Today is Friday

We are out of school for 5 days! I don't plan on getting out of my pajamas unless it is to go run!



Madalyn has her first date tonight! They are going to go see Les Mis! um YAY!!

Tyler is trying to Qualify in one more event before state next weekend. I have granted him permission not shave until state, which is a week away. He looks like a mafia lieutenant!!



Connor had his first birthday sleepover Wednesday night. Still do not like my kids anywhere but their own beds. Next year will kick my butt with Tyler 2 states away!!

Megan got her hair cut yesterday and got bangs. she is sooooo Dang CUTE!!!!! 

I really need to start taking pictures with my camera instead of my cell phone because the pictures are lesss than stellar!

Have I mentioned my new love for Thai food!!! Red Curry is the best so far but I am still experimenting!

ITS ALMOST MARCH MADNESS!! GO CATS

So yea its Friday and I am really diggin it!!!

Why is it so hard!???

Ok so I dropped 35 pounds since July and am 10 pounds from when I before I was pregnant with children!!

I have a kid who is smarter than crap and is going to the University of Arizona( i totally take credit!!)

I have super healthy children!!

I can cook like a champ

I live in the best spot in the country!!

I can run 13 miles nonstop

I can do all these things I have accomplished all these things!!! But I can't freakin get a hold of my dang money!!! Why is it so hard to drive past a stupid fast food place!?Why can't I stay out of Target!? Why can't I stay offline(to shop). Why can I do all these things but I can't save money!!  ugh!!! Everyone says "Read Dave Ramsey he is awesome!!" Kelley and I have no debt!!!! But we also have no home(as in we don't own one, not as in we live in a refrigerator box) ...and we have some retirement.....but I can't get a hold of the everyday stuff!! I have to spend it if it is there!! COME ON!!! It is enough to drive a woman INSANE!!! REALLY!!

Gillette Invite

I feel like all I do lately is gush over Tyler!! We are really trying to savor this last few months of his high school career! This weekend we headed to Gillette to watch him compete in one of his last swim meets as a high school kid! He did so dang well!!! Hoping to watch him shave that last hundredth of a second off so he can make it to state!!

My ten Saturday crushes

I have decided to crush on things.... it's because i have decided to be more worldly hehehe! Kidding. but seriously i am loving this stuff this week!!!

1.Homemade Mac and cheese--I really need to upload a picture of this yumminess!

2. The new spring candles are in!!

3. Dontcha just LOVE these!! 10 more pounds!!!

4. Santorum - I know he is the underdog but given my choices I kinda am crushin on him today!

5. These guys are HILARIOUS!! i download their podcasts and it makes my morning AWESOME!! NOT for children though!!! Can get a little skeevy!!

6. Rayban Aviators..once my hair gets longer i am digging these

7. SUCH A GREAT SHOW!! TRY IT, YOU WILL LIKE IT!

8. my next goal!! and to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project!!! im in LOVE!!

9. loving all the fun things going on with the kiddos right now!! This week was tons of basketball and lots of swimming!!

10. and of course i'm totally crushing my kiddos but this is a normal occurrence!!! 


So there you have it!! i think i am crushin on my new Saturday Crushes blog post! Maybe i'll make it a normal Saturday thing!!!

Rock and Roll Half Marathon!!

This last weekend my sister Annabeth and I did the PF Chang's Rock and Roll Half Marathon!! We had a blast!! We have decided that running races is our thing!! I'll be back in AZ in Feb for another half and then we r gonna conquer 26.2 in September in VEGAS BABY!!!

I SURELY DO LOVE THE CRAP OUTTA THIS GIRL!!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.


If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

MY 12 IN 2012

(I'M REALLY DIGGING THE COLORS LATELY!)

MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTION IS TO

BECOME THE HEALTHIEST VERSION OF ME!!!

I KNOW THIS IS BROAD AND VAGUE BUT I FIGURE MOST OF MY LITTLE GOALS WILL FIT INTO THIS ONE STATEMENT!!

SO I DECIDED I WOULD REVISIT SOME OF MY OLD GOALS FOR NEW YEARS PAST AND TRY THEM AGAIN! THESE ARE MY 12 IN 12!!

1. this year i will not leave my house without make up!
2. this year i will drink MORE water!
3. this year i will finally finish furnishing and decorating my house
4. this year i will VERB on a daily basis!!
5. this year i will SAVE more money!!
6. this year i will run a FULL marathon! 
7. this year i will orchestrate a family dinner at least 3 times a week
8. this year i will learn to ski well!
9. this year i will foster a better reading environment for my children
10. this year i will homecook more meals
11. this year i will take more pictures
12. this year i will complete my bucket list!

our version of what happened 2011

So during the year 2011 we had a NUMBER of things happen! Our version goes something like this.....


1UniversityofArizonaAcceptanceLetter3tripstoTucson
1StateTrackChampionship6OrchestraConcerts over10BasketballGamesOVER40PINSONPINTEREST
5seasonsofBigBangTheory(our newfavorite) 300golfballsdriven(ConnorLLOVESGOLF)     1Gerbil200+tripstotheMine25SwimMeets4GR8KIDS
1MOMMYWorkingonSenatorBarrassoCampaignStaff
1newTahoe1brokenExpedition1TruckWreck
35poundsGONE175SkypeVisitswithKatelyn
17SoftballGames1RolledAnkle2casesofpneumonia
3SummerVisitors1friendlosttoCANCER1HEROBrotherinAfghanistan1EngagementYAYAUSTENANDALEX!!!
1WinterVisitors1NewBabyAnnouncement(goodnessno!notme!!)CongratsAllison!!
6or7Unmentionablefamilycrisisesthatwesurvived-


SO THANKFUL FOR THIS PAST YEAR!!! IT REALLY WAS ONE OF THE BEST!!!

Christmas Pictures 2011

Connor got Legos for Christmas, and dad saved the day by helping put them together!!

Miss Madalyn must have missed this one when she was deleting the others!

Haha bet you thought  you were gonna see all kinds of cool pictures! I mean, after all, I did get a camera for Christmas!!! NOPE!!!!  My children are of the age of "checking the pictures to see if they are OK"  WELL apparently none were OK because I have TWO!!! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!!!!!  

Christmas 2011

Our sad Charlie Brown christmas tree

Our Christmas was fabulous!! Every few years we stay home, just us and the kiddos, and it is just so much fun. There are no schedules we just kinda fly by the seat of our pants. This year we did just that! Our dear sweet Christmas tree had enough by Christmas day. It began to look like the tree off Charlie Brown so we name it Linus! Needless to say it is on the back porch this afternoon. We love this time of year!! The kids made out pretty nicely as far as gifts go and we spent a bit of time pondering the true meaning of the holiday. We are so grateful for the Christ child, born in a stable, who would become the savior of the world!

Christmas Questionnaire

Christmas Questionnaire

Just in case you ever wondered...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper: preferably red, silver, or gold!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Used to be real every year (my preference), but we finally broke down and bought an artificial several years ago but this year we went back to real since we are in Christmas tree land.... Love the real tree!! But hate putting the lights on the real tree!! The jury is still out on whether we will go back to artificial next year... there are some fabulous ones at Hobby Lobby!!!

3. When do you put up tree? This year I put it up 2 weeks after Thanksgiving! Normally i am not that late! I love putting it up the weekend after Thanksgiving!!

4. When do you take the tree down? After New Years

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A SWATCH watch from my Grandparents!

7. Hardest person to buy for? Tyler!!! ( I can't afford his toys!!)

8. Easiest person to buy for?  Connor!! He is still a teeny boy who loves toys!!!

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, we have one for our TV console, but I would love a Lennox one for my mantle!!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Both, and video cards, too! He he!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Can't really think of one, I love presents!!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The Christmas Story!!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Black Friday!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? NEVER! That is NOT an option! ;-)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Magic Cookie Bars

16. Lights on the tree? We have white and they don't blink!! Never have, never will!

17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night, sung by my daddy!!

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We do both but most times prefer staying home!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Absolutely! We can't sing "Rudolph" without the introduction!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star... Madalyn is trying to change that though

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both! Only one gift on Christmas eve though

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? it goes too fast!!

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? I love all our family heirloom ornaments that we've collected over the years. Mostly the ones that kiddos have made!!

24. Favorite for Christmas Dinner? Love the ham!!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? something that sparkles!!

Go ahead and share!!! If you know how to link go right ahead!!

RIGHT NOW.....

stole this idea from a bunch of other bloggers around the internets:

Right now i am.....

watching: Big Bang Theory- I cannot get enough of this show!! It is a favorite of mine!! I even got a season for my birthday!! Sheldon is my FAVORITE!!!

eating:  just finished a heaping helping of homemade chicken pot pie!!! Kelley was so sad that it was going to be ready 15 minutes AFTER he left for work!! My favorite part of the pot pie is the crust!!

drinking:   not enough water


wearing: flannel American Eagle pajama pants, Kelley's Ralph Lauren t-shirt(it was the closest thing i could find when I was getting dressed! I was cold!!)

avoiding:  doing my dishes and making toffee

feeling: tired but accomplished. I ran outside today for the first time in a while. I was a little nervous because I have only been running on the treadmill but I did surprisingly well!!

missing:  my husband.  working nights. BOO! & My brother Kyle TONS!!!

thankful:  for such a fun fun holiday season so far!! My kiddos and I are having such a blast this year!! & Fabtastic sunny weather!!!

praying:  for Kyle of course! Haven't heard from him in a few weeks. Miss the heck outta him!!

needing:  my HAIR DONE!!! I am growing it out and it needs thinned! Right now it looks like a mushroom!! & needing it to snow! No snow in the forecast for Christmas so far! BOO!!

thinking: about all the things that still need to be done to get ready for Christmas!!!!

loving: my new tahoe!! It has a working heater!!!!! My christmas tree!!! My children!!! My new job!! My hubby!!! My daily Starbucks therapy!!

Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!

 We went on an outing tonight! The park across from the hospital puts up the most gorgeous lights so we took advantage of them and took some fun fun Christmas pictures!! I love my kiddos!!! They are a blast!!! This is the last Christmas we will have with Tyler before he leaves for the University of Arizona so we are making the best memories ever!!

Thanksgiving 2011

Our Thanksgiving was tiny but fantastic. Kelley was working so it was just the kids and I for our feast! We had a blast even tough we missed our dad tons!! Everyone was very thankful for this year and all of our blessings!!

IN 2011 WE ARE THANKFUL FOR

• OUR FAMILY
• OUR FRIENDS
• OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN
• OUR SOLDIERS AND KYLE'S PROTECTION
• OUR BEAUTIFUL WYOMING
• OUR EDUCATION AND TEACHERS
• THE SPECTACULAR COUNTRY WE LIVE IN
• THE FANTASTIC JOB OUR DAD HAS 

HOPING EVERYONE HAD A FUN DAY GIVING THANKS!!!

MADE IN AMERICA

So the past few months I have been off and on reading labels. No, not nutrition labels, "made in" labels. You know the ones, the ones that say Made in China,Made in India, Made in Taiwan. Those labels! I have been looking for the elusive "Made in the USA" labels, I haven't been doing it the way I look for calories or carbs...until last week!
I happened upon Dianne Sawyer's evening news special called Made in America. What an awesome eye opening series!!! I urge you to check this out!! It is amazing the jobs that could be saved and created if we read "made in" labels the way we read calorie/fat gram labels!

Well we watched this special in AWE of the Bozeman house made entirely of American made products.,YES ENTIRELY, all the way down to the nails. We decided we would be a little more conscious.

The next day Madalyn and I were out shopping for a pizza pan and we decided that, even though it may take a bit, we would buy a pizza pan made in America. We looked all over Target....NOTHING!! Even good ole Paula Dean's products are not made here! Bummed, we went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and found an entire product line called Made in USA. Very similarly priced, great products!! We felt so dang patriotic and we decided that we would make this a priority!!

 It has been tough tough work but we have managed to find Made in the USA products! We have decided to have a Made in America Christmas and we have decided to slowly but surely replace our Made in (fill in foreign country here) we are finding in our house with Made in USA products!  I am doing a ton of research to try and get companies that do their manufacturing here in the United States the exposure they deserve!! Please let me know if you know of any companies I can help out. I know I am not a television or radio but, according to economists, a tiny percentage of people who buy American can help a larger percentage of people find jobs or keep their jobs and I would love to help influence those numbers!!

My Life from the Bleachers: Is This Worth a Pout?

I have been trying to figure out how to write about the fact that we live in a world that

preaches and preaches tolerance and understanding to EVERY other thing out there from---

gays,

to different color skin,

to men who once were women,

to abortion,

to mosques built at ground zero.....( I really could go on and on)

but STILL there is NO UNDERSTANDING OR TOLERANCE for me and something I hold dear to my heart that DOESN'T HURT ANYONE....Luckily I found this, take a second... NOONE is asking for you to jump in the water!! Just know and understand that I could stand to be defended now and then too!

My Life from the Bleachers: Is This Worth a Pout?: Dr. Robert Jeffress has hurt my feelings. He stood in front of a camera and called me the member of a cult. I know there are 14 million M...

tons of business and a little whining...

I can't believe how much is going on here and how the school year is keeping  us moving! It has been non stop since the year started and I am so thankful for that because I think (judging by the days I DO have free) I would spend a lot of time on my hinee if it weren't for my kidlets!

Connor is 8 now! He is in Cub Sprouts!! I can't believe it! He will be getting baptized on the 8th of October! My last child! I can't believe how time has flown by!

Tyler is steady applying for college which makes me a basketcase all the time!  We will see what happens! I am soo thankful for all his teachers who have academically prepared him for all this ACT,SAT testing!! Talk about tough stuff!!!He is looking at going to school in the south so he has applied for Ole Miss and LSU but U of A is also among top contenders. Either way he is very ready to be done with high school!

Madalyn is....well, Madalyn. She has just gotten off the sidelines from a softball injury and is looking forward to getting back on the field. She is enjoying school and will be a handful for the next 3 years to say the least!  I got a call from her the other day wanting me to come pick her up. She slugged a guy in the jaw because he was making fun of her and swearing at her. She has no tolerance for meanies. I have bittersweet feelings about that. On the one hand I am glad she is able to take a stand against this, but, on the other hand, there are a LOT of meanies out there!!

Megan is really enjoying 8th grade! She is in the Art Club and she is a WEB leader. Which is kind of like a mentor for the little 6th graders. She still plays the violin and this year she is even bringing it home so she can practice each night!! I think the best thing about Megan this year is that she has been getting up on her own!!!! yay!!! O how I love not having to go downstairs to wake her up every morning!!!


Anyway so that is what is going on with school and the kiddos.... now that I am at the end of all that cool stuff I just wrote about I guess I will save my whining for another day!!

Narco-Poetry

Narco-Poetry

{this moment}

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 My friend Mary is doing this way cool thing!! I'm a little late.... but oh well! try it...you'll like it

summer is winding down....

Its been a little while since I blogged so I figured that I would jot something down even thought I have nothing spectacular to report.

Our summer is coming to a close and while summertime is one of my favorite seasons I can always tell when it is time to move on into fall!

1.  My summer schedule falls by the wayside and my house becomes more like a frat house, only without the drinking and puking
2. My children begin the endless bickering and arguing which makes me cranky and ready to put them on EBAY
3. I get these new ideas for how to make my house run smoother and how to make my kids perform better as little adults
4. I begin to CRAVE football, fall foliage and "bouquets of sharpened pencils" 

We are finally able to squeeze a Tucson trip in with a mini vaca in Luna!!! yay!! And with that Summer 2011 will come to a close. August 24 will start school and we will be off and going for the new year!! Soo dang excited to see what it brings, but FIRST bring on TUCSON and LUNA!!!