Friday Confessional

I CONFESS that I've taken way too long of a hiatus from my confession time.

I CONFESS that I have been struggling with the blog lately. It used to be just about family stuff and I'm trying to move more into "mainstream" blogging.

I CONFESS, I don't know how to do that. I'm not a great writer like Evelyn or Grumpy Grateful Mom. I don't have a gift for the written word like them. I'm still trying to find my niche.

I CONFESS that I am about ready to sell my children - more specifically my two-year-old. Not really but you know what I mean. The kid has been going through the Terrible Two's and beyond. It is getting really out of hand and I'm reaching my limit. I even took him to a doctor about it. It think there is more to it than "Terrible Two's."

I CONFESS that people wouldn't listen to me or would just put me down. "Oh, he's fine. Suck it up." No, he's not fine. I took him to the doctor the other day and persisted in my pursuit of making this kid a happier kid. Finally, someone listened to me. We are getting him evaluated for speech therapy. People told me we couldn't start until he was 3. I don't want to wait that long! This kid is angry and I need to help him now. Anyway, we are finally moving forward. I sure hope it helps.

I CONFESS that I probably say too much on Facebook. I make general statements and sometimes people think I am talking about them. I certainly don't intend to hurt anyone. Sometimes I just need to vent and get it out of my system. Facebook seems to be the place for me to do that.

I CONFESS that I finished all 8 seasons of 24 last night. I CONFESS that I want to cry uncontrollably. Can't Jack just be happy?! Come on, people! Give the guy a better ending than that! Sheesh. Can I just say that I love Jack Bauer?!  I'd be his Teri/Audrey/Renee any day!

*Swoon!!!*  ;-)

What do you have to confess today? Click on the confession button above and join in! Tell Mamarazzi I sent ya!

We Want To Know Wednesday

Welcome to We Want to Know Q&A Wednesday
Hosted by Mamarazzi and Alicia aka Queso

{1} What is one thing (food or drink) that you MUST have everyday?

Yummy in my tummy! I must have Diet Dr. Pepper. It is what keeps me a sane and reasonably happy mommy and wife. :-)

{2} What is your "go to" food when you don't feel well/need comfort?

The first thing that I thought of was my mom's chicken and dumplings. Just the thought of them comforts me. I don't get them very often, so I cherish them when I do. I usually try to keep ice cream in the house, preferably mint chocolate chip or cookies 'n cream. Ice cream definitely soothes my soul.

{3} Is there a dish that you make that people request when they visit your home/a family favorite?

That would definitely be my mom's famous caramel brownies ... heaven in a pan, I tell you! :-)  Another often requested favorite is my mom's fudge. My cute cousin used to request her fudge all the time but didn't know what it was called. He asked for the soft brown stuff. So, that is what we call it now. Do you see a pattern forming here? My mom is definitely the good cook. She is a great provider of comfort .... food and emotional support as well!

{4} What are 3 foods you have TRIED and do not like and will NEVER eat again?

1 --  I have tried tomatoes on their own and I just don't like them. I can stand tomato sauce on pizza if it is applied sparingly. I just can't stand the acidity of them.

2  --  Mushrooms are just plain nasty in my book. I don't like the flavor and the texture really bothers me too.

3  --  Pure venison meat. I used to like deer meat that my dad would bring home from a hunting trip. However, it has been a long time since he did that. My brother-in-law gave us some elk meat and I made a meatloaf out of some of the ground meat. Way too strong! Ugh. It kind of killed my desire to ever eat venison again.

and our final question comes from Dee@ HomesickCajun

{5} What's one thing that you love to eat that most people would think is weird and/or gross?

I am a major fan on frosty's and french fries. People used to think it was disgusting but it seems to be trending for the last few years. I've been a french fry dipper from early childhood. Another thing I can thank my mom for! :-)  

Ever had Cheetos dipped in caramel? Sounds gross and weird but it is GOOD! 

We Want To Know Wednesday

Welcome to We Want to Know Q&A Wednesday
Hosted by Mamarazzi and Alicia aka Queso








We recently dropped our Satellite service. Finances just wouldn't allow it anymore. I thought I would die but I actually haven't. Thank heavens for Netflix. It fills the entertainment need. ;-) So my answers will be based on my current situation.


{1} What is your MUST SEE show?
My must see on Netflix, at the moment, is 24. I'm on Season 7!  When we had TV, my must see was Top Chef! I LURVE that show!

{2} What shows are you most excited to watch this season?
I wish that I could be watching America's Next Top Model .... hey, don't judge! ;-)  As soon as I finish up 24, I'm going to start watching Glee. I've seen a couple episodes and I like it so far!

{3} How many hours a week do you actually watch TV?
Way too much. I really need to get a life beyond the television. Ugh.

{4} Do you think TV has gotten too "racy" (vulgar, pushing the limit, etc) ?
Absolutely. It is frightening what you see on some shows. I'm not going to name any specifics though. Everyone has the right to watch what they want. My fear is my children stumbling upon these things. Not only are the shows vulgar or racy, they are becoming a lot more violent.

{5} How many TVs do you have in your house?
We only have one and I plan on leaving it that way. However, I've been watching Netflix on my laptop so I guess you could say we have two. Darn, I just broke my rule!

Curse of the Pink Eye

Our home was bombarded by germs the past week. Those weasely little buggers climbed right in and took over. As Stephanie Tanner would say, HOW RUDE!

 

Anyway, the germs crept up on J first. He got a nasty cold and lost his voice. I haven't heard him squeak like that is ages! It was kind of funny .... for a minute.

Then the germs found their way into P's eyes. Of course, the pink eye manifested on a school morning. See, P is in kindergarten. He goes all day on Tuesday and Thursday and every other Monday. Don't ask me why. I think it is stupid. Just send the kid everyday for half a day! Sheesh.  Okay, sorry for that tangent, let me get back to my story. This was our very first experience with pink eye and I wasn't sure if it was or not. I took a picture on my cell phone and texted it to my buddy, Evelyn. Dr. Evelyn is quite knowledgeable on the pink eye curse due to the fact that she has four kids, two of which go to public school. Dr. Evelyn concurred with my finding and suggest immediate care.

I kept the boy home from school .... he was not pleased, to say the least. We got into the doctors and got the eye drops. I totally expected it to be a major fight to get the drops into his eyes. Amazingly enough, he hasn't fought at all. He has done quite well. It also helps that I told him he wouldn't be able to go back to school until he let me do drops for several days. Worked like a charm. :-)

The pink eye seemed to get better really fast. J's voice was back and we thought we were in the clear. Boy, was I wrong. The germs were not so happy about getting evicted from our home. They burst in with full force and managed to infect both of J's eyes and are starting to attack the baby boy, E. No pink eye for the little one ... yet. I'm not going to hold my breath. For now, he is beginning the cough. He even refused to eat lunch. Yeah, something is definitely wrong. Poor bub. The ointment medicine the doc prescribed the hubby doesn't seem to be working ... at least not as fast. He is one miserable guy. Ugh, let's hope we can evicted these little buggers soon. By the way, you may want to stay away from the Lind residence for a while.

Got My BLUE On!

I received my blog swap package today!!! I got so excited when the mailman knocked on my door! I took the package and ran for my camera. Unfortunately, the battery was dead .... LAME!  I tried to wait for the battery to charge but I just couldn't. I decided cell phone pics will just have to do. ;-)

Some cute cards and a magnet that my boys will love!

Hot cocoa that I can sip while I give myself a pedicure!!!  There is also a CTR (Choose The Right) lanyard! 

I am so excited about this necklace! I serve with the Young Women and I can't wait to wear it!

My boys are gonna love this cute fish mold! I see fishy ice cubes in the near future!

I never knew that they made a Cookies n Cream jello pudding! I cannot wait to try it!

Mmmmm ..... chocolate! The other present is a cute little notepad. I should have taken the plastic off.

Oh my goodness, look at the cute little bag! SQUEEEE!  Love it!

I got a pretty blue bracelet, some gum, blue pens, and some blue ribbon! 

Check out the cute flower. I also got a nice bath scrubber. I can't wait to use it.

(How in the heck do you spell loofa? )

Check out all that chocolate goodness! YUM! I totally hid all of this so none of the boys (grown and small) can find it. It. Is. Mine.!!! ;-)

Here is a pic of all the wonderful stuff together! 

Wanna see what I sent Jessica G?  I think you do! ;-)

Click here and go check out her out!  I think we are kindred spirits! I can't wait to get to know her more!

We're already Facebook buddies! :-)

We Want To Know Wednesday

Welcome to We Want to Know Q&A Wednesday
Hosted by Mamarazzi and Alicia aka Queso







{1} What are 3 must haves for a long road trip?

{2} What was the destination of your most recent road trip?
Our last road trip was Sunday. My nephew was receiving his Eagle Scout award. If you are talking about a trip that last longer than a day, then our last trip was to Denver, CO last summer. ..... yeah, we don't get out much.

{3} What do you miss most about home when on a trip?
I definitely miss my bed and my pillow. I also miss my mom. Yes, I'm a mama's girl and I'm proud of it! :-)

{4} What is the furthest you have traveled on a road trip?
I believe I had been out of high school for a year. My parents and I drove from Eastern Idaho to Northern Indiana. We drove all the way to the Mississippi River. We stayed the night in a hotel and continued our drive to Indiana with a short detour to Nauvoo, Illinois! It was a long trip trip but it was great! I was so excited to see my family who lived there. We also got to tour around Chicago too. It was awesome!

{5} Will you "stop for the largest ball of twine, etc" or are you a "hurry and get there" road tripper?
Before kids, I would have stopped and smelled the roses along the way. Since I've had kids, I just want to get there and NOW! The best investment I ever made was a duel screen portable DVD player. We used that to keep the kids occupied on our trip to Denver last summer. If it weren't for that little bit of heaven, I don't think any of us would have survived the trip. ;-)

We Want To Know Wednesday

Welcome to We Want to Know Q&A Wednesday
Hosted by Mamarazzi and Alicia aka Queso







This week's questions are from Queso


1. What is your favorite holiday?
I've always loved Christmas. Even though I work retail and every other holiday, I get Christmas day off! It is nice. I love the chance to be with family and eat yummy food. I, of course, enjoy receiving presents but I really enjoy giving them too!

2. Do you have any fun holiday traditions? What are they?
When I was young, my parents and I would go for a drive on Christmas Eve and look at all the Christmas lights. I really enjoyed it. J and I don't really have traditions that we've set it place. We still spend time with our families and I really enjoy it!

3. When do you start Christmas shopping?
I'd like to say that I am very organized and start shopping in February but that is a complete lie. I usually start around the end of November and scramble all the way until the week before Christmas. I at least finish a week before Christmas because I REFUSE to go shopping the week before. It is too crazy and, honestly, the crowds scare me to death.

4. What is your favorite holiday food?
I have to pick JUST one?!?! My mom makes a divine fudge that I really enjoy. She has pictures of me licking the pan on Christmas morning .... from a couple of years ago. :-)  Yes, I'm a big kid at heart.  My mother-in-law makes a mean twice baked potato that I really look forward too. My aunt, Jenny, makes an awesome potato salad that I love too. Once we were having a morning brunch for a celebration of the birth of P and I totally requested that she bring her potato salad. It didn't really fit into the scheme of brunch but I didn't care. It is THAT good!

5. Share a favorite childhood holiday memory.
I'm going to switch gears and talk about Halloween. My parents and I used to grow a large garden. One year, my parents and I decided to see how big of a pumpkin we could grow. Once there were about four pumpkin blooms, we removed any others that formed. That way all the water and nutrients went to those four pumpkins. Once fully grown they weighed 70-90 pounds! We entered them into the Eastern Idaho State Fair and won some ribbons! It was fun!  When we brought them home from the fair we decorated them. Instead of carving them, we painted cool pictures on them. We lived on a very busy street and our pumpkins would always get smashed by idiotic, stupid thugs kids. We felt fairly safe putting the large pumpkins out because they were too heavy. Those awesome pumpkins survived their time on the porch! It was fun.

6. Have you ever actually tried fruitcake?
Um, I think I may have taken a nibble of some but not really. I was and still kind of am a picky eater. Just looking at bread with chunks of dried fruit made me squirm.

I Can't Breathe!

I can't breathe!!  Where has the time gone?  P started kindergarten today. 

He was so stinkin' excited! Luckily, he slept last night. I was worried he wouldn't.

This picture absolutely kills me. He really was excited and smiled & waved goodbye when the bus drove away. I sure hope he has fun!  I know he will!