The price of remodeling

Yeah, so I'm not talking about the monetary price although that was a bit rough too. I'm talking about the mental price! For the next 3 days my house will be in total chaos. More so than usual.

Joe and I spent the weekend moving our living room into the family room toy room. At first the kids thought it was cool to have random furniture piled up in their space but that did not last long. We also had to clean out 2 closets that have not seen the light of day since Betty White was a little girl.

The most fun though was watching poor Joe tear out the cabinet and sink in our downstairs bathroom. It cost him 2 trips to Lowes and almost a finger. Good times. I had the task of cleaning the dining room. See, we don't so much DINE in the dining room. We have a beautiful round table in there and we use it to store our STUFF. By stuff I mean anything we don't know what to do with. I cant even define STUFF because it was truly just a whole lot of random.

Most of the STUFF in the dining room was my scrapbook stuff. It was everywhere!! I was in dire need of some organization. So, I talked Joe into letting me claim a little corner of it for my "craft". It was SUPER pretty until we moved more crap into the dining room that overflowed from the toy room



The biggest crisis of the day though? No, it was not trying to throw random kid toys away while they were not looking (I was like a ninja), it was not finding missing neighborhood children under our couches(ew)....it was THIS

Look close class....do you see what that is? That is my wine rack and in front of it is a CHAIR and tons of other crap. Guess who forgot to pull out a bottle prior to it being blocked? Guess who sent her husband climbing through it all to pull me out a rescue bottle? NOW who's a ninja??

Come Wednesday though it will be all worth it. I will have beautiful new floors and will be able to spend my free time watching my dogs try to run on laminate hardwood. And when cats puke up smaller cats on my floor a quick wipe up will take care of it. Good times? Indeed

Please go visit my bloggy friend Jenny. She has opened up a new store (oh how I wish I could sew)and is having a give a way!

Dear So and So.....Vacation Edition

On my last full day of soaking up sunshine in beautiful Holden Beach, NC I thought I would take the time to address the many people/things that made this visit awesome....as well as a few random things that I have waiting for me back home

Want to play along? Go link up with Kat. She is cool for a variety of reasons and her husband just got a promotion in the military so she doubly deserves a shout-out this week

Dear Holden Beach,
I heart you. I truly do. You have given us awesome weather this week....the water has been awesome too. Mallory does ask me to pass on a little message for her but please note....this reflects nothing on my love for you.....Mallory would like you to know that your constant waves in, waves out drama really sucks. She thinks you are scary and would appreciate you keeping the movement to a minimum next year. Pierce also asked me to pass along that he had an AWESOME time riding the boogie board and jumping your waves. Many thanks for wearing him out every single day
Until Next Year,
Cammie

Dearest 6AM,
I cannot tell you how awesome it has been not to see you one time this week. Apparently the secret to forever leaving The House of No Sleep is to move to the beach and play in the ocean every day. I don't mean to be a bitch, but I really don't like you 6AM....
See You Next Week,
Cammie

Dear Pierce and Mallory,
Mommy hopes that you had an awesome time this week. We tried new things (putt putt for you sissy, sleeping till 8 for both of you)and you pretty much behaved ALL WEEK. Pierce, you seem to have picked up that nothing really all that exciting goes on between the hours of 6AM and 8AM....what are the chances of you keeping this up when we get home? Maybe just on weekends? No? Suck. Mallory my beach hating princess.....I'm so glad that on your LAST FLIPPING DAY HERE you decided to accompany me down to the "wet sand". You let me hold you at the very edge of the water let the water get your toe toes. Next year let's try and get your knees wet. Please keep the fighting to a minimum on day one of our drive home tomorrow. Mommy does not want to have to break out the duck tape.
Love, Mommy

Dear Self,
Way to be a dumbass and decide that you don't need the camera on your last day here. Suuuuuure, we don't need the camera on the last day because you have taken hundreds of pics down at the beach this week. We did not need to capture that last day. The one wear Mallory actually let the water touch her, the one where we dug a HUGE puddle for the kids to play in....the one wwhere we caught some tiny little fish and put them in that puddle making Mallory bust out "The Sissy Squeal" which is one of my favorite sounds. Good job slacker.
Smacking Myself In the Head,
Cammie

Dear Betty's Waterfront Restaurant,
Oh how I love you. Thank you so much for the 5lbs you helped me gain in one meal. I love that your signature dish is a pound and a half of really BIG crab legs. I love feeling like a messy disgusting pig as I suck down every last bite dipped in butter....I will send you the bill for my stint placement.
Forever Your Biggest Fan
Cammie

Dear Makeup, hair product and on occasion bra and panties,
Thanks for taking a back seat in my life this week. I love beach living that even WITHOUT you I'm still prettier than some of the other people making bad fashion choices down here. I loved lounging around the beach house and on the deck with the neighbors having NO clue that I was flaunting my girly business under my cover up. Being as I DO have to go back to work on Monday we will be reacquainted soon. My co-workers will appreciate it.
Enjoying the Breeze,
Cammie

Dear Tivo,
Sweet Lord how we have missed you. Growing up in these times my children do not realize that when WE were little we had to put up with what was on, when it was on...not to mention that whole "change the channel with pliers once the knob fell off" deal. This week we were forced to endure constant episodes of Oswald and Pinky Dinky Do before it was time to head down to the beach on top of listening to Mallory bitch about wanting to watch Diego or Mickey Mouse. These kids would not have lasted 5 seconds in the 80s
Missing You,
TV Whore and Whore-lets

Dear 4 bottles of wine I picked up, the 4 more I will pick up in Mt Airy tomorrow and the bottle of bloody mary mix Joe the alcohol fairy brought while I was napping,
I love you, Let's make out when we get home
Yours Till My Liver Falls Out
Cammie

She Sells Sea Shells

Hello from fabulous Holden Beach, North Carolina! We made it here without having to strap a single child to the top of the van! Hooray!!

We make our trek from Ohio to NC in 2 days because frankly I cannot deal with being trapped in such a confined space with my children for longer than the 6 hours on day one. I realllllly wanted to stop for some duck tape around 8PM last night when instead of falling asleep like sweet angels in the car they kept freaking talking all the way till 11PM

We got here around 1 today and after unloading the car decided to take a quick trip down to the water which is right across the street from the beach house. While walking up to the walkway Mallory asked me if she could have a coconut on the beach. Awwww, how sweet....she is going to LOVE the beach

If my daughter used the colorful language that I am fond of I think she would have said the following....."WHAT THE HELL IS THAT AND NO WAY AM I PUTTING MY ASS IN IT!!!!" To say she was not impressed with the ocean is a mild understatement. Add to the fact that she was running on no nap and I had quiet a witchy little thing with me. While Pierce ran around joyfully shouting that he loves the beach and loves the ocean and was having a grand old time Witchy McBrat scowled at the water, at me, at the other people on the beach and told me that she was NOT going to get wet. Bet me. I picked her up and carried her to the VERY edge of where the water was coming up and put her down on her feet. The water barely touched her toes when she went screaming holy hell back up to the blankets and told me to "get her outta there" She did find a bit of fun in collecting shells and putting them in her bucket and that may be the ONLY way we get her back down to the sand.

Made a quick stop to the store to stalk up on wine necessities and we are taking it easy tonight.

Tomorrow it is back to torturing one kid and building sand castles with the other

134

Wow, I have 134 followers. I feel like I need to declare today National Leave Cammie A Comment Day because I know that out of all 134 of you only about 20 of you fail to kill a fairy. Not sure what I am talking about? Go read my comment box.

I heart ALL 134 of you and I want to PLAY with you all! I can no longer see my followers here at work (darn filter software gives me a big old HEY WE ARE WATCHING YOU every time I pull up my blog)so come on out of lurk mode so I can see who you are. I know I tend to be a bit scary at times but I promise that (for the most part) I am nice. I don't bite. much.

Don't kill the fairies guys. They are people too.

I have been incognito for a few days now and I have realized that it is because I am a bit stressed about my upcoming trip to DC this weekend. I'm pretty excited about 6 days away with my husband but I'm starting to stress leaving the kiddos. Add that to the fact that I hate to fly and I'm a bit frazzled. I'm hoping that once we actually GET there and I find out that my 3 year old is not rocking in a corner crying for her mommy (I know Pierce will be fine, he is actually excited to spend 6 days with his cousins)I will calm down a bit. If I DO find out that 3 year old is not rocking in a corner crying for her mommy I will probably just stay hammered all week and try not to throw up on anyone important to my husband's job. YES I'm kidding, but it is kind of fun to watch Joe get all twitchy when I tell him that.

Now.....YOU.....go forth and comment. Yep, I am looking at YOU

Not Me Monday

Monday again already??? I swear the weekends just keep getting shorter! You know the drill.....Not Me Monday was created by MckMama to tell the world about all of the things that you did NOT do over the past week. I find it to be rather therapeutic!!

This past week.....hmmmmm.......

I did NOT spend a lot of last week working on a project that I will talk about later this week. I was NOT AT ALL thrilled with the outcome and will NOT expect much attention from you all in regards to said project. What do you all think I am? An attention whore? Not Me.

I did NOT read Eclipse for the 3rd time. In fact I'm not even going to bother mentioning this since all of you already know that I do NOT have an infatuation with the Twilight series. That said, I do NOT plan on reading Breaking Dawn (for the 3rd time) this week as well.

I did NOT decide to start training for a 5K that I may or may not even run in. I was NOT AT ALL proud of myself for not only running on the treadmill, but living to tell about it. I am NOT AT ALL out of shape and I am NOT determined to do this and lose some weight in the process.

Friday I was NOT excited to put my kids to bed so that I could enjoy my Tivo'd Today Show with the New Kids on the Block....I did NOT stop and rewind a few parts more than once while wiping the drool from my chin.

At the same time I was NOT enjoying my New Kids porn Joe was NOT in the kitchen BAKING his daughter's birthday cake. When he told me that the New Kids were gay I did NOT point out to him that he was the one working on a 3 layer pink princess cake.



Saturday.......I did NOT celebrate my daughter's 3rd birthday (more on this on her actual bday which is this Friday) We did NOT have a wonderful day at the park with friends and family.

BFF Liz did NOT give me the biggest smile ever when revealing to me her gift for my daughter which was a t-shirt that read "The Future Griffin McIntyre" who is NOT the son of my beloved Joey McIntyre aka hottest New Kid ever.

I did NOT find that ironic seeing as just 3 weeks ago I did NOT get my friend's daughter a shirt that read "Lil Miss Cullen" for her birthday

I did NOT have a wonderful mother's day!! I did not come downstairs to be greeted with smiley kids wishing me a happy Mother's day! I also did NOT love finding a case of wine, Archivers gift card and 90210 Season 4 waiting for me! Yeah!!!

Hope all of you mommy's did NOT have a wonderful Mother's day as well!

Not Me Monday

Happy Monday!! All over the bloggy world people are happily posting their NOT ME MONDAY's to say how happy their are that STELLAN is HOME with his family!! Finally on the right combo of meds to keep his little heart working until he is old enough for another surgery! Head over to MckMama's blog if you are one of the last 5 people on earth who don't know who Stellan and MckMama are.

Sooooo, last week was kind of boring actually.....not a lot of things to NOT tell you about. hmmmm.

I did NOT deal with Mallory's temper tantrums at least 5 times last week. Each time I did NOT have to close windows in fear that the neighbors would hear and call children's services. I do NOT play that conversation in my head over and over....."no Ms Social Work Person, I have NOT been beating my daughter.....trust me, I have realllllllly wanted to but this performance is 100% ass beating free"

I did NOT go to the gym 3 times last week.....this did NOT make me happy because I am NOT serious about losing weight......I do NOT have a little over a month to drop some lbs before our trip to DC

Speaking of DC.....The fam did NOT head out to the airforce base in Dayton so Joe could get fit for a "mess dress" uniform which apparently is the military's version of a tux--which he will NOT be wearing when he accepts the awesome award that he won.
Why did the entire fam go on a trip to buy a uniform? Because I do NOT get excited to shop at the class 6 liquor store with cheap wine and no tax. Not one bit.
And finally.....to start my new week off on the right foot.....I did NOT snap THIS picture on my way in this morning....


I did NOT at all fear that they would dive bomb me on my way into the office.

I did not win the lotto

This is a sad day. This was the day that I was supposed to win the lotto. However my plans have since been thwarted by some asshole in New Jersey. Jealous? Moi?

Yes

See the thing is.....I'm not greedy about it. I would have been willing to SHARE those millions (evident in the fact that I was in on a pool of 97 people here in my office). I would have gladly accepted just ONE of those millions. Heck I would have taken $500,000. Okay, seriously....I would have taken $50,000

I am not under the impression that money buys happiness. Not at all. What money does buy is shoes, purses, a mac Book, makeup, and new wardrobes for myself and my family. THAT buys happiness.

Sure all those millions could buy a kick ass house but unless it came with a kick ass maid and a pool boy that looked like Edward Cullen I really would not be interested anyways.

Really though....I would have been happy just winning enough to pay off my house, cars and that damn student loan that has lingered longer than my knowledge from said degree did.

So screw you personinNewJerseywhowonmymillions. Way to crush my dreams. I suppose I will have to continue to live with my husband/soul mate who I adore and the 2 best kids in the world in a house that does NOT have a wine cellar.....without my macBook. Or pool boy.

sigh

I am an open book

Thanks for playing Q&A with me. I got some good questions out of you! So, without further ado.....it's time to play What do you want to know about Cammie.......

Kami wants to know---"How did you choose the names of your children?" Actually, we had BOTH of our children picked out before they were even conceived. I had Pierce's name in the back of my mind before I even met Joe. It is my mother's maiden name. Had he been a girl we were going with Anna after Joe's grandmother. Joe picked out Mallory's name from guess where......"what will we do baby....without us......sha na na na na" Had she been a boy her name would have been Jack.

JananaBee asks....."Are you going to have any more children?" Well Janna let me put it to you this way.....Joe is no longer capable of knocking me up. I on the other hand can have another baby anytime I want to also have a divorce.

Crazy girl BeeAndRose had a few questions for me...."how much wine does it take to get you seriously wasted these days" Well Ms BeeAndRose my answer might surprise you.....I actually can cap a nice buzz on 2 glasses of wine. Based on my antics of my Jersey Train Wreck weekend to get seriously wasted I need 2 xanax and a full bottle of wine. She also wanted to know "The weirdest thing you have ever done while drinking wine?" I stole a very large plant from BW3 once in college (this is a wings type eating place) Very large. Walked right out the door with it. "Are you a cheap wino or do you lean toward pricier wines????" For the most part I am an equal opportunity wine drinker. I stay away from the likes of Boone's Farm though. "red, white...which do you prefer...box or bottle?????" Ahhh the good old days of boxed wine....or as I liked to call it.....a party in a box. I'm mostly a red drinker but I also like white.

TheBookKitten asks...."...how would you react when you finally got some sleep in your house?" Since she is new to my blog I wont tell her that me getting some sleep would misalign the cosmos and thus make the world disappear like the island on Lost. Kitten....truth be told, I would probably implode.

Yaya wants to know What my favorite color is and how I met my husband. Well yaya....I can't tell you my favorite color.....that is WAY to personal. However I will tell you about meeting Joe....I had just gotten dumped by some asshole when my aunt decided to start nagging me to meet this guy she worked with. I kept telling her I did not need my AUNT to hook me up with a boy thankyouverymuch. Finally....to shut her up humor her I decided to meet her out with a bunch of other people including Joe. We were engaged 7 months later. Um, thanks Aunt Janice.

Jineen asks...."When did I get my Uggs and what kind do I have" Joe got them for me last Dec for my bday---I have the kind that give your feet orgasms when you put them on. I mean...I have THESE ones

She also wanted to know "Where is the craziest place I have ever done the deed" That would be the library that I worked at in college. oh the irony of the book loving girl getting busy in the library....WAIT.......this story is not true at all. I saved myself for marriage. uh huh. sure did. "Would you like to write a book? What kind?" I would like to. I would have NO idea how to do it. Believe it or not I would like to write a children's book. And why oh WHY could I have not been the person who thought up Brown Bear Brown Bear....that book is SO not rocket science. Jineen also asks if I enjoy celebrating the holidays and if they include wine...... Yes, I LOVE Christmas, Thanksgiving, ect. I love when my entire family gets together. And yeah, there is generally a bottle of wine in my purse somewhere.....

Bee and Rose is back.....this time with "Why did you choose your wedding date? Was it based on time of year? Time off work?" We knew we wanted to get married in the fall sometime. I picked Oct because it usually has the best fall weather.

TheWifeORiley throws in...."Describe the worst trip you have been on" Thankfully I have always had great vacations (knocking on wood here) However....back in 2000 I had to go to my companies corporate office for a week of training. This normally would not have been a bad thing...I had been the year before and had a decent time. This week however....sucked. I wound up with some random roommate from another branch....so I spent a week in a hotel room with someone I had never met (and it was not even scandalous....) PLUS we had a tornado one night....so we were ushered sans bra and makeup in the middle of the night with all of these co-workers into the hotel hallways. Good times that trip.

Francesca at 3BayBChicks wants to know how my parents came up with my name. There is no excitement behind this at all. My dad saw it in a book he was reading. My middle name is after my grandmother.

In keeping with the "Year of the Hula" Hula wants to know what I have done for ME lately. Well, I took a couple of girly trips in the last 6 months, plus some scrap booking here locally. Mostly I just try and get a little book time in every day

Alexis wants to know my most embarrassing moment. Well I actually have TWO. One that had the potential to really suck, and one that DID really suck. Before I started working where I do full time I spent 3 summers as an intern. My very first summer was back when we still had to wear panty hose.....one afternoon I came out of the bathroom with my hose stuck in the back of my dress. HAWT. Thankfully the ONLY person who saw me and thus came to my rescue (Jodi I know you read...do you remember this?) was my friend Jodi who YEARS later would become my roommate. Bless you Jodi. God forbid anyone random see my panties. Without having bought me a drink first. Fast forward a few years....I am late for class in one of the biggest lecture halls on campus. This classroom has steps that are far apart...you know....one step, walk a few feet, another step. Got the visual? Good. Now picture me falling down one of the steps. In the middle of the lecture. The professor actually had to control himself so that he did not laugh at me. Awesome.

Heather asks me...."How long have you been scrap booking? Who is your favorite scrapbooker (famous one, that is)? Have you ever gone on a scrappin' retreat? If yes, where?" I actually started scrap booking before I knew what it was. I'm talking slap some construction paper down in an album with sticky pages and cut some pictures out to add. I did not get serious about it until about 2001. I don't really know that many famous scrappers so I will have to go with YOU.....you Heather are my favorite famous scrapbooker....and you are famous because of the 86 followers that read my blog who know that you made me a kick ass book for my girls weekend. I have been on a few retreats.....here in Ohio in Amish country with some friends...we stayed in a beautiful hotel with about 4 wineries nearby....thus my fondness for "scrapdrinking"

And finally.....a new blog friend Tooj wants to know the funniest conversation that I have had with Pierce. Those of you who know me here in the real world know that this is an every day occurrence with him. One of my all time favorites though had to be regarding an old hat of his. Please take note of the following:

I have no clue what he is doing in this picture but it is the best example of him in his Gap hat. Please note that it is about a second away from popping right off his head. He is probably late 3 early 4 in this picture and he wore this hat EVERYWHERE for a good 2 years. One day I was trying to explain to him that it no longer fit. The conversation went something like this.

"Hey bud, come here...I want to show you something. points to the size tag inside his hat that says 18-24 months See this tag right here? This tag says that this hat fits you if you are TWO years old. You are not two years old are you??"

Pierce points to the OTHER tag inside his hat....the one I never cut out that says "please remove before wearing...I think it was the security tag "See this tag right here mommy? This tag says it fits" He then promptly put his hat on and walked away from me.

WHEW. That took a loooooong time. If you decide to play this on your blog, please let me know so I can come ask you some questions too!!

Oh yes I DID buy a snuggie

***This blog post is dedicated to the fabulous KristinaP Who made me accept that there is no shame in owning a Snuggie***

I did it. I bought a Snuggie. Don't judge me. You don't know what it was like week after week hearing KristinaP talk about her love for the Snuggie, seeing all the wonderful ways that she uses her Snuggie to better her life. In fact, just over the weekend she took her Snuggie to meet TONS of other bloggers at a brunch. Imagine that....bonding over the blanket with sleeves.....bringing bloggers together.....what a beautiful world we live in.

My Snuggie even came with a book light. So while I am reading in my Snuggie I can have the perfect lighting......sigh.....

There is however a small problem. And by small I mean about 40lbs.

Upon seeing my Snuggie Pierce gleefully announced......"Mommy!!! You bought me a SNUGGIE!!!! Now I can read a book, and work the remote...and still stay WARM"

He then proceeded to hold my Snuggie hostage for the remainder of the day.

Once again I am suffering from Snuggie envy. Perhaps I should just put my robe on backwards and shut up.

I did get to wear my snuggie for a bit last night while watching my boyfriend Edward on the Oscars.....I am happy to report that in no way does the Snuggie interfere with my ability to life the wine glass to my mouth. In fact.....it may have made the experience so much better......as I did not have to remove my arm from the confines of a blanket and risk a chill in doing so. Long live the Snuggie.

PS---I'm not posting my Q&A post until tomorrow.....so you can still ask away if you so desire....and FINE....mommy board friends...I will entertain your questions, just don't be assholes. MMMMWAH!!!

100th post and I want 100 Comments!!

Wow. It seems like I just started blogging and was all concerned that no one would care to read it. 100 posts and 72 followers later here we are! Thank you all for feeding my obsession with myself, my kids, Edward Cullen, and putting up with my sarcastic sense of humor....or lack there of

For the big 100 I thought I would highlight 100 things that I love. In groups of 10.....

The Rambler gave me a great idea to try and get 100 comments on my 100th post so please go tell your friends to come and worship me.....attention whore that I am. Go give me some love on your blog!! If you are brand shiny new and want to fall in love with me at first sight..and who would'nt....then read THIS It is a tale of bravery in the face of loss......

Ready. Go.

My top 10 Favorite books (or series since Twilight would take up 4 books) in no particular order

1)The Twilight Series. Duh
2)The Harry Potter Series
3)The Great Gatsby
4)Flowers in the Attic
5)The Shopaholic Series
6)The Time Traveler's Wife
7) Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
8) My Sister's Keeper
9)A Million Little Pieces (yes even after the truth came out)
10)The Gossip Girl Series


10 favorite movies
1)Dirty Dancing--"Nobody puts baby in the corner"
2)Goonies-"Hey, you guys!"
3)Twilight---Duh....
4)The Breakfast Club (words to live by:Andrew: "Why do you have to insult everybody?"John Bender: "I'm being honest, asshole. I would expect you to know the difference.")
5)Titanic-"I'll never let go...."
6)Beaches-But enough about me, let's talk about you... what do YOU think of me?
7)Shag the Movie-"Y'all is the horniest bunch of white folks I ever seen!"
8)Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory-you cannot beat lickable wallpaper...wonder if it comes in Merlot?
9)The Parent Trap-(the original one) "I'm not saying a word. Not one single word."
10)Sixteen Candles "Oh sexy giiiiirrlllllfrieeeeeend"


10 Favorite TV Shows
1)Lost-even though I want to bang my head on a wall while watching it
2)House-yeah, um. Can he be my gynecologist. Yes I DID just go there
3)Bones-however if Booth and Bones don't get busy soon I may stop watching

4)America's Next Top Model--FIERCE

5)American Idol-after the auditions....those make me crazy

6)Beverly Hills 90210 Dyan and Kelly were SO soulmates

7)90210--trying to bring back the olden days but doesn't QUITE hit it....still love it through

8)Intervention--I love being reminded that some people are more jacked up than I am

9)Cold Case--this is my secret career choice--but I don't like dead people
10)Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (seriously.....makes me smile to watch my baby girl watch "her friends"

10 places that that I would love to travel to:

1)Italy-wine
2)France.....but not Paris....somewhere south---wine
3)Cabo San Lucas-beach
4)Napa Valley-duh
5)Hawaii-beach and wine....must be heaven
6)Maine....somewhere on the coast-seafood
7)England-get back to my roots
8)Los Angeles-because I'm a stalker and I would love to chase down a celebrity
9)Ireland-again with the roots....
10)Australia-wine


10 favorite places that I have been

1)Disney World--I love it even more as an adult then I did as a child.
2)Xcaret in the Rivera Maya--underground snorkeling and swimming with dolphins....so awesome
3)Boston--home of the New Kids and was a kick ass get together with my mommy friends
4)Holden Beach, NC-summer vacation every year!
5)Biltmore Estate in NC--they have a winery.....
6)New Orleans--very cool to see even if I did have a one year old with me at the time
7)Cancun---drunken spring break with my sorority sisters----crappy hotel though
8)The Dunns River Falls in Jamaica---I did not hurt myself and THAT was an accomplishment
9)Key West--an entire street to party on....this is a happy place
10)Chicago--only been one time....fun shopping!

10 favorite posts on my blog

10)You can read my fairy tale HERE Be warned...it is not for the faint of heart

9)My first venture into Dear Diary Thursday....I call my mom a garden tool HERE

8)Say my name right or I will cut you...... HERE

7) Read about how cool I USED to be HERE

6)My first Letter to my children

5)A letter written by Mallory

4) Pierce's response

3) Introducing you to myFIRST baby....way before kids....

2)The sarcastic things I was thankful for last Thanksgiving HERE

1)Yes this was very recent but I meant ever word of it HERE

10 Things I would take if I were stranded on an island (other then my kids)

1)My iPod--cannot live without it

2)My phone--I need it to facebook about being stuck on an island

3)My computer--for blogging

4)My Ugg Boots-they keep your feet at body temperature no matter WHERE you are

5)My makeup--to look pretty when I get saved

6)My Mary Jane Crocs-they are cute AND practical for being stranded on a beach

7)My Tiffany Tag bracelet....the first piece of jewelry Joe ever bought me--memories.....

8)My Wedding set-so that when I DO get rescued by a hot pirate (Johnny Depp) I can remind him and myself that I am spoken for

9)My book collection (okay, I cant just pick ONE)

10)My scrapbook stuff ---gotta scrapbook those memories of being stranded

10 Things You May Not Know About Me:

1)I hate the dentist. The thought of getting a filling makes me all anxiety-y

2)I no longer have a relationship with my father. I have not seen or spoken to him in over 10 years. I am okay with this.

3)My favorite years in school always hit every other year. 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grade were my FAVORITES

4)I went to THE Ohio State University

5)While I was there I was an Alpha Omicron Pi sister

6)I am a video game nerd.....big time.

7)I once had...ahem....relations with my boyfriend in a library while in college

5)I do not like beer. I never have and will never "acquire the taste for it" like everyone always told me. I was the girl in school pouring a bottle of wine into a "to go cup" to take to parties where I knew there would only be beer

4)I have very strange taste in food....I like anchovies, raw oysters and could eat blue cheese by the pound

3)I have only had c-sections, never had to push (never dilated) and I think having babies the old fashioned way is kind of strange

2)Some of my best childhood memories are from spending summers in New Jersey with the father that I no longer have a relationship with. This has nothing really to do with him but more with the friends that I made there....2 of who I still keep in touch with.

1)My mom ran over my foot once with her car. It was my fault. I jumped out while it was still moving. It hurt.

10 Jobs that I have had:

1)Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken

2)Ponderosa Steakhouse.....the ONLY time I have been a waitress

3)The Library at Ohio State.....if you are smart you will make a connection here

4)The Office for Disability Services at Ohio State....very cool job....I got to put books onto tape for visually impaired students and also read and scribe tests for them.

5)Victoria's Secret---hello free bras!

6)Elder Beerman (also retail)

7)A Tanning Salon

8)The Traveling Vineyard.....In home Wine Consultant....THIS was a fun job

9)Fire Insurance Underwriter

10)Health Insurance Underwriter

10 Things That Rock About Being ME

10)I live in a great city that has tons of cool stuff to do. Both for adults AND kids. We have the best college football team and awesome shopping. I never want to move.

9)My husband is the best man I have ever met. He is a wonderful father and a wonderful husband. Some might say I take a special person to put up with me.....he is it. I am lucky to have him and I am happy to be spending my life with my soul mate.

8)My kids kick ass. yeah, they don't respect sleep and I pretty much live as a zombie most days but they are so funny, sweet, cuddly and lovable that I just cant bring myself to sell them on eBay

7)I have a cool mom. Granted she gives me opinions more then I would like but other then that she is like a BFF....she is fun, likes to have a good time and makes me laugh with her randomness

6)My friends rock. I have the best friends EVER. My college girlfriends and I are still close...I love spending time with them and love watching as we all "grow up" together. Those of us that have kids....I love watching THEM grow up together.....those of you that still have that coming down the line....I cannot WAIT to help you plan your weddings and teach you how to not break your kids. My mommy board friends.....you don't need me to tell you how much I love you all....we have something special that many people don't ever have in their lives, it has been unreal going on this journey with you all.

5)I scrapbook like a mad fool. Okay, so maybe not everyone will think this is something COOL....but I do. When God made me he seemed to forget to give me coordination (that went to my sister) or any sort of musical talent (brother)...no athletic ability (sister again) but he DID give me enough talent to take semi decent pics and put them all together in pretty little packages that I call scrapbooks. And like I tell Joe (usually when he is pissed at how much money my "talent" costs) Preserving our family memories is hard work.

4)Not only do I have a job....I have one that I like. I have been fortunate enough to work for the same company for 11 years. I have never had a supervisor that I did not like, I have made very close friends here that make the time go by fast, and my mom works one floor up.

3)I grew up in and still have a very close extended family. My mom is one of 7 kids....I have tons of cousins and my grandparents on this side are still alive. Holidays are chaotic but they are fun. I'm glad that my kids are growing up with all of these crazy people too.

2)I take pride in being a good person. If I love you I will do anything for you. I am honest to the point of being blunt, I will not lie to you (except when I shop at the scrapbook store) and if you need me to cut someone for you I will. Nothing pisses me off more then someone doing something shady to someone I love.

1)And the last thing that rocks about being me......I have the MAD capability to nap at any given time. Not in a narcolepsy kind of way but if I need a nap I can nap like it is my JOB. None of this half asleep on the couch with the TV on crap (JOE). I'm talking full on jammies in the bed with my curtains drawn. Now I'm tired.

I hope you enjoyed my 100th post. If you didn't....eh, never mind. I will be nice today.

Tag, Im it! Things that mad me MAD

I have been tagged by Mrs Och for a "10 Things that piss me off" meme. FUN. I enjoy complaining from time to time so this will be therapeutic

1)Winter. Yep, the whole darn season. I could not just pick one aspect of it because there are soooo many to choose from. Icy driveways, dirty slushy roads, the feeling of the inside of your nose freezing when you breath....and my favorite....big ass hunks of ice flying off of semi trucks that you never know if and when they will hit you. Yep, Winter pisses me off.

2)Dieting. I know that SOME people try and tell me that it is "not a diet, it is a lifestyle" Bite me. I hate dieting. I don't WANT a Lean Cuisine meal I want Chipolte. mmmmm, Chipolte......

3)I mentioned this in a post of mine waaaaay back at the beginning of my blog but I am bringing it up again because it really grates on my nerves. People who laugh for NO REASON AT ALL. Like they are nervous about something. I said it then and I will say it now....what are are you so nervous about? Do you have a dead body in your car?

4)Having some of my bestest friends EVER live in dumb places like Texas, New York and New Jersey. Now before you get your panties all in bunches take note....I really don't think these places are dumb at all.....I'm just bitter that I don't get to see these girls without spending money to get there. That said TOMORROW I fly out to play.....Wonder if I will have my very first "blunk" session while I am there? (blogging while drunk....get it) Wow....I just got off track....

5)When my husband answers a question I ask him with the word (if you can call it that) "eh" This gets on my nerves SO badly and he knows it. From here on out I am going to interpret "eh" to be the answer that I WANT. So if you don't want me to go shopping say "NO" not "eh" because "eh" means that I am bringing home like 8 pairs of shoes.

6)People who hurt their children. I had such a hard time with this yesterday and I don't want to get into thinking about it again but let me just say.....I hope these people get hit by the karma bus big time.......I try to "hate the sin and not the sinner" as I have been told but I want to dig the eyes out of anyone who hurts their own babies.....with a fork. I am not a violent person but this realllllllllly pushes me towards the edge of it

7)Parts of the "system" This is a new one right now because of a family member. Parts of the system that say you can't have a restraining order against someone unless there is "enough" incidences to warrant one. So what.....??? Call back after he assaults her? mmmmkay.

8)Whining. not to be excused with WINING which would be on my "list of things that make me happy" The ability of a child to stretch a one syllable word into a 5 syllable word is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

9)My Dryer. My dryer is out to get me. Not only is it notorious for eating socks as most dryers are but mine shrinks my clothes. All the time. Sometimes more then once.....the dryer shrinks them.....yep.....that is my story......damn dryer

10)Lastly....BARKING. This is a problem. I have 2 very small yappy dogs. I want to put a shock collar on them. The things they bark at include but are certainly not limited to
-cats
-kids
-toys that make noise
-anything living that has the audacity to step into our yard
-the act of standing up....yes, sometimes when I stand up to walk into another room the littlest yappy dog FLIPS OUT. Like he thinks he has to protect me from the unknown.
-each other. One cannot bark alone.

I'm not tagging because I think we could ALL use this therapy session and if you want it....you may have it!

Today's blog post is brought to you by the letter.....

I saw this meme over on Danielle's blog. I thought it was cute and I wanted to play so I asked her to give me a letter. She gave me the letter D and now I have to make a list of 10 things I like that start with the letter D. Funny because I'm actually having an easier time thinking of things I DON'T like that start with D (dieting) but for once I will play by the rules.

1) Disney. All things Disney. From the Disney channel that allows me to use the bathroom alone to Disney World which is pretty much my favorite place ever.

2)Dates. With Joe of course. We don't get NEARLY enough of these and anytime I have alone with my husband is wonderful

3)Drinking. Not drinking like going out and throwing back shots of tequila, falling down and then waking up with a tongue that feels coated with fur (ahhh the good old days) but having a glass of wine is my favorite way to chill after putting the kids to bed.

4) Daughter. My sweet little punkin who has my spunk, attitude, and temper all wrapped into 23lbs of tasty good toddler. I love her brother as well but I did not get the letter S for son.

5)Dollars. As in "Honey, can I please have $50 to go shopping?" Which also usually leads to DENIED

6)Day Care. Speaking of my kids that I love more then life....I'm so very glad that they go to DAY CARE. I have nothing but respect for stay at home mom's....your job is WAY harder then mine....but no way could I do it. See #3 because I would have to do that a LOT more.

7)Diamonds. They ARE a girl's best friend. Too bad we lack enough of #5 for me to have more of #7....sigh, back to #3

8)Diary. Or as I like to call it....BLOG. I have had much fun doing this in the last few months. It is fun to have a place to be totally random, make fun of myself or or of others.

9)Dancing. Not so much myself anymore (maybe when I engage in #3) but watching my kids dance. Mallory has really been into shaking her booty lately (thank GOD because she does need to pay for college eventually) and it is so cute to see her dance around to whatever annoying Noggin song is on TV.

10) Drawde. This simply is Edward spelled backwards. And I like him all ways, forward, backward, sideways....mmmm......this sounds kinky....I better stop now.

If you want to play let me know and I will give you a letter! I can't email from work but I will just leave you a comment on your blog.

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

Scrapbook Camp.....or, Yes I'm a nerd...deal with it

3 of my girlfriends and I spent the weekend in Amish country drinking, sleeping Scrapbooking. This was our 2nd annual trip out there with a local scrapbook store here in town. We stayed at Carlisle Inn in Sugarcreek Ohio which is a really really nice hotel out in BFE that just HAPPENS to have 3 wineries within 5 minutes of it. As you can imagine, a combination of scrapbooking and wineries is enough to do me in. We did get a LOT done (27 pages thank you) but a lot of wine was also consumed. Unless you were Bree who is pregnant, in which case not a lot of wine was consumed. Jenn, Bree, Brandy and I all snuggled in together in a room for the weekend and it has been rumored that perhaps I snore. Loudly. Whatever. We also made some interesting new friends while we were there including a lady who has NINE children whom she home schools herself. Joe was extremely happy on Sunday when I got home because the Boy and the Princess did not get as much sleep as I did.

In other news....my birthday present came early and today are making my feet extremely happy. I'm wearing Ugg Boots and my feet are making out with them as I type.

Stay tuned for further ramblings of my life (and Joe's) including my Twilight movie countdown....yeah Team Edward!!