Prize Winner of 29 Palms *GRIN*

Tuesday morning we drove to San Diego because I was called and told I was a winner in the KUSI Military Wives appreciation contest. I must tell you I was a tiny bit skeptical..but HOPING it was true!

SO ..we got up at 3am tuesday..I am NOT a morning person btw. And drove 3 long hours. Traffic was actually not bad till the last 30 miles. We got there with PLENTY of time to spare! We walk in and wait around finally people get there and show us around..the camera crew came in..filmed us LIVE. *did you know they get right up in your face* That was a bit unnerving! And the KIDS were sooo good like who were those children? I was sooo proud of their testimony!
Here is the prize run down..hold on to your seat!

Three $1000 Walmart gift cards!!!!!

A day at Collections Day Spa!!!

And a BRAND NEW ANY SIZE SLEEP THERAPY BED!

And a 1 Year Membership to the ASYMCA!!

I have to tell you I was shocked!!!! When I signed up and saw the prizes..not knowing they gave them all away at once, I had thought..Lord I really would LOVE to have the day Spa, the bed would be nice, and of course the $3000 dollars would be too..but I REALLY would like that day spa! And God gave it all to me! I am so suprised and shocked and so UNDESERVING!

So now I have to figure out a way to spend all this money! ha ha! I know I am getting a serger! WHOOOO HOOOO! I am so excited about that! I also would LOVE to get a video camera and YES you will be sick of all my movies! New TV stand...stuff I don't *need* but would like and never get because we are always buying shoes! (and motorcycles )*VERY BIG GRIN*

So ya think I'm spoiled?? I do! God is sure good to us!

Here they are!

I have had a full week!

My parents were here at the begining of the week and I really enjoyed them staying with us. The rest of this week has been filled with errands and doctors appointments. Joseph has a surgery in a week please email me if you would like details as I wish to keep that off the internet.

I have pictures to post but havent had the energy to sit down and do that.

So this is all the update I can give..but hopefully tonight after the kids go to bed I can spend more time on here.

What happens when you add Free Flowers

to a messy yard? You get a flower garden! The kids and I worked this week planting flowers. We had to move rocks (Jason took inititive!), chop up the dirt ( we all had a hand) and plant the flowers. It looks sooo nice out there. MY favorite part of the night?? Sitting out there in my chair drinking a diet coke and just resting.

It actually makes me miss Jim so much! He would really enjoy it. "It's soooo romantic"

You know what was the best part of planting these flowers? It was seeing my children work together. It wasn't all peaches and cream, but they did it with out too many battle scars.

I also enjoyed seeing Joshua get excited about all the plants..and seeing him "find the worm" that was swimming in the mud water. And of course seeing him pack that worm around for 2 hours because it is his friend.

I think my favorite part was when we watered the kids and the plants!

Out of the Mouth of Jared 5-18-06

"Mom what if you sewed roses on your feather bed?"

Is this what happens when they turn into teenagers?

My Parents are Coming!

Well I heard officially last night that my Mom and Dad are heading this way. First they are heading to Nevada and then to the Grand Canyon..visiting some friends and family along the way. Then they will head here for a day or two or so. I am not sure how long they will be able to take us! So I am thinking maybe Wednesday or Thursday they will be here.

I sure wish I was feeling well enough to actually clean. It may just be picked up.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

And what better way to celebrate Mothers Day than to get up in the middle of the night with sick children. So much for the hope we might make it to church this morning. We had even rested yesteray in hopes of it making a differenc..well mostly rested ..other than the couches and the chair that we cleaned.
We also played monopoly and some kids played with "Dinosaur Playdough" That has been a fun set for them!

Today..I have NOTHING planned since it looks like we wont be going to church. I think we are going to spend the rest of the day playing monopoly. And I better win...its MOTHERS DAY !

LOL

Have a great day! Hope all are healthy.

Cleaning Part 2

Well I finished my couch and we moved onto the chair and thats as far as I got. I need to finish the stairs and latter this week we will do all the kid's rooms and of course mine.

I still have a lot of stuff to sort through..but I figure it will always be there. If we are feeling good this week we are going to get out of the house and have some fun. I am still fighting a sore throat and sinus junk. I never got the flu that the kids all got. I am hoping its not going to sneak up on me! I have enough with what I have now.

Well I am going to get. We are playing Monopoly! And I don't want to lose!

Tulips!!

Look what Jim sent me for Mother's Day! I was in shock! Isn't he just the sweetest!

Carpet Cleaning!

I am motivated. I knew it would happen! I am almost finished with my living room carpet and 1/2 way up the stairs. I still need to clean the furniture and my rocking chair. ONCE I get those done then its on to the upstairs!
See how HARD Joseph is working. He is almost finished!

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding

Becca you are Correct...there is a HAND in the box. I wonder which one it is? And It wasnt even 24 hours! LOL

So who do you think it was in that box?

Notice anything out of the ordinary in these pictures?

Lets have a 24 hour contest and see if anyone can figure it out.

Ok Ignore the ticker

For some reason that ticker works sometimes and sometimes it doesnt. WIERD ticker! SO IGNORE IT.

OK never mind..Ignore this post. I fixed the ticker. If I am a slacker and dont stay on track a cheetah will chase my runner guy and try and eat him. I can't have the now can I? So I better stay on track!

Another yard sale find!

Here is a recent yard sale find! I actually found 2 of them and didn't pay a dime! My neighbor said hey come over and pick out some stuff. These were my favorites! I sure wish I had some stuff to give her in trade.


Joshua at the same said yard sale got himself a whole new outfit. With Glasses, hat and smiles! He LOVES yard sales! He is always asking me if we can go to a yard sale. As you know..his friend Flappy was a yard sale find. I have actually picked up quite a few things this month for almost nothing. Of course it makes me think..hmm..I need to get selling on eBay!

A basket of staggering proportions

Here is one of my recent yard sale finds. Right now it is the proud holder of diapers and all things baby. Originally I had gotten it to put some toys in it but I think it holds on to the essentials a little better. Right now in my laundry room is our diaper "center" but I am trying to organize and get those things up stairs. I NEED some chest of drawers and I NEED to get rid of some old cumbersome dressers. We don't have the space in their rooms for LONG wall hogging dressers. I really need some chest of drawers. Of course it all comes down to that age old dilemma...$$$$$

Results not typical

Ok what does this mean? I am on weight watchers *again* and everywhere I see these encouraging weightloss stories..they always have this note saying. *Results not typical. What bugs me a lady will have lost 25 pounds and they have it on there..and the one that lost 10 pounds has it also..so what is the typical weightloss?

As best as I can figure maybe most...like me start doing weight watchers and quit between week 3 and week 6..It may be that the only weight loss is like 5 pounds so that is the typical weightloss. WHAT I would love to see..is of the ones that go 12 weeks or more or say 6 months..how much these people lose.

I know of 2 women who are on a message board with me that have lost a LOT of weight doing weight watchers. One has lost OVER 100 pounds! And the other has lost 55 pounds! Is it because they are both friends doing this together why they have had incredible success? (If so I want to be their friend) or is just because they actually did the program and didnt give up. Is the reason the results are not typical is because people give up too easily, or too soon or they just dont exactly try.

I have been doing a lower calorie diet for several months. I feel like finally I can actually do this diet and be successful. I am on week 2..and usually I have almost given up. I don't know why but the counting the points has always been hard. I know its EASY but I might do it a few days or meals and then I start giving up. I go to the meetings a few weeks but I never consistantly count my points. I do make better choices so I tend to lose weight regardless. BUT I always wonder..if I was actually did the program how successful I would be.
Well I made it very very simple for me to stick to weight watchers. I eat for me now mostly convience foods. I don't have to stress out trying to figure the points in the foods I make my family.

A typical day of food for me looks like this.
Breakfast
Coffee with creamer 3 points
Breakfast Burrito (south beach) 3-4 points

Lunch
Pizza (south beach) 7 points


Dinner
Healthy choice 5-7 points
Salad 0 points.

That usually leaves me a few points to get in some fruit and dairy in the evening.

I think it helps that don't seem to have a problem eating salad with out salad dressing. Anytime in between that I feel hungry you may find me doing one of 2 things..either eating carrot sticks or celery or drinking a ton of water.

I put my ticker back up

Ok..before you think I went out and gained 40 extra pounds, since my old ticker said I needed to lose around 60 total, I decided to put my long term ticker on.

I have my meeting with weightwatchers tonight and I have kept track PERFECTLY this week with counting my points and doing the program. I am sooo excited but nervous too. WHAT if it doesnt show up? I have already told myself (over and over) that no matter what I have had a victory. But I really would like to see a loss. I just hope I am well enough to go.

So whats with throwing up in the midle of the night??

Maybe I was getting too much sleep? Well, looks like everyone is going to get it! So, Joshua had it Sunday, and I really thought the rest of the kids were going to be spared because they all seemed to have other issues rather than throwing up..

BUT NOOOOOOO. They want the full flu experience I guess!

So yesterday, Joseph got sick and then right before bed, Jessica was sick. NOW I have 2 wonderful patients upstairs cleaning up their "miss" (Thats Jacob and Jared). So, it looks like its only a matter of time till the rest of us get it.

I really do not want to throw up. I just can't handle it. I always get so emotional and cry. I can handle quite a bit but just not me throwing up.

I think its going to be a LONG weekend as Joshua is still suffering the effects of this illness and he was throwing up Sunday.

I know we have been hit hard the last few years with seemingly unending illnesses. And some think wow you guys get sick a lot, but we are a LARGE family and we tend to have more of a chance for it. I think it also boils down to people just don't stay home it seems when they are sick. I don't know how many times I have come to our SMALL church only to find out some ones child was running a fever earlier that day and they brought them anyways. Or "oh..last night he was throwing up but he seems fine today" I am SICK of people NOT staying home with their illness.

Want to know what else I think? Too bad, I am going to tell you. I think we get sick here more than any other place because we have open sewage ponds right outside in our back yard. OK not literally in the back yard but the key water feature is the sewage ponds on our base. The main road drives right bye them. Our base smells most of the time. The housing on the otherside of base from us tends to enjoy more odorous days and nights than we do. I honestly think a lot of our illness comes from it. It can't be healthy by any means. We have been sick here more than any other place we have lived. I really hope we get orders out of here very soon.

Oh poor Jojo ..he is sick again

He JUST threw up all over Jessica and my couch..and then.after we cleaned him all up..he threw up on the kitchen floor..(praise GOD! ) So..He has had 2 baths in the space of 20 minutes and I have a freshly mopped floor.

WHATS worse..looks like we will miss ANOTHER church service tomorrow. So far 4 have been sick with this..just um..5 more to go..unless they get it again.

Help..I am being held hostage by a lack of motivation!

Oh..we have had a FUN week. I have had sick children! Throwing up, diahrea , sore throats, fevers! It's going around again. And we were the lucky ones to be around someone with sick kids! I am sooo going to lock my doors and not let anyone in for a week or two. Its been especially hard since Jim is gone and we can't tag team it.

Also piano lessons were cancelled tuesday so I got to relax mostly last night.

Joseph has 2 presurgery appointments on the 25th. And his surgery is on the 1st..so if you want to pray for him. I am a little nervous about it. I am hoping to go visit Gina on the 25th if everything works out for us. I hope so!

I sure wish my Honey was here so life can go back to normal! I miss him so much! I have already started preparing for his arrival! I want him to come home and just relax and enjoy us. Last time he was in Iraq, I bought new bedding and a feather bed for our room, this time I think I am going to get curtains and maybe some new sheets that fit. I really would like to get the right sized feather bed..(our bed is a california King) but they can be so expensive. I am pretty happy with my quilt that I already have..but I would like to have a bigger blanket that fits over the edges of the bed so I can tuck it in and not have it stolen from me. IT has been nice not having a blanket theif! Sadly though..I am so used to not having blankets that I usually throw them off!
I also need to get those kids used to sleeping in their own bed. EVERY morning I have like 5 stow aways in my room! This morning I tripped on Jared..had Joseph and Joshua in my bed..hogging it up..and I was on the edge. The other night I came into my room and there were 5 kids with books sleeping in my bed! I had to kick them out!

So, I guess I will lay back down and be a slug the rest of the night. OR maybe I should find something productive to do?

I've Been TAGGED

I was tagged by Nikki to tell 14 things about my Mother!! Since I don't know my biological mother..I will do MY MOM, the one who raised me.

1. IS FUNNY she has a great sense of humor
2. She is very hard working.
3. She loves my Dad.
4. She raised 5 kids and we all turned out pretty good (for the most part)
5. She used to wear glasses but got Lasik
6. She mops her floor every week! (It used to be Thursdays)
7. She drives over 30 miles to work one way.
8. She likes to watch Lost, The Biggest Loser , Survivor,Oprah and Dr. Phil
9. She IS A GREAT cook. I miss eating her Fried Green Tomatoes and Fried Okra.
10. I still think of her age as 49
11. She has 16 grand children..last I counted!
12.She is a good bargain shopper
13.She once lived in Savahnah Georgia
14.She can decorate cakes

Ok I will tag
Heather
Dawn
Gina
Rina
&Tami..if she hasnt been tagged already.

Ok..who gave us the stomach virus!

so I wake up early..for a change. I was thinking! GREAT we will make it to church with out a hitch today...WRONG. Joshua woke up having to throw up..I ushered him into the bathroom where he made it. (Thank goodness because he was in my bed when he woke up!)
What fun for us..so we are home.

Baseball, parks OH MY

Ok this afternoon the kids and I went to one of the parks on base. My boys were playing baseball with a group of kids from one of the churches in town. They had a great time and I was actually surprised that they had some skill too! The rest of us went to the playground and played at the park. I used my time to get a few phone calls in. For the most part it was nice and relaxing. I think it did them well..we needed to get out of the house!

I wish I could say I was more productive today..but I wasn't. I didn't even get my room cleaned which was MY PLAN for today.

I really need to not blog so late at night

or at least be wearing my contacts. I have been teased these last few weeks at my atrocious spelling. I do catch it later and just think..what in the world was wrong with me! Usually if I don't have my contacts in I can't see how bad it really is. It's especially bad when your dear hubby starts pointing out your typo's!

What do you make time for?

Wednesday night I went and visited a different church here in town. Before the service I was talking to an older man about some books that we enjoy. I personally LOVE books like Gail Riplingers , New Age Bible Versions and books by Jack Chick & Sam Gipp. I also have other favorites like Two Babylons and Let's Weigh the Evidence. I am not much of a fiction reader so I have never really gotten into many "novels". My interests have always been what I call "smart" books. A few years ago I gave up all reading of any books other than the Bible. I every once in a while will read a book or two on the home or marriage or child raising..but MOSTLY I stick with my Bible reading. My reasons?? I found I was zipping through a book in like a day or 2 and BARELY reading my Bible. Although for a time my fast on all Books seemed to spur me into more Bible time. I must shamefully admit that my Bible Reading has really lacked. I have been trying this year to read my Bible every day..have I failed..yes..already..but instead of letting that keep me from doing right..I keep at it. The sad thing is..my failure of reading my Bible consistently isn't because I don't have time..Because during the course of my day I seem to make time for lots of essentials and NON essentials. Like, I always have time to check my email, blog now and then, read some of my message boards I am on. Watch a movie or two, brush my teeth, eat, sleep, take a shower..I could go on and on. The thing I notice is, those things get done because I deem them important and I make time for them. So what does that mean when I don't read my Bible consistently? Sadly , it means it's NOT important..but IT SHOULD BE!

You know I check my email quite often through out the day..so I don't MISS any thing! What am I missing out daily when I don't read my Bible? I can remember a time, years ago after I rededicated my life to the Lord, I was on fire for the things of God. I was sooo thirsty for his word that somedays I would spend HOURS AND HOURS during nap times reading the Word of God. I just couldn't get enough, sometimes I just couldn't put my Bible down. HOW I long for that again! SHAMEFULLY I don't do that.

One thing I think about is..my time is sooo short on this earth..when you think of eternity and how long that is..my little blip here on earth is NOTHING. Shouldn't I be preparing for my time in Heaven (which will be far longer) rather than wasting my time on things that don't matter here on earth?

So what are you making time for?

Its Thursday!

Wow..what a crazy week I have had. I am still fighting a sinus thing but I am so much better than I was. I think I had an inner ear thing going on. I was getting dizzy and nauseaus. I had to break down and take some sinus stuff and after a couple of days of that I felt sooo much better..plus I took some asprin a few times since I was running a fever. I had a crazy crazy week. MONDAY..I had to mail some packages and I went to the px and bought a new phone. I can't hear Jim on our other phone. Whats worse the kids can't hear him either..we spend most of our time saying WHAT so I bought a new phone and WHAT a difference it is.. I cant wait till he calls and we can hear him. The phone wasnt that much either!

Jessica and Jerrica had Piano tuesday. They are doing really well. I am praying we can get their time closer together. Its really hard going out there at 6 and then 8. The hardest thing is that they never start on time. EVEN if I am there an hour early..she always overflows into the next persons lesson. This week her teacher didnt get done with her student till 8:25..and I was at her house at 7:35..so this lady had almost an hour lesson and we sat there waiting and by the time Jessica was done with her lesson it was almost 9:00..by the time I get home its soo late. That means from 6-9 I am out of the house. I don't take them all with me..so I worry about them. They do ok. I probably wouldnt care so much if Jim was home because I KNOW he would take the girls and I could stay home or vice versa..but he isnt here. I know the thought of finding someone new has crossed my mind..but really..there isnt anyone else..piano teachers are HARD to find. I only know of 2 other teachers in this area. One just had a baby, I am not sure if she is even teaching still. The other works full time and does teaching in the evenings..but isnt taking any new students till after September. I know I can definetly make it for another few months..of course Jim will be home around then anyways, but we will be needing a new teacher by December as ours is possibly moving. I do like their teacher though. I think she is a great instructor..I just want their times closer together and for them to start on time.

I do know that their teacher just thinks Jessica is extreemely talented. Jessica is catching on to theory so quickly..some things I barely grasp Jessica doesnt seem to have trouble with. She amazes me. Jerrica is doing well also. Jerrica is a very slow and steady learner..I think in a lot of ways that is an asset. I just think they both are doing great.

What else? Oh well..I guess I can confess my nickel club earnings. My friend Dawn, myself and Justin have sort a club called the "nickel club" If you do something dumb or brainless and one of us catches you..or worse you confess..(giving you 2 nickels) you get a nickel. It must be worthy of that nickel LOL but trust me.. between the 3 of us..we do some mighty nickel club collecting. I earned the right to be the president of the nickel club last night.
Last night we went to a different church here in town. I had gotten the kids ready quite early but for some reason I kept thinking it was later than it was.of course to kill the time (since I had over an hour till we even had to LEAVE to get there. I thought I would quickly make Jim some peanut butter cookies so we can mail him some today or tomorrow. Well remember we had OVER an hour to kill...but after putting the cookies in the oven..I don't know what happened to my brain. FOR some reason I rounded up everyone into the van and took off. Went and got a diet coke through the drive thru...(Jim 1.70 ) and then headed for church. We got there 1/2 hour early DID I MENTION I lost my brain???

We get home and in the oven were dark dark dark dark dark..DARK BLACK cookies. I had completely forgotten them. NOT TILL they showed me the Blackened cookies did I "remember" OH YEAH. Sorry Jim. Sad isnt it? The saddest part is..Jerrica made them all into balls and did the fork thing..and she was soo stinking excited about those cookies and MOM ruined them. Jacob, who really does love his dad HONEST wants us to send them to him anyways. He said they look neat. He has one in his dresser to be thrown away when Dad gets home. I said of course..um Jacob..that is really wierd and I picked up some coffee grounds and said..I am going to save these in my dresser till Dad gets home since Dad LOVES coffee. Ok...just a bit sarcastic. BUT yes we are a weird bunch! Whats even weird is the coffee ground scupture of Jim that I made out of his last pot of coffee before he left. (J/K)

Ok well, I better get. We have some school work to finish and some laundry to fold and church tonight..(again)

Jamie