busy bees

One of these I'll get back to blogging. I've taken a small break. 

With the holidays, birthdays, sports, & family visits, I haven't had much time for anything extra. 

Tonight we are decorating the Christmas tree. Garret & Kira are so excited. We just have to watch out for "attack Jace." Little ones can't resist the pretty ornaments!

When I get some spare time, I'll write some more.

I miss my friends. :)

I had so much fun last night! I was able to attend the midnight showing with some of the most fantastic girls ever!!! We had a blast!

As for the movie, it was good. There were a couple of weird & cheesy parts but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. And the comedy that was actually included in this one was great! I love that it had some silly scenes!

Bella, Alice, & Edward looked great. Carlisle & Emmet looked weird. And I always think Charlie is the best actor of all!

But Jacob was by far my favorite part of this movie! He was excellent!

this is seriously one good looking werewolf!

Big fat THANKS to all of you wonderful girls that joined me last night!!! 13 of us! I love ya!

now it's time for The Hunger Games!!! can't wait!

funny

Some of these had me laughing so hard!

I remember my mom saying some things like this & I've heard myself say things like this!

Moms are awesome!

coming to terms

I love food.

Did you know that?

I disagree with the quote...

I guess she has never had a cupcake or my fabulous onion dip. 

In my opinion, she could use some extra calories.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't fault her or you for wanting to be skinny. So don't get all huffy on me & think that I am judging you. I am not. Who wants to be fat? Not me. But I don't want to be so skinny that I can't enjoy some delicious food every now & then. And I don't want to obsess over how I look either.

It's taken a while but I am coming to terms with my body. I will never be able to survive on snickers & dr pepper & be a size 4 like back in my 20's. And that's okay. I'm okay with having a little bit of meat on me.

Some days are harder than others, especially when I want to wear something that ends up looking hideous on me. But I am slowly figuring out what kind of clothes fit this body. It's making life easier. 

I'm not around self absorbed people much either. It's hard to be around someone who already looks great but is constantly talking about the weight that they need to lose. It's annoying & makes you wonder what they think about you.

I am not reading celebrity gossip magazines either. US weekly still comes to my house but I don't even open it up. It goes straight to the trash.  And I don't watch any kind of celebrity shows anymore. It has been liberating! I have gone back to my old self of not caring two cents about their immoral lives. Now I still love Johnny Depp but only as an actor. I think he's kind of  a nut in real life. And I don't care if you love celebrities. By all means, have at 'em. I won't think any differently of you. They were just bad news for me. They did nothing for my self esteem.

Slowly, I am making changes. For the better. There was a long time in my life when I would dread family get togethers or outings with friends because of how I looked. But now, I don't feel that way. I am who I am & look the way that God intended me to look.

And as one of the best looking women ever said " “I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.” 

Amen Marilyn. I totally agree.

The Book Thief

What can I say about this book? I wish that I was good with words so that I could accurately describe the way that this book made me feel.

This book is beautiful. I was overwhelmed with emotion when done reading it.

A little about the book... It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

I love the point of view this book is written from. Simply fantastic. I never thought of death as having a personality. He clearly is the Angel of death.

I feel as if this book has changed me. My point of view on some aspects of life have changed. You were able to see the good & bad in people. You learned a little of what it was like to be "caught in the middle." How do you choose between what you feel is right & what is expected of you? If you choose wrong, there are serious consequences.

I loved all of the main characters. I wish that I knew them in real life...  The characters & their stories linger with you.

This is not a happy go lucky story. It is something that you have heard about all of your life. Nazi Germany. But it is a different story than what you are normally used to hearing. It is an amazing story & it has the ability to deeply affect you. I'm so glad that I read it!

happy

I have seen this little quote floating around blog worlds lately. I like it. 

I wish more girls would take this advice. It took me a little time to realize this but once I did, it changed my life.

Father's are a HUGE influence in their son's lives.

The man that I married isn't perfect but he sure is great. I would love for my two sons to be just like him. 

I am so thankful for that!

Please...

Please tell me that I am not the only person like this! 

Some days I just can't stand some people. I don't mean to be this way. I don't like it when I feel this way. I try to think differently when I feel this way. But sometimes, I just can't help it! 

I try to avoid people when I feel this way.

The past two weeks I have felt this way. I want to lay blame on PMS. The only problem with this, is that I hate pretty much everyone before, during, & after my period. It's not just PRE... 

But it is now fading. I feel myself liking most people again. Don't get me wrong. I don't hate EVERYONE when this is happening. I just can't stand those that do dumb things, make stupid choices, don't know how to drive & have an irritating voice. And if you do something that slightly annoys me, I probably hate you too but only at that moment. PROMISE!

I'm sure some of you are gasping right now & can't believe that I would say this. Last week, I would have hated you. Today, I just think you are dumb. 

It's really getting better. I really am a nice person.

So in order to help myself out, I have gone back on birth control. Why? I really do put a lot of the blame for me being so off balance on my period. This past month was awful.

I can handle the bloating, headaches, & the cramping. No problem. What I can't handle is the mental breakdown that comes along with it. I seriously tried to avoid people the past two weeks. I was just plain ole mean. And I'm sorry if you got some of my wrath.

I'm hoping that the birth control will help level out my symptoms & bring me back to my old familiar self.

One more reason for the bc, I don't want to be pregnant. Here's the story... 

Last week I was feeling the symptoms of PMS. But along with that this time I was also having pregnancy symptoms. I threw up, was nauseous, & almost passed out twice. It scared me to death! I really thought that I could handle it if I became pregnant but these last two weeks changed my mind. 

Understand, I do want another child. I just don't want to be pregnant! At least not right now. The thought of being pregnant makes me feel sick. If it had happened 6 months ago, I think that I honestly would have been fine with it. But as time has passed, the thought of going back to that almost cripple state, makes me cringe. I'm not ready. 

So here's to the miracle of birth control & hopefully a more even Nancy. I'm giving it a try. 

Please, oh please, let it work!

Bring it on!

What a morning! Besides the usual getting ready for school, breakfast making, & me having to shower, I've cleaned up puke that was caught in my hands.

And I just had to endure a screaming visit to the doctor's office.

Kira had her well child check up this morning. It started off great. She was happy with the nurse. She has great vision, perfect hearing, & is really tall (97th percentile). 

Then comes the doctor. Things were fine until he wanted to check her ears, unfortunately, that was the second thing he checked. She picked which ear she wanted him to look at first and when he put the little light in her ear, she completely FREAKED out. From then on, it was a scream fest anytime he touched her. To Kira's defense, she doesn't feel good. She has been sick since Sunday & her sensitivity level is sky high at the moment. But the doc managed to get her checked out & she's fine except for this dumb viral infection she can't seem to shake. Hopefully it will go away soon!

Anyway, it was a rough visit. She is due for her shots. I am struggling with this one. I didn't get them for her when she turned 4 & I didn't get them today. She really does not want any shots. And frankly, I don't think she needs them but she has to have them for kindergarten. I don't know what to do about this. Hmmmm, will have to figure this out. And no, I am not against vaccines, except for the dumb flu shot. I just feel differently about them for Kira.

Blood Red Road

This book is GOOD!!! If you can get past the dialect that is used, you will really enjoy it. It is chock full of adventure! I didn't expect a lot of what happened in the story & I didn't expect to cry near the end. 

The story... Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization. 

It is no surprise to me that Ridley Scott got the films rights for this book before it was even published. This book is meant to be seen. It is hugely entertaining! This is a trilogy & I can't wait to read the next one. I have some questions that need answered!

no time!

Honestly, where has all of my time gone? Things have been SO busy. Last week we had Kira's birthday, soccer, a birthday party, a baptism, halloween activities, and so on. I haven't had time to stop & think. There have been so many things on my mind. Maybe one of these days I will be able to stop & write about them. 

I'm excited about things that are coming up. My mom will be here in a couple of weeks. Yay!!! Breaking Dawn is happening soon! I can't wait!!! We are going to Utah for Thanksgiving. My kids are itching for it to hurry up & get here. And Rich is bidding on his new schedule at work. This I'm more nervous about than excited. Who knows what schedule he will be on in January! Anxiously waiting...

And hopefully, the excitement will last & the stress will not appear!