Kimmy's Boys

Oh what fun...

2010-05-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

Okay what was I thinking wanting to be in charge, here I am hanging out at home getting ready for bed when my new guy calls with the one item we have not gone over...not something I can talk a newbie through over the phone...so out I go into the night...what the heck was I thinking?

The Boulevard

2010-05-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

My husband and the boys go to the drive inn almost every weekend in the spring and fall, they have learned to buy cheap and sell to make a profit. Today I went to bring them breakfast (a Sunday drive inn tradition) and stayed to people watch. Wow the things you see there, all I can say is there is way to much spandex! You really must see to believe.

Emergency call from Shawnee Police

2010-05-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

Well lets just say my week did not end on a positive note. Teenager problems continue but if being scared straight really works we are going to find out. I won't go in to the details but lets just say it was not a bright spot in my day. The boy is now grounded, no phone, no car, and he will be getting a job this summer so he can get a touch of reality, wish us all luck.
Again the house is a mess and still can't see the gardens from the weeds, maybe today I will take back control of that, or better yet send the teenager out to do it:) Enjoy the weather out there today, other than all the cottonwood flying around it is beautiful.
Oh and should let you all know teenager is alive and well and not in jail, he actually seems very willing and ready to accept his punishment.

A small Wednesday rant

2010-05-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Can't even think of a name for this post, work is actually going well for the moment it is the rest of my life I feel I have lost control of. Lets start with the teenager, I don't even know what to say but he is not living up to his potential at school, I am making that sound nice, he is actually not even doing the work at all and I am at a lose, have tried pleading, lecturing, stressing and encouraging and nothing is working! The worst part is this is my child who I always felt we had this great relationship and could talk about anything, but now nothing,
Other than that the house is a mess again, and i cant see the gardens from all the weeds!

For my Uncle

2010-05-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

When we got together last weekend for Joe's graduation I spoke with Mud about these darn blogs that know one is keeping up with and how much I missed them. I of course threw my sister under the bus and stated how tired I was of seeing the Diet Coke/Bacon can, and he informed me how tired he was with the snowball update:) Anyhoo I will try to keep up with this little blog. So on to what I have been up to.... well working, a lot! I finally have 1 therapist hired and hope to have my other by the middle of June. I did find out today that being in charge is not all that it is cracked up to be, there was someone who was hurt because he did not get a promotion in to my dept. and I just feel awful about it. He is a great employee and a good friend but I decided it would be better to go another way, and now I have to live with that, not easy. On a positive note I did move into my office and with a few additions it will be up to par. Gotta run I am sure there is laundry or tv watching to do:)

Snowball update

2010-04-10T15:00:00.001-07:00

Yep as of this month no more 2ND mortgage!! That payment will go straight to the Durango and hopefully that will be gone by the end of summer, I will probably not make my deadline of my 40Th birthday but I am sure going to give it my all. My taxes this year were more than I expected so that will delay things a little but I have faith I will still get it done before 2011 at least. Hope everyone is having a great day out there the weather here is gorgeous.

Before and After

2010-04-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

Before

After....

Happy Birthday Andrew

2010-03-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

Today is AJ's 8th birthday we started out the morning with presents and pancakes, later movie and pizza I am sure. I chose this picture because it reminds me of my little boy and my Bobo who is nearing the end of his ride, he will be missed by us all. Have a great day out there.

Another interview

2010-03-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

Okay today interviewed for the lead postion at my job, I was very tired due to late stop last night so basicallly tried to not yawn too much. I am really okay either way, but would love a little more cash to work my Dave plan. Will update as soon as I hear. Love to you all.

Not for me.

2010-03-01T15:32:00.000-08:00

Well I didn't get the job I interviewed for last week, not really surprised I have worked for this company long enough to know that when a job is posted 9 times out of 10 they have already filled it in their minds. The fact that I didn't get that job just puts another opportunity in front of me, I will be applying for the Supervisor position at my office so wish me luck. I wont be losing any sleep either way, and I guess thats what counts, these days just happy to have a job where the checks clear:)

My day and stuff...

2010-02-24T16:41:00.000-08:00

Interviewed for a different job today with my current employer. The funny thing is when I applied for this a different and possibly better oppurtunity presented itself, weird how life works. I have decided that either way I will be happy, even if I stay doing what I am doing now.

On my last post Denny asked if I had a written budget, sort of would be my answer. I really need to work on that part I think it would help keep me focused and more importantly in control of my money.

P.S If anyone nows of a good counter I can add to my blog I would appreciate it, I tried to upload a couple but could not get them to work.

Cheetah!!!

2010-02-21T08:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I really want to be debt free by my birthday so I have decided to enlist the help of all my family and friends, no I do not want money, I want encouragement. I am going to start a countdown clock with the total I still owe and even though it is embarrassing I need the support. Here we go!

Christmas in Texas

2009-12-28T11:36:00.001-08:00

I think it may have been the sun but I loved seeing this number on Christmas day!!

My beautiful neice I forget how great she is and really wish I could see more of her.

Lots of cooking in the kitchen...and the dishes I don't want to talk about the dishes!

Granny is happy to see Santa!

The gifts under this beautiful tree...wow.

Trystan fell asleep next to anyone he could find and the last night the edge of the couch, so glad we had him to share Christmas with, what a great kid.

Dad looking serious, so whats new?

My beautiful sister!

Again with the gorgeous neice!

Barb and her remote she slept with it on her shirt, too funny, I do love this lady:)

Christmas

2009-12-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Texas has become a tradition just like Christmas in Wichita was for me as a little girl, I remember waking up early and having toast with homemade jam and then opening the stockings where there were Lifesaver books and Baby Soft lotion I remember the smells... and then the waiting. I remember the waiting the most, the cousins lived in town and did Christmas at home first and then came to Grandma's , I got to where I hated that waiting...but then they arrived and the paper flew and there was always lots of laughter and a big feast. I hope that my boys have great memories of our Christmas's I know I do.
I was to start my vacation today but not enough time and too much to do means an hour or so in the office and then off we go, hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and I pray we all remember the reason for this holiday and just enjoy the company of our loved ones. Merry Christmas, Kimmy

Petty Christmas

2009-12-20T16:20:00.001-08:00

What a great day I only took these 2 pictures and then left Andrew in charge of the camera, lots of pictures of his feet and the lens cap.... I love my family and love getting together with everyone, Merry Christmas!

More Christmas Past

2009-12-16T16:41:00.001-08:00

Andrew's 1st Christmas he was such a cutie!

This one here oh my I remember the trips to Texas on Christmas Eve when he was little! I actually have a lot of great memories of those trips.

BOBO

2009-12-13T09:54:00.000-08:00

Kenny got a new printer for his birthday it has a built in scanner and I saw this picture and could not resist this is my little Bobo who is now 15 years old and looks like a little old man but when I see this picture I remember how much fun we had with him, love you old dog!

Christmas past

2009-12-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

I wanted to do the picture a day until Christmas but I don't have time tonight gotta go bowl, so here is one of my favorites of Christmas past notice the miss matched slippers.

My beautiful nieces.

2009-11-27T18:07:00.000-08:00

The closest to a smile I could get a picture of.

This one is a daddy's girl.

She drug this pillow around for 45 minutes.

I think Madison is saying enough already Zoe!

I had a great time with these guys last night and can't wait for my new niece to get here!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

Today I am so thankful for my wonderful family I spent the first part of the day at Mom and Alan's and the last with the Bates crew what a great day but boy am I stuffed! I will post some pictures tomorrow of my beautiful nieces, goodnight all.

Ear infection?

2009-11-25T16:59:00.000-08:00

My right ear has been bothering me for the last 2 weeks it was sore to the touch and ached just a little, my ears always bother me a little so I didn't think much of it. So this morning around 4am I wake up with a horrible earache finally fall back to sleep at 6 and wake up late with pain in my jaw, I seriously could not close my teeth together. Anyhoo to the doctor and one quick glance in my ear and she says "you are sick"! Turns out 1 busted ear drum and major infection... I have a major tolerance for pain, just saying.

Side note tried to display disgusting photo of busted/infected ear drum and computer is not cooperating just know not a pretty sight!

Sorry...

2009-11-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

Sorry about yesterdays post I remembered my challenge about 9:30 and was so full from dinner with my nieces and so tired I could not get my brain to work.
Christmas is a month away have you done your shopping? I have purchased 1 gift and do not have a list done yet... I will do the last minute dash once again one of these years I will start early and be done by Turkey day.
Work has been crazy we are down a therapist and more call has made life miserable, cross your fingers that we have someone in place by mid December.
Alright off to bowl now hope everyone is doing well out there, Kimmy

Nothing.

2009-11-23T20:15:00.000-08:00

Total brain drain, I got nothing.

Let's Blog People!

2009-11-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

Mud made a comment how no one is blogging anymore and I agree. I miss reading the blogs I miss the pictures so here is my challenge lets all post daily until the end of the year we can do this it just takes a few minutes a day... maybe spend a little less time on facebook? Come on people I know you all love a challenge!

Just a rant!

2009-09-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

I cant stand lazy people, stupid makes me crazy but is it really their fault?? But LAZY you are people that have the intelligence, skills, time but chose not to do what needs to be done, you I have no tolerance for! Just saying!!

Birthday

2009-09-11T04:51:00.001-07:00

A few things to get done before Im 40:

1. Get out of debt... getting closer every day I will work on making double car payments and hopefully will be done with it all by Spring.

2. Spend more time with my family.

3. Figure out what I want to be when I grow up and work on getting there.

4. Quit smoking!!

5. Get in shape, I would like to feel better at 40 than I do right now.

Thats it I guess off to work!

Beware

2009-08-14T16:30:00.000-07:00

Just kidding! Austin passed his driving test today and now has his official big boy license. I am very proud of him and the way he was grinning ear to ear he was darn proud of himself.

Mosquito

2009-08-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

When I win the lottery I will move to a place without mosquito's, is there such a place??

Something to think on

2009-08-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it." ** Adrian Rogers, 1931*

My Aunt Barb

2009-08-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

These are just a few of the many pictures that my wonderful Aunt has taken over the years. I thought about doing this post due to the adorable picture of Austin "driving" at age 1. I hope that someday I get the chance to see all the memories she has captured for us , we really are blessed to have her in our lives. I love you Barb.

Boys trip

2009-08-05T05:07:00.000-07:00

Well this wonderful man took off a few days from work to take his boys fishing in Texas. I have to work but am taking Friday off to go to a movie with my sis. All I can say is 30 minutes in it is very quiet in my house.

20 year class reunion

2009-08-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

These were 2 of my best friends Karen and Kim wow I missed these 2.

Karen is still a little crazy!

Okay I was'nt going to go but thought what the heck. All I can say is that it was an interesting experience... okay I did'nt remember half of those people! I did get to see a couple friends I had lost touch with and that was cool. I danced my butt off and am sore today, god I am getting old!

Help Please!!!

2009-07-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

Okay I am going crazy I am trying to update my horrible resume' and am just about thru fighting with damn Word!!! Help I need an updated fabulous resume' there is a job I really want! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Love this hat!

2009-07-13T14:38:00.001-07:00

The Kum and Go hats love them just saying!!!

Happy Anniversary 19 years and counting....

2009-06-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

Okay this may seem like an innocent Anniversary post but there is a story behind it. My husband and I were married in June 1990 the day before fathers day, I remember this because every year I tell him our anniversary is coming up it is the 17th but of course my loving husband has to tease a little and always comes back with no its not we got married the day before Fathers Day, which I come back with that day changes... you get the picture.
So today I am sitting at work and my phone rings and Kenny tells me the 17th in 1990 was a Sunday, of course I don't believe him and he says Google it, which of course I do and yep the 17th was a Sunday. Something must be wrong we were married on the 17th we have been celebrating it for years, so I tell Kenny he is crazy and I will have to call him back.
He calls again and gives me our wedding license # and of course it states we were married on the 16th of June 1990. I was shocked at first but now I just think it is too funny, who could forget their anniversary? Me I guess.

How I spent my Saturday

2009-05-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

Chili in May? That was my question but we found a small Chili cook off in Destoto and had a blast.

Andrew just wanted an award and luckily he got one, 6th place not bad for 2 days notice.

Andrew and daddy showing off the award.

Aunt Jenn got an award also.

2 of my favorite people aren't they cute in red.

Our friend Alison can too and I think she had fun just getting away for awhile.

A beautiful place for a cook off we will definatly be back in the fall for the pumpkins.

Done? Don't think so.

2009-05-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

Less than 2 months to girls weekend and boy do I need it. My last post I stated I was done with the drama but unfortunately the drama is not done with me. Another night with little sleep and I feel sick and helpless...where is he, is he alive, is he taking his last breath right now? I don't know how much more I can take.

Done

2009-05-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

Can't take any more drama....so I thought Stephen should come for dinner he is definatly one of my favorite people ever and always makes me laugh.

Happy Mothers Day to Aunt Jenn

2009-05-10T08:09:00.000-07:00

Some of you may look at this title and be a little confused but for me and my family Aunt Jenn deserves Mothers day credit more than any one I can think of. I love my mothers and they know how much they mean to me but my sister never gets the credit she deserves, she is a second mom to my boys in every way that counts. Jenn volunteers at Andrews school, takes the boys on trips with her, watches them so I can work when they are sick, coached basketball, I could go on for days about how she gives of herself for my boys I will just end with she is the best sister and aunt and I could not do this without her Happy Mothers day Aunt Jenn.

Great customer service!

2009-04-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

I bought a pair of Eastland shoes back in November, they were more than I usually spend but it is a company I trust has good quality shoes. Anyhoo about a month ago I was walking in the snow and noticed my feet were wet, both soles had split width wise across. I was very disappointed and but decided to contact the company to complain. They had a very easy return system and if they decided it was manufacturer defect they would send me a new pair, came home today, only 1 week since I shipped them in, and a brand new pair was waiting for me. In this day you just don't see this kind of service, Eastland has a customer for life!

Better today

2009-04-15T17:52:00.001-07:00

I feel stupid about my little rant yesterday, today was much better... still don't like the changes but I feel extremley thankful to have a job.

Big Brother is now watching...

2009-04-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

Can't even go into details because I would use words that would get me kicked off Blogger, just know that I HATE what is happening to the job I love.

Where's my tooth and cheetah update

2009-04-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

Andrew has been fighting to hang on to his last front tooth for weeks now, it was literally hanging by a thread. Last night while having a scuffle with daddy the tooth fell out and was immediately swallowed by the small child. Daddy "found" the tooth on the floor and it was placed under the pillow last night and since it was not a Wednesday the tooth fairy did her thing!

Now a cheetah update for anyone who cares we have at this point paid off $18,000 in debt since January 08! I am very excited and seeing those #'s get smaller makes me so motivated to get rid of the rest. If I could figure out when I could do it I would have a part time job already!

A Great Birthday!

2009-03-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

Andrew with the new drum set, what the heck was I thinking?

This look was worth the noise I will hear for years to come.

After he blew out the candles on the mint chocolate chip ice cream cake, his favorite of course.

Opening some of the gifts that fell to the wayside after the drums came out. We had a great day despite the awful weather and thanks to all that ventured out to join us.

Happy Birthday AJ

2009-03-28T05:55:00.000-07:00

We love you!

Beautiful

2009-03-07T07:36:00.000-08:00

I am running around the house this morning cleaning because we are having company tonight and the house just gets away from me during the week. Anyhoo I am wearing my cleaning clothes ratty tshirt, ratty shorts, blinding white dry legs (its winter after all) and the hair pulled up in a quick ponytail... my darling 6 year old looks at me and says "mommy why do you have your hair so beautiful?" Made my day!

Chicken Pox

2009-03-04T18:43:00.000-08:00

Andrew wanted to know how you get Chicken Pox, he innocently asked "Does a Chicken come to your room and pox your face?" :)

My Girl

2009-03-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

Thanks Jenn give her love from me!

I love the dentist!

2009-02-17T13:28:00.000-08:00

Me and Andrew had dentist appointments today, Andrew was first and they used Nitrous and he did great he didn't even need a shot! So I thought maybe I will give it a go, wow is that stuff great I could feel what they were doing but it didn't hurt and again no shot! 4 fillings between the 2 of us and here we are 30 minutes later, no pain, and no annoying numbness. I just love my dentist!

Lions and Tigers and Bears oh my!

2009-02-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

We made a last minute trip to Texas to see this cute guy up here, he looked great and seemed to be feeling better.

Aus of course brought the guitar and had a few jam sessions for us all to enjoy.

Andrew(and Grandpa) enjoyed some wrestling.

Here is where the animals come in we went to a drive thru safari and these pictures don't do it justice, the size of these Bison was incredible and at one point they had surrounded the car.

Andrew being brave with the Bison gone and enjoying the smaller animals.

A beautiful picture of the Zebra, thanks to Austin.

The big scary camel, he was taller than the Durango and we did not spend a lot of time with this guy!

Spoiled Dog?

2009-01-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

My sister told my last night that this dog was spoiled. I just don't see it here she is laying on the couch with Austin after snacking on "the bad pieces of steak" her daddy was cutting up for the chili. Spoiled? I don't think so.

Debt free!

2009-01-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

Okay not yet but I can see it coming and am sooo excited! I just paid off Sallie Mae my education is finally paid for! I just did the numbers and if I don't change a thing I will be debt free (not including the mortgage) by the end of 2009! I of course am going to try and tighten up the budget and be done sooner. More updates to come.

Basketball and Vampires?

2009-01-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

This is the scoreboard of my nephew Justin's basketball game this morning when he scored his first goal of the season and the teams first of this game. Watching these 5th grade boys brings back memories of Austin and his team, tons of fun to watch. Alright about the vampires, I just finished ,in 2 days the book Twilight, I know it is a teens book but I am hooked! I was up until at least 1:00am last night reading and finished it this morning. I have never been into vampires but I would let Edward bite my neck anytime! Oh well to the book store tomorrow to get the next in the series I hope it is as good as the first. Have a great day out there.

A great New Year

2009-01-03T07:21:00.001-08:00

We had dinner with our nieces Cindy and Brittney from Illinois we haven't seen them in a long time and I could not believe how grown up they are. Brittney will graduate from high school in May and Cindy will graduate from college next May, smart and beautiful and just as sweet as they always were.

Quiet as a mouse

2008-12-29T16:13:00.000-08:00

Okay day 4 with the boys in Texas and well it is quiet. We had a nice relaxing weekend took a couple naps watched some movies, and well that is about all. I really enjoy the time away from my boys, time to relax and unwind, but wow I miss the noise! I miss the mess! I miss the chaos! I miss those boys! Crazy I know but that is my life. We will see how I feel tomorrow night when they return.

Christmas morning...

2008-12-27T06:41:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to have my mom and Alan and Bob and Julia spend Christmas morning with us. The family gift that hopefully will get us all in shape, I know we could have just taken a walk and saved some cash but this should be more fun.

Alan looking excited about his work shirt even though I think he liked the Crown Royal and cigar more.

Okay 2 of these and not sure how to delete it.

Austin got his new Ipod but we had lots of fun tortureing him into thinking he was'nt going to get one, we had him going until his 2nd present he opened was the Ipod cover from Aunt Jenn.

Andrew got his flying V guitar from Santa. I think we all need earplugs!

My beautiful tree on Christmas Eve after a night of wrapping it is sad that it is over so fast. Well off to enjoy a day off from work and kids, love to all hope you had a great one!

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T05:41:00.000-08:00

Well its Christmas Eve and I am off to work. I was feeling a little sorry for myself and then I looked around at my house and my kids and that beautiful Christmas tree with all those gifts underneath and I realized how blessed I am! I am blessed to have a job, a family who loves me, great friends and a warm home to come back to. I hope we all remember how much we have and how many out there have so little, I know I do.

It was a Rock and Roll Christmas

2008-12-22T15:43:00.000-08:00

The serious rocker...

The not so serious rocker...

After a day of baking we played some Wii bowling and then Jenn and Austin decided to play Rock Band. Watching Jenn play those drums was definitely a highlight of the day, wish I had it on video I have not laughed like that in a long time! A fun day all in all and just reminded me what I love about Christmas, hanging out with the people I love.

Christmas update

2008-12-20T08:44:00.000-08:00

I had to post my two favorite Christmas pictures of all time don't tell Austin though since they are both of the little man, 2 different sides of his personality.

Well we went out my hubby and I this am and finished the shopping! I have to tell you all that trying to get out of debt has been the best thing I have ever done! This Christmas I spent probably more than most years at least on the kiddos but I cash flowed the hole deal and didn't even have to pull money out of savings, and I just paid my December bills on line! I know there are people out there that this is the norm for but for me this is the least amount of stress I have ever had at Christmas time, and not worrying about paying for it is the key! I can't wait until hopefully next year but probably the next to get to the holiday season debt free, what a great Christmas that will be! Hope you all are staying in your budgets and using cash and especially remembering what this holiday is all about. Love to all and Merry Christmas!

Christmas shopping update

2008-12-13T04:55:00.000-08:00

Just returned from an early morning trip to Toys R Us I got the boys the big gifts they were wanting. Now just 14 people and lots of stocking stuffers to go. I did get Monday off and I will be spending the day power shopping with 2 of my favorite people my sis and mom. Wish me luck!

If a Christmas tree falls in the forest....

2008-12-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

Okay it was'nt in the forest but we woke up this morning to the tree on the floor... not sure what happened but after some cussing, sweating and sticky fingers all is right with the world.

Christmas

2008-11-29T11:34:00.000-08:00

Okay the big day is what 26 days away and I have done no shopping not even a stocking stuffer! Is anyone else out there feeling the pressure? I need to get the tree and decorate it put up all the Christmas stuff and shop! If anyone would like to do my shopping for me I will pay well!
I love Christmas it is my favorite holiday but I am a little stressed thinking how much I have to do.

The Firefighters Ball

2008-11-22T06:35:00.000-08:00

Austin went with Jenn to the firefighters ball to work selling pop and ice. I just thought Jenn looked so nice in her Walmart dress and sensible shoes I had to post the picture.

The Tooth Fairy's day off

2008-11-20T19:09:00.000-08:00

What to do when you fall asleep and forget that your small child has happily and expectantly placed his prized tooth under his pillow.... well you come up with a good story.

It all started inoccently enough this am with my beautiful toothless child stating first thing "Mommy something terrible has happened the tooth fairy did'nt come!". Of course my first thought was oh crap! then the guilt, worst mom in the world award coming right up! Then I stalled..."Mommy needs to go potty and I will see if I can think of a reason that she missed you."

Then of course the story...The tooth fairy is off on Wednesdays but the lucky little boys who lose their teeth on that day get extra speacial suprises on Thursdays! Luckily he is 6 so he bought the story. As for me I did some shopping and there will be an extra suprise with some cash under that pillow in the morning!

Monday Ramblings

2008-11-17T17:29:00.001-08:00

I hate when you go to the doctor for the first time in forever and of course by the way you need a Tetnus shot, my arm is really sore.

My dog is blind, deaf and he really smells like he already has 1 foot in the ground!

I am so very thankful to be employed right now but I swear some days I just hate my job!

I love these gas prices, filled up for under $20.

Christmas is in like 6 weeks, where did the time go??

Oh and my arm is really sore!

Lenexa Chilicookoff...we won!!!

2008-10-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

Steven and Barb looking sharp!

Dad and Manda I love the smile on my dads face.

The big winners Kenny won 1st in Homestyle chili, Jenn won 8th in Homestyle and 1st in Salsa (about time) and Austin won his first award 3rd in Salsa!!!

The head salsa chef doing her thing.

The happy group with all the awards, we had an awesome time even without the awards but they sure topped off the weekend!

Presidential Debate????

2008-10-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

Oh my lord I have been watching for 20 minutes now and not once have either one of these yahoos even answered a single question! I asked Kenny if we could just move out of the country, he of course said no. I just want an answer, I will do this to solve this, etc.... I am my father's daughter and I should just take his lead and not watch!

The Shawnee BBQ

2008-10-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

A little attitude from the "Heinekin Girl"

5 minutes after this picture was taken the small man

walked away from the awards ceremony crying and

screaming "but I wanted to win!"

The head chef doing his thing.

We had a great time at the Shawnee bbq we are not going to discuss our placement though.

The big boys off to LA

2008-10-02T19:24:00.001-07:00

The big boys are off to LA for the Hot Wheels convention and Andrew and I are home alone. The only problem with being the only one home is I am the only one home. By the end of the weekend I may have to change my name from mommy as in mommy lets do this, mommy get me this, mommy, mommy, mommy!

Birthday in Arkansas

2008-09-14T13:58:00.001-07:00

The weather was perfect just a bit of rain on Friday night and some big storms last night which knocked out the power, but during the day gorgeous! There was a great long walk and a short walk in the rain, cannoing, singing and of course a memorable Yatzee game. Thanks to my family for taking some time off and making the trip. Many more pics to post but this blasted blogger keeps logging me off!

Arkansas in the rain

2008-09-12T06:43:00.000-07:00

For my birthday this year I asked mom and Alan and Jenn to go to the lake with me. So off we go and the forcast is rain and lots of it. My favorite memory of this porch was the year me and Jenn took Austin down he was 5 and it rained the whole time we sat on the porch drinking bloody marys and painted our nails. We laughed and talked it truly was the best weekend, even Aus had a great time. I will let you know how this trip stacks up when we return.

Happy Birthday to my rockstar!

2008-08-27T20:28:00.001-07:00

Here is my now 16 year old with his new Dean electric guitar, rock on boy!

Is it still Monday?

2008-08-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

Here I sit in front of this computer waiting for my hubby to come and hopefully start my car. "Granny's car" is a 1999 Saturn gold in color with a droopy headliner. I love this car due to the fact that I owe no $$ and there really is nothing like driving a car that is paid for. The drawbacks of course are the fact that I am losing wages as I sit, and I may need said wages to pay for whatever ailes the old gal. Will this little set back make me run to the nearest car lot and plop down 5 years of my life for a shiny, new, running beauty? Hell no!

Sick day already...

2008-08-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

Andrew has been back in school for 3 days and already we are out for a sick day. This morning he was running a temp of 102.1 so daddy got to take the day off to take care of him. His fever is down to 99.5 now so we will see what tomorrow brings, could be a day off for me.

What's for dinner?

2008-08-17T10:57:00.001-07:00

Okay as usual my pictures did not post in the right order I really hate Blogger! Anyhoo it is ham, green beans and potatoes prepared by me and my lil chef! This little man did all the prep except for cutting the onion and the ham, he tells me he will be a chef when he grows up, I am sure he will be concocting all sorts of vegetarian delicacies!

Life

2008-07-24T16:18:00.000-07:00

I was going to post about how frustrated I have been at my job lately and bitch about the mess around my house, etc.... but I think I will just say I am blessed! I am blessed to have a family who loves me, a job that pays the bills and that I enjoy most of the time, healthy children, a great marriage, and enough money to do what needs to be done and most of the time what I want to be done. Why in this society do we all feel the need to complain and whine about the things we want and don't have instead of being thankful for the things we do have. I think as a country we need to quit looking for someone or something else to make us happy and successful and do what my grandparents did and get off our butts and take care of ourselves! And quit the whining out there!

Seizure??

2008-06-25T15:53:00.000-07:00

Okay so we have had a normal CT scan and a normal EEG now the trip to the Neurologist. I must say that I remember about half of what he said, he had this great French accent that I was just crazy about! Anyhoo this cute pediatric Neurologist did'nt believe that AJ had a seizure, he went back to the heat, dehydration, possible viral infection theory that we started with. Now we are to just watch the little stinker and if it happens again contact le french physician. The one amazing thing is that my 6 year old is 4' 3" tall, his brother was only 6" taller at age 11, scary. Love to all !

My favorite place

2008-06-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

The picture above is of my favorite place in the world Beaver Lake. This is the only place from my childhood that I can still go home to. My sister recently lost a great friend way to early and it got me thinking where would I want to die if I had a choice in the matter, I know that it would be at this beautiful spot sitting on the front porch with people I love.
I am so lucky that this place was purchased by my mother and stepfather and that they let us enjoy it with them and with family and friends. Every year we join with our best friends and cousins to reconnect with ourselves and each other, I hope this tradition continues on for many years to come and that the group will continue to grow. To the girls of Beaver, see ya soon!

Cheetah Update

2008-06-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

For anyone who cares I am still fighting the big bad cheetah. I have been working my debt snowball now for about a year and am not making the progress I would like. I have to date paid off 3 credit cards and am on my way to #4 which should be gone by the middle of July if not sooner. I have taken my big 3 cards and combined them with a fixed rate of 2.99% I am planning on putting a minimum of $1000 a month on these while I still will be working on the 3 smaller debts. I am so excited about being debt free but still lose focus some when I see a cute pair of shoes or a great shirt on sale. I still need to get the darn budget in line, if I could get that done I could move a lot faster at this, oh well maybe a project for the day. Hope you all are well out there and if you haven't already cut up those cards already!

Andrew

2008-06-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

15th in ribs baby!!!

2008-05-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

The ribs

The Chef

The team, I think we all look a little red, don't ya think.

Tired

2008-05-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

Very tired I am... lots to do there is... nap I would love.

The boys rocking out

2008-04-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Manhattan teacher suspended due to incedent on picture day!

2008-04-23T15:17:00.000-07:00

Just me and the boys

2008-04-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

Okay the hubby is off to Chicago for a Hot Wheels convention, and yes they really have such a thing. He is very excited and I am sure will have lots of fun and come home with some great cars. This does leave me home with the children and the dogs and I will finally get my payback for all those girls weekends over the years. I hope I don't sound whiny just the opposite I am married to the best guy, yesterday when he needed to be getting ready for his trip he instead took the boys to the park and stayed for over 2 hours because Austin's basketball team kept winning. What a great dad and husband! I will miss him these next few days.

3 months left!

2008-04-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Oh Big Trouble Ahead!

2008-04-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

Look at this sweet innocent looking child could you ever imagine him doing something wrong? Well he is part Petty so don't let the look fool ya! This little 6 year old child got on his fathers Ebay site and put in a max $100.00 bid on a Dr Suess game that he just had to have. How the small child figured out to do this blows my mind. Luckily we won the game for $28 with shipping and said small child is grounded from the computer for 1 week and will have to cash in his coin jar to cover the expenses. I am in big time trouble!

Need your prayers...

2008-04-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

No not for the Hawks even though I will encourage those. I have some families I have been working with that have been in my thoughts and prayers for the last few weeks and today I met a wonderful lady who is fighting cancer with such grace and we talked about the power of hope and staying positive in attitude and spirit the conversation moved me to tears I feel blessed to have met her. Due to HIPPA I can't say more about these families just know that they need the prayers of all. I love you all and am glad I have such a wonderful family and great friends. ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!

Trying

2008-04-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Okay I have started to get annoyed when people have not updated thier blogs I love to sit down at night and see what everyone is up to , well then I realize I am not doing my share either so today I commit to try to update at least once a week.

The darn car dilema...

2008-03-03T15:58:00.001-08:00

Okay paid off debt #2 yesterday and am very excited until today when I hear this awful grinding noise when I push on the brakes in the Durango. So while I am attempting to pay off all my debts, and not under any circumstances accumulate more this is a list of items that will be needed before I am debt free:
tires and now brakes for the Durango
brakes for the pickup
lawnmower
dishwasher(could wash by hand but no)
Good thing for the emergency fund, I just need to add a lot more to it for now. By the way thanks for the budgeting advice (Donna and MUD) I will be trying to write down everything I spend during a month to track those wasted pennies.

Living without the Cheetah

2008-02-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

My uncle Denny stopped by my blog and said I should post about becoming debt free. The goal I have set is 2 years to no debt except the mortgage, and if the kids would just quit eating and growing out of their clothes I just might make it.
The biggest issue I am having is the budget, I just can't figure out how to get it all on paper and have it make sense. I was using an Excel spreadsheet years ago but I got lazy and now I can't seem to make that work. I am tracking the debt I am paying off but I feel I could pay a lot more to it each month if I would just pay attention. Any of you have easy budgeting tips I would love to know.

Aaaaaarrrrggggghhhh!!!!!

2008-01-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

Okay got through the holidays without the chetah, yeah! I am very excited about the debt free life I will one day live but the day to day life right now is making me crazy! Have you ever worked with one of those know it alls, been there done that kind of people? This new lady at my office is about to make me lose my mind! I am trying to be nice and just do my job and ignore her but it is very, very, very hard. Any suggestions? Come on people HELP ME!!!

Debt Free Holiday

2007-11-24T06:22:00.000-08:00

No chetahs for me this holiday season I will be shopping with only the cash in my pocket! I am sure there are some of you out there that would never have used a credit card for gifts but I have been stupid and thought that was the norm, but no more. I have not used a credit card in almost a year, I am not debt free yet but I am on my way! The cool thing is that I have a great job and am making the kind of money to make this possible. This year I will focus on spending time with my family not the presents I can give but instead I will give them my time.

Happy Birthday Aunt Jenn

2007-10-31T19:27:00.001-07:00

Helping themselves to some candy

Too cute!

Zo checking out the vulture.

My favorite girl!

Andrew and Zoe

Happy Halloween too, we missed you! Oh guess who saw the witch this year?

Super Heroes

2007-10-28T09:20:00.001-07:00

Thanks Bec the costume was a hit! I did have to add the leggings and undershirt or I would have froze to death!

Homecoming

2007-10-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

Oh just too funny for words!!

2007-09-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

Nasty bug

2007-09-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

Day 3 of the dreaded stomach virus, I have had 1 piece of toast and half a bowl of chicken soup since Friday. The cramps are better but still hanging on. I may just survive this one but I will say it was touch and go for awhile.

Birthday Ramblings

2007-09-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

I am not sure what to say today on this my 37th birthday so I guess I will list a few things that I would like to do or change in the next year...
1. quit smoking
2. find a good church (I feel it would be good for all of us)
3. start running (I can do the marathon but I need to start somewhere!
4. do my job and then go home, basically leave the office at the office
5. say what I feel even if it ticks people off, I think I am old enough to just say sorry thats what I think.
6. take responsibility for me and let everyone else take care of themselves, change the things you can and the rest can go to.... well you know
7. spend much more time with my family, definatly make this a priority!
8. get out of debt, or at least start those baby steps
9. get organized (in my dreams!)
10. have more fun
11. sleep more

Life right now..

2007-08-29T17:35:00.001-07:00

I have so many issues going on at work I don't even know where to start. First of all we have been down 1 therapist for almost 2 months so I have been taking more call and working like a mad woman. The paperwork on my desk is about to drown me and I don't see an end in sight! My house is out of control and again I can't keep up. Then I get home tonight and there is my credit card bill that aparently I forgot to pay last month, oops! Something must give before I lose my mind!