Happy Anniversary to Us!

The husband and I married 5 years ago today. Wow....what a long, strange trip it's been (thanks, Jerry!). When I think back...it's hard to believe all we've packed into our five years. As far as us together, the girls, our family, things couldn't be better. Sure, we bicker over stupid stuff, we all have our stupid stuff, right?, but in general things are golden! (errr...or whatever the 5 year anniversary is). Wish the external world were as easy to control. Hopefully, in time, the external things, very important things, will clarify and improve as well.

What else....I've been ebaying a lot this week. When I work at it, it works for us, so a listing, listing, listing, I go! Here's my latest craft that's listed. Love these lunchboxes!

Tagged

My dear sb'ing buddy Kara tagged me, so here goes!

2 names you go by
1. Tracey
2. Mommy

2 parts of your heritage
1. Austrian
2. Cajun

2 things that scare you
1. having money issues
2. my girls growing too fast!

2 of your everyday essentials
1. routine
2. coffee

2 things you are wearing right now
1. My CKU dorm t-shirt
2. comfy hoodie jacket

2 of your favorite bands or musical artists (at the moment)
1. Oh, gosh, I don't listen to a lot of music unless you count The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown
2. John Mayer if I have to name someone!

2 things you want in a relationship (other than real love)
1. responsibility
2. trust
2a. fun
(see how I got that 3rd one in? lol)

2 truths
1. i should do more housework than I do!
2. i love love love being married and having children!

2 physical things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex)
1. PHysical things? a nice butt!
2. Things? being nice, good sense of humor, patience (because I don't have it)

2 of your favorite hobbies
1. scrapbooking
2. blogging, reading, going to the bathroom by myself

2 things you want really badly
1. Paid-off bills
2. Total security for my family

2 places you want to go on vacation
1. Disney World
2. Cooperstown

2 things you want to do before you die
1. Attend my children's well-thought out and desired wedding ceremonies when that time comes (oh, please, at least 20 years from now!)
2. Retire with security

2 ways that you are stereotypically a dude/chick
1. I love chocolate
2. I love jewelry, purses, shoes, clothes, bath stuff

2 things you are thinking about now
1. ...how am I going to turn off the Bob video (Veggie Tales) because it's stuck and won't play anyway without the girls having total breakdowns? It's stuck because a year or so ago they chomped into the dvd and near the end it sticks.
2. ...will husband be home on time tonight?

2 stores you shop at
1. Target
2. Michaels

2 people i would like to see take this quiz
1. Tina and actually publish the blog!!!!
2. Cynthia again and be even more funny, if possible!

They say it's my birthday....

well, it was last Monday. Been a busy week or two here in our household, some good, some not so good. Since the husband's birthday, I've also had a Stampin' Up! workshop, my birthday, a household full of sick babies and sick Mommy, and now plans are firming up for our anniversary next week, then Thanksgiving soon after. The girls' birthday is in December, then Christmas....yep, we got everything absolutely as close together as possible. Lots of celebrating and gifts and loving around our house! We didn't do a lot for our birthdays...had a joint dinner out, some free babysitting (thank you, Nietra!!), some lounging around Borders like grown-ups (something we haven't done since the girls were too tiny to make a fuss), and, on my birthday, a trip to the McDonalds playland for dinner. Hey, don't knock it...the girls played while we sat and knew they were right there and safe. Well, Emily did get scared at the top of the tower thing and the husband had to climb up and get her, but she was never unsafe. Maddie was all over the place like Laura Croft, dangling by one arm and stuff. I had meant to spend some of my birthday weekend scrapbooking just for me, but I didn't do so until last night. I got two pages in my "me" book done, a 12x12 page of the husband's birthday picture, a Scrabble Scores altered comp book, and cleaned up a bit in the sb room. Oh! I received this cool new mug and some coffees for my big day, as well as a Fiskars Craft Drill. Just call me Donna Downey!

Halloween Bugs

Here in Des Moines, Halloween night is just another night. Oh sure, there are parties and such and big people celebrating, but in kid terms, it's nothing. What we have here is "beggar's night" on October 30. Yeah, that's what I think, too. For some reason a good while back, it was determined that Halloween was out of control or something and having little kids on the streets while big people partied wasn't a good thing. So, Sunday was our day to let the girls have fun. We dressed up our cute little ladybugs and set off. The plan was to bring them to the local mall trick or treat at 4, spend an hour there, then come home and take them around to our closest neighbor's houses during the official 6-8 Beggar's Night time frame.

The mall was a ton of fun. The girls had a blast going from store to store. We saw a couple of friends, too, so that was nice. Emily reached her point of saturation early and seemed only interested in what was already in her bucket. I could see her little mind thinking, now how long do I collect this stuff without actually eating any? Of course, she hadn't napped like her sister had, and her mood wasn't as good after a while. She had to be carried a little in the end. The only thing that saved us was SpongeBob. I wish I remembered what store this was, but this wonderful guy dressed in a Sponge Bob spongy outfit just delighted Emily and she had to run to him and cackle. Yes, she cackled. This is my best Halloween picture. I can't wait to scrapbook these things!

As for the neighborhood, we saw when we got home that none of our close neighbors had lights on, so we decided to just give out candy and let the girls play. We didn't even give out a lot either -- for some reason, there weren't the trick or treaters this time like we had last year. Aww well. More dum dums for the girls.

TGIF

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I blogged! I was so good and writing every day for a good while. Time really does just escape these days. My girls are doing great. Halloween is this weekend, and they will transform into the cutest little ladybugs, complete with wings. I hope they like them, because the wings make their outfits -- otherwise, it's just red shirts, black pants, and freckles added. We'll see and hope. They will have fun regardless.

The husband and I have discovered something fun and so simple to spend a little time together and relax some. Twice this week, we played Scrabble before bedtime. It was such fun! Santa gave us this Scrabble game last Christmas, and we didn't even open it until this week. Did you know the new games don't come with wooden tiles? They are plastic, made to look like the old wooden ones. We'll be on the lookout for a garage sale set in the future, just for the nostalgia of it. We haven't taken score, but we will next time maybe. Need to start a little earlier to get in a good, competitive game. I've got Yahtzee on my mind as well. I love Yahtzee.

Once again,

time flies. The weeks sure do seem to pass quickly this time of year, Maybe all times of year. I love the season though. As previously mentioned, fall is a fabulous time, quickly followed, heck, overtaken by THE holiday season -- Christmas. My projects for ebay have already turned to Christmas ones, and I'm having a Christmas Card workshop for Stampin' Up! in a few weeks. I haven't even begun to think about my personal projects for Christmas, and I need to. I really do like hand-crafting things for others. I remember years ago when I would see such things at craft sales and such, I'd wonder why they were more expensive than I thought they would be, cards and such. Now, I know. Not only do supplies cost, but the time, effort and creativity has a "cost" also. And, really, when you look at the current cost of a nice (or even not as nice) card from Hallmark, a nice hand-crafted card doesn't seem so expensive. Neither does the price of a set of stamps that can be used over and over!

Our weekend will fly by, as usual. Tomorrow we are taking the girls, once again, to Penneys to take Fall pictures. We went last Saturday, and got a good picture of Emily, but both girls were mostly uncooperative. Maddie gave us nothing, so we go back tomorrow to try again. Let's hope!! I may have to actually put on make up and wear something matching, have the husband do the same, just in case we have to resort to a family picture holding the girls. Sheesh.

My fledgling stamp club meets tomorrow, too. We sure do have fun, even just the few of us. Hopefully, the encroaching holiday season will inspire our craftiness.

Otherwise, I'm working on some contest entries, items to sell on ebay, and a few other things. Maybe one of the contests will go my way. Ya never know.....

Long Weekend

I love long weekends, when the husband has an extra day off. In this case, the extra day is today, Monday, Columbus day. We've had a busy weekend trying to clean house -- both literally and doing a lot of ebaying of stuff that needs to go. Doing ok on both fronts. I plan on finishing yet another layout this afternoon then starting a lunchbox for ebay. It's my last one, and I want to get it done and see if it'll go.

Picture day on Saturday was, well, a struggle. We took the girls to Penneys, where we have the Portrait Club membership, to get fall portraits done. They had other plans. No interest at all in getting up on the table for the photos. After about 45 minutes, we got a very nice pic of Emily, a cute, but not great pic of Maddie where she had something partially blocking her face, and nothing of them together. We ordered Em's and go back on Saturday to try again with Maddie. "It's just the age," the photographer, who, I think, is new, said and had the patience of a saint.

In the meantime, here's another lo I did this weekend. Happy Columbus Day!

New layout and Potty News

I finished this layout last night. I started it last week, but the vision wouldn't come to me, so I set it aside. Yesterday, I read a sentence by Sarah Ackerman Hale that just gave me the exact notion of what I wanted to do with this layout. Last night, I went downstairs and pretty much put it together in no time. Love the Alphabet Soup -- my first time using it!

Potty news!

I made the headline here pink in honor of my two little pumpkins. They are doing so well with the potty all of a sudden. Emily uses the potty to peepee almost exclusively. If she has on a diaper, she either goes in it or takes it off and uses the potty. She is still not doing no. 2 in the potty though. Maddie has done no. 2 in the baby potty twice now, once yesterday eve and once this morning. Awesome!!! She peepees in it here and there, but until day before yesterday, was just as happy to remove her diaper as her sister does, and then use the floor for peepee. And as late as yesterday morning, she did no. 2 on the floor, too, but told me immediately about the (yeah, I know, get this...) "babies!!" YIPES!! No idea on that one. Still, potty progress has come when I wasn't looking, and that is, indeed, a good thing. I don't want my lil pumpkins to grow up any faster than they have to, but some battles I can do without, ya know?

Circle Journal Hell

I love circle journals. I love the concept, I love the surprise of opening and thumbing through that next one that comes in the mail, I love getting one back complete. What I don't love, however, is circle journals! I do not love that they are rarely sent on time, that I more often than not get packages with two or three cj's in them because the person before me is late or behind on them, that they take a ton of postage, that they seem to take forever to finish.

This past weekend, I was determined to knock out three that I have sitting because they've been here a while. In my defense, I got them all in the same mailing. I'm expecting two more this week, and, yep, you guessed it -- in the same mailing from the same circle. I got two of them done pretty quickly (didn't even stop to think!), and have the third almost done. Look out, Sarah -- they are heading your way by week's end!

I am in one cj group that's pretty darn good -- a big shout out to my friends on the CKU KC circle journal board! I ended up not even going to CKU KC, but these wonderful ladies kept me around anyway, and the cj and our message board has been a blast. We had so much fun with the cj, which is still going, mostly on time, too!, that we're doing a rolodex card swap next. With these ladies, I don't mind at all......

On a separate note, a big shout out to Wendi Speciale, a very kind person and artist. Check out her blog in my links to the left, and definitely check out her stamps!!

Fall

I absolutely love fall. The colors, the air, the leaves....well, not raking or anything, but how pretty they can be and such. Our birthdays, anniversary, the holidays we love, all in the fall. I guess I'd have to say Christmas is my favorite holiday, but fall is definitely my favorite season. So I'm really enjoying the atmosphere here in Iowa in the fall.

Other things -- eh. Working on being and getting better at things we need to do, work, home, budgets, getting the girls to bed, all of it. It's time to shape up, ya know? It's so hard to turn around old habits, but the time is now, so we're working, ebaying, cleaning......

One project to show, another lunchbox -- this one is, hopefully, sold to my sb'ing friend in New Zealand. Waiting to hear from her today!

I cropped!

Not much new since yesterday, but I did scrapbook a layout. Woohoo! Hopefully will do something else tonight. Good therapy, this. :)

Catching Up, Clearing the Fog

What a week. Busy weekend, ups and downs, tired mostly, trying week so far, terrible day yesterday. Wish I had some scrapbooking to share. I feel like I need to cleanse my soul of burden and stress right now. I want to stare some scrapbook paper and photos in the face and it be for me, for my books, for my girls, for our family, for fun. No projects for sale, no samples, no make and takes, no circle journal entries. Maybe later tonight.

Until then, I'm on my guard. I'm watching the girls, not letting them get too far from me without worrying with what they may be into. Yesterday, what they were into was poopy diapers. I couldn't believe the mess -- the husband came home early to try and clean it up. My back was still hurting from Saturday's activities, and I didn't want to push it, so he was able to help. Maddie had two baths yesterday because, yes, she got into a diaper twice. Amazing, I know. We're now stapling the diapers on them, and that mostly works. Today it does, anyway.

Also yesterday, after all that happened and I had the girls sitting with their lunch, and I was sitting with mine, I feel something with my tongue, and it turns out a filling has fallen out of my tooth. The upper one all the way in the back on the left. UGH. I mean, how much worse can this day get? So I make a dental appt for today; dh has to come home early again. I hate dental work. Hate it. I am way beyond just cringing. I have a terrible sensitivity to it. If the drill is being used, I"m ready to throw up. If it touches my lip by accident (you know how they might move the handle part around and it touches), I can throw up. That vibration just makes me ill and hurt and puts chills up and down my spine. My knuckles are white the entire time and my whole body clinched. I hate it. My former dentist understood this, and if I needed so much as a filling (not often, thank goodness), he'd use the heavy drugs. For a cleaning, I'd use nitrous. It helps. We'll see what today brings. I asked if they had nitrous and told them I"d be needing it.

Today

Today things have not changed significantly, but seem better. Just little things can adjust how you feel about things, you know? We finally got our over-due travel refund, which helps get the bills paid! Good thing, that. I am trying to accept that someone else's stress is not my stress and not to let mean remarks get to me. And I'm wondering if they offer boarding schools that potty train. You think?? maybe?

UGH

Well, I'm having one of those 'damned if I do, damned if I don't' days. I thought I had things going pretty well. I thought I was contributing in some way in one thing I'm involved in, I thought I was doing ok with the girls, I thought I was helping our budget....but today doesn't seem like it's working. Apparently, I don't have the right priorities. Apparently, I am not a good mommy. Apparently, I take one step forward and at least a step and a half back on the budget most times.

About being a good mommy -- I do not know what to do. The girls aren't responding to using the potty. They won't keep their diapers on, and I"m running out of packing tape. I now have to go between their legs with it, too, or they can pull the diaper out from under it. Putting overalls on them doesn't work. Anything with snaps, like a onesie, etc., they can get off and get to the diaper. I bought them big-girl panties to see if that would work, figuring it would be SOMEthing between their bare bottoms and the house, but Emily peeled those off instantly. I don't know what to do.

Budget -- cleaning out the sb supplies! Need to make up to our very very tight budget for some dumb spending. That's going ok, just wish I had more time to go through stuff.

The other -- well, I"m the terrible person in a group, I suppose. I have stronger feelings about something than others do, and I feel like I'm being "put in my place" about it.....not sure what to do here, but I know that it seems I can't do or say anything right these days. I guess I"ll go through with my committment and just keep any thoughts or feelings to myself. What else?

Just having a baddddd day, I guess. Hope yours is going ok though!

Time flies

I think this is the first time I've been a week without posting....just happened. I've been pretty engrossed in the news coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Still, I cry. Some days I can't watch at all. Keep those prayers coming!

Scrapbooking -- this has been a week of working on ebay projects and Stampin' Up! projects for the Crop for the Cure (www.debbie.com/cropforthecure). I have a vendor booth, plus am on the "committee" sponsoring the event, so since it's in 2 weeks, there's lots to do. I am creating some projects with stamping like small scrapbooks, little bags, a lunchbox, all to "raffle" off. The raffle tickets are given with sales -- a ticket for each $5 earned. The husband gave me that idea, as it's what his baseball card shop guy does. Sounds reasonable and fun. I have actual SU product, too, but wanted to show what you can DO with the product, you know? Fun stuff....

Circle journal HELL. Ok, love the idea. Ok, hate the mailing. I seem to be the link in the chain where everyone decides to "catch up;" on three separate cj's, I have received 2 at a time, and am expecting 3 on one today. I know sometimes it's that the person before me is ahead, but sheesh -- how did I get to be the lucky link? I am going to be VERY selective regarding cj's in the future! I'm currently in the post-CKU Minneapolis cj (love it), a pre-CKU KC cj (love it, but am not actually going to CKU KC); a 2Peas 1980s cj that I angeled for when I was frequenting 2Peas; a local sb friends one (easy and small circle). That may be all. It's so hard to remember at the rate they hit my house.

What else -- had a quiet labor day here. The husband was off work on Friday, too, so we finally got to the bathroom painting. Yes, the same bathroom painting mentioned long ago. Sans some final touch up and installing the curtain rod once we find the hardware (another story, that), I think we're finished! Of course, this is my cosmetic make-over. It now looks like a room we decorated instead of the previous owners. What were they thinking with all that lavender and yellow??? Someday we'll replace the toilet, sink and cabinet....someday.

The Gulf Coast

There's been no reason in the world to mention this on my blog so far, but I will today. Biloxi, Mississippi, is my hometown. If you've had your tv or radio on at all, you know about Hurricane Katrina and the devastation of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. Say a prayer, hug your loved ones, if you give, give to the Red Cross or other reputable relief agency. I imagine the Coast will never recover from this, not fully. Wow.

Lunch Boxes

So when did the Lunch Box craze begin in scrapbooking? Apparently, this great little box appeared and someone knew what to do with it. They sure are cute. The latest must-have-can't-find scrapbooking item. I think the last one was the Target Document Boxes. Yeah, I got some of those, but only because a new Target opened by us and they had them. And I got the lunch boxes. I'm expecting four in today's mail, and I bought the last five at my lss on Friday. Of course, I immediately sold three to friends. That's sort of why I nabbed the last they had, to cover my friends, too. Here's the one I made to sell. Wish me luck that my lunch box does well on ebay!

More Nekked Girls

The saga continues. Today, we were nekked again. Well, not me, THEM. The terrible twosome. The toddlers. The twins. I ran out of pull-ups last night, and they did ok in diapers with sleep-induced brains, but today, today, it was toddler bum free-for-all. Maddie even peepeed in the corner. So Mommy did what she had to: got the package tape and taped those suckers on. Yep, I did. Then, after a while, Emily comes down with her "Once Upon A Potty" book. Good book, that one. After reading it oh-so-carefully to them, Maddie decides she wants to -- wait for it -- go potty! She even let me take her diaper off, but no peepee was made. Eventually, we left the bathroom, took the potty to the family room, and Emily figured it was her turn. For an hour and a half, she sat there. She ate her lunch there. She drank her milk there. She read her books, she drew on her magna doodle. Finally, she decided her butt had gone to sleep and a diaper was better than that, so I taped her in, too, and now they are playing. At least their baby butts have actually touched the potty now; it's progress. And, needless to say, no scrapbook layouts to show today.

Tag! Now YOU'RE it!

Thanks again to Donna Downey, whose blog I read and got involved in the Tag game! The idea is that if you're reading this, you're obligated to post five random facts about yourself. I read her blog, so here ya go:

Hmmm, 5 things...
1. I sometimes let my twins fight because they have to figure out how to share and get along without me interferring.
2. I have lots of signed first edition Eudora Welty, Richard Ford, and John Grisham books.
3. I used to put every single thing away in my scrapbook room as soon as I used it, like glue dots. Use one, put the roll back in the drawer. I"ve gotten better about this.
4. I love coffee. Let me say that again. I love coffee. It's an obsession that started in grad school, and it doesn't make me feel old at all. lol
5. Since becoming a SAHM, many people are surprised when I mention that I went to grad school. BA and MA in English -- want fries with that??

Ok, now go on; you do it. Oh, and no new layouts yet because I've worked on ebay projects this week.

Nekked toddlers

Yep, that's what I've got. Nekked toddlers. My girls have decided that it's fun to remove their diapers and run around the house screaming and laughing. Oh, yeah, it's great. Let's run up to mommy and laugh. Let mommy put her hand on a baby bottom to ask where the diaper is, only to find poopy on that nekked bottom. UGH. This has GOT to stop. I used pull-ups to rescue myself. They seem to like those.

The girls love to sit on their potty, but not take their diapers off for it. They scream if I even suggest it. Lately, they even like a square of toilet tissue to "wipe" with. They may not want to try to potty like big girls, but I think we're gonna have to push the issue if this nekkedness continues.