february 24th

this is what i came home to after the party. just last week lilo did this to a twenty-dollar bill...i taped it back together and no one noticed.

amazing. i have woken up early this week, it's kind of weird... i think i can get used to this! we finished the paper around 12:30 and then i ran a few errands in elk horn... to the bank, to the library, to fajen... i had to check out the sales in their decor. i did find some good buys too. then i went home and worked on some changes to my website, i've having problems remembering what to do. grrr. but becca is going to come to my rescue and help me a bit.
at 6:30 i have a pampered chef party to go to. usually it's bible study night...but i told the lady i would go and i didn't realize it was on a tuesday. i've never been to a pampered chef party though. it was fun too, she showed up lots of quick meals and tips to use. i was going to only buy the cheapest item and that would be it... but i spent $74. i got some good stuff like... a fabulous chopper, a good kitchen knife, a strainer thing, three little scrapers, 2 cookbooks and i think that was it. i can't wait to use them!
then i went home and watched the bachelor episode when the women tell all because i missed it last night. i can't wait to find out what the big thing is that they had to seclude people from the audience. guess i'll have to watch it.
more tomorrow...

february 23rd

several times a day i sit down in my chair at work and almost fall off...i laugh when it happens to mel

this monday was way better than last week. i was even early for work! the day was typical and mel and i went to the pear tree cafe in kimballton, another of our favorites.
after work i did a favor for my mom and picked tasha up from track practice and meanwhile, matt was detailing/cleaning my durango. it looks super good too. but there is one issue... he cleaned it out in a shop where there was a furnace burning wood and now the interior reeks of smokey wood. gag me! but i am happy it's clean. then i took tasha home and came back home and did some laundry and went to bed, but i read before i went to bed.
more tomorrow...

february 22nd

i finally made it to church today! it seems as though it has been forever. i was extra glad i went to church today because a class mate of mine was there with her adorably handsome little boy, abby (best) rasmussen and austin. he has the cutest little cheeks! we had a short little visit and then i went home to get ready for the sock hop practice and work-shop thing.
i walked to the rec center for the gathering of the mentors and mentees. today we worked on planning the event and then we learned some fun dances...the jitter bug, the stroll, the electric slide and another old one. it was fun and a good work out i must say.
i went home and watched samantha who season 1 disc 2. i love that show! i can't get enough of it... i watch it online too!
i messed with some stuff in my studio and went to bed.
more tomorrow...

february 21st

one of the banana bars that i made.

happy saturday to me. i didn't get the chance to sleep in today because when matt was coming home from work the noise woke me up and i couldn't get back to sleep. i got a few things accomplished today that i've putting off. for the first one, i made banana bars with home-made cream cheese frosting...yummy! i put some overly rip bananas to good use. and second, i made salsa. i haven't made salsa in a while. i put to much garlic in this time, it's ok...but not my best. i did both of these tasks while matt napped on the couch with lilo and i also watched st. elmo's fire. it has the brat pack from the 80's movies in it and i didn't like it. i thought it'd be good with those actresses and actors, maybe it's because i thought the plot would have been different.
matt and i joined my parents at the danish inn for dinner and it was tasty as usual. while i was there i saw two girls i haven't seen in a while, they're in high school but are such sweeties and funny too. we had a nice dinner and went home and watched some tv and then to bed.
more tomorrow...

february 20th

kenfield auto's business card and mine.

i went to atlantic today to get lilo more medicine, groceries, paint, and to pick up my business cards and kenfield's. oh, i also had subway for lunch.
i had to get 5 gallons of masonry paint for the basement, it works as a sealer and paint and 5 gallons doesn't go very far. it's weird, it has sand in it and is super thick. so matt and i will be painting this weekend.
i got the business cards and nathan's and josh's look very nice. mine on the other had i sort of messed up and forgot to push save when i enlarged the type. it's a little on the small side, but it's ok i guess.
when matt got home we took josh his business cards and then got to work painting the basement. my parent and the kids also came in to lend a hand and it went quickly. we have to put about 2 more coats on the walls.
i watched a movie on netflix too, i think it was called opposites attract... something like that. it was pretty good. then i went to bed.
more tomorrow...

february 19th

me hard at work on the gravel pile...

this morning i worked on editing pictures and getting them uploaded for proofing. i think they turned out good, i hope mel and trent like them. then i went with my parents to carroll because my dad had a doctors appointment and i needed to return a couch cover. we ran some more errands then went to his appointment and it turned out pretty good. he can drive now, but not his semi for three months. and he had to do a stress test in a few weeks and then they'll check him again. he was relieved that everything went well. we got home and i did some laundry then matt came home told me he was going to scoop gravel and that i can help if i want. i just smiled at him. then i thought about the movie last night and grabbed my coat and gloves and went out to help him. he was very surprised. the gravel is in a trailer and since it snowed it became frozen. a frozen pile of rock. i jumped up in the trailer with a shovel and started chiseling away, i did this for 2 1/2 hours. then matt made me go inside since i'm sick. he was so pleased that i helped him and i was glad to, sometimes we forget that's what makes a marriage work. simple things like that. we had leftover pizza for dinner and watched some tv. more tomorrow...

february 18th

the partridge kids.

i have to get my studio put back together today... because i have a shoot schedule with mels kids. i got started right away and then i tidy my house up a bit and child proofed it. i took lilo to my parents house and then picked up her kids in elk horn. we got to my house and they were so good, that is the three older ones. the youngest always gives me a run for my money. he's lovable but ornery. i finally got done around 6 pm and took them back home and picked lilo up on my way back. matt and i ordered a taco pizza for movie night and watched fireproof. i won't say much about the movie, but it was good. it turns out the movie is a christian based movie. right away in the movie a car accident happens and the girl is laying in her car screaming and can't get out and she was laying in the car similar to how they told me i was and i looked at matt and he was crying and said this wasn't going to be a good movie. but it got better and he cried some more throughout the movie, which is funny, because i didn't cry once. he told me it was allergies... sure. i recommend the movie to others. more tomorrow...

february 17th

the latest book that i'm reading. i have this issue that once i read a book by a certain author, then i have to read all their books.

my head is spinning and i got up to do some relaxation stuff so i could make it to work. i made it. mel walks in and laughs at me right away and asks me what's wrong with your nose? i tell her that i used a breathe right strip last night and i couldn't get the sticky part off. she told me to go look in the mirror. i did. and i laughed too. i had kleenex strips on my nose for a tissue! to funny.
we got the paper done and i went to the library to get a book and while i was there i noticed they had the movie fireproof. it's on my netflix's list, but it has a very long wait. maybe matt and i can watch it wednesday.
i went home and did some canvas painting and was trying to decide whether or not to attend bible study since i'm sick. i'm feeling better, but still sick.
i decide to go and i'm so glad i did. i don't know how to explain the feeling i have when i attend bible study. it's refreshing, moving, mind clearing, it's just what i needed.
i get home and go to sleep.

more tomorrow...

february 16th

this is a back drop that i started and will do the texture part tomorrow...

i made a dr. appointment this morning at 10:30. and i called it, i have a sinus infection. i picked my prescription up in elk horn and i got some cough drops too. they were cherry honey flavored (sorry becca) and they tasted like arse.
any way, i felt like shit all day and mel and i went to steffenies for lunch. she made the most delicious cheese soup. it's was perfect. then we got back to work and i continued to feel like crap and i went home at 4 pm.
matt and cory were at our house when i got there and they needed help finding something on the internet, they have no clue when it comes to the internet.
then matt made me soup and i barely could swallow it down, not because it was bad, i just hurt everywhere.
i watched the bachelor with lilo snuggled up by me and went to sleep.

more tomorrow....

february 15

lilo cuddling with me... i seriously did nothing today and my husband took care of me. lilo cuddled with me the whole time i was sick. i've had enough of being sick, tomorrow i'm going to make a doctors appointment. more tomorrow...

february 14th

my parents totally getting into the wii...

it feels very weird not helping out at the flower shop this year. i decided not to help this year beause last year was extremely stressful on my body and i almost fainted because i was wore out.
i went out to my parents to deliver flowers and a balloon for my mom from my dad. he always gets her one yellow rose on valentines day and he can't drive yet and was bummed he wasn't going to be able to get her a rose. i called him and he was thrilled that i offered.
matt, cory and trav rode 4-wheelers and snow-moblies today, they had a good time. while matt was doing that i was scrap booking at my parents house with the girls.
then matt came over for dinner and we decided to play the wii. it's so funny watching my parents play. they are so competetive and get so into it. i didn't really care to much for it, but i've never really like video games. matt liked it though and we had a good time.
we went home and watched samantha who on dvd and i have a new favorite show! i love it and so does matt. we had some good laughs and stayed up till 2 in the morning watching it.

more tomorrow...

february 13th

lilo enjoy the car ride...

i'm starting to feel better now and can breathe.
i spent most of the morning in the basement/my studio organizing things and then i went to my parents house to help my mom go thru stuff in their basement, they're re-decorating the basement and they are getting rid of stuff. we spent most of the afternoon doing that.
then i went home. oh, i forgot to mention lilo was with me at my parents house. she likes car rides but was ready to go home.
i watched a movie on netflix called goldfish memory... it was different, i don't recommend it. i guess gold fish have a 3 second memory, but it wasn't about goldfish. it was about all these different people and how they can't make up their mind whether they are gay/lesbian or want a relationship or just one night hook-ups. again, not recommended.

more tomorrow...

february 12th

here's my view while driving a tractor to elk horn...

i slept in today and cleaned the house.
then in the afternoon matt called me and asked if him and another guy at work could borrow my dad's tractor to move some gravel around. the catch is that matt needed me to drive the tractor to elk horn. and i did. i felt like such a gomer. it was a super slow drive and to make it feel right i jammed out to johnny cash on the way there.
matt's friend needed help moving around gravel and since matt helped out, he gave matt the rest of the gravel. and while they were spreading it, i visited with the mans wife. they have the cutest boxer puppy, it's 3 months old and teething with the sharpest teeth i've ever felt.
then, mel calls me and needs me to take pictures of the elk horn exira game again tonight. which i have no problem doing, it just feels weird taking pictures for the dane when i'm an exira fan. and exira won, they spanked the danes.
i was bummed when i realized that i had just missed the office, but i'll catch it online though.
i grabbed the mail on my way home and went to bed.

more tomorrow...

february 11th

my advertisement on wheels... sorry it's a little dusty.

last night i left a note telling matt that i was sleeping on the couch because i don't want to disturb his sleep with me trying to breath and tossing and turning all night. i woke up several time and had to put vicks in my nose so i could breathe. yuck.
he tells me in the morning that i should have slept in the bedroom anyways because he can't sleep with out me. ahhh! but, if i would have slept in there i betcha he would have complained. hahaha.
this morning i feel a little better and take an extra long shower with more vicks in the nose to have a steaming like effect. i don't think it works though.
i went to atlantic today to order business cards for myself and nate and josh's shop too. i got that done and picked up a few other things and went home.
i made spaghetti for dinner with salad and garlic bread, it was good.
matt put my photography decal on the durango, and it looks good. i'm happy with it.
after dinner we watched the movie accepted. pretty good i must say. and durning the movie i cut out intricate letters for a sign i'm making to go in the yard.
i got that done and read a little and went to bed.

more tomorrow...

february 10th

no picture today...

yep, still don't feel better today. i just deal with it.
we get the paper done and i go home and lay down and just rest. it's some times impossible for me to nap, plus it's uncomfortable when you can't breath!
i called lydia to tell her i was super bummed i wouldn't be able to help make valentines day cards for the nursing home residents tonight durning bible study. but, i just don't think i should be around people incase they get sick from me.
and then i call it a night.

more tomorrow...

february 9th

elk horn vs. exira game.

i woke up and still felt like crap. it's my sinuses, i just know it. darn things.
i get to work and tell me to stay on her side of the office because i don't want to spread my sickly germs. as usual we jam out to music for a little bit and then she had to take her son to get new glasses and i was all alone. and to make matters worse, the arm on my chair literally feel off and it scared me at first because i almost fell. but i must say it's a little weird to explain but now i can sit in the chair with the back to my side. it's different, but nice.
i went home and filled up on vitamins and was about to go to bed at 5 pm when i realized that elk horn was playing exira tonight and i need to get some pictures for mel. i also wanted to see the girls play. i forced my self to suck it up and take some pictures, which was fun. and i must say the starting 5 or however many that start are amazing. they communicate so well to each other. but even though they know what they're doing i am still petrified of the ball. yikes! the girls win and the boys lose. good game though.
i go home take some more vitamins and crash... but i did catch the last half-hour of the bachelor. my pick is still molly.

more tomorrow...

february 8th

this was a cute movie, i think i'll read the book too.

i woke up to go to church this morning and got all ready and then i fell asleep! darn it.
after church, tasha wanted to go to a movie, so I went and picked her up and a friend and we went to see “he’s just not that into you” it was pretty good. a little weird in parts, but cute.
after the movie, we had to hurry and get back to exira for the 4-h meeting at 5 pm. that went well and by quickly. i went home and felt suddenly sick like. my migraine that i’d been ignoring caught up to me. and i took my usual meds and of course, tylenol pm. then i thought it would help by taking some advil cold and sinus pills. ooppps… wrong thing to do since i just took tylenol pm. i was loopy as hell and hurried and went to bed.

more tomorrow…

february 7th

there is no picture for today, i guess i forgot to take one with all the commotion. damn, i've failed my picture journal now.

damn dogs! they bark so much… only to find out this time they were barking because matt, mom and my dad were home! matt was so exhausted that he showered quick and went to bed. i then got the kids up and they gathered there stuff and the dogs and i took them home so matt could sleep in peace and quiet. lilo was relieved to see them go too.
my parents house is usually crazy with kids going every where and doing this and that… but now they need to be super quiet because my dad is pretty sore from surgery and everything that he’s gone through. overall, he looks pretty good… but i can tell he’s depressed. mom explains his strict diet to me and we went through the kitchen to see what he could eat and decided we better take a trip to the grocery store so they can stock up on stuff he can eat. dylan stays home with dad to make sure he’s okay and the girls went to atlantic. it took forever in the grocery store, looking at labels and checking everything. we needed to get him a cane too. he was using my great-grandpas cane that is seriously like 50 years old. he’s using a cane because his balance isn’t the best right now.
the rest of the day i hung out at my parents house because i didn’t want to wake matt up by making noise. he called me around 9 pm to let me know he was awake and wondered where i was. then he went back to sleep around 10-ish.

more tomorrow…

february 6th

this is the little birthday party i threw together for tasha.

happy birthday to tasha! poor girl, her birthday is going to suck! we always make sure their birthdays are special somehow. i gave her the present matt and i got her, it was perfume called never land. i asked her what kind of cake she wanted and she said she would rather have brownies with fudgy frosting, so that’s what she got after school.
again, i picked them up after school and we enjoyed some brownies with a tea-light candle on it (i really need to invest in some birthday candles) and sang happy birthday to her. we then decided what we should do to celebrate. she wanted to go to the movies with a friend, and i was fine with that but she didn’t want her sister and brother joining. i didn’t either because i didn’t think the movie was age appropriate for them. she opted to do dinner with them and a friend and maybe a movie saturday or sunday. after dinner we decided to make a quick trip to walnut to catch the last bit of the boys basketball game. they did pretty good. i guess i thought that they sucked.
after the game, we went back to my house to watch a movie… blind dating. it was good… this blind guy was trying to find the right girl for him. good movie.
the kids crashed and shortly after they did, i did.

more tomorrow…

february 5th

the dogs barked at every little thing they heard and it pissed lilo off each time. as you can see lilo's back-end wasn't working today and she couldn't jump all the way to the back of the couch to join sophie and diesel.

ah, what a morning. i am discovering i do not have what it takes to be a mother. Katrena got up at like 6:30 in the morning and asked if she could watch some tv. i just wanted to sleep, so i went back to bed. then, trying to get them all ready for school is a task… now they are old enough to get themselves ready for school, but they are used to having 2 bathrooms! i only have 1. and teenagers are super crabby in the mornings. i forgot what that was like. then, dylan said he was up most of the night with nightmares and and stomach ache. so, i had to make the decision whether or not to let him stay home and me not being able to run errands that i needed to. i choose to let him stay home, because that’s what the girls said I should do… i basically let an 11 year old and soon to be 15 year old girl make my choice up for me. he slept most of the day… that is he slept when the dogs weren’t barking at NOTHING! sophie and diesel are interesting little creatures to say the least… sophie is the “A” dog and bosses lilo and diesel around and if she wants something she’ll bark and growl at them until they back-down. she’s such a brat.
i picked the girls up from school and we went out to there house to check on stuff and of course, they forgot stuff they needed and it was a good thing we went there. i helped them with there home work and felt super stupid on 5th grade math, but I made it through it. and not to mention trying to pronounce vocab words for tasha’s spanish test. then, tasha tells me that they are having a “fiesta” tomorrow in spanish class and she needs to take some things. i tried to find things that would work, but instead i had no luck and we made a quick trip to atlantic after dylan made us dinner. he made tuna wraps with lettuce and cheese and ranch too. he loves to cook/do stuff in the kitchen.
we then went to wal-mart and quickly grabbed some stuff and then hurried home… because 1. the office is on tonight and 2. they needed to get to bed.
I bribed them to take showers tonight so i… oh, i mean “we” could sleep in. it worked. i dished them up some ice cream and they showered and shortly fell asleep.

more tomorrow…

february 4th

the kids crashed early and katrena fell asleep in the recliner with sophie guarding her.

dylan stayed the night last night and i took him to his dentist appt in carroll today, it was at 10 am. when we were about 5 miles from carroll i realized that i forgot something i needed to return to the k-mart there. darn I was so mad at myself. dylan just laughed. he was in the dentist forever, or so it seemed, and then it was 11:30 and i figured i better stop and get lunch for him somewhere because by the time we get to exira, he’ll be starved. so, I took him to the drive-thru at arby’s. i didn’t feel like lunch yet, so i just got a drink. i then returned him to school.
i got an update from my mom on my dad’s situation and he was moved to a different hospital so he could have a stent put in.i guess he’s in worse shape than what he lead us to believe.
matt got home and he’s had this idea for dinner that he has been wanting to try, i thought it sounded gross. it consists of broccoli, hamburger, cream of mushroom soup and mix it all together and it’s done. i decided to add at least some rice to it. and i was shocked that it was pretty good.
my mom called us and 7:30 and asked if we wanted to make a trip to houston to pick my dad up. i don’t travel well and was pretty nervous about it and we decided to have matt and my mom go and i would stay with the children… and dogs. matt and mom left around 8:30 pm and the kids and dogs came to my house.
we had a pretty good night and they minded amazingly well.

more tomorrow…

february 3rd

i woke up on time and made it to work on time... so far, so good! then i got a phone call from my mom around 11-ish... my mom called to tell me she just spoke with my dad and he is in houston, texas and he was going to the ER because something was wrong. he said his chest felt heavy and his bones hurt all over. that's all the info he gave her because they had to do tests and he didn't think it was going to take long. WRONG! all afternoon my mom cried and was worried. i called the houston dispatch number to find out if they could help my track the hospital he might be in, which i wasn't expecting any help because of all the privacy laws. and i got no where. but, hey i tried. then the kids got home and i helped them with homework and their nightly routine of chores. dylan and katrena had never made french toast. so i guided them and they did fine. it's nice to see them taking on responsibility when needed. then i helped them clean-up the house a bit. FINALLY! at 7 pm dad called to let us know that his phone had died and was using an employees phone and he was admitted into the hospital and they need to keep him and run more tests. but they did find that he had an anxiety induced heart attack! he made us feel better that he knows he is being well taken care of. he doesn't want any one to go there yet, because he doesn't know what's going on yet.
so, i didn't go to bible study tonight. and i took dylan home with me around 8:30 pm because i'm going to take him to his orthodontist appointment tomorrow.
i've had a long day i'm calling it a night.

more tomorrow...

february 2nd

this is the dixie chicks plus one more at the pops concert, they sang traveling soldier. tasha is the second one with the white shirt on.

monday, monday, so good to me... (that's an oldies song that i have stuck in my head.)
it was all around good day. i went to work and came home and still had a migraine, but i went to the pops concert and it was so much fun! it's so good to see the chorus getting involved and being able to make choices on how things are done. tasha sang with other girls and my fave 9th grade boy sang "Let it Be" it was quinton! he did so good.
when i got home we did a little bit of hobby night and was fun, we also listened to the bachelor while we were crafting. i was glad steffanie went home and now naomi needs to leave so molly can win! i like her, she seems simple and real. but i guess i don't know her to make that judgement.

more tomorrow...

february 1st

this is the book i'm reading...

no church today either... migraine is still being evil.
we slept in today and pretty much did nothing.
the super bowl pre-game is super duper boring to me and i tried to get interested, but it wasn't working.
i messed with some camera settings and waited for the game to start. it's been years, like maybe 8 or 9 years since i've watched the super bowl. matt and i decided that we would watch it. i was so bored! i just kept telling myself that the office was going to be an hour long episode... it made it a little easier to deal with.
p.s. brand-o and becca... you should look in to reading the book mr. maybe... i think you would like it, but it's different.

more tomorrow...

january 31st

lilo needed a refill on her meds. she takes a pill for her epilepsy and for her arthritis/sponyalitious.

last day of january... man, time sure does go fast. i feel so old saying that, but it does.
i went to my parents house today to help tasha with a 4-h project. it's a no-sew poncho thing. she messed up and cut the fleece where she wasn't supposed to and she was kind of freakin' out. i told her what a wise woman once told me... "there are no such things and mistakes, they're just sudden changes." -kathy wallander once told me.
anyways, we found some pink ribbon to kind of give it a stitched look and it worked out. she was happy and her poncho will stand out from the others... is a good way.
then, she needed to go to atlantic to a friends house for the night and i went with my mom and dylan to take her and we needed to get her some more ribbon from wal-mart anyway. while we were there we stopped at a friend of the family's house and visited with her for a bit. i was sad to find out this cat she's had forever died in her arms. it had cancer and didn't make it a week after it was diagnosed. i cried. that cat rocked... it's name was toes, because it had six toes on each paw.
when i was leaving wal-mart i noticed jen nissen and only had a chance to quickly say hi to her. i haven't seen her since...hmmm, i think the fourth of july parade... or maybe longer? not to sure. anyways, i felt kind of bad saying i had to go, but i did. i was in a hurry to get home and take something for my migraine.
i was going to go to the church soup supper tonight but changed my mind when i got home and realized i needed to lie down because my head hurt... migraine.
lilo and i caught some office re-runs and went to bed early.
it's official i'm freakin' boring.

more tomorrow...

january 30th

this would be matt... he fell asleep on the couch with a huge cushion on him. the cushion is from becca's circle chair. matt is obsessed with the cushion, he likes heavy blankets on him and loved this too. weird-0.

i almost forgot that i had to work today and woke up a little late and hurried and showered and ran out the door... only to find that mel was sick. bummer! i worked for a few hours and then went home and read a little bit. the book i'm reading is kind of strange since the lady is british. some of the sentences are strange, for example... she calls men blokes and she refers to as what i'm assuming is the subway as a tube. it's called "mr. maybe" and i like it, it's just different.
matt and i were going to have date night tonight... but he has to work at four in the morning. so, we decided to have a date night at home. we ordered a taco pizza and we watched a movie. matt had to go to bed early, like 8:30 -ish.
lilo and i watched best week ever on mtv and then some others worthless shows and off to bed we went.

more tomorrow...

january 29th

this is a picture of my niece brook.

i went to atlantic to get groceries and developed a few pictures too... not photography business pictures, just scrap-booking pictures. i also picked up the kenfield auto sign and my sign while i was in atlantic.
i realized that i didn't mention why my niece courtney was on crutches... tuesday after school some of my nieces and nephews were sledding at my parents house and courtney went down the hill and didn't get up. the older kids thought she was "crying wolf" and then they realized she wasn't and she couldn't move. they freaked out and got an adult and then then my mom and sister called 911. the ambulance came and took her to the atlantic hospital(i don't like that hospital, but that's my opinion) and they ran tests and scans and couldn't find anything. they decided to keep her over night and watch her. the following morning she was able to move one leg and wiggle the toes on the other. she went to physical therapy and they sent her home with some exercises to do and crutches. her leg is swollen and it's bruised all around her knee. i'm not sure what her most recent doctor appointment found.
becca called and we caught up and i heard the amazing details of her trip she just had. now i really want to go to the grand canyon!
i was bummed to find out the office was a re-run last night.
matt heated up some pizza bits for dinner and we watched a little of the food network and then called it a night.

more tomorrow...