2009-03-25T18:18:00.004-04:00

Keeping up with the Flanagan's...I'm not sure but I may change the name of my blog to this. What do you think?

I have had a whirlwind of things happening over the past few weeks. Never-ending is the housework, KeKe with her drama and excuses for not listening, my DH driving me insane and of course on top of it all is....the House Hunter in me ready to shoot something.

My weeks have had good and bad times, funny and sad times, but through it all we have come to some great times! I am happy to say that while I am not on here daily, I am trying to keep in touch with you to let you know how things are going in my life. If we can ever find a house (yes, I am praying that it will be soon) I hope things will calm down and I can be on here more regularly. I hope things are going well for ya'll and haope you have a great week.

House Hunter in training...

2009-03-22T11:50:00.004-04:00

Well, thankfully things got better. The first part of last week was still rough but we are all better now...at least mood-wise anyway! So in case ya'll were wondering I haven't fell of the face of "blogging", we have become House Hunters.

We went Thursday and had our taxes done...boy is the IRS going to be happy to how much we owe (thanks in part to my DH being sel-employed) but it did help the mortgage company with our loan. We have looked at several properties over this past week and I think we have decided on an area. So now the search is on for the house...I mean, our HOME!

We looked at one yesterday that we were happy with but the driveway was like a ski slope...not what I want with a 3 yr old. She was actually trying to run down the driveway which was scary. I just had visions of her tripping and rolling down that driveway and scraping that beautiful face of hers. I think I will pass on this place just because of the driveway.

On Friday, we went to see a property we LOVED! What we didn't like was the bedroom sizes and the drunk neighbor. We could probably live with both and it was on almost 2.5 acres! I love land with trees because that means nobody is able to be right up on me. Around the Raleigh area, there are lots of homes that are cooki-cutter homes and sit on top of each other. I am sorry but I really don't want to look out my kitchen window into someone else's home. So, we are looking in more rural areas with privacy. As for as this house though, the rooms can always be added to at a later time (since there is so much land) and we can plant trees to rid ourselves of the drunk neighbor. The south is full of drinking but a yankee that is drunk and hitting on the realtor was not what I was looking for that day. (No, I do not have a problem with yankees, one of my good friends is one but I don't think it was appropriate for him to come over and be RUDE! That is not how we work in the south. So, anyway, if we choose this property, trees and probably and tall fence with divide us from this neighbor, plus my 3 yr old doesn't need to hang out with a drunk.

So, we are also going Monday afternoon when I get off work, to look at some more properties. We love Franklin County but are considering part of Wake County.

Oh, did ya'll know that the FDA gives out home loans in rural areas...with 100% financing! And the best part is you don't even have to own a cow or plant an ear of corn! It can also help if you are out of work for an injury, b/c it doesn't require a payment to be made until you return to work. This loan is certainly going to help some people in this economy.

Ooops...one more thing. KeKe is a ballerina at home but hates ballet class! She walked out about 10 times on Wednesday from her 45 minute class. She now wants to do drums and no ballet! Poor me! My baby loves Pink (the music artist) and has memorized her song "So What" and tells us she is a rock star....my girl can be whatever she wants but since ballet is paid for...she will be a ballerina rock star! lol

Well, hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend. We have had lots of sun but the temps dropped back to the low-mid 60's and its kinda cool outside. I like the high 60's and 70's. But I know that it will only be a matter of time before the warmer air will be here.

I don't like Friday the 13th!

2009-03-13T20:49:00.005-04:00

I don't like Friday the 13th...the day or the movies! I never have either. I am a bit weird in that department. The day was awful and the movies scare me and give me nightmares.

My awful day actually began last night with an argument between my husband and me, which I hate doing around our daughter. It's just something that children should NOT hear! They never should hear their parents yell at one another but sadly, mine heard it last night. She actually acted like nothing was going on...not sure if that is good or bad. Anyway, the argument turned into my silence for the night and most of today. I am standing up for myself and this is the only way to make my point without getting yelled at. So I am on a quiet ride for the weekend (as of right now). Along with my home troubles, my boss and his mom had an argument right in front of my desk...as if I wanted to be caught in the middle...thankfully they moved into another office to finish their conversation.

Today is just BAD!!! Maybe tomorrow will be better. At least my KeKe is being a very good girl today and giving mommy a break. She must know when mommy just can't take another thing on her plate! I love my daughter...she is so thoughtful and loving (most days) but I love her more each day.

Mid-week ramble...

2009-03-11T19:51:00.007-04:00

My mid-week ramble is to let ya'll know how my week is progressing. After my peaceful, relaxing all-about mommy weekend, I am TIRED! My lack of sleep is rough, my little one is into everything that she knows is not to be touched but she refers to herself as "grown" all the time, my DH is always on the other computer and on his phone (which is really driving me insane). Work is the same, which is sometimes good and sometimes awful...always one or the other. My co-workers actually guess how the day will be as people show up to work (i.e. bosses). Anyway, time to ramble about everything on my mind!

I hate to be rude but sometimes I just HATE my job and it's only part-time. What on earth is wrong with me? Am I just too good to work or do I just hate the work I do? Hmmm, lets see. I have worked with the same company since I was 19 and I am about to turn 30...maybe the desk job is just BORING to me these days. Yep, that is probably it. It puts me in a bad mood sometimes and I end up bringing it home.

My DH being on his phone and not paying any attention to me and KeKe is really getting old. How much can a man talk on the phone. Did you forget that you have a wife and daughter? Did you think that we wanted to be left alone everyday? My answer is NO!!!!

My precious KeKe. Where do I begin with my dramatic princess? She complains, fusses, whines, cries, you name it...even fake cries, all to get her way. She strives on structure but gets bored fast. I run out of ideas to keep her entertained. She stays interested in things for like 10 minutes before she feels like she needs to be doing something else. She is also very bossy. She believes she has the authority to tell us what to do but doesn't like us telling her what to do. That is a huge PROBLEM!!! I constantly remind her I am the mommy and she is to do what I ask. I have tried chore charts, behavior charts, time out, grounding from tv, etc. She really does not like me sending her to her room when the tantrum comes out. She is really a sweet child but I think she may be a bit bi-polar...lol. In a split second I swear she can be my worst enemy. I really love her and try my best to help her when she has a problem but she is so freaking independent that she doesn't like for help much less ask for help. She would rather fight with a toy and yell at it than to let me help her. Poor girl...I feel for your future husband!

Back to me since I need to vent some more. The homebuying process is terrible. Because my DH owns his own business and deducts lots of expenses on his taxes, it is hurting us. He needs to show that his net income is double this year from last year. HA! I think we need to wait this thing out especially with the economy so slow. It scares me to think he is pushing this homebuying thing when I wish we could just wait another 6 months or so and see how the econmy is then. Heck, my mom just got laid off today and my step-father was laid off about a month ago. The signs are pointing to WAIT THIS OUT! I am truely scared about buying a home right now but I know my DH has a job and my job although part-time is very dependable. No worries about lay-offs on our end. Oh well, guess I should hold off on freaking out until next week when we do our taxes and the accountant tells us how much we owe Uncle Sam!

So, to stop my own whining, I am getting off here for the night. I am really going to try to get some rest. My eyes are so tired they are beginning to burn. They may even catch on fire at this point. Guess you will find out about that tomorrow if it happens. lol
Good night everyone.

Mommy struggles daily...

2009-03-10T18:18:00.004-04:00

Before I had KeKe, I believed that I would have this polite, well mannered child with no problems. Well, I lived it for 2 years after she was born and then the "terrific two's" came with no warning! Everyday since I have struggled to try to find that happy, perfect little girl who left and brought a smart-mouthed, cranky girl.

I love my girl more than anything and I am loving her sweetness that has somewhat returned since she turned 3 but I stll struggle to find peace. She is like a bundle of dynomite ready to explode any moment! One minute she is playing and happy, then in a split second she becomes demanding and ill. I hope she doesn't have any major issues and I am hoping it's just the "3 yr old thing" going on. I don't really have any other kids to compare her to but her behavior concerns me at times. What happened to my sweet little angel???

Any advice on helping control her behavior, her demands, her "no" to pick up toys, or anything else would be greatly appreciated. I do spend time with her so I don't really feel like it is a cry for attention. Is it all in my head or is it just what 3 yr olds do? Please help my sanity. (at least the weekend was peaceful so I don't snap at her this week...lol)

What will this week be like...

2009-03-09T20:17:00.004-04:00

My day has me wondering what my week will be like. KeKe is in a better mood since she got back from the beach (I guess she needed the break from me as much as I needed it from her), my DH actually woke up early this morning & went to work on time (being his own boss he usually isn't out of the bed before 9am so to see him up at 6:30am this morning was really different). My family seems to be in pretty good moods which make better attitudes and sometimes you get to hear polite words, which are always nice. It seems like the week may go good but we will see.

My day at work was eventful...I accomplished all my filing which should make my boss happy but he was there to see what I did. It was 2 weeks of files that I had invoiced out but had not filed back because: (1) I only work from 8am-1pm and (2) I have missed some of those days b/c KeKe and myself were sick. So anyway, work was good and my desk was almost clean! Again, my OCD self was getting excited to see the desk again!!!

Anyway, my discussion isn't really about my family, it is about what my DH is up to. You see, we currently rent our home and have been trying to save our money so we can rebuild our credit that was ruined from previous marriages (we were both once married before when we were younger). Now, he is attempting to look into buying a home. It has me a bit concerned and I don't want to get my hopes up and then someone tell us that our credit isn't good enough. He went onto Lending Tree and someone actually called him today. He found out that his credit is not great but it is better than he thought it was. My thing is that I am scared to get excited that we may be able to put our past mistakes (debt from previous marriages) behind us and get a home of our own and then have the rug pulled out from under us. We tried to do this a few years ago only to have our dreams of home ownership shattered. I am trying hard to not get excited (I mean I would love to have our own home) but I hate the thought that we still may not qualify for a mortgage. I hope this doesn't add to my sleeplessness! Hope all goes good but I am trying to stay out of it and right now he is in the other room on the computer looking at houses...I hope he can make this work b/c I don't want to see him sad that it didn't work out. We will see about this too! Any advice for recovering from disappointment or the potential of it?

Back to reality...Hocus Pocus is on AGAIN! Of course! I mean the kid has tons and tons of movies but this is the only one that can be played...I don't understand it but whatever. While watching the movie, she decided to put band-aids on her baby(doll) and her own legs. Silly girl of mine...what will I have to deal with when she is older???

Almost Single Again...

2009-03-08T10:17:00.008-04:00

This weekend was making me think I was single again...I had about 24 hrs to myself and I loved it (plus it really did make me feel young again too). KeKe took off to the beach this weekend with her Nana & Papa and my DH had Insurance School til dinner time on Friday night and all day on Saturday, then he went to his wrestling show and stayed out til 1 am. Girl, I really needed this break. After being sick for a month and KeKe being sick so much, I knew that this was the perfect weekend for ME! Oh, and the 70 degree weather was NICE!!!

Don't get me wrong, I love being with my family but sometimes mommy just needs some time for herself! (Sadly, I am missing my girl like crazy right now but she will be back later today....I can't wait to get some cheek sugar). I went shopping and came home & made some crafts, cleaned some (just a little b/c I am on a much deserved mini-vacation) and decorated with some of my new goodies. I spent more $ than I planned but I feel good about the things I bought so I am not stressing over that. I will post some pics sometime of what I did.

I hate that I hadn't written in a few days but again....I was on a mini-vacation. Any mom should understand that. I am having some issues sleeping (as in the lack of), my body is on its last energy boost and my mind is running like crazy. Heck, if I don't get some rest I may go crazy! I am not sure what is up with my body...stress probably but it needs to return to reality and let me sleep some. I wake up almost every night in the early morning hours, I toss & turn in the bed, then I get up and clean but it still doesn't help me go back to sleep...then I usually have to get up and go to work and then by the time I get off work, I am soooo exhausted that I want to sleep while I am supposed to be spending time with KeKe. I am just a stressed-out, exhausted mommy who needs some alone time at least once a month! Is that too much to ask for?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-04T19:28:00.004-05:00

My daughter is sick AGAIN...

2009-03-03T11:20:00.005-05:00

My daughter, KeKe is sick again for the hundredth time in the past month. Yesterday afternoon she came down with a fever and a cranky attitude. Luckily, both subsided a while later. Anyway, I am home with her today since she is not feeling well and my DH is in Insurance School. She is actually jumping around on the couch like a monkey while watching Hocus Pocus. I am not sure that 3 year olds enjoy that movie but she loves it. (I ended up having to buy it b/c I deleted it off the DVR by accident last week...thankfully she only had to go a few days without seeing it)

So, with the sitter sick and the rest of the area sick, I hope I can get her better soon. She doesn't like the medicine I've been giving to her...she says it tastes "yuk" but it seems to be helping her cough and nasty nose. Now it is time to fight the fever. This morning when I gave her the "yuk" medicine and told her thank-you for taking it, she replied "it's my pleasure". I sure have a silly girl on my hands and that just makes me love her more and more.

Well, today is just about me venting on her being sick b/c I am tired of seeing sick people and now I have some laundry to catch up on. Hopefully all the remaining bits of snow will melt away today b/c I am still excited about our forcast for the weekend...temps in the 70's!!! Ya'll just don't know how ready I am for warm weather.

Ready to say Good-Bye to Winter

2009-03-02T07:52:00.005-05:00

(ignore the dates on the pics as it's wrong on my camera for some dumb reason)

It's been a while since I've written because well, February was a sick month for me and my family. Right after my last post, I got really sick for a week and then my daughter, KeKe, got sick. Sadly, she is still trying to recover. She has a nasty nose full of green gunk and a cough that started late last week (she also missed her ballet class, which she enjoyed). So, yes I am ready to say good-bye to winter.

This morning we woke up to about 3 inches of snow. I am sure KeKe will enjoy playing in the snow as she has been able to play in it several times this year already. In our area of NC, we rarely see snow so it's very exciting for us when we get it but at the same time, eveything outside our home is CLOSED! We usually try not to drive in it unless we have to. Our temperature was 30 degrees at 7am and our high today is only 33 degrees. We were told that the morning commute tomorrow will be bad also because of black ice. It had rained all day Saturday and Sunday, so I know that's why there was black ice this morning causing tons of accidents on the road. I was smart...I called my boss and advised him that I would not be coming in. It scares me to think about getting on the road, getting into an accident and possibly harming me or my daughter just to make my boss a few dollars...NOT gonna happen. Oh, the snow does look lovely by the way and KeKe is excited now that she's awake.

Anyway, after my little family of 3 was sick most of February and March is starting off cold and full of snow, I am getting excited to know that Spring is just around the corner and winter will be a memory for the next 8 months. By this Saturday, the temperature is supposed to be around 72 degrees and I am soooo happy!

To all those getting pounded with snow today, I hope you stay safe and warm. To those that didn't get any....LUCKY for YOU!!! Hope everyone has a great day and hopefully all the colds and flu bugs will be gone soon for you and your family.

Small Price for Big Prize

2009-02-16T19:58:00.009-05:00

It's funny how one minute you are trying you're hardest to save every dime you have and the next you are spending money you were going to save. After work today, I went to lunch with my hubby. After lunch, he makes a pit stop to a strip mall, and guess what? He has the idea of signing our little girl up for ballet. BALLET!!!

I am so excited to have her starting dance class b/c I was once in dance and LOVED IT! We had made small talk about it before and our daughter seemed very interested. She even bagan to notice the outfits at Target and Wal-Mart and was begging to get some of it. Anyway, after signing her up, we picked her up from the sitter and headed to Target for some dance wear. With no luck of finding matching pieces, we ended up at Wal-Mart. Luckily, we found everything except shoes...well, the perfect shoes. We were advised that the slippers-type without the strap didn't work well with her age group...due to the constant movements in class, so we went to Payless and found real ballet shoes. They are so tiny (compared to my big feet..lol). Now she is all set for class that starts on Wednesday, yep, this Wednesday. It'll be here before I know it.

So, back to my plan on saving money...we spent more than I planned. We could have paid our light bill with that money. But that's ok...it's a small price that I am willing to pay to see my little girl's face light up on her first day of dance. She is the Big Prize and anything for her is a Small Price.

I still feel like somehow I need to make that money back up to help pay bills since things are pretty tight these days. I mean, my husband owns his own company...which is really slow with work these days and I was advised last week that my pay may be changed soon. I only work 5 hours each day and yes, I make double per hour than the other girl in the office but I have lots more experience than her and I have worked for these people for 10 years. I have found out during these past 10 years that I can be replaced...but not cheaper... and after they called me back, they want to cut my pay! It's hurts but whatever. My hubby wants to go to school in March for Insurance School and has already been told that after the 1 week required to do Insurance School, that he has a job waiting for him, Sounds great I know, but what in the world is he going to do about his business he owns...for goodness sake, he has employees. Guess we will figure it out and hopefully he can do both and have some income coming in while he waits for the company to get some jobs on schedule. This should be another blog story but I am venting right now, because deep down, I am a worry-wart! I worry about everything, especially when I have no control over it.

Anyway, I guess I should vent more another day. Hopefully, I will have found a way to get the spent money back but if not, it's ok...I get paid again soon! :-)

Balancing Act

2009-02-16T05:54:00.004-05:00

It's been about 7 months since I went back to work part-time. I have to admit that it's nice to have adult conversations but I miss my daughter constantly. I worry that I am missing improtant milestones that I will never get back. The purpose for my going back to work was to save that income...I've recently realized that it hasn't worked out like we thought. I mean by the time we pay the sitter, gas to/from work, the wear & tear on the van, the eating out b/c I'm tired when I get home...it really hasn't done us any good at all for me to be back working. I think we were better off while I was staying home b/c I kept an eye on our finances and the well-being of my family.

I really miss being able to take care of my husband and my daughter. I miss the dinners at the table, the games on the floor, snuggling on the couch watching movies...all of it. I tend to realize that my life consists of getting up and ready for work, getting my daughter up and ready, rushing out the door to the sitter, then to work, working for 5 hours, rushing to pick up my daughter and then coming home to a house needing the same attention as my family. Where in the world can I get more hours?

I try to stay organized as possible but that's even getting harder and harder to do. Maybe I am getting slower at my chores or just more lazy. I hope I am just getting slower...I don't want to be lazy. The more I feel like I have a handle on things, the more it backfires in my face and I have to come up with another plan. I feel so tired all the time and by the looks of things around the house, I need to be doing more. But what about my family. What's important to me is them...then the house. Sadly though, if I take care of them, the house gets neglected and then I am at a loss of even more time that I don't have, to try to keep the place manageable.

Well, it's almost time for me to get ready to rush this morning...hopefully this will be a good week. I've got most of the laundry completed, except for putting it up. I hate putting up laundry, don't ask why b/c I have no clue. The dishes are washed but not put away. My living room looks like a tornado hit, which is what happens when a 3 year old comes back from a weekend at the grandparents with all her stuff she felt like she needed to take. It's all on the floor and ottoman...hopefully no one will fall on it. That's my project this afternoon, to clean up her mess on the floor...after I hear "help me mommy" when I tell her she should clean that mess up. Well, I hear the alarm clock in the other room going crazy and my loud, snoring husband...guess I better call it quits for now.