Lil Moments, Lil Ladies

2012-02-13T07:30:00.003-05:00

These amazing 3 photographs were taken by my sweet cousin Lisa when we were in Florida last week. She took many pictures of the weekend, especially of my Lil Ladies. These were the 3 she sent me so far, and by far our favorites.. I wanted to share them with you all.

A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future. ~Author Unknown

•A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future. Author Unknown

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. ~Amy Li

-Hope to post more tonight...

2012-02-10T17:47:00.001-05:00

A week goes by quick, wow!! It is already Friday, and are have been back from Florida for 5 days... I really would of thought I would of posted by now, but I have been so busy, and so tired. I feel like there is no time for anything anymore :( I am attempting to find the energy to keep myself together, and get through the days and be able to cross off items on my To Do List I have. That is a challenge in and of itself. I cross items off the list, and am always adding to the list. Seems I can not not rely on my brain any longer to remember what I need to do. My brain is lost in this pregnancy, ack! I hope it comes back to me after Alyssa is born. I will be desperate then.. In the mean time I have been resorting to sticky notes, and am in the process of trying a free phone app called Color Notes. I haven't figured it all out yet, but so far it works for what I need, but maybe there are hidden finds that will blow me away with amazement. A great friend recommended it to me, and now I am checking it out. I link it, so check it out if you would like.

Girl Scout Cookies are here, and the wonderful time of organizing them, delivering them, and collecting money begins! Micaela reached her goal of 150 boxes, and I think she surpassed that by a total of about 175. I posted on facebook last night the cookies arrived, and 6 more boxes came in to be ordered, Sweet!! :) Makes me happy that we have family and friends who support Micaela and Girl Scouts!! (But I will be happy when the cookies are out of my living room.) & look for a picture soon of Micaela & her Flat Juliette Low (Flat Stanely look alike). I will be explaining Juliette Low in another blog post.

I am an official member of the Red Hat Society! My membership became official earlier this week, and I am already excepted into a local chapter! I am even more excited about that. I have been in contact with the Queen of the Chapter, and was invited to my first event... Lunch at the Cheesecake Factory with my Red Hat Lades near the end of this month! I am excited.. I am an Offical Pink Hat (I am not yet age 50). My membership kit should arrive in the mail soon, excited for my RHS loot!! :)

Our little vacation get-a-way to Florida was amazing. We had a great time!! It was quick, amazing weather, and busy on the move we were. My cousin was a great host, and spending time with her was good. We visited Clearwater- the Clearwater Marine Aquarium where Winter from Dolphintale lives, played on the beach at Siesta Key in Sarasota! Amazing food, and yummy desserts were eaten too! My Lil Ladies were smiling the entire time, and just had a blast.

2012-02-03T10:16:00.002-05:00

Happy Groundhog Day!
February 2, 2012

Every year I look forward to this day, and turning on the local news to watch to see if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow or not. Puxsutawney Phil is located in Gobblers Knob, Puxsutawney, Pennslyvania, a few hours from where I currently live, and grew up. So to us, seeing Phil yearly is a wonderful tradition, and just something amusing we look forward to.

This year as the Lil Ladies and I ate breakfast together in the kitchen, I looked up the website where you can watch the 7:20 A.M. EST video of Phil the Groundhog. The girls thought this was really neat, and cool to watch. Made my day, and scored major points with my Lil Ladies (whoot! Whoot!). You can see the video here:

Aside from Groundhog's Day, I had my OBG/YN appointment, and it went VERY well!! I am overjoyed with out well it went, and all my fears were wiped away.I went into the appointment with fears that Alyssa was underweight as it was showing I wasn't growing as well as the doctor would of hoped. I was gaining weight like we wanted, but baby wasn't. So he had me come in a week later for an ultrasound, and follow up with him. I only had gained a pound in a week, which was good as it was 2-3 pounds each time I went in. I had my last trans-vaginal ultrasound to measure the placenta and cervix, everything looked great. So happy it was my last one, after having 8 of them done in a row. I was also measuring right on schedule, and he said it was either an error, or I just really grew in the last 1.5 weeks since my last appointment. Her heartbeat was perfect between 156-160bpm. :) I follow up with him in 2 weeks, and go early next week for my 1 hour glucose test. Gotta love the 3rd trimester! After my appointment, I had my ultrasound appointment. For the first time I got see Alyssa's face up close and in 3D.Alyssa is measuring perfectly, and looks perfect. She is exactly 3lbs, 80% and I was so happy to hear that. I got to see her entire body, and especially her face upclose. The tech printed out a lot of faceshots for me, so sweet of her! I also ordered a pink bear that has a recording of her heartbeat from the appointment!! I will take a picture of the bear soon..

But for now...

Isn't she beautiful, and such an amazing blend of her father and I♥

My Lil Ladies are super excited to be going to Florida for a small weekend vacation, as well as seeing my cousin and her family. The weather looks absolutely beautiful, and they are looking forward to a great time. We will spending our time in Sarasota/Bradenton area as well as Clearwater. I would like to update while I am down in Florida, but that might require borrowing my cousin's computer, and hopefully she will let me :) We might even see a sunset tonight, and possible complete #2 of my "5 Things I want to do while I am pregnant Bucket List", putting my toes in the sand/water!! :) We will be on our way at 1:30 flying from Baltimore to Bradenton!!

A few pictures of my Lil Ladies from this past week...or so

& to end...Sierra is such a sweetheart and painted my toenails a pretty purple for me as I can not bend over!! Officially ready for Florida now!!

2012-01-29T08:57:00.002-05:00

Sunday Ramblings... (Would love to turn this into a weekly "Linky" type of post. Where my posts concentrate around links that associate with my life, and interests..I am new to Swag Bucks & it has become quite the addiction lately. I am far from mastering how to earn a lot of bucks, but it has been a fun, and slow process.

I am finding Pinterest more and more interesting, and appealing. Finding amazing ideas, cute inspirations, and completely different ways of looking at things in a creative stand point.

I am completely interested in becoming a member of the Red Hat Society, especially becoming a Pink Hat. This has been a secret dream of mine for a few years, and finally am wanting to share this. Thought everyone would think I am silly for thinking of belonging to such a group of beautiful sisterhood, but I honestly do not care what others think. & the thought of being able to wear a *pink* hat is exciting.

After talking to one of Sierra's dance mom's (& nothing like the TLC Tv Show, lol) I am now fixated on taking a day trip to the Kitchen Kettle located in the heartland of Amish Country, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.This is about an hour from me, and the most perfect day trip. I know my Lil Ladies will enjoy this. Beautiful scenery, appreciating life through the eyes and ears of the good old fashion way of living. Visit a few shops that were suggested to me. I am hoping to cross this off my "Bucket List" in the Spring after Alyssa makes her arrival, and enjoy the fresh Spring weather.

Daisy, our American Bulldog, came from an amazing rescue, Paws for Life that is located in the same county I live in. We came across Paws for Life by complete accident as we were looking for a rescue dog, and saw Daisy's picture. We instantly fell in love. We plan to take Daisy back to visit her rescue home, and bring them some Doggie Goodies from my Lil Ladies. I am looking forward to this adventure as it will be good for Daisy, ourselves and especially the Lil Ladies. Maybe the Lil Ladies can volunteer with Paws for Life in some way, or be able to donate Doggie Goodies to them, as a way of doing a Random Acts of Kindness. I think Micaela would especially appreciate this.

2012-01-28T11:15:00.002-05:00

Blurbs for the weekend..Sierra & Micaela brought home reports cards for the Second Quarter! I knew they both made Honor Roll, but see the amazing grades on the reports cards yesterday, Such a proud Mama!! They both worked so hard, and deserve such wonderful remarks from me!! Micaela made High Honors with Straight A's!! She improved in most subjects. She just loves to learn. Sierra made Second Honors, which is A/B Honors. All of her grades improved as well, with the exception of Bible. She did very well, and she definitely worked hard this quarter for her grades. WTG Sierra & Micaela!

We had our interview with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Delaware yesterday for Sierra. The interview was very easy, and actually nice. I learned alot about the organization, and what they do for the community as well as children/youth. Sierra was interviewed as well! Sierra qualifies for the program, and wil officially be accepted early next week as a Little (what they call the chilren/youth). After she is officially accepted, she will be matched with a Big (what they call the mentor/volunteer). Sierra's Case Manager already had a good idea who would be perfect for Sierra, and was going to already contact her. The next step would be for Sierra and her Big to meet, and then we can start the Big/Little Sister Program. Hopefully within the next 2 weeks we will know what is going on, and can start. Sierra is excited for this, and I feel will be a major help to her as she is enduring so many changes.

Countdown to Florida is on. We will be going next Friday to Sunday to visit my cousin Lisa in Bradenton, Florida. We will be visiting Clearwater, Florida to see Winter from Dolphin Tale, the movie. Time to start packing, getting the items we need for the trip, and making last minute preps. It is going to go by so fast.. Girls are excited, and so am I. Looking forward to some R&R, and seeing family.

I have a doctors appointment on Thursday with my OB. After last weeks appointment, he had some concerns regarding Alyssa. He is concerned about her growth/weight based upon some basic measurements he took. He did a 'quick' ultrasound at my last appointment, and her heart rate is perfect, and she remains quite active inside me. He wants me to get in an indepth ultrasound to get a lot of different measurements. I will also get my last transvaginal u/s to measure my placenta/cervix. Those measurements have been amazing, and he feels this can be last round of measurements. Yeah :) I will know more about what is going on this week. I have been doing alot of praying, and just hoping for the best. Replying on my Faith and trust in God.

I have emailed about becoming part of the Pink Hat Society as I feel this is something I would enjoy, and like. The Pink Hats are a sisterhood of the famous Red Hat Society, but I am not sure if I can be a member of the Red Hat's or not because of my age. Something I will clarify with a few emails :) Looks interesting and exciting though. A connection I need to form to meet other ladies, and to keep my socialization alive.

But off to finish up things around the house, and get myself ready for the day. Between birthday parties, errands and entertaining 3 Lil Ladies, I am going to make the best of the day!

2012-01-25T07:23:00.001-05:00

Trying to keep up with my blog at some points is merely impossible, or I just become side tracked and lose focus on everything, and by the end of the day have started 5 different things, and only finishing the night accomplishing 1 complete task. I truly believe the saying, "pregnant minds have a hard time remembering things" and then it turns into "mommy brain". I was very lucky to not have to go through this experience with Sierra or Micaela, but third times the charm I guess. I am forgetting everything from what I said 5 minutes ago, to what I am suppose to do in 5 minutes. Very frustrating, and annoying. Especially when you are trying to take on so much at a time, and have very little room to slow down, breathe, and not feel rushed. Who has time to live a relaxed lifestyle at the drop of a hat after so many years of rush, rush, rush. At first I thought it was my insane lifestyle I live by being on the run all the time with being Super Mama of 2 Lil Ladies, but it is completely pregnancy related. My Super powers are not so Super, and have had to resort to turning in my Super Cape, to Slow Motion Cape. I couldn't do it, I can't do it, and I am now starting to pay the price of attempting to be Super Mama of Lif Ladies while pregnant. First it was my lack of memory, to trying to write things down to remember, to forgetting them, to experiencing pain in my lower back, and pelvic area. At first I tried to ignore it, push through, and chalk it up to Alyssa growing. Yes, Alyssa was and is growing as the days and weeks go on, but the severity of my pain intensified as I continued to push and push. Push and push for the sake of Sierra and Micaela not missing out on daily life they grew accustomed to. After a few doctor appointments, a lot of crying moments, and an anxiety attack, I forced myself to "try" to relax and trade in my Super Cape. Guess what?? It worked, I was feeling better, not so much pain, and able to remember things I did or had to do. I admitted my theory was wrong, and attempted to change my ways.. A very very hard task to do. I was feeling great for a few weeks, and assumed that I was able to try to start my crazy life up again.. That worked for less than a week, and I ended up even in more pain than I did in the beginning. It was horrible, and everyone was affected by it. Lil Ladies had to see me in pain, and a few times wasn't able to help them to basically anything around the house or even take Sierra to her dance class the one night. I felt awful. My boyfriend works 2/3rd shift so he was unable to be of assistance to take Sierra or help with the kids, because he would of in a heart beat. So with trying to be this amazing Super Mama I once was, I can honestly say I can't not do every.single.day.at.100.mph, I have to take it down a notch. I have been for the past few days. On the plus side I am feeling a bit better, not in as much pain, and its tolerable. The down side is that involves laying down more, and actually resting. It is hard trying to do things laying down and being confinded to my bed. I still am able to spend time with Lil Ladies by watching tv, reading books, and or movies, but it is not the same, it doesn't even feel the same. I feel like the worst Mama in the world because my Super Cape is not on, but I am still wearing my Cape.. If that makes any sense? I can feel they are feeling this change. Not sure if its a good or bad feeling they have. They just know Mama hurts, Mama is in a lot of pain with this pregnancy, and in unable to be the Super Mama she is normally is.. I hope to find a medium balance between the two. Still accomplish spending time with Lil Ladies, and assisting them in things they need my help in (homework, studying, attention, bedtime routine of tucking in, etc), but are able to gain some more independence by learning to do more around the house, and knowing what Mama does on a daily basis for us. This has sparked an idea for me to become creative with making a chore chart for each of them, and having a value system go with it, also thinking of a meal chart for the week so they could help me in cooking those meals on the that particular day. Just ideas that came to my head while having to endure all this memory forgetting, pain involved pregnancy, and the changing of attention to my Lil Ladies.

On a side note.....I was so happy to see that I have 2 never visitors on my Cluster Map. They are from overseas too!! I love it.. Makes me feel so incredibly happy to see progress from my blog. My blog posts are making a difference. I have SO many ideas to blog, just need to seriously find the time and motivation to do so.. But thank you to my Blog Readers! :)

2012-01-19T14:04:00.000-05:00

Lil Ladies Update:

Micaela

-Micaela is enjoying her beautiful red hair more as it is starting to grow longer. She has been doing an amazing job of keeping care of her hair, and recently been enjoying wearing her hair really curly. Using styling gel, and curl gel, she has appreciated her hair even more. :) We are still trying to find the right styling gel for her hair, but using the best with what we have currently.

-Micaela is currently selling Girl Scout Cookies for her Troop. My goal for her was 100 boxes, and her goal was 150. She exceeded my goal, and is currently at exactly 150! So proud of her, and so thankful for all those who ordered. The all time favorite cookie, as always, is Thin Mints! Micaela tried the new Savannah Smiles cookie at a recent troop meeting, and didn't like it. LOL!

-Micaela just finished a science project on Verebrates. She had to create a poster using pictures of animals, and finding facts about the animals as they fit into the 5 different classifications of Verebrates. She did a good job on the poster, and had a nice time doing it. She should find out her grade very soon. Second Quarter ends tomorrow.

-Micaela is enrolled in gymnastic classes, and LOVES her class. She has already had two classes, and her third class is tonight. She is learning new 'tricks' and I can already tell her coordination is so much better, and her balance is good! She is excited about her gymnastic classesm and so glad she is able to enrolled again. Classes go until June.

-Micaela is currently passionate about reading and enjoying the books she has picked out. She is currently reading Judy Moody and just loves the silly things Judy and her younger brother Stink create. She even has told me about a series that involves Stink Moody.

-Micaela is also enjoying her love for Legos, and the beautiful table my mom got her for Christmas. Creating new cars, houses & barns. She really wants the new Lego people that are out, and I hope to be able to get those for her for Valentine's Day!!

Sierra

-Sierra cut 5 inches off her last night, and is adjusting nicely to the shorter hair style. She has been wanting her hair cut for many months, and finally the moment came last night. She also got layers in her hair and they are feathered forward.

-Sierra is doing very well in school, and will be relieved when the second quarter ends tomorrow. She has done really well in English and Math this quarter.

-Sierra is excited her favorite show is back on for another season. She is really into the show, Dance Moms. She loves the drama, but much more importantly, she loves the girls and how they dance. She has learned a few moves, and mastered them. Very proud of herself.

-Sierra is going to taking part into activities at the local library. She is going to be taking a knitting and a crochet "class" where she learn basics, plus how to knit/crochet specific things. She is very excited about this, and looking forward to it. She knows how to crochet alot better than knit, but has the passion to learn how to knit. I hope this will spark an interest with her and she can possibly meet other girls who share the same interest as does.

-Sierra was told her songs for her dances that she will participate in for the Recital in May. I am aware that her hip-hop song is to Ice Ice Baby, yes the 90's song. I know her ballet is to a song by Bruno Mars. She was also informed by her amazing instructor, Amanda, that Sierra will have a small solo in both of the dances. She is excited, and that makes me a very excited mama.

-Softball starts soon, and that means sign ups for softball occur. I plan to email the president to make sure of a few things, but we are excited for the upcoming season to start, and once again be a crazy mama on the run. - & with an infant, a newborn infant at that.

-Sierra will be starting Big Brothers, Big Sisters in the next couple of weeks. She has her interview with one of Case Managers next week, and to find a good match for her. I am so happy she qualifies for this program, and that I was able to find her this opportunity. I think she will enjoy this.

Alyssa (In Utero presently)

-Carseat was purchased for her this week. It is so pretty!! A great deal for a used carseat, and brand new within the last 6 months. Barely used and everything came with it.

-Spoke with Stacey, our potential new daycare provider. I meet with her on 1/29 to have my interview, meet her family, and take a tour of our home. I think everything will go great, and we will be a perfect match.

-As of date she has 300 Stage 1 Huggie Diapers. Just bought the latest box this past week.

-Playmat purchased this week, brand new.

2012-01-15T13:56:00.001-05:00

Finally...After a few days of searching and reading Bible verse after Bible verse, I FINALLY found the most perfect Life Verse for my Sweet Alyssa. I was on the search for one that would jump out at me, mean something to me, and make me smile each ad every time I read it.

I truly believe everyone needs a Life Verse, a Verse they can come to in need, re-affirm them at all times, and one that will growing much meaning to them over the years. Both Sierra, and Micaela have Life Verses, as myself. Something I truly believe in, and I feel Alyssa is going to grow up to own this verse.

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
~Zephaniah 3:17 ESV

Now to have her Life Verse made into an art piece so I can hang it near her crib will be pure bliss!!

Off to start my search for the artist to create this for Alyssa & I♥

{Heading to Sarah's house to watch the rest of the Ravens vs. Texans Football Game. 17-3 almost end of the first quarter! Lets Go Ravens!}

2012-01-15T10:29:00.003-05:00

I woke up this morning to read the latest blog entry of Momma-D (my best friend, Angela, Mom's Blog..Did you follow that?)Her blog inspired me, and took my breath away. It was entitled "Jess's Tipping Point" & Momma-D shared two videos of a young, and talented young lady, Jessica Latshaw. Jessica is a beautiful girl full of soul and musical genius. She is a Godly Girl who shared her musical talent on a New York City Subway coming home from the grocery store. She had her ukulele in hand, and began an improptu little song "Ain't My Friend" with a man with congos who happened to also be on the same subway. A passer-by video recorded this duet, and the video made its way to You Tube. Jessica Latshaw was an instant hit, and her musical talent was instant success.

(Below is the You Tube Video)

From the video she was invited to Fox NY New Station for an interview and promote her song, "Ain't My Friend". She did an amazing job singing her song, and allowing her true spirit come to life. She has a voice that blows me away, and just a raw natural gift of musical genius. She recently recorded this song in a studio, and will be available on itunes, very soon, if not already.

Her interview clip from Fox NY

Jessica Latshaw: MyFoxNY.com

(I do not know how to make the video smaller to fit on my page properly, sorry)

I shared these videos with my 13 year old Sierra, and she was memorized by her performance, by her inspiration, and spirit. She commented on how brave she was to play her heart out to complete strangers in a very public setting. & completely off cue and not rehearsed. She thought this was amazing and now thinks of Jessica her new idol. Sierra loved how she put two entirely pieces of music/sound together and in one song. Singing one minute, and rapping the next, and all with a ukulele. Captured Sierra's complete attention. Sierra and I discussed Jessica and what she truly thought. I shared with Sierra that what Jessica did, is exactly what she can do, and is capable of doing. Sierra is a very talented dancer, and dances with full passion, from her heart. She shows as much passion, spirit and inspiration like Jessica does. Sierra just has to fully believe this, and she will be able to be just like her new idol. Because of Jessica, Sierra has a true foundation to go on.

I can not thank Jessica enough for laying the ground work for my daughter, and showing her anyone can believe, and follow the passion they believe in and are so talented in. Letting go, and following your heart. Making dreams become a reality, and being yourself. I owe Jessica a big Thank You, and hope some day to be able to do so. In the mean time I have left a comment on Jessica's blog page in hopes she reads it and responds. You can view Jessica's blog at: www.thislifeinwriting.com

I look forward to seeing this musical talent rise to the top, and be a huge success!

2012-01-10T19:45:00.001-05:00

The Countdown is on....lets go February...we want you here...and very very soon...Lil Ladies are anticipating our Lil Trip :)

After approval from my OBGYN, Lots of Prayer about this trip, talking to Ian about it, and figuring out the finances, & of course my cousin Lisa opening her home, this is happening.. & all within a month.
{I have NEVER EVER planned a short trip like this, this far, and this soon.. Totally not me, BUT trying to keep an open mind. New Year, New Ways, New Beginnings, New Ideas}

We are going to Bradenton, Florida the first weekend in February. My cousin and her family currently lives in Florida, and we are finally going to visit her. She has been inviting us down for awhile now, and I am FINALLY taking her up on the offer. She is so sweet and kind to open her home to us, and we plan to have a fun-filled and packed weekend. This includes............

The Highlight-
Going to the Clearwater Maine Aquarium in Clearwater, Florida to visit an amazing dolphin...we shall call her Winter. Yes, based on the beautiful new movie, Dolphintale. Micaela, my beautiful red head 9 year old, is absolutely over the moon that we are going to be visiting Winter, and seeing her in person. Micaela is such an animal lover, and was overjoyed with the movie. I am so blessed and honored to be able to make one of her dreams come true...visiting Winter.

Going to the local beach, and spending lots of quality time with my cousin.

Going to be enjoying myself, and seeing endless smiles on my Lil Ladies' faces. Putting my feet in the sand and the ocean for the first time in 2012. Traveling while pregnant, and being able to record that Alyssa will be on her plane, and visiting Florida for the first time. Relaxing and being able to say I am on vacation.. Even if we will be arriving on a Friday afternoon and returning on a Sunday afternoon!

Completely and utterly excited to be going, seeing my favorite cousin, and seeing my sweet Lil Ladies happy! Okay, happier than happy!!

I am trying to come up with a cute little idea to make this trip extra special for my Lil Ladies, and attempt to put together a little gift for them. I am not sure what, but something, and hopefully I can pull it off. {I just need to keep myself motivated about this, and kick into high gear}& of course many many pictures to come!!

2012-01-08T15:33:00.001-05:00

..Alyssa's Changing Table..
I bought this off of Craigslist on Friday, and bought it for a very good deal. Plus it was local and close to my house. The changing table was cleaned very well, and taken upstairs to its new home, the bathroom. Living in a townhouse limits the available space for such baby things. It also doesn't help that 4 other people live in the house full time, plus my step-daughter who comes to visit once a month for a weekend, and come April we will add Alyssa. So lots of people in a limited amount of space. I still need to purchase the changing pad, plus a cover for the pad. I am looking to get a pink or chocolate brown pad. I think whatever I can find the easiest, but my wish would be the chocolate brown for many reasons. Ian and I were talking and we thought it would be a nice idea to cover the bottom portion of the changing table. We were thinking of using the left over fabric we have from Sierra's Sweet 13, which is picture below.

This is the fabric. Defintely not top quality at all, but we feel it will work for the purpose. We would like to use an adjustable curtain rod to attach to the fabric and then that will attach to the changing table. It will be used for the front of the table so we can hide Alyssa's clothes, blankets, etc that will be placed underneath. I plan to also have bins to have everything more organized (to everyone that knows me knows I am super organized). I am going to ask Sarah and Janice (Ian's sister and mother, Sarah also being a really good friend). I have no idea how to sew and am the least artistic/creative person I know. I hope they like the same idea, and together we can come up with something that will work!Trying to work with our means, but yet have the prettiness and look I like.

These pictures were taken yesterday of Sweet Alyssa and I! We were heading to a Baby Shower (Micaela's Second Grade teacher is pregnany and having a girl in March) and this sweet little girl will be Best Friends with Alyssa. We have already dubbed the two girls being BFF's. Many many playdates to come, and a beautiful friendship.

This my favorite necklace I currently own. Amanda gave it to me, and she also has one. I wear it with pride, and yesterday I wore it with my outfit, and Sierra took a close up picture of it.

2012-01-07T20:21:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!! 2012 is upon us, and what an amazing year so far!! :) So much is going on, has happened and will be happening! I am in shock and have so much excitement, it is hard to put everything into words.. I am going try, I really am{I just really stink that this blogging world. I have all these amazing ideas. Thoughts in my head. But then its like I get so side track, and forget. I guess this pregnancy is really taking me for a loop, and making me forget, ALOT. I am going to try really really hard to remember, and be a lot better at posting and making my blog come alive.}

Our first true snow fall of the year. It was just a small dusting, but still happy to see white stuff on the ground. Didn't delay work/school or cause any caos to our busy morning schedule.

Another first snow fall picture.

Our first round of Baby Stuff that was given to us. Ian's friend at work is moving, and they are getting rid of stuff. A bouncy seat, boppy pillow, bumbo, and a really nice stroller. They also gave us a really nice bassinet, and blankets. I hear they have more to give us too. They generously gave us this stuff pictured above. I am so blessed, and am excited to have received such nice stuff. All stuff we can use and all in amazing condition!Update to More Sweet Alyssa Stuff:-Customized bedding as been started. Received word from my Due Date Buddy Adrienne that her Mama has started work on the bedding!! -I am in contact with a sweet woman who might be watching Sweet Alyssa. Best part, she lives about 2 miles down the road from me. Has all bells and whistles so far on my check list.-Baby Shower Date is set, and I am so blessed to have amazing friends throwing this for me.-2 Boxes of Stage 1 Diapers bought and at an awesome price. That is 200 diapers. -2 Big Bags of Wipes purchased at an awesome price.{I plan to purchase a baby item on a weekly basis until the baby arrives. This way I will be ready, and not have to feel stressed financially when I am closer to my due date. Coupons and good deals will be my friend until April.}But I am completely exhausted and tired. I REALLY hope to post more tomorrow as I want to get everything updated that is going on with my life and of course my lil ladies..

2011-12-31T16:56:00.001-05:00

Melting Pot for Dinner, New Years Eve Dinner!! Wonderful way to end 2011, and Bring in 2012!!Amazing food and spending it with my Love!!Will spend the rest of the night watching TV/Movie, and just resting/sleeping. Morning its off to breakfast at JoJo's and cleaning up the house in prep for my Mom.My Lil Ladies are spending the evening with Oma! Dinner at the Country Club and then to the movies to see TinTin! They are going to have a good time, and very well entertained! Tomorrow it will church, and then off to breakfast! My mom will bring the girls home, and she will see the house and complete bathroom that was finished earlier this Fall.Hoping to make another post tonight, and include my last snapshots of my Lil Ladies for 2011 I took. :)& a picture of myself, and my Sweet Alyssa!! (Maybe Ian and I too..)Couldn't end the year without a water leak. The washing machine became uneven and well a little leak occurred. We noticed it in time, and currently have the water off the machine, and fans on it. Thank goodness it was on tile and in the storage area!!Off to finished getting ready!!Please comment so I know you are reading my Blog :)

2011-12-31T16:37:00.001-05:00

Our Wish List for Alyssa Anne.All the items we will be purchasing for her, and are very interested in! After research, looking, and visiting stores we are happy with our choices, and think they are the best fit for our family, and especially for Alyssa. We plan to keep the new items at our house, and of course we have amazing friends/family who are giving us used items that we will use as well or in the homes of our family/daycare provider. {In less than 24 hours it will be 2012, the YEAR she will be born, and a part of our lives forever!! Oh My, what an awesome feeling!!}

Chicco Cortina Travel System Stroller - Chic

Graco Pack n' Play with Newborn Napper Station - Faith

Baby Cache Oxford Lifetime Crib - Cherry

Custom Bedding I am having made. This is the Fabric. Zoe Pern Fabric-Summer Floral in Brown Print.

Our Babies R Us Baby Registry LinkWe have yet to look at and completely pin point a highchair, swing & bouncy. We have good ideas, but if I can find these used, I will be very okay with that. My wish list also includes an exersaucer/jumpy combo, changing table, dresser.I am sure, okay I know I will be adding to this post again. A good reference for us, and to keep everyone posted on our Alyssa Gear!

2011-12-30T09:45:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2011 Review, Mama to Lil Ladies Style...
{Picture Heaven...lol}
The below are from my Dad and Stepmom visiting, and celebrating Christmas with Sierra & Micaela & of course Ian & I!! Lil Ladies got spoiled, and enjoyed seeing the grandparents!!

Christmas Eve...

Christmas Day.. My Lil Ladies opening up the gifts Santa left at our house! Loved to see happy faces, adorable smiles, and the excitement on the faces of my pure loves!!

Christmas at My Mama's...

Lee Ann Womack - I Hope You Dance

2011-12-27T19:59:00.000-05:00

This song has weighed heavily on my mind all day. Okay, all week!
Such a powerful and meaningful song. Brings so much reality to my life, my heart, my mind.
I just had to share with all of you.

I Hope You Dance
-Leeann Womack

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give fate a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their years and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small
When you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
(Wants to look back on their years and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)

(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their years and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

2011-12-25T08:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Happy Birthday To You
Happy Birthday To You
Happy Birthday Dear Jesus
Happy Birthday To You.

Happy Birthday Jesus
I'm So Glad Its Christmas
AThe Tinsel And Lights
And The Presents Are Nice
But The Real Gift Is You.

Happy Birthday Jesus
I'm So Glad Its Christmas
All The Carols And Bells
The Holiday Swell
And it's All About You
Happy Birthday Jesus
Jesus I Love You!

Thank you Lord Jesus for sharing this magnificant day with us! Your selfless pride, your beautiful life, and amazing Grace! I am so blessed to celebrate your birthday on this day!

~Merry Christmas to all of our family & friends~
~We wish you a wonderful day full of love & laughter~
~Be Safe, Be Merry, Be Bright~
Love, Brigitte & Family

2011-12-24T07:20:00.000-05:00

My Lil Ladies were so excited to receive mail today. It was Micaela's turn to get the mail, and when she came through the front door, she noticed an envelope addressed with her name, as well as one for Sierra and Breanna! Micaela saw it was from the North Pole, and knew it was from Santa. Lil Ladies opened up the letters immediately, and were tickled to pieces. This melted my heart, and I was so happy for them to get a letter from Santa. Both of the letters were different, very cute. They read them a few times each, and of course I captured the moment on camera!

Sierra posing for her Christmas Dance Program. She did a ballet number, and a hip-hop number. She did very well & if you are a friend of mine on facebook you will see her dances I put up.

2011-12-24T07:10:00.000-05:00

From Our Family To Your Family

Merry Christmas!!

We hope you all have a Wonderful and Safe Holiday.

We hope your Day is Merry & Bright.

Love, Brigitte, Ian, Sierra, Micaela & Breanna

Our Christmas Card we sent out this year!
Pictures were taken on our family vacation in July as we visited Chincoteague Island, Virginia.
& of course we included our Littlest Bundle of Joy due to arrive in April 2012.

Sierra & Micaela
Christmas 2011

2011-12-20T06:47:00.000-05:00

These past few days have been hard for me, really hard.
Like nothing matters, time is moving slowly, and I am becoming anger for no reason. No valid reason. I am crying over hurt feelings, over nothing.
I am pushing everyone away, not wanting to talk, and just putting up my walls and avoiding. I am stressing. Besides majorly stressing over my piles of bills, I am finding the source of my problem slowly. As the days creep closer to Christmas, they are creeping closer to the 23rd. This day last year I lost my beloved step-brother to a very bad car accident. He is greatly missed and madly loved. Loved by all, and missed by many. My family is not the same, and it never will be. We are all in good standing with one another, love one another like crazy, and are trying to go back to a 'normal' way of life. I am not sure that 'normal' will ever happen again, but maybe we can become close to that. In the meantime, I am falling apart as the days become closer to the 23rd. To feel the pain, to relive the hours of the day when he passed. To cry harder tears, to become even more angry. Not able to say goodbye, not able to be able to comfort my step-mother, and step-sister in a way I want to and should. This is due to my own lack of being able to deal. My poor family is suffering because of my hurt, and sadness. They are lacking my motivation, my 100%, my love to them. Because of lossing my beloved Kyle, I have been concentrating and focusing my effort, love, and motivation even more so on spending time with my family. Making those memories, the moments to last as long as possible. The love, the hugs, the laugh..I want those to be engraved into my Lil Ladies heads, and hearts. I want them to have those forever, and be able to smile when they think of those moments and memories. I wish I was doing even a better job of engraving more memories into the hearts and minds of my Lil Ladies, but I hope with the passing of the first anniversary of Kyle's death, I will be able to find myself again, even more, and able to get back to my 'normal' self. Maybe Kyle will help me fight that fight, and help me back to my family. They need me. I need them. I need to continue to spread those seeds, tend to those seeds, and help them grow. Help them all grow. If I fail, and my seeds spoil, then I know I didn't work hard enough.. I didn't do my job as a mother/partner/loved one. This is how I feel lately towards part of my family. Not sure if it is my lack of motivation due to my grieving of Kyle, or because I am not tired and have no energy. But for now... I miss Kyle, I love Kyle, and just want back 1 more time to see Kyle.. He is now a forever angel looking over us from Heaven. He is our Guardian Angel. He is forever an angel, and one who is always loved and never forgotten.

He is helping me to keep my Angels, My Lil Ladies in line for me.
How can you not love my Lil Ladies. They are my world, my life, my heart!

{These pictures were taken this weekend as we had some fun Christmas Fun. Between visits with Santa, eating breakfast with Santa, we had ALOT of fun.}
More pictures to come soon..

2011-12-16T13:53:00.000-05:00

I love you....Micaela Nicole

I love your beautiful smile, and compassionate heart.

I love your creativity & zest for life.

I love your intelligent mind, & your imagination.

I love your style in life, & your grace in God.

I love you more than words can ever express, and how much JOY you have brought to my heart, and life! You will forever by my Baby Girl. I ♥ you Micaela Nicole!

2011-12-16T13:40:00.000-05:00

Recent Pregnancy Pictures of Alyssa & Mama :)

These were taken in the last week. Between volunteering at Micaela's school for Door Decoration Contest, The Ravens Game on Sunday, Christmas Caroling with Micaela's Girl Scouts, its been a good reason to dress up a bit, and get some pictures of us!! {Is it April yet? I am SO ready to meet her}

2011-12-11T08:11:00.000-05:00

Micaela is back to her normal 101% self, she is bouncing all over, being silly, and being as cute as ever. I am so glad the headaches are over, and I hope they never come back to visit her again! She is very happy too! She is almost caught up on her school work too. Just has 2 science pages to do and to read. Hope she gets that done at her dad's today.

My Christmas party I attended on Friday night was nice, and I had a good time. Relaxing for me, and it was a nice break from the Lil Ladies. I was home and in bed by 10pm, but still 2 hours of just me was nice!! Thank you John and Jess for keeping Sierra for me, and even picking her up at dance!!
We did an ornament exchange, I got the prettiest ornament. Such a neat idea, and I hope we do it again next year.. Now it is time to prepare for my Merry Christgiving party I am having this coming Friday. Some of my good friends are coming too, shall be a good time. We are doing a tacky/ugly ornament exchange!! :) Time to start getting everything ready for that...after today..

It's Ravens/Colts Game Day!! It is going to be a cold one too. I am hopefully going to be dressed warm and in plenty of layers. They are calling for sunny skies with 40 degrees in the air. Brrr!! Game time is 1:00pm so I hope the sun will be out and doing its job!! I am going to be dressed in all purple.. Alyssa is going to her first official Ravens Game, and my Lil Ladies have never been to one before.. How unfair is that, LOL!
All I need to do is get myself dressed, do my hair, find my small camera and make sure that is ready, and drop off Lil Ladies with John and Jessica.. then off we go!! Pictures of course to come!! Me & Alyssa all dressed in our Ravens gear!! Maybe a picture of Ian and I too, if he is nice to get one with me.

I am hoping to start my creation on custom bedding for Alyssa. I contacted someone who is absolutely amazing with sewing. I hope she is able to get back to me today, and we can get the ball rolling. I have been in contact with someone to make my diaper bag, and all the supplies that go with that. I hope we are able to start that project soon. I am really starting to get anxious with the arrival of Alyssa, and want to start getting everything I need for her after the New Year! Can you tell I am anxious, excited, nervous all rolled into one!

Up on the agenda for this week:
Sierra's Chorus Concert
Micaela's Girl Scouts Caroling
My Merry Christgiving Party
Baking Cookies for the Party
Visiting Santa at Milburns with 3 Lil Ladies
Making Salt Ornaments
Visiting Lighted House are the area

2011-12-11T07:39:00.000-05:00

Elf on the Shelf..
Tad, the Elf joined our family about 2 weeks ago! Since then he has been a major part of our family. We have not followed the tradition with him like we were suppose to do, but my Lil Ladies are having fun hiding him, taking turns and carrying him around. Especially Micaela. She named him, enjoys taking him on "field trips" and going on the website. Tad has been in some interesting hiding places, and some were quite creative. We are not sure if Tad will go to sleep after Christmas, or stick around the house. I think he will stick around if the Lil Ladies have something to do with it. We read the book a few times, and I have to admit it is a very cute book. Tad was completely worth the money, and such a joy he brings to my family. I am just glad I followed the band wagon with Elf on the Shelf as everyone else in blogland was doing it.

2011-12-09T06:20:00.002-05:00

Good Morning! It is bright and early, 6:00am! I have been up since 5:15am when Micaela woke me up for another headache. She said it was starting to hurt again. So I gave her motrin and some more gatorade to drink. She is laying down in bed and watching TV. She looks a lot better than she did yesterday, but I am just stumped as to why her head hurts. She was fine through the night because she didn't wake me up. She fell asleep around 10pm and slept til 5am, so I am happy with that. The doctor did call to check up on Micaela last night. She plans to call again today, and I plan to call mid morning to see what the blood test results are. Our plan for today is have Micaela go to school, as I will be at the school helping in her room from 12:30 to 3pm. I hope she makes it through the day. She wants to go. She did half of her make up work last night too. MY poor baby girl. We are definitely doing better than we were yesterday morning. I will see how she is in another hour before she has to get up for school or to not go to school.

In other news... I read last night online that The Duggar Family, you know JimBob and Michelle Duggar with all 19 children. Michelle was pregnant with #20, and at her 20 week prenatal appt she learned that the baby had no heartbeat, and was miscarrying in her second trimester. My heart goes out to the family for this hard time. They are in my prayers and heart. It is sad for any family to have to endure this emotional heartache, and pain. Here is a LINK to the story about what has happened.

Tonight I am looking forward to attending a Christmas Party with my Bible Study Friends. We are group of ladies and mom's, Keepers Hands from the local county I live in, and we gather each week for Bible Study. I can not always make the weekly meetings due to the crazy schedule of the Lil Ladies, but I try. I have been looking forward to this Party for a few weeks now. I am making turkey chili dip in the crock pot. So easy, and so yummy! Dip with tostitos and so yummy in the tummy. We are also exchanging ornaments with one another! A great way to spend a Friday night!!

2011-12-08T14:18:00.000-05:00

I am worn out. I am so tired, having about 2 hours of sleep being 21 weeks pregnant just doesn't work. Micaela is sick, and she is the reason I have been up all night/day. She started complaining of a belly ache on Tuesday night. After a few hours she felt better, and woke up Wednesday morning with headache. Gave her tylenol and sent her to school. Spoke to the teacher, and let her know about Micaela and her headache. Go to pick up Micaela from school, and she said she went to visit the nurse. She was given tylenol and had a low grade fever. She went down hill from that last night. Fever on and off, chills on and off, to her head continuing the hurt her ALOT. Threw up and couldn't keep anything down. She only slept about 2 hours last night. Obviously didn't go to school today. Tried to give her more tylenol this morning, and she threw that up and felt like her head was going to explode. Made an appt with her doctor for 10:45AM. She fell back asleep for another hour, but felt worse when she woke up. Took her to the doctor's. They looked her over very well. Tested her for flu, ear infection, UTI, Sinus infection, strep. She is all clear for those. They took a urine culture, and she is a little dehydrated. She was sent to get blood work done to get a base line for white blood cell and that was done STAT. They did a few other tests in the office, and until blood work is back they will wait to take the next stop. In mean time she was told to take a shower, and rest rest rest! She is to drink gatorade, and eat bland food. Rotate between tylenol and motrin. Her headache she said is about a 7, and before it was a 10. So we will see. She is due for tylenol by 3pm. So I am sure tonight will prove interesting.. I will update as I hear updates from the doctor, and how she responds.

Hope to be able to update more about my original update.. I am a walking zombie now, but I have to go get Sierra from school and pick up stuff for Mic at the pharmacy.

2011-12-04T07:44:00.000-05:00

Since I am still in the process of updating our lives since my last post in early October, I am making a pretty good recovery with the updates :)
As you probably saw and read, I am pregnant and am expecting my daughter in April 2012. I am so excited, and overjoyed with being pregnant, and knowing its another little girl! I have taken a lot of pictures of myself pregnant over the past 20 weeks! Yes, I am halfway through my pregnancy!! I have had morning sickness, and it was just awful. That seems to have come and gone. Then I experienced heartburn, and that still seems to come haunt me from time to time too. Luckily Tums have been my friend for that!! I have experienced nausea as well, and luckily phenegren has been my friend for that! Seems I have been hit with all the normal and typical symptoms of being pregnant. Nothing I really experienced with Sierra or Micaela. Now I am currently having round ligament pain in my sides, and lower back pain. I have been going to a Chiropracter for the lower back pain. Major relief for me.

These are not all of my pregnancy pictures. These were the ones I had access to. The last ones were of my "It's a Girl" 20 Week Maternity Shoot!!
I plan to have Sierra take a few of me this morning before church, and will post them asap as I am going to try to finish my updates on our lives this today!!

2011-12-02T14:05:00.000-05:00

Tis the Season of Merriment!! We started our Christmas Season :)
Pictures of the Lil Ladies seeing reinder for the first time!!

2011-12-02T13:59:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving Day, November 2011
Pictures from Thanksgiving Day. My Lil Ladies decorated the Christmas trees by themselves. Sierra was still sleeping, such the teenager she is! Micaela & Breanna had a great time with the decorations, and I couldn't help but take some pictures of them in action!! We spent Thanksgiving with Ian's family, and I took a few candids that day. Thanksgiving was all Gender Reveal Day to his family, cake style! I bought a cake that when it was cut open by the Lil Ladies they would know if they were having a sister or brother! I am so happy I found this idea online, and did it!! Turned out almost perfect!!

2011-12-02T13:52:00.000-05:00

November 2011- Picture Style
Sierra's Sweet 13 Surprise Party! Was held 11/5/11 & she was totally surprised. She looked amazingly beautiful, a very proud Mama Moment for me! My Little Lady is an official teenager..and living up to every part of it. She loved her party, and keeps thanking me to this day! A night to remember!! She turned 13 on 11/6/11 at exactly 12:14pm! We spent the day at the mall with Micaela, myself, and her best friend Aly. Sierra got her ears double pierced, and spent her gift cards at Justice!

2011-12-01T19:19:00.000-05:00

A quick update (picture style) to get everyone caught up on our busy lives!
With this update I truly hope to keep up to date with my blog. I went from keeping my blog private to opening it up in hopes to bring others to my blog, and to meet other mom's and families!

On to the picture update...October 2011 (Halloween, Apple Picking, Painting Mama's belly as a pumpkin)

2011-10-09T07:38:00.000-04:00

Seems for the last few days I was uable to make a blog post.. Seems when I have been interested in wanting to post a new blog I wasn't able to. I was able to write my blog, but wasn't able to publish post. After some research undee the Help Button, I have resolved my issue, and here I am :)

I did a test blog, and it worked!!

I have so much to say, just not sure what to say.. LOL
I am overwhelmed with stuff going on, and coming back to the Blog World, I am wordless, not sure what to write... Major Blog Fart! :(

This doesn't happen to me usually, but I guess today it will..

Let's see: It is currently 7:35AM and I have conquered:

-Taking 2 dogs out for a walk and go potty.
-Cleaned my ceiling fan.
-Made my bed
-Open all the blinds and windows
-Switched over laundry

Still to do:
-Eat Breakfast
-Fold 3 loads of laundry
-Clean dog cages
-Take trash out

Then to relax for a bit before heading out the door to Hailey's 5th Birthday Party! Lil Ladies are looking forward to it, and so am I. Socialization time with peeps! Sweet!!

2011-10-09T07:32:00.001-04:00

Testing 123. Will this post?

2011-09-06T07:25:00.003-04:00

Today is the day.

Micaela has her surgery. Her Tonsillectomy. Surgery is scheduled at 10:45AM & we have to be at the hospital at 10AM.

She is up, and watching TV in her PJ's, and is excited she doesn't have to get ready for school like her sister. LOL. But, she is VERY hungry and thirsty. She knows and understands she can't have anything to eat, but doesn't like it.

Please pray for Micaela today, for her strength, nice & quick surgery, as well as a nice recovery so we can come home!

I will post an update or to throughout the day on Micaela's progress, and maybe pinpoint some other things going on in our lives!

2011-08-28T08:55:00.004-04:00

Pictures from my back yard of Hurricane Irene 8/28/11. Nothing completely major, just the immediate aftermath of Irene in the comfort of my backyard/house.
These were taken about 8:00AM EST!

2011-08-27T14:30:00.003-04:00

Hurricane Irene Update #4
8/27/11 2:30PM

It is raining here, and has been since about 11:00AM. It was a drizzle and now its coming down steady. Wind is picking up, and it is starting to get a bit more serious.

The brunt of the storm should hit tonight!! We will see..

Family Update:
-Micaela is home from her dad's and we are currently making chicken noodle soup.
-Dogs were out in the rain, and lets just say they were not too happy. But survived round one of being outside.
-A very bent tree is swaying outside in the backyard very heavily. Keeping a major eye on it.
-I am not feeling well, tired, throat hurts, and just not feeling the greatest.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* FLOOD WARNING FOR URBAN AREAS AND SMALL STREAMS IN...
KENT COUNTY IN CENTRAL DELAWARE...
CAROLINE COUNTY IN EASTERN MARYLAND...
CECIL COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND...
SALEM COUNTY IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY...
CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY...
WESTERN GLOUCESTER COUNTY IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY...
EASTERN QUEEN ANNE`S COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND...
EASTERN TALBOT COUNTY IN EASTERN MARYLAND...
SUSSEX COUNTY IN SOUTHERN DELAWARE...
NEW CASTLE COUNTY IN NORTHERN DELAWARE...
CAPE MAY COUNTY IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY...

* UNTIL 815 PM EDT

* AT 210 PM EDT BANDS OF HEAVY SHOWERS HAVE ALREADY DEPOSITED 1 TO
3 INCHES OF RAIN ON PORTIONS OF DELAWARE...ADJACENT MARYLAND AND
SOUTHWEST NEW JERSEY

* AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 4 INCHES IS ANTICIPATED IN THIS AREA BY 8 PM.

* THERE WILL CONSIDERABLE FLOODING..INCLUDING BASEMENT..URBAN AND
SMALL STREAM FLOODING BY NIGHTFALL. FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS MAY BE
ISSUED LATER THIS AFTERNOON FOR PORTIONS OF THIS AREA.
A FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR HAS BEEN REPORTED.
ALL INTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS IMMEDIATELY.
Instructions: A FLOOD WARNING MEANS FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS IMMINENT. MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS WATER COVERED BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW WATER CROSSINGS. NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT. TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF FLOOD WATERS. ONLY A FEW INCHES OF RAPIDLY FLOWING WATER CAN QUICKLY CARRY AWAY YOUR VEHICLE. TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE.
Target Area:
Caroline
Cecil
Kent
Queen Anne's
Talbot

2011-08-27T10:01:00.003-04:00

Hurricane Irene Update #3
8/27/11 10:00AM EST

I fell asleep last night early, I was really tired so I wasn't able to make another update last night. Nothing happened where I live that made a major difference in the Irene over the night.

My county and state is still in State of Emergency, & we are still in Flood Watch Zone as well as Tropical Storm Warning. My County, Cecil County, is under State of Emergency within the County. This was declared last night.

Here is what a website is stating for my County today: Scattered thunderstorms. Showers likely this morning... then periods of rain this afternoon. Rain may be heavy at times this afternoon. Windy with highs in the upper 70s. Northeast winds around 10 mph...increasing to 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph this afternoon. Chance of rain 90 percent.

Here is the latest tracker for this Hurricane.

It is going to start raining here very soon! Just looking at the radar.
Tried to get a picture, but the site wasn't letting me save it. :(

At 7:30AM EST Hurricane Irene made landfall near Cape Lookout, NC
It is a Category 1, with winds up to 80MPH.

So it is just a matter of time until we start getting the rain, and everything nasty to come!

Family Update:
-Ian is home from work, and he is home for the weekend :)
-Micaela is over at her dad's, and we will monitor what is best for Micaela and where she will stay. For now she is still with him, and most likely for the next few hours.
-Sierra has been a big help for me this morning. Dogs were taken out and both went to the bathroom, cleaning up the family room.
-Everything is ready to go for this Hurricane.

Now to just trying to keep me relaxed and not so stressed out. Hour by Hour is how I am going to take it.

Will update this afternoon! (If I can)

2011-08-26T15:30:00.004-04:00

Update Hurricane Irene #2
8/26/11 3:30 EST

Here is the latest update on the tracking of the Hurricane. This is the timeline of the projected arrival of the hurricane.

The latest update on the Category of the Hurricane, and how heavy/fast Irene will be traveling.

Family Update
-Lil Ladies ended up not going to school as it was canceled. Canceled due to possible storm coming through earlier than expected, and for the safety of the students, teachers and families. No school on Monday too. In case of power outage and no way of communication via electronics/phone.
-Took day off from work because Lil Ladies had no school.
-Went to Walmart to successfully find candles, & batteries. Just no size D I needed. I do not think I will find those anywhere.

Will update at least one more time tonight!
Feeling a bit let down/depressed.
I hate when I feel like I failed someone, and taking the pressure of the situation. I hate being disappointed, but feel its my fault, the cause!

Huggles til tonight!

2011-08-26T06:06:00.005-04:00

Hurricane Irene Update #1
8/26/11 6:10AM EST

Here is the projected path Irene is suppose to make throughout the next couple of days.

This is the current conditions in my area, Elkton, Maryland & where Irene is compared to where I live. I will update this picture throughout the day and evening as it changes.

Currently we are in a Flood Watch until Sunday evening, Tropical Storm Warning, and have major Fog.

Here is a better map of what is currently going on.

Family Updates in regards to this Hurricane:

-Heading to Walmart this morning to buy candles, batteries & local newspaper.
-Taking Lil Ladies to school as scheduled.
-Ian is working tonight as scheduled.
-Canceled our plans to go to Hershey Park tomorrow.
-I am working today as scheduled with a meeting at 9am with a client.
-Micaela's Soccer Family Day was canceled for tomorrow due to Irene, rescheduled for next weekend. Works in our favor.
-Finish laundry/run dishwasher
-Attempt to visit God-Daughter before storm comes.
(Thank you for your prayers with this family. They have found a house, and not to far from my house too. They plan to move mid September.

Will update mid morning/late morning about conditions of Hurricane Irene.

2011-08-25T17:53:00.003-04:00

First day of school today for Lil Ladies!! Sierra started 7th grade, Micaela 3rd grade! Of course I took pictures, and here they are!! I took many pictures, but these are the best ones to share! It was a half day, and I won Mother of the Year award! NOT!! I forgot to pack Micaela a snack. I had every intention on packing it, and totally forgot. Ugh!! Luckily a teacher had an extra snack, a snack she liked! So score for Mama!! Well thank you Mrs. Fino! Everything went well for the first day, girls were excited to see friends, and teachers! It was good to be back, and talk to the parents. It is our third year at this school, and it feels so much like home!

Will be updating information about Hurricane Irene soon. Hopefully tonight!!
I am a very tired Mama tonight, and just want to relax, while trying to get a few things done around the house.

2011-08-24T07:32:00.005-04:00

I meant to type up this blog post yesterday, and I never got around to do it.
Yesterday 8/23/11 was an eventful day. An earthquake happened, exactly at 1:51pm near Richmond, Virginia. It was a 5.9 magnitude & the entire east coast felt the earthquake. As far as NYC & as far as North Carolina. This is the article from CNN that explains the earthquake. My family was in our home when the earthquake happened. I told Ian, stop jumping up and down in the living room. He told me he wasn't jumping, and that it was an earthquake. Took me a few minutes to realize it was indeed an earthquake, and then I started to panic. I didn't enjoy the feeling I had, and my Lil Ladies were scared, Micaela especially. She was upset, and crying. I was able to calm her down okay, and then she stayed by my side for the rest of the day. I wasn't able to communicate with anyone except for facebook, you know the social networking site. My cell phone had no service, no calls in or out, and no texts, BUT I can access my facebook account.. Everyone was flooding facebook with update on the earthquake. I was told that after 8pm there was 2 aftershocks, and I didn't feel them..at all! They measured a 2.9. I live about 3 hours from the Richmond area, which is also near Washington, DC.

The local health department closed yesterday due to cracks found in the building, and the public school district canceled classes for today, first day of school to inspect the buildings. They found damage done to one of the elementary schools, so i am not sure of the update there.

So between the earthquake yesterday, and this weekend we are suppose to have a hurricane, Hurricane Irene. It is to come up the east coast and hit near maryland Sunday morning. I do not know many details, and once I know more I will post about them. Trying to not to let Mother Nature get the better of my emotions.

I am not sure what the weather is going to be like this weekend with the hurricane coming, so I hope it doesn't ruin our plans for Hershey Park. If it rains, I am not sure we will go or enjoy Hershey Park. I hope if that is the case our tickets can be refunded or we get rain date tickets.. They were free.. Hmmm..

I also had Micaela's nurse assessment call yesterday from the hospital. Micaela is scheduled to have her surgery on September 6. She is going to have her tonsils removed. Phone call went really well, and all of my questions were answered. She has had a few surgeries before, so I am not really worried. I just do not want to see her in pain afterwards, and the week. My poor little baby. But I know she will be okay, and its all in God's hands!

Micaela is suppose to have her Family Fun Day Soccer this weekend at the school. I guess with the weather, and if we are going to Hershey Park, I will not know for certain if she is going or not. I plan to email the coach and let them know. Maybe I can pick up the information packet at the school.

This past weekend Sierra was in her father's wedding. Doesn't she look beautiful. This is the only picture of her that I have gotten, & you can see her all dressed up. My Lil Lady is definitely growing up!

& a few more pictures from this weekend! We had Breanna too, so Micaela was in heaven! The two 9 year olds had a lot of fun together!!

Sorry this isn't the best blog entry.. I am still very tired, and groggy. I wanted to get it typed up, and posted..

2011-08-20T05:09:00.003-04:00

It's 5:09AM and where are you?
I am awake, and sitting in front of my laptop writing this blog entry &
eating a bowel of cereal, Golden Grahams, and drinking water. I need to drink
lots of water today, and so far one bottle is almost emptied. Let the peeing game begin.. :)

I know I am going to be a tired Mama in a few hours, but I just couldn't sleep. I went to bed early, a little after 9PM and slept soundly til about 2:30AM and was tossing and turning since. Ian came to bed around that time, and well he was still wide awake then. So with him winding down to go to bed, his restless leg syndrome issues were kicking into gear, it was my turn to just get out of bed for the day. I will nap when we get home early afternoon.

We go to pick up Breanna this morning in Annapolis. It's our weekend to have her, so Micaela is looking forward to spending time with her. Two 9 year olds together for the weekend, its gonna be alot of fun. We are going to my friend's surprise party this evening, and I think they will enjoy themselves, and maybe ice cream tonight. Depends on the weather and if the Lil Ladies are tired, or even Mama for that matter. Tomorrow is just relax in the morning, and then we will go to pick up Sierra from my mom's & head to Anna's 6th Birthday Party. (Anna is my "niece", as she is Ian's niece. Anna's Mama is my BFF. Does that make sense? Yes, I am dating my BFF's brother) So it will be a busy weekend for sure!!

Next week is the last week of summer vacation. Lil Ladies go back to school on Thursday. I have very mixed emotions about this. I feel summer went so fast, and then at the same time it went so slow.. I wish we would of done more, but due to money reasons we weren't able to do alot. Lil Ladies understand, and I think they still had an enjoyable summer! They have a half day on Thursday and then full day Friday.. Then the following day we are off to Hershey Park for the day. We are ALL looking forward to it, yeah!!

I made a request to Sierra's orthodontist about seeing if the state medical insurance will pick up her orthodontic care. Being that she is on the state insurance, the requirement was that she needed to lose most of her baby teeth. Sierra has lost well over 90% of them. I faxed the dental card to her Orthodontist, and they said they would send in the request. It will take 2-3 months, but I am glad the ball is going to start rolling on that. If she is accepted, that means no out of pocket expense for me!! :)

I received a phone call yesterday from the contractor who does work on my house. He was asking me questions about the next work that will be done on the house. He was trying to finish the quote, and would have it finished this weekend. He told me that he would call me on Monday/Tuesday to share it with me, and my mom as well. I am so excited to be getting a whole new bathroom. Exciting!! More closet space, and a shower/bath combo. New tile, new paint.. It is going to be so nice when it is finished. He also is going to be doing some outside work on the decks. I hope he is able to finish all this work in a timely fashion and not be here dragging this project on for weeks and weeks. He is known to do that.. LOL!

Did I mention my car needs work done to it. Seems someone wanted to side swipe me. I have no real idea what happened but front lower end of my car is messed up. I need to get an estimate done, but the two times I had a chance to go, I just didn't. Been so tired lately, or just having to deal with going out in the rain.. So it is on my agenda to get done this week. I hope its not going to cost too much..

Well off to try to get myself ready for the day. Flat iron hair, empty dish washer, and fold clothes.. Then major nap time.

2011-08-16T20:26:00.010-04:00

Song in my head..
It's gonna be all right, no matter what they say
It's gonna be a good day, just wait and see
It's gonna be okay, cause I'm okay with me
It's gonna be, it's gonna be, it's gotta be

I love Jewel. So inspiring & amazing!

Well it finally stopped raining, thank goodness! We had so much rain, I wasn't sure where the rain was going to go anymore. My backyard was turning into a flooded swamp zone. But the rain is over, and my yard is a mucky muddy mess with nasty grass type weeds growing. I am happy my basement didn't flood this time, and my sump pump stayed alive & active.

My God-Daughter's family continues to have issues with the water damage they received from the rain. The entire downstairs was underwater, and 90% of everything was ruined. The major items being queen mattress/box spring, futon & mattress, large screen TV, baby items, and lots of clothes, as well as dressers. The insurance adjustor for the renters insurance guy came out today, and said all of what I mentioned was ruined. They took pictures, and the family has to put together an itemized list of the ruined items, and I am praying they will get enough money to replace the items that were ruined. The landlord of this house isn't doing much to help my God-Daughters family. They did rip up the carpet and padding, and plan to replace the carpet, but that is it. They will not replace the tack strips, and test for mold, or do any air testing in the house. I think it is just wrong, just completely wrong. So needless to say, it is still a huge mess. The house is drying out from the water damage, and they tell me the smell is bad. So please continue to pray for my God-daughter & her family.

Today my friend Cheri and I are going to play with her camera. We are going to take pictures of one another, and just have fun taking pictures of one another. I am excited, and love spending time with her. She makes me laugh, and we can laugh over the stupidest things. I am wearing a cute sun dress, and with outdoor pictures, I am hoping they turn out really well. Once I have the picture, I will post them :)

Yesterday Micaela had her Meet the Teacher day at school. She met her 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Singer. Micaela knows her teacher from seeing her around last year, and seems to be excited for this school year. Micaela saw her desk in her classroom, & is excited to be sitting across from her best friend, Zoe.

Zoe & Micaela at the end of Second Grade, June 2011.

Micaela is also upstairs this year, and is also across the hall from her second grade teacher. I love it, and think its perfect, as I totally think Mrs. Wunder is amazing! Micaela knows that a few of her friends from last year are not returning, and we saw 2 new friends joining the class. Also a friend we didn't think was returning, is.. yeah! Micaela also got her new bookbag,I didn't think she would get a new one, but she did. So now she has her new one from LLBean she got for Easter and the school one. She will be using her LLBean one for awhile, since it was expensive. Micaela also has her new gym clothes as well! Everything is almost crossed off my list for school supplies. Sierra needs a few things still, but little by little.

Well its time to get myself ready for my pictures!! Cheri will be here soon!!

2011-08-14T10:08:00.004-04:00

Current Radar Map for my area!

Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella. ~Terri Guillemets

This quote is perfect for this rainy rainy weather we are having! It has been raining all night long at a steady rate. We are already at 3.0 inches of rain, and still falling & making the inches greater. We are in a flash flood warning too. Severe thunder and lightening storms with rain very heavy at times. Fun, fun!

My God-Daughter's family has water in their basement as the sump pump went & they have over an inch of rain in the basement, bathroom & their bedroom! They called me this morning, and asked if I could dog sit, and they told me this news. Very upsetting & so what they didn't need. Please pray for my God-Daughter's family, and house. Pray for very little water damage, and the mess can be cleaned as soon as possible. Will keep you all updated on their house & family.

Yesterday, didn't go as planned. We didn't get to go to the zoo. We went, but as soon as we got their it started to thunder, and rain. I was bummed, so were Lil Ladies. They were all excited to go to the zoo, and spend time with Beth. So instead of the zoo, we went shopping instead. First, we stopped to eat at Sonic & were able to eat outside. Luckily we were under cover as it was raining steadily. Lil Ladies enjoyed their happy meals, and I enjoyed my chocolate shake. Then we went to the new Dollar Tree that opened. It is actually a Dollar Deals, and I wasn't too impressed. I will go there for items I need, but not like I normally did at the other Dollar Tree. Bummed indeed. Sierra spent some of her money, and enjoyed that. Of course she bought makeup. Last stop was Payless. They each have a new pair of sneakers for school, and Micaela has another pair of crocs. They are super cute too. Great deal too.

Last night Sarah, Anna & Caleb came over to play, and have Chinese food. The kiddos played Legos and had a blast. Sarah, Beth & I talked, and you know Girl Chat. Ian came home from work, just in time for dinner. So happy to see him, I missed him yesterday. & he totally surprised me with these:

He is truly the most amazing boyfriend ever!! I so love Boston Creme Donuts, and from Dunkin Donuts! I love sweet surprises like this.

Today is just going to be a relaxing, care free day. Just keeping it low key, and going to be a bit...lazy. A few things I want to do around the house, but nothing of major importance. Ian is suppose to use the smoker today, but it is steadily raining.. So I am not sure.. Might have to be an oven smoker turkey. :)

Okay off to see how the dogs and Lil Ladies are doing. & get myself dressed and bathed for the day!

2011-08-13T10:25:00.004-04:00

Good Morning World!

This song is in my head this morning & I want to share it all with you.

The children outside all are laughing under perfect skies
The shapes and patterns in this season make me feel alive
I wanna shout it from the roof top and tell the world
That, “I was blind but now I see what’s right in front of me!”
It’s a beautiful world I see, everything looks differently
It’s a beautiful world I see, these moments are changing me?When I look at the sky I see the reason why I know,
When I look out from the window,
The moon and stars shine all their lights down from the heavens
I choir of angels strike a chord and lift their voices
And then we sing out,
“I’ve been lost but now I’ve found what’s right in front of me.”

A Beautiful World
-Tim Myers

I am just in love with this song, and couldn't think of a more perfect day to share it with all of my friends on Blogger!

"It's a beautiful world I see, everything looks differently"

This weekend Ian's sister, Beth, came to visit & Lil Ladies and I are having so much fun. She lives in Annapolis, and comes up a few times a year to visit her family. She arrived last night, and made us an amazing dinner. Tilapia (fish), steamed carrots, and fresh mashed sweet potatoes. Such a yummy meal, and all was homemade! She was so sweet to cook for us. Sierra enjoyed cooking with Beth, and Beth showed me a lot of cooking basics that I had no idea about.. I didn't grow up learning how to cook or bake, as my mom always ordered take out or we ate out due to her busy work schedule. But, since Micaela's cholestoral is very high, I have been making a better effort to eat more cooked meals, and not buy processed foods. Beth even bought me a steamer for the house, and I am excited to use it in the future, like next week future :)

Lil Ladies, Beth, and I have plans to go to the the local zoo, Plumpton Park Zoo. The weather is going to be perfect, and Lil Ladies are very excited! They both love animals very much, and this zoo has peacocks that roam the grounds freely! I think everyone will enjoy the day! I am bummed Ian has to work today, but he was able to come home early last night. Spend time with Beth, Sierra & I, but has to return to work today. Its only 6 hours, but I won't see him til 7 tonight! Tomorrow he plans to use his smoker, so he is excited, as well as Lil Ladies. They love when he uses the smoker, yummy food!

& I did start my new blog adventure. Well actually Mz Beatrice did, my pink sock monkey. She finally came in the mail, and I was so excited to meet her!!

Isn't she purdy. I am in love with Mz Beatrice. Always wanted a Sock Monkey.
You all need to go check out her blog, Adventures with Mz Beatrice.
She already has 1 blog entry, with a few more to follow.

Have a great day everyone! In the words of Micaela: "We about to get it started."

2011-08-11T11:29:00.005-04:00

It has been about 2 weeks since I last posted in my blog. Oops, life seems to have gotten the best of me & my family. It's summer, what more can I expect.
So I will just do a quick bullet update on each subject and include some pictures. Hopefully I will be back to updating on a normal basis.

-School starts on August 25th for Sierra & Micaela. Sierra will be in 7th, Micaela in 3rd. Breanna will start 4th grade at her local public school in Annapolis.

-Micaela has high cholesterol and is now watching her food intake. Her level was 196, with the normal range being 100-168. She has been watching what she eats for the past week, and everything seems to be going good. She will be retested in 6 months (December/January)

-On August 27 we are going to spend the day at Hershey Park, an amusement park. Sierra & Micaela are very excited and looking forward to a fun filled day. We are lucky to be going because my dad was able to get us 4 free tickets.

-On September 10 Ian and I will be seeing Country Legend George Jones in concert. He will be coming to our county for a Wine Festival. So excited, and I have had our tickets purchased for awhile now.

-September 11 we will be having our First Annual Raven's 1st Game Football Party. We were asked if we wanted to purchase tickets to this game, but after hearing the price for 2 tickets, it was just too expensive. So we opted to do something fun, yet on a much better budget. So Ian will be using the smoker, and we will host this, and hope for it to be an annual event. It's Ravens Vs Steelers (major rivals).

-Micaela will be getting surgery on September 6. She will be having her tonsils removed. This was a decision that I hope will end her infections she gets, and make her immune system stronger. I hate it is right in the beginning of school, but no choice. She will go to school for a few days, then the day after Labor Day she has her surgery.

-September 18 we will be going to Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for the day. It is an amusement park and we will be taking all 3 Lil Ladies. I was able to get discounted tickets at a great price. Will be good to do something as a family of 5 again as the last thing we did was our vacation in June.

-I ordered my Sock Monkey last week, and it is due to arrive today. I ordered a pink sock monkey, and I decided to name her Beatrice. I plan to have a blog for her, and blog about her adventures and travels. A unique hobby I plan to start as soon as she arrives today.

-Sierra's ankle seems to be okay for the moment. I have all of her medical records from the different orthopedic doctors, and hope to find the right specialist for her to see. Seems my mom and I have a difference of opinion, and well this is the reason I have been waiting to make a call and schedule an appt.

-Sierra now has braces. She has braces on her top row, and soon will have a retainer on the bottom. She is scheduled to have a tooth extracted on October 7. I hope this will make a difference in helping to make her teeth finally straight. So far Sierra has been good with her braces, and taking care of them. She is just glad she no longer has to wear head gear.

2011-07-24T12:07:00.005-04:00

It is another miserable, hot day. This is the 5th day in a row that the weather is just insane, and very uncomfortable. No one wants to be outside, no one wants to do anything with the outdoors. Staying inside, living in the A/C, and not having to sweat, be sticky, or feel like a million degrees, its been quite boring to be inside. Lil Ladies are patiently waiting for the weather to change, and for it to not be so hot out. Lil Ladies want to play outside, ride bikes, and enjoy the pool and sprinklers. But, it is just too hot to do any of that.

Lil Ladies are getting along very nicely today, and it scares me. LOL. They have been playing very well together. Playing legos, painting & even cleaning up messes together. No fighting, yelling! Sweet Bliss. But, now that I said this, the fighting will begin!

Micaela's Thirty One Lunch Tote came in the mail the other day. I fell in love with the print, and it matches her book bag nicely. Teal was a great color to go with! Her tote has her name on it. Sierra also got her pink pencil pouch in the mail too. Her name is on it too,and she loves it! Ordering Micaela her new lunch tote, allowed for Sierra to get an item for very cheap, made her very happy!
My agenda/planner arrived in the mail too. My sister in law, Beth, ordered it for me as she ordered one too. They arrived at her house, and now I just have to go pick it up. Hopefully today I can pick it up!

Ian, and I have been watching part of the Tour de France the past few weeks. I never was really interested in watching people race on bikes, but after learning a few basics, its quite interesting to watch. So many stages, so many different 'levels' within 'levels'. Not really sure of the proper terminology, but that is how it was broken now to me, and what I understood :) So Cadel Evans from Australia is the overall winner, aka contender! Today is the last day, so its a time to celebrate, and wrap of the Tour de France.

Sierra & Micaela had Doctor appts last week. Micaela had her 9 year check up, Sierra had an appt with her orthopedic for her ankle. Micaela ended up having an ear infection in her right ear, and on ear drops 2x a day for 5 days. She has a follow up with the doctor in 2 weeks. In the meantime I made an appt with her audiologist, and ENT. I worry about Micaela's ears, and always have. Being on her 3rd set of tubes, and still few ear infections with tubes, makes me worry. Also with her speech delay, and Apraxia too. Sierra's ankle is still a mystery. Between the Xray & MRI she has had this summer on her left ankle, doctors are still stumped. Next recommendation is to see a specialist in Orthopedics of Foot/Ankle. They see improvement with the swelling of the ankle over the past year, but Sierra's pain and 'spasms' she has are becoming more intense as the years and episodes happen. The doctor did see swelling around the tendons, and that is a concern. I am still trying to process it all, and plan to make some phone calls tomorrow, and hopefully understand everything a lot better. Bit overwhelming to me!

Some very important people in my life are in need of prayers!! So please pray for my family and close friends of mine. It has been a long weekend trying to be a good friend, and family member & be there for them!!

Off to do my hair, & relax for a bit.. Sleepy & tired!

2011-07-21T18:38:00.003-04:00

It is sweltering HOT outside today, with a major high heat index as well. It is easily 105 degrees outside, and just not ideal to be outside AT ALL. I can not understand why anyone would want to be outside, but people are outside, and not just to go from Point A to Point B either. Ugh, no thank you. I have only been outside for reasons of going to get Lil Ladies, take the dogs out. Other than that, I have been inside, and plan to remain inside. I hear it is suppose to be hot tomorrow as well. Grr, looks like my plans for tomorrow evening are canceled to the heat. I will see, as the weather can always change.

So its been a relaxing evening for me. Sierra and I read 5 chapters in her book, Milkweed. She needs to read it for school, and well we are very late with reading it. We started on time, but due to vacation, and life excuses, we are late. So I am trying to play catch up, and finish the book by July 30. So with a few chapters a day, I think we will be okay, and finish it. So far a good read, and Sierra is remembering what we read, and understanding what is going on. Yeah!
I have eaten dinner, well ate snacks and called it my dinner! Crackers, slice of pizza, and half a bagel! Works for this Mama. Sierra had Mac & Cheese. Micaela is with her dad swimming at her grandfathers, so its a relaxing evening...so far!
This is by far not the most interesting, or motivating of blog's I have written. I know I need to blog, and have promised myself I would blog, but just in no mood to blog. Does that make sense?? I am a bit tired as I didn't sleep to well last night. Seems Ian decided to put together his new Weber Smoker when he got home from work, and well that woke me up. Putting together a Smoker at 2:30AM is not quite on a normal person's agenda, but with working 3rd shift, I guess it works for him. So he woke me up, and then when he went to bed, I couldn't sleep. He likes to take my pillow, and sleep well over on my side of the bed!! LOL.. Sorry Ian, love you to pieces, but at times I do need more sleep than normal.. So cuddle with me, or give me my space!! :)

Oh, I cut my finger tonight cutting my bagel in half, and ouchy. The knife was sharp, and I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. A band aide did the trick, and I am okay..

I am watching a special on VH1. It's called Top 40 One Hit Wonders of the 1990's. Wow, such an awesome special. Bringing back so many memories of my childhood, and teen years! Love, love it!! Wish they still played these songs, but that is rare! & to hear where the artists are now.. I should of DVRed this, but started watching it and just thought of it, as 10 minutes are left in the special.

2011-07-19T20:41:00.005-04:00

It's currently raining outside, okay more like pouring! & my Lil Ladies are sleeping!
Well I think Micaela is, and Sierra is watching TV. I am patiently waiting for my sleepy medicine to kick in so I can go to bed, and get some much needed sleepy zzzz's!
I am so tired, so worn out, and just need a good night rest. But getting to that point is a different story. (Okay, major thunderstorm currently in progress. The loud booms are starting to scare me.)

(This picture was taken by my Sister-in-law, Beth. She took the picture for me,as I didn't get a good picture while we were in Annapolis on Saturday. Thank you Beth.)

I am totally in love with this statue, and plan to print out the picture Beth took for me, and frame it for my desk. It such an inspirational, touching, and moving statue

The Kunta Kinte-
Alex Haley Memorial

The Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial commemorates the place of arrival of Alex Haley's African ancestor, Kunta Kinte, to the New World, as told in the book Roots. It is located in Annapolis, Maryland at the head of the City's harbor.

This Memorial is the only memorial in the United States that commemorates the actual name and place of arrival of an enslaved African. It portrays in word and symbol Alex Haley's vision for national racial reconciliation and healing, and symbolizes in Kunta Kinte and his descendants the triumph of the human spirit in very difficult times.

The Memorial includes a sculpture group of a seated Alex Haley reading from a book on his lap to three children of different ethnic backgrounds.

As he stretches his hand toward the Chesapeake Bay, he tells his family's story and the story of the Annapolis port, a symbolic Ellis Island for African Americans.

Phase I of the Memorial construction was completed in 1997. It includes a ramp, foundation for the sculpture, and installation of a pedestal for the original commemorative bronze plaque dedicated to Kunta Kinte and his forefathers in 1981. Phase II, the sculpture group, was unveiled and dedicated on December 9, 1999.

Phase III, (the final phase) was dedicated in the Spring of 2002. It consists of an inlaid granite and bronze 14-foot diameter compass rose, special seating and lighting, a "Story Wall" with 10 bronze engraved plaques, web cameras, and an informational kiosk.

It is envisioned that the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial will be the catalyst and focal point for renewed interest in genealogy, history, and the arts. It is in an area currently visited by nearly a million people a year.

I really wanted to post yesterday, but time go away from me & before I knew it the day was over. I had my God-Daughter, Bianca, and her sister, Faith, over for dinner and playtime with my Lil Ladies. All the girls had a nice time, and they enjoyed making pizza together. I have pictures that I need to unload from my camera. I hope to be able to do that tomorrow. Time will tell! It was so nice to have Bianca and Faith over to my house to play. They enjoyed American Girl Dolls, Playing Lego's, board games, and finally with Micaela's massive horse collection. They also met Daisy, our American Bull Dog. They loved her. Daisy really liked Bianca too. :)
I hope Faith and Bianca will want to spend the night at my house soon. I will be asking Aunt Terry about it next week. I am taking her out for dinner for her birthday, so will just ask her then.

Last night I had another headache episode, and wasn't fun at all. I was having really bad headaches all last week, some where I blacked out, and possibly had seizures. They were very bad last Monday & Tuesday with the # of episodes, but the pressure of the headaches was bad on Weds and Thurs. Friday I was seeming to be okay with just headaches but not having an episode of being dizzy, weak, and blacking out. Over the weekend I was okay, with a few bits of pressure on the lower back of my head. I was so happy to have relief, and yesterday was bad. Last night I had 2 very bad episodes. I do not remember what happened, what I said, but I do know Ian was a bit concerned, and not sure what to do. I was crying in pain, everything was too bright and too loud. Drinking water helped a little, but I was just so out of it, and nothing was making sense to me. :( I finally was able to keep calm with Ian's help,and fall asleep. Today I am having pressure on and off in my head, but not anything I can not control for the most part. I have a call into my Doctor, finally. We will see what they say. I am scared and very nervous.. Seems my medical life never ever ends. I am a walking health issue.. Makes me mad, very mad..

But Teen Mom is soon on, and I am going to eat some cereal. I am hungry..
I will soon be working on my Cecil5DayChallenge.. More about that soon.
But basically a week long events of things to do in Cecil County. My personal 5 Day Challenge..I hope my friends will join me along the way..
Short Version of my Vision: Stroll Chesapeake City, see the store & take pictures. Enjoy a meal at Bayard House & Ice Cream by the water. Learn History of Chesapeake City. Stroll North East,visit the light house and end up having a picnic dinner while watching the Sun go down at the park. Visit Plumpton Park Zoo. Play in the Creek at Fair Hill & have a photo shoot doing it. This is my short version as I want to have a more detailed idea of my Cecil 5 Day Challenge!! :)

Oh and before I sign off for the night. I had an amazing time on Sunday being at Hershey Park with my love. Ian & I had a lot of fun. We rode a lot of the roller coasters together. Some insane, some lame, some lots of fun. We rode some of them twice. Was a nice day together, and spent quality we needed..

2011-07-17T06:44:00.003-04:00

Micaela called me yesterday morning and told me she was having alot of fun in Ocean City. She said that she went to a Water Park, and was having fun swimming & being in the water! Was so happy to hear her voice. I didn't hear from her last night, so maybe she will call me this morning! I miss her so much, and can't wait for her to come home tomorrow!!

>>Update. Micaela text me this morning, and said she was having fun. She was going to be going to the beach today. She said she loves me very much. Was happy to hear from her.

Yesterday we all went to Annapolis, Maryland. We had to pick up Breanna from her house, and then we set out to downtown. A short drive from her house. Found good parking spot,and close to "Ego Alley" & the streets with the little shops. If some of you are wondering what "Ego Alley" is.. I looked it up & I am sure it is a way better description than what I would explain.

"Ego Alley" in Annapolis is a small, narrow waterway that leads to the heart of the city. It got it's name from the endless parade of boats and yachts that traverse this dead end canal, usually only to see and be seen.

On one side of the waterway there is the Marriott Waterfront Hotel complete with their famous "Pusser's Restaurant and Bar". The outdoor tables are literally inches from the water and provide the best perch to view all the action. On that same side is a yacht club, and then a marine store and a concrete half wall that permits folks to have a seat, and take in the view. On the other side of Ego Alley, there are boat slips and several water taxi stands. The wall continues here as well, but the many boats that dock here often block the scenery.

At the end of the canal, is the dinghy dock, where visiting folks who are either moored or anchored out in the harbor, take their smaller vessels in to town for provisions, sightseeing, etc.. There are many benches here as well, and you will often find many people enjoying an ice cream cone or some other enticing edible from one of the local shops. This is also a great place to see the boats, since it is here that all must turn around. Sometimes it can be quite exciting, since not all skippers have the expertise to operate their boats in such tight and crowded conditions.

We had amazing weather, and was such a nice environment to be around! My dad has been wanting a United States Naval Academy hat, so one of the main reasons I went down was to buy my dad a hat. Since his birthday is coming up, a perfect present! So a hat he got, and I will give it to him next week when I see him. We also bought a new Wine Cork Lid as the one I bought while we were on vacation broke.. Well Ian dropped it after the first few times it was used. It is neat, an awesome looking Blue Crab. Perfect for living in Maryland. Blue Crabs.. such a norm for us! Got some yummy candy & fudge from Uncle Bob's. Very good fudge too. Not good as I have a major sweet tooth for chocolate! I also bought my first Christmas Gift for a Lil Lady, plus Daisy (American Bull Dog) got a very pretty pink flowered scarf. She is wearing it now, and loves showing it off. She just loves to be dressed in her many different scarves!

Some pictures of LL1 & LL3 & I around downtown Annapolis! They were very happy & willing to take pictures and of course this made for a very happy Mama!

For lunch we ate at a really yummy place called Buddy's. I never heard of it before, but the Boston Crab/Clam Soup was amazing.. Also the Crab Dip was too. A beautiful view we had from the window, and couldn't ask for a better time with my family (okay, minus LL2, my Micaela). I found out two things while eating a Buddy's.

1. Annapolis = Land of Rich Cars. I saw SO many expensive cars. Many Audi's, BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti, Land Rover, Porsche. And they were car, by car. Within an hour time frame, we counted over 50 of these car's. Insane!

2. I have my dream car. Totally in love too. Infiniti G37 Coupe! Sweet A$$ Car!!

& yesterday was Our 9 Month Anniversary. 7/16/11
So in love, even more since our first date! & a perfect way to spend it.. In Annapolis! 3 Months till Our 1 Year!! Wow! I love you Ian. Thank you for making me so very happy.

(So its Sunday, I am a day late with posting this. Wanted to post it last night, but that didn't happen.. I will post about Hershey Park & rest of weekend tomorrow. Will get caught up eventually)

2011-07-15T14:35:00.003-04:00

If anybody knows me, you know I am an overly organized person. My house is always organized, clean, and in order. I can not stand clutter, mess, or being disorganized. Everything has to have a home, and everything has to be just right. Not perfect, as I feel nothing or anyone is perfect, but I like to pretty close to perfect.I do not consider myself to be OCD, but very possibly a neat freak. Being German, and being organized and a clean person, I have been referred to as a Cleaning Nazi. Not exactly the nicest comment, but I took it is as a compliment. I excel in keeping my house clean and in order. When friends and family come over to the house I like to keep my reputation for having a clean and organized home. Makes me feel good. Compliments are nice too.. So why am I saying all this? Because last night my sister-in-law, Beth, ordered me a new work/personal agenda. It is an agenda I can use for work, and for my personal life as a Mama. I have been looking for an agenda like this for years. She recently told me about DotMine Day Planners. Thank goodness for Beth, and Facebook. I totally fell in love with the agenda, and she ordered hers and mine last night! I ordered Granny Smith which is the Family Time Mine planner. Perfect combo for me! Can't wait for it to be delivered. Just in time for the school year to start, and all the activites Lil Ladies will be involved in. Go check out the awesome planners, totally worth an investement.

Micaela left this morning to go to Ocean City, Maryland on vacation with her dad & his family. She will be back on Monday, but its only been a few hours and I already miss her like crazy. She was excited to be going to the beach, riding the rides & especially going to the Water Park. I know she is going to have an amazing time & the long weekend will go fast. I told her to call me a few times this weekend to let me know how she is doing, and of course what she is doing! Only requirement I told Micaela while she is away is this: Do not come home with a broken tooth! LOL!! (She broke her front tooth last summer as she walked right into a funny house mirror. Don't ask. LOL)

Tonight Sierra and I are going to my friend Brandi's house for Ice Cream. I am looking forward to seeing Brandi & Luke, and of course eating lots of yummy ice cream! Her friend Jay & Kristi will be there too. As well as Ian's younger brother, Ben! Going to be a good night.
Tomorrow we are off to Annapolis, Maryland to pick up Breanna for the weekend, and visit the area. Breanna lives in Annapolis, and the last time my Lil Ladies and I were there to visit was when Aunt Sarah and kids lived there. I want to eat lunch in Annapolis, stroll the area, and visit the Naval Academy. Shall be fun!! & then on Sunday Ian and I are off to Hershey Park for the day :) Just the two of us. A day long date, can't wait!!

2011-07-13T16:40:00.003-04:00

While on vacation in June, my family & I had professional pictures taken on the beach. I had planned for professional pictures once I booked the Condo, and everything was set up. We were blessed to have amazing weather, and everything turned out perfect. Our white shirts, and khaki shorts were ready, and looked so nice on the Lil Ladies. Ian looked handsome, and cute as ever! I looked nice too, & No, I am not afraid to say that about myself. Kenny Lewis from Solid Rock Photography,Chincoteague, Virginia was our amazingly talented photographer! He took beautiful pictures of my family. I did put a few pictures, my favorites, on my blog. These are my favorite. I have over 70 pictures of my family. :) I wanted to post some of the funny out takes of my family, & Lil Ladies. They capture my family in true essence, and we all just love them.

2011-07-11T21:16:00.003-04:00

If you read my blog,what do you think?
How can I generate more readers?
I know my blog is currently private, and I only add people I want to my list, but maybe I should think about opening my blog to the public?? Or just give my blog address to others who I want to read about my life with my family, especially my Lil Ladies..
Heck, I do not even know who reads my blog..if anyone.
I enjoy writing in my blog, and I have been making a great effort to blog daily..
I am making myself happy, and well in the end that is what matters to me..

If you have any insight please share with me. Thank you in advance!

2011-07-11T18:12:00.005-04:00

I always love the month of July!
3 Birthdays during this month.
My Mama's, Micaela's & My Dad :)
Love Family Birthday's and Celebrating them.
July 1, July 5, & July 21!

So this post is dedicated to my Sweet Micaela Girl!
She turned 9 on July 5, and it was a Bittersweet Day!
I cry each and every year on her birthday, my baby girl turns another year older.
They are both growing up too fast, and knowing my baby is almost double digits, yikes!

Micaela is a lucky girl as she gets to celebrate her birthday a few times with different family members. She has her birthday cake for her birthday, her birthday cake for her actual birthday, and then at my mom's. 3 cakes, 3 different celebrations! & each cake is decorated differently! But each cake is always vanilla, never ever chocolate! :)

Here are some pictures of my Sweet Baby Girl Micaela celebrating her 9th Birthday!
Isn't she amazing beautiful inside and out, intelligent, and artistic. Free-spirited, and carefree. Loving, and inspiring. Natural and Fantastic! Oh, I am so in love with Micaela Nicole!

2011-07-10T12:16:00.001-04:00

Sunday, the day of Rest!!
Well its suppose to be, but its not.......really.
A relaxing day so far, but a fun-filled busy afternoon and evening it will be :)
All in good fun, with good friends and my Lil Ladies!!

First its posting on the blog, hitting up the grocery store for some food we need for the house, visiting with my girls Brandi & Sarah & then home to fold laundry, tidy up the house a bit before we BBQ with Kelly & Koty tonight.. Plus Ian is working today, so keeping busy helps make the day go by faster.

Sweet Aunt Sarah kept Lil Ladies for me last night. Got to spend some time with Ian.. We went to Home Depot for charcoal for the grill, and watched some TV before we passed out in bed! Just that little time I spent with him was perfect! So in love with him.
Thank you Aunt Sarah for keeping the Lil Ladies for us. Sure your hands were full with 4 kiddos!! :) You rock!

Yesterday was a LONG, but fun day spending time with my Mama & friends from HS. It was great turn out, and got a wonderful surprise. My mom was a great host, and she had a nice time. Thank goodness, as she deserved to spend time with the Lil Ladies and my friends.. Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Baked Beans, Mac and Potato Salad, and yummy cake for dessert. Oh and who can forger juicy, yummy, watermelon!!
Great to catch up with Birdie, Katie, Devon and a surprise from my friend Shaun. I had NO idea he was coming, but a huge smile on my face.. :)
Here are some pictures with my friends yesterday:

My Lil Ladies also got to ride the bikes Oma got for them for Christmas. At first it was hard for them to ride the bikes as they are bigger, but after a few minutes they got the hang of them, and off them went.

& we all had a wonderful time spending the day back home, but it felt really nice be at home. Lil Ladies and I were tired by the time we got out of the car..

Plus, we did get the bulk frozen meat order! Forgot to get a picture, but it was ALOT of meat. Might do another order beginning of August and slowly stock up on meat for the Fall & Winter. Definitely saved alot of money doing it this way. So happy we have the freezer downstairs!!

2011-07-09T09:35:00.002-04:00

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping. So beautiful. So peaceful. The harmony of the birds was a nice way to wake up, and also to bright and pretty rays of sunshine coming through the blinds on my balcony door. After a long and dark thunderstorm last night, it is nice to see beautiful weather outside.

I am excited for nice weather because I am going back home to Reading, Pennsylvania for the day. A day to visit with my Mama & have a BBQ with my high school and college friends. I have had this BBQ planned for a few months, and the day is finally here!
I finally get to see Birdie, Katie, Shana & Devon! Also meet Birdie's boyfriend Tracey, Katie's oldest daughter Julianna, and Shana's son Isiah. Devon is not able to stay long, but she said she would try hard to stop by! I am just happy to be able to have a little reunion. I have seen my friends a few times over the last few years, but to have them all together! Yeah! My mom has been making all of the preparations, buying the food, and everything for the BBQ! Go Mom! So very thankful for all she has done, and is doing to make this day nice and special for me.

Lil Ladies are also excited to see my Mama, there Oma! The girls are excited to play with the dogs, Micaela is excited to see her cat Milo, and of course ride the bikes they got for Christmas. This will be the first time they will ride them, and such a nice day for them to ride!! Of course pictures to come!

On my way back home to Elkton, Maryland tonight, I will be stopping by to pick up our first bulk order of meat. Ian and I called yesterday to a place in Pennsylvania that you can order meat in bulk, and for a very decent price. This place is on the way to Ian's work, and also on the way to my Mama's. So we ordered $100 worth of meat. Turkey, Chicken & Pork, and in all ways! They will have it packaged to the size/pound we want. They were so nice, and so helpful. We think this is the way we are going to buy our meat in the future. It's nice we can do this as we have a freezer in the basement that we can use, plus our freezer in the kitchen. I will take a picture of the bulk meat order, and I plan to label the date (if it is not already done) so I know when we bought it, and how long it lasts.

I also got to talk to my best friend last night on the phone. She lives in Florida, and its been hard at times to connect on the phone or online as we are both busy. It was so refreshing to hear her voice, and get a much needed update on her life, as me able to update her on mine. I would LOVE to visit her again, and we discussed it, but airline tickets are so expensive now. My best friend, Nicole, is Micaela's biological Aunt. I dated Nicole's brother, we were engaged, and had Micaela. Now we are just good friends, and I have remained best friends with Nicole, and close to her family. So blessed out it worked out!! I am missing Nik so much. I hope I am able to see her soon!

2011-07-08T09:01:00.002-04:00

Thank you to my amazing cyber-sister Kati for kicking me in the butt to post on my blog. I had great ambition and motivation to do so when I was on vacation in Chincoteague a few weeks back, but never did... & then I became lazy, and well that was my last post..

After getting back in touch with some of my amazing online friends that I met back when I was a young mom, and Sierra was a young fresh chicken, lol I have become motivated, and hoping to remain on the blog posting band wagon. We will see..

Thank you Kati! I plan to update my blog a bit with new pictures, and change the layout around a bit.. Hope to get an updated post here soon.

Need to take Sierra & her friend to camp, get back to working- been working since 6:30 this morning and get Micaela ready for the day. I already a tired mama.. But need to complete my check list today.

2011-06-12T08:18:00.005-04:00

Chincoteague Island, we have arrived!! Are you ready for us?
Lil Ladies and Mama arrived about 3pm, and checked into our rental house!
It was a very long drive, and alot of "Are we there yet?" from Micaela. She was so bored, highly inpatient, and just on edge. She can not sit still and has so many jitters in her tall lil body. :)
Our Home Away from Home

But once we arrived, and settled in, Micaela was relaxed, and back to her sweet & calming self. My dad & stepmother came with us til Tuesday, and Lil Ladies are happy to spend alot of time with the grandparents. The view from our rental house is amazing. We have a terrific view of the Assateague Lighthouse.
You can see the lighthouse from the living room window and an even better view of the lighthouse from one of the bedrooms. I went to sleep early last night & didn't know the light from the lighthouse is on at night, and you can see the light. Well tonight I am staying up later & am going to see the light. A perfect picture for me to take!
Lil Ladies took advantage of the swimming pool last night, and loved it. Water was warm, and they jumped right in. & they even got along, and played together. Nicely, and no fighting, til the end at least. I got a few good pictures of my Lil Ladies playing together. One of my favorite snap shots of them was captured last night!

They took the Boogie Boards into the pool and were racing each other from one end of the pool to the other. Micaela, of course was a fish in the water & Sierra was in the pool, put her head under & totally enjoying herself. She is the Lil Lady who never enjoyed the pool or water like that. Last night she did enjoy herself, and it melted my heart as her Mama. She swam her heart out, and Sue & I just watched in amazement! Such a blessing to see Micaela in her element, and Sierra being brave, and care free. Letting loose and enjoying herself.
Day 1 was nice, and enjoyable. It's morning of Day 2 & not sure what we are going to get ourselves into!! Another blog coming again...tonight :)

2011-06-02T21:01:00.002-04:00

My American Flag Dessert.
Pound Cake, Whipped Cream.
Blueberries. Strawberries.

It was VERY yummy, and everyone seemed to like it.
I am PROUD of myself, as I never made something like that before.
I plan to make it again, and tweak the flag different. Make it better.

I finally am on my laptop. My pieces came in that I needed, and I couldn't feel better. My battery has been charging and used a few times already. My new cord is wonderful. Now to just get caught back up to speed on things I need to get done with my laptop. Like uploading many many pictures that were taken and uploading them to Shutterfly. So I hope to be blogging a bit more often now that I have my own personal laptop back :)

My Lil Ladies are almost done school. Sierra is academically done, finished her last tests yesterday. So she is almost an official 7th grader. She is excited the school is over, and honestly so am I. I wish she would of done better with her grades, but I know towards the end of the year this happens. She checks out of school and puts a block up. Well, she knows I wasn't happy and still not happy. I am curious to see how much Sierra matures over the summer. Both emotionally, mentally and of course physically. She is becoming taller and taller, and well her lil attitude is shining too. In many more ways than one. Micaela had her last full day of 2nd grade yesterday, last recess, and lunch. I can't believe my baby girl is going to be in third grade in the Fall. Yikes. She had a nice year, and I was able to be a major part of the year too. Going into the classroom, and helping out. I love her class to pieces, and can't wait to see them all in the Fall. All the children are coming back too, yeah!! Micaela and I are going to miss her teacher alot.. Mrs. Wunder is an amazing teacher, and she did wonders with the children. I am going to be a mess next week when Micaela is officially done for the year.

I am very happy to report that my allergies seem to be under control. I am excited, and relieved. For awhile they were bad, and completely uncomfortable. I take my Singulair daily and it truly helps. When my allergies are really bad, I just take another pill, and immediate relief! I go back at the end of June for a follow up. I plan to talk to him about my shortness of breath, and how I still feel my throat closing in on me now and then. Hasn't happened in about two weeks, but that is what makes me uncomfortable the most.

My sister, Caitlin, lives in Springfield, Mass. 6/1/11 a tornado went through the town. Very scary situation for her to be in, and experience. She has never experienced a tornado before as where we were raised we only had warnings, nothing ever happened. But, Caitlin who moved to Springfield about two weeks ago experienced one. I told her it was a Welcome Home present from God. LOL, she just laughed at me. The damage done was a lot worse than I thought, but no damage to where they lived, or her car. I was scared when I heard this news, and couldn't locate my sister. I knew she was okay. Thank goodness for facebook, but not reaching her on the phone, well that was hard. Luckily she returned my dad's phone call, and I was okay then.

But off to get Sierra ready for school and pick up Micaela from her dad's to take thm both to school. Half day today..

The True Meaning of Memorial Day

2011-05-30T11:41:00.000-04:00

Happy Memorial Day 2011!
Today is a day to remember the Heroes who served for our Country. The Brave Men and Woman who proudly protected the USA. To those who served, and are still living, to those who lost there lives, to those currently serving. Today is a day to Honor them. To show our Thanks as Citizens of the USA. To display our American Flag with pride, to share our Courage and Strength. To be Proud of the Red, White & Blue.

My boyfriend, Ian, is a Veteran. He proudly served in the Army, and was Overseas. Fighting in the War, serving our Country. I didn't know him then, and I didn't know him when was in any part of the military, but I am proud of him. Very proud. He is a Hero in my eyes, my Hero. He was so brave, so strong. He had no fear. No fear to serve our Country. To leave his family, and fight for our Country. Tears flow down my face when I think of what he did. To know someone personally. To be in love with someone who did such an Amazing thing for his country, his family. I am not sure he will truly ever know how proud I am of him, how thankful I am, how honored I am. I love him him so much, and love him even more for the selfless act he did. So this day, I am honoring my love, my boyfriend. Being with him, and my family. This is how I want Memorial Day to be! :)

Aside from it being Memorial Day, we will be going to a cookout. We are just going over to Ian's parents, and having a small get together. Yummy food, good times, and of course the kids playing together! Spending time with Sarah, Anna & Caleb. & of course my family. A day with Ian and Lil Ladies. Doesn't get any better than that!!

I am excited my the parts for my laptop are in the mail, and should be here this week. I miss my laptop. It died on me, and I had to order a new battery, and charger. I was borrowing Sierra's laptop, and then went crazy on me. So here I am on my work computer, in the family room. It is so cold down here, and typing away. I hate not having my laptop. It is one of my best friends, and I depend on it. LOL. So hopefully this week the parts will be here.

I got my new cell phone over the weekend. The Thunderbolt. I said goodbye to my Blackberry, and hello to a 4g HTC. So far, so good. Haven't really figured out everything yet, but slowly I will. It is alot of fun so far, just many features. Also alot bigger than my Blackberry. We got $50 off the phone, plus we had a giftcard for Ian trading in his iphone. So it was a good deal, and I am happy with my phone. Now we had the same phones. So if I get stuck on something, he can help me!

I have been quite emotional lately. Not myself, just all over, and I can tell it is starting to take an effect on people. My loved ones, my family. I am mad, sad, crying, frustrated. I seem to cycle in one big circle. I wish I was just constantly happy, and not so emotional. I am feeling myself become withdrawn, not wanting to talk about my feelings, whats going on in my head. Its causing tension, and just ignoring my feelings, things going on in our lives. It is just making it worse. :( I wish people would understand how I feel. Why my emotions are all over. But no matter how I try to explain myself, describe it, no one understands. No one gets it. How can they? They never experienced what I am dealing with? Maybe they do, and I just haven't found those people. Not enough anger and tears can make me feel any better. I just need time. Time to heal, time to let it ALL sink in.

I just want peace, peace within, peave with everyone. Slowly I am finding the peace I need. Especially with my friends, and people in my lives. That is making me whole. I just feel completely torn with others and a million miles away..

Too sad to finish this.
Happy Memorial Day Everyone!
xoxo

2011-05-27T12:15:00.002-04:00

I just got home from the vet with Daisy. Over all a very good visit for her. She gained another pound, putting her at almost 64 pounds. Daisy was very happy to visit the vet, and showered them with love and affection. She is such a happy dog, makes me proud to be her owner. Daisy went to the vet because her left eye was red, and a bit swollen. She also a big lump on her lip. The lump wasn't getting any smaller, and looked like it was starting to get infected. So off to the vet we went. The vet took a look at both of her eyes, ran a few tests, and said everything look great. He said that he thought it could be allergies, and to see if it improves or gets worse. He said that he will document it, and I am to call if I see no improvement. The vet also looked at Daisy's lip. He said it wasn't a bug bite, my thought. He said that it is going to continue to look infected as alot of moisture occurs there with her drinking, eating, and where her lower teeth meet the top of her lip. So Daisy is on antibotic 2x daily for 10 days. He said he will call in a week to follow up with Daisy. Said I did the right thing by bringing her in.

On the way to the vet, I literally ran into a painted water turtle. I was going to the car to turn it on and as I walked down from my front steps and there a turtle was. I was shocked as I felt he came out of no where. I went inside to wake Ian up, as I was not touching the turtle, and when I came out he hiked it to the neighbors yard. A quick little fellow. So after Ian saw the turtle, he went back to bed. I figured I would take the turtle to the vet with me, and see what they think. A good idea I had. So I went to get Daisy, put her in the car, and on the way to the car she spots the turtle. Oh gosh. She went right after the turtle, and picked up the turtle in her mouth. Wow! A bulldog retriever. lol. I had to yell at Daisy to drop the turtle. The turtle certainly had a drool bath. Quite the seen that was. Daisy was so excited to see a moving object/animal, she didn't know what to think. So put Daisy in the car, scoop the turtle that I was scared to pick up, and off to the vet we went. Daisy could here the turtle making noises in the container I had the turtle in. Quite entertaining. She is barking over and over at the turtle moving. So we make it to the vet. Take Daisy in, and get her settled. Tell the office about what happened, and I bring the turtle in. They called Daisy a Hero, and gave her a cookie for rescuing the turtle.. So she didn't really rescue the turtle, but Daisy didn't eat the turtle either.. LOL.. The office lady is going to rehome the turtle in her back yard. She property backs a creek and she lives in the country. Perfect :)

Gotta myself ready to get the girls early from school to go to Sierra's orthopedic appt. & so far no phone call or email from school about Sierra's shorts.

Looking forward to tonight. Dinner with my Girlie Friends and Lil Ladies. Shrimp, pasta, and mac&cheese. Yummy. I also plan to make 2 yummy desserts this weekend!

Fruit American Flag Poundcake & Strawberry Pretzel Cake!

2011-05-27T09:26:00.004-04:00

I did it. I just sent my very first rough draft to a friend to proof read, give me her insight, and ask me a lot of questions so I can make My Testimony better. It was hard to right, alot of tearful moments, alot of stopping, deleting and re-typing but I did it. I hope I will hear back from her by the end of the weekend. I am completely dedicated to re-writing it, and making it complete. My goal is by mid June to have it complete, and be able to share with some close friends, before sharing it with everyone. Writing My Testimony was something I needed to do for myself, a goal I had, a goal with myself. Only this person knows I am writing it, and the few people I want to read it, will be excited and I know over joyed to read it. My end goal is to make a difference in the lives of those who can relate to My Testimony. More on this later, just going to wait patiently to hear back from my friend who is helping me to write it.

My Lil Ladies had a dress down today at school. They both wore shorts, and well Sierra was upset, and came down to me crying a few times. Poor girl, she is so emotional anymore.. Hormones and growing up into a teenager. I didn't see anything wrong with what she was wearing. It wasn't like she was wearing short shorts. I feel they were appropriate, as did she. Even a few of the other mom's thought what she was wearing was okay. I saw alot of other girls wearing shorts/skorts that were the same length. Seems some of the Middle School girls 'ganged' up on Sierra and told her that her shorts were too short. Her friends, her good friends, turned on her, and hurt her feelings. I was shocked by two of the girls who 'turned' on her. I talked to one of Sierra's friends who 'turned' on her and told her that she upset Sierra, and had her in tears. What she was wearing was okay, and if she was going to get in trouble with her outfit, it was none of her concern. It would be between Sierra and I, and school. I am fustrated, and upset.. For the caddy attitude that goes on in a Christian school, a small school. Sierra has never been subjected to this, and I can tell she doesn't know how to handle it. She is protected by this type of behavior. A major reason she doesn't attend public school. Yet, it still happens.. I plan to talk to Sierra about it when I pick her up from school early. She has a doctor appt, to check on her ankle. So far it is 9:30 and no phone call or email from school.

I am off to take Daisy, my American Bulldog to the vet. Looks like she has allergies, and something bit her lip. Poor girl.. Will update on her when I get home.

2011-05-26T20:31:00.005-04:00

So I have been trying to spruce up my blog a little bit, and change the layout. I wanted something with more color. Adding more color to my blog page was important to me, and I think I found a good layout I like. Summer colors. Maybe it will make me want to blog more? I also am in the middle of trying to organize my blog a bit more. Adding more pictures to the right column. Pictures of my Lil Ladies, of my boyfriend and I, as well as my Lil Ladies and me.. I am liking the layout so far, maybe tweek it a bit more, but most of it is complete to my liking :)

Now lets hope I blog more. I have so much I want to say, just need to get the motivation, the desire, the passion, and fire to continue to write..

It is Thursday night, my girls are in bed for the evening, hoping they are drifting off to lala land. I am working on my blog page, and wanting to get some what an interesting post together. We are looking forward to the long Memorial Holiday Weekend. Ian has to work Sat and Sun, but not many hours. So I think Saturday night will be Date Night for the 2 of us, and shopping at the mall. Sunday night we will take the 2 girls and us out to eat crabs. I think we will all enjoy that. Pay a certin amount and eat all the crabs you can enjoy! They will enjoy that alot. Yummy crabs they say. And they can pick there own.. Great photo taking opportunity too! Monday we are having a cookout at Ian's parents house. Spending time with the family, and celebrating such an amazing day. I plan to make 2 American Flag Cakes.
Something that looks like this :)

Going to use it with pound cake, whipped cream, blue berries and straw berries. Simple yet fun to make. I think they will be perfect for Memorial Day Cookout!

But now to finish the last touches I want to make on my blog.

2011-05-18T11:05:00.003-04:00

Tonight Micaela and I are going to the local library. We will be listening to a talk about Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby horse. Micaela was completely in love and addicted to Barbaro, and still is. She lives in his legacy, and this is such a dream come true for her. I am blessed for her to be of age to appreciate and remember this night. We will be purchasing the book tonight and hoping for an autograph and pictures. Micaela will be bringing her TY Beanie Baby Horse with her tonight. She took the stuffed animal to school today, and shared the news with her friends. So sweet, so innocent. Some knew who Barbaro was, some didn't. Tomorrow she will share the book with her friends, and tonight she look through the book page by page, picture by picture. :)

2011-05-18T10:53:00.005-04:00

Recent Pictures of my Fam(ILY)
My Lil Ladies in recent activities.
Sierra at Softball, Sierra at Spring Concert, Sierra at Dance Recital.
Micaela at End of the Year Field Trip, Micaela Teacher Appreciation Week.

2011-05-08T09:52:00.005-04:00

...Happy Mother's Day...

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

I wish all the Mother's in my life a Happy Mother's Day.
I wish you all a happy day filled with amazing love, &
laughter. May your day be spent with your children,
family & friends!

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. ~Author Unknown

Mom,
I know you will never read this as you do not know I have a blog, probably do not even know what a blog is, but this is for you.

Happy Mother's Day Mom. You are the most amazing woman I know. Your strength, independence, courage, and intelligence are what I love about you most. You have shown me so much in my life, and you always taught me to believe in myself, do not let anyone tell me differently, and strive for nothing but the best. You have molded me into who I am today, and I wouldn't want to be anyone different. You sacrificed so much for Caitlin, and I. I can never repay you for all you have done. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you have done and do for me. I love you Mom.

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving

My Lil Ladies,

Thank you for making my Mother's Day every day. You have shown me what a Mother is suppose to be, and who a Mother is. You have made me the luckiest Mother Alive, and I am so happy to know that you are my daughters. I love you so much, and you mean the world to me. My life is so complete with you as my daughter's. You both are so much of me, yet you are both your own little people. You are my entire life, and make me so very happy. The compassion, intelligence, creativity, individuality, strength, and love you both have is priceless. My Lil Ladies. My Topper & My Dixie. My Baby Girl & My Twinkle Toes. Mama Loves you Always Forever.

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

Happy Mother's Day Mamas, Mamas to Be, Mamas with Angels in Heaven, Mamas of 4 legged furry animals.

2011-05-06T06:23:00.003-04:00

ily..i love you

You just fell asleep next to me at 5:56AM after watching a movie downstairs with your other special lady in your life, Daisy Girl. You said the movie was long, and apologized for taking so long. No need to apologize my love, I was asleep, and had no idea of the time until you woke me :)

You fell fast asleep after a few short words exchanged. I am sorry that we haven't had the chance to communicate very much. Between our opposite schedules its hard. You working third shift, plus over times makes is hard to see one another, yet to talk on the phone for the few minutes we do have. I am glad work has picked up. It means more guaranteed hours for you, and more money that we need for our family. I know you work long and hard hours. I know it isn't easy with what you do, and I have no idea really what you do. Maybe sometime you can take your Ladies on a tour of your job and show us first hand what you do. Then maybe I might understand exactly what your job entails.

The downside to your job in my eyes. I never ever see you, and barely talk to you. I miss you more than words can describe. Right now you are sleeping in your 'position' and snoring away. You are also shaking your leg every few minutes. So this means you are very tired, restless and might not sleep to well. You always look so uncomfortable in your 'position' of sleep, but you sleep like this most often. Knowing your next to me, safe, and secure makes me feel better. Makes me know you are okay, aand you are home with me, next to me. The love of my life is next to me. I am wide awake with so many things on my mind, and you are in another world, sleeping away and maybe having another crazy dream. I hear no hums yet, so I think we are safe with no dreams..

I never knew I could miss someone so much when I live with them. I see you before you go off to work, and you let me know when you are home. I miss your smile, your funny charm, your hugs, your kisses. Most of all, I miss being held. Miss being in your arms. I do get hugs, I do get kisses, I do see your smile but its only before you leave for work and right when you get home. I miss the inbetween parts, for no reason at all. I am grateful you have been able to pick up hours, but I am also very jealous that I have to share you with work more. I know it could be worse. It could be out with friends and doing other things. So I am grateful it is just work, and that is my only competition. I miss you so much my love. I miss spending time with you. I miss telling you every small thing that happns in my life, and the Lil Ladies. I miss seeing your reaction to what I have to say. I wish there were more hours in the day to spend with you. I have these visions, visions of us doing things when we both are free and have the time to do together.

I love you so much. I miss you so much.
You are my world. My Life. My Best Frend.
The one I lean on the most. The one I challenge the most.
You are there for me through thick and thin. You are my to go to person.
You are my Rock. You are my Strength. You never let me down.
When you think you do all wrong, you have done nothing wrong.
When you think I am mad at you, I am mad at myself the most.
When you think I do not love you, I love you so much, I can just cry.
You make me happy in so many ways. You excite me and bring joy to my life.
You are my everything and so much more.
Though times are rough right now for me, and I am seeing alot of grey in my life.
I think of you, and you make it all clear. I may not show that, or let you hear that, but you make my life clear. You make it worth getting through the day.
I have alot of negative going on my life right now to add to that gray, but you are my positive, my white to my grey. My Lil Ladies and you are My Life. My everything. My happiness. I just wish you were there to hold my hand 24/7, but I know you can't.
Ily more than words my love. Thank you for choosing me to love, to make you whole, to share my life with.

Just can't wait to spend time with you, quality time.
xoxo ily always forever

2011-05-04T20:38:00.003-04:00

Guardian Angels.......

God not only sends special angels into our lives, but sometimes He even sends them back again if we forget to take notes the first time!
~Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

Do you believe in them?

I most certainly do, and believe you can have a few come into your life.
I always knew I believed in them, and knew a few existed in my life when I was younger, but never understood to what extent. I always felt a presence in my life when times were hard and challenging, and I knew I was never alone during those times, but relating to the feelings, and reality of the Guardian Angels in my life at time, I had no idea. It wasn't until last year did I really feel, understand, and know I had experienced a true Guardian Angel. This amazingly strong, brave, and independent woman was my first encounter and understanding of what a Guardian Angel is capable of doing, and being. I am not sure she will ever know, or even care to know what she saved me from, what she did, but I will forever be grateful for her.

I believe they come into your life for different reasons, and of course at different times. I believe my last Guardian Angel came into my life August 2010. My Guardian Angel was my Saving Grace. During this time in my life I was uncertain of so much. I had just made the biggest decision of my life. A decision I made all by myself. I was depressed, I felt alone, I was scared. I wasn't in the happiest of times to say the least. I knew my current relationship wasn't the healthiest for many reasons, but I kept making excuses. Excuses for everything in my life. As a female,a mother, a friend, a girlfriend. I needed guidance, I needed an outlet. I needed someone to help me. My own boyfriend at that moment couldn't even guide me, or help me. In the end and not knowing it at the time, but he was the center of everything going bad. It wasn't completely his fault, and will never give him all the blame to this day (I broke it off with him in August 2010), but at the time I blamed him for it all. It does take two in a relationship for it to go bad, even if one has more involvement. Anyways, my Guardian Angel helped me out of my dark hole. She showed me the light was at the end of the tunnel. She swallowed her pride, her feelings, her involvement in my life, to rescue me. To show me the way. She got my intention. It was an intense conversation, one with alot of hurt, alot of emotions, but at the end of the conversation, I felt relief. Relief that someone cared so much to help me, to be there. The one person I never thought would care on that level. But from her personal experience on many levels, she swallowed every ounce of raw emotion she had, like I said, and helped me. We worked through it together, and because of her, I am alive. I am healthy. I am happy, and I feel I am on top of the world.

I just wish I could share what I wrote, and how I feel about my Guardian Angel, but for many valid reasons I can't share with her. Okay, I am sure I could, I am sure she would listen, I am sure she would thank me, but to chance a negative outcome. Not sure I could do that. I do not think she would give me a negative outcome.. Scared. I know there is peace, there is calmness. It is not because of us that we are just not talking or really close. It is because of a neutral ground that it is what it is.
I miss her. I miss the relationship. I miss alot.
I do have peace. I do have sound mind about this all.

Angels are principally the guardians of our spirits. Their function is not to do our work for us, but to help us do it ourselves, by God's grace.
~ Eileen Elias Freeman, The Angels' Little Instruction Book

2011-05-04T20:22:00.004-04:00

Gosh.. I do not even know where to begin.
I am behind so much with keeping up with my blog.
All these visions I have with wanting to blog, things to say, things
I want to share with you all, things I want to keep record of...but
something comes up, I become distracted, yadda yadda..

To start.
I went to see an Allergist yesterday. A new allergist. To see what
he had to say, to get a second opinion. I am not quite sure what to
think. I had two different set of tests. The first was a prick test
that were done on my arms. This was to see what I was allergic to in the
past. Not quite sure how that works, but whatever.. It didn't show anything, except a little, so they did a second level test. This was done on my upper arm. This showed a few set of allergies. Nothing he was really concerned with.. Well I was, and wasn't to happy with what he said. BUT he is the doctor, and what do I know.
He put me on the following meds for now
10mg Singulair 1x day
Pataday eye drops 2x day
Patanase nasal spray 2x a day

I am only on day 2 of this, but so far I see no relief.
My throat feels like it is closing in on me, and hurts.
My ears hurt something fierce.
My head hurts.
Eyes are blurry and itchy.

My throat is what really bothers me. Hurts when I swallow, and it scares me.
I mentioned my fear and concern to the allergist. He didn't quite understand me
or take me seriously.

I made an appt to go back for a follow up in two months about. End of June.
If I do not feel better in a week, I am going to call and see if I can be seen.
I am not going to mess with my allergies, and be miserable. Not fair to me or my daughters.

I am keeping track of the pollen. To see what happens, to see if I see a pattern going on. I plan to share this with the doctor, and see what happens. Lucky for technology and the internet. Lucky free tools they have out there.

2011-05-01T17:59:00.005-04:00

Sierra's Playing Softball. Go Team Thunder :)
(Yes, that is the name of her team)

Her team is 3-1 currently.
Lost yesterday, won today!
Sierra got her first run yesterday, off of a walk to first base.
She slid into home plate with her knees. Yes, her knees. She was
afraid to slid with her ankle, as it is weak and she doesn't want to injure herself.
Today, Sierra got 2 runs, one with a walk to first, and the second she hit the ball.
She slid into home plate the first time with her knees, and the second time she did a regular slide. (We now have to buy a new slider, she has hole in it from sliding with her knee). Sierra also assisted with getting someone out at first. She ball came to right outfield and she scooped it up and threw it to first to get the runner out. Go Sierra. I was so proud of her..
Yesterday I was crying as she made her first run. I choked up and had a very proud moment..

So here are some pictures from the past few games. No special order, just random.

2011-04-29T20:18:00.003-04:00

It's Friday evening, and I am a very tired, and worn out Mama. Emotionally, mentally, and physically. I need a good nights rest, and just able to sit down, relax and breath.
It's very hard for me to do that, as I am always on the go, and needed in many different directions..

But tonight.....I am resting........I am going to relax......and force myself to do it.
This is my last task of the evening.. Take my sleepy meds, and watching a movie that I got from the library.. It is called The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania. I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, so I am excited to see this 2006 Heartland Film Festival movie. A small movie, nothing motion picture or anything like that.

I was able to visit with my God-Daughter this afternoon and her family. I had a nice visit, and was so happy to see her. I have missed her so much over the months. I only live 10 minutes from her, but due to being busy, my surgery and everything else seeing her was seldom. But in the last 2 weeks I have seen her 3 times! She is my pride and joy, and the light of my life. She is 4 and has melted my heart since she was born. She will be 5 this summer, yikes!! My lil girl is growing up. My only God-Child, and she will be my only God-Child. I love spoiling her. I love you Bianca! So good to see you, and can't wait to see you more.

My Lil Ladies go back to school on Monday..YES! A very long week of them off, and I am glad I got to spend time with them, but I am also very happy they are going back to school. They are use to routine, they thrive on routine and need it. When they are out of routine, I do bonkers, they go bonkers. This was a major preview to my summer with them.. Yikes!! :)

I will finish this post tomorrow, I am so tired and just need to lay down.
Will blog about:
Guardian Angels
Joyce Meyer and Power Thoughts

2011-04-28T16:34:00.003-04:00

Last night my Lil Ladies and I helped to sort clothing for The Keepers Hands. The Keepers Hands is a Christian Ministry that I am part of, and locally where I live. I have written about this ministry before in my blog, and I am just so blessed to be part of this mission. Last night a lot of the ladies, and our children got together at a warehouse that was donated to TKH and we went through 44 trash bags of clothing that was given to us, and we sorted by gender and size. Lil Ladies and I spent 3 hours sorting clothing, and felt so accomplished with all that was done. My Lil Ladies were a huge help and I am so proud of them. They were given a crash course in learning how to read the labels, and how to sort the clothing. My oldest LL, LL1 was a big help, and enjoyed herself, and spent most of the time helping. My littlest, LL, LL2 had a nice time playing with the other children, but did help for a bit. She understood the concept, but just was more interested in playing. & did she play, she was a very dirty, but happy Lil Lady by the time it was time to leave. It was nice to spend time with the other ladies, and to get to know them better. I see myself becoming friends with a few of the ladies I was talking to last night, and I am blessed to of met them, Christian women too :)

We are meeting again tonight for our Weekly Bible Study. It is at my friend Dana's house, she is the founder and coordinator of The Keepers Hands. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be surrounded by amazing ladies, and a ministry I believe in 100%
We are beginning a new Bible Study tonight. A Joyce Meyer's study. My first, and I hope to learn a lot. Let's just hope I can stay awake through this study. I am already tired, and worn out. I took 2 Benedryl, and I hope they kick in soon.

Well off to feed dinner to my Lil Ladies, and to get Micaela ready for her dad's. She is spending the night, and she is looking forward to it. I am also babysitting my neighbors daughter. My Lil Ladies are enjoying playing with her. She is almost 18 months old, and they think she is a joy to be around.

2011-04-28T15:44:00.004-04:00

I wanted to share this picture with you all. I just received this picture via email from my best friend Sarah. She took this picture and has her own photography business. It is called Seconds in Time Photography!

The love of my life!
I am just totally in love with this picture.
My best friend Sarah took this picture of us.
This is her brother, my boyfriend Ian.
I love that we are both dressed up.
We both are completely in love with one another.
He completes me in every way.
Easter 2011

2011-04-27T16:02:00.002-04:00

I become so tired of being sick. Of feeling ill, and never knowing when the next attack will come. I will be good for a few days, lucky a whole week, but when the attack comes, it comes, and do I hate it. Oh yes, I hate it 100%.
Last night I had one those nights of being sick, having an attack.
I am not sure what I ate, but the last thing I ate was buttered biscuits I made with Potato Soup poured over top. I ate that around 2ish, and by 5-6pm came, I started to not feel well. Normally when I get sick, it comes alot quicker, and normally I can pin point me getting sick as soon as I eat something. Times I really just want to eat something I can't have, and will risk getting sick, but last night took me for a big surprise. So I had bathroom issues, fever, sweats, chills, feeling weak, the normal symptoms I get. I started to feel better, then it got alot worse and then better.
Last night I told myself something is seriously not right with me, and I need to get a second opinion, and have this taken care of.

So I called this morning and made an appointment to get a second opinion with an allergist. They had a cancelation for next week, May 3. So I of course took the appointment. It is bright and early in the morning and its a 2 hour appt. They will find out my allergies right then and there. This new doctor seems very nice, and straight forward. Exactly what I am looking for.
I plan to explain everything I have been through, and what I know about my situation. Something just had to give, and I just can't be doing this anymore. If something is wrong, if I am allergic to something, I just want to know, treat it, and adjust my life.. I thought having my appendix out would be the cure to my health issues, but obviously not. I mean the pain is not there like it was, but that pain could of just been from not having a healthy appendix at all..

So who knows.. but I made the step in the right direction.. :)

2011-04-26T20:47:00.004-04:00

Easter Pictures 2011

2011-04-24T20:58:00.003-04:00

Happy Easter!!
We just got home from our adventurous day of visiting with family.
We went to visit Ian's parents and siblings quickly before heading
to Pennsylvania to visit with my Mama and sister. His family lives about 5 minutes up the road. We are up there all the time, but they wanted to see us all dressed up. Took some nice pictures. Thank you Sarah for taking them for me. Can't wait to see them. Then we ventured up to visit my family. We had a really nice time. The girls were happy to see Oma and Aunt Caitlin. Oma had an egg hunt out in the backyard. She hid over 100 plastic eggs. They went to town with finding them, and Sierra ended up winning this years hunt. Micaela wasn't to bummed, she just wanted the candy, the chocolate. She certainly did as she got it all over her dress. Poor kid always ends up ruining her nice clothes. But that is Micaela and I would expect nothing normal from her. We went to visit my 90 year old Nana today. She is in a nursing home, and I was so happy to go visit with her. She memory came out a bit today, and I was happy to see her smiling and laughing. She remember her daughter Susan, her days of going bowling, and her husband, my Papa. She remembered my nickname she use to call me. She got a kick out of Micaela's easter dress. Those moments made me happy. I wish I had more time to visit with her, but living so far away it becomes hard. But I am going to make it a very conscience point to visit her a few times this summer. She is so beautiful, just her mind is going. After visiting with Nana, we went to take pictures of us at the local Museum. We had a nice time, and got different pictures. It was switching and swatching different people. But we got it worked out and the pictures turned out really nice. I can't wait to share.. Maybe tomorrow. Then we were off to the Country Club to eat. Amazingly nice food, and good times. Laughs, smiles, memories made. So nice to get to know my sister and her boyfriend alot better. They getting to know my girls alot better. My mom getting to know everyone alot better. Both her daughters have boyfriends. Boyfriends with whom her daughters are moving in with. All good. All good!! We ate alot of fun, had some beers and wine too. Just good times. Met up with my moms girlfriend and her oldest son. Was good to see Karen and Ryan again. Been since I was a teenager when I last saw Ryan. Times change, good changes..On the way home from Reading to Elkton, it decided to rain something fierce. rained cats and dogs for a long while. I was stressing out about the drive, and I wasn't even the one driving.. Ian was the one driving and I know for sure I drove him bonkers a few times. He is so patient with me, I love it. I do love him so much, and I know we would do anything for me, in a heartbeat. We safely made it home and it barely rained here as I had windows open. No water got in, and I was happy about that. Lil Ladies are in bed sleeping, and we are downstairs playing on laptop and playstation 3! Then to cuddle, and go to sleep. What an amazing Easter Day we had..Pictures will come soon.. Promise.

2011-04-20T20:07:00.002-04:00

+I took my sleepy time medicine so I am bit tired, and starting to become a bit slurred with my thinking and thoughts. I have been so tired lately, and trying to get enough sleep time in has been hard. Going off medicines that I was on for a month, and cutting cold turkey was hard for my body. Past 2 days were rough, today is a bit better, and am feeling good. Just tired and ready to relax, watch some tv and fall off to sleep. Sleep till Ian comes home from work, and comes to cuddle with me before he goes to take care of Daisy our dog, and veg out downstairs before he goes to sleep.

+Sierra had softball practice tonight. Amazing weather for her to have practice too. She seems to be playing short stop and third base alot. I wonder if that is going to be her position she will play. They have only had one game, and her second game is scheduled for Friday night. They had a game on Saturday night too, but this one is canceled, and I am completely sure why. We are bummed because I was going to be able to attend both games, as well as Ian. He hasn't seen her practice or worked with her in awhile. So I hope the weather is good and he can watch her game, and maybe practice with her. Sierra would love for that to happen. One on one attention from Ian. :) Sierra was getting some tips from the coach on batting and following through. She seems to be a bit confused on something, but once the coached worked with her, Sierra seemed to understand a bit better. Told her to practice this.

+Lil Ladies have 1 more day of school and then they are off for Spring Break. They have a half day tomorrow, and its the last day of testing. I have been helping with Micaela's classroom, and I am loving it. Hanging out with her class is fun, and rewarding. They are all sweet kids, and seeing how much they change in the course of a year is immense. They are all good friends. Great true group of kids. So I am helping the teacher with the State Testing we are doing. So after the last testing is done, the Lil Ladies are officially on Spring Break. Not completely sure what we are going to do, but we do have some small things planned.. As long as we are together as a family is what matters most to me. Being with my 2 Lil Ladies, and my boyfriend is all I need to complete my family. Of course Breanna will be in our thoughts over Easter and the next time she comes to spend the weekend with us, we will be celebrating her birthday and having a little party for her.

+I am getting really tired, and its beds that I lay down very soon and zone off into lalaland. Put my baby girl back into bed. Tucked her in once and now she is cuddled up against me. Thinking she is going to sleep with me, but her little lady self is going to go back into her room and go to sleep. :)

2011-04-18T11:05:00.001-04:00

Picture Overload

2011-04-16T10:17:00.003-04:00

We ended up not going to NYC today..
Last minute we canceled due to the rain that is suppose to pass through.
Lil Ladies were a bit upset, but didn't want to trample through rain either.
& of course didn't want to get American Girls wet either...

So........
Today we are going to do a few things around the area.
1. Get bike helmets for LL2 & LL3.
2. Go to Sweet as Sassy Cupcakes, yummy!
3. Game Stop to trade in Ian's old PS3, and games.
4. Stop by Bing's Bakery and order LL3 her birthday cake.
5. Stop by Boscov's to catch some Easter festivities.

This will keep us busy for a bit, and get the girls out of the house.
Sierra is suppose to have a softball game tonight, but if it rains I doubt she will have it. Major bummer to her, and us!

She had her first game last night.. Her team, Thunder, won. Score 9-6!
Sierra hit the ball, but got out at first base. She attemtped to catch some balls too, but didn't have much lunch. They only played 4 innings, but played under the lights. It was a 7:30pm game!! I hope to make some night games too. I just couldn't make last nights game.. I attended a Potluck Dinner for The Keepers Hands Ministry that I am part of. I had a really nice time. Great fellowship, amazing food, and alot of ministry opportunties coming up that I am looking forward to..

Today is my 6 month anniversary! 10.16.10 I started dating my love, Ian.
He is my world, my rock, my best friend! So blessed we are together!
I couldn't be happier, we couldn't be happier!
Here we are on our first date: George and Reba concert!

2011-04-14T18:36:00.003-04:00

My allergies are kicking my butt today. I was good for about 2 weeks, and now I am having a major flare up. My eyes are majorly itchy, my throat hurts, I am sneezing like crazy, and coughing. I have taken 2 benadryl tablets already today, and it has barely touched my allergies. It is a really nice day out, after it rained for 3 days straight. The major change in weather doesn't help me. I am going to take another benadryl in about an hour, use my eye drops, take my sleeping meds and call it a night! I am not fighting with my darn allergies any longer tonight. Lets just hope I am better tomorrow. IF NOT, I am calling a new allergist, and making an appt.
I need to do something. I can not keep doing this to myself, or my family.
I have tried to ignore my allergies, tried to fight them off myself, but OTC meds are just not cutting it. I am not to pleased with my current allergy doctor either.. I want a second opinion and well I think this is the time to get it.

In other news..

We are going to NYC this weekend. An overnight trip, the 5 of us! We are having a late lunch at American Girl so the 3 Lil Ladies can eat with their dolls, and each pick out an outfit. They are excited and have been looking forward to this trip for awhile. I am not sure what else we are going to do, it is kind of a care free trip. I would like to go to Central Park too. It's free and the Lil Ladies, nor Ian have been there.. I love Central Park and think its a nice place to visit. We are staying at the same hotel as last time, so we know what to expect.. So Saturday morning we board a bus to NYC and leave Sunday early afternoon to head back home!! :) Of course lots of pictures to come!

It's been almost a week since the boyfriend has moved in, and its been amazing. We are finally settled into a routine, and organizing the house. We have alot more to do, but taking the little steps in the right direction is going well. Sierra and Micaela are happy. They are loving the idea of him living with us, and like knowing he is here. We are becoming a very happy family. I have a check list, and each day we are crossing off items on the check list. Still alot to do, and I will be so relieved and happy when the check list is complete!

Easter is coming up and I am looking forward to spending time with family. Going to be spending the afternoon with my mom, sister, and her boyfriend. We are going to lunch, my mom is going to have an egg hunt for the girls, and we are possibly going to visit my Nana. She is 90 (my dad's mom) as she lives in a Nursing Home. The girls will be all dressed up too! I have an outfit, and so does Ian. Of course lots and lots of pictures to come too!

Daisy, our American Bulldog is doing well. We have had her 2 weeks today, and she has adjusted to our family and home nicely. She is content, and settled. We are still getting to know her, and figuring her out. She so far LOVES to chew on her bones. She can chew for hours, she loves her stuffies, and loves toys. She has already chewed apart a tennis ball, and rubber rope toy. She is so strong. I am quite impressed at her strength. Our other dog, Sadie and her are getting along nicely. They are getting better each day, and I hope eventually will be the best of friends :) They are both being boarded for the weekend as we are going to NYC. Shall be interesting, but both getting baths too!

Well off to get Micaela in the shower, take my meds and settle in for the evening!

2011-04-09T22:45:00.004-04:00

Meet Daisy, Our new American Bulldog.
She is 2 and a rescue dog! The rescue is Paws for Life.
She is the perfect addition to our family.
She is loving and adorable!

2011-04-09T22:36:00.003-04:00

Pictures of Micaela from the birthday party today. She felt really pampered.
Definitely a birthday party she will never forget and always remember!

2011-04-09T17:29:00.005-04:00

Sierra's ballet costume. I am in love with this costume. The color is eggplant!
I do not remember the name of song or artist to whom she is dancing to.

Sierra's Hip Hop Costume for her recitial.
Her recitial is in May, and her dance is to Lady Gaga.
They are doing a remix of 4 songs. Her dance class is opening up the recital.
She is so excited! I am too.

Micaela's hair do from a birthday party she went to.
It was a Spa Birthday Party.
Micaela had ALOT of fun, and she was pampered.
Manicure, Pedicure's, Facials, Hair Do's.
They made lip gloss, and bath salts!
Alot of fun, and of course I took alot of pictures.
Will post some soon!! Need to upload first.

2011-04-09T17:05:00.003-04:00

It's moving day..
Ian is moving in & I am so excited.
Overjoyed, and can't wipe the smile off my face.
He has already moved down stuff from his storage unit into the storage unit we got.
So that trip is done and over. His friend is helping him, thank goodness.
They are currently in the process of bringing down some of his furniture now..
Yeah :)
It's been a very very long day, but totally worth it in the end..
Lots of rearranging, and reorganizing, but little by little and room by room it will get done. I have done alot this week to prepare, but I know we will need to do alot more to make it completely the way we both want it!!
Tonight we will all be under one roof, my family is together! Well 4/5 of us will be together every day!! & of course with him moving in means buying more stuff for the house, stuff we need, and just stuff I never needed, but now with him being here, we will need!! :)
He has worked so hard today with moving and on little sleep. He worked til 12 and then was down here by 1ish and we didn't go to sleep til 3ish and then he was up by 9ish! Working all day long, and alot of it being physical labor! :) Complete pay off in the end.
Looking forward to dinner tonight. Getting dinner from one of his favorite places, Durham's. Its BBQ type!!

Off to check the laundry, switch it over and see what else I can do around the house. He should be here soon!!
& I will be making a few more posts tonight.

2011-04-08T17:09:00.004-04:00

I am excited.. I have been slowly planning my boyfriend's daughters 9th Birthday Party! So that would be Ian's daughter Breanna (Little Lady 3, LL3). He has her one weekend a month, and I asked her if she would like to have a little birthday party in May when she comes. Of course she said Yes! :) She requested a Justin Bieber theme party. She idolizes him, and I of course said that was perfect! Since this is already April, I have been getting a move on..

I created her invitation last night. Nothing too fancy, but I used all my creative juice I have. That is not too much, but I am pleased with the outcome! I think she will like it alot. I plan to invite her family, and some of Ian's friends! Enough to make her happy, and to enjoy herself.

(I blurred out the specific information, of course to protect my family. You get the idea.)
What do you think?

I have also started to get ideas for her birthday cake. I have printed out these two pictures and plan to take it to the local bakery I like. I hope we can combine these two ideas and create a nice cake for Breanna. I like the music notes on the one picture, and I like the circle bubbles on the side of the cake on the other picture. She is wanting a picture of Justin on her cake. So with all that is planned to be on the cake, I think it will look amazing.

I plan to play a few games and have activities:

-Pinata- Gonna get a guitar/mircophone & of course fill it with Candy
-Foam Craft- Decorate a guitar
-Make a Kiss on Justin Bieber- Have a poster of Justin and lips. Like pin a tail on a donkey. (I got this idea online)
-Justin Bingo (I will become creative with this one)

Of course we will have food. Just normal BBQ style.
Plates and all will either be Justin Bieber themed, Rock Star themed, or Guitar/Music themed. Gonna explore that option a bit more.

Party Favor's will be Hershey Kisses with some cute label on them.

I am excited for this, and can't wait to start with the ideas becoming a reality.
I think Breanna will be very excited, and pleased with her party.

& of course I am also planning my baby girl's 9th birthday too.
She is having her party at a local gymnastics place. She is having a cat/horse theme.
My stepmother is going to make her cake, and Micaela has it all 'mapped' out :) She drew her picture and can't wait to show my stepmother. Micaela's party will be on June 25, 2011. She wants cat and horse balloons with a mixture of Cat/Horse plates, etc. Her party favors will be creative too. Since her party is not at home, I can not be as creative with her's as I am being with Breanna's. I plan to let Micaela have a sleepover in July and she can invite her close friends. Then I will become a bit more creative and plan something more in depth.

It is so hard to believe both girls will be 9! Breanna turns 9 May 23 and Micaela turns 9 July 5!! :) I love having two 8 year old's, and then of course Sierra turns 13 in November... Major planning for that party!

2011-04-08T16:55:00.003-04:00

Last night when I was at The Keepers Hands Ministry and Fellowship we discussed Dr. Caroline Leaf. I have never heard of her before, and became quite intrigued by her work, and am wanting to read her book. I am wanting read Who Switched Off My Brain.
It looks like a very powerful book, and I know I will learn alot. I am going to check it out from my local library.

This is a bit about Dr. Caroline Leaf (taken from her website)

Since 1981, Dr. Caroline Leaf has researched the human brain with particular emphasis on unlocking its vast, untapped potential.

She has been received all over the world by a variety of audiences, due to her unique ability to link the scientific principles of the brain to intellectual and emotional issues in simple and practical ways.

Through years of research, she developed the Geodesic Learning™ theory (brain-compatible learning), which is a scientifically and statistically proven approach to thinking, teaching, and learning.

She has also developed the unique Switch On Your Brain™ 5-Step Learning Process and the Metacognitive-Map™ as a learning tool, and she has presented her learning theory and Metacognitive-Map courses to more than 100,000 students worldwide.

She has published articles in academic journals and consumer magazines and has been widely interviewed in newspapers, on radio shows, and on television shows about her research and theories.

She frequently lectures to both Christian and secular audiences worldwide on diverse topics relating to optimal brain performance, including the following:

Thinking and learning
Controlling your thought life
Managing stress
Eradicating toxic thoughts
Overcoming mental, emotional, and spiritual strongholds
Understanding male and female brain differences
Applying wisdom
Identifying your unique gifts

I am excited that there is a possibility of learning more in depth about Dr. Caroline Leaf and her books/theory. It is being discussed of a class being formed for the ladies of our ministry, so that we can learn and understand more about this type of thinking. I am looking forward to this, and hope it becomes a reality. This would be a great tool for myself, as well as other ladies and friends I know. Someone who has been studying Dr. Leaf would be teaching us, and the 'leader' of The Keepers Hands met with this person the other day. She shared with us last night about this opportunity, and introduced us to Dr. Caroline Leaf and her book.

I will let you all know when I get the book from the library and begin reading it :)

2011-04-07T22:59:00.003-04:00

Any recommendations on blog makeovers? Know anyone that does them? even more a fee?
I want something sassy yet me. Something girlie, yet simple and sophisticated.
Something not related to seasons or holidays..

Anyone point me in the right direction.
I have tried myself, but after some thought, I want a professional blog makeover design.

2011-04-07T22:40:00.003-04:00

God is amazing. He truly is.
I am so blessed, more blessed than I ever imagined.
I had such an amazing night, I feel overwhelmed with joy and compassion.
Joy in my heart and compassion in my soul.
Tonight happened for a reason. I felt called to go tonight.
To go to fellowship and bible study.
To meet such an amazing group of ladies. Ladies I can now call my friends.
Friends who are amazing, friends who just get it. Get me. I get them.
We just get it. We all have one major underlying relationship with one another.
WE ARE ALL CHRISTIANS. We ALL love God, and glorify him.
From that friendships blossom and grow.
Just so blessed to be part of The Keepers Hands Ministry. To see us grow.
Grow by leaps and bounds, in all ways, shapes and sizes.

Tonight has changed my life. I feel that I was called tonight to go, as I need my life to grow, my heart to spread, and to expand my horizons. To share my story with others and for them to share there stories to me. To combine our stories and create stories together and spread our love of God to everyone else.
The ideas, outreaches and possibilites we have for one another and for the ministry is amazing, and completely endless and totally obtainable. To be part of these community outreaches, and see them be born, grow and take off.. This just makes me so happy and blows my mind. I know I am babbling and probably making absolutely no sense. I am on cloud 9 and in complete Lalaland. (This is not the way I planned to write this post. Just seems my hands are doing the typing and my mind is going along with it.) I have so much I want to say, so much I want to change.. But right now I just can't seem to do that because of my happy high. I have visions. Visions to change my blog. To blog more, to make my blog more real, more personal.. Not sure how I will go about doing that, but I do have a few ideas up my sleeve.. I have slacked lately with my blogging for quite a few reasons. A few personal reasons and a few practical reasons.. between surgery, children not feeling well, and life getting ahold of me, I have not been blogging.. but motivation and inspiration have been coming back and after tonight.......... i hope it sticks, and does stay..

2011-03-25T17:19:00.003-04:00

I have been sitting here trying to fiddle with my blog.
Trying to change the font, change the layout to 3 column.
Thank you Alicia for your help. The email was a saving grace for me.
I am trying to figure it out. Once I have something figured out and
I change the layout, I have to go and change something else.
So its been a save and view blog type of hour for me.
Sooner or later I will figure it out. :) In the mean time I
am a stravin marvin and can't wait to eat at 6. I am meeting
my friend Sarah and her two kiddos at McDonald's for dinner.
Sierra has dance class for an hour, and Micaela is at a
birthday sleepover for the night. So I am treating myself
to McD's, and I just might get Sierra something to eat too
and surprise her after dance class. haha! Of course I will,
what kind of mean Mama am I. Show up to dance with my McD's
left overs and nothing for her, I will never be able to live
that one down..

We found Sierra her softball pants she needed. Walmart was no luck for me but
I am lucky we have a local Sports Store, and we went there and got lucky. They
had the pants she needed, in the color she needed, as well as the grey socks.
So she is all set for pictures tomorrow. Now I just need to make sure we are
on time for the pictures, and I pick out the package I want. Not anything to
big or to small. They are so expensive. I am sure I will find something
to fit my budget and the amount of pictures I want. She isn't getting professional
Dance Pictures this year because we will be in NYC,but my friend Sarah is going to
take some of her in her dance costumes so I have them. Sierra is okay with this,
heck we will be in NYC at American Girl, so she is completely okay with that. I
just feel bad because this will be the first time that they will not be taken
professionally, but Sarah is a good photographer and she has taken alot of pictures for me... Ahem, Sarah where are my softball pictures of Sierra you took, you know the ones from practice?? Like from a week ago? LOL.

I need to do some Chores tonight. Ugh. Make Micaela's bed, clean her room, and vacuum the upstairs rugs. I need to put away a load of laundry, do a load of laundry and empty the dishwasher as it is clean :) Fun, fun and a perfect date night for me to do chores. It's just Sierra and I tonight.. Until the boyfriend gets off from work, and comes down after work! & he has to work tomorrow afternoon/night too :( I am gonna miss him, but the extra hours are good! Very good. Just have a lot to get done this weekend. Let's hope we accomplish that.

Well to get myself ready for my date at McD's and Sierra ready for dance!

2011-03-24T16:40:00.003-04:00

...my favorite songs ever...

2011-03-24T16:11:00.007-04:00

-And, now, he's wrapped around her finger
She's the center of his whole world
And his heart belongs to that sweet, little, beautiful,
wonderful, perfect
All American girl-

(This song sums up my baby girl completely. Micaela Nicole is my world, my heart, my life. She has completed in more ways than I will ever be able to express. She is my All American Girl.)

-My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold-

(The love of my life. My two amazingly beautiful daughters. They are the essence of my soul. My heart. My World. My everything.)

-Looking in your eyes
Seeing all I need
Everything you are is everything in me
These are the moments
I know heaven must exist
These are the moments
I know all I need is this
I've found all I've waited for, yeah
And I could not ask for more-

(Sierra Ashley, I love you more than you will ever know. We grew up together, you gave my life meaning. You made me who I am today. You left footprints on my heart, and showed my life love.You are my Saving Grace.)

-Maybe, I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because
I was loved by you-
You were always there for me, --the tender wind that carried me
The light in the dark shining your love into my life
You've been my inspiration through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you-

2011-03-23T20:47:00.001-04:00

I want to learn how to change the font on my blog.. How do I do that?
How can I change my layout, and have a 3 column one?

Anyone help me, or make suggestions..

2011-03-23T18:22:00.003-04:00

As promised, here I am.

I am not feeling the best today. Allergies are acting up, and my body is achy and sore.
Not sure what is up with the aches, but I just need to keep healthy as I have surgery next week, and do not want that postponed at all. I have already waited this long for the surgery, so its happening and I am going to stay healthy. Oh yes I am :)
So lets hope these aches do not turn into anything serious, but my body is starting to get weak, and that is never a good sign with me.

Sierra went to the doctor today. It was a follow up to her xray and u/s she had about 3 weeks ago. I finally got the results from the doctor's office. It only took about 4 phone calls, and no response back until I had to go in person to the doctor's office. The u/s came back okay, but the xray showed constipation. So at the follow up today, the doctor believes that the constipation has passed, and that it is not associated with the pain Sierra has. It is not in the same area that Sierra describes. Sierra's pain is up further, and she states it happens 2-3 times a week and it only gets a level 4 pain. That is 1-10 with 10 being severe pain. The doctor wants to see her back in 3 weeks and we are to document her pain and bowel movement on a chart. So that is what we are going to do. I hope it is nothing serious, and just in Sierra's head. With a pre-teen anything is possible. But to be on the safe side, and the Lil Ladies doctor is very proactive and definitely listens to what I have to say, and includes me in on what they are doing/want to do.

My blog post last night was about the Mamabear in me coming out. It was related to Sierra and her softball. Nothing Sierra has done, but was actually done to her, and what transpired from it. This is Sierra's first experience playing softball in an organized manner and as a member of an official team. Every sport Sierra has done in the past was an individual sport. Okay, she dances with a group of girls, but its not really a sport per say. So this is different, and something new. Tryouts were a few weeks ago. She went to the tryouts, tried her hardest. She tried out in 10-12 age category, which was also Major A's. I knew and stated to the people at registration and tryouts that my daughter would be in over her head, and it would be too advanced for her. They pushed me through and didn't listen. They said she would be fine, and that she would be drafted appropriately. All Little League children had to tryout and would be placed. Well almost 2 weeks later I got a phone call stating Sierra was part of the Mud Hen's a Major A team with 10-13 year old girls. They were a good team, with strong coaches. I was happy to hear this, and they said she would be fine, and they would teach her everything she needed to know. Haha! So we got everything was requested and needed for practice. First week of practice went okay. Talked to the coaches about Sierra's ankle and the whole brace thing. Discussed with them that she has had no experience with softball. Explained that my main concern was teaching her the basics, and having fun. They told me okay, and to not worry. Yeah right.. Last night I picked Sierra up from practice, and one of the coaches came over to me and asked to talk to me. I knew right there that it wasn't good news, and that something was even more up than I thought. Over the weekend Sierra had practice. Shirts were to be handed out, and Sierra didn't get one. They told me they didn't have her size. Bull S#!t, they knew then that they didn't want her part of the team. They had 5 Small Shirts, and they were all handed out before Sierra got one. Sierra was the smallest girl on the team. It was so obvious to everyone she was the smallest/shortest. Funny how all the returning girls got a shirt, but not Sierra. They told me they must of miscounted, and will order one, and have it by this week. I just keep my mouth shut, and walk off. I let it roll off my back, and weekend goes on as planned. Back to last night. They told me that all the coaches talked, and they talked to the head people of the Little League. They talked about MY daughter without ME, and made a decision without ME and MY daughter. They basically told me what was going to happen. This happened or she wasn't going to be able to play. They blamed it on a safety issue. They didn't realize that Sierra was that 'fragile' and that 'small' for her age. They evaluated her, and gave her a few different 'tests'. They said that she didn't do as well as they expected, and that with her 'size' she would be better on a different team. A team with girls her 'size' and her 'ability'. They were going to put her from Major A to Minor A. They felt it would be 'safer' for Sierra. I agree that it is safer to have Sierra with girls her size, but the way this all went down, and how it went down made me very angry. I was angry and hurt. Hurt that my daughter was hurt and crying. Mad that my daughter had to go through this, experience this. This should of never happened. When I tell people that I know MY DAUGHTER's, I know my DAUGHTHER's. Don't second guess what I say. Listen, and take my advice and thoughts before hand. If I feel that Sierra or Micaela can handle a situation I wouldn't say anything, but if I feel they can't, I will voice my concern. I voiced my concern, it was written on the registration form. But no, they didn't listen. They went over me, and then realized they made a mistake. Sierra had 4 coaches and the Player Agent for Little League at her practice last night. Then she say the coach and the Player Agent talk to me. She was scared, embarrassed. She felt picked on, and cried her heart out. She never experienced anything like that. I have never seen Sierra cry as hard as she did last night except for when she heard the news she could never do competitive gymnastics again due to her ankle injury.. My poor girl, and to have this happen in front of others. She is 12, image is everything to her.. Ugh... I could go on and on, but if this team, these coaches and this Little League head honchos think they heard the last of me yesterday,they are wrong. I was to get a call last night from the coach who talked to me about her new team. Never heard anything.. But, Sierra's new coach did call me today. Very nice coach, and he listened to me, he listened to what happened. He heard what happened too, and gave me his view. He agreed with me and that made me feel better. He was going to make Sierra a part of the team, work with her on skills and continue to teach her the fundamentals of the softball. Practice went from 10 hours a week down to two hours. Alot less stress on Sierra, alot less on me. She was a bit bummed that she had little practice, but was happy it wasn't her entire life, 5x a week and 10 hours. She is now a Thunder team member. She will get her visor and t-shirt on Saturday for pictures. She would of had practice tonight, but due to bad weather it was canceled. I arranged for her to get her shirt and visor before pictures. Of course that makes sense.. So we will how this new team experience goes. In the mean time I am praying for Sierra to heal from this experience, learn and grow from this. Let this be a distant memory, and her new experience overcome this all.

Micaela finally made up her mind on where she wants her 9th birthday party. Yikes, my baby will be 9 in July. My baby, my baby girl. Where has time gone seriously.. Micaela is wanting (another) gymnastics party. So if that is her wish, the wish will be granted. So to call the gymnastics center and make arrangements to schedule her party for July. Let's hope we can work out something that is close to her birthday. & of course I assumed she wanted another horse cake. Nope as of now she wants a Cat Cake. I am scratching my head on this, but if its what she wants, it is what she will get!! And she wants my step mother to make her cake again too. Let's hope she can be creative like last year and make a Cat Cake.

This post has taken me FOREVER to post. There is a bad storm outside and well it has postponed from me typing and posting this. Electric has gone out, Micaela became scared and well is now camping in my room for the night. She is playing her DVD player so loudly, and well I can't even hear my own TV.

I am also a bit irritated tonight.. I just want to be left alone, and not really bothered.. I am trying to keep it together, trying to keep my feelings to myself, not let others know I am annoyed. This is happening more and more. I have a gut feeling I know why, but its not something I can share/discuss due to deep personal reasons :(
I just want to cry, hibernate, be held and told its going to be okay. I keep voiding this subject, but I feel no one will really understand. I tried to seek out people to talk to, and I tried.. I froze and walked away from the situation. I regret it now, but I am sure its too late.. I feel I can battle this myself most days, but days like today I feel its impossible. Grrrrr!!

Okay, off to read other Blogs and try to get over this.. I have a feeling someone is going to get the brunt end of this mood I am in, or I am just going to avoid everyone and shut them out.. :(

2011-03-22T20:23:00.003-04:00

This is Mama is not happy tonight.
When Mamabear has to come out, and protect one of her Lil Ladies, its never good.
I am normally the quiet, behind the scenes Mama, but not tonight!!
Grrrrrrrrrr!
I am feeling a bit better now, but my poor Lil Lady is upset.

I will explain soon as I have ALOT of updating to do, but for now I am too tired, worn out and drained.

2011-03-19T13:29:00.003-04:00

Sierra is Officially a Mud Hen!! Let's play Ball, Softball that is!
She got her Visor today, and was so happy! But, she didn't get her jersey.
That upset her greatly... They didn't have her shirt size.

2011-03-17T18:40:00.002-04:00

Okay, I have a layout, but not one that I LOVE.. But I am glad something is here.. Now off to search for one I LOVE, and has Spring colors in it.
This one has Spring colors, but I can do better!! :)

2011-03-17T11:11:00.001-04:00

I can not see my layout..
I changed it.. couldn't see it
tried & changed it again..
still can not see anything..

what is going on??
hmmmmmmmmmmm

2011-03-17T10:41:00.004-04:00

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
(To me its just another day)

A year ago today, March 17, 2010 the Lil Ladies & I were in a car accident.
A car accident in which we were all okay, but my car was totaled.
A day that scared me, a day that scared my Lil Ladies.
We walked away with no scratches, bumps, or bruises..
We were lucky.. Lucky because it was Saint Patrick's Day, maybe!!

Since then I have been ALOT more careful driving, obeying ALL speed limits, and watching, and double checking for traffic, and definitely people. So far in the last 365, so good!

Just will be reminded of my accident on a yearly basis because it occurred on Saint Patrick's Day!! So as it may be a big day of festivities for everyone else, it is just really another day for me. No parties, No drinks, No major socialization with friends, No wearing the color green. I wish the Lil Ladies had dress down day today and could wear green, but they have dress down day tomorrow..& is Sports Day. What is up with that??

So enjoy your Green Day, Saint Patrick's Day!!

2011-03-16T20:08:00.003-04:00

It's only Weds and I am already done for the week. I just want to turn off, and sleep the rest of the week away.. You know, wake up and have it be the weekend :)
But still two more days to go, and so much has already been done and still yet needs to be done. I think adjusting to this new routine and schedule is getting to me.
Sierra has a very busy schedule, and she is adjusting well. Alot better than I thought. She is LOVING softball, and again alot more than I thought. She seems to easing into it, making some friends, and warming up to the coaches. On Saturday we will be getting the game schedule, and her team jersey/t-shirt. She is very excited. I just wish softball wasn't so demanding and so much on her, all at once. Between school, homework, dance, girl scouts, and softball she is a very busy teenager...wait pre-teen!

I am having the girls rooms painted this week. What a chore that was been. Unloading the rooms, and putting all the stuff elsewhere in the house, and then loading and cleaning the rooms to put the stuff back in. Micaela's room was started and finished today. Looks awesome, I love it. Her room was pink, and now its back to being white. All that needs to be done is putting her pictures back up. I hope boyfriend and I can do that this weekend. Sierra's room is 75% painted, and will get done tomorrow. Then I will put her room back together, and have it all clean. Also will have boyfriend and I hang the pictures this weekend. Her room went from purple back to white. I am ready for the girls to have GIRL ROOM's. I also plan to get new beds for the girls. Sierra is going to get bunk beds, and Micaela a new bed, a single bed. She just needs a new headboard, and maybe I can find a matching head/foot board.

After the rooms are painted, I plan to work on hanging the rest of the pictures I want up in the house, clean out the family room/storage area of girls toys and seriously get rid of things they no longer play. There are plenty of those, they just need to make the effort to do this. We are running out of room in our townhouse. I am also going to be having an electrician come in and put more outlets downstairs in the family room. But I can't have him come in until after the rooms are painted, and I feel more organized. Oh my anal organizational habits are bad.. Slowly, but surely I know all will get done. Just need to have the boyfriend help me, and I know he will!

Plus with my surgery coming up on March 30, I am starting freak a bit and just want everything done now.. I can't stand waiting, but I know I have no control over it. Patience is a virtue and times like this, I need it more than anything. I am starting to become nervous about my upcoming surgery. Tomorrow the nurse calls me to go over everything, to ask many questions and to see if I understand all that is going to happen. Once she calls me, then I know I will be on edge and be nervous. Boyfriend told me he told his boss he will be taking off, and be there for me. Yeah.. I knew he would be! I love him so........like alot alot!

I get to sleep with my baby girl tonight. She is spending the night in my bed, again for the second time.. She is so sweet to sleep with. She cuddles, and drools all in the same time. She is a cutie patootie and I love her so much. I told her tonight is the last night she sleeping with me, and she looked at me all sad, and I said..your room is finished, daddy finished painting.. But one more last night..

My mind is moving a mile a minute.. Trying to start planning the Sweet 13 for Sierra, the DJ, Cake, Invites, Food, List of people, yada yada. Figuring out what Micaela wants to do for her birthday party, summer plans for the girls, vacations, and organizing the summer.. And yet just trying to finish the school year out..

But Teen Mom 2 is on.. Relaxo time!

2011-03-14T21:06:00.003-04:00

I am one tired mama...... mentally & physically.
It was a long day, and I know I over did it..
Too much running around, definitely trying to be Super Mama, but it wasn't happening to well.. Makes me think I am losing my status of trying to be the Single Super Mama..
I am drained, in pain and just so so tired, worn out.

Girls had school.. From school Sierra had a therapy appt, Micaela had Brownies & Sierra had softball. Had to pick up Micaela from Brownies and then Sierra from softball.
Too much running around, but anything to make my Lil Ladies happy :)
And to wake up to do it all over tomorrow!

Sierra has softball practice Monday-Thursday from 5:30-7:30 and then on Saturday from 9:30-11:30. This schedule will be at least until opening day which is April 9.
A bit of insaneness, but I think we will make it. She will make it, she didn't know what to expect, but was a trooper & I am proud of her. First day of softball, with new team mates, new friends and of course new coaches.. She was overwhelmed and excited at the same time. She froze her butt off too. Tomorrow we will be better prepared for the cold.. I am going to go buy her some hoodies at Walmart, invest in some handwarmers, and a good thermos so she can have hot chocolate. This mama will be prepared for Sierra, for her softball season.. Coach was nice, took time to work with Sierra and the new girls. There are 2 other new girls, but he is stern & takes this team very seriously.. He wants to be the best and I can tell he strives for that. Intense.. His daughters play on the same team. These girls are good, really good.. Sierra has a long long way to go, but that is okay. I am completely okay with that. This is for fun.. & alot of these girls play Fall Ball too.. This is all they do. Not Sierra, & I told Coach that tonight.. He looked at me with beaty eyes, but I told him her other commitments came first. Just the way it was.. She has invested years into dancing & Girl Scouts. I will not be afraid to quit softball...But for now we are sticking it out..

Micaela had Brownies tonight. She is so excited for her Brownie Build a Bear Party on Saturday. Daddy is taking her since I have softball with Sierra.. She has so many Build a Bear's already, but what is one more, right? LOL.. While at Brownies Micaela knew alot about Water, a topic they have been discussing for awhile. Quite the lil brainiac child, sweet love she is..
I also talked to her leaders about the March of Dimes Event that the Brownies are taking part in. I am so happy to be part of this event with the Brownies too. I am taking part with the local county March of Dimes Walk. It was decided that the Brownies will be handing out Water Bottles to the participants who are walking. Alot of details need to be worked out, but its beginning stages, and I am so excited..

I am also working on and planning Sierra's Sweet 13. Her big day is not until November, but its going to be alot of hard work and trying to get it all organized.
This is a total surprise for her. She will have absolutely NO idea.

& this makes me have to have Micaela decide what she wants to do for her birthday, as her birthday is in JULY. She wants a sleepover with a few friends, and I am totally okay with that. But to decide for her party.... Time is ticking..

Bachelor is on, I should be focusing on this show. It's one of my favorite shows, especially this season. So since this post is all over...Time to relax and unwind..