OK, So I'm Not So Great At This...

Here I thought I had come up with a great way to blog ~ catalog ~ journal my thoughts for future viewing... And I haven't even been on here for over a month!
With Thanksgiving coming up, I've decided to list things I'm thankful for, in no particular order:
1. My hubby
2. My kids ~ all 3
3. My family
4. God
5. Freedom of Religion
6. My home
7. Hubby's job
8. The ability to be a SAHM
9. The ability to return to work whenever
10. "Surviving" a motorcycle crash (more on that below)
11. Friends
12. Great neighbors
13. Health
14. Frugal Hubby (sometimes that's HARD to be thankful for!)
15. Changing seasons
16. Healthy family
17. Chocolate
18. Pets
19. Sight
20. My car (hey ~ at least I have one!)
21. Music
22. Straightening irons
23. Liquid eye-liner
24. Gold hoop earrings
25. BIG sunglasses
26. Capri's
27. People who aren't afraid to share their story/testimony
28. Small-town friendliness
29. Fall
30. Yummy candles (hazlenut, pumpkin, toffee, etc.)
31. Hearing
32. Teachers
33. MOPS
34. Internet
35. Pretty papers
36. Hobby Lobby
37. Window Shopping
38. BBQ grill
39. Bible
40. Humor
41. Paint
42. Flowers
43. Quick e-mails
44. Long e-mails
45. Halloween costumes (why only once a year?)
46. Christmas
47. Thanksgiving
48. Daydreaming
49. Lowe's
50. Home Depot
51. Christmas Decor
52. Picnic's
53. Going to the park
54. Lazy Days
55. Hugs from my kids
56. Hugs from my hubby
57. Jokes
58. Hair color
59. Ribbon
60. Warm blankets
61. Hand-me-downs
62. Gardens
63. Fresh baked zucchini bread
64. Lotions from Bath & Body Works
65. Digital Cameras!!!
66. Contact lenses
67. Good family movies (Kit Kittredge: An American Girl)
68. Swim suits w/ skirts
69. Cabins at the lake
70. Watches with a date on them
71. Books
72. Glasses (for when I'm too lazy for contacts....)
73. Flip-flops
74. Red nail polish
75. Crafts
76. K-LOVE (Christian radio station)
77. Watching the leaves change color
78. Falling gas prices! (currently: $1.99/gallon)
79. Coupons
80. Clearance Racks
81. The right to vote
82. Lipstick that makes me feel pretty
83. Splenda (sugar substitute)
84. Butterflies
85. Telephones
86. Fuzzy slippers
87. Debit Cards
88. Garages (I hate scraping windshields in the winter!)
89. Windchimes
90. Coffee
91. Foaming handwash (makes handwashing fun for the kids!)
92. Pianos (even though I can really only play Mary Had a Little Lamb!)
93. Thrift Stores
94. Long walks
95. Microwaves
96. Little Caesar's $5 pizzas on a hectic night!
97. Quiet times
98. Bunco friends!
99. Basements (Hey ~ I'm in tornado alley!)
100. The ability to list 100 things I'm thankful for!

OK, so here is the explanation for #10: Last Saturday, Hubby & I decided to enjoy one last beautiful fall day by going for a ride on the motorcycle. We were headed for the park, on Main street, and there was a lot of traffic. It was around 5:30pm, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous! We were in the inside lane, alongside a car. There was oncoming traffic, as well as vehicles in front of & behind us. There we were, cruising along at about 25 - 30 mph, and the driver next to us decided to change lanes. . . Where we were. There really wasn't time to do anything but react, so Hubby swerved a little within our lane, (?honked?), and braked. The brakes locked up, and the other driver must have seen us ~ she had moved back into her lane. Too late. We lost control, and were thrown from the bike. ouch. But, in all, we are thankful. Thankful that we didn't make contact. Thankful that we weren't on the highway. Thankful that the other drivers were paying enough attention not to run us over. Thankful that there were no broken bones. Thankful that there were no facial abrasions or lost teeth. Thankful that, while the motorcycle will need lots of repair work, hubby was able to get it home. Thankful that there were people who came out to make sure we were ok. Thankful that several people offered to give me a ride home so hubby could concentrate (and I wouldn't freak out). Thankful that God made bodies that will heal. Thankful that these scrapes & bruises will heal, the aches & pains will recede, and it will be a memory. Thankful that what "could have happened" didn't. Thankful!

In A Funk

Sometimes I get into such a funk, I really just don't want to be around me. But... Since I haven't figured out just how to do that, I stick around. Today seems to have started out as one of those days. Blah. Yuck. And I had to be around people. woo-hoo. I'm such a joy, let me tell you! Typically, I like to think that I am. But today was a different story.

I am in a group called MOPS (Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers). http://www.mops.org/ Since my youngest is 5 and in kindergarten this year, I am on the "cusp" of graduating out. I *almost* didn't rejoin this year, just to try to acclimate myself to my future of NOT being in such groups. But, at the last minute, I couldn't resist! I ♥love♥ being around these women! For the past couple of years, I had been on the Steering Committee ~ the first year I was in charge of Moppets: our counter-group for the children of the Mommy's. My job was to secure teachers &/or caregivers for each of our classrooms and the nursery, make sure the lesson plans were prepared & all supplies needed were provided, and snacks for the children were in constant supply. This was an eye-opener for me (as it is every time I get involved "behind the scenes"!) You know, I get so caught up in my own little drama of a life that I forget to think about just HOW MUCH effort goes into each meeting (and not just MOPS, but Bible Study, PTO/PTA, etc...) Last year, I switched positions on the committee, and was the Craft/Creative Activities

?director?.... Anyway, I got to come up with crafts that (sometimes) coincided with the topic of each meeting, or at least the holiday/season. The draw-back? Each craft could only cost around $2 per mother. Our budget was limited. However, I tend to craft like that in my own home, so it was right up my ally. One of my personal favorites was a wooden pumpkin decoration we made. I bought a landscape timber, cut it into blocks (I think I needed around 20) and drilled a hole into the top of each block. The hole was to accomodate the screw that was on the ends of each of the knobs I found that resembled a curly stem. You know how Lowe's always has some paint that has been rejected? I found some that was the perfect color of orange, and then sponge painted over that with some gold and bronze paints from Hobby Lobby, and voila! At less than $2 each, I thought they were pretty cute!

OK, so I digress. I tend to do that.

Today was MOPS. I'm not on the steering committee this year. So, I didn't feel too bad when I knew I was going to arrive late... Except that that's a bad habit from my youth that I have tried *HARD* to overcome, so even though I somewhat intentionally did it.... And even though others came after me.... I felt bad. Sometimes I can give myself the worst guilt trips! My mood was not "up" and I think maybe I should have just stayed home. But I suppose after I replay what our special speaker talked about, I'll probably be glad I dragged myself there. And besides, one of the ladies made an AWESOME dip that I never would have been able to try had I not gone!

THANK YOU!

OK, so I'm really not all that computer-saavy. Really. But I'm willing to learn! And guess what? I found someone who was able to teach me something I just couldn't figure out on my own.
http://thecutestblogontheblock.com/gifs.php
The Cutest Blog on the Block. They're GREAT! I would put a "button" for them over to the side, but none of them would upload. So, I'm plugging them here! I wanted to have a really cute layout ~ one that wasn't offered by Blogger. I had found several that I ♥loved♥, but just couldn't figure out how to get them. grrr. . . I gave up for a couple of days, but then I forged ahead. I just didn't want to stick with the simple background that I had! Lo and behold, I stumbled across their site http://thecutestblogontheblock.com/gifs.php and found that they offer free layouts, too! WOOHOO! But the *best* part was that they walk you through, step-by-step, just how to add all the cute stuff! Thank you, Cutest Blog on the Block! Now MINE is cute, too!

My Pre-teen LOVES me!

Even though she's in that phase (that I hope she quickly outgrows...) where everything her father and I say or do is embarrassing or dumb... She told me she love me when I dropped them off at school this morning! OK, so I had to prompt her. And she barely said it above a whisper. And she looked around before and after mouthing it ~ to make sure nobody saw. But I saw ~ and heard ~ and that's all that matters. She's the type of child who wants my undivided attention, and gets rather annoyed at her 2 siblings when that can't seem to happen. She has discovered that the only time she *might* have me all to herself is at bedtime. Unfortunately, I can't give her the entire hour (or even half hour) that she thinks she needs. OK, sometimes I do. I can't help it! I don't know how much longer she'll want to talk to me like that. Hopefully forever.

My Magical Kingdom

I live in a magical kingdom, filled with a King, a Prince, and 2 Princesses! Sometimes I feel like a Queen, but more often I allow myself to think I'm Cinderella...
A couple of years ago, when our youngest was around 3, I was talking to our plumber on the front porch while she played. It had rained most of the night and morning, and the gutter was filled with rainwater. After a trip inside, she came back out decked out in a pair of yellow rain boots, a skirt, and an umbrella. Pretty soon the plumber started laughing outright, and I turned to look.... at my precious girl standing in the gutter, with water almost to her knees, bent over to look into the water. She had her skirt flipped up to her waist, showing everything!!! "Mom! LOOK! It's a WUUHM!"That would be worm. From then on out, she has earned from me the nickname Princess Puddlejumps. Because I then needed to name my other two children, I went to brainstorming. Hmmmmm.... Our oldest was easy: Princess Primps-a-lot. But our son? It couldn't be girly, but cute & accurate. I got it! Prince Frog Finder he is. But do you know what I *just* realized while typing this? The King has never been assigned a name. So, now I have to once again do some brainstorming...
And now I must go be Queen for a Day and check out what the youngest princess made in the backyard....

MAYBE THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIRST...

Well, I'm so new to the blogging world, I have no idea *what* I'm doing! The main reason I decided to set up my blog is to try to somewhat "journal" my thoughts and ideas, if for noone else but myself. Call me the world's worst mother when it comes to this, but I am NOT disciplined in the area of writing down things my kids do, say, or anything. You could never ask me how tall they were at a certain age, or how much they weighed. I don't have a date for when any of them lost their first tooth. Part of me consols myself with the fact that ~ in the "old days" ~ mothers never used to keep track of those things. The other part of me is screaming "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING????"
So, in an effort to do a better job, I'm going to keep those mundane & not so mundane things logged here.... And maybe, someday, as they get old enough to maybe care..... maybe they'll enjoy looking back and seeing what I typed. Or not. That's a lot of maybe's. But I'll enjoy it!
Now, if I could just figure out the little workings of this thing...
How do I add "buttons", or links to other sites I like?
How do I use a layout NOT offered by Blogger?
Is there any way to choose fonts NOT offered here? (I *do* like more choices...)
So many questions! I'm sure *someday* I'll have some of them figured out. maybe.

WHO DO YOU *REALLY* WANT TO VOTE FOR???

I would never presume to shove my political thoughts down anyone's throat, but this test was interesting.....
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/MatchoMatic/fullpage?id=5542139