do you smell that?

...First to answer a question from Krista, being on a design team means that I am going to create layouts from products that are sent to me from Your Scrapbook Stash. They will be in the store's gallery. It is so people can see a way to use the products and maybe get inspired! :) Thanks for all the congrats by the way--for me and for Rhett.

Second, there is a smell in my house. I don't know what it is but it isn't good. I roasted a chicken last night but I threw away all the bones ect. in the outside trash so that can't be it right? I need to go investigate. Yesterday morning I walked outside and smelled skunk. I hope it didn't die somewhere near my house. Surely that isn't it.

This is short but like I said, I need to go find the source of the smell. Bye for now.

Edited: I found the source! I had forgotten that yesterday, the package that had the chicken leaked and some of the chicken "juice" got on the refrigerator shelf. I was in a hurry, so I used a dishtowel to clean it (then Clorox wipes) and then put the towel in the laundry room. Promptly forgot about it. Whew! So now it is in the washer being sanitized. Mystery solved.

some exciting news

...I am so excited because I am now a design team member for Your Scrapbook Stash! Woo-hoo!

Here is the announcement. And here is the layout:


So, yeah, I am really happy! I have wanted to be on a design team for a while now and I am very excited that it will be for this awesome site!

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I have some non-scrapbook exciting news too: Rhett read his first book last night!!! It was called Brontosaurus and he did awesome! He tried to decode what it should say by looking at the pictures and he would sound out words, man, I was so proud of him! And he was so excited to tell his dad. Very cool.
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One more thing, thank you to everyone for their prayers for my mom. I know she appreciates it and so do I!
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Have a wonderful day!

my week

...The last few days of February is upon us. Whoosh. It went by fast. Some thoughts and goals for this week:

*Keep my mom in your prayers please--on Wednesday she is having a procedure on her retina (!) which doesn't sound too fun. I hope that everything goes well and it isn't too painful or bothersome, Mom!
*Catch up on housework. Or actually do some. Hee.
*Same goes for laundry. :)
*Continue reading Psalms this week. This is what I am doing for Lent. Reading Psalms every day for 40 days. It is an amazing book of the bible because it helps us learn how and what to pray for. The prayers that David offers up to God are wonderful and still hold so true for today.
*Scrapbook. I'll tell you more tomorrow on Scrapbook Tuesday.
*Try to find a babysitter for this weekend. We are invited to a neighborhood party but alas, no kids are invited and all the babysitters are being snatched up. Hmm.
*Go to the musical Peter Pan on Sunday. This is being put on by one of the high schools, but they are using the props and costumes from the Broadway show so should be a good production. I am excited for this!
*Start doing yoga again. A couple of weeks ago, I stopped because I was sick and just haven't got started again. So I need to get back on the yoga train. I always feel so much better when I do it and I don't have to deal with my restless legs either so it really is a good idea to start up again.
*Take some pictures of the boys just being themselves. I haven't done that in awhile and they are such funny people right now. I want to start scrapbooking the "everyday" more because those are the things we won't remember ten years from now.

Have a great Monday!

just moments

...I watched my show last night. I have been anxiously waiting for Grey's Anatomy all week and last night I finally got to see the conclusion. I expected to cry. But, funny enough, it was not Meredith's story line that got to me. I think it was too big of a story. What got to me was---Denny. He telling Meredith that all he has is moments where he can feel Izzy. Just momemnts. Oh, it broke my heart. And it made me want to hug my husband. So I did.
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So, in keeping with the theme today--

Funny moments from the boys:
*There is a song on the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack that starts out, "Bam Chicka Bam Bam" but Noah sings it, "Bad chicken bad bad!" And all through supper last night he would blurt this out. Rhett would scream for him to stop because "it will get stuck in my head and never get out!" Did Noah stop? No. I would ask, "What did you do at school?" Noah: Bad Chicken Bad Bad! And so on. He keeps us laughing.
*At Tae Kwon Do they run from one end of the room to the other at the end of class. They are supposed to touch the wall. Noah, who is the smallest of the group and who apparently hates to lose, will be behind everyone and just take a wide loop (not touching the wall, not even getting close to the wall) and end up in front of the rest. He made the instructor just break out laughing.

Moments of frustration:
*Our neighbors put up a huge windchime on their tree in their front yard. This tree is also pretty close to our bedroom window. I like wind chimes, really I do. I just don't like listening to them at midnight when I am trying to go to sleep.
*One day at noon, the phone rings. It is one of my neighbors who has a child Rhett's age. She wanted Rhett to come over and play because she was sick to her stomach and her child was driving her crazy. Uhh, No! I am not sending my son over to your house while you are sick!

Moments I am glad to be me:
*Noah will get out of bed 2 or 3 times before he finally falls asleep. Although I try to be stern with him, I melt because the reason he gets out of bed (ok maybe not the reason, but this is what he says) is to tell me he loves me. "I just want to hug you, Mom." "I just want to tell you I love you, Mom." How can you not just melt? Stinker. :)
*Rhett is not as affectionate as Noah is anymore. But he still manages to sneak in hugs several times a day and still does his, "Mom?...I love you." many times in the course of a day. Sweet.

I hope you have many great "moments" in your day that make you smile and laugh!

and so it begins

...girls. To a boy, they are a totally different species. And it is funny to watch boys act weird around girls-at least to a mom! :)

Rhett: A few months ago, he liked playing (i.e. jumping on the trampoline) with our neighbor Emily and her friends. They are in junior high and honestly, I know the only reason they played with the boys was because of the trampoline. Then it got colder and we didn't see her for about 2 months. The other day, we were jumping and Emily and her two friends came outside. Noah wanted them to come jump and so I said okay. A few minutes later, they came over and Rhett immediately got off the trampoline. (I was inside watching from the window by this point). I watched him for a few minutes and then asked him why he wasn't jumping. He wouldn't tell me at first because he thought I would be mad, but finally told me he didn't want to jump with girls. (See how different my two boys are?) I said that it was okay and told him that I would take care of it. So we basically told the girls they had to leave in a few moments. I mean, after all, it is Noah and Rhett's trampoline and it was a nice day and I wanted him to play and not sit.

I know, long story, sorry. And honestly, I forgot my point of even telling the story. Maybe it was that I knew it was coming--this aversion (is that the word?) to girls, I just didn't think it would happen so suddenly! And then I have Noah, whom you all know, just loves the ladies. :) And who wants to play with girls. So I guess I am going to have to find a balance.

And that may be tough.

is nothing safe?

...First it was spinach. Then, just about ago, fully cooked grilled chicken strips. And now peanut butter. Everyone of these things was pulled off the shelves and recalled because of bacteria. The chicken I understand. But peanut butter recalled because of salmonella? How does peanut butter get infected with salmonella? Are the manufacturers not making sure that all involved wash their hands? Are they not disinfecting regularly? And what is so disturbing about the peanut butter recall is that if anyone had gotten sick in my household (and probably many households out there) it would have been the kids. Noah eats peanut butter almost every day. As do a lot of kids. It makes me frustrated that they can not be more safe. Whoever "they" are.

fun with Julie/scrapbook tuesday

...This weekend was a lot of fun. It was great to catch up with my friend and the boys absolutely loved her. She said at one point that it was really good for the ego having two boys dote on her! :) Especially Noah. He immediately proclaimed her "his girl" and that was that. :) Good times. Here is a picture of Julie reading to the boys:

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Here is a layout about some winter fun, although right now it seems like winter has gone far away. It is beautiful outside! And it will be beautiful all week. Yay!!!

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Have a great day!!!

late-night thoughts

...Some thoughts as I wait for my husband to come home from work. He is working late so doesn't have to this weekend when Julie comes. He is sweet that way.

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Whoever thought Moon Sand would be a good idea was so wrong. It is still sand. And now it is in your house. All over. On couches. On floors. In clothes. And because you had to wash the molds that come with the moon sand with warm, soapy water because they no longer release the moon sand like they are supposed to, there is now sand in the sink and on your dishes that you washed afterward (with new water).
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The same goes with Floam. That stuff...is...beyond horrible. It is colored little balls of sticky. And the color stains. But a wonderful lesson was learned from Floam. The boys learned that all things "seen on TV" are NOT as wonderful as they appear to be.
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What is up with the skinny jean? And who gets to declare that boot-cut jeans are no longer "in style"? Those of us who have bigger calves need those boot-cut jeans, they like those boot-cut jeans, they feel comfortable in those boot-cut jeans. I bought a pair of Donna Karen jeans the other day on clearance. I thought it was a steal. I tried them on at home. They fit...but the bottom part of the pant legs were barely fitting over my calves. Never before have I had a problem with that. Everything else was fine. I am mad at designers who think everyone has a body like those way-too-skinny models. Even if I only paid $6 for they pair.
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Holly is right. Fun Dip does tear up your mouth. I think I won't be eating it anymore.
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My house is clean. And it is so nice. I even vacuumed the couches. Well, I had to because of the sand. But they look nice now too.
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Have you tried dried mango? Or dried blueberries? Yum. The great thing about the blueberries is that they won't stain your fingers like fresh or frozen ones. So the boys can eat them and not have blue fingers. Cool.
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I'm going to bed. Have a good weekend!

the similarities are amazing

...I am totally wired right now because I just finished watching Grey's Anatomy and am totally sad and shocked. And a little embarrassed that I love this tv show. But not too embarrassed because I don't plan on stopping! :) I love that it is about doctors, romance, friendships, the drama, McDreamy--who really is dreamy and Seth knows I think this and it is okay!

Speaking of doctors, my friend, Dr. Julie (and no, I don't really call her that, I just wanted to keep the theme going--she is a real doctor though and I'm very proud) is coming for a visit this weekend. Very excited to see her. I haven't really had a chance to visit with her in more than 3 years. It will be a fun weekend.

And speaking of romance(if you watch the show you know that love is a theme) my Noah has someone who "loves" him. A girl from his class tried to convince their teacher that she was in love with him. The teacher kept saying, "how nice that you have a special friend" "isn't is nice to like someone" and this little girl was adamant: "No teacher! I am IN LOVE with Noah!" I asked Noah later if this girl liked him and he kind of rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, she wants to MARRY me, can you believe it?" So cute. I know. Wait 10 years. Then it won't be so cute. But it might be. :)

And speaking of...

Ok. I got nothing. I ran out of similarities to my life and Grey's. But that was kind of fun, right?

I need to go to bed. Seriously.

sugar on a stick

...Yesterday, Rhett received some Fun Dip in his Valentine's sack. He tried some and instantly loved it. (Who wouldn't love a packetful of pure sugar?)

Of course, Noah wanted some too. Because I, too, just love the stuff that probably was the sole cause of my mouthful of cavities when I was younger (hey, I had to have something to do while watching my brother play Little League--this stuff lasted the whole game!) I told Noah that I would find him some the next day. This is Noah's expression after I said that:

So I did. I found some and since it was on sale, I bought a few packets. I am going to hide them so we (yes, I said we) can have a treat every once in awhile. I don't remember the original flavors but they have tried to jazz it up: RazzApple Magic Dip, Cherry-Yum Diddly Dip and Grape-Yumptious Dip. It makes me laugh because I really don't think it matters if it has a "cool" name. It is candy. Kids are gonna want it, right? Happy to report though, they didn't change the name or taste of the stick: Lik-A-Stix. Takes me back to those days sitting on the bleachers, hanging with my friends, scratching at mosquitos. Good times...

happy heart day and photo recap

...The reason I've been gone:
And a long time it seems to me! I was feeling under the weather (where exactly did that saying come from anyway?) the past two days and didn't feel like doing much of anything. But today is a new day and I'm feeling much better. I need to because Seth is bringing home dinner which includes chocolate obsession cake. Does that not sound wonderful?

Valentine's Day:
I am happy to report that I have 3 Valentines: my husband, of course, who surprised me with a Pottery Barn gift card last night (yipee!) and my two sons who informed me that I was their valentine. Sweet boys. Rhett gets to have his Valentine Party today and Noah is having his tomorrow. They love this holiday because of the candy. Which is really why I love this holiday too. :)

Scrapbooking:

Here is my layout (or altered canvas) for the week. It was fun to do and very easy. I just found some quotes about love, a stamp and some pretty paper and that was it. I placed the heart cookie cutters beside it because I had to mention that because I was sick, I didn't feel like making Valentine cookies this year. The boys were a little disappointed but I did use them on their frozen waffles this morning, so it wasn't a total waste.

A Birthday Recap:
We had a great weekend with Seth's parents and brother and his family. On Friday night, just the four of us had a little party for Seth.

Yes, there are 30 candles on the poppyseed bundt cake (delicious by the way) so Seth had to have help blowing those out! :) Seth was a good sport about it and joked that the pictures of the cake looked like the sun!

align="left">Sunday night, we sang Happy Birthday to Nana (although she and I had already eaten a few pieces of her Chocolate Birthday Roll). That night we also had Chinese food so we each had a fortune cookie too. I think I tried all three desserts that night. Maybe that is why my stomach hurt the next day!

Anyway, that is the last few days. I hope everyone has a little romance in store for Valentines Day!

to seth

...how time has passed this fast, I don't know. We have a son who can read and is about to lose his two upper front teeth. I know he is excited about it but I'm sad. Our other son is losing his baby cheeks. That makes me sad too. They are growing up so quickly. It is bittersweet.
And now you are celebrating your birthday. Can you believe that we have been together almost half our lives? Not quite, but almost. And I tell you the truth, I wouldn't have wanted to spend the past 13 years with anyone else but you.
Seeing you with our sons makes me proud. You are such an involved father, so caring and concerned and so loving. They are so lucky to have you.
I'm lucky too. I love, love, love you. You are everything I could ever want. I know that this year will be full of blessings for you. for us. Have a wonderful birthday, sweetie!

yum-o and some more

...Yesterday, I made homemade chocolate pudding. I know it seems silly since the Jello mix pudding is very good, especially if you add whipped cream, but there is something about homemade pudding that I just love. The smell is comforting, the fact that you have to stand there and stir it until it is thick and creamy--you cannot do anything else--well it makes you savor every bite. The recipe I got was from Every Day with Rachael Ray (hence the yum-o for the title) and it was delicious.


The photo is from the magazine. I added crushed chocolate peanut butter chip cookies on top of homemade whipped cream (no cool whip for me) and even though it was so rich, Rhett, Noah and I tried to eat every bite!

Here is the link to the recipe:
Chocolate Pudding Parfaits

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Did you watch Lost last night? Oh wow. You can so tell that Kate loved Jack. I think Sawyer knows it too. And as soon as I saw that bus from afar, I knew what was coming.

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I had forgotten to mention how excited I am about Harry Potter. Both the movie and the book are coming out this summer! Wow. I am a little sad that this will be the last book. But I so want to know what happens! And for fun, I want to tell you that about a month ago, Seth went into a cellular phone store and the guy that helped him was: Tom Riddle! He gave Seth a business card and Seth gave it to me. Isn't that cool?

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Today I am trying to finish cleaning house. I do that a lot it seems. But we are having company this weekend! I looked at the Weather Channel the other day and it said that we had a chance of snow/rain mix on Saturday and Rhett started bawling. He said, "I want it to be nice for Daddy's birthday! It won't be any fun for him if it snows!" Sweet boy. I told him it was just a small chance. Can you tell that we are all sick of winter? :)

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Have a great Thursday!

exciting stuff

...So by now you must know that Miss Oklahoma won the Miss America title. Well, obviously, Oklahoma is very proud. And they should be. It is the second year in a row for Miss Oklahoma to win and it is the centennial birthday so that makes it pretty neat.

However, the newspapers are really overplaying it. Read this hilarious snippet of an article titled, "Are we the fairest of them all?"

Mix some American Indian and pioneer heritage. Add a touch of crude oil and wheat, a dash of football and a pinch of red dirt. Stir vigourously with a tornado. There you have it--the recipe for beautiful women. Apparently.

(The Oklahoman)

And this was on the front page! Yes, it is fact that Oklahoma has the highest per-capita density of Miss Americas on the planet (also from the article). Add to the fact that Oklahoma has always done well in pageants mainly because they have a strong pageant system (great support from volunteers and sponsors). But they have someone quoted as saying that women are just prettier in the South, which includes Oklahoma.

Who knew that that "recipe" would create such beautiful people?

it's secret

...Scrapbook Tuesday is not gonna happen today because I am working on some things for some people's birthdays...and I'm too lazy to upload any other layouts right now. But my gallery is pretty much up to date in My Place on Scrapbook.com (link is to the right) so you can look at that if you really miss seeing my works of art. I know you do, don't you? :) Hee!

It is BEAUTIFUL outside (mid-60s) but it won't last. Winter is coming back later this week. Sigh.

A love note:
Noah wanted me to write a note for him that said, "Rhett, You have my heart. Love, Noah." How sweet right? So when Rhett saw it, he said, "You want to open yourself up and give me your heart?!" I told him that was an expression--Noah wanted to give him his love. Then Noah piped up: "Actually, Mom, I wanted to give him my heart necklace." (the one he made at church). Oh. Of course.

things i'm loving right now

...It is the month of love so here is a list (which I haven't done in a while) of the some of the things that I love because they make life easier, more fun, and happier.

*Adjustable tab jeans for boys: I love this! Rhett is so thin and long that most jeans do not fit him right. But someone smart invented adjustable tabs on the inside of the belt line in jeans, so you can pull on the tab and button it for a better fit. Now Rhett can wear a pair of size 6 jeans for the length and as long as I pull the tab to the last button, they fit! And even better, they don't look bad when the tab is pulled that much. Excellent!
*Noah's charming nature: Seth took the boys to a Super Bowl party last night. (I didn't go because I was really tired and had a headache coming on) Later, after the kids went to bed, Seth said that Noah is such a ladies man. When saying their good-byes, Noah went around Seth's co-worker's house and hugged and kissed every woman there. He said one woman that he hadn't met yet, after getting a smack on the cheek by Noah and a sweet hug, said, "He is the sweetest little boy! He just gave me a kiss!" Lots of ahhing. Seth said at least he wasn't shy. :)
*Sara Ivanhoe's Yoga Target Zone DVD: This dvd has 6 routines, just 20 minutes each and it is actually fun. This has helped me keep my goal I made at the beginning of the year to do yoga every day.
*the color-families of blue: I have noticed that I most of my scrapbook layouts have some tone of blue in them lately and you all know I painted my bathroom turquoise. It makes me happy, I guess!

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This is a start of a busy month for us. Rhett and Noah start Tae Kwon Do tomorrow, so I will let you know how that goes. At the end of the month they will begin soccer (Noah) and t-ball (Rhett) and they are looking forward to that as well.

I'm going to try to organize my closet today. You see that didn't make my list because I'm not looking forward to this at all. But it has to be done.

I gotta go take Rhett to the bus stop now. Which means I need to get something besides my pajamas on. Ha!

Have a great day!

no longer impressive

...My sons no longer think snow is a "wow" event. Yesterday, while in line to pick up Rhett from school, I pointed out to Noah that the snowflakes were just getting bigger and bigger. It was beautiful! Noah: yeah, mom. Then when I picked up Rhett, I was commenting on the snow-how big and beautiful- and his response: oh, yeah, uh-huh. I guess I should have expected it. We have had a snow event (that is really what it is because that is all that is on the news when it snows) every week for the past month! So it is only natural that they lose interest in the fact that it is snowing. Especially when they have to go to school. :)

Speaking of impressive, my husband celebrates his 30th birthday in a week and a half! His family is coming in for the occasion (and to also celebrate his mom's b-day too, which is 2 days later) so hopefully, the weather will cooperate (no snow, no freezing temps). Noah thinks his daddy will want a Batman cake. Rhett was adament that Seth would NOT want a Batman cake. R: He is a grown-up Noah! N: Rhett, he can have a Batman cake if he wants BECAUSE he is a grown-up! I think they are both right in a way.

Have a great Thursday!