Time?

Where in the world has time gone? Can you believe we are only a few short hours away from the year 2012?

Do you have any New Year's Eve plans? Or do you like to stay safe in your own home like I do?

Regardless of how you bring in the new year, I hope it's the best yet!

Cheers to a Happy 2012!

Wanna get crafty?

How would you love to win a Silhouette Cameo?

Head over to Tatertots & Jello for lots of chances to enter. It's that simple.

Good luck!!!

It's here....

Christmas is here. Can you believe it?

Merry Christmas to all of you in blog land.

Making a list

Yes, I am making a list and checking it twice!

Tomorrow is d-day!! My mom and I are starting early and not stopping until we're done. We're going to start off with breakfast at Cracker Barrel (my all time favorite for breakfast) and then hit store after store after store....right along with all the other crazies!!

Really though, I don't think that I have all that much yet to get. My problem is going to be picking out the last minute "small" stuff that seems to cause me the most stress.

Deep down in my bones, I feel a successful day coming up. How about you? Will you be out running around tomorrow too? If so, I hope you are get everything checked off your list.

Until next time....

12 Days/12 Things

Since there are 12 days til Christmas - ahhhhh...I can't believe it - I thought I would be random and list 12 things about me. Some I may have mentioned on the blog and some maybe not.

Anyway, here it goes:

• #1-I have 2 brothers. One is older and one is younger. Our first names all start with "T", our names each have four letters and we each have a repeating letter. Todd (repeating "d"), Tara (repeating "a") and Tate (repeating "t"). Quite creative on my mom and dad's part, huh?

• #2-I am right handed but have always been fascinated at how left handed people write.

• #3-I have only had about 3-4 jobs my whole life. I'm going on 21 years at my current job. Yay me.

• #4-My husband and I struggled with infertility for almost 2-1/2 years before getting pregnant with my daughter.

• #4-I love to go on vacations where there is warm weather, water and sand.

• #5-I love Diet Coke and coffee.

• #6-I was raised with cats and currently have 2 - Bear and Squeaky. They are 8 years old and they are brothers.

• #7-Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I could eat it for breakfast (duh!), lunch or dinner.

• #8-My parents divorced when I was an adult. Honestly, I have to wonder if that is harder than divorce as a kid.

• #9-I do not make cleaning my house a priority. Yes, it drives me NUTS, but there are other things I would rather do than clean. It's as simple as that.

• #10-I was a bridesmaid 7 or 8 times before I actually became a bride.

• #11-Although Tom and I have been married for 15 years, next week we will celebrate 20 years being together

• #12-I amaze people at work with how fast I can type.

Prayers Please

A co-worker of mine was just diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer on Tuesday. Her surgery is scheduled for next week.

Please pray that God's healing hands are with her and the doctors through this journey.

Thank you for your care and concern.

Day Off

Today I am taking the day off work to get some much needed stuff done around the house. I just can't seem to keep up with the clutter and cleaning.

I made a list and I'm checking it twice. I can't wait to cross things off as I get them accomplished.

Blogging was not on this list, so I better get off the computer and get some things done.

Have a great day!

Just Stuff

So I realize the last post I made was on Thanksgiving. Wow, that long ago? Sorry!

Also, I realized I never posted pictures of my babysitting experience. In my defense, I can tell you that I have watched the baby at least 3 or 4 times since my original post and I just can't seem to play catch up with postings and pictures. Am I enjoying it, you ask? Heck yes I am!!

Did you go out shopping on Black Friday? Or should I say Thursday night? I did a little, but not like in years past. Honestly, I was NOT fan of the early openings and, most of all, the stupid staggered start times of sales within ONE store. I wanted something that went on sale beginning at 10:00 Thursday night and something that didn't go on sale til midnight at Wal-Mart. Needless to say, I went to 2 different locations and got to hit both start times. However, I still didn't like it.

Work is keeping me extremely busy these days. I know; that's a good thing. Unfortunately, I just can't seem to get caught up. It drives me nuts. My mind races regarding what to tackle first.

My house is chaos. I've started decorating, but only do a little at a time. I WILL be done by this weekend. We're supposed to get snow tonight so maybe that will put be in more of a decorating state of mind.

Do you Pinterest? Man, that site is full of CRAZY good stuff. I can't seem to get enough. Even my almost 13 year old is getting interested. It's THAT bad at our house (haha).

Speaking of Pinterest, I've got a list of craft projects I'd like to tackle before the holiday gets any more closer. Ha, that's kinda funny once I read it out loud! We'll see how that goes.

I sure wish I had realized 2 posts ago that it was my 100th post. Ugh. I can't believe I missed such a milestone. I'll try to watch better for when I reach 150. I'll bring that to your attention when it happens :)

I hope you're having a great week. Enjoy!

Gobble Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving!

Awesome Giveaway

Are you interested in winning a Silhouette CAMEO?

If so, head over to Tatertots&Jello and check it out. There are 6 easy ways to enter. It's so simple.

Why not give it a try? Good luck!

1st Babysitter

Tomorrow I get to babysit for our new grandson. I will be his 1st babysitter.

I'm super excited. I can't wait to have him all to myself for about 3 hours. I'm sure I'll take a few pictures of the cute little 7 week old precious one!

I can already tell you what my next blog post will be about...the babysitting experience!!

Until then....

Black Friday; or is it Thursday?

Do you believe Black Friday is approaching so quick? Do you like to Black Friday shop? Well, pretty much this year, with some stores starting their sales on Thursday, it gives the start of Christmas shopping a whole new name in my eyes.

So, what do you think about the earlier start for some of the sales? I'm not diggin' it at this point. I don't mind getting up at 3:00-4:00 to get in line for some good deals. I just don't see myself staying up all day Thursday to get started at 10:00 at night and then going til who knows when. Ugh.

I could be jumping the gun. Heck, I don't even know if there will be much that I want to get this year.

Over the years I've found that sometimes it's more fun to just go and TRY to get good deals;

rather than to EXPECT to get good deals. That can make for some pretty disappointing shopping experiences.

One thing is for sure. I WILL be out shopping; I just don't know what time I'll get started.

Projects

Today I'm wondering just how many projects I can start and not finish. That just seems to be my "normal" lately. I can't stay focused on one thing. It's frustrating.

I've got piles here and piles there. Piles, piles EVERYWHERE! Ugh...it doesn't make sense.

Example: I'll start organizing and straightening one room and when I head to another to put something away, I stay in that room and start a project. Why do I do that? It makes for a long day of getting nothing done. NOTHING.

I know what you're thinking about now - Get off the computer and get back to one of the many projects you have going on. Ok, ok I'm going to. Just as soon as I check Facebook and see what's new on Pinterest. Ha!

Hopefully my next post will be more positive and I might even be able to let you know what I've gotten accomplished.

Until then.....Happy Weekend!!

Countdown

The countdown is on....

In a couple weeks my sister-in-laws, my mom and a couple other family friends are heading away for a 2-day shopping trip. I am so excited I can't stand it. I know time flies, but these 2 weeks won't go by fast enough!

Our first stop is here; Gurnee Mills in Gurnee, IL. I LOVE outlet malls. Gurnee is the Midwest's largest value retail mall with over 200 manufacturer and retail outlet stores. The mall opened in 1991 and covers over 1.8 million square feet. I always feel I'm spending my money wiser when I get a great deal.

After a full day of shopping and a good night's rest we'll be up and ready to start day 2.

Our second day of shopping will be here. I cannot get enough of IKEA. The closest one is a little over 2 hours away so it always has to be a planned trip. I sometimes go with a shopping list and sometimes I just buy on impulse (which is not always a good idea!).

Call me silly, but my FAVORITE item to buy is a 3-pack of scissors for $1.99. Each pack has 3 different sizes-each with a different color handle. I have these all over my house.

Another fun thing about IKEA is their 99 cent breakfast. Yes, that's right 99 cents! On your plate is scrambled eggs, potatoes and bacon. For a little bit more you can even add french toast sticks. Oh, and coffee is FREE until 9:30am. Yeah, that's a great deal!!

I will be sure to post again when the weekend has come and gone so you can hear about how much fun we had and how many things I bought that I couldn't live without.

Is there a certain place you like to shop and get good deals? If so, please share! I'm always looking for new places to explore.

Feeling Crafty

I've got a few craft projects started that I just can't seem to find the time to finish.

Well, guess what? Tonight is the night. My family is each doing their own thing and this is the perfect time to concentrate on getting something accomplished.

I am making some picture coasters using ceramic tiles. Also, I'm putting together a 2-layer cupcake/snack tray. I cannot wait to see how they turn out.

So, needless to say I'm staying busy tonight. What I don't get done tonight, I promise, will get attention tomorrow. I'm actually tired of all this misc stuff just laying around waiting to be used.

Maybe I'll post pictures when I'm done (if they turn out well-haha).

Happy weekend everyone!

Miscellaneous Monday

It feels like a miscellaneous Monday.

* We had family over yesterday to meet Leighton. It was so much fun. That poor baby was probably going to sleep good considering all the different hands he was in yesterday.

* I love watching left handed people write. Not sure why, it is just interesting.

* I've been trying to watch The Sing Off every Monday. I believe I've caught every episode so far. It's not that I "love" the show, but there is just something about acapella singing that intrigues me.

* My family has been watching The X Factor. I'm just such an American Idol fan it's hard to really watch it without thinking "hmmm, this isn't how they do it on Idol". Anyway, we're enjoying it.

* I'm out of town for work a few days this week. My husband and daughter will do just fine without me, I'm sure. I am excited because I get to go to Old Time Pottery for the 1st time in about a year while I'm gone. We don't have one close to us and I just love that store.

* One of my brother's birthdays is tomorrow. It's hard to believe he'll be 36. Wow!

* I'm signed up on Pinterest, however; I haven't spent much time on there....UNTIL TODAY. Wow, I kinda got lost in all the DIY crafts they have. My mind is racing on what to do/try first. I can only imagine what will happen when I go to the different recipes posted. Oh boy!

* My mom and two sister-in-laws are taking a weekend trip next month. I cannot wait. We'll be going to Gurnee Mills (an outlet mall - my favorite) and IKEA. We did the same trip last year and are hoping to make it a yearly tradition now.

* I miss my daughter being small/young enough to take her to the pumpkin patch. Oh how I loved to get picture after picture with her and all the different size/colored pumpkins.

*Hard to believe that Black Friday is next month. I'm a huge Black Friday shopper. I love me some good deals. I have to be honest though, most of the time I don't have gift idea lists by then, so a lot of the shopping is either for me, my husband, my daughter or our house. Ha!

I hope you all have a great week!

Let's welcome our newest family member

Proud/Happy Parents: Ryan and Kayla

Proud Grandpa

Proud Grandma (well, Step-Grandma really)

Leighton Christopher

Birth stats:
Date: October 1, 2011 (his actual due date)
Time: 2:18pm
Weight: 6# - 12 oz
Length: 20"

Baby Day

LEIGHTON CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR

should arrive sometime soon

(coincidently on his actual due date)

I'll keep you posted!

Fall ~ Autumn

Whatever you want to call it, Fall or Autumn...it's HERE! Today is the 1st day of a new season.

I will definately miss the hot, beach type weather but I'm ok with jeans and sweatshirts.

I'm ready to decorate with my inside and outside fall decorations. I get the most use out of them because they go up around the 1st of October and don't get put away until right after Thanksgiving. That gives me a lot of time to enjoy them.

This season always gets me excited about honeycrisp apples (my.all.time.favorite), pumpkins, bales of hay, corn stalks, scarecrows, etc. You get the picture!

How about you? What do you enjoy the most?

Happy Fall!

The X Factor

It starts tonight!

Will you be watching?

I will be!

"END" - "ILY"

A friend on Facebook made this post earlier today. I found it interesting and thought I would share it with you out there in blog-world.

Fri(END), Boyfri(END), Girlfri(END), Bestfri(END). Everything has an END except...Fam(ILY)! It Has 3 Letters that say I LOVE YOU.

Happy Monday!

Random Post

I haven't done a random post in a while. So, I guess there is no time like now to do one. While I sit waiting for a load of laundry to finish, I thought I would jot some things down. Here it goes:

1) This morning I went to see I Don't Know How She Does It with my friend Susan. It was a 10:00am show and there were hardly no people in the theater. Yes, popcorn was a must that early. Oh, and, we both really liked the movie.

2) It is supposed to be a nice fall-like weekend here in Northern Indiana. I'm looking forward to it.

3). There is a home Notre Dame game tomorrow which means our town is going to be flooded with out of town guests. Campus is pretty fun on game day. I plan on walking around/tailgating for awhile before the game starts. It should be a good time.

4) Speaking of the game, my daughter has been invited by a friend to go. She's super duper excited as this will be her 1st football game (other than middle school or high school). Tickets are hard to come by (well, maybe not so much now since they aren't starting the season off too good)

5) I'm ready for a long shopping weekend. Last year my two sister-in-laws (locally) and my mom took a couple days and headed to the Chicago area. We hit IKEA and the outlet mall at Gurnee Mills. It was so much fun. I think we're going to try and get something organized for early November.

6) I picked up my daughter's letter jacket yesterday. She had a couple more chevrons added for last year's school stuff. Now she's got 2 with honor patches and one with a choir patch. It makes me so proud to see her arm getting filled up with chevrons. Did you have a letter jacket? I did and wore it with pride. Mine wasn't for academics though (oops), it was for Pom-Poms!

7) My husband started a new job at the end of July. Believe it or not, I'm not used to him working on Saturdays yet. I simply keep forgetting that he's not home 1/2 of the weekend. Random, I know.

8) My daughter is "going out" with her first "boyfriend". I'm not too concerned since they haven't "gone" anywhere yet expect school (haha). We'll see how this goes. I think it's been 3 weeks now!

9) I'm ready to decorate for fall but don't really have the ambition. Within the next couple weeks I'm sure I'll get it done. In the meantime, I'll continue cleaning my house so it at least looks presentable cause that's not always the case.

10) Well, my dryer just buzzed which means I need to get busy again.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

9/11/11

We will never forget!

It's hard to believe 10 years have passed. I still remember where I was and what I was doing when I got the news about the attacks. Simply devastating!

I was in New York in June, 2001 for the West Point graduation of my husband's nephew. It was awesome when we went sight seeing.

I was in New York in June, 2002 for the wedding of the same nephew. It was awful when we went sight seeing.

What a difference a year makes.

What a difference 10 years makes.

What a difference.

Period.

Unexpected Hospital Stay

Well, I had an unexpected hospital stay this week. Here's my story:

On Wednesday morning about 10:30 I started experiencing some sharp/burning pains in my chest. The pain was in the front and in the back. Thinking it might be heartburn, I took a couple tums and continued on with my day. A little bit later, the pain continued and I started feeling limp in my right arm. The only thing I thought was something was wrong with my heart.

A co-worker drove me to Med-Point for some testing. They did an EKG and found nothing wrong. Their policy with chest patients is to call for an ambulance for transportation to the hospital. I did not feel the need for an ambulance but did have my co-worker take me there. The hospital knew I was coming and had a room ready for me. After another EKG, lots of blood work and a chest x-ray they didn't find anything wrong. Thank goodness! However, the ER doctor thought it was best that I stay the night and have a stress test done the following morning to check for any blockage not noticed on the above mentioned tests.

I cried. I DID NOT want to spend the night. Who was going to get my daughter from the bus stop? Who was going to take her to the football game I promised her? I had some time to think about it and talked it over with Tom. Ok, I decided I would stay. My mom was going to help with Olivia...picking her up AND taking her to the football game. What would I do without my family?

The evening at the hospital was uneventful. I had started to feel better late afternoon and, you know me, 2nd guessed if I should have committed to stay.

My stress test (walking/jogging on a treadmill while being hooked up to tons of wires) went well. NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND. No blockage, no nothing. Thank the good Lord!

I was released about 2:00 on Thursday afternoon and came home to nothing but rest. Lots of rest. I have a follow up appointment made with a new doctor to discuss my stay/results and try to determine just what the heck caused me to feel so bad. I continue to feel good and have had no more pain since Wednesday.

Cheers to my good heart!

1st Day of School-Pictures

Really?

Summer is almost over at our house. School starts back up on Wednesday. I CANNOT believe it's that time of year already. We've had a wonderful summer and are looking forward to a great school year.

I still have lots to blog about so hopefully once we fall back into our Fall routine, I can be more active on here. In the meantime, I'll continue to read your blogs to keep up-to-date with all you guys.

Until next time.....

Summer

Confession from a summer lovin' girl:

I fully admit that it has been difficult keeping my blog up to date now that summer (and hot weather) has finally arrived.

I have so much to post about; vacation, family reunion, trip to Chicago for work, our new little swimming pool, etc. Unfortunately, I don't have a desire to be on my computer once I get home from work.

So consider me MIA from the blogging world until I'm bored or get tired of swimming, going to the beach, laying in the sun....you get the picture.

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer. I'll be back in touch later!

He's Home

Today my step-son, Chris, came home for a 3 week leave from the Air Force. He is stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. We haven't seen him in 18 months. That's a long time. Here are some pictures when he got to the aiport this afternoon. It was a great day!

HERE HE COMES

Chris and Olivia

Chris, his Aunt Connie, Tom and Olivia

Me, Tom, Chris and Olivia

My Dad

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO MY DAD!!

Finale

WHO IS GOING TO BE THE WINNER OF AMERICAN IDOL 2011?

LAUREN ALAINA

OR




SCOTTY MCCREERY



Every year from the end of May til January I anticipate the start of a new season. I can't believe this season is 2 nights away from being over.




Is your favorite still in it to win it? I have LOVED both Lauren and Scotty since the auditions. Not sure what it is (besides the fact they are both cute as buttons) that drew me to them.




In past years, I have always had one set person I hoped would win. This year it almost doesn't matter. I truly like these two equally. (I'm just beyond thrilled that bad attitude Haley is gone, gone, gone).




Well, we will know on Wednesday who the next AMERICAN IDOL is going to be.

Not Happy

Ok, so let me just start by saying I am NOT HAPPY about the results on Idol last night. It so should have been Haley that got sent home, not James. She has a disrectful attitude and cannot take any constructive critism. Ugh, it still makes me mad thinking about it and typing this.

Don't get me wrong, I know James will do wonderful things, and like others that didn't make it to the top 2, will could possibly do way better without the "win". Remember Chris Daughtry? That's exactly that happened to him back in Season 5.

Anyway, back to the results. Since pretty much the beginning, our family thought the top 3 would be James, Lauren and Scotty. That saying 2 out of 3 ain't bad...well, it doesn't pertain to this situation if you ask me.

I guess, if anything, I can just hope that Haley is out of the competition next week. However, if she gets to the finale, I would love for someone else to win and watch her go down. Not nice, but that's how I feel.

Ok, I'm done complaining. Thanks for listening. Have a good weekend.

Giveaway

The title of this post caught your eye, didn't it?

How would you like the chance, or chances I should say, to win a Karmin G3 Pro Styling Iron?

All you have to do is head over to Menopausal New Mom and follow the instructions.

It's that simple.

Good luck to all of us that enter!!

3 Generations/Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day

The picture above was taken last year on Mother's Day.

I have it in a special frame that says "Three Generations"

My mom is a wonderful, caring and unselfish lady. Everyone LOVES her.

I'm lucky because she only lives about 10-15 min from me and my family.

Family is the most important thing to her and she lets it show.

To all of you that have children,

I wish for you a wonderful day.

15 YEARS

15 Years ago today I said "I DO" and married my wonderful husband.

May 4, 1996 was the kind of Spring day that brought a variety of weather conditions. The day started a little cloudy, then we had a few rain drops and finally the sun came out. It was a fairly large wedding with about 275 guests. Oh, it was an awesome day. We got married at high noon in the church I grew up in. The church was overflowing - we had to add folding chairs behind the pews. We each had 5 attendants, a flower girl and a ring bearer ~ a great combination of family and friends. We had a harpist and a very good friend of mine sang for us.

Our adult dinner reception started at 5:00 with drinks and then dinner was served at 6:00. We chose to have multiple flavored cheesecakes rather than a traditional wedding cake. Everyone loved it. We didn't have ANY left over except the one we purposely saved for ourselves. We had a band (as opposed to a DJ) that provided great dance music. A good time was had by all.

I'm looking forward to celebrating many more years of marital bliss.

Inducted

On Thursday evening my daughter was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. Her dad and I couldn't be more proud.

Let me back up a bit...back at the beginning of March there was a notice on the school's website that indicated letters would be sent home with students at the end of March if they had been nominated for the NJHS. Yay! Olivia brought home a letter indicating she was nominated and was asked to fill out an application for the organization.

The NJHS has criteria in the following categories that needs to be met in order to be accepted. They are Scholarship; Leadership; Service; Character and Citizenship. Turns out Olivia has a little bit of all this and was accepted into the program. Go Olivia!

The school had an induction ceremony for the 6th and 7th grade students that met all the criteria to become members of the NJHS. A few of the current 8th grade members read statements as to what each of the criteria signafied and then each student was called up on stage to accept their membership certificate.

To conclude the ceremony all the current and new members, in unison, recited the National Junior Honor Society pledge.

I pledge to maintain high scholastic standing, to hold as fundamental and worthy an untarnished character, to endeavor intelligently and courageously to be a leader, and to give of myself freely in service to others. In so doing, I shall prove myself worthy of a place in the National Junior Honor Society.

Coconut Ambrosia Salad

Hey Blogger Friends,

I'm not much of a cook, baker or candle stick maker; however, I'm willing to try. Next week I've offered to make a fruit salad for a teacher's luncheon at my daughter's school. I, of course, googled "fruit salad" and came across some yummy sounding salads. I've decided to try this one called Coconut Ambrosia Salad.


I realize this recipe is quite simple but that fits me just perfect. It doesn't sound too expensive to make either. That's a good thing since I'll probably be doubling the recipe AND maybe even making some to keep at home. In some of the reviews, it seems that others have added a few fruits to give it more variety and some have even added sour cream to change up the texture a little bit. Not sure how much I'll deviate from the recipe but it's something to consider when I go to the store to buy the ingredients.


What about you? Have you tried a salad like this before? Or, do you have a recipe for a fruit salad you would be willing to share?


I'll let you know how it turns out.

Crystal Pendant Giveaway

Hey Blogger Friends,

Would you like the chance to win a personalized crystal pendant from Glitter and Bliss? If so, head over to In This Wonderful Life to get all the details and enter.

Happy Monday!

Happy Easter

He is Risen. He is Risen Indeed!

Matthew 28:6
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.
Come and see the place where he lay.

Happy Easter to you and your family.

Picture Post from O's Birthday

Anniversary Ideas

My husband and I will be celebrating 15 years of marriage next month. Yay for us!! We don't normally celebrate big, but since this is a "milestone" I would like to do something more than usual. For our 10 year mark we purchased silver wedding bands while on vacation in the Bahamas. This time our finances are not like they were back then, so I need some low dollar but impressive gift ideas to think about and consider. So, can you help me come up with some ideas? I'd love to have you share with me your thoughts!

Reality

Well, it was back to reality for Olivia and I this week. She back to school and me back to work. We had such a great week off together. As stated in my previous post, we did spend 3 days in Indy. We went to the cat show and toured Lucas Oil Stadium. In addition to that, we went to the Children's Museum. When we didn't feel like doing anything, we stayed at the hotel and either just watched TV or went swimming. And...let me tell you....our hotel was NICE. We will definitely plan to stay there again. I found it on Orbitz and got a great deal too! In addition to it being very clean (which is my biggest concern) it offered a complimentary hot/cold breakfast and, get this, complimentary finger foods for dinner. Yes, dinner! Oh yeah, for each adult you also were entitled to three complimentary alcoholic beverages each night of your stay. I don't drink so I didn't take advantage of that, but seriously, how cool is that? Unheard of if you ask me.

Unfortunately, I did have some business meetings late Thursday and Friday morning here in town that interrupted my vacation. I got paid for going so I guess it worked out in the end.

Needless to say, the vacation was wonderful and makes me look forward to my next one. Which.I.Might.Say is already scheduled. Yep, before I even went back to work this week, our family made plans for a summer get-away. I'm super excited. We're going to see family and friends in South Carolina. How about you? Have you been away on vacation or at least taken time off work lately? If so, what/where did you go? Until next time....

Just A Couple Things

I'm on Vacation

Starting today I'm on vacation and don't have to go back to work until Monday the 11th. I'm pretty excited to have some time off. Olivia is on Spring break next week which is why I took the week off. Unfortunately (or fortunately), my husband is busy at work and won't be taking time off with us. Just we girls will be going to Indianapolis for 2 nights/3 days. There was talk about maybe Olivia taking a friend, but I think I'm glad it will be just the two of us. Some mother/daughter bonding time. While we're there we are going to see The Acro Cat show. We saw them on Animal Planet and were surprised when we looked them up online that they would be in Indy the same time we are. Another fun activity is our plan to tour Lucas Oil Stadium-home of the Indianapolis Colts. Olivia is so looking forward to this. Have you ever seen the commercials for the Edible Arrangements? You know, the fruit arrangements that can be ordered and delivered like flowers? Well, there are a few stores close to where we're staying so that is something we plan too. For some reason, Olivia is fascinated with them and wants one. They are kinda up there in price (in my opinion), but I did tell her she could get one since it's vacation time.

Bathroom Re-Do

For the past couple weeks I've been working little by little to re-do our main bathroom upstairs. It started by removing the old tub surround that was cracking. I should have known better that it would be that simple. It's obvious now why the previous owners had a tub surround up. When we moved 8 years ago, I brought my old motif with us. Well, I finally got sick and tired of it. We went from a gold shell theme to a black/white and red zebra theme. It's totally fun. It's not done but this is what I've done so far: put up a new shower curtain (zebra), painted our vanity black and attached red pull knobs, painted our medicine chest black and painted one wall red (the others I painted white). I still want to put up some zebra striped wall paper and border to finish the room. Oh, and I got new towels and rugs (red). It truly makes me feel good to walk in there now.

Random Thoughts

My mind is racing. It's time to jot down some random thoughts.

• I can't wait to get my bathroom re-do done. Zebra themed w/red accents
• Other than Spring Break, my daughter has less than 9 wks of school left
• We're going to Indianapolis for a few days over Spring Break
• I watched Olivia play basketball yesterday and she didn't know it. I smiled.
• My husband is loving all the gigs his band is getting
• I might start tanning - I'm tired of being "glow in the dark" pale
• I'm lucky to have a healthy family
• A trip to IKEA real soon would be nice. I LOVE that store.
• Sam's Club is one of my new favorite places to shop
• Olivia is just as tall (if not taller) than me and wears a bigger shoe than me
• The price of gas is scary. Not sure if we'll be taking a summer road trip because of it
• My nephew leaves for basic training on April 3rd
• After almost 3 years of being unemployed, my sister-in-law has a job
• I should be working, but I'm playing around on the computer instead

Voted Off

Yes!!! (cartwheel, a loud woohoo and a big smile)

She was voted off American Idol tonight.

Thank goodness.

Oh, can you tell I wasn't too crazy about

Karen Rodriguez?

Around our house we actually like quite a few contestants this year on Idol. I'm anxious to see who the top 10 will be this year. I have a feeling we will be planning to go to the concert if they come close enough like they have in years past. I can't wait for the tour schedule to be posted.

How about you? Are you watching AI this year?

If so, who's getting your vote(s)?

She's 12

My baby girl is 12.

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Just like that (snap of the fingers), she went from this

to this

A daughter is the happy memories of the past,

the joyful moments of the present,

and the hope and promise of the future.

~ Author Unknown

Quarantined

Tonight I am quarantined up in my bedroom. Why? Well, you see my daughter is having a sleep-over birthday party tonight with 11 of her friends.

I'm letting them enjoy themselves without a whole lot of parental interference. Yes, I have gone to check on them multiple times and yes, I'm asked to go back upstairs every time my daughter sees me.

The music has been loud, the singing has been loud, the conversation has been loud, etc. You get the picture. But right now, I wouldn't have it any other way. Ask me in the morning how I feel!

I'll post some pictures in a few days. In the meantime, pray for me...please!

Celebrating 70

Today is my Dad's birthday. He's 70!

You know, it sounds old to me, but I know it's not.

Is 70 the new 50?

We celebrated by going out to brunch at Houlihan's. There were 12 of us. My niece and husband weren't able to make it but it still was a nice group to celebrate.

After brunch we came back to my house so my dad could open his presents. We were suppose to have cake and ice cream, but most of us were too full from brunch to eat again. We did sing cause how can you celebrate a birthday and not sing? Needless to say, there is a lot of cake left over. Want some?

Then it was time to play Apples to Apples. Have you ever played? All of us in our family love the game. Fun, fun, fun!

A great time was had by all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!