Happy Halloween 2011

Happy Halloween 2011

Ok so these past few years we really have not done much for Halloween mostly because it was just me and the kids and Dale was working. Well this year Dale had Halloween off so we went all out. We decorated and got costumes and went Trick-Or-Treating. It was a blast and the kids got a ton of candy. More than any year before. At the end of the night we went and hung out with Ryan and her family for a little bit then came home and went to bed. Anyway here are the pics from this years costumes.

this is Cheyenne and Amber. Amber is a witch of some sort.

This is Dj's face. It is painted all red and has white M's on his cheeks.
This is Cheyenne's face painted

This is Elyssa's face painted.

Here is Cheyenne's costume she is a bumble bee with no stinger. Lol.

She and Elyssa coordinated their costumes.

Here is Dj's costume. He was a red M&M. It took us a long time to find a

non scary costume that he would wear.

Here is Elyssa's Costume. She is a lady bug.

Well I hope you liked the kids costumes this year. I know I enjoyed picking them out for the most part. The kids had a great night and got enough candy to last them until Easter.

blog at you later.

Day 13 of RFYLH

Question # 13

What is your personal secret of happiness?

You know a lot of people ask me that all the time and I could never really think of a good answer that really fit the bill until I ran into a friend of mine that I had not seen in a very long time. She was never what you would call a religious person by any means but she was always what I would call a happy person. This time there was something different about her. I asked her about what has been going on with her life since we had not seen or talked to each other in a while. We got all caught up and then I asked her what was different about her. We went through the usual things like hair cloths weight and such and then she told me that she had recently met someone and was very happy with her life. I naturally assumed she meant a man since she was single and all then she said " Well he is a guy but not what you think." That had me. Then she pulled out a little piece of paper from her wallet and showed it to me. I was a picture of Jesus. I was surprised that I didn't guess right away what she was talking about since I am a Christian and all and go to church on a regular basis and have a personal relationship with Jesus myself. But the truth is she was more connected to him than I had been in a very long time and you could see it all over her. She just glowed with happiness. I think that would be my personal secret to happiness. Have a good and honest relationship with our Lord above and you can never go wrong.

Blog at you later.

Day 12 of RFYLH

Question # 12

Tell about a frustrating experience that you have had?

Ok so everyone knows that having children can be very frustrating at times, but when your beautiful, precious children become teenagers it becomes a whole new level of frustrating. As most of you know I have recently taken on the responsibility of raising my little sister Cheyenne who is 14 years old. Now I have not been in her life for most of her life. That not being all my fault. But I still found it necessary to take her into my home and raise her. Yes it has been a bumpy ride for all involved but we are getting the hang of things and getting into a rhythm that works for our family of five now. This all being said I now have TWO teenagers and an 11 year old who should be a teenager for all the drama she has. Something happens to these sweet little children as they get older. I like to call it going alien but I know it is just a hormone thing. Either way they seem to change overnight and become very independent and love to push the boundaries of my patients all the time. I wonder sometimes if this isn't just payback for what I did to my parents as a teenager or if this is just the circle of life. I guess we will never truly understand until we are no longer on this earth. My only hope is that I make it through all this with my hair and sanity in tack and pray that what they do to me they will get back at them when they have children of their own. I so look forward to the day when I get a call from them saying something to the effect of " Mom I am so sorry I was such a pain when I was growing up but now I am paying for it with _______(name of child)." Lol oh well I know that is a ways off so no need to dream about it now. It is true that I love them all with all my heart and soul and would do anything for them short of going to jail or getting into real trouble. So to answer the question my recent frustrating experience is a daily struggle with my teenage children. Its a long sentence and well worth it in the end. I hope. LOL

Blog at you later.

Day 11 of RFYLH

Question # 11

Describe your favorite birthday?

Well that's an easy question. You know as you get older in life you are less and less likely to want to celebrate your birthday because it means you are getting older. And lets face it who wants to get older or at least admit you are getting older anyway. Well, that's how I felt about turning 30 a few years back and I thought that would be it for my celebrating so I decided to throw a Prom Party for my birthday. With the whole formal gowns and all. It was themed and everything. It was just like being back at prom in high school only no drama or worrying about who was going to ask me to it. I already had a date. Although my wonderful hubby had to work that night he was there in spirit. Of course now I will be doing this on all my big birthdays and so he WILL be at the next one. It was great night with all my good friends. I had so much fun thanks to my girlfriends and so I figured what the hay it isn't so bad getting older if you can have this much fun doing it.

Blog at you later.

Day 10 of RFYLH

Question #10

Thinking back, was there a teacher who had a great influence on you?

I aways say I don't remember much about my elementary school years because they were so long ago but one person is still with me to this day. Her name was Mrs. Stone. I don't know if that is still her name or not but I will always remember her as that. She was both my 3rd grade and 4th grade teacher. She always made learning fun. She didn't inspire me to become a teacher but she did inspire me to do whatever my heart desired. I loved having her as a teacher.

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Day 9 of RFYLH

Question #9

What is the most important lesson, message, or advicce that you have learned that you ight pass on to others?

Wow that is a hard question to answer. I have learned a lot of things in my life that I wish I could pass on to my children so that they don't make the same mistakes that I did. As far as the most important piece of advice I could give my children or really any youth at this point in time is when you are old enough and ready to marry make sure that they are really the one. Go to Pre-marital counseling and make every effort to communicate effectively with you soon to be spouse. Talk about everything and make sure that the important subjects such as religion, children and money are all in agreement or at least a good understanding of what you both want. Always be honest with each other and try your hardest to always make it work. Don't let society tell you that just because you have an argument or times are tuff that it is tim00e to give up. I lucked out in life and picked the right guy the first time. I plan to grow old with him and when we have our down times ( which we do because we are human) we work through it.

One more piece of advice that I would give and I think is the MOST IMPORTANT of all is put GOD first in everything you do. From picking your spouse and raising your family to doing your everyday to day outings. If it wasn't for GOD we would have nothing. This is a lesson I have had to learn the hard way but I have come to understand that not having HIM in my life is not a good place to be.

Blog at you later.

Day 8 of RFYLH

Question #8

Describe your Sundays as a Mother/Father and a child?

My sundays as a child were off and on as far as going to church. We went on a regular basis until I was about 11 or 12 and then stoped going all together when I was a teenager. I later went back to church when I had my son.

My sundays as a Mother now are good. I attend church with my family almost every Sunday depending on ofcourse sickness and such. I enjoy it very much. While my husband and I don't always see eye to eye on how or what church to raise our children in the one thing we do agree on is that they need God in their lives one way or another. This is something we stuggle with trying to make our teenagers understand. They would rather sleep in and enjoy their last day of the weekend with friends and we don't allow that. It is a day to rest and enjoy spending time with your family. We tend to make it a movie night or game night or just spend the day catching up on our week. We try to solve or settle anything that has arossen in the week and make it a spritual healing day.

Blog at you later.

Day 7 of RFYLH

Question #7

How did your Father spend his time supporting his family?

My father did a great job from what I can remember always keeping our family in good standings when it came to support. When I was really young he did a few odd and end jobs but the first real job I remember him having was working in the Prison in Tehachapi, Ca. Later he moved on to work as a police officer for several years. Then moved to Mississippi and did a few different jobs there finally landing as a medic for the ambulance company and now a Paramedic for the off shore oil rigs. He is what you would call a Jack of all trades. I couldn't be more proud of the way he took care of our family. He was not only a financial provider for our family but he was a great emotional leader also. He was always there when I needed a shoulder to cry on or some just to talk about my day with. True he was not always around due to his job but when it really counted he was there for us. As far a spiritual leader I believe he did the best he knew how at the time. I'm sure he has a few things he would have changed but all in I think he did a great job.

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Day 6 of RFYLH

Question #6

Describe the most serious illness or accident that you have had?

Well as a kid the worst thing that happen to me was I broke my arm in an S shape falling off my best friends shoulders practicing for a dance competition. As a Teen the worst thing that happened to me was my boyfriend got really mad at me one day and decided to beat me up with a lead pipe while his best friend held my best friend back. Plus the couple of car accidents I had that were not my fault. As an adult I have had a couple of illnesses that put me in the hospital and then of course the birth of my children but the biggest and worst thing that happen to me was when I first move here to Tennessee, it was the day before my birthday and I needed to go to Nashville to pick up my brother from work. I was not comfortable driving alone that far yet so I made my best friend go with me. Since we both had small children and neither of us had anyone to watch them we took them with us. On our way back my SUV steering wheel got really loose and I thought it was due to the fact that I was behind a semi. So I slowed down from 80 mph to 70 mph and right after I did that my driver side back tire exploded. My brother jumped over the seat to lye on top of my son who was laying down in the very back of my SUV. I lost control of the SUV and blacked out just as I hit the guard rail. When I came to I was the only person in my SUV and there were cops, fire men and paramedics all around me. I was pinned in my SUV by the steering wheel and could not feel my legs. I was frantic trying to figure out what happen to everyone in the SUV but no one would tell me. Finally a paramedic told me everyone but my best friend was fine. I calmed down and let them do what they needed to do. I was later medi-vaced to Vanderbilt with my best friend who I later found out flew out of my SUV when it rolled twice. I was in the hospital for about 24 hours and then went home. My best friend came home about 8 hours later with a broken cheek bone and a dislocated shoulder. We both survived it but it took me a very long time to get back into a car without a panic attack and even longer for me to drive a car again.

Blog at you later.

Day 5 of RFYLH

Question #5

Did you have a bicycle as a kid? What was it like?

I did have a bicycle as a kid. Several of them accually. I can't remember what they looked like but I remember having them. I would go and ride them up and down the street with my brothers and do tricks with them. I was more of a tom boy than a girl most of the time. I guess that is why i got along better with boys than girls. My brothers loved it because I never wanted to date their friends only hang out with them.

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Day 4 of RFYLH

Question #4

Tell about your pre-teen social life, your friends,outings,chruch functions, ect.

I can't really remember much about my childhood other than the bad things that happened in my life. I moved a lot as a child so I never really had that many friends and once I got a couple of good ones I ended up moving so I never kept any for a long period of time. I spent most of my time hanging out with my siblings and taking care of them until my father remarried. I was in and out of church until I was a teenager and then stopped going all together. I didn't go back until I had my son then went back to church full time.

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

Day 3 of RFYLH

Question #3

What did you do that got you into the most trouble when you were a kid?

How did your parents handle it?

Well being the oldest I always got into trouble for things I didn't do but didn't stop my siblings from doing either. But I would have to say the one thing that got me into the most trouble was picking on my siblings. I know every kid does it but I was at it all the time. Constantly nagging them about everything. Mostly because I was bored and grounded and really had nothing better to do. Now that I think back on it I could have been a little less grounded if I would have just left them alone but what are big Sisters for if not to mess with the younger kids right. My parents usually just spanked me unless it was really bad then they grounded me or took away privileges that I really enjoyed like watching tv or getting desert after dinner. It was a different time back then and I use to think they were the strictest and meanest parents ever but now that I have kids I can see why they could have been a lot meaner and stricter.

Well that's it for today. Blog at you later.

Day 2 of RFYLH

Question #2

Tell about your Mother. Her personality, characteristics, stature, coloring, talents, temperament, family stories about her, her role in your home, ect.

Well in my life I have had a couple of moms but only one of those is the woman who gave birth to me. She and my father were married until I was 8 years old and then divorced. I lived with my father for a few years getting to see my mom on weekends and such. Then when I was about 10 or 11 I chose to go and live with her and my step-dad Patrick. I stayed with them until I was 15 then went to live with my paternal grandmother for a year and then back to my father at 17. Where I stayed until I met my husband and was married.

Her full name is Loria Christine Shields (Dorman)

she is a short woman by most means. But I like it cause I am taller than her so when I am feeling short I just have to say at least I'm taller than mom. Lol. If you look at me you are looking right at my mother. We are identical or at least that is what everyone keeps telling me. My youngest sister has the same face as us also. You can see a little bit of our fathers in our faces but mostly you see our mother. She is 1 of 6 children in her family. 3 girls and 3 boys. One of those boys is her twin brother. They land right in the middle of the pack. Her mother is still living and doing great while her father past away when I was very young. I really don't remember him at all.

I get my creativity from her side of the family. My mother and a couple of her brothers are all artists in one form or another. My mother is very talented and can do just about anything she puts her mind to. She has a temperament to meet most men's. Meaning she can hold her own. That probably comes from having grown up with such tough brothers all her life. While she is getting older in life I don't see her slowing down anytime soon. True that may be because she still has a couple of teenagers living at home but mostly I think it is in her genes. I don't know many stories about her mostly because I have not spent a lot of my adult life really talking to her and getting to know her. This is a something I plan to fix in the near future. Her role in my home currently is just to be a supporter. She is there when I need someone to talk to but living 8 hours away that's pretty much all she can do at this point. She is having to start her life over and be on her own for the first time in her life since the death of my step-dad a little over a year and a half ago. It has been a rough road to say the least but I think she is finally getting her grip on things. I have no doubt that if she really puts her mind to it she can do anything she wants. She has/is raising 9 children that she gave birth to. But I have a total of 14 siblings including myself. 5 of those are step brothers and sisters but growing up didn't make me think any less of them so I still say I am the oldest of 14. My mother may not have given birth to them but none the less they are my siblings. between the 14 of us my mother has a total of 12 grandchildren. Most of which are boys. Only four are girls. I love my mom with all my heart and I know that she is there for me if I need her emotionally. I hope to one day know more about her and be able to add to this post with great stories.

Well that's all I have on my mother at this time. I hope you enjoyed getting another small glimpse into my life.

Blog at you later.

Receipt For Your Life History

OK so anyone who really knows me knows that I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ( better know as the Mormons) and being a part of this church they encourage us to journal our life so that we not only remember it but future generations will know what we went through and how we dealt with it and how we were feeling during that point in our lives. Also as a way to really get to know me when I can't be there to tell them myself. Well I have NOT done a very good job of this lately so in an effort to not only do better but get my kids to do well also I have decided to participate in a fun thing my daughter brought home from her Activity Day Girls class tonight. It is called "Receipt for my Life History." Basically it is a jar filled with all kinds of questions and you write down your answers, every night picking a new question. At the end you will have a small book and be in the habit of writing everything down (well a habit I will again get into). So tonight will be question One and we will get through them all I hope without any forgotten days. Join along and see how much fun you remember by doing this. Well without further delays here we go.

Question #1

If You could be any animal what would it be and Why?

Well tonight's question is an easy one. If you know anything at all about me you know I'm going to pick the giraffe. I pick this animal not only because it is a true miracle that the thing can even move much less stay upright with its body type but because my mom (Kathleen) got me hooked on these beautiful animals when I was pregnant with my now 13 year old son. As a gift one day she gave me a beautiful metal set of Giraffes one being the mother with its head bent down toward the ground and the other being the child with its head reaching up toward the sky. When put together they almost kiss. It was the most beautiful gift I ever got. To this day I am still in love with these wonderful animals and I don't think time will ever change that.

Well there is my answer for tonight. I hope you learned a little something about me. Lets see what you come up with. If you choose to play along send me a comment and I will go and check out your answer. Have fun and enjoy the process.

Blog at you later.