Could this be any sweeter?

I snapped this photo this morning of the girls as they were curled up together on the couch watching cartoons before Elisan went to school. This is the kind of moment that I want to sear in my mind of my two best girls!

(Side note: Notice the pillows? They each are resting their heads on their kitty cat pillow.)

Pillow talk of a different sorts

Randy has been out of town the last few days on business. So, as an incentive to encourage good behaviour on the part of Elisan, I promised her that she could sleep in mommy's bed one night while daddy was away.

Monday night, she lost the privilege to sleep in my bed with me. Jumping on the bed trying to reach the butterfly mobile doesn't really equate in my book's standard of discipline as a reward. She was very upset by it, understandably so. I mean, who wouldn't want to sleep with mommy, right?

So, Tuesday night rolls around and she maintained her good behaviour status and she happily bounced into my bedroom, with princess pillow in hand to slumber in my bed. When I told her that I wasn't going to bed when she did (at 7:30 p.m) she was a little shocked. That wasn't part of her plan... I can only assume she wanted to talk to me incessantly until finally she fell asleep. But, then, she (like her mom) had a light bulb moment and said, "Oh. I'll just stay up with you, until you are ready to go to sleep." Ummm, not so fast, missy....

So, after finally convincing her that she was in fact going to bed at that moment, with out me, I retired to the living room downstairs for some much needed relaxation.

About 10 p.m., I went to bed. About 11 p.m., the talk-fest began.

She talks in her sleep. Not only does she talk incessantly throughout the day, she talks in her sleep as well. And, yes... that trait she gets from me, because I too, am a sleep talker. Early in our marriage, Randy was a little startled by it, since I tended to holler and yell out in my dreams. But, now, he just rolls over and ignores me.

After hearing Elisan sleep talk last night, it gave me a bit of an insight into Randy's world. At one point during the night, Elisan was hollering too... but, at me... for cutting her paper. I asked her this morning about it and she clearly remembered me cutting her paper in her dream.

Ah...what a peaceful night of rest I had last night. Next time, I think I'll just promise to take them to their favorite restaurant as an incentive, rather than a night in mommy's bed. I think it will do us all a world of good.

Kyla's Apron

This is Kyla's apron that I made for her. I bought remnant fabric for $1.00 in the clearance bin at Wal-Mart. I love the Winnie-the-Pooh toile print. I bought 2 yards of matching grosgrain ribbon and a package of ric-rac trim.

Total cost was approximately $2.50.

Cute huh?

33%

Today, I ventured out to the mall. It's been a good long time since I've ventured out to the mall, and I remember why I don't like going there. However, that's another post entirely...

No, today's post is about my epiphany I had while at the mall.

I was sitting in the play-area watching KM play and I began taking notice of the other moms around me.

I deduced that there are three kinds of mommy styles.

1.) The Dress for Success Mom - This mom buys all of the latest clothing styles, her hair is perfectly styled, nails are professionally done, she carries a designer hand bag (including a fashionable diaper bag!) and her make-up is freshly applied. Her kids are an accessory to her. I'd venture to say that approximately 33% of mothers make up this catergory.

2.) The Original Mom - This mom is the original mother. She dresses neat and nice, but not always fashionable. She has a nice hairstyle, but it is often in a ponytail. She wears make-up, but it is worn off by the end of the day - she rarely reapplies it. Her shoes are comfortable, and at one time, were stylish. Her kids mirror her in style and fashion. 33% Yes?

3.) The Survival Mom - This mom is in survival mode 24/7. She dresses in comfortable, if not disposable, clothing. She has stylish hair, but wears it in a ponytail. If she wears make-up, it is very little and would never think of reapplying. Her shoes are athletic shoes... better to catch you with! Her kids sense her frazzled state and take advantage of it. Again, I'd say that approximately 33% of mothers make up this catergory.

(Disclaimer: 1% +/- margin of error)

These findings are based on my own conclusions and are not intended to harm. I just find it ironic how easy it was to classify mommy style.

Since I became a mom, I've come to the conclusion that my cool days are over. Not that I was ever really cool. But, I've stopped trying. Of course, that's not to say that I don't want to look nice, dress nice and appear as if I have it all together. Plus, my husband makes googly eyes at me and chases me around the house when I do. (But, truthfully... he chases me around the house and grabs my bottom all the time... but more so, when I look 'hot'.)

I'll never be the mom who spends a fortune on the newest styles. For one, my body, namely my boobs, will not allow for such. Plus, I don't know if you know or not, but my husband... he's the tightest... er, um... most frugal.... um, no... tightest man you will EVER meet. So, going out and spending $100.00 on a pair of jeans, no matter how great they look, will never go well over at this house.

And, I'll never be the survivalist mom because, well... because one of my kids is in school, therefore my life is easy again. But, truth be told, I was never a survivalist mom anyway. It's just not in my nature.

So, I'm happy to say that I'm an ORIGINAL mom. I'm average and proud of it. Now, if I could only get rid of this ponytail...

Blogging Photo Assignment

It's the first Blogging Photo Assignment of 2007!

Today's blogging photo assignment is all about closets! My closet is in need of an over-haul. But, I haven't the slightest idea where to start! I want to see your closet - the good, the bad and the ugly - so I (and maybe others) can glean from you, ideas on how to organize the closets!


Plus, it might just give you a good reason to clean it out - that is, for picture purposes, like I did. Even clean, my closet is still a messed up wreck.

This area would be great if the shelves were a little wider. I envisioned storage baskets, boxes, whatever... but, because the shelves are barely 15 inches deep... well, that pretty much rules out anything useful. So, this great space is virtually wasted.

Any thoughts?

This is the bulk of our clothes hanging space. Do you see the middle shelf right about the hanging bar? No? Me either... because you can't see it OR use it. Another shelf wasted. What were they thinking? Also, see how my clothes and Randy's clothes come together in the middle? It's awful because my clothes are shoved behind his clothes. I hate that.

This is my teeny-tiny area that I have to hang dresses and/or skirts. Notice it is shoved up against my IKEA shoe hanging thingy. That thing, has been wonderful for keeping the shoes off of the floor, but not very practical for actually being able to see your shoes. Plus, you have to position then in there just so, for them to actually fit in there. This product would not work for men's shoes either.

So, there you have it. My icky, yucky, cluttered and messed up closet! Now, let's see yours!

(This blogging photo assignment is open to anyone who wishes to participate!)

Saturday's Craft Project

I found some cute Raggedy Ann and Andy fabric in the clearance bin at Hobby Lobby. It was just the right length to make Elisan a cute apron.

Isn't the striped grostgrain ribbon a nice touch?

I think I'm going to give it to her for Valentine's Day... that is, right after I make KM one too.

Caught up

Over the summer, Randy and I began renting Fox's "24" on DVD, beginning with season 1. About 2 shows into the season, we were hooked. Thanks to Blockbuster.com, we did not go into the hole renting all of those DVD's. (Hint: Blockbuster.com is waaaay better than Netflix! You should check into that.)

And, now... after nearly 6 months of non-stop "24" action, we're caught up to the current season, having watched all five episodes of season 6. Thank goodness for TiVO.

Folks, just for the record, that's 125 episodes of "24". That translates into a lot of television. Approximately 56 hours and 25 minutes!

Oh, and speaking of TiVO... if you don't have it, get it. If you have it, then you need to check out TiVO To Go. It allows you to transfer your recorded shows to your computer and then burn them to DVD, if you have a DVD burner.

That's my public service announcement for today.

More pillow talk

I'm getting good (enough) at this!

Elisan and I trekked to the craft store yesterday and I let her pick out some fabric. This fabric was actually sold pre-packed, rather than on a bolt, so it was quite pricey... but, there's no denying, it's really cute. The green fabric on the back was from the remnant bin. The purple rick-rack is from L.A. It was in my Christmas Thrift Challenge package. I have enough material to make four more pillows.

Elisan again, thinks I'm the coolest. She even said, and I quote:

"Mom, it looks like someone bought it!" Wow... store bought quality, eh? (Yeah, right!)

Erica's Charro Beans

Today's Yummy Food! installment is my yummy Charro Beans. This is the anglo version of it, but it's still very yummy and super easy to make. We eat them as a side dish to fajita's, or as a meal with added meat.

Enjoy and 'ole!


ERICA'S CHARRO BEANS

2 - 16 ounce cans - Pinto Beans (drained and rinsed with water)
1/2 yellow onion diced
1 - 12 ounce can of Original (or Mild) Rotel Diced Tomatoes, drained
2 cubes chicken bouillion
4 cups of water
3-4 slices of (uncooked) bacon
Cumin (and/or 1/2 packet of taco seasoning) to taste.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with:
Handful of chopped fresh cilantro
Grated cheddar cheese
Tortilla Chips

Directions:
Drain and rinse the pinto beans. In a medium to large pot, add 4 cups of water and all the ingredients into pot. Simmer on medium low (or low bubbly boil) for about 2 hours. Allow soup to reduce to half. Remove bacon before serving.

Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro (to taste), grated cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

Optional ingredients: Cubed ham or choirzo (Mexican sausage)

Enjoy!

All in all, a good portion of the population is inherently good

Since I began my little on-line invitation business I had dealings with the public that directly affect me.

Oh sure, I've worked with the public before. I've worked in food service (Remember that place Amanda? Western Choice?). I was a claims adjuster for one of the fourth largest automobile insurance companies in the U.S. And I pretended to be a real estate agent for about 1.5 years before I realized that I'm not cut out for that kind of work. So, working in the public sector is not that foreign to me.

However, I've never really worked for myself... where I collect 100% of the profits. I must admit, I'm really enjoying my side venture and it's nice having a little extra money in my account. I'm not bank rolling cash hand over fist, but it's enough money to keep things interesting. So, I press along each day... serving my customers to the best of my ability.

I've had extremely good experiences dealing with the public. I've had referral business and repeat customers. It's so satisfying getting a glowing response from a customer when they receive their invitations.

In the course of a year, since I've been selling photo invitations, I can only recall three bad experiences. Unfortunately, two of them has occurred within the last month.

What I don't understand is how people can live with themselves when they've deliberately lied to me and/or stole from me. It's appalling and it just really disappoints me. I'm not disappointed at the loss of the transaction or the monetary value of it... I'm disappointed that people think they are getting away with something. Because, really, they aren't. I may be blond, but I'm not stupid...

I'm honest almost to the point of gullibility. I'm that girl in the in the check-out line at the craft store and who corrects the checkout girl when she counts out 5 pages of $.20 craft paper, instead of 6.

So, I set out to test my gullibility. I found The Gullibility Factor test to test my gullible nature.

Here are my results! Surprisingly, my score was 85.

I am a:

Free Thinker

Welcome to the top 5%. You're a true free thinker and a person who is well informed about the reality in which you live. Although you may have been easily manipulated earlier in life, you eventually gained lucidity and developed a healthy sense of skepticism that you now automatically apply to your observations and experiences. You are endlessly curious about human behavior and the nature of the universe, and you have one or more lifestyle habits that most people would consider odd or unusual. You are not only of very high intelligence, you are also extremely creative in one or more areas (music, art, software development, inventing, etc.)

If you were in The Matrix, you would have taken the red pill, completed the combat training, and started fighting (and beating) agents from day one.

So, there ya have it folks. I'm not gullible, at least according to Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, primary author at NewsTarget.com

What's your gullibility factor?

If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy

Boy, isn't that the truth?

This past weekend, Randy worked (a.k.a. took shelter) in the garage to work on miscellaneous projects. The girls joined him.

Why? Because momma wasn't happy. Or, better put... momma has P.M.S.

I've noticed over the last year (or two, or three) that my mood has spiked up in a turmoil of frustration and stress over the smallest of things. I find myself nearly shaking in anger over nothing. Nothing. I'll repeat... nothing.

And the sad part about it, was that I didn't know why. I blamed it on the kids, or being overwhelmed with housework, or being a perfectionist, or trying to be Super Woman. Whatever. It didn't matter what the trigger, I just blamed it on something.

Until I kind of had... well, a light bulb moment... and realized that I suffer from P.M.S.

So, I'm officially joining the other 75% of women who suffer from P.M.S.

In celebration of my new found discovery, I decided to pay my OB/GYN a visit. I needed to discuss the course of treatment and plan of action for this reign of terror that now has overcome me nearly two weeks out of the month.

Here's how the conversation went:

Me, "I think I have P.M.S."
Doctor, "No, you don't say?"
Me, "Why yes... is there anything that I can do about it?"
Doctor, "Go through menopause."
Me, "Ah, yes. Well, that's not going to help me now."

So, we talked about several treatments that may or may not help me. The first was birth control pills. Nope to that! Randy has had the 'ol snip-snip, so I'm not interested in that.

Next!

The second option was taking calcium supplements. Apparently, some women have reduced P.M.S. symptoms by taking calcium supplements. The only side affect? Constipation.

Next!

The third option was taking Zoloft. I'll admit, I'm not a chemical kind of gal, so I opted out of that one. But, I'm keeping the idea in my back pocket just in case things get really bad.

Lucky for me (hint of sarcasm, there folks!)... the doctor said the symptoms would only get increasingly worse as I aged. Yippee!

So, there ya have it... a peek into my personal medical health. I'm so glad that I could provide solid medical facts about P.M.S.

I just hope that I've helped the 75% of women out there who suffer, as I do.

Pass the laxatives, please.

A new craft to devote a 1/4 of my time to!

Necessity has required me to purchase a sewing machine.

Or, let me re-phrase...the desire to learn how to sew necessitated the need for a machine. So last week, I bought a re-conditioned Brother sewing machine from eBay. It's true... "Whatever it is, you can get it on eBay."

In preparation for it's arrival, I purchased remnant fabric from Hobby Lobby. I even printed off an easy pattern for a Wee Bunny from Hilary Lang's popular Wee Wonderfuls blog.

My machine arrived on Friday and after dinner, Randy and I sat down and figured out the logistics of it. Randy was pretty knowledgeable in sewing machines since his mother taught him how to sew as a young boy. Shhhhh...that's TOP SECRET, by the way!

So, today I set out to make the Wee Bunny. Ummm, let's just say that Wee Bunny was a wee bit too hard for someone who has never used a sewing machine in her life. Who woulda thought that the ultra cute Wee Bunny would be so hard to sew.

Anyway, so I opted to make a pillow instead. Straight lines ROCK!

Here's how it turned out.





No, it's not perfect and if you click on the images, you'll see that for yourself, but ya know what? I'm as proud as ever! And Elisan thinks I'm the coolest mom ever now!

All that and a bag of chips... or three... and a can...

I got my chips!

Would you like some ice with that?

The BIG STORY across the nation is that Texas is getting a whallop of a winter storm. I'm here to say, that yes, 'tis true.

And I'm also here to say, that we've been cooped up in this house for the last three and a half days and it ain't pretty.

Oh, sure, we've got plenty of food thanks to my over-zealous grocery shopping that I do on a weekly basis of non-essential food items. Cookies...check! Soda...check! Icecream...check! Hot chocolate...check! (Although, I ran out of marshmallows two nights ago!)

However, we are rationing the chips, orange juice and bread. Maybe we'll get one last serving today at lunch, but that's it people. Oh, the horror! (Is that my new favorite line?)

I know there are those out there that are sayin', well, get out and buy some provisions woman! But, no! You don't understand. Texan's cannot drive in cold weather. Ice or no ice... we cannot drive in cold temps. So, as you can imagine, everything has come to a screeching halt, because of the ice factor. We have a "wintery mix" of sleet, freezing rain and snow which equals chaos! Sheer chaos, people!

So, alas... school is out... there are no chips in sight... and Randy is at work. Because, "me man! me drive on ice."

Stay warm and have some chips for me.

-gasp-

Randy gave me a disk today that had this picture on it.
It was taken at the company picnic way back in October.

As soon as I opened the file, I gasped.

My heart jumped immediately, because I fell in love
with this picture. It captures my husband perfectly.
More so than any other picture I've seen of him.

He's happy, relaxed and the sun has
kissed his cheeks ever so lightly.

I'm a lucky gal, aren't I?

The Blessing

This is today's breakfast blessing, as told by Kyla Mae:

Kyla, "Dear Jesus. I pee-peed in my bed. Mommy wipe it. I got new undies. Amen."

Mommy whispering, "and thank you for the food..."

Kyla, "And thank you for the food! Amen!"



Mommy and daddy barely able to control laughter....

As if I needed another reason...

...to love H.E.B.

Okay, y'all, I post stuff about H.E.B. because it is probably my favorite store, bar none. I love it, (I think) more than Target and maybe even IKEA.

You gasp, "What?"

Yes, it's true. I do.

Another reason why I love H.E.B. so much is because of their bulk food aisle bins.

I'll admit it, I've never even looked in the direction of the bulk food bins because, well... to be honest, I've always thought it was for healthy eaters. Stuff like wheat germ, flax seed, kamut, quinoa, etc. Also, I noticed the whole wheat pastas which in my book, means stay far far away!

But, what brought me to the bulk food/organic aisle was the whole bean coffee. My love for good coffee has expanded over the last year, which now requires me to buy fresh whole beans. So, I had to step out of my little box and venture to the bulk food aisle. Oh, the horror!

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised once I arrived. There is not only that health food stuff, but there is a wide variety of nuts, snack mixes, dried fruits and cereals. But, the real reason why I'm writing about this aisle is none other than the bulk dried spices/herbs found in glass jars on the far end of the aisle.

There's about 40 dried herbs and spices found in that section and I was (and still am) in heaven every time I use it.

Not only that, but the cost is phenomenal.

Yes, $.42 cents for a package of mulling spice. It even has directions on how to use it on the label. It smells wonderful and tastes wonderful.

If you click on the picture you can see that I spent a whopping $.09 cents on dried parsley and allspice. That sure beats buying it commerically packed and paying $3.00-$4.00 a jar.


That's whole peppercorns with about two tablespoons of red and white peppercorns mixed in for variety. I love fresh cracked pepper on just about anything.

I guess I love it because I can buy the spice/herb I need without buying an entire container, only to have it sit in my cupboard for years and years without using it. Plus, this stuff is fresh and has a great taste.

Oh, by the way, those little spice/herb jars are from IKEA. 4 pk for $2.99. I love 'em.

Later,

Quiet Time

Elisan and I have a secret that no one else knows about.

Early in the morning, before the rush, Elisan sneaks downstairs to find me.

I'm usually sitting on the sofa reading a devotional or praying and she crawls into my lap and we have quiet time together. Just us. No one else. No distractions.

She tells me about her silly nighttime dreams or how life will be when she is all grown up. All of this...while she's snuggled up in my lap, with her head on my shoulder.

The smell of her little girl breath and her hair is something I want to remember forever. The warmth of her body, the calmness of her spirit, the sleepy yawns... memories forever.

Perhaps there will come a day when sleeping late will be more important to her than having quiet time with me. But, who knows. Maybe, just maybe, our quiet time will be what keeps us together forever.

In the spirit of organization...

My friend L.A. thought I should continue the organization trend and post pictures of my new organized computer space!

Again, my wonderful husband came to my clutter rescue and together we came up with a solution to my overcrowded kitchen counter/computer workspace! (You rock hun!)

Here is the before picture. As you can see, I have my printer and computer tower on the counter top. I also have my vertical files on the counter too. This was an 'okay' set-up, but hey... a girl has to cook and I had very little prep space next to my stove-top, which was about a 2 feet from the printer!




This is the after pictures. Here's what Randy did. He drilled a 2 3/4 hole into my countertop. (Yes, I was a bit worried there for a second, because the reality is, that if you mess up the formica, well... you're just pretty much done!) Anyway... so, he did a great job and then added one of those desk/cord thingys. Then, he ran all the cords down to the lower cabinet area, where he then installed my computer and printer. It's all neat and tidy down there and my countertop is work-friendly again! I moved my vertical files into my newly organized craft room.






You so totally rock, Randy! Love you long time!

Get Organized!

Some of my Christmas money was spent buying shelving for my craft room a.k.a. spare bedroom.

I have been using this room for almost a year for crafting, etc. and all of my stuff was crammed into the plastic drawer thingys that take up entirely too much room. In effort to keep my table top clear, so I could have a work space, I was forced to stuff everything underneathe the table. I barely had room for my legs, it was getting so bad.

Another thing that bugged me, was that the girls were able to easily access my stuff, which was not always a good thing.




And those pictures are telling a supreme lie, because my workspace was NEVER that clean. In fact, you could hardly see the desktop due to unfinished projects and/or leftovers from finished projects. It was a craft room explosion!

So, I decided it was time for shelves. Randy installed shelves over the weekend and that left me with the daunting task of organizing my stuff.

Here's the outcome. And while I'm not 100% satisfied with my organization, I'm 100% thrilled with my new shelves! Just look at all of that space! And look, there isn't anythiing on the floor, either. And I promise, my craft stuff did not multiple overnight. All of that stuff was in those plastic drawers and/or on the floor!


I love my new set-up. I'm sure creativity will just begin to oooze from my pores now.

Wait... it's 2007?

I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that it's 2007. It's even hard to type.

But enough of that.

I'm just so glad that it's normal again. Well, as normal as can be expected. I will say, though, that it was hard rolling out of bed yesterday to bring Elisan to school. But, it had to be done and as much as I enjoyed having her home for the Christmas break, I was happy to send her back to school. But, don't call me a bad mother, because she was just as ready to go back to school as I was ready to send her back. KM missed her though... and that was kind of sad.

Yesterday was spent with trash bag in hand throwing away the stock-pile of stash that Elisan squirrels away in every corner of the house. I can see a future of futile fighting, as I'm a tosser and she's a keeper. She must get that from her dad, because believe it or not, Randy is a keeper too. I've already noticed that KM is a tosser, like me. And, so along with trashing, I put together a nice donation for our local Goodwill store. (I love Goodwill!)

This past weekend, Randy and I trekked out to the home improvement store to buy my Christmas present! A NEW DOOR! Only, when we got there I was appalled at the prices of new doors. I'm not talking fancy solid wood doors with wrought iron scrolls in the glass panes either. I'm talking plain 'ol fiberglass doors with a window! Ummm...we're not getting a door any time soon because I have a list of stuff I want to do to the house and getting a new door is about 5th on that list. I'd much rather put that money towards... say,... new flooring, etc. Of course, Randy is probably saying to himself, a dollar dodged is a dollar saved. But, not me... I'll squirrel this away to myself and remind him later on about the time when we didn't get a new door, so we could one day have money to install new floors. We'll see how that pans out for me. My gut is tellin' me that I'm a sucker, but who knows...

Meanwhile, apparently Randy, KM and I have all picked up a tummy bug that is keeping us close to home. Well, "us" meaning KM and me. Yay. Gotta love that.

Well, that's all for now. I'll be around...



P.S. - Don't look for any New Year's Resolutions from me. I hate disappointment.