I Love Blog Candy!!

I just realized it has been a really long time since I've posted anything. I guess that's the downfall of having children! The other downfall is not having very much time to make cards. I love to make them and just don't have enough time in my day. I do catch up on reading my favorite blogs everyday though and in doing that I found this awesome blog candy that you can try to win! Just go to http://reasonableribbon.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-blog-candy-giveaway.html for your chance to win too!

Some Day...

As usual, there are way too many days in between my posts!! I know, my blog is small, so I'm basically talking to myself when I do post, but hmmmm, maybe not! I don't know, because I have no comments. Anyway, that's beside the point.

The point is, I've been so busy since school started! I'm overwhelmed by the paperwork that Madison brings home from school. There are papers that she did in class, papers that she's supposed to do at home, calendars, notes and reminders from her teacher and the principal, etc. I just can't keep up, I don't know what I'm supposed to keep and what I can (should) get rid of!!

I wish sooooo bad that I had more time to make cards, I find that so relaxing, it's almost like therapy with out the doctor or the BILL!! Oh how I wish I could do it more! I have created a few more cards, but I haven't downloaded that camera yet. So I just sit at my computer somedays and checkout all kinds of blogs that I wish I could be like, and just hope that some day...!

School Days!!

My oldest daughter Madison started school yesterday. She's a big Kindergartener!! She said she had a blast, I'm so glad. When she got home from school, daddy pulled her tooth out! It was super ready. This morning she woke to a treat from the tooth fairy! That was a first too!

I will have pictures of the first day of school, and the toothless grin later. I will also have pictures of some new cards that I've made this week.

Later!

Cards I've Made

These are some cards that I made yesterday. I thought it would be fun to put them on my blog for the world to see. They are my first try at making cards, so they're pretty "rough" for my first time out. I had a blast making them though so I don't really care so much how they look.

#1 - Maroon and Cream "Season's Greetings"

This card was super easy, but the patterned paper behind the sentiment is not very visible. The card is maroon with a cream ribbon, the patterned paper is maroon, forest green and gold Christmas ornaments. I love this card and will possibly mass produce for mailing to family and friends!

#2 - Green and Cream "Christmas Tree"

I LOVE this card!! It turned out really cute and was super easy to make! I'd like to try it again, reversing the colors of the cardstock. Dark card, light/dark/light behind the tree. I think I'll try adding some "bling" to the tree the next time, or maybe using pattern paper with a little more detail. Another card I can see myself mass producing, super easy!

#3 - Chocolate and Pink Birthday Card

I got the idea for this card on the Card Positioning System's Blog. There is a sketch posted on the sidebar that looked really easy so I decided to try it out. Click here to see the CPS Blog. Fun Stuff!! http://cardpositioningsystems.blogspot.com/2010/08/cps-180-part-3.html

I had so much fun making these cards, I can't hardly wait until I have time to make some more!!

Your Chance to Win!

Check out the links on my sidebar! Each of the top links is a chance to win everything in the pictures! All you have to do is go to each of these blogs, and follow the instructions given for your chance to win the candy! Pretty easy things to do for a chance at all that stuff! I'm really hoping I'll be lucky enough to win one!

Awesome Giveaway

Check out this awesome giveaway on the Wee Memories blog!!

http://www.suchins.blogspot.com/

Hope I'm a winner!

Hey world, I'm here. I wish soooo bad that I could actually blog everyday, I just don't seem to have the time! For the past 3 months I've been working on a typing project for my mother, which has been taking up alot of my free time. In addition to that, my oldest child is starting Kindergarten on Monday so I've been trying to get her ready for that. We spent the entire afternoon yesterday, waiting at the clinic to get her shots up to date!

I want to blog, scrapbook, make and sell homemade cards, write a book...so many things I want to do, but just don't have the time!!! I think that my four beautiful children could be the reason for that!!! I have so many desires and things that I want to do, but I would not give up my time with my babies for any of them! I have to be satisfied with tiny bits of time in between feeding, playing with, reading too, bathing, dressing, disciplining, preping for school, etc, with my little darlings. Sadly it is not enough time, but my children are my life and that is where I need to put my focus.

Blessed day to all!

Don't worry, I'm here!!

Sorry world, I just don't do well when I tell myself I'm going to do something. So much for a "post a day" in April and May. I just couldn't do it. If my blog had an actual topic, I may be better at posting on a regular basis. Maybe I should try to post just once per week. We'll see!

Happy Birthday to my sister Amy. Amy passed away 8 1/2 years ago of Inflamatory Breast Cancer. She would be 37 today.

I'm Back!

Well, the goal was to post something everyday in the month of April. As you can see, that didn't happen quite as well as I wanted it to. Trying again for a post a day in May. Hey that rhymes. Things have been boring in April, hopefully May will be better.

Been doing ok on my weight loss challenge with my sisters, but not losing as much as I should be! Hopefully this final 10 days will go well. Started the 10 day Herbal Cleanse from Advocare on Thursday and should finish that up a few days before the end of our challenge. We'll see.

Thursday Thirteen - Week #2

This was in an email that my mom sent to me, Thanks Mom!!

13 THINGS YOUR BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:
1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste ... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.
5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
11. Helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.
12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)

8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:
1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake... I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.
4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds,just to pick my targets.
6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.
7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.
8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com;and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.

Weight Loss Challenge

Darn it!! I didn't get my post in on time! My goal was to have one post per day for the month of April and now, because of the time, I will have none for Monday and two for Tuesday. Oh well!

My sisters, sister-in-law, cousins and I started a weight loss contest today. We each put in $50.00 and whoever loses the highest percentage of body weight, wins the pot. So far, I haven't stopped thinking about food at all today!!!

Happy Easter

Well, Easter is finally here. Jesus rose from the dead after dying for my sins. For this I am thankful. Happy Easter to all.

Tomorrow my sisters and I will begin a weight loss challenge. It will last for 5 weeks until May 10th and the person that loses the highest percentage of body weight will be the winner. All of us will pay $50.00 to join and the winner will get all of the money. Can't wait! Don't know for sure how many people will enter, but hopefully a lot. If not it will be just my sisters and I, and that will be fine too!

Getting ready to drive to Huntington to see Grandma Wrethia for Easter. Then home for Amazing Race and Undercover Boss. I also started reading Twilight, so I may get to read a little later on.

Have a great night all!

Happy 30th Birthday Bob!!

Sorry, not much to report today. The kids and I colored eggs for the bunny to hide, I had to shop for something for myself to wear for Easter and I've got a splitting headache! I'm now going to color my hair, wax my eyebrows and get ready to head out to celebrate my brother Bob's 30th birthday, after which I'll come home and play Easter Bunny!! Happy Birthday Bob, see you in a bit!

Thank You Jesus

When I was little, my mother pounded into me that I should thank Jesus for everything that was good (and sometimes bad!) in my life. If I got something that I asked for she would say "Thank you Jesus" fully expecting me to follow suit and say it too, which I did. If my prayers were answered, "Thank you Jesus". If I was having trouble starting my car and then it started, "Thank you Jesus". Get in a fight with my siblings, "Thank you Jesus, for giving me a sister that I can play with". Stubbed toes, scraped knees, flowers in the window, clothes for my birthday, what ever it was, mom always made sure that I said "Thank you" to Jesus.

So, it is with my mothers voice resonating in my head that I say "Thank you" to Jesus today. For today, He laid down is life, not just for the good people of the world, but for the lowly sinners such as myself. He did it specifically and individually for each and every one of us, whether we wanted him to or not. Although He asked His Father to spare Him, He did as His Father willed and died the most painful death.

Thank you Jesus.

Thursday Thirteen - Week #1

Thirteen Things I Love About My Kids

1. Madison's little patches of freckles on the tops of her cheekbones and nose.
2. The way Ryan whispers to his "mom dog" while fluffing the pillow and getting the blankets just right, right before falling asleep.
3. Morgan's favorite sayings "Peas can we...?" Peas can you lay with me, peas can we go swimming, peas can you help me? And "Peat after me..." when she wants to play repeating games.
4. When Connor was a baby, singing him to sleep when he was so incredibly tired and watching him shake his foot when he heard the black bird coming to "snip off her nose"!
5. Their ability to turn anything in the house into something completely different. ie: Legos stacked high become rockets and castles, but turned upside down they become drinking glasses and bowls for cereal. Books become serving trays at the restaurant, weebles become ice cream cones, kitchen chairs lined up become school buses or cars. The kitchen bench becomes bunkbeds. They make believe for hours!!!
6. The way Madison helps so much with Connor, making bottles and getting diapers.
7. The nightly ritual = Moochies, huggies, fives, fist bumps, finger bumps, "love you you're my best friend ever".
8. The fact that the nightly ritual has been shortened to moochies.
9. "Mommy, I wanna 'nuggle' you".
10. Their beautiful smiles.
11. Connor turning from a baby to a "little boy". Walking, talking, getting teeth, getting his own personality. I love it, but it makes me sad too.
12. Scratching Ryan's back when he can't (or won't) get to sleep.
13. "Mommy, I love you."

Where Does The Time Go??

I can't believe it, March is only moments from being over. Where does the time go? It seem like just yesterday that I contemplated what the New Year would hold for me and resolved to make it better than last year. Oh the "road to a better me" is paved with good intentions, that always seem to fall by the way side. The resolution I made for myself for 2010 was to spend 15-30 minutes a day purging things from my house (clothes, toys, junk, etc.). Here we are on the brink of April and I don't think I've purged anything yet! Where does the time go??

Nap Sweet Nap!

Nap
- verb
To sleep for a short time; doze
- noun
A brief period of sleep, especially one taken during daytime.

A nap is a short period of sleep, usually in the day time. Naps are frequently taken when one becomes drowsy during the day or otherwise wants to feel awake at a later period of time that day. It is common for small children to take frequent naps. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nap

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Now, we all know what a nap is. So it is with great happiness that I report I actually had one today (which is no easy task)! My four children sleep in one bedroom, so if one is not sleepy, that one usually will make it difficult for all to fall asleep. Today I used my baby as a weapon, telling the older kids that, "Connor is sooooo tired. He wants to go to sleep soooo bad and if you are not quiet, he won't get to sleep". I put Ryan, my four year old, and Morgan, my three year old in their beds, then put Connor in and told them that I didn't want to hear a sound. Madison, my five year old, and I were out on the couch. Not only did I not hear anything out of the bedroom, Madison laid quietly on her couch and watched a show while I fell into deep sleep! Four of us (Madison didn't sleep) actually got 2 and a half hours of sleep and it was delightful!!! Now, if I could just get that to happen everyday.

Music Monday

Just for fun, I thought I would look at the iTunes on my computer to see just which songs I listen to the most. Now, I don't listen to it very often so the number of times that each song was played, seemed low to me when I first looked. However, when I realized that I've listened to Hot Stuff by Diana Ross 24 times, it seemed a little high. Anyway, having said that here is the Top 10 songs on my iTunes, based on number of times played.

1. Dancing Queen - Abba (30 plays)
2. Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi (29 plays)
3. Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera (27 plays)
4. Keep the Faith - Bon Jovi (26 plays)
5. Crazy in Love - Beyonce (25 plays)
6. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - Joan Baez (25 plays)
7. Dangling Conversation - Joan Baez (25 plays)
8. Hot Stuff - Diana Ross (24 plays)
9. Wanted Dead Or Alive - Bon Jovi (24 plays)
10. North Country Blues - Joan Baez (24 plays)

Looking back at the list, it occurs to me that if I sit down to my computer and begin playing iTunes from the top, than the only artist in my top 10 list would start at the top of the alphabet! Maybe I should try listening randomly instead of straight down the list! Maybe I'll do that this week and next week post an updated list.

Looking Toward Tomorrow

Have you ever heard of a Haiku? I remember learning about them while studying Poetry in Literature class, in about the 4th or 5th grade. I can remember thinking that they were so simple to write because they didn't have to rhyme. They could be about anything, but the were supposed to have 17 syllables, 5 in the first line, 7 in the second and 5 in the third. After enduring a cold and rainy day today, I came up with this Haiku.

Spring sun where are you?

How I long to feel your warmth.

Hurry spring hurry!

Stupid Lids!!!

Have you ever stopped to examine the lid from a fast food restaurant, or any restuarant for that matter? What's up with all of the jibberish all over the top? I mean really, do we really need all of the extra crap? You know, the "diet", "tea" and "other" buttons, as well as the air vents etc? For instance, today I went to lunch with my BFF Jen at Applebees. The super sweet waitress asked if we wanted her to make us a pop (aka: soda, drink, refill, beverage, etc.) to go. Jen said no, I on the other hand said yes! For those of you that don't know it, I can't go anywhere with out a pop. So, she brings the pop and I proceed to try to put the straw in the lid. I'm sorry, but there was more than one place to put a straw!!! At first I tried the "air vent". You know, the part that sticks up in the middle, with the tiny tiny hole in the top for letting hot air out (I think!). Of course that didn't work!! Next, I tore back the little section where you would drink coffee, if it were in fact coffee that was in the cup (not so in this case!). Finally, Jen decided to point out that cup lids were so confusing and that there was ANOTHER opening on the top of the lid. This opening would be the infamous "X", made from two little cuts in the plastic, which makes the perfect spot for a straw. She just had to say, "Or, you could just stick it in the spot where the straw goes, right there where the X is"!! By this time, I had already poked at the air vent, tore the perforation and peeled back the cover to the Hot Beverage section and was now staring at the place where the straw was OBVIOUSLY supposed to go! Needless to say, I am OCD and the torn lid would absolutely not suffice. I had to ask the waitress for another lid and replace the one that I had demolished, trying to find the spot to stick that darn straw!!!

So Funny I Cried!!!

This is soooo funny that I had to share it. It's a little bit long but totally worth it. Don't worry, it's totally clean and ok for everyone. Watch to the end and enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpJ8glq5F-o

Too Tired to Stop!!

Well, it's after midnight and I'm still awake. It's been a long day at home with the kids all day and all night (husband is working out of town today and tomorrow). As tired as I am, I feel the book that I'm reading, calling my name. I've been reading Out of Captivity, by Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, and Tom Howes with Gary Brozek. It is the story of the authors' being taken hostage and held captive by rebels in the jungles of Colombia, after their plane crashed on a surveillence mission. I'm getting close to the end and can't wait to read how they were freed and reunited with their families. I'm just so tired and don't know if I can get anything read tonight or not. I should just go to bed!!!

Trying Something New

I thought I would try a new look for my blog today. I've put on a background and changed my coloring a little bit but am still looking for the perfect template! Not sure how it will all turn out in the end!

Mama Agata Pizza

Mama Agata Pizza is our family owned pizza shop with pizza, subs, wings and more. We're located at 5986 Stellhorn Road (Maplewood Plaza) in Fort Wayne. If you're hungry for some really good pizza, stop by!

Visit us on the web at www.mamaagatapizza.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mama.agata.