EllieMae's Days

I've moved again...

2011-10-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

I've moved again...

www.cherielenorehammond.blogspot.com

I'M MOVING...

2010-07-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

I am finally ready to let you know where I have moved...
When I first started blogging I was a little nervous putting my real name on the web for the world to see. I was unsure how safe it was. I am just really tired of accidently typing the wrong name and really want to just be me.

When I first met my husband he called me Elliemae. My real name is Cherie (shur-ree).
My sweet Lil'D has the coolest name ever...Dash. It is short for Daschel. Yes he is named after a cartoon character. It fits him perfectly.

I have created a new blog called Habadasherie.
I have imported most of my old posts there so I can have everything in one place.

I will no longer be posting as Elliemae.
Hope to see you at my new blog

www.habadasherie.blogspot.com

Lil's first soccer game...

2010-03-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

Lil'D started soccer today. He was so excited to start!! You might have to watch the video a couple times to find him. They all have the number 1 on the back of their shirts. He is the one that keeps touching the ball with his hands!

Letters to Lil'D...

2010-02-25T07:27:00.000-08:00

My sweetest Lil'D,

You have changed so much in the past couple of months. You are talking up a storm. You really never stop except to sleep. Here are a few sentences and words you are having trouble with:

what he does?
that is mines?
Darth Mater

You have also come up with some interesting phrases that you learned at daycare:

cheeze it
cheeze la weazel
booty, booty, booty
You're just kidding me
Stop it! (with a real whiny tone to it)

New phrases you have learned from your momma and daddy:

You're a menace!
Momma, you pass out
You're silly
You're crazy
Shredded Wheat

You love putting s's on everything and adding an extra syllable:

Instead of boats, you say boatses
Instead of jeep, you say jeepses

Some new foods you are enjoying are:

peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (these are your absolute favorite!!)
celery
whole apples skin and all
reese's peanut butter cups
reese's pieces
gummy worms
life cereal
shredded wheat cereal

Movies you are watching right now:

Up!
Garfield The Movie (voice of Bill Murray)
Star Wars
Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi (you still haven't finished this one yet)

The tv shows you are watching:

Imagination Movers
Chuggington

Your favorite toys:

Monster Trucks (you get one for every bible verse you memorize!)
New tow truck that you got at Awana for doing Apple Tree this week
Poingo
Nascar #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Cars from Cars (Mr The King, Mater, Lightening, Sally, Mac...)

Games you like to play:

Hungry Hungry Hippo
Hi Ho Cherry-o

Activities you are liking:

playing with Skyanne
playing games on the computer through Kido'z
going out to the soccer fields with Skyanne

My love for you overflows more and more each day. You are the happiest little boy I know. I am so very proud of you. Especially how well mannered you are. I don't even have to tell you to say thank you anymore. You just do it.

You are testing me right now by not listening as well as you could be, but I know that will change and it will be something else.

All my love,

Momma

a thought...

2010-02-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

Lil'Ds book pick...

2010-02-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scary

I found this book at the swap meet a couple of months ago. I kept trying to get Lil'D to want to read it, but he always skipped it. I finally talked him into it. We have read through the entire book once. It took us two nights. Now it's all about who can find Goldbug first. Lil'D has memorized where he is on most of the pages. Lil'D says things like:

"Goldbug is really good at hiding."

"Where is that Goldbug?"

a thought...

2010-02-10T14:19:00.001-08:00

Superbowl halftime at our house...

2010-02-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

In the backyard...
Lil'D didn't want halftime to be over. He wore Skyanne out!! They will both sleep good tonight!

Here it is...

2010-02-01T21:44:00.000-08:00

Skyanne...

2010-01-31T17:10:00.000-08:00

She is growing really fast and is in to everything.

Monster Truck, redo...

2010-01-30T23:45:00.000-08:00

We got our money back from the whole monster truck fiasco. So, we decided to go up to Anaheim and try again. The drive to Anaheim is about an hour and a half. Here is the sun setting as we were on our way there:

We stopped at Carl's Junior for dinner. Lil'D had a nice setup in the backseat watching movies.

Here is our exit...

Anaheim Stadium...

Ready to find our seats...

Panoramic view from our seats...

Yes, you understood correctly, we had seats!!!

Grave Digger and Monster Mutt racing...

Monster Mutt and Iron Man about to race...

Lil'D really enjoyed his cotton candy...

Blue Thunder... he was the racing winner.

Air Force Afterburner...he was the freestyle winner.

Grave Digger...freestyle.

Grave Digger...crashed!

We had a great time. We arrived just before all the trucks came in the arena. We found our seats right away and enjoyed the entire show!! Lil'D had a blast! He slept happily all the way home.

A new addition to our family...

2010-01-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

Her name is Skyanne.

She is 2 months & 24 days old.

She is an Australian Cattledog.

She was born November 4, 2009.

She was born in Blue Jacket, Oklahoma.

She is AKC registered.

Her dad's name is Fitz's Stan.

Her mom's name is Houston's Rhinestone.

She came to live with us on Saturday, January 16, 2010.

SHE IS AWESOME!

(if we could only get her potty trained faster)

Giveaway...

2010-01-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

Today I found: Jonquils & Ladybugs (what is a jonquil?)

jon-quil [jong-kwil]

-noun

a narcissus, Narcissus jonquilla, having long narrow, rushlike leaves and fragrant,

yellow of white flowers

Origin:

1620-30; jonquille junquillo, eqiv. to junc(o) rush, reed (juncus) + illo dim. suffix

(from dictionary.com)

Image:

Perdy!!

(image courtesy of Flower-cs.com)

She is opening an Etsy shop: Stiching in Striped Socks (how cute is that?)

And this is what she is giving away today:

Hope I win!!

a thought...

2010-01-27T11:10:00.001-08:00

a thought...

2010-01-26T11:16:00.000-08:00

Monster Jam...

2010-01-25T20:33:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night we went to Monster Jam. It began great, but didn't end well. We have been anticipating Monster Jam coming to town for the past year!! Lil'D has quite the monster truck collection! Jeremy got tickets and went to every Ford dealership in town to get free pit passes. So finally the big night arrived!! We got there at around 4pm and took pictures with all the trucks. Lil'D got more excited at seeing each truck. Here are the pictures from the pit party:

...standing in line...

...meeting the driver of Blue Thunder...

...Grave Digger!...

...Outlaw...

...Bounty Hunter...

...El Toro Loco...

...Monster Mutt...

...Iron Man...

...El Toro Loco in the background...

...Grave Digger...

...Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle...

...Here we are before it started, when things were still good...

These were the best seats for Monster Trucks. They were the nosebleed cheap seats, but it was the best view of the field and it wasn't as noisy as being down below. I walked up about 40 or so steep steps with Dash on my hip and turned around to see this view...perfect!

...our tickets were labeled Section 37, Row 18, Seats 6,7,8...

We had hot dogs, nachos and diet pepsi for dinner. Did you know that 2 hot dogs, 1 nachos grande and 2 sodas = $27.00. C.R.A.Z.Y! (Lil'D had peanut butter & jelly) About 30 minutes before the monster trucks were to come in Lil'D got a little upset. He was getting scared that the monster trucks were going to be really loud. He actually started crying, which is so unlike him. I walked down 40 or so steep steps with Lil'D on my hips and took him for a walk and watched the trolley bring hundreds of people into the stadium. He kept saying he wanted to go home, that he was scared. I finally convinced him that momma would work her magic and make the noise go away. In addition to having headphones on his ears, I pulled his hood over his head and he looked at me and said "Let's Go!" I had worked a miracle. I thought for sure we were going to have to leave. I walked up 40 or so steep stairs for the 3rd time with Lil'D on my hip. We got there just in time. They turned out the lights and announced each truck and their driver. The first two drivers were lined up for the first race when someone leaned over to us and said "excuse me, these are our seats."

It turns out we were in the wrong section. Our seats were in the next section over to the left. I walked down 40 or so steep steps with Lil'D on my hip walked over to the next section and went up 40 or so steep steps with Lil'D on my hips. This was my 5th time. My legs were starting to shake. When we go to the top where our seats were supposed to be there was a large concrete box taking up rows 16, 17 & 18, seats 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. So...we were sold seats, from Ticketmaster that were not there. It wasn't just us it was 27 other people also. I went back down those 40 or so steep steps with Lil'D on my hip for the 6th and final time. My legs were jello as we searched for an usher to make sure that we were not crazy. I finally passed Lil'D over to Jeremy. I was sweating and my muscles were shaking and aching. I really don't remember what happened for the next half hour or so. We were missing the monster truck show and waiting to see if the ushers could seat us somewhere else. It turns out that the show was sold out. If there was a seat in the house empty you couldn't find it. So we finally gave in and went down to Guest Services. There were no steps but we had to go down 4 floors to get to the bottom. Thank goodness Lil'D didn't have a problem walking.

So we told them our dilemma and they said they could put us in seats in plaza. Which was the very bottom and were probably too loud for Lil'D. We asked for comparable seats to what we had. They had nothing. They didn't even have seats together in plaza. We looked at each other exhausted and frustrated and asked Lil'D what he wanted to do. "Let's go home," he said. So they gave us a refund for the face value of our tickets and parking. We were really disappointed after so much anticipation for this night.

But, during the ride home Lil'D said "That was fun!" That made us feel a little better. Jeremy got on the phone with Ticketmaster as soon as we got home, but their customer service closed at 8pm. So we are still trying to get all the extra fees and handling that we paid for the tickets with the seats that didn't exist.

All day Sunday Lil'D played with all 13 of his monster trucks announcing each one of them, just like the only part of Monster Jam that we actually saw.

Catching up...

2010-01-23T14:14:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of catching up to do. I have several projects that I have been working on and have now completed two of them.

First project is a slideshow that recaps everything we did in 2009. All I need is the music and I will be done. All the 74 or so pages are done. Hopefully, I will post that tomorrow!

The second project is redesigning my blog again. The last design was just so busy. I was over it. I really like this new design. I started with a free template called Colored Paper. You can get it from here. I have tweaked it a bit to make it mine. I'm happy, but for how long I don't know. This is how I got into design. When I was little I would move the furniture around in my room almost every month or so. It drove my mom nuts. My blog is like my home and I am always changing the wallpaper and flooring!!

NOW, on to my next project. Catching up for the month of January. Afterall, it is already the 22nd of the month. Better late than never.

We have a tradition for New Year's Day. We go to Knott's Berry Farm with Auntie E and her family. This is our 3rd year to go. Here is a recap of the photos from New Year's Day...

2010 New Year Resolutions…

2010-01-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Get up at 6am everyday!
Read Bible everyday
Do chores as soon as I get home from work each day
Create a grocery list each week
Keep and updated list for Wal-Mart
Get everything together for work the night before
Be in bed by 9pm on work nights
Read current book from 9-9:30
Blog at least 3 times a week
Do one project every weekend
Do not eat ANYTHING after 7pm
Drink lots and lots of water everyday
Do not bite fingernails
Lose at least 20 pounds

That’s it. I must find my discipline and really be successful this year!

How I did…2009 Resolutions

2010-01-01T13:02:00.000-08:00

Bible Study/Devotional

I have slipped in this area of my life. I have gotten into the habit of saying I don't have time. That's like saying I don't have time for my Savior. I don't want to go there anymore!!
I didn’t do as well as I could have. I listened to the bible on my ipod for a couple of months. I read devotionals here and there, but did not make a “habit" like I wanted to.

Better wife / mom

Being a good mom has been my priority since my sweet Lil'D came into our life. I can honestly say that I have given 100 percent to Lil'D! It's the one thing I haven't lagged in!
I think I slacked off a little this year because of how independent Lil’D has become. He doesn’t need me all the time like he did before. He can do so much by himself. I need to be better at taking the time to play with him and plan projects to do with him.
I have not been the best wife I could be. My sweet J is so wonderful that he doesn't even let it bother him. (at least I can't see it or haven't taken the time to see it) He gives of himself all the time. He is so selfless and is always trying to make my world better. He is always trying to make better what I feel is falling apart. He deserves so much more than I give. I will be better!
I’d say I didn’t do a better job, just the same as I have always done.

Time Management

I really need to look at my schedule everyday and use ALL of my time wisely.
I’d say I improved on this maybe 50%. I was definitely more aware of where I was spending my time. Just didn’t use it as wisely as I could of thanks to facebook.
I need to schedule ME time...very important!
I really failed this one. I spent 6 days in Cabo in March unexpectedly for work. That is probably the only me time I really took this year.
My true goal here is to include some craftiness/creative time! This would be an indulgence!
I actually did ok here. I organized some of my craft supplies (at least they are all in one place) and set up my desk. Did a few projects. Not enough though.

Cooking

This is always on the back burner for me. It's just so hard for me to get to this place. (when you see my schedule you will understand) My husband had been doing a lot of the cooking during the week. BUT, I have no excuse for the weekends except for laziness and being selfish with my time. (more like wasteful)
Let's start with cooking one day on the weekend. That's realistic huh?
Fail, fail, fail. I am just not motivated to cook with everything else I have to do. I am going to see if I can give this one to Jeremy.

Housework

I have just lagged in this area almost completely. I have done everything I can to keep our "living" area tidied. I have let our master bath and our room completely go. I've got to find a balance here.
I definitely got better. I cleaned (organized) every room in the house before the new year.

Working out

This has to be done everyday. If I'm ever going to loose the 30 pounds I put on with my pregnancy (my son is 2 1/2) I've got to do this EVERYDAY, no ifs ands or buts!!
I have found the "perfect" workout for me and my time constraints. Its about 30 minutes everyday. Lil'D even likes to watch me workout and joins in sometimes.
Was good about it for a while, but just quit because I didn’t schedule my time right. I’ve probably gained weight this year instead of loosing it.

Crafty-Creativeness

I have put this on the back burner for a long time. I'm just not me without doing this. I have a list as long as California for projects I would like to do!!
Always see stuff that I love and say “I can make that.” Then I put it in the back of my mind and think about it often but never do it.

Trip to Perris, California...

2009-12-27T20:46:00.000-08:00

Grandma & Grandpa wanted to take Lil'D to ride on a train. This is what they picked:

...you can't tell that Lil'D loves trains, can you...

...tickets, please...

...ready to ride the train with Grandma & Grandpa...

...taking a ride in the backseat...

...of a 1937 street car...

...maybe momma won't see me pick up this rock...

...my little engineer...

...daydreamin' while riding the streetcar...

...he's gonna be a GQ model one day...

...or at least on the cover of a magazine one day...

Taking down the tree...

2009-12-26T20:57:00.000-08:00

Here is the photo before we took down the tree today:

It was so pretty this year!!! It was sad to take it down. But, I am very glad now that every thing Christmas is all packed away until next year.

We got bored and decided to go to Jungle Bells at the zoo. My niece Andrea went with us.

...Lil'D loves riding the buckets...

...Horton's Way...

...the new Elephant Odessey...

...Lil'D had churro all over his mouth...

...yee-haw, giddy up cat...

...we rode the train afterwards...

...this photo would have been perfect if it wasn't blurred...

...photoshop made it better...

Christmas day...

2009-12-25T20:20:00.000-08:00

...somebody was a little overwhelmed...

He was using his new drill to open all the presents...

...treasure map...

...take along Thomas & Percy's Carnival Adventure...

...santa forgot to leave headphones for mom & dad...

...the drum set was by far Lil'Ds favorite of the day...

...at grandma & grandpa's house...

It was a beautiful Christmas day!

Christmas Eve at Birch Aquarium...

2009-12-24T20:07:00.000-08:00

I took the day off...

2009-12-14T20:45:00.000-08:00

I had some extra time saved up and decided to make it a long weekend!

I decided to hit some thrift stores!!

Here are my treasures:

Train lamp for $4.00

Wooden Calendar w/one number missing $3.00

I didn't find this at the thrift. I actually found a new scrapbook store and they had tons of goodies on clearance. I got all this for $2.13!

Got 3 books for 75cents

& 2 books for Lil'D $1.00

Merriest Place On Earth...

2009-12-14T20:31:00.000-08:00

We have Southern California annual passes for Disneyland. Our blackout dates are Saturdays, holidays, 2 months in the summer and the last two weeks of December. Yesterday was the last Sunday we could go until January 3rd.

IT.WAS.BEAUTIFUL!

I guess it has been about 11 years since I have gone for Christmas time. The lights and decorations are just so beautiful. The lighting of the castle is my absolute favorite!! I don't think I have ever watched it before.

I got some great shots. All the colors are just so festive! My favorite is of Lil'D and Santa. It looks like Santa was telling him "you better be good!"

December Nights...

2009-12-06T19:16:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to attend with Lil'D. I couldn't wait for him to wake up from his nap and get going. December Nights is at Balboa Park. There are tons of small vender's selling jewelry, services, knick knacks etc. All the museums are free and tons of different foods to choose from!

It used to be called Christmas on The Prado, but they had to be politically correct. Here are a few photos that really show the atmosphere that I couldn't capture.

(photo from bidcounsel.org)

(photo from olasisucsd)

(photo from jaunted.com)

The weather was perfect! It was a cool 46 degrees. That is rare, but so welcome! I loved bringing along a scarf and gloves! We arrived at about 4:45 and the crowd was already pretty thick. Friday night had over 100,000 people alone.

We had an agenda. We went directly to the San Diego Model Railroad Museum. We got there right when they opened their doors. It got crowded fast. It got so warm because there were so many people I had to take my scarf and jacket completely off. I was really bummed about this.

Lil'D absolutely loved this place (duh!) He was mesmerized! There was even a playroom with wooden Thomas trains to play with. They had a special display of Lego trains. It was pretty awesome. Lil'D had named all the trains by the time we left. There was also a room that was beautifully landscaped and lit with trains that puffed steam and lots of whistles blowing. Lil'D and I found a really nice corner spot where the air blew right on us. The first time we went in this room it was so stuffy from all the people you could hardly stand it. Lil'D loved it so much and didn't want to leave. I think we are going to get a family pass so we can go visit this museum often. It is only $35.00 for a year. It would be totally worth it considering how obsessed with

trains Lil'D is!

Next stop was dinner. I had Louisiana Cajun Catfish and hushpuppies. A little taste of home! They had run out of gator. Darn! (just kidding) Lil'D enjoyed his peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a cupcake. Everyone else had hamburgers, beans and chips. Boring :)

San Diego Air and Space Museum was next.

Tons and tons of airplanes. Lil'D wanted to touch every propeller or wheel or wing! The highlight of this museum was the Blue Angel. Ever since the air show in October he is all about The Blue Angels. He touched the nose, the wheel and the back engines. What a thrill for him!

Santa Clause was right outside. Lil'D was waving and saying "Hi Santa!" He told me he wanted to hug Santa. So adorable. Well this Santa was a bit distant. The kids had to sit in the front seat and shake Santa's hand. That is it. I thought that was a little weird. I think Lil'D thought it was weird too.

Our last stop was the San Diego Natural History Museum. There were photos of Dinosaurs outside that got Lil'D all excited. What do you know, there was a huge dinosaur when we walked in. It was hot in there too! I really thought I was going to melt at one time. Lil'D was in overload and was just fascinated by everything he saw!

We had a really great time. I had really wanted to go to the Ruben H Fleet Science Center but we just ran out of time. I think we will go there first next year!!

2009-12-05T14:39:00.000-08:00

Saw New Moon last night...

It was a little cheesy in some places, but I still liked it. Can't wait for Eclipse to come out on June 30, 2010!! I am still faithfully Team Edward! Jacob is too cheesy!

Letters to Lil'D...

2009-12-05T14:35:00.000-08:00

My sweetest boy,

It is inexplicable how fast you are growing up. You have always had my heart, but it is something new everyday that makes me love you even more than the day before. We have a whole new night time routine lately. After your shower and we read a couple of books I sing rock a bye baby to you with the light off. I cradle you like a baby. You always insist on my saying rock a by BABY, but I substitute it always with your first name with a y on the end! Then I lay you on your pillow and lay next to you and sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. You always shush me so that I sing it in a whisper. I am not sure why you do this. Then you call for Daddy to sing This little light of mine. You two shake your heads and giggle together until the end of this song. Then you insist on 5 hugs, 5 kisses and 5 pets. Pets are kind of like high fives but we pet each others hands instead. You like it when I fall back on the bed with a big pet and daddy bumps into the wall with big hugs. You giggle so hard over this. I love your simplicity. You ask for water here or before we started the songs. Then, I get you all tucked in and you say "Momma, I have to go potty." Every time. After potty, you get tucked in again and fall directly asleep sometimes. Sometimes you wake up and ask for water again. But once I am in bed at 10pm you sleep the entire night. Your new thing of late is to come in our bed at around 4am. We don't even know when you come in you are so stealth. When the alarm goes off there you are all snuggled up next to one of us. Some mornings we find that you brought your blanket or your lion with you. I swore I would never get into the habit of you being in our bed. But I think it is different because you go to bed in your room. I love waking up and you are there. I am going to enjoy it while I can because one day you will not want to.

Your favorite movies right now are:

Monsters vs. Aliens
Robots
The Polar Express
Up
Wall-e
Toy Story 2
The Grinch (original cartoon version)

Your favorite tv program is:

Imagination Movers

Places you love to go:

Disneyland
Grandma & Grandpa's house
Auntie Erin's house
To Awana
To Sunday School
To AM/PM to get an Icee or 7-eleven to get a Slurpee
The park with the big slide in 4S Ranch
Anywhere that involves trains or airplanes

New things that you are saying:

Just kidding
Love you momma
Sweetie Momma
Okey dokey artichokey
Where is my airshow for my airplane?

For Awana you have memorized these verses:

God loved us, and sent his son. (1 John 4:10)
...God is love. (1 John 4:8)
...God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
He...made everything beautiful. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
O give thanks to the Lord...that made great lights...sun...by day...moon and stars...by night...(Psalm 136:3, 7-9
All things were made by Him... (John 1:3)
...I am...wonderfully made... (Psalm 139:14
All Scripture is given by...God. (2 Timothy 3:16)
Thy word is true from the beginning... (Psalm 119:160)
Giving thanks always for all things... (Ephesians 5:20)
Trust in the Lord... (Proverbs 3:5)

I can't even begin to tell you how amazed I am by your memory. It melts my heart when you speak of God. You have also changed your night night prayer:

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for Momma

Thank you for Daddy

Thank you for Pam

Help me be a good listener

And help me to stay dry

In Jesus name

Amen

I love you my sweet boy and cherish every moment and every day with you!

Love,

Momma

The past week...

2009-12-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

Work has just got me so busy I don't have any time to blog. I am not liking that at all. Blogging makes me happy, therefore I am not happy because I haven't blogged.

I had 4 days off for Thanksgiving last weekend. We had everyone over to our house for Thanksgiving Lunch. 17, including me. I always do a potluck. It is just easier for everyone that way. Everyone came over at about 1pm. Here are my place settings at the table:

Here is the turkey when it came out of the oven:

Everyone was looking at the turkey. It was still raw in the very middle. The thermometer said 185 degrees when we took it out of the oven. There was plenty of meat that was done, thank goodness.

Everyone wrote all over the brown paper table covers. It turned out perfect for our family!!

The day after Thanksgiving I DID NOT GO SHOPPING. This is probably one of the first times in my life that I did not go shopping on Black Friday. There was just nothing that I needed. I started cleaning. Since we put Lil'D in the bigger room all the "extra" stuff got piled in our bedroom. I just needed to go through everything and find a place for it. I started with the office, which used to be Lil'Ds room. I pulled everything out, but the furniture. I went through every box and cleaned Jeremy's desk off. I finally finished my desk. This was the desk when I started.

I got it off of craigslist for $20. I painted it black and some pretty paper and wah-la. MY SPACE, that belongs to me and represents me and my world!!

I haven't completely gotten it organized yet. I have external drives and cords that need a home and to be hidden. I want to hang those 3 baskets on the floor on the wall above my desk. And those 2 boxes, they are full of wonderful treasures!! My grandmother passed away last year in June. She was 96. These boxes are full of her treasures. Fabric, yarn, buttons, aprons, rick rack, wooden spools of thread and all sorts of fun stuff!! I have already filled some jars with the wooden spools of thread. They are on the bookshelf above my desk. There is also a vintage sewing box in avocado green full of all sorts of goodies. Anyway, I am waiting for the perfect day to open the boxes and sort through them!!

We also put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. We got a beautiful fake tree last year on black friday. It is just so much easier and economical for us! We started up the Christmas music, got all the decorations out and all Lil'D could talk about was getting to the train. Lil'D loves trains. We got an inexpensive Christmas train last year that goes round and round the tree. He absolutely loves it. He wasn't really interested in anything else but that train. Here are some photos of that night:

Lil'D...mesmerized by the train in the box...

Here is Lil'D playing with the train the next day. This is his conductor seat!

Our beautiful tree:

One AMAZING woman...

2009-11-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

Jenny from Through Jenny's Lens is giving away a flash header. I would love to win!

Please go check out her new flash header on her site. It is really awesome. She is a really great photographer and she is an amazing photoshop editor!! I adore her blog life and love keeping up with what she and her family are up to.

She inspires me with something different everyday!

Look what I found...

2009-11-19T09:41:00.001-08:00

I don't know if anyone knows this about me but I love brown paper!! Especially brown paper packages tied up with string. There is just something about it that makes me so happy!

Check out this blog....it is so fun!

12 Days of Junkie...

2009-11-13T08:43:00.001-08:00

I have been trying to catch up on some blogs in my google reader and I came across this!!
Go check out all the goodies!! I know I will!!

Happy Halloween...

2009-10-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

It was a full day for my little fireman!!

First, we were invited to a Halloween Party at the park!

he limbo'd...

played in the sand...

took some photos of Mom & Dad...

(pretty good, huh?)

(I photoshop'd myself)

checked out everybody else's costume...

won best costume!!

ate rice krispie treats...

scavenger hunted...

chewed bubble gum for the first time...

tried to blow bubbles...no luck...

hit a pinada...

scored tons of loot and candy...

went trick or treating for the first time...

at the end he wanted to walk Uncle Brian's dog more than trick or treat...

went to the fun festival at church...

played games...

people watched...

got tired of wearing his hat...

scarfed down cotton candy in 3 minutes...

finally faced the bounce house...

and loved it!!!

We had an action packed, lots of candy and adventure kind of day!!

Pumpkin carving...

2009-10-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

Pretty good for my first time!!

Visitors from Texas...

2009-10-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

My Mom and Dad came out for a visit. My Dad had drive up to Fresno during the week. Mom stayed with us. Dad came down on the weekend. We had a really nice time. Dash really enjoyed having them here! He was quite impressed with Grandpa's truck!!

Disneyland, once again...

2009-10-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to put up pics from our Disneyland visit while my Mom was here!!

Happy Birthday Jeremy...

2009-09-21T21:33:00.001-07:00

We baked a cake for daddy together. It was yummy!

Happy Birthday my sweet Jeremy!!

Finally...

2009-09-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

I finished a project!! Yay me!!! I feel like I have been talking about this forever!! My best friend Chica bought a house and pulled some existing white cabinets out that she didn't want. There was one wall cabinet with doors that came out without it breaking and she asked me if I wanted it. The only problem was that the sides were not finished. I took the doors off and had the guys at the shop cut them down to fit on the sides. Jeremy and I hung it on my newly painted pink wall. The back of it had holes in it so I bought some beautiful wrapping paper and cut it to fit. The wrapping paper is adhesive wrapping paper so it was super to put in. I just had to cut it to fit! I am so excited to finally have a complete project! I still have to fill some of the holes on the side, but that is tiny minor details!! I can deal with that!!

My next project is my desk!! We will be painting it tomorrow!! Fun, fun!!

Lil'Ds book choices this week...

2009-09-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

Lil'D had a lot of questions when we read this book. What's this, What's that?
He really likes the beginning, but gets kind of board half way through this book.

Lil'D loves this book.
Lil'D learned what a submercible was from this book.
Lil'D switches back and forth from English to Spanish for the sound.

First night at Awana...

2009-09-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night this week was very special!!! Lil'D got to start Awana!! He is a cubby! I got asked to stay because it was VIP night, plus I thought it would be interesting to see what went on. Lil'D got his vest, his book, a cd with all the verses set to music, and a book bag.

They met in one room with the 3 and 4 years olds and colored and put together puzzles. Then they found their cubby buddy, held hands, lined up and went into the next room. They said the Pledge of Allegiance and the Awana Pledge.

They sat in a circle and sang Jesus Loves Me a couple of times and learned the hand gestures.

They sat down for story time. This is where Lil'D went to the potty three times. I don't know if it's because I was there or what. I don't think he heard a word of the story.

The four years olds went into another room and they divided up into tables. Lil'D was at Kaydee's table!! Kaydee is my very good friend from small group. She is also a loyal reader of my blog. She had 4 at her table and she had each of them recite their first verse, which is the cubbie's key verse

God loved us...and sent his son.

They also learned the Cubbie's motto: Jesus loves me. After coloring another picture they had cookies and water.

It was really an interesting experience watching twelve 3 year olds try to be patient and listen. It was really exhausting. Really exhausting! I have a new respect for my friend Kaydee and all the other volunteers of Awana. They are awesome and I am so blessed and excited that this is where Lil'D will learn the foundation of his relationship with Jesus!!

I was so nervous and excited that I completely forgot my camera. I could have gotten some great shots, but I missed them. I was really bummed about this. Maybe next time.

2009-09-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

Decided to remodel. Hope you like the new look. I've got lots to talk about.

Our Labor Day Weekend Getaway...

2009-09-08T17:16:00.001-07:00

(photo by Roadsidepictures)

We decided that we wanted to get away for the long Labor Day weekend. The only place that was really affordable was either Los Angeles or Las Vegas. I'm really glad we chose Vegas because there have been really bad fires up in LA.

So we left at 1:30pm on Friday. We arrived in Las Vegas at 6:30pm. Lil'D slept a good 2 hours of the way and just entertained himself the rest of the time. It was a really great drive. I worked on the new design of my blog. It has almost been a year since I've redesigned so I figured it is time. We stopped at the Flying J in Barstow to get gas and stretch our legs.

Once we arrived in Vegas we checked into our room. We got a really great deal at the Riviera. It was the main reason we decided to go to LV. Very affordable!! We headed over to Circus Circus for dinner and games on the midway. It was all about skeeball. That boy loves skeeball. It definitely wasn't that crowded for a Friday night and Lil'D was in skeeball heaven. We headed back to our room at about 9pm. This was unusually late for Lil'D.

Our first room was in the new tower on the 15th floor. It had luxurious new bedding, flat screen tv and 2 full beds. We were really hoping that Lil'D would have no problem sleeping by himself. But momma got suckered into sleeping with him. I didn't sleep very good because I worried all night that he was going to fall off the bed. These beds were really high off the ground. The next morning Lil'D got in trouble after trouble after trouble. The problem was the structure was built inexpensively and every step Lil'D took made a boom sound. It was 7:30am and the people below us had to be really angry at us. I was scared that they were going to complain. Lil'D just couldn't remember to walk gently. I might as well have been telling him to sit still and not make any noise, it just wasn't going to happen. Because I was so worried about him falling off the bed we decided to see if there was a room available with a king bed. There was one available but we had to wait until later for everyone to check out.

So we headed over to New York New York and Excalibur to check out their games. NYNY's games were for older kids. They only had 2 lanes of skeeball at 50cents per game. They did have a good basketball game, but it kept eating quarters and it took forever to hunt someone down to get my money back. At Excalibur they had 6 lanes of skeeball at $1 per game. Ripoff!! We let Lil'D play a few times and knew that we needed to head back over to Circus Circus to play skeeball. They had 10 lanes of skeeball at 25cents per game. Awesome! He just rotated from lane to lane to lane. We went into the Adventure Dome where all the rides were but it was so loud. Lil'D does not like really loud noises. The rollercoaster track is really close to the ground and he was so paranoid that it was coming. We decided to leave.

We headed back to the hotel and got our new room with a king size bed. This room was definitely bigger and the bed was bigger but it was an older tower. The bedding was old, the tv was itty bitty and the bathtub was not installed properly. There was definitely water underneath the shower floor. It was really weird. The really good thing about this room was the structure was much stronger than the new tower because Lil'D could run across the room and you couldn't hear him at all. So, we could definitely deal.

(photo by Cazwell)

Lil'D ended up taking a 3 1/2 hour nap. I was really glad because we were probably going to have another late night. We decided to go to MGM grand to check out the lions. They weren't doing anything exciting and Lil'D got restless. The alligator at Rainforest Cafe kept Lil'D's attention for a long time. Lil'D really loves watching the alligator. (its fake, in case you didn't know) It sits in a little pit of water and fog comes out. Then the alligator growls, opens it's mouth, raises up on it's lets, opens it's mouth again and then sits back down.

(photo by Ruy Vasco)

After we pulled Lil'D away from the alligator we went to the Grand Canyon Store. They have a helicopter inside. To get to the helicopter you have to take an escalator up, cross a wood plank bridge over a waterfall and walk really fast through an aisle of inappropriate gag gifts. Lil'D checked out this helicopter thoroughly. The rotors, check. The tail, check. "Momma, where are the wings?" Good luck finding the escalator down. It takes you a couple circles around the 2nd floor to finally find it. We only know now because we have been there before.

Next was the M&M Store. That store is always packed. They have a new item that I really want but just can't justify.

This is called a MITZ bag. It is made of recycled Mars candy packages. It's a coin purse, 6.5" x 3.5" and it's $40.00. It does benefit low-income families. I really love the colors and the look of it. It is definitely an original. If you want to see the styles available go here. If you want to read about the MITZ social project go here.

Getting back to our adventure. After the M&M store we headed back to the car. There was a fire truck parked in between the MGM Grand and the Grand Canyon Experience Store. They had their boots out collecting donations. Lil'D walked over saying "Hi fireman, hi fireman." One of the firemen dropped everything to pay attention to Lil'D. Lil'D asked about his fire truck. The fireman made a point to call it a fire engine. It was also yellow instead of being red. The fireman came over with some stickers, but all Lil'D was interested in was showing him the rollercoaster across the street. It was funny.

We decided to go back to Circus Circus so that Lil'D could play more skeeball. It was super crowded. Bad decision. We didn't stay long. It was getting late anyway, so we went back to our room and got to bed. We still had one more day.

Lil'D woke up at 7am the next morning. No sleeping in for us. We got ready and had breakfast. After breakfast we went to Circus Circus. We wanted to get there early when no one else was there. Unfortunately, there were only 3 lanes open because they had blocked the other 7 with stacks of boxes for all the toys at the ticket collection booth. Today must have been restocking day for all the prizes. That didn't stop Lil'D. He played and played and played on those 3 lanes for at least an hour. One of the lanes had extra balls so instead of playing just 9 balls he got 9 extra ones. He had a blast. We turned in all his tickets and got a hot wheels race ramp and a Thomas keychain. We were done playing skeeball.

We went to the Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood to look for a place to eat lunch. We walked around a bit and someone gave us a buy one entree get one entree free coupon for Hawaiian Tropic Zone. We decided to try it. Jeremy ordered a steak salad, I ordered shrimp tacos and we ordered Lil'D a PB&J sandwich. They brought us our food but forgot Lil'D's sandwich. Lil'D was all about my tacos and had a couple bits of Jeremy's salad. We told the waitress that about the PB&J, but cancelled it because Lil'D was eating our food so well. The manager gave us free dessert because they had forgotten the sandwich. We ordered the caramelized banana split. What a great free treat! Lunch was excellent! The food was really good. I'm glad we tried it.

After lunch we headed back to the room for Lil'D's nap. He was a pill to get to sleep, but after an hour he finally did. When he woke up we headed out for an evening of a lot of walking. We parked at Harrah's and had dinner at Panda Express. We watched the volcano erupt at The Mirage from across the street. Lil'D was a little nervous about how loud it was going to be. I just pushed his one ear to my cheek and covered his other ear with my hand. He really liked watching the fire. We walked down to the Palazzo (a new part of the Venetian) and were searching for a dinosaur exhibit, but it had already closed for the evening. We did find the Blue Man Group store and bought Lil'D some drum sticks. We also found out that there is not an age limit for their concert. Were were planning on taking him to see Blue Man Group for his 5th birthday. We may take him next year. He really loves Blue Man Group. We went across the street to Caesar's and went up the curved escalator's and walked through FAO Swartz. Our last stop was the Bellagio fountains. Lil'D didn't want to have anything to do with it. He insisted on leaving. I gave in because there were so many people around. On our walk back to the car we could see the Bellagio fountains going from afar. "Wow!" was what Lil'D said when he saw them. Then 10 seconds later, "All done." I think it is the noise that the water makes when it lands. Lil'D is pretty brave dare devil and isn't scared of anything but loud noises. If he hears something strange he always asks "What was that?"

On Monday morning Lil'D slept in til 8am. We got up, showered, packed our bags and got on the road to get home. We knew that traffic was going to be a bear. We got to the state line to eat breakfast. Everything was crazy crowded. Since we were there we went in to the outlets to check out what The Children's Place had. We only spent $16.00. I got Lil'D a pair of jeans, 4 shirts, swim trunks and a floppy hat. The original price for everything was $64.00. Got to love it when you get a great deal like that.

The drive home ended up taking about 7 hours. I designed my new blog background and header. Lil'D was pretty restless, but he made it. We were very glad to be home. It was a nice getaway, but you can only do so much in Vegas. I only took 22 photos. If you know me this is highly unusual. I usually take about 250-400 a day when we are out and about somewhere. I guess I just needed a break. So, that is why I had to use other's photos above. Here are a couple of the photos I took. They were all of Lil'D playing his favorite game in the entire world...SKEEBALL!!

Weekend Recap...

2009-08-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

We had a really nice weekend...except it was so HOT! Here in Southern California it averages about 70-75 degrees most days. August is our hottest month and averages 80-85 degrees. This weekend it averaged 95-100 degrees. We don't have central air. We got a portable air conditioner a couple of months ago and have used it a couple of times. We set it up in Lil'D's room all day on Saturday so he could play and nap in comfort. The rest of the house was 94 degrees INSIDE. I thought I was going to die. It was just miserable.

Jeremy started brainstorming...then I saw him out in the storage room in the backyard, he moved the couch in the dining room over opened up the 4 foot tall sliding window, put the window air conditioner in, set it on an old table outside, cut out some cardboard, taped the edges...AND WE HAD AIR CONDITIONING!! Woo-hoo! He also brought in the portable AC unit from Lil'D's room (this was after his nap at about 4pm) and put it in the living room. As far as I was concerned we were living in luxury with our temporary air conditioning.

Jeremy and I went to an evening picnic at the beach with our church small group. The evening cooled off significantly. Lil'D spent the evening with Auntie E and Uncle R. They went to church and Lil'D moved up into the 3 year old Sunday school class!! It just so happens that his cousin Z was a helper in that room. Z said that he was really interactive and answered all kinds of questions that the teacher asked!! I'm a proud momma! It's the little things you know.

This morning we started the air conditioners at 8am. It was just divine. I was so happy and I even took a 2 1/2 hour nap. If you know me you know that is so not me. I guess I needed it. We made a grocery store run and relaxed the rest of the day. At about 4:30 we turned the AC off and opened all the doors because it was the same temp outside as it was inside. (about 80degrees) The wind actually started blowing. We are a little nervous as to how high our electric bill is going to be after a weekend like this. We will just have to wait and see.

Fix It Friday...

2009-08-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

I visit Through Jenny's Lens everyday and today I came across something that I just couldn't resist playing along with:

Fix It Friday at I ♥ faces

Here is the original photo:

Here is what I did to it:

Ya'll know how much I L-O-V-E pink. So I started fooling around and turned those bricks in the background pink. I also like the way her dress is glowing!!

Here is step by step what I did:

Filter
Filter Gallery
Distort
Diffuse Glow
Graininess 2
Glow Amount 7
Clean Amount 20
Image
Adjustments
Selective Color
Cyan -100%
Magenta 100%
Yellow -100%
Darken the edges:
Set background color to white
Make duplicate background copy
Control + Backspace
Photo should be covered in white
Double click on duplicate layer
Put check mark in Inner Shadow
Opacity 100%
Distance 0 px
Size 247
Click on blending options
Opacity 100%
Fill Opacity 0%

I in no way shape or form claim to know what I am doing. I have Photoshop 3. I like to experiment with different things and use step back a lot. I really love how the bricks turned hot pink and the glow effect I accidentally achieved.

Hope you enjoyed this! I know I did!! Go try if you haven't!!

Lil'Ds book choices this week...

2009-08-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

Look and Find Thomas & Friends...Lil'D really likes this book. He is really good at finding everything. There are a couple of items he found before me.

Ten Little Dinosaurs, by Jim Harris...
The Dog That Dug, by Jonathan Long...this book has a train and dinosaur bones in it. Lil'D is obsessed with anything that has trains or dinosaurs in them.
Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss...A train! A train! A train! A train! Could you, would you, on a train? Go, Dog. Go!, by P.D Eastman...there are no trains or dinosaurs in this one. Just dogs.

Disneyland...

2009-08-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

We went to Disneyland yesterday. We have had Southern California Annual Passports since February this year. We have been there about 7 or 8 times since then. The best part about the Southern California passport is the price! We paid full price for the tickets the first visit, then we pay $20.34/month for Jeremy and I. We just got Lil'D's passport yesterday because he turned 3 in June. We pay a total of $30.41/month and here is what we get:

Admission to Disneyland® Park
Admission to Disney's California Adventure® Park
Special rates at Disneyland® Resort hotels
Select discounts on food
Special Passholder-only events
Subscription to Backstage Pass, a collectible Passholder-only publication
Up-to-the-minute Extra e-mail updates
Access to the exclusive Annual Passport website
Special offers at select Downtown Disney® District location
10% off at Build-A-Bear Downtown Disney®

Here are the restrictions:

All Saturdays are blocked out. (So we go on Sundays)
All Holidays are blocked out. (it's too crowded on those days anyway)
All of July and half of August is blocked out.
The entire week of Christmas and New Years is blocked out.
Otherwise we can go on the rest of the Sundays throughout the year and of course all the weekdays.

This was our itinerary yesterday:

Arrive at 8:30am and ride:

Dumbo the Flying Elephant
King Arthur Carousel
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Casey Jr. Circus Train

We got all four done in about an hour!! We then got fastpasses for Autopia, hit the potty and then had lunch at Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante. It's our favorite right now. I get enchiladas, rice & beans and Jeremy gets enchiladas and carne asada with rice & beans. I get an extra plate and fill it with our rice and beans and Lil'D is super happy. We also get a 10% discount with our passport. It is the only meal we get because let's face it the food is expensive.

After lunch we rode:

5. Autopia

6. Disneyland Railroad (all the way around the park!)

We then head over to Disney's California Adventure and ride:

7. Heimlich's Chew Chew Train

8. Tuck and Roll's Drive'Em Buddies

9. Francis's Ladybug Boogie

10. Flik's Flyers

We took a break and bought an apple and a banana.

We watched the rollercoaster go a couple of times and decided we were tired and ready to go home. It was about 2pm. We passed Build-A-Bear on our way to the parking lot and asked Lil'D if he wanted to stuff a bear. We looked at all the choices and he picked the $10 Dark Brown Cub. We put 2 hearts in (one for Dash and one for momma) He really like the "bathing" station where you push the pedal and air blows out of a shower head. We asked Lil'D what he wanted to name him and he said "Blue Bull." (You know from The B Book, Dr. Seuss: Big Brown Bear, Blue Bull, Beautiful Baboon, Blowing Bubbles, Biking Backwards...) So Jeremy put in all the info for the birth certificate. The only accessory that Lil'D picked out was a brush. (the same brush that you used at the "bathing" station.) We paid a whopping $12.72 with our Annual Passport discount!!

Here they are:

We left Anaheim at about 3:30 and got home at about 5pm. Lil'D slept all the way home. I did everything I could not to fall asleep. I read my Real Simple Magazine, but fell asleep for about 10 minutes. So I facebooked on my phone and that kept me awake.

That was pretty much our day. We relaxed the rest of the evening and went to bed at around 9:45. (Lil'D at 8pm)

Until our next Disney Adventure...

Just a relaxing Saturday...

2009-08-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

My little helper was doing laundry again this morning. We just have to make sure he doesn't throw them behind the washer!

Jeremy started his garden at the beginning of the summer and it really flourished. But when we went on vacation it was completely abandoned. Jeremy is planning on pulling everything up and starting over fresh. Look what he found all alone out in the sad little garden.
Little cherry tomatoes!! They are so cute and look so happy. I can't wait for him to plant another and have more!!

Lil'D and I were playing trains in his room. Lil'D was laying on the floor I asked him if I could take his picture and he said yes. I told him not to move and ran and got my camera. I got some really great shots! Here are my two favorites:
So serious and dramatic for a three year old.
We also had his favorite sweet treat...marshmellows.

My little helper...

2009-08-14T20:13:00.001-07:00

Somebody is my super little helper! All I have to do is ask and he is right there ready to help!! I have been paying him with marshmellows. Boy does this kid love marshmellows.

He is also potty trained now and looks so cute in his little underwears!!

All aboard!!

2009-08-12T21:54:00.001-07:00

sIt's been all about trains the past few weeks at our house! I have been going back and forth trying to figure out what I was going to use as a headboard for Lil'D's new full bed in his new room. Since I don't want anything hanging on the wall (this is earthquake country after all) I decided to paint something. And what is Lil'D most passionate about?...TRAINS!!

I just used a projector, traced the lines and painted the lines white and filled it in. I want to add some red or maybe blue, but I am not making that decision until I get bedding and curtains figured out.
Jeremy steam cleaned our carpets this weekend which meant all of Lil'D's train tracks had to come up. I put together a new track design and I am just so proud. It's a lot like designing in AutoCAD, so I really like the challenge!!
In case you didn't know this is James, he is crossing one of many bridges that I added to the design.We have a ton of trackmaster track and a lot of the engines. All of the engines run on batteries. Lil'D is very particular about how his trains run. Lil'D's trains run by hand...pushing them down the track. He loves having the control himself. He also loves to lay on the floor eye level with the wheels and watch them turn ever so slowly!! The photo below is how you see Lil'D playing with the trains most of the time.

Lil'D absolutely loves playing trains! So do I!

Photos from this weekend...

2009-08-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Birthday girl:
Birthday boy:
Blowing their candles out together:
Lil'D shots:

Letters to Lil'D...

2009-08-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

My Sweetest Lil'D,

You and I spent the day at a birthday party near the bay. We had a fantastic time together. You were an outstanding listener all day and didn't once have an accident. You have done so well going potty. You are finally asking to go potty and I am so pleased.

I saw such independence in you today. There were about four or five play areas and you just bounced from place to place on your own, not needing me at all. I, of course, kept a very close watchful eye on you. You made friends young and old at each stop. You even ended up at someone else's party and joined in on a group of boys playing football. They were very nice to you and passed the ball to you a couple of times. You even cut in on a badminton game. You just have a wonderful way about you and people really like you. It doesn't hurt that your really cute and, oh, those blue eyes. Watching you socialize today made me very happy and oh so proud.

We are working on nigh time potty training. It's been 5 nights and we have had no success yet, but I know we will when you are ready. You have woken me up a couple of nights at 4am and that has made me a little extra tired this week. But this too shall pass.

Your favorite shows right now are:

Imagination Movers, specifically No noise is Good Noise, A Bee Story, and Have A Ball.
The Backyardigans, Into the Deep
Little Einsteins, Music Monsters

We have watched these episodes at least 10 times each. You have also been watching The Letter Factory a lot. "Excuse me, is this the E room? Ehh?"

I look so forward to each day with you and watching you grow. I just wish that I could slow it all down just a little bit.

Love,

Momma

Our summer vacation!

2009-07-25T16:25:00.000-07:00

What a nice surprise to see you here! I know, I know I haven't been around at all in the last month or two. But I wanted to share our summer vacation! We were gone 10 days...July 2 thru July 11. Here is the simple recap:

Thursday

leave San Diego at 7am, arrive in Camp Verde, Arizona at 5pm
lunch: Yuma at Carl's Jr.
dinner: Camp Verde at Johnny Rockets
on the road all day

Friday

leave Camp Verde, Arizona at 9am, arrive in Mancos, Colorado
breakfast: Camp Verde at Cliff Castle Casino
lunch: Sandwiches on the road
dinner: Hamburgers on the grill
play minature golf

Saturday

leave Mancos at noon, arrive in Durango, Colorado at 4pm

go to Mesa Verde National Park

see Spruce Tree House

lunch: Spruce Tree Terrace

Lil'D got a Jr. Park Ranger Badge!!

we drove to Durango, parked the RV at United Campgrounds and guess what ran through the campground? The train tracks for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad(riding the train was the main reason we went to Durango!)
we drove into town to watch the Fourth of July parade, but when the train arrived we watched them put the engine in the shed instead of the parade.
dinner: spaghetti in the motorhome

Sunday

leave Durango on the 8:30am train, arrive in Silverton at 12pm-2 hours for lunch
breakfast: McDonalds
lunch: Mother Cluckers
leave Silverton at 2pm, arrive Durango at 5:30pm
dinner: at the motorhome

Monday

leave Durango and drive through Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride
Durango: Honeyville
Silverton: One hundred Gold Mine
Ouray: Lunch at Goldbelt Bar & Grill
Telluride: rode the free gondola and Lild did the Bungee Trampoline
long short cut home (off road excursion in an HHR)
dinner: in the motorhome

Tuesday

Drove to Purgatory Durango Mountain Resort and rode the Alpine Slide (I forgot to put the battery in my camera so I have no photos)
Jeremy crashed hard.
Lunch: motorhome
Dinner: Bar D Chuckwagon supper

Wednesday

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
looked around in the shops in downtown Durango
played on the railroad tracks!
get ice cream at Dairy Queen

Thursday

left Durango at 7:30am, arrived in Williams, AZ at 4pm
lunch: McDonalds
watch the Grand Canyon Train arrive
dinner: in the motorhome
eat smores
go for a trike ride before it got completely dark

Friday

went to the grand canyon
lunch: peanute butter and jelly sandwiches in the motorhome
leave williams, AZ at 1pm, arrive Phoenix, AZ at 7pm
dinner: McDonalds

Saturday

leave Phoenix, AZ at 8:30am, arrive San Diego, CA 4pm
drive all day
unpack, wash clothes

Hope you enjoyed the recap. It really was a great vacation!!

The Video from Lil'D's Birthday party...

2009-06-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Lil'D's 3rd birthday party...

2009-06-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

The invitation:
The cake:

The birthday boy:

The train ride:

Lil'D loves trains!

He had a wonderful time at his train party! It was a fun day!

Been doing some reading...

2009-05-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

I got this book about a month ago. I am finally getting around to doing some reading and I picked it up last night and read the first chapter.

I am really having a hard time balancing work and home. It is really getting the best of me right now. I know what my problem is...I'm not putting God first. My bible is on my nightstand collecting dust. My ipod that is loaded with the bible has no juice and I haven't charged it in a while. I have not been in the Word for over 2 months now. We finally got to church this morning. We had not been since April 18th. We will plan to go to church on Saturday evenings, but Lil'D will wake up too late or in a bad mood and we just don't make it. We will then plan to go on Sunday morning. We then will oversleep because we don't expect Lil'D to get up late. We got up at 8am this morning and got to church at 9:10. Lil'D thought about getting upset, but once he looked over the toys he decided he would be ok. The sermon was great and I took 3 pages of notes!!

After church we had a really lovely Sunday afternoon! We played monster trucks on the Wii. (Lil'D is all about monster trucks right now) We watched train videos on YouTube. Which led to trolley videos, and I have no idea how that led to teletubbies. Then more monster trucks.

Lil'D only had one accident this weekend. I think we are really making potty training progress!!

Pray for a smooth work week!

What...where...WHEN?

2009-05-29T16:19:00.001-07:00

Where in the world did the month of May go to? There is just not enough time in the day. Time is just slipping through my fingers. I've got to stop and smell the roses. Life is just passing me by and I'm missing so much of it. We've just been going non-stop. Unfortunately, the majority of my time is spent at work...and I have to work. Maybe I'll get back into blogging regularly soon.

Until then I miss visiting all of you.

What I'm working on...

2009-05-06T22:35:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks have been really busy at work. I have 2 houses in Cabo, 1 house in Rancho Santa Fe and 1 house in Fairbanks Ranch. Busy, busy, busy!!

Here are

My trip to Cabo San Lucas...

2009-05-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

About 8 weeks ago today my boss called me and asked if I could make a trip to Cabo for two days to measure. Uh, yeah! My boss also asked my office mate, PJ, to go. We left on a 10am flight on Wednesday, March 11th. By the time we landed in Cabo, our boss was convinced that we should stay through the weekend. PJ and I were really excited. As we were exiting the airport our boss signed us up for a timeshare presentation on Saturday. We were promised a free taxi ride to and from, free breakfast, $90 in cash, $100 gift certificate to the spa and 1 free hour on two jet skis in the Sea of Cortez. Sounded way too good to be true, but our boss paid the $40 to reserve two spots for us.

We drove to our clients current house and this was the breathtaking view from the balcony...

I felt like I was in a dream. Could this be real. Is this where I was going to spend the next couple of days?
Looking back I can't believe I was actually there. Our client, let's call him Mr. G, has 3 additional homes in Cabo that he is building. 1 Casita (condo) and 2 Haciendas. We had lots of measuring to do. We started at the Casita... Here I am hard at work...

This is my boss measuring where a column will soon be.

And here is PJ, my office mate.

We drove around the neighborhoods looking at the different grouts for stone.

These two homes are not complete yet and have been bought by celebrities. Not sure which is which, but one is for George and the other is for Cindy. I'm not going to put their last names, I don't want to give away any secret hideaways or anything. Very exclusive place. The clubhouse is incredibly beautiful. We got to tour it only because we were with the in house architect. Otherwise, the only way to get in is if you are with the member. Mr. G was not with us.

This is the Hacienda. It was really neat to see how they build houses. Everything is concrete block. The top floor is where the kitchen will be. The roof had not been poured yet.

Here is the pool and jacuzzi. It is huge. There will also be a custom concrete slide on the far end.

Our boss took us out for a nice dinner on Wednesday night...

And a nice lunch on Thursday before he left...

We also stopped at a stone company. They had incredible amounts of tile, granite slabs, marble slabs...

This piece of slab (which is shown back lit) is $16,000.

They also had some funky stuff like these colorful rocks...

...and this custom dyed piece of granite. This was my favorite. Can you imagine having this for your kitchen countertops?

Once we got everything measured, our boss got on a plane back to the states on Thursday night, PJ and I started our 4 day mini-vacation...

This was the client's house where we stayed.

This was the view outside my balcony door. Breathtaking!!

We watched the whales everyday!

They put on quite a show for us!!

It was a beautiful walk to the beach...

The sand was very course and it was deep. My feet were sore after walking on this sand.

Speaking of feet...I brought one pair of shoes because I thought we were only going to be here for 2 days. I brought black flats. Comfy and practical in all situations. I wish I had worn tennis shoes.

I bought a pair of black flip flops for 15 pesos, which is about $1.50. I wore these shoes everywhere!!I've been wearing these on the weekends now and they have lasted longer than I ever thought they would for $1.50!!

Here are a couple of shots of me...

Here are my favorite shots of PJ...

This is PJ breaking into the gates to the Hacienda on Sunday. Some serious security huh?

We are in!!

The best part of the trip was after the timeshare presentation!! Thank goodness that we had a vehicle because we could not get a taxi to take us with the voucher we had been given. Once we got there we had a nice breakfast, then we walked the property.
This is the view from the model.

This is where we jet skied for an hour!!! We were right next to this arch!!

It was really amazing and really fun!!

I did not pack a swimsuit for this trip. Luckily I had a pair of bike shorts and my boss left me two of his t-shirts. It was really embarrassing going back to the spa soaked, but who cares, nobody knew who I was and I had the time of my life on that jet ski!!

At the spa we took showers then had a 30 minute massage! It was so nice. After the massage I relaxed in the relaxation room and had tea and read a magazine. PJ went into the jacuzzi and the steam room. The spa was awesome!

After the spa we had dinner by the docks and headed back to the house...oh, the casita.

The trip was originally only supposed to be two days...Wednesday and Thursday. We stayed five and a half days...Wednesday thru Monday. We got back at 9:30pm on Monday, March 16. I really missed Lil'D and Jeremy after the first couple of days. I had only been away from Lil'D two days at the longest since he was born. By the time Monday came around I was really ready to go home. It was a much needed time away and I felt really refreshed and renewed when I got home. What a blessing!

Hope you enjoyed the photos!

L-O-V-E Photoshop...

2009-04-18T16:21:00.001-07:00

I have been taking the time to learn how to use photoshop a little. Here is my favorite right now:

After Photoshop:

Before Photoshop:

Those are the real color of his blue eyes in that black and white. Who would have know that this shot could be so dramatic. I love taking pictures it is so much fun!!

What's been going on...

2009-04-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

So, we have a lot to catch up on. Here is a list of things I want to tell you all about:

1. Potty training update.

2. My 6 day trip to Cabo San Lucas

3. What I'm working on at work

4. What Lil'D has been up to

5. My new favorite thing

So, I will go into the progress of Lil'D's potty training. Lil'D will be 3 in June. There is very little progress. We have been potty training now for 14 weeks. He is still in training pants. He won't tell us when he has to go pee, he definitely won't tell us when he has to go poop. He does not like to go potty. He is really good about staying dry all day if I keep him going to the potty every hour or so. When we go somewhere like the zoo or Disneyland, he is great about going potty and staying dry. He just doesn't ask to go. He hides to go poop. He doesn't care about rewards or praising. We have done it all. He knows what he is doing because once he goes he asks for clean pants. He has even gone as far as going and getting the clean pants and bringing them to me. He is very much one to want to be in total control. I am at his mercy to decide that he wants to go poop in the potty and to decide to ask to go potty at all. I am trying to be patient and am very open to any advise.

Here are a few things about Lil'D's potty adventures:

Here are the training pants that I am using required by Pam at daycare:

I found them at Baby Best Buys online for $1.25 each.

Here is the potty seat I use at public restrooms. I love this thing. It keeps bottoms and hands off of those public toilets!!

I think we bought ours from Right Start.

I just found it at Great Baby Products for $9.88 plus shipping.

When we go to Disneyland or the zoo these are the pull ups I use. He is really good about keeping these dry, but when he decides to poop, it's easy clean up on the go.

I still have to use diapers for naps and nighttime. Every now and then he is super great about staying dry during a nap and overnight. But he still has to wear them.

Jesus is stuck in the 80s...

2009-04-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Conversation between Elliemae and Lil'D:

Elliemae: "Can you tell Daddy something for me?"

Lil'D: "Yes."

Elliemae: "Tell Daddy he is stuck in the 80s."

Lil'D to Daddy: "Daddy you are stuck in the 80s!!"

Later on tonight...as Lil'D and Daddy are playing baseball on the Wii, Jesus was up to bat.

Lil'D: "Jesus is stuck in the 80s."

I know it's been a while, but I think I'm ready to come back. I have gone through a lot in the past two, almost three months. I went through some big personal stuff that I would rather not discuss on this blog. It is over and done with and things are ok. I fell back into depression and got back on medication and I am doing awesome!!! I feel great! I am very happy with the results of the medication this time! I have been watching my calorie intake and working out almost 3 times a week. I have lost 5 pounds in three weeks. I am determined this time to get the baby weight off for good. I really miss blogging about my life. Everytime Lil'D does something funny I think about how I should blog about it. Well, here I am. Glad to be back.

Letters to Lil'D...

2009-02-07T09:28:00.000-08:00

My sweetest Lil'D,

We are now into week 6, I think, of potty training. You are still standing your ground and are constantly showing me that you are in control. I know there are so many distractions around you that are so much more fun than going potty, but trying to make you understand that is so difficult sometimes. I am really trying not to make going potty such a negative experience in your life. You are doing great when we are out and about. You are always reminding us that you are staying dry and we are reminding you as well. But, you haven't gotten to the point of telling us if you have to go yet.

Going night night is always been routine for you. The steady things have been putting your pajamas on and reading. We've recently started giving you showers at night instead of baths. We bought new hooded towels for you in December. A dinosaur and a lion towel. When we started using the dinosaur towel. You loved running through the house naked with the hood part on your head and the rest of the towel flying behind you. You would also roar like a dinosaur. You just stopped one night. We changed to the lion towel and you haven't had much interest in the towels anymore. This kind of made me sad. Right now you love jumping on mommy and daddy's cal-king bed. You live for this. My only problem with this is I keep chapstick on my nightstand and you just love chapstick. To the point of where you have started eating it. I have teeth marks in my chapstick. Just last night you lost your jumping privileges because you got into my chapstick again. Hopefully, it won't happen again.

We have just recently started praying with you at night. You have completely memorized your prayer and it is the most heart warming moment to hear you recite it by yourself. Here is your current prayer:

"Dear Jesus,

Thank you for today.

Please be with mommy.

Please be with daddy.

Please be with Lizzie.

In Jesus name,

Amen."

I am so incredibly blessed to have you. And am so thankful for everything you are.

I love you,

Momma

Letters to Lil'D...

2009-01-25T21:18:00.000-08:00

My sweet Lil'D,

We have now been potty training for 3 weeks. You still don't get it completely, but you are making progress, slowly. You and me have battled it out a lot in the past week. You have tested me to my limit. We've also had some fun sweet moments also.

In the grocery store this week you shocked Daddy & I. You were looking at packages of food, calling out the letters and the sounds they make. The A says aaa, the b says bah...it was awesome. Thanks to the Leap Frog letter factory. Those videos are great.

You have watched a lot of different animated movies in the past couple of months. I wanted to make a list of your favorites:

Dinosaurs
Over The Hedge
Horton Says A Who
Monsters Inc.
Cars
Bugs Life
Tarzan
The Grinch That Stole Christmas

Here is a list of tv shows that are your favorite right now:

The Imagination Movers
Blue's Clues
Doodlebops

Your memory is incredible. It is amazing to me the things that you are remembering. I know that you are a little sponge and I am doing my best to fill your world with good things.

One last thing, here is a memorable moment between you and daddy this week:

Lil'D: "Top down daddy?"

Daddy: "Not today, it may rain and we would get wet."

Lil'D: "Then we need an umbrella."

Love,

Mommy

How's the weather...

2009-01-16T09:18:00.000-08:00

As I left work yesterday, this is what the sunset looked like. I work a block from the beach and very rarely notice it anymore. (shame on me) I noticed it yesterday. Ok, people, it's January, it's supposed to be winter. This week it has been over 80degrees in some areas of San Diego. I really love the winter months in San Diego. It is a cool 65degrees most days and requires a sweatshirt or a jacket. I l-o-v-e those days. I am not a big fan of very hot weather. I lived in Texas for 22 years. During the summer it was so hot you couldn't even think about surviving without air conditioning!! When I moved to San Diego 12 years ago it was perfect. The only month is was really hot was August. Keep in mind most places do not have air conditioning because the weather is so agreeable here the whole year. So, when it gets hot here I suffer. I don't mean to come off as a spoiled brat, but I get hot faster than most people. I do not "glow" as most people like to call it. I sweat, a lot...more than the average person. I just get hot and start sweating for no good reason. It is really ridiculous, annoying and sometimes really embarrassing!

For example, last year I went to a birthday party with Lil'D at Pump It Up. In case you don't know it is a huge room full of blow up bouncy houses. Some include slides and obstacle courses. Lil'D was only a year old and it was impossible for him to do a lot of the stuff without my help. After going through the courses and slides I was sweating to death. I literally, no kidding, looked like someone had poured a bucket of water on my head. I was pouring sweat. My entire face was flushed and damp, my hair was soaked and I was mi-ser-a-ble!!! No other moms looked like me. Of course, it was time to eat snacks, cakes and the birthday boy was going to open presents. I felt so sick with embarrassment that we left. I didn't tell anyone that we were leaving. It was really horrible.

Another example, my company Christmas party. It was at my boss's house. We had turned on some music and were dancing. We managed to get everybody on the dance floor. It was so much fun. We all danced for hours!!! I was completely soaked with sweat. I looked like I had taken a shower and washed my hair. It was completely drenched. One of my friends kept bringing it up and saying how crazy it was that I sweat so much. She even just laughed at me a couple of times. I am really comfortable with all the people I work with. We have all worked together for almost 10 years. They know me...the person that I am and they all respect me and I know them as well and respect them. Most people know that when I am on a dance floor I perspire, everybody ignores it and has a great time. This was the first time that this girl had seen me like this. It was really embarrassing and it really gave me a complex. I continued on and had a great time in spite of her.

So, I sweat really easily and really bad. I really dislike really hot weather because I have no air conditioning. Therefore, I am really bummed that I am being cheated out of some cool weather here in January. I want it to be nice and cool right now, like it is supposed to be.

Don't get me wrong, I know that I really am lucky to live where I live. It doesn't seem real that it is 10 or 20 degrees in other places. The snow, the ice, the temperatures, the difference between there and here are just crazy and it doesn't make sense in my head. I just want the temperature to stay under 70degrees, that is all I ask for. Or, I could move. (that is what most people tell me) That is not going to happen.

Ok, rant over. It is currently 68degrees, right this moment where I am and I am happy, very happy with that!

Wanna win this...

2009-01-15T11:46:00.000-08:00

This is the Keurig Platinum Brewer. Click here and find out all about it. It is really cool. I would love to have one to put on my desk at work!! Here is a little blurb about it:

"The Platinum offers the full spectrum of features including Auto On/Off, Digital Clock, Adjustable Temperature Control and the "Set Your Favorite Cup Size" option. The largest available 60 oz. removable water reservoir holds up to ten cups before refilling and the removable drip tray allows for easy cleaning and the use of travel mugs. The sleek, award-winning design is a unique footprint among Keurig's line of home brewing systems and includes both a blue lit water reservoir and blue lit LCD display."

The girls over at Secret is in the Sauce are giving one away. Please go visit them, I promise you will find tons of fun stuff to read and lots of fun bloggers to visit!!! If you want to find out more about the giveaway, please click here.

Have a wonderful day!!!

God's Word in my ear...

2009-01-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have added the most important thing in my life to my day!!! I want to eventually get up at 5am every morning so that I can have quiet time with the Lord. I just haven't done it yet. I get up at 6:20 and barely make it to work by 8am. I really need to work on that. I should be getting to work at 7:30 so that I can leave early!! No one holds me accountable to this, so as long as I get to work by 8:30 I am not late.

Have you heard about these:

My pastor talked about making reading the bible a priority in 2009. He gave away a GoBible in every service. I was really excited about these and immediately went to their website: Gobible.com. They are actually pretty cool. Here are the features:

You can choose from the KJV, NIV, or NKJV.

It is searchable by book, by chapter, and, for the first time in an audio Bible, by over 31,000 individual verses!

It makes God’s Word accessible to everyone by including a Story Index of over 200 popular Bible stories, a Topic Index, and a “Bible in a Year” study plan.

That is pretty cool, huh? What is the hang up you ask?

The price is $99.95. My husband bought me an ipod nano in 2005. I have a first generation and have taken great care of it. I have no intention of buying a new mp3 player considering how much they are priced right now. I am blessed to have one at all! GoBible is just not in my budget right now at all. So, here is my solution:

I googled free+bible+mp3+niv and came up with this site:

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

I downloaded the entire bible in the New International Version to my computer and then popped it into itunes and synced with my ipod!!!

Yesterday on the way home from work I listened to 27 minutes of Matthew. It was awesome!!! This morning on the way into work I listened to over 30 more minutes of Matthew. I am so happy having God's word in my ear!!! This, of course, is not going to replace God's word in any way. But getting a daily dose of God's word in my ear is great! I will still keep my other 5am goal in the future. I just needed this, now!

If you want other versions, here they are in mp3 format:

KJV: AudioTreasure

NKJV: Free MP3 Audio Bibles Download (I am currently testing this one to see if it works properly.)

Enjoy!

Letters to Lil'D...

2009-01-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

My sweet boy,

We have survived our first week of potty training together. It has been very rewarding and very trying. It all started last Saturday morning when we introduced you to your new big boy training pants. The morning was a little difficult trying to get you to understand the concept. For all of your 2 1/2 years you have never had to think about controlling anything your body does. Once we accidentally caught pee-pee in the potty, you got candy and understood the concept. Pee-pee in the potty = candy. Ok, got it. You stayed dry the rest of the day. I'm still putting diapers on you at nap time and nighttime.

I think the change in your routine has your emotions all mixed up. One minute you are as happy as a lark, the next you are melting down crying and no consoling will help. Each day that I took you to Pam's you challenged me and tried your best to get YOUR way. Finally by Thursday Pam told me to just drop you off and she would take care of taking you potty first thing. It worked. You were still trying to test and get control, but Pam did win because Friday you stayed dry all day. You were even cooperative when we got home. You went potty right away and stayed dry for your Auntie E until bedtime.

I love to hear "OK, mama." Those are the best words and they make me so happy. I heard it a lot today. I cleaned your room today and you went through ALL your toys with me. I packed up all your baby toys. You had a hard time letting a few of them go, but only because they were in front of you. Once they were packed in a box you forgot about them. I completely rearranged your room. (The designer in me that just can't let the furniture sit in one place too long) Good thing you are used to it by now. I think I've changed your room around about 5 or 6 times now. I took some photos of your room and your favorite toys at the moment.

Here they are:

This is what your room looks like today:

I edited a few of the photos because your name is spelled out underneath the Padres logo.

Here are a few of your favorite toys:

This is your Thomas Action Canyon set. You love sitting in the center of the circle and then letting the train go down the big hill.

This is your drum and your musical instrument collection. You LOVE drums!

This lion sleeps with you every night. You love him, but haven't given him a name yet. I am waiting to hear what his name is one day.

You love playing with this shape sorter!!

This is your moo bowling set. You love to bowl with just about anything!!

This is your kid's meal toys from all different kinds of restaurants. You've got a really great collection of these!!!

One last thing. We went to Soup Plantation tonight and ate muffins, soup and ice cream. Mommy faced her first potty time in a public restroom. You decided that you didn't want to go, but at least I faced it for the first time. I was pretty nervous about it. I still do not look forward to next time. I'm sure the more I do it the better I will get, just as you will about going potty and staying dry. We ran by target to get some special foaming soap for washing your hands and made it home after on hour and 15 minutes. You were dry!!! I was so proud. You got a sucker for it!!

All my love,
Mama

1st thrifty shoppin' trip of the year...

2009-01-09T22:13:00.000-08:00

The best part of this whole shopping trip is I wasn't expecting it!

After work I ran by Office Depot to get a new 3 or 5 subject notebook. I have 4 pages left in the one I bought in September 2007. I keep all my to do lists, phone calls and notes for work in it. On the way to the notebooks I spotted a display bin in the middle of the main aisle marked Hot Deals. I saw sharpies, highlighters, glue, scissors, tape, pens and more marked anywhere from $1.50 - 20cents. I immediately had my hands too full and had to go get a basket. I was so excited. Here is a photo of what I came home with:

Here is a list of what I got...retail price...clearance price

12 pk Sharpie Minis $9.99, $1.50
12 pk Sharpie Minis $9.99, $1.50
4 pack Sharpie Fine Minis $3.99, .50cents
4 pk Sharpie Ultra Fine Minis $5.00, .50cents
4 pk Sharpie Accent Highlighters $3.99, .50cents
18 pk Office Depot glue sticks $5.91, .50cents
1 Foray Dry Erase board cleaner $2.00, .20cents
4 pk Foray Retractable Highlighters $5.99, .20cents
2 pk Fine Pink Sharpies $1.99, .50cents
2 pk Sharpie RT retractables $2.00, .50cents
2 calculator pouches $7.99, 99cents
4 pk Expo dry erase markers $5.99, .20cents
1 pr Scotch household scissors .99cents, .20cents
6 pk Crayola True To Life Markers $3.75, .99cents
1 pink case (for phone, camera...etc) $9.99, $1.00
2 pk Packaging tape and dispenser $7.99, $2.00
10 pk PaperMate ballpoint pens, 49center, .20cents

Retail price: $99.09 What I paid: $16.35

Can you believe it? I love sharpies and they are just too expensive to justify ever buying them. I love all things office supplies.

I especially love a bargain!!!!!

I'm off to test out my sharpies!

My current schedule...play by play

2009-01-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

Weekday schedule:

6am - alarm goes off, hit snooze twice
6:20 - get up: shower, let hair air dry, fight with my closet
6:45 - heat up french toast in microwave for Lil'D
pick out Lil'D's clothes
Lil'D potty time
dress Lil'D
tell Daddy bye
gather my stuff and get out the door
7am-7:20 - leave the house
7:10-7:30 - drop Lil'D off at daycare
7:45 - 8am - arrive at work
8am-5pm - work (I fix my hair when I get to work)
5:40pm - arrive at home (J picks Lil'D up from daycare), every 20 minutes is potty time
5:45-6pm - eat dinner with my family
6pm-6:30 - workout
7:30 - Lil'D in the shower (what we do in between eating and showering is not always the same)
7:45 - read books with Lil'D ( J and I take turns every other night)
7:45 - 8pm - night, night for Lil'D
8pm - 10pm - I have been sitting in front of the tv, just vegging and being brainless.
10pm - bedtime for J and I.

My most useful time would be:

If I would get up at 5am. There is a lot of time there for bible reading and working out!!
8pm - 10pm. If I get up at 5am I would have to go to bed at least by 9:30. I need to make at least 30 minutes of this time housework during the week. HAVE TO!!

Weekend schedule:

Right now we are potty training. We have potty time every 20 minutes.

I know I waste a lot of time on the weekend because I don't have a plan. I get overwhelmed and flustered and get in a bad mood because of not having a plan. NO MORE BAD MOODS. I have a choice as to what my mood is and I can choose not to let this overwhelm me!!!! I need to make a project list and cross off one project every weekend! AND cook one meal over the weekend too! Baby steps...baby steps. I want it all and I want it all right now!!!!!

Holdin' myself accountable...

2009-01-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

Every year starts as with new goals, aspirations and dreams. I have been really looking forward to the new year to start fresh and to just be a better person all the way around.

I thought long and hard about "resolutions," but those just flame out after a month or two. I need accountability. I have come to terms that only I can hold myself accountable. Other people have just as much on their mind and plate as I do and it's just not fair to expect others to hold me accountable.

So here is my accountability list for myself:

Bible Study/Devotional

I have slipped in this area of my life. I have gotten into the habit of saying I don't have time. That's like saying I don't have time for my Savior. I don't want to go there anymore!!

Better wife / mom

Being a good mom has been my priority since my sweet Lil'D came into our life. I can honestly say that I have given 100 percent to Lil'D! It's the one thing I haven't lagged in!
I have not been the best wife I could be. My sweet J is so wonderful that he doesn't even let it bother him. (at least I can't see it or haven't taken the time to see it) He gives of himself all the time. He is so selfless and is always trying to make my world better. He is always trying to make better what I feel is falling apart. He deserves so much more than I give. I will be better!

Time Management

I really need to look at my schedule everyday and use ALL of my time wisely.
I need to schedule ME time...very important!
My true goal here is to include some craftiness/creative time! This would be an indulgence!

Cooking

This is always on the back burner for me. It's just so hard for me to get to this place. (when you see my schedule you will understand) My husband had been doing a lot of the cooking during the week. BUT, I have no excuse for the weekends except for laziness and being selfish with my time. (more like wasteful)
Let's start with cooking one day on the weekend. That's realistic huh?

Housework

I have just lagged in this area almost completely. I have done everything I can to keep our "living" area tidied. I have let our master bath and our room completely go. I've got to find a balance here.

Working out

This has to be done everyday. If I'm ever going to loose the 30 pounds I put on with my pregnancy (my son is 2 1/2) I've got to do this EVERYDAY, no ifs ands or buts!!
I have found the "perfect" workout for me and my time constraints. Its about 30 minutes everyday. Lil'D even likes to watch me workout and joins in sometimes.

Crafty-Creativeness

I have put this on the back burner for a long time. I'm just not me without doing this. I have a list as long as California for projects I would like to do!!

These are my priorities that I will hold myself accountable to. I feel completely overwhelmed writing all this out. I hope to find peace in my schedule somehow.

I know that with the Lord's help I will find it in the time he wants me to.

Wordless Wednesday...

2009-01-07T22:00:00.000-08:00

Startin' out the New Year right!

2009-01-06T21:20:00.000-08:00

I got this for Christmas: and this:

I did the 30 day Shred DVD for the first time on Sunday. It is really great and perfect for me. I love it so far and plan to do it everyday.

I have not tried her wii game yet. I plan on trying it this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm pretty much confined to the house in the evenings and on the weekends because we are potty training. Please pray for patience for us!

Letters to Lil'D...

2009-01-03T20:30:00.000-08:00

My sweetest Lil'D,

The past year has been amazing. I have watched you grow from a baby to a little boy. You have grown up so fast. Every time I hear you talking I can't believe how many words you know and the sentences you are putting together are just so much fun to hear!

We were in Wal-mart a couple of weeks ago and you pointed to my sweatshirt and said:

"Mama, what is that right there?" You were pointing to the mascot.

You even asked us what our names were. You say them so well. We started asking what your name is and you've got that one down too. Your memory is just amazing!

During December we kept asking you what you wanted for Christmas. You kept saying you wanted a stick. It was so funny every time!

One of the crafts you made at daycare was a beautiful construction paper Christmas tree. There were snowmen and Santa clause and a candy cane on it. I pointed to the candy cane and asked you what that was. You said, "a hockey stick." Too funny. What I wouldn't give to hear what goes on in your head all the time!

During Christmas vacation I took you to work with me. You wanted to sit at one of the desks and play with the phones. Out of nowhere you picked up the phone, put it to your ear and said, "Hello, this is Lil'D." It cracked us all up! I think you have heard daddy answer his phone that way so many times.

We started potty training today. You only had 2 accidents. You totally get going in the potty, you just need to realize that you can hold it and control it. Before bedtime tonight you asked to go potty. We sat in the bathroom together and I asked you, "are you just doing this to stay up later?" You looked at me seriously and touched my arm and said, "Mama, I just want candy." It was so funny, but you were so serious. My little boy is just growing up too fast.

All my love,
Mama

New Year's Day...

2009-01-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

We started this tradition last year with Jeremy's brother and his family and repeated it this year. We went to:

Knott's Berry Farm

They offer a special price if you wear colors for the teams that are playing in the rose bowl. Last year's entry price was 19.99 per person. This year it was 29.99. That was kind of a bummer. Lil'D is still free so that was good.

We left home at 8:15am

Got to the park a little after 10am

We left the park at 8:15pm

We got home a little after 10pm

It was a really fun day!! Next year I am not going to ride the Silver Bullet rollercoaster, it made me feel sick. I guess I'm just getting old. J and I loved Ghostrider the best. It is a wooden rollercoaster. We rode it 2 times in a row before we left.

Here are the photos we took of Lil'D:

Happy New Year!!

Wordless Wednesday...

2008-12-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday...

2008-12-10T21:55:00.000-08:00

Is there anything I can say about this?

Adventures with Lil'D...

2008-12-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

Let's bake cupcakes together!!

While Jeremy went to the Charger/Raider game, Lil'D and I spent last night making cupcakes together. We had a really great time. He didn't want to go to bed he was having so much fun. Jeremy came home happy because the Raiders lost 34-7!!

7 Random Things...

2008-12-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

I was tagged a couple of weeks ago by Jenny at Dailydose of Motherhood. I am supposed to list 7 random things about myself. I am finally taking the time to post my list:

one...
I really love Hello Kitty. I have no idea why. Since I moved to California in 1996, I have always been obsessed with her. Now I do not have a ridiculous collection or anything. I only have a few things. But, when I see something hello kitty I just have to have it!

two...
I bite my nails. It is such a horrible habit. I have tried many many times to quit. I have quit and then started back up again. I had acrylic nails for a long time, but it is such a waste of money. I am in a biting mode right now and I hope to completely break this habit one day.

three...
I don't like chocolate cake, brownies or chocolate ice cream. I know, I'm weird. I get told that all the time. I can eat candy bars and m&m's like there is no tomorrow, but put brownies in my house and I won't touch them! It's kind of a blessing right now since I'm trying to loose weight!!

four...
I have social anxiety. I get really nervous in front of a group of people. My heart starts pounding so hard it's almost painful and my hands start to sweat, I even start to shake sometimes. The crazy thing is that all the years that I was a twirler I could get up in front of a crowd of a thousand people and have no problem, but if I have to talk it's just so painful I just want to run away! Even if it's a small group of say 5 of my friends, that I know really well, I clam up and have nothing to say unless I am asked a question. I'm always the quiet one. I'm much better with one on one, sometimes you just can't shut me up I have so much to say.

five...
Right now I really love chinese food! I LOVE orange chicken and bejing beef from Panda Express and I LOVE house special chicken from Pick Up Stix. I could eat it everyday!!

six...
I can wiggle my ears. I have been able to do this since I was in elementary school.

seven...
I love rain, I love snow, I love cold weather (probably because I miss it so much). I get so excited if it's cool enough at night to wear a sweatshirt! I miss the season change. All the years I lived in Texas I took the weather for granted. I love it when it rains...how it sounds, how it smells. It's rained like 4 times this year. I never see snow and I have to go out of my way to drive down a certain street that has trees that change with the season. (like I have time to do this)BUT, I love the beach and cool weather! I hardly ever go to the beach in the summer, it just gets so hot and miserable. I love it on a windy day! I really love it on a cold day! There is something about walking on the beach, holding hands with my sweetie, while the sun sets and we are all bundled up because it's freezing!!!! Weird...I know!

Well, that is it. That's me! Hope you enjoyed the list. I enjoyed making it.

Wordless Wednesday...

2008-12-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

For more WW go to 5minutes for Mom!

Back to the real world...

2008-12-02T20:17:00.000-08:00

Ok, now that I got the hard part out of the way, let's get on with the good stuff.

Thanksgiving Day...

I had Jeremy's entire family at my house (except for his sister). That is 16 total including us...

Grandma & Grandpa Ham (Jeremy's mom & dad)

Jeremy's oldest brother and his wife and their 4 kids

Jeremy's older brother and his wife and their 3 kids
Me, Jeremy & Lil'D

=16

Here is my first turkey fresh from the oven!

It was absolutely perfect! I am so proud...and thankful to Martha!! (Stewart, that is). I dry brined it for 12 hours and roasted it for about 3 hours. I also made dressing and fresh steamed green beans. Jeremy's mom brought homemade mashed potatoes and gravy...they were yummy! There was lots of food and we ate and ate! Lil'D didn't do to well this thanksgiving. He had one bite of mashed potatoes and a taste of dressing. He ate 2 cups of strawberry yogurt. My little picky eater has arrived. He drank all his milk though!

We spent the rest of the evening looking at ads and planning our attack for Friday.

Black Friday...

My sweet Jeremy got up at 5:45am and went to Home Depot and got my beautiful $199.99reg price LED prelit Christmas tree for $49.99!! Lil'D and I woke up at around 7:30am and Jeremy had already taken the tree out of the box and put it together! We finished decorating the tree on Sunday night.

Here is the final result:

Lil'D had a wonderful time playing with the beads, putting the ornaments on the bottom branches and throwing ornaments on the tree and watching them stick. He also enjoys running the Christmas train below the tree. It has a remote control just like Grandpa's trains.

Date night...

Friday night Jeremy and I went out to dinner and a movie. We figured that all that we have been through we deserved to have a night out. We went to Fuddrucker's. I love their fries! dipped in the honey mustard sauce. Yummy!!

Then we went to the movies. We saw...Twilight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I read the book about 2 weeks ago and loved it so much I read the second book, New Moon, shortly after. It was really great and I understand now what all the rage was about. I absolutely L-O-V-E Bella and Edward! I can't wait to read the next book, I'm chompin' at the bit. I'm going to get the book this week and I will probably read all 600+ pages by Sunday night. I'm just a little obsessed, that't all. Here are the two people my world has been all about the past three weeks:

Moving on...

2008-12-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

Did you know that 20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage? If you have had one live birth and one miscarriage you have a 10% chance to miscarry again. I found that women in their late 30s have an 18% risk of miscarriage. You always hear these things, but secretly pray and pray that it will never happen to you.

I was pregnant. I took a test and was positive on Thursday, November 6th. Went to the doctor and got an official blood test. I was so excited. It had taken us only 5 months. My due date was July 12th, 2009. I immediately made my first pre-natal appointment, subscribed to all the pregnancy newletters by email, dreamed about my new sweet baby, thought about names, you know, the whole shebang. I was only 5 weeks.

On Tuesday, November 18th I started spotting. I called the doctor immediately and went in for a test that charts my pregnancy hormones. I continued to bleed and was in a little pain. I took another blood test on Thursday. On Friday morning the doctor confirmed my greatest fear. The pregnant hormones were not rising anymore, they were descending. I missed almost 3 days of work because I just didn't want to go through this there. I was emotionally up and down. The weekend passed as if it were a dream. I took another blood test on Monday morning and Tuesday they said that my numbers were coming down and a good pace and I would probably not need a D&C. The doctor wants me to go through 2 full cycles before trying again.

What a crazy emotional rollercoaster that was. I'm still up and down. I went in for my last blood test this morning just to make sure that I still don't need to D&C. I have spoke to several people who have 2 miscarriages in a row that are my age. I fear another.

But I have to go through the fear to bring another life into our family. The Lord has given me strength and reassurance through this trial. I am thankful to have had this happen at 6 weeks rather than 20 weeks or something way worse. I have a child in heaven now. I will be reunited with him/her one day.

It's time to move on and go on with life.
I just wanted to share this with all the people in my life that I don't see everyday and may be many, many miles away.

Wordless Wednesday...

2008-11-26T07:28:00.000-08:00

Bathtub Adventures...

Please visit 5minutesForMom for more adorable pics!!

Thanks momma...

2008-11-25T12:31:00.001-08:00

I received a card from my mom yesterday. Here it is...

I just love Mary Engelbreit stuff. I just love this card. My momma is so sweet and thoughtful!

New signature...

2008-11-23T22:04:00.000-08:00

I finally figured out how to add a divider between my posts and add my signature to the bottom of the post! If you want to know how check out this site:

Pocket Templates: Tricks for customizing your Blogger template

Enjoy!!

Empty...

2008-11-23T15:01:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to blog for almost a week now and I am just sitting in front of my laptop...wordless. I have so much going on in my life, but nothing really to say about it.

The usual stuff is overwhelming me...housework, laundry, what to eat, stuff like that, but this week is just different. I put up a new design on my blog, but that wasn't as satisfying as if normally is. I'm just fickle, unsatisfied, missing something. That is the best I can describe it.

I have something really important to tell you, but I can't just yet. I have to make sure that certain people know this information face to face first, then I will add it to my blog. Very short, very simple. It's not anything that you really want to hear, but it is something I have to share. I feel that if I share it out loud, I can get on with my life.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and a houseful of people. I have twelve guests coming to my house. I will be making my first turkey ever. I am 35 years old and this is my first turkey. I've been married for 10 years and have never made my own turkey. I'm not a big cook in case you haven't noticed. We always do potluck for Thanksgiving and my mother-in-law brings a turkey and my sister-in-law brings a turkey. I'm giving my sister-in-law a break this year. I've been DVRing Martha and am ready.

So here is what I'm gonna do this week. Keep you all informed of my Thanksgiving day plans.

I just got back from the grocery store with a 16 pound bird. I put it in the refrigerator to start thawing.

Have a great week!!!

♥ Elliemae

Funny Lil'D

2008-11-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning Lil'D woke up at 6:50am. Jeremy and I were still sleeping:

Lil'D: Momma, Momma, Momma

Lil'D: Daddy, Daddy, Daddy

We are trying to get him to play in his room on Saturday mornings for a little bit, just until we are up and ready. He started playing when we didn't answer him.
Jeremy and I got up, took showers and just as I was getting ready:

Lil'D: Momma, Momma

Lil'D: Daddy, Daddy
...
Lil'D: Jeremy, Jeremy

Lil'D: Elliemae, Elliemae

That got my attention.
He knows our names just listening to us.
Amazing what they pick up, isn't it?

♥ Elliemae

Taking a short break...

2008-11-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

I am taking a little break. I am just swamped with life right now. Just busy being a wife, mom, daughter, friend and employee. I am so crazy busy I haven't taken a single picture in the month of November yet. Those that know me understand that is way out of the ordinary. (my flickr account has over 14,000 pics)

I will return soon....I always do!

Here is a great Wordless Wednesday photo for you:

Little boy in a great big world!!

♥ Elliemae

Wordless Wednesday...

2008-11-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

Guitar Hero World Tour

for more photos please visit 5MinutesForMom!

♥ Elliemae

Our trick-or-treat night...

2008-11-04T20:42:00.000-08:00

We were planning to leave the house at around 6:30pm to go to the fun festival at church. I was excited about trick-or-treaters coming to our door and Lil'D seeing the kids dressed in costumes. I was excited about Lil'D passing out candy and learning the phrase trick-or-treat.
No one came to our door.
We left for the fun festival and there was no one going from door to door in our neighborhood. I was shocked. Not a single trick-or-treater in sight. I'm glad we were going to the fun festival.
We had a great time at the fun festival. It was filled with game booths, candy, food and kids dressed up in their halloween best! Lil'D loved playing all the games. After he played each game, a bucket of candy was held out to him and he gently and ever so carefully chose one piece and put it in his bag. Of course, they offered him another. He really loved picking out suckers. Suckers are his favorite.
We stayed out till 9pm. We got home at 9:15. Lil'D didn't ask for any candy and we got him to bed at 9:45pm.
I've got some great photos...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

♥ Elliemae

The man of my dreams...

2008-11-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

Jeremy is my husband and my soulmate! We met October 30, 1995.

How we met:
I had just gone through a lot of firsts:

Graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design. (boy were the math majors upset about the BA changing to the BS for our interior design program)
Moved out of my parents house
Rented a 1 bedroom apartment in Dallas, Texas (big city)
Got my first real design job at Expo Design Center (A Home Depot Company)

My first day of work was computer training on the kitchen cabinet design program 20/20. I sat in the front row. Halfway through the morning the computer I chose crashed. The only available computer was next to my future husband, Jeremy. I would have never guessed that. He was such a crack up and made me laugh the entire 2 days of class. We even sat together at lunch and got to know each other. We became instant friends.

I was in a 3 year relationship with a guy from my hometown who had moved to Dallas a year earlier. There were a lot of group activities after hours that I usually attended and my boyfriend never wanted to. Jeremy and I were always talking and laughing with each other. In the beginning, it never crossed my mind to like Jeremy like that. But as we got to know each other better all that was going through my mind was " this is the kind of guy I want to marry." I was torn and of course Jeremy didn't want to spend anymore time with me knowing that I would not be able to like him as he liked me. I really had no idea he liked me in the beginning. So after my ex-boyfriend not really being interested in meeting any of my new friends, much less not wanting to hang out with them...things changed.

The night of our company Christmas party my boyfriend made us late because he had spent the day with his guy friends shopping for a sport coat jacket and getting drunk. I had to drive us to the party. It was at the hotel at the Galleria. Jeremy and my ex met and it was kind of a weird moment. Halfway through the party my ex was falling asleep in a chair while I was on the dance floor. I told him we really needed to talk. I don't really remember everything in this conversation, but he told me I should marry a guy like Jeremy.

We broke up that night. I was sad of course. I had 3 years invested in this relationship and wasn't a quitter. I tried to just separate my myself from everyone including Jeremy. That was really hard considering we worked together. I finally gave in about after a week when Jeremy asked me out. We went to dinner and then to the movies. We saw Golden Eye. We ended up staying up all night long and talking. It was a Thursday night and we both had to work the next day. We were exhausted, but I knew everything was going to be great. I knew that he was the one I was going to marry after we dated for a month. He felt the same way.

Jeremy wanted me to go on vacation with him to his hometown, San Diego, California. How could I say no to that. We went in May 1996 and then moved there in August 1996. We both transferred with the company. We rented a two bedroom townhouse and I was living in the most beautiful city ever. I couldn't believe it. Jeremy proposed to me in December 1997. We got married in June 1998.

It has been the best adventure being married to him. Always something happening and doing things by the seat of our pants! I've live life to the fullest so far with him. There is not much we haven't done together. There is, of course, plenty more for us to do!

I wouldn't have it any other way! Jeremy is my soulmate and gift from God! We spent our childhood, teenage and college years 1500 miles from each other. By the grace of God we found each other and will be together forever!

Hope you enjoyed this story! I love telling it.

♥ Elliemae