Wrapping up another school year!

This is the view of my family room from my scrap desk. See how CLEAN and EMPTY and QUIET it is? (You can SEE the quiet, can't you? I can.) Well. . .the days of *this* family room are numbered! The kids will be out of school and they'll be down here with me (when they're not outside) watching tv, playing on the computer, asking me for this, that and whatever else. . .and I will become annoyed. Ahhh, see the crocus? This little sprout of lovliness is smack dab in the walkway to the side of our drive. Amazingly enough they weren't stepped on this season. Crocuses don't bloom for long. They're just long green grass like greenery now.

I've been making card packs for teachers, mom group leaders and other much appreciated people. Here are just a couple.

There's Abby with some girlfriends. They are painting and decorating terra cotta pots in a Girl Scouts meeting.

Eric and Abby got their faces painted at Family Fun Night, held at the school. Abby is a dragon and Eric is a Tiger. Eric also won first place for being the fastest competitor to complete the obsticle course at Family Fun Night. He finished in 6 seconds flat! Other typical times were 15-26 seconds.

Ahhhh,yes. School is almost done. Only 6 more full school days left. As much as I LOVE the quiet and time to get things done while they're in school, I am just as much looking forward to a break from the morning and afterschool routine. No more homework, no more organizing school work, projects, making peanut butter and jelly every morning at 7am, driving to school in the fridgid weather or through a monsoon. Summer is a fantastic time for kids as well as parents!

I plan on having the kids read a few books each this summer as well as keep up on their times tables. (That's for ERic and Abby. Tom. . .well, he doesn't need help with school work. Speaking loud and clearly maybe, and brushing his hair so he doesn't look like a hoodlum, but that's about it.) I'll be reading a ton as well, although I'm caught up with the two series I'm reading. I got 5 or 6 books at a garage sale this past weekend for $0.50 each! That was a great find. I want to start writting a book as well. I've been thinking about it for a year or so, and after reading at least a book a month I'm really motivated to get started. I'd love to see a book of mine on the shelves at Border or Barnes and Nobel (hopefully not in the discount bin) but it's not getting there by just thinking about it, is it?

It's been a million years

I'm sure no one is even reading this because it's been MONTHS since I posted anything here, and you've all given up on checking if I've added any updates. But just incase there's a few of you that still check now and then, I'm going to post today.

And tomorrow.

And on and on.

"Yeah, Jen, we've heard you say that before!"

I know, Iknow. But really, I have lots to post. And there's to many of you out there that I don't see often enough, and I want to share with you what's going on in my world. :)

There are over 148 pictures in my camera that I have to upload (or is it download?) to my computer. I'll share some of those pics once they're in the computer, but right now I"m running out of the house to go get a hair cut. Not short or anything, but there is NOOOO style left, it's just one big mop on my head. All I do with it anymore is pull it back ina claw. Where's the style in that? Ugh. So I'll return and load some pics for you! There's a lot of cards I've made that I'd like to share with you too, so hang on tight! Jen's back in action!!

Big Boy!

My nephew will be getting this card in the mail this week! I made it for him because he's getting to be such a big boy and is learning to master the art of losing the diaper, if ya know what I mean ;) Way to go, Nicolas!

Monday morning before the storm hits

Hello everyone! It's February 8th and we are suppoused to get 7-8" of snow starting this afternoon! I am going to work out, shower and get dressed, then run to the grocery store to stock up on some staples so we won't be out of (gasp) cereal and milk. (What would Eric eat if we were out of his basics?)

I just placed the Girl Scout cookie orders for our troop and need to run to the GS office with banking information. Also on my list of things to do is call Mary Kay so they can send me the form I need to get my money back from the product I decided I no long want, mail a few bills, attempt to catch up on laundry, stop at walmart to pick up pictures and perscriptions, and upload about 200 pictures to my computer.

Ugh.

So I need to get outta here---let me leave you with some of the latest cards I've created :) They are above, as I added the images AFTER I typed the text. Remember to click on the pictures to see a more detailed view of the cards. THere are so many cards I want to make and send out to people I love and miss!!!

I got a job ;)

I'm excited to start a part time job at a store in the mall called CJ Banks! I've shopped there a few times, they have beautiful clothes! I can use the scheduled time out, the extra money (did you know minimum wage is up to $8/hr?) and the 50% discount is certainly a plus as well!! I know, I know; If I'm not careful my whole check will go back into the store. You're not the first one to tell me that. It's ok--I'm only going to allow myself one article each week! ;)

Being that it's retail (and I know how retail works because that's pretty much all I've done in the past) I put open availability on my application. And it's not that I mind working weekends, I don't--I just don't want to work EVERY weekend. There's plenty of times when we go up north that we're gone from friday to sunday evening. So I'm a little anxious about how that's gonna work, and I hope I'll get next week's schedule today.

Today I'm only there from 1-5 for orientation. There will be another girl there as well, her name is Tina. I have no idea what she's like, so I hope we click right away and get along without a problem!!

The kids are ok alone until Ken gets home, but my parents are going to bring them to their house. The kids can do their homework while my mom cooks her dinner and then Ken can stop by and get them on his way home.

After work I'm going to Lisa's for a MICHE purse party and then to watch the dvr'd "Vampire Diaries". Catch up with you after that!!

Have a fantastic fall day!

October 2009

For the past few years I've taken the kids' pictures myself and have them printed at walmart. It's cheeper than the school picture packages, and I can print EXACTLY the sizes and amounts I need.

Tom didn't want to have his picture taken. Can you tell? This is the best shot I was able to get. He turns 12 this November. I can't believe it. I remember his birthday like it was. .. well, not yesterday, but certainly not 12 years ago.

Eric was much more compliant, although he had a raging case of strep in this picture, and we didn't know it yet. 10 and a half years he is.

Abby! She is so happy! I had quite a few shots to choose from for Abby's picture! She is 8.

Here's our house decorated for fall. It's hard to see much with the leaves and the shadows. You can click on the image to get a larger shot.

I took the following two pictures of laundry for my facebook page. A friend of mine 'teased' me to show everyone how bad I was claiming the laundry was. So I did it!

And my husband, Ken, just decided to start a facebook page for himself. He didn't want to put his picture on the internet, though, so this is his status picture. . . .

Is it just me???

I'm tellin' ya, I thought I had a kind of easy, laid back life. . .but lately I've been so busy, I'm ready to pull my hair out! Wait, that's not really accurate. I'm so busy, I want to just chuck it all and curl up on the couch with a blankey and the remote. Yes. That is more like it.

So I've been helping the kids with homework (and LATE work. .. UGH), taking them to the dr's, keeping them home from school with various sicknesses, going to morning bible study, cleaning the kitchen, doing MOUNTAINS of laundry every three days or so, going to wednesday night church program, mom's group, going through everyone's clothes and putting away summer clothes to replace them with fall and winter (still not done with this chore), book club, stamp club, crop club, dr's visits for me, working 5 hours a day (ok, I haven't been able to keep up that pace, but I'm working on it) and pulling all the (dead) summer flowers out of pots, dumping the dirt and decorating the outside for fall.

I know, I know. . .alot of people have the same types of things to do, I'm not unique. Everyone has to run their lives. Notice I didn't add paying the bills, dusting, vacuuming, grocery shopping, CHANGING THE TOILET PAPER ROLLS. . . is there some unwritten rule I'm not aware of that makes the rest of the family think they are unable to do this task??

So on top of that I'm coordinating Eric's 5th grade halloween party and leading Abby's brownie troop. Not because I'm looking for a way to strengthen my leadership skills. . .no, no. .. because I'll do anything to keep my kids happy.

Ok, almost anything.

But how can I say no to Brownies? (Girl Scouts) No one else would step up, so here I am. And again, no one would take the lead in 'putting together' the halloween party. Nothing earth shattering, but both new tasks definitely involve alot of emailing and calling people. In fact, there is ALOT more involved in leading brownies than I thought there'd be. I had to take a mental day from it today. I'll get back up on that horse tomorrow. Or monday.

So, I've been creating cards and layouts, I just haven't taken my camera out. But don't feel slighted--I need to update my facebook page, too.

Below is a picture that's in my computer from LAST FALL. (There are SO MANY pictures I need to print!! Not that they'll get much further than that. .. I'm more than a year behind in scrapbooking.) So here' my niece and nephew in the fall leaves of 2008. . .



Adorable, aren't they??

And below is a picture you may recall from my birthday post.

This is the breakfast my best friend, Deata, made for me when I stayed at her house the weekend of my birthday. I'm posting it today because I'm going to her house again tomorrow night! The end of August was the last time I was out there, and I'm looking forward to spending time with her. . .we hope to find a festive pumpkin patch type place with apple cider, a little shop. . ya know, the whole kit -n- kaboodle. Plus we're going to window shop in a few of our favorite stores and see my other BEST friends at Jodi's house saturday night! (Beth and Anita, I'm talking to YOU! Pull yourselves up by your boobstraps and get to Jodi's by 7!! I miss you!!)

I am going to take pics of the house, my kids, and all the festivities to come and I'll post them up SOON!! ;)