Halloween 2009

We had so much fun this year for Halloween! I think because it was on a Saturday and we could just enjoy the day together instead of rushing from work, practice, errands, etc... It started with us decorating pumpkins. Yes, we waited until the day of to do something with them. How lame.HA! The kids couldn't make up their minds about how they wanted to make theirs and I wasn't pushing the issue. Finally, Brynn decided to paint hers and Parker wanted to paint and decorate with felt. I got the idea from Living With Lindsey. So cute!

Our little town had Trick Or Treat on Main Street on Halloween night as well. We went there first and it is always so much fun. It's like a costume parade because everyone walks in a line to each of the businesses and you get to see all the cute and creative costumes. Brynn was Tinkerbell and Parker was a chicken. He was so adorable (if I do say so myself). He has such a sweet personality and just loves to have fun. The costume couldn't have been more perfect for him. And my sweet Brynn, she was so beautiful as Tinkerbell. I can't believe she is going to be 7! this month. My heart aches that my sweet baby is growing up so fast, but I am so proud of the beautiful girl she is becoming. What a wonderful heart she has. Afterwards we went to a huge neighborhood not too far from our house to see if we could pick up some more goodies. We ran into some friends and had an awesome time even though it was raining and quite chilly for Halloween in Georgia. We walked and walked and Greg went back to get the car to pick us up so we didn't have to walk all the way back to the clubhouse. Even though the kids were worn out, they still didn't want to stop when he picked us up! They had him drive us to the last few houses in the neighborhood and poor Parker was dragging his chicken self up to the doors. It was too funny! When we got home, they asked for 1 piece of candy and went right to bed! I know, I was thinking who are these children? Obviously not mine! LOL! After Greg and I had a taste of their candy we went to bed too. I think we are getting old. HA! I look forward to all of these holidays now as they are getting older and understand more. It is so fun to watch things through my children's eyes.

A Weekend Away

This past weekend we took a trip to Cartersville. Brynn had a meet on Saturday and Gregs' parents came down from Myrtle Beach to visit. We headed up on Friday night and traffic was HORRIBLE! We finally got there 3 hours later, for an 1 1/2 hour trip, that is crazy. Anyway, on Saturday we all headed to Brynn's meet. She had ripped her hands really badly on the bars at Thursday's practice and they were still bothering her. Unfortunately, she did not do well at all. She tried her best and didn't complain to her coach about her hands, but we saw her blowing on them after each event. She didn't medal and that was terribly devastating for her. As the medals were being given out, she was clapping and cheering for everyone else, but her eyes were filled with tears and her lips were trembling. Talk about heartbreaking, I could barely stand to watch. I couldn't go to her to comfort her, so I was just watching. So sad. Afterward, she ran to me and broke down sobbing. I, of course, joined her and we were just a mess. We are so proud of her whatever she does, but seeing her disappointed in herself was just emotionally draining. There is always the next meet.

Since Saturday was pretty much a wash, we went out to eat with the team then headed back to the hotel to relax, watch TV and snuggle. Just what we needed! Sunday morning we decided to head to Ellijay on the way home. Gigi and Boompa joined us too. We went to an apple orchard and picked up pies, cider, apples and sweet potatoes. So yummy! After we said goodbye the the grandparents, we headed off to Dahlonega. Parker and Brynn wanted to "go mining" so we stopped at a gold and gemstone mine. The kids and I mined for gemstones and Greg panned for gold. It was so much fun! We found some beautiful stones and Greg found several pieces of gold. Certainly a successful trip. It was so nice to spend time as a family doing something fun. Lately it seems that we have been running from place to place so much that we really haven't had time to enjoy each other. I hope we can make more of an effort to do these things together, making memories that we can all cherish.

Our Anniversary

Our 11th wedding anniversary was on October 3rd. We celebrated our wonderful day by first taking B to cheer at her Homecoming game. Greg walked her out on the field to be announced. It was so sweet and she had such a big smile on her face. What a good daddy! After her game (we won!) my mom took the kiddos home with her and we headed off to celebrate our anniversary. Greg had reserved us a room at a hotel in a nearby city. We checked in then got dressed for dinner. We met our friends, who coincidentally share the same anniversary, at the Melting Pot to enjoy each others company and a wonderful meal. Afterwards, we parted ways and headed back to the hotel to exchange gifts. Greg gave me a gift I have been wanting for years...a simple pair of pearl earrings. I was over the moon! I think he enjoyed his gift as well, Gran Turismo for the PSP. He did wait until after our anniversary to play it though. HA! The next day we did a little shopping at the mall and stopped by an appliance store on the way home. We found a SUPER deal on a Kitchen Aid mixer and I have been wanting one for.ever. So, I am now a proud owner of the "best mixer on the planet". Seriously though, I have been looking for things to mix! It is so easy, I am just in love.

Where to begin?

I feel so bad that I haven't posted in so long. When I first thought about creating this little blog, it seemed that I had all the time in the world (well at least as much as one can have while raising, schooling, driving around and organizing two small children). But then, things started becoming crazy. P started soccer, B started cheering and her competition season was starting for gymnastics. I became President of the Booster Club at her gym, team parent for her gymnastics team, broke my toe...well the list is endless. I have barely had time to breathe. I can't complain, because I LOVE to be busy. I have just had to rearrange my schedule and while it is still not perfect, everyone is happy for now. I hope to be able to post more and document some wonderful memories we are making, because before we know it, our children will be grown and making memories with their own families.

Decluttering

I have really slacked this week on my cleaning plan, so today I plan to catch up on everything, including the dreaded decluttering. My closets look hideous, my poor children can't get the games out of thier closets for fear that something will hit them on the head and I have no idea what is in my pantry. Sooo, as it is raining here today, I have nothing better to do (well, I would like to craft a bit) and the kids are playing happily for the moment I have no excuses. I'll let you know how it goes! Have a great Friday!

Please Pray...

I'm sure most of you know MckMama at http://www.mycharmingkids.net/. Right now, she needs our prayers. Stellan is in the hospital and is very ill. Please take a moment to read his story and say a prayer for all of them. Thank you!

Spring Cleaning

Sping is right around the corner and I am feeling the need to scrub the house. Don't ask me why. I rarely feel the need to clean the house in the most basic sense so the prospect of actually cleaning top to bottom is a scary one. I seem to suffer from "if it can't be done perfectly, it shouldn't be done at all" syndrome. And really, how many of us have time to do things perfectly every time? Certainly not me! I need to let go of the standard I hold myself to, because I end up accomplishing nothing. So, it's a new day and I am going to take small steps to reach my spring cleaning goals. Here is the checklist I will be using.. It looks completely doable... I'll let you know!
SPRING CLEANING CHECKLIST
KITCHEN
___ CLEAN OUT AND ORGANIZE REFRIGERATOR
___ CLEAN INSIDE OF AND UNDER STOVE
___ CLEAN MICROWAVE
___ CLEAN TOASTER OVEN
___ CLEAN AND ORGANIZE PANTRY
___ CLEAN AND ORGANIZE FREEZER
___ WIPE DOWN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF KITCHEN CUPBOARDS


BEDROOMS
___ WASH OR DRYCLEAN BEDSPREADS
___ ORGANIZE/PURGE MASTER BEDROOM CLOSET
___ ORGANIZE/PURGE CHILDREN'S CLOSETS
___ ORGANIZE/PURGE CHILDREN'S TOYS


GENERAL
___ WIPE DOWN ALL DOORS; CLEAN DOOR HANDLES & MOLDINGS
___ WIPE OFF WINDOW SILLS
___ CLEAN INSIDE OF WINDOWS
___ WASH OR DRYCLEAN CURTAINS
___ DUST MINI-BLINDS
___ CLEAN SLIDING GLASS DOORS INSIDE AND OUT
___ REMOVE MARKS FROM WALLS; APPLY TOUCH UP PAINT
___ CLEAN WALL MOLDINGS
___ DUST CEILING FANS
___ DUST PICTURE FRAMES
___ DUST LAMP SHADES
___ STEAM CLEAN CARPETS
___ STEAM CLEAN FURNITURE
___ WASH OUT WASTEBASKETS
___ DUST ARTIFICIAL PLANTS
___ CHANGE BATTERIES IN SMOKE DETECTORS
___ ORGANIZE LINEN CLOSET
___ WIPE DOWN AND CLEAN UNDER WASHING MACHINE AND DRYER

OUTSIDE
___ CLEAN UP FLOWER BEDS
___ FINISH RAKING LEAVES
___ PREPARE PLANTERS FOR PLANTING
___ CLEAN AND FILL WATER FOUNTAINS
___ STRAIGHTEN STORAGE SHED
___ HOSE DOWN PATIO
___ CLEAN PATIO FURNITURE
___ CLEAN WINDOWS ON OUTSIDE
___ INSPECT AND REPAIR WINDOW SCREENS
___ WASH OUT GARBAGE CANS
___ CLEAN BARBECUE

Have a great Wednesday!

Back in the Swing of Things

Now that Miss Brynn is on the mend we have resumed our routine. It's funny how much you miss the day-to-day normalcy when you can't have it. Starting back up with school didn't turn out to be as bad as I thought it would be. She knew she had missed some days and worked really hard to catch up without much complaining. Now my goal is to get this house back in order. I have let far too many things slide while she was needing me constantly and now I have a mess on my hands. I started so many projects that are half finished and I have tons of cleaning to do. We have gymnastics practice tonight, so it will be good to see friends again (for both of us) but I'm going to do my best to get a good start on home stuff before we have to go. Have a great day and hopefully I will have a project or two done that I can share tomorrow!

My Sick Princess

This week has been so emotional. Brynn has been terribly ill with some unknown illness. It started Sunday with a wakeup call from her at 5 in the morning with a fever. Then around 9 she started vomiting. That evening her temp spiked to 104 and she was complaining about her throat. She ended up with sores all over her face and down her throat to the point where she could not eat or drink. We ended up at the doctor and hospital and have missed gymnastics for the whole week. If you know Brynn, you know this is not okay. Poor thing was so incredibly sick. The only thing the doctors could come up with is that her immunity was low and she picked up this strange virus. She is slightly better now, but is afraid of eating for fear that it will hurt. I can only pray that she will be all better this week.

My First Time....

What have I been missing all these years??? Oh my goodness, I went to Marshall's and TJ Maxx yesterday for the first time! WOW, I had no idea. I could have spent lots of money there and not have felt guilty at all. I was in a hurry, so I didn't have time to really look, but what I saw I fell in love with. We hope to begin the slow process of redecorating/remodeling the house this year, so I have found my go-to store for that. Now, when I say "we" I really mean me gently nudging sweet hubby the whole way, but he'll come around, I just know it!

I did make a quick purchase at Marshall's that I didn't feel that I could live without. First, it is toile, and who doesn't love toile? Next, it was 6 bucks! I mean, come on... I couldn't just leave it there. And, most importantly, I really needed it. I have a few things that I keep on my dresser that are not so pretty so I have thrown them in a plastic pink basket. I love pink, but the plastic was not really working with our decor. So, when I saw this, I just knew it was perfect! Now all my things are organized and pretty. YAY!

Just a quick hello...

I didn't want to go another day without posting, so I just wanted to say HI! Nothing terribly exciting going on today. Brynn had gymnastics practice so I had 2 whole hours to chit chat with my friends. After today, I needed it. Boy, Brynn had some issues. Glad it was bedtime. Anywho, I will try to post something with a picture tomorrow. Have a great day!

The Dentist

Brynn and Parker had their dental appointments today after much drama to even get them scheduled. I won't go into details, but seriously our dental office has got to be the most unorganized I have ever seen. We would switch, but for such wonderful medical insurance we have equally horrible dental insurance and have very limited pediatric dentist choices. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. So, after waiting an hour to be seen the kids did a terrific job. No whining or tears, everyone was happy. Except mommy when she found our Little Miss Brynn has 2 cavities. Really??? I mean, I am almost obsessive with the teeth brushing thing. So we are scheduled for the fillings later in February. Hopefully she won't freak out during that appointment.

Tomorrow they start back their Homeschool Co-op. They are sooo excited and me too because I get my Thursday mornings back! Brynn takes Science and Art this semester and Parker is staying with his little preschool group. So fun!

Off to make dinner. If it is good I'll post the recipe tomorrow.

I'm Back!

Okey dokey! I have decided that I miss this blogging thing and while the Holidays were crazy busy, things have slowed down and I am ready to get back to it. How's that for a run on sentence? :) My dear, sweet, darling hubby got me a brand new DSLR for Christmas so I will be (hopefully) posting some great pics! I have plans to redo Brynns' room so I will share some pics of that as well. Our major goal for this year is to get our other house sold. It is such a dark cloud hanging over our heads. For a while it was fine to have the other house to go to for date nights when Nana watched the kidlets, but now it's just a hassle to keep up with 2 homes. So, fingers crossed that we can put that behind us soon. For now, I will leave you with a new favorite pic of my most special guy, Parker. He just melts my heart...