It's 4am...

Well by the time I finish this post it will be.

Why am I up at 4 am you might ask? Good question, and when I find out the answer, I'll let you know. Basically, I can't sleep.

I vowed to myself that I would not blog while I'm off for Christmas break. I really needed some good quality time with my sweet hubby and Caroline. I don't go back to work until January 5, 2009 {one of the many perks of working for a university!}, and wanted to take a break from everything but family.

Something compelled me to log on tonight in my sleeplessness, and I am so sad to see that Mck Mama's precious baby Stellan is in the hospital. I just keep praying for this little miracle child.

So, since I was on, I decide to blog a little.

No pictures, no stories...just yet. I'll get to all that later.

Right now, I just wanted to check in on my sweet friends, and say hello, and "touch base". I hope everyone out there in blogville is doing great.

We'll talk soon!

Much Love,
Alicia

Curiosity Killed the Cat.....

Not literally, we don't have a cat. But I'm going to be a little nosy today.

Tonight I am taking miss Caroline to pick out what she wants to get for her dad and Tab for Christmas. This is basically a "tradition" I have with her anytime we need to get a gift "from" her to someone else. My mom always just told me what I was getting for my dad, friends, or whoever. But I am one of those people that I want to receive what someone wants to get me, not what they are told to get me.

A perfect example would be my wedding shower. You know, we register for what we want, but people might not want to buy those things. A dear friend's mom knew what she wanted to get me regardless of what I wanted, and she did. The best part about it was when I opened her gift, she had gotten me several pieces of Fiesta Ware {which I love and collect}, and I think it was probably one of my most favorite gifts.

All this to say, that I love seeing what Caroline has in mind for her present picking. And no matter how silly it is, I buy it. That's the beauty of it, she gave something she really wanted to give. Last year for Christmas, she picked out UT Longhorn PJ pants for her dad, and for Tab she picked a Calendar. She said that her dad needed bigger pj's, and Tab always rights down things on our calendar, so she thought they needed new ones, which personally I think is super sweet! For Father's Day, she wanted to get Tab a Ninja Turtle, so they could play together. For Mother's Day, she wanted to get a Princess Wand for her grandma. For me, I have a James Avery charm bracelet, and I love getting new charms, so she had both her "dads" take her to get me charms. I got a horse and a Christmas tree. Where the horse came from, I have no clue, but I have such a wonderful memory knowing she wanted me to have it!


Now the curiosity part.....

How do you handle taking your kids to pick out gifts?
And what are some they have picked {if they pick them ;)}?

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Oh...Now I Remember

...why I don't like the cold weather! My hands are super DRY, and CRACKED, and RED, and they HURT!

Uggghhhhh! I seriously think I have put lotion on about 35 times already! I'm going to have to go home and use my satin hands!

Burrrrrrr Baby!

Wow...it is COLD! Now I know for all of you folks who don't live in the south {especially Texas} it may not seem too shocking for you. Let me tell you, it's COLD to us! 28 degrees right now to be exact.

And when I got to Baylor's campus this morning, it was snowing. It was so pretty!

And of course for any non-southerners you usually get around just fine in the winter weather...not down here! It was sleeting last night on my way home, no big deal to me, but the highway was creeping along....I really shouldn't complain though, when I lived in Dallas, there were several times that I sat on 75 {huge hwy.} for 4 hours or more trying to get home because of sleet/ice.

I hope that Caroline got some snow at school and got to see it, it is a rarity, and she loves the snow!

Annual Baking Party

This is a wonderful holiday tradition that started years ago {like before I ever moved down here} with my step-sister, sister-in-law, and some friends. They have done this for years, and I LOVE it! Since I moved down here and I have such a large kitchen, they decided that I would forever be the hostess for the party. Which to be honest, is perfectly fine with me! Anyway, everyone who comes makes something different, and enough to give a batch to everyone else...the result is LOTS of goodies to take with you for all your holiday parties. And it is a complete girl day!

I need help deciding what to make this year, so I have added a poll to my sidebar for your voting pleasure! Help me out girls!

Picture Tag

I saw this on my sweet friend Hollie's blog, and I, too, was very curious to see what I would find.....

The object of the picture tag is to:

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer

2) Select the 4th picture in the folder

3) Explain the picture

4) Tag 4 people to do the same

NO CHEATING! (cropping, editing, etc!)

Here's what I found!




How perfect! This is one of my favorite pictures ever! To understand why, you will have to read this. I will explain a little more. My mom passed away 7 years ago. At the time I had a very dear friend named Heather who helped me through the hard times. She lost her brother only a year before, and knew what I was going through. She told me about seeing butterflies after he passed, and that they mean eternal life. From that point on, she and I would always see 2 butterflies together. To us, it was our loved ones watching over us, and just stopping by to say hi! When I had Caroline, she and I carried on telling Boog about the buttlerflies, thus she thinks that any butterfly she sees is my mom coming to say hi to her! Soooo, when I took this picture, it melted my heart...Caroline told me that my mom was kissing her {tears in my eyes now!}, and she was so happy!

Weekend Please

Is anyone else ready for the weekend?

I sure am! Ready to wind down a little, although I'm not sure how much I will get to "wind" down. We are driving to Sugarland tomorrow, spending the night and then driving to Galveston to pick the parents up from their latest cruise. They flew overseas to get on the ship and sail it back here, and normally they would just get a rental and drive home. But since Galveston hasn't yet recovered, there are no rental car places open, and no way to stay unless you want to spend over 300.00 a night {no, thank you}! So they offered hubby and I a night away on them if we would drive their car to get them. What an awful deal huh? I night away alone, and driving their car {which is already filled with gas}...LOL!

So those are our plans for the weekend. Hope everyone has a great relaxing weekend!
{sure, who gets to relax this time of year?}

Letter to Abby

I have no stake in this. But, I might have some wisdom to impart on you. Please read this knowing {I'm about to sound so mean, but I'm not trying to be ugly!} that I don't care who he is with, I just want him to be a good dad, and he really wasn't. Your decisions are your own, and no one elses, so don't let anyone influence you, or make you feel bad about your choices.

People are complicated creatures {as if you didn't already know that}, and it takes a great deal of time, patience and understanding to build a strong foundation for a relationship. There will ALWAYS be rough times, but what you have to look for are the good times. They may not always come easily.

We were never meant to be. We both knew that but gave it a try regardless, we had a little one at stake. There are things you will learn about him that will bother you, things you will wish you had been a part of, and things you will wish you could just erase.

He is to say the least, a very complicated person, who has lead a very emotional and complicated life. There is no changing that. You have to look forward to what the future might be. Certain people can't help, or be good for each other, and that was our situation {well that, and a lack of love}. You have to reel him in, and make him be responsible for things. He hasn't quite figured out how to do that on his own. Becoming an adult, parent, and mate are not easy things, and he needs help.

I'm not saying that you are or you aren't the person for that. Only God knows who is. Love isn't just about how someone makes you feel either. It's about sooo much more. If you truly love him, then you will find your way.

You can't let yourself ever get caught up in what people that are looking in have to say. You have to make choices on your own. I'm saying this simply because I know I have been very honest about a lot of things, and you can't let that sway you. People are different when they are around different people. Different people make us want to change.

He has lots of things to work on, boy do I know, but things take time. I'm not sure exactly how your feeling, and I don't want to know. But I do know that he loves you. For him to tell me he lost the love of his life, I know how he feels. I can start crying just at the mere thought of not having Tab in my life. I absolutely cannot picture any of my future without him. That's the biggest question you have for yourself. Can I truly picture my life without him? And that's a hard question to ask.

You will always want to be more stable in certain areas of your life, but don't let that cheat you out of love. It takes time to get where you want to be, and don't ever expect it to happen in the next few years, it won't. You are so young, and it will take so much time to build your life the way you want it. There is not a single person I know that has what they wanted at your age unless they settled for wealth and maturity over love. I'm not saying it's not possible to have it all, but don't expect to be really stable and settled at your age, you might set yourself up for a huge heartbreak.

I did. Growing up I never wanted for anything, I just got it. I didn't value anything, I just had it. When I met him, I expected to have my life not change, just add him to it. Yea, that didn't happen, and it started years of fighting and unhappiness for us both.

You'll find your way. And I commend you for taking a stand and saying you've had enough. I wish I had too. Just remember that its a long road to go down, and you have to do it together. It can't ever be one sided, in any part of your relationship. No matter what life brings you, or rather what road God takes you down, you'll figure it out...

Alicia

I Know, I Know.....

I am pathetic! But she is just so darn cute, and she makes my heart so happy!

Catching Up....

I made a bunch of posts today, so you can catch up here by clicking each link, or you can just scroll through my blog and read what you want!

Long Overdue

Christmas Dress, O Christmas Dress

Handmade Christmas

Long Overdue

I am so bad sometimes.

A month ago I went to Dallas, to spend the day with my oldest friend, Sarah. Not old in age, in years of friendship! Sarah and I met in the 5th grade, which I knew was a long time ago, but never thought much about it. On the drive up, I realized that with her 31st birthday, we had been friends for 20 years! Wow! I was in shock. I mean I knew we have been friends forever {ha} but not 20 years!

Anywho, she was spending some time with her parents in her childhood home, and I went to stay with her for a night. She has the most precious little girl, Miss Ruby {who I could just eat up} and I got to spend time with her too! I was so excited to have this time with them!

We took Ruby to the park, lounged around the house, and went to have dessert at Macaroni Grill. It was so great to see them! Here are some pictures from our time together!


Miss Ruby on the swings

Sarah & Ruby

Ruby & me

Miss Ruby on the see-saw

Sarah & me

Our dessert {we had a glass of champagne to celebrate!}


The next day we took a walk and Ruby was so cute, she loves to be outside!


Playing in the leaves



Playing with Grandmama and Charlie {the dog}

Christmas Dress, O Christmas Dress

Okay fellow moms. You may not want to admit it, but I will. We love the pretty Christmas dresses for our daughters. There, I said it.

What I don't love is the price tags that go with those pretty dresses {which, I'm sure you will all agree}. Don't get me wrong, Caroline has had her fair share of them, 5 to be exact. But not this year. I just can't do it. Call me cheap frugal, but I refuse to buy a dress this year.

But I did make one!

Now, its not beautiful and fancy, but it's cute, and Caroline loves it, and that's all that really matters! Plus she thinks its really cool that I can make her stuff...she may not be that way in a few years, so I'll take it while I can get it!

Now, keep in mind that she will be wearing a white collared blouse under the dress. Also, she really has a thing for long dresses {I hope that sticks!}, so it is very long.





Front



Back

Handmade Christmas

My {step} sister, Tracy {who I just call my sister}, had the wonderful idea of making our Christmas gifts for our gift exchange this year! Which to be totally honest, is quite hilarious. You see, there are only 2 "artsy/crafty" people in the whole of our family...my brother {Ron}, and why me of course! So for Tracy to decide she thought we should make gifts, literally was hysterical.

Now, in her defense {and the rest of the family's} I'm sure they are all quite creative, they just don't pursue it the way Ron & I do. I am super excited to see what everyone has come up with!

I suppose I should get to the real point by now, which is that I have a sneak peak of what I have made...now I can't show it on the ol' blog because I know my family reads this, but here is a little preview.....




Can you guess what it is?

3rd times not Always a Charm

I right this post with great sorrow.

You know the old saying that the 3rd times a charm?

Unfortunately not this time around. Remember the post a few weeks ago asking for your prayers? Well we went for out 3rd try to get pregnant. We have anxiously been waiting till this Wednesday to take our home test. This morning we knew there was no need. I keep telling myself that it is going to be okay, that God has a plan for our family. I know deep down somewhere that's true, but right now it just doesn't feel that way. We want this so badly, and it just hurts so much.

The worst part is that we are probably coming close to the end of the line. For those of you who don't know much about the infertility process, it is very expensive. We are reaching a point where we may not be able to continue down this path. It breaks my heart. I'm not going to go on and on about this, but I just wanted to tell those of you who have been keeping up with our tries to bring more love and joy into our family. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers

Love, Alicia

M-O-M-M-Y

I have a new name......M-O-M-M-Y. Yes, that's right, Caroline is so proud that she is learning to read and spell things that she has resorted to spelling mommy when she wants to talk to me.

Now its not like spelling mommy is something new for her, she's been doing it since she was 3, I think she could write mommy before she could right her own name. But for some reason, she thinks its really "cool" to spell it out when she is talking to me.

This morning, as I am getting ready, she walks into my bedroom and says, "M-O-M-M-Y, can I have cereal for breakfast?" Children can be so goofy. I just started cracking up, it was just too funny to see her standing there in her jammies with her crazy morning hair spelling mommy!

Here are a few other examples of her spell-a-thon:

*When she is talking to Tab, she'll say, "hey T-A-B"
*She calls Avery, A-V-E-R-Y girl
*She tells me that the wood-burning stove is H-O-T
*When we get close to a stop sign its, "M-O-M-M-Y you need to S-T-O-P"
*And if we are going to a store it's, "are they O-P-E-N?"


Have I ever told y'all how much I love her? More than words...

Seriously...my bra broke!?!?!

Men totally take for granted how easy it is to be a man, really they do. Do they:

1. Have to worry about fixing there hair?
2. Shave their arm pits and legs?
3. Put on make-up {because lets face it, we all can't go without}?
4. Matching their accessories?
5. Have the visit of the most evil thing every month?
6. Go to the bathroom sitting down {always}?
7. Paint their toenails?
8. Wear panty hose {okay, this one is slighty unfair....I can NOT remember the last time I wore hose}
9. Carry a baby 9 months then labor & birth it?
10. Wear a bra?

I'm not usually this resentful towards men. Only once a month. But as I am sitting in a meeting yesterday afternoon talking about website redesign, I reach up and rather nonchalantly go to adjust my bra {which was stabbing me in the side of my boob} when I feel it rip. Yes I said RIP!!! I seriously wanted to scream. I am sitting in a room with 3 guys, and my bra breaks....great. Now the only positive thing about this is that it didn't completely rip. You know the little piece of fabric in the middle {in the front}, well one side of that ripped away from the underwire. So at least I still am "contained".

When I get back to my office I text the hubby to tell him of my misfortune and ask him if he can get Boog so I can run to Victoria's Secret. What does he do? He calls me laughing.

Thanks honey, I needed that.

So not only am I worried that in the next hour it will totally rip and unleash me, but I have to go spend another $48 bucks on a good bra, all the while my husband is laughing at me.

Men have it so easy.

My Favorite Thing

As I am coming out of the bathroom this morning like a mad woman, trying to get Caroline and I both fed and dressed so we can be out the door on time, this is what I find. Does she look dressed and ready to you?




Nope, but how can I be mad at a face like that? I let it slide this morning....

Whew....Let me catch you up!

Wow! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving...we sure did! Working for a University has its advantages, we got 3 days off for the holiday! So, needless to say it was so nice to have the time off! And boy were we busy! First thing Wednesday morning, the hubby and I had some stuff we needed to do out of town, so Boog went to play with Avery for a little while, which was great {we took advantage of that time to get the last of her shopping done}! Then later that afternoon, I drove her to meet her dad so she could spend some time with him and his family. And yes, it is sad to not have her around on Thanksgiving {especially since she is one of the things I am MOST thankful for}, but her dad's family really does Thanksgiving BIG, so its nice for her to be there with them.

Thursday I was up bright and early at 6am cooking! But if you know me, then you know I love to cook, so I'm not complaining! Then we were off to my brother and sister-in-laws house for the feast! It was so yummy! We ate, watched the game, laid around, and ate some more. And yes, I know I am silly, but I took some picks of the yummy food!

Here are my nephews {Blake & Dillon} breaking the Wishbone

Friday was pretty quite, and I took complete advantage of that and got some painting done. I refuse to go out into the masses and shop on Black Friday, although I did have to run into Target to get some prescriptions, but it wasn't so bad. Tab and I had a "date" night too, which is always nice. We just got some food and rented some movies and enjoyed our time together.

I went to pick up Caroline on Saturday afternoon {and in case your wondering, Tab normally does go with me, but he's on call with work and has to be at the house} and we headed to visit some friends that night. Caroline had a lot of fun with her friend Makayla, I was very glad they got in some good "play" time. Sunday was the designated day for Christmas decorating. Woo Hoo! I love to decorate for Christmas! For the 1st few years after mom died, I hated it, because that was one of the things we did together and her house was always beautiful on the holidays, but I have finally gotten my love for it back and have a good time pulling out her ornamants and remembering her as I put them on the tree.

Here are a few shots of our pretty decorations!

Prayer Please

My dear bloggy friends, I need your prayers. Just know that there are times when our friends {and I do consider you all to be friends} need our prayers...I'm asking for yours. No explanation given, maybe at some point I will. Just pray that whatever His plan is, {like all my sweet blog friends who have peace about His plans} that I will have peace with whatever He throws our way. I know I can live with anything He gives me {I've been doing it for over 30 years!}, but that doesn't mean there aren't tough moments. Thank you sweet friends for thinking of me and my family!

Happy Birthday Booga Boo!

My baby is growing up. She is 6 years old today....WOW!

Caroline, I never imagined it would go this fast. Time is just flying by, and you get bigger by the minute. Someday, I hope you will know the joy of being a mommy, and then you will understand all the love I have for you. I love you more than the day is long, and can't wait to watch you each and every day! Happy Birthday Baby! Mommy loves you!

The Birthday Girl Before School

****The Birthday Party****

We had so much fun on Saturday...Caroline said it was the best day ever! Enjoy the pictures of all the fun we had!

Bounce House

The kids are fighting for that candy!
{look at Boog trying to give candy
to the youngest party attendee...so sweet!}

This is How Caroline started off the Fashion Show
{Hollie, I think I may have a Sassy in my house too!}

This is Belle...she was too shy to walk, so I carried her!

Can you tell they were having fun?

Getting pedicures

It's the WEEEEkend, I'm gonna PAAAAAArty....

With a bunch of 6 year olds! Tomorrow is Caroline's 6th Birthday Party. Her birthday is on Monday!

I am one of the weird moms who actually likes to have the parties at my house, so we are having a bounce house again this year, and just plain old fun! I love parties. Planning, making the invitations, decorating, cooking, the whole 9 yards!

Of course I will have lots of pictures to post after {if I survive!}.

Speaking of which...don't think I told everyone the story behind the party this year. Boog wanted to have a "girl" party, where they played dress-up, got their little toenails painted, and had a fashion show and if they could, spend the night. Which is fine with me, it would be like every other day in the Murry house {not the spending the night part}. But, {bless her sweet innocent heart!} she wanted all the boys to come to this too! I explained that it was really a girl thing to play dress-up, and maybe we should just have a normal boy/girl party.

Which of course she wanted both. So from 4-6 {yes, I do feed people dinner} we are having the boy/girl party, and then if any of the girls want to stay for the girl stuff and spend the night, the are more than welcome to {can we say pushover? I know, I know!}.

We'll see how it turns out! My poor hubby may run away, but he'll get over it! {Love you honey!}

Hope everyone has as much fun as we do this weekend!

In Shock

I was reading Frugal Jen's personal blog this morning, and she was talking about a Levi's commercial that she saw last night on TV while watching The Office. Now, I don't watch commercials often {thanks TIVO!}, so I had no clue what she was talking about. I just knew she was really offended by it and took a stand.

I decided to pull it up on You Tube to see how bad this was.......HORRIBLE, that's what it was.

To think that companies have that few morals. That's it perfectly normal and okay to provide all our precious children with the innuendos that this commercial implies. And I'm not necessarily talking about us letting our kids watch this stuff, I'm pretty darn picky about what Caroline watches, but what about all the teens that do stay up later than our little ones? This commercial totally gives them the wrong idea. I have always thought I was a little more relaxed with some of the things that are on TV, but this is just AWFUL.

I am going to send my thoughts to Levi's. In no way, shape or form is it acceptable to give the impressions that this commercial is giving. Teens already have so many pressures and stresses.

Let's face it, we are smart enough to know that teen sex happens.....all the time in fact. But do we really have to give the impression that its okay? We need to educate our kids about the consequences those actions take, not glorify them into being sexy.

I am going to try and calm myself down now.....sorry for the "Soap Box" post, but I just couldn't help myself.

It Really Was Whiny Wednesday

***Updated Below***

Boy oh boy was yesterday just whiny! I thought I had it bad, but nope, so did my poor Boog. We have been having a problem for the last 2 weeks of getting our clip changed at school.

*****Quick side story*****

Each child starts out on blue everyday, if they act out, don't do their work, or various other things, they have to move their "clip" to another color. The color scale is as follows: Blue {great day}, Green {had a few rough spots}, Yellow {3rd strike}, Orange {call to the parents}, & Red {you guessed it, visit the principal}.

*****Side story over*****

Out of the last 2 weeks, she has only been blue 2 times! That's just not good! Green 2 times, Yellow 3 times & Orange once! I have been so discouraged, and just can't seem to help her. So last night we were talking about ways that she can change this behavior, and I really hope she can just step up, and be a big girl. I know she can. But the whole night she cried and whined, and was just plain miserable! I'm afraid she may be coming down with something, but I'm praying she doesn't since her birthday party is this weekend! She kept on telling me she was freezing, but the house was warm. No fever though, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

On another note, one of the things I have a HUGE problem with is Boog chewing her hair....so gross! About 2 months ago, we told her if she kept doing it, we were taking her to get it cut short so that she wouldn't be able to chew on it anymore....we had to get it cut. And honestly, she looks better with short hair because it is so fine and straight, but she doesn't know that ;) She wants to have long, long hair, so getting it cut seems to work because she is so sad it's not long, she'll quit chewing on it....for a little while. Well it was finally growing out a little, enough for a ponytail at least, and she has been chewing on it again for a few weeks, so last night we trekked to get it cut...again. But, I had them stack it in the back and angle it to the front, it looks great! I'll post pics when I get the chance!

So........can anyone guess what she has been getting in trouble for at school? If you know me then this should not be so hard to figure out, I get teased all the time for doing the same thing. We'll see if anyone gets it right!

***I guess it really wouldn't be a shock huh? I mean I do have a blog and all so I can constantly "talk"!!! But yep, Caroline has been talking too much and yes dad, disrupting the class! How do I make her stop?***

Whiny Wednesday

The title Murry Mayhem stands true yet again. I am just flat out having a bad day. I won't go into all the gory details, but I am going to vent.

November is just not my favorite month to begin with. Then Caroline's birthday being right around Thanksgiving makes it worse. It's just a busy time. And I'm feeling it. A party to plan, Thanksgiving to cook for, and getting ready for Christmas.....Whew! Busy, Busy, Busy!

I have a lot that I haven't posted, and hopefully I'll get to that later! And they won't be whiny posts {promise!}.

I don't want to boast, but.....

I received my very first award!

I was given the award by my Bloggy friend {and real life friend!} at Rudd Party of Five!

How stinking exciting is that? I got an award! I am so shocked!

So, here are the rules to receiving this award:
1. You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous blogs in a post.
2. You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.
3. You must copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post.

Instructions:
On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them.
When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well.
To add the award to your post, simply right-click, save image, then "add image" in your post as a picture so your winners can save it.
To add it to your sidebar, add the "picture" gadget.
Also, don't forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by emailing them or leaving a comment on their blog.

My Five Fabulous Addictions:

1. Shoes!

2. Days of our Lives soap opera

3. My Blanket {which has its own name, I call it my Pink Thing}

4. White chocolate mochas from, you guessed it, Starbucks.

5. Reading in bed at night!

I pass this award to my 5 Fabulous Blog Buddies!


1. Frugal Fabulous

2. Fabulously Frugalicious

3. my charming kids

4. Shera's Blog

5. Pardon Our Poo

I Love You Always, and Wish You were here...

Today it has been 7 long years that you have been gone. I wish I could say that I'm healed from the pain, but I'm not. There is truly not a day that goes by that I don't think of you. Whether its when I'm cooking and I am looking at the cookbook you lovingly made for me, seeing your hand writing, or when I'm trying to read with Caroline in the way that you were so patient with all the children you taught. I am deeply saddened that you cannot be here to share my life with me. There are so many things I wish you were here for. Oh how you would have loved to see Caroline's 1st recital, mom she did sooo good. I wish you could have held her as a tiny baby, she was so sweet. And I'm sure you would be telling me over and over that I got it back ten fold as you saw her little personality come out!

Some days I feel like a piece of me is breaking, not having you to talk to. I know better than anyone how we fought, but I also know better than anyone the kind of love we had. You were my biggest enemy at times, and my greatest champion. I know in my heart that you are with me everyday, watching and still loving me from afar. Some days when I lean down to kiss Caroline, I can smell your perfume, which no one else I've ever known has worn. I know your kissing her sweet face too.

Words can never tell how much I long for just one more day with you. One day I'll see you again, but until then......I love you mom.

I'm such a dork!

I got 2 new patterns today, and I cannot wait to get home and try one of them out! It's killing me! I only have 13 minutes to go! Then, I'm hitting the road baby!

And picking up Caroline.

Then starting dinner.

And working on homework.

And laundry.

Then eating dinner.

Then bath time for Caroline.

Then bed time for Caroline.

That means it's 8:30pm.

Get the trash ready.

I forget? Why was I so excited to rush home? With all this I won't have time to sew tonight!!! Ughhhh!

I'll just get Caroline a lunchable out, tell her she can take her bath in the morning, and who cares if we have clean laundry?!?!?


just kidding......i think

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

If you were following the contest on Carolina Sunshine Designs, the winner{s} have been announced. Go check it out!

Questions & Answers

I saw this on another blog, and I thought it was super cute, so feel free to do this with your kiddos too!

I asked Caroline the following questions and I wrote her responses without editing them....mine are in {}'s.

1. What is something mommy always says to you? Do not pee in the bath water! {yep, I say it every time!}

2. What makes mommy happy? When I'm sweet & good

3. What make mommy sad? When I'm not sweet & good {she knows me so well}

4. How does your mommy make you laugh? By tickling me {under her chin gets you the BEST belly laughs}

5. What was your mommy like as a child? Like me

6. How old is your mommy? 30 {last year, she told her teacher I was 7...I liked that better}

7. How tall is your mommy? 30 feet {5'5"}

8. What is her favorite thing to do? Stuff with me

9. What does your mommy do when your not around? Makes purses and watches TV

10. If your mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? Making purses {aww...she has so much faith in me}

11. What is your mommy really good at? Making things

12. What is mommy not very good at? Work, you just sit there. {this is somewhat true}

13. What does your mommy do for her job? Engineering & Computer Science {that's the school I work in at Baylor}

14. What is your mommy's favorite food? Soup {she says this every time someone asks her.....really it's Mexican}

15. What makes you proud of mommy? Turning my music on at night

16. If your mommy was a cartoon character, who would she be? Wanda {I like this, Wanda is the Fairy Godmother on Fairly Odd Parents}

17. What do you and your mommy do together? Go to the store

18. How are you and your mommy the same? Our hair is both blonde.

19. How are you and mommy different? Mommy has a tattoo on her back, one on her foot that's a flower, and one on her shoulder that's a butterfly. My kitty cat one is almost gone. {definitely not what I thought she would say}

20. How do you know your mommy loves you? She always gives me kisses & hugs. {All the stinking time!}

Have fun with your kids today and ask them these questions...it was a fun time!

Dental Mayhem

Here is my latest update on the good ole teeth. If you read this post, you are pretty much up to date...until yesterday! I had to go back yesterday because I was dying {ok, not really, but I hurt like the dickens!!!} So he tells me that I still have a raging infection in my tooth that is making my ear hurt. Since I can't afford the $2200.00 price tag to fix these last 3 teeth just yet, he came up with another plan.

He drilled a very tiny hole in my tooth to relieve some of the pressure, and let it start draining {YUCK}. I am on yet another round of antibiotics for a week and go back next Friday for a Pulpotamy {and no I don't really understand what that is}, and then he will shave my tooth down so I can't bite with it.

All this so that I can avoid having the full blown root canal, and making my tooth too brittle to put the crown on in January. If this doesn't work, then I will be missing 3 teeth {all molars} on the upper left of my mouth! Just call me bubbette! Hope fully this will work so that I can have teeth to eat with and be completely pain free for once in the last 5 years!

Anyone up for a Giveaway?

Hey friends, I am having a contest/giveaway for my business, Carolina Sunshine Designs. Stop by if you want to win a fabulous prize, and have some fun! Also, please feel free to pass this link on to your family, friends {especially your blogger friends!}, or co-workers!

Also, I'd like to tell you about a good friends blog, Frugal Jen. She has some of the best money saving advice, and who doesn't need that? Plus she has lots of goodies to tell you about!

I may gone for the rest of the day, I am having an emergency dentist appointment in a few hours because I am in severe pain yet again! YUCK!!!!!!!!

So happy blogging everyone!

Hayrides & Corn Maizes

I may not have told you, but last weekend was a whirlwind of activity! Of course everyone was busy on Friday night, but we had plans all weekend long! Saturday we {Caroline, & I} went with Grandma & cousin Blake to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Very Cute movie! The kiddos loved it! Sunday we rounded up Grandma, Cousin Blake and his parents {Ron & Analisa - step bro & his wife} and went to a place called Kaska Family Farms. Let me tell you, this place is so much fun for kids! They have hayrides, corn cannons {air guns that shoot corn cobs}, rubber duck races, hay jump, and much more!

We took a group of kids last year and had such a good time we decided to do it again...and the weather was fabulous! Such a nice "fall" day for us here in TX.

The favorite event of Kaska Farms is the Cow Train. A tractor pulls these barrels painted like cows....the kids loved it, so much so that I think they rode it 4 times!

Silly Caroline

In the mini maze

Blake & Ronnie - Duck Races

Cow Train

Corn Field Maze

And this is my favorite picture of the day!!!

So stinking cute!!!

Halloween Fun!

*****UPDATED*****
{for some reason I was having trouble with the pictures yesterday!}


We had so much fun on Halloween! We met up with Caroline's cousins {Blake & Dillon} for a hayride and trick or treating, and then some food, fun & games. The kids loved the hayride, and of course got more candy than any of the parents know what to do with! Everyone ate pizza afterwards, and had yummy snacks like caramel apples, boogers on a stick {cheese dip & pretzels} and cupcakes. Once the goblins were fed, we bobbed for apples. What a hoot to watch them go after those apples!

Sic 'em Bears

Baylor has a Treat Night each year for Halloween. The dorms open up, and have trick or treating for the kids and grandkids of Baylor employees. Of course since she got to dress up and go to Baylor, she just had to wear her cheerleader uniform! She had so much fun seeing all the "big" girls in the dorms. Not to mention she got a truck load of goods!

Prayer for MckMama

"Please Lord, be with this family today as they bring their precious baby into this world. We know that whatever your plan is, Stellan will be in your arms. Please give MckMama and family some peace during the trials of today. I pray that Stellan will be a healthy baby, but know that whatever his condition, its your plan and its up to you to handle it. Lord, I know this family is blessed with your love, and pray that even during the rough times today they feel that love. It is my prayer that you give them peace, comfort and wisdom Lord. I pray for a quick recovery for MckMama so that she will be able to rejoice in her newborn son. Lord, I pray these things in your name, Amen"


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If anyone wants to join me in a prayer, please leave a comment, we can be prayer warriors together!

Yipee! Except.....what is she looking at?

I'm all in all pretty happy with Caroline's school pictures. We got them on Friday, and I was really nervous to see them! Oh.....don't act like you don't want your kids to take the best pictures, look adorable, and just be their cute selves......you know you do :)! So I wanted them to be cute...sue me!

Here is my little angel {ha ha ha!}

Pearly Whites

God did not bless me with healthy teeth. I have struggled for most of my life with all sorts of troubles regarding my teeth. My parents spent thousands of dollars on oral surgery, dental appointments, braces, cleanings, sealants, fillings, and crowns....only none of it seemed to hold {except the braces part}. For the past 7 years I have been struggling to keep my teeth healthy, to not much avail!

And yes, I am venting here {what better place}.

I have seen numerous dentists from Dallas to Waco, and no one has been able to REALLY help me until recently. Most of the dentists I have seen have passed most of my problems off as genetic, enamel deficiencies, and some even said the didn't know why. Its not because I have poor dental hygiene {I always receive great praise for my brushing and flossing skills!}.

Every dentist I have seen has said that I will not have any of my own teeth by the time I am 30 {oh....I am 30}, and most quotes have been around 30k to fix my teeth!!!! Do these people think that I am made of money? HA!

My new wonderful dentist is a true God send! He is amazing. On my 1st visit with him, he spent over 2 hours looking and x-raying, and taking inter-oral pictures so that he could devise a plan. Well, I do not have all of my God given teeth, but I still have a lot of them! Five are completely gone, if you want to count wisdom teeth too, that makes 9!!! So sad. And of my remaining 24 teeth, 10 of them are crowns!!!!! Which if you know anything about crowns a) they cost about a grand a pop, and b) it usually means a root canal came first! I've had 12...2 had to be re-done because the dentist botched the job and I was still in pain!

My bottom teeth are okay, mostly just some fillings. Its the top ones that don't seem to like my mouth as a residence.

All this to say that I have been in pain yet again for the past week. So, on Tuesday my sweet daddy is taking me to to dentist for more dental work. And yes, someone has to take me and hold my hand...they drug me heavily before I go, and there is always lots of tears and panic on my part. I have severe anxiety when going to the dentist.....gee, I wonder why?

Hopefully this will be close to the end of my dental woes....I already have some more serious dental work scheduled for January....that SHOULD be the end!

So please everyone, think happy thoughts and say some prayers that I will have a little peace on Tuesday!

And just for fun...I will show you some before and after pics of my teeth. And yes, this is slightly embarrasing for myself, but its the only way for you to truly understand my dental anguish!

I know this picture stinks,
but you can see all the dark spots where
my teeth just chipped away

On top of them breaking
they have always been yellow

The day after I got my first set of front crowns

Pardon my silly face
Caroline was sitting in my lap taking pictures of me
I wonder where she gets that?