Random week

This week has been filled with a little of this and a little of that. Nothing really noteworthy to be entitled its own post, but important (to me) nonetheless.

Monday was my first day volunteering at the Habitat resale shop and so far I'm enjoying it. I don't "work" again until Feb. 6, so I get a nice little break. Not sure what I'll do come summer with the kids home. I doubt they want two little ones helping out!

So we got freezing rain Friday night that caused a LOT of nasty accidents. Sunday it was 55 degrees and storming again with tornado warnings. Then we got more freezing rain Wed. It POURED! Luckily it did not freeze on the roads, but the trees and power lines didn't fare so well. We're supposed to get a dusting of snow tonight that will melt by mid-morning tomorrow. So far, we have not had enough to even go outside in. Go figure, it's the one year Christopher actually got the sled down for us *before* it was needed...

Last night the 7th and 8th grade band did a pep band performance at the basketball game. They were AMAZING! You'd never know they'd only been playing those songs since the winter concert in Dec. They rival the high school band! It was really neat seeing the crowd all standing to see them with these looks of "wow" on their faces- especially the guitar solo on We Will Rock You. WOW! And these kids have only been playing 3-4 years!

I've been trying all week to win a trip to the Grammys to hang with Paul McCartney. Yes, I have. This is the last week of the contest. Wouldn't you be trying to win too?

Saturday we have family pictures. It's been a few years.

Product of the Week- Vanicream

I'm linking up again to Tiffanie's Product of the Week post. This week we're going to talk about Vanicream.
This is the absolute BEST stuff for eczema. Preston's gets bad, especially in the winter and takes forever to get cleared up. Christopher brought some samples home that they give out to his patients and we haven't used anything since. It's thick, but not too thick, so it goes on easily and absorbs quickly. It also doesn't irritate already irritated skin like other creams we've tried.

They also make an awesome sunscreen as well! My kids have the world's most sensitive skin EVER. Sunscreen is supposed to prevent burns, but on my kids, it actually burns their skin- even sensitive skin varieties- and trust me, we've tried them all, even all natural ones.

You can find this easily at CVS and Walgreens. I did see some at Wal-Mart, but it was behind the pharmacy counter so you'd have to ask for it!

Famous people

I keep a journal of all the funny things the kids say. Preston's is especially full from when he couldn't hear, and consequently, couldn't talk correctly. Now, with speech impediments long gone, it's more just off the wall things he comes up with. Case in point...

A few weeks ago, Preston was downstairs watching tv while I fixed dinner. I popped down for a minute to see what he was watching- a show on Animal Planet about snakes. Gross, but I figured it was pretty benign. He starts telling me what the people are doing with the snakes- "They think the blood from the snakes will bring back the spirits of famous people like God and Jesus."

Well, I'd say it's safe to say that God and Jesus are well known, but maybe famous isn't exactly the term I'd use! After that, we found a different show to watch!

God's speaking again

God tends to talk to me a lot. I don't know if it's just me, or if He does this to everyone (or if they even know how to listen). It's always exciting when I realize what's happening. I might not always want to listen, but I know that I need to.

Back last summer, some people from Granny and Pa's church opened a Habitat For Humanity resale shop downtown and needed volunteers. One of their friends mailed me an application. I really didn't want to do it. It was a bit out of my comfort zone, so I tucked the app under the phone book in the junk drawer. I knew it was there, and came across it from time to time, always leaving it. Then the week before Christmas, I was in my pre-holiday purge and tackled the junk drawer. I told myself that I was never going to do it, so I tore it up and threw it out. The VERY NEXT DAY I got a call from the lady who'd sent it, asking if I would consider volunteering and if she could send me another app. I knew at that instant that God was telling me that this was my calling, so I said yes.

I mulled over that decision. I really did not want to do it. For one, I am by far the youngest one there. Everyone else is a retiree. But I love elderly people and have always had a soft spot for them, plus they almost all know my parents and grandparents. I had my orientation a few weeks ago and it was really fun, but that didn't change the way I felt about today being my actual first day. Every day for the past week I have struggled with the idea of going in, but I prayed about it and today, woke up feeling at peace.

I will admit that I did have a pretty fun time. Spending five hours on my feet surely burned up a few calories and certainly wore me out! I only volunteer once a month since I still do a lot with the school, so it's nothing overwhelming. Now, if it wasn't so cold in that old building, it would probably just about be perfect!

Accidents

After Friday's ice storm, this is what we woke up to. Doesn't our driveway look slick? I opted to walk in the grass to get the mail after nearly breaking my arm last winter when I fell so fast I couldn't catch myself. Note: ballet flats are NOT ideal for jumping over snow drifts. For that matter, I don't know why I didn't wear snow boots with 6 inches of snow!
Later that afternoon I heard Christopher ask what that noise was. I didn't hear anything so I said it was the tv. A little later he's carrying on about something and of course, I can't hear him when he's not in the same room, but when I went upstairs I saw that someone had had an accident just across the street and took out the neighbor's mailbox.
It involved 3 cars and took the police nearly half an hour to get there. If you look closely, you can see the van, the green Explorer and the police car. The green car originally took off, but came back before the police showed up.
See my sweet niece, Abbie? Cutie, huh? Well, since we didn't get to go out to Keith and Dee's Friday night, they had us out Saturday night instead. We were cleaning up from dinner and Abbie was walking through the kitchen with a duck push toy when she tripped over it and fell on the corner of the open dishwasher and cut her eye pretty badly. Jess, Reid and Dee took her to town while we stayed with Keith to help watch Issie. Our ER had a 3 hour wait, so they called Effingham and they were empty, so they took her over there. They called in a plastic surgeon since the placement of the cut wouldn't allow them to glue it- the same surgeon that stitched Keith's lip when he got hit with a wench. He was going to have to sedate her in order to stitch it because it's pretty rough on a 2 year old, but she'd just eaten dinner. So he sent her home and they had to go back first thing this morning to have her put under to stitch it up. The poor girl! She's doing well and I imagine is glad it's all over! The only bad thing is that we all have a big family picture session for Grandma Shirley this Saturday and Abbie will have some lovely stitches and a black eye.

The whole time we were watching Issie, she kept asking for Abbie. You can definitely tell they're twins because they really have never spent any time apart. Issie loved the extra attention, though, but missed her sissy!

Ice Ice Baby

Please disregard the cheesy title. It just came to me.

Our weather this winter has been a roller coaster. One day it's 65, the next it's 19. One day we have thunderstorms and tornado warnings, the next day...
ICE!

The lovely image above is our dogwood tree last February when we got a quarter inch of ice dumped on us and shut the entire town down for a week. Tonight we got another round, but it's not supposed to be nearly as bad.

Thankfully, Christopher left work at 2:30, and right as he got home at 4:00, it had just started to rain. It started freezing immediately. Kendra called later because Grandma Shirley was worried about Christopher making it home and said that I-70 was closed. After being stuck on I-64 downtown St. Louis for 3 hours last week, he's glad he left early today or he'd be out along the interstate somewhere.

Keith and Dee just got back from Hawaii Wed. and Jess has been in Chicago, so she wanted us all to get together tonight, but Keith didn't call until after I'd already started dinner and it was already raining, so I'm glad we didn't go. We stayed inside and had greasy cheesy hamburger for dinner and watched Rango- which we finally turned off because it just was not that kid appropriate. I stood at the front door for a good while tonight watching cars creeping along the highway, thankful that we were home safe, and praying for their safe journey. To quote ol Yukon Cornelius (from Rudolph), "It's a night not fit for man nor beast." We shall see what we wake up to.

Pa called this afternoon and we got to have a good chat. Of course, he had to rub it in that it's been 80 degrees all week in Florida! He had me go up and check on his house since I told him it was going to get nasty tonight. The house was just fine and I can't wait until they're back home. I'm kind of glad they're missing this because I wouldn't want them out on the ice.

Planning in full-force

So Kate will be turning the big 13 in April and party planning is in full swing. I hate waiting until the last minute, and actually, I've been planning this one since November. Never too early... Pinterest will get me in trouble in the details dept. This party went from a simple photo booth party, to a very detailed, decorative vintage photo booth party in red chevron and turquoise. See below the candy bar? This has got me scouring antique stores like mad trying to find just the right details. I'm excited though, and so is Kate! The only downfall is that her birthday is the weekend after Easter this year and the kids will be home for Easter break the entire week before the party. I'm so used to having the house to myself to bake, create, clean that having them underfoot might be a challenge. I might have to send them up the hill to Granny's for a few hours!
via
And even though Preston's birthday isn't until September, he's already chosen his theme- Angry birds. Let's see if I can bite off more than I can chew attempting this cake!

via

Cast iron skillet

I'm linking up with Tiffanie for her product of the week today. My product is the Lodge cast iron skillet. Mine is the lovely 10 1/2" square pan below. They come pre-seasoned, so they're ready to go.


Isn't she a beaut? I know what you're thinking- those things are a pain to clean/season. Yeah, sometimes, but if you take your cooking seriously, this pan will change your life. It makes the BEST fried chicken. It comes out so crunchy and yummy. The kids always used to complain that "Granny's fried chicken is better," but now they beg for it! It also makes excellent cornbread when you preheat the pan and add butter (or that reserve of bacon fat in your freezer...) to the pan before adding your batter- it makes the outside super crunchy.

Trust me, cast iron pans are well worth the effort. Plus, with the right care, this pan will be passed to Kate some day and then hopefully her daughter, and who knows how far down the road it will go!

Thanks for reading!

Things you may or may not know

I've been having lots of random thoughts lately and figured that since some of you don't know me that well, I'd share some fun things about me. Now, my family and friends might already know some of this, so just bear with me!

• I've been a stay-at-home mom since Kate was 9 months old.
• I have a degree in political science that's sitting on the back burner.
• I didn't attend my college graduation because I was hugely pregnant with Preston in August and knew I wouldn't be able to handle the heat under a gown. He arrived 6 weeks later.
• I very much enjoy my quiet days when the kids are in school. I get lots done, but sometimes I do absolutely nothing with my time.
• I volunteer for the school and the local Habitat for Humanity resale shop.
• I LOVE thunderstorms. I don't love that they had BOTH kids up last night at 3:00. I never really did get back to sleep after that before the next round started with tornado warnings...
• I LOVE snowplows. They frequent our street a lot during the winter and I love hearing them coming. I don't like when they take out our mailbox, though!
• I hate cold weather. I'm already looking forward to spring.
• I'm a huge Beatles fan- notice the title of this blog. I've got the kids hooked and there's not one of their songs they don't know.
• I'm addicted to KLOU radio station. I've got it streaming right now.
• I'm a pretty good cook- at least I think so. I'd really like to open a little restaurant someday, but the financial risk scares me right out of that idea every time.
• I suffer from chronic ear infections which have led to hearing loss. I'm biding my time until I absolutely have to have hearing aids. It's the Henry curse- me, my dad, my two sisters and brother, and Preston all have the same deal.
• I HATE coffee. I love to smell it straight from the can, but refuse to go anywhere near it, or anything coffee flavored.
• I love to sew. I have so many sewing projects in my head and on pinterest, but can't get myself motivated.
• I am an amateur photographer. I love taking pictures, but it's the post editing that gets monotonous. If it wasn't for that, it might be something I'd consider doing as a business.
• I have no will power when it comes to food. I do well all week, watching what I eat and then I go to mom's or Granny's on Sundays and stuff myself silly. Same goes for restaurants. I won't admit how many cupcakes I've eaten since yesterday.
  
• I HATE ironing. I put it off as long as possible and often try to catch the dryer when it goes off to get Christopher's dress shirts before they get wrinkled so I can just hang them up. If I don't make it, I throw them in with the next load and try again. I live for spring and summer when Christopher can wear polos. Dress pants go to the dry cleaner.
• I can not seem to return library books on time to save my soul. I don't know what it is about them. Back in Nov., the library knocked off a dollar from your fines for each canned good you brought in. They need to make that a year-round effort!
• I keep a binder with all of my decorating ideas. I have plans for an entirely new house and for major renovations. Christopher gets nervous when I pull it out.
• I'm not a reader. I have little patience. I started the Help back before Thanksgiving and haven't finished the second chapter. I'd much rather DO something. It seems so much more productive!

So there's a few tidbits about me. Nothing too exciting, but it's a glimpse of me that some of you didn't already know! And if you did, well, good for you!

We can't have just a lay-low day

I pictured today as a fun, low-key day for us with no school. We'd wake up and have pancakes, we'd bake cupcakes, we'd make flubber, and build some more Legos. It started out OK, but by 10:00, Preston was complaining of pain under his left rib cage that hurt when he breathed deeply and bent over. Soon, it radiated across his entire chest under the rib cage. A call to the dr. followed and they wanted him in to rule out a broken rib (that could puncture his lung).

Let's back things up a bit first. Friday afternoon, he came home from school with the beginning of a cold. By bedtime, he was a mess and one look at him told you that he didn't feel well. Saturday morning, he was pretty congested and coughing some, but not bad. Then at 2:30 Sunday morning, I hear this horrible cough and a minute later, he's got me up saying he was going to throw up, and he did. I figured it was from the cough/drainage. I got him settled in bed again only to be woken up at 4:30 with more vomiting. Lovely. By morning, he was his normal self and continued to eat, drink and play like any other day. But when he started with this pain this morning, I was a little afraid it was pneumonia. With his asthma, that's the last thing he needs. I tried to listen to his chest, but couldn't hear anything- not exactly easy to listen ear to chest when you already can't hear to begin with!

So we wound up at the dr. early this afternoon and they were able to rule out pneumonia. His chest sounded clear and his pulse ox was 97. She didn't think it was a broken rib, either. What she thinks happened is that he pulled a muscle either coughing or from the vomiting- she said it sometimes takes 24-48 hrs post injury for the pain to set in. I didn't know that! Of course, we're on watch and see just in case it's something else, but right now it looks pretty mild.

Once we got home, we did get to make the flubber which was a huge hit, and Preston and I decided immediately that we'd make some for his valentine party at school. I'm in charge of the whole deal and have to come up with activities, crafts, designate what people bring, etc. It wasn't exactly how I pictured our day, but we just can't have a day without some excitement!

We got some snow

This is what we woke up to this morning! Finally, some snow that's not going anywhere before the end of the day! We've gotten officially, an inch according to the news, but the wind is SO strong that it just blows everywhere. And that inch is causing a whole mess of trouble. The highway is solid ice, which made for a fun trip to school this morning- twas quite slick. Nearly every interstate in St. Louis was closed at some point during the morning commute. Christopher left around 5 and called at 7:15 to see if there was school and he was still in traffic- still not sure if he made it in. *I talked to Christopher and it took him FOUR hours to get to work. That's 3 extra hours because the interstate was shut down. I would've turned around and come home, but I guess when you get stuck less than 10 miles from work, you might as well go.

So why is one inch causing so much trouble? Well, it was 55 all week and it rained all day yesterday until this came through early this morning, so they couldn't treat the roads. Then the temp dropped to the teens in a snap and that cold wind just froze everything on the roads. It's a mess.

Granny and Pa got out of dodge in the nick of time. I just happened to look out our back door around 5:50 this morning and saw them loading into the van and pulling out of the driveway (so neat that I can see their house from ours). They're off to spend a few weeks in Florida at my Uncle Jeff's house- lucky ducks! At this point, they're probably an hour north of Nashville, TN, well away from this nasty mess!

And mom called as I was dropping Preston off- I knew something was up. Well, she was driving down the road, and Kate's friend Jenna and her dad were backing out of their steep, ice covered driveway and couldn't stop, and plowed into my mom. Everyone was OK, but it's kind of crazy that it was them. And Kate is supposed to stay with them tomorrow for Jenna's 13th birthday (13th bday on Friday the 13th), so I'll have to ask Chuck if he had a little run-in with my mom.

Hopefully roads will be better by 3:00. I anticipate Christopher leaving early. Right now, St. Louis interstates are still pretty much at a stand-still. Who knew we'd be in a mess like this! Yeah, I asked for snow, but not this!

Hard work

Being a mother is hard work. HARD. I'd be preaching to the choir if I went on and on because you all know how hard it is. It never ends. Anymore, I find myself more frustrated than anything. I see certain families and think, "How on earth do they have it all together?" I know I see my sister-in-law and her 2 year old twins that rarely ever have meltdowns, eat so well, mind their manners and heck, were even potty trained before they were two! I always comment to Jess about how amazed I am, and she shrugs it off like it's nothing. Or she paints an entirely different picture of them than what I've ever seen- but I've babysat these two, and they're angels! Sometimes it just doesn't seem fair!

What's hardest right now is that Kate is oh so close to being 13 (3 months). With that comes the attitude, the smart mouth, not listening, and the hormones don't help anything at all. It's a crazy mess. It's like all the things I've taught her, fell on deaf ears. She's suddenly forgotten how to use manners. She expects us to drop everything we're doing and do something for her at that VERY minute, or we pay the price with a snotty attitude. Nothing we do is fun anymore. It doesn't matter if it's something SHE wants to do- there's always that tude.

Tonight was a rough night. She's gotten a very bad attitude about math this year. She does very well in it, but she just absolutely hates it. Part of it is the teacher, which doesn't help, but it's made for a rough year so far. She wanted help at a point where I could not help her, and said she'd have to wait a bit, which made her mad. So when I did sit down to help her, she was in an even worse mood and wouldn't take my help and just gave me more attitude. I warned her that if she wanted my help, that she had to change her attitude, or I she'd do it all herself. Well, it did not change, and I had to be tough. Even Christopher told her the same thing. So by bedtime, she was beyond mad at me, still refusing to help because she was still grouchy. This led to a big "pity party" (hate to call it that), and we had to have a long talk, and lots of tears.

I know I'm not the perfect mother. I've made many mistakes. I know I'm probably making mistakes right now. I can only pray that God leads me through this to do the best job I can with her. My mom always tells me that when I was that age, she always told herself that one of us would make it through my teenage years, and well, we both did. I just pray that we both make it through this- with sanity intact!

But it's hard when she's so stubborn. And stubborn isn't always a bad thing, but it's hard when she's being stubborn about things she thinks are right instead about important things. How do we teach that? Things that are important to a 12 year old aren't necessarily important to adults. It's hard for us to see that. There's a delicate balance between the two. She wants all of the newest gadgets/expensive clothes, but doesn't need them. They are important to her, but not necessary. If we give in and give them to her, she expects us to continue giving them. If we don't, she's mad and says we're not being fair. We often talk about possessions not being what makes us happy. I always reference back to a discussion we recently had about the "popular girls." They're popular because they have the cutest clothes, the cutest makeup, the newest gadgets, etc., but they're not nice- they just have what all of them want. I stress the importance of having friends that like you for what you are, not what you have. And even though she says she agrees that's what's important, she doesn't show us.

And it's even harder when Preston is the exact opposite. He's always been easy-going, mild mannered and easy to work with. And it's easier to be around people like that. She feels resentment, and I hate that. If we all sit down to play a game, etc. he just puts more into it and has a good time, whereas she does not. That, and he still wants to do things with us instead of watching tv, texting, etc., so we do more things that he wants to do. But she sees that as favoritism, but it's not. That, and he's 5 years younger, so there's a big difference in just about everything with them.

I knew that being a mom would be hard work, but seriously, I didn't sign up for this! Dr. B. told me back at Preston's last well check that she LOVED her teenagers, but didn't like them very much at the age Kate's at. I'm praying that once we get past the big 13 milestone, and get used to all the hormones, and she realizes that we all have to strike a new balance with her being older and more independent, that things will level out. It better, because at this rate, I don't know which one of us will make it through this! (only joking ;)) I love that girl like crazy, but geez!

Shopping

I'd had planned to go to Fairview yesterday for several days. I'd sold 3 of my wreaths in 2 days and only had 1 form, so I had no choice. Our day started off horribly, with two children not wanting to listen or behave or get ready for school. So I left town terribly upset and really not wanting to go.

I ended up having a pretty good day shopping and got all of my returns taken care of and some clothes bought for the kiddos. I enjoyed a nice lunch at St. Louis Bread Co., even if I was by myself. I also returned a PS3 game they didn't want and exchanged it for another remote. I had to be back on the road by 1:30 to make it back in time to pick up the kids, but about halfway home, I realized that I might not have picked up the bag with the remote in it. I had to pay for it back in electronics, so I had put the sack in the basket of the cart and everything else I got at Target in the seat part. I pulled off the interstate and sure enough, I didn't have it. I called Target, praying that some honest person had turned it in, and thankfully, someone had. Phew! I didn't have time to go back, so I had to tell the girl to hold it and I'd have my sister-in-law pick it up since they live there. Then I had to call Diana and see if she would pick it up since I'd already volunteered her! She said she would but I haven't heard yet if she has. I'm just so worried something will happen and they'll give it to someone else or put it on the shelf and we won't get it and then I'm out $$$. UGH!

As soon as I picked the kids up, Kate had an eye exam. Her overall eye health is great, but her nearsightedness has gotten worse- she couldn't even read the big E at the top of the chart (she knew it was an E but it wasn't clear). She was able to get new frames and lenses which hopefully get in later this week. I've been worried about her breaking the loaner pair and having to pay for them, so I'm ready to get the new ones. She's ready too since she's been hating the loaners since her others broke last month.

And since I forgot to put dinner in the crock pot before I left town, and because it was well past 4 when we got back from her appointment, we had the rare fast food dinner. I was in no mood to cook!

I was going to ramble on about shopping frustrations, but really, I'll stop here on a positive note! Maybe another day!

When in the course of human events...

It becomes necessary to read the Declaration of Independence to your child.

Not really, but it was kind of fun! Preston read John, Paul, George and Ben last week and has been fascinated ever since with the fact that John Hancock signed his name so big. He seriously talks about it every day. So today I dug out Kate's copy of the DofI that Granny and Pa picked up at Monticello and Preston asked me to read it to him- the WHOLE thing. And he liked it! He must get that from me- I have my degree in political science. And we all know how big of a conservative he already is!! He says he wants to be an ENT when he grows up, but maybe he'll be the president.

If you haven't actually read the Declaration of Independence, DO! When you read it, it really puts into focus what our country was actually founded on - rule by the PEOPLE, not government. And the stuff about the King of England sounds so eerily similar to Obama that it gave me chills as I read it. Seriously, people need to read this and take a look at what's going on right now and realized that in just the past 4 years, we've gone so far astray from what our founding fathers intended this country to be- what's worked for over 200 years. This is our year for change- don't take it for granted.

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Hello? Can I please order some winter?

The calendar says January, but the weather says March. We might even push it to April. We're supposed to be in the 30's this time of year. We're used to frequent single digit temps. But this year we're dealing with temps in the *60's*! And as for snowfall, we haven't gotten much. About 2 weeks ago we woke up to an inch, but by 8:30 it had all melted because it had been 60 the day before and the ground was just too warm. Last year we missed 11 days of school and got over 30 inches total. Maybe we used up all of our snow last year. Or maybe it's because Christopher finally got the sled down and has it hanging within reach this year. Whatever the reason, I'd like to have at least one good snow. Please?

$918.70

Want to know how much I've saved using coupons in 2011? $918.70!!!!!!!!!! That's almost a thousand dollars! Wow, right? And you know what? That total is just for manufacturers coupons for groceries/etc. That's not counting retail coupons, online coupon codes or restaurant coupons. If I'd kept track of those, my total would have been a LOT higher.

Am I a crazy coupon lady? NO! There was one instance where I had 21 coupons that landed me free 3-packs of Ivory soap (actually, I made 3 cents on each pack) and it was beyond embarassing because it held up the line and people stared. I may love a good deal, but I'm not going to go to that extreme. I just buy two Sunday papers and use those, plus what comes in the local paper on Thursdays. I have other people that give me their inserts as well, and aside from a quick browse online to check for printables on things I know I'm going to buy, that's it. We only have Wal-mart and IGA, so I can't often score fabulous deals like on tv. I just try to get the best deal I can and enjoy it!

I'm proud to be frugal. I'm proud that I'm setting good examples for my children. Money doesn't grow on trees, so I try to save as much as I can. If anyone wants to join me in tracking 2012 savings, let me know! I think it would be fun to see what we can do!

Nonni

This guy went to the vet today.
This guy wasn't a very good kitty at the vet today.

Well, some of the time he was good. He got out of his crate and walked onto the scale and sat down. He weighed in at a whopping 15 3/4 pounds. No, he's not overweight, he's just a HUGE cat. He even walked around, jumped around, and explored. Then the vet came in and he let loose. He did NOT like her. It took two women to hold him with a towel over him, wrapped as tightly as they could to examine his leg. I've never heard Nonni cry like that. He was MAD. Then they let him go and he ran back into carrier and was fine. I felt so bad that Nonni clawed the vet pretty badly- the about to have her baby any day vet. Sigh...

The verdict... we have a "lumpy cat." What we thought was a mass, was just another one of those pesky cysts that he gets on his ears that turned up on his leg and got much bigger. Since he was so agitated, she was not about to risk trying to aspirate it. Right now we're on watch and see patrol. If it gets bigger, gets a sore on it or bothers him, we're to call and schedule to have it removed (under sedation). Not much help, but at least we know it's not dangerous.

So far in 2012

So far...

• the passenger-side back door on the Explorer has broken and refuses to open. So maybe this was late on NYE, but it's close enough to count.
• I woke up with a cold.
• the dishwasher nearly caught fire. It's never fun to smell something burning in your kitchen. Thankfully I'd just accidentally hit the "dry" button and it's worked perfectly ever since.
• I found a mass on Nonni's leg. It's about 1/2 inch in diameter and wasn't there two weeks ago when we last brushed him. We're off to the vet in a bit to check things out. $$$$$

So far, things aren't going as well as I though they would!

2012

Happy new year!!!! 2012 has come uneventfully this year, so I hope we're off to a good start! I did wake up with a cold yesterday morning, but it sure beats the new years day trip to the ER 3 years ago! I ate my beans for good luck, too!

We had a pretty low-key new years eve. Jess and Reid invited us over for spaghetti and we all had a good time. The kids got to play with Abbie and Issie and I don't think there was anything else that would've made them happier at that point! Kate had been to a sleepover at a friend's house the night before and stayed up until after 3:00 a.m., so she was a BEAR the entire day. So she was put to bed at 9:00 (Preston, too). I didn't even make it to midnight myself! But really, I'd much rather spend my new years eves like that, rather than going out to some big party. Boy, times have changed!

Many people make resolutions for new years, but I'm just setting goals. Resolutions are changes, while goals are something to attain and don't necessarily mean change. So without further ado, here are my goals for 2012!

• Eat healthier! I'm not talking health-nut by any means- I still LOVE fried chicken, deserts, etc. I just need to get rid of this belly fat that can no longer be called baby fat when my baby is now 8. That, and with heart disease coming at my from both sides of the family from multiple members, I need to at least make an effort to eat better than I have.
• Get back into running! New years eve was SO nice outside (near 60), so Preston and I went to the park to ride his scooter. He rode, I ran. Or should I say, I walked mostly, ran some. A few months ago I was up to 2 miles, but a nasty respiratory infection in July set me back from running for well over a month and by that time, I'd lost my motivation. I loved running, and really want to do it again, as soon as it warms up outside!
• Get the scrapbooks up to date. Both of the kids' albums are a year behind, and I have yet to do anything with our past two vacations. It looks like we'll be heading back to Gatlinburg for a wedding in June, so we'll have more pictures come then!
• Start Christmas gifts early. Four years ago I wanted to have Christmas done by October, but then we ended up selling our house in September and that shot that idea to pieces! So far, it seems that I can do it one year, and the next goes out the window. I plan to start making some as soon as the kids head back to school this week.
• Organize. I'm pretty organized to begin with. I like things to not be cluttered. Lately, though, things have gotten really cluttered and it's getting on my nerves. I need to purge and rearrange. Thankfully, Preston came up with a bunch of stuff Saturday that could be put up in the attic and it really made a difference!
• Find a new church. It's no secret that I really don't like Christopher's church, which we've gone to for the past 12 years. I'm Lutheran, he's Baptist. But he doesn't like my church, either. We need to find a church that meets in the middle and makes us both happy.
• Get a children's daily devotional. I think it will start our days off on a good note to begin with a lesson about life and God.

I'm sure there are other things I'll want to do in 2012, but those are my main goals. What you won't see this year is my project 365, or "picture of the day" as we called it. I lost all interest once the kids got back in school. With them gone all day and homework each night, there wasn't much besides the cats to take pictures of, and we only need so many pictures of sleeping cats...