Suprise

So imagine me laying in bed about 7:30am, I had just put in a movie for Juliet and given her breakfast and laid back down for a blissful 10 more minutes of sleep....or resting my eyes as it is at this point. I hear frodo getting excited about something. I happily think it is him getting ready to catch the mouse that has gotten in (they come in every year around fall...drives me NUTTS), I see something out of the corner of my eye (out bedroom window faces the backyard) and I freak out.

Frodo isn't getting excited about the dang mouse, he is excited about a burglar/killer trying to get in our house. I scramble out of bed, call out to Juliet to come in my room and frantically try to get my pants and shirt on, while running to the closet for our gun. then I hear 'DADDY'....wait what?

that's right I almost shot my husband...he neglected to tell me he was coming home because he wanted to surprise me....well surprise I tell him if it weren't for the fact that the gun was at the top of the closet in the very back in a locked case....I would have shot you. Good to know I would have never gotten it in time if it were a burglar but nice to know I had time not to shoot my husband.

I should have known what was going on, Frodo wouldn't get that excited about a burglar! and usually they dont' break in at 7:30 in the morning.

so I got my birthday wish. Jason came home, so surprise to me! as well as a good workout and scare of a lifetime and Happy Birthday to both of us.


yay!

Birthday

so I changed my background because it's, thats right folks, it my birthday..the big 26. haha. I actually forgot about it until I watched the news and then when people started giving me cards at work. I got a candle, breakfast pastries and a mini-rose plant. how fun!

yesterday mom took me out to sushi and ice-cream and tomorrow my friend is taking me to lunch. And my sisters, mom and dad have either called, texted, or googled me a message. so I must say birthdays do have their perks. :)

Jason's birthday is tomorrow he will be old too....31. it is sad because he is not here to celebrate with me but when he comes back, we plan on going to the Melting Pot. YUUUUMMM.

I also thought it was fun that i share my birthday with one of the greatest events in American history....Martin Luther King's 'I have a Dream' speech. How great that is right? and today marks the 45th anniversary. wonderful.

so no big plans for my birthday but I still appreciate all the e-mails, cards and thoughts that are coming my way.

Happy Birthday to me!!! by the way I will be having my cake and eating it too!!! heck ya!

yum, yum, yum

so I got this e-mail circulated to me and thought I would post it. Just click on a link and the recipe will come up. cool huh? Enjoy.

2 Minute Microwave Fudge
5 Minute Fudge
7 Layer Bars
Aaron's Buttery Cashew Brittle
Almond Bark
Amanda's Peppermint Creams
Ann's Cream Nut Candy
Bavarian Inn Peanut Bars
Beth's Delicious Fudge
Brownie Fudge Dessert
Buckeyes
Buckeyes
Butter Toffee
Candied Yams
Candy Bar Brownies
Candy Cane Brittle
Candy Cane Fudge
Caramel Krispie Treats
Caramels
Carmel Corn
Carol's Christmas Treats
Chocolate Almond Bars
Chocolate Balls
Chocolate Billionaires
Chocolate Chow Mein Candy
Chocolate Covered Cherries
Chocolate Covered Nuts
Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Chocolate Nut Caramels
Chocolate Popcorn
Chocolate Silk Bon Bons
Chocolate Truffels
Christmas Candied Walnuts
Christmas Crackle Candy
Christmas Mice
Chunky Mallow Candy
Cinnamon Hard Candy
Cinnamon Popcorn
Cranberry Nut Fudge
Cream Cheese Candy
Creamy Chocolate Truffles
Creamy Microwave Pralines (Texas Stye)
Crispy peanutbutter balls
Dark Chocolate Fudge
Deborahe's Holiday Chocolates
Disappearing Marshmallow Brownies
Dish of Dirt
Divinty
Dorothy's Peanut Butter/Butterscotch Noodle Cookie
Dreamcicle Fudge
Easy Candy
Easy Divinity
Easy Divinity Easy Divinity Candy
Easy Fudge
Easy Granola Candy
Easy Microwave Carmel
Easy Microwave Fudge
Easy Pecan Logs
English Toffee
English Toffee
English Toffee Bars
Fabulous Fudge
Fake Brittle
Fantasy Fudge
Festive Chocolate Truffles
Five Minute Fudge
Fool-Proof Fudge
Frosted Pecans
Fudge
Brownies
Fudge for One
Fudge Puddles
Georgia Nuggets
Grandma Donna's Nummies
Grandma F's Delicious Fudge
Grandmother's Holiday Fudge
Hard Candy
Hard Tack Candy
Hazelnut Fantasy Fudge
Ho-Ho Hash
Holly Confection
Honey Comb
J & D's Peanut Butter Balls
Jeanne's Tiger Butter
Jen's Chocolate Meringues
J's Cream Fudge
Kim's Famous Cashew Brittle
Magic Marshmallow Fudge
Mama's Fudge
Maple Rum Balls
Margie's Best Candy
Martha Washington Candy
Martha Washington Mounds
Marzipan
Melting Moments
Melting Moments
Memaw's Reese's
Meme's Best Ever Peanut Butter Fudge
Meringues
Micky's Mints
Microwave Peanutbutter fudge
Microwave Pralines
Milk Fudge
Milky Way Bars
Million Dollar Fudge
Mimi's Famous Fudge
Mocha Truffles
Mom's Mints
Mr. Monroe's Famous Fudge
Mrs. Eisenhower's Fudge
Never Fail Fudge
Never Fail Fudge
No Bake Rum Balls
No Cook Peanut Butter Fudge
No Fail Fudge
Novia Scotia Treats
Nut Mallow Goodies
Nutty North Pole Fudge
Orange Balls
Orange Glazed Pecans
Out Of This World Fudge
Oven Carmel Corn
Peanut Brittle
Peanut Brittle
Peanut Brittle
Peanut Brittle (Microwave)
Peanut Butter Balls
Peanut Butter Balls
Peanut Butter Balls
Peanut Butter Bars-An Elve's Favorite Treat
Peanut Butter Candy
Peanut Butter Candy
Peanut Butter Cups
Peanut Butter Cups
Peanut Butter Fruit Squares
Peanut Butter Fudge
Peanut Butter Fudge
Peanut Butter Fudge
Peanut Butter Snowballs
Peanut Clusters (mircrowavable)
Peanut Krispies
Peanut Patties
Pecan Candy
Pecan Kisses
Penuche
Penut Butter Buckeyes
Peppermint Bonbons
Peppermint Bark
Peppermint Bark
Peppermint Bark
Peppermint Wands
Popcorn Cake
Popcorn Cake
Potato Candy
Potato Candy
Potato Candy
Potato Candy
Praline Kisses
Pralines
Puppy Chow
Puppy Chow
Puppy Chow
Puppy Chow (for Humans)
Quick and Easy Mini Marshmallow Sandwiches
Quick and E-Z Fudge
Raspberry Fudge Balls
Reindeer Chow
Reindeer Chow
Reindeer Chow
Reindeer Chow
Reindeer Droppings
Reindeer Food
Reindeer Food
Rocky Road
Rocky Road
Rocky Road Bark
Rudolph's Favorite Pecans
Rum Balls
Salt Water Taffy
Sea Foam Candy
Skor Fudge
Snowballs
Snowy Day Brownies
Snowy Divinity
Snowy Pretzels
Spiced Pumpkin Fudge
Stained Glass Candy
Sugared Nuts
Super Peanut Clusters
Treacel Fudge
Triple Layer Bars
TripleLayer Chocolate Bars
Truffles
Turkish Delight
Turkish Delight
Turkish Delight
Turtles
Uncle Ferd's Butter Crisp Cracker Candy
Uncle Jack Hallwood's Peanut Butter Fudge
Very Easy Fudge
White Christmas
Willy Wonka Bars
Winter Strawberries

some of these look pretty good and easy!

where did it go?

I have 3 days until my 26th birthday....what? 26? this is soo not what I had in mind when I was 16 and they asked me where I would be in 10 years. In my plan I was on Broadway...never happened, had a house...um nope not yet, finished collage....tried and failed, had a career I loved and made good money....um like it and make money but still can't catch up!, and had a family...ok. have the starting of one but thought I would have at least 2 kids by now. so, I ask you, where did the time go? it makes me feel old. ok I know 26 is not that old but it really makes me feel old. I should have done something with my life by now. something spectacular, something marvelous.

See all my siblings have amazing talents! they can paint, write, draw, play instruments, write music...just to name a few. I wish I had that kind of talent. I have always been average in whatever came my way....better then being horrible at everything but sometimes I wonder if that would be better. then I wouldn't' be stuck on the sidelines wondering what or when, if ever, my talent will pop out. I should have developed whatever small talent I had to make myself stand out...but I didn't so here I am 25, up to my eyeballs in debt, no house to call my own, a quarter of a collage education and about to turn 26 and feeling old.

if that weren't' enough. Juliet started school today. I know she is only 3, but she is advanced for her age so she is a peer tutor for under-developed kids. she goes for 2 hours a day. we got her a back pack on Saturday. I dressed her all up this morning, took her to McDonald's for breakfast and hyped up the whole new school thing so it would be easier for her. she took it like a champ. went into the classroom, found her cubby (and was very pleased about it), and started playing with a puzzle. I kissed her goodbye and she said see you later. and that was it.....of course as soon as I got in the car my brave, you'll have so much fun mommy face came off and my oh my gosh, what the heck is going on, I just dropped her off at school face came on....along with the tears.

so there we have it. I feel old and un-achieved, except for Juliet. she is a great accomplishment right? she is smart and funny, well rounded and really could do anything. But can I really take credit for that? I mean she was born that way, we just let her be (not like you could stop that girl anyway. hehe). but that's life.

moving...a curse or a blessing?

what is moving? do we love it or do we hate it? well, I have come to the conclusion that I, at least, have a love-hate or a hate-love relationship (depending on the day) about this particular task.

I love it because it gives me an opportunity to see all the stuff we piled in corners, drawers, cupboards and closets all these years. Its almost like Christmas with all the stuff I forgot I had and then swear I need, even though I didn't need it the last 3 years it was hiding away. So I pack it in a box generically marked, and wait for the day that I can open that box and experience it all over again. It also gives the the opportunity to actually get rid of stuff I desperately need to get rid off but had no good excuse before now (getting rid of it for the sake of getting rid of it is never a good excuse.....I don't care what my dads says. hehe). So I have piles of get rid, pack to take to house, pack to take to storage, boxes that where never opened from the last time we moved and piles I haven't figured out what I want to do with yet.

I hate it because face it, who wants to upheaval 3-4 years worth of living and pack it away, only to unpack it and start all over. It is tedious and annoying and quiet frankly...boring! I had to pack all my books first because I found myself starting to read one instead of putting it in the boxes. I can't tell you how many spiders I have found...and killed!!!! and am amazed how we crammed so much stuff in some places and had a huge amount of unused storage in others!!! It is overwhelming and confusing. One minute I want to just throw everything away and the next I want to save every little piece of paper I come across (have no idea why we have this receipt but it has to have some kind of sentimental value....right?).

when you finally do get to your new destination you get to set up house again...hopefully better then the last time, but you have to go through all those boxes and think to yourself 'why the heck do I have a whole box of old receipts?'

so what is packing and moving? a curse or a blessing... lets just stick to its a cursed blessing and call it macaroni.

princess....

got this cool survey off of Deborah's blog. super fun. :) I think mine suits me very well.


You Are Ariel!





Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Generations

so when we were kids and our mom and dad talked about things from there child hood and we gave them that look like....what are you talking about? did it ever occure to me that one day I would be getting that look, or that I would be thinking in my head 'oh, my gosh...I am getting so old'...um no. But I would and I did!

So Jason and I have a lot of VHS's that we have collected over the years, but we keep them in our room because we have a VHS player in there...I know how archaic right? but hey we don't have cable so we take what we can get. Plus we have a lot of great classic movies that we simply have not switched over to DVD (or blue ray). So a few months back Juliet was in my room and she asks me what I'm doing? nothing I reply...want to watch a movie in mommy's bed? Wahoo is the look on her face because she is only allowed in our bed on Saturday morning to watch channel 2 cartoons while I desperately try to get a measly 5 more minutes of sleep. so she goes and picks a DVD...' no I tell her, you need to pick a movie from this pile' She looks at them for a second and then look at me with that - what are you talking about?- look and this is our conversation:

'why'
'because these are the ones that will play in this player, DVD's don't work in this one'
'why'
'because this is a VHS player and those are VHS tapes'
'oh'
Again with the whatever mom look and she picked one out.

so fast forward a few months later to a day not so long ago....lets call it yesterday (or if you are talking to Juliet she would call it esterday). I am sitting on the couch, making shorts out of some old jeans for her and she is cleaning her room (without me asking....oh I loved it!)

she comes running out of her room and announces that she has found something for me.
'what is it?' I ask in my surprise me mommy voice (I am sure it will be the shoe we looked for for half an hour esterday or the lollipop she swears she didn't lose but didn't' finish either)
she happily holds up a VHS tape that somehow found its way under her bed and says:
"I found you your CVD"

'oh you did, my CVD....well close enough! thank you' I smile and take it from her and wonder in my head if this is the feeling mom and dad got whenever we got something in their time mixed up with something in ours. the feeling of old and a little bit of nostalgia. It was cute but dang I feel old!

but kids can do that to ya.

So whats with the black and red?....

because it's only a tribute to the best books and no doubt movies ever made! Yes, thats right I am talking about the Twilight series...I have to thank my dear sister Deborah for introducing me to them and then again for letting me get all fanatic without throwing a dozen 'I told you so's' in my face.

if you haven't gotten on the band waggon and read these book.....for goodness sakes get your booties up and going! All four books are out and ready to be read....over and over and over.

the movie comes out this year and no doubt I will be one in line for the midnight showing!!!

so to show my appreciation to the books and all that neat stuff. I have changed the blog into a vampirery (is the a word? it is now) tribute. or you could say I re-vamped for the vamps.

hahahaha...ok that was too funny. I crack myself up.

enjoy! :)

um...there are just no words....

so I got this e-mail at work. I am just going to post it because...really there is nothing more to explain...there are just no words.

REMEMBER WHENMOM said

NEVER TAKE CANDY

FROM

A STRANGER..

... I THINK THIS

IS WHO SHE
WAS TALKING ABOUT!!!!!

a little touch of heaven

What would you consider a little touch of heaven? would it be your favorite candy, your favorite smell, your favorite smile or time of day? how about your favorite song or scripture? all of these could, should and are my little bits of heaven....along with my daughter singing or telling a joke and Jason and I having a fun time or just sitting quietly content with just each others company.

but would you ever consider your job a little touch of heaven? I never did! believe me, if anything I had to constantly remind myself to be nice to others and to remember I was not here to act like that. It was a constant daily struggle for me. Then I got this new job and let me tell you..the tables are completely reversed.

I work for Senior RX program, we help elderly and disabled with the cost of their medication when medicare puts them in the coverage gap. A few things have come to my attention in the short time I have been here.

One, how grateful I am to have a good paying job with great insurance. One of my duties is to input the seniors yearly income....no kidding, the other day I had to ask my boss to double check my math because there was no way what I was looking at could have possibly been correct...but it was. this man mad 9,560 a YEAR....you saw that right a YEAR. I couldn't' believe it.

Two, how much we miss being truly grateful for the little things. Some of our seniors get mighty confused and call up nervous and upset. The only thing they need help with is filling out a page on the renewal letter and it is really simple but how confusing to them it can become. We patiently go through step by step and at the end of the conversation I ofter hear what a doll I am and thank you so much. One lady told me I was a sweet soul and another man told me if he was only a few year younger...they make me smile. A lady came into the office the other day with tears in her eyes because she was embarrassed and afraid because she thought if she didn't understand the form, we would boot her out of the program. I sat down with her and helped her fill out her application, listened to her stories and made her laugh. She left, came back with a box of candies, gave me a big kiss on the cheek and told be because I was such an angel she would be able to sleep tonight.

really, how many times do you think that happened at the DMV or even in the mall I worked before that.....um NEVER! and it makes my heart ache for these poor people who really just need someone to listen to them, be patient with them and understand they are not just a shell of a person who has used up their nine lives to be disregarded, but a very special individual who has so much to teach and share and should be valued for what they have accomplished and seen. It sickens me sometimes how we treat our elderly and we are the only country who does so. So I am glad I am able to remember that and help them.

I am very happy to have the opportunity to have my job as a little touch of Heaven, to remind me why I am here and let me grow by serving my fellow men in a more worthy capacity then I have in the past. I know that sounds all mushy, but I am. Plus some of these guys and gals are such kicks in the pants. I told one of them the other day not to get feisty with me and he couldn't believe I would use such a word...now he will only talk to me when he calls because he can relate to a fellow feisty person. I love it. I just wanted to share.