Ummmm if I say I will be back later to post

more, just ignore that LOL
I don't know how many times I say that I will come back later in the day and update or post something and then I don't, I really do mean to, but it never works that way.

We had a great time at the bowling alley yesterday. Scottie and the kids had a blast bowling, so if you want to see some pics, head on over to Veronica's blog.

After we left the birthday party we swung by the library to pick up some chick movies for me. Yeah, I got 3 LOL I already watched two of those so I guess I need to go back and get more. I don't know what it is, it's like some months I can go by without watching one movie, and then there's those months that I have to watch one everyday. Just yesterday I sat on the computer and added movies to my Netflix Queue, and let me tell you, it's all just romance movies, mostly historical romances.

So last night, I watched "An Unfinished Life". I didn't know if I would like it, but it was pretty good, Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman are in it and I love them, but it also has Jennifer Lopez. It was a pretty good movie.
Then I watched "Persuasion", another historical romance which I enjoyed. Today I still have "Captain Correlli's Mandolin" to watch.

Anyway, I just got done washing the breakfast dishes. See, we have this thing in my house, when hubby works normal day shift hours, we get to sleep in on the weekends. He gets Saturday mornings and I get Sundays. Whoever gets up with the kids then fixes breakfast. BUT this morning, it didn't go according to plan. He decided to stay up until 2:30 am playing computer games, so what happened when Nicholas was ready to get up at 6am???
Come on, you can guess can't you??? Yep, he wasn't ready to wake up, so I did. That means he got to sleep in both days......UNFAIR is all I say LOL

As I sit here typing I'm thinking about what I have to do today. Right after I'm done with this, I have to gather the digital camera and camcorder and make sure the batteries are charged and then get some water and snacks ready. In the meantime I have to steam clean my living room carpet so that it will dry while we are out.

We're heading to the Volcanoes just 15 minutes from base. Can't wait, it should be a lot a fun. The kids are excited and have been talking about it for 2 weeks, so I think it's high time we just took them. Then of course it's back home to steam clean the rest of the carpets. Fun Fun!!!

This week I'm going to be working on some more items for Lori Foster's Cafepress Store. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I love Lori Foster's books, and I've been working with her making graphics for her online store and also for the Reader Author Get Together in just a few days, June 9th.

If you're a romance book reader and you're in or near the West Chester, Ohio area, I would suggest you go hang out with these amazing authors. For more information on all the authors that are attending, just go to Lori Foster's site and the Reader & Author Get Together 2006 page. You are going to meet authors such as Lori Foster, Dianne Castell, Toni Blake, Erin McCarthy, LuAnn Maclane just to name a few. I wish I could be there myself, that would have been awesome. But I'm just thrilled to know Lori and Dianne, it's always such a great feeling to get one of their new books in the mail, especially one that is autographed by them. :)

I thank God for allowing me the pleasure of meeting such amazing authors who are so down to earth and so sweet, can't say enough good things about them.

You know just the other day I was laying in bed thinking about all the blessings that God has bestowed upon me and my family. I think we get so caught up in the here and now and the wanting something more, that we forget to sit back and realize what he already gave us. So I've decided that everyday, instead of thinking I COULD, I will think I HAVE!!! It makes a world of difference when you really allow yourself to look around and see all the different ways in which he works in your lives. Some are flat out huge and in your face (so to speak), and others are smaller and not so noticeable but yet of same importance. Just allow yourself to reflect in those and to enjoy them.

Another thing I thank God for everyday, is for some of the ladies that I've met through the blog. True friends who even though I've never met face to face, already hold a very special place in my heart. They are there when you're having a bad day, they cry with you, they pray for you and cheer you on, and then during the good times, they laugh, they sing and they throw a party in your favor. How beautiful is that???? So to Emily, Courtney, Morning Glory, Melanie, Jaymi and Liz and so many others, thank you, for being you, for being amazing and loving women, I'm truly blessed and lucky to know each and every single one of you.

And with that I'm out of here before I start crying. LOL I'm such a wuss and I cry for everything, I think I'm hormonal even when I'm not pregnant. Oh well, I'll take it with open arms and smile through it right???
I would say I'll be back later, but I better not, I might not have the time, although I do want to come and post the pics of the volcanoes. We will see.

Hope you all have a blessed and wonderful sunday. :)

EDIT: We just got back and had a blast collecting all sorts of lava rock and other beautiful ones, including these really nice blue shiny ones that I will take a pic of tomorrow.
Here are the pics taken today, this first one is of me, I had climbed up on this HUGE volcanic rock and then had a hard time climbing back down, I was laughing and Curt snapped the pic, it's actually one of my favorites.

I took a pic of hubby, the kids and Lola (our pug) messing around on the rocks.

This one is my FAVORITE, I just love the way it turned out. My beautiful kids :)

Helping each other climb the rocks. :)

And here's some views from the volcano of the areas around, how peaceful and calm, it's such an amazing feeling being up there and feeling closer to God :)

Love Romance Movies!!!!

One of my favorite things to do when the kids are asleep, is pop in a good chick lit movie. I've managed to drag hubby along at times and made him watch them with me, obviously not his favorite thing to do, but he does nevertheless because he knows how much I like them.

This past week I watched Spanglish, Pride and Prejudice and The Family Stone. LOVED Spanglish, although not the ending I was expecting. The Family Stone was not one I enjoyed, I found it annoying, maybe it just struck a nerve or something, I don't know, you will have to watch for yourself and let me know LOL

Now Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley, I just loved. I'm a total sucker for Historical Romances and movies from that the Victorian era etc. Nothing like a movie like that to bring that warm fuzzy feeling right? I can't remember the name of the actor that plays Mr. Darcy....but he was so handsome in that role.

Today I'm heading out to pick up a couple more movies. Hopefully some more girly ones :)
So I gotta get moving so that I can be at the bowling alley at 2pm for Scottie's Birthday.

Will be back later with more :)

The day the kids become the parents!!!

First and foremost I want to say a big WELCOME HOME to Momrn2's Little one. She is finally well enough to go home from the hospital. If you've been following along with the updates and her site, you know that the family went through a really hard time. I was in awe and amazement of the outpour of prayers and support she received, just that first day she had something like 80+ comments on her blog. Amazing.

So welcome home little one, may you continue to recover and be well on your way to a full recovery, and to momrn2, thank you for all the updates and for still finding the time to comment on my blog, it means the world to me, you are an amazing and special lady....sending you all tons of love and hugs. May God continue to bless you!!!

Jasmine is growing up so fast and she's getting to that stage of independence and pushing limits. Lately she's taken to disciplining Nicholas when I'm busy with something, and not that I tell her to, she just does it because......well.....because she wants to.

On more than one occasion I've had to pull her aside and explain that she's not the mother in the house, and she needs to stop trying to tell her brother what to do or ordering him punishment. Sibling Rivalry.......how annoying!!!

Yesterday when we went to Walmart, we stopped at the bank and Curt ran inside while we stayed in the truck. Jasmine was sitting in the back seat holding one of those american flags for the cars, you know the ones???

Well anyway, she sets it up on the seat and then places her hand over her heart and starts reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. I just smile and next thing I know I hear from the backseat "HEY, you need to put your hand over your heart and say it with me, UNDERSTAND?", and I'm thinking "here we go again, yelling at her brother."

Yeah well, the brother was ME. She was instructing ME on what to do. Oh no you didn't. All I had to do was turn around and look at her and she quickly said "Sorry I was just kidding".
What to do??? Is this something I'm going to be dealing with until she moves out of the house? When did she become a teenager? Overnight?

I love my child to death, but she's walking on a thin line with me. It seems that the minute she started school I've had this power struggle to control her and keep teaching her right from wrong. I send her off acting one way and she comes back home acting completely different.
Lord help me, it's going to be a long 11 years!!!

First thing I want you to do this morning is to go on over to "Freedom Isn't Free" and read the letter to a soldier. I think that any military wife, mom or family can truly relate and for those that are not in the military, I think this letter will better explain the way we feel when our loved ones are deployed.

I'm so glad I have nothing planned for today, after running around yesterday I'm really pooped. Can I say that out loud? Cause that's how I feel.....

Tomorrow we have Scottie's (my friend Veronica's son) Birthday party at the bowling alley. Scottie is one of Jasmine's friends, or actually he's one of her good friends, they've been friends since kindergarten and it's so cute watching them together. She's having a hard time with the fact that he's leaving in two months to go to Washington. Yet another hard part about military life, you make friends and then they get orders somewhere else. Make new friends, and then it happens again. I choose to think of it as a way to meet new people, if I don't then I get extremely depressed over the friends I've said goodbye to over the years.

But moving on, then on sunday we are heading out to see the Volcanoes nearby. We're all pretty excited about that, and of course me being the Papparazzi that I am, you can be sure to see lots of pics LOL

We're also planning a trip to a few other places this summer, Shoshone Falls, Three Island Crossing, Redfish Lake, Soldier Mountain Ranch just to name a few. There's so many beautiful places to visit in Idaho, so we've decided to take advantage this year and really go out and see them.

Last year we did go to Silver City, which is a Ghost Town. These are some of the pics we took.

Can't wait to get out there and sightsee again.

Remember today is friday so I've got my "Remember When???" posted, check the post below for it.
If you like scary stories, that will be one you don't want to miss, if you DON'T then I suggest you just ignore it LOL

You know what??? I better get going, Jasmine just woke up and I need to get her some breakfast.
OH OH I almost forgot to tell yuo all that Nicholas is finally potty trained. I'm SO thrilled and he's being such a big boy. He actually runs to the bathroom when he has to go and does it all on his own. I'm just happy that we've finally gotten to this stage :)

REMEMBER WHEN???

Well, it's friday and that means another "Remember When???". The story I have today is a bit scary, so if you don't like ghosts or things like that, I suggest you go read something else LOL

For some reason I've always been the one to "see things" in my family. Now don't go getting all weird and freaked out on me, I'm not a psychic nor would I want to be one, BUT for some reason if we go to a house that is "supposedly" haunted, I feel really weird in there and if there's something to see, I will be the one seeing it. You have no idea how frustrating and scary it is.

So the story today is about a house we used to live in when I was, Oh, 12 or 13 years old I think. My dad loved this house, but for some reason I just hated it, I would see all sort of things, feel all sort of things too and I literally remember sitting up everynight, with my dog on the bed, the light on and staying awake until the morning before turning off the light and trying to get a few hours of sleep. My grandmother, grandfather and greatgrandmother were all living with us at the time, and I was lucky that my grandmother saw these ghost or whatever they were, too.

There were always weird things going on in that house. I vividly remember going to the bathroom one day and being PUSHED by no one. It was scary!!!
When we went on vacation, my uncle offered to come by everyday and water the plants, feed the dog etc. He went one day and never returned. Apparently he was sitting at the dinner table just reading the newspaper and everything started falling off the shelves, next thing he knows the curtains in the living room start opening and closing on their own....that was enough for him to never go back alone.

One of the worst times for me was when I woke up in the middle of the night (one of the times I actually managed to fall asleep), and saw hands around my throat, I tried to scream and no sound would come out, I finally managed to jump out of bed and run out of the room. I slept the rest of the night with my greatgrandmother.

Now before I tell you this next incident, I have to explain that our house had these closed in porches to the right and left of the front door. My grandmother, being a seamstress, used the one on the left for all her sewing and that is where she would sit all day and work.
We all knew what time my stepmom would come home from work, which was always around 4:15pm, so when she would knock on the door or ring the bell (I don't know WHY she didn't take a key LOL), one of us would run up, open the door and run back in the house.

Well my grandmother was sitting there sewing and heard the doorbell. I ran up, opened the door, turned my back and ran back into the house, as I always did. My stepmom walked in, closed the door and walked through the other porch to her bedroom. A few minutes later, she comes walking out and my grandmother says "Did you bring a friend for some alterations or sewing she needs?".
My stepmom looked at her like she was crazy and said "No, I didn't bring anyone home, why?"
And my grandmother says "Are you sure? Who is the lady that walked in with you?". Apparently when I opened the door for her, my stepmom walked in and a lady wearing black with short blonde hair, walked in behind her and followed her into her room. Let me tell you, I get chills just talking about it. My stepmom and grandmother were both terrified.

So yes, that was just ONE of the weird houses we lived in. Maybe next week I will tell you about the house after that, this time my uncle was living with us and let's just say that he didn't like the midnight company he was getting LOL

GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!

Ok if you see me go by today, just stay out of the way. It's going to be one of THOSE days. You know the ones, the kind that make you run around all day with two kids in tow (no moms of 3 or more, I don't know how you do it), drive around constantly yelling at the backseat "Knock it off" and "If I have to pull this car over" or even "Leave your sister alone, leave your brother alone, don't look at each other". Crazy huh???

Well it's payday, yep, first let me ask the other military wives who get paid twice a month. Is it just me or was this payday extremely and excruciatingly long???? What happened to the two weeks, this was more like a month LOL

So anyway, moving on. I'm going to be running around all day. Here's what you can expect from me, or what I'm counting on getting done if my kids cooperate.

8:30 am - Pick up report card from school
9:00 am - Airman's attic to donate some stuff and look for a lamp
9:30am - Self help for some grass seed and a carpet cleaner
10:00 am - Bx to get a gift for Jasmine's Teacher (yeah I totally forgot about it so will have to mail it to her)
10:30 am - Taco bell to pick up lunch for hubby, drive to his work, put the lunch in his truck, drive back home and call him to let him know it's there
11:00 am - Commissary for groceries (this I am NOT looking forward to, you don't understand the hell I go through with two kids and a grocery cart)
12:00 pm - Home for lunch
1:00 pm - Pay bills online
2:00 pm - Clean the house and do a load of laundry
3:00 pm - Drive downtown to pay some more bills and go to Walmart for some items
5:00 pm - Grab some take out dinner
6:00 pm - Baths and then mommy can sit down and relax for an hour and half before getting them ready for bed.

Ok I just want to run, right now, far far away. After looking at that list, I'm done, I'm tired and I want to go to bed. *insert song* SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO HOME, I'M TIRED AND I WANT TO GO TO BED!!!!

But here's the good news....after 6 years of truck payments, the truck is officially ours and paid for. YIPPEE!!! It's done, it's finally done, I'm so ecstatic. I know that probably means nothing to you guys, well not even probably, I'm sure it DOESN'T mean anything to you, but to us it's a huge thing.

See being married is one of those things that takes work, which by the way, I want you to go on over to Morning Glory's blog "Seeds from my Garden" and read her post about marriage. It's brilliant and should be required reading for everyone married or thinking of getting married. Go on, what are you waiting for??? I'll still be here, I have nowhere to go. You're back, good!!!

She said it best with this line "Good marriages don't happen by osmosis." Boy have I learnt the hard way. After almost 8 years of marriage we struggled through the ups and downs, the getting to know each other stage and let me tell you something, it's not easy when you are used to doing things one way and then are put to the test by living with someone who does things totally opposite from you. We fought like cat and dog the first few years, and it doesn't help that finances weren't good either.

There's this misconception that military get paid well. HA!!! is all I say. Ever tried getting getting by on $450 for bills and groceries???? It's not easy, and that is what made me the frugal and cheap skate that I am today. Well maybe not cheap skate, but it definitely taught me to budget budget budget.

Here's the one thing that hubby and I say to each other. "No matter how difficult things get and how ticked off we may get with each other at times, divorce is OUT OF THE QUESTION. So deal with it!!!" We make the effort and we make sure the marriage works because there is no way out LOL It's really helped us though, we know we want to be together and when things get tough we have our fights and spats but then move on.

And that's it for me, I'm I have to get ready to leave. Hope you all have a great thursday. :)