My 25 Random Things

Ok......after being tagged a million-billion times, here are my "random" things.

1. I lived in northwestern Ohio until I was 12. For part of that time, we lived on a farm. As a kid, got to ride in tractors/combines, play in grain wagons (watch out for the stink bugs), explore wide open spaces, play in REAL snow….just to name a few.

2. I love being a mom. I always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I feel privileged to be at home with my kids. I do not take it for granted….esp. these days.

3. I am the perfectionistic/detail-oriented type. One of my greatest AND worst traits. It pushes me to do my best….but also discourages me when I can’t meet my own expectations. I am very hard on myself and can be very insecure at times.

4. I love making lists and lists and lists. Refer to number 3.

5. I love the WEATHER! I especially love severe weather; it fascinates me. (In college, I almost majored in Meteorology. I ended up with an Elementary Education degree.) When my kids get older, I’m going become a certified Storm Spotter.

6. I love cold weather. If it gets above 72, I’m unhappy. As a result, I love snow and the mountains. (I am NOT a beach person.) Funny that I live in Tennessee where it’s HOT the majority of the year.

7. I prefer to buy organics and natural foods, cleaners, etc. I clean a lot with vinegar. (check out www.vinegartips.com)

8. I really enjoy cooking for my family, but I get nervous when I cook for other people. I’m not a great baker.

9. I like sauerkraut A LOT! Sauerkraut balls are the best!

10. I took clogging lessons in Jr. High school.

11. My birthday is on Valentine’s Day. 32 is right around the corner.

12. I hate writing papers……HATE! Funny that I worked as an editor for 2 ½ years.

13. I have traveled a bit – Greece, Thailand, Ecuador, Ireland, Hawaii, Bahamas, all over the U.S.

14. I do not like to be the center of attention. I would rather be behind the scene.

15. I NEED sleep. If I don’t get sleep….watch out! I never pulled an all-nighter in college.

16. I dread my kids getting sick. (Again…I don’t function well on little sleep.)

17. I am not the creative type…but love crafty-type projects.

18. I only enjoy movies that are predictable (romantic comedies). I cannot watch high-intensity movies with a twisted plot. I MUST know what is going to happen. If I don’t, I get really stressed out.

19. I like to shop - sale and clearance only, though. If I buy something full price, I feel like I have been swindled.

20. I had two baby teeth until I was 30.

21. My grades put me in the top 10 people at High School graduation (out of like 450 students). I made 1 B in college. I can remember maybe 10% of what I “learned.”

22. I love having my feet rubbed. Denver rubs them almost every night.

23. I like watching Jon & Kate Plus 8; it relieves stress. Denver can’t watch it….it stresses him out.

24. I don’t tan. I’m either really white or red from a sun burn. (Maybe another reason I don’t like the beach!)

25. I can be rather ornery and mischievous. I wait for the perfect moment.

Preschool????????

Boston will be 4 in May.....so it's that time. Preschool.

Do you have comments and/or suggestions about Preschools in Hendersonville?

Movie Night Suggestions

Hey there.....

I am wanting to start a new tradition with my family....Move Nights! Choosing entertaining AND appropriate movies can be challenging. I know about Mary Poppins, etc.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Reading through the Bible

Well...I don't know HOW MANY times I have tried to do read through the Bible........countless times. I think I've read Genesis a MILLION times. =)

I'm not really big on the whole "new year resolutions" thing, but I'm gonna try to read as much of the Bible this year as I can. I figure this is one of those goals that NEVER tires. So....I'm gonna try and follow along with this blog.

What are some of your "resolutions" for the New Year?

=)

Well....I've been so bad at this blog thing.....

Honestly, I've gotten hooked on Facebook. I admit it. ;o)

So, where to go from here. Not sure.....

Fun Game

Here are the rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

The Dozen Cupcakes Quiz

Vanilla Vanilla Cupcake "in this buttery cupcake, vanilla is the star: a delicate swirl of vanilla bean buttercream atop our rich yellow cupcake" You are the average joe, but not in a bad way. You aren't loud or spontaneous, but everybody loves you because you are always there and always welcoming. You are a comforting presence and children love you. And best of all, you look good no matter what color you wear!

Fun quizzes, surveys & blog quizzes by

You MUST read this blog!

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

You MUST read this blog and join this former "brentwood girl" on her journey of faith and love.

Again, YOU MUST add this blog to your google reader.

Wow.....God is awesome.

Pumpkin Squares

CRUST
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg

FILLING
3 cups pumpkin pie mix (large can)
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

TOPPING
1 cup reserved cake mix
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted

Grease (bottom only) 9X13 pan with butter.

Reserve 1 cup of cake mix for Topping. Combine remaining cake mix, butter, and egg. Press into bottom of pan.

Prepare filling by combining ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour over crust.

For topping, combine ingredients and sprinkle over filling.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Serve with Cool Whip.

TIP - For use with 1 lb. can solid-pack plain pumpkin, add 2 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar. Prepare as directed above.

(If you need high altitude instructions....let me know!)

Hi......yes.....It's me!

I know...I know...I know. I've been so awful about blogging. Sorry....=)

I make no promises (so no promises will be broken)....but I will try to do better and post on a more regular basis!!!

The Tragedy of Our Day

A friend of mine had this quote on his Facebook page today. It's so true on a national/global level......but man.....so true on a personal level too!

"The tragedy of our day is not unanswered prayer but unoffered prayer."


Let's not forget to talk with God today. Man, He loves us so much.....and HE LISTENS!!!!!

Who are these people???

I've met some strange people lately. One of them is a little boy who constantly whines, cries, yells, and says "NO!" to everything (and I mean EVERYTHING!). The other person is a woman who has no patience, no sense, and raises her voice (maybe even yells) in response to the little boy's defiance.

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE????

All I know is that I miss my sweet little boy and my normal, sane self!

A Sweet September Day

Eight years ago today, I married my sweetheart and best friend!

Denver and I dated for almost 3 years before we got married. We knew we wanted a fall wedding (b/c I don't like the heat.....as you know). The weather was wonderful, much like today. Being a weather nut, I remember the high that day being 76. It was gorgeous! We were married at Two Rivers Baptist Church at 2pm. What a wonderful day!

Happy Anniversary, Denver!

The Blueberry Festival

Here are only a few from our time at the Blueberry Festival.

The four of us watching AWESOME fireworks.
The kids weren't enjoying it quite so much.

The Johnson family was in attendance again!

The three amigos with Terry, Denver's dad.

Know a Nanny?

Denver and I have some upcoming commitments that create the need for more than a babysitter.....we need a "nanny" type person.

We'd like a woman who is:
-A Christian
-Preferably our age or older
-Has experience with young children (preferably a mom with older children)
-Available during weekDAYS (My mom can take over when she gets off work in the evening.)

It wouldn't be a regular "gig." We only need someone 3-4 times a year to watch the kids during work-related trips and a few other times here and there. So I guess that's a babysitter/nanny who's "on-call."

Denver and I just know there is someone out there. If you can think of someone . . . . please let me know and I can give more specific details.

"There's More Than One Way to Make a Diaper"

Well.....a new phase of parenting has begun in our home.

POTTY TRAINING!

Boston is almost 3 1/2, so it's definitely time. My sweet little "B" does not favor change in any form. So, when we got home from vacation, I decided it was time to give it a try. Since we just started, he's not completely used to telling us when he has to go, and we're certainly not brave enough to leave the house without a pull-up on him. Soooooo.... here's a little story from our evening.

Denver got home early from work today. As he came in the door, the kids were waking from their afternoon naps. I mentioned to Denver we needed to change Boston out of the pull-up he was in b/c it was falling apart....assuming he heard me.

We get to Zaxby's ("Zas-ta-bees" as Boston calls it.). We get our food, and we're having a nice dinner. All of the sudden Denver turns white and says, "uh oh." He just stared at me. I said, "What's wrong??" He said, "I put him in underwear. I didn't think about a pull-up. He's in underwear." So, we decided that Denver would take B to the bathroom and try to get him to use the potty. They were gone for 10 minutes and then returned:

Denver: Well, that didn't go so well. He didn't go. . . . . . . . But he's got lots of toilet paper.

Me: What? What do you mean?

Denver: He'll be fine. I stuffed his underwear with a bunch of toilet paper. There's more than one way to make a diaper.

I laughed so hard. What a "daddy" thing to do!

(And do you know....he kept that toilet paper in his underwear through two stores.....and made it home with dry pants. Way to go B!)

Alexandrea Place Community Yard Sale!

My neighborhood is having a community-wide yard sale THIS SATURDAY, Sept. 13. If you are a yard-saler........you don't want to miss it!

Let me know if you need directions!

Me

Okay, so I haven't gotten pictures on here like I promised. But, I have been tagged by Karen, and a few other folks, to write six interesting things about myself. So here goes:

1. I don't think I'm interesting.

(Okay....so that's not really number 1.)

1. I am a detail-oriented person. Seriously....I notice the smallest details/things that no one else around me notices. This is a good and bad trait. The good - I am a great compliment to my husband, who only notices details when he's writing a bazillion notes .... at the same time....hearing it all in his head. (Love you, Den.) The bad....the SMALLEST things can easily annoy me. I'm great at letting go of those annoyances around friends, but my sweet family doesn't always get so lucky!

2. On that note, what are my pet-peeves? Well, aside from HEARING someone chew or HEARING someone bite their nails......it would have to be getting random crumbs stuck to the bottom of my feet. Weird? I know......it's the detail thing again. (see above! ha!)

3. I LOVE winter and DESPISE summer. I lived in northern Ohio until 7th grade, so I have great memories of actual seasons. Winter - COLD, Spring - cool, Summer - warm and occasionally hot, fall-cool again. (And yep....God planted me in Tennessee where it's cool, warm, HOT, warm. He has a sense of humor!) Guess that's why I avoid going outside when the temp. gets above 80 and why I turn our thermostat to 68!

4. I took clogging lessons in Jr. High. Yes.....enough said.

5. I have traveled more than I ever dreamed I would. Been to LOTS of places around the U.S. I've also visited Thailand, N. Ireland, Greece, Ecuador, and Hawaii. Oh wait...Hawaii is in the U.S., but it sure felt like another country! ;0)

6. I had two baby teeth until the age of 30.

There you go.

Blueberry . . . .

We're back from our annual trip to the Blueberry Festival in Plymouth, IN. We had a great time......will post pictures soon!

Obedience and Cookies

Tonight after dinner, we ran to Walmart for a few things. At one point, I had to remind our sweet boy to obey. So on the way home, Denver and were talking about making some ice cream (actually frozen yogurt) sandwiches with chocolate chip cookies. He heard us and said, "I want to obey my cookie!" What he meant was, "I want to obey so I can have a cookie." So cute.