Bloggish

What a morning! What a month!

Mornings are no fun at my house.  I try so hard to make them joyful and somewhat enjoyable bearable, but wow, that is a stretch.  I just remember hating mornings my entire life, and I want my kids to have a stressfree morning to make their day just a bit easier.

So this morning? Well, here's the rundown:

1) Kids are in GREAT moods because they have a play date after school.  BUT they don't want to get dressed. I have to physically hold them down to put on their clothes. Fun times.

2) As I'm walking around in my bra and towel, my newly turned 6 year old says, "Mom, you should try to lose weight. You look like a triangle." Nice. And let me just say that I am all about positive body image and not talking about size, BUT she is learning all about fitness and nutrition at school. Help me, Lord.

3) My newly turned 4 year old fought everything this morning. I also had to hold him down to brush his teeth. And believe me, we've gone many mornings without brushing.

4) He kicked my seat almost the entire drive to school while screaming and throwing things, including himself out of his carseat.

Let's just say I couldn't drive fast enough to get to the preschool/daycare. So, tell me about your worst morning, or if you're so saintly, tell me about how smoothly your mornings go.

On another note, February is the birthday month in our house. My kids are 2 years and 2 days apart, and minus their first birthdays, they've always had a joint party.  It's always stressful and expensive, and I always say NO PARTY NEXT YEAR, but as you can see, they've never gone without a party (but seriously, maybe next year).

This year we had our own backyard carnival.  I got ideas from so many different blogs and Google sites. I know I'll leave some out, but here are a few to die for:

Circus Party

Carnival Party

And I know I looked at other sites, too.  And when you see my pictures, you'll see that I was on a much stricter budget than these gorgeous parties. The kids had fun and didn't notice the lack of decor.  For the food we had hot dogs, hamburgers, Cracker Jacks, Barnum's Animal Crackers, cotton candy, and popcorn in adorable bags from  Lulu's Cupcake Boutique who also sold these cupcake toppers.

I'll post more pictures in an album. See? Over there on the left?

The beautiful birthday banner that my Dad and Ginger gave me, made my Moda Home.

Fishing Game

Can you believe this was the biggest hit and was the easiest to set up? I even had to move it the morning of the party because the jumphouse was ginormous and took up most of the backyard.  The only original idea that I had (that probably isn't even original) is to clip Goldfish crackers, Swedish fish gummies, and gummy worms to the pole instead of just regular prizes.  I think the gummies were the real hit, not the game.

Face Painting

Next, I hired a babysitter to do face painting instead of paying the ridiculous prices for a "real" painter. I actually think she could be a "real" painter if she decides to skip out on college.

And then there was the ring toss and ball toss.

Ring Toss

Ball Toss

Picture Board Thingy

And the easiest game and thing of all, The Lollipop Tree

It was a little stressful getting everything together, but the party itself was not stressful at all and a fun time for all (or at least I'll keep thinking that).

Why do I even have this blog?

This blog is the pits. Yeah, I said it. You're thinking it. However, I want to try to blog more for no one else but me. The original reason for this blog was to update you on my hilarious children and always chaotic lifestyle, but with Twitterville and MyFace (I swear to you an older man used that term, "MyFace", to me a few months ago. I did everything in my power not to slobber his face with laughter), who needs a blog?

I'm going to keep adding things that I want to add. My kids funnies, my home projects, my seriously ridiculous bad luck...

And I hope that at least a few of my friends will still follow me and add me to their feed (and no, I really don't even know what that means).

Happy 2010. See you again in 2011. Psyche. Yes, it's 1986.

The Desires of My Heart

What are they, you ask?  Well, I've been asking the Lord that over the past month or so.  I've always read the verse, Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" as in God will give me all that I want.

Well, doesn't that seem a little selfish? I didn't take Greek in college or any other strenuous Bible courses in order to analyze this verse properly, but I DID see a video devotional by Christy Nockels where she talked about GOD giving us our desires.

That sounds way more like the Lord, right? Duh to me.

Well, these are my desires right now:

*to be a stay at home mommy

*have a beautiful home (and stay at home to keep it beautiful)

*to be super creative

*to decorate my eyeballs out

*find fun ways to save money

*be happy and joyful at all times

*to be who God wants me to be

Anyway, I want to know what God's desires are for me because I want what He wants for me. He's way bigger, smarter, and better than me, and let's face it, probably has way better plans for me than some of my lame-o desires. So bring it on, God! I want some awesome things to desire as well as wonderful blessings from above.  I await you patiently. Ok, so you all know I'm not patient, but I do await you, Lord. 

Ask God to give you your desires, too. Trust me, you can't go wrong.

Just keepin' it real...and updated

Once again, I have nothing exciting to post, so this will, once again, be a rambling of all the things I want to say regarding the past 3 months.

School has started, and I can't believe my little baby is in Kindergarten. I still get emotional at times when I drop her off or walk her in, just because I know she is a real kid now. No longer a baby.  Both kids love school and are great for their teachers. I wish their teachers could follow us home!

For me, school is still the same. You'd think after 10 years I'd quit saying, "This is my last year". I mean, seriously, wake up! I'm gonna work until I'm one of those completely out of touch old grumpy teachers. I am. Woe is me.

I'm still dreaming of conforming this very hodge-podged and bare rental house into a home. One day I will succeed (and then we'll move). I will post more pictures soon, but not a whole lot has changed.  I made a lamp last week, and that is about it for my creations. Gosh, I'm so very exciting! How do you stand it?

El Paso is still our home. I miss my family. I thank my wonderful friends here who help the homesickness fade away at times.

Life is good. I can't complain.

Old People

My hilarious friend, Lynnann, inspired this short post on some funnies about my grandparents. Mine are not nearly as hi-larious as hers, but I wanted to share. (Go read hers to give you a few chuckles for the day. She's on my blogroll over there to the left. Look under "blog" then "dearie".)

I only have one funny about my grandfather today. He passed away in December, and for some reason, I can only think of the sweet and wonderfulness of him right now.  However, once, about 10 or so years ago, my friend Thad called my grandparents house because we were both in town.  Oh, I need to mention that my grandfather was deaf from WWII. He could sort of hear if you were in the same room, but it was still a long shot. So, back to the funny. Thad called. My grandfather answered. Thad, forgetting that he was deaf, asked for me. My grandfather: "Andrew? Is this Andrew? If this is Andrew come help me unload this truck. If this isn't Andrew, please call him and tell him to help me come upload this truck." Click.  Later when I talked to Thad, he was a mix between giggles and guilt because he had no clue who Andrew was and couldn't call him. 
Ok, more to come about PaPaw in the next few months. Now onto the matriarchs.

My two grandmothers are complete and utter opposites in size, personality, heart, everything.  My maternal grandmother is my heart and soul, probably because I'm so much like her.  However, I don't have anything too super funny about her just because she's pretty hip and with it.  She is very into appearance, which really gets under some of my aunts' (and mom's) skin but makes the rest of us crack up. She'll tell you just how you look and how you need to fix it.  The funniest thing about my grandmother, Mimi, is that she loves to watch reruns of The Jeffersons, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Sanford and Son (is that even still on?). Do you see a common theme? She also cusses like, well, you know the old cliche. The funniest and most embarrassing time she cussed was the day that Ryan's mom passed away.  I ran home from the hospital to get some things (I really don't remember what or why) along with my sweet non-cussing sister-in-law and sweet, non-cussing 3rd cousin-in-law. This was the day when we still had an answering machine. My Mimi said something like this: "Jennifer, you little shit. You never answer the phone. Well, I'm sorry about "Rhine's" (this is how she pronounces "Ryan") Mom. Bye."  She is so hilarious and so kind-hearted, even though she tries to hide that part of her. 

My other grandmother, on the other hand, it so tiny and fragile and consumed with herself.  I love her, don't get me wrong, but she is so tightly-wound that it's very hard to talk to her.  Can you guess just by "tightly-wound" whose mother she is? ;)  Anyway, she is always telling us about her colon. No really, that is usually what it's about.
BUT, the funniest thing about her lately, to me, is that she thinks Kelly Ripa is Regis's daughter. Why, you ask? Because Kelly calls him "Big Daddy" sometimes. Oh yeah, that totally makes sense now.

This has to be one of the most random posts I've ever written, but thank you, Lynnann for making me laugh at my own roots.  And if you haven't already, you have to go read Lynnann's posts about her Dearies's comments during the MJ memorial yesterday. You'll be begging for more!

Where do I start?

I started this blog several years ago just to vent, journal, and talk about my adorable children. However, I've sort of dropped the ball this year. Mostly, I just didn't have anything funny or positive to say. Nice, eh? I've now been dreading starting back because this chronological orderly side of me (yes, there is one in there deeeeeeep deeeeeeep down) thinks that I have to update you on the past year, which is just impossible.
So, for those 2 of you who read this, I'm just going to start writing what's on my mind at the moment and see if I can pick this blog thing back up.

Here goes...
We moved into an adorable little rental about 6 weeks ago. I LOVE IT. I really do. I don't know if I could ever buy it because there isn't room for my junk (literally), but I do think it's cozy and simple and has a great backyard.
Anyway, you'd think downsizing would mean not needing anything, but it doesn't! We are using Ry's college TV stand right now and need several pieces of furniture. Who would've thunk?
So, while shopping at the junk stores for furniture that I could re-purpose and make look live-able, I spent way too much on stuff that I don't absolutely need (and found no furniture, by the way).
Here are two of my fun junky purchases:

The Juice King. ;) We LOVE this thing! It juices like no other. It IS the JUICE KING, hands down.

And these are in my favorite avocado green color. Yum. They're still a little dingy, even after washing them in vinegar and  Oxyclean. Any suggestions?

And while I'm on the loose of posting nonsense pictures, here is a way-too-easy window treatment I did after looking at this blog.

I only spent about $2 on upholstery tacks and used a yard of fabric I already had. I didn't glue, sew, or anything else. It really does need something else. I'm going to be on the lookout for some cute fringe to add.  I've also already ordered 2 more yards of this fabric for the other window in my kitchen.

As I'm trying to be so frugal, I'm finding that my house is going to be one hodge-podge of a mess. My home is so very important to me, so I obsess over it way too much. I just need to win the lottery so I can buy more junk at the junk stores (no, not so I can go buy real furniture and window treatments. That would just be boring and way too easy!).

Blog-ugh

Hello? Anyone still there? I haven't blogged in a very long time and probably wouldn't still if it weren't for all of my fans begging me to press on (thanks, Karen! LOL).  If you haven't ever read this blog, please know you just have to assume the sarcasm in every other sentence.

I haven't had anything inspiring or down-right funny to tell, and let's face it, who wants to read anything else? I'm not knocking those blogs that are heart-felt and serious or update on every detail of your boring day. No, sometimes I need a good cry or another reason to slit my wrists. However, I'm just not in the need of anymore sadness or monotony in my own life.

Since my last post, we've moved our lives to the Southwest town of Barely-Texas, El Paso.  We both have jobs here, the kids are in an asi-asi (See, I'm so good at Spanish now) school, and we have a pretty simple life. My daily commute is only 5 minutes as opposed to 45, and I have a great group of girlfriends that I love and adore. Ryan and I both are more busy socially than we ever were in DFW, believe it or not.  THAT is the fantastic part!

Other than that, our lives are less than perfect.  We are still homeless since our home in Arlington hasn't sold, and because of that, I feel like we are still in limbo and haven't officially moved.  The kids feel it, too, so we're just praying praying praying for God to show His huge miraculous hands in our lives.  I pray daily to see His will for us.

Before I get into exactly what I don't want to (the reason that I haven't posted, see above), I'll stop here. I hope to add hilarious quotes from my children as well as equally hilarious and adorable pictures on a more consistent basis. My fans are so important to me (stop laughing right now!), so I will not let you down.

Peace out until the next post.

New addiction

Since we've been homebound for a week after Renner's surgery, I have found a new show to waste my time: Tori and Dean's Home Sweet Hollywood. Oh my gosh, I love it! They had a marathon yesterday and don't think I got hooked and even had to record a few. LOVE IT.

On a more serious note, I want to recommend a great devotional book, Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow.  My friend, Stephanie, recommended it to me, and it's great. If you are a stressball like me, this is perfect for you! The book I got has a study/devotional section in the back. I don't know if they're all like that, but I really like it. It focuses on memorizing scripture to help anxiety and change it to contentment.  I told you the old age would help the blog.

Lame-o Summer

Last summer I made sure to be the best mom or at least attempt that goal. I had plans, sometimes free, for my kids at least 4 out of the 5 day work week. It was really fun! Last summer we also took a wonderful family vacation to Florida to visit Ryan's side of the family. It was so much fun!  This summer has been so different. I feel like it's wasted away, and my kids have been home way too much. Don't get me wrong, we've gone swimming at least once a week, but we've only gone to story time twice and then nothing else. No zoo, no Six Flags (even though we have passes), no parks, no nothin'. Nothing else (wah wah Debbie Downer music). Actually, we have gone to my mom's a few times, and it has been fun. She lives in the country or "in the forest" as Elle calls it "Grammy's forest", and they love it! We even gained a pet there a few weeks ago. You can see lots of these pictures in the new photo album I added on the left side ("Summer Fun"). Even though the fun factor hasn't been part of our summer, we have been some busy bees this summer!
House for sale? Check.
Renner's tonsils and adenoids out? Check.
Quit my job and found a new one in El Paso? Check.
Move date? Check (next week).
Another year older, Jen? Check.
So, as lame as it's been, the summer has been busy on my end.  I haven't posted many blogs because I haven't felt any inspiration or had any hilarious things to add. I think being busy and stressed completely wipes out my sense of humor. Or maybe it's that I'm old and decrepit now that I'm 32.  Maybe being 32 will make me wise and mature with even more inspiration and spiritual insight to give you. If you're rolling on the floor laughing right now, you're not the only one!
Happy Summer. It's almost over.

Mom or Mermaid?

After a very hard day with my strong-willed 4 year old, this conversation was much needed!
Date of conversation: today
Time of conversation: about 30 minutes ago (yes, way past her bedtime)

E: Mom, when someone has a baby, how does it zip back up?
Me: What, the belly?
E: Yeah, where is the zipper?
Me (pissed and tired, not ready to have this BABIES COME OUT OF THE VAGINA most of the time conversation):  There isn't a zipper. The doctors just know how to do it.
E: But how? (She NEVER gives up!)
Me (way too tired for this): They cut you open and sew it back (I just resort to C section talk even though I've never had one. Much easier than the vagina talk).
E: How?
Me: They just do. It hurts a little, but it's ok.
E: Oh, I don't want to be a mom.
Me: Ok, you don't have to make that decision right now.
E: Can I just be a mermaid?
Me: Yes, for Halloween.
E: No, mom, a real one. I want to me a mermaid, not a mom.

I love these conversations. They keep me from taking life too seriously.