Photo Catch up

So here are my girlfriends and me in Dallas. It was super cold in that hotel -I think I wore that sweater the entire time! We had such a great time and learned so much that we are now working on putting to use. There were great new products introduced --mineral color makeup and "instant facelift" set. I am excited about the possibilites and opportunities with this company! Where else can you play with makeup and make $50+ an hour?

Friday, Jackson received an academic award at the assembly! He found out that he had earned a 4.0 and had straight A's on his report card! This is only his 2nd report card with grades and he is really excited about it. This meant he was on the Superintendents List! Grandma, Papa and I all re-arranged our schedules to be at the assembly and we are so glad we did!

Sunday we took Sammy for his test. He has completed 8 weeks of obedience training. He is a smart little guy and is learning quickly most things.. except to come when called -he struggles with that still! We tried to get a picture of him wearing his graduation hat, but this is the best one I got. Mary (the trainer) also got one of Sammy (hat on) with Jackson -so when we get that I'll post it too.

Steven played his heart out on Saturday. The had 2 scrimmage games for his little league team (season starts next week) and both went to the other team. Those teams remain intact after last season -adding only 1-3 players. Stevens team only retained 3, adding 9 new players to the team. This was their 2nd time on a field together. The coach is excited about how they played -saying that it was good to see them in action, making notes of what to work on before the season starts. Steven did an awesome job pitching and catching. He caught 2 long innings (due to fielding errors) in the first game, then pitched 2 innings, they played 3rd and outfield.. then there was a break for dinner at which time the weather went from 63 and sunny to about 54 and dark. His legs started to stiffen up... the coach asked him about catching in the 1st of the 2nd game.. he opted not to, but was a trooper and went back to catching in the second. I am not sure how long he stayed behind the plate, Jackson and I headed home at 8:15 after 5 hours out at the field. I was frozen and needed to warm up! So my picture share is Steven's shiner. He got hit by a ball during warm up (not even the game) and he readily admits it was his own fault. The scratch was there on Saturday, but the black eye came out on Sunday... when he finally got up at noon!

It's almost book fair time.

For the last 8 years I have run the school book fair. 2x a year for a week my entire life (and my family's lives) become caught up in the craziness of this event. I love the book fair and enjoy the time at school and interacting with the kids. I had to make a decision and this is my last fair.. #16. I will miss the event itself. I will not miss the hours and hours of planning or the full time job of it for 9 days from set-up to financial closing. I will miss having a project to work on with my mom -she has been my co-chair for several years and my #1 helper for years before that. But it is time to call it quits. I feel it, I know it, which doesn't make it any easier, although I really thought it would.

So our delivery is Thursday. I have 2 new additional co-chairs this year. Friends who are planning to take over next year, as they have 1st graders and will run the fair for several years and help it grow. I will admit this has been struggle for me. I am not good at delegating, preferring to do it myself and ensuring that way that it will be done to my satisfaction and on my time schedule. I am struggling with that right now, but doing my best to let go and knowing that the fair has a momentum of it's own and it will continue on,no matter what we do or fail to do.

That said, I have 3 days to get my life in order. To get all our clothes clean, get ready for baseball season to start, grocery shop, make my returns, clean, finish my work for my job so I can clear a whole week for the fair, make menus for 10 days, plan meals for days when I will come home exhausted and we will need to eat before heading to karate and then baseball --all in the same night!

I have been trying to make the menu for 2 days. For some reason I am having a hard time remembering crock pot recipes we all loved and eat. I really need to use the crockpot 5-7 times in the next 2 weeks.. so if anyone remembers anything we loved or has a tried & true recipe they loved --don't hesitate to forward it on to me, please!

Time changes are not my friend. I was up early today, hoping it would mean I would go to bed early tonight... obviously that didn't work! I haven't downloaded my pictures for this week but I have some and those posts will be coming over the next couple of days as a strive for a balance of sleep! A sneak peek of what's coming: Sammy took his obedience test, Jackson's academic assembly, Steven's scrimmage games... and more.

A weeks worth of updates...

So here in our house time is flying by... Steven has practice just about every day for baseball. He seems to enjoy it and is learning, which is really all I ask from a sport. He has had to put basketball on hold for the time being, but will pick it back up once the baseball season starts and they are down to 2 games, 1 practice.. vs. 6 days a week practice! Jackson has been focused on his karate and spending time with us. I love that! He wants to watch something, play something, see something or do something with me... not always convienent for what I have to do.. but I make the time because its important, to him and to me.

I left early Thursday morning and flew to Dallas for the BeautiControl Leadership conference. I was dazzled, inspired, overwhelmed and tired by the time I got home Sunday night. After picking me up at the airport, we stopped at the Natomas Sizzler (where they have a FABULOUS! salad bar) and then headed home to bed. I learned so much during my trip - much of it about me and how I view myself. I took away so much, I am really happy I went.

I woke up Monday and knew I was sick. A quick trip to the dr. confirmed strep throat, which she said I probably picked up on the plane to Dallas. 24 hours of antibiotics & rest and I feel alot better (although I also have a lot of to-do's that aren't done!~) I will get done what I can and not stress about the rest!

Tonight I am hosting a Premier Designs jewelry party. I am super excited about the products - having actually worn jewelry every day for the last 10. I am most excited to have a night to hang out with my friends, trying on jewelry and chatting. I am making green pepper soup, chinese chicken salad and will pick up french bread. Simple, but yummy and filling on a cold, wet day.

It is still raining here... it has been since I got home. It is not as cold, maybe because there isn't any wind? but still damp and dark. I feel like spring has to be on its way, right around the corner and I am excited for that.

Steven's team is playing 2 scrimmage games this weekend. I am happy to report that the forecast says it should be 57 degrees and cloudy - but no rain! They are playing 2 strong teams (both had lots of kids return from last year, whereas we had 3/12 returning) and I think that putting them out on the field is the best practice at this point, actual play. The coaches put the kids thru lots of conditioning and drills.. but they have only had the opportunity to practice on a field once because of the rain. Opening day is in 10 days... they don't actually play until the 17th so we have about 2 weeks left.

I feel like my brain is spinning in 15 different directions. I am not sure how coherent this post is.. yet I feel good about having got so much of this info out of my head. I am a big fan of the "brain dump" ... get the info out and written down, then you don't have to think/dwell on it.

Today I need to pick up the house, sweep/mop and run to the grocery store for milk, bread, etc. I am hoping the rain will stay stopped long enough to get the dogs to the park.. they are going a bit crazy inside and even walks aren't getting their energy out. The park doesn't open today until 10 a.m. and I will be there then if there is no rain.. just bring towels to wipe them down before getting back in my van. I am planning to sneak a little nap in if I can.. antibiotics really make me feel tired and a short 45-1 hour nap helps a bunch (it did yesterday).

Wanted to say a late happy birthday to my cousin Chris! Hope everything went great for you on your weekend birthday! (he was born on Feb 29, so they celebrate both Feb 28/Mar 1 on years he doesn't get his actual birthday).. you are a teenager now and that is so hard to believe!! We are thinking of you on the West Coast kiddo!

Free Pancake Day at IHOP

Today between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. everyone can get a free short stack of 3 pancakes. Donations are being accepted for the Children's Miracle Network at each location.

In addition, please don't forget to tip the waitress/waiter based on the value of the meal and drinks are extra! So free pancake day really won't be free, but low cost.

We were planning to go after school -the kids get out at noon today, but our plans have changed. Instead we are going to go see Aunt Cyn and the babies at the hospital.

Then we have more baseball practice and karate tonight.. a busy night here.

Today I woke up to sunshine coming thru my window. I felt happy and rested. I came downstairs and it is dark and gloomy... but I am still happy. I think the sun was just peaking out of the clouds and angled just right to hit my bedroom window.. and I am grateful for that. That one burst of sunshine has changed the path of my day!

I really think I have S.A.D.

Seasonal Affect Disorder. It is real. I think I must have it. When it is rainy and blue outside, I feel blue inside. I have thought about blogging every day this week.. but didn't get around to it because I felt like I really didn't have anything to talk about.

We are kicking back into busy around here with baseball. Steven has had practice 7 of the last 8 days. 2 hours a day! It cuts into our schedule, that's for sure. In fact, he and his dad are at practice right now.

I leave Thursday morning for Dallas. I am headed to the BeautiControl Leadership convention. I am super excited about the trip, but hate all the preparations that go into a trip.. packing, listing what to pack, figuring out my food for the trip (trying to not eat out much) from both a WW and a budget perspective. I am lucky that one friend is driving, so she will pick up water, apples and bananas and milk for me! I plan to have oatmeal with banana in the room each morning, apples for snacks, we are getting lunchmeats/bread for lunches and so just 2 dinners out and the rest is done! The cool thing about packing is figuring out exactly how much of my clothing doesn't fit. So I shopped at Old Navy Saturday and got 3 shirts and a skirt for $34!! I haven't been able to shop there, off the rack since I had Jackson. It was so nice to get so many cute pieces for so little $$. Added to what I have -I should be set. I am just looking for a swimsuit so I can go in the hot tub at the hotel...

My SIL had her surro-babies yesterday. Twins. 1 boy, 1 girl. She and the babies are all doing well, so that made me really happy. I hate hospitals and always worry whenever anyone needs surgery -so to know it's all good is peaceful.

I have been prepping and cooking for the family so they will have food during my trip. The boys have school, but the hubby will be home for the 4 days -I think he is looking forward to the break. Of course he has to juggle baseball, basketball, karate, school and such.. such fun and not often his responsibility.

Menu for the week:

Monday: Chicken Noodles
Tuesday: Spaghetti & meatballs with garlic bread
Wednesday: Chicken
Thursday: Shepards Pie
Friday: Tacos
Saturday: Hot dogs with Mac & Cheese
Sunday: Chicken Noodles
Monday: Spaghetti with sausage
Tuesday: Chicken Parmesan
Wednesday: Pork Chops.

Now I have to go.. Jackson is sitting behind me, waiting (somewhat patiently) to watch Jon & Kate Plus 8. This is the episode where they get 2 puppies.. he can hardly contain his excitement.

Another week begins...

So since Friday.. what has gone on here.... well, let's see. It was my dad's birthday! I went to breakfast and saw a movie with my friend whose son's birthday it was too. We had a nice time, a few minutes to stop worrying about other things. I found out on Thursday that USAA is closing the office where I used to work. I was nostalgic about it -but her husband still works there -so for them it is a big deal! So we took a time out. We needed it.

Then I went home, took the dogs to the park in the pouring down rain to get their energy out... picked up Steven at home, then Jackson at school and took both dogs to training. Since Sammy is in a class by himself -he has progressed thru the requirements faster than expected (3 classes left including that day) so our trainer, Mary, said we could bring River to the last 3 classes to see if we can work on them together. Because although Sammy behaves on his own, they seem to feed off each other and get crazy when they are together.

After training we took the dogs home, fed them, picked up the presents and Jonathan and headed to my parents house for dinner. We had a great lasagna dinner and then blueberry and apple pies for dessert.

We got word that the baseball tournament for the weekend was cancelled, so Steven made plans to join his basketball team at their tournament for 2 games Saturday. They lost both games but the boys played better than I've seen before.. more passing, rebounds, etc. After that we headed to Back Forty for a Valentines Day lunch/dinner as a family. Then home and we planned to watch Groundhog Day. We all got busy doing other things and my head was pounding, so I opted out of the movie, took a hot bath and went to bed early. I hear the boys really liked the movie -so I was sad I missed the fun -but I felt like a new person when I woke on Sunday.

Sunday we hung around the house most of the day. Steven and I did watch Curious Case of Benjamin Button and I watched The Secret Life of Bee's... both were good movies. Then we had to be at Round Table Pizza by 5 for Steven's baseball team meeting. He is on the Diamondbacks this year -they renamed the Cubs... his coaches seem knowledgeable and I am super pleased about that! It's about time for him to be really challenged by people who know what they are doing!They started out strong with a week of practices all lined up!
We came home and everyone got pj's on then we watched the season premier of the Amazing Race! Gosh we love that show!

So today the boys slept in. I went to my WW meeting (lost 1/2 a pound) and then came home. We spent the morning hanging out and cleaning up from the weekend. Then Ciera came over and she, Jackson and I headed out to see Twilight. Steven didn't want to go, which was good, because it stopped raining just in time for him to go to baseball practice. They are using the blacktops right now, not the grass, so they were good to go. We all got home around the same time... I quickly got the spaghetti ready (sauce was already done in the crockpot) and we ate...now everyone is getting ready for tomorrow. I hear the sound of a bath -Steven is a bit sore, but excited about his team. He is probably soaking in the tub in anticipation of batting practice tomorrow.

It is cold, wet and dreary here. I don't like this weather. It makes me blue. There are times I wonder if I don't have Seasonal Affect Disorder as I am so conscious of the weather and my moods. I can't wait for it to be bright and sunny! It makes me much happier than all this darkness. Sometimes I really think I can do it all. Other times I know I can't do it all. Right now I just feel like I can't do anything. Lots of started projects I don't finish. I want to finish them, but I don't seem to care that they aren't done.

Now that I am feeling better, more rested, I am ready to get some things done. This week is full of to-do's and I want to cross off lots of them! Wish me luck...

What a day it turned out to be..

First I would like to say thank you to everyone who sent me such nice emails today. I am ok, really I am. I am ready for the weekend and some "time out" with my family. I hate whirlwind weeks like this and don"t seem to handle it well. I still have a headache and am tired, hopefully one more night of good sleep will make it better.

Right after I finished my blog post and got my cup of tea, I glanced out the window and saw a car park across the street. As I looked I realized there were 2 women walking towards my house... another glance and I realized it was my sisters-in-law.. Marisa and Lori- who is here from Colorado. She had business in San Francisco and was able to work out a few days to come here... she wanted to surprise me and it was a surprise.

I told them they were lucky that I was home sick today.. otherwise I would have been scrapbooking or getting my oil changed (which Jonathan had talked me out of about 1/2 hour before when I questioned if I should go run errands since I couldn't seem to fall asleep). Instead they found me in my sweats with bed head, but swept me off to have lunch at the Olive Garden anyway.

We ended up spending a couple hours together and laughing -- which was something I needed, really needed.

Emotional times...

So it is already Thursday.. time seems to have flown since I updated on Monday, but really I haven't been on the computer much at all. Mainly because it is taking my system 30+ seconds to load every page and my patience is thin because I am not feeling well.

Tuesday morning I got the call that my parents good friend had passed away. He was in the hospital last week and went home with Hospice on Sunday. While I was not close to him, his wife has been a very influential person in my life since I got married. I have been very worried about her and am glad that my mom has been there with her everyday taking care of her. I haven't been able to see her yet -I am still so afraid that I will break down and cry - and I know that isn't going to help anyone. It is just so weird to me that less than 3 weeks ago when I saw her and we talked... the next time I see her nothing in her life will be the same. I love her and hate that she has to go thru this. I will say, just typing this makes me cry -so I know I am not ready yet. They were married 60+ years I think - and now she has to live without him. It is hard for me to imagine.

I have been very lucky in my life. I haven't lost many people I loved and I am so grateful for that. Those who were important to me and are now gone, I miss and think of often (Gram, Grandma Cline, Pop, Uncle Vele, Uncle Bob,Grandma Begley and my Grandpa)... since I didn't see many of them on a daily, monthly or even yearly basis.. their deaths didn't have alot of impact on my daily life. Many people I know my age have lost parents, siblings, spouses, children... and I feel so sad for them. I hope that it is a very long time before that happens in my life. It is that one moment that changes everything in your life... everything.

So Tuesday I spent baking food to go over to the house. Then I headed to my meeting in Stockton. It was a long drive, but nice to have that time in the car with my friend -we had a great talk. Got home around 10:30 and went straight to bed, exhausted.

Wednesday I spent the day at home, trying to get things done and not really accomplishing anything. I gave in about 11:30 a.m. and decided maybe I can call my headache and tired feeling being sick. So I took a nap until Steven got home and then bundled up with my blankets to watch some tivo'd shows and try to relax. My head has been pounding and it has been brought to my attention that this could all be due to the weather change and it may be a sinus headache. Whatever it is, nothing is really making it feel better. I am not really eating, but I am drinking lots of water and hot tea. So Jonathan left about 5:15 to drive Steven to basketball practice and I got up to fix dinner... the ground beef was still frozen! I had had it out since 7 a.m. (5 # package) and it was only thawed about 1/2 an inch down. So when Jon got home I said dinner was cancelled and went back to my chair.. really I cried because I was overwhelmed and didn't know what else to do. So the boys ended up with pizza for dinner and they were all happy about it.

Then about 6:30 Jackson pointed out that he had to complete the actual test for his science project as it is due by Friday.. so we got paper cups, found the 5 pennies we needed and set it all to soak, carefully documenting each step as we went along. He completed the paperwork part this morning and it is done.. now we just need to compile the information onto a board and it will be finished.

This morning I had to get up (head still pounding) to drive both kids to school as it was raining and about 35 degrees outside. I came home, made a cup of hot tea, checked my work emails and went back to bed. I read for a bit, napped for a bit and now I can't sleep any more. I have the kettle on and once my tea is ready I will light a fire and sit down to watch a movie... maybe that will make time pass.... I can't sleep anymore, I can't focus to read really and I just don't know what else to do.

I have to say that this feeling sickly, stinks!