This Crazy Life

January 4, 2009

I'm Back... and a CONTEST!

Hello everyone out in blogland! Okay, I must apologize first for not informing everyone of my intention to take a bloggy break. It was a last minute decision, right before Christmas. I am back now and so excited to catch up with all of you! I am working on a big post about all of our holiday adventures. Because seriously, even though I knew I wouldn't be blogging them right away I took a ton of pictures over the holidays. I spent some much needed quality time with my family and my hubby who actually had a lot of time off from work. So, in the meantime while I get my post together, I need some help from all of you. See this gorgeous picture of my second born...

This is Dee Dee, way back in June before she cut off all of her beautiful hair. The picture was taken by my wonderfully talented IRL friend Leah from Leah Hoskins Photography. She is having a photo contest over at her blog, and Dee Dee is one of the finalists! She picked her 30 favorite photos of 2008 and has opened up the voting to determine the best one. If Dee Dee's photo is chosen I could win a mounted 11x14 wall portrait of this image, printed on metallic paper. Sounds cool huh? So, if you feel like helping me out, go on ever there and vote for Dee Dee, she is photo #5. You have to have a Google account but I promise that takes less than a minute to create. If you can't or don't want to vote, please, at least go visit and stare in awe at what an amazing photographer my friend is! I'll be back tonight or tomorrow with updates and pictures from all of our holiday adventures! Happy Voting!!!

December 23, 2008

Christamas Memories and Old Friends

I LOVE this blog! Of all of the things it has done for me personally one of the best things has been being able to connect with people. I have met new people and I have reconnected with others. One of the people I am most happy to have reconnected with is Toni. I am using her real name here, because I just can't think of her as anything else. Toni is an old family friend who used to babysit my brother and I when we were little. Then I babysat for her kids and a few weeks ago her daughter came to babysit for my kids. There is something so wonderful about that! But, even though I call her a babysitter I can honestly say she was so much more than that. Nothing reminds of that more than the holidays. When I was little, Toni used to take Shawn and I over to her house every year to decorate Christmas cookies. It is one of my most vivid Christmas memories, baking cookies, listening to Twisted Christmas, and watching Santa Claus (with Dudley Moore). I e-mailed her this year to get her buckeye recipe, because I have yet to taste a buckeye in my adult life that was as good as Toni's. A few weeks ago I made them with the kids and they were every bit as good as I remembered!

The other reason Toni is such a big part of my childhood Christmas memories, is because every Christmas Eve she would come over to our house. I remember being so irritated at my parents because they said they were going out for drinks with friends. In reality they were really going to their friends house to pick up our present stash. What a task that must have been staying behind and trying to get two overly excited to go to bed on Christmas Eve. Looking back I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. I thank God for bringing Toni back into my life. Especially during the holidays. Toni, I am so glad you are here!

This song always makes me think of you!

December 22, 2008

Baby, it's Cold Outside!

Well we certainly got that ice storm and boy was it a doozie! My power has been sporadic for the past few days and the temperature yesterday was -6 degrees. Not to mention that with the windchill it feels even colder! The ice was so beautiful but also very destructive. Remember the tree that got hit by lightning? Well, it isn't a very lucky tree because it lost three more big branches to the ice. I think when spring rolls around, we will probably have to cut it down. I pretty much holed up inside the house on Friday and Saturday only venturing out to take pictures.

On Sunday we were supposed to have our Holiday Game Exchange, but we ended up moving it to a friends house because of the unreliable electricity. It was a blast, even though I couldn't find my camera and don't have any pics to show for it. We came home with Scrabble and a fun game called True Colors. I really hope this becomes a yearly tradition and I hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did!

Today I spent most of the day organizing the basement playroom. For those of you who don't know, that's all our basement is, a big playroom. It can get pretty messy, pretty fast. So, I wanted to clean up and "organize" before all of the Christmas toys come flooding in. By organize I mean throw away the broken toys or ones with missing pieces and designate some toys to give away. My younger brother J.C. came over to help me and we knocked it all out in about three hours.

Okay, I crack myself up. I promise you I had no pun intended when I said we knocked it out. But, it just so happens that J.C. did kinda knock Reagan out in another sense of the word. He was putting something away in the unfinished part of the basement for me, when he accidentally hit Reagan with the door. He was trying to shut it behind him without realizing she was trying to follow him in there. She must just be the exact right height because the doorknob hit her smack in the eye. It is all black and blue, and I imagine by Christmas Eve it is going to look pretty bad.

Doesn't she just look miserable. The poor thing! I am just dreading all of those Christmas photos with her black and blue eye. Oh, and you gotta love the fact that she wearing a bathing suit when it is FREEZING outside! I've heard of Christmas in July, but July @ Christmas? I don't know about that one!

December 18, 2008

It's begining to feel a lot like Christmas!

I must apologize for not posting anything too significant in awhile. There are a few reasons for this. One, is that I am completely wrapped up in the Twilight series. A good friend let me borrow the second and third books and I am almost finished with them. I cannot stress to you how addictive they are, if you have not read them please I beg you jump on this bandwagon! You won't regret it! Another thing I have been busy doing is Christmas shopping. I have been trying to do a little bit each day and I am finally almost finished, two maybe three more gifts to buy and I am done! My other reason for staying away from the blog is that my husband says I spend too much time doing it. He is probably right, but rest assured I am still faithfully reading what all of you write, I just haven't been as generous with the comment love.

Now that I have explained myself, I wanted to share a little bit of what has been going on @ our house. It is the Holiday season and we have been busy! On top of my parents move, we have had four Christmas parties, a school program (video below), and I did a cookie exchange with my MOPS group! I feel like I have a few days to breathe right now and then we are hosting a holiday game night/game exchange @ our house on Sunday night. If you live close by or are going to be in the area please feel free to come and bring a game to exchange, the more the merrier!

Wednesday was Reagan's last day of school before Christmas break and she came home with a gift from her teachers that she just couldn't wait to open. It was a snowman book and this little snowman in a box. Too cute right?

We have had a ton of snow this week and the girls just couldn't wait to build a little snowman. But, Jack was napping, so I couldn't exactly bundle everyone up and go outside. I did however throw my coat on and scoop up some snow with a big mixing bowl and bring it back inside. We then made this cute little snowman together.

The girls were so enthralled with him, as you can see...

But, they were worried because he was melting very fast. So, we stuck him back outside in the snow.

As cold as it is I imagine he will probably be there for a few days. I would love it if the snow stuck around for Christmas. Nothing excites me more than a white Christmas! I hope the weather they are calling for doesn't spoil it though. We are supposed to be getting an ice storm overnight, and I am worried. The last really bad ice storm we had was before Reagan was born and our power was out for two weeks! We had to move in with my in-laws to keep from freezing. So, the thought of being trapped in my house with no power and three kids scares me. Let's just pray that it doesn't get as bad as they say it will! Anyway, on a lighter note, here is a video I shot on Monday night at the girls Christmas program. Dee Dee is on the far left in the front row, in the pink fur coat. Her teacher insisted that they wear their coats so that it looked like they were caroling. She must have been so hot under those lights! Reagan is in the middle row, the fifth in from the left. She just cracked me up, and this video is just from the rehearsal! I tired to tape the program but I was too far back and my zoom just made it all fuzzy. I hope you enjoy! And I promise I will be back again soon, barring a major power outage!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

December 17, 2008

Okay so I have been a really bad blogger lately, but I couldn't let a Wednesday go by and not post my ornament for the week. So, I'll try to keep this short and sweet. Here is what's on my tree this Wednesday.

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Some of you may know that in the early years of our marriage, Chris and I owned a gas station. It was called Katie's Kwikmart (he named it after me). It was a fun business to have but I must admit I am glad to not be a small business owner anymore! I found this ornament the first year we had the station and had to have it. I love that it is not only a gas station, but also the gas pump. Plus, it is glass blown and I just love glass blown ornaments. I have a whole collection of them and along with my Hallmark ornaments they pretty much dominate my tree. Anywho, I always enjoy the memories that flood me when I hang this ornament on the tree every year. Not just from the time when we owned the station but memories from the ornament itself as well. The gas pump part of it was lost once between moves. The Christmas we lived in a rental house I couldn't find it anywhere. Then, miraculously the next Christmas, after we moved into the house we live in now, there it was! I don't have any idea how that happened but I am sure glad I found it again.

So, if you would like to join in my fun and share What's on your Tree, please write your post and then come back and add your name to the Mr. Linky. I hope to find the time to visit all of you! Merry Christmas!

December 12, 2008

Who Says You Can't Go Home?

Sorry if I have been a little MIA this week! I have been helping my parents move. No they aren't downsizing and no they aren't retiring to Florida, they are moving back into the house I grew up in. Kinda crazy right? Well, here's the story. Two years ago my mom and dad decided they needed to downsize and they sold their house and moved onto a local golf course. The new house was very nice, but it never felt like home, not to me, and not to them. About six months after selling their old house they contacted the new owners and asked if they would be interested in selling it back to them. They weren't. Fast forward another year and a half and this time it was the new owners who approached my parents. Apparently, one of them accepted a new job and they wanted to move. After a whirlwind of looking and the house and back and forth offers my parents ended up buying it back for almost exactly what they sold it for. In the meantime their realtor had a buyer in mind for their other house. She showed it to her without even putting it on the market and the lady gave them a full price offer. In these hard times, I would say the whole thing was meant to be. My mom is so happy and it does my heart good to see her that way. She has had a rough couple of years and I am glad to see her back on the upswing. It is a funny thing how surreal it is to be unpacking in my old bedroom. In some ways it feels like they have been away forever and it some ways it feels like they never left! Well, I am off to go get the kids ready for the day and pack Dee Dee who is spending the weekend with her godmother Gina. I don't know when things will get back to normal around here, maybe after Christmas?

December 10, 2008

What's on my Tree Wenesday?

Sorry I haven't been around much lately, but I had to get my What's on my Tree Wednesday post up. I have been busy helping my parents move, which is a story for a whole other post! Anyway I was thinking last week about what is on my tree. To be honest at first glance the answer is a lot of Hallmark ornaments. So, I thought that I would try this week to pay tribute to them by showing you the oldest one on the tree.

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I was never a big Hallmark ornament fan until I started dating Chris. Now I love them! My MIL got me hooked, her tree was just full of them, and still is. However, she is now missing a few. That's because when we got married she gave us all of the ornaments she had collected for Chris over his 25 years of life. This one, was his first. It began the tradition for her and is now responsible for this tradition for me. All three of my kiddos have two Hallmark keepsake ornament series. Their Nini bought each of them a baby's first Christmas ornament for their first Christmas and then for their second Christmas started their series. I also have a series for them, which I started on their first Christmases. Between our own series (which we both have one going right now) and the kids our tree has filled up quite fast and I love it. Sure I love all those beautiful themed trees that are out there too, but mine is filled with memories! I am sure I still have lots more to come!

So, if you are interested in sharing some of your favorite ornaments with me, go ahead and write a "What's on my Tree Wednesday" post. You can grab the button code right over there on my sidebar. Please link back to me either by using the button or by linking internally within your post. Then come back here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. I know it doesn't look like MckMama's Mr. Linky but it works trust me! Copy and paste the URL of your "What's on my Tree Wednesday" post and then you're done! Then go ahead and start clicking away to visit other people and see whats on their trees too! Remember, I'll be hosting this little carnival until Epiphany, so if you can't participate today, come back next week!

December 7, 2008

On Santa's Lap

Yesterday, we celebrated Christmas with my dad's side of the family. Even though I have a bunch more pictures to share, I got this video together this morning and wanted to post it. Mostly I am doing this for the benefit of my hubby, who slept through Santa and didn't wake up until he heard him say "Ho Ho Ho and goodbye to everyone. The sad thing is there were so many people in the room and there was so much chaos over Santa that I didn't even realize he wasn't there! So here you go honey, aren't you glad I taped it!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

December 4, 2008

Another Field Trip

Yesterday I went with Reagan's pre-school class on another field trip. We went to Pottery Bayou, a local paint-your-own pottery place. The kids had a great time painting Christmas ornaments and then touring the building to see how the pottery gets glazed. I am now full of ideas for neat personalized Christmas gifts! I am pressed for time today (I am suppossed to be cleaning my house) but I wanted to share some of the pictures.

Here is Reagan's finished star ornament

How pottery gets glazed

Reagan and her friend Sophia

December 2, 2008

What's on my Tree Wednesday?

Okay people, I am going to try this again. I must admit I am a little disappointed that last week only three people participated in my little carnival. I am hoping that since Thanksgiving is over, and more people have their trees up that I can at least double that number this week. Is that so much to ask? So without further ado here is my ornament of the week...

This is my favorite Nativity ornament. I have few on my tree but this one stands out. It is truly beautiful and the picture does not do it justice. Chris and I bought it the second Christmas we were married @ Bronner's Christmas Wonderland . We had made the trek to Michigan in January with my BIL Miah and my would be SIL Rachael. He had a farm sale to go to and the rest of us tagged along. My what a wonderful store that is! It put me in the Christmas spirit, and the Christmas season had just ended. I believe I purchased 5 or 6 ornaments while we were there. We were still newlyweds and our tree was pretty bare and needed some personality. You see, we didn't have kids yet. At the time I didn't know I would be hanging it on our tree for the first time for Reagan's first Christmas. I got pregnant that spring and had Reagan that fall (see Reagan's birth story). Maybe it was extra special to me that year because besides representing the holy family, it also represented my family. Any way you look at it, it is still one of my favorite ornaments to unwrap and hang on the tree year after year. So now I beg of you, please share your favorite ornaments with me! I would truly love to see them!

If you are interested in sharing some of your favorite ornaments, go ahead and write a "What's on my Tree Wednesday" post. You can grab the button code right over there on my sidebar. Please link back to me either by using the button or by linking internally within your post. Then come back here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. Copy and paste the URL of your "What's on my Tree Wednesday" post and then you're done! Then go ahead and start clicking away to visit other people and see whats on their trees too! Remember, I'll be hosting this little carnival until Epiphany, so if your tree isn't up yet, come back next week!

December 1, 2008

This is What Happens When I Spend Too Much Time Playing on the Computer...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Party Pictures!!!

Here are the pictures from Jack's party as promised! Please excuse the camera work on the video @ the end. My younger sister took it and she moves the camera way too fast!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Not Me! Monday

It is Monday, and I have been a lazy blogger and have so much to catch you all up on, so I could not resist cleansing my soul and sharing all of the things I did not do this past week. Seriously, there are so many this week I can hardly decide where to begin! If you want to cleanse your soul as well, consider posting your own not me's and then head on over to my charmings kids and jump on the bandwagon!

1. I did not allow my 5 year old daughter to guilt me into finding a babysittter at the last minute, so that I could accompany her on her pre-school fieldtrip to the bowling alley. I would never be won over by those puppy dog eyes and the word puh-lease. I did not have a great time and I am not so happy I decided to go!

2. I did not forget to take my camera to my MIL's house on Thanksgiving day. I was not completely bummed out that I have not a single picture to show for the entire holiday!

3. I did not break a chair when I went to sit in it after eating Thanksgiving dinner. I was not incredibly embarassed about it, and I did not feel like a total fat a-- the rest of the day.

4. I did not have an incredible time with some old high school girlfriends this week! I did not go out for lunch with some on Wednesday and I did not have some others over to my house on Friday night! I did not truly realize that old friends are the best kind of friends! I did not have too much to drink and I was not so tipsy that it didn't even bother me when my husband(who used to be a bartender) lit my kitchen counter on fire with some very strong liquor!

5. I did not spend the weekend reading Twilight. I would never start a book series with four books, because I know I do not have the luxury of having time to read. It was not soooo good that I couldn't put it down. It was not the reason I negelcted all of my bloggy buddies for the entire weekend!

6. I did not jump in the shower 15 minutes before people were suppossed to arrive for Jack's birthday party last night! I did not then proceed to host his party with wet hair and not a stitch of makeup on! Oh, if myself @ 17 could have seen that one, she never would have believed it!

7. I did not let Jack sleep in until 10:30 today! He did not have an exhausting day yesterday, and he was not still too wired to go to bed when everyone left. I did not rationalize that since it was his birthday, it would be okay to let him sleep late and be a grouch all day. Oh, and I will not be posting pics from the party later on today... please don't stay tuned!

Happy Birthday Jack!

Today my little man turns 2! We had a party last night and though I have a ton of pictures to share I wanted to get this one out there first! The look on his face when he saw this little car was priceless. We love you little guy, and we are having a blast watching you grow!