Sunday Scrappin'

I finally had time to do something crafty, although it wasn't much. I made a simple birthday card for my husband. Just some layered paper, a stamp, and 3 brads.

I also organized all of my photos and started gathering my supplies to take with me next weekend on a scrapbooking retreat! My sister and I are going to Rockin R Retreat and Event Center for the weekend. So, two weeks from now, I should have a lot done!

This is a new place for us to go, and I'm a little unsure about it now. I got an email from the organizer of the retreat today asking if my sis and I minded if she moved us to a room upstairs to share with another woman (that we don't know).

First of all, yes I mind. We booked that particular retreat for the main reason that we would have a room to ourselves. I can't sleep when there is a stranger in the room. We've done that before, and both times, I was miserable.

She said that one of the ladies is having foot surgery Tuesday, and she will be in a wheelchair for the weekend, and since space is limited downstairs (I wonder if she just doesn't want to room with her), do we mind if she moves us? Yes, actually, I do.

The lady who's having surgery should have planned better! I know it sounds mean, but couldn't she postpone her surgery a few days or reschedule her retreat? We booked and paid for our retreat two months ago. So, that is upsetting me a little bit, but we'll see how it turns out, and if we ever use that particular place again.

Have a scrappy week! And join us for Sunday Scrappin' if you have time to do some crafts!

Friday Confessional

Need to get something off your chest? They say confession is good for the soul. Please join Mamarazzi and Glamazon for Friday Confessional!

I confess...

I. AM. WAY. BEHIND!

I'm behind on my blog reading and commenting. I'm behind on grading papers. I'm behind on my "wifely" ... well, nevermind. I'm behind on a presentation I have to give next week. I'm behind on my reading to keep up with my daughter. I'm behind on paying bills... not late, just behind my intended schedule. And behind on reading mail. I'm even behind on the few TV shows I enjoy.

I feel like I will never catch up!

Thursday Thirteen

Today I'm celebrating the year of my birth... 1965.

Here are the top 13 songs from that year.

I know most of them, but I don't know #6 or #12.

These are some great oldies, but goodies!

1. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction- Rolling Stones
2. Yesterday- Beatles
3. Turn! Turn! Turn! -Byrds
4. I Got You Babe- Sonny & Cher
5. Help-! Beatles
6. Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter- Herman's Hermits
7. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin-' Righteous Brothers
8. Downtown- Petula Clark
9. I Can't Help Myself- Four Tops
10. Help Me Rhonda- Beach Boys
11. Stop! In The Name Of Love -Supremes
12. This Diamond Ring- Gary Lewis & Playboys
13. Get Off Of My Cloud - Rolling Stones

Do you know them all?

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Wednesday Website

It's a wonderful Wednesday! Time for a Website!

Do you like crossword puzzles or word games such as Scrabble? This is for you! MoreWords. This site will allow you to search for dictionary words that contain certain letters, a certain number of letters, with the letter in a specific position, that excludes another letter. Kind of confusing right? Just like I'm confused when I'm looking for a scrabble word that starts with J and has six letters. This is a great resource. Is it cheating? Ummm. I'm not telling!

Have fun! Don't forget to enter my Valentine contest for cupcake wrappers!

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Valentine Cupcake Wrappers Contest

THE NOTEBOOK - most romantic movie ever! Julie is the winner! I'm having a Valentine contest! The winner will receive 24 of these adorable pink and black cupcake wrappers in a Valentine theme. (Darling way to dress up cupcakes for a party!) These are from That's a Wrap2 on Etsy. And I want to thank Mamarazzi for giving me her suggestions.

The Contest: What is the most romantic movie ever made?

Two steps are REQUIRED to enter this contest:

1. Tweet this giveaway. Come back here and leave your tweet link in the comments. If you don't tweet, you could post this link on your Facebook page.

2. In a separate comment (after you tweet/FB link), leave the title of what you consider to be the most romantic movie ever made.

I will choose one of the movies from all the entries, and you will win these darling cupcake wrappers. You may duplicate other responses. If more than one person leaves a comment with the movie that I ultimately choose, I will use random.org to break the tie(s).

Please leave a way for me to contact you via email when the contest ends. The winner will have two days to claim the prize or another winner will be selected. Contest ends at 11:59 CST on February 1. (to give me time to mail your goodies before Valentine's Day.)

Let the fun begin!

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Saying Yes

Friday Confessional is hosted by Mamarazzi and Glamazon. Won't you join us?

I confess...

I am a new fan of Say Yes to the Dress on TLC. Yes, I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but it's true! About two weeks ago, I came home from work, and my daughter was watching this show. I had planned to clean the kitchen, change clothes, start laundry, the usual stuff. I didn't make it past the TV! I was hooked from that very first episode. Now my DVR is not only taping the new episodes, but the reruns as well.

My husband is in shock! First, I'm not a reality-TV watcher. I don't watch Survivor, America's Got Talent, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, The Biggest Loser... none of those! I don't enjoy them. But this... this is different. Hubz says it doesn't seem like the kind of show I would like. Brides trying on wedding dresses? I guess I'm more of a girlie-girl than he realized.

I love this show! My favorite episode thus far was the one in which Sarah Velasquez, one of the bridal consultants, changed places and became a client after she got engaged. It was such a great episode.

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What kills me about this show is the amount of money the brides spend on their gowns. Wow! You could buy a nice new-to-you car with the money on some of those price tags. But... I just love watching! I can sit and watch episode after episode after episode. I guess it should come as no surprise that when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my little girl answer was, "a bride!"

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Thursday Thirteen

Come and play Thursday Thirteen with us! It's fun!

Here are 13 of the sites I visit most often on the Web.

1. Blogger (duh!)

2. Google Reader

3. Facebook

4. Yahoo (for email)

5. AllRecipes

6. My Fitness Pal

7. Online Dictionary

8. Twitter

9. Netflix

10. The Internet Movie Database

11. The Houston Chronicle

12. My bank's website

13. Walgreens (that happens as you get older!)

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Wednesday Website

With many people making resolutions to lose weight or eat healthier, there are a great many sites out there that claim to offer help. I've found one that is awesome! It's called My Fitness Pal. You can use it online or on a smartphone, so you can take it with you everywhere you go.

One of the best features of the site is a place to set a goal based on your current height and weight. The plan can be tailored to meet any need and updated at any time.

I like the food database. I can put it in just about any food and find out the amount of calories, carbs, protein, and fat it has. If you have a smartphone, you can scan a bar code, and it will give you all of the nutrition information about that food.

Another useful feature is the food diary. Experts suggest you keep track of what you eat. You can put in your foods, and it shows you a breakdown of what you've had for the day and how you can continue to reach your goal. There is also an exercise component where you list any exercise you've had that day, and it tells you how many extra calories you could have based on that exercise.

The best part is that it's free and easy to use! There is also a community you can interact with, much like facebook, if you choose. I don't use that feature, but some people find it helpful. Ask and answer questions, overcome obstacles, whatever the case may be.

My husband and I have committed to lower our fat intake and restructure our eating habits. Notice I'm NOT calling it a diet!

Go try it out, and let me know what you think!

Tackle it Tuesday

Tackle it Tuesday is sponsored by 5 Minutes for Mom...

My husband calls this the "kitty cat closet" because it's where they used to store the cat supplies. I call it the "craft" closet (or the crap closet) because everything just gets shoved in there!

What a mess! It was time for a tackle. Everything in the closet came out, but not everything went back in. I think it's much better now, although it may still look cluttered. At least it's organized. All the China dishes together, school supplies together, craft items together, etc.

What did you tackle?

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Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday is sponsored by I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monday - Tostadas (flat, crunchy, corn tortillas topped with refried beans; lean, ground taco beef; lettuce; tomato; and 2% mild cheddar cheese) and Spanish rice.

Tuesday - Chicken wraps (soft tortillas with grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, and ranch dressing) and Sauteed Zucchini.

Wednesday - Grilled Italian Chicken Subs with boiled potatoes and/or red beans and rice.

Thursday - Kid's choice.

Friday - Penne pasta and meat sauce.

Two of my meals this week (Tuesday and Wednesday) are from my menu plan two weeks ago. My family loved them and asked for them again. They were so easy to prepare and low in fat, I couldn't say no! Plus, you'll see one of these dishes over at Our Krazy Kitchen on Wednesday!

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Friday Confessional

Friday Confessional - Confession is good for the soul.

Hosted by Mamarazzi at Our Dandelion Wishes and Glamazon from Glammy Info.

I confess...

I am annoyed when I go to a blog that has automatic music playing. I don't mind a playlist that I can click on if I want to listen, but the ones where it plays no matter what... that bothers me.

I confess...

I get annoyed with word verification. It hates me. Half the time, I can't see the letters at all. If I can, it doesn't always "take." Frustrates me to no end. And what's the purpose? I get an email when a comment is left, and I can delete it if I don't want it. Blogger has a pretty good system of weeding out spam comments, too, and you can set your blog to notify you if someone tries to comment on an older post. So... I don't use word verification or "visible after approval" anymore.

And I confess...

I am addicted to Frontierville on Facebook (Forgetfulone hangs her head in shame.) I love that game! There's no rhyme nor reason to it. I used to play a lot of games, but this one has taken over my FB time. I still play scrabble occasionally, but I am totally addicted to Frontierville. There! Admission is the first step, right?

Won't you join the confessional?

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Thursday Thirteen

I will be glad when Friday at 4:00 rolls around! Why, you ask? Read on!

1. This has been a long, busy week!

2. I had textbook hearings for 3 1/2 hours after work one evening.

3. I had a killer migraine Monday, and the remnants have followed me into the rest of the week.

4. It's been a difficult week in the US. I can't even talk about Arizona right now.

5. My husband has been sick for a week.

6. My son is also sick.

7. I took off work to take my son to the doctor. He has the flu, confirmed by lab test.

8. Which has led to an unusual amount of laundry.

9. We had problems with our new insurance not showing that we were covered.

10. It's cold! Brrrrr. Should warm up over the weekend.

11. We found out my husband's uncle has another tumor. The prognosis is not good.

12.I haven't had any time to scrapbook lately...

and the biggest reason I can't wait for 4:00 Friday (when my weekend starts)

13..THREE DAY WEEKEND!!!! (We are off Monday in honor of the late Martin Luther King, Jr.)

UPDATE - Another long night with my son and a migraine today. NOOOOO!

Visit Thursday 13 here!

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Great Weekend

What a great weekend! Friday night, I was invited to the Painted Potter for a birthday party. Yes, for adults (although the birthday girl is only 26). And it was super-fun! We ate, chatted, and painted the night away. I can't wait to see how my butterfly looks after it's fired/glazed.

Saturday, the kids and I got hair cuts, and I took my daughter shopping at Ulta and Barnes and Noble. Saturday night, my husband and I went to the Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston (what an incredbile venue) to see "A Tuna Christmas." Joe Sears and Jaston Williams are hilarious!

Sunday after church, we went to my mom's to celebrate her birthday (see picture above). We had lunch and gave her some gifts. Then we had a blast playing the iTouch version of Truth or Dare. We were rolling on the floor laughing! It was good to see her smile and have so much fun a couple of days after her chemo treatment. What an awesome weekend!

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by I'm An Organizing Junkie.

This week:

Sunday - Burgers made with Laura's Lean Beef 96/4, boiled potatoes for me, red beans & rice for everyone else.

Monday - 6-cheese tortellini with Bertolli Marinara with Wine, Broccoli

Tuesday - Crock Pot Picante Sauce Chicken, Rice, Green Beans

Wednesday - Spaghetti, Bread

Thursday - Kid's Choice

Friday - Not sure yet. Maybe English Muffin pizzas.

Friday Confessional

Everyone needs to confess a little every now and then, right? Friday Confessional is hosted by Our Dandelion Wishes and Glammy Info.

I confess...

I am tired of teaching. I'm just feeling too old for it these days. I've put in 22 years now, and I guess I'm getting burned out. Don't get me wrong... I love the kids! They are why I am there, and I love seeing them and teaching them every day.

What bothers me is the lack of supportive administration in the district, the numerous state and federal laws that tie our hands so we can't address issues that need to be addressed, state testing that takes up so much instruction time, and the general bad attitude many students and parents have toward educators these days. It's stressful sometimes. And I'm tired. Just plain tired.

I confess...

I participated in a meme not too long ago (last month), visited many of the other participants and left comments, left a comment on the original post, and did not receive one reciprocal comment. Not one. That hurts. Face it, we all want to know someone out there is reading and relating to us.

That is all I am confessing for now. I'm tired!

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My Year in Books 2010

Filed under: Thursday Thirteen, Reading, Books

1. I read a total of 42 books during 2010, up from 36 last year. I keep track on Goodreads.

2. I read two children's books, both by Roald Dahl: The Magic Finger

and George's Marvellous Medicine.

Neither one was great.

3. One of my favorite authors is James Patterson. I read 8 books by him:

Don't Blink,

The Postcard Killers,

Private,

Worst Case,

Fang,

Witch & Wizard,

The 9th Judgment,

and I, Alex Cross.

4. I read 6 books for my book club:

I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie (Pamela Des Barres),

Nefertiti (Michelle Moran),

Shanghaii Girls (Lisa See),

The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrewy Niffenegger),

Water for Elephants (Sara Guren),

and The Guardian (Nicholas Sparks).

Out of those, I thought Nefertiti was the best one.

5. I read ten young-adult novels: Fang and Witch & Wizard were mentioned previously. The others were

Unwind (Neal Shusterman),

The Lottery Rose (Irene Hunt),

Closed for the Season (Mary Downing Hahn),

The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Mary E. Pearson),

Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson),

The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins),

Once Upon a Marigold (Jean Ferris),

and Maggie's Door (Particia Reilly Giff).

Out of those, Speak was the best one.

6. I read two books by another favorite author, John Grisham:

Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer

and Ford County Stories.

I'm currently reading another book by Grisham.

7. Four of the books I read were nonfiction including one mentioned above (I'm With the Band.) The others were

Grown Up Digital:How the Net Generation is Changing the World (Don Tapscott),

The Ultimate Guide for Men and Women to Understand Each Other (Alex A. Lluch),

and Ready from Within: A Personal Narrative (Septima Clark).

Non-fiction is not my favorite genre.

8. I read 3 books by Janet Evanovich (who is a hoot!):

Sizzling Sixteen,

Plum Lucky,

and Wicked Appetite.

9. I read two books by Robert Crais, another favorite author:

The Two-Minute Rule

and The Watchman.

10. I also enjoy reading Stephen White, but I only read one by him:

Dead Time.

His newest book is next on my list.

11.I read two books that are considered classics:

Animal Farm (George Orwell)

and Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte).

12. Five of my books did not fall into any of the above categories:

The Heretic Queen (Michelle Moran),

The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold),

Heat Wave (Richard Castle),

19 Minutes (Jodi Piccoult),

and Wildwater Walking Club (Claire Cook).

13. If I had to choose a favorite book, that would be difficult, becaus unlike the previous two years, none of them was breathtakingly good (like Angels and Demons and The Kite Runner from 2009 and 2008). I suppose I would choose Neffertiti by Michelle Moran. One of the worst books on my list was Witch & Wizard. Find me on Goodreads and let's connect! I'd love to have suggestions for reading material!

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Works for Me Wednesday

Works for Me Wednesday is hosted at We are THAT Family.

I love to read, and I love to stay organized, so Goodreads is a website that helps me do that.

Goodreads helps me keep up with what I have read, what I am currently reading, and what I want to read. It's hard to remember the titles of all the books I want to read, and Goodreads gives me a place to keep up with that.

Another feature is the ability to create "shelves" for the books you read. I have created a "shelf" for my book club books, 2010, 2011, fiction, nonfiction, young adult literature, and children's books. And I can classify each book into more than one category.

In addition, you can rate the books you read and write reviews if you are so inclined. Goodreads also allows you to automatically update twitter and/or facebook when you rate a book, again, if you so choose. And it allows you to post your reviews to your blog (like this one).

You can also connect with friends on Goodreads and share reviews, book lists, comments, and more, or you can join book discussions. It's quite a handy website for readers!

(I was not compensated in any way for promoting Goodreads, but I wish I could be!)

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Year in Review... December 2010

My month started out in a fabulous way when I was honored as "Queen for a Day" at Our Dandelion Wishes. Thanks, Mamarazzi. You made my month!

Then, I dealt with the fallout of mean girls in high school. My poor baby!

I also took some time to re-evaluate my blogging reasons, goals, if you will. They haven't changed drastically and probaby won't.

And I had a very merry Christmas! I hope you did, too!

Stay tuned for my 2010 Books in Review, coming soon.
If you missed a post, here they are:
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and November.

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Tackle it Tuesday

Tackle it Tuesday is sponsored by 5 Minutes for Mom

This past Sunday, I tackled the Christmas "un" decorating. I started with the tree - getting all the ornaments off. My husband did the lights, then we both disassembled the tree (artifical). Then I gathered up the many, many other decorations in the living room, kitchen, entry way, stair way, and so on.

No more tree! Or any other decorations! We got it all boxed up and into the attic in a matter of a few hours. Whew! I'm glad that's done! What did you tackle?

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Year in Review... November 2010

My beautiful (step) daughter, the star of the show! Football season finally ended in November, which gives her a short break before Winterguard competitions begin.

November was a fairly quiet month on the blog, although it looks like I posted every day. I guess when there is a holiday, the posts tend to take on a lighter note, with one exception. There was a horrible tragedy involving one of the students at my school. She and two of her siblings died in an apartment fire. Rest in peace, Kaitlyn.

My friend Jenn from My Kids are My World tagged me. She had four unique questions for me. See how I answered, and see the questions I asked the people I tagged.

My husband and I went to New Braunfels, Texas for the 50th annual Wurstfest. It was crazy crowded! But we had fun! We always have fun when we get away for a night.

Then, there was Thanksgiving. I cooked for my mom, kids, and nephew (who is a riot). She was (and still is) undergoing chemo, so we went to her house. My husband spent the day at his aunt's home. I really needed to be with my mom, though.

And that is going to bring us to... December! Stay tuned!
If you missed a post, here they are:
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, and October.

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Menu Plan Monday

MPM is hosted by I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Sunday - Oven fried chicken, rice cooked in vegetable broth, French style green beans.

Monday - Grilled chicken subs with marinara and mozarella, boiled potatoes. (the kids can have chips if they want).

Tuesday - Beef, asparagus, and pasta toss (recipe from Laura's Lean Beef) with sauteed squash.

Wednesday - Chicken wraps with lowfat dressing, lettuce, tomato served with broccoli and rice.

Thursday - Kids' choice

Friday - I have NO idea! It's usually pizza night, but we're avoiding pizza this month. Depending on the weather, we may have chicken cooked on the grill. A backup plan is red beans and rice.

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Year in Review... October 2010

My twins got to experience their first high school Homecoming dance this month (pictured above). Other than that, October was a fairly rough month around here. Our beloved dog died. We miss Rocky! Also, we had to give away my daughter's little dachsund. The cat never adjusted to him.

It was also the sixth anniversary of my father's death, something I still probably haven't completely dealt with.

My mom had her mastectomy in October. It was a successful surgery, but the chemo is so hard on her. I think I'm ready to move on to November!
If you missed a post, here they are:
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, and September.

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Sunday Scrappin'

I completed a two page layout this week from our daughter's color guard/band rehearsals. I've got a lot to go on this album if it's going to be ready in May! I've also spent some time organizing my supplies and weeding out things I don't need to take to school for my scrapbook group. My to-do list is very generic. Contine organizing and get a few more pages completed.

If you scrapbook (traditional or digital) or make any type of paper crafts, please join us for Sunday Scrappin'!

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Year in Review...September 2010

September was not an extremely remarkable month, even though it's my birth month. Once you pass 40, which I did a while back, it's jut not a big deal anymore. It was also the ninth anniversary of the World Trade Center bombings which I will never forget.

One fun thing I did this month was participate in Mamarazzi's Guilty Pleasures Swap. Mamarazzi's swaps are always fun. And I wrote this little post to help my readers get to know me a little better.

I hope everyone enjoyed a festive new year, and I wish you health and happiness in 2011. Stay tuned for the remainder of my 2010 year in review. If you missed a post, here they are:
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, and August.

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