Diary of a Stay at Home Mom: July 2006

Monday, July 31, 2006

Rush Rush Rush!!!

I'm writing but also rushing, ever feel that way? It's quite interesting actually, you are typing as fast as you can but then end up making so many typo's, which in the end really defeats the purpose of rushing because you have to keep stopping and fixing it. *sigh* Oh well........

The reason I'm rushing is because I have Veronica's kids over again today, they'll be here in an hour and I still want to mop my floors and vacuum the living room. I could have done it yesterday but I was out getting groceries. (I always have an excuse, so don't be surprised lol).

After friday, I have to tell you that I'm preparing myself. I have a FULL pot of coffee waiting for me, and I'm going to eat a big breakfast just so I have the strength to chase after the little one. Yes, I know I know, I'm sure a lot of the SAHM's with more than two kids are probably pointing and snickering at me from the corner, but hey, yeah you back there......we're not all equal and what works for one doesn't for the other right? *hats off to all the moms who have more than two kids*
You have NOW become part of my Hero List.....which includes, soldiers, firefighters, mother's juggling career's, single mothers, oh the list goes and on, don't you feel part of a special thing???

After the kids leave today, I have to get my house cleaned and ready for the family coming in tomorrow. It's not that I live in filth, I don't, and for the most part my house is always clean, but you all understand how it is when family comes to visit, you want things to be nice and make a good impression (whatever that means). So I have a running list of things to do from about 4pm onwards....guess I'll be going to bed late tonight.

While talking to Sarah aka Mrs Blythe, via her comments, I told her that I would share with her the story of how hubby and I met. Some of you already know, but for the others that don't and are interested or curious, just go read this post I made a while ago. Who knows, I may actually shock some of you LOL

For all you Meal Planners or wannabe Meal Planners, you have to go on over to Organizing Junkie's today. She's starting a new feature (which I'm also going to be joining) called Menu Plan Monday in which we all post our menus for that week. I think it's a great idea and will help the beginner MP (meal planners) get started.

Talking about meals, I posted my menus for the next two weeks, over at my food blog "Full Bellies", there's also some new recipes posted for things like "Tres Leches Cake" and "Breakfast Casserole" etc.
Go on, what are you waiting for, get over there and see if you find something to your taste. :)

Ha! You know what I just realized? That no matter how early I start my blog, it still takes me about 2 hours to get this much written....I had no idea that I had to stop so many times LOL
No wonder there's days I sit down and draw a complete blank.....DUH!!!

I have a HUGE to do list today. Wanna see it, hmmm, wanna feel better about your day? I'll even let you sit there and giggle, go ahead and shake your head too and say "poor girl is delirious thinking she can do all that in one day". :)

~~All the laundry - all 1 thousand loads (not really, but still it feels like it)~~
Steam clean carpets (ok Emily, you can stop laughing at me now lol)
Run to recycle center to drop off boxes and other trash
~~Change all the bed linens~~
~~Write my Tackle it Tuesday and Treasure Tuesday posts for tomorrow~~
Run by Housing office (LOL is all I say)
Return books to library
Run to store to get items I didn't pick up at Walmart
Clean upstairs and downstairs bathroom
~~Wash living room glass doors~~

You know I could go on, but I'm nauseated just looking it at right now.....especially since I know I have to get all this done AFTER 4 pm. I'm lucky the housing office and the library are still open at that time. Alright, I really have to get going, the kids aren't here yet, so I guess I am going to shift things a bit and get some of my TO DO list done right now. Why save it for later if I can save it for next year right? HA!!! I'm just kidding........why save for later what you can do now.

Have a beautiful day everyone :) Hugs all around, and here ya go, some coffee to keep you happy while you go blog hopping around. Say hi from me will ya....don't think I'll have a chance to do it myself today :(

God Bless,

Sunday, July 30, 2006

IS THERE ANYTHING BETTER

than waking up to beautiful sunshine, not one single cloud in the sky, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee???
I'm those kind of people that need my coffee to function, not that I'm walking around delirious or zombie like, but I just don't seem to have my thoughts collected before that steaming hot deliscious coffee hits my mouth. Then BAM, I'm ready for anything.

To better prepare my mornings, I bought one of those coffee machines that are programmable. This way I don't stumble around trying to get coffee started, spilling the prescious coffee on the ground, inserting the filter the wrong way, or even better (this one is classic for me), forgetting to fill it with water. Ahhhhh, coffee lover at it's best. LOL
So now, I get my machine ready every night, turn it on and go to bed, when I get up at 6:30am, there's the smell of hot freshly brewed coffee permeating the air. Perfect!!!

I have to finish working on my menus today so I can get my grocery list ready and head to Walmart. I have my MIL and BIL arriving on Tuesday and since tomorrow I have my friend's kids over again, so they can pack up their moving truck, I won't have time to get groceries. Last thing I want is for family to arrive and have no food in the house, well ok I exagerated a bit, ALMOST no food, there's snacks, but not really much substantial left. I couldn't get by without my meal planning, honestly I'de be running around like a chicken with it's head cut off....maybe not the best description when talking about food (eewww, I am a little nauseated right now).

I'll post my menus on my food blog this morning, so if you're interested you can check there.
Have some recipes to post too, so I'm hoping to get all of that done this morning.

I feel awful that I haven't had a chance to sit down and visit my favorite blogs, it's just been so crazy around here the past two or three days, so don't think I've forgotten about you all, I haven't and will be there either later today or tomorrow first thing in the morning. Funny how addicted you become to reading the blogs, if you go one or two days without doing it, it doesn't feel natural.

I have two loads of laundry to finish today and then I want to get everything cleaned up again. I had my house nice and clean but then the kids came over and of course, just like with my kids, it's as if you're entering a war zone. They really should think about making protective gear for mom's....don't you think??? You know how many times I've stepped over legos, or other small pointy-make-me-want-to-scream-in-pain toys? Or been hit in the head or stomach by UFO's (Unidentified Food Objects), I mean really, what is so funny about flinging that piece of cheese across the house only to hit your poor unsuspecting mother in the eye, and then throw yourself on the ground laughing so hard you can't even breathe. It's not funny.....well actually now that I wrote it down, it's pretty hilarious. LOL

I want to point you in the direction of the Nooma DVD's again. I've mentioned them a couple of times on my blog, but for those of you who have never heard of them, they are just amazing.
My MIL first introduced us to them when she was visiting last christmas, and instantly I was hooked. They're a set of DVD's done by Pastor Rob Bell, and they're only about 15 minutes long, but the messages are so powerful and really make you think. My favorite by far is the one called "Rain".

You the feeling of something happening or things just not going you're way, and who amongst us has not questioned God's location at those times??? I've done it many times, I always say "Where were YOU? You knew I needed you but yet weren't there because if you were there's no way you would let me go through that alone". But that's the thing, he WAS there....he never leaves you alone at any time or during any thing.
Pastor Rob Bell gives us a great example using a trip he made with his family, and a walk he took through the woods with his little son, suddenly a huge thunderstorm hits them and.......well, why don't you just go on over and watch the video clip, you won't be disappointed.

Well I better get that grocery list and menu finished, want to get to Walmart soon so that I can spend the rest of the day just relaxing with the family :)
Gotta get my energy up for all the kids tomorrow, maybe I should eat a whole cow to give me energy? LOL
I agree with what Michelle said in my comments, something to the effect of "maybe I'm getting too old for this, I like peace and quiet and not too much chaos around me" LOL

Have a great sunday everyone :)

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Yesterday reminded me why I made the

right decision to just have two kids and not a third. I don't know what is going on but I feel old, and yet I'm only about to turn 32.......make sense?

I had my friend Veronica's kids over the whole day, they're packing up their house to move next week and obviously it's much easier doing it with the kids not in the way. So I had two 7 year olds, two 3 year olds and a 1 year old who just learnt how to walk and is ALL over the house, really fast, my legs couldn't keep up LOL
I had totally forgotten what it's like to have a little one in the house, but you know what? Now I realize why I never had weight issues when my kids first started walking....I guess in a way I was just starting out myself (on the exercise path that is). Woke up this morning and I feel like I was run over by a truck, I hurt my left knee, my arms are killing me and even my stomach muscles are hurting. WHAT?!?!?! Then I get on the scale and it says 134 lbs.....YAY, you know I think I should have Matthew over more often then LOL

But with all the running around and the kids playing constantly non stop with their friends, at 7:30pm, I finally sat down in front of the computer to go on the Tour of Homes.....while I was sitting here doing that, I looked over to the couch and saw this,

How cute is that??? And what exactly was the curtain for??? I'm still trying to figure that out :)
Both kids were out pretty early, no fuss, no whining and no 1000 excuses to stay up....you know the ones right? All of a sudden they're thirsty, they're hungry, they're not tired, there's a special one-time cartoon on the tv, and the list goes on and on.

I have to tell you all that I just had such a blast going on the Tour of Homes, but some of your houses (well most of them actually, if I'm going to be honest) put mine to total shame. I just can't wait to buy our own house, living in base military is great but you can't do anything to the houses, hence the reason why all the walls are an egg shell white.....BARF!!!
I want paint and LOTS of it, all over the house, different colors, different themes, you name it....although I'm sure you've noticed that I'm into the country look, if my kitchen dolls etc didn't give it away, then I'm sure the shelves did. Oh and someone asked about the wooden shelving unit under the sink....that was built by my hubby, these houses come with NO storage at all in the bathrooms, so I asked hubby to build me something and he came up with that, I LOVE it :)

I have nothing planned for today, I did all my laundry yesterday and actually put away Nic's laundry too. I could go work on the back yard, but honestly I don't feel like it. *GASP* I said it, I'm telling all of blogdom that I, SAHM don't feel like cleaning or doing any unnecessary work today. Wow that felt good LOL

You know what I'm in need of though? Some good relaxing time with God. I've been so busy the past week and I haven't had time (forgive me Lord) to sit down for a few minutes and do my devotionals or even have a conversation with him....what's worse? Well the past 3 nights I've fallen asleep without even getting to pray. That's not like me, and it's frustrating and sad at the same time. So if anything, today I'm going to find time to be, just be with Him, talk about my week (though he knows I'm sure), talk about my frustrations, my worries, my happy times too....get some Fatherly Energy back I guess, you know the one, it fills you with smiles and courage and makes you ready to face anything that life may throw your way.

Well I'm off, I don't have a Surfing post today, didn't get on the internet this past week, so I really don't have any new or interesting sites to share. Will be back tomorrow and hopefully will have something more insightful or smart to blog about, my mind is just not there right now.....

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Welcome to Casa Sandra!!!!

I just had to steal that name from Sarah over at "Seeking his Glory" LOL

I had mentioned yesterday about how much I love houses and seeing what they look like inside etc., so when I heard about the Tour of Homes hosted by Boomama, I knew I had to participate.
You have NO idea how excited and thrilled I am to be seeing you all, well your houses that is.....I have my hot cup of coffee and my toast and I'm all set to Ooohh and AAhhhh over them.

But first let me welcome you to my house or actually the house we live in at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. We've been here for 8 years and the house seems to be getting smaller, well, maybe we're just accumulating too much stuff, I don't know......but it brings a lot of memories with it. Both our kids were born here, we've had our ups and our downs, celebrated birthday's and holidays, deployments, miscarriages, happiness and sadness. Who knew that so much could be attached to one single place right?

Well come right in to my living room, pick a spot and just sit back and relax. Want a cup of coffee??? A donut maybe??? Did I tell you that I always have donuts in this house? It's my downfall, I just can't help it. This living room has been through so much change too, these are new couches, the old ones were just getting to raggedy to keep around and after having gone through two kids and 4 dogs, well, they didn't survive.

Now let me show you where I make the magic happen (so to speak), my blogging paradise. Wanna see it?? Come on, this way, right over here across from the couches, yeah I have to keep my computer area near the living room so I can watch the kids while I blog or check email. You know how it is, one second you turn your head and the next thing you know they have the dog dressed as Dora. Go figure. So here we are,

Cute isn't it? Well, now you know where the ~~magic~~ blogging happens. Now if we just turn to the left we have one of my favorite rooms in the house, and please don't laugh when I say the Bathroom. I think the reason is because it's become my getaway from the kids. That's the one place I've forbidden them to knock, enter or otherwise inquire about what I'm doing in there. When things get really hectic, I just walk in and close the door for about 10 minutes....(if daddy is home, if not, then the getaway is closed).

Now let's keep going, unless someone has to make a quick stop? No? Alright, now onto the kitchen.....this is where the OTHER magic happens. My family and friends will usually find me in there cooking. It's another of my favorite rooms in the house.

And this is another two views of my kitchen......my hubby built me that bookshelf for all my cookbooks etc.

And this is where we eat, these houses don't have a dining room, just an area in the kitchen for the table etc.

And that is it, that's my house, my little Family Corner in the Universe :) I just can't wait to come check everyone else's humble abodes :)

If you want to participate or take a Tour of Homes yourself, run on over to Boomama :)

If here in the next few weeks you see me

at Typepad or Wordpress or whatever, don't say I didn't warn you. I have just about had it with Blogger and the constant glitches, it's just getting too frustrating for me.
I've been trying for the past 3 hours to get on here, so we'll see how long this lasts. I understand that it's free and really, right now I just can't afford to be paying for an online journal, but I think it's also unacceptable to expect people to just put up with anything just cause it's free.....that's not fair.

Alright, I'm done complaining, see I have no patience to complain or whine, it gets boring fast LOL
But let me just say that this is the reason there was no post yesterday, other than my WFMW which took an hour to get up.

It's crazy hot here today, the temperatures are just not dropping below 100 and usually by 10 am it's already in the 90's. You know what that has done for me??? It's made me lazy. Every time summer is about to begin, I make all these plans, I'm going to walk everyday, I'm going to take the kids to the park every morning....it will be so nice being outside.....and then just like clockwork, the same thing happens. It gets WAY too hot and I hide in the house, not wanting to go anywhere, not having the energy to even run to the store, and the beautiful tan I had just a month ago, is now slowly dissipating.
Oh well, nothing new right???

My mother and brother in law arrive on Tuesday morning, they're staying for two weeks and we're all so excited already. The kids ask me everyday "how many more days until Grandma and Uncle Chris get here?". Needless to say, I don't think they'll sleep much on monday night.
We have a few outings planned for when they're here, one of them is to Twin Falls which is about an hour from where we're stationed. We're going to the Ice Caves and the Shoshone Falls, no sense in going to one and then returning a few days later for the other right?

I'll be taking my camera along and then posting the pictures, so you'll all be coming along with us, in a sense. If you're anything like me, I love visiting new places and seeing the pictures.

Don't forget about The Tour of Homes tomorrow, hosted by Boomama. For details go here. I'm hoping to participate, but tomorrow I have my friend's kids over while they pack up their house to leave next week. I don't think I'll get on the computer much at all, so we'll see.
If you like seeing other people's houses, then this is just what you need. I admit, I have this little obsession with the way other houses look. At night if I'm driving anywhere, I'm constantly looking at the windows and looking inside......NO, I'm not a stalker or a peeping tom of any sorts, unless there is such a thing as a House Peeping Tom...then maybe I'm one???

I just love seeing how other people decorate their houses, I love all sorts of homes, victorian, contemporary, modern, you name it........though I do have a soft spot for old homes and especially Plantation Houses, they are just beautiful.

Can you just imagine living in one of these???

But anyway, enough about houses, I don't know even know how I got started on this.....oh wait, it was because of the Tour of Homes tomorrow LOL

While reading through Boomama's blog, I was once again reminded of Elise and Paul and when I read the post, I cried, yes I actually had tears running down my face because even though I had never met them, they sounded like the perfect love story, the kind of marriage and love that you wish for yourself and your children.

It also reminded me that although my husband and I may fight at times, and have our ups and downs, I really couldn't imagine my life without him. You know when you find your true love and you know when that person just completes every part of you. It's almost like an umbilical cord is formed, just that instead of a birth you get a marriage. We go everywhere together, we love being with the kids and each other and we love everything about our lives, we don't make decisions without the other one and we've often joked about "divorce not EVER being an option". LOL
We often say "as bad as things might get, you're stuck with me, so we either make this marriage work or we're going to be living miserably".....we laugh about it, and we both realize that even though it's said as a joke, it's the truth for us. The love we share is far too great to let it fall apart or to let it sit and become just a comfortable thing.

Anything that is left unattended for long, tends to just wither away, and the same can be said for marriages. You can't just get married and then FORGET about it. It doesn't work that way, if anything that is when the real struggles and work begins. Now don't go running off thinking that I'm saying marriage is too hard, it's NOT, and if you learn the biggest secret of a successful marriage, you'll be just fine. Want to know what it is???? COMMUNICATION!!!
When hubby and I first got married we talked about everything and anything, and then two years or so into the marriage we hit a wall....we stopped communication, we stopped saying exactly what was wrong or what we felt, but all that did was fester inside and lead to some of the nastiest fights we've ever had. So, we got back on track, it's tireing fighting all the time LOL

Again, I feel like I went off on a totally different direction of my initial thoughts, but anyway, you now know how I feel about my husband and about marriage.

I'm off to go do some housework, though my house is clean, I always like having it spotless before visitors come.....you understand don't you???

Hope you're all having a blessed day, stay out of the sun, grab a glass of iced tea and just relax for a bit, or do what I did, grab a glass, drop a few ice cubes in, fill it with coke and then add one or two slices of lemon. YUMMMMYYYY!!! It's so refreshing and really hits the spot.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Works for Me Wednesday!!! July 26

"I want a snack".....Grrrr, anyone else tired of hearing those words???

It seems that every 10 minutes, one of my kids let's me know that they are apparently starving, but not for anything nutritional, for snacks.......after a while of doing this I realized that I needed to come up with a healthier snack than the usual fruit roll ups, bag of chips or cookies. (Their favorites).

This is what my WFMW is about today, what works for me when they ask for snacks.

I had to cut down on all the junk food, so lately they have been really good about eating fruit or even carrots for snacks, but there's days that they want something different and that's where my WFMW tip comes in.

I make Peanut Butter and Jelly Tortillas, or Peanut Butter and Banana ones.
I take a flour tortilla, spread peanut butter and jelly on it and roll it up, then I cut it into slices . For the PB and Banana, I just substitute the Jelly with sliced bananas and then do the same, roll it up and slice it.
They love it and I feel like they're getting a MUCH better snack.

Now for ANOTHER WFMW tip, yes you're getting two for the price of one today.....aren't I the crafty one??? LOL

Blogger has been extremely painful lately and especially when it comes to uploading pictures, I had a few friends ask me how I was able to post pictures on my blog these past few days. Easy, because I know HTML and when you know that you can bypass a lot of the frustrating glitches in Blogger.

So here you are, next time blogger acts up and doesn't let you upload your photos.....upload them to either photobucket or another free host, like Flickr or Imageshack......then come back to your post, click where it says EDIT HTML......next you type img src="URL" but remember to add this < style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">img and this one > after the url" ......and when you click back on COMPOSE, your pic will be there......just click on it and center it if you wish or leave it, and you can also click on it and resize it if it's too big.

Hope this helps all you blogger users, so now, there will be NO MORE excuses for not posting pictures when blogger is not cooperating LOL

If want to join in on the WFMW posts, just head on over Shannon's "Rocks in My Dryer".

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

I know, I know, I sometimes complain

about the kids and them pulling their usual antics, misbehaving in stores, constantly fighting, and just not plain listening. But seriously, I would rather have all this and more than live a life without my babies. They are what keeps me grounded and sane (though they drive be bonkers at times).

We were heading out the door yesterday and I decided to get some pictures of them, they happily obliged, I guess they're used to the papparazzi coming at them with the camera. I'm just going to milk this for as long as I can, I know pretty soon they'll start shooing me away.

My beautiful babies, just look at those faces :)

This is my Princess Jasmine....you can tell by that look that she's a fiery red head and boy does she have the temper.

Last but not least, my Prince Nicholas....the one full of witty and funny comments. He keeps us all laughing :)

Am I bragging too much??? I really don't want to bore you or even worse, scare you away from my blog. Just wanted to share their latest pics, I'm sure my family in South Africa is thrilled right now :)

It's extremely hot here today, the temperatures have been no lower than 100 the past few days and it's really getting on my nerves. How much heat can a person endure before loosing their marbles??? I must be pretty close, it's to the point where I don't want to leave the house at all, for anything, even milk. Is that a bad thing???

I have all that laundry to put away, you know the one mentioned in my Tackle it Tuesday post below. I've also been trying to redecorate a bit around the house. I don't have the money to pay for expensive things, I just use what I already have.....if you just take something from one room and use it in another, you'll be amazed at what a difference it makes.

The kids have been begging me to go play in the sprinkler out back, so I think it's time to get it set up and let them burn off some energy. Me, I'm going to get back to sewing Jasmine's dresses, like this ONE, and also work a little more on my embroidery. Should make for a great afternoon.....at tall glass of Iced Tea, some sewing and later I'll sit down to write some letters to the family back home, and I don't mean email, I mean pretty handwritten letters, pretty paper, pretty envelopes and the beauty of actual pen on paper. Nothing better than that is there???

May God bless you with a beautiful day,

TACKLE IT TUESDAY!!! July 25

Well ladies, my project for today is this:

Whoever said or thought that laundry for 4 people is not a lot, surely hasn't lived in MY house. This is all the laundry I did this weekend, yes I was a bit lazy last week and instead of doing my usual twice a week laundry, I left it for Saturday and Sunday. Needless to say, I spent the weekend pretty much glued to the washer and dryer.

This is what I'll be tackling today, and I promise I'll post pictures when it's all done.....I COULD cheat and just take all the clothes out and put them somewhere and then take a pic of the empty baskets.....but really, what good would that do, I would just end up with laundry piled up somewhere else in the house right??? LOL
I'll probably take pictures of me putting the laundry in their rightful places, so you KNOW that I'm actually working and not slacking off.

What projects are you tackling today, and are you brave enough to share the pictures with us? If you are, then please, just run, don't walk, over to Janice at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Here we are at another Treasure Tuesday and again I'm eager to share my treasures. My stepmom has told me many times that she loves reading these entries and I've actually brought her to tears......wasn't my intention, BUT they are tears of joy and not sadness, so all is good :)

Crocheted Doilies.......Yes, that's what my treasures are today. Many of you probably think I'm being silly, but really they mean a lot to me.

When I was growing up I remember seeing them all over our house and my grandmother's house, I remember touching them and appreciating the intricate designs. See, the women in my family all have a great affinity for crocheting, something which seemed to bypass me, I can knit I can embroider and I can even do candlewicking, but don't ask me to crochet because I just can't seem to get it right.

For years, I watched them make beautiful doilies, some were given to friends, some were even sold in stores, and I started asking for them and collecting them before I got married. I now have a beautiful collection of crocheted doilies, which I proudly display around my house.

I use them everywhere, in my veggie basket, under my coffee machine and toaster, in the bedrooms on the dressers, or the nightstands.....just everywhere I can think of. As my grandmother's got older, they stopped making them as much, if any at all the past few years, so these beautiful treasures are going to be treasured by me right along with my treasures from last week, my Crocheted Potholders.

What kind of treasures do you have laying around your house? And what beautiful memories do you have attached to them? If you want to join in on the Treasure Tuesday posts, just head on over to Faithful Mommy's blog.

Monday, July 24, 2006

IN THE TOILET?!?!?

Ok remember last week I told you that Nicholas accused me of eating his hair gel??? I mean really, I know I have problems with food because I just can't diet, BUT I have not resorted to eating weird stuff like that. LOL

This morning being the Designated Willy Shaker that I am, I was called into the bathroom because he was done. Great, now picture me with this annoyed look on my face and repeatedly telling him that this is NOT going to go on for much longer. He gets up and is standing there getting his underwear back on. I say to myself (yes I talk to myself at times lol) "I need to wash my hair this morning". Out of the corner of my eye I see him quickly look at me and then he says "IN THE TOILET?????". LOL
Oh come on now, this is getting out of hand.....I'm terrified of this kid talking to any strangers about his mommy. I can just see it now....

Stranger - Where's your mommy?
Nicholas - At home, eating hair gel and washing her hair in the toilet.

That's what I have to look forward to. Great isn't it??? LOL
You know I realized yesterday that when kids are born they must have this memo handed out, with all these little things that should be done to annoy parents. Like:

1. If you see your parent pick up the toys, wait until they leave the room and then dump it all out, watch their faces, it's priceless.

2. When handed a juice box, repeatedly tell them you will be very good and keep it in the kitchen, and then again, wait until they turn their backs, run into the living room and proceed to use the juice box as a sprinkler. Remember to turn in circles really fast, and squeeze the box hard.

3. Only hear what they say if it's convenient for you, don't answer if it means doing chores or going to bed, ESPECIALLY going to bed, again, watch their faces, it's priceless.

See, this list just goes on and on. Or is it just my kids that got this memo? I love them to death, but boy can they push me to the limits.

They're being really good this morning, which some people would say "Yay that's wonderful", yes it is, but I always get worried. Why are they being so good right now? Do they have something major planned for later? They know I'm going to the store this afternoon....oh NO, are they waiting for that to act out? I think I watch too much tv, really. It's crazy what your mind will think of if you just let it run for a bit. lol

Blogger is being sensitive today (for lack of a nicer way to say it). I can't get on anyone's blogs and can't comment. Hopefully they will get their act together soon, I'm having blogging withdrawals, need.to.read.my.favorite.blogs..... I'm actually lucky to be posting this right now, it wouldn't even let me in my account earlier, something about they know what the problem is and their engineers are working on it. HA!!!!

ONE DAY AT A TIME, that's what my 15 Minutes Alone with God was about today. The author talks about how we always ask God for guidance for tomorrow or next week or next year, and we forget to ask him for that same guidance just for today. Well I'm guilty of that, I'm usually asking God for help with major things (you know I've mentioned this before), something happening in the future etc. But there's days that I get into bed at night and realize that my TO DO list for that day just didn't get done. I was too busy worrying about tomorrow or the following day.

She suggests making a TO DO list for today and only listing those things that NEED to be done. After a few weeks of doing this you start ranking the activities by priority, start with the most important thing and then let the least important items settle for last, she even says that by the end of the day some of those things will probably even drop off the list.
I'm all for that, and I think I'm going to try that today, I mean really let's get realistic, do I need to sweep and mop everyday, vacuum everyday, scrub and dust and spend so much time on housework??? I am all for a clean house, but I think things should be in moderation.

Father God, I pray for my schedules. I ask for wise discernment in order to gain control of my life. Give me the courage to say "no" to the time wasters and say "yes" to the things that have eternal value. Amen.

I'm having a good day, I woke up this morning with a smile on my face. I can't remember what I dreamed about so I guess it could be attributed to that??? No??? MY hope is that it's still this great feeling of contentement that I mentioned in yesterday's post. Could God be letting me feel this way for longer than a day, maybe to shake things up and make me realize what I've been missing by worrying so much, and by NOT putting things in his hands???
I've been trying so hard for the past few months, and I've gotten a lot better but I still tend to do the controlling thing.....I give Him something to help me with with and then I put him on a timer.

Me - You not done yet Lord? I was really hoping for today.
Lord - No Sandra, I'm not done, remember things are done on MY timing not yours.
Me - yes yes I know, but could you maybe hurry it along a little, just a bit?
Lord - You're not paying attention to a single word I've said.
Me - Oh just give it back to me, I'll get it done faster.
Lord - (shaking his head), my sweet dear daughter, when are you going to learn?

I can tell you that this is how our conversations go. I say I'll leave it up to Him, and then snatch it away real fast, then I sit back and cry and wonder why it didn't work. DUH!!!! But yet, I keep doing it, am I really that dumb or thick headed??? LOL
I'm hoping to really nip this bad habit in the behind.....I know one day I will be able to let Him take my problems without so much as a second thought from me. One day!!!

Well I better get my day started, got a big basket of laundry to iron. Did I tell you how much I LOVE ironing??? Really I do, I get excited just thinking about it :)
I also want to go jump in the shower real quick and wash my hair, NO, not in the toilet....the shower.

Have a wonderful day everyone,

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Boy what a day............

for the first time yesterday, both my kids did not get to bed before midnight. That's a huge thing for me.....I'm one of those moms that believes in sticking to a schedule, BUT I'm also the mom that let's them stay up late on friday and saturday nights.

Still, late usually does NOT mean midnight. They finally passed out and didn't get up until 9 am, which meant that I got to sleep in, oh in what's been months (mother's day actually now that I think about it). It felt so good to wobble out of bed at that time, but then panic strikes me. Oh NO, half the morning is gone. Yeah, all you late sleepers are probably pointing and laughing at the nutty one. What does she mean half the morning is gone??? I don't even get up before 11am. Lucky Lucky you!!!! LOL

Got up and did all my laundry, emptied the dishwasher, cleaned the living room and made breakfast, while hubby mowed the back and front yards and then steam cleaned my carpets. (Yes Emily, AGAIN lol). Maybe I'm just weird like that, but I can't go a week without cleaning mine, there's always a juice box or a popsicle that secretly make it into the living room and then leave nasty spots all over. And have you ever noticed that you have a certain area with all these tiny blobs on it??? It's like, what exactly caused it? A very little person, or some sort of snack that drips in a sprinkler like fashion??? I just don't get it, it's definitely going down in the Mommy's Book of Mysteries.

Spent the rest of the day just hanging out with the hubby and kids. They got to play outside in the sprinklers again.....No, no the hubby, the kids. Although I would have paid to watch him out there playing too LOL
I'm usually on a blogger first thing in the morning and then everything else later, routine, but today I drifted from it and you know what??? The sky didn't fall and the world didn't come to an end. Only thing I missed was reading all my favorite bloggers, but I'll leave that for the morning, it will be the perfect thing to go with my coffee.

Really don't have much left to say today, just been happy and content with everything around me, even the toys on the living room floor. I'm not freaking out or trying desperately to pick them all up. I'm just letting things be right now.
Ever felt that way??? It doesn't seem to happen very often with me, but when it does, it's this overwhelming sense of calmness and happiness. All the worries just slip away and nothing said or seen or heard could get me down. I could attribute that to maybe being in some sort of bubble right now, or I could be honest and realistic and give credit where credit is due. To the Lord, yes, it's Him showing me yet again that if I just stop.....stop the thinking, the worrying, the what if's.....life can be so joyful and so peaceful.

I'm going to relax and to continue enjoying this feeling, and if by tomorrow it's gone, well, then I'm just happy that I got to enjoy it today and will eagerly wait for the next big moment, sort of like a kid anticipating the next big ride at the fair....oh come on you know the feeling right??? Just can't wait for it to happen :)

Hope you are all having a beautiful night and I will see you here bright and early tomorrow morning, cup of coffee in hand and a huge smile on my face.

God Bless,

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Ooohhhhhh.......

I'm sitting here eating an Enormous Omelet Sandwich from Burger King. I had never tried them before, it's my first time, and let me tell you "IT'S GOOD". BUT, there's a down side to it, the enormous calories involved. Needless to say, my calorie limit for today has been enormously cut down LOL So much enormous talk, I'm actually feeling sick just saying it.

Thank you all for the great comments and insights on yesterday's post. The reason I brought up the whole psychic subject, is because I have mixed feelings when it comes to it.
I think my main skepticism comes from Psychics who tell you about your future or stuff in your lives, because that to me doesn't really prove that they "know stuff", how do I know that maybe they didn't talk to someone or find out stuff about my life from another source???

What's been confusing me is the fact that some people will flat out deny that there is any way to communicate or even acknowledge people who have passed on. I've had many encounters with it, I've seen things that I DON'T want to see, I've seen my greatgrandmother, I've seen shadows or mists, and have had things happen that I can't explain. Does that mean I'm delving into evil or that I'm somehow not a Christian anymore because I admit that it happened to me???

I think that is the only line that I draw when it comes to it. I am by no means psychic, but why do I seem to be the one seeing the ghosts or spirits or whatever? And most importantly, is it because God allows me to or because the devil is playing tricks on my mind?

You all had such wonderful opinions and views on the whole issue, I actually printed them all out so that I can read them again when I have more time and quiet away from the kids :)

Every saturday morning I go to Yard Sales. It's not that I have something specific in mind, and really I don't need anything else, but I find the whole process of driving there, getting out of the car and just browsing around....a lot of fun. There's always something that catches my eye, but I have to tell you that some Yard Sellers are a bit crazy with prices, you might as well just go to the store and buy it new. For the most part though, I've been lucky to find good things for great prices. Remember my Computer Armoire?

This morning I found this beautiful foot rest, ottoman thing that opens up for storage. I think what caught my eye about it is the pattern and design, I'm from Africa so it was something I really wanted. It was only $10, not bad.

Then right as I was leaving, I saw this candle. I'm obsessed with candles, all different shapes and sizes and different smells. My favorite smell though is Gardenia or anything crisp and clean, like Rainfall or Ocean Mist etc.
I told the lady the candle was beautiful and she said "Yes it is, I actually bought it in Ireland", well say no more, I grabbed it LOL I didn't care if it smelled like trash, just because now I can say I have a candle from Ireland, a place I've always wanted to visit. It was just $1, come on, who can pass that up huh?!?!?!

Isn't it beautiful too??? So there you have it, my Yard Sale finds for this Saturday.

Today we're taking it easy. Hubby and I decided to not do anything around the house or the yard, we will leave that for tomorrow. Usually I would be fighting nail and tooth to do it now, you know how it is, "I'll do it tomorrow", turns into the following week, and then the next and then next month etc. But I can't say I'm feeling that great today, I'm cramping (who knows why), and just want to lay on the couch or mess around on my computer.
What do you say we all do that huh??? Mommy's on Strike this saturday, everyone fend for themselves.

It reminds me of one time that......well before I go on let me just say that with hubby being military and working during the day, and me being the SAHM, I spend most of the time with the kids so it's normal that I would be used to their meals and snacks etc. Now keep that in mind.....I had an appointment somewhere (can't remember now), but as I was heading out the door, I told hubby to give the kids lunch to which he replied "what do they usually have? What do I give them?".
I was so annoyed at the time that I said "Oh I don't know, just throw them a piece of lettuce, that should work" LOL
He was not impressed, but I HAVE noticed that my kids LOVE it when daddy gives them breakfast, I mean who else would let them have popcorn, soda or cookies so early in the morning huh??? I love my husband to death, he just cracks me up, and all joking aside, he's a wonderful husband and daddy :)

Well it's time for me to get off here and go say hi to my fellow bloggers. What kinda friend would I be if I didn't drop by and say hello???

I posted my Saturday Surfing just below, so if you want some cool sites to check out or just want to know what my surfing activity has been like this past week, just go on and scroll down....hopefully some of my internet surfing proves handy to someone else :)

See ya tomorrow, and please stay out of the sun, it's way too hot out there.

Sandra's Saturday Surfing!!!!

You know there's weeks that go by without me even getting on the internet once, well other than email and my blog. But then there's those weeks that seem to bring me the best sites around, and I often sit back and wonder, "why didn't I find that before?".

This week was somewhat in between, I didn't do much surfing but I did find some interesting sites.

My Journey - We have so much in common, and I have to tell you, check out her stamping cards....gorgeous, just wish I was THAT crafty :)

Just Add Water - Great blog too, another SAHM of 3. Go on and say hi, she's pretty funny :)

The Electronic Zoo - This was a great find. My kids love zoo animals and animals in general, and in this site you can look up different ones, and even visit some "real" zoo pages and even look up veterinary services if you have a question about a sick pet.

Roadside America - While looking for some fun things to do when my MIL comes next week, I came across this site. It's pretty much an online guide to tourist attractions and you can even find unusual attractions near your city by using their Map-a-City.

That's it for now, I didn't go to many places and the usual ones I did visit, I already mentioned in my previous posts :) If anything, I'm sure the blogs will entertain you :)

Friday, July 21, 2006

EVER FEEL LIKE YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE

of a roleplaying game or those MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing games lol), with banshees running around you???
No??? Well lucky you, because that's exactly what I felt like yesterday. It was like being transported from the game I play with my hubby online, DAOC.....to the middle of my living room surrounded by my kids.

What is it with young kids and ear piercing, blood curling screams??? You know the kind right??? You're standing there all happy and smiling, then all of a sudden, out of nowhere (unless there's an imaginary killer or a nuclear bomb that you're unaware of), it starts. It never really begins full force, it just builds up, from one scream to this series of continuous HIGH PITCHED ones. You look at their faces and they have HUGE grins. HOW?!?!?! How is that possible, to let out screams like that while smiling, the only time I've ever screamed like that is when a mouse ran over my foot, it was pure terror!!!

So last night for dinner, I made Bacalhau A Gomes de Sa, it's this really deliscious dish made with Cod Fish. I posted the recipe on my food blog, so you can go take a look if you wish :)
Isn't it amazing how eating a certain food can bring up a memory or make you feel like you're in a certain place or a certain time??? That is what happened yesterday, if I closed my eyes it was as if I was sitting back home, with all my family and especially my greatgrandmother, just enjoying the meal and lively conversation.

Reminds of when Curt first met my family. You all know that I'm portuguese and we tend to talk really loud. We could be telling you the weather and it would seem that we're mad or really upset about something. I guess we're just passionate about everything, no matter how big or small. So we're sitting there eating dinner, and dinners at my house always had no less than 12 or 13 people at one table. Everyone is eating and talking loudly and Curt turns to me and whispers in my ear "why is everyone fighting?" LOL
Oh my poor husband, if only you knew what you're getting into LOL

I have housework to do and I don't feel like it. Is that acceptable??? There's no housework police running around is there???
I love my life and I love my job as a mom, but there are days that I long for the times when I had no responsibility, just laying in bed and sleeping until I felt like it, not having to worry about dinner, or bills or my kids being bathed and ready for bed. But then I quickly realize that apart from that little bit of freedom, I really can't remember what my life was before my children. Yes we all want to just run away at times, and be alone, for me it's more of a "I need to catch my breath" kinda thing. Once that happens I'm ready to go again.

I don't think I could just become one of those lazy moms. It's not in me to be that way, I've learnt to be organized and on TOP of things. Do you know that if I sit on the couch to watch General Hospital, the whole time I'm watching it I'm having this mental struggle. "You're being lazy", "shouldn't you be doing laundry", "look the kitchen counters need to be wiped down". It's a sickness I tell you, and please don't think I'm a neat freak, I'm far from it. But I do struggle with allowing myself some downtime, some time to myself, to relax and not worry so much about the house.
Is there a place that offers treatment for the guilty mommy syndrome??? If so, point me in that direction will ya, I really need to go!!!!

I'm about to bring up a very controversial topic. That's just me, when there's nothing interesting going around, I just throw it on out there and watch LOL No, I'm just kidding, but I AM curious as to what you all think about psychics. Do you believe that some people have these special abilities to communicate with the other side? Do you think it's all evil and not to be trusted?
It's a subject that I've watched and read and researched because there seems to be such controversy around it, and very strong opinions on both sides. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground on it, it's either "IT'S PURE EVIL" or "I TOTALLY BELIEVE IT".
So what do you think???? Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on it.

And I did it again, I just took a sip of cold coffee.....and though I'm a coffee lover, unless it's specifically meant to be cold, like one of those Frappes, there's nothing nastier than a sip of coffee that has been sitting there while you blab away on your blog. SO, with that said, I'm going to grab some fresh hot one, then sitting back down to visit my blogger friends.

Oh, I have my Everyday Things post, just below, so be sure to check it out if you're interested :)

God Bless,

EVERYDAY THINGS!!!

"...For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Philippians 4:11

"If you want any one thing too much it's likely to disappoint. The healthy way is to learn to like the everyday things, like soft beds and buttermilk..."-- Augustus McCrae-"Lonesome Dove"

I think one of my favorite everyday things is my computer. You may be shaking your head right now and wondering why on earth I would bring that up, but the truth is that without it I would be totally lost.

Being a military family, it means moving, from one place to another, from one state to another and many times, from one continent to another. Right now, my whole family is back in South Africa and I'm here in the States.

Every morning, I am able to get on my computer and email them, or write in my blog so they know what is going on with our lives, and even better, I'm able to call them on the computer and talk as if we were using a phone, use the web cam as if we were standing right there next to each other.

My computer has become my eyes and my ears with my family, and it's one of those everyday things that people take for granted, but not I. It's what's made those special moments even better, allowing them to see my children grow, allowing me to see my nieces and nephews turn from beautiful babies to gorgeous young kids. We've even shared New Year's Eve together, using the webcam, we were able to BE there when the clock struck midnight.
And when my hubby is deployed, it becomes the connection between us, the chats, the pictures of the kids missing daddy and the voice of reason when I'm freaking out over him being gone.

So there you have it, my Everyday Thing. For more simple yet meaningful everyday things, please run on over to Everyday Mommy.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

I GIVE UP ON INTERNET EXPLORER!!!

I'm SO sorry my template is not showing up right for some of the IE users. This is the reason why I even changed it, because it kept pushing my other template to the bottom of the page, and now it seems it's doing the same. What is it with IE and templates????

It's best viewed with Netscape and Firefox, so I think I'll just add that piece of info on the template. Again, I'm really sorry.

I'm waiting for Jasmine to wake up and then I have to head to Airman's Attic to drop off some stuff, then the post office to get my package and then the commissary for some WIC checks. I have to tell you, with all the milk my son drinks, I'm extremely lucky to have him on WIC or I don't know where I would go. I'm sure I could buy a cow couldn't I??? And I did milk one once, back in school on some weird trip......now that I think about it, why did I milk a cow, what's up with that???

I want to take a few moments to wish my dad a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Yes, he's back in South Africa and I miss him dearly, wish I could be there for his birthday, but since I can't, I guess the next best thing is a phone call and being there in spirit.

Dad, I hope you have a great day and eat loads of yummy food LOL Have a couple drinks for me too. May you have a many many more birthdays and hopefully with me nearby. I love you!!!

You know what I've come to realize these last 8 years of marriage??? That men really don't know what they're doing. Well, hold on, let me rephrase that.....Men really don't do things to annoy us, they just think differently!!! THERE, better, don't want to go upsetting my hubby or the rest of the male population in the world.
The reason I say this is because things that may seem just common sense to me, seem really complicated to my husband....he's an extremely smart man (seriously), but there's stuff that makes me shake my head and think "Oh COME ON". Ever feel that way?!?!?!?

Don't believe me???....here's a few examples:

The trash is overflowing:
Me - Gotta be taken out
Hubby - Wonder how much more I can fit in there?
Take the last "whatever" out of the box:
Me - Throw the box away
Hubby - Let me put it back where I found it, empty and all.
Toys are all over the floor:
Me - Pick up the toys, I HATE stepping over them
Hubby - I'll just step over this one, and this one
Dishes have to be done:
Me - *sigh* wish I had some help
Hubby - Well I can't read your mind just ask me

The list goes on and on, and when we first got married it would really grate on my nerves. I honestly felt like banging my head against a wall. "What is wrong with this guy? It's right in front of him why can't he see it?". BECAUSE HE'S A GUY!!!! I've learnt the hard way!!!
Sorry honey, I love you to death, but you know it's true!!!
I think the moral of the story is, for all you ladies out there who are single, or engaged, remember that men don't think the way you do. If you want him to do something, SAY IT, specifically and to the point, don't dilly dally and beat around the bush. It will save you years of wondering what you're doing wrong. LOL

I desperately need to get back on my usual routine. I was used to waking up at 6 am every morning and the past 2 weeks I can't get up until almost 8 am. This would be great if it was the beginning of summer but seeing that school is going to start again soon, I really need to get back to normal. Whatever normal is.....anyone know???

Well the kids are acting up and not listening, I can tell it's going to be one of those days. - The hair pulling, want to pack and run away, please shoot me now kinda days.-
Jasmine especially has been testing my patience lately, I don't remember having such a bad attitude when I was 7 years old, but then again, maybe I did and just don't remember. Wish there was a way to bypass this stage, you know come to think of it, when she was an infant I kept saying I couldn't wait until she was a toddler, then she became a toddler and I thought "man, I can't wait until she's 5 or 6, I can't handle the terrible two's". Now she's at the age I wanted and I'm dying for teenager years (maybe not dying, I know that's going to be a problem all on it's own). I GIVE UP, I'll just enjoy whatever stage she's on and quit wishing for another one, it just seems that every age has it's ups and downs, right???

I better get off here before the kids destroy the house, or kill each other, the sibling rivalry is at it's peak today. See ya all in the morning, if I'm still here and haven't managed to run away to the circus. (oh wait, I AM there LOL).

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

CHANGE YET AGAIN!!!

Alright now, I think I'm leaving this one for a long time.....probably until the fall or winter LOL

What do you think??? And those using IE please let me know if it shows up fine, I'm hoping for no menus being pushed to the bottom, or weird graphics etc.

I tried to keep this one simple so I hope it works :)

Dear Blogger.....

Why do you do this to me???? Do you have some hidden agenda to drive me batty every two weeks???
I know you think you're doing a GREAT thing by offering me a free blogging service (and yes, hats off to you for that), BUT does that entitle you to have less than workable conditions???
Do you have any idea how annoying it is to be locked out of your own blog, or not able to comment on a friend's one??? Please, do us all a favor....get your act together!!!

I've had the WORST time trying to post anything today, it literally took me an hour to get my WFMW post up. I haven't been able to visit any of my favorite blogs, and let's not even mention trying to post a comment anywhere.....Mission Impossible!!!

BUT, it seems that blogger has stopped PMSing, and I'm able to get on and do my daily post, and don't worry because as soon as I'm done here, I'm running on over to all my faves to read and comment. Now don't kill me either, faithful readers, all 1 or 2 of you (if I'm that lucky lol), but I'm looking for a new template. I'm frustrated with Internet Explorer pushing my right menu to the bottom and I think it's time to go back to just one sidebar.....and since I don't have time to make my own template right now (got other work to do), I'm just going to use one of the many wonderful free templates available.

So if you come back tomorrow and it's a new template, don't run away, it's just me being bored and antsy as usual.

Had the worst headache yesterday, didn't even get to run to the store, asked hubby to go for me. I'm just lucky to have such a wonderful husband who does what I ask, no questions asked, isn't that sweet???
The headache is still here today but I'm starting to think it's either allergies or my sinus acting up again, I think the main giveaway is the pressure and the feeling of congestion. Nothing some pills can't cure right???

You all know that we're a military family, so moving is always a thought in the back of our minds, you never really get to call a place a home. Let's just say that we're brave nomads, going from land to land. At least that's how I like to think of it!!!
With the whole BRAC thing going on, there's a lot of changes being made, and one of them is obviously to the base we're at. My husband being an F-16 mechanic will fall into the category of people being shifted and moved from base to base. So I found out yesterday that we will more than likely have orders out of here by March of next year. Who knows where we will end up!!!!
I just gotta keep remindind myself of 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast your cares upon Him, for he Cares about You".....no matter where we end up, things will be fine!

I'm so excited today, I have a package waiting for me at the post office, and of course it's always exciting to get something from your family overseas......but this one is just extra special because it actually contains BACALHAU....yes Cod Fish. LOL
Now I know a lot of you are probably turning your noses up at me, and I understand, because if you know the portuguese Cod Fish, you know that it's dried and salty and it does stink. (literally).
But it's also one of the MOST deliscious fish you can come across.
I will be sure to share the recipes in my food blog, so if you ever find cod fish and don't know what to make with it, try Bacalhau A Gomes de Sa, or Bacalhau a Braz or even a quick Bacalhau Cozido com Grao. My mouth is watering just thinking about it :)

"BE CONTENT IN EVERYTHING", that was the title of my next chapter in the "15 Minutes Alone with God". Boy did it hit home!!! I am one of those people who are always looking to the future, when do we get paid again, when will we have our own house, the next car, the next month, the next outfit......never stopping to think about the here and now. What a fool I've been, I've spent my whole life chasing after the what can be instead of just accepting what IS and thanking God for it.

"Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6)

I think one of the reasons it really talked to me is because of this whole diet thing I'm going on and on about. Always wondering when will I be thinner, worrying about what I eat and when I eat, and really not enjoying just being me, eating what I like, when I like, and accepting that God loves me for ME. Not for the pounds I can loose or the weight I can manage or the food I won't eat.....he loves ME......HOW UNBELIEVEBLE IS THAT?!?!?! If He can love me for myself, why can't I do the same, who am I to think that I'm above His way of thinking????

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I shouldn't eat healthier or try to maintain a wealthy weight. But I need to do it because it's what makes me feel better and NOT because I think it's what will make me acceptable to society. What IS acceptable, really???
I think one of the things that I have to realize, is that even if I DON'T end up loosing all the weight I want, it's OK....the Lord will still be there no matter what, and THAT for me is what matters.

I have to stop worrying about where I am in my life right now, and that goes for everything, my body, my mind, my life, my house, my family, everything. Just have to praise God for where I am, and ask him to reveal to me what I'm supposed to be learning from this present situation. There's always something to learn, and although we may not notice it right away, eventually we see it.

And I'm out of here for today, Blogger is starting to act weird again and I honestly don't have the patience to deal with it. Last thing I need is another whiny kid right? LOL
Have a great day everyone, and please, if you get a chance, come join me for breakfast tomorrow morning???

God bless,

Works for Me Wednesday!!!

You've all heard me complaining about Jasmine not wanting anything to do with books this summer. It's been frustrating trying to keep her reading, so I realized that in order for me to motivate her, I would have to make it fun.

With it being summer and hot and so many things to be done outside, she would rather be on the trampoline, on the swings, in the pool or anything else, than in the house reading her books.

So, my WFMW tip is about getting your kids motivated to read.

The first thing that I do is use "Book Dollars". I made some out of construction paper, and I hand them out for chores or good deeds I see her do around the house, as well as reading her books without me begging. Once she has about 10 or 15, then we head to the bookstore and she gets to spend the equal amount in books. She LOVES being able to pick her own. Right now she's loving the Dumb Bunnies, I guess at her age she finds them hilarious.

Another thing we are going to do this week, is have a "Reading Picnic". We will gather some snacks and some books and then head out to the park, I think she will enjoy that.

I've also noticed that she will eagerly read a book that is about something she really enjoys or like, like dinosaurs. Any dinosaur book will have her happily grabbing for it.

We're also starting a reading corner, a part of the living room just for reading, and she will help decorate it. Going to use some big pillows, a blanket, a little basket with books and snacks (popcorn, crackers etc). Something that will make her WANT to be there reading. Yes it may be almost at the end of summer, but I figure at least this last month she can enjoy her books and not be turned off by them.

One last thing......I went to Scholastic online, and signed her up for the Summer Reading Buzz. They have a book of the week, a reading meter, a bumblebee booklist, a calendar to show you which books will be up each week so that you can buy them from scholastic or make sure you have them to read.

Each book she adds to her reading log, Scholastic will match each one with a donation to K.I.D.S. so she is happy to be helping other kids too.

It's been fun finding new ways to encourage her to read. Hope this helps one of you moms with your kids and their reading. Works for Me!!!!

For a list of other WFMW participants, go run on over to Shannon, and starting this week, everyone is adding a description of their tips to their names, so it will make it easier for you to browse those tips you are interested in reading :)

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN......

I told you that the minute my body hears the words DIET, it goes beserk. First let me say that I tried the Special K thing yesterday, I really did, but I just can't do it. When I grabbed the bowl this morning I literally gagged. I'm trying the one with the strawberries, but the whole combination of the tasteless cereal and those dried berries, are just not working for me. Would you think I'm a wussy if I just dropped the whole thing??? I hope not, because I'm dropping it. LOL

I think the easiest way for me to loose weight (I've done it before), is to just control what I eat, and cut out on the snacks, especially the nighttime ones. I'm going to just do that because I LOVE food.

If you're looking for my Tackle it Tuesday or Treasure Tuesday posts, just look below ok??? And don't forget to go check out the other participants to see what projects they tackled or what their treasures are.

This morning Nicholas walked into the bathroom and said he wanted his hair spiky. Ok, that's all fine and dandy but then the conversation when like this.

Nic - I want my hair spiky mommy.
Me - Ok, just hold on, I'll do it in a minute.
Nic - *GASP* my spiky it's almost gone. (he calls the hair gel spiky)
Me - (looking at it), it's ok there's still some left.
Nic - No mommy, daddy got it for me and you ate it.
* COME AGAIN?!?!?!?*

I know I'm bad with food, but I'm not THAT bad and I promise you, I have not resorted to eating hair gel. This kid just cracks me up LOL But it also makes me wonder, does he really think I eat everything I see??? Gosh I hope not!!!

I was supposed to post my Basil Burgers recipe yesterday and I totally forgot about it, but I did it this morning, so go HERE to see it. I'll be posting more later today, or at least hoping to, depends on what is going on here.

The weather here has just been a bit too much. You know the kind of heat that has you gasping for air the minute you step outside. I was at the grocery store and everything was great until the doors opened and I was HIT with this wave of heat. Yes I say HIT because it literally made me step back and try to take a breath. I don't think I've ever walked to my car so fast. We're supposed to continue with this heat so I don't know, maybe next week I won't be here, I may be melted on the cement outside.

I'm in one of those days, the ones where you have tons of stuff swimming around your head and you can't really pinpoint one. Feels like my brain is just turning and turning with no way to stop. Ever feel that way???
Makes it hard for me to concentrate on anything, but it's also leaving me in a blank as to what to write about today, top that with a killer headache and we have a NOT SO FUN DAY ahead.

So I'm going to cut this one short, hopefully tomorrow I'll be back to my chirpy nutty self and will have tons to blab on about. You all have a wonderful Tuesday and stay out of that crazy heat.

God Bless,

TREASURE TUESDAY!!!

Today's treasure is one that I'm lucky to be able to use everyday in my kitchen.

I'm talking about potholders, but not just any potholders. These ones:

The reason why they are so special to me is because my grandmother made them. She loves crocheting and was always making cute little crochet things, winter socks, baby sweaters etc, but she was best known for these adorable potholders that she made for the family and even sold them at a store in Portugal.

Unfortunately she has really bad Osteoporosis and through the years her spine has gotten worse, she's at the point where she's getting a really bad curve in her back and the small things that she enjoyed doing are no longer possible to do.

When I was growing up I always admired the potholders and wanted to have them in my own kitchen, so when I got married she made me some (the ones above), and then a few years ago she made me another 2 which I have kept in their protective bags. It's just one of those treasures that will stay with me forever and eventually I'll be able to pass on to my daughter when she gets married.

These are my treasures. What are yours???
For a list of other participants, head on over to Faith's blog :)

TACKLE IT TUESDAY!!!

Well another tuesday and another project to tackle. I've been tackling the back yard for a LONG time now. It's been a few months and it's still not what it's supposed to be, obviously it doesn't help that we live on base, the yards are all the same, pretty much just the minimal things you need and nothing pretty or special about them.

We had to tear up the yard to try and replant grass, so that is taking forever.

Anyway, it's come a LONG way since then, and keep in mind we are NOT finished, not by a long shot, but I figured I would have to share something today, so it might as well be this.

Here's the yard before....this is what happens right after winter time and when you have a dog that destroys everything around, including chewing up the trampoline.

After many hours of working on it, this is what it's looking like right now. Yes again I remind you, it's not finished and it's not pretty, but it's a LOT better than it used to be.

So this is what we've been tackling for a while, and will continue to tackle until we can get rid of the darned weeds, grow some grass, and just have a nice yard. What have you tackled lately???

For a list of more tacklers LOL head on over to Janice's blog.

Monday, July 17, 2006

COFFEE AND SPECIAL K ANYONE?!?!?!

I'm sitting here trying to eat my Special K, and may I say that even though this is the first day and the first bowl, I'm already NOT enjoying this??? (why do I do this to myself?)
You should have seen me this morning, staring longingly at the bread, the bagels, that one last donut sitting all alone and begging me "eat me please eat me". BUT I forced myself to push all that away and grab a bowl of the cereal.

Here's a little hint for the cereal companies.....how about you make it tasty so that we actually ENJOY eating it??? I mean, just a little hint, suggestion, whatever you want to call it ok???

It has been so extremely hot here, yesterday was 110, enough to fry an egg on someone's forehead. I was out back grilling some burgers, btw, they were SO good, I will be posting the recipe on my blog this morning....but I'm getting off track here, so I was grilling and the kids were complaining that they were too hot and needed to cool off. I had the sprinkler on because we're trying to grow new grass out there, and so it's like watering a desert, literally, it's frustrating, I never thought I would be watering a mud hole.

The kiddos ended up putting on their swimsuits and playing in the sprinkler. Cheap toy + hot kids + jumping in mud = Happy, tired, sleep in kids. What more could you want huh???

Last night I got out my "15 Minutes Alone with God" book by Emilie Barnes. I had 15 minutes to spare and what better way than to do it with the Lord right???
The first chapter is called "Stand by your God" and goes on to talk about how we should spend time with him, even if just a few minutes a day, and that it's not important where we do it, whether it's in the car, in the bathroom, out shopping etc.

She gives some good scriptures to read and also suggests ways of praying. You've heard me say before that sometimes I get performance anxiety when it comes to prayer. I just go completely blank and then end up mumbling or rambling on like a fool, repeating the same things over and over. I think yesterday I finally realized what my problem is. This whole time I've been trying to pray to God as if I'm doing some very cleverly written out speech and that I have to impress the audience. Are you kidding me?!?!?! I'm His child, I don't need to impress him, I need to say what I want to say as if I'm talking to an earthly parent.

Once I realized that, the words just flowed out of me and before I knew it, I had been in conversation (prayer) with the Lord, for well over 20 minutes. What a wonderful feeling!!!
The scripture that stuck out to me was 1 Peter 5:7 "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." See, still having trouble just giving him all my problems.....so this is why I picked this next song for you all and for me, obviously. I always feel so much better when I hear it.

You Raise Me Up

By Josh Groban

Father God, may I never forget to call on You in every situation. I want to call on You every day of my life and bring before You my adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Thank You, for being within the sound of my voice and only a thought's distance away. Amen.

Curt is back to normal day shift today, so that is good. It means I don't have to keep the kids quiet all day long and I also can get my housework done faster. It's really hard cleaning your room if someone is asleep. I'm not one of those people who think "well I'm just going to get back into bed anyway, why make it?". NUH UH, my greatgrandmother would have a fit if she saw that LOL
I like a clean bed to get into, it's so much better isn't it???

Here's my to do list for today:

Finish off my laundry, just one more load
Put all laundry away
One basket of clothes to iron
Sweep and Mop the kitchen
Dusting
Sweep Back yard patio
Library to return books

Before I leave though, I want you to head on over to some blogs for me. They have very interesting posts that I would love for you to read. The first one is mupwumpmom, she always has such uplifting posts and today is no exception. When you're done there, skip and hop on over to Organizing Junkie, she's like my hero LOL I wish I could organize like she does, but this lady has great ideas, so go take a peek.
On your way back (you ARE coming back right?), stop at Ramblings of a SAHM, her post today is hilarious.
Oh and don't forget to stop by Seeds From My Garden for a visit, she posted pictures from their family reunion, and may I just say, I'm SO jealous LOL I miss the beach and the ocean, and that lodge just looks heavenly.

Well I'm outta here, got kids to take care of, food to cook, things to clean and a sanity to keep in check. Have a great day all.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!!!!

If I hear these words again I am going to puke. Really, I'm going to loose it for good.

For the past two weeks, Nicholas has been on a Toy Story kick....and when I say that I don't mean just watching it once a day and being happy........I mean, watching Toy Story II, asking to watch it again once it's done, and then again, and then again, and then repeating the words they say.

I have nothing against the movie, it's actually my favorite kid's movie, both Toy Story 1 and 2, but there's only so much Woody, Buzz and "To Infinity and Beyond" a person can take, right? Please tell me I'm right and I'm not just being weird. Before if he would have walked up to me and sang "You've got a friend in me", I would have been all excited and happy, but now I am actually trying to tune it out, I just can't TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! LOL

I've been trying to watch what I eat, and by that I don't mean eating less I guess my body takes it as actually WATCHING and LOOKING at what I'm eating. It's disgusting, I'm absolutely annoyed with myself for all the stuff I'm putting into my body. What is wrong with me???
I always find something or someone else to blame too, I can never just admit that I was being a pig and eating stuff I shouldn't, it's always "Oh but the kids were eating it and it looked so good", or "No, really, I AM hungry".
Anyway when I went grocery shopping yesterday, I picked up some more Special K, I keep hearing how it's supposed to be great for weight management and they even have a plan.

Starting tomorrow I'm going to give this a try. It says I'm supposed to drop a Jean size in 2 weeks. I'm all for that, I'll give it a try. The reason I'm bringing this up is because if I do it alone I'm bound to push the cereal bowl aside and grab some junk food instead. BUT if I blog about it, I can have the motivation to do it, and besides if I don't follow the plan one day, you can all yell at me and get me back on track ok??? Deal???

While watching tv yesterday I saw a show that I hadn't noticed before......how could I have missed it?!?!?! It's called the "Take Home Chef" show. There's this really cute surfer-kind Aussie dude named Curtis who goes to the grocery store and picks anyone from there, usually the unsuspecting mom (hasn't been hit on in a while kinda thing) buying something for dinner. Then he takes her home to HER house, flirts with her a bit, they both have some wine and he cooks a gourmet meal for her and hubby. It's really very cute, I love his accent and he's hot (although at my age who knows what hot means right?).

But I've often wondered what my hubby would think, coming home from work at the end of the day and finding me holding a glass of wine, tipsy and giggly, with a surfer dude in the kitchen LOL
What do you think??? Think the hubby would be happy with that if he was offered a good meal??? Because for some reason, I just don't see my husband being that down with it (yes I used some slang, don't really know what it means, but anyway).
Me, I would be in dream land, a cute guy, good wine and FOOD.....did I mention the FOOD?!?!?

BTW, my husband just informed me that he would use his size 10 1/2 combat boots on some part of his anatomy, he won't tell me which, he's just mean like that. LOL Guess the "Take Home Chef" is NOT going to work in this house.
But I think I also just realized that my husband is NOT like me, he won't be bought for a good gourmet meal.....who knew?!?!?!

I hear Mount Laundry beckoning me, "Sandra, oh Sandra, we're here, we're ~~queer~~ dirty, and we're waiting". I have at least 2 loads to do, which means there will be 4 loads to put away tonight, yes, I haven't put away the previous 2 I did. Go ahead, shake your heads at me, all I have to say is that sometimes I like not worrying about laundry and just letting it go. It's not a long lasting feeling though because then I need something to wear and have to go dig through the baskets of clean, neatly folded laundry. I'm sure my stepmom is cringing just reading this LOL

I have this really cute ring binder thing from Barbara Johnson, it's filled with daily insights, so every morning I flip it to that days date and read the quote. She has the funniest things on there. This is one of them:

If women ran the world....
The hem of men's pants would go up or down depending on the economy.
Men who designed women's shoes would be forced to wear them.
Men would bring drinks, chips, and dip to women watching soap operas.
Men would sit around and wonder what we're thinking.
All toilet seats would be nailed down.

Isn't that just the funniest thing??? I personally like the drinks and chips with dip. lol

Well I better get out of here, want to ge my sunday started and get that laundry under way. I hope you're all staying out of this crazy heat. I'll be back tomorrow morning with more craziness from this house.

God Bless,

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Grocery Shopping with NO kids.........

it's just, well, it's bliss isn't it??? I love my kids to death and there's nothing I love more than spending time with them, but when it comes to things like running errands and getting groceries, I'm much happier with them at home with daddy.

So today I had to get groceries and the kiddos stayed with daddy, I was able to actually walk through the Commissary and not run yelling at the top of my lungs, like a psycho, desperately trying to catch them. I remember the one time I had just Nicholas with me, I was at the Produce section and turned for a second to grab some bananas (big mistake), I turn around and see him grab an apple and bring it to his mouth. It was like slow motion, I dropped the bananas and in a matrix like move, literally jumped through the air and made it just in time before he took a bite.
He looked at me and said "HEYYYY, I'm hungry". (Yeah I wasn't born yesterday, he was NOT hungry).

I got my groceries for 2 weeks and it only came up to $188, pretty darn good if you ask me. I must say I was a bit surprised because I got some roasts and ribs etc, not cheap stuff. But who am I to complain right???

I'm glad you all enjoyed the Designated Willy Shaker thing LOL
Seriously, it's one of my job descriptions in this house..... now all you single women with no kids, aren't you looking forward to this????
All kidding aside though, I think that even though I may joke about these things, I wouldn't trade it for any other job in the world, it's the most rewarding thing in my life. :)

I managed to get all my housework done yesterday so I have NOTHING to do today, YAY. Not that I would want to anyway, it's extremely hot outside, it's over 100 degrees and even though I have my AC going in the house, you can still feel the heat.

BTW hubby and I finally got the backyard semi-finished, I guess that will be my project to show for on tuesday's "Tackle it Tuesday". I keep looking around the house for something to tackle but I can't find anything, either my house is finally organized, or I'm living in denial and blind to the mess?!?!?! Not sure which, but I'm hoping it's the first one LOL

Remember the new Pug we got?? The one we adopted??? Well she's definately part of the family and she gets along great with Lola. The kids took a picture of me and her yesterday so I'm sharing it with you all. Just please, remember that I HATE taking my picture for ANYTHING, even just messing around. I just don't have a close relationship with my camera.

I think the main reason is because I'm a bit of a dork at times. Yes I say that with all the love I have for myself LOL
Here's an example, the other night I was trying to take a photo of me and Nicholas together, and I was holding the camera up facing us.....I would press the button and it would turn off. I would turn it back on, face it towards us and press it again and it would go off again. It must have done this about 5 times and I was getting really frustrated. (See the camera really hates me, it won't even take my picture). To my surprise though, after these 5 times of turning off, I finally realized that it was ME messing up, because I kept pushing the power button instead of the one to take the photo LOL Good grief Sandra!!!

So anyway, I'm going to head on out and hang out with the kids and hubby, do some sewing or watch a movie. I hope you're all having a great weekend.

God Bless,

Sandra's Saturday Surfing!!!!

Since it's Saturday, it's time for more Saturday Surfing. Remember last week I told you all that I would start sharing the sites that made my life easier during the week, or just interesting sites or blogs I found.

I use the internet for a LOT of things, not just my blogging, but also banking, paying bills, online shopping, kids activities, cooking etc......even watching tv. As I mentioned last week, I watch portuguese through JUMPTV, if you're interested in tv channels from other countries, check it out.

Some blogs I want you to take a look at when you get a chance, I found them this week and just love them.

A Good Cup of Coffee - Even just the title has me captivated LOL I LOVE coffee, so I couldn't pass this one up. Go on over and say hi to Jen, she's new to blogging :)

Be Not Conformed - This is such an inspiring blog, just love reading it.

Other places I surfed on over to this week:

Booksamillion - Just love this place, usually can find a book I'm looking for at a reasonable price.

Paperbackswap - Don't even know what to say about this one, I have been using it for about a year and I've been able to get a BUNCH of good books from there.

Top Baby Pages - Though mine are no longer babies, I still enjoy going here, there's so many interesting articles.

Proverbs 31 Ministries - Love this site.

Sermonaudio - This is a great site to listen to sermons by your favorite pastors.

And that's it, I don't have that many this week, didn't really spend much time on the internet. Hope you find some of these interesting and useful.

Friday, July 14, 2006

Yay it's Friday!!!

That's how I felt when I woke up this morning.....WOOHOO, it's friday, I can stay up late. Ummm that sounded like a teenager all excited about staying up on the weekend. lol

You know what I realized after 7 years of being a mommy???? And no, it's not that I don't know what I'm doing half the time.....it's the fact that moms have to do the most absurd things all in the name of mommyhood.

Take Nicholas for example, I told you he's potty trained and uses the bathroom standing up. Now I know the single ladies out there are probably going to just stop reading here and now, and skip on ahead, BUT for moms this is a major deal, right???
Anyway, I'm getting off track here, what I was going to say is that, now that he knows how to go potty on his own, there's one thing that he calls me in there to do. Yes wipe, BUT I don't mind that because he's only 3 and that's expected......but he calls me in there everytime, after he's done, for me to shake it for him. WTH?!?!?!?!
Is this what my life has come down to, the designated willy shaker?????

Good grief!!!!! One thing is for sure, kids keep us entertained, there's never a dull moment in this house. LOL

I've got to get my grocery list and menus done for the next two weeks. I'm so glad that I'm finally at a point in my life where this doesn't freak me out.
When I first got married, I remember coming home and then thinking "what do I do now?", "what do I buy and how do I know how much I need?". My stepmom will vouch for me, I would call her constantly and ask her to send me menus or a list of stuff we need in the house. LOL
It's a scary thing when you're on your own and you realize that you have to feed yourself and your husband, and I don't mean take out food, or macaroni and cheese......I mean real homemade meals.

Thank you all for the great ideas on what to make with the fabric. I have soooooo many projects planned now, I'm sure I'll give my poor sewing machine a good run for it's money.
I did go ahead and make something for the kitchen yesterday.

What do you think??? I had this bench for the kitchen table and the kids were always complaining that it was too hard to sit on, so I used some padding and the fabric and now I have a cute bench for them, they just LOVE it :) Will make a few more things from the fabric and then show them to you all :)

I was reading an email from my stepmom yesterday where she said that it seems that some people get turned off by the fact that she's a devoted Christian. I've also felt this at times, and I know that usually my first reaction is to just NOT even mention anything about it, which to me feels like a betrayal to the Lord. I did it for many years, I guess you could have called me a Devoted Christian indoors, but a Hidden Soldier of Christ outdoors. Have you ever felt that way???

It's not pretty and it's not something I was proud of. I felt like I had to put on a mask for the outside world (outside of friends and family that knew me). I think one of the biggies with me was the fact that some people would consider me a Fanatic, nothing worse than trying to spread the Word only to be met by "Oh please don't start preaching again".

No one stood with me, but all forsook me. . . . But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. —2 Timothy 4:16-17

I've decided, well a long time ago, to not worry about what others may think of me as a Christian. If I have the opportunity to share the Lord's word, I will do it, what the person does with it from that moment on, should not be my worry.
You know as they say "Work done well for Christ will receive a “well done” from Christ."
One thing that just grates on my nerves is the human constant need for approval from others, when we go our lives sinning and being hypocrites and not worried about pleasing or getting approval from the One that really matters. Really, I would rather go unnoticed by others, as long as the Lord approves of what I'm doing and who I am. Think about that......who are you constantly trying to please and are you putting as much effort into your relationship with God, as you are with them???

Well my coffee's gone cold, no surprise there LOL I think I reheat my coffee a couple of times when I'm blogging, I get so carried away with what I'm saying and then go and take a sip of that nasty cold stuff. So I'm going to make a quick run to grab a fresh cup and then I can sit down and go visit all of you at your blogs. You have no idea how much I enjoy visiting and chatting with you all.

Don't forget to check out my post below where I posted a cute little Week Prayer with animated pictures and all. Oh and I have my Everyday Things post below too, so you might want to take a peek at that one, and then head on over to Jule's for the rest of the bloggers participating too :)

I'm out of here, blogging world awaits me. See ya tomorrow, and I promise to have more Saturday Surfing for you to enjoy!

EVERYDAY THINGS!!!

"If you want any one thing too much it's likely to disappoint. The healthy way is to learn to like the everyday things, like soft beds and buttermilk..."-- Augustus McCrae-"Lonesome Dove"

I've really grown to love my Everyday Things. Jules couldn't have come up with a better way for us to sit back and think about what brings us contentment in this crazy life we have.

So I'm going to tell you about another thing that brings a smile to my face and wonderful warm fuzzy feelings to my heart. I'm talking about all things pretty, crocheted doily's, tablecloths, vintage napkins and this......my bread bag.

I remember growing up, my greatgrandmother would take the bag and head on out to the bakery, bright and early. She would come home and the smell of warm out of the oven bread just permeated through the house. I remember going to the bag, opening it and just staring at the wonderful portuguese bread that awaited me. The rolls were my favorite, so I would grab one of those for a snack.

Everytime I look at the bag, it reminds me of my wonderful childhood, and who doesn't like having those great memories around huh?

WASH DAY!!!

I thought this was just perfect to share with you all.

Monday
Wash Day

Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.

Tuesday
Ironing Day

Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected though the years so that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday
Mending Day

O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.

Thursday
Cleaning Day

Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.

Friday
Shopping Day

O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal
happiness for myself and all others in need of love.

Saturday
Cooking Day

Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it
with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.

Sunday
The Lord's Day

O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Awwwww I love my kids....

First I can't believe I forgot to mention yesterday, that I got nominated for Blogs of Beauty, in the Best Recipes Section. I wasn't a finalist, but just being nominated means a lot :) My food blog was actually the one nominated, but since many of you don't check there, I wanted to brag here LOL
I don't know who nominated me, but whoever did, thank you SO much :)

So we're all watching tv yesterday and this Victoria's Secret commercial comes on, there's this beautiful sexy brunette with skimpy lingerie on and the wind is blowing in her hair. Nicholas yells out "THAT'S MOMMY, JASMINE LOOK IT'S MOMMY ON THE TV". Awwww, I just smiled and was so happy that at least my son sees me as this beautiful hot mommy (no matter how distorted his view might be), but then I start thinking....."I don't walk around the house in sexy lingerie nor do I have a body like THAT".

Me - Nicholas is that mommy on the tv? (just go with me people, I'm trying to milk this as much as I can)
Nic - Huh?!?!?
Me - That girl, is that mommy? (still holding on tight to the dream)
Nic - Nooooo, silly mommy, that's not you.

CRASH!!!! Did you hear that Japan???? That was my dream being crushed. LOL

Before I even start today, anyone want some coffee, some fresh ground "Foglifter" coffee??? Really I just ground the beans myself, and don't laugh, because I really did. LOL
How about some cinnamon toast???

Anyway, the pom poms.....yes the pom poms. You know what I realized??? That kids nowadays are NOTHING like the kids back when I was young. I remember making these over and over and it would keep me busy, it was something I enjoyed doing, it was actually FUN.
Yesterday with my kids was a new experience for me. They didn't think it was that much fun, they got all confused and upset and there was yarn stretching from the kitchen to the living room. WHAT THE?!?!?

Have you noticed how things have changed so much over the years??? I was perfectly happy making pom poms, reading, watching a cartoon, making mud pies etc. But kids today want to play xbox, or playstation, or computer games, or they spend way too much time in front of the tv watching weird and sometimes disgusting cartoons, like "The Grim adventures of Billy and Mandy".
I miss the days when you would see tons of kids outside playing tag, or hide-n-seek, now you see cellphones and text messaging. How sad!!!

Yesterday I went by the Airman's Attic and I found some fabric, remember it's free, I found this one and I have about 6 yards of it. I love sewing (don't do it nearly as much as I would like) and I love finding fabrics to play with. I just can't figure out what to make with it. Any ideas??? All you crafty, sewy(???) ladies out there???

I really like the blue and the french words on it, it's just so pretty.
I'm thinking maybe something for the kitchen, since my color theme in there is blue.

While reading my "Diapers, Pacifiers and Other Holy Things" book, I came upon a chapter called "Myth of the Perfect Parent" HA!!! I think it was written just for me, right???

Is there such a thing? The perfect parent? Because I don't think that such a thing exists, I think everyone does what they can do with what they have, and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for the other. BUT, I too am guilty of buying into the "Perfect Parent Myth" and scolding myself for doing the wrong thing or acting the wrong way with my kids.
It's always been a learning process for me. When I first brought Jasmine home I was terrified to death, I wanted to drag all the doctors and nurses home with me.....what if I messed up? What if she cried and I didn't know what to do?
Then I got comfortable with what I was doing, hey, I could do this, but then she became a toddler and again I had no idea what to do. Just when I thought I had THAT down, she became a young kid.........and BOY am I learning the hard way, yet AGAIN.

"To all perfection I see a limit..." Psalm 119:96

The author says "God never intended us to parent in isolation. It saddens Him when we do so. And it saddens Him when we push another person up on the "perfect parent" pedestal just because they are gifted in an area we are not. (How would you like it up there - lonely, vulnerable, and destined to fall?)".

How true is that? So I admit, I'm not a PERFECT parent, and right now, I'm GLAD I don't see myself as one. I think to consider yourself the perfect mother or father, is just setting yourself up for a HUGE letdown. So let's just be happy with who we are, what do you say???
I think I have to change my mission to FUNKY NOT-SO-PERFECT MAMA!!!!
Hey I actually like the sound of that!!!

Well, it's time for me to head on out, but before I do, want you all to run, not walk, over to Seeking his Glory. Mrs Blythe is supposed to be blogging about one of the suggested topics (suggested by us bloggers, yes, might even be about wombats lol). I'm dying to read what she has to say, should be fun!!!

I also found this fun meme, sort of thing....I'm going to do it and then I invite you all to play along, it's actually quite interesting. IF you do play along, let me know so that I can come read yours :)

"Go to Wikipedia and do a search for your birthday (day and month only, exclude the year)."

Post three facts, two births and one death on your blog including the years.

Here are my results (for August 10):

Facts:
1519 - Ferdinand Magellan's five ships set sail from Seville to circumnavigate the globe.
1680 - Pueblo Revolt begins in New Mexico.
1776 - Word of the United States Declaration of Independence reaches London.

Births:
1267 - King James II of Aragon (d. 1327)
1296 - John I, Count of Luxemburg (d. 1346)

Death:
612 BC - Sinsharishkun, Assyrian king

See King James II was born on the same day as me, isn't that cool???? No??? Oh well, I thought it was LOL
Go ahead and give it a try, let me see what you birthdates say.

God Bless,

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

RAINY DAY......

It's 73 degrees outside and it's been raining. Is there anything more beautiful??? I love rain, I love the smell of rain, the sound, just everything that goes with it.

Since things have cooled down here, the kids are literally jumping off the walls, they are bored and complaining that there's nothing to do because they can't go outside to the trampoline or the swing set.
Hence, my WFMW tip, this is what we do when the rain comes out, so be sure to check my post below.

You know one of the other things I love??? Watching decorating shows, yes, you know like Trading Spaces, Changing Rooms and House Invaders on BBC and then there's the HGTV channel. I am shamelessly addicted to these shows and of course let's not forget the Food Network, HELLO???? Food is my thing!!!

I'm also ridiculously addicted to Cook books. Yes well this is turning into a tell all post, just throwing things out there that I think people will want to know, or maybe not, but I'm going to tell you anyway. LOL

I've mentioned my greatgrandmother many times, and how much she's taught me, I mean, literally close to everything I know about being a homemaker and a wife and mom, has come from her. Maybe I'm living in the wrong time, because nowadays, being a SAHM is sometimes frowned upon and talked about as if taboo. I've actually found myself almost embarassed to say what my profession is, and it's not that I think there's something wrong with it, because there isn't, but it's what other people think. THERE YA GO, another thing that I have to work on, not worrying about what others think.
I love everything about being at home, and to me there's nothing better than a clean house, home cooked meal, beautiful linens, pretty crocheted doily's, quilts, family heirlooms etc. Isn't that what makes you run home at the end of the day?!?!?!?

Anyway, changing gears here, yesterday Nicholas was not listening and more than once I had to pull him aside and tell him to behave himself, at one point I told him to stop doing something to which he replied "yes I will otherwise mommy will be a cry baby" HUH?!?!?! I am NOT a cry baby *stomping foot on the ground and sticking my lower lip out*
Where do kids come up with these things??? Is this what Blue, Dora and Pinky Dinky Doo are teaching nowadays??? LOL

What happened to Gummi Bears, all they taught was that if you drank some juice you could jump really high!!! Or The Littles, all they taught was that there's many uses for normal household items, have you ever turned a matchbox into a bed, or a thimble into a chair???

So I'm about to admit again, that I didn't mop yesterday. *duck*
I know I said that if I didn't you should all slap me, so go ahead, I'm ready for it, not willing, but ready.....I don't know what it is about mopping that has me running in the opposite direction. It's not like I'm the mop head actually scrubbing the dirty floors......all I know is that today is the day, I have to do it.
Then I see this picture and I just have to laugh......WHAT?!?!?!? LOL

Who??? Where are these women that get rid of stress by mopping and buffing their floors??? LOL

If anything it just stresses me out more because I know that while I'm mopping, there will be several little feet happily stomping on it.....then just about an hour later (If I'm lucky), there will suddenly be a sticky spot that no one knows where it came from. It just magically appeared there. It keeps spreading the more you walk on it, and before you know it, there's another HUGE black nasty dubious mess to clean. See, I'm stressed just thinking about it LOL

Update on my Funky Mama Mission.....this morning I put on a pair of really cute tight jeans (ok I kinda squeezed a little into them, not much though) and a cute top and I was all happy. Got my make up on and ~~tried to~~ styled my hair, then I looked at all my shoes to try and find something cute to wear, like my sandals from yesterday. I saw these really cute shoes I haven't tried in a LONG time (should have taken that as a sign to leave them alone), let me tell you first though, they're high heels LOL......oh boy, here we go, after so many years of wearing either tennis shoes, flip flops, sandals or slippers, this was sure to be fun.
I put them on all happy with myself and then I tried to walk downstairs......go ahead keep laughing, you should have seen me. I was all discombobulated, if someone had walked in at that point they would have thought I was either drunk or high on some good stuff. Needless to say, I tossed the shoes aside, after spraining my ankle, and grabbed some flipflops. *SIGH*.....this is going to take more work than I thought!!!!

Well I better get out of here, got some pom poms to make and cookies to throw in the oven. Hope you all have a great wednesday, and if you're trying to bring out your funky mama too, I'm cheering you on :)

Works for Me Wednesday!!!

So here we are, another wednesday and time for another WFMW.

My tip today has to do with the weather, well sort of, see it's cloudy and rainy here which means the kids can't go to the park or play in the backyard like they want to.

They get bored easily and start complaining that there's nothing to do, so a while ago we came up with our Rainy Day Chart. When the weather doesn't allow them to be outside, we bring out the chart.

On it we have a bunch of activities that we can do inside. I actually sat down with the kids and we all came up with the ones they liked the best. Then they get to look at the list and pick a few to do, like today we're baking cookies and while those bake, we're going to be making Pom Poms. I remember making these a lot when I was growing up, and it was just so much fun to do.

I don't know about you all, but usually Rain + Kids = Frazzled Mommy. This Chart works for me.

For a list of other WFMW bloggers, head on over to Shannon.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

BEST SURPRISE!!!!

Remember how the other day I told you that the phone rang at 12:30am and I didn't know who it was, I figured it was probably someone in my family back home???

Well this morning, the phone rang again at 7am and I picked it up. I usually don't if I don't recognize the number, but for some reason I did. I pick it up and I hear a voice on the other side asking to speak to Sandra. I said it was me speaking and then I hear "It's me Isabel". OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!

Isabel was my best friend from high school, we lost touch after we graduated, and the past few years I've been trying to find her. I went to a site called SAREUNITED where you enter your name and high school you were at, in South Africa, and then you can get in touch with old friends. Well I did that and left a message asking anyone from school to contact me, especially my best friend Isabel who I hadn't heard from in years.

What a nice surprise!!! You know those type of friends that no matter how many years it's been, you pick up right where you left off??? You laugh like high school girls, and you realize that even though you're both in your thirties and married with kids, you don't change, you're still as nutty as you ever were. So Isabel, I know you're going to read this LOL
Thank you for the phone call, it was the BEST surprise I could ever wish for and it definitely made my day. Can't wait to stay in touch with her through email and phone....and I'm hoping to go out for some coffee when we go home next summer. :)

This morning I had a WIC appointment. I am those type of people that get on others nerves when it comes to being somewhere on time. I don't like being late, and if I have to get up an hour earlier just to be sure that doesn't happen, then so be it. I am always at least 10 minutes early to any appointment I have.
With that said, I leave my house to drive to the WIC office, which is on base, and as I get to the main road, I see a sign....NO LEFT TURN. **For the past 6 months they've been doing all this major road work on the main road on base, and now they're installing a traffic light, but all this does is cause more and more traffic because so many roads are closed or unnacessible.** Of course it's exactly the way I HAVE TO GO. So now I have to turn around and go back the long way.
The appointment was for 9:40 and I pulled into the parking lot at exactly 9:40am. No problem right??? Well, not for me, it really irked me that I got there late (for my standards) lol

So I've been trying really hard to stick to my FUNKY MAMA MISSION, and for the past 2 or 3 days I've made it an effort to get dressed nicely and put on make up and have my hair done etc.
I think it's paying off, I feel a LOT better about myself, I'm not as stressed out as before. Who knew that not feeling sexy or pretty could make you irritable with everything around you???
It's one of those feelings that gnaws away at you constantly and subconsciously without you even realizing it.
Mind you, I'm not wearing expensive clothes or dressed for a night on the town, but I'm wearing nice jeans and cute tops and pretty sandals, these are my favorite new babies.

Yes I know I don't have the most beautiful feet in the world, but forget the feet and concentrate on the beautiful pink sandals with the sparkly stones. Ok?!?!?!?
Jasmine painted my toe nails for me LOL So if you notice on my right big toe, there's some nail polish boo boo. Again, just look past that, as a matter of fact, why did I even mention it, most of you probably didn't even notice until I said something.

I have to go mop right now, I didn't get to do that yesterday. I know, I know, it has to be done but I keep putting it off, I should have added mopping to my list of things I don't like doing. I didn't realize it though, not until just a minute ago when I looked down at my kitchen floor.

But you know, now that I think about it, it's already 11:23am and that leaves me only 30 minutes before my portuguese soap starts, and it's lunch time for the kiddos too, so I guess the mopping will have to wait until after lunch. Please, if by tomorrow I still haven't mopped, someone slap me upside the head ok????

I'm leaving you with pictures of my babies having fun on the swings. Right now they're making mud pies outside, and yes I'm already anticipating a lot of dirt travelling into this house, but it's worth it to see their smiles :)

Hope you all have a wonderful tuesday, I'm off to watch my soap.
God Bless,

Treasure Tuesday!!!

It's time for another Treasure Tuesday, and I have to tell you that it actually wasn't hard looking for one today. This treasure that I'm about to share with you all, is very dear to my heart (aren't they all?), but you know how some have that special meaning right???

First I'm going to show you what it is:

It's a handmade silk spanish shawl. It's beautiful all on it's own, but even more so because my grandmother gave it to me. My grandfather (my mom's dad), was a musician, he played guitar for some of the greatest fadistas of Portugal. You can find out more about Fado here.
On one of his trips to Spain, he acquired this Shawl which he gave to my grandmother, and she later on gave to me, years after he had passed away.

Not only is this shawl a gorgeous piece, but the sentiment attached to it is MAJOR. It's like having a small part of my grandfather with me, forever. I first got it in Portugal when I visited my grandmother there, then brought it back home to South Africa, and now to the States. It's one of those items that if the house had to burn down, it would be safely tucked under my arm as I run out the door. :)

So what is your treasure for today??? If you want to participate or visit other bloggers sharing their treasures, just head on over to Faithful Mommy.

TACKLE IT TUESDAY!!!

I actually found a project for this tuesday, and I didn't have to search far, I just can't believe that I didn't see it before. How sad!!! LOL

I'm always cleaning around the house, but I have to admit that the one area or spot, I let get out of hand, is my nightstand. Yes, you would think that being right there next to my head and the first thing I see when I open my eyes, I would have noticed it, but NO, I totally forget about it.

Here is the nightstand in all it's ugly glory:

I'm sorry for the mess, really, I mean what the heck is that cupcake and that diet coke doing on my table??? I admit, the diet coke is mine and I set it up there to drink while I worked on the project, but I did NOT put that chocolate cupcake there, although I admit yet again, that I did EAT it afterwards. But that's another post altogether, we're not here to talk about my diet habits LOL

So here it is, the finished product, I got everything put away in it's rightful place and the nightstand looks so much better. So what project did YOU tackle this week?
For a list of other participants, head on over to Janice's "5 Minutes for Mom".

Monday, July 10, 2006

Here's a little hint for all you

mother's to be out there. I'm sure the moms will agree and shout out an AMEN to this.

ON'T give your kids a choice when it comes to breakfast, or actually any meal for that matter. It's the most frustrating, hair pulling experience you will ever encounter. If you like pulling out tons of food and showing it to them over and over, then by all means, go ahead and say the words "What would you like to eat?"........but if you don't, RUN, just throw them a piece of lettuce or something and RUN FORREST RUN.
I'm just kidding on the lettuce, obviously, but really, why do I put myself through this every morning?

Me - Nicholas what do you want for breakfast?
Nic - Ummmm Cereal? (note the question, he's not really sure, and that's the first sign to abort the mission)
Me - Ok, which one do you want (Golly Sandra, we've been here before, just drop it)
Nic - Ummmm Kix, NO, Kix with Berries, NO NO I want pancakes!
Me - Uhhh ok (put the cereal back and grab the pancake mix), mommy make you pancakes.
Nic - NO I don't want pancakes, I want toast.
Me - (going red in the face), OhhhKAY, toast it is (put away the pancakes).
*Grab the bread and pop two slices in the toaster*
*Make him cinnamon toast which he likes and place it on plate*
Me - Here you go, here's your toast.
Nic - No No NO (runs off) I don't want toast.

o you see where this is going?!?!?! I'm going to end up having to eat that toast, which I am NOT in the mood for. It pretty much goes like this every morning and you would have thought that by now, at least I would have noticed the pattern and avoided those questions. It's a vicious circle I tell you!

ith Curt working mid shift, the kids always want to sleep with me, and that's fine, I welcome the company, really. What I don't welcome is the sleepless nights, the punching in the face, the kicking in the crotch, the grabbing of the covers, the yelling at each other to "MOVE OVER" and the two pugs draped over my legs making them go numb. Yes you can see I had a wonderful night, maybe that's why I'm a bit cranky today. Not even my coffee is helping with the grumpiness.

emember yesterday I said that I was going to make an effort to dress nicely, even at home? And before you freak out, I don't mean a ballgown and cinderella shoes, I mean just clothes basically, instead of baggy sweatpants and old tshirts.
I got up this morning, got dressed and the kids asked me "where are you going?" YES YES, score one for mommy, mission accomplished. Now if I could just replace the slippers with some sandals or something, then I would really be scoring 100.

now what I have to do today??? Go find a project to work on for tomorrow's "Tackle it Tuesday" LOL
I must have gotten really organized the past few weeks because I can't seem to find anything to work on. That's a good thing right? Or not?

ave you ever just sat there and let your child make you laugh? And I don't mean, just a little giggle, I mean, really make you laugh where you can't breathe? I am sitting here posting this and Nicholas is on the other computer playing a game. I kept hearing him laugh and the computer saying some weird jibberish. Usually I would just keep doing what I'm doing, but I stopped and asked him why he was laughing. He then proceeded to double click constantly on one part of the game, which made the characters say some really weird but funny stuff. My son and I shared a good laugh, just us two, laughing until tears were running down our faces. It really felt good. :)

want to point you in the direction of Kelli's blog. I found it a few weeks ago, and this lady just constantly makes me smile. She has the most beautiful antiques and always has such pretty things to share with us. She truly inspires me to be a better housewife and mom. Go on, even if you just like looking at pretty things, go look at her photos, they're worth it :)

need to get going, here's my to do list for today, not that you care, I'm sure most of you couldn't care less how I spend my time LOL Only reason I post it is because it actually helps to remind me of what I have to do.

Sunday, July 9, 2006

AND THE DREAM IS OVER......

we didn't get to the finals and we didn't get third place. What can we do?!?!?! Nothing, just move on and say "Nice Job Portugal, you did awesome and we're proud of what you achieved".

Last night while sleeping I was awakened by Jasmine.

Jasmine - Mommy Mommy wake up, I have something to show you!
Me - (looking at the clock, it's 10:30pm) What, what, what happened?!?!?
Jasmine - Look, I lost my tooth, it was loose so I pulled and twisted it and it came out.
Me - Oh great (man I hope I have money in my wallet), that's great honey.
Jasmine - Wonder what the tooth fairy is going to bring me, I better go put it under my pillow.
Me - Yeah you go do that baby. (really, do I have change in my wallet?)

Yep, the "Tooth Fairy" is at it again. Why can't this happen on payday or right after, that's usually when I carry money around in my wallet. I've gotten so used to paying cash for everything and only carrying what I need, that I seldom have spare change laying around.
For some reason, that seems to be the time that teeth choose to fall out in this house. I'm happy to say though, that the tooth fairy did indeed drop by and left $2 under her pillow. In this house, two dollars is a LOT of money.

So I'm sitting here, I have a hot cup of

( I know, I drink too much of that stuff), and I have a headache to go along with it. I would have much preferred a nice donut, or some toast even, but I got something else. Oh well, nothing some tylenol can't cure.

Yesterday while blog surfing, and reading some of my favorites, I came across some portuguese blogs. I love reading them not just because I get to see pictures of places I've lived and remember good times I had, but it also helps me keep my portuguese from turning into PORTINGLES, which is a mixture of portuguese and english together. NOT PRETTY I tell you.

Back in 1988, we had moved from South Africa to Portugal, and we were living in S. Joao do Estoril. It was one of those small towns close to the beach, and I remember my brothers and I going to the beach many times during the week. It was within walking distance, so we would go in the morning and be back for lunch. This is a picture of "Praia da Poca", which we would go to, it was also pretty close to Cascais which had a lot of tourists during the summer months.

Some of the things that stuck in my mind, from those days, were the variety of people we would see at the beach, the smell of tanning lotion, the sound of families having fun, the wonderful smell coming from the beachfront restaurant located just above us and the sweet frozen ice creams that they would sell, I still remember the guy walking up and down the beach with a cooler, going from person to person, yelling "Gelados". Fond fond memories!!!

I don't know what it is about Sundays that always gets me thinking about places I've been, things I've seen, my childhood etc. It's great to go back in time and remember all those things.
I'm extremely lucky and blessed, to have gone to so many wonderful cities and countries, and to have so many memories to share with you all.......I know you're probably not interested at all, but they mean a lot to me!

You know what it also reminded me of???? The times that I enjoyed taking care of myself and always looking my best. Why is it that the minute some of us become moms, we let ourselves go??? No longer do we worry about wearing sexy underwear, we wear whatever is most comfortable and at times it doesn't even match.
I no longer have long beautiful french manicured nails.......they've been replaced by short ones with no nail polish.
My hair experiences consist of a $2 Walmart color that I apply myself because it's cheaper......and the last time I had a haircut, I asked my hubby to do it for me. Nothing extravagant, just trim the back.
Let's not even mention the clothes, the baggier the better, why would I wear something nice at home???

I'm tired of it though, I'm tired of not feeling like a woman. So today I'm making a contract with myself, to look and to feel better. I'm no longer going to put myself last. I will dress to impress, just as I did when we first got married. I will make sure I put on my makeup in the morning, brush my hair and even go to the hairdressed......and while I'm there, I will have my eyebrows done AND get my french manicure. I will wear sexy underwear, I think my husband deserves that. I will no longer put back the nice jeans or the nice top just to grab a pair of ultra comfortable sweat pants or baggy tshirt. That's IT, no more frumpy mommy.....from now on, it's back to FUNKY MAMA!!! It's a gift to myself, right before I turn 32 years old.
Any other moms want to join me???

First order of business for myself today??? I'm going through my closet and getting rid of frumpy-not-so-nice-clothes. Yes Yes I know, I have stuff to do around the house and kids to chase after, but nothing tells me that I can't do while wearing a nice pair of jeans and a cute top right???

Well I'm off to go find Funky Mama, I haven't seen her in years so it might take me a while to track her down, but believe me, I WILL!!! LOL

Saturday, July 8, 2006

TOTAL OPPOSITE!!!

Talk about a 360. Yesterday I was complaining about not being able to get comfortable and sleep, but you know what happened last night??? I was laying in bed, trying to watch tv, and fell asleep at 10pm, for the life of me I just could NOT keep my eyes open.
I slept through the WHOLE night (no I'm not a baby lol), only woke up this morning at 5am to run to the bathroom. Thank you LORD!!!!

I would say something about the constant need to go potty during the night, but I figured I am probably not the only one. Is it a woman thing??? Because my husband and brothers and dad and all the men I've known, sleep straight through. Do they have bigger bladders than we do or what???
Seriously though, I can remember being pregnant and I think I spent most of the time in the bathroom, imagine waking up twice a night when you're not pregnant and then multiplying that by a gazillion times. Go ahead moms, nod your heads yes, you know what I'm talking about!!!

I think the only difference now that I have kids, is that I actually have an audience when I DO go. Isn't it funny how they are perfectly fine until they see you heading to the bathroom and then all of a sudden "I HAVE TO GO, I CAN'T HOLD IT IN". Or you get the knock knock knock on the door, "Watcha doin'?" (certainly not having fun I tell ya)

The other day while sitting in the car, Jasmine and Nicholas were both talking about being in mommy's tummy. I was smiling through it all until the question arose "Hey mommy, how did we get in your tummy?". Oh DAGNABIT, I'm not ready for this, I haven't read the memo about telling kids, I honestly wouldn't know how to say it without scarring them for life.
I was sitting there literally sweating and tap dancing around the subject, saying things like "well mommy and daddy made you" to which they replied "but how?" (why can't they let it go?). My first thought was to say "why do you ask so many questions, it just is", but that wouldn't be nice would it?

So I told them that I didn't have time to explain it all at the moment, but that I would tell them soon. Then I bribed them with some McDonald's to get them off my back for the time being. I really thought I wouldn't have to delve into the whole Birds and the Bees thing for a LONG time, or maybe I was just hoping I wouldn't, but now I realize it's time, at least for Jasmine who is 7 years old and asks WAY too many questions. Which reminded me of this post, it's just hilarious, I only wish I was as brave as this mom. Actually I don't think I've laughed so much reading any other post. I should hire HER to come talk to my kids LOL

Curt is going to be working Mid shift next week, which means going in at 11pm and not getting home until 7 or 8 the next morning. I don't think I have to tell you how much I dislike this shift???? I mean really, how do you keep two young kids from making noise while daddy is trying to sleep, during the DAY?!?!?!?! I spend my whole life telling them that night time is for sleeping and then they can go B- A- N- A- N- A- S - BANANAS during the day. This is going to be an interesting week.

A while back I had decided to put up a Saturday Surfing feature. I would post all the sites I visited this week, those that have caught my attention for some reason or other. I then completely forgot about that......shocking???? Nah, I do that all the time, as embarassing as it is to admit. But I decided to start it again today and hopefullyl remember to keep doing it, so this is going to be called Sandra's Saturday Surfing and it will feature sites that have made my life easier this past week.

Skype - I just LOVE this program and can't tell you enough about it. It's made my communication with my family in South Africa, a LOT easier. Check it out :)

JumpTV - If you are wanting to watch TV from another country, you can now do it on your computer, for a small monthly fee. This is how I watch my Portuguese TV everyday.

Internet4classrooms - I found this site while searching for some worksheets for Jasmine. It's great, and she's loved playing (while learning), there's math games, telling time, reading etc. Great for kids.

Creative Ladies Ministry - Great site with wonderful monthly devotionals, very uplifting.

Craigslist - Great list of classifieds by State and City, you can find things for free, for sale, jobs and houses etc.

Dayspring - Wonderful site for christian email cards, inspirational movies that you can share, like this one and even online shopping. Check it out :)

And that's it for now, the kids slept in today and just woke up, so it's breakfast time (late breakfast) and then I have to keep them busy so they won't wake up daddy.

I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday!
God Bless,

Friday, July 7, 2006

Ever have one of those nights,

where you toss and turn and just can't get comfortable???
That was me last night trying to fall asleep, no matter which way I turned I was extremely uncomfortable, my shoulder hurt, my leg hurt. See, ever since I was pregnant with Jasmine, I have to sleep with a pillow between my legs, but only when I'm laying on my left side. Go figure!!!

It's actually annoying, I mean really, how did my body sleep BEFORE I had kids? I don't recall only sleeping on my right side. Is this a thing that happens with age? Before you answer that question, just remember that I'm turning 32 in August and already have tons of grey hairs, yes you heard me, GREY HAIRS!!! I just blame it on my hubby and kids. I choose to believe that I'm really not getting them this early, I mean, 32 is kind young to have grey hairs isn't it?

I did finally manage to fall asleep and then was awakened by the sound of the phone ringing at 12:30am. I'm one of those people that believe if the phone rings in the middle of the night, it's bad news. BUT the machine picked up and no one left a message, which leads me to my other theory. It must have been someone from back home probably just wanting to say hi and then realizing "OH, it's 12:30am they must be sleeping". LOL
EARTH TO SOUTH AFRICA, you guys are 8 hours ahead of us here, when you wake up, we're going to sleep, and when you go to sleep we're pretty much in the middle of our day here.

Yesterday morning, my friend Veronica called to say that the BX was having this huge sale on clothes and some other stuff. 75% off!!! That's enough to have me ushering kids out the door and driving like a ~~maniac~~ good driver to the store. I got Nicholas these really cute Spiderman Tennis Shoes with lights (which he loves) for only $8. Then I got him two outfits, shirt and shorts together for only $7 each. I got Jasmine this really cute white long skirt with beads on it, yes it sounds kinda weird but I'll have to take a picture for you LOL It was only $3 too.
I also got her a cute tank top for another $3. That's all I got because the kids were not cooperating.

Yes, my kids not cooperating, what a surprise there. Are you shocked??? I should know better than to attempt any shopping with both of them. They fight about everything and anything, who pushes the cart, who walks on the left or right side, who gets what candy........and then they do the "Jasmine told me to be quiet"......"Nicholas is looking at me".......ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!?!?!
What is it with kids and stores?!?!?! The minute you walk through the doors they get possessed and turn into little monsters.

Before having kids I remember walking in a store and looking over at a mother struggling to control her kids, and I admit my thought was "Good grief, she's bigger than them, it's not that hard to control a kid". YES SANDRA, it is!!!!
I've tried everything from scolding, to bribing, to threatening to take away stuff, to pleading, to distracting them (or trying to at least), all I get is them looking at me with defiance in their eyes and giving me that "SUCKER" look.
Know what I do now??? I pray, really hard, before I leave the house. See, I have to run to the bank and the post office this morning and I've already started praying, mostly because there's a gumball machine at the post office and I have to dodge and duck to try and rush them past it, while pointing to something in the opposite direction. If they SEE the machine, that's it, my battle is lost because God Forbid I don't have quarters on me. If dirty looks could kill!!!

I'm SO excited. You all know how I told you that I get ARC's (Advanced Reader's Copy) of Lori Foster's books. So yesterday I go and check my mail and I have an envelope from her with my ARC for A Very Merry Christmas which is an Anthology coming out in a few months. She had left me a note in there telling me to make sure I see the dedication. This is what I find:

How exciting is that?!?!?!?! I mean, seriously to get a dedication on a book from my FAVORITE book author???? I'm thrilled beyond words and even hubby is excited, he said to me "It would be like having Terry Pratchett make a dedication to me in his books". LOL

So today I'm counting my blessings yet again. The Lord really has been wonderful to me and yes there's times that things look bleak and seems that I'm loosing my grip on everything around me, but those are so few between all the wonderful blessings that I have in my life. If only we could just stop everyday and think about what we DO have and not what we WISH we had. Chances are, the minute you start counting your blessings today, you will realize you're a lot better off than you thought.

I think we're all guilty of letting our minds take over at times, and letting the bad stuff overshadow the good. That's when I find that things get worse for me, negativity just brings more negativity doesn't it??? So if anything, today, just look around you and say a thank you to the Lord for the things you already have, don't dwell on what you still want, chances are you will get it anyway somewhere down the line, but you won't enjoy your present blessings if you are too busy looking into the future and what may be.

So here's what I'm blessed with just looking around:

My wonderful husband
My wonderful kids
My wonderful family
My great friends
A roof over my head
My pets
The chance to know such an amazing book author
The ability to be able to cook amazing meals for my family
The ability to deal with my kids being terrors in the store (at least I HAVE my kids right?)
The fact that I got pulled over by a cop (It means I am able to drive and have a car)
The fact that I have to pull weeds from the yard (It means I have an actual yard where some don't)

I could go on and on but you get the idea. Everything is a blessing in our lives. No matter how big or small it looks. Once you realize that, your outlook on life becomes totally different.

With that said, I'm heading out for errands. Have a BLESSED friday!!!!

EVERYDAY THINGS!!!

It's time for another "Everyday Things". Jules came up with this great feature every friday. It really makes us stop and think about something that brings us contentment in our everyday lives.

What brings me contentment? You may be expecting something huge, ground breaking news, but no, it's actually the sound of laughter coming from the living room. The laughter of my kids and daddy playing after he gets home from work. Is there anything better than that???

They do get loud, but in just that hour that they run around the house and wrestle on the ground, or play tag, it's the best time of the day for me. You hear laughs, you hear squeals of happiness and then you always hear some "I love you's" thrown in the mix. Either from the daddy or the kids, most times from both.

They bring me contentment and they remind me of how lucky I am, no matter how bad things may seem that day, the sound eminating from the living room, is enough to wash all the bad away.

For a list of other Everyday Participants, head on over to Jule's :)

Thursday, July 6, 2006

LOSING IS NO FUN!!!

Would it be ok for me to tell you all that I actually cried when Portugal lost? Or would that make me a crazy lady? Because if it does, then just scratch everything I said, but if it doesn't, then just know that I shed some tears. It was extremely sad to see them loose to France, especially in a game where they played so well, and France only won because of a Penalty kick (which I'm sorry to say was NO penalty), but whatever. I cried, I was sad, and then I got over it, I'm still Portuguese and I'm still extremely proud of the team for making it this far, and besides, there's always the next World Cup right???

Saturday we're up against Germany for the third place. That's going to be nerve wrecking as well, but not as bad. I don't care if they make third or fourth place, they made it this far and played extremely well. :)

I tried to get some cleaning done yesterday but I didn't achieve anything, I should have known THAT was going to happen. I did start cleaning and then at 11:30am I had a message pop up on my Skype. BTW if you don't have Skype and have family living overseas anywhere, you should get it, it's amazing. :)
Anyway, I had a message pop up from my brother in South Africa, he was currently making dinner and had his laptop in the kitchen. So we got to chat with voice and it was great hearing them and actually talking to my niece and nephew. Jasmine also got to talk to Dylan, and they're both so excited about playing together next year. That is the reason I didn't get my housework done, but it was worth it.

I haven't had a chance to go check out all the WFMW participants, but I will do that this morning. I always get the best tips from the ladies out there, some things I'm already doing but others are just those light bulb moments, the ones where you think "how did I not ever think of that???".

I'm having one of those Fat Days. You know the ones......nothing you wear feels comfortable, your stomach looks swollen, and that scale just keeps lying to you. I have a love-hate relationship with my bathroom scale, it likes playing tricks on me, like torturing me to see my reaction.
I get on the scale and it will throw out a number like 126lbs and I'm all excited (although the donuts I had for breakfast count for nothing right?), and then I look down and it says ERROR ERROR, and it keeps flashing it for what seems an eternity. I step off and step back on again and then it hits me with the 138lbs. WHAT?!?!?!? Where did the 126lbs?!?!?!? No, No, No, bring back the 126lbs, I didn't ask you for a second opinion!!!! Frustrating is all I can say!!!

I think I'm getting close to the point where I will say FORGET IT, and just eat what I want to eat without worrying about every bite and what it does to my thighs. It's very depressing living that way, it's like you're kept captive by food. Wouldn't it be great to just eat and not think about how many pounds you're adding on, or how much fat is in it???
If we could just live in a world where people would not constantly throw thin gorgeous people in our faces. Just accept everyone as they are and move on, stop trying to make us all believe we're not normal just because we don't weigh 110lbs, have long luscious wavy hair, beautiful blue or green eyes, and look like we've been starving for a year.

What kind of example are we setting for our children? Would we be pleased if they grew up to be just like us? Think about that, my kids try to copy me at times and it's not a pretty sight. It really makes me look at myself and the way I act. Here's an example:

Jasmine - Mommy can I have one of your Diet Cokes?
Me - Ummm, you have apple juice, Iced Tea and Juice pouches to pick from, why would you want a Diet Coke?
Jasmine - Because I want to loose weight!!!
Me - WHAT?!?!?!? You don't need to loose weight, you're 7 years old.
Jasmine - Oh, well that's what you always say when someone asks you why you're drinking Diet Coke.

See what I mean????? That may not seem so bad, but it makes you realize that kids are easily influenced to do and say things. I think we're all kids when it comes to certain things though, we want to copy the models and the movie stars. How about we concentrate on copying God??? Wouldn't that be a better model for us???

"Be imitators of God..." Ephesians 5:1

I know it's a tough thing to achieve, but I'm willing to give it a try, what do I have to loose???

I've added a few new links to my blogroll, if you get a chance be sure to drop by and say hi to these wonderful ladies.

Aurora - She's a mom to a toddler boy and I just love reading her posts.

Lori's Minute - Another wonderful SAHM to two kids.

Maremagnum - This wonderful lady is living in Barcelona, Spain. She always has the best pictures to share and since I've been to Spain before, it's great reliving some of those moments.

Shasher's Stories - Mother of four and together with her husband are the leaders of a church.

Show them through me - Wonderful blog by Annette, and truly inspiring.

This wonderful lady Emily, tagged me for these lists. I loved reading hers, always love learning more about my blog friends. :)
This is what she said in her blog:

Most days I cannot wait for time to pass - the day, the week, the month. But suddenly last night I was left again with an all-too familiar feeling, "Another day is over? What did I do today?" I get work done, but then I somehow just get pulled where other people want me, doing things I don't really want to do, and forgetting what I'm passionate about.

So here goes,

Things I Like to Do:

* Astronomy
* Cooking
* Go for Walks
* Read
* Sewing
* Eat out
* Camping
* Play computer games with hubby
* Graphic Design
* Shopping with family
* Play board games
* Decorate my house

What Would I like to do more of/learn to do?

* Learn to Swim
* Go Camping more
* Have more time for God
* Be part of a good Bible Study Group
* Astrophotography
* Learn to let God handle my problems
* Small road trips with hubby and kids

What Don't I Like to Do That's Taking Up Too Much Time?

* The constant need to have a perfect house
* Taking on too much everyday, I want to have more time to spend with the kids and hubby.

I love these lists because they make you think about what you're really doing in your life and how you can change it. Thank you Emily for tagging me, this was fun to do :)
I tag anyone else that reads my blog, go ahead and give it a try, you'll be amazed at the things that you spend too much time on.

And that's it for me, I have tons of blogs to go visit and then a lot of cleaning to do. Again, my coffee has gone cold so I'm going to make a quick run to the kitchen for some fresh, hot one.
See you all tomorrow!!!

Wednesday, July 5, 2006

Nervous Wreck!!!!!

If you see me walk on by today, looking totally frazzled, just get out of the way or refrain from saying anything mean LOL

Seriously, I'm anxiously awaiting the Portugal vs France game at 1pm, and I'm already biting my nails. Talking about nail biting, reminds me of the Germany vs Italy game yesterday......good grief, can you say DIRTY PLAYING?!?!?!? I don't think I've seen a game with so much pushing, shoving, tripping and dirty looks, since my kids were trying to play tag the other day (yes they get very INTO the tag lol)
I told Curt that I will email him before he leaves work to let him know if Portugal won or lost, not just because he's upset that he won't be home to watch the game, BUT it will let him know what sort of mood I'll be in LOL
In his own words "yeah, I might have to volunteer for some overtime at work". LOL

We had a wonderful time yesterday, we spent the day grilling, eating and watching Soccer. I even took pictures of the food just to make you hungry, maybe get you salivating for some, I'm just mean that way. Actually I'm not mean at all, but I couldn't help taking pictures of it, nothing looks prettier than grilled food :)

Right before we went to bed, I let the pugs out to go potty, and I look up and see this. How beautiful is that?

After this long weekend, it seems kinda weird getting back to the normal routine, I was enjoying having hubby home and just relaxing. BUT now it means I have a house to clean and reorganize again. Isn't it always that way??? You just let your cleaning guard down for a day or two and everything goes topsy turvy. I have tons of laundry to do, gotta get the bathrooms cleaned, sweep and mop, vacuum etc.....all before noon.

You might want to know why noon??? Well, because at noon my portuguese soap comes on. HUH?!?!?! What are you talking about??? I not only like watching General Hospital, but I also watch my Portuguese Soap called "Sonhos Traidos", on RTPI (Portuguese TV). Since the area that I'm in does not have this channel on my cable lineup, I go online to JUMPTV and watch it on my computer. Seriously, if any of you are in a different country and want to watch tv from back home, check out Jumptv, chances are your home channels are on there.

I got a book in the mail yesterday, called "15 minutes alone with God" by Emilie Barnes. This is just what I was looking for. I don't have much time during the day, I'm usually so busy with the kids and the house and errands, and I hate feeling like I'm putting God on hold. I do however, have about 30 minutes each morning, and with this book I'll be able to do my devotionals before the kids are up and ready to start the day.

Here's what I've noticed. If I get up in the morning and don't get a chance to spend some time with God and pray for the day ahead of me, I am faced with problems, obstacles and just things going wrong. It's like a snowball effect, everything just piles on and on and by the time I go to bed, I feel like I've just been climbing Mt. Everest all day and not seeing the end in sight.

When I do get up in the morning, and pray and ask for guidance throughout the day, everything runs more smoothly. I'm not making this up people, really, try it for yourself, even if for just a week, and you'll be amazed at the difference. I'm not saying that things won't happen, or something won't go wrong or not how you planned, but they will either be really small things, or you will have the wisdom and ability to deal with it.

Well the house is calling and I really should start my cleaning. Have a great wednesday and if you happen to get the chance, watch the Portugal vs France game. Root for Portugal though, or I will be one sad puppy!!!!

God Bless,

Works for Me Wednesday!!!

It's wednesday and that means another "Works for Me Wednesday". I think that by now I probably don't have to tell you where to go for a list of other participants, BUT in case you're here for the first time, head on over to Shannon's Blog.

I don't have a coffee table in my living room.

Because the kids use it as a play gym and think it's fun to get on and then jump off.
Because it really does take up way too much room, in our already small living room.
Because it just invites the kids to eat in the living room, hence spilling everything on the floor around them.

After getting rid of the coffee table, we were left with a lot more room, but no place to set our remotes and magazines etc. It was a constant battle trying to find that elusive remote control. It was really good at hiding too, sometimes under the couch, other times behind the couch pillows and it even made it BEHIND the couch on day.

I wanted a quick and easy way to keep them all in one place. I had this basket which I had found at a yard sale for like 25c. It doesn't have any handles and it was just perfect for this.
I set it next to the couch, filled it with our magazines, Jasmine's Chapter books, and then I placed a small flower pot where I put all the remotes. Everytime someone uses the remote, it goes right back into it's holder and I've had NO problems finding it ever since.
Even the kids follow the rules, and know where to find the remotes if they want to change the channel. Works for me!!!!

Tuesday, July 4, 2006

Happy Fourth of July!!!

I want to start by wishing everyone a wonderful Fourth of July!!! I may not be American but I appreciate the day and the country, and you can rest assured that today will mean more than barbecues and apple pie for my kids.....they will be told what this day is about and what it means to be an American.

There is no Tackle it Tuesday today, I'm ashamed to say that I really didn't have time to tackle any project, but I will have one for next week. You can however check out my Treasure Tuesday post below and look at the beautiful hand painted Ostrich Egg. :)

We're planning to have a nice BBQ at home, just for us. Will have some fun out back with the kids, let them jump on the trampoline or swing or whatever and then later head on inside for some soccer, I know, I know, you're probably tired of hearing me talk about it, BUT what can I say???
Today it's Germany vs Italy and then tomorrow I'm going to be a nervous wreck when I watch Portugal vs France. Talk about a nail biting game!!!!

I opened up my email program this morning, and was ecstatic to see an email from my SIL Lilian and one from my brother Bruno, with pics of my beautiful nieces and nephews. Aren't they just adorable??? I miss them sooooo much, can't wait to get there next summer :)

This is the baby of the family, Alyssa :) Just want to squeeze her :)

And this is Dylan and Taryn-Lee. Nothing like seeing all my babies to bring a huge smile to my face :)

Now tell me you wouldn't be rushing back home just to see these angels? :)

I finally got my menus up on my food blog and I've also posted a recipe for a Red, White and Blueberry Pie I'm making today, just perfect for the celebration. If you want a yummy dessert that will WOW everyone, but yet is so easy to make, be sure to go check it out.

I love celebrations but I HATE the added pounds. It's crazy, but this long weekend, I've found myself eating constantly, and not because I'm hungry, I doubt anyone is THAT hungry, ALL the time. I guess I'm one of those eat-out-of-boredom people, with a really cruddy metabolism. It grates on my nerves when I see people eat all sorts of stuff and still remain really thin, what's up with that?!?!?!? How unfair!!!
With me, food always tastes like MORE!!!

Know what I'm going to be doing today? Working on fixing my brake light in the car, then we have to take it to the Security Forces desk, and show them that it's working, they won't just believe us if we tell them. Not that I blame them, I mean, I could say it's fine and then drive around with it broken. BUT I wouldn't........ see I'm one of those kind of people that avoids doing anything wrong just for the fear of getting caught.

I was the geek in school who never skipped classes. All my friends would miss school or go smoke pot or drink, cheat during tests etc. Me???? I was the goody two shoes, always on time, never smoked pot, never tried drugs and the only drinking I did was after I graduated high school. AND here's something I don't tell many people.....are you ready for this???? *DRUMROLL* I was a virgin until I got married. Yep, 24 years old. Now you know a bit more about me, although maybe you didn't want to know, oh well, it's out there now. LOL

Well I better get going. Want to get the car fixed real quick, then bake my pie and get my meats marinated for the BBQ. I hope you're all having a WONDERFUL day, have tons of fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do...........ummm, well that would probably mean you would have an extremely boring day.

God Bless,

Treasure Tuesday!!!

The treasure I have to share with you today, has made it all the way from South Africa, intact and in perfect condition. It wasn't easy and I remember making the trip thinking "oh boy, this is not going to work".

I'm talking about an Ostrich Egg. Yes from a real ostrich, and no it's not full of egg inside, it's one of those Hand Painted Ostrich Eggs.

No matter where you go in South Africa, you're sure to find these beauties all over, on street corner tables, at large craft markets, at expensive stores, you name it.

This one is special to me, not only because it's from back home, but it was one the first things that hubby and I bought together, as a married couple.
We had just made a trip to Sun City with my dad and stepmom, and on the way back home we came across a bunch of little street markets scattered along the road. We stopped to pick up some mementos, and this one caught our eye.

It survived a long two day airplane ride, and it's been with us for the past 8 years. It brings back fond memories of beautiful South Africa.
So there you have it, my Treasure for today. For a list of other participants, head on over to Faithful Mommy. :)

Monday, July 3, 2006

There's a first for everything right????

Yesterday was my first time being pulled over by a policeman LOL Yes, you may not believe it, but it's true.

Come on in and sit down, I just ground a bunch of coffee and started my coffee pot....Today we're having "Foglifter"....I think it was invented for ME. Really!!! Most mornings I wake up and drag myself downstairs and everything is a FOG, hence the "Foglifter". LOL
See how I try to make myself seem important somehow, I'm even using coffee as an excuse :)

So anyway, back to my story. I went to get groceries and then on the way home, since it was lunch time, I decided to stop by Burger King for some burgers. I felt all proud of myself for thinking of doing that for the hubby and kids since they weren't expecting it, like a nice surprise for them.

Anyway, I'm driving down the street and I see a cop car behind me. I get to the stop street, turn left and he turns left with me, and at this point my mind is still going "OH, he must be going the same way I am". ( Oh Lord, PLEASE let it be that).
I then turn into the Burger King Drive-Thru and he turns with me and at this point my mind is still denying it "Oh look at that, he's going to grab some lunch too".
"Why is he turning on his lights?"......."Oh crud he's actually pulling me over, and RIGHT at the drive-thru, no fair, I'm hungry".
One of the great things of living on base is that there isn't much traffic around, so now it was me, stopped right by the order thingymajig, the cop behind me with his lights flashing and another cop car behind him with HIS lights flashing. WHAT THE?!?!?!?

He comes on over, and I'm ashamed to admit that my first thought was "Oh man, I hope I look ok" (Sandra you just got pulled over by the cop and you're worried about looking ok?)
So anyway, long story short.....my hubby installed a new radio system for me, and he was having problems running the cable down the right side to the back where the speakers were. Apparently he must have knocked something out, because my brake lights on the right side aren't working. I didn't get a ticket, I did however get a sort of ticket telling me to fix the problem within 72 hours.....AND he apologized for interrupting my lunch LOL
So there you have it, my first time being pulled over, at least I'm happy that it wasn't something I did while driving.

Last night I made Beef Curry. It wasn't the first time I've made it, but I don't do it very often because the kids don't like spicy food and my hubby always said how he loves it but that it's way too hot. I'm just used to eating it real spicy, back home you sniff through the Curry and have tears running down your face by the time you're done, although the tears could be of happiness because it's so good. I don't know!!!
However, we eat our curry with an assortment of toppings. You will always see sliced bananas, coconut and sliced green peppers. It may sound weird to some, but I kid you not, it's DELISCIOUS. I have NEVER seen my hubby and kids devour their curry and go back for seconds and thirds. I was shocked and I was also told by hubby that "from now on, THIS is how I want my curry". SIR YES SIR!!! LOL

I have to apologize for not visiting my usual blogs yesterday. After I posted my entry I went to get groceries etc. When I came back home and tried to get on the computer to read the blogs, my computer gave me the "Blue Screen of Death". You know the one right?
You're all happy smiling and looking forward to spending time with your computer and BAM!!!
Blue Screen, weird mumbo jumbo about wrong codes and missing files and whatever. I just wanted to cry, I think I did STOMP my feet like a toddler, but all that got me was a weird look from hubby!!!

I couldn't get back on the computer for the rest of the day, but my hubby being the sweetheart that he is, stayed up until 2am fixing my computer, and I'm proud to say that he DID. It's working again, so thank you honey :)

While the computer was not working, we went out to the BX. For a long time you've heard me complain about my carpets and having to track down the carpet cleaners from the Self Help on base. So yesterday my hubby and I saw a steam cleaner which we've been wanting to get for a while, and he said "today is the day, let's get it". We did and OH BOY does it work!!!
It's a Hoover Steam Vac Deep Cleaner, and we got it for $140 which is not bad at all. We came home, hubby put it together and then he cleaned the living room carpets. I think we actually fought about who got to try it out first, I really wanted to, but he's bigger than I am and I didn't want to mess with him. LOL I'm just kidding!!! I was fixing dinner so he got to play with it. My carpets look WONDERFUL. I'm serious, (I don't like endorsing products BUT) if you're looking for a good steam cleaner, this is the one to get. *end the endorsement bit*

I think this entry is turning into a long story book, so it's time to end it. Sadly, but I'm going to do it. I really do hope you're all having a wonderful long weekend and enjoying your Fourth of July. The smell of barbecues permeates the air around here, and there's nothing better than that is there?

I will be here tomorrow, bright and early (Nicholas wouldn't have it any other way). Again I promise to bring the coffee if you all will come on over for a cup :)
Have a beautiful blessed day,

Sunday, July 2, 2006

Good Morning :)

Isn't it a beautiful Sunday morning? Come on in, I have a pot of hot coffee and I have bacon, sausages, eggs, there's also biscuits and gravy, oh and some bagels or donuts if you wish.

Yes I woke up in a very good mood, it happens when you get good sleep, which I've been doing lately. Thank the Lord :)

So I've got my hot cup of coffee and I'm ready to go. Lisanne mentioned that my right sidebar is showing up at the bottom, but I don't see it in Netscape or Firefox.....only in Internet Explorer. That's the frustrating thing about making templates, if only all browsers would just GET ALONG....know what I mean??? LOL

I've been getting some exercise, not by choice, mind you. Everyday Nicholas runs up to me on the computer and says "It's time to dance mommy". I have to get up from my work and walk with him to the tv where we proceed to "get jiggy with it" (well I get jiggy, again not by choice, just because that's what my behind does), to the sounds of Pinky Dinky Do, or Maggie and the Ferocious Beast. Hmmm....oh well, if it helps me get some exercise and makes him happy too, why not, right???

Remember I told you I was trying to grow some herbs and some veggies??? I also told you how I have no green thumb, or like one of the ladies said "Thumb of Death". LOL
BUT, I'm happy to announce and even share some pictures to prove that maybe I don't have the "Thumb of Death", maybe just a "Thumb of Luck". You know, sometimes I'm lucky and actually don't kill the plants.

Nothing like seeing these beauties each morning and actually know that I am growing them. And the smell.......ahhhhhh, if you could only smell the chives and the red onions :)

For today I have quite a bit planned, and no it's nothing exciting, like going to the Opera (not that I would, but still nice thought), or out to eat, or shop or whatever.
Just normal house stuff, which I actually find very relaxing and rewarding, there's nothing like a clean house, free of clutter and surrounded by the aroma of bread baking in the oven.
SNAP back to reality........I have a not so clean house right now, some clutter laying around, and the only bread I have is already pre-sliced and packed by the wonderful people at Wonder Bread. But give me a few hours and I'll have all of that and more.

Want to see my to do list for today??? Then maybe you're day won't seem so bad, and you can just sit there and laugh at me. Maybe not laugh, but a little snicker and not in my face, please!!! LOL

2 Loads of Laundry to wash, fold and put away
Vacuum Living Room and Bedrooms
Wash the Bed Linens
Sweep and Mop Kitchen
Work on back yard (till some more yard and plant grass)
Make Menus and Grocery List
Go Grocery Shopping
Make Beef Curry for Lunch
Bake loaf of Wholewheat Bread
Give Pugs a Bath
Return books to library

Sheesh, do I overdo it??? Is that list even possible to do in one ~~morning~~ day??? I do have the help of my hubby for some of the things, so I'm sure I'll be able to get it all accomplished :)
That means though, that as much as I want to hang out here and just blab all day, I actually have to get up from the computer and start my day. *sigh*.

Well I had a great time and I enjoyed the cup of coffee we shared. Unfortunately I just tried to take a sip of mine and it's gone cold, UGH, nothing worse than a gulp of yucky cold coffee.
You all have a great Sunday and a Happy Fourth of July Weekend!!!! BE safe, please, remember the dangers of messing around with fireworks. :)

God Bless,

Saturday, July 1, 2006

Happy and Sad?!?!?!

Is there such a thing??? I mean I'm ecstatic about Portugal moving on but I'm so sad about Brazil being eliminated by France. Yes, I'm talking soccer again. Today was a full day of soccer for us, we yelled and screamed at the tv and cried and cheered when Portugal won, then I wanted to cry again when Brazil lost LOL

Anyway, moving on. We finally got all my paperwork finished, got more passport photos taken and everything notarized. Let me tell you, there's one job I think I could do on the side, like a part time gig to my SAHM full time job. We paid $30 just to have the lady put a stamp on the photocopies and sign it. Shouldn't it be cheaper, or maybe I'm in the wrong business....That's all I'm saying!!!

I'm glad everyone likes the new template, I was getting bored with the other one and needed a change. If you find that you're missing from my links, please let me know, I think I have everyone but I might have missed somebody by mistake. Don't be shy, just let me know :)

We've spent a nice day, just the family, at home watching soccer, playing games and just hanging out. Tried to take the pugs out for a walk this afternoon, but it was SO hot I honestly thought I was going to pass out. The pugs weren't enjoying it either, so we walked to the park and right back home so they could get out of the heat. Poor things, if you could just hear them snorting around.

Nicholas is now fully potty trained. He not only wears just underwear during the day, but he wears it all night long AND he goes potty standing up. Ok maybe you didn't want to hear that, but as a mom it's a MAJOR achievement.....and I'm even more excited because I taught him myself LOL
Should have seen my face when he asked me to go standing up too....."sure hon, I'll work on that and get back to you". As if!!!

Thank you all for the advice on getting Jasmine to read. I've tried most of what everyone said but I'm still having no luck. It's not that she doesn't like to read, I just don't think she likes being told she HAS to read. She gives me all these excuses, like "can I read it to myself?", "can I read a smaller book?", "I don't feel like it".......and the list goes on and on. But I'm going to persevere and hopefully she starts cooperating :)

While sitting around today, I found myself remisnicing about different times in my life, things that happened when we lived in Portugal, things that happened when we took trips to Mozambique (where I was born) etc. I was telling Curt about this one time that we went to Mozambique on vacation. We stayed in Maputo but then we took a ferry across a river to Marracuene or Macaneta, I can't remember the name, I'm sure my dad will tell me later.
But what I loved about it is that we got to this place and it had a river on one side, then a huge sand hill separated the beach on the other.

The restaurant was on the river side, and had these beautiful bungalows outside, where we sat for lunch. You can see above the top of the bungalows. Now this is the beach, we came here for some sun and then headed back on over the hill to the other side to eat.
Here's the greatest part thought, we looked through the menu and then ordered our food which was Clams, Prawns and Peixe-Galo (Atlantic Moonfish). WOW is all I can say about that one, it's the best fish I've ever tasted.

But you order your food, and they tell you it will be a while because you see them give the orders to a bunch of guys sitting around, they then stand up, get on a small fishing boat and go out and CATCH your lunch. OH MY GOODNESS!!!! Now THAT is what I call fresh. Top that with a couple of cold beers and you have a beautiful lunch :)

On the way out to leave, we came across a few ladies selling fresh fish and seafood. We bought a HUGE bag of clams, it was like 6 kilos for R6.00(rands), which is less than a dollar.

We're going to be heading to South Africa next summer and I'm definitely taking my family to Mozambique. I just can't wait. But don't worry, I'll have access to my blog and will be able to take you ALL with me, of course you're more than welcome to come along :)

Well it's time for kids bedtimes, gotta go do the usual convincing, tell them that it really IS time to sleep and nothing interesting will happen while they're in bed. You know, the usual kid things.
Hope you're all having a great weekend, will see you in the morning with a hot cup of Irish Cream Coffee :)

Linkbar

Monday, July 31, 2006

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Monday, July 24, 2006

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Friday, July 21, 2006

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Monday, July 17, 2006

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Friday, July 14, 2006

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Monday, July 10, 2006

Sunday, July 9, 2006

Saturday, July 8, 2006

Friday, July 7, 2006

Thursday, July 6, 2006

Wednesday, July 5, 2006

Tuesday, July 4, 2006

Monday, July 3, 2006

Sunday, July 2, 2006

Saturday, July 1, 2006

About Me

Blog for Books

Watching:

Blogging Without Obligation

Followers

Blog Archive

Search This Blog

Subscribe To

Visitors

Our Blogger Templates Web Design