Writer's Workshop - come on get happy

It is common practice for me to hop from blog to blog to blog...so on & so forth. Lucky me, I happened upon this lovely blog, MamaKat's Blog. Each week she hosts this lovely writing workshop that gives you a list of topics to blog about. This is my first week & I chose the following topic:

List ten things that make you HAPPY.

#1) Seeing my girls' smiling faces when I get home! It is the highlight of my day each & every day. Now that Rachel is talking some, she gets all excited & says "Mama!" and runs to me. And Olivia has been extremely lovey these past few days. She has been greeting me with a huge hug! All part of the reason for my previous post about the dreaded "Working Mommy Guilt". But it makes me so super happy to see my girls happy!

#2) McDonald's Sweet Tea - bah dah bah bah bah I'm lovin' it!

#3) The new season of Tori & Dean Home Sweet Hollywood starting this week!
#4) Seeing Jarrett happy doing all kinds of work outside. I love the man, but he was driving me up the wall this winter (like every winter) complaining about snow, ice, will it ever warm up, etc...tis the life of a farmer's wife. So now that it is nice, he is outside fartin' around any chance he can get! Plus, in true redneck woman fashion, I think his tractor is sexy! HA!

#5) Taking pictures of anything & everything! I can't get enough of my digital camera and sometimes, I don't know how I ever lived without it.

#6) Random Dancing! Olivia started this when she became obsessed with became a fan of iCarly. Now we do it through out the day she yells "Random Dancing, Mama" and we boogey down for a couple of minutes!

#7) Flip-Flop Season. I would prefer to go barefoot year round. But since I live in Central, IL it just cannot happen. I find that, as soon as the temperature breaks 45 or 50, I break out the flip flops! I wear them almost constantly, with the exception of work.

#8) Pedicures - almost tying in with flip-flops, but not exactly. It's the being pampered part that I enjoy oh so much! I get to just sit back, relax, & let someone pamper my beautiful feet. Oh how I enjoy the warm towel that gets wrapped around my feet & calves. SIGH - I almost feel refreshed just thinking about it. Which reminds me, LAURA, we are due for another one any day now...Just pick the weekend honey & I will be there with bells on!

#9) Fudge Pops - specifically Weight Watchers Fudge Pops! LOVE THEM! They are a little expensive, but darn are they exquisite! (Mallrats reference HAHA!) You cannot tell they are Weight Watchers at all. I was going to put food in general makes me happy...but I didn't want to look like a lard butt. I am quite partial to these & they are always in my freezer.

#10) The fact that I listed a McDonald's drink & a TV show before something about my husband! It made me laugh when I noticed that I jotted it down in this exact order! HAHA!!! Sorry Jar - You know I love you! He doesn't read this so, he won't ever know! So I guess, laughing makes me happy, too!


So head on over to MamaKat's Blog to check out everyone else's posts.

Is this a big deal...

...my 100th post???
I haven't decided if this should be a big deal??? In the grand scheme of things...it's not a big deal.

I did some research online - and I guess the thing to do is list 100 things about yourself. But I really don't know if am too hip to that idea. I think it has a good chance of ending up quite boring. After all, I am not that fascinating of a person & if I can admit that, I don't want to bore anyone else with a list of random things about myself.

I just wanted to make note that this is my 100th post. I have become completely obsessed with blogging, ask anyone...well not anyone because I doubt anyone would be able to answer that. If you ask Jarrett, I am sure he would tell you, or if you ask my best friend Laura, I am sure she would tell you. And maybe my Mom or my sister Sarah, they might be able to tell you. At any rate, I am a self admitted blog addict.

Why??? because it is fun. It's an extremely easy way to document the things that are going on in my life & my children's lives. I got really bad about keeping baby books for the girls. Shame on me...I really wanted to be one of those mom's who keeps a book of all of the cute things that their kids do. And to some extent I most certainly do, if I remember to jot it down in their books. This is just so handy to do. And I get to share all of those moments with anyone who reads this blog.

Lately, I have been suffering from some serious Mommy Guilt. My heart breaks every time I have to drop the girls off when I go to work. It sucks hardcore. I know they are happy & well taken care of. Heck, 3 out of 5 days they are with grandparents, the people I know that will take just as much interest in them as I would if I were home with them all day. And when they go to daycare, I know they have a blast. I hear stories about their friends & all the fun they have. (The stories are from Olivia, not Rachel, at this point.) It just seems like since the weather is nicer, I feel more guilty about working.

So for my 100th post, I say DOWN WITH WORKING MOMMY GUILT!!! I am not going to feel sorry for myself anymore. I love my daughters so much & they know that. I tell both of them that every chance I get. So much so that Olivia told me "I know, Mom" all sarcastic just yesterday. I know they are happy, healthy, well taken care of, & having fun when I am not with them. Going to work is helping my family. I shouldn't be upset or feel sorry for myself when I am helping my family, right?!

My little family of 4 is so much in love with each other. We are happy, healthy, & having fun with life. Now that Olivia is nearly 5 years old, it is really interesting to see what she has to say. She is so independent it hurts me. She doesn't have to ask me to do everything for her anymore, which is a good thing right? And Rachel is 19 months old, she is doing more & more things. Becoming more sure on her feet, & adventurous. This is just a great time in our lives. I am going to just sit back, relax, & take it all in...

Wordful Wednesday

The beautiful - albeit very filthy - Olivia.

I took a tip from MckMama and did some blurry backgrounds! HA!

For my first attempt, I think it turned out rather nicely. Considering, I just used a website I found that has free photo editing. I am sure, if I actually purchased photoshop it would be even better. But, I am quite frugal & enjoy free things!

I love this girl! She is so stinkin' crazy!

my brain told me to...

Olivia has received her first official "grounding". She is a stubborn little girl with a bit of a wild side. She has a tendancy to do some crazy things, and has received punishments for them in the past. But Monday night she did something that earned her a grounding.

Olivia put a thumb tac in my father-in-laws birthday cake. At least she had enough sense to know that she had done wrong. And she told Jarrett that she did it before the cake was even served. I tell ya, that girl is something else. I wasn't there, but Jarrett said she was scolded on the spot. And is now grounded. It took us a while to decide what she would in fact be grounded from...Olivia's explanation for the whole ordeal "my brain told me to"??? That girl...hmmmm

Memorial Day Weekend

Aside from Jarrett's illness, Memorial Day weekend was AWESOME!!! It is always so much fun & this year was definitely no exception. For as long as I can remember, we have always spent the holiday weekend at my Grandma & Grandpa's camping out in tents. Well, the majority of the family camps...we haven't since Jarrett & I were married. He ain't the camping kind, & he certainly was in no shape for camping this weekend. Olivia & I did manage to camp out 1 night, but journeyed home the other nights seeking the comfort of our beds & escaping the extreme dampness of the tent. Plus, I am told there were cyotes howling away into the night. I sleep like a log, so I didn't actually hear any of it. I would have most certainly been freaked out had I heard them. On Sunday, there was an unwanted visitor who appeared. A 5 ft long bull snake that snuck up by the tents. My cousin Amber nearly stepped right on it. He was a tricky little thing to catch. And he didn't want to leave his nice hiding place under Aunt Debbie's camper.

It was a wonderful weekend full of fun, food, croquet, & ragball. I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!

I took an insane amount just a few pictures. Here are some select ones...

Grandma's Bulletin Board

Aunt Debbie's Snow Cone Shop

Me & My Dad

ragball fun

Ten Mile Creek

me & my sister

Nathan's Birthday Party - pirate pinata

Nathan, Olivia, Cassidy, & Travis (aka - CRAZY KIDS)

Olivia sporting a swollen eye courtesy of a mosquito bite

Rachel & Miley the cat

Grandpa & the huge snake - this shall be referred to as the "Great Snake Incident of 2009"

Brad & Sarah

Jarrett & Rachel

Dodging Bullets

Last night we had a bit of a scare...I had to take Jarrett to the ER. He has been fighting a fever since Monday night, & having a lot of abdominal pain & pressure. After persistent nagging some reasoning with him, I convinced him of going to the Dr.

Well, we were only at the Dr's office for about 20 minutes & they said "go to the ER, we are pretty sure your appendix needs to come out". (Insert panic attacks for both Jarrett & I here.) We both thought, he'll go get checked out & we will be sent home with an Rx for an antibiotic because it is just some type of bladder infection.

We go to the ER. The Dr there, doesn't seem to think its his appendix. But to rule it out, Jarrett had a CT Scan. And in order to do that, he had to drink a Berry Barium Smoothie! Which he said was absolutely delightful & everyone should try it...or was it "I would rather get kicked in the nuts than drink that crap ever again"??? I can't remember...

We waited & waited & waited. I don't have any problem with that. Ok, I do. Because I LACK PATIENCE! It wouldn't be so bad, but all of these different scenarios are going through my head. I am trying to be the strong one, the reassuring one - both also not strong suits. I tend to crumble...

The results of the CT Scan were finally back...we are pushing midnight at this point. (Thankfully, my Mom was in town & came to pick up the girls from the hospital around 8:00.) The Dr comes in & is mumbling talking very fast & using very large words like "diverticulitis" (pretty sure this is spelled wrong if it is even a word at all). He said enlarged lymph nodes & cancer very close together. And I nearly crapped my pants at that very second. The word I missed from the sentence was NOT cancer. But we dodged a bullet....

The diagnosis - an infection of some sort coupled with enlarged lymph nodes. Possibly a prostate, bladder, or urinary tract infection - maybe all. So we are treating all of them. The Rx - huge antibiotic pills & a pain pill that can evidently help a man to sleep well past 10:00 when he is normally up with the roosters.

The moral of the story...I am so thankful that Jarrett is ok & it isn't anything more serious. And I felt guilty for earlier in the day being a little ticked off at him for something really petty. (I haven't told him about that last part & I don't intend too. Can I assume my secret is safe with all of you??? *grin*)

The Graduate

Yesterday was Olivia's preschool graduation program. It was great! My little Olivia did such an awesome job singing the songs & looked so beautiful in her new dress. I am so proud of her. She learned so much from preschool, and she is so excited that school is out for the year. Actually, today is their last day. But it will be a fun play day. Word on the street is, they rent a big bounce house for the kids to play in. Here are a few select pictures from the program & a video clip of my favorite song they did "Skinnimerrinkidinkydink". It was a fantastic night.

Livie walking in...

lined up so nicely...

waiting patiently for her name to be called...

posing with her yearbook & certificate...

the 3 girls (I didn't get one of the 4 of us all together)...

Nathan & Olivia...

for your viewing & listening pleasure :)

I am going to cry...

my baby is graduating pre-school tonight.

I need to hold it together though...This is a happy occasion, right.

I have to admit, I am a little sad-happy-excited all rolled into one. Olivia will be 5 next month. Just seems like kindergarten is rapidly approaching. And the baby/toddler years are long in the past! I am so super happy for her because she is really excited. But its just the end of one more phase - which makes me sad. But the beginning of a new phase - which makes me excited! I am sure there will be plenty of pictures to come.

Time certainly flies...

Wordful Wednesday - Best Friends

I couldn't decide on which of these absolutely adorable pictures I wanted to use. So I decided to do both. Here is Rachel with her two best friends!

Here is my nephew Andrew & Rachel playing in the sandbox at Grandma & Grandpa's this past Sunday. These two kids love each other so much. Rachel is forever trying to hug this wild little boy and more often than not she succeeds!


And this one I took of my two very favorite girls on Saturday night. They were being so quiet, which usually means trouble...but when I went to inspect this is what I found. My two lovely daughters coloring away. Sharing & just chit-chatting away like the best friends they are! Made my heart melt. (disregard the messy room...it belongs to these 2 girls)

I ♥ This Flippin Girl

She tried & tried & tried for the past few weeks...And finally accomplished THE FLIP!

*side note - Olivia's outfit here is the result of her getting up with Jarrett & getting dressed, while I slept until 11:00 hahahahaha! It was GLORIOUS!

Grandpa's Wise Investment...

...Yamaha TTR 125

My Dad bought a dirtbike for my Mom. But I think the kids & grandkids like it even more than she does! Sunday, we were at my Mom & Dad's celebrating Nathan's 5th birthday. Dad brought out the dirtbike & everyone took a ride. Well, everyone but Sarah (because she is with child), Rachel (because she screamed her head off), & Hilary (she just wasn't interested).

We all had a blast! I even went for a ride. Nothing too spectacular considering I didn't get out of 1st gear at all. But all of the kids had a great time. Brad, Tim, & Dad even tried for best lap times. Let the record show, Tim holds the current fastest lap time :)

Extremely unhappy Rachel. This is as far as she got...just sitting & screaming

Throttle happy Olivia! She loved it - like father, like daughter

Cassidy - not nearly as throttle happy as the other two

Nathan, also extremely throttle happy. When Uncle Tim gave him a ride, you could hear him yelling thru the helmet "you have to let up on the throttle before you go into the turn!"

I loved this weekend!

This weekend was all around FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC!

Friday night we celebrated my cousin April's bachelorette-hood. She is getting married June 13th. It is always so much fun to have a girls night out with all of the ladies from my family. We had dinner at Olive Garden & then went midnight bowling. I rocked it out with a score of 75 on my first game...hold your applause! HA! The second game was better, scored of 123.

Saturday the four of us went to the carnival known as "May Days". I wasn't really sure what kind of reaction to expect from Olivia, because last year she hated all the rides. Didn't want to do anything but the carousel. What a difference a year makes though! This girl had a blast. She was darn near fearless. We did the scrambler ride (my personal favorite) and she loved it. Cracked me up by saying "ROCK & ROLL BABY" then shooting up the horns! HAHA! That's my girl! Unfortunately there weren't really any 18 month old friendly rides. So Rachel sat in her stroller. But she enjoying the carnival food - that's also my girl!

Sunday we celebrated Nathan's birthday at my Mom & Dad's. It was awesome. And that will be a whole separate post!