An interesting drive.....

As usual, I'm behind on my posts! Thought I'd start to catch up a little by telling you some things about last week.

Monday, December 22nd, the girls and I got up and took off for Terre Haute to do a little Christmas shopping that we needed to finish. Mostly had to pick up some things for Roger and a couple of gift cards. We had a good day! Found some decent deals (although we had to return a pair of pants we got him at Kohl's and a shirt we got him at Aeropostale and have yet to find replacements for him). Syd decided she wanted to take a nap on the way home since she had basketball practice, so as we were leaving Kohl's, she leaned her seat back and got comfortable. Sammie got buckled in and I pulled out of our parking space and was heading towards the exit when all of a sudden a car came bolting across the parking lot and nearly smashed into the passenger side of my Santa Fe. I slammed on the brakes and the guy in the other car never even slowed down a bit. I don't think he even saw us. Of course, Syd woke up instantly! It was pretty scary, but at least a tragedy was averted! Talk about close calls!

Tuesday, December 23rd started out as an ordinary day. Roger left for work and the girls and I got the house in order. We had a plumber coming to replace the faucet in the kitchen sink. After that was done, we headed out to pick up some lunch and for a quick trip to Greencastle. We needed to make a quick run through WalMart and Kroger for a few things we needed for Christmas dinner. When the plumber left he told us to be careful because the roads were supposed to get bad due to an ice storm that was coming. We left home and made it into town without a problem. I did notice it was somewhat slick, but I just took it slow and was careful. As we got into town, there was an area where some semis and large trucks were sliding and couldn't get around this sloped curve area, but cars were passing through just fine. At this point, Sammie told me to just pick up food for lunch and GO BACK HOME! I didn't listen to her, but in hindsight, I certainly should have!!! As a matter of fact, I told her "I'm already out, I'm going to finish before I go back home." Yeah, I've had many ideas better than that! LOL We had to take a detour to Greencastle because of an accident, but it wasn't a big deal...or so we thought! Got to WalMart and got the Santa Fe in for an oil change while we shopped. I think we were out of WalMart in record time! As we were headed to Kroger, I could tell the roads had gotten worse, so we didn't spend too much time in there. When we left there I headed back the same way we came because I figured the accident wasn't cleared up and that there were probably many more. Boy was I ever right! We got to SR 243 and US 40 and discovered we couldn't go east on 40, which didn't surprise me, but we also couldn't continue on 243. Grrrrr. So, we headed west on 40. I figured I'd find a way home since it was my old bus route! We tried a couple of different back roads only to find cars in ditches. Decided it wasn't worth taking a chance of ending up in a ditch and having to walk so we turned around and headed back to 40 to go west. We drove to Brazil and turned on 59 to head back towards I-70. We stopped and filled up with gas and got sodas and headed east on 70. Traffic was crawling, but at least it was moving...or so we thought. A couple of hours later we realized the only reason it was "moving" was because people were turning around and heading back west. Sooooo.....basically, it took us almost 6 hours to get home when we were less than 15 miles away! We were able to entertain ourselves, at least! Sammie just happened to have her DVD player with her in the car so we watched The Barnyard. (Guess this time I'm glad she didn't take all of her stuff out of the car!). We had snacks with us since we had been to the store...and we got into them! LOL The girls each took a nap for about an hour. Wish I could have done the same, but I was afraid traffic would start moving and I wouldn't wake up! We also made quite a few phone calls. We talked to Roger about every 30 minutes...he was stuck in traffic, also! Mom kept calling and updating us when she heard traffic reports or information. We also talked to the Westells...Donna kept us laughing! And my nephew, Jason, and my sister, Debbie! Finally, I remembered that I had several lottery tickets in my purse that were meant for Roger's stocking. Syd and I talked about how it would be fun to tell the story of how we won big $$ while sitting in traffic when we went to the Lottery Office to claim our money! Well, we only won $3, so we won't be taking a trip to the Lottery Office! We pulled in the driveway about 10pm and Roger got home around 10:30pm. We were all exhausted!

I'll share our Christmas Eve adventures tomorrow, as I have a couple of pictures to go with it!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Only 15 days???

Oh my!!!! I can't believe it's only 15 days until Christmas. That means only 14 days to shop...and really less than that since we have Christmas with my family on December 20th. And...it's at our house this year! Lots to do to get ready.

I love all the excitement of the holiday season. I promised myself that I wasn't going to get stressed out about the holidays or get grumpy or frustrated. I wish I could say that I was sticking to that, but so far I've been a huge bundle of stress. I will say, though, that it's not Christmas related, it's work related, and this will pass! I can't even begin to tell you how many hours I've worked over the past few weeks, and I honestly don't even want to think about it!

Hopefully you are enjoying a wonderful holiday season with lots of blessings!

I'll try and post every chance I get!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Any questions?????

I got this in an email, and it really made me laugh! I've had a really bad day, so I guess that's what made it so funny! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!


A Christmas Story for people having a bad day:

When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.

Then, Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.

Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.

Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drank all the cider and hidden the liquor. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor.

He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.

Just then the doorbell rang. Irritated, Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.

The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'

And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree!

Ain't she pretty!!!!

This is my Mom…isn’t she beautiful? Today she turned 67. She is an AMAZING woman. She’s been through so much and just keeps on going. I am very fortunate to have a mother who is so caring, loving and strong! She’s a real tough cookie! I had the pleasure of taking Mom out to lunch today. It was a gorgeous day, too. Thanks, Mom, for everything you have done for me in my life. I’m definitely a lucky girl! I love you!!! Happy, happy, happy birthday!

Oh what a night!!!!!!

Well, Saturday afternoon, night and into the wee hours of Sunday morning was a complete blast! I got to go with my friends Donna and Sheryl to Lucas Oil Stadium for the most awesome concert EVER!!!!

We missed the first act - Brother Trouble - because we had just gotten into the stadium and had to have a margarita before we headed to our seat. They only played 15 minutes, so I don't think we missed too much! :o)

When we got ot our seats, we met the cutest couple (although they are best friends...not a couple! LOL). We had fun singing and dancing with them all night! Ben and Hannah...you guys rock!

This is Donna...once she figured out they had opened the roof of the stadium, she was quite "happy"! (I'm sure the margarita helped, too!)
This is Donna, Sheryl and I. We really had a great time!
And this....this is my man Keith! Isn't he hot!!!!!

Oh look...there he is again!!!!!
and this was when he was singing to me!!! (In my dreams, LOL)
And then there was Kenny! I never really had any desire to see Kenny in concert, but let me tell you...I'm a big fan now!!! The man puts on a show! He's still a little short for my taste, but he's a cutie! And just seems like a generally nice guy...he even brought his Mom on stage!!
Kenny sure knows how to put together a tour! This concert happened to be the last night of the Pirates and Poets tour. It opened at 4pm with a group called Brother Trouble. They were followed by Luke Bryan (who just happened to be pretty cute!). Then came Garry Allan. This was my second time seeing him and I really enjoyed it! That guy can SING!!!! Then was LeAnn Rimes. She was pretty good also. Loved the green dress she wore, but she need to brush her hair! LOL Her voice sounded great, despite the fact that she had cancelled the previous two nights due to tonsilitis. After LeAnn finished out came Keith. Oh my gosh....it was just wonderful. He seemed to really enjoy himself and the crowd just LOVED him! I wish he could have played longer! Then Kenny came on the screen and introduced his road crew as the "Mostly Crue" and they came out and played 3 songs. I can't remember the first one, the second one was Helter Skelter and finally they played Rock & Roll all night (KISS) and it was soooo rockin'!!! They were quite an interesting group and not a pretty bunch, but they sounded pretty dang good! I loved it! Then came Kenny. He had a lot of energy and sounded great. Everyone loved him, too! Beach balls were floating throughout the crowd and it was definitely a huge party. Kenny was scheduled to stop playing at 11:05, but shortly before that Uncle Kracker came out on the stage and sang When the Sun Goes Down with Kenny. Then he sang Follow Me...one of my FAVORITE songs ever...then he and Kenny sang Cowboy by Kid Rock....That was FUN! After that Luke Bryan came out and sang a song with Kenny and then Keith did, too, then it just turned into a huge party. They finally ended at about 12:10pm! I had so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hugs&Smiles!

Kim

You Would Have been

32 today! I wish you were still here so we could celebrate! I miss you!



Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

The Olympics

Okay, I have to admit....I'm an Olympics JUNKIE! I'm telling you, I can't get enough of this stuff! It's terrible. I haven't had a good night's sleep since they started. The week before they started I thought I might watch some of the swimming, diving and gymnastics, but probably not too much. Thought I might also be interested in a little bit of the Track and Field. Yeah, right...I've watched hours upon hours of those three things, not to mention the hours of Track and Field....along with things I don't even understand, like fencing and handball. I don't get it, but I watched it! There are things that I knew were "fun", but I didn't know they were considered a sport...trampoline, for instance! Don't get me wrong, after watching what they did I can see that it's not just some "fun" thing to do. Water polo and beach volleyball...who knew that could be so exciting? And the regular volleyball. Man, those girls are TOUGH AS NAILS! I will admit, though, my favorite part tends to be the "life stories" of the athletes. Not just the Americans, but any of them. Maybe I'm nosey. But really, I love that stuff. It makes me feel like I really know these people. Makes me want to just jump through the TV and give them a hug!

I keep hearing lots of talk on the radio and from other people about what a crappy job NBC is doing with all of it. Apparenty I'm not very hard to please, because I am thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. Well, okay, I can't stand Bob Costas...he's just a pompous jerk (the only reporter I dislike more than him is Bryant Gumble), but even ole Bob is not annoying me like he usually does.

I also can't believe the number of World records that have been broken, not to mention the Olympic records. There are even countries who are winning medals who have never won a medal so far. That's just plain cool!

Oh, and last night had to be my two favorite moments so far. When they showed Shawn Johnson's parents after her balance beam routine (a gold medal routine!) and Jonathan Horton's parents after his horizontal bar routine (a silver medal routine!). Both sets of parents just glowed sheer joy and pride..and tears. As proud as I am of my kids for the things they do, I can't even imagine what that would feel like!! I'm sure it will take days for them to come down off that high!!

I hear that Chicago is putting in a bid for the 2016 Olympics. Let me tell you, I've got everything crossed that they win that bid. I've decided that I want to see some of this in person...and I'd prefer to do it right here in this country. And if it just happens to be a mere 4 hours from my home, well, that's even better! I've got lots of friends who live in and around Chicago, so hopefully I can pay someone to let me stay with them!

Hugs&Smiles!

Kim

BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!

The girls started back to school last Thursday (August 14th). Syd is now in 8th grade and Sammie is in 1st grade. They were both excited to go back, but really couldn't believe that summer was already over.

Here's Syd with her new outfit and hair cut/highlights! The color isn't really too good in this picture, but you get the idea!


Sammie got her hair all cut off this year! It's a little shorter than I had actually wanted, but it looks pretty darn cute on her! She was so excited to get to wear her new outfit....she thinks gauchos are the coolest!

Surprisingly, they were willing to pose together for a picture, too! Syd, of course, tried to get out of it by saying "we don't match...we clash", but that wasn't gonna work!

We're hoping for a great year. So far the girls have perfect attendance! LOL (Every morning when I wake them up I remind them that they have perfect attendance so far!)

Hope all of your "back to schools" are wonderful!

Hugs&Smiles!

Kim

Happy Birthday, Sis!!!!

We had a little party at Mom's on Sunday for my sister, Debbie. She turned 49...although we only had 29 candles to put on her cake! :) Mom made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans and cake. I took a salad and pineapple casserole. This is the first time I ever remember having just the right amount of food. We ALWAYS have way, way, way too much. Everything was delicious and it was a gorgeous day, too!

The cakes - Mom made a carrot cake with cream cheese icing and a yellow cake with chocolate icing. Both were VERY good!

And, you've always gotta have that ever-flattering picture blowing out the candles! The girls got a giggle out of watching Debbie blow out the candles!

Debbie wanted a picture of her family, and I made it my job to make it happen! If you ask them, they'll all tell you I'm bossy and made them get up and come outside to have their picture taken! I even made Lacey get Thomas up from his nap, but c'mon, it's all she asked for, so how could anyone argue with that???

It was a great day and I'm so glad I got to spend my sister's birthday with her. We hardly ever get to see each other anymore and that really sucks. Life is too busy. She's a cool chick! Love ya, Sis!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Almost 2 weeks....again...

I've been terrible about updating...again!

I will do my best to post at least a few times this week. We'll see how I do!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Four fun pictures from vacation!

First picture was taken for KatieJ. Right in downtown Branson, there was a cupcake store!! We had just finished breakfast so we weren't ready for one...and we never made it back there...they sure looked yummy, though! Syd wasn't happy that I had a lot of pictures of Sammie and none of her, so I took this one. She didn't want me to take her picture, though, so she has a goofy look on her face! We were at Branson Landing waiting for dinner.
Roger let Sammie get her face painted (and let Syd get a third piercing in her right ear at the top!). I thought Sammie's face painting turned out really cute!
And Syd got the biggest kick out of this guy's shirt! We were sitting by the fountain at Branson Landing and there was a band playing and this guy was standing in front of us!!! LOL

I'll post more about vacation in the next couple of days! Work has been really busy since I got back. Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!!

Hugs&Smiles!

Kim

70....

That's how old my Dad would have been today. Hard for me to believe or even imagine. Dad passed away at the young age of 52. He had esophagean cancer and it took him pretty quickly. Today I'll dedicate my weekly 4 to my Dad with 4 memories of him! Hopefully I can find pictures of these things and update this post with them real soon!

1) I remember dancing with my Dad on my wedding day. Mom was not happy with him because he wouldn't take off his "Irish" baseball cap and sunglasses. I thought they looked nice with his tux and was so pleased that he chose to wait to put them on at the reception, rather than at the wedding ceremony. As we finished dancing and he was walking away I saw him take off his glasses and wipe away tears...he really was a softie!

2) I remember how much my Dad loved being outdoors. He loved to ginseng hunt (and usually paid for Christmas that way!), he loved to hunt deer, rabbits, squirrels and the occasional turtle (and fed us that way!), he loved to cut down the biggest tree he could find at the bottom of the steepest hill he could find (and let me carry it up the hill so Lance and Chris could split it! LOL), he loved to do just about anything outside.

3) I remember him being silly. Most of the time he was a very serious and stern person, but he did like to cut up once in a while! He had funny songs he would sing in the car (George Jones and Roger Miller songs, especially), he liked to play practical jokes, he loved to do anything to make little kids laugh! He enjoyed torturing us by owning ugly cars and trucks!!!!!!!

4) I remember him always doing the best he could! We didn't always agree with everything he said or did, but we ALWAYS respected him (even if it sometimes took a few years! LOL). He was always willing to offer his advice or opinion, whether you wanted it or not! He taught us to work hard, play hard, and always do our best. He taught us about respect, faith, honesty and love.

I can't believe he's already been gone 16 years. It really doesn't seem possible. I still miss him every day and wish I could just talk to him.

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Look at this cutie!!!!!

I have a new great nephew and his name is Kailyr. I know he was a tiny little peanut that weighed 6 pounds something (course, his Mommy is a tiny little thing, too!). Daddy is quite tall, so I'm anxious to find out how long he is. He was born on Tuesday at 12:35am. I haven't had a chance to see him and hold him yet, but I hope to do that real soon. I stole this picture, fair and square from the Grand Nana's blog! ( Mr. Green Jeans ) LOL Isn't he the most precious little guy??? Congratulations M&B! You did good!

Hugs&Smiles!
Great Aunt Kim

I love this picture that Syd took of Sammie running from 3rd base to home...both feet are off the ground! And if I had zoomed in better on this photo, you could see that her tongue is sticking out!!! She is all about running as fast as she can!














This is her batting. She got an awesome hit at this game. Probably her best ever! It went in the air to the outfield and it was from a pitch, not off the tee! She DOES NOT like to hit off the tee..she says that is for "babies"! LOL













And, finally, a picture of her in the field! Sometimes she was a bit of a "ball hog", but I was just proud that she was always watching the ball and not playing in the dirt like some of the other kids!!!

I'm glad she had fun playing and I'm glad the tee ball season is over! I think she had a good time playing and she's looking forward to being on a "coach pitch" team next year where they actually keep score!

















Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Hummasine....

Thanks to all my friends and family who ordered magazines from Sydney's school fund raiser way back early in the school year. She and another girl in her class sold 15 each which was what they needed to sell to go to lunch in a Hummasine! They had fun. They got picked up at school, then went to McDonald's for lunch and then down to the lake for some photos! This is Syd and one of her good friends, Harli!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

I've been TAGGED!!!

What was I doing 10 years ago?
Hmmm, let me think...that was a long time ago. Syd was 3, Roger and I had been married for about 10 years, I had just turned 30. I don't remember. Wish I had a blog back then so I could go back and see what was going on in my life!

Five snacks I enjoy in a perfect, non weight-gaining world:
1. Dove Chocolate or Hershey's Bliss
2. Tortilla chips and that white cheese sauce from Mexican restaurants
3. Anything that is really cheesy
4. Popcorn
5. Margaritas! :)

Five snacks I enjoy in the real world:
1. Zesta Wheat Crackers
2. Baked tortilla chips and salsa
3. WW string cheese
4. fresh fruit - grapes, bananas, strawberries, pineapple
5. water

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Build an awesome gym in Cloverdale...with inexpensive rates
2. Give lots of $$ to my family and Roger's family
3. Build an awesome daycare in Cloverdale with inexpensive rates
4. Finally take a trip to Jamaica...and many other dream places!
5. Relax!

Five jobs that I have had:
1. Administrative Assistant (back when it was called a Secretary!)
2. Nurse's Aide in a nursing home
3. Gas station attendant
4. Event Planner
5. Mom

Five of my habits:
1. Procrastination...more a way of life than a habit! :o)
2. My 44 oz. Diet Coke from Casey's
3. Talking on my cell phone
4. Speedway gas station...seriously, I go there TOO MUCH!
5. Making messes!

Five places I have lived:
1. Indianapolis, Indiana
2. Reelsville, Indiana
3. Cloverdale, Indiana
4. That's all....
5. Honestly!

Five people we should all get to know better: (A nice way of saying TAG!)
KatieJ, Jeanne, Jodie, Pam/LubeQueen, Scooper

Slideshow of Disney Layouts

Okay, running behind (WHAT'S NEW???) on updating my blog, and probably everything else in my life!

Here are some recent layouts I've done from pictures of our Disney vacation from Spring Break in March. I have corrected the spelling of "Villains" on that layout, I was just too lazy to take a new picture! Some of the pictures are kinda crappy, but you get the general idea. And, it's just nice to actually be taking time to scrapbook lately!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

4 Things...

KatieJ has challenged us to post a weekly list of 4 things and I haven't been doing it. Tonight I've been the "blog police" and have been reading friends blogs and telling them it's time to post an update, so I figured I better do the same!

This weeks 4 things are.....


4 THINGS I SHOULD HAVE ALREADY POSTED ON MY BLOG BUT HAVEN'T...

This is just like a little "heads up" of what's coming your way this week on my very exciting blog!

1) Tee Ball pictures. Miss Sammie is quite the tee ball player. She's love it and she's pretty good! LOL

2) Syd's ride in a Hummasine (hummer limosuine) - a prize from a fund raiser at school.

3) Sammie's kindergarten graduation - cute stuff

4) I've been scrapping so be on the lookout for a slideshow of my recent layouts!

That's it for now! But I *promise* to get at least these 4 things posted this week....with pictures (wink, wink Jodie!).

Look what I found on my memory card!!!

Sammie is a nut...I never know what I will find on a memory card, and today was no exception. It was rainy and icky yesterday so the girls were stuck inside all day and, apparently, Sammie decided to entertain herself (and Syd and Holly!) by making a video! It's 3 minutes of your life that you'll never get back, but I bet you'll laugh at least a little. She's just a dork!

Hugs&Smiles!

Kim

Shame on me!!!

I'm a terrible blogger! It's been over two weeks since my last post and I have so many things to show you and tell you! Tee ball pictures, graduation pictures, awards program stuff, end of school stuff, some recipes I've been trying...oh, and I even scrapped! WooHoo! I'll try and get some posts in this week and get you all caught up on all my fun stuff! (okay, fun to me, anyway! LOL)

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Little birdie......

So, I have this wreath on my front door. It has great sentimental value to me. It was sent to me when my Dad passed away (in 1992) by a very special friend. When Christmas was over this year, I took down my Christmas wreath and hung this one on my front door in place of it. Roger told me when I did it that it wasn't a good idea. It had always hung in the house before. Well, on Monday night when I got home, Roger told me that he was sitting on the couch and heard something that he had also heard a couple days before. He was pretty sure what it was, but kinda let it go. Then when he got home from Syd's track meet and started to walk in the door, he saw it! A little birdie had made her home on my wreath! How dare her LOL

It was quite a well put-together nest, too! Packed with lots of mud and stuff. I had to take the wreath down and clean the door real good, cause she had dripped mud everywhere. Now I just don't know what to do with it so it's still sitting on my porch rail. I really hate to pitch the wreath because it's so special to me, but I also know how nasty birds are. Who knows what I'll do. I do feel bad, though, for moving her home after she put so much work into it, but the last thing I need is for a bird to fly in my house when I open the door...that would NOT be good!

Will this week ever end???

Wow, has it ever been CRAZY! It's only Thursday which means I've still got another day to deal with. UGH! And a busy weekend to follow it, but that's okay because at least it's not work, right?

Track is over for Sydney this year. She had a really great season. The county meet was on Monday night and she got 3rd in the 1600 (mile). Her time was 6:23, which is her fastest ever! (First place was 6:17.) She wasn't really happy with third place, but I think she was okay with it when she realized what her time was! Our team actually took 1st, 2nd and 3rd, so that is just awesome. Her time in the 800 (1/2 mile) was down a little from the last meet so she didn't like that! We are so proud of her. And...her team was undefeated for the year AND won the County title! That rocks! That's 3 years in a row they've won County!

Sammie is LOVING tee ball! I've got some pictures to share in another post...maybe tomorrow! She has had 2 games so far and is doing very well. Still a little afraid of the ball, but she hits well and throws well so that's a start! She's supposed to have a game tonight, but I think it might get rained out. She will be so sad!

Speaking of rain, and just weather in general....what the heck is going on?????? It's May now...I wore a turtleneck to work yesterday and a sweater today. It's only supposed to be 62 degrees today with rain. I'm tired of rain. My yard is like a great big sponge. At this rate, we aren't going to be able to mow the grass until July. I need summertime weather. Lots of sunshine and temps in the 80's, please!

And, while I'm talking about things I don't like...these gas prices are RIDICULOUS! Hello, $3.95 for a gallon of gas? I just can't believe my eyes. I did hear on the radio today that some stations will be $4.19 next weekend for the race/ Memorial Day. Isn't that price gouging? (I'm sure I butchered the spelling there!), but seriously...isn't it??

Well, time to get back to work. I'll post some pictures later today. I've got some fun stuff to share!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Is it "40" or is it STRESS????

I'm just not even sure which it is...probably a combination of both, I suppose! I am so tired and I just want to hide somewhere! I feel like I can't complete anything anymore...everything at work has been so busy and last minute that I always seem to be chasing my own tail. My house is a mess and I can't seem to get on top of it...that just wears me out. Laundry is never-ending, it seems. I'm so ready for some REAL spring and summer weather. Not this crazy crap where it's 80 one day and 36 the next...and the wind, someone please turn off the wind before I blow away. I want to find some time to scrapbook, but even my scrapbook room looks like a bomb went off. I have started organizing/cleaning it again, but it's a big job and just feels a little overwhelming right now so I tend to walk in, look around, put a few things away and walk back out. I think I need to just take a REAL day off work while Roger is working and the girls are at school and CLEAN THE HOUSE. Not check e-mail or voice mail for work, but really focus on getting my house in order. I know when that is done, I will feel better.

Okay, enough whining and complaining. Back to reality. Back to smiling and being "happy"! Back to your regularly scheduled life!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

SURPRISE!!!!!!

Well, my 40th birthday was just wonderful! Some friends/coworkers threw me a surprise party at lunch time. I can't believe I didn't catch on or no one let it slip!!!! Here are some pics of the big party!

So, here I am after I walk into the room and realize what is going on! And I start pointing fingers when I realize who all was involved in this whole thing! Sneaky, sneaky people!!!

And here are the absolutely delicious cakes! They were from Costco, and let me just tell you, I need a membership to that place because they have the YUMMIEST cakes ever! The first one was chocolate with some kind of cheesecake filling. It just melted in my mouth!!!
I don't know exactly what flavor this cake was, but it was delicious, too! It had a strawberry filling. My friend Sabika who is from Pakistan "tried" to decorate it with this gooey Hubba Bubba icky gel stuff, but Donna stopped her! LOL I don't know what these green things are that she ended up spelling "OVER THE HILL KIM" with, but Donna asked her if it was written in "Pakistani" language! Hehehe! Oh well, like I said, it sure tasted good...and yes, I had a piece of each kind because I wouldn't want one of the cakes to feel left out! There were two huge bokays of balloons along with some quite funny gifts! Now for some of the gifts... My favorite was definitely the Breast Suspenders! LOL I also got a headband that says "geezer crossing", slippers that say "over the hill", a constipation crisis kit, hot flash cooling mints, fanny floss, some glasses that made me a bit dizzy when I put them on, and the biggest laugh of all was the remote control fart machine! I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face. Sabika had the remote for it. She should never have control of something like that EVER again.

It was a really great party and I was definitely surprised! Thanks to all my friends who were a part of it!

The "Over The Hill Fairy" apparently visited my house to as I had a yard sign that said over the hill, too! LOL

When I got home, the girls, Roger and I went to Outback for dinner. It was soooo good!

I had a wonderful birthday and I'm proud to say I'm 40!

Hugs&Smiles!

Kim

Today's the day!!!

The BIG 4-0!!! Am I supposed to feel different? 'Cause I sure don't! A little tired today...a little stressed, but that's all job related so that has nothing to do with my age. I really hoped it wouldn't rain on my birthday, but, oh well....rain's not so bad, I suppose!

Got a pretty card from Sammie this morning, an e-card from a work friend, an e-mail from my brother, Lance and a special post on KatieJ's blog just for me! Those all sure made me smile! I think I'm gonna have to run out and buy a birthday cake, though, cause I have to have cake on my birthday. Maybe I'll go get cupcakes, instead! I know a great bakery where I can get them!

I did call my Mom last night to ask her what she remembered about the day I was born! She's a little forgetful, but she said she remembered being up walking the floor most of the night and Dad told her it wasn't time that she needed to go to bed! LOL I can so hear that conversation! She said she remembers polishing the older kids shoes...WTH? And she's pretty sure I was born during the day, but couldn't remember exactly what time! Then she reminded me that she had given me my birth certificate and that I should go get it and see what time it was. Yeah, right...like I know where that thing is! LOL We'll just go with "daytime" and be happy about it! :o) I sent Mom flowers to work today, so hopefully that will bring a big smile to her face. She's not been feeling too good lately.

We're supposed to go to Sydney's county track meet tonight, but I have a feeling it may be cancelled. That was be a bummer...I've been looking forward to it! Guess I'll have to see what happens with all this rain before they make a decision.

I hope you all have a wonderful day. I know that I certainly plan to!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Sydney ROCKS!!!!!!

Okay, so the day didn't start out so well. I was the nice Mom who told Syd I would take her to school so she'd have 10 more minutes to get ready. She was happy to hear that. Sammie still jumped on the bus because she was ready on time and she has a crush on Chuck who rides her bus! (he's an 8th grader!) LOL

Anywayyyyyy...I pull up to school to drop her off and lean over to give her a kiss goodbye just like ever other day and...well, she puts her hand up and says "Ummm...thanks but no thanks." I was in total shock, but I think she could see that I was also hurt. She jumped out of the car and said "But I love you, Mom." I couldn't utter a word, I was still in shock!

So, off I go to work. Going through my busy day, just minding my own business, and I get a text message about 1pm from Sydney... it says "Sry bout this mornin! ILY!" It made me smile. And she better never put her hand up to me again or I'll have to take her phone away so she can't send me anymore text apologies!!!

Okay...now to the part where she ROCKS! She had her last regular-season track meet tonight. Today at school they had the last part of their Presidential Fitness Test and it was the running part. The 13 year old girls had to run a mile in 8:15. Syd was 2nd in her class (a boy finished before her) with a time of 6:39, which was really great for her! I talked to her on the way to her meet and she said she hoped she would still have a good time in the 1600 (mile) at the meet. Well...she did! She got 2nd place with a time of 6:27.5!!!! Don't know for sure, but I bet that is her best time ever in that event! Then, she was so pumped up about her time she asked the coach if she could run in the 800 (half-mile) and she let her and she got 4th place (2nd for our team) with a time of 2:55.5!!! Another great time for her! She was very proud of herself and we were so proud of her, too! Her friend, Cheryl, ran the 1600 for the first time in a meet, and she did really well, too! I'm not completely sure what her time was, but she did great!

That's it for tonight! Tomorrow is Sammie's first tee ball game. Should be a fun night! At least I hope it is!

Thanks to my friend Dawn H. for the funny birthday card I got in the mail today! Made me LOL, for sure! Just you wait, missy, your turn is coming!!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Pictures of the girls...

We were going to go mushroom hunting this afternoon and then decided not to. Instead, we went to the store and got stuff to cook on the grill and then came home to do just that. We

decided that we

better mow the grass while we had the chance this evening so Roger started out and then Syd took over so we could get the grill cleaned and ready to cook!

Here's a picture of Syd on the new mower. It's huge! She likes it, but can't wait for it to be warmer so she can get a good tan while mowing! LOL

And here's Sammie. She loves her hoopdaloop!! Don't you just love her outfit? She dressed herself! Quite the fashion statement with those rubber boots! LOL

Not ready to go back to work tomorrow, but I really haven't accomplished a thing this weekend so I guess I need that daily routine in order to get anything done around here! I hope you all have a great week (I pretend a lot of people read my blog, but I really think KatieJ is about the only one who does! LOL). I plan to have a fantabulous week since I get to celebrate my 40th birthday on Thursday!!!!

Okay...sorry...pics didn't work! I'll try again tomorrow to get them loaded and update this post!

Good Night!
Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

*****ETA: Sorry, can't seem to get the pictures in the right place, but you get the point....and I get credit for coming back to add the pics....right??????****

What a zoo!!!!

Today was Sammie's kindergarten field trip. One of my most dreaded days. I don't like animals, I don't like most kids and I don't like stormy weather. Let's see...the animals were totally boring. Well, the ones that were there, anyway! LOL The kids were...well, kids! Actually, Sammie was really good. Bordering on GREAT! It never really stormed, but it rained off and on and the skies got really dark a few times...at least it was warm!

I'll try and share pictures tomorrow...too tired tonight! I really didn't take too many, but I think I got at least a couple of cute ones of Sammie...and she tooks some good animal pictures.

Tomorrow is the tee ball jamboree. What fun.........NOT!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Less than a week....

until the big day! I'm getting kinda excited. Again, no big plans except for Syd's County Track Meet. I'm sad that it's the last meet of the year, though. I hope she does really great!

I've been getting some great birthday offers in the mail and e-mail. Thought I'd share some of them with you. Some of you may have received some of these, too, because some of them are "Mother's Day" offers!

1) Victoria's Secret birthday card with $10 gift card! Wonder what that will cost me! LOL (You know it's not possible to go in there and spend just $10...although Syd offered to take it off my hands cause she needs new eyeliner! LOL)

2) Flyer from JC Penney with $10 coupon. You don't even have to spend $20 to use it! They send these a few times a year, this one just happened to come around my birthday! LOL

3) Free bottle of lotion from Bath and Body Works - don't even have to buy anything else!

4) Happy Birthday post card from Bass Pro Shops...they are so kind they're offering me Free Shipping on a $50 order....yeah, that one probably won't get used!

5) Kroger sent me a big ole envelope of coupons, but the top 4 were a free case of Kroger brand water, a free half-gallon of Private Selection (Kroger Brand) ice cream, a free clamshell of cherry tomatoes (ick!), and a free Ice Mountain water (doesn't say what size?). There's a bunch of other coupons, too, that are good deals...they track your shopping through your membership card and send you coupons specifically for the items/brands you buy!

6) Red Robin sent me an e-mail for a free burger...I have to use it by 5/15. I will definitely have a Banzai burger!!!

7) Kohl's sent me a coupon for 15% off an entire purchase.

8) The Hoosier Lottery sent me an e-mail coupon for a free scratch-off lottery ticket...I hope it's a big winner!!!!

There was something else I got in e-mail, too, but I can't remember what it was. I think I'm gonna try and use these all and take pictures of what I get so I can make a SB layout of my birthday freebies!! Free is good!!!!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Just some quick rants....

1) gas prices...HOLY CRAP! $3.75 a gallon. Not good.

2) I can't get caught up at work...I hate this feeling! So stressful.

3) Cupcakes...why do they taste so good and call my name? Dang things!

4) So stinkin' tired of all this political crap. Just when I think I agree with a candidate they remind me why I don't. I can't even begin to think about wanting one of these people to run the country.

5) Where does the time go? Today I wake up and realize another month is gone. Tonight I get home from work, cook dinner, clean up and look at the clock and it's already 9pm. WHAT????? I didn't even get to sit down yet. I hate that!

That's all.

On a happy note....

One week from tomorrow I will be 40! I think I need to call my Mommy and ask her what time I was born...I don't know and I think that's something I should know!

Hugs&Smiles!

Peppered Eggs...

Sounds like a pretty fancy dish, doesn't it? Well, it's what I made Roger for dinner last night!!!
First, the picture, then I'll do the explaining!!!

Go ahead....say it...."Ewwwwww, what in the world did you do?" LOL Well, I'm a creature of habit. Anyone who knows me knows this is true! So, I've been buying the same kind of pepper for oh, probably about 20 years or so. McCormick's Course Ground Pepper. Now, the packaging has changed over the years, but the most recent change just isn't sinking in just yet. You see, for as long as I can remember, the bottles of pepper have come with a screw cap that you take off and then shake the pepper out. Not the newest packaging...it's a flip-top! LOL So, as I was cooking dinner (yes, we have breakfast for dinner at least a couple nights a week!) I was talking to Sydney and Sammie and I grabbed the pepper, took the lid off and.....there ya go! Tasty, huh? Syd and Sam were totally grossed out by this. Roger just looked at me and shook his head...this wasn't the first cooking catastrophe he has seen from me! LOL

By the way....he didn't eat this, I dumped them out of the pan, washed the pan and cooked more eggs! LOL

So, there you have it. I finally put a picture on my blog and it's something totally gross! LOL

Maybe after I turn 40 I'll have better blog posts? Don't count on it! LOL But I guess we'll see in about 8 more days!!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Sunday again....

Yep...my most icky time of the week...late on Sunday night. Monday morning looming over my head. I just hate it! I'm hoping this won't be a terrible week, but you just never know. Syd has a track meet tomorrow night, but I can't go because Sammie has tee ball practice. I wish I could be 2 places at once! Then I think we actually don't have anything again until Friday, when Syd has another track meet...then Sammie has her tee ball jamboree on Saturday. Yippee! Up and to the ballpark by 7am on a Saturday...I love being a Mom!!

Hard to believe that it's only 11 days (well, really 10 since it's getting close to midnight!) until my birthday. I thought the fact of turning 40 might start to bother me as it started creeping up, but so far, I still don't really care! It's only a number, right? At least that's what I keep telling myself. I'll have to post a couple stories this week that remind me that it might bother me just a little...but I refuse to let a number define my happiness! Heck, I've still got a lot of great years ahead of me. FORTY is YOUNG!!!!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Party Pack!!!!

That's what Sammie talked me into tonight! LOL We went to Movie Gallery to return a VERY late movie and we picked out 4 movies, which would have been about $19 (crazy, I know!), well the lady said "You can get a Party Pack for $23.99...it's 4 movies, 4 popcorns (microwave), 4 candies and 4 drinks." Sammie was sold INSTANTLY! LOL So, we got it. We got The Bee Movie, Juno, The Waterhorse and some baseball movie that is described as Friday Night Lights meets Field of Dreams...I can't remember the name, but it sounded good to me! The Bee Movie is on now and it's pretty cute, but I'm getting tired! LOL

No real plans for the weekend....I think the weather is supposed to turn pretty icky on us. I can't complain, we've had a BEAUTIFUL week. It's been over 80 degrees at least twice this week. I was home today and had all the window open and it was so relaxing to hear the bird chirping and the bees buzzing (that's another post...we have a wood bee problem on our front porch!).

I need to get some pictures posted to my blog in case Jodie stops by to check on me. She mentioned in one of her posts that she hates blog posts without pics! Oops! LOL

Oh, I also forgot to mention that I have a new great nephew! His name is Thomas. My neice Lacey and her husband Brian welcomed him into the world....oh, I can't remember the exact date, but think it was on April 16 or 17! I haven't had a chance to see him or any pictures yet, but I can't wait! I bought him the cutest froggy outfit last weekend!!

And finally, less than 2 weeks now until the big day! I'd really like to have lots of sunshine for my birthday and I'd love for Sydney to get some blue ribbons at the County Track Meet that is on my birthday. Final meet of the season and 7th grade sports are officially over! Wow!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

A little behind...as usual!

Sorry, work is making me crazy...and tonight when I got home from work I decided that it was such a beautiful evening that I was going outside! I mowed part of the yard with a fancy-schmancy mower (ours is broke, but that's another post! LOL), then the girls wanted to ride their 4-wheelers, so I sat and watched! Then I got crazy and started cleaning the garage!

It was a nice evening, until I realized it was 9:15pm and dinner wasn't even started yet! Oops. So, unfortunately, we ended up with a very late McDonald's dinner. Bad plan..I know!

So, it's now Thursday (at 2:15am!), and I just realized it's only 2 weeks until I turn 40...wow....it's coming fast!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Only 17 days left in my 30's!

I can't hardly believe it! And guess what...there are things I haven't done in my 39 years! Hehe...probably lots of them, if the truth be told, but I decided today I would post 3 things I HAVEN'T done that might surprise some of you. I challenge you to do the same on your blog!

3 Things I Haven't Done...

1) I haven't ever lived in an apartment

2) I haven't ever broken a bone

3) I never had my wedding dress professionally cleaned after my wedding!

So, tell me....what HAVEN'T you done that would surprise people???

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

I was trying

to upload another video of my friend/co-worker, Alisa, and I, but it's not working so I'll have to do that another day!

Seems kinda typical for things around here, though. Today Roger had to fix both the washer and the water heater. He deserves a metal for doing both of those in one day...but it worked out well for me, as I only had to take everything out of the utility room once! :o)

We now have clean laundry and hot water...YAY!!

Nothing else exciting to post today. I've lost count of how many days until 40, but I'll check back in tomorrow and give you an update...as I'm sure you are all on the edge of your seat waiting to find out!!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

What the......

Okay, so in Indiana, an earthquake is not common, not normal, not expected...but that's exactly what woke me up on Friday morning! I didn't know that's what it was, I thought it was some really loud thunder. My alarm went off and I had hit the snooze and was just laying there kind thinking about going back to sleep until the alarm went off again and there it was. It didn't really feel like much, but I think I was kinda half asleep. It was around 5:30 in the morning.

I guess there was an aftershock a little later that several people at work felt, but I didn't feel it. Kinda crazy. I have heard and read several times that we have a major fault line that goes right through here, but I never really thought much of it.

There are a couple of quarries that aren't far from here, and sometimes during the day I have felt the whole house shake when they are blasting. I didn't think this earthquake felt any different than that, really.

So, that was the excitement around here on Friday! I tried to post this from my iPhone last night, but it didn't go through for some reason.

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Only 20 more days....

and, by the way...I didn't hit the lottery last night.

I also didn't go to bed last night...I'm too old for that crap!

Work is killin' me!

Hugs&Smiles!

I hope I hit the lottery tonight....

That's all for today! Nothing exciting. Been a long day...actually, a long week. ***sigh***


Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

I love me some KatieJ!!!

What more could a girl ask for in a BFF? KatieJ is funny, sweet, thoughtful and crazy...oh and she even watched my kids (with my other BFF, Jeanne, who will get a special post on another day!) while Roger and I went away for the weekend for our anniversary! How lucky am I? I always know when I have plans to get together with KatieJ that I'm going to have fun. Even if it's only for lunch, we have a good time! We are always so anxious to see each other that we are usually both rattling on and on non-stop the whole time, barely making sense and never pausing from one subject to another...and it all makes sense!!! Okay, probably only to us! LOL
Anyway...big shout out to my BFF, KatieJ. I wish you didn't have to travel so much so we could get together more often!
Love ya!


Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Oh my stars for the love of Liza....

Only 23 more days!!!

Do you have lines from movies that you and your family use all the time? One of ours is above! It's from the movie The Ringer. If you haven't seen this movie, I HIGHLY recommend it! It's Johnny Knoxville (Yep, of JackAss fame...but this is such a totally good role for him!). The other line from that movie that we use all the time is...."Oh, Mylanta...you just scratched my CD...you picked it up in clear daylight and you scratched it"

So...post yours in the comments here or post it on your blog...let's see your movie quotes that you just love and use all the time! Or, perhaps we are crazy and we're the only family that does this!!! LOL

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

Sunday nights.....

hate 'em....it means back to work time. ICK!

Only 24 more days, though! :o)

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim

A wasted Saturday....

With only 25 more days until my 30's are over, you think I'd be trying to have all the fun I could...but nope, not today..I chose to sleep in (well, sort of...Sammie really doesn't allow sleeping in!)...I got up at 9 and fixed microwave pancackes for Sammie and then crawled back into bed and slept until almost 11! Sammie must have come back in and climbed in bed with Roger and I after her pancakes cause she was snoozin' , too! LOL

Got up and got myself ready and picked Sydney up from her friend's house. Roger talked her and Sammie into fixing lunch for us and we took a nap on the couch...UNTIL...Syd hollered from the kitchen that the oven was on FIRE!!!! Holy crap! In 39 years I've never once set the oven on fire! It was no big deal, Roger grabbed the baking soda and threw it on there and the fire was out! I, of course, got to clean up the mess! LOL Lunch turned out pretty good. Syd made a homemade pizza with alfredo sauce, macaroni and cheese, mozzarella cheese and some leftover grilled chicken and garlic. It was actually delicious!

After that, all 4 of us climbed into Sydney's bed and took another nap! Laziness, I tell ya! I woke up around 6:15pm. Roger had gotten up sometime before that and was in the living room on the couch watching TV. Sammie must have gotten crowded out of the bed because she was up on the top bunk snoring!

Sammie's friend Kenzie W. is staying all night and they have decided to sleep in the playroom tonight..we'll see how well that goes! Syd has been on the phone with her BFF all night...nothing new! Roger and I are still being lazy on the couch!

Hopefully tomorrow we will actually accomplish something!

Hugs&Smiles!
Kim