Look What Came In The Mail!

Crystal makes lots of great things and sells them to people she knows. Well she did this post a few days ago and everything looked so yummy, so I asked her if she had ever tried mailing them ? She said no, but she was going to try with someone she knows first to make sure they wouldn't break if someone ordered some from her.

Then I got an email asking if she could send some to me to see how they made the trip . It took me about half a second to answer that ! haha

Well I just got them a little while ago in the mail and they are all perfect . So I thought before I post about them I should also know how they taste, so see that ghost in the top right corner well he's gone now ! He was very yummy ! I just wanted to let you all know about Crystal and her yummy baked goods ,and tell you to go check her out . If you are like me and never have the time or just don't think you can make anything that yummy and still look that good..... shoot her an email and she can hook you up !

I've Been Boo-ed !

Kmommy boo-ed me !

Here's how it works . Go to as many of your blog buddies as you want and tell them they have been boo-ed . Have them pick up this picture and add it to their blog and say with the link who boo-ed them . Put the picture in your sidebar if you want so then others know that you have already been boo-ed , if you post lots and it's not on the main page where everyone will see your boo-ed post!

Sweet and Sour Sauce !

I cook my sauce in a pan on the stove for awhile , to have everything mixed in good.I always fry my meatballs first, some people let them cook in the sauce in the oven. I like to fry them and that way all that grease isn't in the sauce.

Once they are cooked I throw them in a casserole dish or a roasting pan , and pour the sauce over them. Cover and put in the oven , bake on whatever heat for as long as you want . I do 350 for an hour or so until they are really bubbling and the sauce has gone down some.

See how it has gone down.

Now you can put them on the side of the rice if you want and just pour the sauce on the rice. I put mine right on the rice with the sauce.

I also chop mine all up and mix it altogether , but that's just me !

Sweet and Sour Sauce :

1/4 cup Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Vinegar

2 cups Ketchup

2 cups Water

1 1/3 cups Brown Sugar

Add as much or as little chopped onion as you like.

Add as much garlic powder as you like .

I'll be honest I never ever follow this, I use the list to make sure I don't forget anything . However I just eyeball it for everything , sometimes it's a little more red and sometimes it's a little darker !

All of my kids love it, and for years my daughter would never eat rice unless it was like this. As far as the meatballs , just make them however you usually do .

Kids-EEZE

As a mom of four kids , I know how awful it is to have one of them or all of them sick with the flu or bad colds. Now that it's fall and school is in full swing so are colds !

With the growth of confusing Multi-symptom cold products out there and with so many of them being yanked off the shelves or becoming only available from a pharmacist/behind the counter .

Kids-EEZE from the makers of Cold-EEZE offers parents a safe and effective single - ingredient cold product designed to offer children six and up relief from chest congestion, without fear of over -medicating with products that contain multiple drugs.

Kids -EEZE Chest Relief is the first single ingredient chew designed to offer kids relief from chest congestion by loosening all that mucus and thinning bronchial secretions to help clear the bronchial pathways by making coughs more productive.

It's recommended for children six and older, they come in two flavors that kids shouldn't mind taking Strawberry and Grape . The thing I really like about them is they come in a chew form instead of liquid, which as most of you know can be a bit of a pain and quite messy trying to get into a kid that really doesn't want it!

I just want to say because this is a type of medicine , make sure you read the back of the box or go read the information on the site before giving it to your child. I don't know what your child may be allergic to and I am not a doctor.

I do know I will be using them for my kids though , since I like what I have read about them and love the form they come in instead of the messy liquid .

Kid-EEZE is available at most stores and drug stores as well as online and is priced around $7.99 for a box of twelve soft -chews .

Bella Sara and Baby Bella

Welcome to the magical land North of North - home to the beautiful horses pictured on the Bella Sara trading cards. Bella Sara has captured the hearts of young girls across the country , offering positive inspirational messages . Since my girls are teens now I had never heard of these , but when I looked through the cards and went to the site I thought it was wonderful, the pictures on the cards are beautiful and the site itself is something right out of every little girls imagination!

They have sold more than 55 million cards already ( that is a lot of cards !) and to think I had no little girls to play with them. My son was into collecting different ones , but boy trading cards just are not as pretty as girl ones.

Later this month the Bella Sara family is expanding and they are going to welcome their new Bella Sara foals . They are going to have a whole new line of cards coming out featuring all the new babies !

On November 6th, the website is kicking off a 10 day celebration where kids can qualify for daily prizes, print off babies' birth certificates, read stories, print off color pages, get access to special codes and much much more !

I looked around and found out that you can buy Bella Sara products in lots of different stores and the packs of trading cards sell for around $2.99 . So if you have little girls or you have little girls you need to buy for , I say definitely go check these out !

Another Giveaway !

I received 4 HP Photosmart Express Cards to give away to one of my readers . They are good for 10 Free 4x6 prints each...that is 40 free prints ! I also received one for me , but I don't have a kiosk anywhere near me . So I'll be adding mine to a giveaway, I'll be doing a little closer to Christmas .

If you don't know for sure if you have one near you , you can check here before you enter so you will know if they will be of use to you. Just so you know they do not expire , in case you want to use them for stocking stuffers or as just a little extra something in a gift .

To enter just leave me a comment telling me if you would use them for you or give them to others !

For a second entry blog about this giveaway and let me know in a separate comment .

For a third grab my button for your blog and then leave me another comment telling me so .

Contest will end Nov 8th at midnight . I'll post the winner's name on the 10th .

If you don't have a blog make sure you leave an email where I can reach you .

Something For Everyone !

To be honest , I had never heard of Mobi Stories before . So when I received the info on their site I went to check it out and was very pleased with what I found.

MobiStories are narrated digital children's books with illustrations and music !

When I went and looked around the site I found it is very easy to understand ,and very easy to find what you are looking for. The books are set up in sections according to ages 1-6, 4-8 ,6-10 .
I went and looked at all of them , and they all have some great looking books in them.

There is even a sample book ,so you can see how it works . I think this is a great site and I will be using it . I don't know about you all ,but when my three older kids were little they wanted me to read to them all the time. Now I didn't mind that , but when you get asked to read the same book over and over and over it tends to get a little old!

With this you can buy books and then all you have to do is turn it on and your child can listen to someone else read the story to them and it even has sound effects ! Plus if they want to listen to it over and over ..no big deal !

Now here is the best part : You all can go download up to $10.00 of MobiStories for free just by using this code : BSM183A

Plus I noticed on the site if you enter your email ,you can get another book for free !

So go check it out , I think you will find something there for your kids too !

Who Doesn't Love Stuffed Animals ?

When my girls were little, I would see commercials for the Build-A-Bear Workshop . There were no stores anywhere near us, by the time I finally got to see one in a mall my girls were older and into other things.

Now I have a new little one and I know where they have a store I can get to, plus they even have them online. I love them and can't wait for my son to pick one out and fill out the birth certificate in the name he wants. I can't wait to see what he chooses and how he dresses his very own one of a kind stuffed toy.

They even have their web site set up so your little one can play on it and bring his or her bear, dog whatever they choose to make to life !

This holiday season, Build-A-Bear Workshop is offering more bears than ever starting at only $10......that is a great deal !

Now here is the best part !

I have a $10 Bear Bucks gift card for one of you, it is very sparkly and cute ,and I know if my girls were little they would have loved to get one of these in their socks or in their new little purse Santa happened to bring them. Same goes for my son having his own money and credit card ( as my kids called gift cards) in his spider man wallet ,would have made him a happy boy !

To enter go have a look around at their site and then come back here and tell me which one is your favorite and who you would give the card to!

For a second entry add my button to your blog and tell me in a separate comment.

For another entry blog about this contest on your blog and come back and tell me and that makes three entries !

Contest will close at midnight on Saturday,November the 8th !

I'll announce the winner on here Monday the 10th , then they can email me their mailing info and I'll get it out to them as soon as I can. Don't forget to leave an email address where I can reach you if you don't have a blog.

Laundry ..... We All Do It !

The jets to start the parade just went over my house !

Anyways on to what I was going to talk about. I don't know how many of you have ever used all laundry products ,but I have I use the sheets and the spray fabric refresher in the fresh rain scent and I really like it. I use it on the dog bed and every once in awhile on the kids pillows or comforters to make their room smell fresh and nice.

However I know some people can't use products with strong scents or dyes in them and some people with babies find Dreft rather pricey. Well now all has come out with a laundry detergent that has no strong scent and no dye in it ! It also just happens to be a better price then those other brands, which is always a good thing and it's the #1 recommended detergent by dermatologists!

That's not all I have to talk about today though .......haha get it all !

I'll be back in a few , go check it all out while I'm gone !

I Feel So Loved !

I have a bunch of stuff I need to do over the next few days, but I wanted to take a few minutes to thank these lovely ladies for giving me awards this week.

Kmommy over at The Poopie Patrol has been with me from the start , and always has something going on in her neck of the woods !

Crystal is great and I think if she lived closer to me , I'd weigh a ton.......man that girl can bake ! Just go take a look at all those cookies !

Lisa has two girls and is always on the go doing stuff with them, she also has a blog that is very decked out for Halloween ....can't wait to see what she does for Christmas !

So thank you ladies for thinking of me while you were handing out your awards . I love getting them, I never win any of the giveaways I enter so getting awards makes me feel special and loved ! hahaha

Talking about giveaways , this is Saturday so maybe just maybe when I come back later I'll have something with me for one of you !

Favorites !

I was talking yesterday all about what bothers me now about christmas. Today I want to ask you guys what are your favorite holiday cartoons? I know lots of people watch the ones that are on around thanksgiving,but I never really liked Charlie Brown . When december comes though I love all the different christmas ones, there is just something about them.

I'm not sure what exactly, I don't like the old ones but the new ones that started in the last 15 years and up are great. I think it has to do with now they can make them look so nice. I was saying before the older kids had alot of christmas movies to watch when they didn't have any on tv. I bought lots of them and even taped 6 hours worth one day just to have them.

That is all they use to watch once it was december and everyone started putting their lights on. I use to sell Partylite and I have alot of their snowman stuff, so once it was december I would have it all out and we would spend our evenings with them all lit and no other lights on other then the tv. The kids loved to look at all the stuff and I was lucky they never broke any of it.

Once christmas is over I like to rip the tree down as fast as I can, I find that once all the pretty presents are open then its just a bunch of crap in your living room and I would rather it all be put away. I get rid of everything christmas looking but like to keep anything just plain wintry out for another couple months. Then I put it all away and get out different stuff.

I can't wait for us to get a different house that I like so I can do the things I have always done. There is just something about this house, I have never bothered to unpack any of my pretty things, the walls are bare I left all my pictures packed too. I don't want to get anything out since I know someday we will move .

Anyways I'm rambling away here about nothing, back to what I was saying in the first place.
I want you to tell me what cartoons you look forward to each holiday season, and do your kids love it too or do they like a different one?

I loved Christopher The Christmas Tree, The Christmas Beauty and The Beast, Blue Toes, I always liked Annabelle too. I was lucky and my kids all liked those , plus they watched tons of other ones too. Now not so much , so there hasn't been any of those shows on in my home for a few years . However in the next year or so I'll be doing all the fun stuff again,because I'll have small children running around excited about Christmas and Santa !

Am I The Only One ?

Christmas will be here before we know it ! I have nothing bought yet for anyone, other then a few things for the baby. With him it's easy this year because, he really doesn't get it and I can buy things when he is with me and he doesn't know what is going on.

I know all families are different and have different things they do for Christmas. When I was little it was , the tree was up for a couple weeks before Christmas and anytime someone came to visit they would bring their presents for you with them if they knew they wouldn't be seeing you again before Christmas. All those presents went under the tree, and you got to see them sitting there in their pretty paper and guess and wonder what was in each one.

Christmas morning after everything was opened you got ready and went to the grandparents that lived two hours away for dinner, where my grandmother had a few other presents for you at her house too. Then it was either you got ready and drove to the other grandparents , that lived another two hours from there and see what they got for Christmas and eat again or you went home and the next morning you got up and went to their house ,because you didn't the day before. Some years we went to both and then the next day all four grandparents came to our house for dinner or they would all come on new years day for dinner.

Since I had children , I have always done the you put any wrapped presents you get under the tree. I love the look of it, all the lights shining off the paper and ribbons and all the great looking prints on the paper. I grew up with opening one present on Christmas Eve before bed after you got home from the Christmas Eve service at church. I always have let my kids open one on Christmas Eve after they are in their pj's .

The other thing I have always done with them is watch Christmas cartoons. In December they play them everyday and evening and I had bought lots of movies for them to watch as well. We also always went to the Santa Claus parade and always came home had hot chocolate and watched some before bed.

Then I moved here, and everything changed !

My husband did things differently in his family since his parents divorce ,and new spouses and things came in to the picture. I have been stuck doing them too, ever since I moved here and each year instead of liking Christmas and all the neat things I have always done. I'm sad and angry to be drug off to do things I don't like and even Christmas dinners are not the same. I feel lonely and sad and to me it feels just like any other day ...not Christmas and not special or nice.

Heck they don't even have half of the Christmas cartoons on they always watched when they were little. I put up with it each year ,but I never like it. I have told my husband right from the start once we ever have a baby, I want to do the same things with it as I did with the other kids when they were little....now they are big and don't really want to wear cute little pj's and snuggle with me and watch cartoons .....I can't imagine why not ! hahaha

Now that everything is DVD instead of VHS, the 20 or so tapes I have are no good and I need to try and get the ones I love on DVDs so not this year , because he's too little but next year Brody can watch them . My husband knows and said it sounds great he wants us to have our own family traditions that we do. However I don't think his other family members will go for it, which bothers me. I feel like here I am away from everything I ever knew and they won't bend a little to make it at least some what nice for me.

I'm very private and very shy, I love getting up and having the kids all in their pj's and opening their presents with their parents when it's really early and still kind of dark so the tree looks really pretty. Then we can get ready and go see his parents in whatever order goes with their plans for the day. Here is where the problem is , ever since his parents divorced and remarried he goes to one of his parent's homes and all of his presents are there and they all open them together and then he goes to the other one's where ever they live and they do the same thing.

I have gone for the last few years, but boy do I hate opening my presents in front of all those people and them opening theirs in front of us. I just don't like it, because I'm shy and it makes me feel like I'm going to puke at any moment and the fact that you have to drag all their gifts with you when you go there and then drag all the ones you get back home with you. Now there is going to be baby crap too !

The other problem I have with this little (stupid) setup is ,you don't have any gifts under your tree to look at for a week or two all pretty and it takes away from the kids being all excited every time they see them sitting there,trying to guess what they are...to me that is a fun thing for kids and they grow out of it soon enough.

This year won't matter he's too small, but next year I want to start the tradition of having him see all the pretty gifts under there and have the nice nights of sitting with us watching Christmas cartoons . I want to go see his parents and bring them their gifts the week or two before so they have them under their tree for their Christmas mornings in their homes. If they have extra ones for him to open on Christmas day at their house great, it gives a kid something to look forward to on the drive there and something to play with while we are there .

I think kids should be able to get up and spend a couple hours playing with all their new stuff in their home in their pj's with their parents and I don't want to share that moment with others.

Am I being foolish wanting it this way ? I don't get home, I don't get pretty snowy Christmas Eve's and mornings or a Santa parade with mittens on and drinking Tim Horton's or anything else I have had for 30 some years , can't I at least have Christmas morning the way I want it ?

Well that's enough of my whining ! Do any of you have something special you do for Christmas, that you have always done?

I Love Sleeping Babies !

To bad mine wouldn't do this more often!

For more great pictures, go check out the list on MomDot !

Welcome To Kansas !

Welcome BATW travelers !

I'm a SAHM and I have four kids...for now, and I too am a visitor to Kansas ! My husband has lived here since he was a little boy . When he got out of the military he came back here to visit, and ended up staying.... so that is how I landed here!

I'm from Canada and lived here for 30 years before moving to Kansas. If you would like to learn some facts about my old home go here . Even though my husband has lived here ever since he was a little boy he is an OU fan forever. Which tends to make our house stand out when you go up the street and we have an OU rock in our flowerbed, while everyone else on the street and in town has one or the other Kansas flags flying in their yard!

Here is a cool or weird or even dorky little fact about me. When I was a little girl I loved reading Anne of Green Gables and I loved reading the Little House books. Well I lived a day trip away from Anne's home in P.E.I my whole life up until I moved and now I live just a short drive to Little House , now how many people can say that ..not many I'm guessing... if any !

I find living here is pretty much the same as where I grew up. The town I live in is very small and everyone is very friendly. They have a nice downtown and cute little shops here, it's pretty laid back with not much excitement .

However all that changes around this time of year !

I have always seen people decorate for Halloween and kids go trick or treating ,but I have never seen a week long festival held for Halloween they even have a big big parade. I have been to Santa Clause Parades but never Halloween ones. They call it Neewollah and if you live anywhere in the neighboring states I'm sure you have heard of it ,since bands from all of them come here to be in the parade. They block off all of down town for a week and have the streets lined with food vendors of every kind from all over, they have a big craft sale and concerts and even a big pageant where they crown Queen Neelah each year!

This year Terri Clark is performing ,and they have had others such as Reba and other great country singers . They even have a big tent with the real Budweiser horses and dalmatians, that you can go look at with other goodies from Budweiser to see ! The parade is always started with a couple fighter jets flying over the crowds packing the sidewalks to watch , I have never seen a parade started with jets before, and boy do they fly as low as they can....it's loud and makes some little ones cry and others who are not expecting it jump looking very surprised!

It all began back in 1919 ,and is the oldest and largest annual festival in Kansas!

If you would like to check it out and look at some pictures click here .

Another thing this town in known for is that William Inge was born here, and wrote his famous play Picnic about the lake that is here in town. It just so happens, that it is right in my mil's back yard !

Since living here I have found out all kinds of neat things, and learned alot about the history Kansas has to offer . Also because it is right in the center of so many other great states, I have been able to see them as well !

I hope you all enjoyed your stop here, and maybe learned something new about Kansas .

Thanks for stopping by, come back for a visit anytime !

****Try It Tuesday will be back next week. I was ready to go and had some visitors drop by !****

Someone Is Not A Happy Camper !

Someone wants mommy to hold him , instead of playing with his toys ! So unless he goes to sleep for more than two minutes, this is all I can do today !

Hope everyone had a nice weekend !

Dressing !

Mashed potatoes with onions added

Summer Savory added

Summer Savory mixed in

pepper added

juice from roasting pan

more pepper

done !

Yummy!

I always use to make the mashed potatoes, but now I never do I always use the country crock tub ones! So I tried dressing with them too, I used two tubs next time I think I'll use 3 or 4 . I and everyone I know always throws in lots of chopped raw onion, but now since I'm married to someone who hates raw or crunchy in anyway onion . I browned them in a pan with lots of butter and pepper first and then dumped it in the potatoes. I always just make mine in a casserole dish or whatever I have handy. Alot of people stuff it in their turkey though , just like some people do with bread stuffing. I just have never done it and can't be bothered.

I always dump some of my drippings from the bottom of my turkey pan over it and kind of mix it in a little , that way it adds a little more flavor. After I have had it in the over for awhile and know it's nice and hot all the way through or to cook the onions if you put them in raw. I switch it to broil so I can brown the top, but I have never seen anyone else do that. I like the little crispiness to it.

The other thing I do most of the time, is I just mix a bunch of the stuffing right in with it . The kids will all eat it that way too, cover with as much gravy as you like and you are good to go!

Now I never make mashed potatoes too if I make this since they are potatoes, but most people do. That way people have a choice, and lots of times when you have little kids they will pick the white ones instead of the black ones ( as my kids called it when they were little) .

Most people I know make them alot darker then mine ,because they add more summer savory and pepper and alot of people chop up the gizzards from the turkey and mix it all through it too . I don't really like it that way and neither do the kids , so I leave them out. Most grandmothers tend to always do it though.

Really it's up to you to add as much or as little of whatever you want to put in it . I find every one's house hold has different taste and traditions. So just do whatever you think your kids or husband will eat.

****I just love it when it all runs together , no matter how many times you spaced it out !*****

My dh just asked me why I call it dressing, that's just what I grew up with hearing. I know stuffing is stuffed into the bird and I'm sure that's where the name came from. Well I'm guessing dressing is for kind of the same reason,people would also stuff it in the bird to let the flovors go through it while cooking , however I grew up with hearing people say they need to dress the turkey which means season it and get it ready for the oven and since stuffing that inside is all part of the dressing , I guess it just got named dressing . The same way stuffing got it's name !

I'm a dork so maybe I'm wrong , but that is all anyone from back home could ever answer as well when they were asked!

More Rambling !

The hubby has gone off to camp with his friends. Just before he got in the car he said go get my guitar for me will you, I said why are you taking that . I was informed that every time the guys go camping for the night he brings that and another one brings a harmonica or a fiddle. I can just see it now 4 fat guys sitting around the fire singing into the night...good lord ! I guess I don't have to worry about him being eaten by some wild animal, their singing will scare them all away!

Since I did my contest for the Lansinoh products, they have started a new site. It's one for moms to get all kinds of info on breastfeeding , babies and moms. They also have a forum set up , and I really like how it's set up all the topics are in bright yellow so they are easy to find. I joined and have been reading and looking around and I think it will be one that I keep going back to. Here's the link if anyone wants to go have a look around http://www.lansinohmoms.com/ .

I think I'm going to make turkey and dressing and stuff tomorrow, if I do I'll take pictures and post how to make it sometime this week for anyone that wants to try it. I also would like to run out to Walmart and see about getting some frames for the baby's pictures that I haven't done yet. I also want to get another big jug of bug spray, so I can do my house and all around the outside. I don't have any bugs in here and I don't want any , and since I see so many outside and it's going to start getting cold ...I don't want them to think they should come spend the winter in here!

I guess I'm going to do some reading and once little man ever goes to bed, I'll do the same. I'll be up and bored for awhile and then early in the morning if any of you are bored and wanna talk!

Men !

The dh is at work , like always ! Tonight he is going to go fishing and camp with the guys. That is fine I don't mind whatever, but why is it that men say...Well I haven't done anything in months with them. Like it's some awful thing that might kill them, to not spend time with their friends!

I haven't seen my friends in three years! However I don't feel like I'm going to die or anything. I always get the feeling , that men just act or feel like it's their right to go play golf or go hang out with their friends...just because they feel like it! I have never said well I want to go do this ,because I haven't seen them or did anything with them in months or in my case years!

He works from 7:30 to 7 or 8 every night and two nights a week he goes to college class until 10 at night. There are lots of days he doesn't get to leave for lunch and when he does it's always around 2 or 3 never around 12 or so. He works on Saturdays until 11 or sometimes 1 and sometimes doesn't get home until 3-4. On Sunday mornings he has to still get up and make calls for an hour or two, and let's not forget he has the work phone on 24/7 and it rings that too!

It is nothing for the phone to ring 5 times after he gets home Saturday afternoon and another 5-10 before midnight and then it rings every night after work while we are trying to watch our shows and eat our supper. It also rings in the middle of the night, sometimes it can be handled in two minutes , sometimes the light is on and he has to flip through papers or get on the computer.

On top of that I still have a baby who likes to wake up at night and never sleep in the day. So I have not really had any rest in the last 8 months and very little from that phone in three years !
I understand he works alot and sometimes he needs to just go do things that have nothing to do with work, but I want them to be with me since it's me that suffers right along with him....not his friends!

Am I the only one that feels this way ? Do you all think your man can spend his five minutes of free time with others instead of you and the kids and that's fine. I don't mind the golf thing on Sunday mornings, but the going out to the river fishing and camping from late this afternoon until tomorrow morning sometime bothers me a little.

I said I don't care as long as he does the things I want him to do before he goes and I'll be fine with that, but it does bother me a little that he feels the need so bad to hang out with friends. I would have said no I never get to see Jenn as it is so weekends are when we do things or I would have said I'll come for awhile ,but then I'm going home .

Why do men never think like that on their own, without you having to say it to them?

Friday Fun

Crystal did this and just tagged anyone that wants to do it too, so I thought I would.

7 fun random facts about me :

1. I can be in my house for days and not leave, and it doesn't really bother me !

2. I love Swiss milk chocolate !

3. My husband and I met on the Internet. So yes it really does happen and not all the guys on it are perverts !

4. I love Law and Order all 3 of them, but I only like 2 of the CSI's and I like Criminal Minds and Without a Trace !

5. I have a bad temper . It takes alot to get me to the point of pissed ,but once I am that's it and you are gone from my life forever!

6. I only have a couple close friends in real life, I would rather have a few you can really count on and trust ,then lots that stab you in the back the second you leave the room!

7. I want a baby ! Sometime in the next 5 months I will be pregnant !


I'm not tagging anyone, if you decide to play let me know in comments so I can go read your list!

Ouch !

I was outside with the dog early this morning and since she likes to dig great big holes, her kennel is a death trap when it's still kind of dark out. Then add a couple days of rain and it gets even worse , I have to try to step over the muck holes and hit solid ground that doesn't mush under my feet. Well this morning I stepped over one while holding her food and water and trying to keep her from knocking me over and when I stepped on the safe spot my foot slipped.

I pulled my groin muscle , twisted my knee and it just happened to be in the leg that I have pains in sometimes anyway. So now I have major pain from right beside my girly parts all the way down to my ankle instead of stopping at my knee like it usually does when you do that.

Of course today would be the day Brody decides to start trying to stand up by things. It kills me to try and jump up and catch him before he falls back and smacks his head on the wood floor.

So that is how my day is going, how about you ?

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day

October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day . So tonight at 7 pm I will be lighting my candle and letting it burn for an hour in remembrance of all the women who have suffered this great loss. Their families that went through it with them ,and all those parents that came home from the hospital with empty arms.

A couple of you who are reading this know ,but most do not . Before we had Brody , my husband and I went through a bad time. I... like so many of you took the at home test ,and it said yes faint but still yes. I went to the doctor and did the blood test and she called an hour or so later and said yes.

I went in the next morning and they did all the blood work. I didn't want to tell anyone until later, but my husband being his first one was too excited. He told his mom and called his dad and his best friend from the army. We told the kids ,but other then that I had no one to tell .

I had a few times where I was spotting and had never done that before, I have read though that it does happen to lots of women and since it wasn't bad and I had no pain ..I let it go. I thought I noticed my boobs weren't hurting anymore at one point but once again , I didn't really give it another thought after all I had three kids already and its been 10 years so I went about my days.

Then we went for our first doctor visit at 10 weeks and she wanted to do an ultra sound just to see how things were going. I had just mentioned the spotting and she said oh that's nothing lots of women do that, I said I never have but she reminded me she sees alot more pregnant women then I do so I dropped it.

I laid there as she got ready to have a look at the baby, my husband all happy holding my hand waiting to see his baby for the first time. I looked at the screen and knew something was not right, I have had a few of these before. I never said anything , my husband didn't really have a clue what he was looking at anyway so he didn't see what I did.

The doctor looked and looked and then said to me , you did get a positive back right ? I said yes and three at home ones before it, she said well I'm not finding anything. She looked at my chart and said yes it says pregnant ,go to the lab right now and have another one. I walked over there and had it done and then went back to her office to wait. After awhile they called us back in and she said well it came back negative.

She said you most definitely were pregnant because I'm reading your test results, but sometimes women can be pregnant and then it just goes away and they never know it was there. However because you guys were watching for it you just happened to test at the right time and it showed up if you had waited a week you would have gotten a negative when you tested.

We went home , I was shocked and felt so stupid that I thought I was pregnant for the last few weeks. I mean I never had anything go wrong before and I did have signs that I wasn't or something was going on wrong at least and I just ignored them. I cried because I felt like such a stupid idiot!

We were supposed to go away that weekend to his grandfather's 80th birthday, instead I had to watch my husband call his dad and tell him we wouldn't be coming and there was not going to be a baby. I cried watching my husband be heartbroken, and breaking his dad's heart . My husband was the last boy in the family, in fact the Army told him he didn't have to go to Iraq because he is. He still went ,because he wanted to be with his guys. His dad had been so excited for us and the thoughts of maybe it was going to be a boy to carry on the family name added to it, so I know that he was very sad .

I would have been due October 20th . However a couple months later I got pregnant and didn't bother going to the doctor until three weeks after my positive test at home and I did about 10 of them. I told my husband that this time we couldn't tell anyone until after we see the baby and know that it's in there and everything is good. So we waited and kept it to ourselves, we went a few weeks later and she did an ultra sound and there he was in there ,and everything was good.

We went home and he called his dad ,and said we are going to have a baby and we just seen it moving around in there . This time I was due Feb 20th . We had Brody on the 12th and I have to say I have never seen a grandfather love a baby as much as my fil loves Brody. He lives two hours away and doesn't see him that much ,but when he does that baby will go right to him every time with a smile on his face! He cries sometimes with different people he doesn't know ,but he never ever did that with his papa.

I have gone through a miscarriage with two of my close friends . A couple of blog friends I have, have also gone through it since I have known them and it makes me cry every time . For me it wasn't as sad because I was more interested in the medical part of how it all works, I would have been a labor and delivery nurse if I hadn't gotten pregnant so young and had a baby at 19. I felt worse for my husband, I know if it had happened to me when I was farther along and had to feel everything ,then it would have been hard for me and even though it was a bad thing I'm glad it happened how it did and not later.

So tonight I will light my candle and you should too ! As this is something that touches almost everyone, whether it is you personally or someone you are close to or just someone you know.

If everyone lights a candle and lets it burn for an hour, there will be a wave of light that will travel the world.

Here is a link to the website http://www.october15th.com/ .

Try It Tuesday !

I bought the new Bounce Awakenings that have the Renew-Refresh scent beads. A couple weeks ago and I really like them, I got the Renewing Rain scent. I will be buying them again !

I bought a bottle of the International Delight creamer in Pumpkin Pie Spice . I like it , but all I have is french van coffee. I think it would be better in non flavored coffee.

I also bought the Sara Lee Pumpkin Cheesecake . I don't hate it , but I won't ever buy it again ! I'll make sure it gets eaten though , because it was almost 7 bucks for the little thing !

I watched The Other Boleyn Girl on Saturday night while the dh was out and I liked it and would watch it again if it was on. I know some people didn't like it , but I did.

Then we watched Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day on Sunday and it was good, but I don't need to watch it again. I have seen lots of others really loved it though.

I was going to get pictures , but have been busy trying to get the baby's room changed around how I want it and didn't get to it. Anything I talk about are things I have bought or movies I've rented or own and are just my thoughts on them . If I say I hated something feel free to try it yourself , you might like it or you will think I shouldn't have wasted my money like Jenn did !

Kid Kleen and Aquadoodle !

My kids hated to get baths and have their hair washed for about the first two years of their lives ! So since I have three older kids 2 years apart I spent way too many bath times listening to screaming and crying. Then when my son was about three something changed and all of a sudden he LOVED baths and would ask to get in the tub 2-3 times a day to play with his toys in all the bubbles. He just turned 11 and although he doesn't play with all the toys in the tub he use too, he still likes to get baths with bubbles and those little things that turn the water crazy colors

Once again I find myself with a baby who hates baths! However this time around , there is a great product out there to make bath and bubble time much more fun and easier for me .

Bath Blizzard by Kid Kleen is a great new product in an exciting new line of kid's bath activity toys !

Kid Kleen products are safe,non toxic and hypo-allergenic . Their products are also ophthalmogist and pediatrician approved.

The Bath Blizzard instantly creates a waterfall of soapy fun bubbles , with a turn of a knob. That way your bubble bath never runs out of bubbles !

It fits right on the tub, tile wall or on the flat side of the tub using suction cups. So it doesn't ruin your bath tub or walls.

Now when the Aquadoodle came out my kids were past the stage of making a mess with everything they could get their little hands on. However I thought it was a great idea when I first seen them on TV. So now before I know it my little fella is going to be old enough, that he is going to enjoy drawing and making pictures and writing his letters and numbers. I can't wait for him to start doing all kinds of new things. I however am not looking forward to finding his artwork on my walls or table or anywhere else he decides it will look good on !

So when I seen the Aquadoodle again, I told my husband we are going to be getting that for sure !

It is so wonderful ! All you do is add water to the magic pen and they can draw all they want on their mat. There is no mess and when I say mess I mean ..no marks on your table ,walls furniture and yes even on your child or his/her siblings ! The Draw'N Doodle mat is fabric and can be used over and over again !



I also like that, you would not believe how many pieces of paper I have thrown away with scribbles on them. So the fact that this is reusable is great, not only does it save you from cleaning marks off everything it also saves you from buy and throwing away lots and lots of paper! To me that's a good thing, since I have other things I need to spend my money on !

Both products can be found at lots of different stores and I think they are both worth your time and money to go and check them out !

Thanks again to mom team for letting me know about the great new Bath Blizzard and reminding me about the Aquadoodle .

My Boring Life and A Winner !

The winner of the Lansinoh products is :

Danielle said...
I love the nipple cream and wipes and I've used the lansinoh to lanolize my wool diaper covers. I've also put some in soap I have made with bee's wax. Tons o' uses! I'm having a new baby and I'm out of lansinoh...so I'm going to be selfish and if I win use this for me and baby.
October 1, 2008 2:31 PM

Email me your mailing info and I'll get it sent to you as soon as I can. If I don't hear from you by Wednesday , I'll use the picker thing again for a new winner.

It was pretty boring here all weekend , we had supper at the mil's last night . Other then that I never left the house. I need to get cleaning the baby's room and pack all the stuff away he doesn't wear or use anymore , so he can start going in there and playing . Once I get his room clean I can put the gate up then when I'm busy he can be safe in there and I don't have to watch where he's crawling off to.

I wanted to make dressing and turkey and stuff today since it's Thanksgiving back home and I haven't got to have it in about 4 years,but I didn't go get the stuff. Maybe I will make it later this week.

OU vs TX !

I'm ready ..........are you ?

******Update ******

I'm a happy boy as long as everyone is running and yelling......Daddy not so much!

I have listened to mad yelling for the last few hours ...lucky me !

Yes or No !

YES/NO GAME RULES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

You can only say yes or no. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone asks!

Over 18? Yes

Danced in front of your mirror naked? No

Ever told a lie? Yes

Been arrested? No

Kissed a picture? No

Fallen asleep at work/school? No

Held an actual snake? No

Ever run a red light? No

Ever drink and drive? No

Been suspended from school? No

Ever been fired from a job? No

Totaled a car/motorbike in an accident? No

Sang karaoke? No

Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? Yes

Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes

Ever laughed until you wet yourself? No

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes

Kissed in the rain? Yes

Sang in the shower? No

Sat on a rooftop? Yes

Thought about your past with regret? Yes

Been pushed in the pool with your clothes on? No

Shaved your head? No

Blacked out from drinking? No

Had a gym membership? Yes

Been in a band? No

Shot a gun? Yes

Liked someone with nobody else knowing about it? Yes

Played strip poker? No

Been to a strip joint? No

Donated Blood? No

Liked someone you shouldn't? Yes

Have a tattoo? Yes

Have or had any piercings besides ears? Yes

Made out with a complete stranger? No

Caught someone cheating on you? Yes

Skinny dipped? Yes

Regret any of your ex’s? Yes

Been to a rodeo? Yes

Been to a NASCAR race? No

Been in Love? Yes

OK if anyone else plays let me know , so I can go read yours !

Happy 11th Birthday !

The first time I seen you in my belly, you were sucking that thumb ! As soon as you were born you were sucking that thumb!

The next day you were sucking that thumb !

After awhile you learned how to get other things you thought were yummy !

You were always on the go !

You still LOVED that thumb, but you liked other things too! You LOVED BOBO !

You LOVED trucks !

You were just too cute !

You have a temper and do not like to be bothered while playing a game, even back then when you were playing Little People and Tonka games on the old computer .

and yes, you still LOVED that thumb !

Now you are a big boy, and thank goodness you don't suck your thumb. Now you LOVE your brother !

You still play lots of games , not on the computer anymore . In your room and I still can hear the anger in your voice when Sonic isn't doing what you want. So even though you are a big boy when you seen Sonic at one of the games this summer you just had to have it and thank goodness we won it the first try!

For years you were my baby ,and then there were some big changes in your life. I got remarried and you love him so much and want to have his last name and it makes me so happy. Then when we found out the new baby was going to be a boy . Instead of being jealous that you were no longer going to be the only one you were just as excited as us,because you didn't want anymore stupid girls your two sisters were bad enough! I love how sweet and kind and polite you are .

I also love how funny and cranky you can get. I hope that you have a good day today and that you love your ice cream cake tonight after supper .

So Happy Birthday Tanner , I couldn't have asked for a better first baby boy .

P.S. Yes, you have to do your homework before supper.... it doesn't matter that it's your birthday !

Not Just The Front !

Before I use to just sit in front of it and play . Now I can see there is way more to it, then just the front ! I also like to crawl over here and yank all the stuff off the computer desk !

Try It Tuesday !

OK, here are the first three things I tried that I never had before.

The EGGO Muffin Tops - I loved them , I did put them down twice in the toaster though to

make them be nice and crispy on the outside. I had them with coffee and I really liked them. However every time I got muffins from Tim Horton's I always just ate the tops and then , one of the kids would eat the bottom. So maybe someone else wouldn't think they were so great.

The Hot Pockets Panini - They were a good size and in they got nice and crunchy on the outside, I thought it was ok and better when I dipped it in marinara . I have another one in the freezer of a different flavor so ,I'll have to try it and see what I think. Since kids will eat lots of things ,it would be great for them since it's so much bigger then just a pizza pop or something.

The Boston Cream Pie Toaster Strudel - I loved them. I had it with coffee yesterday for breakfast and really liked it. I have always had Boston Cream Pie or donuts with the yellow looking filling and this was just like it. Here at a couple donut places I have got one of theirs to try and the donut always just has fluffy white filling. Anyone that has only had it that way calls them Boston Cream and doesn't know the difference, but once you have the real deal those do not even compare. So I was thrilled when I seen these in the store and was even more thrilled when I tried it and they were great.

Do any of you watch..... Life ? My husband and I both really like it,but we both have seen Band of Brothers alot and the same guy that played Maj.Winters plays the lead in this. That is what made us watch it the first time last season.

Another movie that is really good and has been out for a few years is ....Man on Fire with Denzel Washington . I really like him in almost everything I have seen him in and always thought he was awesome in this movie. I also happen to think that Denzel is one damn fine handsome man !

Anytime I have ever seen him in an interview he is nice and polite and kind. So many guys that are famous act like jerks and I have never seen him behave like that ever.

So those are my thoughts for this Tuesday and a couple things for you to try and a couple movies for you to watch if you haven't seen them yet.

What Is Wrong With People ?

Are you watching Oprah ?

That's nuts I would hope that if one of my kids did that I'd die ,because I don't think I could handle living knowing my own child planned to kill his father and I and his siblings.

I just do not understand how people can act so nuts ,and then blame it on having a bad childhood or whatever other excuse they can come up with ! I can tell you all I survived a childhood that would make most of you cry, and I never killed anyone .....in fact I have never even stolen candy like lots of young kids do and I haven't even drove my car without my seat belt !

So when I see and hear on TV and on the news about kids growing up with two parents who loved them and were good to them and gave them everything....I get PISSED when I hear them say some stupid little excuse to why they hated their family and wanted them dead!

OK, that's the end of my rant.... sorry !

Men Will Eat Anything !

Now I don't want to offend anyone ,but I have to say this ! Beans and Ham hocks is flat out gross looking, there is no way a woman would eat that unless they haven't had food for a week !

My hubby likes it and thought he'd make it since in the 4 years we have been together he hasn't once made it. Well I hope in the next 60 years he doesn't ever again!

I like Mexican food ,but I don't like refried beans to me they are mushy yucky looking crap that looks like a kid had in their mouth and then decided after ten minutes they didn't like it and spit it out. Well I guess him and his army buddies loved this dish every time he made it, proving my point males will eat anything ,even if it's a mushy looking glob as long as you put hot sauce on it!

I like homemade baked beans with homemade bread or rolls ,or even canned beans and salad and BBQ. So I'm not knocking beans , just over cooked yucky looking ones!

We watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall yesterday and let's just say he might not have been able to forget her.......but I can ! It was funny in spots ,but now that I have seen it once I won't ever watch it again.

It was college football here all weekend, he watches college football news all week and then he watches every game we get and with the dish that's almost every one being played on Saturday ! He doesn't watch NFL unless there is nothing else on.

Here is the comment from the winner of the coupons :

That Cream Basil looks YUM-o! I have to go with the Grands Cin. Rolls for sure!!!
September 28, 2008 8:11 PM

Left by the lady over here http://teachbroeck.blogspot.com/ , so if you are reading this email me your mailing info and I'll get them sent out to you as soon as I can!

Now let me ask this, do any of you girls like Beans and Ham hocks?

Random Stuff !

This week has been busy here. The baby learned to sit up on his own and today he crawled up on his knees . Instead of the slipping all over the floor on his belly like he has been doing.

I like to have a routine or schedule to go by, I don't like to never know what I'm doing . So what I have decided is when I have a giveaway I'll announce it on Saturday , (Surprise Saturdays) that way I can label it. I'm always going to announce winners on Mondays ( Make My Monday ) that way they will be easy to find, if I'm going back looking for something and yes I just told you so really it's no surprise ,but it still is kind of because you will never know what it is until I put it up there. I was also thinking I'm going to do my own spin on the Tuesday thing ,alot of people do Tasty Tuesday and give you recipes...well I'm not going to do that.

I'm going to do Try It Tuesdays.... not every week ,but sometimes when I have tried some new things that I like I'm going to let you all know what I tried and the ones I think are good. It could be anything that I happen to buy and want to share and since it's on Tuesday that I share it ,you can try it when you get your groceries later in the week.

Since this is my blog ,and I don't do paid post I'll talk about anything I want to ! If we watch a movie and it's good I'll say so,if I think it sucks big time I'll tell you that too! I watch alot of TV at night and on the weekends ,since my hubby works ALL THE TIME ! I'm going to share what I think about TV shows too.

I have seen alot of blogs lately that the person doesn't post for a week and sometimes weeks or even a couple months,because they don't have anything to talk about. My life really isn't that exciting either ,so when nothing is going on really that is worth talking about at least I'll have something to talk about.

The first thing I'm going to tell you to look for is on TV , if you have never seen The Neely's you should ! They started with a cooking show on Saturday mornings at 10:00, I have it on right now ! Then they came out with a new show where they travel around the country checking out cool food and how it's made . I love both shows,I think they are just so cute and funny together and they crack me up ,even the dh watches them if he happens to be home.

So if you have never seen them check them out :

Down Home With The Neely's is on Saturdays 11am/10c

Road Tasted With The Neely's is on Fridays at 8pm/7c

Both are on the food network and you can catch them again at different times throughout the week,just like all their shows.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend, and if you find yourself bored at home like me check out the Neely's !


One more thing : O.J. found guilty on all charges ......well it's about time , he goes down for something !

Who Are You Spending Your Free Time With ?

I was tagged and here's the deal , I have to tell you what book is on my nightstand . The rules are : Get the book that is on your nightstand or wherever you happen to read. Open to page 56 and find the fifth sentence . Post the next two to five sentences and these instructions on your blog. Do not go find your favorite book...it has to be the one you are reading now !

Tag five other people to do the same.

OK , well since I never read books that are set in modern time ,mine is set in the Civil War and some people just won't find it interesting ...... Oh Well ! ......I love them !

The book I'm reading and almost finished is : On Secret Service , by John Jakes . He is the same guy that wrote North and South !

" Back in Chicago, Pinkerton called Lon in . The boss congratulated him on his keen observation and quick thinking,which Webster had generously reported. Pinkerton gave Lon a handshake and an immediate promotion to operative. In the next few months Lon was almost too busy to see that sectional strife was pushing the country closer to a final confrontation over slavery " .

Then the next chapter starts and it's talking about the woman character in the story and would really confuse you all !

I'm not going to tag anyone , but feel free to steal this from me. If you do this meme though come back and leave me a comment so I can go read yours ! I was tagged by Karen at http://surroundedbyseamonkeys.blogspot.com/ , who is better then me and followed the rules and tagged 5 people. So go over there and see who she picked and then go see what they are reading!

Diaper Rash and The Giveaway !

If you haven't tried Lansinoh yet ..you should !

The Lansinoh company was started by a breastfeeding mother more then 20 years ago. For over 20 years Lansinoh has provided relief and comfort to millions of mothers and their babies.

They use the world's purest and safest lanolin in their products. Their Lansinoh Brand Lanolin for Breastfeeding mothers is wonderful and soothes,heals and protects dry cracked skin . It is also the leading topical in its category and is recognized around the world.

It 's the only topical nipple treatment endorsed by La Leche League International. The best part is it's safe and you don't have to remove it before feeding your baby!

As for their Diaper Rash Ointment...I love it ! Most of you know I have 4 kids and my oldest is almost 16, so over the years I have tried alot of the new ones they come out with. This one is by far my favorite and here's why :

When you put it on your baby it comes out of the tube nice and silky,it rubs on very easy unlike some of them that is kind of in a glob and then while you are trying to keep your baby's legs still and keep from getting peed on you have to try to spread that glob everywhere.

This cream is easy to work with you can spread it on really fast ,and the best part is it rubs on clear ! So no more having the baby covered in a thick layer of white goo !

Now here is another trick I do with it, my baby tends to drool ALOT ! He gets a really red sore looking rash on his neck under his double chin between it and on his neck. I rub it on there and it protects him from all the wet drool and keeps him from getting the rash..plus it's clear and has no scent ...so nobody knows it's there !

If you want to go take a look around at their site and see what other great products they have here's the link http://www.lansinoh.com/index.php?submenu=home&src=

Now here is the best part , I have a tube of the Diaper Rash Ointment , a tube of the Lansinoh Lanolin and a package of their wipes for one lucky mom and baby !

So if you have a baby, you are going to have a baby or if you are going to a shower ,this is a great prize for you!

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment between now Oct 1st and Fri Oct 10th until midnight. Tell me if you have ever tried it and who you would like to win it for !

Leave me a comment telling me you have my button on your blog and you have two entries!

Leave me a comment telling me you follow me and you have three!

Blog about the contest and come back and tell me you did in comments and that's four !

After the winner is drawn and announced you can get in contact with me through my email and give me your mailing info and I'll get your prize sent out right away !