Someone kick me

I NEED to get into a masters program....I know this. It will benefit me greatly in my career but the thing is I REALLY don't want to spend loads of time away from my family! I need to find an online one but not one that I need to do loads of crap to get into (that will just make me lose focus right there from the start LOL).

My boss told me this morning they are most likely going to use me to carry a caseload....this is usually what only people with masters degrees get to do! So it is a great challenge and great experience and if I would just get that magical degree I would be first choice (hopefully) for the position when they were allowed to hire for it (state job).

I NEED to just DO this already! Maybe if I apply to start next spring or summer that will help get my mind wrapped around it huh? ughhhh Don't get me wrong I love learning new things and am excited by the prospect of furthering my education...BUT I am not excited about deadlines and long papers haha.....

So give me a kick and if you happen to know of an "easy" masters program available online in counseling or social work let me know :)

Rare Self Photo Love

It is a rare occurance to have a picture of yourself that you actually love (especially post baby!) but I have to say I really am loving this photo my cousin captured of Lainey and myself in early June.

So thank you to my cousin for capturing a picture I actually don't mind sharing of myself :) and Lainey looks pretty darn cute too ;)

My Poor Muffin

Poor Gabby has had a fever since Sunday now and no idea why....if there was something like the flu going on I don't think I would be as worried but with her having the fever and nothing but a headache and tummy kinda feeling weird that makes me worry a bit more....luckily I bring Lainey in today for her belated 4 month well baby so will ask the doc what he thinks about Gabby while I am there too!

Meanwhile here is a layout I did this past weekend of my waffle loving Muffin Miss Gabby

Menu Monday

Saturday-WW rotini w/tomato alfredo sauce and texas toast


Sunday- Quick Enchiladas (made w/frozen bean and cheese burritos)

Monday-Brown rice w/Japanese chicken curry (didn’t have last week)

Tuesday-Bacon tomato sandwiches

Wednesday-Stroganoff noodles with burger patties and gravy (using up some cupboard stuff)

Thursday- still not sure will have to dig in cupboards and see what I can come up with!

Friday- Buffalo Wing Pizza (didn’t make last week as didn’t have mozzarella cheese)

WITL-Update

OMG I am in paper trimming HELL..................this is a project with a major learning curve...already have learned that if I manage to commit again to this next year it will be a MUCH simpler layout then what I did this time around (and believe me the whole thing isn't looking intricate by any means just lots of trimming paper to fit different sized pockets that is getting me all in a tizzy!).

That is all....hopefully pictures to come tonight or tomorrow

Edited to add pics of progress....This is my progress I have done for every day of the week (except the 4 collage pics that are still missing due to lack of funds to order right now)

Ok so I am obviously lacking journaling(going in the little rectangle pockets) still but what the heck can I put in some of those other pockets where I have patterned paper? I could try to find a couple pics I suppose do they look that awful just with the patterned paper in them? I think they look a bit empty....a couple of the days I was lucky enough to have a receipt to tuck into one of the pockets. I was also thinking I could maybe print out some headlines that happened on each day.....

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One of those Updates

Let’s see a weekly update…not much happening overall the usual work routine of course. Miss Lainey has started “talking” loads more and is also on the move! She is not even 5 months so this is way too fast for this mama. We are not 100% sure if we will have a 3rd child or not so I am not anxious for the usual milestones as want to keep Lainey my sweet little infant!




I put in an application/resume for a state job so that is an exciting prospect. Thing is it is an open pool and statewide (meaning no idea if they are even hiring in the county I want to work in) and then prior state employees or those laid off from state jobs have priority…lame. But never say never as it could just happen! Once we get back from England I plan to be a lot more proactive in the looking for growth though as we can definitely use a bit more money to live on!



A funny thing that happened last night….I was trying on pants to see if I had any other clothes suitable for work at this time (I don’t by the way) and was frustrated that if I was at my pre-pregnancy weight then why in the world were pants not fitting that I wore into my first couple months of pregnancy?! Well I busted out the Belly Journal I kept while pregnant and found out that I have another 10 pounds to lose before I am at my official pre-pregnancy weight! Ohhhhhh it all makes sense now hahaha! So although it sucks I have 10 more to go until I am at my (overweight) pre-pregnancy weight at least I now understand why those pants aren’t quite fitting comfortably yet LOL. I am doing good though and should def be down these 10 pounds (and hopefully a few more!) by time we head to England.

Cool Sandal Giveaway!

Just had to share this great giveaway featured over on the Songberries blog!

ZUZATZ™ [zoo-zats] - noun

1. footwear featuring interchangeable and stylish straps, making fashion fun and easy for every woman.

Origin: German; from the word zusätzlich, meaning “add to.

Zuzatz makes life easier for on the go women with busy lifestyles because they provide fashionable footwear that is high in style and low in space. Leaving more space in your shoe closet and more money in your wallet.

Zuzatz feature patented QuickClick™ technology, allowing women of all ages to easily change their look, while Zuzatz Style Straps offers a limitless collection of colors and styles, providing a wide variety of solutions to easily transition from morning to evening, work to play, and grocery shopping to girl’s night out.


At Zuzatz.com you can shop for Sandals with Straps and once you have your sandals all you need for your next pair is the straps. Check out Mix & Match Straps or choose your straps by your favorite style. There are three to choose from Chic, Everyday and Glam .

You can change your straps very easily and in three simple steps
http://www.zuzatz.com/


Now for the Giveaway! Zuzatz is offering one lucky Songberries Follower a sandal and strap of their choice! So for your entry, please, you have to be a follower of Songberries! If your not a follower, just look over on the left sidebar for all the little faces and follow me via Google Friend Connect and also go over to Zuzats and look around, come back and tell me your favorite ( sole color, strap & size ) .

Go to Songberries now and enter for your chance to win!

Actually Scrapbooked!

Sure they aren't the most labor intensive layouts but simple is good and simple means I am getting layouts done! So here is what I finally got accomplished!

Menu Monday

Yes it is Sunday but out net is going in and out LOTS so decided to post this while I could!

Almost all these recipes I have stolen borrowed from Shannon! Thanks Shannon!!!

Saturday- Going to a friends house so will prob cookout/potluck We stayed home had Sundays meal so now that throws the whole week off but that is ok because at least we know what we can have other nights, tossing in a night with chili dogs and french fries to make up for it :)

Sunday-Steak on the grill, baked potatoes, corn on the cob(from Farmers Market)(I will do lots of food prep so less work during the week, this leaves more time for family walks each night)

Monday- Homemade mac n cheese with polish sausages(made on the grill yesterday yum)

Tuesday-Savory Chicken Rollups

Wednesday- Homemade Taco Bell Mexican Pizzas

Thursday- Japanese curry (I add bits of potato,onion and carrot to the sauce) over brown rice(I skip the stovetop step though and just pour water from my electric kettle and it works perfect!) served with some tyson chicken strips mixed in (our fave could eat this every week and we just might for awhile!)

Friday- Homemade Buffalo Wing Pizza (another fave I made up, recipe below)

Steph's Homemade Buffalo Wing Pizza
1 tube pilsbury thin pizza crust
mozzarella
ranch dressing
celery
pre-baked tyson chicken strips (I like ones that are the crispy style or country style the best)
Franks Hot Sauce (recently bought some offbrand from dollar store though and it tastes just the same!)

1. Prebake crust for 5 to 10 mins just so it is almost done but not all the way done
2. Spread chopped up bits of the chicken and celery on crust
3. Squirt some hot sauce all over it (don't overdo it as each person can always add more later)
4. Mozzarella it up!
5. Dash of extra hot sauce
6. Bake until all melty and crust is done
7. Take out Squirt ranch dressing on top and serve!

4 Months

A little belated since you officially turned 4 months on the 10th but I am sure you will forgive me ;)

at 4 months you....

• keep changing up your bedtime ritual...some nights you love nursing on mama then fall asleep and we put you right into crib...other nights you want mama but also a bottle of mamas milk...and other nights you think it is party happy flail your chubby limbs around time until midnight! Of course toss in some nights where you are super cranky and we have to try all of the above to finally get you to sleep
• you are wearing a mixture of sizes but mostly the 3 to 6 month stuff with very few 0 to 3 month stuff fitting
• you are now rolling not only from back to tummy but also just started tummy to back 
• you can scoot! you push off your toes and are starting to pull with your arms more and more moving yourself around (not sure you know what direction yet but you are def moving!)
• sleeping on your side or belly now most nights even though we start you on your back
• still only consuming mama milk and seem to be thriving just fine (see below pic for proof)

your fave toys include your skwish ball, owl that vibrates when pulled, a little owl that came on your bouncer,and a baby einstein toy that lights up and plays several classical songs

smiling like crazy but still not really laughing yet

starting to "talk" more 

And your blue twinkling eyes and gummy smiles mesmerize us more and more each day! 

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Post your blog and join on in! Find some new faves and you just may become someone's fave as well!

Stuck in Humidity Hell

I am usually a lover of summer....maybe it is this extra 50 pounds I have on my body making me loathe it so much this year? And why is it the summer I have the extra 50 on me happens to be one of our hottest on record especially humidity wise?! Let's just say it has kicked me in gear to really track what I eat and be accountable!

Not only are we sweaty constantly and sleeping is not going well for any of us, but it has also awakened a lovely aroma from the basement that previous renters cats so thoughtfully left behind! Effing sick. We steam cleaned the carpet before moving in but the house didn't even have a hint of the cat piss smell until this humidity struck...UGHHHH. And there is no telling where it is even mainly coming from so how would I even treat it?! I mean our basement is full so not like we can go scrubbing all over since we have too much stuff down there including my craft area! Once we are down there and have candles going it is not bad at all but if you head toward the steps while on the main floor you definitley get the slam in your face scent. YUCK.

Now onto sleeping.....we have fans but those are just not doing the trick. We have no extra money to get small air conditioning units so we have to suffer through. Gabby is now downstairs on a spare single mattress we have squeezed into Lainey's room (Gabby's room is on top floor and is now a certifiable sauna!) for her to sleep on....this means putting Lainey to sleep and risk Gabby deciding it would be fun to play with her! Because of this and the heat as well Lainey has thought midnight is a good bedtime this week....not when mama has to get up at 5:30am every morning for work!

Bear has been having lots of stress due to not only the heat but then also his brother was admitted to the hospital for a brst appendix! While they were operating he then had an asthma attack! It took him over 3 days before he could breathe on his own without a life support machine of sorts. There is other family drama going on too but nothing I could dare write about. Then Gareth finds out today one of his older friends from his old job died, he is beside himself that he never sent her and her husband pictures of Lainey like she had asked to see in her last letter he received from her :(

I just have to make it through tomorrow and then I will hopefully get more sleep this weekend and more crafting time (yes in my pissy basement haha).

Menu Monday

Left with lots of ground hamburger this week so gotta get creative with that…




Monday- Tacos on flour tortillas with fat free refried beans (cheese to make up for the lack of fat though)



Tuesday- Lasagna (made the meat up along with the taco meat and then assembled it so I just have to pop into the oven!), texas toast



Wednesday- Pasta creation made with leftover lasagna noodles (seriously why do so many come in the box? I need to learn to not make it all up at once as usually toss all the extra!) No idea what I will do besides sauce and noodles….might make up something completely different who knows



Thursday- burgers, French fries



Friday- leftover lasagna most likely!



So all in all a not too healthy week planned but we are living paycheck to paycheck right now due to upcoming travels to England this fall so we gotta do what we gotta do!

Found the Cricut Love

Finally after owning it for over 6 months I have officially put my cricut expression to use! Today I did a scrapbook layout for Lainey that has a title and strawberries all cut with my cricut, yay!!!

 I also did a bunch of rectangle mattes for the week in the life mini pockets so my mini pics will have some matting to them since the pictures will be smaller than the pockets.

I will hopefully share some pics this week of my scrap layouts as want to complete 1 or 2 more then will share :)

Sorry no pics yet but just had to share my excitement of finally getting back into the scrappy world!

Getting things Done!

So far on this scorching, summery, Saturday morning....

• diapers went through 3rd wash cycle (changing detergents) and are now in dryer (really need a clothing line!)
• all pics made into mini collages to get wallets printed for WITL album
• pics chosen for my Project Life album for May and June (I am WAY behind on that project as well go figure!)
• all pics loaded onto snapfish to take advantage of their awesome deals and get 149 prints done for $1.49 plus shipping woot woot! (still need to get collages done and may add those into snapfish order as well just so I get them ALL back and have no excuses to finish album!)
• various internet surfing
• played with the girls and trying to figure out what we can do today if anything (thinking a walk to a park after dinner when it is hopefully a tiny bit cooler)

Hoping to do later or tomorrow

• get final couple of frames hung on living room wall
• clean up some piles around here (where do they come from!? we ALWAYS have piles of stuff in various locations drives me nuts yet I am a main contributor!)
• SCRAPBOOK I want to actually do some layouts for Lainey this weekend!
• and will do some laundry cause well... there is no escaping that

Fire Hoses

A classic bedtime talk I had with Gabby...

Gabby: Do men always sleep naked with their fire hoses out ,that'swhat I call em firehoses
Me: not all men but lots of men do
Gabby: ew....(deep in thought) doesnt it tickle u?
Me: what do u mean?
Gabby: You know when u are sleeping close, doesnt it tickle?
Me: we dont sleep close, we sleep on our own sides of the bed
Gabby: Is there a force field between u?
Me: no
Gabby: well is there a wall? People who care about each other sleep close
Me: not when it's this hot outside
Gabby: oh,ok

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Two Turntables and a Microphoneeeeee

Too freaking excited! A friend off my mommy message board had mentioned a site called House Party. I signed up and then entered to host as many of the parties as I could and just hoped I would maybe be chosen for one....well I was chosen for a Bic Soleil one which I was excited about as figured I would get some free razors in the mail...not sure that is what is going on with this one....

But today I got chosen to host a DJ Hero party!!! We will be getting a free DJ Hero game for our Xbox 360 and two turntable controllers along with coupons to give to guests! It should be arriving by July 28th! Gabby is gonna have a blast and I think we will with our friends as well! :)

1st Beach Trip 2010

We are behind on the beach trips this year and I honestly cannot see too many happening the rest of the summer since Lainey was not digging the brightness or the breeze it seemed....we may try again either early in the morning or later in the afternoon since we did make the mistake of going around 1:30 in the scorching afternoon!

Daddy PLEASE stop that wind!

Scorching sand was not fun to run on according to Gabby!

Finally a cool shady place to relax while getting icecream!

Bruno enjoyed his doggy sundae as always ;)

And later that day Bruno had to protect Lainey while she was crashed out on her playmat :)

YAY for photo deals!

I am too thrilled that Snapfish is running an amazing sale....50 prints for 50 cents before July 11th! I am planning on ordering all my pics needed to complete my Week in the Life Album and also maybe some extras for frames and scrapping and such :)

I have decided to order all my mini pics on 4x6 prints...this will make them approx 2x3 photos so a bit smaller than the pockets but I will then mount them all (I just may bust out my cricut to cut my rectangles to go behind each of them to ensure I get proper size and cut down some of my trimming frustration!). I also will of course order my 4x6's needed and then hopefully my collages since all other photo sizes are half off as well yay! I just may make my deadline of completing this project by end of July!

I also plan to actually start scrapping normal layouts again so I will hopefully be sharing those as I complete them! I am so ready to dive back in to having some crafty time!

Weekly Menu

Monday-BLT's along with some fresh cut up melon and plums

Tuesday-Quickie Enchiladas (frozen burritos;we use bean and cheese with red and green enchilada sauces poured over top and baked with additional cheese on them)

Wednesday-Japanese Chicken Curry and brown rice

Thursday-homemade Lasagna and garlic toast  chili dogs and french fries(too hot to make up lasagna need something that is quick!)

Friday- BernieO's pizza as our friend is treating us before he flies home Saturday

Saturday-thinking Chicken Tikka and rice

Sunday-chili dogs

We have a fridge full of fresh fruit so that will serve as side dishes as needed or dessert!

Small Progress

These took FOREVER.... and are far from perfect! The square outline does not go around each one nicely so I plan to take some ink and distress around the edges of them all....I know I am going to love this album when it's done but gosh I feel like it will time to start the next one before this gets close to being finished!

Really need to order pics as well but with no money to spare that makes it kinda difficult. 

I have however been doing some organizing and am sorting through my closet area which also houses Gabby's clothes she has grown out of that I will keep for Lainey.....let's say Lainey is gonna be hooked up come age 4 or 5 haha! Don't really have anything smaller than that as I had given it to my niece. I also need to now take on daunting task of trying on all my pants and jeans to guage at what weight I may be able to fit in them....sigh. 

I also really need to work on my attitude and get over the fact that we don't have spare money right now because of our upcoming trip to England. I am not excited at all. I am staying with my mother in law whom I met once and only for a few minutes....not to mention having an 8 year old and a baby in tow. I know it is my husbands family and he wants us to meet them and them us etc...but it is hard to not be bitter when ALL our spare money is going towards it and the fact I have such anxiety about the whole trip. :(  Oh and I lived there 3 years already so the excitement of it being England is lost on me LOL. Did I mention that the house we are staying in has been heavily smoked in for YEARS (mother in law is going to smoke outside while we are there but like that really matters when everything is going to smell like smoke already....UGH) and they only have a bathe which means 5 people sharing a bath to get ready (Have I mentioned I take 2 showers a day usually?!)....I know I am prob being a huge brat about all of this but no matter how much I try to change my thinking on it all I just cannot make that change happen! I keep telling myself all will be ok and such but yeah several more months of dread until it is done and over with! Don't take me wrong I DO want to meet Bear's family and have them meet us I just wish we could afford to stay at a hotel at least. I know that would make me loads more comfortable. It will only be 2 weeks of my life I keep saying......

Lovin Summer Fresh Produce

Hit up the farmers market this morning (wish I had my camera with but seems when you are working on a baby's schedule you get in and out of the house as fast as possible!) and walked away with fresh home grown sweet corn on the cob, lettuce, tomatoes, blueberries, and cucumbers. I then went to Meijer and got fresh strawberries, watermelon, and plums! Now the trick is utilizing all this fresh goodness before it spoils!

I already cut up one container of strawberries and added loads of sugar to make a homemade sauce to go over warm biscuits tonight :) The other melons I will chop up and have for us 3 adults to chow on (Muffin won't touch fruits or veggies sigh) and then of course have to bring to work all week along with the plums!

Tonight and tomorrow we are grilling out sausages and burgers to have with our fresh fruits and veggies and also whipped up a quickie boxed pasta salad and bought some pre-made potato salad (LOVE).

I am also proud to admit I have actually started to play with my canon a bit more and put it into manual mode (gasp!) and was messing with it....I need to read the book and go online as well as I have no idea how to brighten up my pics?! There is a dial that changes it from like a decimal to 1/2500 and I have NO clue what that does and seemed to make a difference when I messed with it but not enough....can you tell I am clueless about photography? haha....ahh but as I just sat here and messed with it I noticed that this DOES make a difference and the lower the brighter.....ahhhh I learned something kinda......

I am going to get off here though and stop my blabbing about food and my very amateur photography attempts and try to get some paper cut up for my WITL album!

Right Here, Right Now

List stolen from Genevieve (who happens to be one of my fave bloggers if you haven't noticed) ;)

listening: Frou Frou-"Hear me Out" off the Details album circa 2002

eating: just got done with some cantaloupe and honeydew melon yummo!

drinking: home-just finishing up my second bottle of water of the day (64oz go me!) onto my one can of diet coke next

wearing: old navy jeans (that are getting looser YAY!), faded red shirt with lavendar and blue mod floral design also from old navy and wore it through my pregnancy as well haha, lavendar cardigan over top, navy flip flops
feeling: like I need to take another trip to go pee and that I really am ready to go home and have a great long weekend!

weather: sunny but was cool this morning...I am guessing it is in the 70's out right now

wanting: to go home! Have lots on my plate for the weekend (picking up a small shed we found on craigslist, art fair, fireworks, etc...)

needing: new clothes but no money to get them

thinking: about how thankful I am that our friend bought Lainey her purple stroller I have been dying to get her! Too bad I have to wait until end of September to retrieve it from England LOL

enjoying: a quiet day at work since barely anyone is here

wondering: if I will work on my Week in the Life album at all this weekend haha!