A Little Work

We went straight to work today. The first thing I had to do was take down this wall border in my bedroom.

Who would want hunting dogs in their bedroom? Not me! I forgot to take some pics of some great friends who came by to help, but here's our hard work.

I was so happy to see those dogs off the wall! Thank you ladies!

Today our appliances were delivered. Hubby went straight to work installing them.

A little bit at a time and soon it will look like a home, our home!

We Have The Keys!

Today was a good day! We got the call that our escrow was CLOSED and we could pick up our keys! We gathered up the family and headed right over.
There was our realtor with keys in hand!
She handed them over to us and we walked into our new home!
It felt so good!
The kids were so excited!
Well here we are in front of our new home!

Papers, Papers, Papers!

We just signed the papers on our house! We were told it would take about an hour. It took close to 3 hours! It's like when you buy a car and they tell you you'll be done soon and it takes 2 long hours!
I have never seen so many papers. It just went on and on! At least in the end you get something well worth it! I can't believe how fast things have happened. By this time next week we will be in our new house.
I'm so glad spring break is around the corner. The kids will be home and able to help unpack. I also won't have to stop and go pick them up from school.
It's going to be so much fun to see our stuff and out of storage. I think I've forgotten what's even in there!
UPDATE: We just found out this afternoon, we are getting our keys Monday!
I never thought this day would come but I honestly believe that the Lord works in mysterious ways!

What Season Is It?

It's baseball season! Here are some pics from Kenny's last game. I was able to get a few without disturbing or embarrassing him. Have I said before, "I just love watching him pitch"? I do! Here he is warming up.

On the mound.

Striking the batter out!

He did great. Even picked off a runner. More pics to come!
Stay tuned for Mateo's opening day this weekend.

Can't Keep It To Myself

Here's my latest project.

It was so much fun to make. I made it for a friend, who is giving it for a bridal gift. Next I'll be making myself one!
I also have plans for some new chore charts. The kids are gonna love me!
And while I'm at it why not a menu board!
That's just to name a few projects up my sleeves.
Stay stuned!

New Do

I have been meaning to take a picture of the kids lately, but have had no time. We're all so busy and our schedules have made it hard. I've been wanting some updated photos of them. They all have changed so much this year. Especially Kenny! Here is a pic from Christmas.

He grew out his hair, wears skinny jeans and bright colors. He's become a real teenager. At first I wasn't sure how I was going to like the appearance change, but I grew to like it. I've grown very attached to his hair. I've even been putting off cutting it. His baseball coach said the whole team had to have a clean cut. I'd planned on cutting it, I just wanted a good pic first. Well his coach finally said something and off we went to the barber.

We tried to keep it current still. I told him he has to grow it out after baseball! Well at least next year he'll be playing for a different team and hopefully they won't make him cut his hair. Although, who knows how he'll want to wear his hair next year!

Inspection Time

Well we got the house! Today we are doing all the inspections, chimney, roof, pest and full home inspection. Most of this is going to be boring for myself and Tina but at the same time I get to spend 4 hours imagining where everything will go! I plan on measuring and making plans for each room while inspections are going on.
We're hoping to close by March 30th and have keys by the 1st of April. Just in time for my birthday! What a great present and anniversary gift! Hubby said it's worth a year of gifts! And he's right, it's the best gift(s) ever!

Another House, Another Offer

Here is the new house that we have an offer on.
We're hoping to hear by Friday if it is ours. We know that the bank is interested in closing by the end of March. Which means we could be in our new house by mid April!!
At first I wasn't sure about this house, except I knew it was in the school district that I always wanted my kids in. The house is 148 sqft. smaller than the last home we had an offer on but we'll be in a great neighborhood. I'm really beginning to think this is all for the best. I find myself getting more excited everyday!
The house is in great shape, no holes in the wall, nice carpet, landscaped yards. What more could we ask for. The boys will also be able to walk to school. Yeah, for that! The kitchen needs some work but what kitchen doesn't.
The other day I went to the library and picked up a bunch of books on decorating and painting. This is what my stack looks like.

Yesterday we went to Home Depot and picked up paint samples and got estimates on a new stove, dishwasher and fridge. What fun that was! I've been driving Hubby crazy with all my ideas. Hey, that's just half the fun of owning your own home, right!
Well I'll keep you updated, as I am.

Keeping Busy

Of course there's a lot going on and I just haven't found anytime to write about it or take pics. So what's new...
Kenny has started baseball practices for the high school. He came in later than most kids because of wrestling. The coach told him he had heard what a great player he is and is looking forward to coaching him. Isn't that nice. Next week they will start with scrimmages against my old high school. He'll be playing through May and then wants to join the Babe Ruth league. We'll see how that works out!

Mateo was recently sick and had to be taken to the ER. Both boys have asthma and when they get colds we have to watch them closely. Well I told Mateo for weeks to prepare his body for the cold and he didn't follow my instructions. So he ended up at the hospital and received a breathing treatment. I think he finally realized how important it is to take care of himself.

Christina and I have started attending a music group. We get to sing, do circle time and play instruments. I'll have to take some pics. She's really enjoying the class.

I've had a few projects this past week that have been fun and very interesting. I made a new tote bag for myself. Forgot to take a pic though.
I recently made this

for my brother's girlfriend, Tiffany. It was a lot of work, but worth it. I really liked the way it turned out. It took a lot of patience to put it together and that's where my good friend Mary came in. Thanks, Mary!
Next week I'm teaching a sewing class to beginners. I am in no way an expert but feel that I have the skills to help someone learn a new talent. I just want to show them that it really is easier than you think and that it just takes practice! I'm also learning to look at my mistakes and experiences on my way to becoming a great seamstress. I only hope one day I can sew like my fellow role models; Mom, Grandma and Aunt.

Interesting Week

Well this week was interesting to say the least! Tuesday night I fell asleep early, woke up at midnight and found my upper lip to be swollen. I couldn't believe it! It looked and felt so weird! Sorry, no, there are no pictures. There was no way I was taking a close-up of this!
I went back to bed and hoped it would be gone in the morning. Yeah, right! The next morning my lip was still swollen. I decided to email my doctor and see what he said. In the meantime I took some advil hoping it would help with the swelling. I knew I should of taken benadryl but I didn't have anytime to be drowsy.
That day I had to go about my chores, errands and appointments like nothing was wrong. Even though I knew I had a fat lip! I also could tell the others wanted to ask about it but didn't, Thank You!
The doctor emailed back and said it had to be an allergic reaction to something I ate or something new I was using on my face. Then it dawned on me. I just received my Mary Kay facial cleanser and noticed that it had a new scent, floral. Any products in the past that I've used with a floral scent tend to make me breakout. This time I had an allergic reaction!
So I took some allergy medicine because that's what I had on hand, but I forgot to check if it was non-drowsy. Within 20 minutes I was passed out on the couch. Luckily, I had no commitments! I felt so bad for Tina though. She kept asking me to play and I had to tell her I wasn't feeling good. At one point she said she was hungry but I couldn't get up. So she decided to go into the cupboard and grab herself a snack. It was so funny, I remember opening my eyes and seeing her in the recliner with a cup of cereal. I just kept thinking that there was going to be a big mess to clean up, but she did a great job! So thankful for that!
By Friday I was back to normal. No more fat lip. No more Mary Kay!
Interesting to say the least!

Here is a new pic of my flower(s).
Day 12

They're looking great. Now I just need a house to put them in!

Birthday Party For The Niece

Monday was my niece's birthday, she's 9. So we had a little birthday party.
First the presents



Then decorating the homemade cupcakes.


Blowing out the candle.


Watching it fall over!

It was a sweet little party! Happy Birthday Angelyka!

Here is a new pic of the flowers.
Day 8

Quick Update

Well we didn't get the house. There was another offer. I thought I would be heartbroken but I'm not. I did have high hopes for that house, though. I just keep telling myself there is another out there. I just hope we find it soon!
In the meantime, I thought I would show some pics of our paperwhites. It's been so much fun to watch them grow.
Day 3

Day 6

I'm already imagining my garden. I can't wait!

So Many Ideas!

Well we're still waiting to hear on the house. Don't worry you'll be the first to know, along with Facebook! In the meantime, I'm making plenty of plans for the house. I figure it doesn't matter which house I'm planning for, plans still have to be made. Of course everything would look really nice in this home!
So you interested in what I have planned? Here's a quick list.
I've always liked these flowers (paperwhites)
I think they would look great in my kitchen. So we picked up some bulbs and started the growing process. Since we're talking about flowers...growing...let's talk garden. I've been wanting a garden for awhile now. I want to get some of these growing.

Along with some squash, green beans, peppers (for the guys) and maybe some pumpkins.
Now let's talk organizing! I love to be organized. Does it always happen, NO! At least I try and usually have a plan. A couple of years ago I started using a dry-erase board for keeping track of the family. I use a different color marker for each person. Recently I found this new idea that I can't wait to implement in my home. It will look something like this

I found this idea at NannyGoat. Thanks for the great idea!
I also have plans for a Family Organization Center which hopefully will look something like this.
So many ideas!
I have also been glued to the TV lately watching HGTV. Trying to find new and interesting ideas for painting, decorating and renovating. I think I'm driving Hubby crazy!
Okay, hurry up house and find your way to me so I can make you all mine!

Here We Go...

Well we're back in the game. We've decided to get back in the housing market. Please wish us luck! For the last few weeks I've stayed pretty quiet about it but I can't hold it in anymore. Last night we filled out papers for this house.

It's a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom 1450 square foot home. It's in a great neighborhood. Right around the corner from my Dad and within walking distance to the high school. Now I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Yes, I know that this might be the first of many offers. But I think my family could be very happy here!
So when I know, you'll know!

Happy New Year, By The Way!

Well I've been so busy catching up at home, school, church and work I haven't had anytime to blog. We're already 6 days into the new year. 2010...is finally here. I remember being a kid and thinking this was the space age. You know Jetson style, living in space, space cars, maybe even those hover skateboards (Back To The Future). Nope, life is pretty much the same, we're just spending more!
So everyone is asking, "Did you make any New Year's resolutions?"
Nope, I decided a few years ago to stop that tradition. I like to make "Goals". I realized that resolutions get broken way too fast and for some reason when we make goals we try harder, longer. So here are some of my goals for 2010.
1. First and foremost, spend TIME with family.
I've made it a special goal of mine to make as many memories as possible for the kids/family. I want them to look back in 20 years and just have a mountain of memories.
2. Get ORGANIZED.
I love being organized! It just hasn't been so easy lately with a huge household. But I have a goal that will change all that and hopefully it will be implemented soon!
3. Try NEW THINGS.
This is mostly geared towards my sewing/crafts. There's always room to grow in the sewing department. This past summer I cut out a dress for Tina and have been too afraid to put it together. I need to finish it and hopefully she can wear it at least once!
4. Last but not least SPIRITUAL GROWTH.
I want to try my best to have Family Home Evening at least 3 out of the 4 weeks in the month.
I also want to read/study my scriptures 4-5 days out of the week. I know that the days that I make time for reading I feel like I can do anything. I guess you could call it my morning coffee!

So what about you and your goals?

More Christmas

Okay so after we rest and clean up from the morning we head over to the In-Laws.
And the fun begins, again!
Here's Grandpa watching the kids open presents.


Here is Mateo with his new glasses that match his shirt.


Here's Tina with her new Dora doll.


Here's Katie with her new bag I made her.

And John with his pillow and Marci with her scarf.

Here are the girls playing with new toys.

Wow, Christmas is so much work! By the end of the day I am so exhausted! But I love the time with family!

Christmas Morning

Okay let's see if I can get all caught up before the end of the year. So Christmas morning the kids were very quite and didn't come and wake us until 8am. I remember my brothers and me waking up at 4am!! Of course there were many more of us to strategies a plan!
Now Christmas Eve we spent making stockings for the kids because theirs are in storage. They turned out pretty cute for last minute stockings! Next year they'll have two, hope they don't think both are getting filled up!
Christina was so happy that morning. She was jumping up and down saying, "it's Christmas, Santa came"!
Before everyone arrived we let the kids go through their stocking.
Here's Tina just dumping everything out.

Here's Kenny finding out he got a CELL PHONE from Santa! He was very happy!

I don't think I got a pic of Mateo all by himself. This is cute though!

Here are the cousins playing with new toys.

It was a great morning! Then we made breakfast, got dressed and played with our new phones! I'll blog later about the evening over at the In-Laws.

A Little Bit Of Christmas

Let me start with Christmas Eve, we always spend it with the In-Laws. So here's a little of that.
We have a special Japanese dinner, kinda like fondue. We dip in raw meat and veggies and watch them cook quickly. It's so yummy!

(notice fish on the left and rice balls on the right)
Then the kids get to open up one gift each.

Jayden and Steve made an appearance.

And of course there's time with family and friends.


Always a great time!

My Baby Girl Is Getting So Big!

I've been so busy that I didn't have time to mention my little girl's Birthday.

Here she is in her Christmas/Birthday dress.

She is finally "4"! She has been waiting forever for this day. Everyday she wakes up and says how big she is. On her birthday she woke up and said, "Look Mom, I'm as big as you"!
We have been waiting for her birthday to take her to Build A Bear. She was so excited! So off we went after dinner.
Here she is stuffing her Hello Kitty.

Giving Hello Kitty a bath.

Picked out her clothes and dressed her.

Now to take her home!

Christina has been having so much fun with Hello Kitty, dressing and undressing her. What more could a girl ask for!

Good Friends and Pizookie!

The other night I got together with some friends to say goodbye to a friend, Kellie. She is moving this week and we will miss her and her family.
We went to this restaurant called BJ's. This was my first time there. Everyone has always told me about the great food and the amazing Pizookie. The girls are always saying how they must get away and have a Pizookie. So I finally have it and realize that it's a big cookie with ice cream.

It was good but I make cookies at home all the time. I just can't believe that this is what the girls are always raving about! So funny!
Besides the dessert, the company was great!