The Pampered Wife Goes Thrifty

Saved the best for last!!!

2009-05-29T00:04:00.003-04:00

This is the best part of my story and only hope I can put into words exactly how wonderful things have been since I broke away.
So I was living on my own, working a full time job in the accounting office for an auto dealership and a part time job for a long distance phone company training their sales people. I had a friend who needed a place to live so I offered her a place to live for free and in return she watched my children in the evenings while I worked at the phone company. This worked out well but I missed my children dearly. I took both jobs in August of 2001. My youngest was six months old.
I was determined to raise my children and never get involved in a relationship again. Sure I went on dates but no man ever got a second date. My standards had changed. I did go through a wild time where I drank quite a bit and partied after work with some co-workers. I always met my date somewhere to avoid bringing anyone around my children. I did not hide the fact that I had children but I didn't want anyone to meet them.
The children's father showed up in November begging me to forgive him and I actually thought about it but quickly realized nothing had changed. I had finally gained the strength to let him know things were really over.
Part of my job was traveling to other stores collecting/delivering checks for cars we'd sold or bought. I met many people this way and am still friends with several. One day in March a guy I had met months ago in another dealership asked me out. This guy was different. He looked me in the eye when he spoke (something most men in the car business don't do) and he was smart. Not your typical car guy. I gave him my phone number and really didn't think much of it. I didn't expect him to call me. He actually called me two hours later!!! We had planned to meet at an auto show that weekend, he was working it and my son has always loved car shows. My father and I have rebuilt numerous vehicles so he comes by this honestly. My son and I went to the auto show and the new guy wasn't there. His schedule had been changed that morning. I racked it up to I had kids, he didn't and it was just too much to take on.
That was not the case as he called that night and asked me to a movie the next afternoon. He even drove an hour to pick me up and then 40 minutes to the theater. As we were pulling out of my driveway he said that my room mate had cute girls and I suddenly realized he did not know that I had 3 children! I told him they were all mine and that he could take me home if that was too much to absorb. He quickly said it wasn't a problem and off we went. We had a great time at the movie and an even better time sitting and talking over coffee. I'd never been to a Starbucks so I had no clue what to order! The conversation was easy and we both got to know each other a little better. This man was a perfect gentleman, drove me home, thanked me for the date and drove away. I really didn't expect to hear from him again since my having three children was a lot for anyone to take in. But he did call and we did go out again.
By this time my mother was getting nosey. I had never gone out with a guy twice so she wanted to meet him. I was not ready to introduce him to my family or my children. Dating was hard for us. I worked Monday through Friday. My work days started at 5 a.m. and ended at 9:30 p.m. His days off were Tuesday and Sunday. His work hours were 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. We sacrificed a lot of sleep those first few months. I'd get off work and rush to the restaraunt of choice and we'd have dinner. I would then drive an hour home to sleep and get back up at 5.
About 6 weeks later he took me to meet his parents. I was so nervous I could barely speak! We had lunch and went to their home for the afternoon. My guy rode with his mom to the restaraunt and I rode with his father. I could never have prepared myself for all the questions his father had for me. Had I been marriend? Did my children all have the same father? What were my goals in life? How do you explain to your boyfriend's father that you were married for 6 weeks to a crazy dude? Yes, I'd been married was my answer. All my children have the same father and no, he is not in the picture nor do I receive child support. As far as goals I want to raise my children by myself and continue growing in my career. I had not mentioned to my boyfriend I'd been married so that created a bit of craziness. But my boyfriend took it all very well and told me he didn't care about who or what I was in the past, that he just liked me for who I was today! Next he met my mother. She's pretty laid back and never 50 questioned him. She was just glad I was happy.
Around the middle of May we were having dinner and the conversation got very serious quickly. My boyfriend told me he could see the pain in my eyes when I left him and the pain in my eyes when I wasn't spending time with my children. Right there he asked me to move in with him! We lived almost an hour away from each other and hadn't been dating very long. I remember looking at him as though he was out of his mind. He kept telling me how he hated being away from me and wanted to be with me all the time. I reminded him of my children whom he had never met. He asked if he could come spend the night at my home that Saturday night, meet the children and spend Sunday with us. I was in shock! I asked what if things didn't work out as I'd be giving up my home. He assured me that if things didn't work out I could live in one end of the house and him in the other until we could find me a place of my own. Also he was convinced things were going to work out just fine. We'd never even said I love you to each other. Things were moving REALLY fast!!!
That next Saturday he came to spend the night with us and met my children. We had a wonderful weekend. He taught my youngest (15 months old) to eat with a spoon that Sunday. It was like a fairytale. The following week I broke the news to my family. My mother was extremely happy and my father kept saying "I don't want to have to come move you home in a U-haul." I assured him he wouldn't but didn't offer a meeting for the two of them.
That next week I put in my notice at my part-time job and began moving us. We finally got everything moved around the beginning of July. We had my father down for dinner one night so that they could finally meet. My father's opinion immediately changed and they became great friends. (I can't blame my dad for being skeptical as I had chosen a bunch of losers in my past)
The last week of August I quit my job. It was not a good situation and my boss was a horribly miserable person. She degraded me daily and I had had enough. It was Friday and she was refusing to give me my check after I had passed out everyone elses check. I told her off and called her a word that I've never used in my life and walked out. I called my boyfriend and asked if I needed to move back to my home since I now didn't have a job. He was calm and told me he was proud of me for standing up to her and not to worry about it. I thought I was dreaming! Was this guy for real???
Finding a job proved to be much more difficult than I expected. It took me about 6 weeks and the recommendation of one of my best friends to find the perfect job. An accounting job of course, but I'd be running the office myself. Life was good!
My boyfriend and I had talked about marriage after a few dates. Both of us said we couldn't see ourselves married for at least five years. I thought I was off the hook and boy was I wrong. Things were going so well. Then he informally asked me if I'd marry him on New Years 2003. I shook and begged him not to ask that question. I justified this with why ruin something that is going so well.
We both went about living our lives and were happy. I thought the discussion was over but I was oh so wrong. I got a phone call at work in March from my boyfriend asking me to be ready to go out to dinner around 6:30 and he informed me that he had a babysitter arranged. I was told to look my best and not ask any questions. I hate surprises but followed his requests and was ready to go when he arrived home. We went to dinner at a really nice place that overlooked the water, as we watched the sunset he slid a small box across the table. I asked, "what's this?" I was told to shut up and open it! LOL I did and was completely blown away! I just stared at the ring inside and before I realized it he was down on one knee asking me to marry him. This time I didn't beg him to not do this and I quickly said YES! It was still early so we drove to my father's home to tell him the good news and then to tell my mom.
He planned our wedding in 8 months! I say he planned it because I only did a few things...picked my dress, flowers, had my daughter's dresses made and picked my bridesmaid's dresses. We both picked the place to get married and where to honeymoon. It was a busy 8 months!
Our wedding was just like the fairytale our relationship had been. Everything was beautiful and I'd never been happier. We flew out to San Francisco for two days and then to Hawaii for a 7 day cruise. Due to heavy winds our cruise ported early and we opted to fly home early since we both missed the kids so bad! The kids made us signs to welcome us home and met us at the airport.
So much for living and raising my children alone. I had found my soulmate! Daycare was eating up a lot of my salary so three months later I resigned. I have been at home with the children ever since. I am living the life I always dreamed of.
All of that is a good story but it gets even better...
In January of 2007 my husband was offered a job on the east coast. He asked me how I felt about it and I told him I'd go anywhere with him. He interviewed for the job ten days later. Three days after that interview they offered him the job. He lived on the east coast for four months while I stayed in Oklahoma so that the children could finish the school year. Before he left we met with an attorney and started the adoption process. In May of 2007 he flew home and we adopted our children on May 5.
The kids and I moved out here in June and we've started fresh. This move has been so hard on us as we've never lived this far from our families but it has given us the opportunity to start our lives together as one happy family. Our marriage is stronger, our children are much happier and we've grown so much as a couple.
I'm sure to some this is all a bit too mushy but it's my blog, my life and you can always close the window if it's too much to stomach. I was once beaten down and felt destroyed on the inside. Love has restored me and my faith. Things aren't always easy. We are your average married couple but I do know that I will never again be alone in this world. I've met my soulmate! We give, respect and love each other endlessly. Our children once asked us if we were getting a divorce in the middle of one our arguements. Our answer was easy...the day we stop fighting is the day you should worry we are getting a divorce. We are two totally different people with different backgrounds. We will not always agree but we will always find common ground. Today I thank God for blessing me with such a wonderful partner and a man who loves my children as his own. One day we hope to have a child together but if that is not the plan we are content with our family.
All of that to say this...God is good ALL the time!

Last weeks recap!

2009-03-02T09:42:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday I had a dentist appointment. Had to have a root canal and it's been extremely painful. I'm still swollen and am seeing the dentist again today.
Then Thursday came around and it was time for my injection. This one hurt a little more than the ones in the past but my back is feeling much better today.
My son made the wrestling team two weeks ago. We spent 8 hours in search of wrestling shoes. Seems everyone else made the wrestling team too. He practices three times a week and then there are matches two nights a week. This has turned my schedule upside down in the evenings. We are finally adjusting. Next quarter he is trying out for baseball.
Both of the girls are going to play softball this summer. We have registration on the 7th. I'm so glad they have both shown an interest in a sport I played. I'm excited for summer and softball games!
My parents will be here in about 6 weeks for spring break. We will be opening the pool while they're here. I'm sure that water will be freezing cold but it will not stop the kids from swimming. They'll have blue lips and try to convince me the water isn't cold! LOL
I'm off to take the kids to bus stop. With the snow and winds it is too cold to let them stand out there. That's right! The beach has a dusting of snow, 2 hour school delay and people are driving like idiots! Stay warm and have a great week!

A few things going on in my world

2009-02-10T11:06:00.002-05:00

I am loving this budgeting stuff with my total money makeover! Not only can I set up my budget but I can see how long it will take me to pay off all of my debt. I love it! I have needed this in my life and it is really good at keeping me motivated.
I met with the school counselor at the middle school this morning. My son is interested in an advanced science class next year. We were told in December that there would be a program he would work on at home and submit. Today that has all changed. It seems the program our school has used in the past went bankrupt so they found a new one and that one makes each child take the courses at school in addition to their core classes. The counselor is trying to get it set up as a summer school program. My son is already in advanced English but wants more. He's looking at taking a full year of German next year which is a high school credit in addition to Advanced English and Science. Okay, I'll stop bragging but I am a very proud mama.
I returned to third grade again today. The children were headed to music class. I will meet with the principal on Thursday morning and spend 45 minutes in each classroom after that. I'm hoping to find out what resources are available to assist my daughters in their education. Also possibly having them tested to make certain that there are no learning disabilities.
I had a long phone call with AT&T wireless this a.m. as well. They were calling me wanting me to pay my bill. What they got was an earful of how horrible their service is. I'm very unhappy with AT&T and the iphone in general. I have to call them back from a land line this afternoon to try to troubleshoot the problem. I think for the amount of money it costs to have two iphones that they should at least work in my home and at my husband's employment. His phone is a business phone and the two places he spends all of his time (home and work) get no reception. FYI I am waiting on a direct deposit into my account today so I'm not neglecting to pay AT&T due to this problem. Three months ago when I had a conversation with them they told me my only option was to get rid of the iphones and terminate my contract in which they planned to bill me for breaking the contract. That is NOT customer service! Wish me luck with this ;)
I hope to have some down time with the husband tonight. The hot tub is sounding really good about right now. I'm getting a haircut tomorrow morning and then we will spend the day together. The best part is we have no plans!!!
Ravn, I hope you and all your crew are feeling better. I'm praying for all of you guys!

I don't remember...

2009-02-09T15:43:00.003-05:00

third grade be so intense. I spent all day today in my oldest daughter's class. We learned some Geometry, how to read a map, math skills in the computer lab, and several other things that have slipped my tired brain at the moment. It was exhausting and I want a nap. Of course it's time for homework so that won't be happening. The day just seemed much more crammed full of activities than I remember my third grade class being.
The past two weeks the husband and I have been working on our budget. We were told at our FPU class that it will take several months to get it all just right. I'm glad to know that because we are constantly changing ours right now. It's stressful but nice to have some real direction going on there. Another FPU class on Wednesday night and I haven't even begun my homework for last week. I'm the slacker in my own homework right now since I've been going to class with my girls for three weeks. I think I'll send them outside to play and I'll do last weeks homework while they play.
Thursday was my injection day. I had an epidural spinal injection in my L1. I don't think they are as bad now that I know what to expect. Although I've noticed I'm really sore for 3 days after the injection. I see the spine specialist in two and half weeks to re-evalute.
I hope that everyone in the blogger world is doing well this week. I see that Ravn is FINALLY home!!! Get well soon my friend. That's it for now

Blog neglect...

2009-01-30T10:19:00.002-05:00

I'm guilty as charged. It's been so crazy around here. We have had to set up a real budget and an emergency fund. As I type this I still think "doesn't everyone do this?". I now know that most people do not budget or plan for their future. We are those type of people who just pay the bill as it comes in, buy groceries when we want something, and we dine out very frequently. That has all changed since we've begun to budget. I'm not sure I like all this budgeting but I am convinced it will get me where I want to be. Even if that is at least a year away.
I've been going to second grade and watching my daughter. I will be doing this again next week. I'm considering holding her back for a year so that she can get that feeling of mastery. Tuesday is her birthday and she has tons of surprises coming her way.
My father-in-law is arriving tomorrow since the birthday girl requested his presence. He'll be here for five days. I'm planning her a birthday party in a couple of weeks with all of her friends. This party has had to be delayed a bit since my son is taking the SCAT a week from tomorrow.
I think I've decided on a cake for her party. It's a flower pot cake with a candy made flower. Basically you take a clay pot and bake chocolate cake in it, ice it and add sprinkled oreos on top. Then I will stick a few gummy worms in. Here comes the tricky part, I need to make a flower. My thoughts so far are to dye a lollipop stick green and stick it in the cake, take the wrapper off the lollipop and use edible glue (aka sugar and corn syrup) to attach another round candy to the lollipop to make a flower. I've been searching for round candies that are colorful. I'm hoping to find some disc type candy in multiple colors. These will be made in clay pots that have each child's name on them and Happy 8th Birthday. My son has a birthday 18 days later and has requested a skateboard cake. I think I have figured out exactly how I will make that happen and will use trucks and wheels from an old board to make it look more real. I will smell like icing until March.
Anyone see that new movie Taken? It was really good but pretty intense. The husband and I saw it last night. That girl has one badazz daddy!
I think I've rattled enough at the moment. Time to make sure that everyone is getting their job done for today and start some lunch. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Enjoy watching the super bowl...I'll probably be chatting with friends and watching the commericals!

No bike riding this week

2009-01-15T19:49:00.002-05:00

The high today was in the mid 40's and dropped consistently the rest of the day. It's below freezing now and is supposed to be down around 17 tonight. They (meteorologist) are telling us to leave water dripping on all your faucets tonight. This is something we were accustomed to in Oklahoma but not out here. All of that to say this...IT IS COLD!
Chiropractor visits this afternoon went well. I got some muscle stimulation on my shoulder and then we headed to the grocery store. A woman we go to church with is having steroid injections tomorrow so I offered to cook for her and her family. She's a single mom and will need all the help she can get. It's not much but just one less thing she'll have to worry about tomorrow evening. For me, it feels really great to be able to help her.
Tomorrow I'll be making a surprise visit to my youngest daughter's classroom. She's having a difficult time staying on task so I'm going to sit with her in class. I'm thinking I'll have lunch with oldest daughter and then appear in the classroom for the remaining part of the day. The teacher has set up a desk for me that will face my daughter. Each time she gets off task I will be there to get her restarted. Fun! Fun! I'm headed back to second grade!
Right now I'm working on getting homework finished up for the evening and looking forward to the weekend. Hope everyone has a relaxing weekend and stays warm. Brrr

Back to Reality

2009-01-12T16:03:00.002-05:00

It's a new year and as I promised I'm more determined than ever to get my budget under control. We are attending Financial Peace University once a week for 13 weeks. We started this last Wednesday. We were just getting started and the power went out! LOL So we went around the room and told who we were, why we were there and what he hoped to learn from this. It was a good time with good people. I'm looking forward to next week. We are assigned homework each week to do during the week. It consists of some reading and this week we had to put down on paper a mini budget. This made me sick and I've been thinking maybe I should get a job at night so that I can be home when my children are, do homework and prepare them a healthy dinner meal. The husband hates this idea so we shall see how this month goes.

I ordered our AFM's boxes this month and a fruit and veggie box. I get a recipe menu from menus4moms. For a very small fee they give you two weeks of dinner menus that use your AFM box and a few extra recipes as well. A regular main box is $30 and the fruit and veggie box is $21. You cannot purchase all of that food in the grocery store for the cost that AFM charges. Their website says you can feed a family of four for a week/box. I've had better luck and been able to feed my family almost all month on two main boxes and a fruit and veggie box. Now I do have to buy a few extras for the dinner meals and stuff for the children's lunch everyday. I'll have a better idea of my grocery budget after this month.

Our first major step for this month (after writing out a budget) is to save $1,000 for a rainy day and put it in a savings account. We are working on that now. Our goal is to be close to credit card debt free by December 2009. That will take a lot of frugal living to make it happen. Maybe it's unrealistic and it may change as we get further along through this course. It's a goal and that's a step in the right direction.

We are also trying to bundle up our t.v. internet and directv. We want to go with Verizon since FIOS is now available here but I want to keep our directv since we have dvr's with them. I may end up giving it up if the deal isn't worth it. Anyone else doing a bundle with Verizon? This is just one of the ways we are looking into to save a little extra cash each month.

Friday I had my second spinal injection. I spent most of the weekend on bedrest and am feeling much better today. I really hope to get quite a bit of relief now that both sides have had the injection. I see my spine specialist on the 30th of this month to re-evaluate. I plan to be riding my bike with the kids by midweek and trying out my Jillian Michaels Wii Fit game by the end of the week. I hope everyone has a great week!

My Sooners lost

2009-01-09T00:08:00.001-05:00

a great game. Congrats to Florida on a well played game. I'm Sooner born and Sooner bred and when I die I'll be Sooner dead! Go OU!

Boomer Sooner and a bit more

2009-01-08T14:52:00.002-05:00

Tonight the Sooners play for Florida for the BCS Championship. We're having a few people over to watch. I've rented the children some movies so they'll stay entertained. I'm surrounded by Fla. fans out here but I wear my OU gear with pride!

The husband and I went to our meeting for Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. The weather knocked out the power so we only watched about 20 minutes of our first dvd. We have homework too. I thought two hours of homework with my children was enough but I now have to squeeze in financial homework too. We are really excited about taking this class. I'll keep you posted as we go through this process.

Hope everyone has a great night and remember... I'm Sooner born and Sooner bred and when I die I'll be Sooner dead! GO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!

Two more days...

2009-01-03T08:16:00.002-05:00

before my parents return home. We've had so much fun with them. The weather has not cooperated so we've not been to the skate park and all the kids want to get in the hot tub at night but it's been in the 30's at night. Other than that we have done everything we wanted to do.
My father and I always have projects planned months before he gets here. One was to get all of the baby clothes out of boxes, washed and donated. After carrying them all in the house and sorting them we reboxed them and delivered them. We donated about 600 items of clothes. Yes, I counted each peice! Then we went through old toys that the children no longer played with and donated them. It was a pretty good size tote full. Since we moved here in late June and I'd been in Oklahoma all of August I hadn't packed away all the boxes. I carried them to the attic stairs, father handed them to son who was in attic, he sorted them and stacked them neatly. My garage looks clean and that makes the husband much happier.
My mother tends to lay low while we do all this work. She spoils the children rotten and lets them do EVERYthing they want! (Bricks are now laying on my pool cover, want to guess who'll have to fish them out?) With my mother and her grandkids there are NO rules! My neighbor does video from her home so my mother brought tons of old movies to her. My neighbor will be blackmailing me soon as she watches each movie and turns them into dvd's. There was about 4000 hours of video total. I'm sure the next time I'm home we will be having a home movie night. I feel bad for our husbands and will be finding a way for them to do anything but sit through all that.
The oldest daughter raced a brat in our neighborhood on her scooter. Daughter won the race and the other little girl went home whining that she needed a bigger scooter. That night my daughter said this, "how much do you want to bet that Brat has a new scooter by tomorrow night?" 24 hours later and Brat has a new, faster scooter! I'm serious! Then a neighbor calls me and tells me that not only did Brat get a new and faster scooter 3 days after Christmas but she also convinced her parents she needed a cell phone!!! Can someone explain why a 9 yr old needs a cell phone??? Back to the scooter (hehe) my father and I are in the process of converting the daughter's into a bigger scooter with the same frame. I promise the daughter will be racing and winning in the near future. I'm from the country and my husband is the computer guru. This means I know how to put a motor and battery together and the husband can wire it to make it all run smoothly. This should be fun! :)
I hear my father making coffee so I'm going to share a cup. Have a wonderful weekend and Happy New Year to all!

A very Merry Christmas

2008-12-28T08:37:00.002-05:00

My father in law was to arrive Tuesday evening and his flight was cancelled. Then a Wednesday flight was cancelled and he finally arrived late Christmas day. My mother in law arrived first from Berlin. She always brings lots of good stuff. This time she brought me salt and pepper grinders (the really nice ones you can only find in Berlin) and some striped socks. (I have a thing for crazy and unusual socks) The children received these little book type things with pencils, pens, ink cartridges and rulers in them. They had a Berlin bear attached. Apparently the husband always had these little books when he was a child. Then she unpacked the candy!!! She brought everyone their favorites. Huge Milka bars, kinder chocolate stars with 3 different kinds of kinder chocolates, Ritter Sport for the husband and even some chocolate with liquer in it. She also brought me a wisk that they do not sell here in the United States. It is going to help create wonderful gravy.
We had already been to our Christmas Eve church service and everyone was starving. While the husband and children were at the airport I made pasta primavera with tons of fresh veggies. My m-i-l loves coming to my home because I'm her daughter in law that loves to cook and everything is always fresh. We had a wonderful dinner. We let the children dig into their stockings. They were mainly filled with all their favorite candy.
My parents arrived about 2 on Christmas day. They had made sure there was a gift from each of them for the children to open immediately. My son received two x-box 360 wireless controllers and an Eskimo Jo long sleeve t-shirt. My daughters received a wii game from my dad and they already owned it. (this was my fault as I purchased it and had no idea they owned it) They both received their annual Eskimo Jo shirt. It's just not Christmas around here without a Jo's shirt. We snacked on a spinach/veggie dip, ranch dip, and shrimp dip with crackers, tortilla chips and vegetables until the father in law arrived.
The father in law was expecting to eat leftovers and was truly surprised to arrive to a full meal and knowledge that everyone had waited for his arrival to have Christmas dinner. Everything turned out perfect. We had turkey, dressing, ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, shoepeg corn casserole, broccoli and rice casserole, green beans with bacon, black eyed peas with bacon, hot rolls, pumpkin and pecan pies.
After dinner my mother pressured me into opening gifts. I wanted to wait until after our shopping spree on Friday. My sister sent each of the kids a crisp $100 bill. My mother gave the oldest daugher another $100 bill. She quickly informed us that "she was the richest kid on the block". My parents went in together and purchased my son a top of the line Diamondback trick bike. It was brought down from the attic with a big, red bow attached. His favorite color is green so naturally the bike is lime green. My youngest daughter has begged for an American Girl doll for months and one arrived that night. As a group they received wii fit and more wii remotes, guitar hero for x-box 360 with an extra guitar, and several new games.
I arranged for our parents to go in together for the husband's gift. He is the techy guy of our bunch and had asked for a Garmin navigation system with blue tooth and satellite radio. I'm left to purchase the special antenna needed for this gift. The husband was so shocked to see the gift I had convinced him he wouldn't be receiving! He was late to work on Friday because he was playing with it all in his car in the driveway.
Since we've moved over 1,000 miles from everyone we decided to give our parents digital picture frames. We loaded up my parent's frames with pictures prior to wrapping. We left the husband's parents blank since they are more than capable of loading their own photos once they are home.
Friday morning we all got up and headed out for a day of shopping. The oldest daughter found some great deals on clothing. (I promise this is what she wanted to spend her money on) She ended up with nine shirts, 4 pairs of jeans and a jacket for right at $100. We searched many stores for the scooter she wanted but could not find one in stock. Both my son and youngest daughter went to purchase custom built skate boards with their money.
Saturday we were more determined to find a scooter. First we set out to get me a new bike I'd been eyeing for a few months. My parents noticed me looking at it on Friday and took me back to purchase it on Saturday. Today I'm the proud owner of a new bicycle. I've never owned one with speeds and all that. I was always a tom boy with a dirt bike and trick bike. Thankfully the husband always had bikes like this and will be able to show me what I'm clueless about. The guy at the bike shop suggested we try Pep Boys for the scooter. Sure enough, we walked in and they had two! They even offered my father a senior citizen's discount so he bought the two year warranty. The oldest daugher was really going to be happy now. Next we headed to mall for a gift from my father to my husband. I had planned to pay for part of this gift but my father would have no part of it. The husband received 4 pairs of slacks, a new brown belt, a dress shirt and 4 new ties. The best part was he couldn't get mad at me because I hadn't paid for any of it! (husband hates receiving clothes!)
After a day of shopping I did not want to prepare dinner. We decided to order barbeque. My father and I went to pick it up. We had 2 whole, smoked chicken, 2 racks of ribs, 2lbs. pulled pork, coleslaw, beans and garlic bread. We also grabbed some fried pickles and corn nuggets. I was worried we wouldn't have enough food and now we have plenty of leftovers. We ended the night with the kids playing wii and most of the adults in the hot tub relaxing.
My in-laws caught a plane back home at 6 a.m. this morning. I wish they could have stayed longer! How many daughter in laws do you know that say that??? I love them and their visits never last long enough. My parents will be here through New Years. Today we plan to go to the second service at church and relax the rest of the day away while the kids ride skateboards and scooters.
I will not be relaxing. Everywhere I look I see trash or gifts in piles and I cannot stand it any longer. While everyone else is comfy and lounging I will be picking up my home so that the tornado look disappears. We had a wonderful Christmas and that funky guy named Santa (who has nothing to do with Christmas) was really good to us. It was a real blessing to have both of our parents here this year. I hope everyone else had a Merry Christmas too!

The fourth attempt...

2008-12-23T15:50:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if it's safari or blogger but one of them keeps freezing mid post. I'm busy baking and preparing for my family to arrive. My f-i-l's flight was cancelled today so it looks like he'll be arriving tomorrow at the same time as my m-i-l. This gives me an extra day to look organized. I'll try to get back tonight and post one more blog before Christmas. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with the people they love.

More on the Pampered Wife

2008-12-16T12:33:00.000-05:00

I've been pretty torn as to how to proceed with who the pampered wife REALLY is. You see, I stopped where things turn from bad to worse. I'm not sure I'm ready to tell the rest of the story just yet. I'm not sure I know how to tell the story. It opens wounds I've since thought healed. I'm drawn here daily to tell my story, to have my say in my own little space in this big world yet am unsure how to go forth with the rest of the story. I do want to post it soon. Before the family arrives for Christmas. I want it to be told, over and done with. I'm ready to move on and it's part of my plan for 2009.

I went to live with my father shortly after turning 18. All of that side of the family lived on quite a bit of property. My aunt and uncle were next door and my grandparents had acres in front of us. My father was losing his business after years of success. I had finally taken the plunge and moved in with him. We both had high hopes and expectations. His were for me to finish school and go to college. Mine were for me to finally have my father and to receive some guidance from my parents. I did finish high school and enrolled in college. Living with a parent you haven't lived with in over 12 years is difficult. It's almost as if you are complete strangers. My father and I butted heads daily sometimes hourly. Nothing I did was good enough and I now realize his stress was more than he could handle. We survived but damaged our relationship. I would go out partying after work and not come home. He expected a phone call and I thought I was old enough to do as I pleased. He'd come to the house I was staying at and drag me home only for me to rebel more. Six months before my 19th birthday I found out I was pregnant. My father told me I had to live on my own and if I was going to do grown up things I was going to have responsibility of a grown up! I quickly found an apartment in town. My mom came to town and we began cleaning up the apartment I had rented. We swept roaches out of the kitchen cabinets with brooms. I'd never even seen a cock roach before! My father and his girlfriend donated a sofa, entertainment center, matching end tables and a coffee table, a few mirrors to hang on the wall. A friend of mine who had raised children while single took me each Saturday to garage sales to complete the rest of my home. My grandparents had bought me a waterbed. I continued to work up until the day my son was born. Each week I'd buy something new for my home. A crib, pack n play, high chair, diaper bag, decorations for a baby room, infant seat for my car. My grandmother bought me all matching china and we made the decorations that hung in my kitchen. Before long I had a home, a real home. I never told who my baby's father was. It was something I did not want to tell and avoided the question at all costs. It turned brutally cold, my blood pressure went up and before I knew it I was in labor. My two best friends were by my side. My sister, mother, father, and grandparents were all there. My grandfather kept sending the message in for me to hurry up his car was going to get dirty when it snowed. This was super funny to me. You've read the love I have for this man. I'm in pain wishing with everything I've got to have this baby and he is worried his car is going to get dirty. Finally 22 hours later we had a healthy baby boy. I gave him a biblical name that most do not know and of course named him after my grandfather. My grandfather would not let me go back to work after my boy was born. He was firm when he said I belonged at home with my child. My grandparents agreed to pay my bills until my boy was a little older. I spent everyday with my grandparents. I helped my grandmother make lunch and my father would join us on most days. I also made sure my stubborn grandfather made it to all his dr. appointments. They were there for me and I tried my best to be there for them. Life went on and I was happy, content but wanted to work and support myself. My grandfather finally agreed to let me get a part time job if I'd let them keep the baby while I worked. This worked out really well. They were the most influential people in my life and they were bonding with my son. A friend of mine (his parents went to school with my parents) came over to see us one night and he called me out on the paternity of my son. He knew not because I'd told but because my son looked like this man and we'd all grown up together. I made the phone call I had never planned to make and suddenly he was coming to meet his son, my baby. We met, we talked, we both were dating other people and our lives were great the way they were. I was happy, he was happy and knew I was a great mother. We went our separate ways. I never asked for child support. I didn't want it or need. Independent I was! Over the next several months he would call and check in. Months went by this way and suddenly he was calling me wanting to try a relationship. This is something we had never done. Eventually he moved into my home and things seemed to be going well. Within a very short time I was pregnant with my birth control baby! I continued to work, we moved out of the town I grew up in, and soon my sweet baby girl was born. Throughout my pregnancy I kept finding out these little nuggets of information about this man I had come to love.The kind of things no woman wants to know about the man she loves. Drug addict(I'm not talking marijuana here), compulsive liar, thief, you name it. Due to my own broken home growing up I stayed and we had another child together. Most of our relationship (if you can call it that) was him on the run and me supporting children and being mommy. I was determined to get the straight, clean man back that I once knew. It had taken me several years to realize that he was spiraling further and further away. I moved to my family's homestead and broke away. I got a job, put my children into daycare and we had peace in our home. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. Putting up a wall and walking away while loving someone is difficult. But I was determined to make it on my own and rise above the situation. I did just that! To be continued...

The Bible and Your Birthday

2008-12-15T12:52:00.003-05:00

The husband's aunt sent me this. http://WWW.birthverse.Com/mybirthverse.cfm

Here is mine:

Isaiah 12:4 NIV
In that day you will say: “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.

You are a child of God, His treasured possession. He created you in His own image. He chose the day for you to be born. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. Cherish your birthverse.

Just thought I'd share.

I love my husband and children BUT...

2008-12-15T11:34:00.001-05:00

There are two things I've loved since way before they were in my lives. I'm going to try to explain those loves. First up is Mickey Mouse. Before I was a year old my Aunt H took her children to Disneyworld for vacation. She brought me home a dress that had Mickey Mouse on it. That Mickey Mouse was an embroidered thing that my mother ended up taking off the dress, transferring to jeans and many other things as I grew. My Aunt H collected Mickey Mouse and quickly realized I loved him too. Every year for my birthday and Christmas some new mickey item would arrive in my hands. I've loved him as long as I can remember. He is everywhere in my home. I have pajamas with mickey on them, a stuffed one sits on my nightstand that plays the harmonica, my built in shelves in my living room have many ceramic Mickey Mouse collectibles, then comes the Christmas tree, and the inflatables in my yard at Christmas time. At one time we had a bathroom that was all done in Mickey Mouse. The husband finally put his foot down and said that Mickey Mouse could not be the decor of the entire house. Maybe I need therapy! LOL

The love of red was something my grandfather and I shared. He simply loved it's brightness. He has been the most important male role model in my life. He was a simple man with a heart the size of Texas. He was raised in an even smaller town in Oklahoma than the one I grew up in. His father was a blacksmith and his mother did ALL the housework and prepared meals for more than 7 children. My grandfather left home the summer after he finished 8th grade. He joined something called CC camp. That brought him to the town where he would eventually meet my grandmother and settle down to raise a family. He was in WWII and shot in the arm and in a German hospital for many months before returning home by ship. He worked at a local dairy as a cream taster for several years. He could never drink milk in my lifetime due to this job. He had become a plumber in his off hours and did work in trade for people around town. This led to a job at the post office. He was the maintenance director. He worked there for 35 years and they offered him a great early retirement. He took it and they bought a 20 something foot travel trailer and set out to see the country. Then I was born. My grandmother says that I stole his heart and he never wanted to travel too far for too long because he would miss me. She always teased that I ruined her traveling plans.

My grandfather told fascinating stories about his childhood, riding horses, playing instruments with his brothers for money and just plain country living in general. When I questioned my adoption he explained to me that my parents had prayed for a child for many years and when I was adopted God had miraculously changed my blood and DNA to match his so I was no longer adopted but HIS family. I was about 6 years old and suddenly knew I fit in well with him. I went everywhere he went. We worked on tractors, motorcycles, mowed the pasture together. He was the one who had to explain to me that I was a girl because I did all the boy stuff.

One day it had rained all morning and by afternoon there was a beautiful rainbow. I asked him to take me for a drive and he did. We must have driven around for close to an hour when he finally asked, "Where are we going?". I answered calmly that we were driving to the end of the rainbow to get the gold. He laughed and drove me around for about another 30 minutes while explaining that there was no end to that rainbow and no gold to be found. He always took time for me and understood me better than anyone.

Back to the red. He painted everything red. His hammers, wrenches, sockets, EVERYTHING! It drove my uncle and father crazy that everything had to be red. His trucks were always red too. I share that same love for the color. It's bright, bold and reminds me of this wonderful man who taught me so much in life.

Just yesterday after spending a small fortune on this Christmas tree we were driving down the street and there stood a man with a dog begging for money. His dog was dressed in some kind of Christmasy looking stuff. It appeared to be some old tree skirt that he had made into an outfit for his dog. I've always had a soft spot for those less fortunate. As we drove down the street heading home I grabbed the husband's hand and held it tight. Tears began to stream down my face. I was humbled at how much I have and how awful it is that here in our country we have people who are hungry. As I sobbed I explained to my husband the words that will remain with me the rest of my life... Do they not bleed just like me, do their hearts not ache just like mine, do their tummies not hurt when they get hungry just like mine? The husband looked at me, grabbed my hand tightly and said these are just some of the reasons that I love you so much. My grandfather was a wonderful man who taught me the important things in life, the very things that make me the woman I am today. I will always love him and wish I could have just one more day with him. I wish my husband and daughters could have met him.

I feel like it's Christmas time.

2008-12-15T09:55:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we decided to FINALLY go find our Christmas tree. A few of our neighbors had purchased Home Depot trees and they looked really skinny this year. We decided to head out to Granny's. I collected directions from a neighbor and we were on our way. We get to Granny's and the husband tells them he wants a BIG tree. They direct us over towards an eleven foot tree. Yes, I said 11 feet!!! And guess what we brought home? That gigantic tree. We bring it home and our tree stand will not hold it. Off to find a tree stand. The husband and son ended up going to Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-mart and Tarjay. We now have a tree that is standing beautifully in our entryway. It smells wonderful and is beginning to really fluff out this morning. I had to cut some off the top so that our tree topper wasn't hidden between a ceiling and the staircase. We will be decorating tonight. I voiced my concern of not having enough ornaments to my father who told me to"just decorate what can be seen". LOL

Last year for my birthday the husband bought me a collectible Disney Through the Years train set. It's one of those sets that they bill you and then a piece arrives. It has taken all year to get the tracks, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950 and 1960 cars. I was billed this month so 1970 should arrive soon. This has become an expensive train but I love it!

The husband will tease me if I don't mention that this entire tree will be strung with red lights first, then will come the five strands of Mickey Mouse lights and every ornament is Mickey Mouse/Disney (but no princesses as I am NOT a girly girl). The tree topper is Mickey holding mistletoe over Minnie's head. My Mickey Mouse tree skirt was ruined a few years ago and I'm certain my Santa Mama will be bringing a personalized Mickey Mouse tree skirt. Hey, they asked for a wish list and they knew it would include Mickey. I should also mention here that the husband has told my children they cannot go to Disneyworld because Mommy may run off with Mickey Mouse. As if I don't realize it's just a man under the suit. My children think this is hilarious and tell everyone!

I hung the stockings this morning! I even stuffed a few things in there. I noticed my Mickey Mouse stocking is looking a bit worn after 12 years. I hope they have some left the day after Christmas at the Disney store.

I made it to the Fresh Market yesterday to buy my hazelnuts. Hazelnuts are expensive! They were $9.99/pound. Are these stores in other states? If you have one, you must go! They have some really rare items and everything is fresh. The husband was suckered into buying a cake for $18.99. When I objected our little Busy Bee (the youngest daughter) told me it was on sale! I ended up with a caramel pecan cheesecake that was fantastic! My cheesecake was a piece not an entire cheesecake. They carry a lot of German products. One in particular is Dr. Oetker. I purchased some vanilla sugar so I'd have plenty for these german cookies. $75 later we were on our way.

We stopped at Target for a coffee grinder to grind those hazelnuts. I found one that is red and matches my kitchen aid mixer. Are you beginning to notice that I love two things? Red and Mickey Mouse! I did not get any of my baking started as it was 9 o'clock by the time the tree was in it's spot and everyone had dinner. Today is my laundry day so I'm thinking I'll bake on Wednesday or Thursday. The husband will be home one of those days to help with the German cookie I've never seen.

Oh! I charged the battery for my new camera and took a couple of pictures with it. I love it but will love it more once I really get comfortable with it. This is the first real camera I've owned. I have three digital cameras but none of this nature. Expect pictures to show up this week as I begin my journey of learning to photograph the things I love.

The Parents are all coming!

2008-12-14T10:54:00.003-05:00

The husband's father will arrive from Oklahoma on December 23rd. His mother arrives from Berlin on December 24th and my parents arrive on Christmas day around 1 p.m. This is the first Christmas we have spent with all our parents since we left Oklahoma. The children are really excited that everyone will be here. Since everyone is flying in we will be doing most of our shopping the day after Christmas. Both sets of grandparents are bringing one gift with them and the rest will be bought later. Of course there will be stockings to devour on Christmas morning.

I will start baking today! First up is a german cookie I've never made before but the husband has requested that I make them. I have to buy a coffee grinder this morning because the recipe calls for ground hazelnuts and that is not something you find in your typical American grocery store. Then I must be careful not to make hazelnut paste. Wish me luck... this should be fun! I've never seen this cookie after it was prepared but have been told it should look similar to a crescent roll and about the size of your pinky finger. Not to mention the entire recipe is in grams. Good thing I own a scale. I will also be making divinity, reese's bar cookies, turtle temptations, lemon bars, almond pound cake, and decadent carrot cake. Most of this will go to my wonderful neighbors here on Wisteria Lane and of course a goody box to the husband's employees. I'm still in search of my recipe for the bar cookies that calls for a yellow cake mix, chocolate chips, and toffee bits. I've yet to uncover it here in my home. Anyone know of this recipe?

I ordered all our parents digital photo frames for Christmas. They should arrive in the next few days. The husband has already decided I ordered the wrong ones and is on a mission to return them and buy the ones he thinks are better quality. I'm also sending calendar books to all my sister in laws and parents. Our one aunt is the only one that remembers everyone's dates so she's sending me an e-mail with all the dates and I'll be filling them in for everyone. I think it's important in this digital age that we not forget how fulfilling a card can be on one's anniversary or birthday. Okay so I'm a bit old fashion. Yes, I make my children fill out thank you cards too.

As far as spending and all the stuff this site was suppose to be about... well, I have only put one thing on credit and that was only because the parents are helping to pay for it and I had to get it ordered. I did NOT get to order the Angel Food Ministries boxes this month. The deadline came and went, I was heavily medicated and forgot to place our order. Another post to follow about that drama. January is a new year and I promise there will more thriftiness in the posts that show up here in that month.

This is me, who are you? Courtesy of the Oklahoma Farm Girl

2008-12-05T10:44:00.002-05:00

I am_______________

Loyal, picky, never as organized as I'd like to be, a Mickey Mouse lover, honest, caring, and a wild child at heart. Thankfully God blessed me with three children to slow down that wild side and help motivate me to get a grip. I have survived things that would make most people's head spin. These things have made me who I am and I'm proud to say I'm a survivor!

I live_______________

In the very southern tip of VIrginia. I can almost touch North Carolina

I work______________

at home. This is the most stressful, frustrating job I've ever had but is the most rewarding and important job I'll ever have.

My favorite___________

Food: Haha I love food. But it must be well prepared with fresh ingredients. (told ya I was picky) True mexican food (no tex mex here), german, sushi, italian, umm the list could go on forever
Place: Hawaii or any place with the people I love

My inspiration___________

I'm inspired by many things. My husband daily. Not only did he believe in me when he witnessed my whole world collapsing around me but he told me he meant forever and has proven that in every way. He restored my faith in the male species. He reminded me that my word is everything. That it doesn't matter what others think of me, what is important is that I love myself. That my past is my past and to leave it there. Never forget where I came from but be grateful I never have to go back there. I could talk forever about what a wonderful man I married.

Then there is my grandmother. She is/was a Bible thumping, prayer warrior, and has been my best friend through it all. She now suffers from Alzheimer's and our wonderful moments are far and few between. However, the things she instilled in me all those years ago are still with me. I'm thankful she is not suffering but irritated that my best friend's mind no longer comprehends the things it once did. I selfishly want more time with her and definitely had more to learn from her.

My birth mother. She unselfishly gave me to people who could take care of me. This must have been a very difficult task. I've been pregnant, felt a baby kick within my womb and there is no way I could have given my baby away. Yet she did it and she did it with my best interests at heart. I hope one day to see her face to face and say "thank you". I want her to know that she can have peace with her decision and that I will always love her for her bravery.

Music_______________

I'm all over the place in this category. I love it all. I'll list a few and you'll get the picture...AC/DC, Rod Stewart, Andrea Bocelli, Air Supply, Finger Eleven, Aerosmith, Jars of Clay, Metallica, Queen, INXS, The Beatles, Tom Jones, Huey Lewis and the News, Def Leopard, Casting Crowns, Katy Perry, Petra, One Bad Pig, Alabama, George Strait. I think you understand.

Books_______________

I do open my Bible frequently tho not as much as I should. I have three books on my nightstand and I'm about halfway through each of them. I really should learn to start one and finish it before picking up another.

Family________________

Within my home there is the husband, the son, daughter 1 and daughter 2. We also have a golden lab and an albino leopard gecko. I love the gecko. The husband and kids love the dog.

Causes________________

I'm assuming this means things that are close to my heart and important to me.

Breast Cancer Awareness. Every woman should know that a mammogram is not enough anymore. Inflammatory breast cancer will strike 10,000 woman this year and a mammogram will NOT detect it. The symptoms are different than a lump. Do your research and pay attention to your body. My mother is a survivor and my great aunt fought more than 10 years before it took her life in 2006.

I have a heart for the needy in MY country. Yes, the great United States of America. I get very angry at all these commercials begging me to send my money to other countries. We have starving children right here in our country. We have children who live without food and clothing. Some live in a home without running water! RIGHT HERE IN OUR COUNTRY!!! Stop sending money to those other countries and help your own! This doesn't mean my heart doesn't go out to those children in those other countries but we must take care of our own FIRST!

There are thousands of teens out there having babies without the resources to teach them how to continue their education and raise their children. They can put food on the table, provide shelter and nurture a child. Many of these young girls just need to be shown that their lives are not over because a baby is involved.
u
I blog__________________

My blog began because my finances needed a major overhaul but I've found it very therapeutic for my soul. So I will eventually get back to my finances and all that dreaded junk. I'm enjoying just venting and meeting some great people in the process.

Dreams_______________

I desperately want to have another child. We've been working on that for 5 years. I want to go back to school and study homeopathic medicine and nutrition. I dream of the days when our children are grown, we can travel to Europe yearly, and enjoy grandchildren that I get to spoil and send home to their mommy and daddy! At the same time I'd love to keep my children at the ages they are now because I know all too quickly they'll be grown.

Tattos________________

I'm more of a piercing kinda girl. Tattoos are so permanent. I have 5 holes in my ears and my tongue has a hole in it as well. I'm pretty conservative most of the time so I wear a flesh colored barbell. However, I have my moments where you might find me with a black light sensitive barbell or a hot pink one. My tongue piercing is something very dear to me and marks an end to one chapter and the beginning of another. Only a certain type of person can understand that and I'm cool if you do and cool if you don't. Just don't judge!

**********************************************************

Well, that's me. Who are you???? (song by The Who)

It's My Party and I'll cry if I want to...

2008-12-04T08:59:00.003-05:00

So I'm another year older and hopefully a little wiser. No, I'm not really crying! The husband and children woke me up bright and early to sing Happy Birthday and deliver their gifts. They made me a card and my son drew Mickey Mouse on it. Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE Mickey. They bought me a Nikon D-40 with all kinds of attachments. In my sleepy state I did NOT get to really look at it all. I know there is a bag, another lens, an adapter for my pc, and a sd card (I think that's right). I have lots of homework to do before I start taking pictures. The husband took me to the Bux for a pumpkin spice latte and the espresso machine was broken!!! I can't say I was all that surprised. Read on to hear of my MIA UPS package...

My mother and sister always send me presents on my birthday. They get together and package it all. Then it's at least a 20 minute drive to the UPS store. Well, this year they got together with my father the day after Thanksgiving for breakfast and had the brilliant idea of getting him to drop off the package. My father is normally very thorough. However, he only has a receipt with no tracking number, it was suppose to be shipped/delivered in two days, and UPS can't help me without a tracking number. I'm anxiously waiting for the UPS man to show up today so I can get over being frustrated and worried that my package is lost. I can't tell my mom the package didn't get shipped two day or she'll shoot my father. So here I sit trying to be patient.

In other news, I FINALLY hired an attorney to represent me in my auto accident that the insurance company refuses to pay me for. Today I will be running from doctors office to doctors office trying to get letters and statements. Wish me luck and if you pray, please say a small one for my UPS package. Hope everyone has a great day!

A Thanksgiving Meme from Whisper in the Void

2008-11-28T14:31:00.002-05:00

A) Home or somewhere else?

This is the first year we have ever been at home alone on Thanksgiving. The husband bought a 20 lb. turkey for just the five of us.

B) Anything out of the ordinary this Thanksgiving?

I normally cook for 20-30 people so it was a bit strange.We have tons of leftovers

C) Will there be a football game on at your place?

Dallas Cowboys game and Texas A&M vs. Texas

D) Apple, pumpkin, or mince pie for you?

My pumpkin pie

E) Everyone at one table or is there a ‘B” table?

We were all at one table

F) Will someone say grace?

I had the honor

G) Who does the cooking?

I cooked all of the side dishes. The turkey and dressing was a husband/wife combo. I love it when the husband joins me in the kitchen.

H) What wish will you do on this virtual wishbone? That all my loved ones stay healthy, feel better soon and enjoy being surrounded by love.

If you're reading this consider yourself tagged

2008-11-25T19:48:00.005-05:00

1. Who is the most famous person you’ve talked to?

Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman (Parts of Rain Man were filmed where I grew up)

2. How many bags of potato chips (crisps) are consumed at your house per month?

I don't eat them but my crew has to have them in their lunch. I'd say about 8 bags per month

3. What foreign dish do you prepare from scratch and serve?

Cordon Bleu, potato dumplings, plum cake, green bean salat. All of which my german mil has taught me to prepare

4. What is your favourite section of the supermarket?

I love the produce section

5. What was your high school’s team mascot and colors?

Bluejays and they were blue and white in color

6. What’s under your bed?

Absolutely nothing

7. Over easy, or sunny side up?

Eww I don't eat eggs

8. Favorite pie?

I love pecan pie now that my friend, Shannan has taught me to make it the right way.

9. Storms - cool or scary?

Spring storms in Oklahoma are cool

10. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently wearing?

Nike+

11. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?

I love you too

12. Where did you live in 1987?

a small town in Oklahoma

13. Where were you when 9/11 happened?

A breakfast meeting at work

14. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be?

German

15. Can you change the oil on a car?

Yes

16. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her?

That he is in a christian heavy metal band and his wife is the lead screamer/singer

17. Gummy bears or worms?

Haribo gummy bears. They are pronounced goomy bears LOL

18. Your favorite food?

german plum cake

Fill in the blanks

2008-11-21T19:12:00.004-05:00

I grabbed this from Small town girl. Thank you!

1. The last band I saw live was _________.
Bon Jovi and Daughtry at the Ford Center in Okc. It was one of my many trips home and the husband surprised me with tickets.
2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is _________. (if you don't celebrate thanksgiving, insert your favorite holiday).
I love dressing. I use my grandmother's recipe and I stuff the bird :0 I always use a thermometer and noone's ever gotten sick
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is __________.
something I dread every year. I wish we could just be thankful for our family and have a nice dinner. This whole present thing is ridiculous!
4. Thoughts of _____________ fill my head.
confusion (I've had a migraine all day and my home is a disaster due to my being sick all week)
5. I wish I could wear ______________.
My lucky jeans. That's a brand of jeans btw. Someday soon they will fit me again!
6. Bagpipes ________.
Remind me of men wearing kilts
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!
Tonight I'm looking forward to Numbers and some downtime with the husband. I'd love to get in the hot tub but it's 35 degrees and windy. Saturday will be a day of laundry and housework since I've done none of that all week. Sunday I want to go to Reality.
Have a great weekend!

The bug has hit me

2008-11-18T21:57:00.002-05:00

One of my little punky children brought me a gift and not the kind of gift any mommy wants. Sunday I began to ache and feel terrible. Yesterday was a day full of sore throat, high fever, and achiness. I didn't get much accomplished yesterday other than being camped out on the sofa with a warm blanket. I guess I have the flu. My best friend has worked with a great doctor and called to suggest that I take 1000 mg. of vitamin C every four hours. I'll spare you the details as to when you stop doing that. Today I sipped warm jello, chicken noodle soup, and a Sonic cherry slush. My children have been very helpful the last couple of days. They are really growing up into fine little people. My son helped prepare dinner this evening and my girls managed to do their homework on their own. This is a major accomplishment for my daughters. I checked their homework and they did it correctly. I'm very proud of them! :)
I had planned to start a water aerobics class today but I refuse to leave my home with a fever. I'm sure the other people in that class appreciate that. Hopefully I will feel better quickly and start these classes. I'm really anxious to see how my back responds to the water exercise.
The husband has an employee dinner planned for next week. Of course that means that I have to prepare something and make the annual cinnamon rolls. So I have six days to get myself well. Thankfully I will not be making a huge Thanksgiving feast since it will only be the five of us this year. That's it for now. Tschüß

Five years ago today...

2008-11-14T12:00:00.003-05:00

I said, "I do" and today I'm still saying those words happily. Yes, today is my anniversary. With the economy such a mess and preparing for the holidays I had asked my husband that we not do anything major on this day. Well, sometimes he just doesn't listen to me. LOL A dozen long stemmed roses just arrived at my home. Attached was a card stating "the best is yet to come". Knowing him there are more surprises to come.I'm still just as crazy about this man as I was 6 years ago when we first met. Okay, okay so I'm sappy. My husband is a wonderful guy who stepped up and proved me wrong when I said that all men were worthless. Our wedding day seems like just yesterday however the calendar reminds me that time has flown by. It's been a blast spending this time with him and I look forward to many more years together. Isn't there a saying about how time flies when you're having fun??? Well, I'm definitely having fun! Thank you Mr. Husband for being YOU and for sharing your life with me!

I'm a blog slacker

2008-11-14T10:47:00.005-05:00

It's been crazy busy around here the last few weeks. I'll try to play catch up and then be a better blogger.
I had a MRI done last week on my lower back. We took the results to my chiropractor and the spine specialist. Chiropractor said he didn't see anything spectacular and the specialist said I DO have a bulging disc in my upper, lower lumbar. However, that is not what is causing my pain. The pain is much lower. Near the bone at the bottom of my spine where it connects to my hips. (I hope that made sense) They were prepared to start the epidural steroid injections yesterday but I convinced them I'd like to wait another month, do some water aerobics and strengthening stuff and see where we are in December. The specialist said he'd do the same thing if it were his back. I'm still getting adjusted at the chiropractor three times a week and now I FINALLY get to do some working out. I would love to run or do a spin class but they have both been forbidden at this time.
My oldest child passed the advanced state test last spring and is eligible to participate in the 2009 CTY Talent Search (this is sponsored by Johns Hopkins University). A child must score in the 95th percentile or higher on a reasoning section of a nationally-normed test. We went to meeting last night to find out a little more about all of this. Basically, he will get to take the SCAT in February, be eligible for a rewards ceremony and can take some classes on campus of a nearby college in the summer. Also, he can take a high school credit of Algebra 1 in 7th grade instead of high school. 7th and 8th graders can take the SAT or ACT if they qualify. They gave lots of information to those grades as very few 6th graders qualify for this program. So today I'm a proud mama!
Reports came home last week. Of course, my son did very well, middle child (oldest daughter) is really struggling. She brought home C's and D's. I'm considering pulling her out at the semester and homeschooling her. I've put a LOT of thought into this and think I'm up to the task. If anyone cares to share the views on this, I can handle it and have probably shared your views/thoughts at one time. I'm considering the A beka curriculum since it is accredited and uses a DVD program to teach the assignment. Then there is book work. The youngest child (second daughter) is doing pretty well. If I could just get her to sit still and pay attention she would be at the top of her class. All of her grades have improved since last year. She is graded on a scale of 1-4. She had all 3's except for handwriting which she received a 2. The teacher told the husband she writes like a kindergartener! She can write correctly but her mind races so fast that she writes terribly. We are working on this and seeing great improvement.
College football has been pretty interesting lately. I loved seeing Texas Tech beat Texas! That was a great game and their receivers have made some fantastic catches. My O-state cowboys just couldn't keep up against the Texas Tech Raiders. The next few weeks should be really, really interesting. The thing I love about college football is it all can change in one weekend. Go Cowboys and Sooners!!!
I have been doing some cooking with my AFM's food. I received some split chicken breasts and made a really good baked chicken with them on Sunday. Basically you soak them in buttermilk and dredge them in a mixture of crushed ritz crackers, oatmeal, a dry ranch packet , and instant mashed potato flakes. Place a few pieces of butter in between them in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. These were really juicy and flavorful. I served them with skin on mashed potatoes and some steamed cabbage with bacon. Probably not the most healthy meal but it was sure was tasty. I also used my AFM's pork chops. Brined them in a buttermilk, rosemary and thyme mixture for 24 hours and then grilled them. They were really delicious. I served them with some fried potatoes and some mixed vegetables. It's chilly and rainy here today so I'll be using the rest of my split chicken breasts to make a chicken tortilla soup. I decided not to order November's menu. With Thanksgiving this month I wanted to serve MY traditional meal. November's menu had fried chicken bits on it and those things are just evil. Not to mention I have a whole bag unopened in my freezer from September's menu.
My husband has already purchased a 20 lb. turkey for just the five of us. The children mentioned everything they think makes Thanksgiving so I'll be making all of those. I'm thinking I'll post some of their favorites in each post leading up to the big day. I make homemade cinnamon rolls every year for the husband's employees, children's teachers, and my cleaning lady. My recipe makes at least 6 dozen rolls so the entire house will smell like them for days. By the time I get them ready for the oven, I'm tired of them and never eat one.
The December menu at AFM's is up and has some really neat things to choose from so I'll definitely be purchasing it. If you haven't checked them out yet, here is the link: www.angelfoodministries.com
Also, if you any of you read Bigg's blog please say a special prayer for him and HB. They are going through some rough times right now. I've read his blog for what seems like forever and these two are very special people. That's all for now

A bit of the Pampered Wife's history

2008-10-28T16:36:00.003-04:00

I grew up in small town Oklahoma. I was brought there by way of the womb. Yes, I'm adopted. I have always known and can't remember a day in which my parents sat me down and told me. My parents had been married for 13 years when they got me. Because of who my parents knew in the town and the fact that mother worked for the doctor who delivered me I was in my home at about two hours old! My parents were unprepared for a baby to say the least. I've been told that my father and aunt went to Wal-Mart and cleared the shelves! My mother was one of those lucky women who walked around wearing a size 0 with a new baby. So the parents calmed down, finally had their baby, things were good. When I was five months old my mother found out she was pregnant. So my sister was born when I was 14 months old. Everyone thought my parents were the happiest couple in town. Perfect house, perfect jobs, perfect cars, two beautiful baby girls, life couldn't get any better. I've always been the child who could sense when things weren't right and at the age of seven figured out my parents were NOT the happy couple everyone else saw them as. They seperated not long after that realization. My father owned his own business and my mother was a nurse. They both worked long hours and became quite selfish at this time in their lives. Enter in the grandparents...
My grandparents were/have always been such a blessing in my life. They lived less than a half mile from us on the outskirts of town. We rode our three-wheelers back and forth between our home and theirs. Anytime we needed anything they were right there. My grandmother was a solid christian woman who was always raising us with morals and faith. My grandfather was my favorite person on this earth! I was his baby and I had him wrapped around my little finger. The whole family knew it too. I truly believe I'm the woman I am today because of these two very special people in my life!
I grew up a pretty spoiled little brat. My parents always made sure we had the name brand clothes, best new bike, three-wheelers, scooters, you know the best of the best. They were so self absorbed that in our youth they forgot they were suppose to be raising children. This is nothing I have not said to their face and they still love me. So on the outside it looked like we had it all. On the inside our lives were very empty. This is something my sister and I have struggled with for many years.
My mother never dated during our childhood and my father had numerous girlfriends and a new wife before I was 13. The new wife didn't last long. I now know my mother had a boyfriend it was just kept a secret from us for many years.
At 14 I met a great guy at a youth convention with my youth group. He was 17, about to graduate and going to an Assembly of God college down south. Him going to a christian college to be a pastor was the only reason I was allowed to date at such a young age. We dated until about two months before my 17th birthday. Yes, I lost my virginity to a guy in ministry school.
By this time my mother had sold our family home, moved us in with her mother, and was spending more and more time with her boyfriend that lived two hours away. I think back on this time and think how much we needed our mother. As a mother myself I think about how my mother must have felt with just needing some adult interaction and wanting to live her life. Selfish yes, but I at least think I have some understanding. Through all of this, we still looked like a pretty stable family on the outside. Girls were always jealous of my sister and I's clothing, cars and other material things. What they didn't understand was how empty our lives were on the inside.
The next few months I became a little rebelious err maybe promiscuous is a better word. I'd had my heart broken by my first true love, didn't really care about myself and had no real home life to speak of. I think that was a pretty good combination to create all that happened next.

The top of the cake

2008-10-28T12:01:00.001-04:00

A couple of pictures of the cake

2008-10-28T11:54:00.002-04:00

I promised some pictures of the cake. The giant cupcake isn't on top of these pictures. I'll have to look for that picture.

Weekend Madness and some football too!

2008-10-26T17:00:00.004-04:00

Those three hours of studying with middle child on Thursday night paid off in at least one department. Miss M. e-mailed me to say that the daughter made a 100% on her spelling test!!!! Wooohoooooo! You're probably thinking...a spelling test??? But this daughter is a horrible speller and we have to really study hard! I'm so proud of her! We also studied for a content test which was basically a few questions about what country you live in, continent you live on, inalienable rights, a few holidays matched with the month they happen, and naming the oceans. We won't know those test results until Tuesday. The matter test we studied for was postponed but you can never study TOO much, right?
Saturday morning was pick up day for our Angel Food Ministries boxes. The university was also having homecoming which made traffic a bit hectic. We finally arrived and got our boxes. This is such a neat offering to the general public. There are always plenty of men/women to help carry your boxes to your car for you. They all greet you with a smile and in general seem happy to be doing the work of God. I'm inspired each time I go there. I am pleased that this month's menu has NO mini chicken chunks that require frying. I hate to fry food! We bought our usual two main boxes, the fruit and veggie box, and a special meat box. There is a ton of food here for $102. My children were happy about the Hawaiian Punch and I was happy to have the pineapple. Tonight I made the meatloaf with gravy (most of the meals are not prepackaged), Corn au gratin, and mashed potatoes. The potatoes and meatloaf came from my food box. The rest of the ingredients were simple things I had around the house....milk, sour cream, bechamel sauce, butter, salt and pepper.
My oldest daughter (middle child) has come down with the stomach flu. She has been up vomiting since 6:30 a.m. Try telling a sick nine year old that it's Sunday and you want to sleep in! Ughh! The husband took good care of her til I woke up. She's been sick in every room and has finally settled in on the sofa with a cool wash cloth on her forehead and a trash can nearby. I hate it when the kiddos are sick. :(
Our home owners association is most of the time a PITA (pain in the a$$). Today they organized a Halloween parade. We are the new peeps on the block so this our first time doing this. My son is Ozzy Osbourne this year, youngest daughter is a candy corn girl (she chose this costume), and the sick daughter will be Hannah Montana. I'm rolling my eyes just typing Hannah's name! They divide the neighborhood by last names. Some bring snacks and some bring drinks. I was told there are some "adult" drinks as well. I sent the husband and the youngest to the parade while I prepared dinner. Our son is a bit old for a walk through the neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon in costume. He's saving his for the actual night. I believe he's next door playing x-box 360. I made orange cupcakes for the mini party after the parade. Decorated with whipped frosting and sprinkles. Not just any sprinkles but bats and pumpkin sprinkles! No wonder my neighbors calls me Martha!
It's been a pretty quiet day and for that I'm thankful. I wish my little girl felt better. Dinner is made and all that's left to do is get my wonderful son to load the dishwasher and I need to hang some clean laundry. I've started writing a rough draft of the whole who I am, where I come from blog so it'll make it here eventually.
Can someone please beat Texas University??!! Oklahoma State played a fantastic game against them but just couldn't pull it off so Texas remains undefeated. I have yet to see the University of Oklahoma game but did happen to see they won! BOOMER SOONER!
The husband and daughter are still at the parade that started at 4. I should probably go hunt them down and spoil their fun. Hope you've all had a quiet weekend. Bigg, I hope the meds are kicking in and you're feeling better. Bis zum nächsten Mal!

I'm back even though it took me FOREVER to get here!

2008-10-22T12:58:00.003-04:00

The funeral was Friday afternoon (October 17). I did NOT get to go home and my sister chose to stay home and attend the funeral. I was really devastated by her decision but since have come to realize she made the right decision. My sister and her husband hold pastorial duties within their church and felt they needed to be at home with our family through this difficult time. I respect them for that but sometimes wish they'd just choose me. I know that's selfish! My aunt has sent me a dvd of the funeral. This seems strange and gross but I'm going to try my best to watch since they've all told me what a beautiful and perfect service it was. I made it very clear to the husband that I do NOT want my funeral video taped!
Now to the birthday party...Friday was extremely difficult for me. I ended up taking a valium about the time my family arrived at the church. I was actually able to focus on finishing up my cake and preparing my home for the party. My daughter had a wonderful time! There were 22 children total and only one boy from her class. I felt so sorry for that boy since I had sent my son to a friend's house for the evening. He was a trooper and survived all those girls chasing him. (In a few years he'll realize just how lucky he was to be the only boy) My cake turned out wonderful! I'm not sure how to get pictures here. I'll work on that with the husband tomorrow. After everyone left but the six girls that were spending the night we did makeovers. The girls seemed to love putting on makeup and having their nails done. I had bought those foam type squares to make picture frames with so the girls decorated them and the husband printed off their group photo so that everyone got to take a picture home of them all made over. We watched movies, ate pizza and popcorn until 3 a.m. I suddenly realized I am no longer in my 20's :( I did survive however. The first girl was wide awake at 7:45 which means by 8 they were all awake and hungry. I served them waffles and sausage links with Sunny D. The last girl left around noon. Which meant I had just enough time to shower and get my girls to Mrs. S's house and get to the airport to get my daughter's last surprise (my sisters arrival). I rushed and made it! So my sister and her husband arrived around 2:20 Saturday afternoon. I hid them in the back of my Tahoe and picked the girls up. They crawled in the truck to find their aunt and uncle in the back. They were so shocked!
Somehow I managed to stay awake the rest of the day and we went to dinner at Bone Fish Grill. My daughter chose the restaurant. The food was excellent but our service was LOUSY! So bad that the manager took half off our meal. That definitely made up for it and we will go there again. If you have Bone Fish in your area, try it! The house salad is wonderful as is the filet. They have a shrimp appetizer with feta cheese and black olives that is really tasty too. My daughter made my sister do her hair and make up for the night. LOL She wore a tiara to dinner which was too cute and drew lots of attention.
Sunday was a busy day as well. Daughter got tons of gift cards and my sister loves to shop! So off to the mall we went. I was proud of the daughter because she chose to get NEEDS instead of wants with her money. (This means my desire to be thrifty is rubbing off on the children even though I've yet to stick to my budget!) She ended up buying a sweatsuit outfit and a jacket at Tarjay, a purse with lip gloss at Claire's (it's hard to do NEEDS there). She still has about $90 to spend but we had shopped till we dropped. I'm sure I'll be suckered into more shopping in the coming weeks. Several gift cards were for Barnes and Noble, Books a Million so that will be on the agenda next. This child loves to read!
Monday we had lunch with the girls at their school. We walked in and smelled cafeteria food and decided to pass on actually eating and just sit with them. They had a good time with their aunt and uncle at school. Once that was over, the sister and bil wanted pizza so we headed to Athens. It's a little greek restaurant here that is known for great pizza. They did not dissapoint. We had a greek salad and a greek pizza. Then it was time to get home to get everyone from the bus stop. I had a chiropractor's appointment at 4. My sister stayed home to do homework with the girls. That was disasterous. My sister has no children and was completely clueless. I returned home to the kids being outside playing and no real homework completed. That evening we chose sushi for dinner. We went to a place called Volcano. It was really good and they accomodated my sisters refusal to eat anything raw. She's from the midwest and weird like that! The bil, husband and I ventured out and ate the raw stuff which was really, really good. The daughters had asian barbecue chicken and chicken teriyaki. After that meal we drove them around to show them all the tunnels and shipyards around here. My bil had never been to the east coast so they wanted to see all that. It was a LONG day but somehow I managed to survive my sleep deprivation to be a good host. Or at least I'd like to believe I was a good host!
My sister being my sister booked the earliest flight she could for Tuesday morning. We were up at 4 a.m. and out the door by 5 so they could be at the airport by 5:30. I dropped them off and returned home to the comfort of my bed! I slept all day yesterday. FINALLY! I so needed some rest. I didn't get out of bed til the kids were arriving home from school. I even went back to bed after they were all home. I got up about 6 and made them dinner(LOL the husband brought home Arby's) and started homework. We all made it to bed before 10 and I actually slept all night last night too.
My chiropractor (pyrocractor is what my girls call him) is doing a new protocol on my sciatic nerve as of Monday. It is really working. My pain level has gone from 7-9 to 3-5. It's amazing. Of course I missed my physical therapy appointment yesterday due to sleep so we'll see how I am doing tomorrow after pt. The chiropractor has suggested that I go ahead with the MRI when I see the spine specialist on November 5. That will be most of the discussion that day I'm sure.
Today is normally the husband's day off. The owner of his company has been in town since Sunday so he's not been off since last Wednesday. I'm truly in need of some down time with the husband. He hopes to have tomorrow off so hopefully I'll figure out how to post some pictures here and scan my daughter's Glamour Shots for an email to my father.
This post wouldn't be complete if I didn't speak a little football talk. My Sooners fell to Texas last week but pulled off a win this week. Last week Oklahoma State won against Missouri which moved them into the top ten. This weekend will be a great weekend for Oklahoma football!
I plan to do some posting with background information in it so that you all will feel like you know who I am, why I'm the way I am and all that stuff soon. Until then...much love!

My biggest fear for this week has come true

2008-10-14T17:47:00.002-04:00

At 5:30 p.m. my uncle (dad's brother) passed away. He's been suffering with cancer for more than ten years. Part of me is greatful that he's no longer in pain. Of course the selfish side of me is having a very difficult time dealing with the fact that my loved one is gone, I didn't get to say goodbye and I'm 1,500 miles away from home. Then there's my middle daughter's birthday party on Friday. My sister is flying in on Friday. A non refundable flight at that. We aren't sure when the funeral will be so my sis and I may miss it all together. I'm worried about how my father is handling all this and I'm his baby so I want to be there with/for him so badly. Earlier this week I had told the husband that I probably wouldn't go home for the funeral and now that the uncle is gone all I want is my family! The husband is on his way home since I'm obviously not dealing with this very well. A good friend of mine here locally just called me back and we prayed together. It's so nice to finally have a good friend here. Those of you who have moved a lot in life can understand. This is my first move away from where I've always called home. All my friends there I've had since preschool. Making new friends is a whole new world to me so I'm thankful for the dear friend I do have here on the beach. She's almost old enough to be my mother but has children my children's ages so we've decided we're more like sisters. LOL Most of her family is up north or out west so she can relate to being so far from home in a time like this. She has comforted me in more ways than she'll ever know. I love you Mrs. S.!!!! I'll check back in later to give updates on all the other details in my life.

Bedrest HA HA HA

2008-10-10T19:11:00.002-04:00

I've had physical therapy for two consecutive days. Yesterday they had me walk on the treadmill VERY slowly for six minutes, do some rubber band stretches and then some muscle stimulation. Seemed very easy at the time since less than two months ago I was training for a 5k. Well, my back felt much different than my head. I was up almost all night in pain. I tried very hard not to wake the husband and think I succeeded. Although he's extremely pissed off at me now. You see I saw the PT today and I could barely walk into the office. They didn't ask me to rate my pain on their scale as you could see it on my face. No stretches for me today. Just ice and muscle stimulation which gave me very little relief. So the diagnosis is BEDREST! Yes, you read that right and I'm still laughing my a$$ off. I'm the mother of three children under the age of 11. I tried explaining this and they told me it was time for me to learn to delegate! I did come home, eat some lunch, take some pain meds, and crawl into bed for a good two hours. Of course with the birthday party approaching people were calling all afternoon to RSVP. I did rest a little. The kids came home and because it's the weekend they want to play outside. I tried explaining to my neighbor (who speaks very little english) that I'm on bedrest and if my daughters aren't behaving to send them home. I not really sure how much she understood of that conversation but the grand daughters said it was fine so I came home. This is where I made the husband mad. He expected me to come inside, go back to bed and rest. I came inside but chose to wrap some more presents, post my very short blog, pick up the kitchen and have girl conversation with my youngest daughter. Since the husband works such long hours most of our conversations happen on msn. He told me to take the _________ (insert maiden name) stubborness away because he's really tired of trying to explain to me that I have to listen to the doctors if I want to get well. After I laughed my a$$ off I explained to him that my job in this life is to take care of him and our offspring. That this makes me feel whole and complete. Without laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning, I don't know who I am. I do realize as a woman I can be anything I want, I have chosen at this time in my life to be a homemaker, mom and wife. I call this the domestic events coordinator. He was quick to tell me who I was: STUBBORN AS HE LL! There was a lot more to the conversation but it got pretty sappy so I won't bore ya with all that. I love him and he loves me. We are soulmates and this too shall pass.
So tomorrow is Oklahoma football and the husband took the day off. This will be the first game of the season that we've watched in real time. Normally we tivo the games and watch them once he's home from work. It's Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns. This game normally determines who wins the Big 12 South. We are pretty stoked since the Sooners are ranked #1 in the nation! Boomer Sooner!!!
I think I mentioned before that my father sent cash for my middle daughters birthday and said, "make this a birthday she'll never forget". Well, I think I'm accomplishing that. Wednesday I took her to Glamour Shots for a makeover and photo shoot. It took about 3 hours but the pictures turned out fantastic! She is beautiful without all that hair and make up but they really captured her personality in these pictures. The pictures will be mailed to our home in 7-10 days. During one of the clothing changes I told her that her grandfather had given this to her for birthday. She almost cried and I had to fan her tears away. She called my father and told him he was the best grandpa ever! Awww girls just melt their daddy and grandpa's heart. It was a fun day for us girls.
Unfortunately I was in a lot of pain towards the end of the photo shoot. I refuse to take pain meds and drive with my children in the car so it was pretty bad. In my rush to get home (with the husband 5 cars behind me) I went through a yellow/red light. When I entered the intersection the light was yellow but turned red while I was in the middle. A police officer was sitting at the intersection. I knew I was busted as soon as he hit his lights. So I got a ticket for disregarding a red light. I called today and the fine is $166. I can see my insurance premium going up already. I tend to have a lead foot so I'm just glad I wasn't speeding. LOL I was pretty pissed at myself. Hey, we've all ran a red light in our life, I just happened to get caught.
I think I've pretty much blown the budget all together for this month but I'm going to try harder next month. This is a work in progress! I will get better! I haven't cooked much of the food in our AFM's box this week. I'm in pain so we've cheated and ordered take out many nights. I do have a pork tenderloin defrosted for tomorrow. The husband follows directions well so I'm sure he'll be doing most of the cooking. I'm thinking a pecan crusted tenderloin, roasted asparagus, and some kind of fruit salad for a dessert. We are suppose to start decorating the dummy cakes on Sunday. Not sure how I'm suppose to do that on bed rest but maybe the husband will cut me a break and let me help. I at least want to make the lady bugs, butterflies, snails, flowers and leaves from fondant. Fondant is like play-doh for adults. It's edible but NOT tasty. I hope everyone has a peaceful weekend! Tschüß

I'll try to remember to blog about my new physical therapist. It's eery how much we have in common!

WOW! 72 hours later and I'm not SPAM!

2008-10-10T15:48:00.003-04:00

So blogger's bots thought I was spam. Now they've realized I'm not. Has this happened to anyone else? I've got tons to update but the kiddies are just walking in the door so I must prepare snacks and get them out the door to play. It's FRIDAY!!!!
Ravn, I apreciate your comments and finally got the chance to read your blog. You and Sander sound like such wonderful people. The love you two share is amazing! I'm so glad you have great friends and family. Also, if you're ever near me you are most definitely invited to dinner! You two would be wonderful people to have for dinner. My wish for you both is a long and healthy life together. I'll be back later!

Okay I'm new to this and admit I get distracted often by my family

2008-10-06T21:00:00.003-04:00

My middle daughter really has to study to ace a test. I mean like hours every night and even then she's excited over a C! I spent most of the week going over all this ancient greece stuff with her. I'm happy to report the test was today and she thinks she did really well. Even went as far to say she knew ALL the answers.
I met with the spine specialist today. He did a ton of x-rays of my spine and hip. He believes I have a pinched nerve but wants me to continue with physical therapy and seeing the chiropractor. He gave me more vicodin, valium and robaxin. At least I'm well drugged til he sees me again next month. His goal is to get me feeling better in a month, if not we'll proceed with doing an MRI. Costly even with insurance so we're trying the above mentioned first.
I went to physical therapy on Thursday. My therapist is great and he's good looking! (always a plus, right?) I actually had an almost pain free day on Saturday. Enough so that I enjoyed some wine and some awesome blueberry martini's with the husband. Our daughters were away for a sleepover and we just had our eleven year old son. He thought it was hilarious to see his mom let loose. (This does NOT happen often, he's never seen me that way) I was responsible and didn't drive but I said many things I should not have said in front of him. LOL I did tell him that it's okay to drink when you're old enough just DON'T DRIVE! It was a great night! Since I'm the clumsy one and both my boys (the husband and the son) were concerned that I might fall down the stairs, the son bear hugged me from behind and due to my alcohol consumption I fell backwards on top of him. We all laughed til we cried! Good times here in my home! The son is really growing up. More so than I realize most of the time. We fed our albino leopard gecko and he looked at both of us and said, "I'm going to bed and I don't even want to know what you two are going to do!" Yes, I totally died of laughter. My baby boy will always be my baby boy but he is growing into a fine young man. His progress report came home with all A's and one B. Yep, I'm a proud mama tonight!
As far as the budgeting is going...hmm well, we've really blown it lately. Especially with all those martini's on Saturday night. I had the wine with a good friend in her home. We are eating from our Angel Food box. I made cheese bratwurst, baked beans, and my youngest and I had a steamed artichokes tonight for dinner. I tried baking the french fries and ended up covering them with bacon and cheese. Somethings just weren't meant to be baked. I put together a really great salad on Friday evening. It was the breaded chicken chunks from the box, dark lettuce, real bacon bits, cucumbers, tomatoes, and homemade ranch dressing. I learned my lesson with the fries and just broke down and fried the chicken chunks. Everyone ate well so I guess I did well. Last night I was in a lot of pain (not the hungover type either) so the husband ordered pizza for the kids and himself. Pizza has gotten expensive! $40 with delivery and tip included!
Now the best part. Don't just love when you're trying to save, you're blowing it and then your extra refrigerator that holds all your frozen fruit for smoothies, all frozen vegetables dies. I believe it died on Wednesday night but I didn't find it til Thursday afternoon. So we lost everything! I must mention there was no cold german beer for the husband after his long and stressful day. Not a great day but we've got love to pull us through. $268 later I'm happy to report that my fridge is back in working order. We have no fruits and veggies but tons of cold german beer. The husband was born in Berlin and occasionally just needs a taste of home. Priorities, priorities!
It's been an expensive past few days. I got a little caught up with keeping up with the Jones' this week and called my Daddy to vent. The girl across the street had her birthday party this past weekend. Her parents spent $500 dollars on a Justice makeover party and then did a sleepover with fondue and fresh fruit. I was feeling a bit defeated since they knew my daughter was having a sleepover/makeover party and they were outdoing me. Well, my father being the wonderful man he is sent me $500 and said "give my grand daughter a party she'll never forget!" On Wednesday the middle child is going to Glamour Shots for a birthday makeover and photo shoot. Then we'll continue on with our birthday party plans. I'm still baking her cake cuz I just think that's the motherly thing to do and I'm weird like that. I like things to be personal and think it will mean more to them when they are older to remember their mother took the time to bake their cake and decorate it. Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong. We'll just have to wait and see. Oh and my little sister is flying in for the makeover/sleepover party. My daughter has no idea her Aunt Airwa is coming! I need all the help I can get. I was a tomboy and can dress the part of a lady when I must but for the most part I'm just a mom in my workout pants, nike t-shirt, and nike+ shoes. My sister has always been the girlie girl type so she'll really be a big help at this party. All that to say this: I love my Daddy and was speechless when I received his cashola and instructions. Those who know me well (and you readers will soon figure out) know I'm rarely speechless.
Well, it's almost 10 p.m. the husband is still at work. He just called to inform me that he ate leftover pizza for dinner at work and now feels awful that his wife cooked and he ate crappy cold pizza. So I need to go pack him a lunch for tomorrow that will include what was suppose to be his dinner. Kids are in bed FINALLY! Now it's my relaxing time but first I must clean the kitchen and set out the kids clothes for tomorrow. Ahh the work of a slave err mom is never done. I promise to get better at this whole blogging thing for those that aren't snoozing on their keyboard after this extremely long post.
This post would not be complete if I didn't mention my Oklahoma Sooners are still #1 and killed Baylor on Saturday! BOOMER SOONER and Gutenacht! I should probably translate some of my german....gutenacht=goodnight, Auf wieder sehen=so long or see you, or bye and Tschüß basically is german slang or an informal goodbye.

Tuesday has been frustrating to say the least

2008-09-30T18:53:00.003-04:00

On Sunday I saw this doctor that was the old school type. Ya know the kind that they speak and you nod and agree whether you agree or not. My back has caused me severe pain for three weeks. This doctor gives me naproxin and more muscle relaxers. I'm thinking it's been three weeks, they have had me on a medrol dose pack for five days, muscle relaxers and now this guy gives me naproxin???? I rack this up to 2 hours of wasted time on a Sunday. So today I go back and see MY doctor. He's a great guy, one who listens and truely wants to help his patients. I waited three hours today to see him. His diagnosis is that I need a spine specialist, another steroid pack (12 days this time), and some vicodin. He also said I have poor reflexes in my right knee. I guess that means there is something pressing on a nerve in my back. I'm not really sure. I've never taken vicodin so this could be interesting. I react strangely to medication so I hope the husband still loves me with all this medicine flowing through my body. He says I'm "easy" when I'm this doped up. I believe that was meant to be a compliment. I start my physical therapy on Thursday and see the spine specialist on Monday. Oh and there's a chiropractic visit in between those.
My youngest child is hypoglycemic. She was diagnosed when she was 15 months old. She is now seven. We treat her mostly by watching her diet carefully. The school nurse and principal have decided we should check her sugar levels three times a day for a month. They want to find out when she has low times so that we can adjust her snacks accordingly. I call the doctor for a prescription because testing supplies are NOT cheap. Insurance will pay for it with a prescription. I drive over to the doctor's office to pick it up and take it to the pharmacy along with my handful of scripts. Insurance won't pay for her prescriptions because the doctor didn't specify when her sugar should be checked on the prescription. Of course by this time the doctor's office is closed. I know three times a day but I'm NOT the doctor. Uggh Frustration has settled in.
While at Target getting prescriptions I decide to buy the cake pan my middle child has requested for her birthday. Talk about expensive!!! $39.99 for a cake pan! It's not just any cake pan either. It has two places to put the batter. One side is the bottom of a HUGE cupcake and the other side is the dome part of the cupcake. Once baked you ice the top of the bottom piece and stick the dome part on, then ice it however you wish. This will be a mega chocolate cupcake. Icing has yet to be decided. I'm not sure if my creative side will be coherent enough to do the whole piped icing look. We'll have to wait and see. She also wants multi-colored regular size cupcakes. Ya know where you make your batter, seperate it into small bowls, and add a different food color to each small bowl. Then you pour a small amount of one color batter in a cupcake liner and a different color on top. This makes the multi-colored look. I have a very good friend who loaned me a metal cupcake holder. It holds the cupcakes at different levels so this should display my creativeness well. As long as I don't fall asleep in the cupcakes!
So $39.99 for a cake pan, $10 for invitations for 24 chatty children, and $15 for prescriptions is what I spent today. This does not include all the gas I spent driving to my doctor, then to youngest child's doctor, getting lost and ending up at the boardwalk, and my trip to Tarjay. My justification with the cake pan is the youngest daughter will undoubtedly love my creative cupcake and want one for herself in February. I almost forgot I cheated today and spent $6 at Sonic for myself some lunch since it was 3:30 when I left the doctor's office and my banana and milk breakfast was long gone. Yes, I could have lived without the cake pan but at least I'm not just buying my daughter a cake like so many parents do. As far as Sonic well, I was hungry and I cheated. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm determined to get better at this whole spending thing. I took all my credit cards and sealed them in an envelope and put them in my safe. I can't use them if I don't carry them in my purse. Hey, it's a start! Baby steps towards my goals.
I'm feeling quite drugged so tonight we are having the supreme pizzas from our Angel Food Ministries box. I will pair it up with a nice green salad and fat free italian dressing. The kids will have some orange slices from our fruit box. My husband loved the teriyaki beef stir fry last night and was happy to have the leftovers for lunch. He says I scored lots of points with that meal. That makes me a happy wife! :)
My son did pack his lunch this morning. A ham and swiss sandwich, an apple,some chips ahoy bites, and sour cream and onion chips. He came home starving and begging for extra cash in his lunch account. Maybe he's learning something here. I'm going to make him continue with this lunch packing thing for a least a couple of weeks. Of course I'll let him pack himself much more food than he did today.
I hope someday that I will have some readers to this blog I've created. I know my husband reads it. I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing but he's at least paying attention so he gets mega points for that! The husband makes me feel alive and gives me reason to get up and try to be better each day. I'm truly blessed to have such a supportive, wonderful husband. The best part is he's ALL mine! Tschüß

Ughh it's Monday

2008-09-29T18:31:00.004-04:00

I have a lower lumber sprain. It happened several weeks ago. See, I'm a real clutz and fell down my stairs. Not once but twice! My sciatic nerve is inflammed and the L1 and L2 are hating me at the moment. I went to the chiropractor for an adjustment this morning and start physical therapy on Thursday. I'm suppose to be relaxing LOL! A mother of three children does NOT relax! I just want R-E-L-I-E-F at this point.
I received a phone call at 1:45 today from my oldest child. It seems he was on his way to lunch and didn't have any lunch money. I put plenty of money in his general account three weeks ago. I told him I'd pick him up and get him fed. Upon picking him up from school I find out he's been using his lunch money for cookies, brownies, ice cream and gatorade in addition to his plate lunch. Now I know why $100 didn't feed him for an entire month. Looks like he'll be packing a lunch from now on. It's like he believes that money just appears in that account.
I made our first meal with our Angel Food Ministries box tonight. We had teriyaki beef with stir fry vegetables and whole grain rice. I took the steaks and cut them into strips, made a teriyaki sauce and tossed it in the crockpot. Added the veggies about 30 minutes before dinner and prepared the rice. I must say I was impressed with the quality of the sirloin strip steaks. The meat was very tender and the flavor was great! The husband still isn't home so we'll see what he has to say about dinner. He better like it because it's his lunch tomorrow as well. :)
As for my budget...I didn't spend one penny today so today has been successful! Let's see how well the husband did. Well, it's time to study greek vocabulary words again and start the bathing, bedtime rituals. I have survived Monday, let's hope Tuesday is better. Auf wieder sehen!

A lesson learned

2008-09-28T18:08:00.006-04:00

First off...
NEVER take the husband or children to the grocery store while trying to live on a budget. My goal was to get only the things on my list (about $40) for dinners this week. Easy to do as I didn't need much. Two children and a husband=$120 grocery bill. Yes folks, I'm off to a horrible start here but I'm sure they'll enjoy all their extra goodies. But what they don't know is that they will NOT be going to the grocery store in the future!
On to football..
Yesterday I posted that my Sooners were ranked #4. The husband quickly corrected me that they were ranked #2. After the game last night the University of Oklahoma Sooners are ranked #1!!!! We are an excited bunch around here today!

Anyone else excited about fall programming? Desperate Housewives premieres tonight so I will be forcing the husband to watch with me. A nice, quiet evening is much needed around here.

Food and football go hand in hand

2008-09-27T14:42:00.000-04:00

So today I picked up my first Angel Food Ministries box. I must say I was very impressed with the organization and the amount of food I received. The main box cost me $30 (I ordered 2) and has a ton of food in it. I opted to buy the grill box for this month ($20)and the fruit and veggie box($19). So I've spent $100 and should be able to feed my crew for about three weeks. I'll get back to you on the quality and how long it lasts the five of us. Yes, they are a ministry but noone shoved their beliefs down my throat. The best part is "If you eat, you qualify". Here's the link:
www.angelfoodministries.com
I must mention a little college football. I grew up an Oklahoma State fan but I married a University of Oklahoma alumni so I now bleed crimson and cream. Poor University of Southern California lost and is no longer ranked #1. This makes me happy and is great news for my Sooners who are currently ranked #4. It's time to whip up some football food and settle in with the husband for some OU football. Boomer Sooner!