This is beautiful Sedona, AZ. MY DH took these with his digital camera on November 25th, 2005.

I'm wrapping up this entry. Our trackball is giving us fits & needs replacing. It takes the fun out of my blog when it has PMS.

I have another blog

It is called Turning Over A New Leaf.

I created TOANL to track & journal my journey to changing my life in several areas. The first & most urgent being the struggle to regain my health. With a BMI of 42.2....I'd say urgent is a pretty acurate description.

I will be keeping Purple Puddles as well. I enjoy sharing photos & details of my life as a SAHM on the road to self improvement. PP is my special place to vent, share, laugh & cry. It's my "cyber baby" & I cannot let it go.

As soon as I can figure out HOW to post the link to my new blog & few of my favorites in the sidebar, I shall do just that.

! Happy 2006 !

What did you do on New Year's Eve, or as my daughter says it "New Ears". LOL

We did what we needed to & were home by 3pm. We wanted to get home before all of the traffic & the party goers were out & about. The girls were asleep before 9pm, but DH & I were exhausted for some reason. We cuddled in our room & struggled to stay awake long enough to see Dick Clark this year. The clock struck Midnight, we saw the ball drop, gave each other a peck & a "Happy New Year", shut the TV off & promply fell asleep.

The next day we painted the walls of our oldest daughters room light purple. This weekend we are planning on finishing her room by painting the ceiling dark bluish-purple & adding glow in the dark stars...just like in our previous house. The exception being that instead of a white fan, that we left for the buyers, we got her a pink fan from Lowe's. She saw it & insisted that was the only one she wanted. Since it was under $100, her Daddy bought it for her.

Monday I got my first ever manicure, pedicure & a one hour deep tissue massage. I was in HEAVEN! SOme of my problem spots on my back are still bruised from the massage, but it didn't hurt while she was rubbing out the knots in my shoulders & lower back. It felt SO good. No, I'm not into pain. The manicure & pedicure was enjoyable as well. DH got me a gift certificate to a day spa for Christmas & scheduled the appointment for Monday when he KNEW he was off from work. When the ladies asked if it was a gift & told them yes. They asked where he got the idea for the services he chose & I told them I had NO idea. I didn't either! I had no idea that I needed that massage THAT much. I have a very sweet hubby!

Elizabeth's favorite gifts were the Whack-a-mole game we gave her & the dress up princess trunk that her Godparents gave her. Charlotte's favorites were the Classical Stacker we gave her & the Sleeping Muscial Pooh-Bear her Godparents gave her. My husbands favorites were the Homer Simpson Chia pet that Elizabeth HAD to have for him & the Stars Wars three DVD set Widescreen that I found for him...on Christmas Eve. The toaster was actually a close second. He opened it & used it the next morning. I think we all know what MY favorite gift was.

Our baby, Charlotte has started rolling around to get where she wants to. When she tries to get her legs under herself to rock she falls & cries in frustration. Today she was having blast in her exersaucer. When Lizzy was a baby she ALWAYS had a constant favorite, her swing. Charlottes favorites seem to change from day to day. Some days the exersaucer is what she wants, others it's the Johnny Jump Up, still others she wants her swing & some days she just wants to roll around on the floor. She ALWAYS wants to be included in whatever we are doing.

Tonight I read the girls two books by Shel Silverstine. (SP?) The girls were glued to these books. If you have read them, then you are aware they are just black & white pictures. I read them The Missing Piece & The Giving Tree. Elizabeth was even showing me how the circle was rolling along by doing summersaults next to me a couple of times. When it came to reading them poems from "A Light in The Attic" (the book chosen by Elizabeth) she was no longer interested & instead asked if she could read a book to me. She went & got Cinderella & "read" it to me via pictures. I will never, ever discourage reading in my home. Especially at the ages my girls are right now.

Elizabeth & I also had a "pretty" day while her sister was asleep in her crib. We put on make-up, painted our fingers & her toes as well as dressed her up in her Princess outfits she got from her Godparents. She had the best time with me today & she made a point of showing her Daddy her pretty fingers & toes when he got home. She is SUCH a girl! LOL! Daddy will have his hands full when she gets interested in clothes, boys & make-up. Look out!

On January 2nd I gave up regular soda. I am still drinking caffinated soda but switched to diet. When the diet soda is gone, I will be eliminating the caffiene as well. I have a raging headache but I think that is from the diet soda & lack of sugar intake. Tommorrow I will begin pushing the water down my throat. I could be dehydrated, causing my headache as well.

I'm off to drink some water, take some asprin, take a shower & go to bed.

Take care!

This is December 2005. Baby Charlotte is sitting in a rocking chair I have for one of my porceilan dolls my Grandmother made me in high school. The other two are my girls under our tree (obviously). My family LOVED the picture (the last one) as I made wallets & included it in my snail mail Christmas cards this year. I usually send a pic of Liz (Char's first Christmas this year) with Santa. Since we had been sick & had yet to visit Santa I included this one instead.

The kids Godparents visited on Christmas Eve morning & stayed for about 1 1/2 hours. It was the first time the Godmother had seen Charlotte. After they left Bob & the girls took a nap & I cleaned carpet. My parents showed up about 3pm & much to my surprise were very well behaved. There were no snide remarks about my house not being perfect, no gossiping about others either in out out of our family & no telling me how I do things wrong, blah, blah, blah. They always love DH's cooking though. They even complimented our tree this year! WOnders never cease do they!

As for Christmas Day, DH & I woke up to the oldest next to our bed crying. She came into our our room & says "Mommy, Daddy I feel sick!" Then proceeds to vomit all over herself, us & our bed. Keep in mind she is still 1/2 asleep herself. We start to open gifts once she begins feeling better & she vomits again while opening them. We finished once she felt better. After that I changed the bedding & her & Daddy laid down & watched tv, falling asleep. We arrived at my folks & my brothers about 3pm. Opened gifts, had dinner & were on our way home by 7:30pm. Mom bought a pre-cooked ham this year & it was the first time in years that I had seconds at dinner. Maybe she actuaaly considered my suggestion & just did it a cheaper way. Once again, all in my mom's house were very well behaved. It was a big surprise to expereince that.

I got my Christmas wish of a holiday with NO DRAMA! WOO HOO!

Is Christmas over yet?

GEEZ! It seems like I hove SO much to get done & not a prayer of finishing it all. My parents are comming over to our place on Christmas Eve for dinner. I was also informed tonight when DH got home that the morning of Christmas Eve the kids Godparents are stopping by. I need to NOT be sitting on the computer tyoing but this will help me keep my sanitiy.

The laundry has piled up because dryer was broken & the Maytag man only comes out to the middle of nowhere once per week. The thought of dealing with 15 loads of piled up laundry & two little kids at the laundrymat was just TOO much.

I can say that at least my Christmas shopping is finished. The wrapping of gifts isn't, but I can do that in my spare time. Right, like I even know what spare time IS anymore.

I am stressing out because althought I love my parents dearly, she is anal about housework. SHe thinks that because she was a SAHM of 4 & her house looked near perfect, that mine should as well. I stress out everytime she is comming for a visit. I still have boxes in my livingroom & kitchen from our move in mid October. She also enjoys talking about people I don't know & trying to create drama between family members. She bad mouths my DH on the phone & everyone else she can think of. For awhile she stopped doing that, but she is back to her old self.

We are going to their house for Christmas Day. Going so we can watch my Dad play on the computer & be anti social, listen to my parents & brother argue & eat overcooked, bland food. I would like to skip it but we don't live far enough away to do that. I even asked my mom what she usually spends on dinner & she replied about $75. I mentioned that she could save herself a ton of work & just pay Boston Market to make dinner, pick it up & heat it in the oven. She was absoultly completely opposed to that idea. She got down right bitchy with me for even suggesting it. I didn't even hint that I think her food sucks. Saying it sucks is putting it VERY mildly. I also offered to bring a couple of dishes to eliminate some of the work. Somehow THAT was offensive as well. I give up trying to help or please that woman. You cannot help someone that doesn't want it. I just don't want Christmas to be a replay of Easter. If it is, my DH will never return to my folks for another holiday again.

I am in the process of creating a soundtrack of my life. I saw someone do it on the My 43 things website & since I love music, I am doing it as well.
I will probably break it up into sections, but it will be interesrting to look back & see what I've choosen for my soundtrack. Will I list it? Maybe, but I have to complete it first.

My "break" has lasted long enough.

Here's to hoping Christmas goes without any drama this year.

What have you done?

( ) smoked a cigarette
( ) crashed a friend's car
( ) stolen a car
( X ) been in love
( X ) been dumped
( X ) shoplifted
( X) been fired
( X) been in a fist fight
(X ) snuck out of your parents' house
( X ) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back?
(X ) gone on a blind date
( X ) lied to a friend
(X ) skipped school
(X ) seen someone die
( X ) been to Canada
(X) been to Mexico
( X) been on a plane
( ) purposely set a part of yourself on fire
( ) eaten sushi
( X) been skiing
( X ) met someone from the Internet
( X ) been at a concert
(X) taken painkillers
( X ) love someone or miss someone right now
(X ) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
( X ) made a snow angel
( ) had a tea party
( X ) flown a kite
( X ) built a sand castle
( X ) gone puddle jumping
( X ) played dress up
( X ) jumped into a pile of leaves
( X ) gone sledding
( X ) cheated while playing a game
( X ) been lonely
( X ) fallen asleep at work/school
(X ) used a fake ID
( X ) watched the sun set
( ) felt an earthquake
( X ) slept beneath the stars
( X ) been tickled
( X ) been robbed
( X ) been misunderstood
( ) petted a reindeer/goat/kangaroo/deer
( X ) won a contest
( X ) run a red light/stop sign
( ) been suspended from school
( ) had braces
( X ) felt like an outcast/third person
( X) eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
( X ) had déjà vu
( X ) danced in the moonlight
( X) liked the way you looked
( X ) witnessed a crime
( X) questioned your heart
( ) been obsessed with post-it notes
( X ) squished mud through your bare feet
( X ) been lost
( X) been on the opposite side of the country
( X) swam in the ocean
( X ) felt like dying
( X ) cried yourself to sleep
(X ) played cops and robbers
( X ) recently colored with crayons
( X) sang karaoke
( X ) paid for a meal with only coins
( X ) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( X) made prank phone calls
( X ) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( X ) caught a snowflake on your tongue
( X ) danced in the rain
( X ) written a letter to Santa Claus
( X ) been kissed under the mistletoe
( X) watched the sun rise with someone you care about
( X ) blown bubbles
( ) made a bonfire on the beach
(X ) crashed a party
( X ) gone roller-skating
( X ) had a wish come true
( X) jumped off a bridge

Holy crap! I didn't think I would have checked THAT many items! It made me laugh & remember things I haven't thought of in a very long time.

Thanks Carolyn F.!

Pity Party. Needed to vent.

It's been awhile since I posted anything here. I haven't been neglectiong the blog. I have been sick. I still am sick. In fact, I have a raging fever as I type! Unfortunatly for me, my two gilrs are sick as well. We all know what that means...Momma doesn't get any sleep. The week of Thanksgiving my infant daughter got a cold. Since my MIL was visiting from Illinois, just staying home with the baby wasn't really an option. Well. her cold turned into a nasty ear infection. We take her to the Dr & just as she gets better then the 3 year old gets sick. No Dr required, just had a nasty cold. The 3 year old WAS feeling better but got the baby & I sick again. In the meantime the 3 year old has gotten sick again herself! Last night I was up SIX times between the baby, the 3 year old & myself. Tonight has been no better. I LOVE my DH but he actually YELLED at me because I cried while trying to open a childproof cap so I could take some medecine. Yes I KNOW he's worried about getting sick himself but guess what...I am sick & I am still caring for the girls, cleaning, cooking & trying to get better. He needs to get the F@*! OVER IT! He said he is tired of hearing ONE of cry all of the time. GUESS WHAT! I HAVEN'T BEEN CRYING...our two small children have. I'M TIRED OF IT TOO! I deal with it TWENTY-FOUR SEVEN! EXCUSE ME if I had a WEAK MOMENT & shed a few tears MYSELF! Gee, can you tell I am not myself today? Tonight he can eat leftovers, care for the girls after he gets to eat & watch two hours of TV & I am going to bed. VERY EARLY I AM GOING TO BED. Speaking of bed, my fever has broken so I'm going to try & catch what amounts to yet another cat nap.

More pictures from 2005

Bob & Liz March 23rd 2005 at the Zoo. My sister thought it was a backdrop at first!




November 23rd 2005. A display at the Santa's Village amusement park near the freeway.
Liz & her "Grandpa" Ron. Ron is my MIL's "boyfriend" of many years. Liz just started calling him that on the last visit.
August 2005. This was the photo I submitted to Human Clock for 3:54 PM.

Summer 2005 in Lizzys "old" room at the old house. The teddy bear was made by my mother for my Grandfather in the late 1980's. My Grandparents said they had to buy a ticket for the Teddy bear to get it on the plane back to Illinois with them!

These are just various pictures taken of my kids recently. The last one was taken an hour before I had to take my beloved German Shepard Mix to be put down. He was the BEST dog in the world for 11 1/2 years. I adopted him at the age of 8 weeks from the local Humane Society. We bonded instantly. He was so BEYOND good with the girls. I miss him terribly.

Wesly Sprinkel R.I.P. Haiku

It's probably not a "true" Haiku...but I'll only improve if I write probable sucky ones first. I haven't written anything since grade school. Be kind.

Uncle Wes RIP 11-2005

A World War Two Vet
My Grandmas’ youngest brother
Heaven welcomes you

Preceeding your death
your parents and two siblings
one child as wel
l
Surviving your death
are your kids and grandchildren
your wife Rita too

The eldest of four
my Grandma is in mourning
missing her siblings

You now join family
keeping watch from the heavens
as stars in the sky

A World War Two Vet
My Grandmas’ youngest brother
Heaven welcomes you

State Fair 2005

Char & her Daddy

Lizzy & a Kid
Scooter & Charlotte November 2005

Charlotte at the State Fair November 6th, 2005 Elizabeth with a look of pure excitement on her face! Nov 6th, 2005
Jumping high & flying like Tinkerbell!

I am a thief

Stolen from Aritha
1) Search your blog archive for your 23rd entry2) Find the 5th line of that entry3) Post it!

After months of begging, pleading, bitching & nagging I FINALLY got DH to paint the ceiling in DD #1 room & move the furniture I could not physically move.

Stolen from Aritha the beautiful one

Type in your name and "needs" in Google. Then post what you find.

Mary needs

.....disabilty insurnace

.....the Lamb in school

.....coverage

.....to let go of the old & prepare for the new and patience

.....prayers

Test for Dementia

I am not implying that any of you are candidates for dementia, but it never hurts to take a test like this and find out early on while there is still time to do something about it I just took this test and its too late to help me

Test for Dementia

Below are four (4) questions and a bonus question. You have to answer them instantly. You can't take your time, answer all of them immediately . OK? Let's find out just how clever you really are....Ready? GO!!! (scroll down)



First Question: You are participating in a race. You overtake the second person. What position are you in?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Answer: If you answered that you are first, then you are absolutely wrong! If you overtake the second person and you take his place, you are second! Try not to screw up next time.Now answer the second question,but don't take as much time as you took for the first question, OK ?

Second Question:If you overtake the last person, then you are...?(scroll down)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Answer: If you answered that you are second to last, then you are wrong again. Tell me, how can you overtake the LAST Person?
You're not very good at this, are you?


Third Question:Very tricky arithmetic! Note: This must be done in your head only .Do NOT use paper and pencil or a calculator. Try it. Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000 . Now add 30 .Add another 1000 . Now add 20 . Now add another 1000. Now add 10 . What is the total? Scroll down for answer..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Did you get 5000? The correct answer is actually 4100. If you don't believe it, check it with a calculator! Today is definitely not your day, is it? Maybe you'll get the last question right.... ....Maybe.

Fourth Question: Mary's father has five daughters: 1. Nana, 2. Nene, 3. Nini,4. Nono. What is the name of the fifth daughter? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Did you Answer Nunu? NO! Of course it isn't. Her name is Mary. Read the question again!

Okay, now the bonus round: A mute person goes into a shop and wants to buy a toothbrush. By imitating the action of brushing his teeth he successfully expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is done. Next, a blind man comes into the shop who wants to buy a pair ofsunglasses; how does HE indicate what he wants?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



He just has to open his mouth and ask... It's really very simple.... Like you!


KEEP THIS GOING TO FRUSTRATE THE "SMART PEOPLE" IN YOUR LIFE

I dated Eddie Van Halen!

I didn't actually date EVH, but I DID briefly date a kid in High School that looked like EVH. Since I graduated nearly 20 years ago, what makes me write about him you ask? I received a quicknote from him through Classmates.com recently. I have thought about him every time I hear ANY Van Halen (not Van Hagar) song.

He was a sweet kid, intelligent, good looking (obviously) & kind. He would walk to my house to see me in the dead of winter. HELLO! In Northern Illinois it gets VERY cold! I also laugh every single time I hear "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" by Elmo & Patsy. I laugh because I remember hearing it when we went out with a kid named Don. We were in the Pizza Hut parking lot & I fell on my butt because I was wearing penny loafers & slipped on an icy patch outside. OMG! I laughed SO hard I thought I was going to pee my corduroys! I can't imagine what I must have looked liked, laying in the PH parking lot laughing like a loon. Those were good times.

I also remember after he broke up with me, I saw him with Becky. I admit that didn't know her, but I remember thinking "OMG! What can he possibly see in THAT bitchy dog!" Like I said, I never knew her, it's just the impression I got from her....even BEFORE I dated Burke.

The following year every time we ordered pizza from "Happy Joe's", Burke would deliver to our house. Just pizza (Get your mind out of the gutter!)

He ended up marrying a nice girl that played the Flute in the band. She was always nice to me but I didn't really know her either. They have kids & are still married. How cool is that! Being married to your HS Sweetheart!

I had to date MANY, MANY flakes before I found the love of my life. I'm just glad that I finally found him. How lucky am I! I have a wonderful man in my life, two beautiful little girls, a new home & have been doing TONS of self-improvement work. I'm feeling more content & am regaining my self-confidence little by little. My dear sweet husband loves me & all of my baggage. Like I said...I am a lucky lady.

Elizabeth was so excited to be Tinkerbell tonight that it was nearly
impossible for me to get her to take a quick nap. The last thing I
wanted was a grumpy Tinkerbell! She did FINALLY go down for a short
nap about 4pm. She only needed about 30 minutes to be pleasant tonight & thankfully she was.

ANYWAY, we took the girls into town for Halloween tonight. I had
wanted to make Charlotte's costume SOOO bad but with everything being such a hectic mess this pass month....on top of both girls being sick the past week & me STILL being sick....the Mermaid costume I was so excited to make just didn't get finished.

Instead, Charlotte wore Elizabeth's cheerleader costume from her first
Halloween. I was expecting it to be WAAAAYYY too big for her, but it
fit her well enough. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to finish
the Mermaid though.

Back to tonight, we did some door-to-door Trick or Treating right
around the park that we went to. The park was the site of the 32nd
annual Halloween Carnival. Organizations come & set up booths with
games & activities while the city supplies all of the carnival
participants with candy. Well lit AND safe. That is a winning
combination. Toss in FREE & it's unbeatable!

The booths surrounded the outside edge of the football field at the
local high school. This was no small carnival. We didn't have time to
see it all. She got to play games, have her hand painted & got candy
at each booth. She also got to meet Chester Cheetah, Twinkie the Kid
& Cracker Jack.

Her costume was turning heads left & right. I heard people of all ages
saying "Look! It's Tinkerbell! She is SOOO cute!" She was so busy
pointing out all of the Darth Vader, Spiderman, Batman, witch &
animal costumes she didn't even hear most of the people saying she was
cute. Several people even had their dogs with them & in costume.

Saturday night we were on our way to Wal-Mart when "Mr. Incredible"
pulled up in a convertible & jumped out to get $ from an ATM. She went
NUTS when we yelled "Hi Mr. Incredible!" & waved. Then he waved back. She was jumping up & down yelling "Mommy! Mommy! Mr. Incredible WAVED at ME!"

I hope you all enjoyed "Halloween" or as some call it "Samhain".

Moving = STRESS

OMG! I've had the absolute WORST moving experience I've ever had! I have moved to apartments, etc 19 times in the past 20 years. I only know because I figured it our recently. ANYWAY, I made sure the boxes were all CLEARLY marked on EVERY side except the bottom, numbered the boxes & kept track of what was in each & even put signs on the doors telling the "movers" where the boxes were to go. The "movers" were my DH & my BF DH....they paid no attention to where the boxes went. They literally just dumped them ALL OVER THE NEW HOUSE! When I saw what they did, I was PISSED! I was however too tired to complain. I did appreciate the help...but I will NEVER let MEN make a trip to a new house WITHOUT me going with them.

Let start from the beginning shall we?

First the closing date omn the sale of our house changed THREE times! Okay, I can deal with that.

Next we call Budget moving trucks to confirm our reservation the night before....they say no problem. When we call to ask them if we could pick up our truck an hour later....due to circumstances beyond our control, they say they received a fax from us CANCELING our truck. In the same conversation they claim to have received an E-MAIL canceling as well. Here we are thinking that we have no moving truck on moving day. One hour later I call, & ask them if they have ANYTHING available....they say if we can get there within an hour they have a 15 foot truck. We get there in 20 minutes. We originally had a 25 foot truck reserved.

Our 12 hour move turned into a 24 hour move for DH & I. It took us THREE round trips of 110 miles instead of the two we planned on because of the 15 foot truck. Needless to say, we were getting punchy.

Our realtor STILL has to tell us which two rooms we are to paint. The telephone installation took the phone company SIX hours to complete. Our new home was SUPPOSED to have been cleaned by a cleaning crew...they never showed up. I had to do it instead. That was no small task as the inside of our house was covered in overspray, plaster, nails, SUNFLOWER SEEDS! Come on WTF already!

In addition to everything (I haven't even listed all of the problems), both of the girls & myself have all come down with nasty head colds. This morning I wake up to find ANTS coming into our new place & getting into the pets food bowls. I will be so BEYOND glad to turn the keys over to the new owners so I can unpack & make our new home livable.

At least our new neighbors are nice!

I need to go & do some laundry while I am cleaning our soon to be "old"house. I just want to get the "F***" out of here! I will miss my neighbors here in CB, but I won't miss the stress this move has caused me.

We finally got a closing date on the sale of the house. It is Wednesday October 12th.

We finally got a closing date on the sale of the house. It is Wednesday October 12th. I have been packing like crazy! I still have a LONG way to go. We are going to rent back our house for one week to get the inside painted, cleaned & fix one interior door. We will be shampooing carpet, touching up knicks in the paint on the walls, repainting two rooms (at the new owners request) & weed our backyard once more before we turn the keys over.

This weekend my husband is installing the AC in our new place. Next weekend my best friend & her husband are helping us move. We will have all of boxes in the U-Haul already. My friends DH will help mine with the big stuff. You know, the couch, recliner & the king size mattress. My lower back just hasn't been the same since the birth of DD #2 this Spring. I am hoping that stregthening my abs will help with the back problems.

The dishes are packed, with the exception of few items we use for cooking. We are eating & drinking on paper dishes & plastic utensils & cups. It makes doing the dishes easy! I'll be packing most of the clothes today. I'm leaving 2 weeks worth out because when we get to our new place we have to buy a new washer & dryer. Since we are ordering them I'll be headed to the laundry mat for a couple of weeks.

Monday I have a Dr appointment for Charlotte. She is getting shots & Elizabeth REALLY doesn't like to hear her baby sister cry & scream when she gets them. I did tell her that Charlotte is going to cry & scream because it hurts to get shots. I asked her to help me out by being quiet. I am NOT looking forward to dealing with that on Monday.

On Tuesday I have to drive to Casa Grande (54 miles one direction) to do the walk through on the new place. The walk through is no big deal...it's the drive with an infant that seems to HATE riding in the car that I am dreading. When DH drives I can turn around & give her a bottle, but with just me...I think I'll go deaf. I have two choices, either drive with an infant screaming at the top of her lungs OR stop every 15 to 20 minutes to get out, console her, feed her, change her or all of the above & the drive will take TWO hours instead of just one. What fun!

I am thankful that we HAVE a houses to move out of & into. I am thankful that we have both of our girls. I'm just not looking forward to the actual move & everything that goes along with it.

I need to go feed my screamer now.

http://www.43things.com/person/Mrymerry

I have been spending too much time on this site the past week or so. The rest of my time is basically spent packing for the big move to our new home & caring for my girls. You can check it out & list your own 43 things if you want to.


http://www.43things.com/person/Mrymerry

http://glwarner.narrowgate.net/haiku/

75 things...

1. I am fast approaching my 36th birthday.
2. I married a younger man.
3. I am a proud Mommy to two beautiful little girls.
4. I am married to the love of my life.
5. I met my husband through a dating service.
6. I knew within two weeks of our first date I would marry him.
7. My divorce from "husband" #1 wasn't final when I met my current & last husband.
8. I left a mentally & verbally abusive first marriage.
9. 6 years later, I still am recovering from that marriage.
10. I am thankful I had no children with "DH" #1.
11. I am and always will be Pro-choice.
12. I am Pro-Stem cell research as well.
13. I am a Democrat.
14. I vote my conscience, not my party.
15. I have never voted a straight ticket..
16. I tell people the truth, even if it will hurt ones feelings.
17. I will warn them the truth will hurt before I tell them & make them promise not to get mad at me, then ask them if they still wish to know the truth.
18. I am a pet person
19. Until I had children, I would have NEVER evacuated without my pets.
20. When my apartment caught on fire in my early 20's, I refused to leave until I found my cat.
21. My dog was smarter then I when she ran out the door with my mother.
22. The EMT's gave me crap for looking for my cat instead of leaving my apartment.
23. I told them thanks for their opinoins but they could go take a flying leap off the nearest bridge.
24. I probably wasn't that nice about it just then.
25. The fire was contained to our patio.
26. Now that I have children, I would die protecting them.
27. I now know how my mother felt all of those times when I heard her say "Just wait until you have kids, then you'll understand"
28. I never knew complete unconditional love until I held my own innocent infants in my arms.
29. I am undeceided about having anymore children.
30. I believe in God.
31. I haven't been to church since 1999.
32. I don't miss church.
33. The holy Rollers that roam my neighborhood streets every six months annoy the living $hit out of me.
34. This "list" is much harder to compose than I thought it would be.
35. I have been doing a lot of work on myself in order to understand some of the choices I've made in my past & how I could have made better ones.
36. I have been doing alot of deep emotional healing lately.
37. I have been forgiving myself instead of beating myself up about my past.
38. I had to understand some things about myself before I could forgive myself for actions in my past.
39. I am AMAZED that such a wonderful man had & does accept me...even with all of my emotional baggage & screwed up family.
40. I am not as close to my family (parents & brothers) as I originally thought.
41. I am much closer to my sister than I ever realized after her visit in August.
42. I call my grandparents & grandmother every weekend.
43. I have been doing that for the past five years.
44. I met a lady in Wal-Mart today with a 1 month old baby girl named....Charlotte! We were both a little "surprised".
45. Today I was feeling pretty good about myself & it must have showed because perfect strangers kept walking up to me & starting conversations with me!
46. It felt good.
47. DH even noticed that I seemed very relaxed & happy for the first time in many months.
48. I am beginning to think all of this work I've been doing on myself is beginning to show on the outside.
49. I purchased the material to make a mermaid costume for Charlotte today.
50. I am actually looking forward to sewing for a change.
51. Since I have been taking time to relax before bed, usually go to bed a decent hour & rediscover my love of reading...I have fewer scowl lines on my face.
52. I am talking more & yelling less.
53. I am using self hypnosis to destress & release some of the baggage acquired from my decesions & experiences.
54. I have been successful in my efforts to stop my mother gossiping about other family members.
55. I truly am finally learning to love myself again.
56. My postive changes have shown up in Elizabeths actions & reactions.
57. Since I have relaxed, my infant Charlotte is sleeping better & is a much happier baby.
58. I am happier since I don't talk to my mother or brother more than 3 times per week anymore.
59. I am beginning to think my relationships with certian family members was toxic.
60. I watch too much CNN.
61. I love all shades of the color green.
62. I am having fun planning the landscaping of or soon to be new property & home.
63. The soon to be new owner of our current home likes the way I painted our girls bedrooms & wants to keep them that way!
64. It is surprising because he is a late 50 something single man with no grandchildren...yet.
65. I still take too much comfort in comfort foods.
66. Mount Washmore has reappeared in my hallway.
67. I don't feel guilty about it at all.
68. It's liberating not to put so much self worth in my house keeping skills (or lack thereof)
69. Just because my mom was Suzy Homemaker doesn't mean that I have to be.
70. My house isn't a health or safety hazzard so who cares!
71. I will be stopping this list at 75.
72. I am getting VERY tired.
73. This list has actually helped me get many things off my mind.
74. I often think too much.
75. I am a Libra...100%.