Yes once again I have gone and dropped off the face of the earth. Sorry for that. I just can't think of much to say.

I have been working alot. I am using most of that money for Christmas. I have a big dent in that already but I'm finding it super hard to figure what to get my 13 year old son. Any ideas?

Halloween weekend we (the kids, my younger sil and I) went to my older sil's house. We went up Friday night and then the sil's and I took Lauren and Abby (niece) trick or treating and sil's hubby took Hunter and Cody (nephew) to some haunted houses. Once we all got back to the house we loaded up and drove home.

Last Friday my mil, younger sil and I went to my older sil's house for a girls sleepover. Sat. morning we got up early and drove to Branson for the day. We hit the outlet malls and the Branson Landing (very cool) and then drove back to sil's house and stayed another night. I had a blast but not sure if I will go to Branson at this time of the year again... CROWDED is all I will say!!

Tomorrow my mil and younger sil are going to drive up to Little Rock and hit a few stores. Sil is wanting to eat at Olive Garden.. yummy!! :)

I am wanting to make a trip to Monroe before Christmas but I am thinking I will wait till after Black Friday. Yes I plan to be out like a crazy person that morning lol!

Next Friday night I will be with 2 of my besties at The Zac Brown Band concert! We weren't going to go but I WON tickets so Mary bought another ticket so we could all go. :) I am so looking forward to going... we have a ton of fun together!!

Well I need to run and check out a few things and then get the kids toward to bed. I will try not to be gone so long this time.

I can't believe June is almost over

Where did this month go? I want summer to s l o w down. I am enjoying the time off. The kids are enjoying the time off.

We are trying to find a new Church. The one we have been going to is a great Church but there are no kids. I want my kids to remember VBS like I do. I always looked forward to that week every summer. Of course there is more to it than VBS. We are just looking for something that has more to offer the kids. Today we visited one I think might work. We will visit again and see where it leads.

Being the mother to a full blown teenager has been fun lol. He has days that I just want to lock him in his room and throw away the key. Most days are good tho. I will just be happy when he gets full lol his stomach is never ending. Tonight we grilled steaks. We had baked potatoes and brown beans with them. He then ate a bowl of chicken and dumplings and a piece of cake. If he's awake he's eating something. We are now looking each other in the eyes. He's LOVING that one but I just keep reminding him no matter how big he is I will always be his mother who is older and wiser lol!!

Lauren can't get enough of the pool. I think she's really a fish. The other day we went to the pool and she came swimming up to me and said she had find a $5 bill in the deep end and couldn't get it. I went out with her and got it for her. She is forever finding money in the pool. She then eats lots of ice cream with her found treasures.

I am off to watch a movie. Everyone is on bed so I get the tv to myself. :)

It's OVER..

I didn't think this day would get here but it finally did. Summer break is here... thank you Lord! Lauren's last day was the 20th but Hunter had to take 3 semester tests so he didn't get done till yesterday.

Today Lauren and I went to Benton to sell some clothes at Simon Says... love that store! If you leave close to there you really need to check them out. After we were done there we hit Old Navy. 50% off anything already on sale!! Man I love Old Navy. After that we went to Park Plaza and hit some stores there. Met up with a friend and her girls and shopped and then ate lunch. While the older girls were finishing eating we took the little ones to the candy store. OMG can you believe I paid $11 for M&M's!!! Never ever again will we go to that candy store!

Well I must run and feed the dogs. They are all barking letting me know it's dinner time lol. :)

Falling so far behind

I don't know how any of you girls do it. I am so far behind with the housework it isn't even funny anymore. I have been working everyday the last 2 weeks and I am PRAYING for a break next week. Yeah the money will be super nice come payday but I am so TRIED and cranky. Now I know how Lauren (baby girl) feels when she's oh so whiny. I will try to remember that when she gets that way.

Then Vince (hubby) says he's thinking about laying off tomorrow night. Hello I have been busting my butt and taking EVERY call from the school so we can go somewhere this summer! Then he says "you wanna switch?" Will do buddy boy. I will ride the choo choo train to Dexter and then get a free hotel room and sit back, relax, catch up on missed sleep, and eat out while you go to the school and work then come home and keep up with house stuff and kids homework, baths, and feed them all before Lauren's 8 o'clock bedtime. Tell me where to sign on the dotted line. Oh and hurry before the bags under my eyes get bigger and darker.

I wanna know why I can't just say "oh it will be there tomorrow and go to bed at night"? I can't do it I have tried but I lay there thinking about what needs to be done and had I done it I would stop thinking about it already. Like right now my eyeballs are on FIRE but here I sit reading and writing waiting for the clothes to finish drying. It's just CRAZY!!! My body quit hours ago but not my pretty little head. One of you can stick me with a pin because I'm done! ;)

26 more days till summer!!

This weekend has been a little busy for us. Friday after school the kids and I left for Conway. My nephew's birthday party was Sat. and we always go the night before and stay. Friday night we took the kids roller skating. I did leave my sil with the kids for a hour so I could run to Kohl's and look for a shirt to wear to the Kenny concert. I found a shirt and a pair of black Sketchers on sale for $18.00. After I got back to the skating rink I let my sil and 4 year old niece go home. My baby girl LOVES to skate so I decided to stay and let her do that. Around 10 my nephew fell so I decided that was a great time to head out. Once we got to the house I needed to go to Wal-Mart so her and I left the kids with her hubby and we headed to Wally's. We got what we needed and went back to her house and finally the kids, her and I went to bed around 2 am. Sat. morning we got up, ate donuts, got ready for the party and waited for everyone to get there. After it was over the kids and I headed back home. We pulled into our driveway at 7:00. Of course I am to anal so I had to unpack, wash clothes, run the vacuum, clean the bathroom and get the kids in bed before I could sit down and relax. I got into bed around 11:30 last night. We all slept in this morning.

This afternoon the kids, hubby and I went over to my mom's house for a fish fry. My uncle and his youngest daughter came in from Kansas for a few days. So my other uncle, his wife and kids, my aunt, her hubby and kids, my Mamaw B and us were all together and we had a great time visiting and eating. My aunt took some pictures of my family so I am going to post one. We weren't really dressed for pictures but oh well. Enjoy!

Easter Sunday

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. We did. We went to Church. Came home ate lunch at the in laws and then came home and rested. My mom and (step) dad come over around 5:30 and brought the kids their stuff. Baby girl got Marley and Me in her basket and her and I watched it after her bath. We both were crying at the end... great movie!! The boy got Bedtime Stories, we are going to watch in tomorrow (maybe). Here's the best picture I got of them this morning. Sat. hubby and son went fishing. Can you tell? We normally do a family picture after Church but when we came out of Church it was POURING so I looked and felt like a drowned dog so we didn't get one. :(

Benchmark testing starts tomorrow. I am not a big fan of this test but who am I?! Say a little pray that the kids aren't too stressed out over them.

The puppies are now 3 weeks old. They are starting to walk. I got woke up this morning around 5 am... they are getting playful and thought that was a great time to start. :) Till next time.

A shout out

for my friend Jenny... she passed the Real Estate test today!! Way to go girl!

After work tonight Jenny, another friend Mary and I went out to celebrate. We had a great time. We ate and talked for 3 hours. We also decided to make this a once a month outing... of course that's not counting our lunch dates. ;)

The kids are out of school tomorrow. Baby girl went over to my moms to stay the night. Mamaw was glad to see her. It lifted her spirits some. Please keep praying for her. Now I am off to watch DVR and then bed. Oh before I forget the littlest puppy has put on some weight. :)

Our Traditions..

Sandra over at http://familycorner.blogspot.com/2008/12/from-rain-to-sun-shine.html asked that we share our Christmas traditions so here's ours.

Our tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving. Most of the time I already have some gifts bought and wrapped to put under there.

Our Christmas going starts this Sat. at the in-laws. We will have dinner and visit then open gifts. This started a few years ago before we did do it Christmas day and with sil living 2 hours away it was hard on her kids. So we do it the Sat. before Christmas now.

Then Sunday the kids, mil, sil, her kids and I will go to church. After church the kids and I will go to my Mamaw's house for our Christmas with my mom's side. Not really sure why she changed it this year.. we normally do it Christmas Eve afternoon. Also Sunday night the church is doing the candle light service... again not sure why this was moved from Christmas Eve night.

Up until my Mamaw that raised me went into a nursing home, we did Christmas with dad's side of the family Dec. 23rd. But that stopped in 2004. Hard to believe this will be her 2nd Christmas gone.

Christmas Eve night the kids, hubby and I go to my mom's for dinner, visiting and opening gifts. We stay till time to get the kids home and ready for bed. Santa comes that night with all his gifts unwrapped and put together... he's good that way. ;)

Christmas morning around 6:00 am the kids could and wake us up. We get up and they show us what Santa brought. Then we open gifts from under the tree. Once we are done we find something to eat and the kids play with their things the rest of the day. At some point both sets of grandparents stop and see what the kids got. It's so nice not to have to go anywhere Christmas Day.

Care to share yours? I would love to read them all.

The railroad life/wife

Hubby got in last night around 8:30. He came in grabbed something to eat then went to bed. This morning he decided not to spend the morning with me but instead go fishing. Sucks he only caught 3 fish in 5 hours too. Anyway he came in grabbed a bite and took a nap. When the kids got home he got up to visit. I made dinner and while we were eating the phone rang. It was work calling him. He left at 6:00. Not even 24 hours together. So that's the life of the railroad.