Wanna See My Mother's Day Present??

I told Chris about a week ago, I wanted the rolling tote for my Cricut (electric die cutting machine). I was so sick of having to haul it around in it's box AND carry a tote bag for the cartridges and stuff. Well.....Fickel and I were at Hobby Lobby yesterday shopping for scrap supplies of course ( I found Dianne an awesome leather album with white stitching on it for her Vegas album she wants me to do) anyway, we were looking at the new cartridges at HL and I happened to walk on the other side of the display and i saw it! I had been eyeballing this lovely little tote online but didn't want to pay the price they had for it. Well..I ended up buying my own mother's day present! lol..but here is the little cutie..

More pictures...

These are some more pictures from my sister's surprise party last weekend. My niece, Karen, has the most adorable children. Noah is rambunctious, just like a boy should be, and Olivia is so dainty and has the most adorable little voice. I just love watching her talk! Anyway, here are some pics..and, yes, karen and cindy, i will burn you each a cd if you want one.

whimp

Ramblings..from a 50th birthday party..

These pics were taken when we surprised my sister Cindy with her 50th bday party..

I love the look on everyone's faces as they were walking behind her in the restaurant! love it..I also threw in some extra pics of Karen's kiddos..so stinkin' cute! (the pic that looks like noah is kissing olivia..he is actually kissing grandma!lol..)

whimp

Pictures from Easter...

Sorry these are so late..i just downloaded pics from my camera. Goodness...i love this thing! lol...enjoy..

(p.s...danny absolutely refuses to stand still for a pic..please don't think i love him less! lol...)

whimp

Happy 50th Birthday Cindy!

My oldest (snort) sister turns 50 today! Yeah! I just wanted to shout out and wish her the happiest birthday in the world. The POB's (4 sisters and Brandy) planned a surprise sister breakfast for her this last saturday..WE ACTUALLY PULLED IT OFF! Without anyone slipping and telling her about it...AND...we actually kept the fact that her daughter, Karen, was coming home too! She was so surprised and I was so happy to witness it.
Love you sis..happy birthday gray hair! lol
wendy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN!

My niece, Karen, turns 30 today! I hope your birthday is awesome! Welcome to the 30's club! Love ya!

whimp

Just an update..and stupid should hurt...
Thanks Brandy for letting me steal your favorite quote..well Troy actually turned himself in, and plead guilty to all his stupid endeavors, and received 27 years in prison. TWENTY SEVEN years! ...now we all know he won't actually serve all that, but if he does..MY son will be 37 years old when he is released..how sad is that? Thank GOD...Chris is here. Chris is here for Danny just like always...Danny is just concerned that everybody saw the news and everybody will know..(i.e..everybody would be kids at school...just an FYI of 10 year old boy language) He is embarrassed he said. Me too, I told him...me too. Thank God i have my boy. Thank God...
whimp

How do I put my past...
behind me, when I go to check the local weather and see this? http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/6926957.html
How do I explain it to Danny? What if something goes horribly wrong? Then what? Lord, when will this end?

By the way...Happy Easter.
whimp

More Layouts...

Here are some layouts I have gotten done so far this year..this is just some of them. Yes, I did use sketches or scraplift some of these layouts.

Happy Scrappin' friends! ETA: I submitted Danny's Xbox eXcitement layout so i had to remove it from my blog..sorry. It will be reposted June 1.

whimp

Why is it....

that several $1.00 bags of Army men can produce endless hours of fun for 10 year old boys??!!?? Why don't I buy more of them? Oh..I know..because of THIS....Danny sets up a mini battalion whenever he gets them out..and man do these suckers hurt when you step on them! lol..here are some fun pics i took when he was home sick..

Yippee!! I made it!

To spring break! Let's hope I can make it six more weeks until summer!

Chris and I just got back from a wonderful weekend away together. We went to the Amana Colonies (we go every year, just earlier this year) and we even went across the river to Illinois. I tried talking him into going on to Chicago, but frankly, even I was tired of riding by that time! We went to the John Deere Pavillion in Moline, IL. I was a little disappointed, but still had fun. We also went to a little village near Amana called Kalona. It is the largest Amish settlement west of the Mississippi River. I got to see some interesting stuff, and got to eat the most amazing food. I bought my ham for Easter in Amana..man I can't wait to bake that thing!
Riley spent her FIRST overnight with Grandpa Pat and Papa Blackie this weekend. I don't know who was more excited, or who had more fun. Grandma or Riles.

Danny spent the weekend with Grandma Val. He always has a blast when he spend the night at Grandma's. We are truly blessed to have grandmas and grandpas in our lives.

I am posting some pics of the kiddos bday party from last weekend. Enjoy..and I will think of everyone at work this week, as I am at home..or scrappin'!

Happy Birthday Dear Danny!

It is official. I am old. Danny informed me (not to long ago), "Mom, you have been a mom for almost a decade!" Thanks bud..i love you too! lol..Seriously. Today is Danny's tenth birthday. How cool is that? How cool is it to be 10? Danny is such an amazing person. He has a good heart, a smart brain, and a way about him that makes you want to sit down with him and talk to him for hours. He says some of the wackiest, weirdist things. But he is my little weirdo, and on this day I want to tell him I hope everyone of his dreams and wishes come true, because even though I was young when I wished for him, he has made all my wishes come true. I love you big guy.
Mom.

Seizures, Ambulance rides, and birthday girls...
Yep..that was my night last night. Danny came home from school yesterday with a high fever yesterday..didn't really think anything of it. We have had fevers before, i thought it was just a virus and he would be all better in a few hours. Boy was I wrong. Last night at about 11:oo he woke up, went to the bathroom, fell two times so dad helped him and then put him in bed. About 10 minutes later, we heard "I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!!" we jumped up, turned on our bedroom light, and saw him in a full blown petite mal seizure. I have never been so scared in my entire life. I can't describe how it feels to see your child seriously ill, and not be able to help. So..we got to take an ambulance ride to Children's Hospital. Something I really do not ever want to do again! lol..He is home now. He has the influenza that has been going around, and he is reading his new dragon book, sitting in his new jammies, and mom is praying he will rest. I know this is not really going to happen, because MISS RILES turned FOUR today. So she is SOOOO excited about her gift..a dora magical castle, and a huge dragon fly balloon. Hopefully we will still be able to have their birthday party this saturday. Hopefully miss riles will not get this bug, because Chris and I leave next Friday for our trip!
Peaceful dreams,
whimp

Riley Turns 4 (FOUR!)

Riley will turn 4 (FOUR) tomorrow! How exciting, and incredibly sad for me. I love the new stages she is in right now(granted, I would LOVE if she would outgrow some of them!). However, her birthday is bittersweet. It reminds me I won't hold a newborn that is my own again, or cuddle up with sweet baby breath on my neck. It reminds me that time moves entirely too fast, and i need to enjoy my children as much as i can. It reminds me I need to make sure I do the things I want with them NOW, not tomorrow, because sometimes, tomorrow doesn't come.

Happy Birthday Miss Riles. I love you sweet girl!

Love,
Mommy

J.J. turns one...

My great-nephew Josh Jr.(it always makes me feel so old to type or say that!) turned one yesterday. Riles and I went to help him celebrate. He is such a cute little guy. It always amazes me at how great my nieces and nephews are as parents. The rotten stinkers that they were, are now amazing parents. I now have (umm...let me count them) i think ELEVEN great nieces and nephews. Anyay, Josh is such a happy lil guy and I am so lucky to get to see him everyday when i drop Riles off at daycare. Here are some pics of the special day.

Peace,

whimp

At what cost?
I am trying to let go of negativity in my life. It is not healthy. I cannot carry these burdens with me forever. However, I feel part of me, or my purpose, will be forgotten if I let go. If I let go of the hate I feel towards the town, well mostly school district, of where I grew up? If I let go of the anger, hurt, and hatred I feel for my first husband(i mean, come on, it has been almost 10 years). What will it cost me to let go of these things? Does this anger define who I am? Does it make me, me? Will I no longer have a purpose in life? What will this cost me? What? Some one please tell me...of course I have another question.. What will it cost me if I don't?
whimp

I remember...
My niece, Karen, posted about watching a documentary on the drug Meth. She posted how this program researched and discovered that once this drug chooses a victim (or should I say victim chooses a drug, anyway) that only 6% of recovering addicts fully recover. How sad. How sad for the families of these people. How sad for the lives that are disrupted. Unfortunately, I remember. I remember watching someone I used to (think) I loved throw his family, and life down the drain..all for this drug. The surprising thing about this statistic (Troy) ..he came from a good (i won't say stable) home, is fairly intelligent, and parents are still married. This drug knows no race, sex, age, or clas. This drug is nasty. It makes the user very violent and unsatisfied. They will do ANYTHING to get another hit. Unfortunately, it used to be fairly easy to acquire the ingredients used to make it. In a farming community, it is relatively simple. I remember the fear I had for the safety and well being of my son, and myself. Why did I stay? I stayed because I didn't want to be a statistic, I thought I could change him, and I actually believed the things he said to me. I constantly heard I was no good...no one would love me. I was stupid, I was fat, I wasn't a good mother. I was told I would never make anything of myself, and I wouldn't survive without him. I felt I had no one to turn to. At that time I wasn't very close to my sisters, or brothers for that matter. I felt I was truly alone. Until I called Dianne at work one day, and she said to pack danny up, and come on over. So I did. and ..guess what? I did make something of myself, I am a good (at least decent) mother, I finished my teaching degree, and am happily married to a wonderful person. and guess where he is...still hooked on this drug. Almost ten years later. He has 2 more children(who live with his mother). How sad to see a life who could have great promise (all he needed to do was apply himself, he could have had any occupation he wanted)...but instead, he made the choice to dance with the devil?
And Now..ten years later..
My greatest fear I have now...is how to educate my children (one of them being his son) on the dangers of drug use. How do I educate them on how peer pressure will feel, and it IS Ok to sayNO! The friends who would use, are the friends to lose? How..in a society like ours, HOW can I help them say NO?

Sometimes, I wonder and ask why?
I just discovered the wonderful song "I wonder" by Kellie Pickler. Kelli was a contestant on American Idol last year, and did pretty well. The song "I wonder" is about her mother. Her mother left her with her father when she was just a toddler and had very little contact with her after that. So...my question is..
HOW?
How can a mother (or father) walk away from a child? How can anyone be content with NEVER seeing their child again, or seeing their child every other weekend. ME..I couldn't live without my children and the chaos they provide. I love them. Sometimes, they are hard to like..but I love them. I always want them here, right here, with me. I know people who don't care. They don't care if their kids are provided for...it's an ALL ABOUT ME game with them. Poor, pitiful, me, and you know what? That sucks..it sucks for these kids. These kids are left wondering, "what did I do wrong? How can I be better? How can I change what was wrong?" When in all honesty..the fault/weakness lies with the adult. I just can't believe how irresponsible parents are these days. Oh some people will say "I have to give so and so credit, because at least they know they can't provide for the child." Ya know what? It still doesn't make it easier for a child to accept the hurt, anger, and pain of knowing you aren't wanted.
wendy

Got Snow??

Wow...we are in the middle of an almost blizzard. I live down the road from my mother and father in law..i can stand on my front porch and see their house. Here is a picture I took standing on my front porch looking at their house. We don't even live a 1/4 of a mile away from each other..It started snowing here at 6:00 a.m. It is now 9 a.m. and here is how much snow we had at 8:45 a.m. (2nd pic). It isn't supposed to stop until this afternoon. Needless to say, we have a snow day. YEEHAW! (Maybe i shouldn't have prayed to the snow gods quite so hard??)

ETA: The 3rd pic is how much snow we have as of 3:47 p.m. Wahoo!! We have another snow day tomorrow! (I guess I won't be saying that when we have to go to school until May 25 (instead of May 22nd). Oh well...gotta love the Midwest!

have a great day!

whimp

Whew!
Wow..we JUST got our power back after loosing it at 6 this morning. You never realize just exactly what you use power for, until you have to pee in the dark! Riles managed to play by herself until about 1ish and then we loaded up and went to visit Grandma in town..she had power! So much for roasting a chicken for supper.
This weekend has gone by super fast. Almost time to start figuring outfits for the week out for the kiddos..Friday night I went out with some wonderfully fun women to celebrate Fickel's birthday (some of you might know her as Husker from CKMB)..had a great dinner and lost some money at the casinos! Wonderful tho, to be out with women who love having a good time. Thanks ladies!
Yesterday we went to Chris' friend Robert's memorial service. It was hard watching his father and girls' grief. Of course, my attention was diverted a bit, because the man sitting next to Chris started having multiple seizures! I was sitting behind Chris ,because he was a honorary pallbear..Robert was cremated...and next to my SIL Michelle (who thank god is a nurse :) Let me tell you..it was kind of freaky..good thing the funeral home owner is also on the volunteer Rescue team! Today, we lost power, so Riles and I read, played games, went to grandma's..etc. I am tired!
Have a great week..
whimp