Going back to school?

SO today was a great day. Long but great. I got up and put the kids on the bus then got the house cleaned and headed over to the gym for DWA. It was a great work out today. I love when I come away from the gym energized for the day. After that I had a meet-n-greet with Elyssa's teacher. Just a check up all the teachers do with parents once a quarter. Everything is great. Later Mindy came over and did a couple of loads of laundry since her washer is still broken, and I did her nails for her. She loved them and we both decided to go back to school together and do nails. I started school in Mississippi but Hurricane Katrina decided to interfere and I never got to finish. I was about a month away from taking my boards but that's cool I would have had to do it all over again up here anyway so I have decided to do that. What do you think? Should I go back to school? Plus I want to get a degree in Photography. I have a real passion for it and it makes me happy when I get the chance to do it. Plus I get cool memories out of it. Ha ha. Anyway after Mindy left Dale, the kids and I had our family meeting that we have every week and then Dale left for work. Now I am headed to bed. Not sure what tomorrow will bring but looking forward to it.

Blog at you later.

Weekend Catch-up

This weekend has been for the most part an uneventful weekend. We spent most of the time just hanging out and being a family. On Friday we had our usual family movie night and watched a few movies together. In the middle of that I went to Michelle and Christie's Miche Purse Party. Then came home and finished up the night with the kids and Dale watching a couple of other movies. Saturday the kids played outside while I cleaned the house and planned out our menu for the week. DJ had a birthday party to attend to for a friend of his at the Mall and had a blast. Sunday we all slept in and I really enjoyed that. I don't get to do that very often so its nice once in a while to really get good sleep. Once everyone was up I made French Toast and we went for a walk together around our apartment's. We have decided that every evening we are going to go on a walk together just to get out of the house. I also want to take up the sport of tennis. I know most people think it is boring but I tend to love it. I hope Dale and the kids get into it as much as I do. Other than that not much interesting happened.

Blog at you later.

Scrapbooking and Karaoke

Today was a great day. I spent most of it with Mindy. She is really having a hard time now that her and her boyfriend are broken up for good. So I went over to invite her to come to my scrapbooking day at the church. She asked if it was really church and I said no it is a bunch of women getting together to chat and scrapbook and have a great time. It just happened to be located at my church building. She said fine and finished up what she was doing and we loaded up and headed out. On our way there she said she was hungry and wanted to go to this Mexican restaurant by the church and so I called Elaine to let her know and she said she would meet us for lunch. After lunch we went to the church and had a great time. Austin played and ran around and Aiden was good for the most part. We stayed until about 4:30 then headed home. Once I got home and greeted everyone and was talking about my day Mindy called again and asked if we wanted to come over for Karaoke night. We said sure and headed over. We had a blast singing one by one were eliminated. First me then Elyssa then Dale then Dj leaving Mindy the winner. We headed home after that and put the kids to bed. Now I am finishing up this post and headed to bed myself.

Blog at you later.

Not much to talk about

Today wasn't that eventful. I got up and got the kids off to school then headed to the gym for DWA. I got there thinking I was going to get a butt kicking since I have not been able to go these last few weeks but to my surprise Christie was not there. She had taken the day off and had a sub teaching the class. At first I was fine but by the end of the class I just really didn't feel like I had gotten a good workout. I think I will wait until Christie comes back before going back to DWA again. I don't know what it is but with her as the teacher I get a really good workout every time. Maybe its because I know she isn't going to let me slack at all. Plus we just never know what she is going to do to us that day. It makes going a lot easier when you don't know what to expect in class that day. Anyway after class we sat in the hot tub as usual but even that didn't seem right. So I got out early and took my shower and headed home. On my way I got a call from Mindy saying that I would never believe what happen to her and to come over. So I did and it turned out that her washer just plain quit on her. The funny part was that just a few days earlier we were talking about how her dryer wasn't drying things as well as it use to and that she needed to get it fixed then the washer quit. Man is wasn't having any luck at all. So I helped her load up some baskets of cloths and the kids and she came to my house to hang out and do laundry. We chatted for a bit and she finished up cloths and headed home to get the kids bathed and feed and put to bed for the night. I did the same with my kids and at about 8:30 I got a panicked call from her saying she needed to take the baby to the hospital because she thought he might have RSV because he stopped breathing a few times. Her oldest boy had it when he was little and she was afraid that Aiden might have it to. So I told her to bring the other two boys over and I would watch them while she went. She dropped them off and called me from the hospital with an update at 11:00. They had run some tests and were sending her home. They were not sure if it was RSV or not and wouldn't know until the test came back a couple of days later. She made a follow up appointment with her Ped. and came to pick up the boys from me. She didn't get here until almost 12:30 and so I helped her put the boys in the truck and told her to call me in the morning. I am exhausted now and headed to bed finally.

Blog at you later.

Random dozen

1. What is your favorite Mexican dish? I don't know there are so many to choose but I guess fajitas.

2. When you were a kid, did you get started on your homework right away after school, or did you procrastinate? It was a rule in my house that when you got home from school you were to do your homework right away then do your chores. It worked out well then so I do that with my children now.

3. What is your favorite store for home furnishings? I can't say I have a favorite. I get my stuff from all over the place.

4. When you were young, did you like school lunches? I don't know because I lived so close to school that I walked home for lunch and then walked back to school. Thing were different back then. Now you have to either take a lunch or eat at school.

5. Is religion a crutch? For some people maybe but I wouldn't say it is for me. At least I don't think so.

6. In your region, what is the "big" (most popular in the community or state) high school sport? I would have to say basketball or volleyball. Not that I play either one but those seem to be the ones I hear the most about.

7. Do you consider yourself rich? Money wise heck NO but in everything else YES I do. I am truly blessed with a wonderful family and great friends.

8. Which of these would you have the best chance for success in administering: A) CPR
B) Heimlich Maneuver C) Changing a flat tire? I would have to say changing a flat tire. Only because that is one of the main things my dad taught me when I got my first car. Now on the other hand it leads me to a funny story about my best friend Michelle shortly after I met her. I wont go into details but ask me about it some time and I will tell you what happen. Lol love you Michelle.

9. Which dance would you prefer to learn & why: A) Salsa B) Hip Hop C) Waltz D) Swing? I would have to say A,C,D because I have always wanted to learn those. As for the Hip Hop thing I think I am to old to move like that now. lol

10. What's the worst news you've ever delivered to someone? Oh when I had to tell a close friend that I thought her husband may have cheated on her with one of my other friends. Ya that was not an easy thing to do. Although it turned out that he didn't it still wasn't easy to bring up.

11. Name something you learned in college that had nothing to do with classes or academics. Well I didn't go to college.

12. New variation on an old question: If there's a song in your head that just won't get out, what is your favorite (or most repeated) line in that song? The song would have to be " All my life" by KC and JOJO and the line would be "All my life I prayed for someone like you and I thank god that I finally found you." It is my favorite because it is my song to my husband when we got married although we didn't have a traditional wedding it was the first song we danced to after getting married. plus it rings true even today.

Day 9 of Love Dare

Love is most when God is first

By this we know that we love the children of God

when we love God and observe his commandments.

1 John 5:1-2

Keeping God first blesses your marriage more than any other practice. Everything in life takes on new value and meaning when it becomes an instrument for you to live out your love for God. Rather than placing yourself at the center of your relationships, all you energies and assets should be tools for worshipping Him. A husband might this his marriage would suffer from making God his greatest delight. On the contrary, it will flourish as he draws closer to the One who created marriage and loves his wife infinitely more than he does. God understands more than anyone what your marriage needs.

As you abide in Christs love, the love you have for your spouse will increase in the overflow. Drinking His love in daily and expressing it back to Him fulfills you in ways your spouse cannot. This enables you to cherish your bride or groom like never before. The closer you get to Him, the more you will be like Him, think like Him, and passionately love your mate like He does.

Go Deeper

Read 1 John 4:19-21. According to this passage, why do we

love in the first place? Look at how God's Word repeatedly

calls us t love others.

Ok so now that everyone has gotten a good idea of what the book is about let me know what you think and if you want me to continue posting every days page or stop. Let me know ok.

Making New friends

Ok so outside my comfort zone I'm not a social bug so I don't tend to make new friends often. I don't get out there and meet my neighbors or really just randomly talk to strangers so again I don't tend to make new friends. As of right now the only true friends I have now either go to church with me or I have had for a very long time. Anyway, Dj has a fund raiser for school he is doing now and needed to go around and get people to buy magazine subscriptions and being the non-social person I am I made Dale go with him. As they were doing this they came to a new neighbors apartment and did the whole deal and found out that she is a single stay at home mom who just moved in. Her name is Mindy. She and her boyfriend are on again off again and she is from the area but hasn't been here since she was little so she really didn't know anyone. Dale being the open opportunist that he is gave her my phone number and told her that I also was a stay at home mom and to give me a call. She said fine and they went on their way to finish the task at hand. At the end of the day when they came home Dale told me about her and at first I thought he was trying to get me a new job babysitting until he said she was a stay at home mom. A couple of days later she finally called me to ask if Dale and I could come and help her move her new table upstairs. Her boyfriend was gone and she couldn't do it herself because one it was huge and two she had just had a baby a month ago. We went over and helped her move it into her apartment and then sat and chatted with her a bit. We hit it off well and planned to meet up the next day. She has three little boys. Cameron is 6, Austin is 4 and the baby Adyn is 1 1/2 months old. They are the cutest kids. And mostly well behaved. Anyway moral to the story is that sometimes you have to have your husband find friends for you otherwise you will never meet anyone new. Ha ha. He has great taste so it's all good for me. The funny part to all of this is when Dale and I first met the roles were reversed. I was the social bug and he was the home body. Its funny how things change over the years huh.

Well that's all for now.... blog at you later.

Oops I forgot to blog about my life. Ha ha

Ok so I have been blogging mostly about this awesome book that Dale and I have been reading and have forgotten to blog about what has been going on in my life.

So I went to the gym last week for one day and ended up catching a cold or something and was sick for the rest of the week. Man I hate when that happens. Anywho I got better by the end of the week and am stoked to finally get back on schedule and work out full time again. On top of that Dale and I have been doing some research on this new weight loss product called Sensa that you sprinkle on your food and it helps you loose weight. Now understand that I know there is no miracle pill you can take to loose weight so we have been doing some digging about it. There are several studies about it and we both came to the conclusion that it is not a bad idea to try so I will be starting that on top of the eating right and exercising to see how it works out. For all of you out there trying to loose weight with diet after diet and failing every time I suggest you research this product and decide for yourself if you should try it. I will keep you posted about how it works for me.

In other news my kids started back to school and are doing wonderfully. I know this is a little late considering the fact that they have been in school for about two and a half weeks now. But better late than never right. Ya so I went and met with Elyssa's teacher Mrs. Jones and she is great. I think Elyssa is going to have a great year with her. Not that Elyssa ever has a bad year because face it she is just to cute and who couldn't just fall in love with her. Plus she loves school so right off the bat she is teachers pet. I love her.

Dj is in middle school now and I just feel old. I can't believe I am really old enough to have a middle schooler. He loves his new school, and his new teachers. Yes I said teachers. He has, I think, Six teachers. He is doing so well that I really think we are going to have a fabulous year. I got to meet all his teachers on Thursday and they are all speaking highly of him. I am so glad he is starting the year off right. On the other hand I signed him up for Choir this year and he hates it. I guess he is one of only a couple of boys that are in there and he wants out. I told him to think of it like this. The less boys in there the more chance you have of getting a girlfriend. Ha ha. Not that he is old enough to date but face it he is at that age where they really start paying attention to the opposite sex. We cant fight nature right. He said he would stick it out but next year he wants to be in band. I told him he has a beautiful voice and should really give this a try. He might really like it by the end of the year but we shall see how it goes.

Well I guess I have you all up to date on what has been happening in the Bellard Family so I will close for now and finally hit the hay.

Blog at you late.

Day 8 of Love Dare

Love is best when God is first

"you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart."

Matthew 22:37

Loving your spouse more than you love God is a form of idolatry. Far to many marriages suffer from this inversion. It places a created thing higher than the creator. God should always be the first and primary object of our affection. He created us to love Him, and something unexplainable beautiful happens when we direct all of who we are at delighting in all of who He is. It is proper worship of the One who is worthy.

If love is the greatest thing you can do, then loving with all you are is the greatest expression you could ever make. Furthermore, if God is the greatest object of love, then awaken to the priceless purpose you have been given. You are wired, commanded, and invited to do the greatest thing in the greatest way for the greatest One. There is no higher calling, Yours is the most important over all of Creation because you have been make in His image and are uniquely designed to express love in ways the rest of nature cannot.

Embrace this eternal privilege. Let every breath be an opportunity to learn how to better love the God who first loved you.

This week's Dare

Commit this week to prioritize a few minutes with God

every day. Include prayer and Scripture reading.

Day 7 of Love Dare

Love is fertile soil

...that you being rooted and grounded in love...

Ephesians 3:17

When we plant a living seed into healthy soil. we expect it to blossom. And just as flowers in the greenhouse are supplied with an ideal environment for growth, so a home filled with love provides the ideal atmosphere for people to bloom.

We know that children who grow up in loving families tend to sleep deeper, stand taller, and venture father than those who are never secure in their parents' love. Likewise, when you provide safe, loving soil for your spouse to grow in, they will be more likely to flourish with confidence, knowing they are valued and secure.

What happens when someone is loved over the years? Their needs are met, dreams encouraged, opinions heard, and successes praised. They're assured of your patience and forgiveness when they fail, and free to express themselves honestly without fear of your judgment. They'll even weather intense seasons of disappointment with the stability your love supplies. Admit it- we'd all love to be loved like that.

Questions

How will your mate be affected by living with you in the

future? Will they become radiant or saddened? Confident

or angry? Will you dare to create a loving environment for

your spouse to grow in?

Day 6 of Love Dare / What I have learned this week

Love is your job description

This is the message you have heard from the beginning:

We should love one another.

1 John 3:11

People from every nation, tribe, and tongue have it in common-everyone is longing to be loved. It's inbred, God-given, lifelong, and deeply felt. "Would someone please love me?" is the unspoken cry from billboards, television shows, magazines, and T-shirts. We work constantly to get others to notice our worth and validate us with their attention. We will even give ourselves to someone with hopes of receiving love in return. But ironically, people rarely take their focus off themselves so they can meet this need in others. Selfishly, we may even overlook our own spouse. But he or she needs it just the same.

Love, however, is your primary responsibility in marriage. Did you not vow to a lifelong love at the altar? Are you not the one God has privileged to fill your mate's love tank? And remember this: when your spouse deserves your love the least, that is when they need it the most. No one on Earth is more strategically positioned, commanded, and called on to love your mate than you are.

Prayer

"Lord, I thank you for the spouse you have given me. Teach

me to love them in a way that meets their needs and honors

you. In Jesus' name, amen."

As we come to the end of each week I am going to post my feelings and what I have learned from this week.

So this week has been a bit of a struggle with me. I have been sick for most of it but still have read the book and done what it has said. I have learned that I need to pay more attention to what my spouse is feeling and be more open to opportunity to love someone other than myself and my family. I need to remember that I am not the only person in this world going through my struggles and that what I may have learned someone else could use. I have also come to understand that no matter what I know that I am loved by someone. Even when I don't think I deserve it. I hope that you have also learned something valuable this week and continue to read the posts. I know that it is really helping me.

Blog at you later.

Day 5 of Love Dare

Love is the business of men

God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness,

but one of power, love, and sound judgement.

2 Timothy 1:7

When a movie is marked as a love story, we assume it's promarily for an audience of woman. If plots don't contain fighting, bleeding, or exploding, men will gladly avoid them. But real love is not merely woman's work. it's at the core of manhood, transforming men to be strong and courageous.

Love makes a husband put away childish things and embrace his responsabilities to lead his family. It drives him to defend his wife, provide for his children, and even lay down his life if they become endangered. Love motivates a man to confront injustice and take passionate stands for what he believes in, like crossing an ocean to fight for his country.

Jesus was the most loving man ever to walk the earth and remains the perfect example of manhood. With passion, He confronted evil. cast out demons, and rebuked religious hypocrites. Out of love, He served sacrificially, rescued the broken-hearted, and willingly died for the sins of the world. Real men embrace this love as the driving force to boldly do what boys merely dream of.

This weeks Dare

Keep praying this week:"Lord, teach me what real love is and make me a loving person."

Day 4 of Love Dare

Love simplifies

Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another,

for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Romans 13:8

Love ulitmately fulfills every law of God. It persuades us to live out all that is good and forbids us from doing all that is evil. Every act of hatred, subtle deception, or plot of unfaithfulness is vetoed when love takes command in our hearts. Love toward God leads us to obey Him and uphold His rightful place of honor in our lives. If we do so, we will by default not sin against His name. Love toward others transforms our behavior for the better and defuses evil intentions like light dispels darkness.

Men who lead by love won't deceive or degrade their wives or their neighbors. When love fills a woman's mouth, she encourages her family instead of tearing them down. When you're focused on love, you will naturally demonstrate patience, tenderness, and kindness. Rather thanb trying to manufacture right actions, let love become your first response and your default position. Then you're set to launch into any circumstance graciously and to land with no regrets.

Go Deeper

Read Romans 13:8 and study Paul's explanation of how

love fulfills all of Gods law.

Day 3 of Love Dare

Love is the key

Now these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love

But the Greatest is Love

1Corinthians 13:13

Love is fundamental to the success of your marriage. Not your current feelings or romance or sexual satisfaction. Not a stronger financial standing or even your spouse's behavior. All these can circumstantially change, and they will. But when storms rise and conditions worsen, love-driven marriages endure and work through even the toughest issues without giving up.

When marriages crumble, couples often claim that it was due to their irreconcilable differences. But genuine love is a mast at reconciliation. When love takes over, it compels us to humbly apologize and take full responsibility for our failures, then to fully forgive where our spouse has failed us. Over and over again.

Resilient marriages are built on honesty, respect, commitment, forgiveness, and endurance. And love constantly inspires all of these things to grow and thrive within us. Though love reaches far beyond marriage, it is a God-given key to its success. You can strip away most of the pleasures you and your spouse hold together, but your marriage hinges on love.

This weeks Dare

Keep praying this week:"Lord teach me what real love is and make me a loving person."

Blog at you later.

Random Dozen

1. What is your favorite fair/carnival food?
Funnel cakes would have to be my favorite.

2. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
Not anymore. I did a deep clean out of my house and feel so much better.

3. What is your favorite gift to receive?
Jewelry or a hand made gift.

4. When was the last time you tried something new?
OMGosh I really don't know.

5. What is your favorite and least favorite book genre?Memoir, Mystery, Political Intrigue, Romance, Humor, Historical Fiction, Historical nonfiction, Chick Lit, Self-Help, Other
I like anything really that can keep my attention for the whole book. My favorite books so far is the Twilight Saga. But I like everything.

6.Silver or Gold?
Silver or White Gold. Not fond of Yellow Gold it makes me look pale.

7. What makes you sigh?
A true expression of love for one another. Like when you see an old couple who have been married for many many years walking around still holding hands.

8. If you didn't know how old you are, how old would you claim you are?
Lol 25.

9. Would you break a law to save a loved one? To protect a loved one?
To save a loved one maybe but protect them would have to depend on the situation. I know that's easy to say because I am not in that situation now so I don't know.

10. If you had to teach something, what would it be?
Probably something to do with art or crafts

11. You're having lunch with 3 people whom you respect and admire. They begin to criticize a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. What do you do?
First off defend the person and then let those three know that I respected and admired them until that moment. No one should put anyone else down. I am not one for conflict but when it comes to a friend or loved one I will stand up and defend.

12. Which of the 5 Love Languages is your prominent means of experiencing love?
Quality Time
Physical Touch
Acts of Service
Gifts
Words of Affirmation
We took this parenting class and I remember taking this quiz and if I remember right I was tied for Words of Affirmation and Quality time.

A friend date

So today I went back to the gym to get back on my normal workout schedule now that the kids are back in school. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it still hurt. I love it though. I do I have to admit it. Anyway it was a great class. I am glad I am back at the gym but I heard that they might either be moving our class to a different day or time or may even cancel it all together. I hope they don't cause I really like it.

On another note. I have been feeling very distant from my friends lately especially Ryan who is really more like a sister than just a friend so I invited her to a friend date tonight and she said yes. So we went out to eat at the New China Buffet in Sango and had a wonderful time. We both have been needing this time alone without kids or husbands bugging us every five seconds. It was so nice to finally catch up with her and spend that time together. I really need to do this with all my girlfriends so be on the lookout girls, You may be next.

Well I need to hit the bed so I am going to stop here.
Blog at you later.

Day 2 of Love Dare

Love is life's motivator

For Christ so compels us.....

2 Corinthians 5:14

Anger can fuel hatred in a mans heart until he feels like attacking his enemy. But love can spark kindness in his heart so he lays down his life for his friend. Selfishness can drive a woman to tighten her grip and hoard her resources. But love can inspire her to open her hands and give sacrificially. Love is the most purest and most powerful motivator. It gives courage to a coward and wisdom to a fool.

When love invades your heart, you are empowered to endure deeper pain, willing to pay a greater cost, and run risks to your reputation for the sake of another. Love causes a soldier to lay down his life for his country, and a gracious God to send his only son to die for our sins. Love is that powerful.

Paul the apostle endured beatings, intense persecution, and hardship throughout his life. He did this for one reason alone: " Christ's Love" compelled him. If love began fueling your decisions, what would it drive you to do for your marriage?

Go Deeper

Read 1 Corinthians 13. After you have read it, read verses 4-7 again. This time, replace the words "love" and "it" with your name. Then close in prayer and ask God to help make this a reality in your life.

Blog at you later.

The Love Dare

Ok so I posted last time about this book I found called the Love Dare Inspired by the movie Fireproof. For those who don't know what that is it's a Christian movie that Dale and I love. Anyway these two authors decided to turn it into a real book and I found it the other day. I loved what I saw of the book so I bought it and we have taken the dare to make our marriage better and live better. Not that we are having issues or anything but who couldn't use just a little help in how to truly love on another right. Anyway I am going to be blogging about this challenge everyday and in the process I am sending out this challenge to all my readers to try it yourselves. It can only help right. So this is how it will work. I will post that days page and you do the work. If you have questions leave me a note and I will answer them. In this book there are 365 daily devotional reading on unique aspects of genuine love, 52 weekly dares to help you express love in your marriage, dozens of specific prayers to pray for yourself and your spouse, questions to get you thinking strategically about your relationship, and more than 100 Go Deeper sections that enhance personal bible study. Understand that this is coming strait from the book. I don't claim to be the one who came up with it. I love what I am reading and just want to share it with all of you. So here we go.

Day 1

Love is the greatest of these

If I have all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing

1st Corinthians 13:2

Loving god and others is what life is really about. No matter who you are or what you do, it comes down to whether you'll live a life of love or not. And there is a vast difference between the two. One is priceless....and one is meaningless.

Love is the most important ingredient to any meaningful relationship. It is fundamental to true significance. Your quality of life is directly tied to the amount of love flowing in you and through you to others. Though it's often overlooked, love is infinitely more valuable than riches, fame or honor. They will pass away but love remains. You can be fulfilled without these, but not without love.

The absence e of love leaves a devastation void, When it is not present, your spirituality becomes superficial, your benevolent deeds self-centered, and your sacrifices insincere. In any relationship where love is not your motivation, you can expect it to feel bland and unfulfilling- if not meaningless. When asked to identify life's greatest command, Jesus summed it up this way: to love God with all you are and to love your neighbor as yourself. Will you embrace a life of love?

This weeks Dare

begin praying this week: " Lord, teach what real love is and make me a loving person."

I hope that you all take this dare even if you are not married and truly apply it to your life. You will only be enriched by the whole thing.

Blog at you later.

What a great day

Wow what a great day. I got up this morning with such enthusiasm that I almost scared myself. He he. I got dressed and threw a load of cloths in the wash then headed out with my husband to run some errands. We went out to lunch and had a great conversation. It was so nice to reconnect with him again. It seems like it has been forever since we have really connected in that way. I guess it really helps keep us in balance when we can do that. I think I truly have a full understanding now why married couples should still date each other. I love my husband so much. After we ate lunch we went to the book store and I got the Love Dare book. It is from the movie fireproof. For those who have never seen it or heard of it, it is a dare that a couple takes to improve their love for each other. It happens over a one year period and you do it together. I can't wait to start it. Not that my marriage is in trouble but be truthful who couldn't use some help in that department right. Anyway we are going to start it tomorrow so I will keep updated on how it is going. I will post the dare each day so those who can't or don't want to go get the book can still do the challenge with your spouse. I promise it will make a big difference in your relationship with your spouse. Anyway after the bookstore I had to stop by wal-mart to pick up the last minute things the kids needed for school then headed home to wait for them. After they got home we went to Target so Dominic could use his gift card he got from his grandparents and then went to go see a movie. Well truthfully two movies. DJ and Dale went and saw The Expendables which is a total guy flick full of testosterone and Elyssa and I went and saw Eat Pray Love. A great movie by the way. I wont spoil it for those who have not seen it but want to. Lets just say I didn't truly understand the title until I saw the movie fully. Now I get it. I loved it so much. Not sure that Elyssa truly liked it or understood it but she sat through it with me. It was nice to really bond with her again. Just her and I. Now I want to see it with all my girlfriends. I know they will truly understand it and get its meaning. Anyway we are home now and I am tired so I am going to hit the hay for the night.

Blog at you later.

Scrapbooking/ realizing my true self

Ok so I got up nice and early this morning and did a little tidying up in the living room and kitchen. Funny how you can spend all this time getting everything the way you love it only to have two children come home from school and completely destroy it in 10 mins. Got to love those kids. Anyway after I did that I got ready and headed over to Diana's for our weekly get together for chatting and Scrapbooking. We always have such a great time together. Elaine brought this beautiful two page layout for us to work on and the first thing I said was " Wow that would be perfect for pictures of my grandmother." Oops I think that came out wrong. I wasn't trying to say it looked old but somehow it just reminded me of my grandmother. I said I was sorry but she knew what I meant. Anyway we usually get together from about 9 till 12 but we ran over by about an hour and a half. It was just to much fun. Afterwards I came home and did some more cleaning. I almost have my room done. Just need to do the laundry and then it will be perfect. Not that it will stay that way but one can hope right.

Anyway I really need to get back to the gym but I just can't bring myself to do it when my house isn't finished. I will most definitely get back on Monday. Not that anyone really misses me there but I need to do it for myself. I have come to the conclusion that if I just learn to love myself the way I am and do my best then I will start to really become who I want to be. So in that I have chosen to continue to work out with the same vigor that I had before and eat the same things I always have and love the way I look and everything will balance itself out. Well that is enough insight for one night so I will leave you for now but........

Blog at you later.

Back in the swing of things

Ok so this week has been a crazy week. It started out crappy and then got better. The girls left to go live with Tj until my mother moves down here and in the process I got my feeling hurt because I basically felt slapped in the face over the whole situation. Anyway I got over it and went about my life. Tuesday I cleaned my house and decided it was really time to CLEAN my house. So I went about the task of organizing everything. I got the front of my house done other than the dinning room because the bunk beds are sitting there waiting for the truck to come and pick them up on Monday. I didn't finish until about 11:45 at night but I feel much better now that it is done.

As for today I did the kids rooms and my laundry room. Wow its amazing what you find when you clean out your laundry room. I found a bunch of cloths I thought were lost but were just hidden in all the mess. I have not gotten to my bedroom yet but I think I will tackle that one tomorrow after I go to my scrapbooking get together. Well I am pooped so I am going to bed now.

Blog at you later.

Random Dozen

The return of the Random Dozen has arrived. I have been waiting a long time for this. I am so happy it is finally back. Well read on and see if you learn anything new about me. The copy and paste and let me learn something new about you. Enjoy.


1. When was the last time you laughed until you cried?
That would have to be about a week ago with my sisters

2. If you found $10 today, what would you do with it?
Not much. $10 doesn't buy you much but I would probably buy lunch for me and my husband at the store and have a nice picnic in the shade of a big tree.

3. Do you volunteer anywhere?
Yes mostly at my kids schools. lol

4. What is your favorite summertime veggie or fruit, and how do you eat it?
Oh easy one. Watermelon and I love it sliced and with salt.

5. Is your social sphere (circle of friends) small, medium or large?
I would have to say medium to large. Depending on the day. Lol

6. When was the last time you attended a family or school reunion? How did that go?
The last family reunion I attended was not a happy occasion. It was the death of my step dad. As far as School reunions go I missed my 10 year but am planning to go to the twenty year.

7. When you're feeling blue, what is the best way someone can cheer you up?
By just being there and listening to me.

8. Have you taken a vacation this summer?
Nope not this year was to busy taking care my my two little sisters who just lost their father.
Unless you count Girls Camp in which I couldn't even finish the whole week.

9. What is the most unnecessary item you carry with you all the time?
I don't think I carry anything unnecessary. I don't carry much at all but if I had to pick I guess it would have to be nail clippers.

10. What is the best summer flick you have seen so far?
Duhhh The Twilight Saga, Eclipse.

11. Describe a perfect summer day.
A day with my whole family and no drama. Temperature at about 75.

12. Please a share a favorite photo from the summer so far!
Well considering I didn't do much this summer I really don't have any photo's to share this time.

Well that's all for now......Blog at you later.

Fried and Skate park

Ok so yesterday was a busy busy day. It was something like 110 degrees outside so we decided to spend the day in the pool. We went out at 10 and left at 2:30. Lets just say I fried myself. I even used SPF 50 and reapplied twice and still fried. Leave it to mean to be the once person sunblock doesn't work on. Ha ha. Anyway Ryan and her gang came over and swam with us for the day. We had to leave early cause it started to storm and I had no plans of being fried in a different way. Anyway once we were home I cleaned up the house and then headed over to Michelle's house with Cheyenne to fax some paperwork off and got to finally visit with my buddy who I have not seen or talked to for about a month. It was so nice. Cheyenne and Kelsey seemed to really get along. Which is great because they are only a year apart. We left there at about 10:30 and got home at 11:15. I hit the bed and was out like a light. Although I did toss and turn all night because of my sunburn. Ha ha.

Ok so now for today. After all the running around I have been doing for the past week to get the girls enrolled in school I finally got the last of it done. Both the girls were missing shots off of their records and couldn't get them transferred until they got them, so today I tried to get them into see my kids pediatrician but couldn't get an appointment until the 25th so I took them to the health department and they both got the shots they needed. Now all I need is for mom to fax the power of attorney to the school so that I can get them all enrolled. After that Dale had a few things to take care of and then Ryan's gang and us headed home to get Dj and Elyssa. Then we all headed to the skate park so Dj and Shannon and Hunter could skate. We didn't stay long because it was so hot so we left and got our things together and went to the Y to go swimming. Now we are home and making dinner then Ryan and her kids are coming over for movie night at my house. Oh ya I almost forgot while we were at the Y Ava kept begging Ryan to take the swim test and both of us thought she wouldn't be able to swim that far doing the overhand stroke but she proved us wrong and did it on her first try. I am so proud of her. I can't believe how big she is getting. First kindergarten and now passing the swim test. Well I have to go for now.

Blog at you later.

Been so busy

Ok so I have been totally busy trying to get everything ready for school to start that I have not had anytime to blog lately. I hate when I cant blog. I feel like I am missing a part of my day. Anyway I finally have everything all settled in with the girls and they seem to really like it here. Other than the fact that Dj and Cheyenne are always at each other fighting about one thing or another. Its great. I think its the fact that they are both strong willed and hard headed plus the fact that they are both in the stage of their lives where everything is haywire all the time. I love them both but I think I might strangle them if they don't knock it off soon. I cant wait until school starts. They will be way to tired at the end of the day to fight with each other. Yeahhhhhh school. Plus all the kids are saying they are bored like every five minutes. Anyway I will blog more later. I am way to tired considering the fact that I have not been sleeping well lately. Ok well.

Blog at you later.