"waiting.................."

I am waiting for it to feel like fall. I want to be this girl. Right now. She looks so peaceful and serene. I want the mornings to be crisp and cool and sunny. I want to stay home and keep my house picked up, laundry done and cook. To make fun treats for my kids and have time to get to their sporting events. Have lunch with my BFF and other friends. Dress in cute fall sweaters, boots & jeans. Sew, scrapbook, blog, read, shop, make photo albums, organize closets, clean the garage, purge "piles" in my house, burn smelly-good candles, catch up on DVR's, rent movies, sleep in once in awhile, get a facial, and just have my life in order. Am I asking for too much? Carve these cute pumpkins...................

Decorate my front door.................

"my day off"

I know it doesn't feel like fall and it's supposed to be 88 degrees today, but if I turn on the air conditioning and don't leave the house, I can pretend that it is fall. I also have a little boy home from school today with a sore throat. So................I have been so domestic today. I have baked cookies for Nicole and her friends when they get home from school. Almost finished up ALL of the laundry (that happens like once a year), put chicken in the crockpot for dinner with some rice, baked a weight watchers pumpkin pie, made homemade granola, cleaned out the fridge, blogged :) , and made Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner tomorrow night with whole wheat angel hair pasta. And it's only 2:00 in the afternoon! Here is the recipe. (I want this to be my life every day, I know to some this sounds weird and for people who hate to cook, just downright wrong, but I love it.) And my house smells like pumpkin pie and cookies right now...
Spaghetti Bolognese
3/4 lb. ground beef (Lean)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot chopped (I used shreds that I found at Walmart yesterday)
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 (14 oz) can italian style diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 c. fat free milk
1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 lb. whole wheat angel hair pasta
Spray non-stick skillet with Pam spray. Add beef and cook until browned. Drain. Add onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 5 min. Stir in carrot and cook about 2 min. Stir in mushrooms, tomatoes, paste, kidney beans and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered 10 min. Add milk and cook uncovered until sauce is thickened (it is already pretty thick), about 15 min. Salt & Pepper.
Cook pasta according to pkg directions. Drain and divide among 4 plates and top with the sauce. Garnish with basil if desired. Enjoy
Pumpkin pie.

"and the Giants win........"

Tyler & I went to my nephew Drake's football game today in Lebanon. They won! Woo hoo. (they beat West Albany :) Our boys are growin' up. It was very hot for being so late in September. It's supposed to be fall! It was nice seeing the boys. That's two days in a row I have seen Drake. He is quite the superstar football player.

Gunner & Tyler. They got bored with the game and went and played on the soccer fields. And ate nachos. I love all these boys.

"homecoming 2008"

And the REBELS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!52-6 against Woodburn HS.
Here are two of the cutest boys I know. Zac and Tyler. Zac is my BFF's stud fooball player (varsity). After the game we went down on the field to take some pics with the "big boys". Tyler had a blast (Nicole was around somewhere). It was homecoming so we got to see the pretty princess's in their dresses. The weather was perfect, Zac was a superstar, I got to sit with my BFF. A perfect evening. (I shouldn't have eaten the hotdog and popcorn though, tummy-ache. I wasn't supposed to be eating that bad stuff anyways!) I took more pics, but I will let kam put them on her blog! Thanks again for the tickets friend. I even got invited to come next week to the game by your SON! (I am sure your husband won't want to sit by me again!_)

Me and BFF feeling squishy...................

"birthday bowling fun......."

The birthday's in this house just don't end in the month of September. Tyler wanted to go bowling with his friends for his party this year. They had a great time. Loud music, plenty of candy, popcorn, rootbeer, silly string, gifts and lots of energy. 5 boys. Lots of energy. They all had a great time............. Tyler got mad at me for taking pictures. He said it was "too distracting" (funny because we had them put up the bumpers so there were not gutter balls!!) Me and my sista Donna.

Random pic from Red Robin on his actual birthay on Tues. Nicole, Red & Tyler. When Tyler was younger (about 5) we took him to RR on his birthday and the bird was there and he was scared to death and cried!!!!!!!!!!!!

My sister Donna and newphew Drake. Drake was crackin me up. Usually when I dance in public my kids are horrified. Drake just joined me. So funny. I miss that kid. Don't see him as much as I would like. I am going to go to his football game tomorrow. Maybe he will score a touchdown and give me a special dance.

All the boys..................

"i've been tagged"

my bff Kambria tagged me.

fact 1 * I have webbed toes.......
fact 2 * I stay up WAY too late watching TV.....
fact 3 * I hate the temperature above 75 degrees outside............
fact 4 * I could eat tortilla chips and salsa EVERY SINGLE DAY....
fact 5 *I am a major bargain shopper
fact 6 * I RARELY drink caffeine
fact 7 * I hate being in the car

o.k., so here are my tags for the day..........
donna
janie
becky
(i think kam got everyone else:)

"tyler turns 9"

This is my boy after school today. I took chocolate cupcakes to school today. His favorite. His is officially 9 years old.

"happy birthday, bubba"

Happy 9th birthday Tyler. (September is a very busy month for celebrations in our family.) This is the youngest picture I could find of you at 4 years old. (that's when we got a digital camera). I remember your birth day just like it was yesterday. I am so happy you are my son and you have such a great personality. You make me laugh. I am proud to be your mamma. I laughed this morning when I sang you happy birthday and you rolled your eyes at me. I know you loved it :) Have a great day. I will bring you lunch at school, cupcakes in the afternoon, football practice and then dinner at Red Robin. Maybe some presents too. Love you.....Happy Birthday baby.

"Happy 17th Wedding Anniversary!!!!!!"

Today is our 17th wedding anniversary. Of course ALL 17 years hasn't been "wedded bliss", but it has been a good run. Hard to believe how fast time has gone. We went to the coast last night and stayed the night and just hung out. (I drank a lot of wine and was in bed pretty early :) Seems like our wedding day was so long ago and the time has flown by. I really depend on LeRoy and appreciate him very much. He is a great husband and father. I don't know what I would do without him and I don't plan on finding out. Sure we have had our bumps in the road, but that's the way it works. I love him with all of my heart and am so glad we met, got married, started a family and share our life together. Love you honey.................

Love is patient, love is kind.It does not envy, it does not boast,it is not proud.It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,it is not easily angered,it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evilbut rejoices with the truth.It always protects, always trusts,always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails.- The Bible : 1 Corinthians 13:4

*

After our reception we traveled to the Mexican Riviera on a Carnival Cruise.

We stopped in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.

And now we live "happily ever after................................."

"give thanks"

"When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food , and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies within yourself." - Tecumseh Shawnee

"my babies....................."

are growing up so fast.
Nicole 13. Tyler 8. (turns 9 next week!!)

"more weekend fun"

We had an awesome view from our balcony. All of these shots were taken from our room. We stayed in a suite and it was very nice. We had a full kitchen, but the bed was awful. Small price to pay for such a great weekend.
Nicole, Tyler, Me, LeRoy A view from our balcony..........

This was also from our room. We had a great view of all the cars.

Goofing around once the sun went down.

Cassandra, Nicole, Tyler, LeRoy

"yachats"

We spent a fabulous weekend at Yachats this weekend. Grandma & Grandpa Mary belong to a car club that had an event in Yachats, OR. We went over for the weekend and as you can see, the weather was GORGEOUS. It was a little windy, but sunny. We left town on Friday and it was 90 in Albany, and by the time we got to the coast it was a cool 50 degrees. I love it! The kids (Cassandra went with us too) had a great time looking at all of the old cars. We stayed at Yachats Inn and it was great. It reminded me of the movie set of "Dirty Dancing". I will post more pics and info tomorrow. So tired and need to go to bed.............................................
LeRoy, Missy, Tyler, Nicole, Grandpa Mary & Grandpa Mary (and Grandpa's 57' Chevy) Me and my boy..............

So beautiful and serene. I am sure in the next 2 seconds they were fighting and probably telling one another they were going to push them into the ocean. Sibling love...........

Grandpa's Chevy........

This was the extent of the "hot boys".....ha ha.......... but ther were plenty of hot cars.

Cassandra, Fred, Nicole

:)

"Sept. 11."

The beautiful New York skyline before that awful day 7 years ago. I remember hearing on the radio that a plane had crashed into one of the twin towers. I don't usually have the TV on in the morning. I turned it on and was horrified. I started calling everyone that I am close to and told them to turn on the TV. I did manage to get my kids up (Nicole was in 1st grade, Tyler was still in daycare). I wasn't sure what to do. Do I go to work? Drop off my kids? Before I left for work the second tower had just came crumbling down on TV. I was standing in my living room not believing what I had just witnessed. My boss at the time EXPECTED me to be at work (even though this was huge), so I went to work very freaked out. I worked for a stockbroker and we couldn't do anything because the stock market was closed down. We had no TV, no way of knowing what was going on. I was on the phone all day with people who could tell me what was going on. When I got home from work at 5:30 I was glued to the TV. Still totally freaked out. I just wanted to know what was going on and have my family and love ones safe and around me. At the time no one had any idea how much devastation it really was.

"happy birthday LeRoy"

Happy 39th birthday. Love Ya!

"tired feet"

When is ok to be getting home from work at 7:00 pm? Oh, NEVER! My feet hurt, my back hurts, my legs hurt. I hurt. Standing that long should be against the law. I am getting a pedicure tomorrow! I get one about once a year. Pathetic! I should be getting one once a week. I need to take better care of myself. I need to move myself to the top of my list....................

"burrito tuesday"

The best thing about my day today is that it is Burrito Tuesday with my BFF. Sad, I know, that this is the highlight of my day. We go every Tuesday (sometimes more!), sit at the same booth, order the same thing, steal the best salt shaker and eat tons of salsa and 12 chips (we really do count them out from our Weight watcher days). They place our order when we walk in. Vegie burrito, no guacamole, extra plate (we spilt it), 2 $1.10 drinks (dt. pepsi & dt. caffiene free)=$8.70

"hipsters"

If only we could be this hip and cool. Check this out. I found it on Hostess with the Mostess blog.
How much fun would this be? I think we should hop on a plane and go. Anyone?

"domestic bliss"

All I want to be when I grow up is a Domestic Goddess.... is that too much to ask? (Oh, I am grown up, why can't I have what I want?) When do you really feel like you are living your life and enjoying yourself? I really don't think being rich (comfortable is good) is the answer, people you thought were your "real" friends talk crap behind your back, having a 5000 sq ft home is just more to clean and heat. All I want is this:
*Enough money to live within our means, have health/dental insurance.
*Family who is genuinely interested in our well-being.
*To not "have" to work while my kids are still young and in school.
*To have some time for "ME" (ex. working out on a regular basis, reading, cooking).
*Have time to keep up the house, laundry, daily duties.
*Go on family vacations at least once a year (not every 8 years)
*Go out to dinner with my family/spouse and not have to cut something else out of our budget.
*Feel like I have support when I need it. (BFF is ALWAYS their for me :)
*Live in a cul-a-sac with the people in my life that I care about and that care about me.
*Not have to deal with mean, rude, fake people.
*Bake cookies for when my kids get home from school, dinner on table when hubby gets home.
*Decorate my house for the changing seasons.
*Have some time to relax, soul-search, exercise, create new recipies, blog, be creative and just be.
*Is this really asking for too much?

"ever feel like this???"

Hot mess?? BFF and I went to Starbucks last night and we both felt about like this.... What is wrong with US???? Oh, and then we sat on my couch and ate almost an entire bag of greasy potato chips.........

"jiggly, jiggly"

I need to get back on track walking again. It's not just a fitness thing. It's therapy. Me and my BFF solving the worlds problems (not our own, but the worlds), widdling down my muffintop-lovehandles, enjoying the fresh outdoors, watching the girls jog in front of us with their non-jiggle butts, Tyler on his scooter showing us tricks. Enjoying a refreshing Diet Lime Pepsi and sitting in BFF's back yard visiting. If life could alway be such bliss all of the time....