Home Sick!!

I thought we had made it through the bulk of the "gook" period relatively unscathed! Sadly, when I woke Daniel up this morning for school he was all achy and fevering! Poor little thing! So I had to call him out sick today. Now, I didn't have much planned for the day--just some grocery shopping and cleaning--and the cleaning I can still do--but the grocery shopping is out! That would be leaving him alone just too long. I don't have a problem leaving him for a few minutes to drop his sister off at school--he's 7 next week-and is fully capable of getting himself out of the house or calling 911 in an emergency. But grocery shopping can take upwards of an hour--and that is just too long! So I will wait until later this evening to see if he is feeling better--or just put it off until tomorrow!

I remember going to school when I was younger--when I didn't feel good! What misery! So he's snuggled up in front of the tv--sound asleep!

Snow Fun!!

This weekend we are hoping to be able to get the kids to Wisconsin to do some SNOWMOBILING!! It's my favorite thing in the world, and with the new snow these past couple of days, it should be beautiful and FUN!

We are using my husbands family cabin--which makes it so fun! To come in from a day in the snow, and warm up by the wood burning snow. Buried under quilts watching movies and drinking Hot Cocoa--I CAN'T WAIT!!

This is what childhood memories are made of! I plan to take a TON of photo's, so I'll share them with you when we get them up!!

Time Off!!

Well, I have taken a few days off from my posting! That's the joy of getting paid working online! There is no boss to call in to call out! Sorry Mr. Internet--I just don't feel like blogging today--maybe tomorrow too! I don't know when I'll feel like it again-but you'll be the first one to know!

Nope!! I just didn't turn it on! Mostly I blog at my sisters house--but her kids are sick, and I didn't want the exposure! But I broke down today and gave in to the familial withdrawals! So while she's cleaning up her kitchen--I thought I would get some work done!! Very nice to be back!!

And there's a new puzzle going on!! I'm not sure I'll work with this one! I find it conveniently strange that two of the "Core" folks have been the ones to get it--not that I think it's a set up--I certainly DO NOT!! But it would be nice to see some of the less "upfront" people get some of the winnings!! I was voting for Andrew of Benspark--but he was tied up on business! But it will be exciting to hear who gets it this time!

Cold & Snowy!!

I remember when we were young--I don't remember the exact age-but I feel like I was at least as old as my kids-we used to go out and shovel the snow! Now, I'm probably wrong--and I'm thinking that I am expecting way to much from my kids! My oldest just turned 9 and I seem to expect him to help out more around the houes than he does! I've asked my mom if we kids help out much at this age. I thought yes--she said no!

So I guess that clears it up! I'm too hard on my kids! I was hoping my 9 year old could go out and shovel the snow--but I guess that lovely job will be left to yours truly!

Lunch!!

I just had to take my daughter to school! I've been craving a Mandarin Chicken Salad from Wendy's so we had to stop there on the way home! What a YUMMY lunch! I hate it when other places (McDonalds) try to foofy up their salads. If it's supposed to be a Mandarin salad, they put wierd greens in with it as well as pea pods and crap! You know--I just want a GREEN SALAD with chicken, mandarin oranges, asian noodles, almonds and some oriental dressing! Leave my greens ALONE!!!

Ok, rant over! But the salad from Wendy's----PERFECT!!

Love To Do!!

Thirteen Things about Blake The 13 things I love to DO: (Not in any particular order) 1. Family history--I own my own microfilm reader and can spend hours researching names. 2. Scrapbooking--My children have volumes each. My oldest (9 years old) has 6 3"binders. 3. Blogging--I look at it as a way to journal, the day to day moments of life. 4. Photography--I have hundreds of rolls of film on negatives, and I just burned all of my digital photo's onto cd's--it took 3! 5. Roadtrips--I love to get out and see this great land of ours. I have to be the one driving-or it's tiring and boring!! 6. Playing with my kids--boardgames, video games, coloring, you name it-I LOVE it!! 7. Decorating Cakes--I'm not very good at it--because I've never taken lessons--but I have made some darling birthday cakes for my kids, and even a beautiful 'basket weave' wedding cake (5 of them) for a friend! 8. Interior Design--Again--not a pro--but I love changing things and making them my own--it's just so darn expensive!! 9. Talking to my mom--she lives several states away--but I talk to her EVERYDAY! 10. Paint--Every year I make my kids a Christmas ornament. They are all the same-I get one too-when they get married they will take all of their ornaments from my tree. Then when they are all married and gone--the 5 of us will have matching ornaments! 11. Type--I would love a job that lets me sit at a desk-with no interuption, and just type and type and type and type! 10 Key is good fun too!! 12. I love TIVO!--I never have a chance to watch any tv on my own-with 4 kids--not a chance, but with Tivo-I take an hour after the kids are in bed, and watch my shows! House, Men in Trees, Crossing Jordan, The Dead Zone--just to name a few!! 13. Spending time ALONE with my husband! It happens so rarely--but when it does-it's a magical time!! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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The "Shuffle"!!

Sunday we will be spending the day with my in laws and watching the Bears game at Walter Payton's restaurant! How cool is that! My husband just called, and they were getting our names on the list! My boys are going to love it! They are into anything sport related, and especially with the Super Bowl lurking so close!! It will also be nice to spend some time with my husbands "sane" portion of family--just incase we do end up moving west! This will be a wonderful memory for my boys to take!

I didn't live in Chicago when the Bears won the Superbowl 21 years ago! I lived in Utah, and my youngest brother was (and still is) a diehard Bears fan--so I did watch the Superbowl, and had even memorized the "Super Bowl Shuffle"! Wow, I hope if the Bears make it again--they will put out a new one! That was great!

The Other Sister!!

Today is my Niece's 18th birthday! It's very strange! She's been in my life for nearly 10 years, and she was so sweet and innocent when I got her! Mind you she was 8--how hard could she be!

But she has an older sister, who has always been a challenge! Boy crazy, couldn't wait to "mature", wanted to be pregnant by 14--and I'm very serious about that one! She did wait until she was 17 and then lost that baby, is 19 and due in 2 months time! Yes--challenge indeed!

But this other little niece wasn't ever a challenge! She's my husbands God Daughter, so he feels a little more need to protect her! Well, she was a straight A student, and could have been on track to graduate early--had she kept up! But she didn't. Instead, she dropped out of high school before the start of her Jr. Year, and is currently making minimum wage while living with some strange family with her best friend and her best friends baby!

My Mother In Law went all out today to make everything special for this birthday. She was going to make her favorite food, a special birthday cake--everything. But then she discovered--that she had been left out! The family had had their special birthday dinner the night before--and decided to spend the evening of her birthday taking her out and getting her her SECOND Tatoo!

I'm sitting here shaking my head! Why oh why do parents have kids, if they are just going to give up on them when they are half way finished!!

Adler Planetarium!!

I looked online, and found some really great educational activities all over the area! Of course, it's Chicago--I would hope they have a ton!!

We've decided on the Adler Planetarium! We've never been--and it has always sounded wonderful! But the reason we chose this particular destination was for their Shoot For The Moon exhibit. It looks Awesome! I posted the link above so you can take a look at it! If you are in the Chicago area--come and check it out!! There are a ton of things to see and do, as well as getting up close and personal with a space ship!

My boys will go nuts!!

Tagged!! Movie Mahem!!

Alrighty--my big sister tagged me for her Movie Meme!! Ah, it is so hard to pick the top 5! Let us think!!

1-Skeleton Key
2-Pirates of the Caribean-#1
3-Frequency
4-Stepmom
5-Stir of Echoes

Ok, I'm sure I missed the favorite of all time--it's really hard to think of them just sitting here! But those are the 5 I enjoy watching quite a lot of!!

Thursday Thirteen!!

Thirteen Things about Blake 13 Things I Want To Accomplish In The New Year! 1. Read a bedtime story to my children nightly. 2. Work out a schedule for my day that actually works. 3. Teach my children how to help with the housework, and be happy with it!! 4. Take better care of myself-health-physical appearance-spiritual 5. Save $50 per week, on top of other budgeting attempts 6. Become the hero that my kids already think I am 7. Stop tearing myself down everyday--every other day should be fine!! 8. Take the time to "PLAY" with my kids, let them choose the game, and just PLAY! 9. Finish up the information on my Famliy History-so I can return the microfilm! 10.Create my own webdomain, and design it all myself! 11.Get my childrent to church every week! It is such a firm foundation to build on! 12.Be a better "wife" to my sweet, dear husband! 13.Try to find the happiness in each day--even if the mood doesn't match! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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The Don vs Ro!!

Wow, I never knew how absolutely fabulous this feud would become! The mudslinging--the mudslinging!!

I always loved Rosie! I watched her movies--I watched her show--I read her magazine. But then her show ended and she came out with this hideous Boy George haircut, and was suddenly 100% SNARK!! Then to have her come out so viciously against the war--well, along with all of Hollywood-she wasn't too original with that. She would yell at me and call me "homophobic", but I've known she was gay for YEARS!! Always questioned it, but when a single, rich, woman adopts a baby alone---it cemented it for me. Maybe not a fair stereotype--but I knew it then, but had questioned it for many years before that! But she has changed! It isn't just that she's turned mean--I'm not sure she was ever nice--but she's just so "In Your Face" about her stances, and your ideas, if different, are just stupid!

Take the war--everytime she gets on her soap box about bringing our children home--I have to shake my head. None of us want our Brave Men and Women injured or killed, but they are doing a great thing in Iraq-even if their own countrymen won't give them credit for it. These are patriotic Americans who knew what they were signing up for, and were still Great enough to do it! Rosie's kids aren't over there--Rosie's kids will never be over there. You have to have a pride in your country, a love for your country, and a feet planted on the earth LOVE of your freedom. Rosie has instilled none of these qualities in her "Cruise sailing, dolphin swimming, mansion living, pampered" children. You don't get quality out of spoiled goods!!

Now--I'm not a huge fan of Donald Trumps either. I think he looks like a reverse raccoon in every news conference, yes, bad hair--but you know what--he isn't MEAN! Well, until you get him going about Rosie!! He said in a recent interview--and I quote--"Rosie's a loser. She's been a loser always," the real estate mogul and host of NBC's "The Apprentice," said Thursday in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "Her show failed, her magazine failed. Barbara Walters gave her new life, but she'll fail at that also because she's inherently a stone-cold loser." He ends his tirade with the following: "It will never end on my behalf because I've exposed Rosie for what she is: a very dumb human being," Trump told the AP. "She's got no intelligence, but I've known that for a long time. Unfortunately, Rosie's pulled the wool over the public."

Now I must stand on my chair and wave my arms in the air---I AM NOT FOOLED!! I, TOO, SEE EXACTLY WHAT ROSIE IS...AND ISN'T!! I feel bad though--Another Stakeout, is one of my most favorite movies...EVER--and I just can't watch it anymore--because I can't go into fantasy land with her anymore! She has destroyed her persona--and that's too bad!! I haven't watched The View for years--way, way, WAY to Liberal for me--but Star Jones was the one I loved. They gave her hell for all of her wedding stuff being aired--and that was the part I loved! But once she was gone, and Ro was stepping up--I stepped away! And I won't be stepping back!!

My Big Sis Got Published!!

I'll let you read about it on her blog! It was big news!! Genki Desu Yo!!: I Got Published Today!! Check it out!! She did a great job!!

Quick Email!!

I just sent off an email to the Hershey's company! My son brought home the new Chocolate Kisses with peanut butter in them. I'm not a big peanut butter fan, but realized what a killing they could make from me alone if they created a White Chocolate Kiss with crushed peppermint sticks in them! I buy Peppermint Chocolate bark every year, and they charge an arm and a leg for it--so how cool to get it in a chocolate kiss! Even if they only sold them during the holidays--I would buy enough to get me through the year, and store them. Yep, they could make a killing from just me!!

The Mail Has Come!!

Well, I have officially finished my Christmas collecting! My mother in law's vegetable peeler from Pampered Chef came in the mail today. My daughters gift off of Ebay came today. My neighbors Christmas cards from Costco came today--although they were totally late, and completely screwed up!! It was a good mail day! The boys Jerseys came yesterday and are under the tree already! I have a couple of things to wrap, and then --- I'm finished!! Not really--I guess I still have stockings to stuff! Holy Cow---it's never ending!!!

Elf Myself!!

Ok---found this on another "Posties" website! They had an awful name--and I was a bit worried to enter mine! But darned I say---Mine is cool!!!

Your Elf Name Is...

Furry Twinkle Wink

What's Your Elf Name?

Holiday Gifts!!

Today I made my holiday gifts for my neighbors! They looked yummy--I hope they tasted the same!! I should warn you --that although this is not a picture of the cookies I made with my hands--this is the picture for the recipe that I followed. It was on BHG.com--and it is so festive, cute and yummy!! I thought they turned out darling, and everything was wrapped in a cute red and white gingham ribbon to match the colors of the cookies!! Marscapone Creamies!!

Veggie Lasagna!!

Tonight we are having my favorite dinner! Veggie Lasagna! Yep, it's the best, and even better than being the best--it's already made! It's Stouffers, and it's the best! We don't eat it very often because it costs $15.00 to purchase one. But last week, I finally gave in and got one! It takes about an hour to bake--but OOOOOOHHHH is it worth it! I'm not patient enough to make it by myself--although I guess I should learn--it's probably cheaper to make than to purchase!!

Bon Appetite!!

MEN IN TREES!!

I just got up to get the boys out the door for school--and after a week of being sick again--I feel even worse today than I did yesterday!! How is that possible! I should be feeling better, it's been a week! But the exhaustion is much worse--I'm heading back to bed in a minute! And I can't even talk today! I have to strain to get a loud whisper out. So I will take a little nap and then soothe my throat with some hot raspberry tea with cream and sugar---oooooooh, that sounds good--I think I'll do that before the nap!

I have to meet my hubby for lunch today! I'm excited--we never get to have lunch together, so that will be fun. Well, fun if I feel any better!! Then tonight--it's the Thursday night premier of "Men in Trees". It used to be on Friday's--and then it hasn't been on for two weeks! I'm dying--going through withdrawals! It's my favorite show on tv, and FINALLY!!!!!! I get to watch it again! Jack is going to follow Marin to NYC--I just know it!! Well, he better or I'm out! OK, total lie--I'm far too hooked to be out if he doesn't!! Just highly (slightly) annoyed!!! GO ABC!!! For any of you "newbies" to the show--it's on after Gray's Anatomy.

BYU----UTAH--RIVALRY WEEK

Well, today was the annual rivalry football game between the Brigham Young University Cougars and the University of Utah Runnin' Utes!

Now I have to say--I grew up with season tickets to University of Utah basketball. From the time of Tom Chambers and Pace Mannion down through Jimmy Soto and Bryron Wilson! We LOVE Ute Basketball--but for some reason--Love and tremendous respect for Lavell Edwards--We LOVE Cougar Football!

Well, today it was an AWESOME game! By that I mean--the Cougars won--but it was a very close game--those are the best kind!