Party of Five

30 days...30 blog posts, I'd say that's a fairly successful "NAtional BLog POsting MOnth"...and yes, WE did it...because if I didn't have even the few followers that I do, I wouldn't have the motivation to write about...well, about any of the oddball stuff that I write about! So thank you fellow readers :) The lingering question now is....where do I go from here? Duh...Christmas of course!  Be prepared to see this blog all decked out for the holidays very soon!! (As in, probably later tonight)  This time of the year usually makes me very reflective, so hopefully there will be some well-thought-out, inspiring blog posts to accompany the decorating that I have planned around here. Decorating has already begun....

Total success!  I made it through the "intimidating" craft store WITH coordinating fabrics for a certain lil' princess' Christmas gift...AND a trunk that I'm going to paint to match the bed, that she'll be able to store her doll clothes in. Now, if only I could sew (well).  Time for Mrs. Claus to seek the aid of one of her elves...otherwise known as mom D.  (She also happens to have the mattress in her possession.) It's hard to tell, but the darkest purple even has silver sparkles in the material! Perfect for a princess, don't you think?

I had my plan of action for this week.  Stay on schedule, things will get done, no stress involved. I went to bed, slept like a rock, and stretched myself awake this morning at 7:00, ready to take on the day. And then I sat up in bed.  Or at least I tried to.  My body sat up....but then the room started spinning and my body went with it back down to the bed. Okay...let's try this again. I swung my legs over the bed, sat up, and got out of bed to grab my bathrobe. The room was still spinning, and I hit the wall. Great.  It was going to be one of THOSE kind of days. Third times the charm, right?  I got up determined to make it to the shower, only to realize that the bathroom was another spinning room, and a shower probably wasn't the best (or safest option) at that point. Thankful for neighbors who can take my kids to school, I managed to get the monkey children out the door, and I went back to bed... I don't have time for this.  Grocery store...

Tonight is Sunday night pizza and movie night in our house.  I don't know how the tradition started, but it did.  Every Sunday involves some kind of pizza (either frozen or ordered), and an agreed upon movie - not easy to do between the three monkey children.  Tonight's viewing selection is Transformers in the basement with the boys, and a Hallmark Channel Christmas chick flick for the princess and I. The thing is, it's exceptionally calm around here right now. Tomorrow?...That's another story. This week's project involves the bedding for the newly contructed doll bed.  Creating this bedding involves heading to my local Joann's store.  Believe me when I say there is nothing more intimidating to me ... more completely terrifying to me - even more than heading into "Man-Cave Haven" (Lowe's), than going into a craft store. I know, I know - I've already discussed the issue of my creativity resurfacing in recent posts.  But a craft store. Th...

I wasn't sure I could reach down and pull out the creative part of me that had been repressed for such a long time.  I used to be a creative person...very "right brained".  That was 20 years ago.  At some point I traded my creativity for my intellectual side.  My right side for the left side of my brain, if you will. A few months ago I reached wayyyy down deep and tapped into that creative side.  Voila!   Lego man was created.   Okay, truth be told, I kind-of impressed myself with those results.  So much so, that I knew I could pull out that creativity just a little further...just in time for Christmas. You see, a certain little princess has asked Santa for a bed for her American Girl doll.  And as any parent with an AG doll in their house knows...these little havens of rest can be pretty pricey!  Immediately, I thought "I could totally make a bed for her doll!  Surely there is a pattern, directions, something - somewhere online...

In a completely, non-serious (wait, I am very serious about this), just lighten up people - kind of way... I'm thankful that my kids woke up this morning ASKING ME when the parade started.  I could only grin.  I grew up watching the parade on Thanksgiving morning.  I still watch it every year.  Granted, for me, now it's more about seeing the Broadway performances at the beginning.  But I've always made a point of making sure the kids would see the balloons (Look!  Snoopy!)...and Sesame Street (they're in it EVERY year)...and pointing out the musical numbers (because every child should have an appreciation for good music)... Seems to me, they finally got the tradition down when they remembered the parade before I could remind them. (Score 1 for mom for establishing tradition!!) Now on a more completely serious and gluttonous note: I'm thankful for the bird that will be devoured this afternoon. The mashed potatoes...oh those yummy, creamy, buttery ...

If you've been following my little blog for a while, you'll know that Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday meal.  Okay, maybe 2nd favorite next to the Easter Ham.  But it's good.  Actually it's pant splitting, fill me so full of food I want to explode - good.  And I never have to cook.  Ever. My mother-in-law has it mastered.  Good Lord love her, we have our differences, but the woman can prepare a Thanksgiving feast better than anyone I know.   Yes, she tried to teach me one year.  I still try not to think about HOW she makes the stuffing and WHAT goes into it.  I just know that it's amazing, and I don't put much thought into what I'm eating when I'm eating it. Being the wonderful, thoughtful daughter-in-law...I inquired as to my yearly input for the feast of all feasts. It finally happened. I got napkin duty.  And apple cider.  Napkins and apple cider. Awesome. I was tempted to google the art of napkin fold...

I love learning new things.  Experiencing new things.  Doing something for the very first time. It's one thing when it's done...you've tried it, and "eh...maybe it wasn't so great." Kind of like...broccoli. But it's a completely different thing when it's done and you can't believe you waited so long to try it, and you just want more and more.... Kind of like...chocolate covered oreos. Come on, you knew chocolate had to be involved somewhere, right?? ;)

Tonight...I was a loner. I kind-of like being a loner sometimes.  I know the monkies are in school all day, but sometimes it's nice to be able to just get out and indulge in a little "me" time that doesn't involve any form of errand-running. Tonight was one of those nights. Our local theater was running the movie "Courageous"...and being that it's Monday night, it was cheap movie night (bonus!). Just me...and about 10-15 older couples who all seemed to know each other.  My guess is they were from a local church here in town after hearing some of the conversations around me (what? Eavesdrop?  Me?) The movie was ... as expected.  Created by the same people who put together the movie "Fireproof", and also the lead actor/co-writer of the film, was the football coach in "Facing The Giants".  Going in, I had a certain expectation, and this movie met that level that I had set for it. Now...let's not be fooled.  It's a Chr...

Nope, not the holiday.  (Fooled ya, didn't I?) This is about thanksgiving, but more along the lines of the actual "giving thanks" part of thanksgiving. It's been awhile since I've shared from my faith, but this has been on my mind, in my heart for some time, and the sermon at church this morning, just reinforced these thoughts. Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful a nd give thanks] As I read this, I thought back to the miscarriages I've had. In all things Lord? I looked 3 rows ahead of me and saw the mom & grandma who had just lost the baby girl a few weeks ago. In all things Lord? My mind drifted to those who have been hurt needlessly by individuals who have used their power and position to intimidate and hurt emotionally and physically. In all things Lord? Death, destruction, pain, suffering... In all things Lord? I don't like it.  I don't understand it.  But if I b...

Two years. It's been almost two years of ...adjusting.  Yelling.  Crying.  Lots of understanding.  Lots.  Probably could use a lot more actually. Two years of medication daily. Two years of questioning why, and wishing for a healing unlike anything I've ever heard or read about. Two years. I haven't necessarily kept it a secret.  There are friends who know.  To everyone else around me, it's just that he has his own special set of "quirkiness" that we deal with...on a daily, on-going, continual basis.  Some days are really, really good.  And then there are days...entire weekends, when I just want to crawl back in bed and say forget the whole thing.  I quit!  Figure it out yourself. The thing is...he's an incredibly sweet kid.  I never really understood the phrase "wearing your heart on your sleeve" until I realized, oh...that's my kid.  He has a heart so big...and emotions that are so strong, that...

I have one list, you have one list (actually, you have the short list.  I took pity on you seeing as this is normally strictly my territory.) Head straight to the back of the store, and work your way forward.  Trust me. (This, of course, only works at our local Super Wal-Mart with the layout of their grocery section.  The freezer section is near the front, so is the produce.  No melted ice cream, no squished tomatoes. And yet...1/2 hour later, I found you standing...at the front of the store...getting turkey from the deli.  You didn't see me, so I called your cell phone to check on your progress.  Almost done.  Okey-dokey. I approached your cart and took a quick inventory... How did you manage to pick up the eggs and NOT the shredded cheese that was right next to the eggs?  Paper products...where are they?  Juice....juice...juice... there's no juice.  Where's the juice?  Yeah...next aisle over from the paper products...that yo...

As the mom of three monkey children...I like to think I'm tough.  I can tolerate a pretty good level of physical pain, and it's going to take more than the sniffles to put me on my butt and call in sick to "work" (you know, that thing I do everyday as a stay-at-home-mom) For whatever reason, when monkey #3 was added to this party, so was the additional party favor known as... THE MIGRAINE I don't know why they are showing up now, but I'm fairly certain I know what is causing them, and there's not a single thing I can do about that at this point in my life except to find a way to manage the pain.  My mother-in-law (who has apparently gone to medical school and has a secret life as a physician) tells me it's a caffeine thing...I drink too much Mt. Dew...eat too much chocolate...I need to back off of the caffeine. It's not a caffeine thing.  I know this because I was at a gap in time that I had absolutely NO chocolate or Mt. Dew in my house......

The other day when I was writing on my laptop, I noticed a link at the top of my page... "To try Blogger's new interface, click here!" Sure!  Why Not? I clicked and switched to new interface...sort-of.  I received an error message that my current browser does not support the new interface.  Okay, so switch me back to old interface....nope.  Blogger wouldn't let me do that, I was simply stuck on an error message page.  The browser I was using (IE 8) was not the most recent, but apparently Windows XP will only upgrade to IE 8 and no further?  (Don't quote me on that, I'm not a computer guru).  My option at that point was to switch {gasp!} to Google Chrome. I have to say, yes - it's different.  And yes - I kind-of like it!  So not only am I now getting used to a new browser, I'm also playing around with this new Blogger interface thingy.  Fun things, like....STATS.  It tells me the number of pageviews in my blog and in my posts...

(A bit of a vent...deal with it.) The current national debt for the U.S. is ohhhh....14 trillion, give or take a dollar. (I think it's closer to 15 actually)  Someone obviously failed to explain to our fearless leaders that to spend money, you should actually HAVE the money first.  Credit is just never a good idea.  I think it has a definate appeal.  But even when it is paid back it's done so with so much interest tacked onto it....was it worth it? I'm annoyed at the moment, in case you couldn't tell.  Anything that makes me reference government and/or politics is a sure sign that I'm annoyed.  Currently it's this whole PTSA treasurer gig that I do on a daily basis.  PTSA is the same thing as PTA, only with a S tudent representative (hence, the "S").  I happen to be the lucky parent who got roped into being the treasurer of my little elementary school's branch.  Awesome. Don't get me wrong.  I love our school, I love our PTSA...the...

I think I'm overwhelmed. I have a "To-Do" list that is a mile long, growing longer daily. Not just the daily chores that should get done, but the errand list that creates itself. And the projects I've taken on. And the list of things I want to do. Yes it's overwhelming. Did I mention that I love lists? I love being able to cross items off the list, complete satisfaction. So let's just pretend for a moment that tomorrow is full of opportunities to be able to complete my list... Simple every-day start - get myself together and get the kids packed up and off on their day to school. It's a no-brainer, has to be done...but definately a start to the day. Laundry, always laundry - a ho-hum chore that is never completed and always accumulating. PTA sub-list: meeting with the principal, check on Santa's reindeer for December, photocopy reminder notices, organize budget report for Tuesday's meeting, pay bill at local printer. Genealogy sub-...

I'm sitting here tonight with the hockey game on the tv. Be advised - I hate hockey. I don't get it, can't follow it, and I see it as yet another professional sport where grown men get paid way too much money to do what our children may do for fun. As I'm sitting here with the game airing as mere "background noise" to me, the favored team in our house is also losing by 4 goals.....oops, make that 5 goals now. "Why are we still watching this?" I inquired of Mr. D. "Cause I want to." (Oh boy.) I forgot to mention that he set the DVR to record this game - a normal thing in our house on game night. These hockey games usually start amidst the bedtime showers, stories, pajamas routine. It's hard to focus when the monkies want your attention, ya know. So he always sets the DVR. Sometimes when he's out for the evening, he'll usually make it home to catch the final few minutes of the game and then he'll get to celebrate the vi...

I know, I'm supposed to be writing something with meaning. But gosh, golly, shucks, darn...I was mentioned in a fellow blogger's post today (Thanks Amy, at Poop in a Candle , you made me laugh when I read it!), and I think I'm just going to follow suit with her "Five Question Friday" meme that she participated in courtesy of fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com. So here we go.... 1. What's the last thing you spent too much money on? A 1-month trial at GenealogyBank.com. I thought it was a free trial. It cost me $9.95. I spent 30 minutes on the site during that one month, soon realizing that it was definately NOT a helpful subscription genealogy site. Yep, absolutely spent way too much money on that. 2. What celeb chef would you like to make you dinner? I don't really keep up with the celebrity cooking thing, so I'm only choosing from the very few that I'm aware of. I'm also thinking of who would do the best job of making an awesome spread of co...

Searching for clues around the world, a small cabin out on a big prairie, a skinny little stick figure kid and his private thoughts, a bear and his missing button, a certain mischievious monkey and the man with the yellow hat. Following the adventures of a mouse on a motorcycle and also the misadventures of two catholic brothers living in mormon populated Utah in the late 19th century. Just a few of the tales that could be found at our school's book fair this week. I love books. I don't own a Nook or a Kindle. I have no intentions of wanting or buying one anytime soon. I have an e-reader on my phone with 2 books on it, but I haven't yet read them. I like to hold a book. Turn the pages. And yes, I'm one of THOSE people who actually turn down the corner of the page to mark where I left off reading. I will also write {gasp!} in books...marking things that speak to me. I'm always looking for books. Specific ones that I can't wait to get my hands on, old ones ...

Did I have a point? What was it? I'm not sure. When I started this blog (wow...that was a long time ago), I tried to make sure there was something meaningful that was being said in each post. A point that I was trying to get across in my own sometimes not-so-quirky way. I want to get back to that...where what I say means something to someone, somewhere. Makes them sit back and smile. Or ponder. Or maybe even just wonder what in the heck it is that I was trying to say to begin with. Whatever it does to my reader, it leaves them thinking just a little bit. And perhaps this is the wrong time to get back to my blogging roots with the whole blog-every-day-this-month challenge I gave myself. Ugh...what was I thinking? I was thinking that I wanted to improve my writing skills. Yeah, see how well that's workin' out for me? I'm gravitating towards senseless rambling and telling my 3 readers all about my blogging woes. As I sit here, hubby dearest is curious to know what...

Halloween - Don't usually get into it, other than to steal whatever chocolate the kids bring home from trick-or-treating. My kids wear store bought costumes because I am NOT the creative, crafty mom type, nor do I have that kind of imagination to make it work. However, our church was holding it's 2nd annual "Trunk or Treat" event, and I decided that if I was going to participate, it would be of the "Go big or go home" mindset. So...on that note, what do a 8ft. sheet of styrofoam, plus a cement form tube, plus many...I mean MANY cardboard boxes, and enough Mt. Dew and chocolate to get through it all equal?? Start with the tube...cutting down to size. Add some styrofoam... A quick little factoid...did you know that you can't spraypaint styrofoam? Well you can, but it would be in your best interest to seal it first, otherwise it just gets eaten away when the paint hits it. (I used "Mod Podge", works great!) Glue, sealing, some light sanding ...

You knew a genealogy related post was going to arrive sooner or later....admit it...all of you were just waiting on the edges of your seats for it. Uh-huh. Stop yawning and keep reading, you may learn something! Remember when...my excitement at being "right" was making me giddy, and I couldn't wait to tell Grandma that she was wrong? (I know you don't, so here's the post to refresh your sleep deprived minds.) In particular I'm referring to the part of the story where I had great-grandpa's birth record from West Virginia, even though she had some still yet unseen evidence that he was born in Ohio. I showed her the picture of the actual birth registry with date, name, parents...she wasn't impressed, and I'm certain she still swears he was born in Ohio. Fine...I'm not going to argue the point with a 72 year old woman. I'll file my record away, in my head I'm still right. Right? Maybe not. I received an email yesterday alerting me to n...

Tonight we set out for "movie night". I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to go, and not entirely sure that I cared to even see this movie. Turns out Secondhand Lions is one of the better movies that I've seen in quite a while. It was funny, dramatic, and has every potential to be a real tear-jerker...kleenex dabber...{sniff, sniff}...you know, if you're the type of person who cries at movies. I'm not. Some say that makes me heartless. (I think it makes me a realist.) At any rate, yes - the movie was definately worth seeing. I guess the critics didn't think so when this movie was originally released, and I have no idea why.

Do you remember in the movie, Polar Express , the excitement that was felt throughout the North Pole at receiving the First Gift of Christmas....I hear some of you groaning already. Christmas? Really? We just finished Halloween, and haven't even made it to Veteran's Day...and she's talking Christmas? And gifts? Yes I am!! I received a Christmas gift today. Completely unexpected, entirely unnecessary, but so very cherished, loved, and wanted, and as you can imagine - I'm VERY thankful for! I think mainly because of the person who gave it to me rather than the actual gift itself though. Don't get me wrong...the gift was, in a single word... perfect. But the giver of said gift...she's the best. She knows me. She gets me. We laugh together and we grumble together/ We roll our eyes about silly things kids do and the garbage they have tried to get away with. She laughs at my insanity and makes me feel like a supermom on days when the evidence is clearl...

Not genealogy related, nothing spiritual...just pure gluttony. Taken from Blogher's blogging prompts (because day #3 is nearly over, and I got nothin' to say today...) If you knew that whatever you ate next would be your last meal, what would you want it to be? I just ate it. Well, about 5 hours ago I did anyway. This all started when I was alerted to today being "National Men Making Dinner" day. We joked (well, I was serious, but he didn't seem to think so.) When he came home at 5:30, and realized that I was very serious (must've been the lack of food cooking that alerted him to this) the family was soon heading off into the village to my favorite place in the world to eat - well, other than heading straight down past the mexican border. My last meal would be the enchiladas that I had tonight....the red sauce, the cheese, the refried beans...more cheese...warm chips and salsa....I'm starting to salivate just thinking about it. Okay except that the c...

On my last birthday, I turned 39. (Yikes!) Not that I feel old...not really. Except maybe in the wee hours of the morning when I have to drag my butt out of bed to get the monkies off to school. And after I eat something that I used to eat in high school, only now it doesn't seem to digest nearly as well. (Doritos and nacho cheese - sooooo good, but sooooo bad for this gall bladder-free grown-up.) For the most part, I still feel young(ish). And then something happens...something like last week. A phone call from one parent telling me that they were on their way North to spend time with an aging sibling who was in the hospital . Another phone call a few hours later from the other parent telling me they had recently spent time in the hospital due to some heart "issues", and testing was still being done to see how serious it was and what would be done. Neither turned out to be very serious thank goodness, and both parents are now home safe and sound. But it made me s...

National Blog Posting Month Can I...am I able to...is it mentally possible (if not completely draining) to post on this blog EVERY day this month? And not just, "Here's what my 3 monkies did today..." But "Here's what my 3 monkies did today AND here's what I and YOU can learn from it!" You know...something really meaningful to all 3 of you who follow my blog. Something that is worthy of their time that they put in when they come here to read. And of course... Something genealogy related if at all possible. Okay, that last one is only a slight possibility. Does this count as #1? You betcha!!