Happy Turkey Day!!!!
We started our turkey yesterday morning since we are smoking it, and have been working on it ever since. But it sure is starting to smell good and it looks fabulous!! I also decided to try to make some Pumpkin cookies last night since I was up all night, and they turned out great! I am pretty sure this is the first successful baking session I have ever had. LOL!
As soon as the bird is done, we will pack it up and all head over to Lenny's cousin Mark and his wife Kinda's house. They live about an hour and a half from here. Doris, Kristi, Monea and Kayla made the drive down yesterday and are already there. And Mindy, Adrienne, and their two girls are coming over, too. They just moved here to Salem, and Mindy is actually Kristi's best friend. It should be a good day with, of course, lots of fabulous food! Oh, and children. Mindy's girls are 2 1/2 and 9 months, and then Kinda and Mark have a 3 month old. Should be eventful. ;)
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving full of friends and family. And lets all try to remember what we are thankful for.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
It's been forever.....
I have not really posted in forever, it seems. For a few different reasons. First of all, things have been pretty chaotic around here. Work is really busy for us here at the complex. There are literally hours of raking/blowing leaves every day right now. THANKFULLY we are almost done with the leaves falling.
I have also been busy with apartment turnovers. I have two I am currently working on, two I finished last week, and three more coming up next week. Ugh!!! On top of that I designed a blogger page for the complex that we are using in our Craigslist and Kijiji ads. Check it out if you get bored.. www.woodsideestates.blogspot.com . I had to read a ton of different html pages to learn how to write the code the way I wanted it since Blogger doesn't offer layouts with different navigation pages. Also last week my Mother and Grandmother came to visit for a few days. That was fun, but again, kinda crazy with that many people in a small apartment.
Last but not least Lenny is not working currently. So besides the chaos and stress that unemployment adds, he is always hogging the computer.
Right this moment the children are asleep, Lenny is at school, and I am sitting here on the computer enjoying "ME" time listening to my music. The music of choice right now is the Contemporary Christian channel on Pandora. Things have been really rough as of late, and I needed a little boost.
Besides the craziness of life, part of the reason I haven't posted is that I haven't felt like I have anything worth saying. Things are a huge struggle right now and it takes absolutely everything in me to wake up every morning and put a smile on my face, tell everyone that I am fine and everything is good, and keep the family afloat. Unemployment compensation is a joke, and the only reason we literally have a roof over our head is that it's a fringe benefit of work here at the complex. THANK GOD FOR THAT! Otherwise unemployment wouldn't' even cover rent. Bills need paid, but the children need food on the table. It's hard. And it breaks my heart that all this is going on with Christmas just weeks away. We were not intending on spending tons of money, but we were at least hoping to get the children a few goodies. But we will see. I just keep praying and doing everything I can to stay positive. And I remind myself that there are way too many people out there in the world that are going through worse times. That keeps it in perspective.
Besides that, the children are doing so fabulous these days. I finally got Isaac pretty much sleeping through the night, though most nights he ends up in bed with Jazmine. Jazmine is such smart girl. She now is up to 6 words that she can "read" on sight. She talks just like a little girl. There is no baby there anymore. And in just a couple months she will be 3!! I can't believe it. Isaac is a talking fool these days. He now says so many words I can't even keep track of them. And the last of his teeth (except for his 2 yr molars) are just about in. They are both so smart, so happy, and so loving that I feel like my heart could explode when I think of how lucky I am to have them.
I have also been busy with apartment turnovers. I have two I am currently working on, two I finished last week, and three more coming up next week. Ugh!!! On top of that I designed a blogger page for the complex that we are using in our Craigslist and Kijiji ads. Check it out if you get bored.. www.woodsideestates.blogspot.com . I had to read a ton of different html pages to learn how to write the code the way I wanted it since Blogger doesn't offer layouts with different navigation pages. Also last week my Mother and Grandmother came to visit for a few days. That was fun, but again, kinda crazy with that many people in a small apartment.
Last but not least Lenny is not working currently. So besides the chaos and stress that unemployment adds, he is always hogging the computer.
Right this moment the children are asleep, Lenny is at school, and I am sitting here on the computer enjoying "ME" time listening to my music. The music of choice right now is the Contemporary Christian channel on Pandora. Things have been really rough as of late, and I needed a little boost.
Besides the craziness of life, part of the reason I haven't posted is that I haven't felt like I have anything worth saying. Things are a huge struggle right now and it takes absolutely everything in me to wake up every morning and put a smile on my face, tell everyone that I am fine and everything is good, and keep the family afloat. Unemployment compensation is a joke, and the only reason we literally have a roof over our head is that it's a fringe benefit of work here at the complex. THANK GOD FOR THAT! Otherwise unemployment wouldn't' even cover rent. Bills need paid, but the children need food on the table. It's hard. And it breaks my heart that all this is going on with Christmas just weeks away. We were not intending on spending tons of money, but we were at least hoping to get the children a few goodies. But we will see. I just keep praying and doing everything I can to stay positive. And I remind myself that there are way too many people out there in the world that are going through worse times. That keeps it in perspective.
Besides that, the children are doing so fabulous these days. I finally got Isaac pretty much sleeping through the night, though most nights he ends up in bed with Jazmine. Jazmine is such smart girl. She now is up to 6 words that she can "read" on sight. She talks just like a little girl. There is no baby there anymore. And in just a couple months she will be 3!! I can't believe it. Isaac is a talking fool these days. He now says so many words I can't even keep track of them. And the last of his teeth (except for his 2 yr molars) are just about in. They are both so smart, so happy, and so loving that I feel like my heart could explode when I think of how lucky I am to have them.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The Bucket List
I just saw the movie The Bucket List not too long ago. And it got me thinking. When I was younger, my own "Bucket List" would of had things on it like visit Africa and take a safari, go to Greenland, do the Iditarod, swim with Orcas and dolphins, etc... I may of put have children and a family on there. But now that I have children, my list today would be so very different.
I want to watch my children grow. Make memories every day with them. Find the biggest park we can with the longest slide. Go to Disneyland. See the Grand Canyon. Go to Yellowstone. And then I want to be there at their highschool and college graduations, be a part of their weddings, hold my grandchildren, etc... Those are two completely different "Bucket Lists".
It doesn't mean that I still don't want to do that other stuff, because I do. But it isn't my priority. And if I live to the ripe old age of 97 or something, and have the pleasure of enjoying all of those things with my children, then maybe I'll change my "Bucket List" back to the types of things it was before. Imagine doing the Iditarod at 97....LOL! ;)
I want to watch my children grow. Make memories every day with them. Find the biggest park we can with the longest slide. Go to Disneyland. See the Grand Canyon. Go to Yellowstone. And then I want to be there at their highschool and college graduations, be a part of their weddings, hold my grandchildren, etc... Those are two completely different "Bucket Lists".
It doesn't mean that I still don't want to do that other stuff, because I do. But it isn't my priority. And if I live to the ripe old age of 97 or something, and have the pleasure of enjoying all of those things with my children, then maybe I'll change my "Bucket List" back to the types of things it was before. Imagine doing the Iditarod at 97....LOL! ;)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday.....
....is Election Day. Have you voted yet or are you going to???
Our ballots are already completed and sent back in.
Our ballots are already completed and sent back in.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
I love your blog
I got tagged (awarded) with the "I love your blog" pic from my fabulous friend Ame. I thought it would be fun to continue and join in myself!!!The rules are . . .
1 - Add the logo to your blog.
2 - Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3 - Nominate at least 7 other bloggers.
4 - Add links to their blogs.
5 - Leave a comment for your nominees on their blogs!
I think there are at least 7 blogs I love to check out!! :) Okay, these will not be in any particular order, but here I go...
Ame~ One of the first friends I made in 7th grade when I moved to Walla Walla. She was always the best person in the world to act goofy with! I miss her dearly, but LOVE to read her blog. I get upset when she isn't blogging often enough!
Robin~ A mommy friend. :) I love seeing all the fabulous videos and pics of the family that she posts.
Brandi~ I love checking out Brandi's blog. Her family is precious, and she is an amazing photographer. There is always something fun to check out!
Robin~ A very talented mommy and who just joined the "mommy of two" club. Her family just relocated to FL from CA and I love keeping up with her fabulous boys!
Tracie~ Yet another mommy who's blog I love to follow to watch her adorable family!!
Stephanie~ Mommy to Quentin and Parker. She lives in Idaho but maybe she'll get this way sometime! Until then, I have her blog.
Helen~ Crazy Miss Helen! She is so goofy and her blog is always full of fun stuff that makes me laugh!
Liana~ I like keeping up on the happenings of Liana and Evan, though she doesn't blog nearly often enough!
Cara~ She hasn't been blogging very long but I love reading about Sawyer, the baby on the way and all of her opinions!
2 - Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3 - Nominate at least 7 other bloggers.
4 - Add links to their blogs.
5 - Leave a comment for your nominees on their blogs!
I think there are at least 7 blogs I love to check out!! :) Okay, these will not be in any particular order, but here I go...
Ame~ One of the first friends I made in 7th grade when I moved to Walla Walla. She was always the best person in the world to act goofy with! I miss her dearly, but LOVE to read her blog. I get upset when she isn't blogging often enough!
Robin~ A mommy friend. :) I love seeing all the fabulous videos and pics of the family that she posts.
Brandi~ I love checking out Brandi's blog. Her family is precious, and she is an amazing photographer. There is always something fun to check out!
Robin~ A very talented mommy and who just joined the "mommy of two" club. Her family just relocated to FL from CA and I love keeping up with her fabulous boys!
Tracie~ Yet another mommy who's blog I love to follow to watch her adorable family!!
Stephanie~ Mommy to Quentin and Parker. She lives in Idaho but maybe she'll get this way sometime! Until then, I have her blog.
Helen~ Crazy Miss Helen! She is so goofy and her blog is always full of fun stuff that makes me laugh!
Liana~ I like keeping up on the happenings of Liana and Evan, though she doesn't blog nearly often enough!
Cara~ She hasn't been blogging very long but I love reading about Sawyer, the baby on the way and all of her opinions!
Monday, October 20, 2008
I am....
I have been digiscrapping for about a year now, and I always use the children for pages. Twice I have done pregnancy pages (without ever seeing my face), but this is the first page I have ever done that was about just me. Thought I'd share. ***if you click on the image, it gets big enough to allow you to see/read the journaling***
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Rainy Saturday Morning
Wow! Another crazy busy week. Some days I can barely catch my breath. Sunday we went to the pumpkin patch (pics on children's blog) and had company for the night. Doris, Kristi, Kayla, Monea, and Nate all came early Sunday to spend the day and night with us all.
The children have caught the stupid cold going around, but Isaac was REALLY struggling to breath so Monday I took him to the doctor. They diagnosed him with asthma....and pretty bad at that. So he is now on two different inhalers. (Again, update on children's blog.) Part of my daily routine is now to hold down a screaming kicking child to give him his doses. He hates it and I literally have to practically sit on him. He is too strong, and if he moves and the mouth piece they gave me for him moves, he needs another dose. Ugh!
Every single day this week has been busy for work here at the complex. And being as the children are sick, it makes it even harder to do the work. Wednesday I was cleaning an apartment, and for the first 20 mins the children were fine, but after that because they just didn't feel good and were cranky, I had to listen to them scream and cry for another hour. Finally I couldn't take it any longer and took them home. I love that I can work with them with me, but some days it is so much harder. On top of that I have caught the kids cold, so I dont' have my usual energy.
Today Lenny has school, and my plan was to get caught up on housework, since I have been slacking on that this week. I dont' have my energy, and I have been so busy that I can't do everything. So something needs to slide...and better housework than my job and everything else I am trying to keep balanced. Anyway...probably won't catch up on the house today because I still have to work. Hopefully the children cooperate and I can get finished up quick.
Other than that, tomorrow hopefully will be to relax and watch some football, then all the craziness starts again on Monday. Hopefully I have more energy by then!!!
The children have caught the stupid cold going around, but Isaac was REALLY struggling to breath so Monday I took him to the doctor. They diagnosed him with asthma....and pretty bad at that. So he is now on two different inhalers. (Again, update on children's blog.) Part of my daily routine is now to hold down a screaming kicking child to give him his doses. He hates it and I literally have to practically sit on him. He is too strong, and if he moves and the mouth piece they gave me for him moves, he needs another dose. Ugh!
Every single day this week has been busy for work here at the complex. And being as the children are sick, it makes it even harder to do the work. Wednesday I was cleaning an apartment, and for the first 20 mins the children were fine, but after that because they just didn't feel good and were cranky, I had to listen to them scream and cry for another hour. Finally I couldn't take it any longer and took them home. I love that I can work with them with me, but some days it is so much harder. On top of that I have caught the kids cold, so I dont' have my usual energy.
Today Lenny has school, and my plan was to get caught up on housework, since I have been slacking on that this week. I dont' have my energy, and I have been so busy that I can't do everything. So something needs to slide...and better housework than my job and everything else I am trying to keep balanced. Anyway...probably won't catch up on the house today because I still have to work. Hopefully the children cooperate and I can get finished up quick.
Other than that, tomorrow hopefully will be to relax and watch some football, then all the craziness starts again on Monday. Hopefully I have more energy by then!!!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Aggghhhhhh!!!!
OMG! I am in total overload this Fabulous Friday Morning! Okay, well actually, YESTERDAY was overload, today I have coped and have a "To Do" list so I feel back in control again.
Tuesday was payday from the apartment complex. (My first paycheck in 3 years!!!!)
But we spent 5 hours that evening paying bills, getting Lenny new work boots, Isaac his new shoes, and $10 worth of Halloween decorations at the dollar store. And all day long on Tuesday I had work at the complex to do. Cleaning, gardening, etc...
Wednesday Lenny only worked half a day...as soon as I picked him up from work we went and got him a haircut then came home. We had a TON of work at the complex to do. I had lots of little stuff to take care of and DH had to start repairs on apartment 10, which is the one that had the fire in the kitchen. (I just have to say that lots of little stuff is still hard because the children "help" me. )
We spent all day yesterday at apartment 56 (not that you care the number...it's just easier for me to explain that way...
) Just the bathroom took me almost two hours. The couple taking that apartment moves in tomorrow. (And I still need to head over in a little bit and touch up the paint and mop the kitchen floor...then it's done! )
As soon as the children were no longer going to cooperate "helping mommy clean" 56, we packed up to go grocery shopping and pay more bills. By the time we got home, we unloaded groceries and I finished dinner. And got the groceries put away.
My children, my husband, and my dog are a full time job. So since I have been so busy this week I have not really had a chance to do that much cleaning up after them. By the time last night came along I couldn't take anymore. You could not see my table top at all, my kitchen counters were nowhere to be seen, the dishwasher was full of clean dishes and the sinks were both full of dirty dishes. There were dog toys and children toys everywhere. My dirty laundry is overflowing, and I still have a load of clean clothes that need folded and put away. Oh, in the middle of the week sometime the children took all of their clothes out of their dresser so I just scooped them up and they are on top of the dresser.
I was so bothered by the messiness of the house (I honestly can NOT handle my house messy) plus the fact that I still have to paint and mop 56 that I had two different panic attacks last night. One was tiny and I kept going through it. One I actually had to sit down and force myself to take deep breaths so I could get my heart to stop racing and stop being dizzy. I think the biggest part of it is that my house was so overwhelmingly dirty in my mind that I could barely decide where to start. And after an hour I felt like it looked like I hadn't even made progress.
Also I was stressing because I wanted to have 56 ready for the couple to look at today when they sign paperwork, so I was trying to get the house clean and children in bed so I could sneak over to 56 to finish it in the middle of the night by myself. However Diana told me they will see it on Saturday when they move in, and I don't need to stress because she can't believe I have gotten that apartment cleaned and turned as fast as I did. (They didn't even move out until Monday).
Anyway.....this was long and pointless and now I feel so silly that I was so overwhelmed last night.
Okay then..... Well, today by 9AM I will pack up the kids and head back over to 56 to finish. They I have some gardening in the complex to do. Then I will come home, start my laundry, finish cleaning (I couldn't TRULY clean last night cuz all my cleaning stuff is in 56), research which pumpkin patch/corn maze to take the children to this weekend and then HOPEFULLY have time to Photoshop since it relaxes me. Oh, and MIL, SIL, and two neices are coming to visit for the night on Sunday.
Tuesday was payday from the apartment complex. (My first paycheck in 3 years!!!!)
But we spent 5 hours that evening paying bills, getting Lenny new work boots, Isaac his new shoes, and $10 worth of Halloween decorations at the dollar store. And all day long on Tuesday I had work at the complex to do. Cleaning, gardening, etc...Wednesday Lenny only worked half a day...as soon as I picked him up from work we went and got him a haircut then came home. We had a TON of work at the complex to do. I had lots of little stuff to take care of and DH had to start repairs on apartment 10, which is the one that had the fire in the kitchen. (I just have to say that lots of little stuff is still hard because the children "help" me. )
We spent all day yesterday at apartment 56 (not that you care the number...it's just easier for me to explain that way...
) Just the bathroom took me almost two hours. The couple taking that apartment moves in tomorrow. (And I still need to head over in a little bit and touch up the paint and mop the kitchen floor...then it's done! )As soon as the children were no longer going to cooperate "helping mommy clean" 56, we packed up to go grocery shopping and pay more bills. By the time we got home, we unloaded groceries and I finished dinner. And got the groceries put away.
My children, my husband, and my dog are a full time job. So since I have been so busy this week I have not really had a chance to do that much cleaning up after them. By the time last night came along I couldn't take anymore. You could not see my table top at all, my kitchen counters were nowhere to be seen, the dishwasher was full of clean dishes and the sinks were both full of dirty dishes. There were dog toys and children toys everywhere. My dirty laundry is overflowing, and I still have a load of clean clothes that need folded and put away. Oh, in the middle of the week sometime the children took all of their clothes out of their dresser so I just scooped them up and they are on top of the dresser.
I was so bothered by the messiness of the house (I honestly can NOT handle my house messy) plus the fact that I still have to paint and mop 56 that I had two different panic attacks last night. One was tiny and I kept going through it. One I actually had to sit down and force myself to take deep breaths so I could get my heart to stop racing and stop being dizzy. I think the biggest part of it is that my house was so overwhelmingly dirty in my mind that I could barely decide where to start. And after an hour I felt like it looked like I hadn't even made progress.
Also I was stressing because I wanted to have 56 ready for the couple to look at today when they sign paperwork, so I was trying to get the house clean and children in bed so I could sneak over to 56 to finish it in the middle of the night by myself. However Diana told me they will see it on Saturday when they move in, and I don't need to stress because she can't believe I have gotten that apartment cleaned and turned as fast as I did. (They didn't even move out until Monday).
Anyway.....this was long and pointless and now I feel so silly that I was so overwhelmed last night.
Okay then..... Well, today by 9AM I will pack up the kids and head back over to 56 to finish. They I have some gardening in the complex to do. Then I will come home, start my laundry, finish cleaning (I couldn't TRULY clean last night cuz all my cleaning stuff is in 56), research which pumpkin patch/corn maze to take the children to this weekend and then HOPEFULLY have time to Photoshop since it relaxes me. Oh, and MIL, SIL, and two neices are coming to visit for the night on Sunday.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Quiet Morning
I am finally sitting here enjoying a quiet morning with my computer and a cup of coffee. I haven't had that in quite a while. Isaac has been getting up by about 6 to 6:30 lately. Actually, he was up at 5 today, but by 5:45 I finally got him back to sleep for a bit.
The last few days with my little man have been hard. He is teething so terribly bad. I feel so sorry for him, as I can not really find anything to give him any relief. For the last 3 days he has done nothing but cry and scream it seems. Throw a 3 month old puppy and a 2 1/2 yr old into the mix and there is nothing but chaos! I feel bad because my patience have been non-existent. Hopefully this quiet time will help me have more patience. :)
I have been keeping pretty busy, still. I am on a huge cleaning spree. So far I have thrown away 4 bags of garbage and put 5 more boxes into our storage unit. It's frustrating because I still have like 5 storage bins of stuff that I can unpack IF I had the furniture to do it. I need bookshelves and a desk to be able to unpack them. Also, I have 4 boxes of clothes in the kids' closet of Jazmine's old stuff but I am waiting to see if any of my pregnant friends are having girls before I give them away. Today I am getting out the paint and touching up the walls and taking down the lights to clean all those fixtures and globes.
Work is going good. Kind of mellow right now, but in the next week or so we will have 3 more apartments opening up that will need to be turned over. Actually, tomorrow I am going with Diana to court to see a court eviction process. Megan (Diana's daughter) will be watching the kids. Diana said it's a super boring almost annoying process, but she want's me to know what to expect if I ever have to go in her place. Guess that means maybe I should put some makeup on! ;)
The last few days with my little man have been hard. He is teething so terribly bad. I feel so sorry for him, as I can not really find anything to give him any relief. For the last 3 days he has done nothing but cry and scream it seems. Throw a 3 month old puppy and a 2 1/2 yr old into the mix and there is nothing but chaos! I feel bad because my patience have been non-existent. Hopefully this quiet time will help me have more patience. :)
I have been keeping pretty busy, still. I am on a huge cleaning spree. So far I have thrown away 4 bags of garbage and put 5 more boxes into our storage unit. It's frustrating because I still have like 5 storage bins of stuff that I can unpack IF I had the furniture to do it. I need bookshelves and a desk to be able to unpack them. Also, I have 4 boxes of clothes in the kids' closet of Jazmine's old stuff but I am waiting to see if any of my pregnant friends are having girls before I give them away. Today I am getting out the paint and touching up the walls and taking down the lights to clean all those fixtures and globes.
Work is going good. Kind of mellow right now, but in the next week or so we will have 3 more apartments opening up that will need to be turned over. Actually, tomorrow I am going with Diana to court to see a court eviction process. Megan (Diana's daughter) will be watching the kids. Diana said it's a super boring almost annoying process, but she want's me to know what to expect if I ever have to go in her place. Guess that means maybe I should put some makeup on! ;)
Monday, September 22, 2008
Routine again! :)
Finally I get my "routine" back! Lenny is back working days. He is working 7-3 again, so I am hoping things get a little easier now that he isn't here during the days. It was impossible to get anything done with him working nights.
Today I am going to continue my "cleaning spree". Yesterday I tackled the kids room and the file cabinet. Threw out a box of paper recycling and two garbage bags full of toys that the kids will never miss. :) I also took apart the stove and dishwasher to "detail" clean those. Next on the agenda is the hall closet, bathroom cupboards, and on top of the fridge (I did the inside of the fridge the other day). Maybe even my bedroom closet. Oh, and I need to go through the kids clothes, too. The last three days I have not been able to put Isaac in the first outfit I grab for him. Too small. And Jazmine is getting slim pickings on the clothes, too. Time to get rid of stuff!
I also have a "To-Do" list for the apartment complex I want to get tackled. However, I do need to wait for the weather to clear up because it's all outside projects and I don't want the kids out in the rain all day.
Anyway...I think I'll go get some stuff done!!
Today I am going to continue my "cleaning spree". Yesterday I tackled the kids room and the file cabinet. Threw out a box of paper recycling and two garbage bags full of toys that the kids will never miss. :) I also took apart the stove and dishwasher to "detail" clean those. Next on the agenda is the hall closet, bathroom cupboards, and on top of the fridge (I did the inside of the fridge the other day). Maybe even my bedroom closet. Oh, and I need to go through the kids clothes, too. The last three days I have not been able to put Isaac in the first outfit I grab for him. Too small. And Jazmine is getting slim pickings on the clothes, too. Time to get rid of stuff!
I also have a "To-Do" list for the apartment complex I want to get tackled. However, I do need to wait for the weather to clear up because it's all outside projects and I don't want the kids out in the rain all day.
Anyway...I think I'll go get some stuff done!!
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