Sunday, May 31, 2009

Newest Digi LO

Here's a LO of our son and his new bride.



Supplies: All My Loving digi kit by Tracie Stroud Designs
Grunge Photo Mask by Miss Erin Scraps
Random Thoughts wordart by Linda

Just Another Manic Sunday

Ahh. The end of another crazy day. On Sundays, I work at our church during the first worship service. Typically I'm able to actually go to worship at the second (and last) service time, but today I volunteered to help out in Isaac's classroom because they needed an extra teacher. I was happy to do so! Isaac's going through an I-want-Mommy-with-me-every-second-of-the-day phase. Realizing that someday he'll be a teenager and want nothing at all to do with me, I'll take the attention while I can get it. :)

After church, Scott had a meeting from 1-4. He's going to be a camp counselor again this year (I think this is his third time to go), and they had some CPR training and other stuff. So while he stayed at church, I took the kids home for a quick lunch and nap time. I settled the kids into their chairs and put some food in front of them, and I had to leave the room for a minute. As soon as I left, Isaac started crying. I heard Caleb say in (his attempt at) a deep voice, "Attention, Isaac. Please stop crying. Attention, Isaac." Where does he get stuff like this? Oh, it was hysterical.

I hurried the kids through lunch, but it was still after 2 by the time they finished. I put Caleb in his bed, and then it took me about 15 minutes or so to get Isaac asleep and in his crib. Caleb didn't actually fall asleep--he just stayed in his room and talked to himself (as usual). At one point I heard a crash, and I went in to investigate. I opened the door and looked in Caleb's bed, but he wasn't there. I looked all around the room (it's not that big, folks), but I didn't see him. "Caleb?" I said. Then I saw a pair of feet start to inch out from under the bed. Caleb worked his way out and looked at me sheepishly. "My Mack fell down, Mommy." (He had been playing with his Mack truck toy in bed, and I guess it had fallen.)

Isaac woke up crying around 3:15, which was good and bad. Bad because he didn't get a very long nap, but good because we needed to get going anyway. I was due to be back at church again from 4-6 to help at a party honoring all of our youth workers. So I packed the kids up and headed back to church.

The party went great, and I think everyone had a lot of fun. Those youth help us so much by volunteering in children's ministries! I think it is so important for kids to learn how to serve at a young age. It's too easy for teenagers especially to think that the world revolves around them and their problems. Serving helps them realize that's just not true!

Scott stayed at the party with me until 6, then he took the kids home while I helped clean up a little bit. Caleb fell sound asleep on the way home! Scott carried him in and put him on the bottom of the stairs to take off his shoes, and Caleb just fell over sideways and went back to sleep. He stayed there the whole time Isaac ate dinner and didn't wake up at all when I got home--not even when I took pictures of him. :)



Does that look comfortable to you? (And yes, I think he's been wearing this shirt in almost every picture I've taken recently. No, it's not the only shirt he owns--it's probably just the one that's always at the top of his clean laundry pile!)

He stayed there until about 7, when I scooped him up, changed him, and put him in bed. He's dirty and sweaty and smells like a boy from playing outside at church 3 times today, but he was just too worn out to take a bath tonight. No dinner, either!

Paint a Little Peace


Paint a little peace:
Values are those things, both tangible and intangible, which we care about the most. Most of us demonstrate by our actions that our values are mostly tangible or material. But if we were to reflect for a moment we might find that what we truly value is very intangible. Love, peace and happiness are our deepest values whether we are aware of it or not. So let's experiment. If peace is something you value, then how will you live peacefully today. You experience what you live. So if you want peace in your life...give it and you'll live it. Or do you prefer a bit of anger and stress? We are all artists and it's only when we paint our own life with the innate values of our spirit, which are also our eternal virtues, that we are truly creative. Paint a little peace, love and wisdom into your life today. Paint a little peace, love and wisdom into your life today. If you do, and you make it a regular inner activity, the giving is automatic and the living is...easy! from: Thought for Today www.thoughtfortoday.org.uk


Good thought for today: you gather what you plant....

When that person cuts you off on your way to work, or in a long line, let them in and use forgiveness and pray for them a safe journey/day. ....

When your boss or the checkout person seems angry or short spoken, say a kind word (maybe even compliment them on something...) use kindness, and pray for healing in their lives, ....
when that "weird" person comes by (you know the one, the one that's different and a little strange), smile and use compassion and pray for their acceptance into the world,.....
when you hear angry voices of hate and intolerance, use Love, and pray for love, patience and forgiveness in their lives.....
By planting these seeds, we can watch them grow around us, in us, through us. Our attitude changes, our perceptions change, we realize that the person that cut us off may be racing to a sick or dying loved one, the boss or checkout person may be dealing with layoffs, or constant pain, that "weird" or different person has been outcast by many and taken advantage of, the family or friends that are angry may be fighting internal daemons, drugs, self loathing, or maybe that's all they know in coping skills....
Everyone is fighting some kind of inner battle and/or hardships.... by planting a seed of forgiveness, kindness, compassion, love and peace..... towards these people.... we not only change ourselves, but God will change things for them.....
Each seed is actually a value, things bother us because of our internal values,.... our human emotions can get in the way of even our own values.... do you pass on/plant hurt, anger, hate, and resentments, etc...?
Or do you pass on/plant Love, Forgiveness, Compassion, Acceptance, Healing, Faith, Light.....

May you plant these seeds of value and may your garden take root and grow. Water it with prayer and mediation, cultivate with kindness, let the Son shine and when the the rain falls, look for that rainbow of Hope... soon you and those around you, will see the most glorious garden ever....

Ahhh that glorious masterpiece called life....

Love and Light,
Nina P

My second Tilda

Well i actualy found time today to make this quick tilda tag.Well it would have been quick for you more experianced card makers.
Took me all weekend to be honest.
I took all my tilda stamps aqua pencils and a selection of papers outside in the garden and there i sat all weekend.....Paradise ay.I had tildas every where.lol. As you all know i struggle with colours but have fallen in love with brown and blue.
This tag looks better in life my camera phone doesnt pick up the rich colours.



Recipe...
K & co paper
sewing machine
prima flower
aqua pencils 
pearls
friskas punch.
and oh course tilda.

please can anyone give me a few tips on colouring in the checks i get very stuck on them. Many many thanks....


Saturday, May 30, 2009

SHE did it...my first EGGS.

Went down to my snake room this morning and this is what I saw! Grin Grin


I spy something in there!
I am so happy it happened today. She was a bit overdue...so this helps my mood a lot.



Here's her giving me "the look" You know the one I mean..."Don't mess with me."


6 gorgeous eggs! Very exciting! She would have cared for the eggs for the next 2 months but I've got an incubator. So, I took the eggs out.


The clutch weighed in at 624 grams. 5 candled good. The 6th is underneath and I couldn't get to it.


One problem. When trying to snap the top on the egg container the bunch of eggs was too tall so it doesn't sit tight. I'll have to figure something out today.


This is the mom after her tub is all cleaned. She was very thirsty. Drank for awhile. Now I want her to start eatting again. She's been fasting for 3 months.

My very first ball python eggs. Grin Grin
Well I haven't got round to posting any cards this week, the garden is taking over at the moment, and as it's another beautiful day here, I'll be out there digging and planting again.
But.. I have received two lovely awards and thought I'd make a quick post about them..



The first one is the Inspiration Award from the lovely Vikki, thank you so much Vikki, I really appreciate it. If you haven't visited Vikki yet why not pop along and see her fab blog and while you are there maybe you would want to join in her blog candy.

"The Inspirational Award" you can nominate as many blogs as you would like to receive it, put the award on your blog and leave a comment,.. BUT, this is the twist, you have to tell a fact about yourself that no other bloggers know and put it on your blog,
....well I don't think I've told you this before but I am a hoarder of memories.., I keep everything, to name but a few..I've got theater, film and concert programs with the tickets and some from clubs/disco's..going back years & years,.. beer mats, book matches, & serviettes from all the places we've visited, I keep all close family cards that I receive, so I have boxes and boxes of them. My Mum started me off on this., so I've even got some of my first Birthday cards, and of course I keep all the handmade cards I receive, I also keep drawings, letters and poems from my hubby and family, and I've still got all our old records..45's , LP's and some 75's .. just to name but a few of the memories I keep.....
and as there is no limit to the amount of people you can pass it onto I'll only name a few
Nicola...Nicola's Creations
Debs..Debs Bat Cave
Lisa...Lisa's Stampin Weblog

and I'm also giving it to everyone who reads this and would like to take it, as I think you all deserve it...I would pass it on personally but the sun and garden all calling.
..........................

The 2nd award is the Lemonade Stand award. From my lovely blogging buddy Lisa..It’s an award for bloggers that show great attitude and gratitude, Lisa certainly fits the bill perfectly.Thank you so much Lisa, I so appreciate you thinking of me for this ....please go and have a look at Lisa's lovely blog and while you are there why not enter for her gorgeous Candy.

Decisions, I am so bad at making them...but I'm passing this onto
Vikki....Vikki's Albums
Bea.. My Little Piece of Heaven
Sylvia...Craftycuttlebug
Liz..Lace Ribbons Buttons & Bows
Shell..Shells cards and things
as I don't think they have received it yet..and who all have beautiful blogs, with great attitude as well as gratitude.

The rules for this award are:make a post about it....cut and paste the award logo and use it on your own blog, nominate 5 to 10 blogs you feel show great attitude and gratitude..link to your nominees within your blog post....comment on their blogs to let them know they received the award...link back to the person who gave you the award to show your appreciation

Now I've just got to pop along and let you lovely ladies know you've got them.
Have a great weekend, I'll be back with a card soon.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Thought for Today: Deep Within



From: Thought for Today: http://www.thoughtfortoday.org.uk/
Deep Within:
Just as the highest tower needs a deep foundation, so too our higher thinking is based on going deep within.
(Thought for Today 5/29/09)

Its funny this Thought for Today came today. I was just reading a site called the “Zen in You” and her post on May 27th, 2009 was on Foundations for human beings; spirits, and persons. (Wow…I said that? Author: Caroline, http://thezeninyou.com/wordpress ) There were some amazing responses to her post.

Here’s what I wrote:

When I think of foundations I think of being grounded: in balance with God, the Universe, and self. Centered in the Trinity, there is unconditional Love, Hope and Peace beyond all understanding. The foundations for humans as beings, spirits and as persons, for me, blends into the Love and energy of all that was, all that is, and all that will be: a continuum of all. I find this in nature, meditation and prayer. Your photo’s say what my words can not. Thank you for this post and for sharing your photo collage.Love and Light, Nina P.

How true it is that at the base of everything meaningful is a strong foundation. From Faith, to Love, to Relationships, to Business, to Friendships, to Life itself, a deep and firm foundation is essential. “Higher thinking is based on going deep within.”

In the craziness of day to day life, questions come rushing in from all over the place. We’re able to respond and get the job at hand done quite easily. Yet when we’re quiet and alone, those deeper, harder questions come. You know the ones that hit the heart and, at first glance, may not have an answer….. “What’s the meaning of Life?”; “Why am I here?”; “Where is God?”; “Is there a God?”; “Is there life after death?”; “Will I ever find true Love?” etc… You know, the hard questions, the self doubting questions, the disturbing questions, we all have them.

Don’t you also find that when you’re alone with yourself, meditate, pray, be one with nature; listening to that deep rooted voice in your soul, the answers are there? When we step out of the mind and into the depths of the soul/spirit we can hear the Higher voice. How can we know if it’s the right voice? If it comes from pure LOVE it is the right voice; the Higher Voice. Listen, its there, deep within, firmly founded in your soul… Listen.

May you find your foundation firm and deeply rooted and may you go deep within and listen to your Higher voice, your Higher thoughts and find Love, Hope and Peace.

Love and Light,
Nina P.



Speedy GILAAA!

Stres ah gw pake speedy. Lemot bgt skr! Lo juga gx?
gw mw login blogger ajah suka error, main restocity di FB ud gx pernah gw. saking males nungguin loadingnya eh ujung2nya error.

Berhubung kerjaan gw sgt  mengandalkan email, kesel bgt gw pas mw kumpul kerjaan error mulu tiada henti. Pas mw belanja OLSHOP, bru add to cart udah error. grrrr. Ditambah sedikit PMS, habis lah sudah modem nya gw banting. hahahahaha.

Gembel nih speedy. Dulu gw pke wi-Fi rusak mulu. Speedy lelet bgt kya dial up skr.
grrrr. yg bgus apah c? capek gila!

Last Day of Preschool

Caleb had his (sniff! sniff!) last day of school yesterday. We parents were invited to come up to join them in an end-of-year party.

Here is Caleb with his good friend and partner in crime, Wyatt. Don't they just look like they are ready to make some trouble?



The kids ate pizza for lunch. Even Caleb ate some! I am just thrilled that he is trying different foods these days. He can finally eat the same thing everyone else is eating! Even if he eats it upside down.



After lunch, the kids went out to the church's fenced-in courtyard for splashing fun. The teachers put out a few buckets of water, sponges, bubbles, squirt bottles, and other fun stuff. I put Caleb's ear plugs in and sent him out to play with the others.




At first, he was not so sure about the whole water thing. He didn't like it at all when his shorts got wet. He wanted to change clothes...now! I think Caleb, in general, is just a rule follower. He's my little Pharisee. He doesn't like it when rules aren't obeyed (even if he himself doesn't obey). Often I see him trying to "help" his friends obey the rules. If his teacher tells everyone to line up, for example, Caleb doesn't line up. He starts trying to usher everyone else into a line. He only gets in line once he sees that all the others are properly lined up. Maybe he'll be a teacher. Or a dictator. ;)

So since he's been told all year to stay out of the water and don't get your clothes dirty, he had a hard time adjusting at first. But soon, he was in there getting wet with the rest of them.

He even found a ladybug and let it sit on his hand! That's another big deal for my big boy. He is usually more the "admire from afar" kind of kid when it comes to bugs. (This is in direct contrast to Isaac, who just today tried to squish a poor rolly-polly with his fingers!)



Here is a picture of Caleb with his fabulous teachers and another friend from class.



He really had a great year. It's hard to believe that just a few months ago I was a nervous wreck dropping him off at his first day of preschool, wondering if I'd done the right thing in enrolling him. For him (and me), it was a good choice.

The Great Indian Mask

This Photogrph Is Taken From Jaislmer -Rajasthan.This Is The Indian Monster Mask In Hindi "Mukhota".This Is Put On The Terrace In Front Just To Protect The Houses From Evil Power's.Indian's Believe That This Mask Saves Them And Gives Them The Desired Prosperity And Peace.Also On Every Eclipse They Are Worshipped And It Is Also Said That They Give Power To The Family.Well Amazing But True...

Cullens in Italy


new moon di Italy.. smp bikin air mancur sgala lho biar pas. for more photos click here

Pepsi Ads







Pepsi Ads are sooo creative to make me smile. teehee. Aren't they?

haircut!


haircut!, originally uploaded by buffys charms.

Have been such a very bad blogger lately. I do hope that I pick up in the summer months. Been a very busy mummy and crafter! Just wanted to share my new dramatic! hair cut! everyone in the hair dressers called me brave (Had about 1 foot cut off!) but it wasn't brave at all, I had fallen out with my hair a long time ago and it felt liberating to have the Evil hair chopped off! I am a happy Bunny :D

sherly's wishlist

ah gw gx jadi rehat ngeblog d. gx tahan gw. hahaha.
skr gw lagi nyari buku impor nih. tapi klo bli di toko buku biasa mah mahaaaal!
ada yg tau tmpt bli bku impor murah gx? klo ada yg mw jual ke gw juga boleh. hhe. comment yah.

Brikut adalah buku2 impor incaran gw:

1. The Lightning Thief Box Set-Percy Jacksons and The Olympics
*The Lightning Thief
*The Sea of Monsters
*The Titan's Curse

2. The Lost Symbols-Dan Brown (pre-order)
3. Harpot apapun yg  British Version

4. American Classics:
Pride and Prejudice-Jane Austen
Fairy Tales-Hans Christian Andersen
Classics for Girls terbitan Barnes and Noble
Great Expectations-Charles Dickens
David Copperfield-Charles Dickens

dan setelah gw hitung2 tanpa harpot,di Barnes and Noble semua blanjaan gw total sumnya: $ 108 belum termasuk ongkir dan harpot. Gilei. Kalo tambah harpot plus
ongkir bsa mencapai 3 juta lebih. mati aj d. blom lagi ditambah gw ud pre order the host sm wednesday letter. geez. haha.yg tw bantuin dun tlg, pengen bgt! thx a lot! :)


    

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Happy Birthday To Me!!

Adam and the girls surprised me this morning
with this beautiful hanging flower basket
for my Birthday! :)
Thank you so much!!
I LOVE YOU!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

A Wonderful Wednesday

Today was a pretty great day at the Taylor house. In the morning, Scott decided to work at home. That meant that at 6:00 when Isaac woke up, Scott was there (usually he has already left for work by then). Scott got up with Isaac and let me sleep in until 7:30. Bliss!

I decided that it was a great day to get outside. Meme and Papa (my parents) recently gave us a picnic table that they'd previously kept at their house for the kids. We put it outside on our porch, and today was the first time we used it. I'd picked up some little paint brushes at IKEA a few days ago, and we put them to use today.



Usually I am very hesitant about doing messy crafts, but that picnic table allows us the beauty of doing them outside--where messes belong!

When the kids got bored of painting, we moved over a few feet to our sand and water table. We bought it for Caleb last year, and it's fabulous. (And heck no, we didn't pay the price listed at the link above! It was WAY cheaper when we got it.) You are supposed to put sand in one half and water in the other half, but we didn't have any water in it. I just hadn't thought ahead enough at 8:30 in the morning to bring out some water to put in it. (One of the not-so-great things about our house is that there is no water facet in the backyard--you have to go out the gate to the side of the house to get to it. )



This was Isaac's first real play time in sand. He enjoyed it, but I was not enjoying it when I saw him pick up a handful of sand and shove it in his mouth. Yup, this is the same kid who eats the wood chips at the playground and loves to eat toilet paper. Sigh. I think he'll grow up to be able to eat all sorts of weird foods. Maybe he'll be like Anthony Bourdain.

He also liked to dump the sand out of the sand table, and he ended up with a nice pile of sand on the ground:




I captured a couple of funny Calebisms this morning. He was playing with the little blue boat, and I was playing with the red boat. At one point, my boat was chasing his around the sand. He said, "The red boat is coming! The red boat is coming!" I just about fell out of my chair laughing. :)

Later, he started calling the little shovel "Scoopy Do." And no, he's never seen Scooby Do, so I'm not sure where he picked that up!

After our outside time, I scooped the kids up and put them in the bathtub. After I'd given them baths and gotten a shower myself, we headed up to the library. Our library is so fabulous. You can check out as many books as you want at a time, and there are NO LATE FEES. I can't tell you how much money I would owe them if they charged late fees! The library also has wonderful story times for the kids, but there aren't any story times in May. Starting in June, we'll be at the library every week again.

Anyway, we had a great time at the library. We checked out as many books as my reusable bag could hold--about 20 or so, at least. I picked up a copy of Bringing up Boys by James Dobson. I've been meaning to read that for awhile. I finished The Shack by William P. Young a couple of days ago. It was interesting, even if the theology is a little skewed and the writing leaves something to be desired. In the book, the main character meets God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit face-to-face. It's fun to think about what it would be like to just sit and have dinner with God. What would YOU ask Him? I've been thinking about that for awhile, and honestly I can't think of anything really important that He left unanswered in His word. He gave us everything that we need to know for salvation, and while it would be fun to know how the earth was created, when exactly the dinosaurs lived, and how old the earth really is, it's not that important.

Okay, enough ramblings for now! :)

Etsy and Artfire

I haven't been able to pay as much attention to my Etsy and Artfire accounts as I would like. However, I did get a few things in my stores today.

As I am not able to take the time do all the things you need to do to promote your shop, I haven't had any luck with sales yet. If you would like to be one of my first customers, I will give you 10% off of any item from either of my shops. Just send me a note telling me you saw this blog post.

(There are different treasures in each shop.)

Tashai's Artfire

&

Tashai's Etsy

Ciao!

ONE MORE WEEK

We close on our house one week from today. Whoo Hoo!! We had a group hug last night before we went to bed and started jumping up and down saying "one more week...one more week..." I wonder what exactly the girls are thinking. Lillian most likely has no idea what's going on and why she only has a few things to play with among many stacked boxes. Alexa on the other hand is old enough to understand, but I'm not sure she grasps the full picture. We've been to the house several times for "visits" - so does she think that we will be just "visiting" again in one week. Does she realize that we will be living there for many years? She seems to "get it", but who really knows. I guess we'll see once we move in.

It was so cloudy and gray out yesterday. I waited and waited for it to rain all day. I picked up the girls and they, of course, wanted to go to the park. I agreed, but drove there instead just incase it rained. I didn't want to have to walk them half a mile in the rain back home. An hour and a half later we were still at the park and no rain. We ran into a mom and son who live in our townhouse complex that we've seen at the park before and visited and played with them. Mainly (Stephanie) and I complained about how horrible the complex we live in is and all the annoying neighbors. Alexa and her little boy Jordan sure got along great and played hide-and-seek. They even took turns pushing Lilli on the swing.

When we finally left, I noticed a couple missed calls from my aunt Kathy. My cousin Angela is in town and they were wondering if they could stop by for a quick visit. I haven't seen Angela in about 5 years. I was pregnant with Alexa the last time we were together. She lives in Texas with her husband and doesn't get up here very often. So, I was able to introduce her to Adam and both the girls. We had a real nice visit and hope it's not another 5 years before we see her again.
The girls didn't get to bed til a little after 10, so they were pretty lazy and tired this morning. It's pajama day at school today, so I bet they are loving that. I wouldn't doubt they both take really good naps today.

I had a small crisis this morning as I was getting ready for work. My curling iron decided not to work. The on button came on - but it didn't heat. Adam, being the handyman he is, pushed a few buttons and turned a few knobs and told me to go get a new one. Me, not wanting to spend any unnecessary money brought it in to work hoping the guys in the shop could fix it. They spent a good half hour on it only to tell me that the heating element is shot and I'm basically SOL. So, looks like I'll be spending my Birthday money on a new curling iron. Ugh! The necessities us women have to have to look beautiful (or at least presentable) is a crying shame - is it not?

I’ve just made these

Hey all, i’ve just made these at looklet.
Which is better? teehee. well, if u like it: rate it
here
2 
3

front 4
Click to enlarge :)

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Turning 30

I think I might be having a mid-life crisis. And I'm not even mid-life yet (I hope). I'll be turning 30 in just a few short weeks and I have never felt such a lack of confidence in myself. Perhaps it's because I finished reading about people who were locked at 17 forever and swathed in immortal beauty. Anyone would feel jealous of that, right?

Or maybe it's really because I'm turning 30, still have not lost the weight I wanted to, need a pedicure, a manicure and a new hairstyle and possibly contacts again. Actually the spa stuff is no problem. Josh gave me a gift certificate to the local dayspa. Check. New clothes? Sure...but who wants all that when they just feel horrible about themselves? NOT ME.

I keep catching reflections of myself in mirrors and cringing. Is that REALLY me in the glass? I barely even recognize the person anymore. I rush past hoping to ignore the vision and then sneak back and cringe in horror. It's like a train wreck I can't get away from.

So, for 30, I'm giving myself a complete makeover. I am going to lose more than the 7pounds I have lost this year. I am going to get a new hair style, some new makeup, that manicure, pedicure and maybe, just maybe some new self confidence.

Oh let's face it. I'll never be able to wear a bikini, no matter how slender I can get again. Stretch marks don't just magically disappear (and let me just say....having a baby that constantly moves and is fairly long ...REALLY leaves some nasty stretch marks!), I'll probably never be flirted with again by guys that look like they just stepped off the pages of an Abercrombie and Fitch magazine...but I CAN feel better about myself. Even at 30. Even at 30. Ugh. I cringe just thinking those numbers.

And maybe it's not so much the fact that I *LOOK* like I'm 30 that bothers me, but the fact that emotionally, mentally and life-wise, I'm not where I thought I would be at 30. I had pictured an entire list of accomplishments to my name at this stage in my life, but I look at it now, and see.....very few of those things that I wanted so badly.

When did turning 30 "happen"?? It seems just yesterday I was turning 19. Life keeps flying by so fast and there is never enough time for those things that I feel are important to me, as my own person.

I'm sure my husband thinks I'm headed for a mental breakdown. He keeps catching me sobbing and bemoaning the coming birthday as though it signals some kind of doomsday for the world. Surely someone else has had this reaction to 30??

Weekend Review..

It's been awhile since I've blogged. There has been so much going on and so little has changed at the same time. If that makes any sense.

My mom and dad came down Friday night to watch the girls all day Saturday while Adam and I attended a Home Stretch class for First Time Homebuyers in St. Paul. You may think that is silly being we already bought a house, but it's required for us to take advantage of some programs available. Since we don't qualify for any of the first time homebuyers money or anything like that - this was the one thing that we could do. We'll end up getting 20% of the interest paid on our mortgage back in our tax return [each year] we own the house. It made sitting through a nine hour class, reviewing things we've already gone through, a little easier.

Adam and I both agreed though, if we were just starting out and took that class, we would have given up right away. Buying a house sounds so much scarier than it really is. We were glad to have the extra "review" of everything, but I have to admit, the last hour or so I was really started to nod off. A few other couples or people I should say were in the same situation we were, already having a purchase agreement and closing dates set. For others, this class was their first step. I wonder if they were scared? It's kind of like lamaze classes. They either scare the crap out of you or make you want to hurry up and get it over with. Maybe this class made them want to jump right in and get started, who knows.

The girls seemed to enjoy their time with grandpa and grandma. They were playing on the playground when we got home and all their toys (that haven't been packed yet) were spread out all over the deck. It looked like they had a blast. They were both in dresses and Alexa had her hair in braids. My mom said Lillian even went poopy on the potty chair. What a thrill.

Needless to say we were ALL wiped out. Grandpa and Grandma were exhausted from all the playing, dancing, book reading, doctor playing, ect. and Adam and I were mentally exhausted from the information overload of our class. Adam got started on making tacos and rice right away for dinner and then dad treated us to a Sonic Blast for dessert. We walked over there and sat outside. It was a little chilly, but gorgeous. We walked through out townhouse complex (a.k.a. the "ghetto") on our way home. My parents were really able to see what a crappy place we've been living in for 2 1/2 years. The people living there don't care at all about anything really and it looks pretty trashy. It's not a safe place for us to be raising our girls.

We all collapsed on the couches when we got home and popped in the movie "Paul Blart - Mall Cop". It was pretty good. Kevin James is awesome!

They left after breakfast on Sunday, as my dad had to get to work at the golf course that afternoon. We were able to pack a little and then take the girls to the park after Lilli's nap. The weather was pretty much perfect. Alexa is so proud of herself for being able to pump on the swings all by herself. She will show off to anyone who will watch her. Lillian likes to swing too, she lays her head back, closes her eyes and just relaxes with the wind blowing in her hair. Afterwards, we treated the girls to Sonic again. We have to take advantage while it's so close, cuz when we move we'll most likely not venture off that way very often just to eat Sonic. We sat outside again and Lillian snuggled onto my lap (scared of a Harley Davidson looking couple) and shared a butterfinger blast, while Alexa ate an icecream cone and Adam a grape slushy. We took a walk around the lake after our treat and found a couple bouncy balls along the way. The gentleman's yard in which they were in said we could have them. He said they weren't his, they must have blown in his yard by mistake and had been there awhile. The girls enjoyed kicking them around the lake. We stopped and let them play at the park a bit before we took a trip to Farmington to drive by our house. We wanted to see if they were busy moving and had been keeping up the yard. The yard looked pretty dry..we need rain SO BAD!!

We ate dinner and gave the girls a bath when we got home and then just kinda relaxed a bit. Then wouldn't you know we decided to get back in the car and drive back to Farmington. We aren't excited or anything..ya know. Ha! We drove around the house, it looked pretty dark. I don't know if they were sleeping or gone for the night. We also saw this family a few houses down watching a movie outside. They had a projector aimed at their deck. SO COOL! I immediately made note to make friends with them once we get moved in. How fun is that..bon fire in the back yard, sprawled out on blankets or lawn chairs watching a movie. A re-invention of the drive-in movies, that's for sure. All I know is I want to be a part of it.

The girls fell asleep and Adam and I quietly argued about "paint". What colors, where to paint..ect. Ugh! I feel like we avoid the conversation, because he has his own ideas and I have mine and we know they both clash. He accuses me of wanting "my" way all the time and I accuse him of it always being "his" way. We both agreed on one thing and that was to let our dear friend Sara decide. She, well actually her husband, so kindly volunteered her services. She will be coming over after work on Wednesday (the day we close) and help us figure things out. Little does she know...she's going to figure itl ALL out for us. Ha!

Happy Memorial Day!

I personally enjoyed the extra day to sleep in and so did my kids. All four of us cuddled in our bed for a long time before we decided to get up for the day. We laid around, watched Regis and Kelly and part of The View and then got up and got ready for the day. We took the girls to the park and enjoyed being outside. Another nice day, a bit windier, but nice. The girls made a couple friends at the park and played hide and seek with them. Alexa and her new friend Hannah had something in common to talk about, too. They are both "moving". Hannah is moving to Atlanta. They shared stories of all their toys being boxed up and ready to be moved.
We ate lunch when we got home and laid Lillian down for a nap. My intentions were to continue packing, but I just felt like being lazy and ended up falling asleep by Alexa on the couch watching "Enchanted". Even though I didn't sleep really well, I rested pretty good and it gave me just enough energy to get up and pack. We made another huge dent in our stuff and every day the pile of boxes gets bigger and bigger in our den. Soon you won't be able to walk in there. Alexa and Lillian love to crawl through the maze of boxes and find the smallest of areas to hide in. We lost Lillian once for a few minutes and found her squished between some boxes, just sitting there reading a book. We only worked on packing for a few hours, but boy did we get a lot done. The girls could not have been better helpers. Alexa labels all the boxes and Lillian, well, she helps, too. I feel like I have things organized with each box labeled with what is inside and where it needs to go in the new house once it gets there. I'm trying to make it easier for me to unpack and also for the people helping us move know exactly where to put the box. Organization!
We got lazy again after dinner and sat and watched the Bachelorette and then Newlyweds before going to bed.

There are some people I have to thank before I close here..

Mom and Dad - THANK YOU SO MUCH for all you have done for us. You know what I mean! PLUS, a HUGE THANK YOU for watching the girls on Saturday. I hope you enjoyed being with them as much as they did with you. Alexa wants to show you again how she can pump by herself on the swings. She is so very proud of herself. She can get herself going without even a push.
Your love and support is what has gotten us where we are right now.

Benski - You are a beast!! We appreciate you being here for us so much. It's so nice having you close by. You help out with the girls when we need and we are forever thankful. A thank you in advance for helping us move and again for watching our precious babies. We're going to miss you this summer.

Rachel - You are the coolest office manager (besides me-of course). You've gone over and beyond your duties to help us out and make the move to our new house so much less stressful by getting us out of our lease and being so patient throughout this whole process with us. You ROCK!

Vic and Sara - You guys are so awesome. We could not have asked for a better realtor (and his wife). You've made the process fun and we've made life long friends. We love you!

Barb, Mike, Rich, Shelly and everyone else we've been so gratefully been in contact with the last few months - We appreciate all your help, advice, support and kind words. You all have made our home buying process so easy and fun.

And to ALL our family and friends...especially Linda, Juan,Dre, Tyler and Tiny for helping us haul all our stuff to the new house. We appreciate your help in advance and all your hard work moving. Tiny - this will be your 3rd time helping us move now? You know our stuff better than we do! Ha!

Thanks again for all your love and support. We love you all!! God Bless you! :)

Ok.......does anyone else feel like I just won an Academy Award? Sorry for the long speech...but we really do appreciate you all and everything you've done for our family.

Love, Dawn

Hawaiian Day

It was Hawaiian day at school last Friday.
Alexa got all decked out.
They had a BBQ picnic outside and learned how to Hula Dance.



Deals on Simple Shoes

I know, I know. You guys see me post about Simple Shoes all the time. I love them! Well, they currently have a great sale on some of their winter shoes! Buy now and keep 'em in your closet until fall. I just bought these for Scott:




Last fall they sold for $120 or more. Now they are $19.90! You can't beat that price, folks, especially for shoes that use recycled materials and are made in an environmentally responsible way. Hurry, because the sale was only supposed to be through Memorial Day. I had no trouble buying them this morning, but who knows how long it will last! They also have several cute women's shoes on sale, too!

Moments. Sweet Moments.

f
Berfoto dgn heboh saat jam pelajaran e
Foto yerbuk pertama. Kami mencari kelulusan di peta. hhe. d
Berfoto dengan ceria dan penuh tawa saat ujian praktek cAbis UAS, KAMI BEBAS! Kami berfoto bersama dengan riang. GO IPAAA!

4141_1141879861108_1050805396_421319_6587995_n 

Pulang UAS, langsung keluyuran hingga malam tiba. Gx jelas yang mana muka syapa.

a

Sehabis foto yerbuk k2. ki-ka: Sally, Uli, Kele, Yenni, gw, Yudith.

b 
abis foto yerbuk mam di kemang bersama.g
Kelas gw yg sangat amat gw cintai. Kami smp diomeli guru karna terus menerus berfoto
saat jam pelajaran.  Jangan saling melupakaaaan! XII IPA 2 yaaaaay!!


WE LOVE XII IPA 2
Sweet memory is something you can’t forget, something you can’t regret.