IM STARTING TO THINK ABOUT NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

almost every year i make new years resolutions. i usually never keep them. so why make them you might ask? i like the feeling of starting over anew! i start out with such high aspirations! i want it to make me really do some soul searching this year! ive bought several books about what to do with the rest of your life when you are facing the empty nest. i even bought an 8 week workbook to figure it out! maybe i will have to delay the resolutions until i finish the workbook. thats ok though because i want to come up with some really good ones that i feel are attainable and that will be really worthwhile! i need to make even longer range goals too. that is what is lacking in my life right now. ive known this for a while but just havent done anything about it! i think maybe i have just figured out what my new years resolution should be! to set goals for the rest of my life! this blogging thing isnt just idle chatter! its almost as good as a therapist and a lot cheaper!

THE BABIES ARE GONE

Its sad but it's true- yes, the babies are gone! I keep wondering why I don't hear their sweet voices and then I remember "oh yea, they're gone!" I just hear Megan's giggling! (and I love it don't get me wrong! I miss that whenever she is gone, too! ) Oliver is back to giving kisses now! He is SO darling and he says the cutest, but very intelligent, things! Gabriella still gives her juicy, open-mouthed kisses and I love them! The juicier the better!!!! I miss hearing her say "snack" all the time! (and everytime she sees food thats what she says! Even on tv!) We went out to eat before they left and Oliver said "After we eat, we go back to Meme and Pepe's house?" I wanted to cry! Mandy and Matt say that he loves to come here! They said he was much more excited about coming to our house than he was about christmas! He was counting the days! Matt said that if we were trying to make our house a place where grandkids liked to come we had succeded!
In case you are wondering why my writing is so much more formal, I have been informed by my eldest daughter that if I would capitalize, use proper punctuation, and use paragraphs my blog would be so much easier to read! She also said that it makes her not want to read it without these things. I told her that that is my style! e.e. cummings was a famous poet and he didn't even capitalize! i told her i would give it a try. So what do all of you think? Does it make it SO much harder to read my blog the way it was before that you don't want to read it? Personally I like it the way it was before and if you don't want to read it that way, well.....(a word I use all the time and get a lot of grief about it from my daughters) don't read it! What about the rest of you?

THE FUN CONTINUES

travis and megan got here this afternoon so well have a week of fun with them now! this christmas thing is lasting for a long time this year and i love it! the grandbabies have to go home tommorrow but i have loved every minute of having them here!!! i will hate to see them go as usual! we have been to the mall the last 3 days! everyday since christmas! thats what my girls and i do when we get together! shop! like mother like daughters! i do the same thing when i get together with my sisters so i guess its a generational thing! the men are still playing wii and the women too when we are home. steve has bought 2 new wii games already! we arent gone shopping that much of the time like it sounds. actually the men went with us 2 of the days. they just went to different stores of course. if i never have to go into another computer store it will be too soon! not that i dont like computers its just that i dont like shopping for them and their stuff. i also hate going to home depot although i always seem to find things that i like there. its just the thought of going to a home improvement store that gets to me. gotta go get some sleep. im getting up with gabby in the morning so her parents can sleep in. they have a long drive ahead of them back to dallas tommorrow! also thay wanted to stay up tonight and spend as much time with megan and travis as possible.

THE DAY AFTER

today we just kind of lounged around, relaxed, and played with our toys. we all went out to saltgrass in the evening with matt's (natalie's husband) mom, stepdad, and his stepdads dad. natalie and matt are going home tonight. the rest of us are doing different things. the kids are in bed, steve is on the wii, the others are watching psyche, and i guess you can figure out what im doing. im not sure what the plans are for tommorrow. travis and megan will come on sunday. they will be here for a week. we are looking forward to that!

OUR CHRISTMAS

christmas was really nice!!! we enjoyed the family being here SO much!! everyone got a lot of nice presents! oliver actually got tired of opening presents before he was done! gabriella was more interested in olivers toys then hers! we had a yummy dinner! all the adults tried out different games on wii fit. it was the hit of the day! when i told everybody it was a family gift they had said "no mom! its a gift you bought for yourself!" i sure wasnt the only one enjoying it in fact i played it the least of anyone! even oliver got in on the fun! he loved becoming a snowball! (when you fall down on the ski jump game you become a snowball.)

CHRISTMAS EVE

well everybody is here (except for megan and travis) and they will be coming on the 28th. its been fun playing with oliver and gabriella. they are in bed and i finally finished wrapping presents. now just fill the stockings and i can go to bed! im really tired and ill be getting up early in the morning! i hope evreyone has a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

WIFE TAG

1.shes sitting in front of the tv. whats on the screen? soap operas
2.youre out to eat. what kind of dressing does she get on her salad? blue cheese
3.whats one food she doesnt like? liver
4.you go out to a bar. what does she drink? diet coke
5.where did she go to high school? graham high school- graham,tx
6.what size shoe does she wear? 10
7.if she was to collect anything what would it be? she collects everything
8.what is her favorite type of sandwich? quiznos
9.what would this person eat everyday if she could? pizza
10.what would she never wear? tight fitting clothes
11.what is her favotite sports team? astros
12.what is something you do that she wishes you wouldnt do? go to bed early
13.how many states has she lived in? texas, north carolina, wyoming, colorado
14.what is her heritage? swedish and scottish
15..you bake her a cake for her birthday. what kind of cake would it be? she likes all cake
16.did she play sports in high school? no
17.what does she spend hour doing? blogging

the only way i could get him to do it was to call the questions out to him and then type the answers for him but thats better then nothing! he actually got all of them right! i guess he knows me pretty well after 32 years!!!

Brightly shone the moon that night,
Though the frost was cruel,
When a monkey came in sight
Gathering winter fuel.

Good King Wenceslas
from the Christmas Song Generator.

Get your own song :

GROCERY SHOPPING MARATHON

just got back from the grocery store and 2 hours and $400 later im through shopping until next year!!!! now i can just relax and enjoy my family and thats exactly what i plan to do!!!

A TRIBUTE TO MY THIRD FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE

CLARK W. GRISWOLD

A TRIBUTE TO MY SECOND FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE

BUDDY THE ELF

CHRISTMAS TAG #22

another one of lauras tags:
WHAT DVDS WOULD YOU LIKE TO OWN:
1.mama mia including the sing along version-i loved this movie! the best one of the year in my opinion! especially the songs! i sang along at the movie theatre! loud!!! just like i do at concerts! i wasnt the most embarassing person there though! one lady wore her boa and got up and danced during the songs! i was thinking "man! i wish i would have thought of that!"
2.liar liar-probably jim careys greatest! (or at least of the ones ive seen so far)
3.dumb and dumber-this is probably the first jim carey movie i watched and when i found out i loved him!
4.good burger-very corny but i loved it!
gotta go! getting sleepy again! things to do! go! go! go! or maybe ill just take a nap?

CHRISTMAS TAG # 21

im going to try to do lauras christmas tag #21:
WHO WOULD YOU INVITE TO A NONFICTIONAL CHRISTMAS PARTY (AS OPPOSED TO THE FICTIONAL ONE THAT SHE HAS ALREADY DONE):
1.jim carey-he may be the funniest man alive and i think he certainly would liven up a party! maybe we could get him to do some quotes from the grinch movie!
2.mannaheim steamroller-id get them to play some christmas music for us! it would be nice background music while everyone is talking!
3.vince gill-id have him come and sing some christmas carols for us. he has such a beautiful voice and it lends itself well to that kind of music!
4.my dad-he isnt alive anymore but he loved christmas SO much that i would want him to be there! i sure do miss him especially at christmas time! i think christmas and babies were his 2 favorite things! you gotta love a man like that!
5.the fort bend boys choir-i know they are singers too but we need a lot of music and ive heard them a couple of times and they do such a good job!
6.jack canfield and mark victor hansen (the guys who wrote chicken soup for the soul for christmas and all the other chicken soup for the soul books)-they could tell us some heartwarming stories about christmas!
7.our whole extended family on both sides (steves and mine)-it would take a huge place but it would be an awesome group! its not very often that we get all of either side of the family together and weve never had all of both together at once. it would be insane but in a good way!
8.george bush-i may be the last george bush supporter in america but i feel so bad for the way people are talking about him! he has not been a bad president in my opinion and even if you dont agree with my opinion he still deserves respect because he is the president of the united states!! (im stepping down off my soap box now!) id invite him so i could tell him how much i appreciate what hes done for our country and wish him a merry christmas and a happy new year (after he gets out of office because i dont think it can be happy until he does). id also invite other people who feel the same way i do about him if i could find any! he could bring laura and his parents too! i love them as well! theyre all just good people!
9.my best friends evelyn and marcelia-these two have been friends of mine for years! (marcelia since grade school and evelyn since we moved to the houston area). we dont get to see each other that often so this would be a good time for us to get together!
cant think of anymore right now and its getting late.
10.martha stewart-i really dont like martha stewart because she is a criminal but i need somebody to do the food and decorating. i think she could do it without costing me an arm and a leg too! i guess she could stay for the party too because you are supposed to be nice to people even if you dont like them!
i could probably think of more but its getting late and i guess i should go to bed and try to get some sleep. tommorrow will be another busy day since it is the last one before everybody starts coming for christmas!

A GIRL AND HER CAT

emily and hooney under the christmas tree!!!

2008 TAG

JANUARY
who kissed you on new years? steve
new years resolution? probably to lose weight like every year! one year i actually did it!
does it snow where you live? maybe once every 5 years or so. it did snow this year.
do you like hot chocolate? love it
have you ever been to times square to watch the ball drop? no and i wouldnt want to. to many people!
FEBRUARY
who was your valentime? steve
did you do anything romantic? went out to eat probably. thats what we usually do every year.
do you care if the groundhog sees his shadow? i want him to see his shadow because i like to hold off summer as long as possible.
what did you receive for valentines day? a pendant that i bought for myself at james avery
MARCH
are you irish? i dont think so but my sister was born on st. patricks day if that counts!
do you like cornbread, beef, and cabbage? sure
what did you do for st. patricks day? probably nothing
are you happy when winter is pretty much over? absolotely not!!! we have way too much hot weather around here!!
APRIL
do you like the rain? yes
did you play an april fools day joke on anybody this year? i dont think so
did you get tons of candy for easter? well i bought lots of cadbury mini eggs if that counts
do you celebrate 4/20? what holiday is 4/20 besides steves grandmothers birthday?
do you love the month of april? well, i love someone who was born in the month of april-steve
MAY
what is your favorite flower? hydrangea
finish this statement: "april showers bring"......may flowers like me!!!
do you celebrate may 16 national piercing day? i guess i should since i have a total of 7 holes in my ears, but i didnt know about it!
is may anything special to you? my birthday is may 8, natalie and matt got married in may
JUNE
what year did you graduate from high school? 1974
did you do anything fun during this month? went to a beck family reunion, went to brenham and stayed at a bed and breakfast for our anniversary
do you have a favorite baseball team? the houston astros of course!!
JULY
what did you do on the 4th of july? went to a party at the hulses, megans in laws
did you go to the fireworks? yes, in the big city of fulshear where we live
did you blast the a/c all day? yes, just like every other day from april until october!
AUGUST
what was your favorite summer memory of '08? ill have to say 2- natalaie and megans weddings
did you have a sunburn? of course the first time i went in the pool!
did you go to the pool a lot? yes, we have a pool in our backyard!
SEPTEMBER
are you attending college/school? no
do you like fall better then summer? absolutely, although september is still pretty much like summer here!
what happened this month? hurricane ike came to here and i went to dallas!
OCTOBER
what were you for halloween? a 50s girl because steve was a 50s guy to match his car which looks like a hotrod
what is your favorite candy? anything as long as its chocolate!
what was your favorite part about this month? some cooler weather!
NOVEMBER
whose house did you go to for thanksgiving? stayed home and had 3 of my kids and spouses and travis' parents here
what are you thankful for? family, health, living in this country, material blessings
do you like stuffing? i love it!
anything special in this month? i went to utah to visit megan and travis and the election!
DECEMBER
do you celebrate christmas? you betcha! its my favorite holiday!
have you ever been kissed under the missletoe? cant remember
did you get anything special for christmas? i got a bracelet with my grandbabies names on it
what do you want for christmas this year? fossil purse, wii, wii fit
what do you love most about december? christmas spirit, family coming, buying gifts for everybody and watching them open them
TRY IT YOULL LIKE IT!!!!

A TRIBUTE TO THE GRINCH!!!

YOURE A MEAN ONE MR. GRINCH!!!!!






THE GRINCH AND WHO ELSE CINDY LOU WHO!!!! (wasnst that a great pun-who else? and i didnt even realize it until after i wrote it!)

I LOVE THIS ONE!!!! HE LOOKS LIKE HES POSING FOR THE CAMERA
AND SO MISCHEVIOUS!!!
I AM OBSESSED WITH THE GRINCH!!!!!

3 THINGS I LIKE ABOUT MYSELF

i was watching the today show this morning and they said that if you can think of 3 things you like about yourself you will feel better about yourself and you will respond better to others. this is going to be hard but ill give it a try:
1. i am creative
2.i am sympathetic (especially to children and old people. they are so defenseless!)
3.i am loyal
4.i am honest
5.i love my family very much
6.i am determined (if i start something i dont want to stop until its finished. my problem is getting started but once im started watch out!)
7.i am patriotic
8.i love God (i dont always do the things he wants me to though! i really need to work on that!)
9.i am personable. i talk to strangers all the time!
10.i am respectful of others and things
it wasnt as hard as i thought amazingly!! i decided if 3 is good them 10 has to be better! the story of my life!~the rest of my family's motto is "less is better" probably because they are so sick of my "more is better" motto! i hope this whole thing doesnt make me sound egotistical because if theres anything i dont like its a person who is full of themselves!!! i tend to be more down on my self! like ive said before i have poor self esteem. ill let you know if i think of some more. this is a very introspective thing to do and sounds like one of those things a therapist would have you do. i should know. i went to one for 5 years! (probably should be going to one now according to my social worker grad student daughter natalie- although she leaves off the probably!)

I AM A ZOOMBIE

i am a zoombie this morning!!!! i dont know if it has something to do with the fact that i stayed up almost all night saturday night or that i was too tired to take my pills last night before i went to bed.( i deal out my pills for the whole week on sunday and i couldnt bear the thought of having to do that last night). i could hardly keep my eyes open past 7pm. i finally went to bed around 9pm. i cant believe i made it that long! i wouldnt have if it wouldnt have been for steve. i wasnt really ready to wake up when i got up. id love to go back to bed but i have so much to do! the kids will start coming on wednesday! i still have to go to the grocery store. i have laundry to do. i have a drs appointment tommorrow. (i knew that was a bad idea when i made the appointment and did it anyway!) thank goodness i dont have to clean the house! the maid is coming tommorrow but i do have to starighten up a room where i have been dumping and throwing everything so that she will be able to clean it and we will be able to use it when the kids come. (there is a bed in there) im starting to feel overwhelmed just writing about it!! guess that means i need to stop stalling and just get busy!!

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

i told steve i was coming to his church today because they are having a christmas program. i dont know if im going to make it though because i keep falling asleep!! the caffeine hasnt even helped!!! i need to get up and start moving around!! im going to wear some christmas clothes today! i can even wear a sweater if i want to!!! i took a shower last night which is a good thing because i keep falling asleep and the time to leave is drawing near! i may not even be able to stay awake during the program so i may be going for nothing. i better not sit too close to anybody because i snore! i think quite loudly. (or thats what my girls say) that would be SO embarassing if i started snoring REALLY loud in the middle of the program!!!!

WENT TO BED AT 5AM

finally went to bed at 5am and why you may ask did i get up at 8am? well....someones cell phone kept ringing!!! i got up and found out it was steves. he had left it here. i dont even know how to answer it!! ( i only know how to use my own phone.) now im awake sorta! i went out to the garage to get some caffeine (our coke fridge is in the garage) and "baby its cold outside!" I LOVE IT!!! i went barefooted as usual and i sorta got my toes frozen. (well cold anyway) "I STILL LOVE IT!!!" sometimes it doesnt take much to make me happy!!! (but then other times it takes quite a lot! it just depends on which "mood" im in- manic or depressive) the weatherman was right again!! i was afraid he wasnt going to be when he said it was going to cool off! now if we could only have snow for christmas!!!! i think that might be asking a bit much but i just wish it would be cool!! is that too much to ask for? i think not but i hear that its supposed to be in the 70s! oh well- once again "christmas in the tropics"!

i didnt even realize how late it was!! its not a caffeine thing either!!! i guess i should go to bed and try to get some sleep but i just hate laying awake in bed. i always go to sleep eventually but the in between is awful!! i was up until 3am last night also. (i guess it really was this morning except now its really tommorrow morning......). i dont like laying in bed in the mornings either after ive been woke up. i would go back to sleep eventually then too but i dont like that laying awake feeling then either. it sure used to never bother me! i would sleep til at least 9 or 10 even if i had been woke up. steve likes it when i get up before he goes to work too. last winter when i would get up early enough we would go in the hot tub in the mornings. also if i get up early enough i can see the deer sometimes!! i really love seeing the deer!! sometimes we see them at night too but not as often as in the mornings. we only go in the hot tub when its cold outside so we havent been in it too much this year! who wants to go sit in a hot tub when its hot outside all around you? it helps my arthirits when i go in the hot tub too. i really could use some of that hot water whirlpool treatment right now on my knee!! anytime any of you want to come over and join me come on over! (if its cold outside that is). disclaimer:this invitation is only for people i know. i dont want any perverts showing up over here!!!

YOU KNOW YOURE MANIC WHEN....

im starting to wonder if im doing the right thing by letting out all these inner feelings. when i think about what im about to write i wonder if yall will think im crazy!! but....here goes anyway......dont let me down!!!! i think i may be starting to realize when im manic while its happening not later. which is a good thing i think because then i can do something to stop myself if i start to say or do something stupid!! right now i feel like all is well with the world! i know it cant be that way but i still feel that way! im being very domestic lately! steve is helping me out a lot! im ready for christmas except for a few minor details! ive had company for 3 nights in a row. i used to hate to have company. i always felt like everything had to be perfect and i didnt have enough energy to make everything perfect. it made it too stessful to have people over. it does help that i have a maid now but she only comes every 2 weeks. its enough to keep everything deep down clean but i still have to pick up and straighten up and do all the day to day stuff. i see colors brighter and everything looks prettier. food tastes better. my sense of smell is heightened! i appreciate everything i have so much more. its not a bad feeling but i feel like it cant last. im able to decorate and etc. for christmas. i still feel really tired and sleepy a lot but im able to get these things done because i really want to do them. i wonder if maybe its just the christmas spirit that i talk about so much but i dont think so. or maybe this is just living a joyful life like we are supposed to. a life without depression. depression dulls the senses and makes everything seem negative. or maybe this is just a result of the days that i missed my meds. i really dont know the answer but i certainly wouldnt mind if it stays around for a while!!! i could sure use a break from depression and that gloom and doom lifestyle!!! im kind of mixed up right now to what im feeling. if any of you have any insights let me know. i dont remember when was the last time i felt this happy!! pray that it wont go away!!!

BLOGMANIA!!!

i have a bad case of blogmania! no matter what im doing i always get drawn back to this! i think ive set a new record for the most posts in one day! ive probably also set a new record for reader boredom!!! (at least in this post!) its this pic thing. im addicted! i always knew that blogs were so much more interesting when they had pics but i never knew how fun it was to make them!! now yall are not going to be just hearing about my grandbabies all the time but youll be seeing them all the time too!! (now that will not be boring!)

LINDSEYS TAG

now that i know how to put pics on my blog i can finally do this tag ive been wanting to do since i got it in september!!
MY AGE:

MY FAVORITE OBJECT:


MY FAVORITE FOOD:WHAT I DID TODAY:
MY BAD HABIT:MY MAIDEN NAME:


MY FIRST JOB:
MY COLLEGE EDUCATION:



MY NAME:
WHERE I WANT TO LIVE SOMEDAY:
WHERE I WAS BORN:



WHERE I LIVE NOW:

I IDENTIFY WITH THE GRINCH

ive been thinking and maybe the reason i like the grinch so much is because i identify with him. when i was in school i was thought of as fat. i really wasnt fat then but i believed what people thought about me. i definitely wasnt one of those skinny mini teenagers but i really wasnt fat. i look back on pics of my younger days and i think if only i could be that "fat" now!!! i didnt date much in high school and i had low self esteem. i still suffer with this to this day!! the difference is now i really am fat!! i know that im fat. i am able to say that to other people now but i still dont like it if other people say it about me. in our society fat is definitely not acceptable!!! you cant be pretty if youre fat today! i know its not healthy and i do have health issues that would improve if i lost weight. i probably wont live as long if i dont lose weight. i know what i need to do to lose weight but that doesnt make it any easier. i have been successful at weight loss before so i know i can do it. i lost 70 pounds before on weight watchers but gained it back because of the meds i was taking. i was however maniac at the time and became obsessed with weight loss. oh what a wonderful obsession! if i could only get it back again!! i was a walking commercial for weight watchers! i would talk to anybody who would listen about it!!! i never ever cheated!!! now my obsessions are eating and shopping!!! both have negative results!! why does food have to taste so good and eating be SO enjoyable?? why do i get such a high out of shopping????

ITS FEELING TROPICAL AGAIN

its been feeling tropical again for the last while. im SO ready for it to cool off again!~!!~! this isnt christmas weather!! (well-actually i guess it is for houston). i sweat my head off every time i do anything!!!! im sick of it!!! its supposed to cool off tonight actually but how long will it last this time? i probably wont even be able to enjoy it because ill be thinking about it getting hot again!!! im ready to move to antartica!!!! gripe, gripe, gripe!!!!! just call me scrooge! no the grinch. i like him better!!! at least hes cute!!!

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY GRANDBABIES-

let me tell you a little bit about oliver:

oliver loves animals!

oliver is VERY SMART in fact he might even be a genius!! he loves to read.


heres oliver reading to gabriella! what a good big brother!

now let me tell you a little about gabriella:


gabriella likes to climb!

she also loves snacks! (all food is a snack to her)
gabriella also loves books and likes to be read to!

I KNOW HOW TO PUT PICS ON MY BLOG NOW AND MY DARLING GRANDBABIES!!!!

this is a VERY big deal for me!!!! i have been wanting to know how to do this for SO long!!! people have showed me but i just never really learned. last night i just ask emily one question about uploading pics and it opened up a whole new world for me!! something just clicked and i said i bet putting them on my blog would be a lot like that! i just asked her one question about putting it on my blog and i was on my way!! i feel SO smart now! i just hope i dont forget how!!! sounds like something i would do!
these are the latest pics of my darling grandbabies!!! oliver is 3 now and gabriellas is 1. they are the light of my life!!! being a grandparent is a very,very close second to being a parent!!! in fact it might even be a tie! (its just different so i cant say). i know ive said it before but im going to say it again because this is my blog and i can say whatever i want and also because i mean it SO much!!!! youll never know how great it is to be a grandparent until you become one. people can tell you but you just cant really know! i cant figure out why gabbys pic came out smaller though!!

MORE CHRISTMAS PAST

christmas at our house in sugarland.
this is christmas at nana and pas house in north carolina. (thats megan the rock star and natalie in the background)
these are some of the "christmas in the good ole days" pics. those were the best days of my life- when my kids were growing up. i didnt realize it then. i guess i was too busy! christmas is always better with kids. now the grandbabies are what christmas is all about!