What I did in 2008

Before I get into that....anyone on goodreads.com? Because I need ANOTHER social network to keep up with I wanted to throw my profile out there...fun times for peeps who like to read.....Cammie's profile....go friend me...I like friends....so long as you dont send an email ABOUT me to me....yeah.....still bitter.

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1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Took on a position at work that I swore I would never do. Guess what....I love it.



2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?I didn't make any last year. I have to this year though



3. Did anyone close to you give birth? YES. My friend Laura



4. Did anyone close to you die? Not to me but my sweet mommy board friend Andrea lost her husband in an accident this year....the way that it touched my community of friends made the loss painful for me as well.



5. What countries did you visit? MEXICO



6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? fewer bills



7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? hmmm, my babies birthdays of course, Joe and I celebrating 6 years of marriage



8)What was your biggest achievement of the year? my kids-continuing to grow and learn



9. What was your biggest failure?dieting



10. Did you suffer illness or injury?I have some back drama, nothing to major though



11. What was the best thing you bought?Does the cruise we went on count?



12. Where did most of your money go? DAYCARE.



13.did you get really, really, really excited about? Discovering the Twilight Series



14. What song will always remind you of 2008?Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis



15. Compared to this time last year, are you:a) happier or sadder? happierb) thinner or fatter? sigh....fatter) richer or poorer? poorer



16. What do you wish you’d done more of? Had more time alone with Joe



17. What do you wish you’d done less of? had arguments with people I love



18. How did you spend Christmas? The night before with my family, Christmas day with Joe's side



19.Did you fall in love in 2008? Ummmm.....sadly.....yes.....ummmm....Edward Cullen....lol



20. What was your favorite TV program? Lost



21.. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I don't hate...do I dislike anyone now that I did not this time last year? Yes.



22.. What was the best book you read? The entire Twilight Series



23.. What did you want and get? Ugg boots, and a kick ass new lens for my camera



24. What did you want and not get? A MacBook



25What was your favorite film of this year? TWILIGHT



26.. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 33 and I had dinner with Joe and my friend Kelly and her husband



27. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Stephenie Meyer finishing Midnight Sun



28.What kept you sane? My friends and zoloft



29. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Edward....okay okay...Robert Pattinson



30. What political issue stirred you the most?Listening to uninformed people talk about--- the election



31. Who did you miss? My mommy board BFFs



32. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Things and people are not always what they seem



33. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. the greatest gift is not found in a store nor under a tree, but in the hearts of true friends." - CL.

Cammie.....with a C like Cat.....

Really.....is it REALLY that hard to get? My name is not Renesmee for pete's sake (inserting Twilight remarks whenever I can) 33 years ago when my father picked my name out of a book he was reading I don't think he knew the lifetime of repetition I would endure. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE my name. For the most part it is very unique (save the OTHER "Kami" I went to school with who almost got my ass kicked once....no I did NOT sleep with your boyfriend thankyouverymuch that would have been the OTHER Kami). There were times when I was younger that I longed to be a Jessica or a Jennifer....those bitches could ALWAYS find their name on a key chain...or on those pretty plaques that tell you what each letter of your name stands for....CAMMIE on the other hand....not so much. As an adult in the work place I have THIS conversation every day

"Hello this is Cammie"

"Tammy?"

"No Cammie, with a C"

"Tammy?"

"No, Cammie with a C...like Cat (or CANTYOUHEARMEASSHOLE)

"Ohhh, Carrie"

"yes, this is Carrie, how can I help you?"

I have also answered to Connie, Pammie, and once...CARMIE....WTF??

My favorite conversations are the ones where the person hearing my name is just baffled.....like I just told them that my name was Ima Crackwhore. I actually had someone respond upon hearing my name with a "huh" not "huh?" more like a sound like he was pondering whether or not I was telling the truth.

Having my name spelled correctly the first time? Forget it. Do you know how many ways there are to spell Cammie/Cami/Kami/Kammy/Cammy/Kammie? And those are just the spellings that you can actually find in the baby books....forget the parents that want to make it all weird like Kaimi.

In an effort to have MY name on a pretty plaque saying what it means (and not doing it myself...because what is the fun in that?) I enlisted the help of my good friend Erin....It is not a plaque....but it will do

Faithful annual scrapbook Camp attendee!

Brutally honest And loyal friend!

Enjoys a bottle of Moscato, a good book and a nap!

adores her kids despite the fact they Make her anxious!

Cannot go anywhere unless her cell phone Is attached to her hip!

A fierce love and addiction for all things Edward Cullen!

Not Me Monday

Is it really Monday again already? Last week flew by so fast but I am sure there were lots of things that I did NOT do. hmmmm.

I did NOT wrap gifts at the last minute. That would have been stressful and unnecessary

I did NOT spend hours mumbling under my breath and cursing toy packaging. The joy in my children's faces when they beheld each new toy was enough to just make me smile with glee.

I did NOT ask Joe to put the tree away the day after Christmas telling him I was done with it. The kids love the tree, therefor I also did NOT tell him to put it away this week while they were at daycare

I did NOT drink 3 mimosas on Christmas day at the in laws before dinner even started. I love my in laws (you know I do Gina) but that many people in one place just makes me want to have a beverage. Or 3

I did NOT watch A Christmas Story for the first time EVER. You know, because everyone in the free world has seen that movie at least 100 times because it is a Christmas classic and it is on 24 straight hours and blah blah blah

I did NOT ask an employee at Lowe's if it was legal to murder my children right there in the paint department. Why would I do that when they were just being so GOOD and LOVING to each other. With their feet.

That is all for now. My brain is all muddled due to the fact that I did NOT forget to bring cold medicine to work, therefor I do NOT feel like crap and just want to put my head down and take a nap.

Respect Sleep

I have a secret to share. Okay, maybe not so much a secret as a confession. My favorite thing to do....it's not read, or scrapbook....it's not drinking wine or ever better scrapdrinking (do I need to define that?). No, none of these are my favorite pass time, although those are up there on the things I like list. My favorite hobby is sleeping. Yep. Sleeping. Do you see the irony in this as I do live in the House of No Sleep? Years ago....BK (before kids) I used to sleep like I was going for the gold medal in the sleeping Olympics. BK I used to sleep till at least 10-12 on days that I did not have to work. On weekdays I would come home and catch a quick cat nap on the couch. When I lived alone in my post college-pre Joe apartment I actually had a navy blue blanket nailed to my window so that I could sleep into the afternoon without knowing it was light outside. When Joe and I moved in together it would drive me crazy that for no reason whatsoever other then to annoy the hell out of me he would be up and ready to take on the word at 7AM on the weekends. Bugging me to go run errands with him. Pointing out to me how much we could get done before noon. AK (duh) I have even more respect for sleep then I did BK. To this day my son does not have much use for sleep. He did not sleep through the night until he was 18 months old. 18 long months of getting up with him in the middle of the night. For some reason the "ready to take on the world at 7am" man I married disappeared. He started to barter with me for Sleep in Days instead of being up and making coffee at 7am. I tried to tell him that it was WAY to late to start to respect sleep this late in the game....such a change in sleeping habits was just unacceptable to me. 2.5 years later along came another small person who did not respect sleep. She STILL does not sleep through the night. The only difference is her parents are so lazy that instead of fighting the battle (which she would indeed win) we just throw her in bed with us. Long gone are the days where sleeping in meant 10am....now sleeping in is 8am and we trade off days on the weekend. These past 3 days for some reason my kids slept till 730 and Joe and I thought we had died and gone to heaven. People let me tell you it is HARD to entertain your kids all day when all days starts most days at 5am. A friend asked me once if I was really playing with play-dough at 8am on a Sunday and I was like hell yes I am, we have already watched all the kid shows on the DVR. I have however learned of a new way to respect sleep. The nap. No no, not the power nap of my PK days...the loooooong naps I take on weekends with Mallory. Hey, they tell you to sleep when the baby sleeps....they did not specify how old that baby has to be. I nap with my daughter almost every weekend. I don't screw around with these naps either. I'm not talking about the half assed naps that Joe (non sleep respecter) takes on the couch with the TV on. I'm talking full on napping...jammies, in the bed, lots of pillow and covers. I think the only one in the house who respects sleep as much (if not more) then I do is Scarlet. Not because she is 300 years old...she has always been this way. Scarlet has been known to wait at the edge of the hall and stare at you around bedtime....as in "hey assholes, it's time...let's go" Scarlet gets so flipping excited for weekend naps with Mallory that she makes it up the stairs before we do. Scarlet has been known to take a snap at Joe in the mornings when he tries to get her to let her out to go potty. And as I told you here sleeping with Scarlet is at your own risk because you may lose a toe if you should dare touch her at the foot of the bed while she is sleeping....that is IF she is at the foot of the bed and not sharing your pillow.

Someday I will sleep in again. Maybe not till noon like I did PK but there will come a day in my future when the kids can make their own cereal and work the TV themselves. Until then....I will just have to settle for trading Sleep in Days of 8am with Joe and drinking a LOT of coffee.

so I want to win this.....

I love me some give-a-ways. Might even win one eventually and THIS is the one to win.

This baby is called the Keurig Platinum Brewing System...it makes coffee, tea, and all sorts of hot drinks (wonder what what happen if you ran wine through it...oops, I digress)

"The Platinum offers the full spectrum of features including Auto On/Off, Digital Clock, Adjustable Temperature Control and the "Set Your Favorite Cup Size" option. The largest available 60 oz. removable water reservoir holds up to ten cups before refilling and the removable drip tray allows for easy cleaning and the use of travel mugs. The sleek, award-winning design is a unique footprint among Keurig's line of home brewing systems and includes both a blue lit water reservoir and blue lit LCD display."

The ladies over at thesecretisinthesauce are GIVING one of these away. And I'm going to win it. That's right...I AM

I are dumb

okay.....so you can do the same layouts on the cutest blog with a 3 column template instead of 2....wow, smart AND pretty all wrapped up in one. Better?

Yay or Nay?

changed the blog look....is it okay to read or do I need to change anything? Do tell.....

And it's over.

Seems like there is all of this build up to Christmas and then it is over so fast and you are just buried in tore up boxes, paper, and those damn wires that THEY you know, the evil toy people feel the need to put on every single toy. With TAPE over the wires? I mean really....do they think that someone is going to steal the toys right out of the boxes in the middle of Target? Or do THEY think it is fun to make parents spend an hour trying to get a transformer out of a box while the kid freaks out because it is taking to long? Hate those wires. Must invest in one of these next year....

Anyways.....we had a wonderful Christmas Eve and day. The kids were happy with their stash, I was thrilled with mine. Joe came through as he does every year and I have an awesome new camera lens, 7 more bottles of wine and an Archivers and iTunes gift card to play with. Here are a few of our Christmas pics....tons more on the kids site --you know since this is MY blog.

Christmas Eve at my mom's....she decorates her tree in all snowman complete with severed head of Frosty on top.

Christmas morning at our house before Joe and I declared war on the wires....

Yes, my baby is small enough to fit into her baby crib.

Ready to head off to Joe's parents'

I am back at work today while Joe is home with the kids....and the wires....have fun honey! Don't take a finger off trying to get the toys out.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Twas the night before Christmas.....

Christmas Eve has always been my favorite day of the year. When I was younger, it was the only time where my entire family was together at one house. I have 13 cousins. My mom is one of 7 kids. To say the least Christmas Eve was always rather chaotic. It was a WONDERFUL chaotic. Us kids probably drove our parents nuts. With 14 grandchildren the the floor around the tree was covered with gifts from our grandparents, aunts and uncles. We would complain wait patiently through dinner to open gifts....a process that destroyed the living room in about 10 minutes flat and then be told by the grown ups to go play. My best memories are from the years when I was probably between 8-12. My cousin L and I would do whatever we could to avoid our little sisters because clearly THEY were the most annoying people to walk the earth. We would find some area in the house to try and hide which was usually would not last too long before moms would make us include those darn little sisters. Fast forward a few years and there was a new baby cousin to love and fight over....L and I always tried to snatch her up and again....hide from those little sisters. The older we got the more the dynamic changed....some older cousins moved away and we did not see them on Christmas Eve. It was always still so much fun. Fast forward a few more years...I would be home from college for Christmas Eve.... once again a totally new dynamic....my cousin L who I love so much had made some bad choices in her life and she was not around to avoid those little (teen aged) sisters with. In the last few years things have taken an entirely new direction. 14 cousins no longer celebrate Christmas Eve together because we have mostly all grown and started our own families....that baby I used to cart around will be turning 18 in a few months. Now the presents are around my mom's tree for HER grandchildren. My son is the one who will be avoiding his little sister on Christmas Eve....after he suffers the TORTURE of being forced to eat dinner before opening presents and being shooed away. Now there are 5 cousins who hopefully will grow up to know that Christmas Eve is the one night they can always count on being together and making those same memories that I had growing up. I really hope that it means as much to them as it did to me.

Burn the sausage, freeze the dog and an award

Man can we fit a whole lot of chaos in 10 minutes. Last night while putting the monkeys to bed all hell broke loose in our kitchen. Joe was making dinner (spicy sausage with penne, sauteed veggies, mmmmm) and the sausage was on the stove doing whatever he does with it before he throws it in with the noodles. Yes kids, JOE was cooking dinner....this is NOT me


Anyways....I was sitting in the rocker with Mallory and the smoke alarm starts going off. I knew Joe would go running to take care of it and I was not too concerned because it tends to go off if there is even a little bit of smoke in the kitchen. Meanwhile, dogs are freaking out, and Mallory is saying "that's too scawy mommy" I hear Joe in the kitchen going WHOA. Again, not panicking because had there been an actual fire in the kitchen he would have reacted in a total different way....he has a tendency to freak out if he senses any sort of danger...not that a kitchen fire would not be a reason to freak out.....but...I digress. After the alarm stops and I get M down in her crib I go downstairs smoke is everywhere. Apparently the sausage had run out of water and was burning in the skillet...problem solved....he had opened some windows and cracked the front door just a liiiiiiite bit. Wait a minute? Where is Stitch? You know....the liiiiiiiiitle yorkie who lives here? Yeah, um. He was gone...and in my mind I see THIS.

okay, okay....so I'm kidding sort of I really do love that pain in the ass and was so upset to think of 4 pounds of puppy out there in -stupid degree weather. Joe and I run outside calling him and whistling for him and after only about 30 seconds he comes running from the side of the neighbors house, flies past us both, onto the porch and into the house. Whew. Seriously...that would have SUCKED to try and explain to the kids.

Literally....this all took place in about 10 minutes. I went inside and got myself a glass of water

and sat down to eat my burned dinner.

On an unrelated note....my new blog friend Becky gave me an award, and I'm keeping it instead of passing it on. That's how I roll!

Not Me Monday

What a busy busy week of Not Me's I did NOT have. Whew.

I did NOT procrastinate on present wrapping....something I am also NOT doing so far this week

I did not flip my shit when I saw on Becky's blog that there is an Edward fleece blanket that looks like this

(I also did NOT just find another way to use that picture in my blog)

Upon seeing said blanket...I did NOT immediately picture myself wrapped up in it with no clothes on.

I did NOT want to choke my husband when he told me that he dropped and broke his cell phone that I just bought him. Because once upon a time I did NOT lose mine and steal his as a replacement.

I did NOT have to break up with a friend after she accidentally included me on an email about me.

I also did NOT get so mad about that incident that I had to bust out my emergency xanax

I did NOT mentally write this list while in a meeting on Friday

Happy Monday all!!

Friendship

Friendship has been on my mind a lot this week. I have always been blessed with the best of friends no matter what part of my life I have been in. I have also been lucky to take those friends with me throughout my life. I have taken my friend Ruth through my entire life since 7th grade, picked up my awesome college friends, my fabulous work friends that make a 40 day work week bearable, and of course my BFF mommy friends. The point to all of this?? This past week brought out the true colors in someone who I THOUGHT was a close friend. Trust and loyalty are so important to me in friendships. I am a LOYAL friend who would do pretty much anything for my girlfriends. Your secrets? I keep em, you need a shoulder to cry on, here it is. You need me to kill someone....oh wait....let's not get out of control here. Is it to much that I expect the same out of my friends? I know that girlfriends have their squabbles...I'm not so unrealistic that I think that we wont have our problems....I will however NOT stand for bull shit and backstabbing. I am no longer in high school and I hated that crap then too. It is sad when you realize that someone you truly loved was fooling you behind your back. Fool me once...shame on you....fool me twice....shame on me. So, for all of you who are my TRUE girlfriends....the one's I laugh with, cry with, and hope to grow old with....thank you for sharing my life with me!! I hope you know that you have a true and loyal friend in me and I'm so blessed to have you all in my life.

Holy Crap....

I skipped a day!!! Whoa! I might even let THIS be todays blog....hmmmmm

Moments like this......

This morning after Joe had already left for work and Pierce was still in his room I was still in bed awake but not quite ready to get motivated. Mallory was still asleep (in our bed which is the norm from about midnight on) and I was just laying there watching her. She must have known I was staring at her because she opened those big blue eyes and smiled at me....scooched herself over closer, put her little hand on my face and said:

"I lub you mommy"

And that kids is the tale of how I became a puddle of mommy mush at dark o clock. Moments like this are what makes Life in the House of No Sleep totally and completely worth it.

Dear Diary and other fabulousness.....

um, yeah....this is gonna be a long one....It is Dear Diary Thursday but first I have to accept another award (I would like to thank the academy, and my family, who I could not have done this without) and do a meme.

First off, the award....compliments of Stephanie. Funny how we have only been blogging buddies for about a month and she has caught on to my complete and utter lack of a filter....hey, it's how I roll kids! Thank you Stephanie, I am thinking about you!

I shall pass this on to Hula and her secret blog and that is it....because I'm too lazy to pass it on to anyone else....again with the no filter thing.

On to the MEME from DramaQueen's Mom. List 6 things that make me happy.

1) My kids of course. I love how they interact with each other and the special love that they share that only siblings can have.

2) Joe-He is the BEST husband ever...takes such good care of our family

3) my friends....I am so blessed with the best friends ever. They make me laugh so hard I cry, and or pee my pants. I love you guys!

4) Wine. enough said

5) Scrapbooking supplies. Oh how I love thee....I can never ever have enough

6)

Seriously....how many ways can I use this picture in this blog?

And now onto Dear Diary Thursday....again with my clause....no grammar or spelling will be corrected.

Sept 10, 1991 10th grade
OK me and Dalin are Kaput. I broke up with him today. I really like J. I dont know if he likes me. he told me he did but I dont know if he meant it as a friend or what. D is being really sweet. L wants to go out with me but I cant. ooookay. Here we go again. Return of Dalin apparently...I don't recall us getting together again in high school....apparently it was not worth remembering. J....he was the one who broke up with me because I would not sleep with him...and then he got my friend pregnant a few years later. YEAH ABSTINENCE. and D...don't even get me STARTED on him...those of you who know me from forever know who that asshole is.

Sept 25
Me and J have are still going out. Its a week today. Boy have we had our ups and downs the past few days but we are okay now. weve kissed 5 times and he asked me to homecoming. Me and D are still really good friends. aaaah J....so cute, such an adorable KY accent, he was such a good kisser to my 15 year old mind....this was all BEFORE he wanted my virtue. Again with D...this was way back when we first met....if only I knew then what would happen in the next 15 years....yowza.

I think that will do for this week. This trip down memory lane made me cranky...stupid D. heehee.

BOO YA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all

Wed post #2....a Cry for help...

I reallllllllllly want a 3 column blog.....can anyone help? and speak slooooooowly....I am html challanged....seriously.......props if you do it FOR me.

Just when I thought I had nothing to say today.....

First off....me not having anything to say....that IS funny now isn't it? I pulled me reader up this morning to find I have been given a blog award! Yeah me!! The lovely Janna has give me the following (I have no clue why it is written in Spanish but Gracias Janna)

The award states "This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships!These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."
I'm going to pass along to the following....
Patrice --even if she does NOT like Twilight
Stephanie --she has had a rough few days poor girl
L&W --she is a fellow military wife
Kristina because she makes me giggle
Alicia who also makes me giggle
Ohio Kelly
AmyL
and
Tracy because they are some of my mommy BFFs

**Editing this blog post because I have been given another award! 2 in one day! Yeah!!!
My friend Megan has given me the following....

So, the rules are as follows in order to accept the award, I need to:
Put the logo on my blog.
Add a link to the person who awarded me. (see above)
Nominate outstanding blogs that I follow. (Oh, how does one really choose?)
Add links to those blogs. (See below.)
Leave a message to those nominees on their blog.
And the Awards go toooooo:

Sarah and to

Heather

Dear Joe, I mean....Santa

There are some things that I really want need this Christmas and I thought that if I took the time to spell it out here in plain sight that perhaps I would wake up on Christmas morning a happy girl. I know that most of my gift requests are a lot little on the pricey side but I have been a reallllllly good girl this year so I'm pulling out all the stops.

I'm going to start right at the top of the "I know there is no way in hell I will get this" list and work down.

This Christmas I would love my very own:

Santa, it appears that the husband and I have some issues sharing a laptop. Yes, I am aware that we have both a laptop AND a desktop...but we are both too lazy to go to the other room....really Santa...it would be good for our relationship to be TOGETHER while surfing the Internet and watching TV instead of doing this from separate rooms. I know we have thus far been a PC family Santa, but I have so many friends who enjoy the iChat and this HAS to be a reason to switch to a MAC.

Something else on my Christmas list this year....

Santa, I work my ass off preserving my kids memories in photos. This truly is a gift that would just keep on giving. It also would be nice to have a photography class to go along with that...again, just thinking of the family.

Speaking of memory preservation....you know I have a bit of a soft spot for all things scrapbooking...and it is possible that I have an addiction to embellishments of all kinds. In fact...it would be safe to say that I need a little organization to my scrapbook supplies. Fear not though, I have found the PERFECT solution to my disorganization...

This is the clip it up organizer Joe Santa. It comes in a two tiered version as well....and you can find it at Archivers at Easton....in case your elves could not make it.

I know that this list is a bit much....and possibly unrealistic so, in case you were looking for something that would NOT cause us to have to forclose on our home.....I always can be bribed into happiness with

and

and let's not forget.....


or if you can possibly swing it....

Thanks for taking the time to read my Christmas letter Joe Santa. I hope you have a safe trip around the world.

Not Me Monday

I'm getting a good giggle at all of the people playing MckMama's Not Me Monday. So you know, being the follower I am....I'm jumping on board. Here are some things I did NOT do this past week...

I did NOT finish the Twilight Series for the 2nd time...and I am NOT thinking about starting it again. You know, because I am NOT obsessed with Edward Cullen

I did NOT eat like crap this past week only because I know there is no sense dieting until the first of the year.

I did NOT get into a big fight with my sister at my mom's holiday party. That would be immature

I did NOT turn 33. That is WAY old...I also did NOT remind my husband that when we met he was only 31 and I thought that was SUPER old.

I did NOT have a hangover the day after my birthday because I did NOT do jello shots and drink a bottle of wine by myself at my mom's party

I did not take a nap with my daughter that day and when she woke up then take one with my son.

I also did NOT have a big ass margarita at dinner that night with Joe and friends Sunday night since I was hungover

I did NOT buy myself a 2009 Twilight calender to hang in my cubicle at work...again with the immaturity.

I did NOT lie to my 5 year old that the play area at COSI was closed after spending 2 hours in the Sesame Street area because I was ready to go.

I think that about covers the main things that I did NOT do this week. Wonder what I wont do this week?

I STILL want a blog makeover and happy birthday to me!

Whoring out another great blog design website in hopes of winning a makeover....check out Creative K HERE.

So, today is my 21st 33rd birthday. I spent last night at a party at my mom's where the main course was wine with a side of little sister drama. However, good times WERE had. Today I have a wicked headache.

So I follow this blog called theoneminutewriter who gives a daily "thought" for something to blog about. I keep them on file for days when I may need some inspiration despite the advice from the lovely KristinaP not to stress myself over getting a blog out every day (I promise I wont and I will skip a day eventually...) A few days ago the topic was birthday memory....to post about your most memorable birthday. I knew right away that I had to save this for today.

7 years ago back when Joe and I were engaged we took a cruise that happened to have a day in Key West that fell on my birthday. By some miracle the 8 craziest people (us included) all wound up sharing the same dinner table on the cruise. We were that table that just annoyed the hell out of everyone but we had FUN! There was a couple in their 50s, a gay couple in there late 30, a newly divorced girl who came with a friend to party for a week, and us. We spent the entire trip with these people. The last day before being back was spent in Key West which is one of my favorite places!

Lunch....oysters at the best little hole on Duval St

Followed by drinks and dancing at

I don't remember a lot of the specifics of this day (Im not saying I was THAT hammered....yeah actually I am) but I do know that this day (and really the entire trip) was one of the best vacations Joe and I have had. Someday we will do it again....

cheers

I was thinking about skipping today but then the anal girl in me that has not missed a day yet since I started this kicked in. I really have nothing exciting to add to the blog world as I am packing up for the night to head out to my mom's (the one who is NOT a garden tool) for some drinking festivities. She is having a girly party tonight and guess what...I'm NOT coming home...which means a sleep in day tomorrow...WAHOOOO.

Pet Peeves

I can go from zero to SUPER annoyed in about 2 seconds. Not many things set me off like this but I do have a few hot buttons.

Such as.

People who laugh for no reason at all. There are 2 ladies I work with that are NOTORIOUS for this. Drives me bat shit crazy. They will transfer a call and laugh when they give me the name of the person on the phone. Ask how they are and they are fine with a giggle at the end. Seriously....why are you so nervous? Do you have a body in your car?

My husband answering a questions with the sound "eh" I asked you a question that requires a yes or no response...do NOT make a noise that sounds somewhere in between...unless of course you just want me to pick the answer I like best....."But honey you said YES when I asked if I could go shopping"

My mother....it is safe to post this because she really only reads when I send her the link to a really good post....My mother has a habit (that I don't think she is aware of) of bringing my sister up every time I do something that she wishes that my sister would or could do...it makes me feel like crap. For example...most recently my Christmas cards that I put together from Shutterfly..."those are So cute. sigh. I wish L would do something like that" or when we take the kids somewhere...."sigh....I wish L would do that with her kids" Okay, when you say this to me you make me feel guilty and then I get pissed.

Empty wine bottles. MAN that chaps my ass.

Thinking about the fact that Stephenie Meyer may or may not finish Midnight Sun. Gets my panties all in a bunch whenever I think about not ever reading Edward's version of Twilight.

Oh here is a good one....at work.....people who call me and immediately start chirping my ear off without telling me what their name is....or pretend like they are the ONLY person that I am dealing with that day.

I know there is something I am forgetting.....yeah, forgetting things gets on my nerves too....

What are your pet peeves?

Dear Diary Thursday

I had so much fun with this last week that I figured I would give it another go this week. I'm going to try and go easy on my poor mom this week. I feel the need to remind...spelling and grammar are as is....

May 10, 1990 (8th grade)
Me and Dalin =5 weeks today. Jason A likes me and he is cute but he is not my type, he smokes AND drinks. Dalin used to smoke I think, but he quit. Shannon is coming to my pool party but Dalin can't because he is going to W Virgina. And now time for self analysis. Yes I did actually have a boyfriend named Dalin. Bless his heart he was SO sweet. I still know Jason A in my adult life--he is now a youth minister in a church. Smoking AND drinking in 8th grade? Yowza. You know...those boys that smoke...never were my type...which is why I made Joe quit when we got together.

May 25th, 1990
"Me and Dalin =7 weeks and we are in a big fight right now cuz he found out that I sat next to Troy at the movies and had a COW. I told him I wuz sorry but it seems best to break up because Im going to Jersey in Jan. But I really do love him alot." ahhhh, young love. So sweet that I had to break up with him to go flirt with boys on my Christmas vacation visiting my dad.

Sept 30th, 1990 (big bad freshman now)
Sorry I havent writtan in awhile. Jade is a MAJOR jerk. I dont like Mike anymore. Joe J really wants me to go out with him. I like Mark S and I think he likes me. The band got all the major awards but one. Angie likes Eric G and I think he likes her too. Um wow. That is a lot of boys mentioned in one day. Yes, I also had a boyfriend named Jade...where did I FIND these guys...oh that's right...Newark. This does answer one question for me....the Joe J mentioned above friended me on facebook a few weeks ago. I knew I knew him but could not remember why...I guess it is because he still carries unrequited love for me after all this time.....

Nov 3rd, 1990
Me and Andy broke up a long time ago. I dont know who I like now. Jason B is cute but he is a major pain in the ass. Ang likes my ex Brian. YUCK Apparently 9th grade is the year I went ape shit boy crazy. Good thing I was a good girl through high school (no, really) the slut potential here is out of control.

March 10, 1991 (this one cracks me UP)

Me and Matt = 1 week and 2 days. We went and saw Kindergarden Cop today. I kissed Matt 7 times. Joyce and Bridie are becoming my best friends. Me and them got drunk last night, Matt was really mad. Ohhhhh Matt. Sigh. He was (and probably still is) SO hot. And really??...drunk??...I totally remember this night. It was a HUGE glass of orange juice with like half a shot of peach schnapps. What a lush.

Well kids, this once again was a fun trip down memory lane. Let's do it again next week, same time, same place

Alarm sounds....

Wait, who am I kidding. We never wake up to an alarm anymore....in fact I don't even remember waking up to an alarm. Okay....let me start over.

3:00 am- "Mommmmyyyyyyyyyy" get Mallory, bring her in bed with us.
4:00- Evil dog downstairs starts barking. Joe gets up to let him out
5:00- Pierce rolls in. Climbs into bed with us, disturbs dog in bed who growls and attempts to bite toes
5:30-Joe gets up. One or both children are usually awake...have learned that TIVO shows can now be watched in our room-demand Transformers, Imagination Movers Mickey Mouse be put on TV (Mallory wins...no shock there)
5:45 "I'm ready to go downstairs" "It is not time to go downstairs yet, mommy still has to shower and get ready for work"
5:50 "Mallory let's go PLAY"
5:51 disturb dog in bed who growls and attempts to bite toes
6:00 drag ass out of bed. stumble blindly into shower
6-6:10 tell Pierce NOT to help his sister in and out of her crib, that she can get hurt. Finish shower, stumble back into bedroom
6:10-6:15- Put makeup sometimes with Mallory's help, sometimes not. Tell children NOT to sit so close to the edge of Pierce's bed (I remember thinking a loft bed with a slide was a GREAT idea)
6:20-6:30-get kids dress. Here Pierce remind me that he only likes shirts with "something on it" (a character of some sort) Have him remind me how to put his socks on properly
6:30 head downstairs. Hot mess at the bottom while evil dog downstairs tries to see if today is the day Scarlet will love him. Nope.
6:30-6:45- While putting Mallory's hair up "I want a pop tart, no some cereal, no a donut" (they get a REAL breakfast at school" "I want my milk" I want juice mommy...the juice goes in first, THEN the water"
6:45-feed Scarlet...while placing her food on the floor, catch Stitch when he comes running to eat it, (HAHAHA) put him in cage
6:45-6:50 kids in car "I want my pop tart/cereal/donut" I want my milk/juice" "can you put Wall-E on?"
6:50 start car. "Mommy, put Wall-E on, can you turn it up?"
6:50-7:10 Answer the same questions that I answered yesterday. Including but not limited to
"Why is Wall-E a robot?
"Why does Eve like that plant?"
"Where is that airplane going"
"Why do you have to show that guy your card to get to my school?"
7:15 Drop kids off. Head to work.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat

I've been tagged!!

I have been tagged by my sweet new blogger friend Stephanie from Star and a Wish to give up 7 random things about myself. If I tag you, I hope you will do the same!

1)I met my husband Joe on a blind date. A blind date that I was very against going on. You know, because I did not need someone to hook me up with a boy.

2)Prior to dating Joe, I have had 3 serious boyfriends. They were all named David. (look out Gina)

3)I don't cook. I can make a mean salsa and really good chicken and noodles but that is it.

4)I hate to fly. I hate it so much that I have to be drunk or medicated (or both) to be able to do it without totally freaking out. I used to date a pilot

5)I almost got kicked out of my sorority in college before I was even initiated because I was a bitch to the older girls....shocker right? I then went on to hold 3 respectable offices.

6)I stumbled onto the knot.com while planning my wedding and 7 years later I have met and am best friends with "some of those Internet girls"

7)I hate needles. I have to lay down if I need to have blood drawn. However I do have 3 tattoos.

I am going to tag.....

Amy (she is a new blogger and needs something to do)
American in Norway
TracyP
Yaya
Mel (cuz the bitch ignored me last time)

I'm cutting it off at 5....because I don't follow rules well.
Ready......GO

I wanna blog makeover

Angela over at Bringing Creativity is having a give-a-way for a blog makeover. Don't bother entering because I'm going to win but I need to post HERE to get 2 entries! Again, don't bother entering....yes.....Im competitive....
Angela's-Give-Away

Scroll down for today's boring ass post.

Dont Let the Face Fool you.....This is Pure Evil

I have told you all about my dog that bites here. I figured it would only be fair to give my other dog his moment to shine. Let me introduce you to Stitch. Just like his namesake he is evil. No really....PURE EVIL.

This right here is 4 pounds of rotten. When we first saw him on the breeders website and saw that his name was Stitch we knew he was ours. At the time the kids were in love with Lilo and Stitch. We dipped into the kids college fund to pay for him (KIDDING) and brought him home with us. Something so small and sweet could certainly not rule the house right? Oh wait...I just described Mallory too.

Anyways.....fast forward just over a year. While we truly do love this dog here are a few things that make him a total pain in the ass he could work on.

After a year....he still shits in our house. He has been known to eat his own crap, you know, with the same mouth he kisses my children with. He has not yet learned that Scarlet hates him, and will always hate him, and does not WANT to play. Despite the fact that he has numerous toys, his favorite thing to chew on are the kids' toys and my books. He will take food and possibly a finger right out of your hands at the speed of light and be gone before you even realize what has happened. He eats his dog food from the bottom of the bowl up....getting it ALL over the kitchen floor...He knows when you are getting ready to put him in his "house" and runs like hell so you cant catch him. He begins complaining to get out of said house around 4am. Loudly. What may shorten his life span though is his constant mission to destroy the cats. He thinks he was put on this earth to torment them. He guards the cat door like he is on border patrol and if he even SEES a cat will dart through it to chase them back down the steps. If he suspects they are near the cat door he will fly off of the back of the couch barking like Cujo to make sure they are not thinking about coming upstairs. The only time they get out of the basement is when he is in his house.

A few endearing trademarks are what saves him....When you give him a treat, he runs around the house with it is his mouth growling like a bad ass...cracks me up. When you are telling him how rotten he is he cocks his head to the side like he is really understanding (not so much caring about) what you have to say. Every night around 8 he jumps up on Joe, gets right up in his face and makes these little growls because he wants to play. Unlike Scarlet, the kids can pet him without fear of getting bitten.

He probably could have benefited from some obedience training....hmmm....maybe his Aunt Gina who I know will be reading this will come and take him to doggy boot camp for awhile....

Happy Monday all. Sorry all you get today is a dog blog....that is all I can come up with this early in the week.

Weekend recap

This weekend went by entirely too fast and was pretty much void of grown up activities. My cold is still in full force and I would much rather have stayed home and washed down cold pills with Chardonnay but what is a mommy supposed to do?

I do want to preface this by saying that Pierce came into our room at 6:01 this morning and proudly announced that he waited till the clock said 6 at the FRONT to wake us up. Next project...move to 7.

Yesterday was my office's annual children's Christmas party. They do a really realllllly good job with this. The "Santa" that we are assigned to (who are employees and not Pervy Mall Santas) will usually email you asking what they should bring up with your kids (transformers/Mickey Mouse) to you know...keep it real. You also are assigned a time so you don't have to wait in line with other snot nosed kids like when you see Pervy Mall Santa.

So, let's take a trip down memory lane to LAST year's Christmas party.


I think it is safe to say that Mallory was not impressed. Mother of the Year that I am however I threw her up there anyways to get my picture. Scrapbook moms don't screw around when it comes to must have shots like Santa visits.

Back to this year. I was flying solo since Joe had to work this weekend....Mallory has been somewhat interested in Santa this year so I had hopes that maybe I would not need to feel like a child abuser.

SUCCESS! Fritos in no way paid for this advertising.

There was also a guy there called Iguana Bob, or Rob (can you tell I paid attention?) that had all sorts of nasty things like a big ass millipede, a tarantula a tiny little alligator....and no iguana. The kids thought he was pretty cool.

After the party we had to head to a birthday party for Pierce's girlfriend (remember...no nap for me yesterday) While we were there we were blessed with our first real snow of the year and people lost their damn minds when it came to driving. What should have taken me 20 minutes to get home took me an hour. Oh, and the kicker....the only grown up activity scheduled for the weekend (dinner with Joe's work peeps)was cancelled due to bad roads.

Today we headed out to the base for Joe's Christmas party. I scored a bottle of wine in the gift exchange (you know I never did give Joe the choice to pick a gift....Wife AND Mother of the Year)we hung around in the hanger for awhile letting the kids see a military plane, helicopter and jump on some inflatable stuff and then home we came so I could score that nap (with Mallory) that I missed yesterday. Tonight after the kids go to bed, Joe and I are going to watch Stepbrothers (funniest movie EVER) and get some Thai takeout and maybe I will crack open that bottle of wine...okay, probably.

A letter to my children

My dearest children,

I know that you find life to be SO exciting that you just cant wait to begin another day. Mommy finds that so exhausting wonderful. I do however have a demand request of you.....

Pierce---mommy's sweet boy. I have known you now for 5 years. Trust me when I say that I KNOW you want a cracktart poptart, I KNOW you want dinosaur oatmeal, and I KNOW you want some juice and that the juice goes in first and THEN the water. I also know that you will want your THIRD breakfast sometime before 9am. That is what happens when you get up at dark o clock....you need 3 breakfasts. Speaking of time Pierce....last night when mommy told you not to come into my room until your clock said 6 on it. I meant 6:00, not 5:06. I understand that I may need to make that a little more clear tonight.

Mallory--- my baby. Seeing as you spend a majority of your night hogging my bed sleeping with daddy and I, Im not really sure why you feel the need to get up at dark o clock to spend even more time with us. Since you are up though....yes I will get you some milk and I will try my best to get it in the amount of time that you feel is acceptable. I will also do my very best to get Mickey Mouse on the TV as quickly as I can because as a child of the TIVO generation you know that you can demand that your BFF be on TV anytime you want it.

One more thing about being awake this early....I know I said we are going to see Santa today but guess what kids....Santa does NOT get up at dark o clock. So you are going to have to try this neat thing called PATIENCE. During this time of patience mommy is going to have some tea, and a shower. The BEST part of today is....after seeing Santa we get to go right to a birthday party which means any chance of mommy getting to score a nap today are pretty much shot to hell. You guys enjoy that nap in the car though...I will try not to fall asleep at the wheel.

Remember....Mommy loves you. Let's do this again tomorrow.

My Needs According to Google

I'm going the lazy route today because frankly....I feel like crap today. I'm home sick but have been on such a blog posting run that I did not want to miss a day....Im sure I will eventually though. Anyways....I saw this on another blog and thought it was pretty darn funny, and a nice fill in when my brain is too fogged up on cold meds to come up with something original. Feel free to do the same and give me a giggle.

My needs according to Google. What I did was type in "Cammie needs" into the google search bar. Here are the top 10 things I "need"

1) Cammie needs her virginity notarized-- Well google...sorry to say you missed the boat on that one

2)Cammie needs punched in the face-- LMAO....but maybe it would loosen up my sinuses

3)Cammie needs a house sitter.--- That should say a house KEEPER but I will take a sitter too I guess

4)Cammie needs to be done away--my goodness Google....violent much?

5)Cammie needs a fenced environment and could benefit from some obedience training.--holy crap, I could not make that up if I tried! Joe would probably agree with this

6)Cammie needs a sturdy bed for her nighttime activities--ummmm. wow

7)Cammie needs to be looked at--I guess so since it sounds like Cammie is a porn star

8)Cammie needs a job--above does not pay well?

9)Cammie needs a family of her own to love--indeed she does...thank God I have one

10)Cammie needs a second chance---at what??

Well now. This was insightful. Good to know that Google thinks I'm a skank that needs to be killed. Yeah me!

okay, back to the couch with my tea, and book--Happy Friday!

I guess I always have been a little on the dramatic side.....

So, my sweet friend Megan gave me the idea from one of her blog posts last week to go fishing through my diary and post some gems from my teen aged years. Now, let me preface this by saying that I really TRULY love my mother and sister and apologize in advance for the nastiness that may come out....really....truly....love them (sorry mom). For extra grins I will not be correcting grammar or spelling. Okay, here we go....

Jan 22, 1990
"mom treats me like I am 4 instead of 14. I cant call boys, no phone calls longer then 10 minutes, no dates. she used to let Lee Ann wear makeup and I cant even call Clay or Andy. What if Jason would have answered the phone when she said no calling boys? MOM MAKES ME SO MAD SOMETIMES" (underlined 3 times) okay. So my 32 year old self has taken note that 3 different boys are mention in this entry. I do remember all of them. One is probably in jail, one streaked across the campus our senior year and the last broke up with me when we dated a few years later because I would not sleep with him. Then he got a friend of mine pregnant. Good call mom.

Jan 26th, 1990
"Well here I am again the live in babysitter. I should be going skating tonite with all my friends but noooooo I have to sit and Shannon's gonna be there too, and mom has the nerve to make me sit again next friday. I cant believe her. If I lived with my dad Id never have to baby sit for Lee Ann." Well then. Yes, I lived at the skating rink for probably 3 years. And yes there is a new boy mentioned 4 days after the above entry. And live with my dad? Holy hell THAT would have not ended well.

Feb 11, 1990
My mother grounded me for calling my sister a brat. She can be such a hoe. The ONLY fun I have in my life is when I go to school, skating and when I'm with my dad. If I dont get to go skating this weekend I will run away. Im going crazy in this place. Im staying in my room ALL DAY. ohhhh, Im sorry I called my mom a hoe (Im even sorrier that I spelled it like a garden tool) but really? run away over the skating rink? and again with the dad? This was back when I actually liked him but WHOA....DRA-MUH

Nov 22, 1990
Im sitting here talking to Darrick on the phone. Im really starting to like him but Heather is a problem clingy bitch It looks like things arent going to well with them the dont match up too well. She really likes him, he likes me. I hope I can go skating tomorrow. More tomorrow
yeah, I remember that boy too. Thank God that crush did not last long...oh and that Heather chick...she could have kicked my ass.

Well, I think I have embarrassed myself enough for one day. Maybe we will do this again next week....and My mom.....she is NOT a garden tool.

Wordless Wednesday

The Santa Dilemma

Oh the things that I did not ever think about before becoming a parent. When I was little Santa always came and we were pretty much always happy with what he brought. I'm not sure at what age I stopped believing in Santa but even after I did I had a little sister so I had to play the game. We did not get presents from our parents, Christmas gifts came from Santa. Now don't get me wrong, we were raised to know that Christmas is really to celebrate the birth of Jesus but still, every Christmas we were up at the crack of dawn....sometimes earlier thanks to said little sister to see what Santa had brought. Now I AM Santa. But this Santa knows that sadly not all little boys and girls get to experience the joy of coming down those stairs to see what has been left because they come from families that may not be able to afford Christmas. Or even children that churches do those Christmas boxes for in other countries that have nothing. The kids' daycare even has a toy drive for families that may need help this Christmas. My thoughts are rambling here but my point is I'm just not sure how to explain this to Pierce. I want my children to know the magic of Christmas that I had as a child but I also want them to understand that there are less fortunate families out there and we need to have compassion for them. To a 5 year old though he is just going to wonder why Santa does not bring them gifts. I know that the easy answer is just to have most of the gifts come from Joe and I and have Santa just do a few things....but I'm a stickler for tradition.....I want them to have Christmas like my brother, sister and I did.

sigh. I guess I don't know what the answer is. I wish they could just stay innocent forever and not have to know that there is so much sadness out there, and not even just at Christmas time.

yeah for my first rambling post that may not even make sense.

A Christmas meme for the first of December!

Okay, so I wanted to do a meme.....and if I tag you below you better play!!! Post this on your blog, answer and then tag 5 other people.....ready....GO

1) Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper

2) Real tree or artificial Artificial, real ones are messy...I can spray pine scent in the house if I want it that badly

3)When do you put up the tree? Usually Thanksgiving weekend

4)When do you take the tree down? within a few days of Christmas

5)Do you like eggnog? barf

6) Favorite gift received as a child? My Cabbage Patch doll twins....there names were Krissy and Irma...really....Irma

7)Hardest person to buy for? JOE

8) Easiest person to buy for? my mom, she always tells me what to get her

9)Do you have a nativity scene? No, but I wish I did

10)Worst Christmas gift you ever received? My mom got me a girdle the Christmas that Pierce was 6 weeks old...and I had post partum depression.....yeah, not a good gift

11)Favorite Christmas Movie? Does Charlie Brown Christmas count?

12)Favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells

13)Travel at Christmas or stay home? Does a 20 minute drive to Dublin count?

14)Angel

15)Favorite ornament theme or color? no theme, but like I posted below, Joe and I like to get a new ornament each time we go somewhere on vacation

I am going to tag.....

Megan

Amy

Kelly

Melissa

and Casey Casey, I hope you don't mind the tag....I need to hit outside my circle of friends so THEY have someone left to tag!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree....

The kids, Joe and I put up the tree last night, and all of the lights on the house Griswald style. So far we have the best decorated house on the street!

I love the ornaments that Joe and I have collected over the time we have been together. We get a new ornament every time we go somewhere on vacation. This is the first new one that we got this year....bought over Easter weekend when we were on a cruise

Over the summer on our trip to the timeshare and our first visit to the Biltmore Estate

This one is from our honeymoon to Rivera Maya

And this...one of my favorites from when we took The Boy and went to New Orleans when he was almost one

From the best family vacation ever last May--Cinderella's castle

I have saved a few "gems" from when I was little, I think I made this hot mess in first grade

Can you guess how old this ornament is?

While I am very happy to have the Christmas tree up, Im not so thrilled about having to yell at the kids (and the cats) to leave it alone for the next month.

Fun with Joe

So, my husband gets this super hot picture taken of him in his honor guard uniform and what does his sister do? Off to photoshop she goes for some of the most picture viewing fun I have had in awhile. (thanks Gina)

First off, Joe goes to the moon....one small step for mankind and all that....

Next we are off to a tropical destination of some sort....one I don't recall being on with him...I must have been super wasted

Yeah, I got nothing for this one.....mostly because I have no flipping clue what those things are (anyone??)

again....he must have been to a game that I was not at either that or he was posting the flag for the game...either way he had great seats....O-H

Joe is way older then I thought he was.....

I have never had the pleasure of seeing this movie with Farmer Smith and his sister Ida....but apparently....they use preservatives in the "tastiest smoked meat in town" (barf)

"I know you are but what am I?" Off to the Alamo to help Pee Wee find his bike.

YUM!!

It's a major award.....from FRAGILE

I hope you have enjoyed traveling with Joe.