My Coupon Organizer…

This website is amazing. It's so user friendly and it's very easy on the eyes! Love it!!!!
My Coupon Organizer…

Changing It Up

I am going to work on making this blog into three columns. I'll just put it on my list of things to do. I'm so impired by so many new bloggers, their use of colors, and approach to style. It's very inspiring. I love the creativity!

I'm all over it!

Supersticky Discovery!

How cute is this?! Superstickies

Tuesday's Product Ponder...Bounce Dryer Bar

I love my cleaning supplies. Near and dear to my aroma therapy soul is anything that has to do with great smelling laundry products. Not only do my products need to smell awesome, but they must clean!

Since we have to do laundry, unless you're one of those that just let's it pile up and then uses the cheapest detergent to get the job done, then it might as well smell terrific! There are no allergies in my family and from what I've noticed when trying some of the eco green cleaners, is that they don't work, as well. I'm not against the Eco detergents, but nothing has worked like my Tide or Costco's Kirkland Liquid brands.

This Product Ponder is not about detergent. It's all about the fabric softener. I use both liquid and a sheet. My liquid of choice is Downey. That April Fresh scent is so light and yummy that I can feel the aroma therapy working as I move the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Ok, maybe not so much therapy, but damn it smells good. Oh, and yes I use the Downey Ball. I love that ball! For my fabric softener sheets I do not waiver from my favorite sheets. I use Bounce. Freshly dried clothes with Bounce are the ablsolute softest and best smelling produced loads of laundry in my house.



A few months back I ventured into uncharted territory and bought the new Bounce Dryer Bar. One sticks it (literally) into the dryer with a adhesive holder to its dryer tub. It looks like a long oval bar of soap. I didn't use the sheets with this bar, because it was supposed to work in place of the dryer sheets. Well, it didn't work as well as the sheets. The clothes didn't come out smelling as fresh. The towels were not soft and fluffy like with the sheets. The deal breaker for me was huge, though. This Bounce Bar was supposed to last for 4 months. It was broken into pieces by day 9 of my experiment.

Fast forward to 3 days ago. I had a coupon for $1.50 odd and it was on sale at my market. So, I succumbed to the Frugalista in me and bought, it with the coupon. This bar was only the 2 month lasting version of the Bounce Dryer Bar. Three days into the re-do of the previous experiment and it failed, again, miserably. It cracked again and came loose from the holder. I ran it again and then realized it was so worn in after 3 days and cracking apart that there was no way this was going to work again in it's holder or with the clothes. The smell wasn't there, again. It seemed as though I dried a few loads of clothes without any dryer fabric softener, even though the Dryer Bar was being used.

Grade: D-
I will never give up my Bounce sheets and go to the Bounce Dryer Bar. In my opinion, the bar is just a waste of money. The only reason it didn't receive the worst grade F, was because I use the bar on a shelf in the laundry room for a little extra Aroma Therapy on the days when I don't want to run another load, for the life of me.

Sincerly,
Christie

Organizing Me...

I have become engrossed in saving money. It's a little sickening and empowering, at the same time. It's sickening to admit it and show my Sweet Keeper,aka geeky Trapper Keeper, with all my coupons and deals that around town. On the other hand, it's empowering to know I can save a TON of money just by some careful clicks of the mouse. Said clicks take me some great websites. There are some terrific women out there sharing some great knowledge with the rest of us. I'm taking to my blog to say...you can save money. Some of the websites say it's easy to find the deals and organize with their printable couponing and parts of it are easy. For me I need to look at my circulars, cut my coupons, print some online, and then list by store. The tough part is making sure you get what you need and making the most of coupons online/newspapers/circulars. For me it does mean going to at least two stores if I want to grocery shop and do the Walgreens or CVS rewards! Walgreens and CVS are amazing. To many of the hardcore couponers it's called The Drugstore Game. Of course there's the Coupon Mom many of you have heard of in the news and online. My new FAVORITE is the Deal Seeking Mom! What great about her is that she always has new deals constantly outside of just the normal circulars. Go to her site and learn about CVS and Walgreens. It's worth it. I have a few more frugalistas on my blogger list.

Discipline, saving, making plans, and then the execution of said plans are all good things. All of this has inspired me to focus on what I want to do with my goals. I don't want to run a coupon site. It wouldn't be fulfilling to my passions. The people running them are so fabulous at it that I couldn't do it any better or add anything more to their deal finding. The focus and organization is bringing me out of mommy land and back to the Wonderful World of Christie! I see the On Ramp right up the road. All this organizing and saving has me working towards a goal. What goal am I looking for? I am not sure. I'm learning about what makes me happy. Not quite sure what the happiness is EXACTLY, either, but I'm pretty close. :)

OMG, I’m Obsolete! - DivineCaroline

OMG, I might not be too obsolete, after all! I've been blogging since 2004 wonderfulworldofchristie.blogspot.com, joined Facebook before my girls, joined LinkedIn, and chose to do Chrisy Snow from Three's Company rather than the feather from Farrah. I will admit to making my girls not use ghetto slang and Z's for S's in their text messaging! The biggie was quitting my job after my second child being born. Not only was child care $1200 a month,b ut how could I leave a tiny baby? With my first child, four years prior, I was fresh out of college and went to work when she was 11 months old. My conclusion is that technically I'm obsolete and I'll be 40 in 10 weeks, but I'm working up that On Ramp in a cool SUV.

OMG, I’m Obsolete! - DivineCaroline

Spanx..for men

I don't even know if I need to type more than the picture says. LOL. The guys are now getting their own Spanx for their tummy and man boobs. :) Sooo cute! It was huge news on Weekend Today. I just wish Lester would have sported one so we could get the full effect. :)

Crazy Christie

Talk about a dumbass? That would be me! LOL I wrote an entire post about being a crazy woman the last few weeks, while being made to wait 2 weeks for test results. I admit to crazy, crying, overly hormonal in a very very bad way, and ok bitchy.

My post made no promises about going back to my perked up self, but I promise less bitchy. Oh and I'll also try to figure out the all over the place crazy ass posts! LOL.

Never a dull moment my friends...never a dull moment!

My uber favorite female...Crystal Blowersox! She will win the whole damn thing, I think. :) She's still really sick form her being hospitalized a few weeks ago with her diabetes. It must have been really bad, because she's sits down at the end. Sweet amazing and talented woman.

Big Mike ..American Idol

Give Big Mike a listen. He absolutely blew me away and had me in tears. There's just something about him singing that put him on the one to beat list. Favorite Guy. I'll post my uber favorite lady in a bit! He's just so worthy of this right now.

Katherine Heigl lands plum role in One For The Money | Celebrity News Now

Want to get a bunch of bookwhores worked up into a tizzy? Tell them that Katherine Heigl is going to play our beloved Stephanie Plum from the Janet Evonavich. She plays a New Jersey bounty hunter working for her cousin Vinnie. Her best friend is Lula, the self proclaimed for Ho who fits her size 16 sexy African American body into lots of size spandex and she loves to eat.

So we're all discussing how Katherine is going to pull off Stephanie, but we all want to know who can play our sexy Ranger and yummy Morelli! We have some awesome discussions on facebook. My choices for Morelli..Gerard Butler. I love Vin Diesl for Ranger!

Sherri Sheppard would be the absolute perfect for LUla. If you say Mo'Nique, I'll say she's just lost her mind now that she has won the Oscar. Ok, those are my picks! I wonder which men they'll choose?

Katherine Heigl lands plum role in One For The Money | Celebrity News Now

Zen in full....

My Oscar Night was wonderful. I was alone for the big show, but got to take in the E Red Carpet special with my little Missies...and soooo happy with the winners. I simply Love Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges.

Ok, I take that back. Avatar should have won best picture. It was a magnificent spectacle of movie making, imagination, and heart. Maybe the vote was against James Cameron. I don't know. I'm a mom in Florida, but that just didn't jive with me. I am so happy with Kathryn Bigelow. Did you know she is one of Cameron's ex wives. He's on his 5th marriage. LOL. They still collaborate and talk almost every day. Maybe he's just not the kind you can live with, but nice to have on the side.

Ok so I'm taking the Zen approach to life today. The kids are kids and will do their best on their state testing. It will be what it will be for them. I don't get the stress put on the kids and the parents. I don't know the answer for all of the education problems of the system, but something has to be done. We should not depend on teaching our kids to one test the entire school year. Bring on the Zen.

I did really well until the doctor called to tell me to go pick up a new prescription. LOL..So I'm making myself feel better with Nachos and Diet Coke! Y.E.S I A.M.! Oh and it's goooood.

Sleep well friends...
xoxoxo

This Too Shall Pass...Brazilliant!

This came to me just when I was getting pretty low. What this friends. It's awesome and the words are perfect! Happy Day Friends. I love you. xoxoxo

"THIS TOO SHALL PASS...WHEN THE MORNING COMES!"

Yes, Another iPod Exchange Needed!

I love my iPod Touch. I love any iPod. It's one of my I can't live without items. I'd give up my cell phone before this, because I can even Skype and text with my touch. However, I hate the "Home Button" at the bottom of the pod. I'd call it the menu button, but it's actual name is called the "Home Button."
One night it worked and the next morning it didn't. That's how I find iPods work lately. This will be my 3rd return in two months. The first one returned was my daughter's 5th generation nano. Crap. I don't know if there's just too much on it, with the video, camera, am/fm, or just another flawed iPod. The next one was when my disc drive on my reg 32 G ipod just stopped working. Finally, I'm left with the very expensive touch. I was told by Apple that the home button was such an issue, but I challanged the customer service rep to browse all the discussion websites. I even told him to check his own website and read about all the people with their flawed iPods home buttons. It's just a warning. The button sticks and then it won't work. Then, it's time to return the iPod to the Mac store. Crappy, huh. I know it's not the end of the world, but when you spend soooo much money on an iPod Touch..you'd expect it to work. Oh, did I mention you better have the right equiptment for charging. I was finally so fed up that I went and bought an iHome that is compatible with 3rd Gen iPod Touch and 5th Gen Nano, because you can no longer charge to the wall. Ok..I'm done.
The Poor Customer Service Rep from Apple just had to listen to me complain for almost 30 minutes.
Off to the Genius Bar. xoxoxo

Seriously ?!

This is one woman who needs to read "He's Just Not That Into You." Seriously.
News - Bachelor's Tenley Still Stumped by Jake's No "Connection" Remark - Movies, TV & Music - UsMagazine.com

News - Bachelor's Tenley Still Stumped by Jake's No "Connection" Remark - Movies, TV & Music - UsMagazine.com

Music

I need some new song choices. Tomorrow.

I.Will.Win.

• Wow what an emotional few days. I had the uterine biopsy on Monday. I was a crazy wreck leading up to the procedure. For the TMI factor I will not explain. I already have, but I will add this small detail. Imagine you're not numb and a tube goes all the way to the endometrial uterine wall. At the end of the tube there's a brush at the end. Think sharp bristle end of a baby bottle cleaner. There you go. Results will be on the 17th. I know it's forever away. Can you believe that? I'm sure everything will be fine. So, I'm relaxed much more now.
• Next, I realized I was feeling extra bitchy. I wasn't acting bitchy, but really feeling it and holding it inside. So I stopped the megesterol just to see if it was the cause of "Bitch of Christie." I realized it might be a little of both. LOL. The hormones are crazy! Just knowing it is what it is and that there is a bright sunny light at the end of this tunnel makes me smile a real smile.
• Finally, tomorrow is a new day. Do one thing to make tomorrow make you smile. I know that just being outside for 1 hour with my kids relaxing was just what I needed.

HOW CUTE IS THIS?!

I am so completely proud of myself!!!!!! What does Christie do when she has a ton of extra pent up energy? Well, I make a new blog template, of course! How cute is this? I'm loving it so much!

Off to bed. xoxoxo

There's something seriously wrong with me. I'm watching Nascar! LOL. OMG! There is some seriously hidden redneck in the gene pool, but NASCAR?! Ok, I couldn't handle Hockey, The Time Traveler's Wife, and I need something to do while I fold laundry. So, I guess I'll watch NASCAR and pick out the cute cars. Seriously...there's a Target, Old Spice, M&M, and even a pink car!

Pulling A Christie...Again.

Do today I pulled a Christie. I dropped the kids off at the bus and as it pulled away I noticed a yard sale. I never stop, but I saw TVs! Kelsey wanted to go get one this weekend, with all her saved up money. In my brilliance, well not so brilliance, I thought I should just pick her up the one for sale! As the mommy I figured she want to use her saved up money for clothes!

Here's where I pulled the Christie. It wasn't a flat screen, but I thought it would work anyway. Hmmmm, it wasn't such a bright idea. LOL. I can't even get the damn thing hooked up to the TIVO/DVR, because I can't figure out where the input 1 or even input 2 is on the screen. UGH! What a bust! I tried.

Can anyone guess what we're going to be doing tomorrow? LOL..Yes, my smart friends, we will be at Costco or Target getting a flat screen. She'll use her money and she'll be happy. I'll be happy. We'll all be happy.

Hmmmmmm....I wonder if I can find a coupon for the new TV. I think there just might be one for Costco and I think that TV has a DVD player on the side of the panel.

Wishing you all a Happy Friday Night and Saturday!

Side effects!

Guess what? My new medicine, has a great side effect. It says 'stim u lates appetite! Yay me! Lol! Xoxo.

I don't need my coffee to be organic. Who does? I've never had a good strong cup of organic coffee. Just give me a nice steaming strongish flavored, with some 1/2 and 1/2, and a little sweet-n-low. That's right I ruin it anyway with all the other stuff..so who needs organic.

That, my friends, is a simple thought for the day.

Oh and one other thing. If you intend on purchasing an Second Generation iPod Touch or Fifth
Generation Nano ,then you will need a good charger. My computer, a nice Toshiba Satellite or my husband's new Dell, won't do the trick. So when you get the charging station, like an iHome that allows two, to charge at a time, make sure it's compatible with 2nd Generation iTouch and 5th Generation Nanos. That's the newest technology.

Oooooh a little Organic and a little Tech for the mind. :)
Happy Thursday!
Xty

That Damn Estrogen!

It's been a long road to get here. I've always ...always...had ovarian cysts. I can actually date the first one back to 7th grade. I went to the ER for what my mom thought was my appendix and it turned out to be a cyst on my ovary. What did we do? Nothing.

Then 1992 arrived and I had another episode. That time my doctor decided to do an emergency "draining" of the grapefruit sized cyst. Long story short...many more instances of finding cysts. Nothing made them go away. In 2007-08 I had horrible pain and episodes of cyst/ovarian pain. What was the decision of the doctors then? Wait and See.

I'm here to offer some information to those of you who may have not be aware of this, but the years can lead to endometrial cancer. The estrogen feeds the endometrium and can make lots and lots of blood. This can lead to a thickening of lining of the endometrium. Go ahead and throw in fat cell that also feed on estrogen and that can lead to endometrial cancer.

Lesson of the story is this. Don't just take a wait and see approach, just because that's what a doctor might say to do. Get more opinions. I knew something was wrong for years, but just listened and did what the doctor's told me to do. Now here I am getting ready for a uterine biopsy after 9 straight weeks of bleeding. I'm sure everything will be fine, but it still pisses me off immensely.

I do feel better, though, now that I've vented!

I send a smile for the night. I love e.e. cummings. Tonight I spent time discussing the poetry of Emily Dickinson. I became a little side tracked and came upon a favorite. Enjoy.

may i feel said he
(i'll squeal said she
just once said he)
it's fun said she

(may i touch said he
how much said she
a lot said he)
why not said she

(let's go said he
not too far said she
what's too far said he
where you are said she)

may i stay said he
which way said she
like this said he
if you kiss said she

may i move said he
is it love said she)
if you're willing said he
(but you're killing said she

but it's life said he
but your wife said she
now said he)
ow said she

(tiptop said he
don't stop said she
oh no said he)
go slow said she

(cccome?said he
ummm said she)
you're divine!said he
(you are Mine said she)

e.e. cummings

Shame...? Really...?

Why are women, or men for that matter, ashamed of medicine for depression, manic depression, or any other mental need? Why is shame involved, too? Believe it or not, "Herbs" do not offer the same benefits for some that need serious chemical balancing.

I'm not going to go on any further. I was just thinking.

Happy Happy Birthday Baby...!

Happy Happy Birthday To My Ava! Love you so much my sweetie!

Love,

Mommy

Wordless Wednesday Pic...on Thursday!

My Jedi Guys

(Styling by S. Little)
Sometimes the greatest moments just happen. The boy asked if he could be a "Padawan" and of course I was clueless. "Mommy the kids who train to be Jedis!"

Of course they are. What was I thinking. "Daddy let's use the Wii lightsabers and not the other ones. The wii ones light up!"

As you can see, I have a Jedi Master and a Jedi Padawan. So cute. It made my day.

Stuffed Yummy Bell Peppers

When you have no idea what to make for dinner here's an easy recipe..

Take some bell peppers and slice them in half (clean them of course.)
Brown some ground turkey.
Cook some rice.
Cut up some tomatos or get a can of diced tomatos.

When everything is cooked...mix the cooked turkey,tomatos,and rice together. I usually add a little spaghetti sauce just to moisten the mixture.

This time I mixed in some crumbled bleu cheese and topped with some sharp cheddar.
Cook for 15 minutes at 400 and Voila! YUMMY!

Bitch and Whine.

So last night I was was feeling like a failure as a mom. Do you guys have those days, too. It just seemed like every time I turned around there was one child yelling, another child melting down with 5th grade math, and finally a less than fantastic report card brought home by another child. Deep breath.

When did 5th grade math get so hard? It was hard or I just have had my brain cells die at a rapid rate over the years. I mean fractions shouldn't be that hard for me. I just wish there would be some sort of example sent home so I could figure out the homework. LOL..yeah I wasn't so lucky. Seriously...no example? There never are any examples. Maybe they figure that the moms and dads should already know fractions. Ugh! That all ended in a meltdown. I did figure it out, eventually, with the help of Google. LOL.

My boy is trying his hardest with school. It just takes quite a bit of mommy help. He's getting back to normal. Third grade is a tough transition when you go from one state to another. For anyone interested, Florida schools leave much to be desired. The poorly written textbooks make learning difficult for the kids. This is when you can really see budget cuts' effects. So ready to leave Florida.

And finally...all the hormonal activity in this house are killing me at times. LOL! I need the doctor to figure out what's going on with my body. The hormones in me and the girls just make for a crazy little house! LOL. Ok..only at times. Life is good, but once I figure out why it is I'm out of balance then I'm sure I'll feel better.

So, I'm not a failure...ok. I'll go with frustrated. Sigh. A nice little vent seemed to be just what the doctor ordered. My bitch and whine session is complete and so am I. :)

Slumber Success!

The slumber party for my Ava was a HUGE success! My suggestion for an eleven year old girly party is to limit the party to about 6 and I have a reason for that. You will always have a girl or two that will want to go home early! It always happens. So, then after pizza, prank calling boys, wii American Idol singing, more wii, cake, ice cream, and makeovers...you're down to 4 girls. That is the perfect number for a bedroom with sleeping bags, sleeping bag sledding down the stairs, and more wii Idol before crashing at 3AM! LOL...yes...I did say it was a success!
xoxoxo
C

Check...

Monday Monday....

1. Kids off to school..check.
2. Coffee thoroughly enjoyed and savored..check.
3. Shoes out and ready to go workout at Y..check and check.
4. iPod sync'd...check.

I'm off to workout and get to the place that is supposed to be ZEN. I need some zen in a serious way. Happy Monday Friends!
xoxoxo
Love you
Christie

3 Day Walk

Well after some serious contemplating, I have decided that I'm going to do a 3-Day Susan Komen Walk! I need to fill up my team and raise some money for Breast Cancer! It's a cause near and dear to my heart!

1. Coming up with the friends and sisters that won't let me down...check.
2. Asking friends...not check. LOL.
3. Get to walking in a few minutes...check check check.

Brain Dump..

Sometimes the pain and tears take my breath away. I wish I could just take those pieces and rip them out of me and put them into a box. I'd just stick the box on the top shelf of my closet. It's not that I want them gone forever. Peace is sometimes more important than the thoughts replaying over and over in my mind.

Move on damn it! Let the pain go. Let the tears dry up into a glossy happy eye. Not going to happen anytime soon. I can mask it and pretend, but it torments me inside on those days when it's too quiet. The dreams are raw and real. Sometimes I soak up those moments knowing that I'm dreaming, but it's real. Fucking Crazy. I know.

I don't think I'm going to look at my sitemeter and check the locations of viewers/posters/lurkers. LOL. At least I know I'm popular in India, Kenya, Korea, France, The Netherlands, and Ireland. So hey...HI WORLD!

xoxoxo
Christie

"I Say It's Your Birthday...lalalalalalala!"

Fifteen years ago today I gave birth to the most beautiful little baby. She has grown to be a sweet, amazing, and a beautiful girl with a gentle soul. I'm so proud of her and she continues to amaze me and teach me every single day.

Ok...now for dinner out and some yummy cake!

Happy birthday my girl. I love you.

Need

Tonight I need closeness.

And Chocolate wouldn't be so bad either.

Keurig For Me

It's official. I am no longer the drinker of "Granny Coffee." Granny Coffee is the warmed up left over coffee from the morning. It's been easier to do that than to make a fresh pot when all I need is one good jolt of java!

Say hello to my new Keurig. It really does make a good cup of coffee and fast! I need to buy more of the Italian blends. So..if you're the drinker of Granny Coffee like I have been, this little marvel can do wonders for the taste buds.

What do you use for the afternoon cup?

I was about to click publish and catastrophe hits with a huge crash upstairs. It was a lamp next to the bed that was knocked off the table. Oh yeah..it was one of the new swirled eco friend bulbs. Yep..it broke. I know there's something about them being hazardous material, but here's the thing. If we're supposed to change to the eco bulbs..didn't anyone think that breaking one would eventually happen? How many bulbs have you ever broken? I have dropped, smashed, and dropped a few more than my fair share. So what do I do now? I swept up the pieces,vacuumed them up, and now will empty the vacuum. It was a bulb...not hazardous waste. Ugh. I'm perplexed now.
I'm sure we'll live.
xoxo
C

Waking Up Asleep

I woke up in a faze of exhaustion. Why didn't I sleep last night at all and yet now I'm ........

Edit..I fell asleep typing that! Yes I did! :)

Today was just a going to the market and then Costco. Oh and I went to dinner and the best Margarita! Believe it or not, it was the cheap house Margarita vs. the crazy expensive 5 sip one. :)


Happy Saturday night. We're just sitting here doing a little Guitar Hero challenge. I'm singing along...no playing for me tonight. It's hardcore scorekeeping time! LOL.

Night Night...
Cheers!

Happy New Year!

It's 2010! Happy New Year!!!!!!

How amazing to wake up on a wonderful New Year Saturday morning! We rang it in with Star Trek, Chinese, and some seriously full bellies. Was it a full moon? It felt like it, because no one in the family slept well.


Playing off the no sleep from New Year's Eve, I thought we'd be going to bed earlier. What happened you may ask? We popped on Julie and Julia and I'm still awake. WTF? What a great movie. I didn't think anyone else was going to enjoy. By the end of the movie I was inspired to pull out our vintage, first edition, Mastering French Cooking and pick a recipe to try and also dive into my blogging even more.

Face Book makes it so easy to cheat my much beloved Wonderful World of Christie. :)

Happy New Year friends...
xoxo
Christie

I'm Ready!!!!!!!

Happy Happy New Year Friends!

I'm popular in Ireland, Romania, South Korea, Japan, Norway and let me not forget my native friends! LOL. I love the readers of the world!

Resolutions anyone? Some people don't do resolutions, but I ...am going with the old standard. I'm not above putting something out there in hopes of accomplishing something great! LOL...failure shouldn't be an option, but if I do...better luck to me next year.

First, I'm going to Breathe Deeply a little more. That means a little meditating and yoga for me. I need some serious ZEN.

Second, realizing I can't change other's hard line views and not being so emotional about it would really be helpful, as well.

Finally, the gluten is killing me. So, after my Chinese tonight, and the suffering that I'm sure I'll partake in later on tonight, I will figure out a more gluten free menu for living. Celiac can hit a person during times of high stress...hmmm... no wonder it hit me like a ton of bricks in my gut at the ripe old age of 39!

Finally Finally...I wish you all Happiness, Health, and good Will toward fellow HUMANKIND! I mean that! Let's be kind to one another.

Ok 2010 I'm ready for you!
Love and Kisses until next year!
xoxoxo
Christie

Little Latkes

I think the Holiday and Christmas Blahs are over. It was a great Day, but you know there was still the part missing family and friends...the lonely part. I wasn't lonely...don't get me wrong. I was just missing a part of my world.

Well, tonight I made the most amazing Latkes. I might not be the sister taking the kids to Tot Shabot, but I do make the best Latkes. The key is the Sierra Nevada in the batter and getting all the moisture out of the potatos. So so so very good.

xoxo

The Day After...

Happy Day after.

Recovering Recovering Recovering....

There's absolutely nothing planned today and the Mommy needs a break!

xoxoxo

Merry Christmas!

Did you wake up to happy anxious kids waking you to get out of bed and fast! Well, I did and it was fabulous. We open one person at a time and in order. LOL. Who made up that tradition...ummmm me. I like pictures of faces as they open the gifts. Plus, the anticipitation of waiting for each and every gift. And let's just be clear...it makes opening up the gifts take longer than 10 minutes! LOL. After all the hard work and months of planning I refuse to let the Tsunami of wrapping happen in 10 minutes or less..LOL! :)

Everyone enjoyed the day. I took a much needed little nap and woke up just in time to get the Prime Rib into the oven. Dinner was great and appreciated by everyone. Happy times for all.

I hope you had a great day. xoxo.

Mr. Postman

Thank you Mr. Postman for helping me out and getting my package out even though you were getting ready to close! You saved me today.

Just a simple act for him, but for me..HUGE! Thank you. Just simple acts of kindness friends. Simple Acts. Peace starts with kindess.

I want PEACE on Earth and Good Will to one another....

xoxo

Safe

Have you ever been the exception? Did you choose the scary unsafe choice and let yourself just take a risk. Safe choices can lead to safe. Safe can equal empty.

Picking up pieces can lead to saving oneself and risking happiness.

xoxo
I love...Continue to love

Bring On The Cards..and anything else!

There's one gingerbread house is in the house, so bring on the Holiday Cards! They are here and I'm filling them out right now. Ok, well I'm blogging really fast, then I'm addressing. Don't you love Costco? I needed it this week. It only took a day to get my sweet holiday cards made. This, alone, has made my Saturday!

Patient Update:
She's feeling better. She can't talk, but she's a good good patient. The pain medicine doesn't seem to knock her out, like I thought it would. Thankfully it does help her pain. Before she knows it she'll be feeling so much better. She needs to, because the holiday is around the corner!

My Boy:
My Boy is so excited. He's wrapped presents on his own and how cute they are! He still needs to "get you a present mommy." :) He's been busy making Ben 10 accessories for his Omnitrex Watch. These accessories..lol..are completely hand made. He's drawn all 10 characters...found wood chips to use for the little slots in the watch to open the "special characters." He's one busy guy!


The Miss...
Well she's been in her little world today. She has homework over the vacation so she's getting it done. Homework? Who assigns homework? Ugh. Speaking of homework, though. Here is the best and greatest 3D Human Cell I've ever seen. :) How creative is she?! She simply is amazing. :)


Ok Until tomorrow...xoxoxo
I guess I have so much more to share and need my blogging again!

Tonsil Day

Friday's been a busy one so far. Sweet Ava had her tonsils out and she's been a totally brave! She's not able to eat anything and drinking is a challange, but she's going to feel sooo much better when she's healed. She's had so many strep infections and throat problems with her gastro reflus, that this is going to
this will be just what she needed.



There's still a list of so much to do...Cards, Shopping, A Few Choice Gifts, and SHIPPING...OH MY!

FREEZING

I am beyond cold tonight.

Friday Night

Examining life.

I love my kids. I love my kids more than life.

Children make the Season what it is.

We do have those moments, though....when it's time for a super calming moment. It's impossible to escape to yoga. The bathroom hideout is out of the question, because as all mom's know the kids would knock on the door, "Mommy. Mommy. Mommy."

Last night was one of my moments. What was a perfect moment last night? I chose a beautiful glass, lol..some cheap wine, and my favorite section of one of my favorite books! :)

Hugh In The Afternoon....!

Today it's only slight cloudy. Nothing dark looms overhead, but the day is young. :) I am looking to the positive, though. It's cold and gloomy outside. I'm inside with my little ladies and we're snuggled under blankets and watching a chick flick. It's perfect. The boys are shopping. We're soaking it up while we can, because as anyone in the realm of my world knows...tomorrow is FOOTBALL SUNDAY! LOL. We'll soak up our time while we can.

To be precise we're soaking up Hugh Grant. LOL. He just has a way of brightening up any gloomy cold Saturday. :)

My sweet neighbor, who is in her 80s, 4'8", and is the sweetest little lady lady you'd ever meet brought us a little flan and flowers this morning. She brought it thanking us for our cookies and crafts from Thanksgiving. She's so sweet.

Ok, off to soak up our Hugh.

XOXO
Christie

Dark Cloud....

When is enough, enough in life?

I mean, do you invite guests to stay way beyond a tolerable amount of time? Do you throw chaos into your life and wake up at 3AM to make it a 4AM sale so you can spend spend spend? Do you love yourself or let yourself just go to pushish the parts you despise?

It was so much fun cooking Turkey and all the dishes that went along with our fabulous dinner, with the kids. They couldn't wait to eat what they made. I know my girls and even boy will be making some of our recipes when they are older. :)

When dinner was finished I just thought the night would be quiet and we'd be recovering from the eating. Well, of course there was the dark cloud. I can handle rainy, white puffy cold clouds, the occassional storm, and even the a lightening strike. The darkness of that cloud...it's just too much these days.

I'm on a new path. I will discover the why and when. It may not be tomorrow..but I want answers. It took years to feeling this good and in control of me. No more knots in the stomach.

I DARE YOU!

I Dare You! I dare any of you to just leave a comment. I have so many reads every single day. Actually you're from all over the world. I really want to know who reads me from Ireland. Just a hi! I know I'm HUGE in South Korea! LOL. Huge! I have a great following for people searching for my "Karma will bite you in the ass" comment. I don't know who visits I just get a few stats. Love to hear from you. I'll type more fluff if you do. Wait...maybe I shouldn't do the fluff stuff then you might not come back so often to check on me. :)

XOXO
Christie

Friday's Thought

Who knew that a few words could rattle a brain for so many years.

It could be our time.

Life goes on....Smiles are to be had...Memories are to be made...And memories are to be remembered.

xoxoxo
Christie

Weekend Recap!

Do you want to know how good I am? I made pancakes for the kids this morning..and they weren't the toaster kind! :) Yep..that good. Oh and I even flat ironed Ava's hair, made three different lunches...and dropped them all off. :)

"Because cereal is boring Mommy!"



Halloween was delightfully exciting. There were so many kids in the neighborhood. We came from a neighborhood in Virginia with so few kids out on Halloween (it's a little different in the south.) This was a nice change. The pumpkins were carved and a little gooshy for wear, but carved and with lights bekoning the gremlins and goblins.

Before going out, though, they spent the day swimming in the 100 degree weather!


My little Darth and Devil were out among the others. We went street after street until dripping with sweat they asked to finally go home! It was them..not me...who ended it! That's always a super plus. I hope you had fun and if there weren't kids I hope you dressed and got in touch with that crazy side you sometimes hide inside!
:) :) :)

Busy Busy Busy

Busy Busy Week.

There was excitement, anxiety, and coocoo for cocoa puff kids! Oh, and let me not forget the "Cold Front" that came down from the north this weekend. :) We started the week with a Hot Hot Hot 96 and ended it with 68! Loved it! The kids had a busy school week, which in turn meant I had a busy school week. By the end of the week I was fried. I quickly perked up when my boy had his big huge 9th birthday. I can't believe it's been 9 years. He's hit a little bit of a rough patch with the move, but you know...he's going to be just fine. There must have been something in the air today because the house was a little bit of a nut house! LOL. When it's just the mommy, they just bring it up a few notches and push me to the limit. Yep...I was pushed to the limit and here back down relaxing in the quiet.

Here's my new motto. It takes one day at a time to be a good mommy. It's tough. Everything weighs heavy on our shoulders and hearts. Ok, well it weighs on mine. Going through another deployment, though not a super long one, is really hitting hard this time. So instead of worry about how the math tests will go next Friday or if my chapter of my book will come together by Tuesday, I'm going to just get through today. I know it's a twelve step motto, but heck I'll need it for the next 12years for sure. :)

Here are a few quick things:
*I'm blogging for me. Comment or Lurk if you want to, but know that I'm fully aware of the fluff factor.

*Skype is incredible.

*Dressing up is good for the soul.

*Grown up time is necessary.

*I've written quite a bit this week while listening to John Mayer and David Gray.

*My iPod is a necessity.

Have a good night friends...
XOXO
Christie

It's Facebook's Fault!

Of course it's not my own fault that I've been an absent blogger for so long. I'm here to publicly state that it's Fabcebook's Fault that I've been so lazy with my writing.

Whether it's looking at every one's status, playing Bejeweled Blitz, or looking up long lost friends and sneaking peaks at their profile pics...it's made me,the writer, lazy! I've promised myself I am going to write once a day, again. I put some different tunes on my playlist.com to get me in flow mood. Why? It helps me to get thoughts together to write my stories, that are not part of my blogs. I'm still working on the book. I might have a stories and chapters of many different types. I haven't gotten the "One" published, yet. It's ok...the block is gone. I'm back in the groove. I'm journaling more and have notes all over the place, yet in an orderly all over the place kind of way. It feels good, especially since they're not on the crazy yellow sticky notes. :) I've been there and soooo done that.

Well the boy just called me to go outside so I must go. I just took a picture of the boy in his afternoon outfit of choice!

Back To Writing....

I haven't blogged in forever. I realize I've started a few of my blogs like that lately, but I've missed writing. We're in Florida and getting used to it. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Virginia! Florida schools are nothing like the district we lived in while we were in Virginia. I'm sure by the next time we move I'll be missing Florida. :)

The very soon to be Lt. Colonel is deployed with his Marines. It just seems every single time he is off in the middle east the kids seem to melt down a little. This time, though, it's just a strep/chronic tonsillitis with A. I'm hoping that K's kidney keeps nice and healthy. Since we've been here, I've yet to find a urologist or a nephrologist for her. As she gets older she has different needs. She's a teenager now and it's more difficult than just choosing a "good" doctor. . You'd be amazed at how many doctor's we've gone to with a God Complex. From Preemie to a Teen she's had many doctors, surgeries, and appointments. I have to search for a better fit than the first referral. Life is good these days for K. She's been so healthy and happy. Who knew time would fly so fast. She's already gone to her first Homecoming Dance this past weekend.


So, after Homecoming for K, a deployment, and strep with A... we get a birthday party this week , too! Sammy is ready for his party! He wants a pool party and I'm ready for it! LOL..It is Florida and it was 94 today. It should be beautiful this weekend.


I may have something more profound to say tomorrow. :) Then again it could be total fluff.

Off to enjoy the night.
XOXO

We're Off!

It's Moving Day!

We're off to Tampa and who knows what adventures that will hold for us! Exciting!

I need to get off my a** right now and fold the last little load of laundry for the packing!

By Yorktown VA! It's been nice, but we're so ready to leave!

xoxoxo
Christie

MJ and Our Move

Ok, I'm over all of the Michael Jackson news. It's just completely on overload right about now. How many more times can we watch the same foootage...over and over. In all the news the last few days I don't remember hearing that Iran is going to have the English Embassy staff stand trial over the protests. Sad.

I've been organizing the house for the move next week. The packers will be here next Wednesday and Thursday...then the movers will be here Friday. After all of that we're off to Tampa. Another adventure. We have a wonderful house (with no Chinese drywall)and the schools for the kids are fabulous. What more could I want. Oh, and let's not forget the cruise ships leave from there,too. Disneyworld is an hour away. The kids are happy with that. I'm happy with the cruise ships.

Ok, off to see what's next on my list.
xoxo
Christie

Sigh...

Sigh...

Just in a funky mood. We're getting ready to move again and it's feeling pretty daunting. I need some serious yoga or something to relax. Maybe just a good cry. I don't know. I'm sure it's not interesting for anyone to read. So on that note i'm going to bed.
xoxo
Christie

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Friends...

How's this for my mother.

The phone rings at 9:50 East Coast time. My mom is in Cali.

ring ring...

-Hi mom.

-Christie hang up and call your Dad. Wish him a Happy Father's Day!

-Ok..I was just waiting until he might be up...

That's right friends...my mom still thought she needed to call me at 6:50AM and tell me to call my dad! She is absolutely classic. OMG!

A Few Of My Favorite Things!

Just a few of my favorite things! With school coming to an end I will need more of some and then missing others until school starts again. The Bus..I love when it picks up my precious ones and Mr. W brings them to school for the entire day.

After the kids are off I walk up to my house on the water and just relax for a while.

The coffee maker of choice is the Cuisinart and then the espresso pot that my sister got me for Christmas. Love them and my favorite mug.

After buying a few camcorders this Sony is what I always have with me. It's tiny and pops right into my purse. Love it.

Last but not least...my favorite stylish paper plates. These little babies help in doing dishes..a la..in the trash. I figure I save in water..so I don't feel badly about the recycling. LOL..That's what I tell myself.

Happy Birthday To Me!

I've had a great weekend.

Turning 39 was much easier than 38. I guess I've let go and now I'm just going with the flow. Life is good and fun. My kids are great. Between kisses, love, a movie, cards, gifts, homemade gifts, and even laundry sheets from my boy (who saw how I thought they were interesting and threw them in my grocery cart for part of his present,) my Bday was great! All of that being, I'll take the year before 40 nice and slow! :)

A Happy Birthday never felt soooo good!

Jenny McCarthy!

Edit 12:36: I did a little editing. UGH! I didn't realize how horribly my post was missing words.

Another few interesting things happened in the life of me. I'm convinced, my friends, that my children have my sense of humor and my mother's temper. Yep, my mother's, not mine. I'm so relaxed..cool..unhealthy with holding my feelings inside, but they are not like me. Sweet, loving, um in love with me, and still tiny little tempers.They just crack me up on a daily basis, even when I feel like I'm losing it. That being said, let's move on to what my husband and my children are planning while he is deployed.

"Hey hunny I've been thinking about your hair. So I think you should splurge and get a makeover! So, I emailed you a picture of a nice "blunt" cut and color!"



Ummmmm Jenny McCarthy! She's one hot Mama! Ummm does he know who I am? I'm not
Jenny McCarthy, ok I'm funny, but not Jenny hot! LOL. Kasey and I are convinced it's quite the gay husbandly thing to do, thinking about my hair and finding a "look" for me. LOL. He insists that a "sleek blunt cut" is the way to go. No more flipping of ends! Well, ok then...I'll see what I can do. This girl isn't going to say no to a spa day! Ever! :) So jenny, let's see how blond this mama can get and still look good. I'm fighting that next birthday with alll my might

Speeding Through..

As my birthday quickly approaches I'm reminded of the younger version of me. I haven't always been married with three kids, a dog, and a minivan. There so much of me better in my thirties and yet the carefree easy me of my 20's is still so wanted from time to time. I'm not living in the past, just coming to terms with the me of now and the possible melding of the two.

When did the 4 o'clock coffee time become a necessary ritual in my day? When did I daydream about the boob lift that could magically make the boobies smaller higher and show me the skin on my ribcage that has been covered for years. LOL. Have you ever weighed your boobs on a food scale to see how much your weight you could blame on the boobies? I have.

I do love the the more technical savvy me, the fact that I don't have crows feet around my eyes is pretty cool, the patience is pretty easy for me, and how I see myself in my children is worth it all. So, there has to be give an take in my mind. Ok..I won't overthink it today. No over thinking necessary. Maybe I am getting better with age, but could it just come on a little slower..:)?

Wordless Wednesday

Sentimental Moments

Feeling a little sentimental tonight and sipping a little wine. Kids are quiet and enjoying a movie. Headphones are in and I'm just enjoying a little Van Morrison. :)Have I told you lately that I love you....

All Over The Place!

Here's my little buddy. This picture was taken last week with him on the table after I got home from running some errands. It happened again this week. My poor little buy just nudged his way up looking for something yummy on the table. :) Little did he know the mommy was going to a field trip with the boy! LOL!

I wonder if he got up as soon as I left or if he waited an hour? He just has the cutest little whine when I walk in the door.

Ok...so Happy Saturday. I'm having a yummy diet coke right now and the girls are getting ready for "Jonas." Does anyone else think it's very Monkeys(esque?) Crazy!

It's been a pretty low key Saturday. A haircut for the boy, little errands, and cleaning is what's been making up the day. LOL..fun...I know. Hope yours is great!

Dreams Dreams Dreams....they've been taking me to places I could only have imagined! Another...Crazy!

Pissy Pissy Pissy

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if people could let go of hate and just treat one another with kindness. Just a few people...I'm just wondering about a few people. Those people could affect, maybe one person.

I sit here with a knot in my stomach and sad that my husband is still away.

Torture, regardless of who it's on, is wrong!

Torture is wrong!

Justice yes. Interrogation yes. Intelligence yes. Torture no!

I don't want my husband tortured. What would we say if that happened?

I'm ill watching the news and listening to men defend torture.

The news has just put me in a pissy mood!

Burps and Turtles!

There were about 10 lunch tables two classes of kids eating in the beatiful weather outside the museum. In one of those quiet moments it errupts like a volcano out of this little mouth. What you ask? The loudest grossest deepest belch of a burp you've ever heard from an 8 year old boy! My boy! Everybody turned around with gross looks on their faces..."Who was that?!" My boy...yep. So so very proud. LOL!

So, I'm getting ready to go on another field trip. Today it's with Ava's class. I'm sure it's going to be much easier than the group of boys I was with yesterday! LOL. Oh My! I always say boys are so much easier than girls. LOL...Well, let's just say they are easier when it's compared to the drama from the girls. When you're talking about a group of boys together with room to run and you're supposed to get them to focus and answer questions...another story all together! Fun was had by all, though. It was gorgeous.

Then came the turtles. The turtles were feeling quite frisky! "Hey Mommy it looks like the turtles want to make out!" Those turtles wanted a little more than to make out in the spring water in the aquarium!.
THE CHASE!

Stimulating The Economy!

HAPPY TUESDAY!

My daughter is STIMULATING THE ECONOMY...One Webkinz at a time.

She removed her things from her wall, except the center watercolor. She then hung up all her Webkinz birth certificates that she printed...which used massive amounts of ink, I might add! She has more to print, but I told her to give it a rest for a while. I need to save a little ink! She called me up to show off her wall, "Mommy, come look at my room!" The famous words which beckon me up to a different scene every single time.


Oh..and did you know that our kids really have no idea what records are? "Hey Mommy, look one of those things from the 'Olden Days.'"

My Boy

Fruit Loops and Love!

I had the greatest Mother's Day! I woke up to a splash of Fruit Loops and milk on my face! Then a nice cup of orange juice was facing my mouth. I was tasting it before I knew I knew it was at my mouth. Fruit Loops and OJ..the best breakfast in bed I could have had. All of it was made by my sweet little guy. As I walked downstairs my girls had flowers and gifts all set up for me.

Love, smiles, and of course competition between the three of them...rounded out a fabulous and fully child planned Mother's Day!

My Boy

"Hey Mommy, I can fart with my armpit! Wanna hear?!" My lovely lovely boy announced after his shower. :)

Shame...really?

What do you do when your child finds out you take anti-depressants and other medicines, from reading the warning sheets in a walgreens bag. Well, I lied like hell and told her that the warning pamphlets in were only if you used the medicine for depression. Yep...that was me. I lied like hell. There's just something that a young girl doesn't need to know. I grabbed the bag so she didn't read anything else and just didn't make a big deal.

We do what we have to do to survive. Sometimes I feel like a a weak woman for needing help to be happy and survive. Moments like now I realize I'm pretty damn smart for knowing that there is no shame in needing help.

I've come a long way baby. :)

Glitches

Soooooo....after my computer crashed it's running much faster. There are some glitches, though. My twitters are off by 12 hours. Hmmmm. Maybe it's an AM PM thing. I will check it out when I'm done.

I started taking more pictures to replenish the pictures I lost form the computer. I'm still crushed over it, but I will get over it. If I could just figure out how to get my camcorder to sync up with my comuter. It just seems so complicated. My camera is so easy..but the camcorder is like an alien creature that doesn't want to cooperate.

What else? ...Hmmm... Oh I'm having a great diet coke on ice right now and it tastes wonderful. I have one outside playing, one in the living room with me, and the other upstairs working on French Homework! Homework...remember those days?

Just wanted to make a quick weekend flyby. Happy Saturday!
xoxo
Christie

Sore Sore Sore..

I don't think I've ever had my throat hurt like this before...ever. Even after anti biotics, I still feel horrible.

Our neighborhood has been warned about a 10-4 Power Outage. How fun. I think I'll just be sleeping, so I'm not too worried. I just need to sleep this thing off and feel better.

So happy Friday friends.
xoxo
Christie

Kris Allen!

This is why he will be at the end with Adam!

Want more American Idol videos? Click here.

Thanks Idol!

How come our kids can become so amazingly obnoxious one minute and sweet and flowers the next?

Why couldn't Idol be on at 8PM tonight. I promised them they could stay up until 9 to watch Idol and then boom it's not on until 9! God help me. I just heard my other's voice.

"One more peep out of you and you're in bed," Yes I did! Ugh!

Now on to the issues at hand. Who's going tobe inthe bottom 2. Hmmmm. Lil Rounds and Matt or Anoop. It's time for Lil to go home. It's time. She's amazing, but not an American Idol. Maybe it will be Anoop, but I think it should be Matt. He is good, too, but he also doesn't have "it."

Of course I love Adam or Kris. LOL. Of course.

Cringe Worthy Miss California 2009

This is the cringeworthy post of the day. Didn't she know who her audience was? How many straight men, besides dads and boyfriends, do you think go to beauty pagents? I mean come on! So you are for or not for "opposite marriage" LOL..real piece of work. It's about "knowing your audience and speaking to them." If she can't speak and make sense, the opposite marriage answer for example, then she shouldn't have won. That is just my humble opinion. LOL. What do I know?

Very Different

Two photos with completely opposite meanings. Can you imagine that sticker in 2012..Ugh! Never!

One brings smiles and boasts of innovation and service to our country. With little ones dripping ice cream on him pot of a belly.

The other...is a scary thought.

My Sweet Toshi...I'm Sorry!

Friends Friends Friends....and even those that are not Friends, I have advice! Always Always Always back up your files on your computer! That's right. I have lost everything on my Toshi. I could care less about all the written stuff. I do have CDs with that info. Important spread sheets are "backed up," of course, on another computer! It's just my computer.

My sweet sweet Toshi crashed. She froze and wouldn't do anything but rotate between the safe mode screen and the welcome screen. Poor Toshi. She's been my sweet companion for a few years.

Toshi is the keeper of my secrets. She's able to take the abuse of my fevered fingers in anger. She loves the excitement and keeps up beautifully. My pictures have sat in there sweet files and ready when I needed them. I was the one not taking care of her. I should have given her some better "vaccines" or antivirus stuff that prevented her crashing. Poor Toshi.

I promise I will do a better job my sweet keeper of my thoughts, secrets, stories, and pictures of everything. :)

Surprises...

The surprises in life keep me on my toes, ok well my size 7.5 feet. My toes would be numb with all the surprises flying my way.

I am getting ready for a move in the next 4 months. It feel like we just got here, but it's been three years. Life in California seems a lifetime ago. My life in California seems like two lifetimes ago...and I still miss it.

Aaaaahhhh how life goes on....
xoxo