Holiday Hell season

Oh yeah the hellish holiday season is here with all its wacked out kooks and freaks.

this is a great way to start the season off right? cynical and bitchy?

Thanksgiving was really nice, we had too much food as usual but it was good. Love the fried turkey. last year from christmas robs mom bought him an electric fryer and this year we got to try it out. it worked great. we had a baked turkey a fried turkey and ham. we love leftovers. we all have our staples that we make each year but we also try at least one new recipe to see it should be added to the feast. otherwise we spent the day watching football and talking. we totally forgot to play any games which has become the norm. we were rewarded by this gorgeous sunset that evening. it was strange to have such warm temps in this late of the month but it made for a great day.

"Where's Wyatt?"

This has become Wyatt's favorite thing to do. he likes to climb into all the places he shouldn't. we have also caught him on top of Kellys dresser and trying to climb on top of his. this little monkey is into EVERYTHING!!! i thought the crawling, walking stage was bad but this quiet troublemaking is worse. You never know where you will find him. Half the time the only way we catch him is if he drops something and we investigate, we just happen to walk by or if he call for help cause he is stuck. Oh i can't forget also when Kelly tattles on him.

*so Saturday was my last at joann and it was also the worst day i ever worked there. the computer shut down for over and hour and still those crazies waited in line. we passed out candy then we passed out 10% off transaction coupons because the registers were still down. it took over an hour to get them going and then they didn't ring up the sale prices so we had to do it all manually. it was awful. i gave the girls a pep talk and they did just great. most of the people in line were very nice. Once we got most of the people through the line we heard a frantic call for help. I went running back and in a corner a man had fallen and was having a seizure. so i start yelling to call 911 and the managers and a nurse went running back to help. so we also had a visit from the paramedics. whats strange is that the man that fell was a medic and had never been sick or had that happen before. this caused me to start shaking from adrenaline with all the excitement from the whole damn day. i hate emergencies. so on with the day. at one put we were running out of $1 dollars and when they finally found some i went back to the office to get them they started to tease me that i cursed the store today because it was my last day. let just say i got there at 2:30 and didn't get any breaks or lunch until 8pm when i clocked out and left for the night. and no they were not aware that i wasn't coming back from lunch. i told two of the six that were closing but not the mgrs. I did a little bad thing and it felt great. I was kinda hoping they would call me so i could laugh at them but alas they didn't. i know they aren't mad but it still was fun to just leave.

Grateful

so i was cruising the net and the theme for today seems to be "grateful", so going on this subject, i thought i could at the very least was list a few of things that i am grateful for.
(ya ever have a moment when you start to think about a topic and everything floods in and you can't choose or sort them out? Yeah, going through that right now)
fun things to be grateful for; internet, ice cream, ooh chocolate, minivans (shh don't tell Rob)
serious things; my family, that i appreciate all that surrounds me. i.e. my home, food, trees, my clothes.
I try to remember everyday how lucky i really am and thank god for what i have. i am grateful for so much that it cannot begin to be listed and god knows that in my heart and loves me for it.
So Happy Turkey Day!
Give your family a big hug. love Carrie

baby powder baby

okay not a great second picture. I had forgotten that this had happened over the weekend. my baby loves baby powder and this stuff was everywhere! we had to vacuum his bed, the floor, him. at least his room smelled good. *if you click on any picture you can see it larger*

spent the morning getting ready for thanksgiving. had to hit the grocery store before the yahoo's got there. i think and hope i have all that i need.

i really don't want to go to work tonight. don't i say this every tuesday???? part of me wants to go to see all the new stuff they got out but i really don't want to work. rob doesn't want me to work either but i need too. maybe i can find a t-giving tablecloth top put on the table. i thought i had one but right now i can't find anything. that will be changing soon because i have to half empty out the shed to get to christmas crap. so mu purging and organizing will be heading outdoors soon. speaking of cleaning up.....um.....see.....i ah.... haven't put my clothes away yet or shall i say even cleaned up my side. now i know i said i would do this but i procrastinate and then when i want to do it i'm in the middle of something else. it will get done eventually like before christmas. i promise.

so tomorrow morning i'm gonna take the kids to the mil (mother-in-law) the school down the street is collecting cans and the Palo Verde H.S. marching band walks uo and down the street playing while the elementary kids walk with wagons collecting food. cool huh?! I hope to get few pictures of the whole entourage and the kids handing over the goods.

So spent most of the weekend scrappin'. dang that felt great!! i felt like i was on a roll. i just need to get more pictures printed!! and of course between rob and mikey they were making fun of all the stuff i have, which i am using up. HELLO! its not like i went and bought new stuff for these pages i was using my collection. but it was fun and i would like to keep it up and get somewhat caught up.

happy tuesday

I have had a nice weekend. on Friday i did the scrapbook social and it was fun. i completed two layouts and had good conversation with a few regulars. i hope this keeps up even with me leaving. saturday work was fine and i got to come home early cause sales were slow. thats always a plus to come home early.but i saturday night i did 3 layouts. whoohoo! it feels good. i hope to get a couple more done today.
not much more going on. i hope your having a great weekend. C

alright

this is what Wyatt says every time you asks if he wants something. well last night everytime i asked if he wanted to go pee pee in the potty he said "alright". sure as shooting he peed in the potty 3 times. he refused to wear the one pair of underpants for boys that we own so he went commando under his pants. no accidents either.

I think i'm gonna be a bad momma and take a picture of him on the potty. can't wait to see his girlfriends reaction in 15+yrs. he he he.

*so tonight is the social and i need to go get my crap ready. I swear i need like a whole day to scrapbook. no interuptions, except maybe a friend or two and finger foods. Anyone want to join me???

*it's hard for me to believe that thanksgiving is this coming thursday. yikes a million i'm not ready. it's at our house which is nice but i need to go shopping.

*sorry this is short but i need to get lots done.

this picture is for me dad who says he only looks at this blog for pictures of the kids. this was taken may of 2005. wow look how small they are even the dog. time flies and luckily i have pictures of the kids from almost every single month. what changes. they are amazing, my babies.

Oh the drama

Told Lupe last night and she was cool about it. doesn't want me to go but can understand about the pay. yes she still wants me to be the scrapbook teacher. she did say that she didn't want me to leave before thanksgiving cause she is going to need me for black friday. I looked her right in the face and said then don't piss me off. kinda shocked her and i let out a startled laugh because i can't believe i actually said it out loud. but i did tell her i was serious and thats when we started to discuss last saturday, and how upset i was. She gave me the same b.s. but i really don't know if she was telling the truth.
to the Drama.... find out last night that Brian, my brothers friend that came here to get his act together has been stealing from my mom and mikey. He stole money from them both, he took dvd's and the ring my brother had bought for his ex-girlfriend(who happens to be his sister) took a PDA from my mom and we aren't sure what else. I talked to my mom this morning and she is working with the police as we speak and he is probably going to be arrested. now i find out he has a warrant for his arrest for skipping in michigan and screwing up his probation. so there is a chance he will be shipped back to MI.
This is my thought: YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES!!!!!
this young man has had everyone help him like it's their job to take care of him and this has been enabling to him. he needs to LEARN and take some responsibility for what he does. it's not anyones fault but his own.
So i'm waiting for a phone call from mom to see what the outcome is. Oh and his reason for the theft is he needed money and was tired of asking mikey for it. He really wasn't looking for a job and the money he made for day shift work he blew on drugs and we think speed, yes some money went for gas but please.
Okay gotta stop writing about this.
Today is Kellys last day of school until January 8th. hopefully i can be a good mama and keep up her letters and numbers. I have seen an improvement her alphabet. today see took two pencils and made a "X" and told me it was an x. i was happy, and told her so. she seems to really like going to class.
*So I have to post a picture. I needed something that warms the dark corners of my heart. I love fall. my absolute favorite time of year. My favorite flowers are daisies but I don't have any pictures of daisies but sunflowers are like daisies but bigger! :)
*anyway I just got the new Simple Scrapbooks, Better Photos for your scrapbooks magazine. a special issue. looks interesting.this picture combined with the magazine makes me want to go the the nursery and take pictures of some flowers. i would go to the botanical gardens but this is free and if i go to the gardens i want the whole family to go.
*So enough for now. i'm gonna hopefully get some work done, in some form or another before i pick up Kel.
P.S. this friday is the scrap social. come check out the cricut (cricket) machine and the cuttlebug and hang with me. it's from 6-10 (yes 10, we went to holiday hours) Mom if you can't make it I need your list of things you want cut out and colors

I'm outta here!

Called Tres Amigos today and everything went through fine. I will be giving my notice tonight (wish me luck) and my last day will be next wednesday BEFORE thanksgiving. Unless i totally wimp out and finish off that week, in which case i'm sure i'll get pissed about something and walk out.
I'm nervous about the new job and very happy to be leaving the old one. We will see how it goes. I don't even know if Lupe is working tonight. If Lupe doesn't have next weeks schedule done than this week will be my last . I don't know, everything is up in the air until tonight.
I'll update either late tonight or first thing tomorrow.
Carrie

monday, monday

It's been a pretty cool day. I watched baby aliyah this morning and she was fairly flexible with all the running around we do on Mondays. but overall i kinda miss having a little one around. we shall see.........
The weekend as a whole was exhausting. work on saturday was bad enough that i went to bed at 9pm. sunday was nice and relaxing and watched some football. nothing major or even exciting.
have a good day and we'll see what i can get done this afternoon. Cheers
Carrie

cheering up

Following the mark twain quote from a couple of days ago i started thinking about the bigger picture. I'm photographing the relay for life cancer walk that will happen next may. today i asked if i can be more involved. after talking to my mom just now she also wants to jump on board. I want to be more involved for several reasons. this year i lost a friend to cancer and this year a friend survived cancer and a friends daughter is still fighting cancer. i do this for them and for myself.
also today the kids and i went to Stuff The Bus. kgun 9 and the community food bank take a sun tran bus and we the people fill it with food. this project is something i have wanted to do for the last couple of years but when your family is helping buy you food and you yourself are struggling it's not an option. this year we gave and my heart feels so happy. it may not be much but it's one more step closer to the food banks goal. i hope i can teach the kids about grace and helping others with love in their hearts.







*so today i will continue to clean my scrap room. i told you it was a mess and this isn't all of it. it's under the desk and on the bookshelf to the right of the picture. take it from me it's hell.
I'm off to clean before lunch gets here.
so today i couldn't decide on which quote so i chose two.
"There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward"- Kahlil Gibran
"Those who give cheerfully give twice- once to others, once to themselves"- anonymous
edit: blogger went down so i couldn't post
i swear thursdays are my favorite day. 1, i don't have to work and 2, its ugly betty and greys anatomy. Whats your favorite day?
Edit Again: didn't get anything done because we found a new friend. His name is cody and he is a golden retriever that lives a few houses down with a nice family that just moved in. the gate was left open and the dog went for a walk. he is super sweet. we put up a sign on the corner and his owner called last night. it was so sweet to see him reunited with his family. a great dog and the kids adored him. good things came in 3's today. :)

before and after

okay so i dropped off kelly this morning and wyatt and i headed to Big Lots. i always get my bins there. it took 2, 30 liter bins for both of the kids' clothes. i cleaned out drawers and tons of bags and it is now organized in labeled bins. of course since i don't have any storage space right now they are in kelly's closet but it's all cleaned up right? isn't it what i wanted? yes sir e bob! am i happy? HELL YES!!!!
now it's time to start working on my scrap room. i think i will do before and after pictures for that too. you will be shocked, its that bad.
* so did some research and mom is double checking for me but i may be able to take a credited class at the community college for digi photography. i'm not looking for a degree just a few courses. we shall see.
*I love this picture of wyatt man. he is really into sitting in the clothes basket right now. he is such a character, goes full steam ahead and you better get out of his way. can't get that boy to sit still for a minute.
* so thank you Julie for your call this morning. I'm going to hit up the flylady.net for some cleaning routines and see all that she offers.
* to everyone thankyou for caring. i know we all go thru tough times and that one just came to the surface.
Just a FYI i usually don't read your comments until after i finish my next post.
So reading Kristie's comment hit me even harder because i know she is having a rough go of it. Oh and thanks Kris for the email that hit the spot and had me teary eyed.
My thoughts and prayers are seriously going out to you all. anything i can do, even from far away please let me know.
" a friend is a person with whom i may be sincere. before him, i may think aloud" ralph waldo emerson

elections

thank god the annoyance is about to end. have you been getting at least 5 calls a day??
Like a good american i voted today and i am anxious to see the results, i'm just tired of being bombarded with all the calls and ads.
Happy tuesday. my mom in law had the kids overnight so i got some work done. okay it time for me to be real, so hold on to your hats.
I need to stop blaming the kids as to why i get nothing done. its my own fault. lately i've been in what I'm calling a depression, not wanting to clean, organize or do pretty much anything. Today i have been forcing myself to make some goals and get things done. my entire house is a mess and with the holidays coming i can't take it anymore.
Why am i saying drepression. since we think we might be moving i've been torn between sentimental and happy, sad and can't wait. i haven't wanted to decorate for halloween or thanksgiving and part of me wants to pack things now but another part says that the things i can pack now i should just get rid of. i really need help with this and am not sure i would like to hear what others think. yes i need to streamline and dejunk. but the thought of doing so is daunting.
So for the rest of this week i will be working on wyatt's room and scraproom and next week my bedroom. these are doable goals but i need to make some internal changes. less tv and computer and more prayer and meditation. i need to really change my frame of mind.
*I kept telling myself that i wanted a blog not just so that family could keep up but that what i was thinking would be journalized for future scrapbooking and reflection. i have been fighting a big war in myself about letting go and finding my passion but i feel guilty because the rest of the house is literally in shambles. rob says i need to work through it but i really don't like a messy house. I can piture my mom smiling.
I'm also frustrated because so far pima comm.college doesn't off their photography classes any longer and i need and want to learn more. so i'm looking into other alternatives. i'm also doing some big praying that we could find a way financially so that i wouldn't have to work. this is also dragging me down. even though i should be starting a new job soon i don't want to work. period. i don't want to work. i want to learn and create. i want to learn. i want to make beautiful stuff because i know i can.
all this typing is my therapy. sometimes things just flow out of me that i don't say out loud. this is the reason for this blog. life is not all nicey nice and i'm not going to do it anymore.
"the best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up"- Mark Twain
I am thankful for all my friends and family. thank you for being my friends and inspiration. love C

captains log: star date 2562- we have entered the realm of the working persons known as cantgiveacrapbutneedpaychecks. these people work meaningless jobs for little pay and take crap from old ladies that like to complain because the yarn they are buying doesn't have the same color lot number. yeesh . these c.g.c.n.p's have amazing amounts of patience and smiles that they plaster on their faces when one of the "old" people come close. the only way to defeat this race of "old" people is stop working in this store. HA Ha Ha.
I have know idea where that just came from, it wasn't even in my head when i started typing.
Good day to all. long time no type. I don't even remember where i left off. thursday i worked and missed my shows and friday i worked but the van went caput on me and we had to replace the radiator. Rob just finished in time for me to make it to work on Saturday. Anyway miss kelly has had kinda a cold and so rob and i got about 3-4 hrs of sleep on fri/sat. now wyatt has the runny nose.
Check this out. my crummy manager lupe has been very nice to me this week. i have been bumped up in security level so that i now can do withdrawals and such. lupe even told me that i really need to become a supervisor because i would be great. why all the sucking up??? and part of me is like "give me a HUGE raise for doing your duties". its kinda fun to be able the withdrawals but its also not in my job description.
these are my neighbors Don and Brenda. this is the house that wyatt walked into. And for the photo below here is rob in all his glory. i'm sorry not rob this is ROBERTA . unfortunately i couldn't get the full picture where he has on his fuzzy pink slippers. kinda cute huh?
now this is rob being crowned the pumpkin carving king.
FYI. i usually don't flip my pictures because i haven't done any editing yet and i will lose pixels if i flip them so tilt your head.
as the week goes on i'm sure i'll post some more picts no that it is working again. have a good Sunday

post halloween

i'm still tired from last night. had a fairly good time. Kelly really got into the trick or treat and saying "not this house" if the lights weren't on. Wyatt was a trooper. people got such a kick out of him. the very first house we go to is our neighbors Don and Brenda. the kids walk up and say trick or treat and they open the door and Wyatt walks right IN their house. we were laughing so hard, and at first i was embarrassed but we couldn't stop laughing. i apologized while laughing and he didn't do it again. we did both sides of our street then drove over to grandmoms and did the 4 houses on hers that were lit. my mother in law had only 2 kids by 7pm. one neighbor gave the kids handfuls of candy. and this year everybody was handing out the good stuff. CANDY BARS!!! after grandmoms we took my cranky kids over to grandpa and aunt kims for more. kelly was so done that we just went to one house then pops. I swear their bags were half full from the few houses we went to. oh and yeah mommy was a kitty cat. wyatt kept meowing at me when were at pops house. so anyway came home took a fast bath and headed to bed.
***Pictures still will not post****
I was told this morning that Kelly needed candy for breakfast. right, sure. i don't think so miss.
** okay wish me luck on tonight and my first event photo shoot. I've been reading and studying since yesterday. Take LOTS of photos, carry extra cards and batteries. I can do it. I Believe in myself.
" Use your imagination not to scare yourself to death but to inspire yorself to life" - Adele Brookman
I love quotes and hope to end all post from now on with one. C

Happy Halloweeeenn!!

So Rob told me last night that he wasn't going to dress up again tonight so i will show off most of his costume. edit** I can't get the photo blogger to work so i'll post picts later. sorry
*I just got an email from my friend Annette whom i will be photographing for this fall and next springs Relay for Life cancer walk. Their kick off is tomorrow and i the email reads that she has gotten a photographer to take pictures for the website. AAAAAAAA!! breathe, beathe, its all good, breathe. i know i can do this. breathe. back to normal.
I just figured out something that has been VERY frustrating for me. lately lots of my photos have been blurry. well what i forgot to consider was the fact that since i got back from poland i've been wearing glasses. i forgot to change the dioptric knob that is by the viewfinder for sharpness. once i adjusted that i can see my images more clearly. there is definitely a prescription difference between my contacts and my glasses.
So Sunday night we went to my friend michelle and her hubby jeff's for the great pumpkin carve it all. so much fun. we had a nice potluck and then most of us started carving pumpkins. pictures to follow later. at the end they lined all the pumpkins up and picked a winner. guess who won. ROB!! his pumpkin was done free hand and was of a southwest theme. Rob was crowned the Pumpkin Carving King. complete with a crown (with a pumpkin on top). Gosh i wish i could show pictures.
* so last on my agenda, is a pending drug test and background check..... I was hired on the spot at Tres Amigos mexican import furniture store. I should start in a few weeks as soon as they give the okay of the 2 checks. i'm getting more money and with a raise in 90 days. same hours i was working and i can wear jeans and tees to work. yeeee hawww. joanns does not know and as long as lupe doesn't hold a grudge i will still do the scrapbook teaching there. If not oh well i can probably get more done at home anyway.
so what are your plans for Halloween?? hope you have a safe night and i HOPE to have pictures tomorrow. Love lots Carrie

please don't make me go

i don't wanna go to work tonight. wwwaaaa wwwwaaaaa
seriously i feel like i've been on vacation. and guess what?? I have a job interview after work on saturday. i'm giving tres amigos a try. my friend michelle works there and really likes it. plus i don't have to deal with all the old ladies grumbling about fabric and coupons. I really started to think about my job and joanns and i started freaking about the scrapbooking part of my job. no Cricut cutter any time i want it. no scrappin and getting paid. all the people i've met. first dibs on all the new product. but in the long run i'm NOT happy there. the manager is an idiot and it's not enjoyable. both michelle and rob are telling me to just walk out if/when i'm offered the job. let's just say i'm a shoe in because of michelle and they need people. but i have never walked out and not given two weeks notice.
**going to be a busy weekend with work/interview/halloween party on saturday and sunday it's church and pumpkin carving party.
**lately i've been cruising some peoples photography sites and i have a lot to learn. hopefully i'll be able to talk to my friend lindsay and see if she is still willing to mentor me a little. in mentor i mean me asking LOTS of questions. but till then and after i will continue hitting the books and the net.
Hey MOM!! check your in box for my christmas list. and rob and inez and mikey and brian can all pitch in. Sounds scary huh?? it is and it's not. lots of books and stuff that i can dream about but maybe one day kind of things.
*have a good weekend. I think i will crop this tighter but i like this picture of wyatt man. so different from last year. they grow waaayy to fast.
hey for some inspiration try www.kariphotography.com and check out the newborn gallery. the lady has talent and was my inspiration for the day. I want to shoot like that in all meanings. color, composition, props, lighting etc.

i hate going to the doctor

So i finally went to the doctor this morning. my doctor does same day appointments. call at 8am or after 12 and you should be able to get in that day. so i called and got in at 9am. I had to get back X- rays. yeah with 2 kids in tow who were NOT being very good. Whats also cool is that she emails my prescription while I'm still in her office so that they are supposed to be ready when i get to walgreens. i say supposed to because our walgreens takes 2 hrs+ to fill a prescription. Any whoo I got me 500mg of naproxen for anti-inflammatory and 500mg of methocarbamol for muscle relaxant. I don't hurt right now. yes i know this doesn't make me better. i got a lecture about how i'm going to have to be careful about my back and do stretches and walking to help keep it streched out. oh yeah and i need to be more careful at work.
so that was $40 bucks i really didn't have and kelly goes to the doctor tomorrow for the rest of her shots. yikes!!!!.
to add to my whine, the van won't start and rob thinks it could be the starter. he is out right now trying to fix it. plus i need to make apple bread for the fund raiser and kelly has eaten almost every apple. i have enough to make one loaf of bread. i swear that kid is addicted.
SSSOOO how do you like the new look. i was playing around and thought to give this look a whirl???
Oh wait it THURSDAY!!! Ugly Betty and Greys Anatomy!!AAAAAHHHH
the one day all week i'm excited for.
have a nice evening, with all the drugs i know i will be comfortable. :) C

the 3 P's

that's right. everynight we go through the three p's 1) Potty 2) Pull-up 3) Pj's
it's kinda fun to say and it usually goes like this. pottypulluppj's lets go. hustle. then it's hugs and kisses and tucked into bed. night- night. good night all. C

I'm just playing with the ol blogger. finally figured out how to post links on the side. I only put in so far the people who inspire me in either scrapbooking, art, and photography.
What do you think?????????

"Mom, can we have french fries, chicken nuggets and apple juice?"
" Sure honey lets go to Mc Donalds".
"Yeah!!!"
Okay so this is almost a daily occurence and i don't always say sure. but lately i just want a large coke that only tastes good from McD's and i want those monopoly game pieces!! Yes i'm a game piece junkie right now. Now to be fair i only need Ventnor Ave to win $10,000 or Kentucky Ave to win $5,000. what are my odds? Like no way in hell, but it's fun to play.
Sorry I've been off the blogger lately. not much even remotely newsworthy going on. Yesterday mom and i went to wally world to layaway (yes, white trashy of us) christmas gifts and such.
I'm on the hunt for the "itsy bitsy spiderman doll" its like those elmo dolls that dance but it's a spiderman that does itsy bitsy spider and spiderman theme song. I think wyatt would like that.
I just heard today about a book i want to check out called Scraps by Wendy Bagley. it's about adventures in scrapbooking so to speak. Also my favorite lady www.aliedwards.typepad.com has a newsletter that really resonated with me yesterday. the previous newsletter was about photography but this one is about the creative process one goes through in scrappin'
*total hijack- my boxer Braxton and my chow Chester just got into a fight and i'm still kinda shaking on that one. I had to use the hose (which Chester HATES) to get him away from Braxton. these two are usualy playing, seriously, but they are starting to get mean. brax has a scratch on his face from chester. this is not cool. chester is like 10yrs old and braxton is not even two. rob and i were talking the other day that we both agree that we don't think chester will make it through the winter with his hips and arthritis. but at times he tries to play like he's a pup again and he pays dearly later.- end hijack
So i need to pick up miss kel from school soon and boy is she getting an attitude. I want the kid to gain some confidence and make friends not become an even bigger brat.
Tonights dinner will be Garden chowder and tomorrow i'm makin apple bread for a fund raiser and friday I will be peanut butter cookies.
Oh wait till you see what rob is going to do for Halloween. I'm not giving any details, keep quiet mom! but on rob it will have you rolling.
Alrighty ya'll i need to go change a stinky diaper and go get the kid from school.

I survived!!

Exhausted but i survived Joanns moonlight madness sale! It was a good day actually. I dressed up as a ladybug and got so many compliments. But even the way the store ran I was happy.

Well the kids had a great time at the boo bash. kelly decided to get antisocial and refused to play some of the games but in the things she did participate in she liked. Both kids looked so cute. Wyatt was the only woody from toy story but there was four buzz lightyears. the kids were tired by the time we got home, of course, but a good time was had by all. I can't wait to see how they do halloween night. What's funny is kelly is already telling me she NEEDS candy. breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I'm too tired to think straight, i keep typing and forgetting to space in between. I need to chill out with the hubby and go to bed. night night

technology

thank god for technology. As i have said over and over i had to work tonight and missed both "ugly betty" and "grey's anatomy". thankyou ABC for showing them on the computer. since i no longer have tivo, this is the best i can do to see the shows i missed. but alas i must wait til tomorrow to watch them. work was fun though. i had sister in laws tonight that were fun and we hit it off really well. they say they plan on coming back. we'll see.
i not 100% sure why but i am dreading tomorrow. the kids need a bath and then we go to the boo bash from 10-12. lunch then nap, make dinner and i have to decide, do i dress up (costume) for the store sale or wear my uniform and also do i make something for the potluck?? oy vey ya'll. Maybe this is why i'm dreading tomorrow?? At least i'll get to see julie and andrea. and i might even get a few minutes to talk to them since their will be 6 people closing the front end!!! yee haw!
any who, i plan on being the dutiful mommy and taking pictures at the boo bash and hope to post them for your delightful entertainment.
which reminds me. Hey DAD!!! where is my birthday card. huh??? ya know it was a couple of months ago??? don't make me wait to christmas. okay vent over. ahhh gotta love technology. where else can you yell at someone and they aren't around to yell back .
alright peoples it's 11pm and i should go to bed but i'm not very tired (yawning as i type this) i guess i need to get some shut eye.
so to EVERYONE who reads this, i'll say a little prayer for you. have a good night and sweet dreams. Carrie

homework already?

Oh yeah. I was handed Kelly's homework for next week. Kelly needs to practice writing her #5's. I also think we need to continue to work on the letter E. Otherwise she seems to be doing well and certainly enjoys going.
In other daily ramblings, i think Julie was asking me about scrapbook stores I like. I tried to do links once before and i couldn't figure it out by their directions. But for online shopping i like to hit up; www.lifetimemoments.com and www.scrapbooking-warehouse.com. those two seem to have most of what i want but you can also try, addictedtoscrapbooking.com and scraplovers.com. I would suggest twopeasinabucket but they always seem to be out of everything.
I also want to learn how to link to other blogs that inspire me.
Today is so-so quiet day. wyatt and kelly just got into a fight so now both are in time out. otherwise i have to close with lupe tonight and kelly has been invited to got to Disney on ice with the incredibles. i think she will have a blast. kel is going with mrs. hickey and the gainey girls from church and the youngest gainey, faith is kellys friend.
I hope this answers your question julie if not let me know and i will give you the correct info.
To all my family and friends, I hope you have a good day. feel free to leave any questions and comments. let me know your stopping by. C

more

Let me start by saying I really want a Coke right now. I need so type of caffine fix to get me going around this time of morning.
that being said.
Good Morning!!!
I hope you are having a good day? Here is a picture of the kids outside Kelly's classroom.
*sidenote* If you knew the crap i've gone through to post a picture the last couple of days, i could just scream. yesterdays post took me over an hour and drove me nuts.
Back to Kelly and school. I have such a busy week ahead. work tonight, school tomorrow, work wednesday night. I work Thursday night for the scrapbook social. 6-9pm then Friday morn. we have a boo bash for all busy bodies kids at randolph park from 10-12 wear costumes. I DO work Friday night for joanns moonlight madness. (So Julie come on over. Do ya guys want to make it 2 nights in a row and scrap with me on Thursday???) then I work Sat. from 9-530. I'm already tired. plus i've been asked to bake for a bake sale and I really don't have the time this week. I feel bad cause I would love to help but it's just not in me and i will not stay up till the wee hours to bake.
so this is the end of my boring post. i need to clean up the house some and get dinner started so rob can eat when he gets home cause he has to work tonight also. (sometime today grandmom ross is coming over to get the kids)
Have a lovely day.

Long ass post!!

Lets start out with Friday night. We had a great night with Aliyah, she was the best baby. She slept through the night and was happy all morning until mommy showed up. Aliyah was usually smiling and waving like a princess at anyone watching her. She is getting so big and is crawling everywhere.
On to Saturday. Work. it was fine until my back started to really hurt, then I just wanted to go home. Same shit different day. The whole team is fed up with the manager and her crap.
On to Sunday and the wilcox pumpkin fest and Apple Annies. The kids had fun.










We went with the Haifley's, Paul, Marcia, Sierra, and Amber. Friends of ours from church. We all had a great time. Everyone was relaxed. My kids didn't fight or throw fits. It was the cutest thing to watch Wyatt trying to manuever through the pumpkin aisles. His little feet would get "stuck" in the vines and I or Amber would lift him out. They all had such a good time running around. I wish I could have gotten better pictures but I was enjoying myself. And yes Wyatt was trying to lift that pumpkin on his own. Kelly got to do some apple eatin' while everyone was apple pickin' at Apple Annies. Of course my mom picked and bought 25lbs of apples. One thing I forgot to say was it was chilly and windy out there. It did sprinkle for just a few minutes but you hardly noticed it.
Kelly's first day of busy bodies. I'm having a very hard time down loading pictures so I might add the rest on to tomorrows post. She did really great and participated in all the activities. Teh class worked on the letter E and all sorts of stufff that only Kelly knows because I can't get her to tell me a play by play. She had fun and thats all that matters. Whats really cool is that when it's time to be picked up the kids must sit until their parent signs them out. Wyatt was so excited to see his sissy that as soon as we entered he went running to her and sat down next to her. Of course I was the dorky mom, only mom to have her camera. Hey it's her first day and most of these kids come all the time. but the moms were nice about it. I just wish I could have gotten some cleaner shots of inside the classroom.
Okay normal every day stuff. last night after we got home i was doing dishes and talking to my mom on the phone we I noticed I had gotten my feet wet. I looked down and water was pouring out from under the sink. The pipe and busted and all the water I used for doing the dishes was now all over the floor. so today we got a new p trap pipe and fixed the sink. Also in todays, news my mom and I were loading the kids in the van to take Kelly to school when the van wouldn't start!! It was a mad rush loading the kids into the Ford to get Kelly to school on time. We didn't even take the kids out of their carseats, just picked them up carseat and all and secured them in the truck and we were off. The van did great yesterday so I wonder what happened. oh well it will get fixed after Rob gets home.
Okay this has been going long enough I'll fill in more tomorrow.

Warning!

This is just to warn you that tomorrows post will be extremely long and filled with pictures.
Topics covered; Aliyah, pumpkin fest and Kelly's first day at Busy Bodies preschool.
Have a good night and back to Desperate Housewives. Carrie

Happy Birthday Kristie!!
your getting OLD girl. hahaha. enjoy your evening out and let me in on the details later.
Today has been a weird day. Rob was home this morning but just left to go to mens conference in phx. he won't be back until tomorrow night. ran to sears to pick up kellys pictures, bought her a pair of jeans and stopped by borders all by myself, no kids. then i picked up lunch and actually let the kids have soda for the 1st time. (hey no apple juice okay) kelly drank most of hers, I drank most of wyatts. usually the kids get juice or nothing but i said what the hell just let them. my kids DO NOT drink soda unless they steal a sip from us. my preference because of how bad it really is and they don't need it.
okay off my rant there.
tonight the pitter patter of little baby feet will be visiting my house......... i going to be watching Aliyah overnight while daddy is with rob and mommy is working. (insert evil laugh) I can't wait to take some photos of that sweetie. my first baby photo shoot. plus this is a good op to see how well my kids deal with a baby in the house. NO I'M NOT PREGNANT AND NOT TRYING!!!!! just curious on how they would deal with not being the center of attention and helping out.
it looks to be a great weekend. i'm working sat. afternoon but on sunday it's the Pumpkin Festival in wilcox. whoo hooo. i hope the rains subsides long enough for the family outing. I will stay relaxed and won't rush and let my kids have fun and of course i will take tons of pictures. Relax and take time are my new mantras. add patience too. i'm learning that the key to good photos is to wait for them. enough for now i'll check ya all out later dudes. C

mundane to exciting

okay so yesterday I felt like total crap. it had to have been allergies because today I feel 100% better.
So today i took the kids to Lakeside park to play at the playground and feed the ducks. I would have loved to have taken some pictures of the kids feeding said ducks but my children refused. Kelly got mad because she couldn't throw the bread very far and refused to try. Wyatt took the piece I gave him and instead of throwing it, he ate it. So I enjoyed feeding the ducks.
While we were at Lakeside Wyatt fell on the rope bridge and scraped up his chin and his gum was bleeding a little. got this shot after he calmed down and went back to play. I was trying to zoom in enough to see the marks but you know two yr olds, they don't sit still for long.

I decided that we should try out that park that has the gazebo I've been talking about. Well here it is.
I really like their playground too. the kids had some fun on it and then we headed over to check out the gazebo.

This is going to be a perfect spot for photo shoots. I just wish my kids were more obedient. I couldn't get either to pose if I begged, pleaded or promised. so I just tried to wait them out and I think I got a great shot of Kelly. I'm gonna crop the top off a little but I declare it "Carrie Worthy" of the family portrait wall. I am very excited when I uploaded the picture and saw it with a little shock that I felt it was a good picture. this is so Kelly right now. angry and defiant and oh so stubborn. I also found a cool setting on my camera that I understand better and was using it when I got this shot. Kudos!

I did it! i finally cleaned out the kids' rooms. i packed away all of kelly's old clothes and packed away toys that are to young for them. i have one box for goodwill and one for the shed. you can actually see kelly's floor. now i'll be honest i still need to pack up some clothes in wyatt's room and clean off the top of the dresser but the rest of the room looks great. i'm sooo tired, my allergies have been giving me fits and i've been sneezing and blowing my nose all day. i want a nap. alas i must continue my duties and finish putting away the kids' laundry.
what are the kids up to you ask? well they are with grandmom today. (maybe that's why i've been productive:)) it helped but i started this cleaning project three weeks or more ago and i basically had to start over this morning. at least it's done. check that off my list. now it's on to my mounds of laundry to be put away. yikes! seriously. it drives rob crazy to see it. (Smile.)
need to get busy and i have to go to work soon so enjoy your evening.

hello my name is carrie and i'm a scrapbooking addict. I am refusing all help that is out there and love my addiction.
I am just green with envy (hence color change) about some of the new products out there and the people who can buy them. I was just at a website looking for a specific brand of pp (pattern paper) and the ones I wanted were out of stock. Just goes to show I have good taste. or I'm lame and follow everyone else.
okay on to better things. had a doozy of a hail storm this morning. kinda freaked me out. hail the size of marbles. It looks like it's snowing. at one point there was actually a mound in the back of the truck but i won't post that because you would have to look sideways.
Happy Columbus Day! My cousins boyfriend once said that columbus founded columbus Ohio. Helloooo. Doofus. I was rather rude when I pointed that didn't happen. He also believed Cincinatus the Roman founded cincinatti ohio. Sorry spelling is bad. the guy was a moron. oh and yeah she married him for a short time. two doofus'.
life happens just smile and nod. Carrie

frustrating

here are a couple of could be awesome shots of the kids if i had just used a faster shutter speed and a tripod. yes the one on the top isn't that bad until you try to blow up to 8x10 and it screams blurry. I wish this one on the bottom of kelly had turned out. those eyes just grab me. that would have been a perfect photo wall shot. oh well, i'll keep working on it. i pulled out a photo mag that the scrapbooking community put out and kind of reviewed a few things. I'm going to make a effort to shoot every day.
We did go up to mt. lemmon last night. unfortunately i didn't get the shot i wanted. which was a huge full moon coming over the mountain. i did get some funky shots of the city. rob really likes these. for the bottom turn your head. i haven't messed with them yet so i didn't flip it. this is an area i would like to work on since AZ is known for their sunsets. these were taken at windy point. Kristie ya gotta come for a visit. these shots don't do tucson justice, its so much more spread out.
so i showed mom the gazebo and she agrees that it will be a excellent spot. so hopefully soon we can give it a go. i'm actually making a checklist of things to bring to get more creative shots. i'm also wanting to photog my friend julies baby. aliyah is alittle over six months so my time is running short but this is also the "sweet spot" for baby photos. plus she just got her first tooth. eeeee, how cute.
enough i'm starting to get mushy.
my back is finally feeling some what better. i need to be in good shape for the punpkin patch next weekend. lots of photos comin' gang. i'm getting all excited over a farm. no it's what that farm represents. family, fall, fun, nostalgia. all those warm fuzzy feelings.
Good night, talk to you tomorrow.

frame it

those are the magic words last night from Rob after I had spent an hour outside taking pictures of the harvest moon.
this one is my favorite. my other favorite i need to crop but its a picture of the moon and you can see all the craters. it's really cool. i was telling mom that it would make a great halloween scrapbook page. if you can click on it it might show it bigger. not sure. at one point i got really frustrated trying to get the shot and trying to figure out what setting i needed. but out of about 30+ shots i have three that i like. I might try again tonight when the moon is just coming out.
Whats really cool is that Rob was so supportive. he kept pulling over so that i could take the shot. and when i said it would have been cool to be up on the mountain he asked me why we didn't go. I didn't think about it until the moon was too high and i even forgot that is was a full moon last night.
I need to plan better and speak up when i want something. he would have driven up the mountain for me. God just writing that out freaks me alittle. i'm not used to having that kind of support where i voice my thoughts and he is like lets go. kinda heady. maybe we will head up the mountain tonight. (see i said maybe and rob would be lets go.)
Next setting i want to try out is this cool gazebo at the park that i think would be good for family photos. plus i want to get some shots of just rob. I dont have any. i can't do a family wall without pictures of him. Also mom give mikey a heads up, if i like this gazebo setting i will want to do shots of him too. and with the way things are heading shots of mikey and brian together. hehehe(insert evil sister laugh).
Alright y'all have a great weekend. I'm not going to work today cause my back is still bugging me so i'll be chillin' on the couch with the kiddos. C.

welcome to Tucson

Welcome to Tucson Brian, and thanks for bringing the rain!
You my man are in for some culture shock. bars on windows, no grass and rock front yards. I hope you like it and are happy here.
A lovely fall evening it is too. I'm so excited, i'm wearing jeans! I love jean season.
*Oh Mom i picked up the other two kits that we were looking at. when i went into the store to put them on hold, ms. frannie gave me a couple of coupons so i wouldn't have to come back to purchase. thanks frannie!
If your wondering what i'm talking about; KI memories (scrapbooking) has a kit for $20 bucks that has 80 sheets of pattern paper, alpha stickers, ribbon, stickers flowers and tags. Lets just say out of the 8 the store had, they now have 2. ki memories had paper kits in classic,(which we didn't buy) funky, colorful and pastel. so mom and i bought two of each of the last three. insane or what? Got to go finish dinner, sausage florentine, then vacuum my living room. I have been so tired today that i even took a very short nap. but just in case my brother and brian show up i don't need to have the house looking like a pit. C

hump day

Yes it's Wednesday again and I'm off Thursday and Friday! :)
I found out that the educational director scheduled my scrapbooking classes for Tuesdays instead of Thursdays. At least i won't miss Greys Anatomy. but still this is likely to cause conflict with Lupe, my manager when it comes to weekly schedules.The woman can be an idiot sometimes. Now I can tell her to start putting me back on for Fridays. (well maybe not, we'll see)
I just have to add this picture to bring some pretty into my blog. I miss my iris'. Granted it's not that great of a picture but it makes me smile. I hope if we move to Safford that I can bring my flowers with me.
*Last night I got to talk to my best friend back in Kazoo, Kristie. It's been months since we have talked. Honestly we didn't get to talk long enough. Miss you girl.
I swear it was old home week because my friend Dee called this afternoon. haven't talked to Dee since April. And Congrats on baby Evan who arrived two weeks ago!!
Life moves on and changes and sometimes that is really hard for me to except. I want all my friends to never grow older or move away yet we all do at some point. But i guess i'll look at it like this; your never really gone and at least once a year you will bloom like my flowers, and i can take you with me. Cheesy i know but it helps.
Otherwise all is quiet today got some laundry put away that has been in the living room since Saturday. Yep laziness or depression i'm not sure which. I'm seeing all the things to do and i just shut down. i think of packing and i have know idea where to start (and i don't want any ideas right now, mom). let me struggle through this. either i'll get a self kick in the ass and get moving or i'll wallow in it for a month or hopefully less. like i said before there is soo much going on in my head i don't sleep well and when i start to make a list my mind goes blank. there are NOT enough hours in a day. *lightbulb* (serious) maybe if i turn off the tv for a few days, during the day, i'll get out of my rut because i'll either be bored or sitting in my pain. its a step.
happy hump day. C

all alone

Yep that's right. my mother in law took the kids last night and they will be with her all day today.
Why is it when you do get the time alone you feel somewhat lost?
I made plans to go to the camera store and bookstore at the mall, and I did get those things done but I'm wanting to scrapbook but the juices aren't flowing. I feel like there are thousands of thoughts running through my head but not enough time to get more than two done. Now is the time I wish for either a clone or a maid.
So i'm going to do my post and go scrap something.
*did my research in portrait studio lighting and found some intersesting things. the cost is somewhat close to what I was hoping for. roughly $600. but it's entirely doable. whats funny is the manager of Ritz said that once people see what I can do for my family they will ask me to take their family pictures. Kind of a nerve wracking thought right now.
Granted it's aleady started by asking me to photograph the relay for life cancer walk but portrait work is even more intimate in my opinion.
* On a different note my brothers buddy from childhood is moving out here right now. We are all a little apprehensive about it but hope this will be a positive change for him. We've know him since he was about 5ish? My brother was dating his sister off and on for the last 5+yr?. Hell I had a major crush on their older brother since I was like 10. At one point I kinda hoped my mom would marry their dad. sick and twisted I know but then I would be around my crush aaaallll the time. Oh well life is not always what we fantasize about and I surely would NOT trade my awesome hubby and kids for anything else. Even if said crush was a total hottie. :)
Well that got some memories stirred up. Maybe now my creativity will be sparked by nostalgia and I can get a few things done before work. C.

photo shoot from hell

yes i said it. i NEVER want to o thru that experience again. the appointment was set for 6pm. we didn't really get in til 645. i used this time to shop for an outfit for wyatt. kelly kept asking when will she get her picture taken. so by the time we started she didn't want to do it anymore. go figure, typical kid. I had already had a shitty day at work and to it top off tired, hungry, bratty kids. lets just say after several meltdowns from kelly and mommy we headed home about eight p.m..
we come home to find daddy out at the races with uncle monkey(mikey). so we headed back out for a comfort dinner of chicken nuggets and french fries. as soon as we got home kelly was sitting at the table with her food and peed her pants. i did not get angry. but we got it taken care of and we finished dinner. the kids were put to bed about 845. they and i were exhausted.
*I have decided to do my own portraits. there are a few pieces of photo equipment that i need but i think next year i will take the photos. I'm also going to look into taking another photography course with Pima college. we will see how my pictures change over the next year.
* so in about an hour Kim and I are going to see the Devil Wears Prada. I've been wanting to see this and it went to the cheap theatre so we'll be going.
Enjoy your sunday. (the boys watching chicken little in kellys room).

MIA

sorry everyone that i've been missing in action. thursday and friday were very busy and time got away from me.
*I must give a shout out to my buddy Kim who got the assistant manager job at Walgreens on Friday. this has taken a huge load off her shoulders and hence we all went to texas roadhouse for dinner. she starts her new job 10/16.
* Today being Saturday i'm off to work from 10-5 and then Kelly and Wyatt are getting pictures taken at 6pm. I'm stressing already. I have a few outfits to choose from for Kelly but I really don't have anything for Wyatt. His jeans are either to little or way to big. Also do I put them in fall clothes for the shoot together or since it is 98 degrees do I put them in shorts? oooo the drama. I really don't want to go to work. I have so much work around here that needs to be done that I feel work is in the way.
* Sunday Kim and I are going to see the Devil wears Prada at the cheap theatres. I've been wanting to see this so i'm all excited.
Sorry i need to get busy i leave for work soon and have lots to get done. C

annual check up

this morning Kelly had her well baby checkup. we need to get her eyes checked just to be on the safe side. kelly had a little problem on the last line and covering one eye. with both eyes open she could read apple, house, umbrella.
this may sound cheesy but i got teary eyed when they did the hearing test and she pointed to what ear she heard the sound from. *if you ever ask kelly which one or choose she will tell you "ok", so this was big decision making stuff for her and i was a proud mama. otherwise.....3 shots.... 2 in one leg and one on her arm. I hate hearing my babies scream in pain. it's awful. of course now her attitude is even worse than ever because she is in some pain. the once sympathetic mama is starting to get bitchy with all the back talk and yelling.
*got to take the van out for my "first" outing. yesterday i spent half the day cleaning and vacuuming, Rob did more detailing later. it felt good, i'm trying to get used to the gas and brakes compared to driving my truck. to me the van is a little jumpy but i'll get all the kinks out and start feeling more confident. i can say i love being able to park in smaller quarters and having the sliding doors is great with the kids. no more stressing about not hitting other car doors and such.
but to be honest i always felt like a bad ass driving my truck so driving the van well you know what i think about that. but thankyou God for making this work and i do extremely appreciate it i just want to poke a bit of fun at myself.

So it's lunch time and i better find somethin' for Rooster and I to eat. enjoy your day and smile it makes you feel better. Carrie :)

Happy Birthday Kelly!

My baby has turned 4!
She even received a phone call from Geoffery the Giraffe at Toys R Us!
Yes, I know the picture is sideways. I forgot to turn it before I uploaded it. Oh well. You get the idea.
So far today has been a good day for Miss Kelly she helped me outside, she watched a movie, did some puzzles and now she and Wyatt have taken off with Grandmom Ross for the afternoon. What am I to do? I made no plans and the house is still fairly clean, so I have nothing to do. I could scrapbook. I need to scrapbook. If I had so money I would go run around but I've spent my allowance (hehe) so to speak. So I guess I'll just chill out at home.
Guess what's in my driveway?
Yeah! Rob signed the contract to paint their house and we get the van and once the house is done so moolah too. Kelly helped me this morning wash the outside and I started on the inside but I need a shop vac and Rob's is buried in the shed. Sooo, I'll wait for him to come home and see if I can borrow the one off his work truck to vacuum out the van. So cool. drives nice, it will grow on me.
I always said I would never own a mini van. Never say never! :) the kids seem to really like. Wyatt can now see outside better and he won't stop yelling out everything he sees. It's kinda funny. so anyway I'm gonna go chill and play with my scrapbooking stuff and get dinner to defrost.
Have a great Tuesday. UGH! I just remembered I have to work tonight. Oh well it will go good. good vibes people give me good vibes. Enjoy your day.
And Julie if you are reading this, the Nikon coolpix 4 is an 8.1 megapixel for under$500 compact camera that should work fine for your company.
Carrie

weekend update

Hellish Saturday at work. I was the only team member at the register. I had some back up with a manager and framing team member but it doesn't really help. we didn't get the last guest out til about 9:25 and we HAD to leave the store by 10:15. the store was trashed. I hate leaving like that.
Good Sunday, I had to work in the nursery but it was great, we only had 7 kids and they were great. no crying, or fussing. Today we also had Kellys Birthday party. That kid got soooo many presents. Lots of puzzles, panties galore and socks. she also got some art supplies and craft projects. Of course there was more but i'm not going to give a detailed list of all her goodies. But to all I will say thank you for the gifts. she is set in panties and socks.
Right now i've just finished dinner, I'm watching the broncos and patriots football and waiting for desperate housewives season premiere to start. Of course i've got to get the kids in bed before it starts. I don't want any interuptions.
Overall it was a good day. hope yours was great too. Carrie

some much to say

Greys Anatomy ROCKS! it was a great priemere. this looks to be a great season. can't wait to see what the writers have come up with.
Now next up is Desperate Housewives. the previews have been very interesting. hopefully it lives up to the hype. the first season was hilarious and last season was a little lackluster but the writers have said they are getting their grove back.
okay enough about tv.
i downloaded some pictures that i thought you would get a kick out of. Here is a pictures of squeakers when i freaked him out so the picture isn't that great. he is still a cool bird. The next picture to post is of miss Kelly. I asked if she wanted a cookie. the kids are on an oreo kick so i actually bought oreos. this was her with ONE cookie. I told her not to move mommy wanted to take a picture. isn't she hilarious. how do you do that with one cookie? of course then she wanted to pose so i started snapping like ten-fifteen shots of just her cookie face.
Then i decided to be a "cool" mom and let her play with my camera. First rule. ALWAYS put the strap around your neck. She did very good but she also was sitting right next to me so that i could be there in case of trouble. here are a couple of shots of me that she took. Not bad at all for a first time. she got so excited that she couldn't focus the camera and was moving it so all the pictures were a little blurry. this kid loves taking pictures and maybe if she is good and santa can afford it, i will get her this princess camera i saw at walmart.
I wish they had digital when i was growing up. i have always loved photography but we couldn't afford a camera and i was to shy to join the yearbook club so now my passion is finally coming out to play. if kelly has a interest i'm gonna do my darndest to harvest it. same with wyatt. go for your dreams kiddos momma will be cheering you from the sidelines.
have a great weekend. kelly is having a family birthday party this sunday so it should be a great weekend for all. love, carrie

what day is it?

you say it's wednesday? you mean one more day until grey's anatomy? McDreamy? i can't wait! do NOT call me thursday night, i will not answer the phone, i WILL be giggling like a schoolgirl and hating every commercial that interrupts my program. i just love this show and i'm sooo glad the new season is about to start.(insert huge cheesy grin:))
*on another front, there has been some miscommunication with the van owners wife (she said we could get it whenever because they need the garage space) and now it's, do you have all the money, you need to sign a contract for payments and the owners need to write a bill of sale. we will be getting the van sometime soon. i'm not gonna even talk about it until it's sitting in my driveway.
calgon take me away.
*work last night was weird. we had several guest return items and they had 6-14 different receipts? what a pain in the arse. plus Lupe (the manager) closed so we all know we will be there until after 10pm. i was flippin tired.
also, there were police cars waiting in the parking lot and circling the building. as we were getting ready to leave a new team member said it was for her protection. her oldest childs father is suspected of murdering his 5 mo. pregnant girlfriend and the police believe he could come after her. HELLO! i did not show up to work to get shot at. it just freaked me out. i sincerely hope she is not working with me tonight. it just gives me the heebeegeevees.
*Sunday afternoon is ms.kellys 4th birthday party. to the theme of chicken little. i need to go order the cake and call sears to make arrangements for her photos. no i don't have the equipment or the knowledge to take them myself yet.
christmas is coming, hint. hint.;)
So have a happy hump day. Carrie

publishers clearing house

yes i'm addicted to sending in my claims to publishers clearing house. ya know average joes win there every year. you don't have to own a fancy house to win. my kinda contest. also it doesn't cost you any money either.
* so we are getting the van in the next couple of days. hopefully tonight. it definitely needs to be cleaned inside and out. but it will be so nice to have. I just pray that financially we can continue to afford it.
*so i'm teaching a scrapbook class this friday! i like to teach basic scrappin' and it's nice to get to know new people. side note; i'm still waiting for one more magazine to come in. i'm like a junkie i need my magazine fix. (if you really know me you know this is way too true!)
*my mother in law has picked up the kids for the day. i've got the radio cranked up and doing some housework. did lots of cooking and baking yesterday so all i have to do is make dinner before i go to work tonight.
it's a gorgeous day and now i'm gonna go enjoy it. ciao Carrie

Hello?! Who's here?

Just having fun but i would like to know who is stopping by. please feel free to leave a comment. I know my mom always does. hehehehe.
*Today was a good day at work. long but a good day. Rob and Mikey are at the car races and i just put the kids to bed so i think i'm gonna try scrapbooking right now. (well as soon as i finish this)
*I think I like to scrap better at home. I don't have to haul out all my stuff or make solid decisions on what i'm going to put on a page, lots more freedom at home.
Okay so i'm going to got set up, then it's my turn to pray for 30minutes and then i'll scrap.
Have a nice weekend.
carrie
ps we should be getting the van this week. eeeeeeeee!

random

yuck, yuck, yuck. the ticks are back in town. i hate these things, why can't they just go away? we poison the yard every couple of weeks. the dogs have collars, are fed garlic and get gone over every few days. we have never had ticks before this summer and i'm at a loss as to what to do. I actually enjoy killing them but it totally grosses Rob out. so except for poisoning i do most of the killing.

*tonight is my scrapbook social at joanns. so far it's just mom and myself that i know of. the last couple of months i have cancelled because after an hour and half no one shows. so really i'm hoping we can get a couple of more people.

*i don't know what to talk about. home is normal and i am working tomorrow so is rob, ho hum, ho hum.

* our church has started a blog called oasis chatter you can check it out here www.oasischatter.blogsource.com. hopefully this one will take off.
enjoy your weekend. carrie

for the love of scrapbooking

I have come to the conclusion that i never want to be published. over the last few days i have visited a couple of websites that have really left a bad taste. i have never seen or read people tear each other apart so much over what i thought was a "hobby". this is my opinion. i'm doing this for myself and my family. i'm one of those people who think, "i want to remember this forever" or "i can't wait to one day tell the kids this story".
Before i found scrapbooking i wanted to remember eveything i could about my parents and grandparents. but it was all oral history. now with scrapbooking i can journal and hopefully have a picture and show and tell my memories.
i will admit at one time i wanted to be published, but not so much anymore. it's not about the "new" product or recognition it could bring, it's about my family and what makes my heart sing. i'm going to start by focusing on getting pages done, not worring so much about what is design savvy.
50yrs ago that wan't important, it was putting your memories down on paper for your family to know you and remember you. that's my goal.
yes, i'm going to want the new and pretty things but i'm going to use them not hoard them for the "perfect page". every page is perfect and every memory is precious.
so my addiction to scrapbooking will not subside but my purpose has a more clearly defined meaning.

squeakers!

A new addition to our menagerie, a finch. yup we were given a bird. cute little guy and very shy. Gee wonder why? we are like the 3rd or 4th home he has had. Well he will be staying. I love listening to the birds sing in the morning and this morning I was serenaded by our own bird.
Now I was expecting to hear him on/off during the night but he didn't make any noise that I heard.
What's funny is we put him in Kelly's room and everytime the bird makes noise she tells him to be quiet or shush. We'll see how she does with the bird, if it becomes a constant than I will move the bird to a different location. I like having him. Squeakers isn't loud at all and I like the songs that he sings. Maybe when we have a little extra we can get him a friend.
I would post a picture but it didn't turn out that great and I was freaking the bird out with my camera lens in his cage so I left him alone. Sorry poor guy. gotta get used to have a camera/scrapbooking nut in the house.
Carrie

thoughts

this picture from last year seems fitting. had a hard time this morning with all the tribute coverage. I eventually turned it off because I 1) i was crying 2) i didn't want to upset the kids. they wouldn't understand and i'm not sure i could even explain it in terms they would get.

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!!! two very happy kids who were totally excited to get presents.

Kelly ripped into hers with a vengence trying to get the tiara out. We both loved her new pjs and short sets. Way to go Gerri!! awesome choices. As you can tell by the picture Wyatt kept saying oooooh. loves his cars especially after Daddy showed them how they work. Thank you both you did good.

They are both growing too fast. thankfully i have pictures from EVERY month but even then it amazes me how much they have changed. my rug rats, ankle biters, youngns', my kids. god i love them.

* okay, on sunday i was asked to photograph the upcoming relay for life cancer walk/run. the run is next year but they also want me photo banquets and kick off parties. AAArrrrr. I'm honored and humbled by this request and i will defintely(sp?) start working on taking more action shots and indoor lighting and the list goes on. I know I can do this just very nervous and want to do my best. plus these pictures will be on the website. talk about pressure!!!!! eeeekkkk. Okay calm down, deep breath. where's my manual again?? kidding. its all good. Just pray for me okay! Ima gonna need it.:) Hugs for today Carrie

spring cleaning

yeah i know i have it backward but the constant mess is driving me crazy:) we all need to get rid of some things. the kids have toys that they don't play with, i have clothes i don't wear or household items i don't need. we just need to purge. part of me would just like to pack almost everything up and put it in storage for awhile.hehe:)
*so the fall season is upon us and i'm excited about all my favorite shows coming back on. desperate housewives and greys anatomy top my list. right now i'm hooked on project runway on bravo channel. its cool watching designers come up with their outfits.back to des. housewives, the news just reported that marcia cross(bree) is pregnant in real life. kinda wondering how they will fit that in the show.
*tomorrow rob goes to traffic school. hahahahah! no, i have no right to laugh because i was right beside him and i could have told him to slow down but there was NOBODY around. the cop got us about 1mile plus out. so there goes $117 for him to sit in class from 7:30am- 3:00pm.
well the weekend is looking fairly normal, not doing anything but church, homegroup meeting, laundry, meals. etc. hope your weekend is nice and eventful. have a great weekend and i'll see ya monday!
hugs, carrie

new month, new magazines!

Yeehaw. so far this month i have gotten my new CK(creating keepsakes) and i just bought a special issue of SS(simple scrapbooks) so right now i have tons of inspiration flowing thru my brain. I'm still waiting for three more magazines to come in. To top it all off i was on my favorite scrap site www. two peas in a bucket.com and their message board where i read "new scrapbook store in Kalamazoo". Awesome i just had to leave a post congratulating them on their opening. now i can let dad and gerri know what books to buy me for b-day and christmas..can never go wrong with buying me scrap stuff that i picked out.hehe. please don't take offense at that comment it was meant only to be playful
*so right now all is quiet. wyatt crashed on the loveseat, kelly is playing quietly on the couch and the tv is off. SHOCKER! whats really nice is that i woke up to RAIN this morning. forget seattle come on down to tucson. this has been the best summer in the 13yrs i've lived here. the kids and i are in jeans and i'm sooo loving it. see this picture you can't even see the mountain. it is raining all over town and for tucson thats rare. have i driven you crazy yet???compare to how i have been feeling before the monsoon season this is like being on a happy drug. this is the weather that makes me happy. * too bad i made chili on tuesday it would have been great today. and i was going to make a veggie soup but forgot to lay out the meat so i'll make that this weekend.
anywhoo, just enjoying the day.
maybe i'll bring out the camera and snap some pictures but for now kelly is asking for lunch and rob should be home soon to join us, and i'll let wyatt sleep.
lovin it carrie
ps when i'm changin my train of thought i'm gonna throw in that asterisk so you can follow. i know i ramble and this might help you better. love ya

fall is here!

okay so no it's not official, but it feels like it here. the temps are in the 80's it just feels gorgeous. here's a pic that made me smile.

next month we head back to willcox for the annual pumpkin festival (where photo is taken).

yesterday i started putting up some of the fall decorations lit some caramel apple candles.

today is a off day. rob was sent to sliver city new mexico and so he will be late to get home. i miss him and pray he gets home safely. called our insurance agent today to get a quote on adding the van to our policy. yeah right. our policy would almost triple. uh huh. so i hit the net and did various company quotes and found one for $94 for the 2 vehicles. considering they are both 97's one a pickup and one a van, i shouldn't have to pay $150 for both vehicles. capice?got me?

According to my mom we are getting this van and we will make it work. hell even my mother in law is like you need this van. so why has a kink been thrown in the plans? didn't i just write last week how i wish we could afford a second vehicle and now this van pops into our lap and because we can't afford the higher insurance i can't get the van??? hello, God could you answer me please? to me this really sucks. i'm not asking for a new car dang it. this van will be PAID FOR!! sorry my vent is over. i will continue to pray, and i ask that you also pray for us.

wherever you are at enjoy your day.because i'm gonna dang well going to enjoy mine.Carrie

p.s. i'm gonna start talking about scrapping and photos soon i promise! heheheh

just thinking

i should have mentioned it yesterday but i was still processing everything. it has greatly saddened me about the croc hunter steve irwin. we finally got animal planet on our cable and i was just getting into watching him again. irwin has always fascinated me and i have learned so much. i think what has hit the hardest for me is that life really is short and you don't know when your time is up.this thought totally puts me into panic mode. i expect to see my kids grow up and to see my grandchildren so to know that might not happen just fills my head and makes my heart skip. i actually have a hard time even contemplating death. earlier this year my friend lost her husband and i think this is what has triggered me. brandon wasn't even 30 and had to small boys. amanda his wife and i had been pregnant around the same time, our oldest are six months apart and our youngest are a year. it's going to happen i just want it to be in my late 80's and to have lived a full life and die in my sleep.
so in happier thoughts it was interesting to watch rosie on the view this morning. i think it might be a good change but will watch occasionally to see if sparks fly.
in regards to the van i think we are going to do it. we talked about it and prayed and i don't see any negatives in this issue.
i'm sure there are more ramblings but i need to have luch with rob while i have the chance. enjoy your tuesday. Carrie

it's raining!

i have been waiting all day for the rain to start. it has been a cool cloudy day and you could see rain on the horizon, now its finally here!!!
Happy Labor Day! today has been a "normal" day. kids fighting, me on computer, rob working etc., but today i got 3 scrapbook layouts done and started a 4th. it's hard for me because in some ways i feel like i'm wasting time and sometimes it takes an hour to get what i want on paper. the results are what make me happy. (it doesn't help that i've been criticized before either)

Today i also tried out a new recipe called onion soup. never had onion soup before. it's okay, nothing i would invite people over for.

okay, rob is working a side job today and most saturdays the owner is offering to sell us their 1997 dodge caravan for $1500. we need a second vehicle and we need one that can hold more than 4 people. the car has 110,00 miles but is in good condition. we told the owner it would be six months before we had the money and he is fine with that. should we do it? Rob and I are going to pray about it tonight. i would love your thoughts though. carrie

thank God for naps!

This morning Wyatt was driving me crazy. Which according to my mom is a short trip for me. I changed my shirt 3 times before I felt I looked alright. Changed Wyatt twice because the shirt had a stain and the elastic on the shorts was shot. Once we got to church I had to teach Kellys junior church class 4-6 yr olds. Miss Kelly refused to be involved in any activity we worked on. That was frustrating because all the other little girls are better behaved and would play along and Kelly has her arms crossed over her chest and going "NO, I don't want to". I could have ripped out my hair. I'll leave it at that. There was more frustration and after lunch when Rob asked Kelly to bring him Wyatts plate Kelly instead of bringing it to Rob she dumps it in the garbage. I was ready to go nuts. Sorry I said I would stop. So I took a nap. When I was awakened by our truck starting I found Wyatt asleep on the couch, Kelly in her room watching a movie and Rob off to Guitar Center to lookie lou. Rob brought home a metronome for practicing his drums. Cool gadget that keeps beat and helps him improve his drumming skills. I'm all for that.
Feeling slightly better since I woke up. Rob is off to pick up pizza and see if his mom wants to join us, otherwise hopefully the rest of the night will be peaceful and my kids will see tomorrow. hehe! I guess you could call this a normal day right?? Carrie

pumped up friday

Helllooo every bod e!
Last night I had such a blast at my friend Julie's house scrappin' with a few of her friends. We all seemed to hit it off real well (even if they are addicted to big brother). hehehe. That was okay since Julie and I were hooked on watching Andre Agassi kick some butt. Only got one layout done but ya know its more about the friendships that are made and cultivated and the things you learn that are important. Granted I have about a gazillion ideas running through my head and i impatiently waiting for my b-day present from joann.com so that i can put some of these ideas into action.
Today the fam is having lunch with my bud miss Kim as we head to our favorite restaurant Sushi Garden. We have been going to this place for 10yrs? When it was still called Oriental Garden. This is the restaurant that catered Robs 35th party in january. Everyone loved it! the restaurant is also right next door to my favorite scrapbook store, Making Memories Unforgetable. Maybe I can talk Rob into letting me spend a couple of bucks? 10?15?20?
No work again tonight (at least i haven't been called in yet) so hopefully i can enjoy some family time tonight maybe some photos and scrappin'. Rob and i are both working tomorrow so next day off together is sunday. haven't discussed it yet but we may got to a bbq hosted by one of our home group leaders. should be fun if we go.
I feel jazzed up today. kids' laundry is getting done, the house is fairly clean, kids are being pretty good. I don't know just pray that this feeling continues. it's a happy day. Enjoy your weekend. happy labor day! teasing kelly and making her face the camera. my kids are starting to revolt. NO More pictures mom!!
Carrie