First Day of School

it went well...I was very nervous for AG....she was not happy...was "sick" last night according to her..burning up. LOL Today her stomach didn't feel well- poor baby...I bet it didn't. Last night K had a meltdown about her first day and what to wear...and then told her dad she didn't want to be 13 and get older. :( And Mikey was up at 1am because he was so excited...I don't think about going so much.....but who knows. LOL

I got some cute pics of them and the day went well. AG was terrified at school but I was upbeat and smiling and refused to "hold" her...a lot of kids were just sobbing and I told AG to tell me at least 2 good things that happened when I picked her up.

She was sure she'd have three things to tell me and she did. I was there early and got her and she was thrilled to see me. Told me she saw her brother in 5th grade and got to hug and kiss him And we ate out at her choice- Taco Bell..this kid would LIVE there if possible. And she took a LONG nap when we left..all three of mine took naps again after starting school. Let's hope the bedwetting and waking 5 times a night settles down now that it's not so scary.

I start my school on Monday..maybe I'll have the kids take a pic of me and maybe I should wake them up a few times crying about school..then have a meltdown about what to wear ;) Think the kids will laugh? ROFL

Anna's new monkey shoes :)

In other news Bonni and my cousin Anthony have dragged me kicking and screaming into myspace..which I still hate but at least I can see pics, etc but I did discover FACEBOOK and man is that place addictive...look me up there via my name and I'll add you as a friend. Lily sent me something the other day and I still can't figure out how to get it It's so EASY to use though I am loving it and it re-connected me to an old net friend who I lost when we both moved.....so it's been a great week.

My tattoo...after 2 weeks..lookin' good and NO scabbing amazingly enough!

Peace out.

Fee

Boys and Parties

Wow....boys are much different...while more laid back in their needs..they also are like wild indians running around my yard. M's party was a hit I suppose...he did mention to ALL the kids that only some were invited to sleepover...heck the three that did tried my patience with SLEEPING :) It appears as I get older I get less tolerant of sleepovers...esp when *I* am not the one staying awake all night having fun!

We had pizza (not enough this time) and puking on our pool deck (ick) and kids running around and having fun and it was all outdoors and they were able to do it on their own for the most part. One kid kept thinking it was hilarious to splash me and my camera when I was out there...I was most UNamused. :)

Now my house has 1 little girl Anna's age and her brother....Mikey's age or a little younger....and 1 other boy (the 2nd boy went home already- YAY)..my gram and Kev and Riss and me...kind of full this am. The girls are already in their swim suits and have been since about 7am....and K is ignoring their repeated requests to swim and NOW :) I spent the night on the couch with kicky- aka Anna...because she was crying out in her sleep...causing Kev to miss his alarm this am....that's been ramping up the closer school comes (this thurs).....

Anna told me in the dells..momma...everything I see during the day I see in my dreams and it scares me. LOL I knew this. We went to Top Secret there and frankly I was UNimpressed...the guide told me it wasn't scary (like heck) so Anna and I went in and because she was shy and scared he decided it'd be funny to scare the pants off her...unamused was my attitude and he was shocked when I said..where is the nearest exit b/c we aren't going to sit here anymore and do this....it was behind me and then I had to go all the way around the outside of this place to the parking lot..Anna thanking me the whole time for putting her blankie over her head. Poor kid.

Idiot Top Secret place...the older kids liked it...so I was glad for that!!!

And this same scared little girl kept trying to ride Zeus roller coaster..but she was about 2 feet too short :) We are pretty strict with her and rides...even if she's just a bit over if an adult isn't on with her - she's not going on...we discovered on one ride that she would have slipped right out since she's so slight.....but she WANTS to ride them..man alive..the kid was GO KART maniac...every two seconds begging someone to take her on them ROFL. Mikey still gets green on most rides..he's the most like me..poor kid....wants to ride so bad but then gets sick.

Ok gotta go...drive Gram home and get off my lazy behind...might even scrap today! :) Doing dinner with friends tonight. YAY..and then school stuff starts...amazing how fast summer went by! Amazing how happy I am without a store hanging over my head. Who knew?!

Dells

Man was it ever fun...we took a friend along for Katie to ride the slides with and the kids ALL had a great time..next time we will also bring a friend for Mikey and stay a week we think. There is SO much to do there....we ate at our fave Paul Bunyan's. If you haven't eaten there you need to...all you can eat and it's good old fashioned food.

I'll throw one pic in for now...since we are on our way to get the supplies for Mikey's pool party (they invited 17 kids..I should have checked the list a bit more closely! LOL)

See you all on the fly!

Fee

One Last post

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls EVAH...if you want the recipe - email me ..we love them..all cinnabon like...goodness...

not that I eat em anymore ;)

Fee

Some Layouts

I did a LOT of scrapping at Bonni's...but haven't scanned them at all YET. :) But here are some older ones that ppl might not have seen.....

Hot time...

In more ways than one LOL....just came back from a lovely break and vacation with my dearest friend and "hero" Bonni.....my mom and the kids joined me in the hottest part of the country. Oy. Have I mentioned how I hate heat and it makes me cranky????! We got sunburned in 1 hour at the pool..luckily enough for me NOT enough that I couldn't get what I went there for...but alas for poor Bonni...none for her on her sunburned neck (I still think you did it on purpose!!!!)

Kids bday party after we returned in June!

A brief recap of my summer so far....do I do it in concerts or trips? Both have been insane this summer. I don't know if it's because Mom lives here now (instant babysitter) or because the kids are older. We fell in love at Summerfest (kev and I) years and years ago (15 now or more) and haven't really gone that much in recent years...our concert going started with that I think....trying to remember now. Actually I lied :) We went to Rush back in March? Long story with that...Kev has been TRYING to get me there for oh I don't know? 15 years? But I hated them...and really do I have to do EVERYTHING with my spouse? So I avoided it that long. Finally I caved..and said MAYBE I would someday go to one. LOL
Kev at Summerfest- a balancing act of great entertainment!
Bad mistake..within 1 hour he had us tickets to see them in Moline. Very SMALL venue btw....so Kev and I did a couple's weekend there and it was FUN. The show was FANfrickingTASTIC. I couldn't believe it...we were so close to the stage Kev was hyperventilating. I agreed that they rocked and I wouldn't mind seeing them again. Well we already had tickets (2) for the Summerfest show and we sold those and got 4 (for K and M) to join us and had a rocking good time. We went to Summerfest like 4-5 times to see various bands....Loved Snopek...and also some other small name bands...and then saw STEVE MILLER BAND with Joe Cocker and Rush again. We loved SMB so much that we saw them a week later in IL grabbing 7th row tickets for $30 each (stubhub or ticketsnow- great places to find tics). Went to see Dave Matthews Band in there somewhere- it was "ok". I left it early actually- this show he seemed zoned out and not with it..with his band..but that venue was in my old neighborhood and so NICE...remembering that one for sure!!!!
Kev and I in Indy with our new Sony Powershot? I think that's it. LOVE this little powerful camera!!!
Then we ended recently with FOO FIGHTERS (talk about a SHOW) and another RUSH concert in Indianapolis. OY. Came home from that..finished school and rushed out to see Bonni before we leave on wed for the Dells. After that the kids go back to school and I am in school FULL time this fall..where my blog can become the adventures of the college co-ed

Anna's New SHORT cut like her big sister's!

So it's been go-go-go...trips so far have been:

San Diego and side trip to Mexico!, Moline, Savannah/Fort Stewart, Indianapolis, Madison, Milwaukee and the Dells. Trips in the spring- MEXICO with Kev..I can't wait. :) And FLORIDA to see half the old DT it seems...Lily, Julie, Janet and whoever else shows up!!!
Brat Pack 08- Madison...a FULL group minus one person- not too bad for a college reunion!

The closing of Scrap Addict has been such a blessing in SO many ways. I did my first college class in 10 years or so this summer and it was such a good class..even though it was beginning math again it was EASY and I learned a lot. I scored an A. YAY. And I found I still love learning. I can't wait to get through all my schooling. I've had time to cook, organize things...clean and rearrange. And spend time with my kids

. My very DEAR friend- Dolly! :)

So my big news....a TATTOO..how long have I been mentioning this? I almost did one at Summerfest but had PROMISED to do my first with Bonni..who then ditched me due to sunburn And it was FINE. How soon til I can get more???!

I had worked the pain up to epic proportions in my mind but was determined to do this for me. :) I'm SO so glad I did. It wasn't painful at ALL..although my toes were curled Bonni said ;) I didn't move a muscle. It felt like someone digging their nails in...the color hurt so much worse than the outline but Marcus (Dove who tattoo'd me and Bonni) had said the outline would hurt....The actual tat now is SO much brighter than this pic but it'll work to show you. It was going to be one small thing and kinda grew...I decided on the tattoo design for a variety of reasons....Butterfly (thanks Annette) because it signifies a change or metamorphisis....a rebirth if you will and I am reinventing myself and am totally different. It represents my 60 lb weight loss so far and the road I am traveling still....and then flowers and vines...I had seen this in a tattoo magazine but didn't want the SAME one.
Researched flowers for birth months....and decided on Narcissus for mine (who wants an xmas holly in there? LOL) and Hawthorne for Katie....Honeysuckle is June- Mikey and Kevin and then a Daisy for Anna- and for Bonni...Gerbera Daisy is Bonni's fave flower and it's purple- her fave color..so all the most important ppl represented in my life. And mom's flower is also dec- narcissus...

We got asked if they were twins...we were laughing til we looked good at them and thought....holy cow..they DO look like twins. :) We had great fun teasing them ALL the trip! Miss you guys loads already!!!!!

So that's our summer in nutshell. I'll try and throw some pics in here too!

Fee

Congrats to Mr and Mrs Demott

And can we say- it's about darn time you two. It was THE wedding to be at...even though the church photos were so rushed.....and I didn't get the shots I totally wanted (thanks to Jim for being there with his "hobby" camera which blew mine out of the water)- the day was FUN...and isn't that the most important thing? I managed to get photos of pretty much EVERYONE there (their one request) and the band was awesome as was the dj...I wish I wasn't so tired that I could have stayed and danced. The food- amazing and the love....stunning. I was so honored to be part of your special day!

How to Get through Customs with no worries

It's true..you CAN upon entering our country again get past US Customs with nary a worry. But how do you ask? Well you need my secret weapon. :) A little background..we went to Carlsbad to an exclusive resort this summer for vay-cay with the kids. The resort was beautiful but our highlight of the trip was a tour to Ensenada Mexico! I loved it there..the culture and the street vendors...omg everything about it...don't be surprised if I move there to work in a pharmacia ;)

Mikey wanted a shark's tooth necklace..try asking for that in spanish A cool little store called Coyote off the beaten path actually had it! I loved that little store!!!! Anyway he roped me into this HUGE sombrero. And then the next vendor told me he needed a poncho. Ok so there is my kid looking more Mexican than American and carrying his dad's new GUITAR. He looked like a freaking mariachi player. And when we walked into customs...with this boy in a sombrero as big as his body and this poncho strumming a guitar..well the WHOLE building basically broke out into La Cucaracha and waved us through laughing the whole time. What did Mikey say when they asked his name? OMG you'd have died laughing ...proudly he said: Mi Llamo Miguel. I was like....Michael knock it off. LOL

Have I mentioned how much I love and adore this kid????!!!!

Instant Karma

Yep it's true..karma is out there..now whether you choose to believe it's good or bad...isn't it truly all in how you look at it?

I did this layout about instant Karma with my kids.....the journaling is all about how ppl might think one door is closing in my life but in reality it is SO a window opening. I'm a glass is half full kinda girl. Now you tell me: I've got my health....I'm down 55 lbs and still losing, I'm looking better than I ever have, we have riches untold in family and love and life and we are able to take great vacations and I am blessed with being able to go back to school full time for a 2nd degree (pharmacy) to become a pharmacist. I'm still scrapping but I've gotten rid of all the drama and stress and nastiness....if this is karma may I have it always in this much abundance! :)

For those not in the "know" or living under a rock...we closed our local store this past weekend. It was a hard decision but not as hard knowing we weren't making any money there and that the market is dead lately. We were truly lucky to get out when we did. Whether or not the kit company keeps going is still up in the air because my other big news? I'm back in school full time. I took a long look at my life and I want the career and the salary and the lifestyle where I can see my kids..where my phone isn't ringing every 2 min, etc

Kev and I talked and he said if you went back to school would it be for admin? (My BA is in elementary education) and I said seriously if I went back I'd go to be a pharmacist...full on. It's 2 years of prereq's...math/science heavy and then if I get accepted (there are 4 local colleges that offer pharmacy colleges)- 4 more years. So that's what I am doing. And going back after 14 years is not nearly as hard as I imagined and I am working harder for it and actually getting it!

We still anticipate having our message boards/gallery (I can't get rid of the girls there anyway ;) Even if we have a different name for our site. We will keep everyone posted as things move along here but don't worry about me girls.....I so appreciate all the loyalty and support I've gotten from my true SA friends over the years and the rest of it simply does not matter. Don't sweat the small stuff right? And the rest is ALL small stuff.

Hang in there and enjoy summer. I've got to do some more posting - lots of good stuff to put out there..pics of Mikey and summer......but I have to leave to study for class!!!!

Long and short of it

We got K a haircut...super cute one...thanks Ashley! If you can visit the girls at the Hair Cuttery in my town..they do great cuts and color. (Taylor does my color!)

Anyway this is the cut that started all the crud at K's school.....with drama club - and the teacher.....I don't think she looks bad or like a boy with this haircut...it rocks.

See the before? How messy it was? Took her hours to straighten so then she asked if she could chop it off and I was all for it..even had though of a style and it looked so much better than what she was describing...her friends didn't even recognize her!!!!!

21 years?

I was at an awesome play this past weekend- Singin' in the Rain (my first time seeing it- never saw the movie)- and my good friend Tom made an offhand remark that instantly made me feel old....me old...I know I am still 19 in my head! :) We were reminiscing and I hadn't seen him in years.....same old Tommy though ;) And he said that he had figured out with Erica (another old friend who is in the same musical) that we had all starred in King and I 21 years ago. Nah that's not possible.

I mean it. :) I know K is just 13 and so realisitically it makes sense but man alive..we are officially old. Speaking of being a teenager....she had a boy/girl party here on Friday...the kids are all so good and well behaved....it's SO nice. And at the end of the party I guess her friend N asked her out..via another boy. LOL oh it's so middle school isn't it? I guess it means that they are not going anywhere (another novel concept to me) and it's just a label. Ok. Deep breaths...I knew it was bound to happen at some point. But I know I just was pregnant with that one.

What else is new? It's time for a career change...I need to accept the fact that the economy is not going to be good for a few years and get out when I can. So big changes to my life and store coming soon. And in that vein...I am headed to the local college here today to meet with an advisor..if all goes well I will be college bound again.

I had gotten my BA in Elementary Education geez in '94 but it's time for a new degree..I was never happy with my major....I always wanted to be a lawyer or something else and that "something else" is what I am reaching for now.

In other news:

K turns 13 (as mentioned above)
M is turning 10...double digits...he's giving me fits this year...homework has been a continual struggle and his lack of remorse at getting bad grades or even leaving whole sections (the essay ones) blank is not a concern. I hope he outgrows this preteen stuff and soon.
AG is doing great...she's heading to Kindergarten in the fall and asks everyday if we are going to the school today? Poor kid..it's gonna be a long summer.

The pool is officially open at our house and the kids bday party will be on 6/21 in case I forget to invite anyone..bring your suits.....

Darwin is such a good puppy..omg I mean it..and I am NOT a dog person (If I keep repeating it maybe he will believe me ;) He's sleeping right now....

We head to San Diego this weekend and I want to show the kids where we got engaged- Harbor Island Sheraton Hotel in the SWIMMING pool of all places......I'm looking forward to unwinding and to FLYING somewhere for once. In the fall we head to see Maria and Brad (kev's friends) and then to see Bonni in August...I am so excited...and the best bonus is I get to meet one of my dear online friends Shelli when we are out in NC. :)

Busy summer for us...I added a slide show and am going to add one of my recent pics...we'll keep in touch hopefully more this summer!

Miss all my friends...hopefully things will be hectic in a better, more productive way soon!

Hugs,
Fee

Introducing Darwin

Yep it's true..we've added a new member to our family- another male to try and even things out--although we are at 5 females and now 3 males.

The newest member is so dang cute it makes my teeth hurt.

He's 4 mos old and is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel! His birthday is Jan 7th.

Trying to take a picture of my puppy with him moving- now that's talent ;)

If you are in the market for a pet and you live near Bridgeview- I HIGHLY recommend Odd Lot Pet Store. My cousin Dan owns it and was so helpful in our choosing. He is reasonably priced too! He's on Harlem and 79th street behind the Haunted Trails!

So far this puppy has pooped and peed ONLY in the house. Oy vey. And he's noxious :)

The kids are in love and so are we!

We actually went in for a Beagle...little did we know that this little face would appeal.

Scolded

I've been told by some close friends that I do NOT update this blog enough. Well embarassing as it is to admit..I keep forgetting and resetting the password. Maybe now I'll remember :)

I've tried to scrap a few times in the last month..but thoughts have been on my local storefront which is not doing well. This economy is killing us and we've been to lawyers and then stressed over it. I'm leaving it in God's hands now..but have put out my applications for substitute teaching.

I lost another 5 lbs in the last week..due to stomach flu...I somehow feel there are better ways to go about this. Seriously.

I won a prize on Cosmo Cricket's blog..their new line Hello Sunshine is SO sweet. I think we'll do something with it...I really like the color combos a lot.

And finally I'll leave you with a layout if I can snag the image....I do have lots more to say but work awaits.....

New pics

blurry but new :) The lighting at the store was not helping poor Cari out. But she was a pal and snapped this of me!

This is in my new size jeans (yay) and top...I'm feeling great and doing ok too!

Check out Ellie Krieger's recipes on Food Network.

I am SO glad spring break is almost over...the kids are whining and the weather stinks.....if I see anymore snow I may scream.

Ok more from me later..working on the store newsletter :)

-Fee

A Whole New Regime

So things are settlin' down around here...the contractor from heck is finally out of my house for good....Mom's apartment is looking great and is a nice little space (2 bedrooms, 1 bath, kitchenette with full size fridge/microwave/pantry), living room and computer nook/scrap area...and a laundry room. Heck *I* want to move in!

Since she vacated our bonus room/exercise room Kev got the bug to start exercising again. I think it was his checkup where they told him he was borderline diabetic. So he started working out and mentioned eating healthier...I have to admit I blew a gasket when he started this.....right after I spent x amt of dollars on our normal foods and planned out a month menu.

He has a tendency to start these fad these...south beach, perricone, the salmon only diet...and buys stuff and spends a ton of money on the books and exercise plans (he currently has the navy seal book...we are NOT navy seals hon) and then doesn't have any follow through. So Kev started this kick in Jan and started refusing to eat my normal meals and I joined him after I visited Bonni in Georgia :)

I decided if you can't beat him - join him and I have a great time exercising with him. We have a bow flex, treadmill, recumbent bike, etc...so no excuses essentially.

See this photo? This was xmas. Yuck!

We also caught an episode of Ellie Krieger's Healthy Appetites on Food Network and I was amazed at how good it all sounded...told Kev we NEED her The Food You Crave cookbook and it was the BEST investment yet. Seriously...we are eating more gourmet and healthier now and are having a great time doing it...I don't feel deprived..there is no weight loss program or things to count...it's a NEW lifestyle.....see this photo below? From last fall....for our family photo shoot..again YUCK.

So how did we start? We simply started eating healthy..cut out all crap and watched our intake on things...I started eating breakfast and lunch again and 2 snacks..so I added MORE food and still ended up almost 40 lbs thinner now. Kev is at about 35-40 lbs...and he lost it SO quick it was so discouraging to me...seriously. Everyone sees immediately how much thinner he looks and ppl aren't seeing it on me...well I had been wearing the wrong size clothes....3 sizes too big in some instances..and went out and bought some interim jeans yesterday and am starting to feel like me again.

I really felt like I had done all this work and no one noticed- even me....I was frumpy...but I'm happy to report the jeans fit today and are NOT falling off :))) Look at the skinny minnie...he's really looking good in his jeans!

I'm going to post some before pics of me and some before/after pics of Kev....I have to get the kids to take a mid-after of me in my new pants :) And this size is starting to hang on him..even though his weight is still holding steady. Rat. :)

This is an amazingly HORRID picture of me as far as "after" ones go....Kev is not good at this ;) But at least I think it shows some weight loss..not sure.

So if you think you can't...you really can...I'll share some recipes later...I'm loving figuring out healthier ways to eat...I'll even tell you some good foods you can eat out...amazingly enough.

More from me soon enough---Fee

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a great one...we sure did...it was our first healthy eating holiday..and while some of us were sad at no Hash Brown Casserole....(which I am going to revamp to be healthier)....we did just fine...

We had: Ham, Low fat mashed potatoes, stuffed french toast (low fat), salad and baked sweet potatoes. YUM. I made a homemade banana cream pie - also low fat for dessert.

We played 2 poker tournaments...I won the first and Tom took Kev in the 2nd.....

Otherwise it was a perfect low key day. Next up is Anna's 5th birthday..amazing to know that my baby is going to be FIVE.

Think it's a hint?

LOL I had to smile when I saw this...Mikey got play-doh for easter in his basket (cause he fights w/Anna for hers...and of course now she wants his colors...but this is what he made...I thought it was adorable...now I am wondering....was that a hint?

They want a dog so bad...we just got a fence so our last issue is done with...so I guess we are looking at Dogs.....Sandy..make sure you get me the breeder's name.....I'm hoping after our summer vacation....but we are thinking a yellow lab.

I'd go rescue but we have SO many ppl in this house- and kids to boot..might not be a good fit..but if you know of good rescue stuff - please let me know.

The cutest surprise

Jill sent me my BEAUTIFUL purse...omg it's just adorable....I'm using it as a camera bag.....and then inside she had put this beautiful little one for Anna..which got lots of compliments when we were walking through the airport!
I was able to scrap...miracle of miracle on my MUCH needed recharge to see my bestest bud..Bonni. We had a blast and she scrapped a record 2 pages while I was there :) It was Anna's first flight and I had to lug all of our stuff to of course - gate C28 or some such thing...I almost died laughing when I realized that she would not use the people walker or the escalator. After a few flights of stairs this should-be ditz figured out..ELEVATOR. But the people walker...well we just walked alongside of it. Looking at it from Anna's POV I can see why she'd want to skip it kwim? Neon rainbow lights and then a voice saying: Keep Walking.....over and over. She was SUCH a trooper...a great traveler and a good buddy...it was so nice to have her to myself for a long period of time and really great that I could give her that one on one attention! More from me later..dinner is done and we are in an exercise regime here so I have to do the treadmill..hard time :) I will say that I've been feeling great since we've started this new eating and exercising and it's not as hard as I would think...so hopefully those pounds start dropping off. More pics and layouts later!

I'll leave you with ONE layout...it's much brighter in person- the new lens right out of my camera and me messing around in our backyard...love the photo and love this kit- High Society about to be released to the general public at Scrap Addict!

I'll include the original photo in all it's glory too since this scanner of mine screws up all things :) See how much brighter it truly is on the layout? Or rather what it should look like? Can I say I am LOVIN' my new camera and Cari and her photography class.....remind me to give y'all the blog address...she's amazing..and I am not just saying that cause she wants to photograph the kids again ;) I took that pic and others like it in AV mode..me in something other than auto - AMAZING. Ok gotta fly. Sorry...life is kinda like this lately......bbl

Fee