Embracing Life

We knew this day would come. Knowing it was coming didn't make it any easier to grasp when Saturday came around.  I waited until the last possible minute to say goodbye, but we all knew there was no point in dragging things out.  It was with a heavy heart that I gave the news to Keith.  I knew he was going to take it as hard as I was.  The children were too little to understand, especially the twins.  Kids see the joy in everything, and perhaps that is a blessing.  Connor somewhat understood what this change meant, but he too, didn't grasp the full concept.  I will miss you more than words can express. Goodbye cribs.  Hello toddler beds.

This week for Organize Me Monday, I am going to work on my cleaning schedule.  Steps I will take include: Create a daily, weekly, and monthly list of what needs to be done.  In addition, add yearly things, such as specific things you do every spring, fall, etc.  Clean one room or do one specific daily item every day.  This will save you from spending your entire weekend cleaning. Use a multi-purpose cleaner, one that you can carry from room to room.  I am going to start making my own cleaner - All Purpose Wipes (these wipes work like Lysol wipes, but are homemade and healthier for your home) Buy some cotton fabric or reuasble dish cloths Tightly fold or roll your reusable cloths and place in an air-tight container (a clean glass spaghetti jar works well). In a separate container, mix your favorite natural cleaning solution. Try these simple recipes:   1 Cup water, 1 Cup vinegar and 15 drops of Tea Tree Oil or Lemon Oil ...

Today over at Mama Kat's , one of the writing prompts is: Something unique you love about your significant other. There are lots of things that I love about my husband: He builds me whatever I want - credenza, book case, clubhouse for the kids.... He doesn't complain when I buy pretty things. He does the dishes. He makes dinner. He gets up at night with the kids. He does home improvement projects without complaint - example: new kitchen cupboards, because one day I decided I wanted new ones. He built us a second bathroom! The list could go on and on. But one unique thing that I love about him is........ He voluntarily takes all three children grocery shopping, so that I can have some quiet time at home! 

Well the dream I had when I was in grade school.  That was the first time I saw The Lost Boys.  It was on VHS, so I am thinking 1988-1989.  Probably not the most appropriate film for an 11 year old girl to see, but I was at a friend's house.  ;)  This past weekend, Corey Feldman was only a drive away, hosting various movies that he had been in during the eighties.  I just HAD to go.  We bought tickets to see The Lost Boys.  It was the first vampire movie I ever saw, and one of my favorite movies of all time.  After he signed autographs, he came into the theater showing the movie and talked a little bit.  To be honest, I always loved Corey Haim more than Corey Feldman, but I still loved Corey F.  He was pretty cute in person and seemed very nice.  I only wish I had saved a Teen Beat magazine - it would have been nice to have him sign a poster that I had had up on my wall when I was younger.  (Now, I'm guessing Keith woul...

Thought I'd play along today:      Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://annettesbookspot.blogspot.com/ / Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. Grab the button up there and place it in a post. Follow, Follow, Follow as many as you can  

She raises her arms to the setting sun, Noticing once again the mark. She never thought that it would be so bad, Her constant reminder of the dark. That time her heart could take no more That time her head had said enough To stop the pain, she knew inside She had to force the knife so rough. Without due course or circumstance, This scar would be in vain. But due to a bleeding heart so raw, This girl has no more pain. 

Note: Keira looks bigger than Colin due to the position of the camera phone.  In fact, he is actually an inch taller than she is.

New furniture makes me happy!  When we got married, we rented our first house from my parents.  It was a tiny quaint bungalow.  We took the sleeper sofa that had been living in my parents' basement because we didn't want to buy new stuff when we would be moving in a year or two.  I bought a pretty couch cover and called it a day.  When we moved, the couch came with us.  Again, we discussed buying new furniture, but didn't quite know how long we'd be in the house.  So we bought another new pretty couch cover and went on with our lives.  (FYI, we did get a really nice sectional for our family room.)  Anyway, as the children got bigger, and more thrill-seeking agile, more of my living room furniture had to be removed.  I had a really pretty rocking chair, that I just knew was doomed to either break a kid (by them falling off) or be broken (by them rough-housing on it).  There was another chair that they insisted on climbing on, an...

I'd have to say that yesterday was the best day I've had in a long time.  Mainly because I wore alot of amber and had no anxiety or frustrations come up.  I've also finished two books in 4 days.  They were on my kindle, so I'm not sure of the page count, although I think the second book was about 350 pages.  Other things that went my way this week: No children were sick enough to travel to the ped three days in a row, trying to avoid hospitalization (that was Colin last week) Our furnace does not have mold in it (last week's discovery) Our furnace did not break down (- twice last week - once being on New Year's Day.) I did not spend the day in the E.R. due to heart palpitations (two weeks ago) All in all, last week was a pretty crappy and stressful week.  Keith and I had big plans that 2011 would start out great, and yet we still woke up at 12:30 a.m. to the wheel popped off our furnace.  An hour later, Keith had it fixed.  Only to have us wake ...

...getting exactly what you want for Christmas. Dora House  Handy Manny ATV  Toy Story scooter My parents, er I mean Santa, left all the grandkids "big" gifts in their garage, so after we opened our gifts inside, we headed out to the garage.  My niece got her Baby Alive doll and heirloom crib (it was her mom's), and my nephew got a Handy Manny ride-on toy.

With the start of a new year, I thought I would add a new feature to my blog.  Every Monday, I am going to be posting an organizing challenge that I will be working on during the week.  Overall, I'm pretty organized, but there are certain parts of my life that need a little help. This week's goal is to get our mornings more in order.  For the most part, I have things down pat.  Bags are packed the night before, clothes for the kids are laid out if it's a school day, coats and hats are located on the hooks by the back door.  Yet I still find mornings rushed. Things I've done today: I found that I was carrying my purse, my work bag (with planner and reading material), as well as my lunch and coffee.  I bought a new bag from Kohls that is big enough for my wallet and misc purse items, my planner, and my Kindle.  My lunch bag is now on the counter, filled with non-refridgerated items, as well as any forks or napkins I might need.  Keith a...

As we've done for the past couple of years, we hosted a New Year's Eve party at our house - early enough to have all the kids at home and in bed at their normal time. Lots of fun was had by all. The best part of the evening was playing with the dress-up clothes Nana and Bumpa gave them for Christmas.