tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28149806600220356672024-02-19T08:30:58.841-07:00Sanity CheckThe up's and downs, the funny and not so funny's of having a family...and everything in between!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.comBlogger244125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-21213173382729540722013-01-17T04:18:00.003-07:002013-01-17T04:18:57.412-07:00Beautiful Colorado<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: start;">Well, since I've been gone for so long I thought I would post some of my favorite scenic photography pictures of 2012!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM73uVkKtegS-NhW-vYpa1JsgExI-4mjmcUobc1E9C7ukFRcT5Eq6Pgs6SB03YVj17rDd94-paqnoTNbabuaykP8Wf9XsHj1OYbyiw2dnFaCfxhBwoHkeBB4QmNKEZ57RGYhbXuR1wd0iS/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM73uVkKtegS-NhW-vYpa1JsgExI-4mjmcUobc1E9C7ukFRcT5Eq6Pgs6SB03YVj17rDd94-paqnoTNbabuaykP8Wf9XsHj1OYbyiw2dnFaCfxhBwoHkeBB4QmNKEZ57RGYhbXuR1wd0iS/s640/003.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHM1FcYGb1sVx4N4hX1X2vRGQWwnIY5V40dD0-cjt0jp_k4wL6C_gtVEaSeNKV5BbfUmUFUO22zBS4x0mykbERp_OI8Wv69ogTxPuKD3D8i59etwRa1EuCXSv-u7WypbcRVqkRtVk9fBi/s1600/Deni+Jo+Family+pics+211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHM1FcYGb1sVx4N4hX1X2vRGQWwnIY5V40dD0-cjt0jp_k4wL6C_gtVEaSeNKV5BbfUmUFUO22zBS4x0mykbERp_OI8Wv69ogTxPuKD3D8i59etwRa1EuCXSv-u7WypbcRVqkRtVk9fBi/s640/Deni+Jo+Family+pics+211.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunsets from our back door</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_VHj6vRSXwwxBVrBxCmb9a469Pev78-HqJu_plBvwAG6NKSU6CsMkRhVjQ0GsKHGB2ye0GECguFUjArK1Y_lDGDUFAwPJMGUfp0E-bXcCkXr3bHyI9XDB4EybPuhX6Y_NL02iw-1uLIq/s1600/fall+2012+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_VHj6vRSXwwxBVrBxCmb9a469Pev78-HqJu_plBvwAG6NKSU6CsMkRhVjQ0GsKHGB2ye0GECguFUjArK1Y_lDGDUFAwPJMGUfp0E-bXcCkXr3bHyI9XDB4EybPuhX6Y_NL02iw-1uLIq/s640/fall+2012+010.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">beautiful fall colors of Colorado</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnkSzS8ltCfnZaJ33uOs2S4if6_4gS9ZdKk91E2E3j4szcpsD8Or_8NIQYdEXC74jeh5j_ibVELh6UaQlc-VEthDDuwz86rmMpNAYPIVy-eG-LOzL9gn18onsJFYUgIVsKLdF1Al5CMg7/s1600/fall+2012+106+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnkSzS8ltCfnZaJ33uOs2S4if6_4gS9ZdKk91E2E3j4szcpsD8Or_8NIQYdEXC74jeh5j_ibVELh6UaQlc-VEthDDuwz86rmMpNAYPIVy-eG-LOzL9gn18onsJFYUgIVsKLdF1Al5CMg7/s640/fall+2012+106+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clear Creek in the fall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPYaIO0fojm_kVZ4ouVXojOaVVGWFDB6-EztDpoNymvkwA7197Vn0ywHkW838-DF3wRG7_SSy3BA8CSQEGP9DNCmV8L7A05C8uen5Y3kRybhWuQATl2DTTKUb9Ohk2fJfO_lNJjkz8jYJ/s1600/the+valley+019+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPYaIO0fojm_kVZ4ouVXojOaVVGWFDB6-EztDpoNymvkwA7197Vn0ywHkW838-DF3wRG7_SSy3BA8CSQEGP9DNCmV8L7A05C8uen5Y3kRybhWuQATl2DTTKUb9Ohk2fJfO_lNJjkz8jYJ/s640/the+valley+019+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great red rocks</td></tr>
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-37068660845461176802013-01-15T23:25:00.000-07:002013-01-15T23:25:06.435-07:00Where has the time gone?Oh my gosh....I cant believe it's been over a year since I've visited my own blog. How horrible!<br />
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Well not only do I need to play catch up with Sanity Check, I need to play catch up with everyone else's blog.<br />
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What have I been up to you ask? Where do I begin?????????<br />
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Life in general! I went back to school and graduated this Dec. with a certificate in medical billing and coding. Yea me! The 3 boys are growing like weeds and I suddenly have a teenager. Yikes, I know. So far he's keeping us on our toes, but not in a bad way. Just new challenges :) <br />
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All of the boys are now in baseball, so even if I wanted to blog I would have had to find the time. Thank goodness dad was around to coach the little guys. If not I would have had to find a way to clone myself.<br />
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I started working at a "real" job and I love it. Well let me put it this way, I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love the work and the people, but I hate the hours! I'm now a graveyard shift worker. Yup, 5am to 5pm, 2 nights a week. It worked out perfectly as that was the only time I was able to get my homework done! 'But now that I'm done I find myself surfing in Internet for hours at a time trying to keep myself awake. Soooo, I guess that means I better start coming up with some good blogging material :)<br />
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We did manage to take a family trip to California in Oct and it was an awesome week with the kids. For the most part it was stress free and fun. We cant wait to go back but this time in the summer. Road trip? Maybe! Now that would be something to blog about.<br />
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Anyway, If anyone still reads Sanity Check......I hope you have had a wonderful year!!!<br />
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I will try my hardest to come back on a weekly basis now that life has slowed down (only a little though)! I may even decide to make some changes to the name and the way it looks, so check back often!<br />
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Hope to see you soon,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdmOAmr17g_j8JQKqpSf77JUhp3jhWN8NUgEofrJJFVhv3jGDtIAL2TpF4FrgzmSR-Nep61wjPzem-2_uFV4mzGbAPSzC-WLU2PVbatJ3holBZ8ZgHZgzkzKnKS47EOQtnyOfPjDrCQhPz/s1600/cali+day3-4+140+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdmOAmr17g_j8JQKqpSf77JUhp3jhWN8NUgEofrJJFVhv3jGDtIAL2TpF4FrgzmSR-Nep61wjPzem-2_uFV4mzGbAPSzC-WLU2PVbatJ3holBZ8ZgHZgzkzKnKS47EOQtnyOfPjDrCQhPz/s640/cali+day3-4+140+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
NicoleNicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-89394401429060201612011-12-24T16:01:00.003-07:002011-12-24T16:45:40.013-07:00Merry Christmas Eve!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hJh4jhWMQRr_V2YF8uWlzRMMESfFe-oCl0YHFpo_sDtxbmSxRNsAns0XYlBHCN1i8Lyw896w57Xc0-NHj6mUIPpXIXOqCPbw84EzYWeh2JVa-XFX5ZqSJuY5pvLkF2OcdkSFfdPzXqKN/s1600/Gabbert+Family+072.JPG"><span style="color:#000000;"></span><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689844763808184306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hJh4jhWMQRr_V2YF8uWlzRMMESfFe-oCl0YHFpo_sDtxbmSxRNsAns0XYlBHCN1i8Lyw896w57Xc0-NHj6mUIPpXIXOqCPbw84EzYWeh2JVa-XFX5ZqSJuY5pvLkF2OcdkSFfdPzXqKN/s320/Gabbert+Family+072.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Well it's here! Are you ready? The shopping, wrapping, cleaning and cooking all took weeks to get done and now the big moment is upon us. Santa will be arriving to fill the tree with gifts and goodies. Then the frenzy begins....all of that work over within just a few minutes! It always amazes me how fast Christmas morning comes and goes. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">LOL</span> </div><div> </div><div>The Sanity check family wants to wish you and yours a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year!</div><div> </div><div>We will be spending the holidays at home this year. The hustle of going from home to home is exhausting! So we decided to make it a really low key day. Only one stop and dinner. Just the way I like it :)</div><div> </div><div><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Soooo</span> Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!</div><div> </div><div> </div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-59266940507594887002011-10-07T12:41:00.009-06:002011-10-07T13:06:22.922-06:00lately.....<div><div><div><div>Obviously blogging has not been part of lately......but summer was just to fun to even think about it. Seriously, for awhile there I totally forgot that about my blog. We have just been so incredibly busy that I just gave up on it. So today you can glimpse all that we have been up to in the past 10 months.<div><div><div><div> </div><div>Let see. Pools, baseball for 2 kids, birthdays, Iowa road trips. The kids started school in August. I started college in August. I started a new job and the hubby is working double the hours that he used to! did I mention breathing in there...? No? Oh well, I dont have time for that, or sleep!</div><div> </div><div>So here are some photos of our year up unti now!<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660827886253534002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWj9Rgp_egd5oR_ayubEzicwoavLWE2uNDpjeYM6tIL_zbGjlr4Z84-pwXr0vAW7zfApjD7vcy5kb292SgSBSE-qnft0_n_6UjHUg6_vstUraEknmnuLsFla-AzvhyJGRpID3c70MVqk9D/s320/more+Iowa+057.JPG" /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660826735616215810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAblBFY2wFgKXdo7SBVPflTlZUh1JbAEV0mefL6pZQSu3HhkbVu7_wL4n49Y89oyBwbqGIbdEdyO3kRYqixsgfYIRN4PTtqbG-CnE1SZmHkdK11rc8FllhySoRjrWf57Myn4q5l4yYxZUt/s320/095.JPG" /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 309px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660825519598675922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyL00fAZDGgtyIl2wY9zK2NOrOIAXUNg5a_zLe3oRgzJCECdkBWqexyI_6korQwjc1LhJ8eFKWDRqlFb2HSgYC9pwjcNLo5r0AqPfCJxKgtHselaTZKV7sxhYk02enMfcipcVZX4HENqbi/s320/060.JPG" /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 214px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660825150892935250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhw-GTHLO4-HMLIoV_rAPX0vfLtyCOZKw4MSm7hJaraIUe5goXvf7RuK4cILRwnM50pvOxDdT5Aen6XBZOOkLubmRx9UH49lbRCkEW6ik_xUa86UpLnCOTCGt5y4pUThByIiIU4-ZE9hx/s320/summer%2521+172.JPG" /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660824582628110834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUBE3C9Yd6a3KTQS9YxtIMew1C1elJWKSGO729Tz8MsqXHQ5iIZ7MSgnnbHrv-AgQi86-8QJg7rtWCS4lhs8lZRJo8ykwUWIJWWaB8iMiLMTGWxq0duN7yewx3djCgSGXsXpZ62qIsFda/s320/bandimere+074.JPG" /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 214px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660824096661805298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBihJUhP7dgz4-7fb0zC72-5zKn2qM4YXP0LD7uAAvRoXJeLPWylvJZ5WSMZhyphenhyphen_S07y5p0RzpUKICAhmg9iCyAxHFTVKHQ9Au-BgO04JYQtZTCrx62HPpwOIFEZBsAbkNs_rOHbjBMcia/s320/118.JPG" /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 267px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660823677086522242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj849Ef_zetGeOWr6k1D3pQaNcUnuM9EyZyNqs4n5mB93BlZV7tiwG7FUA7KPV76gaHQdvDBJ5sVJqpCUQ4ULNoAxwGT1g_KkOxPCASpi29NdIEzMZNYga83UIVZXQ3mklvH9BwUVfL_uR5/s400/fall+fotos+2011+107.JPG" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-34575399015303202282011-01-07T18:56:00.004-07:002011-01-07T19:45:10.426-07:00Finally.........the review!CSN Online stores asked me to do a review and I said yes. Again! I thought I would take advantage of it and kill two birds with one stone. <div><br /><div>I ordered a Foosball table for my son for Christmas. He has been asking for one for the longest time but I never did say yes, because we don't have the room for it. Seriously....we're bursting out of our house!</div><br /><div>Anyway, I found a table top Foosball table that is more manageable.</div><br /><div>It took less than a week to be delivered and about a half hour to set up. No problems with the delivery, but the set up was a little difficult. The screws that came with it were stripped, and the bottom of the table is pretty flimsy. Other than that, I think it was worth the money!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559640239992492386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NrW5HOF8R6-yogjZu4Fk7prvqy4Cfkp-j1CGqB59q-QpxNx46yzZqZS19V_oAAtGDHfR9LVKXPV0fLnQ1qzTHJII06rYHjqPl8Q5gNAmxDvV-tHimkxN8SglAIrUo0eSiMY6oPuo0xk4/s400/Christmas+2010+121.jpg" /></div><br /><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559639331308332578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXP7xEBAjM8d-HxMQm29UoDWlhpJyINJvNtp3aQo2WAho_KYYlnpk2sSbdiOOq0ojXAUQwTuoPlHRcyceidc79TIDjR3arAsJVB1vl4oNKrYwaiTfBl1awKWRnll0PyzblUtyXejyUbQY/s400/Christmas+2010+120.jpg" /> </div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-43336923416273776432010-12-22T11:14:00.005-07:002010-12-22T11:23:45.101-07:00Eclipse From ColoradoSo I managed to stay up with the moon and I got a few really good shots. I was FREEZING so I didn't get that many and I was struggling with finding the right setting on my camera. So this is the best 2 that I got. Enjoy!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553573718722986482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2CutwoNe-GSqHn3vqa3kSLGC6jWt0giaydOdTQuiyWXFuuS00ucxJnvav2Wmr-C4cALUgD_1eskFKOKbkzDJIgH2vpS2D64TwUhrk-gRVB00Vj1OGek8CcxVeFMhBGbsqWNm-qR98IeFc/s400/eclipse+041.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 297px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553573456513563794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEC7uIyBCTcSSDAZCplg7OOfxbZGj-85mpeoOb9SPfGl2bl8fu_04JFUVHymCjum6pQwdcgK1efpXGjKtJJ9ffBRRsYY5Gv33veWoeX7AHo0gjEYZeMldiH-b9Qw6_47lbcV_wBduInJa/s400/eclipse+041+copy.jpg" /><br /><p>And....I promise I will do my review, but it has to wait till Christmas day ;)</p><p> </p><p>Merry Christmas everyone, may all of your wishes come true!!!</p>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-50523727692541629342010-11-19T15:45:00.003-07:002010-11-19T15:55:00.511-07:00I NEED TO GET AWAY. NOW.Man, I just cannot believe it is the middle of November already! This year has just flown by. Maybe it's because we are all so darn busy and can't keep track of time. I got to thinking the other day that we need a vacation. soon! I really dont think it's going to happen, with 2 major holidays coming up, but it's nice to dream isn't it? Then when I got to thinking about it, I flash back to our last trip and remember the packing issues we had. It's sad to say but we only own 1 <a href="http://www.luggage.com/"><span style="color:#cc33cc;">suitcase</span></a>! Yep, for a family of five we only own 1. Maybe it's time to buy a new one (or two) and plan a real trip and not just a make believe/in my dreams one.<br /><br />If you could plan a family trip, where would you go? Or if you have taken one recently where did you go and what did you do?<br /><br />I'm up for some suggestions people!<br /><br />In the mean time I'll be slaving away in the kitchen, cleaning, shopping, working and getting no sleep. If I have the time I will get my latest review up for you all to see!<br /><br />Happy Thanksgiving!!!!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-15029895759105719772010-11-03T15:01:00.008-06:002010-11-03T15:29:30.668-06:00This and ThatI'm trying ok? I just cant come up with ANYTHING to blog about.....I'm sorry! <div><div><div><div><div><div><br /><div>It's been a fun fall and I sure with it would stick around for awhile. I'm not looking forward to getting any snow. We have had a dose of cold and it chilled me to the bone. I hate being cold and having to go out in it. If I could just stay inside all day then fine, be cold, snow, hail, rain. Whatever. But the fact is I can't stay inside. I have to drag the kids out and get them to school, I have to go to work and the grocery store and god knows where else. So please, Mother nature, can you just leave Colorado right where it is? 65 degrees and perfect!</div><br /><div>Anyway, we have been up to a lot lately. My photography has taken off and I've been busy every weekend taking family photos. The kids are in full swing of school and I feel like I am so behind on keeping up with them and thier homework, not to mention the oldest and all of his activities.......band, football and now rock climbing team. I need a clone!!!</div><br /><div>So here are some pics of just a few things that we have done in the recent weeks, trip to the mountains for pictures of our family, the corn maze, fall holidays at school, glow in the dark rock climbing competition in Boulder, a trip to the cemetery for fun pictures, Halloween (and a ton of baking for the school parties) and a ton of other stuff that I cant think of at the moment!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535438390015874690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinc1vQmlV9WUQDvtfpmCG1GnqFOAtPUxvVJAKOpwA6XkNGXbHdB3mJhpuo8BaWbgZ-MU7LK4kOmbl8xa44UG8wXHmrGlf-j9FJDWUm9Lo2Ong0wF0YFZmbrIy5wL1ZLOfm_Li7U93Z9UM8/s320/Hadaway+family+015.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535437042490065570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1q21RkIp_ZrwCqJ1g3-K1JDOmWcxGiC5XLzqH8A94eRFVsz_ja8nfOJe2EXeWQncRRGX7SRqyyn_tZYac2QexpSvKLV3EPO4DMVDT20etpVHrUQo6w4Ni3s2Ym8dZWmdHD6RdUFFFRvKS/s320/psychedia+climbing+comp+030.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535435913844997266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8i-X2kTnUil486kUEtIfK3mLDPCy9L40WuvBC1r11p3yNh78p5PQFapVrsJAapYjgWjxOeX_91p_KqH8fdjLUPwJLCvT_IZ6BNSNZWaF-yKrMf6xmxVMgohDjDqzsKNID26OWSXuR_Ej/s320/october+2010+094.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535434823243276130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdSr3OZi3N7vGjv0v8dvtLyeSUDuCLNyGlbKuQdmO5YR-s3tcy4SfFXKbuS3J2meRgA_a2j4Wg_tLengvlASJvZTXPr2OjlQNRuvUfq_CW4dX8FnlfZW-Bdm0sys9e6YeECQjen_zSzXe/s320/mountain+boys+052.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535434466644808610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hF-2ZH2Bk0Eb5e9t_kk-P8SWrAu4ITZd8wOqUKVcc5r8-nXr9s-FfOEKx-qFouYlzRuyFKA-56hIpy48pJovZEJZi0y8unRMhSPG9t28M84G9UITTrLjMRsGW48ztfMSyAmuf9SzD8Nc/s320/mountain+boys+017.jpg" /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535433531119636562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05ez2r4mEDw9aX6H8ChZgGqG1g_BQq5QmoG2ZUVOfBqD0xSb1kE7JLS0954d_DzZ29xcs3kbRQgrM-d9nAQ8LlhdlD1KvM5UKE1GDHQfCZAscEhhp0CmhAEeV1N8w9XvjHauHrLH_WkEa/s320/family+fun+077.jpg" /></div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535433800038233698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSXPhyphenhyphenAtNopdhTeVqweB5O9BIuNi_H1m7imQRthojA04jVaALavF1rskTxnDFZxvdbKts30ck6U462FYtuo9oSlBQWPP-GbIWXzWU79lTtBPK8feiZXWj7zBakL4WVI_QUcpHv3ePODIe/s320/family+fun+107.jpg" /></div><br /><div>So that is it for now, happy fall and I will see you all again soon, I hope.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-18167736396200576232010-09-28T21:19:00.006-06:002010-09-28T21:29:47.169-06:00Wordful Wednesday - Busy, busy, busyI have just been so busy lately that I just don't have the time for blogging and I hate it! But, I will give you a week or should I say month in review as my wordful Wednesday post......cuz who knows how long it will be before you see me again! So, the kids are back to school (5th, kinder, and preschool), I'm back to work at a new job (working at the school). We had an end of the summer tubing trip down clear creek, the hubby and I made it to TWO baseball games for date nights!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522172041819747874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Hu6NEp7XggkGRDnMr8JGaKR2FWaEV7JmkxHtV5FWwwV5CgqiLLCV7gVPBpsT4-TK5mtmpyuHevQFYvG_Zk3SUxE3sZTBmXFXGQ8nox_XvScC0UHCjwIq4vmO7Yf2dxVTbvH8-pix4Ivy/s320/sept+2010+029.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522171010253990386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAf2oLN5gd58l1H8Bt-a1LWL3yufrIQp83oL5W5NxTVwAyzU-aPcTmoe5o4CsbF9CpfIRyn529lnLSTVFLN5trck5w-XMnJ2ZeuEJ-o_Lkx4cnGuKqeTCmFF_N6qOxUihj8SgqhsJ7H6C/s320/tubing+012.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522170438088836594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnCr3nZCfcBs12jEZPWaOxy4nqZtG8YfcNIkdfzAc79JfDOK5hChYjYdC780-Weom-cfCg57ca8k6KzgmxTsfX0bqer4ZCKTpdiyVDRRfC-U4Yy1YQagvAjXu4MtFc8xMsVAa6h-0yQt6/s320/august+stuff+and+maternity+038.jpg" />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-6431351260833019772010-08-25T19:02:00.015-06:002010-08-25T20:04:30.154-06:00Royal Gorge day tripYes, I'll admit it, I've been gone a lot and haven't even thought about blogging over summer break. I'm sorry!<br /><br />I just thought I would stop in and say hi to everyone! I then noticed that I'm LOSING followers. Ooohh dear, I had better get myself back into the blogging world, and quick. Easier said than done, because now the "summer feeling" is fading with the kids back in school and I'm working two jobs, meaning I don't have much time for leisurely stuff!<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>The summer flew by so fast and we did a lot of stuff with the kids. It really was a lot of fun and I was way bummed when the last week of summer break came to an end. As our end of vacation "mini vacation" we decided to go to the <a href="http://www.royalgorgebridge.com/"><span style="color:#ffff33;">Royal Gorge</span> </a>with great grandpa. It took us 2 hours to drive there but it was well worth it. It was beautiful! We took the train that went thru the canyon alongside the Arkansas river. I had never been (on a train or to the Gorge) so it was even an adventure for me. Actually, I think the hubby and I enjoyed it the most! Here are some picture to share with you!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509532349417214930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWQuLf0jlbueCrj2cI_o0J16EgpF0X466mBU4z05-OcRPtLiwmCXTsjC1dvnXQMFVeFRWtKAHkEv5bt8GDZZGCb99f9iHQTe4lwId0FfOOQat369yVdIJaQGxSE7ElBpoYf6qdpRluFKg/s320/august+stuff+and+maternity+032.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509531175196136962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjeqS0gEH5Buy82cZenfLjs54zAqb4_WZea4b97SPVe9rxsoA76jkIBydvEq4wNHDJ4w6SLdgg41wgdRVqNVDTr9D25wwPkr7ZxT_BEiFxCWUTUSfGa3zc7i7xyoZh5yIqIZPSA-0uUGQ/s320/august+stuff+and+maternity+102.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509530974024248642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvgxGwEcEZPMRin_D8C2A7fwiEmwemgTgXc4l_VTh_a71J5gF7KnRBua3HgLZNJW5HgF8ifltKbzV4o7qUljuAdepEguoJCFjJRho7ic3J-7Qga-IJts6B4eAD502obICug34MkXgcI6c/s320/august+stuff+and+maternity+099.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509530547334666338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOqmv__6RJxMJ2KfDKsdGxytHeD7GSbfgmFeVX4oq1yTlwoV1zlzDL4RMv3Um_7af7SuWfFIC8renOHL7IJLsu0Hput7GMX22rb6iN0rCjkOm_w3DOS-8POj9AJESmkoUUQ-Q0V-zVBQk/s320/august+stuff+and+maternity+100.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509530305065082930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZyfhRASOL8pMQGFWGa5EF3NzA6TgBdyq-MWqzwxxaRNfXDJub6Wwj0oQWG6ByTKprWUMRENP-N1ALvUL8yNePG_QU7L2Z-a-_ScmW42o79u1dF3WQime8uPGI3ogWkaXB61enFLff05j/s320/august+stuff+and+maternity+101.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509529845543946130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBhcissP9SQWM0wB0gR9jaSIYf1AuqErom7W0WXHP_BQwq6ai-fcALeQQCu2hYGcPufnQbrSpknlbSaOuM0YssimrC1aXYxDYH4R9-XqTci4egoH8DLOs-40VCHIo7NTFvZEo-2Wv-SdFV/s320/august+stuff+and+maternity+146.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509529331346747298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7DRT3ORQZgL_8DaOWJUf8pQaeaxip-YCBJuhpf2L95drGgjgZeVg6ksutxcdc6gzWnjPU2ioNqfgCHJH3-uZMGZJYzEnQflyXBYiB-mtcCfRLaHBfIxLwKeKGHEM9wrCHpDeZaCDfMJD/s320/august+stuff+and+maternity+058.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509529023225698834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0SsTiDvobb-WJUdKNf8Zh_qj4TGJgt7jDDdsvpOV5eip0SfY1XZHFy3vfMn29eatA6obCW4baXci-wq-DbLFMZB9Iaf06_l27U9hx1hVNCJJinXCcFWh8YsRfFfL28MjRbvVXaHfV41O/s320/august+stuff+and+maternity+040.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509528661944028210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEh1tGD9MKbS_uxwYvqDOL1D24dmOloMjHl7CuhkXVaVyodHX2YhV_6PqZojhdl9lFukJiruNK_-MFdyg5j52Q7hJMGW0vtndU7-vxOjdBJZie66PCdkANBPtuUa0DKyBDdPH4HQshYG7j/s320/august+stuff+and+maternity+026.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509528259792910626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLojmhRDPx3I8mthXcu8kCEbfRcLVrXPLxGmTlhdsauV-uaPQCGGGXUEsNePvHhhv1oprTYIOqalMOvHb50w9X_94dZsenI2r5CpTBoaymSgRCHN-eQMKH6SQJpwaoTD_GBZt1xy_C2d4E/s320/august+stuff+and+maternity+022.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509527594286373506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfopkkX4xdBfsHn8x7BwjcL8E_2lcA1SnMy3Q4ouSU3WHJTJHRHt9U64jDdRIi6StdEsVwDxAxWL4Nf_ZpVx1HBwFM7c1rjm5JVwYuU3yDiwSf1d1Knn4EW35Sm3DV0UCn5ohbuRr0_cz/s320/august+stuff+and+maternity+027.jpg" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-33650225366178713922010-08-06T10:35:00.017-06:002010-08-06T11:32:22.579-06:00Colorado Renaissance FestivalSo this post is a little late. We went to the <a href="http://www.coloradorenaissance.com/"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Renaissance festival</span> </a>about 2 weeks ago.<br /><br />It had been ages since going and I thought it would be fun to take the kids,now that they're older and more manageable!<br /><br />We ate....like kings and queens, turkey legs and sausage on a stick. There was so much more but the prices are a little ridiculous.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502344791930758114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAjTfgSF9ZF5v-Us4slTFmNCLlU_pDj-MZFynwNHAh2jl7qMj_tLH8TjoDnho-H44adaZ_aNLUZnrr2q5vM_Av2mRft32gdfBie8pwsdBoMVNbtYkazvepM9TMUin0Jmtk6HMcnkRwUuy/s320/renissance+festival+013.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502344629333976562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5QnpZJweXWXWVHkIqbqCLECdgNc9-ZSS-L7AT6Vhzq8zISxsr7pu6O22lVBY2ASfUxj_wx8LHf7yLUHW6usY87fbSNgMiWmaMkOiZ1Nmhhp13-L08knh_1H3EjGQ78U1RlS_EyrbLxUT/s320/renissance+festival+011.jpg" />We did have a lot of fun walking around, playing some games and people watching but the best part (according to the kids) was watching the jousting tournament. Jax couldnt understand that it was only pretend, he thought that the poor knight was really dead after having his throat slit!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502343818496687442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilX_IUKFJ_FkGZwwe5H5BZRJPPKtnRI-3hWSPu1h_Po4zvV2juSNmA6lANJZgy0RIoHqW9FEQcdGUV65bDQ1eAnmTBMCCqCoan-xWAOXlIuSTYWmZmgMTuwyk0CypdedvAH1w_7jAZvXcP/s320/renissance+festival+144.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502343598333512322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QK0qiOMqKCSEVFqWT-5lf2okaYKnsXy9ViF7idd_eOzhAMkrX2aU8BVVruEZqvD487okKJkqwB78zXjbYMp2MtN30qTgSV_JTvZ0wM1IPNp76cs86bYLjXy3fChmSbCTEcrL7q7mZcv1/s320/renissance+festival+143.jpg" /> This is the perfect place to people watch, LOL, every walk of life shows up there.<br /><br />You have the die hard mid evil lovers who dress up in ancient clothes. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502340850554492658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6yMimTh9vDW4WEcBfYi7d8uV_3BJx4h4zPegpgW7D-q5j6wLQJ7z_WOPVe2ZnhS93rTVc6hs0tImuMk0TYYHeWjw-f7MnFh3RsLOA7UbTGMhyphenhyphenzUM5_Vkl7nfDkUCF_3P0AdTSM0iynNm/s320/renissance+festival+058.jpg" />You have the ones that have this weird thing with Pirates (I dont think these were in the same era? Were they?)<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502344161958802610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6bXBNaDt8n6xRxqbC53_2hlLWtZVRSOwK7TKv8FMHN8G2-QVgYiXqtqrMl_X90DsR9KvQmUzZerx9L9hEvgmLX_OMt80nQHDtDFGUotAQxYnkmckcg6y7iloCqYHiVtPDfRLNYXpYBxz/s320/renissance+festival+169.jpg" /> and then you had the gothic/Conan the barbarian ones......<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502342200769014034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhserdG91V3_VkGHbQAnK0_J49tc7ioY7DE0F4vakibi2mDteZLpaFESnhJYslnrU1c5lzM56-4hzvd0NUtyUL6F3uPb7FQrq6M2O9OvJ9_AxkT6kDIW94hFwMCgP9pzWbU9Y6HsJ5Rc7dr/s320/renissance+festival+095+copy.jpg" />she was actually <em>really</em> pretty and I had to have a picture of her, but the guys that were with her.....wow.<br /><br />We shopped, even though I had no money to buy and even if I did....I dont think I would spend the money on half of the stuff! <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502347256732151618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZoE93If4OYTmgtoWhLji7-_sv8w1zFNExk0bUMd4SaDQavbVz0AV44mnFaT6SwDgyyAqyk17liriJ0jTHcpTqAPhAh1-MAHWVv9yHoL1rNOxosDkS8-HQIjkanmvbhr8ozZwqe7EmILG/s320/renissance+festival+064+copy.jpg" /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502341424185609506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfKUpe6vr0LNu2yn6x417gTqeQ06wLCPYQxZtn1TRVlrZeKEh1qDMzdtJcT_m77uvaJtZQL4tALx0SaofptH6Gnzz1yNzdIMlp3FgGtFQjiYHReZEAHuqTpvEbijImSpJF3wsv8_Fij9B/s320/renissance+festival+085.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502341116269693538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKH9QWZTnbpEWVscrcQRuWvsx5yG-nBzWh6MC4P09kzI6Vdfg5r1KB2swnQZmwzp9ZFSk5RT-TvRlREX3djPL1kP0CQo0iIT3I12tqkQRYNb7LBr8Kt-SPjQiLtVKbvcFd4D_D7G2_w4A/s320/renissance+festival+062.jpg" /><br />This is the Kings horse, he had a mustache! Not the king....the horse. Look closely!!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502339793498474274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL11DlLVkE13NLfv9cvOY7X_cCemd6Wv25yV8APD6h2dNyy5nSftpcQThHuoPN9R-RpAFhAMqRr2MW9JUxrDqnPfLsVdB5kZEwZXKqmUYyfIIXFm76jApKoNs3pSKEp13f9Z3cUeLYCw_3/s320/renissance+festival+047.jpg" /><br />Entertainment galore! This weird guy was the bell player. As<span style="color:#000000;"> strange</span> as he was, he played some beautiful music!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502340595422199794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHP3w8lyJ5mG4ZDeZ9ZIWjx_XObzy8YpNesW_waH6FYyzZ_JMAOqUcMBB5k_HKvnbr8f1gfUWS5lLe1YfN3Q0t2ABv4ARQlUQ5Sx21gCQNUo50tOGR7dgFe71tm9tgJ9zdbH9RuIBAg66/s320/renissance+festival+056.jpg" /><br />This duo did awesome juggling and acrobatic tricks. The kids were amazed, so that's all that counts.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502346383400345010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAckqdFdSNtxQsBGTZi5EUJG0E_Bdw2CihgviydihXpVYIdf1-Z4QGTnUBpsv__e-AoeShdO56sY7mDGOaUr9c_Zz4wnZUZQr2Mt0ZgpyA6E9Y8DYoBmfZBaZUN3EcSP7gbt2ggC7hSfCM/s320/renissance+festival+186.jpg" /> The belly dancer was amazing. If I could only move my body like that!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502336945877969122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCz02bvWJ2pqWlbX9BE0KqbSdPN59BqgBicKW1_wjMz5uSTh5Lu9xZrmUWsE8GfN3bZZpJgIOVGuuqPayosRBT8nA2DjLEf-0Damz6Gx6CfA0-AbUqIaECyTjcytI9czrpHbBNDKbnE5_/s320/renissance+festival+004.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />All in all it was a fun day! We will go again next year but take a lot more money with us. It definitely wasnt a "take $25 and that should be good" type of trip :)Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-81502069528507446772010-07-23T10:10:00.007-06:002010-07-23T10:36:22.192-06:00Lost in TexasThe Hubby and I made a split decision to take a trip to Bay City Texas last week to surprise his mom. It was a much needed vacation and it was nice not having to think about work or all of the everyday crap that comes along with being home!<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div>It was an eventful 5 days though! His mom was soooo excited to see us sitting in her mothers living room on a Tuesday afternoon. This day also happened to be her sons birthday, so it was a little extra oomph. Yes my sweet hubby decided to spend a whole day traveling with his family for his birthday. We were up at 4:45, on a plane at 6:30 with a 2 hour flight and a 2 hour drive all to see his mommy and he loved every minute of it! The kids did too. It was their first time traveling and flying on a plane. So they took in every moment of it and they did awesome!!! We were so proud of them.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497140861661325074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNn0G2Rl2opSIEyU50E792_Gtf8QmPSOgop2OhNHps4NwjeJ6uikKHH6WQMj8CI5dimPT9gYLhpsBPKxduP0p1Q7D-_QytoQBKGz9uUVmq5XIezTMoqzc3X-wP2TFKqV5RhxGHYmoH7VUE/s320/texas+vacation+006.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497140429782198690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmunfP8AGyqPAVrDxdpuLhl_Sf9JUNl834v6ta8CoCqHd4O4jD_lTX11EWUcYMSHRSLGDrNbMG-qjKuVE1HCSE_m9bqd2oU7A7ERB1z_1RLEzyUuexfudftDVwqG6nAblMfRp2BdDDBvN/s320/texas+vacation+005.jpg" /></div><br />We spent 3 days at 2 different beaches and only had one incident......Jaxson got stung by a jellyfish on day two. Yea, we didn't think we were ever gonna get the poor kid back into any sort of water ever again. It was very traumatic for a 5 year old! But....he did go back in on day three and he had a blast. Luckily there was no sign of the oil spill. I just wasn't expecting the water to be so murky. It was fun though, I loved watching the kids find seashells, play in the sand and marvel at the waves.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497139139990374690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDg2quT29C-pCf1Memlm7GNEwnp7JUnMhkM1eFJLP2t7-d7ejMNtoW7gKnx7grtnkmY3ttFAXBv1_6pgRr800HevgZhfpaEFIPUuYVmxNz5h3r_W4whshzMeNgLBvUAFrqou094VBUQ9v6/s320/texas+vacation+074.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497138716706833602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcFiEzIs0ZjMbIXb_EzWFo-EGMAjkgBznTdN3RpRtUxMliXXMSTv89hKcXL2MZN7QDGOQpyv6WnwXxSlgTrnDNYDsbM2gla7DQY1NGfLDleue16esXZ9jmXF7CL34UIU5pd_FH5ncuYeV/s320/texas+vacation+116.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497138362237528018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPqIniafoU-dHPt6YfuI1_CNdFGmMDNFtfEO4XOmJiNmKxZ4e-L6hr7KCigtMFzCSq0cLi5YmX-Y_818qlOuf9hY4yAkC-isWEX8whgmgGpyhHH0Z8tQNOYPobiTHOzQUbz-iGJlA3nqU/s320/texas+vacation+108.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><div>It was a great week visiting with Grandma and all of the other family but it was also nice to get back home. Why is it that you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation???</div></div></div></div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-60271116355189596012010-07-06T23:34:00.011-06:002010-07-07T00:19:16.462-06:00WW- Random Stuff!Wow, this summer is just flying by and honestly I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">haven't</span> even thought (much) about blogging. Even though we have been busy, there still <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">isn't</span> much to blog about! It's just the normal every day stuff and trying to keep the kids entertained. So this is going to be a basic <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">mish</span> mash of stuff, catching up and a review. <div><div><br />A night out with my best friend is always nice. Some of you may recognize her and some of you may not. It's Tasha from the <a href="http://www.thehousewifediaries.com/"><span style="color:#33cc00;">Housewife Diaries</span></a>! It was so nice to sit and visit. Neither one of us get that much alone time. Even our phone conversations are totally <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">interrupted</span>. You know how that goes, you're kids <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> want anything to do with you until your on the phone. That's when they have their most important questions!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491042348609147458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-RW-0hO1zdy05MckU_8UL_L3SKUhgeMF9AW2Dxc_vzsBstFhOkIt9XbgltU3jqhmSVejqMQns_dTCGuh7RpECaet-sv32gnM6G-hqn_3WdmmsEySa_4NsLMSW488Sa3xkfhmCyQTPMz4/s320/4th+grade+play+068.jpg" /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Jax</span> turned 5 and suddenly he's is an old man! He knows all and has become a demanding, full of attitude and emotion child. He thinks he's pretty cool. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491041395686619970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpW_DdakGyiCVkkQRn4Hn0Y4rXGfIcJphQuUEldf5m5RIZKKJbdxYqDMhlpgs5cPgGGNQx1oY66nhR_WPSykIIWPDIPRVXa_eRe5UWbeOU2gWs9C7JT3AUK_MiqBKBfTDj82m5gOjJrsW/s320/jax+bday+011.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491041216589062610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7fxBZyhZj4-udAkVpkAF8H_ZGEF9-lYIZH-etRoETSf8SvrfkVJgykaHHSvDnUhY8uv7SbVSjacUGCMi6MwUc0hyphenhyphenljBeyb9Ini5BVbGFauQwpAyW2N04WjLmORzOqLXRv0sJR7S6BMO5/s320/jax+bday+002.jpg" />I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">received</span> my fountain from <a href="http://www.csnstores.com/ourstores.asp"><span style="color:#ffcc00;"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">CSN</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Onlines</span></span> </a>stores and have had the chance to try it out. So what do I think of it? I think it's cute. It was easy to put together, it's looks nice and it has that a little bit of a trickle sound. Would I pay $60 for it with my own money? I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> think so. I was expecting it to be a little bigger and the light at the top is not really ambiance to me.....it's a halogen light so it casts off that bright purple annoying light. But then again it makes a neat reflection on my kitchen ceiling when all of the lights are off. I am going to have to go out to my yard and find some more rocks to add to it too. So over all I think it gets a 6 out of 10 rating.<br /><div><div><div><div><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491037549730788130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8DpepLeyQm2Z4nZk-g58BamPXk0_PgU_jqDj_bEGmJvBnxVmnBxEn1MOeQsjIVCU8HgtAOW9S4-kjqiHYqd-A53j3DAq-uEspMaaGfqmkzY4pEpfE5FBACzSV1_cxbesChWS886lFrP2/s320/fireworks+072.jpg" /> Notice it stands just a little taller than my hand sanitizer bottle!<br /><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491037308202306098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RrzbkJOUV2YLQ8rTiM2ZJnoGfQCmmNGWDAMgAuqwevtEoORuhThjSENgPi35SDcKmB0junyTdNirAA7j7oDoEBZGxlzxXHTVGNaNgrnKsR0OI7AWIZN5eJCPitcUFBWr4xCXS3_mtJI1/s320/fireworks+065.jpg" /> Fourth of July was just <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">ok</span>. The hubby worked, my oldest was out of town and I took the 2 little boys to a fireworks show on Saturday. It <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">didn't</span> go well. At all. They were terrified and hated every minute of it! But I managed to get a few pictures. Fortunately, they did much better the next night, I wish i could say that much for the weather! By the time it was time for the kids to light off <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">their</span> fireworks....it was raining and freezing.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491036665231029266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZx0GwrEESPIm5ptmFPDaPRsrH5MZhC-6jtqQA6kauNvqhgbvvzAi5XF_4q37e6I202ohySXq9JFahmpZBd-xnbDawJ0-hY57w9U0xOzhmwzVgnZw9-bTwYPYrjfOqcq0ap3VDYNLQScdv/s320/fireworks+164.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491035843144341506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwubVmIwd1Y3HqFTd2H-DzbqnxiaxazxmLMN2n2x1YjnmiWJhvvF7316m4MqsJPYQNIF2Ihszl7TjFSsqMHadq53lzXutZgy0ohZ52ruCduF-qRJpn2yiSx9nJ3Nvz8y7Ur4uq6rSbX8e/s320/fireworks+101.jpg" />Baseball season came to an end and I must say that this year went better than the last few, and we have decided that this is the team that we're staying with. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">Shaymus</span> had so much fun and he learned a lot. So we're looking forward to next season!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491035234190494770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-xFbXGTPeXmpgJhbBwRet3qVgCT-EaTK4UWw6TdmAupDqORekLL_lft9cdbLmEm02QrzuMcck0qFISq9E9Z9LwJ753fYa9EfswxCC3AaFiUchOyOVJtTkhUrR8LBts0ZabP7-ogx7cc4/s320/fireworks+061.jpg" /><br />Well, that's all I have for now! I will have something more to write about in the following weeks. Promise. We're taking a family trip next week, but I'm not giving too many details. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Wouldn't</span> want to ruin it :)</div><div></div><div>So everyone have a wonderful week and happy WW to all. Head on over to <a href="http://sevenclowncircus.com/"><span style="color:#ffcc00;">Seven Clown Circus</span> </a>for more fun and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> forget to say hi to Angie.</div></div></div></div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-90062206508998925302010-06-21T21:23:00.007-06:002010-07-01T08:49:20.672-06:00Gathering up Motivation!Last year I totally lacked any motivation to plant flowers or veggies. Looking back now, I think I'm going to blame it on the weather. We just didn't really have a decent summer last year and the few things that I did do, grew like crap. <div><div><div><br /><div>This year......is turning out <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">sooo</span> different! The weather has been perfect and I just cant get enough planting done!</div><br /><div>I normally would have bought everything at once and been done with it but not this time; it seems like every time I'm out and about I buy something new to plant.</div><br /><div>So far, I have lots of flowers and they are growing so well. My front yard looks so pretty (for once). I also decided to experiment this year so along with the 4 tomato plants I also tried jalapenos, pumpkin, strawberries and mint. They're all growing great and I cant wait to try even more stuff next year!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488949654460014146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H8CO9aL3zX-HWU45vG4abhNRhGGzhEDuZH3M1BEGjVlLOztNV-A2E1vd3-REiO59yFKmc50F8nL_Fy8duceWeDeQ0xd9cAiFQYGqsojKqs8WCTeIYUopXG8RIUXXvWPd6rRvQ1Kyfv6i/s320/day+out+104.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488949318655813314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6jnZsIWxEMseri0M1e9s7d0yB0TO9tdDc9JcbuQlYmBNBo9Jur_K2GUESbGeuNOVrj7JzqjEhv6J1ba423RqI0wQWQDZG3Wstq4jxFLn7rd5lVMdbJUpKUXdPgBYGvdaacI7sMQhf8rf/s320/day+out+123+copy.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488949056825394114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicH9C-DrALrXtC_GBP0wnpPyfydb7Yb1FneikYVwvopNKAAn9PEyn4HIaufb2Jx6tPtaEd7_tvdrv5w6fAuEhLDrNEjc7InwxWC_ZcCykZCerarkHzB_fwVR64H1643WmG9G9sTHfZDUXf/s320/day+out+098.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488948732406336786" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ESeioRqVgK0/TCypyllpDRI/AAAAAAAADLY/feL6lmQeDsM/s320/day+out+100.jpg" /></div><div>Next year is going to have to be a different set up though. It has to be put somewhere in my back yard instead of in containers on my front deck! Originally I had them in the back but the dog was really curious and he ate my bell pepper plant after only 1 hour of planting. I didn't trust him with the rest of it so it has all ended up out front. Oh well, maybe they will do better there anyway!</div></div></div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-8769326960606799772010-06-15T15:16:00.015-06:002010-06-15T22:36:32.112-06:00Wordful Wednesday & Yummy Rice RecipeWell, so far this summer break we have been keeping busy! This week we've been to a gloomy wet car show. Yes, it was very wet and cold the whole weekend! It rained cats, dogs GTO's and Buick's :) <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483225294233138034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1ppghsnXP4MNHkbfA4SLJmWqsJJvmlwq4CpUz-DMsV_y9OVlc3A_be3DI8zY6PS4vKa6Pw_K9mHauPmufNvZFGW3wmLx3K8bduX62x-81ZpVOLa_eIKNkrSajZC0xAuZzuQcdA9jIkuT/s320/summer+and+cars+061+copy.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483224993574851698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOREgZqb0cuZJOx2dQBuFJYe_5r8Ln8O9kTiSCKB4QWIAOQWl9cQRQAIK1Je5EkxfxQF0G53D4TkxeXPBm-LW5t2ZFKv8EeBV78M-yqGM1e-xJW_c1S5i5FNQDzMTa8tbj9wUMVA4sQ_FH/s320/summer+and+cars+017.jpg" /> <div><div>Today we went to Bellview park. I had never even heard of this place until last week. I've lived here my whole life and never knew it existed! Boy have we been missin out. In the park there is a train that the whole family can ride and a petting zoo with your typical farm animals, a creek with little beach areas for everyone to cool off in and a ton of picnic tables to hang out and eat your lunch at! Not only is it fun....it was cheap. $15 for all of us to ride the train once and go into the petting farm. The kids had a blast and whined about going home, so we had to promise to come back!</div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483219940900294866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpce9H5xXzAgOWkYFHteaNjDfHnLJWXORBzmClEgkBCpxmhUicjmV8CunQtC2OLz2H5Jk4Q9jGE06lsoFtXLfd4Ua3A-gRg5m6nGe2cfA2uG-NbwNKTuG0U-DfRDjs_ezyrX56VMj6-a4/s320/day+out+050.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483219605765162850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Nk6j4r4kO1Q5bv475coY-lHE8cpU0uIqe8OJLPNBLvaXIbvWd1HPw7UEaaKOc-UkXU-7MNlOHC4JDOijcc97QFhu_YqmVYPrAShP7IjT_jiIMz1k5eq3Ut-5pTBKWufLGgZupURnx05q/s320/day+out+051.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483219136186369442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyHFr7r4jdV_Wjv2zxlZ5gOQMp_KLVaBEjJu7OPWqdnoIC_sMyP3bty83FN-lj9SRyKB8TjDd6D-4G9JFqrNt4pfppcHubtYSvIsMzCK8WY1v6EMfsiuW_nDxXmhPY6OyBdKEN5Viyu2E/s320/day+out+032.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483218853177842802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHoFl4PPrD1uhnG3tpxTrXEfCv4y2wPxCbfX0KHAng5FbJjW-Z5PhWoiJDETxLKpAOyR6JM_62y7wZ9Ur0ymOxP6j0QLNeRIV4a0VGXz_23k5vlzrmqC91dIniQlrPkKWZqOJEqLc_f1H/s320/day+out+009.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483218491359002386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqzpmEAibQBdLAWmce5YVtgVDDT6EKSfCd0mJO8AIswAlI4qPP2uOz-GYX8DWnGHhUjBIpW8ZNMUrhNbBD3_e4Ry-ey89VTi0APW5apLiZlD2aWMNPQH5-3pxz8QCLzle3KsvjEszQHH_/s320/day+out+094.jpg" /><br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div>We've been doing a whole lot of grilling now that it's getting hot out and even though I didnt want to turn the oven on tonight, I did, because I was craving this dish with my dinner! This rice is so simple it's ridiculous! It's great any time of year and goes with just about everything and it's perfect for potlucks.<br /><br />You'll need the following ingredients</div><br /><div>1 1/2 c. raw long grain rice (I use white, but brown would be good too)</div><div><div>1 can Campbell's beef consomme soup</div><div>1 can Campbell's french onion soup</div><div>1 stick of butter</div><div>1 small package pre sliced mushrooms</div><br /><div>Here's what you do</div><br /><div>Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees</div><div>In a medium saute pan, melt the butter on medium high heat. Add the rice and continually stir it until it turns a light golden brown.</div><div>Transfer it to a medium size baking dish and add all of the remaining ingredients. </div><div>Stir once, cover and throw it in the oven! In 30-45 (check it, it's done when all of the liquid is absorbed) minutes you will be eating the best rice ever! If you have picky eaters you can omit the french onion soup and do an extra can of the beef consomme or leave the mushrooms out. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483216538451285298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpHTs1g30Mzk34rQWtp2yD47hHWsEtoKjo7YXM1GwWZJJvUCnX7dGJPmL2GsaPnCiRdyrbIhBiJpNfOOXY70LSWqyG6Mvf7i3P6VepTvDqk5mx8Dbq7hoR1MaX61w3W9GhYTRl0r-WOGg/s320/day+out+124.jpg" /></div><br /><div>I hope your family enjoys it!</div><br /><div>For more wordful Wednesday posts, head over to <a href="http://sevenclowncircus.com/2010/06/wordful-wednesday-summer-begins.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SevenClownCircus+%28SevEn+cLoWn+CirCuS%29"><span style="color:#33cc00;">seven clown circus</span> </a>and say hello to Angie!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-37775631265482979372010-06-04T10:45:00.005-06:002010-06-07T09:56:14.310-06:00I'm back!!!! With an upcoming review tooWell I know it's been awhile since I've been out and about in our bloggy world and I'm so sorry!<br /><br />Things have been so chaotic around here and it's been one thing after another. We had a little "accident" last month. Our main sewer line backed up into our fully finished basement!!! It was disgusting. Now we're in the process of getting it fixed. So far the lower half of the walls have been replaced, the carpet and tile removed and now were trying to decide if we should put a bathroom in to up the value of our house. Normally it wouldnt be too expensive, but we dont have a rough in already, so we would have to do it and thats where things DO get expensive! I was looking at a <a href="http://justvanities.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">vanity</span></a> and some possible fixtures, just to get an idea of what we may want and still stay on a budget. There are so many options out there!<br /><br /> On a new note, I have been given the opportunity to review a product from <a href="http://www.csnstores.com/ourstores.asp"><span style="color:#3366ff;">CSN Online Stores</span> </a>again! They have over 200 different online stores to choose from. Anything from home decor to mens shoes. So here's a hint of what I will be reviewing.<br /><br />It can be used indoors or out, it uses water and it's peaceful. Any ideas???Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-45218428627036335372010-05-20T14:22:00.009-06:002010-05-20T15:07:21.164-06:00Our new favorite snack/dinnerWell it started out by asking the family the usually 3:00 question....."What's for dinner guys?"<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div>Actually I was making the grocery list and trying to come up with something new to make. My husband answered "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Runza's</span>" and I said huh? He proceeds to tell me that his mom made them when he was younger and tries to remember what's in them. It sounded like a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">calzone</span> to me, but after a quick google search I repeated the ingredients to him and we had a winner. I made them the next night and the whole family loves them. </div><br /><div>So, I'll pass them on to you for your next dinner creation. Actually they work really well for afternoon snacks or food on the go because you can just pick them up and eat em. No dishes required, but I would suggest a napkin!</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runza"><span style="color:#cc0000;"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Runza</span></span></a> - Originated in Russia in the 1800's and it means a filling stuffed into dough.</div><br /><div>This is what you'll need:<br /><br />1 lb ground beef</div><div>1/2 lg onion minced</div><div>1/2 head of cabbage slice thin</div><div>salt, pepper, garlic powder</div><div>the recipes I found called for yeast dough but I used 1 lg package <a href="http://www.rhodesbread.com/products/view/800"><span style="color:#cc0000;">Rhodes frozen dinner rolls</span></a></div><br /><div>Remove the rolls from the packaging and place them on a microwavable plate, "defrost" them for about 45 seconds on power level 3. Just long enough to get them workable. You will be rolling these out flat and filling them.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473458986954400530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kcL5NL5hc0J9knE2MekLX2J8zAMDTGFF85zNnI874V9YlfDsi3cszWAHFLRKo8ZZIYtm41aVL3GfqkKefhl84EQyRIujZVqYGzUUV8JGIxgW8yVV0_PTGXmvdMjL5uXFGVMMHv5qWuNk/s200/basement+006.jpg" /></div><div>In a skillet brown the beef, onion and seasonings. When it's cooked <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">thru</span> and the onions are tender drain the fat off. Return it to the skillet and add all of the cabbage, cooking it until it's tender. Remove from the heat.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473459409624001874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCiivH9siGbIElKZ5GDyWXvCxphi_k3UgpqeCIi7ltLCYyGWQYEtQgPSllXZKvpesUZn_oSbb629kXTjMlPia2bKh-jyF3W3UTWoST4xPRGvErDKM76e4qo6-hUthzf_HDWHRzDHjqtWh/s200/basement+003.jpg" /></div><div>Sprinkle a cutting board or your kitchen counter with flour. Using a rolling pin roll out your now thawed rolls. I use one roll to make take along snacks and I use two rolls for dinner size portions.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473458670920952658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwrAg_U3uA3_CLzVUa12CwjPkn1VaQYVyDaXs6iLb824Kg_dJjnjrqgl9y2cB3qBlEnmFxaMYQ2RjgcLEJuATrS7Y6bYA9oSddBo0mCClxtiT17qzMyQLLFX789nnyXBO4OiMR741Dqbu/s200/basement+007.jpg" /> If you use just one, place a few heaping spoon fulls onto the dough and pinch them closed at the top. If you use 2 rolls place a large amount of filling onto one and cover with another then pinch around the edges to seal it.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473457753884862162" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ESeioRqVgK0/S_Wg09lqJtI/AAAAAAAADHM/qjeePuiWB4A/s200/basement+009.jpg" /> Place them on a baking sheet a few inches apart. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473457244195953090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUx2x_h-NrXAX4cMQbOJ7MJtCc7BjnYUX6AOSRHKenTUlYfejCp5r20z36-IMo3Zl8OOYpdrM7WnZwxZhxXtNowaSxjBZoxvAi9LU6Z3snrVaXpOxNq5o2ekclAX3nBBWI8PxJgcc6mp1U/s200/basement+010.jpg" />Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, about 15 minutes.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473456981152221890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1ax4hgmuAbhLi98PbuBwR_lAF6mfG4VL8YPQ036nohzA7paQ8BPpBHixh1glx-gNMMlr6LVzRqgll_xGXrf3rqHdA9XqRC70aJA4KTgUzK9XUKuaiQ1YuE47PujzH_IzWb2WsuCbts5h/s200/basement+011.jpg" /></div><div>Enjoy!!!! Remember this is just a basic recipe. You can add any ingredients you like.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-91327133648762277422010-05-12T08:22:00.014-06:002010-05-12T08:59:02.999-06:00Wordful Wednesday, Week in Pictures<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroYZNCpbn9BLGmZjMbBfiC7X9GNIKHf9N5xRHZ9qm4YQVRrGpUQX-UHUiJK0ixbTtbtY1yMfIav40C8-laXu6yEiBl7OqyzjlAVcEFDn3eTmxx6TCpO0-RkqkjGOhgy5qL2jFja4pahtm/s1600/mothers+day+089.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470394408465636866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroYZNCpbn9BLGmZjMbBfiC7X9GNIKHf9N5xRHZ9qm4YQVRrGpUQX-UHUiJK0ixbTtbtY1yMfIav40C8-laXu6yEiBl7OqyzjlAVcEFDn3eTmxx6TCpO0-RkqkjGOhgy5qL2jFja4pahtm/s320/mothers+day+089.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUczKve7nHRZs3PdXTmF0yDJsfrr5UdmG6fT0lmroFUrai5LQWexZKatRT_jj7K1msPfH9KcZRWmaRfeHQsnHeiDKrj3lSfxfBOIOniRoVspakB7Q9OPS3zoBiaGYbVSkrKDDMRNM0H7O/s1600/mothers+day+111.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470393355148751602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUczKve7nHRZs3PdXTmF0yDJsfrr5UdmG6fT0lmroFUrai5LQWexZKatRT_jj7K1msPfH9KcZRWmaRfeHQsnHeiDKrj3lSfxfBOIOniRoVspakB7Q9OPS3zoBiaGYbVSkrKDDMRNM0H7O/s320/mothers+day+111.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRz_GbF4HJMbVERUvvnFEtU9pTmB0NwK6VUKi8-4Oh2vgY309Z-lNT-aePPPyoJtBe1VkoWjc9vnQoRwz0QptigPnW0vl1P5c77Kq61llJGC54EgkGRP6_FGwzVukgmeElJQ3MHrul9Tm/s1600/mothers+day+073+copy.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470393191119916450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRz_GbF4HJMbVERUvvnFEtU9pTmB0NwK6VUKi8-4Oh2vgY309Z-lNT-aePPPyoJtBe1VkoWjc9vnQoRwz0QptigPnW0vl1P5c77Kq61llJGC54EgkGRP6_FGwzVukgmeElJQ3MHrul9Tm/s320/mothers+day+073+copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4zXIkQOJN5oqApUCgXC2C5XY2rSHmV8T_yERY9VlYNuf0fKF3mXjJFGUmWccmlOzexrMFe5vyAtmtHthGpcn23tpTr1UkJRMkGkAoCMswOA9FiNhhMhfgBnwK3G8pDHGSlb6tIQeu2lA/s1600/mothers+day+064.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470392970255463698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4zXIkQOJN5oqApUCgXC2C5XY2rSHmV8T_yERY9VlYNuf0fKF3mXjJFGUmWccmlOzexrMFe5vyAtmtHthGpcn23tpTr1UkJRMkGkAoCMswOA9FiNhhMhfgBnwK3G8pDHGSlb6tIQeu2lA/s320/mothers+day+064.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjcVJ_XdMesKsZK-xQAWeOThwr2tgr5qEwYQXPvH8dI3QHbeav6vqvxKI47gu_s0HYkw5sqF2nkwUbFkOTqV2kDkBa6YDDTXpFQgVfk6ALl5ZjpobeQJi9apnTtNknhKAfaeGm3BrWVqz/s1600/mothers+day+060.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 214px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470392804780560546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjcVJ_XdMesKsZK-xQAWeOThwr2tgr5qEwYQXPvH8dI3QHbeav6vqvxKI47gu_s0HYkw5sqF2nkwUbFkOTqV2kDkBa6YDDTXpFQgVfk6ALl5ZjpobeQJi9apnTtNknhKAfaeGm3BrWVqz/s320/mothers+day+060.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUshQwELfpS9zbykY80YeTEFwD6PU2PyLrVElNtRZHH1DFlveBFJgOUEN7-yWpVVSK_tIJFdQqwTsAJ6ikpJNYIqt6jgQkLJpd_tRqWDP9iue51FIkywj6oCo2GwgoGv-lqhrliN_t5eM/s1600/mothers+day+025.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470392602027951186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUshQwELfpS9zbykY80YeTEFwD6PU2PyLrVElNtRZHH1DFlveBFJgOUEN7-yWpVVSK_tIJFdQqwTsAJ6ikpJNYIqt6jgQkLJpd_tRqWDP9iue51FIkywj6oCo2GwgoGv-lqhrliN_t5eM/s320/mothers+day+025.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElon9fVBubc_5FiackToxRfW2abeafHF4TxE5_Vg0RjNTx3t65vUfT3OubyOucJgDoibCh7k1IRCHtR2gvrhjaqWJ-QhX3IFdar4oOkL9AVtjkjRok1zpXlKPdLDLcjUwjXikHBIgmUi4/s1600/mothers+day+022+copy.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470392387032682882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElon9fVBubc_5FiackToxRfW2abeafHF4TxE5_Vg0RjNTx3t65vUfT3OubyOucJgDoibCh7k1IRCHtR2gvrhjaqWJ-QhX3IFdar4oOkL9AVtjkjRok1zpXlKPdLDLcjUwjXikHBIgmUi4/s320/mothers+day+022+copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1I6vyesqL27PHQihQgR6bLT31bKQNOj7QsiqZriAEE7gPHOxa7JW9aX_xyH9-A-7ouqYMLzDHUn7m6w8z-NMJNZzh_gGVkOT06muPIGakZDmyTwF8Drj7hhc1-kewn_3J3WtBfdzpVEy/s1600/mothers+day+004.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470392275485647906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1I6vyesqL27PHQihQgR6bLT31bKQNOj7QsiqZriAEE7gPHOxa7JW9aX_xyH9-A-7ouqYMLzDHUn7m6w8z-NMJNZzh_gGVkOT06muPIGakZDmyTwF8Drj7hhc1-kewn_3J3WtBfdzpVEy/s320/mothers+day+004.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqu4PQNUpfU0DI6_EnwtVE_iELcfdLTN2cGSFxt0KAPJRUJGp_gxoV4aep8sX9mupM3NdxfCrz_SX6yttjLrU6EY5vzHQUepsaDHNLQdkOCNvqUM97wJjw_4Ux45UAwDHXEGWEFNyWe9b/s1600/mothers+day+006.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 214px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470391886152575330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqu4PQNUpfU0DI6_EnwtVE_iELcfdLTN2cGSFxt0KAPJRUJGp_gxoV4aep8sX9mupM3NdxfCrz_SX6yttjLrU6EY5vzHQUepsaDHNLQdkOCNvqUM97wJjw_4Ux45UAwDHXEGWEFNyWe9b/s320/mothers+day+006.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8-_qayfrhpTqCQVsF9qj_9Da6YUaTEdSOfy5Eww3cJPw1USwNZs4-ZnPm8GErJrprIwWh4HLbe6ZZ6w9R9-onY5sxFt3VH5aPhkaxmOo7qwts3QMe-TQe5tYHZHR6aAeYLhlF2pFMpNX/s1600/mothers+day+019.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470391693915840226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8-_qayfrhpTqCQVsF9qj_9Da6YUaTEdSOfy5Eww3cJPw1USwNZs4-ZnPm8GErJrprIwWh4HLbe6ZZ6w9R9-onY5sxFt3VH5aPhkaxmOo7qwts3QMe-TQe5tYHZHR6aAeYLhlF2pFMpNX/s320/mothers+day+019.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Well it's becoming a habit or curse or something because I just dont feel like blogging. Or maybe it's just because I never get a break! I dont know what it is or why but I just dont. So I guess I'm going to do our weekend in pictures and call it a day! yes, all of these pictures are from Mothers day weekend, it was go go go until Sunday night! I hope you all had a wonderful Mothers day.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>So for more interesting Wordful's head on over to <a href="http://sevenclowncircus.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Seven Clown Circus</span> </a>and give Angie a shout.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-89672925715784589392010-05-02T18:45:00.003-06:002010-05-02T19:02:59.268-06:00Back in the Work Force......<div><span style="font-size:180%;">And hating it!</span><br /><br />Yes folks, I got a job. A job that I <em>thought</em> I would love, a job that I was missing all these years, a job that pays an actual paycheck! I love the work and I miss having stuff to do that makes me feel important, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">there is</span> only one problem. I hate my boss. I get along well with everyone, or so I thought. This woman is horrid. She is the most unorganized, scatter brained, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">controlling</span> bitch I have ever met. There I said it. <span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>She is so obnoxious that every time she opens her mouth or even comes to the front of the office I want to punch her in the face!!!</strong></span> That's how much this woman annoys me. Sad huh? So now I have a decision to make. Quit after only being there for a week or give it more time? Somehow I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> think that she is going to get any better or I'm going to hate her any less. Should I just cut ties and not waste each others time? Seriously I could write pages of the crap she has pulled in the past 5 days I have worked with her, but I wont bore you. I guess I just need to make up my mind. SOON. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 210px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 315px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466842554258688082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTf5RBYCKVeu_tb691eZItI8GBxJzd8onOQJBoz8pG5m_S_giZUnxS94vDbQ6FyEgDaFvRlg8PDYf9X1SEc1nFZQ2UVREki_rBByX7gUg-2gbxXvRzT_VtmSnG4wxsKHzCRxC1XEJEhSO/s320/KO_punch_web.jpg" /><br /><br />Until then, have a wonderful week :)</div><div> </div><div>photos courtesy google search.</div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-27706561682254861382010-04-20T21:59:00.006-06:002010-04-20T22:20:22.064-06:00Wordful Wednesday - Learning about DeathWell, as you know our oldest is 10 and he knows what death IS but he really doesn't understand it or didn't until this past weekend. <div><div><br /><div>I was cleaning up the kitchen and went to take the trash out to the garage and as I was coming back in I saw what I thought was a really big mouse sitting just outside the door into my house. After nearly jumping out of my skin I realized that it was actually a very tiny baby bunny. They run wild in the area that we live in so I wasn't all that surprised to see it. What did surprise me was that it didn't make a move to run away from me and when I called the kids to come see him he didn't even flinch when my son picked him up. Right then I knew something wasn't right. I had a feeling that our cat had gotten a hold of him.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462439053331618258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRcYb_kC2YWco9Gs50jsVT1I1VlLyCkPVU1kHhi6LxhFZWC8tbzl-Y1EaaKtKnqoPMTlO0KrVIWxAeV0MGsWr4Jz8XDRBnP8H_5-6-6-eCcaEzT_YCy4Zi2YQP9UEROrGBOve6YYU1uPE/s400/baseball+125.jpg" /></div><div>I told my son to take it out to the yard and we would see if he ran away. Maybe he was just scared and didn't know how to get out of the garage? Well, he didn't move and me being the animal lover decided to take it to the local vet. It was about 8 pm and I knew that there was only one open near us. When we got there we found out that their doctor is deathly allergic to rabbits and couldn't help us! We were on our own.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462438785263023362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSN8U8d2n540pqHoGnwMz0I8Yi585txZJw9GpG-lhSLRaMWoJJTGHSm3jjahWWMsZSWdJPy2CUHptM0Vyg5HEX_W-6knHj0uqhh4WI9M3I2KcDNWdonzw5Jeicz7oSm6VqPtrcjKKhWutY/s320/baseball+124.jpg" /></div><div>We took him home and tried a dropper to give him some water and borrowed some guinea pig food from the neighbor. But the poor thing wouldn't do a thing. He was very lethargic and fading fast. My son was heart broken and I tried to explain it the best that I could. "That's nature, maybe he's sick and not meant to live". I showed him how his breathing was slowing down and that we shouldnt touch him because we didnt know if he was is pain. It was so sad to see my son so confused and angry and upset. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462438525399722834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia76OlTSiYoYA-zD3jfkUeDlTgArFRLbL6w80qtzyRUC80SaH1kp2jBVwRnv0o6RE2cgHUoS4P494tpwg04Mxp_VCO6lY-6sPBpWieaT7RalQJRPBxVIEUXV0tzbM-FmfDgAfOqMP4jMue/s320/baseball+126.jpg" /></div><div>He wanted it to sleep in his room but I wouldn't let him because of the cat. We put him in a shoe box with some warm towels, food and water but it died a few hours later. My son cried himself to sleep that night and I felt so bad for him.</div><br /><div>He now understands the true meaning of death.</div><div></div><div>Well now that I have made you cry :) Head on over to <a href="http://sevenclowncircus.com/"><span style="color:#ff6600;">Seven clown Circus</span> </a>and read some more Wordful Wednesday posts! Hopefully you can find something to make you laugh now.</div></div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-65291803898057797542010-04-19T08:53:00.003-06:002010-04-19T09:22:27.989-06:00A mothers Sacrifice part 3<div>So I left off at the proposal right?!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Well, I was <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">sooo</span> excited about our wedding that I jumped into the planning of it. Within a week we had set a date (October) and it was all I could think about. Now that I look back I'm pretty sure I scared the shit out of him and he started to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">with drawl</span>, but I'm not sure. I do know that I was taking this thing way too fast for a man.</div><br /><div></div><div>We were on a budget and I was working so hard to find the perfect place to have the ceremony and reception at the same time AND a place that would let us do our own food and allow us to bring our own alcohol. It was a chore, but I found it. We put the deposit down and started planning the rest. I found a dress and I was <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">sooo</span> in love with it, see.........<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 244px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461864186190673394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioe1WQmoMQVKMVLu3zwFDc3gpNtziQv9YK8WDNatHHAzo5SXZFWN-oKn2RbLh7FtlFg_eurpoQ9WKAUrQL1NnV0_0i4ZWK40TuRNgw3RfRnqx5qb6vZhbuP7p55raOgcLzKCCcxho4e4bY/s320/mon-cheri-10.jpg" /></div><br /><p>But...... it was $900 back then. I searched and searched and found it online for like $500 but that was still way out of my price range and so I tried to keep looking.</p><p>Well, sometime in the summer my fiance approached me and dropped the bomb. He wanted to postpone the wedding. I was <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">soooo</span> upset and I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">didn't</span> understand why. All I could think about was that he <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">didn't</span> want to do it, was getting cold feet and was scared. He said that we <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">didn't</span> have the money to have the wedding that we wanted. I was confused, but I complied. We postponed it and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">didn't</span> set a date. Everything got put on hold and eventually I got over my hurt feelings and we went on dating like it never happened.</p><p>We talked about our future and if we should have kids or not. He for some reason thought that he <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">wasn't</span> able to have them. Do single guys think that? Just <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">because</span> he had never gotten anyone pregnant, he was sterile? We even moved in together! We found a townhouse in an area that we both loved. It was like we were family already, him, me and our little buddy.</p><p>Here's where it gets interesting........he wants me to quit taking my birth control and maybe see if we can get pregnant. HUH? Now wait a minute, let me get this straight. Were not married and you want to try to have a baby??? <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ok</span>. What he <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">doesn't</span> realize is that I'm so fertile that I can get pregnant just by looking at a penis. So needless to say, it <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">didn't</span> take long. AT. ALL.</p><p>It was October and I just had that feeling. You girls know "that feeling", that one where you just <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> feel like you did last week, that something is just different. Yup, I had that feeling. I was really nervous buying the pregnancy test. What if I was? What if he had changed his mind? What are my parents going to say? I went home and put little buddy to bed and made my way to the bathroom. The time had come and it <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">couldn't</span> wait any longer. I had to know. Why is it after that moment of peeing on a stick that time stops? You sit there for the 5 minutes and it seems like an eternity? And when that little stick came out with a positive sign my heart stopped I think. I was <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">soooo</span> excited and terrified all at the same time.</p><p>Back than and still now he works nights, so I went to bed but lord knows I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">couldn't</span> sleep. I just <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">layed</span> there in the dark watching the clock and waiting for the sound of his car pulling into the driveway. Those few hours were some of the longest I can remember! But I knew he would be coming home and when he did my heart began to race. He quietly crept into our bedroom and put his stuff in the closet and came to my side of the bed to give me a kiss. He was very surprised that I was awake. All I said was "hi daddy". He thought he misunderstood me so he said what and I repeated myself and told him to go look in the bathroom (where I had left the pee stick). It took him a few minutes but when he came out of that bathroom he had the biggest smile on his face ever. Even though it was dark, he was glowing and smiling from ear to ear.</p><p>That was the day before our original wedding date. I knew that we should have been married and I started to feel that it was the right thing to do and it needed to be done. Now.</p>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-12509030273126808112010-04-14T09:00:00.008-06:002010-04-14T09:24:04.152-06:00Wordful WednesdayDo you ever have those moments where you feel like being silly and getting a hard laugh at your kids expense? Of course you do! My mom and I did the other day and I laughed <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">sooo</span> hard.<br /><br />My son started showing my mom the silly faces he could make and I thought I would help him out by pulling out the scotch tape, and then my mother got her idea and it slowly progressed..................<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460010667299873106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL59CeYY-LzslMT6OJQ7aTP9LdjQwtjKbGnH2UlypBIeOWBmLwVGjUMlzoGxlCWJndlPiBud-5Cs-wQQNJbh5Kt3Rgq3b0CcHCFTkdBCXKckNuQ7Ee2vcTrJTiSazV0t5mKoNVjSVuwFTA/s320/easter+pictures+077.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460010503324807330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-Ul49vK9OAp0-WLmhhAoa4XTOtLEAnypEm-NaX_ElMifL-QP02TtS2wRpwEC1jGevFd4crAcDqBNq0wzkNAXTilVP0YNNVMXAyrEi-qFtAD-TzAESaoic4KwZPMtuBDp2ch-D577ptx9/s320/easter+pictures+078.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460009972030119058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9Zn6laYKWb2myG0wyYz1_LAb9oyiCHrVUKi549kkE-hhssA6xek5u2FAEZ6w1lOVkv10eF0Y6XbEJGiyvfoBhGZnnomXaqk42j2gCHQRMfl3m1UBgCL9SODvwW43ygsvBHNn_FyHkkzC/s320/easter+pictures+081.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460009786915217442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5y32om2OdpI2shvID3hKSXHgcwOjSCWGzadJ9YMqKLFIlvzesI2G_gEQ0R-jlbRSLiEYq6Qp6S3NIx96WXpEbSLP-yQ91Uy5BafrwiyjOAob1rdEzVGstesWdlv-tXmA1fZ3OvwZrJRxv/s320/easter+pictures+082.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460009428325277906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHgUA_3gpuAMn0QhXq9NqIDhiTTI122aXywHW6ECPW6kQM5xL8dQr75BW8degXDs3EfBAFpZK0N1ogYx1pntoBRY1kdmXs8kfaymH29B1SugytN1b0CTKOaVrFiukLxrI5q2uXzs4xEr5/s320/easter+pictures+087.jpg" />So, that was our fun for that day!!! Arent we bad? My son thought it was the funniest thing ever and I LOVE to listen to him laugh, it's the best sound ever.<br /><br />For more <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Wordful</span> Wednesday posts head over to <a href="http://sevenclowncircus.com/"><span style="color:#ffff00;">Seven Clown Circus</span> </a>and say hi to Angie. She has a ton of people participating so you're sure to find something good :) <div><div><div></div><div>Have a wonderful Week! </div></div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-43894922445976114342010-04-07T09:11:00.004-06:002010-04-07T10:14:50.108-06:00A Mothers Sacrifice, part 2<div>So, where were we? Oh yea, now I remember.<br /><br />I gathered up my courage and called that guy. Now don't be misunderstood about this guy; he wasn't just <em>any</em> guy. We had been acquaintances since 7<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> grade, my best guy friend was his best friend and we used to hang out every so often. Heck, we had even kissed before......playing a game of dare that is! I had had a crush on him and his best friend had a crush on me and who knows who he had a crush on. It was junior high after all. So now that you know our history you know that it just wasn't a spur of the moment type of decision for me to ask some random guy to be my date. There was a method to my madness!<br /><br />I don't remember the exact conversation and I don't remember it being awkward, but he did say yes to the date. The next thing I do remember is meeting him at the zoo with my son. We walked for hours and talked about random stuff, and it was a nice day. I remember thinking that he would want nothing to do with a girl who was still married (I was only <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">separated</span> at this time) with a 2 1/2 year old kid but it was still nice to just hang out and have a friend.<br /><br />The day of the wedding came, and I spent it getting ready with the bride and brides maids, I was <strong><em>really</em></strong> nervous. So here we were all dressed to the nines, walking into the church and I saw him, and his expression. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">LOL</span>, his jaw dropped and he had a huge smile on his face. I'm sure mine was bright red and I was unable to speak out of embarrassment! He picked me up and gave me a hug.<br /><br />We all made it through the ceremony and since it was a blizzard and freezing outside he made the decision to drive me to the reception rather than us driving separately. The whole reception is kind of a blur and the next thing I know were at an Irish pub downtown drinking Guinness with the bride, groom and friends. I didn't think that my date had been drinking but later on he did admit that he had no choice because he was so nervous! Well I wont mention <a href="http://thehousewifediaries.com/"><span style="color:#3366ff;">her name</span> </a>but she kept at my date and he finally got up the nerve to kiss me. It was the best first kiss ever!<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457429687711854418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZuLEUtzBqXLd0FYP0-MON_wwqwo-vwuDDNpbursjwEU4f2AKh-2FS-PYuGDWDFLeQG0cdv3lr4VT7eHG0k4uz10gadCcGntwDx-coOUtDbDNAKzZS1eRzAAnEnzreRqUNIM7LDIbmJLj/s400/20177_304438726096_566706096_3911914_628412_n.jpg" /><br />Well, from that day on we were inseparable. He worked nights, I think, and we lived at opposite ends of town but we spent every possible moment together. He adored my son and my son couldn't get enough of "Justin". That's what he called him for weeks, because I had been hanging out with a friend with that name before we had set up our date. He was annoyed by it and I thought it was hysterical. He still gives me crap for it! Anyway, we went to movies and dinner, made out on my parents couch, played pool and all sorts of stuff. He even babysat for me while I was at work! When we weren't together we were emailing back and forth and I wish I had printed them out and saved them. He was a total romantic and we both knew that we were meant to be. It hurt to be away from each other. It was just, perfect.<br /><br />He grew up as an only child and for the most part it was him and his mom. So coming into my family was like culture shock for him! We always had family parties and get <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">together's</span> that included like a million people. He loved it and I loved that fact that he felt like he was part of a big family.<br /><br />After a year of dating we were really serious and Christmas time came. We had made plans for him to come to my parents after work and spend the night on their couch so that he could spend Christmas morning with us. I remember him getting to the house at 2 am and he was acting funny. Not really funny, just fidgety. We all woke up early (he was exhausted) and he gave me my present. It was a new 35 mm canon camera and I LOVED it. But I was also really disappointed. I had thought he was going to propose and he didn't but I wasn't going to let it show or bother me; I was just happy that he was there and he loved me.<br /><br />Three days later we were out to dinner at a Indian place and he just couldn't hold still, didn't have a lot to say and it was kind of awkward through the whole night. It was late and we were both tired and decided it was time for bed. In the dark, I got undressed and was just getting into bed when all of the sudden he got down on his knee and proposed. Yes, as I stood there in my bra and underwear he asked me to marry him! I of course said yes. Yup <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">that's</span> what I get to tell people when they ask me how he proposed. I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">wouldn't</span> want it any other way.<br /><br />So over this time the only thing that was on my mind was love. I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">didn't</span> sacrifice anything. I had my child and a man that loved me no matter what and he loved my kid no matter what. I did go back to school and took a class or two and I had an <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">OK</span> job. Life was good, we were good and then came the time to plan a wedding........................<br /><br />Stay tuned for part 3.</div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-8587860779726750152010-04-03T21:06:00.007-06:002010-04-07T10:11:24.740-06:00A mothers Sacrifice, part 1Many of you bloggers are mothers, and I think some of you can relate to this story. This is my journey (all of the ups <em>and</em> downs).<br /><br />I made the choice to have kids, in making that decision I also made the decision to give up anything that was sacred to me. My freedom to come and go, any chance at a career and also an education.<br /><br />It all started in 1995 after graduation, when I said I was going to take a year off after high school. Well that was 15 years ago. Don't get me wrong, I went to college. A community college on and off for 2 years. I was working and having fun. I also had a boyfriend. When you're young, you don't think rationally and when you're in love you really don't think rationally! So after a year of dating we made the choice to up and move away to Arizona. We were sick of the cold and were ready for a change.<br /><br />Well, 9 months into "playing house" our game became reality when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. We decided that the best thing was to move home and be near our families (actually I was really homesick) for help and support. So we packed up our stuff and moved back home. We both worked and as I got bigger my boyfriend took on more financial responsibilities and I cut back on working. Our baby came and I stayed home to care for him while my fiance (he proposed when I was 9 mo pregnant) worked nights and overtime trying to make ends meet. Coming from religious families we were expected to marry, especially by my family. I felt like I HAD to get married, even if I knew deep down it wasn't the right thing to do. But, we did and we were kind of happy and then somewhere between the wedding and the baby's birthday, the shit really hit the fan.<br /><br />After 6 months of marriage I found out my husband had turned into a drug addict! Now, let me explain, I knew that he smoked pot and I started to notice that things were, off. Not really things, he was just off. But it didn't occur to me that there was something seriously wrong. Yes, I was naive! But things did get worse.... he spent all of our money, went missing for days at a time, lost his job and became verbally abusive. But I stayed, and I kept trying to figure out what to do.<br /><br />The straw that broke the camels back came one Summers day when I left the baby home with his dad while I went to work. I called a few times to see how everyone was doing but I always got the answering machine. I got off early that day and made my way home. When I walked into the house it was dead quiet and I assumed that they were napping. I made my way into the bedrooms only to find that dad and the dog were the only one's sleeping. I looked for the baby but I couldn't find him. I started to panic and frantically searched for my child and I did find him, he had crawled out the back door and was playing in the baby pool that was full of water. I stood there frozen with fear. All that was running through my head was that he was safe and oh my god I could have found him in a much worse way. I was angry. I have never felt that kind of anger in my whole life. I held that baby for just a moment and took him inside, put him in his play pen and woke my husband up with my fists. He got very violent very quickly, I called 911 and he was arrested for domestic violence and child abuse. He denied that any of ever happened. I left him that day and moved me and the baby back to my parents. For a year and a half we tried to make things work, he went through rehab and went to AA meetings, I even went to Alanon meetings just to make sense of what we were dealing with. We went to marriage counseling and did interventions. But in the end, I was the only one trying and eventually I filed for divorce. I just couldn't forgive him and I was so hurt and angry that I knew in my heart that it was wrong, we weren't meant to be together.<br /><br />The drugs really took their toll on us, he would disappear for months and come back, all the while blaming <em><strong>me</strong></em> for our failure. He blamed me for him starting to use the meth, he blamed me for him missing his sons first birthday, he even blamed me for losing our house after he spent our rent on his addiction. To this day, he denies that day ever happening.<br /><br />I was suddenly a single parent, working part time and paying the bills and daycare, trying to make ends meet. He wasn't paying child support or helping in anyway. My parents were the life savers! I went through major bouts of depression and was very lonely. There were days that I wondered how I got myself into such a mess, but my beautiful child kept me going. He loved me unconditionally and I would have given my soul to see his little face and have his chubby little arms wrapped around my neck. Needless to say, I didn't go back to school!<br /><br />Then one night I met some friends from junior high for drinks. While we were sitting there visiting our conversation revealed that we ( one of the guys and I) had a mutual friend. She would forward me funny jokes and emails that he was sending her. We talked and visited and I didn't think anything of it. We went our separate ways and a few weeks later I got up the nerve to call that guy and ask him if he wanted to go to our mutual friends wedding with me, as a date...........<br /><br />Stay tuned for the next chapter of life.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814980660022035667.post-90296887635364846082010-04-01T20:40:00.000-06:002010-04-01T20:40:48.336-06:00Simple and Quick Cheesecake<div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I got this recipe from my sister in law and it's really easy and turns out so yummy!</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div></div>Here's what you"ll need:<br />
1 pkg cream cheese, softened<br />
1 small can sweetened, condensed milk, using only half of it<br />
2 eggs, room temperature<br />
1 graham cracker crust. You may choose to make your own or buy one already made. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div></div>To make your own use one package of graham crackers and 1/4 stick of melted butter. Throw it all in your food processer and pulse it until it's a fine grind. You may add more butter if it's not sticking together. Press the mixture into a pie pan and use the bottom of a glass to tamp it down. <br />
<br />
<div></div>Now that you have all of your ingredients pull out your hand mixer or you stand mixer. Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div></div>There is a certain way to do this (I learned the hard way) so do this exact!<br />
<br />
<div></div>Start by putting the <strong><em>softened</em></strong> cream cheese into the bowl and blend on medium high until it's smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Add 1/2 of the can of condensed milk and blend another minute then add the eggs one at a time until well blended.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Awor_HAA_lwO_bLlP7FmLVvfm4RJShfgigsUWircw0el_YeGEmv18xYCq1fLMoUteiEYQvqLSKqZR38ijKKLdjE-3ItVmdMAdpIYskdgTUMVQ0Th-dwCVTD8TKPfDjZxCc3KoVvU-q4f/s1600-h/snow%20days%20017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Awor_HAA_lwO_bLlP7FmLVvfm4RJShfgigsUWircw0el_YeGEmv18xYCq1fLMoUteiEYQvqLSKqZR38ijKKLdjE-3ItVmdMAdpIYskdgTUMVQ0Th-dwCVTD8TKPfDjZxCc3KoVvU-q4f/s320/snow%20days%20017.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Pour the mixture into your pie pan and gently tap it on the counter to burst any air bubbles. Bake it for 20 minutes. It will not get a browned crust on it, but to know when it's done you can shake it slightly to see if the middle wiggles. If it wiggles, turn your oven off and keep the door closed, letting it cool down and cook at the same time. This way it wont crack on the top. After 10 minutes, open the oven door and let it cool down slowly. Place it in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">I wasnt paying attention to mine and it cracked!!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFb2PMHl903Fn2cXeqnv1OYYgR6Sk0vIQP4a0KrRmQ39VBGYJAoLKtlbiO39EI1tEDZlxVOTUdv94hvsybLVUAT6Mum0viRIGCw72TZrLd7305CJOSVwktlX3VPUHo1GvRZD5d-g1yqsgD/s1600-h/snow+days+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFb2PMHl903Fn2cXeqnv1OYYgR6Sk0vIQP4a0KrRmQ39VBGYJAoLKtlbiO39EI1tEDZlxVOTUdv94hvsybLVUAT6Mum0viRIGCw72TZrLd7305CJOSVwktlX3VPUHo1GvRZD5d-g1yqsgD/s320/snow+days+018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div></div>Top it with any sort of sauce you'd like! I made a blackberry sauce. Enjoy!!!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02637932267766698808noreply@blogger.com2