Oh yeah.... I forgot

I have recently made myself believe that I had playdates so the kids wouldn't be bored. How quickly I forget that is only partly true. Yep, they are for me too so I don't lose my mind. I mean today I felt as though I could literally lose my mind. We haven't had a playdate since Wednesday. Now granted up till then we had one almost ever single day and I got to the point that I just wanted to be home. Well I am over it! We have been home Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and today. Now granted on some of those days we ran a few errands and I went out Friday night with my girlfriends. But it isn't the same as a playdate. The kids play and have fun and I have fun as well.
Today about did me in. We went to the library. I was thinking, this will get us out of the house and be enjoyable for us all. Wrong. I pulled out their little books and tried to find AR books in Mykenzie's reading level to have her work on her reading. Well not only is that completely not user friendly at all I had this strange worker following around making weird jokes that I didn't get and telling me that it isn't easy for him either. All I did was ask him for some help cause I didn't know if I was doing it wrong and that is why it was so difficult. I wasn't, it was just that all the books I looked for were out. I gave up (much to the workers chagrin as he told me it wasn't good to give up) and just let Mykenzie pick out some books AR score be damned! I looked for some books on my list and they were out as well. This whole time Kaylee is talking very loudly and Mykenzie is whining about how she doesn't want to have to read any books. Lovely. Then we went to Publix for a few things. More whining and alot more money than I planned to spend and we were out of there and back home. The girls have just been driving me nuts, driving each other nuts and are just bored out of their mind. Tomorrow we are leaving and I don't know what we are doing but it is going to be dang fun if it kills me! I need a playdate!!!!

Crossing my fingers...

Kaylee has been potty trained for a while now. It took me longer to do it than I ever thought it would so she was three years and 4 months old before it was done. However, she still wasn't potty trained at night. She sleeps in a pull up and granted most mornings she wakes up dry but it seems like every time we give it another shot and go pull up free, she surely wets her bed. We tried it for a week and she peed in her bed 4 of those nights. Well, we ran out of pull ups, so I decided we would give it another shot. It has now been 3 nights and she is accident free. I am crossing my fingers that she will make it and we are done with pull ups forever.

Mykenzie was potty trained fully by the time she two and a half, so this is crazy to me that Kaylee will be 4 in 5 weeks and still in pull ups at night. It would be great if we got it totally finished before she turns 4!! Hopefully it is now!

Yesterday?

Nope, it was a year ago. It feels like it just happened in some ways and in others it feels like forever ago. Such a fog is around the weeks that followed. The moment I found out was like an out of body experience and as I remember the events of this day one year ago that is how I remember them. As an outsider watching myself as a hurried around my house trying to pack to go to Ohio the next morning. Then the phone rang.... Chandra called to tell me that Jenna wasn't doing very well, that she didn't have any answers but it didn't look good. It was Jenna she was talking about though, she had been in a tough spot before with this chemo, she'd be fine. I then found out she was sitting in Jenna's driveway and she was getting ready to let me go so she could go in and help Barbara who was in there with all three of their kids (Chandra's, Barbara's and Jenna's). Then she said, oh here she comes.... I could barely hear what Barbara was saying but I thought I heard her say the words we never wanted to hear. I was hollering into the phone, "what did she say!?!" Our fears had come true and we lost Jenna. I fell to my knees and we all just sat their and cried. I still feel badly for Chandra and Barbara because they had to pull it together and go back into the house with all those kids and not break down when they looked into Jenna's kids faces. I could just fall to my knees and cry and that is what I did. I don't think I stopped for days.

Now it has been a year. And while typing this I have tears streaming down my face as I remember when we all lost her beautiful sparkling eyes and contagious laugh. Her sexy looks (you won't understand that one if you didn't know her) and the "Hey Baby" she often said as only she could say it in a voice that is forever engraved in my memory. I think about her in some form every day, whether it be wondering what she is in Heaven doing now or a fun memory I have of her. I try very hard not to be sad but to remember the good times we had and I am still so grateful that I was able to call her my friend.

Tonight there are several of us that knew Jenna who are going to LaSiesta to say a toast to our friend over a nice big margarita, her favorite. We will remember some fun times and share our funny stories. We will celebrate the wonderful life she led as we remember our friend.

I miss you Jenna, I wish you were still here with us. I don't understand why you were taken from this life so soon but I know you are at peace and you are happy and at least that will make me smile today.

Listen to this song... <3

Shocked!

This morning we got up and pretty much ran out the door to get to the movie on time. We made it though with time to spare and didn't have any trouble getting a seat for all 17 of us that went :) Yay! After the movie Chandra and I (and all of our kidlets) walked around the mall. We spent a couple of hours wandering around and I walked out of there with only 3, yes 3, bags. Wow! I am not sure that has ever happened at that particular mall! And then get this, 2 of the bags were Mykenzie's! She brought her bday money with her and bought a couple of things. She got a toy from the Disney store and a My First Study Bible :) I bought her a pair of shorts for now and 2 long sleeve shirts for winter for $13! Other than the small fortune that we paid for concessions at our free movie and grabbing lunch in the food court that was it! I found alot of summer clothes that I would have loved to have bought Kaylee, but seriously that girl does not need any more summer clothes. Mykenzie, my child who could use some, I can't find any for. Oh well it is almost time for school to start back up, (I know, right?) so I guess I need to be looking for stuff for that. I am hoping to catch some capri's and short sleeved shirts on clearance. We will be visiting my mom in July so I am sure we will do plenty of shopping then too. Last time we were there we found a ton of good deals and we will be there about the same time so hopefully lightning strikes twice!!

So far....

So good. It is only Tuesday but we have had a pretty good week. Yesterday we had Mykenzie's joint party with Autumn. Neither Barbara or I wanted to do a big party for the girls this year and I was inviting them over to go swimming and have cake Monday and she was going to have a little get together for Autumn on Friday so we just combine the two. We swam in my neighborhood pool for a couple hours, came here ate pizza, made ice cream sundaes, had a water balloon fight and played outside. They all seemed to have fun for just an inexpensive small party.

Mykenzie had her second VBS start last night at a friends church. They do a sports camp (MSC) and she signed up for tumbling and hip hop dance. She had a great time and is really loving it. So I am glad that I signed her up for it.

Today we went to the discovery center for a few hours and then to Sonic to get us each a slush. Now the girls are resting (Kaylee is sleeping) and soon we will be headed back to MSC.

Tomorrow we are headed to the free movie to see the latest veggie tale movie to hit theaters. It came out months ago but we never made it to see it. Now is the perfect time since it is free! No other plans for this week,so I will have to have a pj day at some point. We will be going to La Siesta on Friday night to have a drink and some Mexican food with friends to celebrate Jenna's life. I can't believe it is has been a year....

Happy Birthday Mykenzie!!!

Our baby girl is 8!!! She decided Friday that she wanted to make a cake for her birthday this year so we baked it yesterday and this morning she helped decorate it. She opened her gifts and played all morning, we grilled hot dogs for lunch and then headed for our annual trip to chuck e cheese. A ton of tokens later and both girls were happy with the loot they picked up and the fun they had. We headed home for cake and ice cream and now we are all resting which will be followed with dinner and playing outside and hopefully catching some lightning bugs :)

Happy Birthday sweet girl! We love you!!

Our Week

I have had an exhausting week! I haven't done anything physically exhausting but I am so tired. Mykenzie had VBS at our church all week which we had to leave our house by 8:15am to be there on time for. You wouldn't think that would be a big deal seeing how for school we are out the door by 7:30am. I guess that week of not getting out of bed spoiled me already! lol Mykenzie had so much fun and even though it was a pain for me we will absolutely do it again. I may have to consider working it next year so I don't feel like I am just wasting time till it is time to pick her up. Thank God Chandra and Barbara live over there and let me hang out, otherwise I would have lost my mind. We had a playdate, a birthday party and a group lunch after VBS and the other days we ran errands and came home. Pretty fun :)

Mykenzie also had swim lessons 2 nights this week and is now finished with this session. She has to repeat level 2, which I am not surprised by at all. She has learned alot but still has a ways to go. Only 1 kid in her class gets to move up and that girl could swim when she got there. Mykenzie is disappointed she can't move to level 3 but I told her I had to repeat a level when I took swim lessons years ago and I think that made her feel better. She also got to "jump" off the diving board for the first time which was pretty cool. She was scared and had to have help but she liked it once she did it.


I have not done anything to clean my house in days, I haven't done laundry in over a week. it isn't pretty here. Load number 4 is in the washing machine now and my kitchen is picked up. A few more loads of laundry and I am done for the night.
I am mentally exhausted this week. Dealing with way too much drama bull shit. I am so sick of people taking a simple comment and turning it into a personal attack, tired of hearing people whine and complain about their lives or situations when they do absolutely NOTHING to change them. I am tired of people asking for opinions that they don't really want to hear. I am tired of people saying something is fine and then bitching about it 10 minutes later. I am tired of people being completely two faced. I am tired of people pretending to be my friend. I am tired of people getting mad about something that is said when they themselves have said the same exact thing or worse. I am tired of people acting like they are someone's friend just so they can get the inside scoop on them to use it against it later or to make it topic of conversation with someone else. I am tired of people acting like they are the only one who has any problems or has a bad day. I have enough of my own drama, my own things that I am dealing with in my own life and seriously I am tired of the petty shit. Get a freaking life, if you don't like the one you have, do something to fix it PLEASE!

Here's hoping to a better week next week. Most of this week was good but it seems like the bad ends up overshadowing all of that. Next week will start out great as my baby girl will turn EIGHT years old on Sunday!!

Look how pretty!

This will be year 3 for my hydrangea and this is the prettiest it has ever been. I love my flowers this year they all look so good!!!

PMS= A Woman on a Rampage!

Oh my. Seriously I am unsure if I could possibly get into one more argument with a stranger this week. This is nuts even for me. I am sure Travis is thrilled that I am saving my yelling for strangers since last month about this time I was yelling at him. LOL

It started on Friday.... So since then I have gotten an attitude with a Recreational Worker at Cannonsburgh Village at a play date. Gotten bitchy with a random lady at the Discovery Center for yelling at Kaylee. Gotten angry at a movie theater which lead me to get bitchy to a ticket taker, a manager, another worker and a second ticket taker. This was in one day and in my defense they each deserved my attitude and bitchy-ness,well maybe not the ticket takers. Thank the Lord I really didn't leave my house on Saturday and Sunday!

Today I managed to yell at a man at Mc Donalds, who later told us he was sorry for what he did and went onto tell us a horrible story about the little boy that he was with. Once again, I feel like a tool but we didn't know that, to us he was being an ass. AND, then tonight Travis and I both got into a screaming fight with a neighbor and threatened to call the cops on her. Once again, it was totally her fault.

Now I blame others for this stuff and it was their fault but truthfully I could have kept my mouth shut in every one of these cases and let people go on with their asinine behavior, but I have PMS and that just is not going to happen. If you don't want to be bitched at then quit doing stupid shit or stay away from me when I am PMSing!

Better late than never

It has been years since the Sex and the City series ended. For me however, it is all new. I started trying to watch the series when I heard the movie was coming out and I knew my moms group would want to go see it. Well I tried my best but it didn't happen in time. Last night I finished it. I have seen every episode and I am in love. How did I miss out on this show? Well aside from the fact I had no HBO. The end made me laugh like crazy and bawl my eyes out. I have talked some girls into going and seeing it with me tonight (they couldn't get tickets when my moms group went opening night cause they sold out so fast) I can't wait!! I hope it is as good as I want it to be!

Fried Pickle Party

A fried pickle is a snack item found commonly in the American South. It is made by deep-frying a sliced battered dill pickle.

The Fried Dill Pickle was popularized by Bernell "Fatman" Austin in 1963 at the Duchess Drive In located in Atkins, Arkansas.

Today would have been Jenna's 36th birthday and to honor it Chandra invited us to go to Toot's for Fried Pickles.So Chandra, Barbara and I loaded up the kids and went to Toots! Jenna loved fried pickles and craved them during her pregnancy. So today we went to Toots and raised (literally) fried pickles in memory of our friend. We wish she could have been there with us. Happy Birthday Jenna! I miss you tons and I love you lots.


Recipe for Fried Pickles

1 egg, beaten
1 c. milk
1 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
6 drops hot sauce
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
3 1/2 c. flour
1 qt. sliced dill pickles
Dried dill for seasoning
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Combine first 5 ingredients, stirring well. Set aside. Combine 3 1/2 cups flour, salt and pepper, stirring well. Dip pickles in milk mixture and dredge in flour mixture, repeat process. Deep fry in hot oil, 350 degrees until pickles float to surface and are golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with Dried dill to your liking.

Bummer

Kaylee discovered that she can touch in the 3ft area of the pool today. This is great because now she isn't afraid any longer to go off the steps, BUT now I have to get in the pool too. No more lounging in a chair getting a tan. LOL We had a great time in the pool today. There were 2 other little girls there close in age with both of mine so Mykenzie was thrilled. Kaylee just wanted to play with me but she chatted the other little girl. Mykenzie is getting brave and venturing out into 4ft waters now and even went into the 5ft with a float on. We will be there alot this summer so if anyone ever wants to join us let me know :)

I hear you loud and clear!

One year ago today. Yep. That was the last time I saw Jenna alive. She was at my house for Mykenzie's birthday party. Apparently she thought I would forget that fact...
I think I have done a pretty good job at grieving and moving on. Not forgetting about her by any means but remembering the fun times rather than the fact she is no longer here. When I was having tough days I felt like she sent me a song to remember her or to make me feel like she was okay. Well today she sent me a song that reminded me of her after she passed away over and over and over again. I was in the car for a total of about 15-20 minutes during different parts of the day and 4 times I heard the same song. It is not a new song and I haven't heard it in months. But today I heard it 4 times. Jenna, I have not forgotten what today represents. I miss you, thanks for the reminder but know I will never forget.

I keep you locked in my head until we meet again (until we meet again meet again)
I won’t forget you my friend what happened?
If someone said three years from now you’d be long gone
I’d stand up and punch them out cos they’re all wrong
And that last day I’ll cherish until we meet again
Sometimes babe it’s harder I wish I could remember
But I keep your memories, you visit me in my sleep
I miss you
My darling
Who knew
Who knew

Scrappin City

Oh yeah baby! I finally started scrappin again! It was one of my new years resolutions if you recall. Well 6 months later I finally decided to get on it. I started last March (2007)with Kaylee's birth and made it to when she got home from the hospital. Now I am to her 7th month! Woo Hoo. Yeah Yeah, I realize that now it is 2008 but hey, I am busy. I am having fun with it so that is nice. I need to search for some ideas to scraplift cause I am running a little short on them. I have a long long long way to go and I hope I don't get burnt out before I get there. Remember Kaylee is getting ready to turn 4! Yikes. I better get busy. I will post some pics at some point of the ones I like, I did a few pages that I am not a fan of but some pages I did I really love. They aren't as good as my scrappin friends' pages, but I have come to terms with the fact that mine wont ever be that good so I have to just make them as good as I can and if my kids make fun of it one day I'll just have to tell them to hush cause I didn't have to do it at all! Ha!

Trundle love

Ahh, the trundle bed. We bought it for when we have company but it quickly became Kaylee's favorite place to sleep. She begs to sleep with "sissy on the little bed" everyday. Mykenzie acts like it may kill her if she sleeps in there one more time but secretly loves it. Well, that is my interpretation of all the playing and giggling going on! They have been playing pretty good together lately. That first weekend after school let out I was ready to run away but they have done ok since. Still fighting but not a horrible amount. Kaylee gave Mykenzie a hug the other day and told her she was the best big sister, because Mykenzie got her a glass of lemonade :) I love when they are sweet to each other it really does make you forget about all the fighting....at least till they start fighting again.

We Survived the first week of no school...

Our week went pretty well. We had some fighting that made me want to scream, lets get real it did make me scream. lol We ran errands on Monday, oh that thrilled them to no end but I took the out to lunch at Red Robin and they were a bit happier about that.
Tuesday we went to the pool and it was wonderful since we were the only people there. The water was way to cold for me to put anything more than my feet in but the kids jumped right in. Mykenzie also had her first swim lesson. She did really good and really enjoyed it.
Wednesday we had a marathon playdate at Chandra's which was fun and included free pizza which was sweet! lol
Thursday we did some elliptical shopping, long story short I am giving up and finding another way to lose my second rear end. And Mykenzie had lesson #2. This time I thought I would die. It is so dang hot in there going outside into the 95 degree temps felt like air conditioning. I will be sitting outside of the pool from now on cause I really thought I was going to pass out from the heat.
Friday was back to the splash pad and home for some relaxing.
Saturday we let the girls play outside in their new blow up pool with slide. It is just a tiny thing but they had a blast. I went grocery shopping and we just hung out.
Today was church and then we took the girls to see Kung Fu Panda. They both liked it. Now we made it thru week 1 only 2 months left to go.... I think that I may have just enough tricks up my sleeve to keep both girls happy and entertained. I have vetoed any outside play that doesn't involve me getting wet in some capacity though cause it is so dang hot. Seriously 100 degrees in the beginning of June is not a good sign for the rest of the summer.

Our new neighbor

Walking by my front door today I was surprised to see a new neighbor crossing the street to say hi. He didn't make it very far though, I don't know maybe he got scared by my crazy hair. He just stood in the road for a few minutes and I began to worry about his safety. We have people fly around the corner and I was worried he was going to get hit by a car. Then he gave up and decided to go back to where he came from not willing to say hello. We saw him later out and about again but soon after he was spotted he ducked back into his new home again. Maybe one day he will make it to our house but not today. I did manage to snap a picture of him though, isn't he a cutie?

Go away Hillary!!!

Seriously, I would love to see a woman president, well one that is a democrat. But this is ridiculous! I am beyond tired of watching her fight to be the President. Sometimes you have to know when to walk away, now my dear is the time. Actually 2 months ago was the time. Please don't put us through any more. Bow out gracefully so we can get on with the real race. Leave before you ruin any hope we have left of a Democrat running the white house.

Travis is obsessed with watching every channel's politics. I see more MSNBC and Fox news (shoot me please) during an election year that should be legally allowed and this fight between Clinton and Obama is getting on my last nerve. I have heard everyone's opinions on the matter and mine is that it needs to END!