How to Blog...

Computer on: check
Digital camera charged: check
Coffee at hand: check
Kids off to school: check
Now you're ready to blog! Just go to blogger.com and get started!

Lots of people who read my blog think I must be a computer expert. NOT! But once Joe taught me how to download photos from my camera onto my laptop, and added a music player onto my blog, I pretty much had it from there. I wish my blog was as cute as some of the others that I have seen (yes, I'm talking about you, "Three Little Indians"), but for now it's the best that I can do. I love that people look at my pics and read my posts, if only to catch up on what's going on in my extremely interesting life (LOL).

I hope I can stay faithful to posting during the summer months...life will be even crazier with my whole family being off for the summer! I'm hoping Joe will decide after the first month to go find a part time job...otherwise, I'll be picking up some hours at the hospital :) We'll see. Only 1 1/2 months of school left; my kids are out on the 31st of May, and they are counting down the days!

Going to go fix lunch and prepare for my stamp camp...enjoy the last warm day for awhile! And stay dry!

Laundry Help?

How do they come up with these crazy ideas? This was Gabe's version of "helping" me with laundry...I'm pretty sure my closet rods are not strong enough to handle these hangers :)

Not much to say today (who, me? I know what you're thinking...you just hush!). I'm trying to come up with good card ideas for my next Stamp Camp, which will include a mix of experienced stampers and people who have never done it before. It's hard to find cards that won't be too simple or too frustrating...hmm, better spend some time on www.splitcoaststampers.com and see what I can come up with. I have an event this Sunday with a co-worker, and then a camp at my house on the 20th. If anyone is interested, give me a call or drop me a line. You can leave a comment here, or email me if you have my address. I promise they will be adorable, no matter what I decide. Spring is the theme, and I have lots of cute spring stamps and paper. I still have to get downstairs to my scrappin' room and unpack from the weekend. The weather has just been too darn nice to stay inside, and I worked most of the day yesterday (12n to 8p).

Hope to see some of you at Stamp Camp. For those of you who can't make it, I'll post some pics of the cards we made so you can copy them if you want. Have a great day!

My New "Do" and Cottage pics

Okay, I can't stand it, the housework can wait...here are the pics I promised. Michelle and I had so much fun this weekend...we can't wait to do it again! I did not get as much accomplished as I had hoped (my goal was three scrapbooks completed; I didn't even finish one). It was hard to get too much done with all the eating that was going on! Breakfast at 9, lunch at noon, tea at 4, dinner at 7, snacks at 10. I haven't eaten that much in months! But, boy, was it good...chicken marsala, french toast with apples, quiche, chocolate cake, lasagna, yummy bread, lots of salad and fresh fruit, and lots and lots of fresh-brewed coffee. Are you hungry yet? Anyway, it was the perfect getaway for two friends/sisters to reconnect and laugh and scrapbook to our hearts' content. We met some great people (three other nurses at our tables!), and one of the girls even lives close-by and is coming to my next stamp camp. I love it! Enjoy looking at the pics. By the way, the first one is of my new hair-do. I got all my hair chopped on Friday before leaving for the retreat, and I love not having to mess with it too much. A great spring do, if you ask me.



Michelle and I out front of the "cottage". Love this cute sign. People were honking at us as they drove by...clearly, not too much excitement going on in Richmond, IN, if this was a good time for them :)

Our scrappin' "ballroom"...all the rooms were beautifully decorated and well-lit.

Tea party time...

While we were downstairs at the tea party, our hostess put pearl necklaces on each of our scrapbook tables, along with an invitation to a "Pearls and PJs" dinner party. When we came down to dinner, these hats were at our chairs. We all had a great time that night!

The other three nurses at the cottage. We had so much fun sharing our "gross-est" stories, and I was designated the official spell-checker of our group. Merry Chirstmas, Lisa!

Michelle and I can't wait to go back, but it will have to be next year before we have enough time and money to return. My kids missed me like crazy, but thanks to everyone's prayers, they survived the weekend with their dad (although there was a minor flood due to a stopped-up toilet due to an unattended three-year-old; I'm not naming any names, but...). My totes are still waiting to be unpacked, but it's supposed to be 70 degrees and sunny today, so I think they will have to wait until the rain comes tomorrow. Enjoy your day, and thanks for looking!

I'm Back!

I'm back from my weekend, and I can't wait to share my pics with you! However, I have about a million things to do before I can even think about finding my camera and downloading the photos onto my computer. The kids need to be fed, lunches need to be packed, the puppy taken out, the dishes done, the laundry started, my floors swept, and I have to get to the gym to work off the extra pounds I put on eating all that delicious food! So...I promise that I will get to it later today, when Gabe is napping and I have put a dent in my to-do list. Really, I promise!

Sisters and Weekend getaway

These are the most recent pics I have of me and my big sisters (not big, just older). Rhonda in the middle, Michelle on the right. I am so excited today! At 3pm, I am packing up my van full of my scrapbooking supplies and heading over to get Michelle, and then we are driving to Richmond, IN, for our scrappin' weekend! Yay! I have all my albums organized and my goal is to get two of them completed. I am WAY behind on pictures, so I hope I can do it. Any which way, I know we will have a great time together. I am so blessed to have these women in my life...they have loved me since I was born, and have spoiled me rotten with love and attention ever since. Michelle was 9 years old when Mom had me, and she was the little momma (kinda like Isabel with Gabe). She has always been my rock...there for me in a minute, no matter what was going on in her life. I am so glad we have some similar interests, because it gets us together often enough to not lose that closeness.

Pray for my husband and my babies that they survive the weekend without me :)

I'll post some pics when I get back.

Backyard Break

Driving to the YMCA for my workout yesterday, Gabe was in the backseat hollering "SUNSHINE!" over and over. Yes, indeed, we had an entire day of sunshine, though the temp was only 50 degrees (I'm not complaining, really, just wishing for sun and say, seventy degrees?). Anyway, after a fun Cracker Barrel lunch with Mamaw Kay, we headed to our backyard and played and played. Gabe was in the modeling mood, telling me to "take a pitcher" on everything different thing he did. He is so freakin' cute, and those of you who know me, know the rest of the sentence..."it saves his life". Gabe is my busiest baby by far; I just hope he settles down enough to do well in school. He is adorable, sweet, funny and so loving and friendly to everyone, but wow, does he keep me on my toes! Trying to get housework done this past Monday was like climbing Mt.Everest with a three-year-old on my back, know what I mean? I was the meanest mommy ever by 4pm, yelling and ready to cry myself. That being said, I was determined to have a FUN day yesterday, and for the most part, it worked out just fine. No time outs, no yelling, just laughing and talking and hugging and playing. Today, more housework. Gabe woke up in a river of pee, despite the overnight pull-up, so I've already done a load of laundry, packed lunches, cooked breakfast and got the older kids off to school. A cup of coffee and my computer, with Dora on in the background...my day has begun. Remember sleeping in until 10am on your days off? Those days are so gone they don't even seem real. Strange how kids can totally change your life, isn't it? Not that I would have it any other way! Really, I wouldn't!

Hope your day is filled with more fun and less pee-soaked laundry than mine :)

Catching Up...

Catching up on some pictures from March...I've been busy getting organized and ready for my scrapbooking retreat, so I have neglected my blog in the process. I so enjoy looking at other blogs, seeing pictures of cute babies and families, and realizing that my crazy life is just as nuts as many others out there. Isn't it good to know you're not alone? Do I hear an "amen"? Anyway, here are some pics from Easter and just some fun ones of the kids. More to come soon.



Easter morning, Gabe with his "CHEESE" smile!

Elijah loved his "baseball" Easter basket, filled with everything baseball. His fave: new batting gloves and finding the piece of gum in the pack of baseball cards.

Isabel looking adorable, loving her basket, too. I put new barrettes, lip gloss, bubble gum, nail polish and notecards in it. Oh, and a chocolate bunny, since she is my only kid who really likes chocolate.

Gabe is really excited to play baseball...he found Elijah's old Mets hat from last year, and was ready to PLAY BALL! That baby can hit a pitched ball at the ripe old age of three! Joe's mom says he was the same way at that age. They definitely don't get it from me!

Easter egg hunt at our church, with Elijah's friend, Aaron. What the heck is Gabe doing, anyway?!

Gabe was the first preschooler out the door on the way to the egg hunt. I love how he's looking at Miss Jenny (and check out the huge mound of snow still on the ground)!

Have a great day!