NEED A VACATION FROM THE EVERY DAY? LOOK NO FURTHER.......

Need a vacation from your every day stresses or just a little time to yourself? Doesn't a trip sound wonderful? Don't have the money? You would be amazed how cheap a little time away could be........if you just look in the closet or visit the library...... "Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book."

~Author Unknown

No, reading is not just for nerds and it can actually be a pleasant experience. "I LOVE to read" is an understatement. You can travel to places you never would have imagined. Even if it's just a few minutes a night after the kids are in bed, you can enjoy some time for yourself. If it has been awhile, look online or ask some friends what good books are out there. I have had wonderful suggestions from some of my friends like my sister Jessica, Sherry, Nicole, Mandy and my mother-in-law too! They seem to like some of the same reads that I do.

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."

~Mark Twain, attributed

You don't have to spend a lot of money on a good book. There are libraries in every town that are full of them. Some you can reserve titles online and pick them up, there are book drops outside and best of all a library card is free. Take your kids with you, what better example do you think you could be setting? Sydney has fallen in love with reading and I am just "tickled to death"! You can check books out for 3 weeks at a time and if you are not finished you can check it out again. You may have to go by or you may be able to call and check it out again by phone or online. This is much cheaper that buying books. You can also borrow books for your friends, but be sure to take good care of them so your friends will let you borrow again in the future!

Also, you don't have to go for the same type of book every time. For instance, if you read my blog you are well aware that I like books in the vampire genre. I am reading book 5 of "The Morganville Vampires" series right now, but that isn't all I like to read. Expand your mind! There are so many types of books you can read it is amazing. If you want to read all romance novels, by all means do so, do what makes you happy. If you don't like to read, don't torture yourself!

I have decided that in case anyone is interested, I will mention book titles from time to time in my blog just in case someone needs a good reading suggestion. If you know of a great book, send me a message and I will share it on my blog.

My first suggestion is:

THE HOST by Stephenie Meyer

This book is described as science fiction for people who do not like science fiction. Yes, this is the same person that wrote the young adult Twilight Saga, but do not let this turn you off, this is her first adult novel. I actually would never have thought it was the same author. This novel was a very pleasant surprise after reading the Twilight Saga. I would definitely read it again and probably will in the near future. I could not put it down. Here is a description for you:

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away.
Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.
When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.

"My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter." ~Thomas Helm

(This is so true! I love it when this happens and hate it all at the same time!)

HAPPY READING EVERYONE!

HOUSEPLANTS WITH KIDS AND SPIDERS??!!

As a parent I try to be safe and aware of everything that is going on with my kids. Sometimes we need to be reminded of the smallest things. One of these pretty plants made it's way into my home but is definitely on the way out, thanks to my sister Jessica for paying attention. Isn't this a pretty vine? Remember my earlier post when Sydney and I potted some small plants in the kitchen one afternoon? The English Ivy plant, or also known as "California Fan" was one of those plants. My sister Jessica had just gotten one of these also. They are very pretty.
Well, Jessica called me today and let me know that I needed to check my plant. Apparently this plant has a very good chance of getting "spider mites". Also, this is a very poisonous plant to humans and animals. I had thrown away most of my plants or killed them when Sydney was a baby, but I have 3 that I have had for about 8 years. I didn't pay attention to the types when I was buying them a few weeks ago, if they were cute I got them. Bad idea.

A couple of weeks ago Rachel decided to lick a plant at Jessica's. She has never done this at home, that I am aware of, so that means that she probably has. I have put this plant outside for now and may hang it in a tree away from Rachel, we'll see. Please check all of your plants if you have indoor animals or small children, a simple google search will give you all the information you need. I am going to include some information on this particular English Ivy or "California Fan" plant. Common names - Common English Ivy
Botanical name- Hedera helix
Poisonous part- Leaves

This vine is grown both as an indoor and outdoor ornamental and it has caused poisoning in cattle, dogs, sheep, and humans. Symptoms of ingestion are difficulty in breathing, convulsions, vomiting, paralysis and coma. Dermatitis is rare but can be severe with weeping blisters which respond slowly to treatment. The berries are bitter so it's unlikely children will consume them in large quantities.

The English Ivy is a common houseplant that can be kept as an indoor or outdoor plant. Although the basic care is quite simple, they are at risk for developing spider mites, which can cause extensive damage to the plant.

Once spider mites infest an English Ivy plant, they will suck out the sap inside the plant's tissues. They will then inject toxin into the leaves, which causes them to become yellow and dry.

PLEASE CHECK ALL OF YOUR PLANTS FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR KIDS AND ANIMALS!

UNPLANNED ADVENTURES

Today my friend Julia said this on Facebook "Sometimes, the best adventures are the ones you don't plan." This is so true. Last October we woke up one morning and I said to Jason "Hey, let's go somewhere. Lets call your Grandma and my Grandma and take them to Oak Island." We had been wanting to go but never took the time. Jason's Grandma had never seen a lighthouse before and Oak Island had the only one that Jason and I had not seen in NC. We called everyone and said "be ready in an hour!" We drove to Fort Fisher and had a picnic on the beach, then we rode the ferry over and played on the beach in front of the lighthouse. Sydney and Rachel thought it was so cool to go on a day trip with both Grandma's. They has the best time singing in the car.

I have a couple of day trips planned for the girls this year but with no specific dates. I think I will keep it a secret until the morning we are leaving each time. I will know when we are going, but it will be fun for them when they wake up on a new adventure that they weren't expecting!

"THE ETERNAL KISS"

"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb."
"What a stupid lamb"
"What a sick, masochistic lion"

“You're like my own personal brand of heroin,”

Okay, so if you know me at all you have to know that I read the Twilight Saga, all four books, by Stephenie Meyer last year and absolutely fell in love with them. I absolutely LOVE vampire books and vampire movies. I always have, so I'm like a kid in a candy store with all of these books and movies that have been coming out. Yes, these are in the young adult section but I will also say that no 12-15 year old of mine will ever read these books. That is a little too young. Maybe not for the first book, but when we start breaking headboards and stuff like that, you need to be a little older..... With that said, you can find some great books in the young adult section so I tend not to look in only one section at all.

My sister Shannon said she is going to scream if she hears one more advertisement today that "New Moon" is releasing on DVD tonight at midnight, so I just has to send her a message on Facebook to remind her, one more time...lol. I have not bought Twilight and I am not going to buy New Moon, I want to wait until they have made all the movies and come out with a box set. If I buy them now they will come out with something great later and I will still but it anyway, so.

My DVR has been so empty lately and I have been reading a lot, I am still reading The Morganville Vampires, I am on book four. But some of my favorite bloodsucking shows are returning soon! yay!

The Vampire Diaries returns.

This Thursday night at 8pm.

Stefan and Elena are worried about Damon......

This Sunday night begins reruns of True Blood season 2 so everyone can get a refresher before Season 3 begins on June 13, 2010

If I don't answer the phone, leave a message, my DVR is about to be full.....

BLOG # 31

Well, I had to name this BLOG # 31 instead of DAY 30 OF MY BLOG due to my failed internet connection Saturday night and because on day 1 I made 2 entries. Either way I am still proud that I finished it. I have enjoyed writing this blog and would like to thank everyone that has been reading it. I am definitely going to continue my blog although I may not have an entry every single day, or I may, I have not decided yet.

When I first started this blog this is what I posted on the front page:

"Through my blog I plan to have "me time" which is something mommies lack a great deal of. I plan to use my blog as a stress reliever, to get things off my mind. I don't really care if anyone reads it or doesn't. Subject matter will definitely vary due to my current adventures. I am only dedicating myself to 30 days to start off with and see how this new adventure pans out for me! At the end you may think I should be institutionalized. If you already think you know me...we'll see."

I have definitely had the "me time" that I was looking for and it has helped to get things off of my mind and put them out here for other people to read and give feedback. Thank you for all of your comments on blogger.com and my Facebook page. I will continue to add the link to Facebook when I make an entry.

My question for you is, do you think you found out anything new about me or did you know everything all along?

UPDATES

In one of my previous blog I mentioned my tendency to buy way too many clothes and I am glad to say that I have not been doing that this month. With all of those gorgeous spring clothes out it has been a little difficult not to just snatch them up. I still need to go through Sydney's old clothes that I put away to see what Rachel can wear before I buy anything. If I go ahead and buy a bunch of stuff I will probably find a ton of stuff in my closet and something will go unused.

On 3/10 my post was called GETTING BACK ON THE WAGON. Well I just realized that 3/10 was 6 days ago and I still have not gotten on that treadmill. What has been keeping me from it this last week. Just me, I've gotta make myself so it. I really enjoyed it before and I will again. I have got to MAKE the time for it. I have no excuse, I'm a stay at home mom! Not to say that we're not busy because we are! I know what people think about stay at home moms because I have been there. But this is definitely a topic for another day!

I am taking Sydney this afternoon to sign up for baseball, thus beginning our busy spring/summer schedule. :)

IT PAYS TO SAVE

My sister Shannon has went coupon crazy, or so I thought! She may actually be onto something. I use coupons sometimes but there are actually people out there that are expert couponers. Shannon is on her way to "expert couponer status". She kind of got me restarted (if that's a word) on coupons. Like I said I use them sometimes, but in the past 2 months I have started using them more. Getting the paper every Sunday is a start. I get 2 most of the time. You can also go to coupons.com and print out coupons that Food Lion, Wal-Mart and all the other store accept. I have been going through them each time I go to the store to see if there are any coupons for the items I need. I don't use them just because I have them or they will not save me anything. This morning Rachel and I made a trip to WalMart after we took Sydney to school. We needed to get some groceries, Rachel's training pants and I picked up some Easter stuff. I went through my coupons and at the checkout I saved $30 off of my bill of $200.00 with my coupons. During the month of February I saved over $100.00 by doing this. If your money is tight or not it's worth it to try it. You can spend the money you saved on something else. Why pay full price if you don't have to? If you have kids it really pays to use them on diapers, wipes, toys, you can even find Gerber coupons for baby clothing items.

This is a website where you can buy coupons for about .05 cents each, http://thecouponcutters.com/, if it's a good coupon it's worth it. Shannon and I use ALL H.E. detergent, it was on sale for $3.99 at Wal-Mart down from $5.99 , after the coupon we paid $2.00 a bottle. We both stocked up with this deal. There are also a lot of coupons also that say "any size" and you can get a ton of free items this way or if you wait for something to go on sale. For instance, Shannon had Gillette Mach3 razor coupons for $4 each and Target had theirs on sale for $4.99 she got the razors with refills for .99 cents each. She also got $2.00 snuggle dryer sheets coupons from this website. The small box is $1.97 at Wal-Mart and she ended up getting 18 boxes of Snuggle dryer sheets for free.

http://thecouponcutters.com/

There is a great website hip2save http://hip2save.com/, this lady posts deals every day, freebies, coupon deals and deals that she finds at online stores as well. I love her site. She also has a tutorial for people that are new to coupons.

It really doesn't take much time to do this. Shannon has a binder to keep hers organized and I just keep mine in a box on the kitchen counter. Just think, if I save this every month and put it to the side I could pay for the kids Christmas or even use it on vacation or whatever I want. You should try it, you would be amazed at how much money you can save.

Shannon has actually started getting so much stuff that Mama, Jessica and I have started shopping in her pantry!

SHORT OF MY GOAL, BUT NOT GIVING UP

Well tomorrow was supposed to be day 30 of my blog. I have been waiting for tomorrow so that I could say I completed my goal of challenging myself to a 30 day blog. As you can see, there is no post for yesterday. I almost forgot about it until late last night. I tried to sign on at 11:45, barely getting it in by the deadline of midnight for yesterday's post. My internet connection failed. I waited until 12:45 and kept trying to get it to connect, but it was no use. I went to bed. Technically it was after midnight anyway so I wouldn't have made my post at that point. This morning the internet is working just fine. I am going to push day 30 to Tuesday instead of tomorrow so that I will still get in 30 days even though I fell short by missing yesterday.

Next I would like to ask anyone reading this blog if they think I should continue to write it. I have really enjoyed it even though I feel in the last week I have rushed it a little. Please give me some feedback.

My sister-in-law Amber came last night and brought "Baby Maegan", this is what Rachel calls her. Babies are such a sweet gift. I don't know how anyone could ever mistreat them. If you have children in your life, don't forget what a blessing they are.

WE ARE ALL HUMAN

When I first started this blog I said I was going to use it as a stress reliever. Today is the most perfect day for that. Today I was told by someone that they hated me, that I thought I was better than everyone else, they were so sick of me, they had hated me for years and above all again I think I am better than everyone else. This was repeated several times. There was a lot of profanity and unnecessary words I do not care to use in this blog.

Well first I would like to say I wish I had been let in on this info years ago and I could have saved myself a lot of headaches and unwanted stress.

Second I would like to say that I do not and have never thought that I am better than anyone else. If anyone has ever gotten this impression of me I would like to apologize. I feel that we are all human and we are equal. Some have it worse than others. No one life is more important to me than another. I try to do the best I can and help everyone I can.

Third I would like to say that I know this person will come back later and say they didn't mean any of it, they were mad and don't know what they are saying when they are mad. Well, you know what, I will NEVER forget it. I am sure all of these things were honest and the truth and I can deal with that. You should never say things if you will want to take them back later. Think before you speak. Yes, it did hurt my feelings and I did cry. It also opened my eyes. I have tried to help this person all I can. I can stop trying now and not feel guilty about it. I owe this person nothing, I did my best and that is the end of that and I still do not feel I am better than anyone. This person doesn't really know me at all if that is what they think.

Fourth, there are consequences for the actions you take. No I am not threatening anyone, only maybe to never talk to them again. I do not need this nonsense in my life or the life of my girls. That is my job, to protect them and make sure they have healthy and happy lives.

Just in case it crossed your mind, no, this person is not my husband, he would never talk to me that way. He respects and loves me. I do not feel it is important to blast this person by name, I know who they are and feel comfortable in my decision to move on knowing I did what I could to help this person. Some people just can not be helped and you can not help them if they are not willing to help themselves.

Thank you to all my friends for listening.

KNOW HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Well it has been brought to my attention that some of my recent entries in this blog have been kind of angry and I feel even rushed. I am SO tired today I am even kind of dreading having to do an entry today. It's only 8:12 and I feel like it's 2am. I only have a few days left to finish my 30 day challenge. I do not want to rush my entries or just post something for the sake of getting it over with.

I have heard so many stories on the news in the last few days about home invasions and gun accidents. I would like to encourage all women to know how to use a handgun. Everyone needs to be able to protect themselves. If you have small children you need a gun cabinet. Everyone should also take a safety course. I have guns but I know how to use them and I have them locked away from my kids. If you don't know what you are doing or are scared to use a firearm you are probably going to hurt someone that you don't intend to hurt. I hope that I never have to use mine against someone but I feel that I need to be able to protect myself and my family if the need should present itself. So far my only victims have been a couple of snakes and I hope it stays that way.

GETTING BACK ON THE WAGON!

The weather outside yesterday was absolutely gorgeous. While Sydney was at school Rachel and I played outside and blew bubbles. After Sydney got home we went back out to play on the swing set, blow bubbles and play with the puppies. Hopefully this afternoon will be just as nice. We are going to eat dinner with Jason's mom and his stepdad this afternoon. We try to spend as much time with family as we can but sometimes that's hard with his schedule and Sydney in school, but we try to make the best of the time we do have when everyone is home.

Before I had Rachel I was trying to lose weight. I set my mind to it and just did it. It was going really well. I lost 40 pounds dieting and exercising. I had to sell my bicycle to make room in the nursery but I did keep my treadmill. Today I am getting back on it. Yes, Rachel is 2 years old, but better late than never! When I was exercising every day I felt so much better and had so much energy. I need energy to keep up with these kids! I've got the time to do it so I have just got to set my mind to it and do it every day and stop putting it off! I would just get me a regular bike because I live them, but if you know me you know that a bicycle is an accident waiting to happen. No more hospital trips for me. I need a stationary bike! LOL!

JUST THINK ABOUT IT

Have you ever wondered how much you really know about someone? Maybe a relative? Maybe someone you live with every day? Do you ever wonder what is going on in their mind or what they are thinking? If everyone had a blog do you think that you would still like them? If everyone was really honest in their blog it may surprise you how well you DON'T know them and if you would even want to be associated with them at all.


Do you ever think to yourself, "this person is crazy!" I do, about a lot of people, people just do things that I would say are insane. Watching the news can give you a good dose of this. Sometimes your relatives can too... Sometimes I just wonder....

"Is it possible for there to be this many people in the world that are crazy or am I crazy and I just think it's everyone else?"

That statement alone may cause anyone that is reading this blog to think to their self "Is she crazy?"

Just something to think about.


I watched an episode of HOUSE today where this girl was just obsessed with her blog and put every single thing about her personal life online. Even everything her doctor would say and wanted her viewers to give her advice on what health decisions to make. Definitely a little too much for me. Don't get me wrong, I think a blog is a good thing, but it can go too far if you let it.

RESPONSIBILITY

Why is it that some people never grow up? They never take responsibility for their actions and just rely on other people to clean up their mess? I am 31 years old and I feel like I am more responsible than some 40 and 50 year olds I know, not to mention a few 30 year olds. Even worse, some people want to keep their nose in your business all the time instead of taking care of their own business. Don't try to run my life when yours is falling apart.

With all of that said, I am so glad we had a great weekend for Sydney's birthday. The weather was nice Saturday and we were able to play on the beach. The girls had a wonderful weekend and we needed the family time.

Some of you may or may not know that Jason's stepdad has cancer. He has been battling it on and off now for over 4 years. Jason has went with Harry (his stepdad) and his mom to a doctors appointment in Winston Salem today. It is now at the point that all of his options are expended except for radiation which he will be starting in the coming days. Please keep Harry and Teresa in your prayers.

TORTURE

The only thing I have to say tonight is that it's really hard watching someone you love be tortured. I will go into detail at a later time, but someone I know is going through a very hard time and I just don't know exactly what I want to say about it right now. It is torture for this person watching someone they love that is sick day in and day out, knowing that the road is only going to get worse very quick, yet this person is being so strong on the outside and I know they are being torn apart on the inside. It's like your hands are tied in these situations and you can only watch and really do nothing to help.

RELAXING AT THE BEACH

Okay, so RELAXING AT THE BEACH may not be entirely truthful with a 2 and a 7 year old, but we are having fun! I am having a hard time tearing myself away from Jason and the girls to do this post tonight. We just came up from the pool and the girls are not in bed yet. It's definitely true what they say, time does fly when you're having fun.

This weekend has definitely been a great success. Even though Sydney peeked at her presents earlier this week, she has had a wonderful time and was thrilled with the presents just the same. Yesterday we went to the pier, then swimming in the pool and to Pizza Hut for dinner. We came back to the room and had a little party with cake and presents. Today we went to the park, to Broadway at the Beach to feed the fish and the ducks, we actually got to play in the sand today because it was SO nice on the beach, then to a park on the beach to play, we went shopping at Tanger Outlets, to TGI Fridays for dinner and then back to the pool again tonight. The girls are so tired I am surprised they are still awake. We have had such a good trip and definitely needed the family time, just the 4 of us.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful weekend and I am going to go get in a few more minutes with Jason and the girls before I have to pack things up to head home tomorrow!

FLY SWATTER

Well, for some reason my kids are having a hard time listening to me lately and doing what I say. I have found myself repeating what I say about 10 times and this is very annoying. Jason has even said, "you're yelling a lot lately." I have also found that if I raise my voice it scares them into doing whatever they were supposed to do in the first place. I do not want to yell at them but this has gotten out of hand. I have found only 1 weapon. THE FLY SWATTER. They are absolutely terrified of it. I don't even have to use is, just threaten to use it or even just show it to them and they are up and moving like busy little bees as hard as they can.

This reminds me that a friend of mine once told me that she has a yard stick. She doesn't spank her kids with it either. She said that she's just not going to strain her voice. She hits the kitchen bar with the yard stick and her kids just straighten right up. I don't know how long it will last, but right now it's all that's working for me, so I'm going to use it while I can and at least I'm not yelling at them. Got any better suggestions, please let me know!

THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS AS THEY APPEAR

Yesterday I went to the Dollar Tree to get some flower pots, thanks for the tip Jessica. They have some really cute ceramic flower pots with a shiny glaze on them this year as well as other gardening materials. They have hand tools, gardening gloves, flower pots, hummingbird feeders, paving stones, seeds and a bunch of other stuff. Rachel and I then went to Wal-Mart and got some small plants and potting soil. It was messy outside so Sydney and I potted the plants in the kitchen after school. A little messy, but fun all the same.

Seeing the hummingbird feeders reminded me of a really funny story from last summer. Maybe you had to just be there but to me it was hilarious. My daddy was at my uncle Ivey's and decided to walk home (because he got mad and wanted to be alone). It was one of those super hot NC summer days when you start sweating as soon as you walk outside. Well, to get to his house from Ivey's he has to walk a long dirt road through the woods and then walk through a huge field. I drove the long way around and got to the house first. It was just blistering hot and I felt sorry for him, I could see him coming across the field but it was at least 5 more minutes before he would get to the house. I decided to go in his house and get him a glass of ice water. There was a mason jar full of cold water so I got a glass out and added some ice cubes, poured in the water and went outside to meet him. He still had a couple of minutes so I crossed the street and walked into the field a little ways. I handed him the glass when I got to him and he took a big gulp, then another...... and he said "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" I said "it's water out of the refrigerator" and he said "that's hummingbird feed!" He had mixed 1-2 cups of sugar with water and he had been using it in the hummingbird feeder. I thought I would just die from laughing so hard. Hey.... at least I tried!

Day 19

Wow, I can hardly believe that this is day 19 of my 30 day blog challenge. It seems like I just got started.

Do you remember what it was like at Christmas or your birthday and you were excited to know what your presents were going to be? I remember Shannon and I searching the house completely over at Christmas time every time Mama would leave and we never ever found anything!

Well, last night Sydney got into my closet where she knew her birthday presents were. I was charging her Nintendo DS. She found the DS and her Zhu Zhu pet from Rachel. I was just so outdone and disguisted. Her birthday isn't until the 18th. We gave her the option to have another big party this year, because we always have this huge party with about 50 people, or a shopping weekend at Myrtle Beach. She chose the shopping weekend. Jason and I reserved the hotel and planned to take her out to dinner Friday night and give her the presents after dinner. Well, these were her only presents except for Carrie Underwood tickets. She LOVES Carrie Underwood so she will be so excited, but she knows what her other presents are. I think all in all I was just disappointed that I didn't get to see her face when she saw them. This is one of the best parts of being a mom for me. I like to surprise them and see their faces when they get so excited.

At first I told her I was taking them back, she cried, then I said she would have to wait til Friday after dinner to see if she still gets the same presents and she still cried. I really couldn't be mad or upset with her because I used to try to find my presents too. I really don't think I will have to worry about her doing it again because after all the drama she cried because she did it in the first place!

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT...

Today I am completely at a loss of words.

What to write about?

Well, I wish it would snow like it did a couple of weeks ago, that would be nice. Right now the wind sounds like a creature from some Sci-Fi film outside Sydney's window. I need to back off of the horror movies.... but they're soooo good.

Speaking of, have you seen Last House on the Left? Well it really isn't a horror movie, but it was good. If you have seen it you will know what I am talking about here... There was one scene that just completely dragged on WAY too long, come on, I could have done without all of that detail. The girl was supposed to be like 16? Also, in the end paralysing the victim was a little too nice I thought. He should have gotten to feel everything and been tortured just a little longer I thought. I think any parent would agree.

As an update on Little Bit, the puppy, she is still at my daddy's and she is doing absolutely wonderful.

Yesterday and today I have been completely engrossed in a new series of books I picked up. THE MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES. I finished the first book GLASS HOUSE and started the second book THE DEAD GIRL'S DANCE last night. I have always loved vampire books and movies and since the Twilight series came out it seems like everyone is getting published, so I am in reader's heaven lately. This is why I didn't even know it was supposed to snow or rain tonight. I haven't checked the weather in a couple of days. My plan for today was to go get some potting soil, flower pots and new plants and spend the day outside getting them all set up. Spring will come soon enough though, then I can take the girls to the strawberry patch! I really do not eat strawberries but I really enjoy picking them and the girls love it too so I always look forward to it in the spring.

THE LUCKIEST PERSON IN THE WORLD

Well, today is a very special day for me. Today 13 years ago I married the best man in the world and my best friend, Jason Brown. I don't know exactly how to explain to you what he means to me or all the emotions I feel when I think about him. It has been a wonderful ride so far and I hope that we have countless years to go. It really doesn't seem like we have been married this long. I worry it's just going to go by so fast and then we will be old and that still is not enough time.

There have been so many thing to happen during these years we have been together and I am just so grateful that I have had Jason to share them with me. He has been by my side since I was 17 and has never once let me down. I hope that he can say the same for me. I try to be exactly what a wife should be. We have lost several family members and there have been so many babies born into our family. These are just facts of life. At times it has been a roller coaster, but he has been my rock. If I knew then what I know now and all about the hard times we would face, I would do it again over and over. There is no one else in this world I would rather be next to day by day for the rest of my life. If it was all over tomorrow, I can say without a doubt that I have been made happier by my husband than anyone in the world. He has loved me unconditionally, been there for me through the good and bad and he has brought so many people into my life that otherwise I would never have known. Friends, family and my two precious daughters. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.

The way I feel for him, the love is just like an explosion, an overflowing from my heart, there is so much of it and I have no other words to describe it. I have just got to be the luckiest person in the world.

Anniversary Weekend!

Well, Jason and I went out to Lone Star in Fayetteville for dinner last night, he knows it is one of my favorite restaurants. It was nice to have a dinner alone and actually be able to talk to each other. We did some shopping and then we went to see The Book of Eli which is a really, really good movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but no more 10pm movies for me, I almost fell asleep at the end! This was not for lack of interest but that I was just so tired.

Today was rather uneventful at first, I went to Wal Mart and got some stuff we had to have. But clumsy me, I was trying to talk to Rachel on the porch and get stuff out of the car and answer the phone all at the same time. I turned around to go down the steps, missed the step and fell down all the steps, landing on the pavers in front of the porch. I may be clumsy, but lucky too or either I have bones of steel. I didn't break anything, just got a little skinned knee and a bruised palm, but no blood:) I got up, brushed myself off and went to my sister Jessica's where we pierced my niece Tatianna'a ears. She screamed, I think I can definitely count Sydney out of ever getting hers done, especially after I got the gun stuck on Tata's ear after piercing the second one. Not to mention on the first one she jerked and I didn't have it all the way through so I had to do it again.

We spent the afternoon in the yard playing with the kids and the dogs. I re-potted a plant that was choking to death in the pot it was in. All in all, it was a wonderful day and I am so glad to have these people to call my family!

I am going to call it a night, Sydney is sitting here asking me over and over for a baby brother and I have got to explain to her why she can not have one!

UPDATE

This is an update to yesterdays post. My sister called this morning and talked to the funeral home. They are going to be at the town office Monday morning to see if there is something else they can do. What she wants is to leave the child where it is and let whoever owned the other 4 plots to sign their back over to the town and take hers. She then wants to have 4 plots near the ones she had picked out before. No one wants to have anyone moved. I don't care whose mistake it is, it just isn't right. The child was laid to rest there and there he should stay. If there is a ton of paperwork involved, it's a lot better than disturbing a grave.

Today is the 14th anniversary of the 1st date Jason and I had together. Monday will be our 13th wedding anniversary. We have a babysitter and are going on a date this afternoon, I don't know what is in the plans, but as long as we are together, it will be perfect.

Last but not least, on a funny but also serious note, I think I need to start writing my blogs at night time. Rachel is in the same room with me watching a movie, about 3 feet from me actually. I was writing this blog and talking to Jessica on the phone when Rachel ran into the living room. She hit the Fire Department panic button on the alarm! I canceled it but when they called they said the fire department had been dispatched so they would call and cancel it. Rachel is SO SO busy all the time and full of energy, she demands my FULL ATTENTION AT ALL TIMES!

Moving a body after it has been buried?

Well, today has been relatively unexciting. I have been sick for a couple of days and only left the house to take Sydney to her dental cleaning today. I am going to write about some one else today.

My sister Shannon called me a few minutes ago. If you know her, you know that she is into ancestry and spends a lot of time going to different graveyards. She bought 4 plots at Oakridge Cemetery in Saint Pauls last year trying to go ahead and be prepared is something should happen to her. We also have a lot of family in that graveyard. She went by to check on her plots today and there was someone buried in her spot. She double checked and then went to the town office. Yep, they are in her plot. For whatever reason she thought it was an older lady. While writing this I got another call from her.

There was a child buried in her spot last week. The mother told the funeral home that this was her spot and they buried the child. Well when you buy a plot at Oakridge you have to have a deed filed at the courthouse. Shannon asked if they could just leave the child there and she was told no. The reason being that it would be too much paperwork.

When we thought it was an adult I was joking with her and we were saying they would have to be moved but I said that was wrong and she would have to get different plots. Well, unfortunately the child will have to be moved, that was the decision of the town office which is the result of a town law. Too much paperwork to switch out a plot, but the mother is going to have to pay to get the child moved since she told the funeral home that this plot was hers. I'm sure this was a mistake, yes the plots are numbered and hers are on the same row, but can you imagine what she must have been going through? I had asked a different funeral home how much it costs to have a body moved and I was told it would be about $1000.00. This child was buried last week and I guess that it's better that the mistake was found now instead of months down the road, or when we were trying to bury someone there. Either way this mother is going to get a call saying that her child has to be moved. This is just going to tear open any wounds her heart may be attempting to heal. I can not imagine. you have laid your chid to rest for eternity. A pastor has blessed and prayed for your child over this hallowed ground. I just think that it should never be disturbed. Buy by town law and to avoid too much paperwork it must be done. If anyone reads this, please pray for this mother.

Men are so forgetful!

But what about women? Guys always get blamed for forgetting all of the important stuff in life. Well, I have to fess up. While I did not actually FORGET our anniversary, I kinda did.

We are going next weekend to take Sydney to the beach for her birthday, so I said we wil just combine it with our anniversary celebration too, even though the girls will be with us. So I wasn't really thinking about what exact day our anniversary was and the end of the month kind of snuck up on me too. So here it goes:

Jason called me from work a couple of days ago and said "I'm going to get a babysitter so I can take you out Saturday" I said "Why?" and he said "Why not?" and I said "I don't know, if you want to." and that was that. The worst part is that I did not realize that he was wanting to take me out to dinner for our anniversary until 9 hours later, and even worse it finally clicked because I was on Facebook and to the right I saw a little red heart that beside it said:

MONDAY IS YOUR ANNIVERSARY

Isn't that terrible? Jason laughed when I told him about it. He understood when I explained I thought we would go out at the beach and had not really thought about the actual day that is our anniversary. He wasn't upset at all, and I know that if it had been the other way around I would have given him a hard time and probably would not have forgotten it for YEARS. I have a wonderful husband, I better find him a really good 13th anniversary present!

A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green, which otherwise would heal and do well.

I found this title online while searching info on negative attitudes. I spent a couple of hours with someone yesterday that was so negative I couldn't wait to get away. Every person we saw, no matter where or what they were doing, this person has something negative to say.

This morning I came across this quote and then I began to think of another of my pet peeves.

"A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green, which would otherwise heal and do well. "

Of course there could be many different interpretations of this, but here is what I was thinking about:

I get extremely agitated when people start blaming things on their childhood. With that said, I do know there are some things that happen to people that do have a lifelong effect. What annoys me is when you see a mass murdered pleading not guilty due to insanity because his or her father was an alcoholic. A woman that lead a normal life, then drowned her kids but now says it's because she was beat as a child. To me, this is a cop out. Blaming someone else and not taking responsibility for their own actions.

I rarely talk about my childhood but that's because it wasn't very good. My parents separated when I was 8 and went on to get divorced. I could beat my kids every day and say it's because my father beat us and beat my mother and I just can't help it. I could be an alcoholic or a drug addict and blame it on being around so many drugs as a child. I could have an affair and say it's because my father had one. COME ON! There were a lot of bad experiences in my childhood but what did I decide? I decided to take them and make the childhood of my girls better. Jason and I don't have shouting matches in front of them, we show them love every day, we spend quality time with them, we don't drink alcohol in their presence, we make life about them. You make your life what you want to make it, no one else. If you blame it on your parents you are full of crap. If your childhood was so terrible and you love your kids, why would you want to put them through the same things? Is is your responsibility as a parent to make sure your kids are emotionally cared for.

Now that I have vented on that subject, I would like to say that I am going to try to be around more positive people. Being around negative people is so depressing.

Planning outings for the kids

Jason and I definitely agree that we need to spend more time outdoors with the girls and spend more time together as a family. Rachel and I are getting stir crazy in the house so I am starting to plan some of our spring, summer and fall day trips as we as a few thing to do on our vacation. If anyone has any ideas of things we can do please let me know.

In March we are planning a trip with some of my family to the NC Zoo. We have been a few times but it's always fun. I am also going to buy the family membership. With this membership we can get into 150 other zoos and aquariums in the US for free or half price. We are going to take advantage of this in 2010. you can also get into the zoo absolutely free for one year, so if we decide to go again this year it will be free!

Sydney's 1st grade class is taking a trip in April to the SC Riverbanks Zoo. Jason and I are going to go along as chaperone's and take Rachel with us. The NC Zoo card will get us in at half price.

I hope that before it's too hot I can take the kids to Jamba's Ranch, somehow this trip has gotten squeezed out of our plans for the last 2 years.

We are going back to the NC Outer banks this year, yay! This is always such a wonderful vacation I can't wait to get there. We always stop by the NC Aquarium in Manteo, and this is one of the freebies as a NC Zoo cardholder. That will save about $26.

Jason and I took a trip to Atlanta this past August. It was great, we plan to take the girls to the Georgia Aquarium later in the year, and the Zoo is only 1 exit before the aquarium so I think we will just make a weekend of it. This zoo is also half off with the NC Zoo membership.

The Georgia Aquarium is absolutely wonderful. It makes Ripley's look like a small pond. They will have a new dolphin exhibit after October 2010, that's what I am waiting for. They also have beluga whales, penguins, a manta ray and tons of creatures I had never seen. It is definitely worth the long trip.

After 2010 I may never be able to get Jason to go to a zoo or aquarium again!

I hope at some point to squeeze in a day trip to Fort Fisher and go to the aquarium. Play on teh beach and maybe ride the ferry, who knows. (This aquarium is also free to NC Zoo cardholders).

ThE lAnD Of LoSt SoCkS

Today I am catching up on all of my laundry, yeah, loads of fun don't you know.

What I would like to know is this, WHERE DO ALL THE SOCKS GO? I can put 2 pink and 2 purple socks in the washer and get out 2 purple and 1 pink. Where did it go? It's not in the lint trap, it's not in the washer or dryer, or under or over or in between them. And I never see it again. Are the kids socks so small that they go down the drain? Then what about my socks? I thought I had a sock eating washer and dryer, but I got a new front loading washer and dryer last year and guess what? I guess they are sock eaters too.

Well, I guess the socks are with all of those hair bows I keep buying for the girls... I could buy 1000 hair bows and socks and still not have matches! My next load is ready so I gotta go!

WATCH OUT MYRTLE BEACH!

Well I am very excited right now. Most of my day has been spent doing 1 thing. Planning a trip for 6 families to go to Myrtle Beach together! My Granny passed away almost 8 years ago and my Uncle Dennis, her son, 2 years ago. He asked me the last year that he was alive to put together a family reunion. He only lived a couple of months after that, so I could not have done it in time.

My Mom and Aunt Diane are the only 2 left from the family of Thomas and Elena Walters. They still have aunts and uncles and cousins but no other siblings. We haven't spent alot of time together except for Christmas Eve for the last few years. I called everyone today and asked what they thought about having a family reunion weekend in Myrtle Beach and everyone agreed it was a good idea! I have already gotten all the hotel info and everything and people are already starting to reserve their rooms! I wish I had done this alot earlier.

Lauren saves the puppies!

Little Bit, this is the name of a puppy my niece Lauren found this week. She was horseback riding a couple of days ago. Her horse was spooked by this tiny puppy and threw her off. The puppy ran into an abandoned barn and Lauren followed her. When she entered the barn she found the mother lying there dead, the other puppies were trying to feed on her. Lauren was able to get the first puppy but could not get the others. She and her friend went back yesterday afternoon and were able to get the others out of the barn. If she had not they would have starved. Lauren was determined to find homes for all of the other puppies and she did, I am so proud of her. Little Bit was the only one left and Lauren was told that she could not keep her. Today she brought me Little Bit and I brought her home with me. My cousin Shelby put a bow around her neck. Sydney, Rachel, Mrs. Lewis and I took her to my daddy as an early birthday present, we then went to the store and got puppy food and bowls and took the supplies back to my daddy. He had ran over his dog a couple of weeks ago and was really upset about it. We made him close his eyes and hold out his hands for a big surprise! When Sydney handed him the puppy and he looked at her he started to cry. It was really sweet. Lauren was really upset when she left me with the puppy. I am sorry she was sad to see her go but so happy that she saved all the puppies from starving to death. It's a very happy day for Little Bit.

Don't be so quick to jude others

This is self explanatory it would seem, but people are so quick to judge others. Why didn't she do this or why didn't she do that? Let me tell you what I am talking about...

Earlier this week there was a tragedy in Robeson County. A 3 year old boy drowned. Each person I talked to had something like this to say: "well, where was his mama?", "why wasn't his mama watching him?" and other rude comments. Everyone jumps to the conclusion automatically that the mother did something wrong, not knowing anything at all about the matter. I will say this, I do not know these people, I have no idea what happened. I can tell you that my heart goes out to this mother and her family. They have been dealt a great loss and I hope I never have to know what it is like to be in her shoes. No one is perfect and I 'm sure all the people that were so quick to judge this woman are no exception. If something happened to your child, an accident, how would you feel is everyone said "this is your fault" and judged you without knowing anything about you?

I would also like to add that as a mother on a very busy 2 year old I know how easy it would be for her to get away from me. Their mind is constantly wandering, they don't think about dangers, everything is fun and games at this age and it's really fun to try to get away from mama. Rachel laughs and runs as fast as she can if she gets away from me. She thinks it's a game, it's fun, it's freedom.

I hope that the mother and the family of this little boy's pain will be eased and she can find a way to go on. My heart goes out to her is all I can say. She has suffered the greatest loss I believe anyone can. We are not supposed to outlive our children.

I am not OCD, I'm just a dedicated repetitive person!

Okay, so my little sister says that I have OCD, so this blog is dedicated to Jessica tonight! My husband tends to agree with her so am just going to lay it all out there for you!


She brought it to my attention that when I was at her house last week, she caught me doing something but just didn't say anything about it. I recall it something like this....

I was cooking for her housewarming party and as I opened the refrigerator I noticed there was something on the handle, so I just casually got the dish rag from the sink and cleaned it off really quick. Jessica recalls it something like this....

She turned around and saw me trying to sneak a clean on the refrigerator. She said that she didn't let me know she was watching but that I was scrubbing it so hard you could probably hear the squeaking from my elbow grease and my face was about 2 inches from the dirty spot, so I was really into it. She said "I can see it now, you aren't gonna let the kids stay over, my house isn't clean enough!" But she so kindly gave me a pass because she knows I have OCD!

Well, my lovely sister went on to list all of my OCD flaws for me this afternoon, WITH EXAMPLES NO DOUBT! Oh, but she did say that maybe it's partly a control issue and not all OCD. Here we go....

I write my vacation to do list 1 year in advance.

I buy vacation supplies 6 months in advance and hide them in the closet.

I plan our Christmas Eve dinner in January.

I call everyone or e-mail them in January with birthday party dates for the rest of the year.

I get upset about bows on my presents if they are not perfect. (it's true) (well, all of this is)

When people come over my house has to be perfectly clean, then if they get it dirty I get upset. Jessica said I will say "Hey, you just brought dirt in on your shoes, clean it up!" She said I can be mean about it....haha.

Well, all I can say is that all of this is true and I just can't help myself, but if anyone needs sunblock in the winter, I am stocked up on it! Gotta get ready for that June vacation!

Okay Jessica, I put some of my worst flaws out there for the world to see, I hope you are happy! I love you! Isn't everyone just a little OCD? or is that said just to make us with OCD fell better?

WASTEFUL HABITS

Today is day 4 of my blog, getting to day 30 seems so far away right now!

I am going to throw one of my worst habits out there today:

Definition of wasteful-

1-given to or characterized by useless consumption or expenditure: wasteful methods; a wasteful way of life.

2-grossly extravagant; prodigal: a wasteful party.


I know we all know the definition of being wasteful, or wasting things. As I was looking in Sydney's closet this afternoon, there are so many clothes in there that she doesn't wear or can't wear, so I started pulling things out. Things that are too small. It is completely rediculous how many clothes we buy for her, not to mention toys too. There are at least a dozen presents she got for Christmas that she hasn't even taken out of the boxes. And also there are some dolls from the year before that are still in boxes. Why do we buy all of these things? I see a cute shirt or hat and pick it up, knowing she already has too many and will be grown out of it in just weeks or months. With grown women it's different, we've finished growing (hopefully) and can keep clothes forever if we want. I just pulled out 12 spring dresses it seems like I just bought and now Sydney can't wear any of them.

My 2 options:

give them away or sell them and feel like I wasted so much money.

or

Wait 4 years for Rachel to wear them and by then they will be out of style, the wrong size, or knowing me I will want to buy new ones. why? I'M WASTEFUL!

Jason tells me all the time, "we cook too much food". We throw it away all the time. There are so many clothes that are never worn. I find clothes in the girls closets with tags on them and just this afternoon I found a pair of brand new, never worn shoes in Sydney's closet. She tried them on....too small. Wasted that money.

SO I said all of this to say that I am making myself more aware of my spending and I am going to try to make a conscious effort to only but the spring and summer clothes that the girls need this year. (I already bought 3 coats this week for next winter, so I have to try REALLY hard. But I know they will wear those!)

I am going to clean out my closets before I buy anymore spring or summer clothes. I am going to have a yard sale or find someone who needs them. That brings me to my last statement. There are people that need all the stuff we hide in the closet, so I am challenging all my friends to get rid of all those old clothes you never wear and give them to someone who will use them. You can have a yard sale, ask around to find someone who can use them, put them on craigslist for free or for sale, or even donate them to a shelter or something. Lets stop being so wasteful.

Hopefully I am not boring anyone to death that may choose to read my blog, hang in there, I hope to improve!

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!

Some of you may have seen my weekend post on Facebook about everyone wanting it to snow, then dying for it to melt ASAP! Well it just annoyed me that everyone is always wanting it to snow so bad and then there were a ton of posts about "please let this snow melt". How long did it last anyway? Personally, I LOVE the snow and wish it would have stayed around longer. I enjoyed getting outside with the girls. I don't know who had more fun, the girls or me and Jason. The look on their faces when it started snowing was worth a million dollars!


It just seems to me that everyone is always in a rush and need to stop every now and then to enjoy life. I really really try not to have any regrets in life. It passes so quickly. There are people I have lost in my life that I would do anything just to get 5 more minutes with. I truly do mean that, just 5 minutes. Say what you need to say while the people important to you are here and before they get sick. Not everyone has the chance to get sick, sometimes there is a tragedy such as a car accident that take people away so quickly. If you didn't let them know how you feel or hash out problems you may have had, guess what, you are left with that burden and have to live with the regret.

Today I got Sydney out of school early and we had a girls day out. We went shopping and then went to see The Tooth Fairy at the movies, which we really enjoyed. Tonight I am making this post short, I am going to spend time with Jason and the girls. We're going to play board games, have dinner and watch tv!

If you haven't slowed down to spend time with the ones you love, try it. It's really refreshing!

STRANGERS

I titled todays entry STRANGERS for one simple reason. I kept thinking all day about something that happened when Sydney was smaller. Kids are a very good judge of character. Back to that in a moment...

This has had me thinking about my own character. I always try to teach my girls about strangers and safety. But sometimes I think I may be a little too paranoid. I'm in a small town where there usually isn't alot of crime, although there has been more and more recently. But as a mother am I too paranoid that something is going to happen to one of my girls? Probably not, I think it's just a Mama thing.

I've always been taught to "treat others like you would like to be treated" and "don't judge a book by it's cover". Sometimes I think we all lose sight of these values and is it always "safe" to follow these guidelines our parents have taught us? This brings me back to the story of a shopping trip to LOWES that Sydney and I had a few years back.

Sydney is 2 years old. Thank GOD it's saturday because I have been so tired all week. Jason is working nightly 12 hour shifts that particular weekend, so when he came in I got up with Sydney so he could go to bed. I walked through the master bathroom to enter the closet and when I did, I stepped into VERY wet carpet. The water heater is behind my closet and a pipe had burst. LOWES here we come. Jason gave me a list of supplies and so here I go with my toddler to LOWES where I have no idea what I am looking for. The plan is for me to get the supplies while he tries to get a little sleep and he will fix the pipe before returning to work another 12 hour shift.

At LOWES everything is easy to find, I get what we need and head to the checkout, this is going surprisingly well. Except for the creep I just got out of line to get away from and he has now gotten behind us in another line. I'm holding Sydney and trying not to look at him because he is making me feel very uncomfortable to say the least. WOW he should have been a character in Wrong Turn. Camo hat, plaid shirt, missing a couple of teeth and the rest are rotten. He wasn't the cleanest person, I knew he had to be a "crack head" for sure. Sydney kept waving at him and talking to him and he was talking to her. I tried to get her attention on something else, I gave him a smile, no need to be rude. I paid and got out of there really quick. We got to the car and I always put my keys in the front seat so I was sure not to lock the doors or anything like that with the baby in the car. I put the keys in the front and strap Sydney in the car seat, diaper bag with cell phone is in front of Sydney's seat in the floor. Everything is good to go so I quickly shut the door. I go around to the drivers side and the door is locked! When I was in a hurry to toss the keys something hit the button to lock the doors, exactly what I was trying to avoid! The man in the car behind me was leaving, I asked if he had a cell I could use because I needed to get Jason to come and unlock my car. He just looked at me like a fool, never spoke and left...what an ass, do you not see this baby locked in the car? I can't leave the car, my baby is in there...no one would help me! Did I mention it was like August or September? It wasn't too hot, about 10am, but then as if I needed anything else to happen, it started pouring rain, it's getting hot in the car and the baby is starting to sweat...

Right when I am about to lose my mind and freak out who shows up? Mr. Wrong Turn! He saw me from across the parking lot and came to help me! He gave me his cell to call Jason and told me to get in the truck. It was raining so hard, I could barely see her in the car when I was standing outside. He parked behind my car so I could be close to the baby and let me call Jason about 100 times until I got him on the phone! His cell phone was dying! Meanwhile, his wife called, cursing him for everything he was worth, wanting to know where he was and when he would be home. He asked me not to say anything because if his wife heard me she would swear he was having an affair! Well, the best part of this story is that he came from 2 hours away to get a part he needed. His LOWES salesperson told him that the closest place that had what he needed was in Lumberton and that there were 5 available. There were ZERO and he ended up getting something that he could have gotten from home. He was the only person that would help me that day. I felt horrible about the thoughts about him that has passed through my mind and how I had judged him. He was my hero that day and I could not thank him enough! My mom got there in just a few minutes and I got Sydney from the car. She was scared, sweaty and crying so hard.
All in all, I am trying not to judge people by their appearance, they can't help the way they look!

Afterthoughts

I would just like to add that after I posted my Valentines post I thought for a few minutes. My life is wonderful, from my post it may not have seemed so. I have 2 absoutely wonderful girls and could never ask for more. Yes on days like today and what would have been my due date and birthdays I do think about my first baby, my girls have helped to lessen that pain. If there is anyone out there that thinks their dreams will never come true, only you can make it happen. Embrace your dreams, MAKE them come true because it is possible. The world can be yours if you want it bad enough. Don't let other people bring you down and don't have a pitty party for yourself, pick yourself up and go get what you want whether it's a baby, a career, a house, a lover.... MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Valentine's Day 2010

I am starting my blog today, Valentine's Day and hope everyone is having a wonderful day! My valentine is at work until 8pm, although I do have 2 mini valentines here to keep me company. I want to use my blog to get things off of my mind. If anyone does decide to read my blog they may be surprised to find I am not exactly who they thought unless they are my best friend Jason or my sister Jessica. It was questionable to start today of all days. Every year everyone asks "What did you get for Valentine's Day?" So many times I have gotten strange looks when I say "We don't celebrate Valentine's Day." Some think my husband is cheap or whatever... I don't care what they think, we had our reasons and its no ones business. So here it is.....10 years ago today, Jason and I lost our first baby. It was Valentine's Day and everything was fine, we both went to work and later that morning I had to go to the doctor to be told that the baby I had been carrying for 3 months was gone. Well not gone, but the exact words were "I'm sorry but there is no heartbeat." We then were sent to a room to wait for the doctor who actually forgot I was there and went to lunch, and an hour and a half later was told he would do surgery the next day. So there it is, our reason for not celebrating this day. But since we have had 2 wonderful girls and we now celebrate it for them. WOW! I am really not trying to depress anyone, I had no idea what I was going to write when I sat down today. But if you want to know about my life, you have to take the good with the bad! And by the way I did get roses and a balloon and will be getting some very pretty earrings! Now I'm off to cook dinner and give my girls a bath, I hope to have daily entries for the next 30 days! I hope you plan to join me so I can get that adult interaction I need!