Getting Old????

I totally broke down and bought one of the pill organizers...Does that mean we are getting old? LOL....No...seriously...we are getting serious about our health. I want to be around to see my grand kids...and maybe even my great grand kids:-) I bought one for me and one for Joel. He actually took all of his vitamins today:-) So proud of him! It's great that he is on the same page as me.....it would make it so much harder for me to reach my goal if he was going in another direction.

We have had more snow so far this winter in Texas then I think I have ever seen....how cool is that! I am scared to take my camera out in the snow...but I managed to get a shot of the snow yesterday! Wish it would stick around a little longer...Oh well...guess I should be happy with what we got!

Joel and I have had a lot of time recently without the kids...Thomas is in Utah and Haley and Brenden live with their Mom so we only have them every other weekend. We have watched A LOT of movies:-) The guys at Blockbuster know us pretty well now. Lets see Fac so far is "The Ugly Truth"...Great movie...LOVED it...and laughed my ass off! My least Fav so far is BY FAR Paranormal Activity - THE STUPIDEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME - I mean...we all know that the movie isn't real...but they could at least pick an actress that can make you think it's real...LOL. She was HORRIBLE!

Waiting for Joel to get home so we can hit the gym again! Looking forward to it. Then...home to eat some Pot Roast...yummy...then working on Thomas's X-Mas surprise!!! FUN FUN!

Party Plans tomorrow night with the in-laws...in east TX...Should be a good time!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Power Thoughts

My Mom gave me these really cool cards for Christmas. They are called Power Thought Cards. Every few days I will pull one out and read it...they are very inspiring:-) Thanks Mama!

Today's Power Thought Card:
I am willing to change-
I am willing to release old, negative beliefs. They are only thoughts that stand in my way. My new thoughts are positive and fulfilling.

Weird...I just quit smoking ...hmmm....

Just thought I would share the Power Thought of the day with you guys:-)

Merry Christmas!!!!!

It's Christmas morning and it's just me, Joel and the dogs. A little different I must say! We had Christmas with Haley and Brenden yesterday morning and it was great! The kids got a lot of cool presents and even better...we had a great day with them:-) We made Christmas cookies....made some really cool things with popsicle sticks to hang up in their room.....and of course hooked up and played with all of their new toys!! The kids went home to their Mom last night and Joel and I made it a movie night and then crashed. We got up this morning and opened our gifts to each other. Joel got me and AWESOME cutting board and new pot holders from William Sonoma...oh he did so good! LOVE HIM! I got him a new wallet and a flip video which he can't quit playing with. He is recording a video of his new dirt bike right now!!! It's really hard not having Thomas this Christmas...but I know he is having a blast shredding the mountains of Utah on his new snowboard:-) I will be able to celebrate Christmas with him as soon as he gets home...and boy do I have a big surprise for him!!!! I can't wait for him to see it. He is going to LOVE IT!!!!

Joel and I are trying to quit smoking again! Yesterday was our first day...it wasn't too bad. We are wearing the patch so that helps us. So far today is great....don't want a cigg at all. I guess I am getting what I need through the patch. We are going back to the gym Monday. I am REALLY looking forward to that. I haven't been able to work out in 4 months because of my back surgery. I am still a little sore...but am ready to start a light workout and build up to a great workout. I am ready to lose this weight I gained after surgery. Next summer I am going to be rockin' a new figure...I hope:-)

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!!! I am blessed to be were I am in life right now. I would want it any other way:-) Life is good!!!!!

I am about to start Christmas dinner...then this evening Joel and I are going to make plates for the homeless and go downtown and hand them out to people that don't have food. I know that most of the homeless people are just drunks that are too lazy to get a job....but not all of them are...and it makes me feel good to think that I might make a small moment in someones life just a little better:-) I would hope that if I were in that situation someone would be willing to do the same for me. I believe what goes around comes around and I want to be a good part of that process!!

Time for some Changes - Me Time!!!!

Ok....it's about that time. Time for some changes around here:-) I had back surgery about 4 months ago and my back is FINALLY healed long enough for me to start working out again. YAY! I can shed the weight I gained after having the surgery. I am really looking forward to getting back into the gym...feeling better and looking better:-) Joel has been healing from his broken collar bone and wants to start working out soon too.....So....we are going to get through x-mas and eat whatever we want...sleep as long as we want.....be completely LAZY if we want....then have a fresh start for the New Year. I am NOT calling any of this a New Years Resolution....because it's not. It just happens to be that time of year that everything is falling in place.


Another thing that is about to make a turn in my life is all of about some ME TIME. Let me tell you a little about my life and me....then maybe you will understand why I feel it's important to have some ME TIME. All women need to have ME TIME to stay sane:-) I can't stand someone else folding my laundry...if they do I have to re-fold it..... I hate cold weather....I LOVE to cook and am pretty good at it (but hate cleaning the kitchen)....trying to learn more about the whole baking thing....I am a total tomboy...trying to become a little more girlie....but it's hard for me......I love country music...and am a total country girl...even though I live in the city....I have the best family in the world....and the coolest sister EVER!!!.....I love to take photos...scrap....and read......I am NOT am morning person...at ALL....I can't dance...unless it's two steppin'...I hate taking my vitamins....they make me gag every day...UGH!....I am married to a wonderful man...I have one son who is at the WONDERFUL age of 13...and two step-children that are 10 and 11. I have a full time job as an Office Manager/Sales Assistant. I LOVE my job and the people I work with ROCK!!!! I am also trying to learn more about photography. I hope to make it a full time career at some point in my life. I have been really busy trying to take lots of pictures...learn how to edit them.....and learn everything else there is to know about photography while still running my family. It's been a little stressful. Every day I come home and cook a nice dinner. I feel that eating a home cooked meal sitting at the table with your family is one of the most important times of the day. Turn that darn TV off and talk with one another:-) Then I always have some type of battle with my 13 year old son. Oh...what an age:-) If it's not one thing it's another....homework is always fun trying to get him to do it...IF he even remembered to bring it home..UGH! I keep telling myself....I WILL GET THROUGH THIS....I WILL GET THROUGH THIS....My Mom did. I use to do the same stuff to her....man if I knew then what I know now:-) After homework...there is always a nice HUGE pile of laundry waiting to be cleaned...dried...folded and put up. By this time Joel is starting to feel neglected so I have to make sure I spend some time with him. The house needs to be straightened up....kitchen needs to be cleaned from making dinner (I have the BEST husband in the world......he normally cleans up the kitchen for me).....Finish laundry...make sure everyone has what they need for the next day...clothes..lunches..etc....By the time all of this basic daily stuff is done it's like 9:30-10:00 and I am so tired...I don't have much left in me to do the things that I want to do....edit....scrapbooking...blogging....reading...etc:-) So for the most part I go to bed...watch a few minutes of TV and crash....get up the next morning and do it all over again:-) Don't get me wrong...I LOVE my life and I love taking care of my family...but I need to make some changes to wear I have some time to do the things that I enjoy and still have the family taken care of. So I have a plan:-) ( As Joel would say...uh oh...that's scary)....Once a week....Wednesday is the day I have planned on. I am going to take the day off...NO laundry...NO cooking.....NO cleaning....Ok....I will still help Thomas with his homework...can't really stop that one:-) But we are either ordering in or Joel is cooking dinner...and if anyone needs clean clothes you better do it yourself. I am going to take the evening to spend time doing what I enjoy:-) Editing...scrapping....reading...whatever I want!! I think this will be a good break for me. I am looking forward to it!!!!!



SMOKING...Oh yeah...I am talking about it again:-) I still haven't been able to quit. UGH! I think about it all of the time and I told Joel that we really HAVE to quit. It's going to freakin' kill us!!! So, once again we have decided to try to quit in a few weeks when we get back into working out etc....I am going to try the patch again. The whole cold turkey thing was pretty tough on me...I was ready to kill someone...and that's not a good way to feel. The patch seems to make it a little easier to bare. Since I am making other changes in my life anyways...maybe this change will just slide right in there and go with the flow:-) I sure do hope so. I know I can do this. I have been trying for years....and it's going to happen one day!!!

One last thing that I am totally excited about.....Joel and I are going to buy a new house soon. I can't wait!!!! It will be so much fun finding the perfect house for us and the kiddos. We need a 4 bedroom so all of the kids can have their own rooms. This is a little further down the road...but it's in the plan:-)

Well, that's my life in a nutshell pretty much. I am looking forward to getting healthier...having some me time....and moving into a new home for our family to enjoy!!! Life is GOOD:-)

Christmas Cards

I just LOVE making X-Mas cards!!! I know they aren't perfect....I will get there....but my heart sure does go into making them:-) I can't show the picture that I am putting inside until after everyone has received their cards...lol. This is the design I came up with for this year. They are very simple...but super cute. I got the idea off some website!! Oh....please just ignore the laundry behind the cards...I was multitasking ok!!!

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!!!

Christmas Crafts with the kiddos

I found these cute little ornaments at the craft store the other day. I knew Haley and Brenden would love to make their own ornaments. I wasn't sure if Thomas would but I grabbed him one just in case. As I guessed...Haley and Brenden were way excited...Thomas...not so much. He thinks he is too old to do stuff like that....whatever:-) Brenden decided to make one and put Thomas's initials on it for him. How sweet of him! They turned out great. The kids are so crafty!!!

Women's Dinner at IBC

My Mom attends this almost every year. I always try to make it....lots of women....food and great conversation is always fun. Mama's table looked so pretty tonight. All of the women decorate their table...there were so many that looked awesome! Gave me some great ideas for a center piece:-)

A Life Taken Too Soon:-(

Lamar, Brandon Scott Brandon -Scott Lamar was born March 16, 1976 in Dallas, Texas- He passed away November 24, 2009 in Dallas. Your beautiful smile and loving heart are in the arms of our Lord. We love you and your memory will be in our hearts forever. He is survived by mother, Tivilla Lamar; father Michael Lamar; step-mother Sherri Hughes Lamar; half-sisters, Emily and Dixie Lamar and grandparents Shirley Dean, and Hugh and Susan Lamar. Funeral services will be at 1:00 pm Monday, November 30, 2009 in the Jeter & Son Chapel.

Why? I asked myself that a lot since I found out about Brandon's death. It just doesn't make sense. He was so young. Brandon and I dated a while back. He was such a great guy and had a beautiful heart. It was so hard for me to see his mother in so much pain. I can't even begin to imagine how she feels. Brandon will be missed by so many people. I am greatful to have spent many years of his life with him. We went through some good and some bad...but it was all part of life and growing up. I always knew he was a wonderful person. Once again....this makes me look at life in such a different way. The sadness which comes from death is unlike any other sadness I have ever felt. It's horrible. Love the people who surround you and let them know that you love them. You never know when they will be taken from you...

It's almost Christmas time!!!

I have a wonderful husband:-) He put up all the X-Mas lights right after Thanksgiving just like I wanted him to. The house looks so pretty!! Now...I wish it would just snow...and we could sit outside...drink some hot cocoa and enjoy the lights. I am starting to get in the mood. I started my xmas shopping early this year so I am not stressed at all. This is great stuff...I hate being all stressed out right before Christmas! It's going to be a good one this year.

Twilight - New Moon 11-20-09

Yes! I took Thomas to see the New Moon movie:-) I love the books! It's a great series:-) We didn't get to go see the movie the night it came out at midnight because it was a school night...and Thomas and I aren't morning people...thought that might be a bad idea. We went to see it the next day...the lines were still crazy long and there were more teenagers there then I ever care to see in one place again...but it was worth it! Thomas had a blast and so did I. Thomas's friend Matt went with us. He has read all of the books as well so he was really looking forward to seeing the movie. The book was better (of course) but the movie was still great! What a wonderful love story!!! I totally had to sport my "Team Cullen" shirt...Thomas thought I was a total dork...but so what if I am:-)

Yoga Graduation 2009

My Mom had a party at her house last weekend for all of the Yoga Graduates she was in class with! I am so proud of my Mama:-) It took lots of hard work and determination to make it through Yoga training!!!! But she did it:-) The party was perfect (of course)...well....we won't talk about the men that decided they were too good to stay for the party and decided to go out to eat instead...Joel, Thomas, Peter and Jason....They missed out! We had a great time without them. The catering company that catered my wedding also catered the party and the food was YUMMY!!!! You did a great job on the party Mama!!!

Brenden is 10 - He made it to the double digits!!!

Brenden turned 10 on Nov 10th:-) We had a B-Day party for him at Main Event. The kids had a blast...they played lazer tag, ate lots of pizza and cake...and rocked the video games:-) Brenden made sure to let me know he had made it to the double digits! Too cute! Can't believe how quickly the kids are growing up! Slow down for cryin' out loud:-)

Thanksgiving Dinner!!

I can't wait:-) I love Thanksgiving...it has to be one of my favorite holidays! It doesn't get much better then lots of food and lots of family:-)

This year I want to make something to take to my Mom's house. I found this recipe on The Pioneer Womans website and it looks DELICIOUS! I hope the family enjoys it!!!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/10/fresh-corn-with-wild-rice-a-delicious-holiday-sidedish/

My next step.....

towards learning photography:-) Is the Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash!!!! I can't wait to start playing with it!!! It's just another thing I will get and NOT know how to use...but not for long:-) I will be taking pictures of everything trying to figure this thing out! I am so excited!!!

Football - 09 - Dirty Boy

I decided to do a scrap page with this picture since it's so adorable:-) Brenden LOVES football. Joel and I have really enjoyed wayching him play over the last few years! Can't wait for next season to come around:-)

Central 214

Have any of you ever watched the show "The Naughty Kitchen"?? Well, if you haven't it's a reality show about a chef and how she runs her restaurant here in Dallas, TX. I LOVE the show...it's a lot of fun and I love watching them cook. You know me:-) I LOVE TO COOK! Anywho.....Joel and I had the opportunity to go out to dinner last night...no kiddos! He asked me if I wanted to go to Central 214 which is where "The Naughty Kitchen" is filmed. I said OK!!!! It wasn't a cheap meal by ANY means...but it was sooooooo good! I like that they use "real" food with the best ingredients...and that's what makes it good. So many high priced places give you plates of food that looks pretty but doesn't really taste that good. If you live in Dallas or ever visit Dallas...you should check this place out!!! Oh and the chef was there:-) No...I didn't talk to her...but it was cool to see her in "action"!! Thanks honey for the marvolous dinner!!! LOVE YOU! I guess we could call that our 6th month anniversary dinner:-)

Halloween 2009 - The Greaser!!

Thomas went to a Halloween Party this year with his friends from school. Of course...I wasn't invited. He is way too cool for that now:-) I did manage to snap a shot of him before he left though:-) He was a greaser this year. Talk about a cheap costume! I am all over that! He looked great!!!! We even rolled up a pack of ciggs (empty of course) in his shirt sleeve! I picked him up from the party about 10:30 tonight and he said it was the best Halloween EVER! I am soooo glad he had a great time!! I guess the whole trick-or-treating is a thing of the past now:-(

A beautiful service for a beautiful woman:-)

Today we held a service in the celebration of Sheila's life. It was a very simple and beautiful service. Joel did such a great job of putting everything together:-) He was nervous all week that something horrible would go wrong....but of course it didn't. It was great to meet a lot of Sheila's friends that I hadn't met before today. Lots of people she worked with showed up along with all of her close family:-) I know that she would be very happy to see the turn out. We will miss her so much! It's really hard to believe that she is gone:-(

You will be missed Sheila!!!!

Last night at 11:55pm my husband lost his mother. She had a brain bleed and has been in the ICU for a week. The doctors told us that she would not recover with any meaningful life...so they decided to withdraw care for her and let her go. It was the saddest thing I have ever had to experience. Everyone says that everything happens for a reason. I question that sometimes:-( Seeing Joel hurt the way he did was awful. I am glad that we are at a good place in our life now that we are sober...secure...and happy. I think all of those things will help him deal with the loss of his Mom. I only knew Sheila for about 4 years...but it sure was long enough to know that she loved Joel and her other boys...Josh and John more than anything. She was soooo happy that Joel and I found each other. She told me one day that she waited for Joel to finally figure himself out and for him to truly be happy and that she could see now that he was truly happy. I am happy to know that she was able to be a part of our life for as long as she could.

I know that it's only the beginning of this whole thing for Joel...but I am 100% confident that he is going to be ok:-) He is a strong man and his Mom will be so proud of what his future holds for him and his family!

We will miss you Miss Sheila:-) Just know that I will always take good care of your son and your beautiful grandchildren. They mean the world to me:-)

Look at the smile in this picture. May 16th 2009. She was sooooo happy that day to have all of her boys together:-)

Fall in Texas

I love Fall in Texas. The weather is awesome...a little rainy...but cool and very relaxing. For some reason this is the time of year that I enjoy cooking the most. I have a few new recipes that I am going to try this weekend. Joel's kids are here and his daughter is a little picky...so I tried to pick out a few recipes that she will enjoy. I know she will at least enjoy helping me prepare them:-) I will post the recipes on my food blog later this weekend.

I also love this time of year because it always seems like a good time to clean out stuff....I know that supposed to be "spring cleaning" and I love the whole "spring cleaning" thing...but in the fall I like to clean "out". I am thinking about re-organizing my closet this weekend....fun fun! How does that darn thing get so full of crap!!! I don't get it...lol.

Oh...and shopping. I am not a big shopper...I really only go shopping when it gets cold and again when it gets hot. I don't enjoy shopping a lot....but when it's start getting cold outside and all you have is flip flops and t-shirts it kind of makes you want to go out and buy a sweater:-) I love wearing a comfy pair of jeans and a nice warm sweater...coooozzzzyyyy!

I end up getting a lot more stuff done around the house when it starts getting cold too...because I am a total weenie and don't like being out in the cold all day....so I end up scrapping more...cooking...cleaning(well...I can't do much of that until my back fully heals...thanks Joel).

Fall also means the holidays are just around the corner:-) .....it brings back so many childhood memories. I hope our kids have as many wonderful holiday childhood memories as I do. Family....food...gifts....more food....oh...and just the smell of Christmas sticks in my mind. You walk outside...it's cold...you can smell wood burning from families fire places....LOVE IT!!!


HAPPY FALL EVERYONE!!!!

Thomas 13th B-Day Party!

We did things a little different this year:-) Thomas wanted to take a few of his friends to Screams...little did he know they were all going to go in a HUMMER LIMO!!!! He was sooo surprised! All of the kids had a blast. YES...it was raining....but we all still had fun...and hey...there weren't any lines for the haunted houses...so that rocked! A little mud never hurt anyone. I wasn't able to get many pictures though due to the rain. SORRY:-(

7th grade History Project

Thomas came home to tell me that he dropped his project at school and it broke all over the floor....so....he needed to re-do it at home because they didn't have time to re-do it in class. Great...like I know how to make plaster stuff that will dry hard...he he! I googled it...yes I said I googled it. It worked! He did a great job on his project. I am a proud Mama and wanted to show off a little. Oh...and I now know how to make homemade playdough:-)

7th grade field trip

Thomas's 7th grade class went on a really cool field trip last week. They went to the Dallas World Aquarium...then to Spaghetti Warehouse for lunch and then onto a sculpting place. One of the roon Mom's took this picture of Thomas scultping a peice of limestone. Thomas was so excited when he got home. He said it was the coolest field trip ever. He really loves going to the Dallas world aquarium and the scultping thing was really neat. They sent him home with a HUGE chunk of limestone. Not sure what we will do with it...but Thomas didn't want to get rid of it...so I guess we will hang on to it for a while:-)

Thomas will be 13 soon!!!

We have some big plans for his 13th b-day. He is really excited about becoming a teenage...he also thinks he is GROWN!! UGH! We have decided to do something a little different this year for his b-day since it's a special one:-) He loves going to haunted houses this time of year so we decided he coudl take a few of his friends to Screams Theme Park! It's going to be a blast...him and his friends can hang out in the haunted houses and they have food and games to play!! What he doesn't know is I have a BIG surprise for him....He reads my blog ocasionally so I can't say what it is...but he is going to LOVE IT! I will post pictures from his b-day and from them you will be able to see what the surprise is!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY T-MAN!!!! I hope this is the best year of your life!!! You have so much to look forward to...there is a whole life out there...go live it!!!

A weird yet good experience

Today Joel, myself and the kids stopped by Tom Thumb to get a few things for Thomas's school project. Joel, Haley and Brenden sat in the truck while Thomas and I ran in. When Thomas and I walked through the door....the weirdest thing happened. There was a lady that worked at Tom Thumb standing at her register. She stopped us and told Thomas that he was a very pleasant young man and that good things were going to happen to him in his life. Then she looked at me and told me what a wonderful mother I am. She talked about the unconditional love we shared. Thomas and I just kind of looked at each other like...what the heck.....it was so weird. I told the lady thanks and we went on our way. Thomas and I didn't say anything to each other for a few minutes because we were both thinking about what this lady had said. I turned and looked at Thomas and I told him that he should never forget what she said to him. I am not a big believer in psychics or anything....bu this woman truly felt what she said to him. She was a really neat woman and I really feel that there is a reason she said those things to us. I am not a very religious person...and for the first time in my life I really think this experience had something to do with God. Wow! What an experience...I just had to share:-)

The Last House On The Left

WOW! Last night my sister and I had a girls night in:-) It's been raining in Dallas for almost two weeks straight and it sounded like a great night for a big pot of chili. The chili was TOTALLY yummy for the record...and we decided to rent a scary movie. "The Last House On The Left". Britney and I are weird I guess...we like freaky movies like this. Let me just tell you if you haven't seen this movie...it's VERY disturbing. If you are a very sensitive person you might not want to watch it. It's not scary like boo scary. It's scary like OMG! I hope I never run into to someone like that. I think they did a really good job of keeping everything "real". A lot of horror movies are ruined because they go way overboard with the blood and guts stuff. This movie kept everything how it really would be...which is another reason it was even more freaky. I will not spoil the move ...... but I will say if you don't have a week stomach and you aren't very sensitive then you should see it. Oh and if you are interested in the Chili recipe it will be on my food blog this evening:-)

Facebook

So Handsome:-)
It's so funny....Joel use to make fun of me because I was always on Myspace...and now it's Facebook. He always said it was stupid...blah, blah, blah! Well, now he LOVES Facebook. He is on it daily. Today he came home from work and said that I needed to take a picture of him so he could update his profile picture. I asked him why and he told me that the guys at work are making fun of his current profile picture...they said he looks like the main nerd in "revenge of the nerds" just without the galsses...LOL! So I took a few pics of him...Yes, he wanted me to take a few so he could pick out his favortie. It's soooo funny seeing him on Facebook after ALL this time he bugged me about it. Oh how I love him so! Here is his favorite picture...which is now his new profile picture. I am sure the guys at work will find something to say about this one too.

It's time for Football and Cheerleading again!!

I love this time of year...The kids have all started school....Haley is in Cheerleading...Brenden plays football and this year Thomas joined volleyball. Joel and I are soooo busy this time of year...but it's fun! Brenden's football games have already started and Thomas's volleyball games will start soon!! Here is a pic I took at Brenden's last football game...they lost this one...but kicked butt the first game. This weekend will be the first game that counts towards the playoffs:-) I hope they kick butt!! It's a lot of fun to watch Brenden play football. He is almost the smallest kid on his team...but he doesn't care...He LOVES playing football. He never knows the score of the game...what position he plays...when the next game is...NOTHING! All he cares about is having fun and playing and I think that's GREAT!

Joel and I really love watching all of the kids play in their sports. It's almost time for it to start getting cooler outside...love it! Chili...beefstew...yummy!