Put a pin in me, I'm done.
This has been a rough year and an enlightening one.
Since yesterday I have been in a bear of a mood and emotional. I would love it something amazing and beautiful would happen in the next 48 hours, something that really speaks to my heart.
I know, tall order but I really need a spiritual uplifting right now.
I would love to curl up like Bella here and ignore the world.
I'm not going to make any resolutions except one.
To continue to be a better me, the me God intended me to be.
May your new years be merry and bright and this coming year be an amazing one.
*Carrie*

As Wyatt put it, "This is the best Christmas EVER!"
This year the grandma's made Christmas pretty awesome. There were Lego's and makeup, dolls and beyblades, some clothes and movies, video games and the ultimate gift was DS's.
From us the kids got a slightly early gift.
On the 17th, I answered an ad on craigslist for a dog needing a good home. The person who had the dog wanted it to go to a family with a good yard. The dog is a female boxer between 1 1/2 to 2 years old.
We took Braxton over to meet her and make sure they were compatible. We especially didn't tell the kids because I didn't want to get their hopes up. Every once in a while Kelly would remark how she still missed Lucy, that devils spawn. So I thought how cool, I should try to get her a dog for Christmas. I searched the humane society but every dog except for 3 were pitbull mixes so I checked around and my mom suggested craigslist. I found an ad where a woman had found a boxer and no one had claimed her and she couldn't keep her. I answered thinking I had no chance, I mean come

on, the pictures show a pure boxer and she is cute. I received an answer Friday night and we agreed to meet Saturday. Except for her trying to lord it over Braxton she was great. So we took her home to take a test run and if it didn't work out we could give her back. Yeah, I don't plan on giving her back. Except for a few quirks she is pretty cool.
We have named her Bella, (you know our breed game, boxers, Brewtus, Braxton) she is a cuddle monster, likes to lay either on you or beside you. If you get up to get something its very likely that she will take your seat. My biggest gripe right now is that I can't leave her in the house without her destroying things.
Case in point. The kids and I left for one hour, when we returned the house was in shambles. The knocked over the laundry bucket and had socks thrown everywhere. Bella had the metal garbage can  knocked over and garbage strewn around the kitchen. We had a plastic bag of clothes from grandmas house that was destroyed and spread down the hallway. There was a box of macaroni and cheese chewed on and ground into the living room rug and I found the guilty party in my craft room where she had opened a new package of quilt batting and had a mouthful of it.

Due to this episode I occasionally call her Lucy.

Lets see, I have been on the news in the morning with my photos and the news channel posted the picture on their Facebook page.
Oh wait, on the 10th I did a craft fair with me showcasing Park lane. That was a bust but the lesson learned was inspiring. Across the room was two woman with nature photos on cards, photos matted and framed. I watched as more people bought the photo cards from them then purchased anything from anyone else. Even my mother in law bought two cards from them.
This really hit me hard.
It was a light bulb on for a couple of reasons, one, what to make my mother in law for Christmas and another, for me to look into selling my own photo cards. I occasionally take some really good shots :) why not try.
I'm going to look into getting into the Tucson Craft and hobby association so that I can find out about the craft fairs around town.
who knows right, and we all have to get started somewhere.
Oh and when I gave my mother in law the 10 photo cards for Christmas?? She said she has no plans to use them she'll keep them for herself. I'm floored and not sure how to take it because she has never commented on any of my nature photos before and my favorites are framed around my house. Go figure, sigh....giggle.
I'm excited about this opportunity.

*Carrie*

Resolve

So there is something on my mind.......
I've been thinking about my blog the last few days and I'm sort of sick at myself. One, that I'm missing out on capturing all the things that make my kids unique and Two, the simple daily things that I'm almost guaranteed to forget.
I remember updating my blog almost every day. Almost.
Now I'm lucky to do it twice a month. That's not like me, and I don't want it to be me.
Life moves fast enough as it is and I'm just trying to keep up, I don't want my blog to go by the wayside. Since I'm writing this and voicing my concern, that means my goal is to make it more a priority.
Yes, I've said something like this before, but you know, this is important.
I've slowed way down on checking out status' or playing games on Facebook, even my Pinterest addiction has slowed a bit.
Of course throwing your back out and being unable to sit at the computer has helped put some things into perspective.
In my mind I picture a movie where the kids are all screwed up emotionally until they read mom's journal and know how much mom loved and cared for them and what was going on in her head.
Now this is extreme thinking, because my kids know how much I love and care for them because I tell them so quite frequently.
No matter what, we screw up our kids, its just a fact, no way around it. Sorry went off on a tangent.
If, for some reason I'm never able to complete all those scrapbook pages that are rolling around in my head, that will be OK. I have the memory down on my blog, which will hopefully be printed out yearly :)
short ending to a long story. I'm gonna fight to keep my blog up to date and challenge myself to do better with it.
As I re read this post I thought of something... a challenge to you. If you have my phone number and haven't seen me post in more than three days, text me, be more support system and keep me motivated.
Love to all,
*Carrie*

 I knew that I had missed a few days but gee whiz, almost a month has gone bye.
Lets see, we have had soccer games, scouts, thanksgiving, stressing over buying Christmas presents.
Basically...Life!
I had gall bladder surgery and threw my back out on the 28th of Nov. The surgery went great and I was able to get up the next morning and join my friend Annette and take our kids' school photos for the next three days.
I have come to realize that I cannot take percocet without getting sick and I hate outpatient surgery.

I know this all sounds so random but I think it is because, as usual, I have much catching up to do.
I'll start from Thanksgiving.
We had turkey day at my mom's, and it was such a nice day. The kids and grandma's ate outside and the rest of us ate inside and watched the football game.
We went through the ads and discussed Black Friday horror stories, all of us agreeing there wasn't anything worth going out for.
I had an idea that will have to be put off until next year about taking family favorite recipes and pictures of those recipes and making a family cookbook. I was also hoping to incorporate hand written recipes in jpeg form into the book.
Unfortunately, it is a bigger time consumer and right now I can't do it justice. This gives me plenty of time over the course of next year to get it done right. I fell this project is one that will be much loved and passed on by all of us.
So Mom, I know you are reading this and that is why I was asking for some family recipes and, as of right now I still don't have any from you! (and I asked her before Thanksgiving!)
I have about given up on making Christmas cards to send this year, I'm just in this bah humbug mood.
My craft room is destroyed and I just get frustrated every time I go in there. Even more frustrating is that I have all these projects that I want to do, that are in various stages, and they are beginning to get mixed up. I need a day where I can pull some stuff out and really get it organized and purge. I need to make my project board to stay organized and just get it done!
Last week when we were taking pictures one of the schools' teaching assistants came in to let me know she saw one of my photos on the morning news! It was a surprise for me because I had sent that photo in over a week ago and had given up waiting to see it.
Let see, what else.
I finished up one of my stools the other day and boy was that a learning process. I'm not a professional by any means and you can certainly tell by looking at my stool but the darn thing is comfy to sit on. The kids like to pull it up to the computer desk while they watch each other play games.
My brain has come to a stand still so it means I have to stop for now. I'll be a better blogger eventually.
*Carrie*