Why Me?

CLICK Giveaway

2011-04-06T06:39:00.000-05:00

Shelly over at The World According to Eggface is giving away CLICK protein powder. If you don't know what CLICK is, it's a protein powder that has coffee in it...I KNOW RIGHT?! These people need to be sainted or something. Well, maybe not that drastic but you get the drift.

Here's the link: www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com

Pioneer Woman Giveaway!

2010-12-22T12:57:00.000-06:00

As most of you know I love reading the Pioneer Woman's blog. She is so funny and has those totally awesome recipes on her website (I highly recommend the jalapeno poppers!). Besides being funny and the great recipes, she also has awesome giveaways. This time she is giving a way an HP printer! The whole thing even...not just a foot or a screw or something that you couldn't use!

Go check it out and enter for yourself! http://www.thepoineerwoman.com/

Time flies when your having fun

2010-12-03T06:01:00.000-06:00

Well, that's what I've been told anyway. We are having a great time so I guess that would explain the 2 month lapse in posts...and I was doing so well too!

Zabba is doing great and thriving! She is getting very excited for Christmas and is asking for every toy under the sun...including ones that I KNOW she won't play with. I'm guessing it must be the age and the very successful toy advertising.

We had a funny conversation during our bedtime routine last night. Normally the routine is jammies, movie with snack, brush teeth, sing song, tuck in and then dad comes in scratches her back and tells her a story. Well last night she decided she wanted me to sing Santa Clause is Coming to Town-OK, fine. I got done singing and Abby says to me "Mommy, Santa can't really see us all the time can he? Cuz I don't want him to see my bottom" so I reassured her that Santa can't see her bottom. It did get me thinking though-what a scary song!

Think about it-an old man with a beard is watching you all the time. He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when your awake, he knows if you've been bad or good (so be good for goodness sake...sorry couldn't resist). Not only that he's making a list and he's checking it twice...what is on this list may I ask? My name for certain, I'm guessing where I live and what I like and don't like. What kinds of things I have been up to and whether or not they are good or bad. Sounds to me like it's the perfect set up for a serial killer character in a new CSI show!

Alright, well that's enough rambling from me.

The nerve of some people

2010-09-30T14:10:00.000-05:00

I work in a building that has a convenience store located on the first floor and run by a woman, named Emily, who is blind (on a good day she can slightly see large objects moving about). When you walk into the store there is a sensor that beeps loudly so she knows when someone is coming in or going out-no matter where she is in the store.

Well today there was a little girl about 4 years old and her mom visiting one of my co-workers (I'm assuming this was her daughter and grand-daughter but I don't know for sure) and this little girl kept standing in the doorway of the store making the sensor go off so poor Emily didn't know if someone was in the store or not.

Let me just say this is not what is irritating me-I can understand children really like to do things to figure out the cause and effect of the action. What irritates me is the fact that this child was standing there and when Emily asked her to please move, she went and told her mommy (who was NOT paying attention to her child and was chatting with said co-worker on the other side of the atrium) that the lady told her that she couldn't stand by the store. So she told her daughter "Oh you don't have to listen to her. You can stand wherever you want...it's not like she can see you anyway" and off the little girl went to stand in the doorway again.

O M G!! SERIOUSLY?!?!

I don't get it at all-why not take this as an opportunity to educate your child and teach your child compassion.

Oh, and yes I did say something to the little girl and let her know what the beeping was for and she seemed to understand and moved just a little bit so the beeping stopped. I'm sure I pissed off the co-worker but I don't care.

So sad

2010-09-23T16:24:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been making myself so sad which I will talk about, but just a forewarning, very little of this post is going to make a lot of sense and it will be a huge amount of rambling, but I feel like I must talk about it because it's been weighing on my mind so much this week.

I have started reading a blog called The Spohrs are Multiplying. The blog itself isn't sad and neither are Heather or Mike (the blog authors). Heather and Mike had a daughter named Madeline who was born premature and had issues with her lungs and as such was on oxygen and had to do breathing treatments. She got sick in April of 2009 and her lungs couldn't take it any more. She passed away on April 7, 2009.

The Hubby's birthday is on April 7th-so while I was making The Hubby chocolate cupcakes with Zabba last year this family was experiencing the worst possbile thing on Earth. Just realizing that makes my skin break out with goose bumps and brings tears to my eyes and absolutely positively breaks my heart.

It also makes me ask myself...why them? It's so obvious how much they loved their little girl and what awesome parents they were to her which brings me to the thought that if they are such awesome parents and she was such a wonderful little girl and this horrible thing happened-who's to say that the same thing could happen to my family...to my little girl, my Zabba. These are thoughts that make me sad and keep me awake at night worrying.

It's not that I worry about Zabba being sick (which she's not) but I worry about my parenting skills and my ability to appreciate her personality, her unconditional love, her ability to push every.single.one.of.my.buttons.-am I being to strict with her, am I giving her enough space to become her own person, am I giving her too much space, am I spending enough quality time with her, should I stay home with her, should I continue working...and a multitude of other thoughts that just run through my mind because I realize that at any moment it can all just disapear...*poof*

Anyhow, I started reading the begining of their blog (as I usually do when I get into a new blog so I have reference points to current posts) and I have been reading about their joys and their heartaches and I can honestly say I am hooked, however, as I read about the worst possible thing that could ever happen to parents, I can only say that I am so sad. My heart aches for both Heather and Mike and little Maddie who struggled for so long and fought a fight that was so hard.

I can't imagine how those two people were able to live after going through something so horrific. All I do know is that my heart is broken for them and I wish I could do more to make their heartache less for their little girl that is gone but I can't. I can't do anything to take away the pain and the sorrow and the tears. I can do nothing to bring back their little girl and to give them the one thing they want more than anything in their life which is just one more minute with Maddie-I can't do it and I wish I could.

Well, there is more that I would like to say, but honestly I don't know how. Nor do I know how to end this blog post. I do have more to say on the matter, but I just can't seem to form the words that are swirling in my head about this, nor do I know why it is affecting me as much as it is. Maybe it's because I'm a mother and I can't imagine what life would be like without my very spirited, opinionated, stubborn and often sassy little girl.

In need of a vacation

2010-09-20T13:58:00.000-05:00

I am in need of a vacation, staycation...whatever I don't care as long as I can escape for a while. I have been running on fumes these last couple of weeks and I am ready to take a break.

Heck I haven't even had time to read a new book! And that's saying a lot for me since those things are like crack to me-once I start one everything else in my life goes on hold until I finish it-well, it's not quite that bad but still I let a few things slide until I'm done reading a book...you know unimportant things like doing the dishes or washing the laundry.

Mindless Eating

2010-09-15T12:15:00.000-05:00

I work in a dreaded cubicle farm aslo know as "the office". In this cubicle farm there are several people who bring in various different foods, many of which are NOT even remotely healthy for a person to eat. There are also several people who have dishes of delectible bites of milk chocolate and other naughties-my immediate supervisor is one of these people.

I have had to go into the supervisor's office a few times this week to discuss issues I am having with our database and a couple of other issues I've been having with persons not doing what they should be. Anyway, my point is-after sitting down with her to figure out a resolution, I have walked out of her office TWO TIMES this week with empty candy wrappers in my hand and do not remember conciously making the decision to eat said candy...I was just mindlessly eating bites size morsels of candy and wondering later why the hell my stomach hurt and why I felt high (I could literally feel my brain reacting to the addition of so much real sugar to my body after so long with out it in concentrated doses).

Obviously I eat while under stress, I guess I never realized how big of thing it was for me-now when I go into her office I'm going to make a concious effort to literally put the lid on her candy jar to deter me from eating it's contents.

I am one proud mommy!

2010-09-14T11:54:00.000-05:00

This morning Zabba and I were in the car on our way to daycare and we got to talking about going to the store and who she can go with. I thought to myself this would be a good time to bring up "Stranger Danger" with her and I was not disappointed at all! Here's how the morning panned out:

Zabba: Mommy I like to go to the store! I get to buy Bug Juice

Me: Yes, I know. But you should only go to the store with Mommy or Daddy or someone you know.

Z: Yeah but not with strangers!

M: You're right! Not with strangers..good job! But wait! What if the stranger has a sucker?

thinking....thinking....thinking

Z: No, not even if they have a sucker because they are a stranger.

Breif moment of me jumping for joy on the inside that my baby knew that answer!

M: VERY GOOD JOB!! That is right!

I'm so proud that she is getting that strangers don't always have her best interests in mind and that some of them could potentially hurt her. This is definitely a conversation that I am going to be keeping up with her only I am going to be offering her different options as to what they could be telling her.

I hope she will never have to use this information in real life and that all those creepers out there leave my little girl alone!! But that being said if she is approached by someone then hopefully she can do her best to help keep herself safe.

Monday Monday...da da, da da da

2010-09-13T14:30:00.000-05:00

Well, it's Monday which means a start to a new week, a start towards a new goal, and a start to a new experience. Nice.

What cosmic force did I piss off/on??

2010-09-09T11:22:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had a week or 2 so bad that you just ask yourself...who in this cosmic world did I piss off or piss on and now they feel the need to make my life a living hell? My poor family has been going through some pretty serious goings on lately...specifically my sister and my father-let's recap.

Thursday August 26th: Sister gets laid off from her job
Friday August 27th: Stepmother dies unexpectdedly-she was married to my father for 24 years
Tuesday August 31st: Father decides it's best for him to go back to work (only God knows why he would think this) driving his dump truck (I mean it's not as if he has to concentrate to do this job!) and has an accident at work which results in a partially amputated ring finger and an almost partially amputated middle finger on his left hand.
Thursday September 2nd: The apartment 3 doors down from my sister starts on fire and all have to evacuate the apartment building. Thankfully(?!) no damage is done to my sister's apartment other than everything smells like burnt plastic.
Wednesday September 8th: One of my dad's birds (there were 4 total and they used to be step-mom's and also the loves of her life) died unexpectdedly

I'm starting to wonder really what we did to irritate the cosmic powers that be. Also, I'm getting nervous everytime the phone rings and I see that it's one of my family members...I really don't know if I can handle any more bad news.

Writer's Workshop

2010-09-07T16:13:00.002-05:00

Whoa! 2 blog posts in 1 day! Who woulda thunk it?!

So via my friend Tima over in Living in Dar I am going to do a Writer's Workshop which she got from Moma Kat over at Moma's Losin It!.

The task is to choose a topic from her list and write about it then link back to her blog. I am choosing to:

Describe your dream home…house, location, and grounds.

Ok, here goes. My dream home would be in the country on a private lake with a minimum of 40 acres of land. It would have 5 bedrooms: 1 master, 1 for Zabba, 1 for The Hubby's stuff, 1 for a craft/sewing room for me and one as a guest bedroom

4 bathrooms: 1 master bath (complete with a multi-shower head shower, large jacuuzi tub and his and her sinks), 2 guest baths (1 full and 1 half bath) and 1 bath for Zabba

Dining room, Living room, Kitchen, Play room, Library and Office would be located on the main floor and be complete with all natural hard wood floors. The Kitchen would be state of the art and all rooms would be complete with a sound system so music can be played/heard in any room at any time. Each room would have their own ability to turn off the music if the person in the room so chose. All bedrooms would be on the second floor with the exception of the Master which would be on the 3rd floor kind of like a suite.

The back yard would be complete with a large play area that is reminicent of local school play areas. There would also be an area for The Hubby to bring a dirt bike, mud truck, 4-wheeler out to play.

Oh, and naturally there would be a cleaning service to come in every other day to keep the place clean!

40 things before I turn 40

2010-09-07T14:22:00.003-05:00

So I have been reading mommy blogs lately and as most of you know, if you read one blogger who references another blogger than you must go and check out the other blogger and then you like them and follow them and decide...hey! that's a great idea! I should do that on my blog! So, thanks to Law Momma over at Spilled Milk {and other atrocities} I have decided to make a list of 40 things I want to do before I turn 40...this gives me 9 years 5 months and 15 days. Not that I'm counting or anything...

Go horseback riding again
Learn how to ice skate or ski (yes, I live in a climate where winter is 9 months out of the year and I don't know how to ice skate, ski or snowboard)
Purchase a motorcycle and paint it purple and get a matching helmet
Get a college degree
Get out of debt
Go back into debt by purchasing a house
Learn to speak Spanish
Take Zabba to Disney World
Go to Mexico, Ireland, Germany or Italy (not in that order)
Get more tattoos
Become financially self sufficient (I think this could be a pipe dream, but I'm putting it on here anyway)
Purchase a Chevy Nomad and paint it Cherry Red and White
Go Camping with my family
Buy a boat
Go fishing with Zabba and The Hubby
Go Sky Diving
Purchase a bicycle for myself
Become a stay at home mom...even though Zabba is starting school next year (*GASP*)
Grow a flower garden
Grow a veggie garden
Learn to pickle/can veggies
Make Grape Jelly
Start my own business
Become a more proficient sewer
Stay in better contact with my family
Run a 5K
Get another dog...even though The Hubby is dead set against having another dog (I'm thinking this is another pipe dream)
Purchase a bed frame (that's right, my matress is on the floor)
Visit Las Vegas again and this time go see the Grand Canyon
Go on a cruise to the Carribean
Go on a vacation with my BFF
Win the Lottery (even if it's just winning my dollar back!)
Get plastic surgery (this is totally vain, but after BF'ing Zabba and losing all that weight, let's just say that things aren't where they are supposed to be)
Donate my eggs to someone who can't use their own to get pregnant
Work from home
Have laser hair removal done on my legs so I never have to shave again (odd I know but I really hate shaving!)
Buy a new wardrobe (I need to do this anyway, but I'm waiting until I'm done losing weight)
Join another adult kickball and softball team
Move to a warmer climate
Bring Zabba to see the ocean

So...what's your list?

My how fast time flies!

2010-08-18T11:18:00.005-05:00

I just realized that I have posted one time in almost a year...I'm really very sorry about that. Things have been changing very rapidly in my life and it's been quite the ride!

In the last year the following things have happened:

My husband has lost his income so we are down to my income alone. He is finishing up his apprenticeship at the local tattoo shop so even tho he works 9-11 hour days, he's not getting compensated for them since his education is his payment...I guess I prefer to look at this as free schooling. He's doing side jobs to earn some extra cash which has helped and I have taken on another job to help with finances; which is sufficient for now.

We had to put Princess Ilean, our boxer of 7 1/2 years, to sleep on March 31st. WOW! that was hard. I still miss her but I know she is in a better place and she is no longer in pain. We think it was cancer that took her because of how quickly she deteriorated and the fact that she was not responding to any kinds of pain meds.

I have gone from 312 lbs to my current weight (as of this morning) 196lbs!! I feel fabulous!

I completed my first ever 5K! New goal for next year is to run it instead of walking it.

I completed my second ever 5K the following week.

Zabba has sprouted a new "sassy" attitude that I am still trying to figure out how to un-sprout (is that even a word?). MAN O MAN this kid has got A-T-I-T-U-D-E!! We have implemented operation "Hot Sauce" in our house when she is being naughty. The threat of this works better for us than time-outs and is apparently a worser fate than having your toenails ripped out one by one with a Barbie Tweezer.

Speaking of Barbie...she has invaded our house! On the plus side I like her better than the Bratz dolls that look like local prostitutes.

Got an awesome new tattoo in April and I hope to be adding onto it soon. Not quite sure how I will pay for it, but I guess a gal can dream...right?

Well, other that those things above, not much has been happening. I promised pictures for you in October and again in February so here they FINALLY are...the First one was taken October 19th the day before surgery and the last one was taken on July 25th at Zabba's 4th birthday party.

Here I am at a size 26/28 and 303.4lbs

Here I am at a size 16 and 198lbs

Well, it's been 4 months...

2010-02-24T12:18:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I know it's been 4 months since my last post and I apologize. I have been horrible at posting on this blog, but it doesn't mean that I forget it's here. I just haven't been making time to get my thoughts down and I really need to be better about it. Here is an update on my progress so far:

I had my surgery on October 20th and it was successful! I made it through completely unscathed (with the exception of 6 minor incisions on my abdomen that make it look like I could potentially sport a smiley face). The day of surgery I weighed in at 303.8lbs (which is down from my highest of 312lbs in August) and last week when I went to the doctor to have my knees checked out, I weighed in at 238.6lbs!

It's been quite the journey and I have found support in places I didn't think I would. A couple of places I regularly visit are:
http://www.obesityhelp.com/
and
http://www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com/

Obesity Help-has been awesome for me because I get to talk to people who are going through much of the same things I am or they are further along in the process and understand where I am coming from and can help me with potential problems (like finding new ways to get protein in my diet which I struggle with at times). This site is for pre-ops, post-ops, no-ops and everyone who struggles with weight. I love this site and have been going to it everyday.

The World According to Eggface-Shelly is awesome and an inspiration! She is post op and had the same surgery as I did in 2006. I love her website because she is funny, tells it how it is and has some really awesome recipes that are FANTABULOUS! I have been making several of her dishes and my husband doesn't realize they are healthy (shh...don't tell him!). Also, she has some really awesome ways on how to get the protein in without eating the same thing over and over again which is a bonus! I HIGHLY recommend any one of her protein ice cream recipes! (BTW-she is currently having a giveaway on her blog-a Bento box this week, and something new and exciting next week! Check her out!)

I do have a couple of pictures that need to be posted so you can see my progress, but I have to say so far things are moving along rather well and I am surprised by the results I have seen. I will do my best to get the pictures up on the blog.

Well, I guess I better get back to work...UGH! Work-this has to be the worst 4-letter word in the dictionary!

Wow! I can't belive how fast it's going

2009-10-01T15:53:00.002-05:00

Well, I have scheduled my surgery! I will be going under the knife on October 20th at 9am CST.

I am both scared and excited at the same time. I feel a lot like I did when I got towards the end of my pregnancy with Zabba. I knew it was going to hurt, but I was really looking forward to the end result.

A lot of people are confused as to why I would have a surgery to lose weight, but when I try to explain that it's not about the weight and how I look, it's all about how I feel. Weighing in at around 300 lbs, is very hard on my body.

Here are some of the things I am looking forward to after my surgery:

Being able to see my feet
Being able to chase Zabba
Being able to go for a walk without pain or having to stop and rest
Being able to get on the floor and play
Fitting into a booth at a restaurant without my stomach touching or hanging on the table
Not having people stare at me and then when I look at them pretend they weren't staring
Not being the biggest out of all of my friends
Not having to need a bra for both the front and back (I really hate my back fat)
More self-esteem/feeling better about myself.
Not having to shop at Layne Bryant
Buying cute bras and underwear that I don't have to take out a loan for
Having my husband be attracted to me again
Not being the mom that watches from the sidelines instead of getting in and climbing around the park equipment
Not looking at a chair and wondering if it will hold me
Being embarrassed by how I look

I know some of these are very selfish things I'm looking forward to, but that doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to them. Mostly I'm looking forward to just being healthy again and being able to go out and do what "normal" people do.

I haven't always been as big as I am; as a matter of fact, this is the biggest I have ever been in my life. I have always been a big girl and the thing I'm most scared of is having my daughter go through the teasing and taunting that I have had to go through growing up. What "they" say is true-Kids are cruel and often speak the truth.

I have heard people ask my why I'm taking the easy way out and having surgery, but I just want you to know that this is NOT the easy way. If I didn't think that this surgery would save my life and make my life better I wouldn't do it.

I will be restricted on what I can and can't eat for the rest of my life and I will be required to go to doctor's appointments for the rest of my life as well. In addition, the surgery causes mal-absorption so I will have to be on several supplements (mineral, vitamin, fiber and protein) for the rest of my life. If I don't take these, I run the risk of getting very sick and having all of my hair fall out. That's all in addition to the possibility of death.

So you can see my progress I am going to take a before picture sometime between now and October 20, 2009 and then one on the 20th of every month for the next year.

I GOT APPROVED!!

2009-09-21T12:47:00.001-05:00

I finally received notice from my insurance company that I have been approved for my surgery. I'm so excited I can't stand it! Now I just have to meet with the surgeon which I will be doing on Wednesday and then hopefully we will have more concrete time frame.

The woman at the office said that I should be getting my surgery with in the next month to month and a half.

My baby is not a baby any more!

2009-09-15T16:27:00.001-05:00

Abby went to her first day of pre-school today. I have to say that I am so proud of her-no tears or anything (on either of our parts!)!

I will come back and post pictures and tell the whole story tomorrow.

Love, Hate

2009-09-09T11:55:00.002-05:00

Last night I woke up at 12:30am and could not fall back to sleep until some time after 3:30am. I remember it was right after I looked at the clock and decided it was pointless for me to stay in bed if I had to get up in less than 3 hours.

Well, anyway to the point. While I was laying in bed counting the bumps in the ceiling, I was thinking of a list of things I love and a list of things I hate. Then I thought to myself "this would be a good blog post"

So here is my list:

Love

1. My daughter
2. My dog
3. Chocolate
4. My family (crap, I think this should have been further up the list...sorry folks! I really do love you more than my dog!)
5. Learning

Hate

1. Ignorance
2. Pity
3. Dishes
4. Laundry
5. Stupid Drivers

There is so much more that I thought of last night, but for some reason I can't remember them all now. Next time I will have to write them down so I can add to my list. I also distinctly remember my Hate list being longer than my Love list. I think I may have to work on that.

Very thankful

2009-09-01T13:51:00.003-05:00

I am very thankful today. I'm thankful because my husband is home!

If you don't know what happened, Friday morning he called me and asked me to bring him to the hospital because the pain in his stomach was worse and he was sweating and dizzy. I brought him into the ER and we found out he has diverticulitis.

Diverticulitis is an infection in the wall of his intestines/colon. Suffice it to say that it's not a pretty disease (not that diseases are pretty mind you).

However, with changes in his diet and exercise he should be able to live a long and somewhat healthy life style and avoid having surgery to have any of the infected area removed. I personally would like to avoid this since he does not deal well with illness.

Giveaway alert!!

2009-08-25T18:36:00.002-05:00

The wonderful Merynne over at Hair for the Mini Diva is having a give away! She has some great products at her etsy shop. Go check her out!!

I almost forgot

2009-08-21T11:20:00.004-05:00

I almost forgot how easy it was to get up and get ready on my own.

Wednesday night Zabba asked that I call Auntie Mimi so she could talk to her. Once on the phone Zabba informed my sister-in-law that she was coming over to spend the night. Then she promptly handed me the phone and started crying when she was told she wouldn't be able to go that night.

Well, anyway we worked it out so that Zabba went to spend the night on Thursday night. Let me tell you she was not sad to see me leave her either! After we walked through the door of the house she turned to me and said "Bye mom! You can go now!" and then looked sad when I told her I had to talk to Auntie Mimi.

I tell ya it made me feel loved.

This morning instead of getting up at 6:15 to get ready for work I got to sleep in until 7:20!!! WOO HOO! Unfortunately, I didn't' get to sleep until almost 1 am since I was up reading. *sigh* when will I ever learn??

I was going through my photobucket account today

2009-08-18T10:25:00.002-05:00

I found this video of Zabba when she was approximately 9-10 months old. I'm not sure what's funnier-what she's doing, or my mom's laugh!

Very UNexpected-read at your own risk there is death involved

2009-08-17T12:41:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was a great day until approximately 4pm.

Here's how it played out:

Christina: "Hey, can one of you go and pick up my mom from work? The paramedics are at Gramma Taylor's and they are having trouble reviving her and Kathie is freaking out" (Kathie is Nichole's mom)

Me: "Sure, I can do it."

So I drove to pick up Val and shortly after she got into the car we found out that the paramedics were not able to revive her and they stopped their efforts (this was after doing CPR on her for 38 minutes and doing everything they possible could to save her life).

Val and I went to Gramma Taylor's house and when we arrived Nichole's dad was sitting on the steps and looking at the paramedics that were in the ally discussing something.

Jim: "Hey, Kathie's in the house. Mrs. Taylor isn't in there"

Val and I walked into the house to comfort Kathie and that's when we discovered he meant Gramma Taylor wasn't in the ambulance. She was laying on the dining room floor with a white blanket pulled over her covering all but her hands, her left foot and part of her right leg. Someone put a pillow under her head so she'd be more comfortable-the pillow case had pink flowers on it.

Normally a dead body doesn't really bother me because they are usually in the casket and have clothes and makeup on. However, I was not expecting to see her in the house and to be honest it was not something I wanted to see. I felt as if I was walking into a movie set and that CSI was going to show up to tag the place and find things that shouldn't have been left by someone who was trying to do her harm. I found that if I thought about it in that light the severity of being in a room with a newly deceased person didn't seem so...oh I don't know...maybe morbid is the word I'm looking for.

Later on in the evening we discovered the reason Kathie was "freaking out" is because Gramma Taylor had called her minutes before because she wasn't feeling well. Kathie ran over to Gramma Taylor's house (they are about a half a block from each other) and when she got there Gramma Taylor was still alive, and told Kathie that she had been throwing up and needed some water. Kathie went to get her a glass of water and when she came back Gramma Taylor was gasping for breath. Kathie called 911 and started CPR. While she was on the phone with 911 she was instructed to put her on the floor to do the compressions but Kathie wasn't strong enough to mover her to the floor. I'm almost positive that Kathie is upset because she feel's partly responsible for her dying. I really do hope Kathie realizes she did what she could to save her.

All in all it was a long, sad day.

So to Gramma Taylor, I wish you much peace and a smooth journey.

If you've made it this far, thanks for listening.

I hate the waiting game

2009-08-13T12:01:00.003-05:00

Well, I've faxed all of my paperwork to the surgeons office for the appeal. The insurance company has 30 days to get back to me and let me know if I get approved.

I really hate the waiting game!

Bored out of my ever-loving mind

2009-08-11T08:36:00.003-05:00

I have been so bored with life lately that I don't know what to do. I could/should clean my house and go outside to play with Zabba, but you know I just feel like sitting and reading a book. However, I"m bored with my book choices. I've read them all. I think it's time for a Library run.

Or, maybe I'll use my new sewing machine and make a quilt. We have a friend of ours that is having a little girl and I think a new baby blanket would be perfect!

That will be way more fun than cleaning the house!

On a different note-Zabba got a big girl bike for her birthday and she is really getting good at peddling it. However, she does have some issues with watching where she is going so she runs into things. Oh well! I guess it's all a learning process.

What a great find, although be it a bit hairy!

2009-08-07T12:37:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I made a vow to get back into this whole blogging thing. I know I didn't make it on here, because quite frankly that didn't work the last 2 times.

Well, I was checking out some other blogs and started thinking about Zabba (this happens quite frequently) and her hair issues and I thought to myself (see I told you!) I wonder if there are any hair blogs. So I started searching and OMG I found some really cute blogs with some really great hair do's!!!

Below are my favorites:

Babes in Hairland

Girly Do's

Hair for the Mini Diva (I personally love this one because her little model is the same age as Zabba and they have the same haircut!!)

The Story of a Princess and Her Hair (this is the one that started it all for me..very cute!!)

The Wright Hair (I love this one too because of the toddler styles!)

All of them are absolute fabulous and they all give great step by step instructions with pictures so you can see what they are talking about. Many of them also have great giveaways!!!

Ok so it's been 2 months and 1 day

2009-08-06T14:58:00.002-05:00

I know I have become horrible at posting on here and I really don't know what to say other than _______________. Yeah, I can't think of anything.

Things have been very busy in our house. Zabba has officially turned 3 and has also become a very picky eater and very funny! Just the other day I walked into the livingroom and she started sniffing...below is the conversation we had:

Zabba: *sniff* *sniff* Mommy do you know why I'm sniffing.
Me: No, why?
Zabba: Because I'm galergic (allergic) to you!

What a nutter!

Other than that, there really hasn't been too terribly much going on other than the usual stresses throughout the day.

Twirl factor

2009-06-04T12:21:00.003-05:00

One of the things I was never informed of when I was pregnant is that you must compute the twirl factor when considering purchasing a dress for the darling little bipolar snot factory, also known as the female toddler.

Don't get me wrong, I love her even if she is bi-polar and insists on wiping her boogers on my nice new clean shirt that happens to be dark in color and shows any and all nose kisses.

However, I am not cut out for the 1-2 hour temper tantrums that ensue when I get the twirl factor wrong on a dress.

A B C's of Me

2009-05-27T11:52:00.003-05:00

The Mom Jen over at Cheaper Than Therapy did a Meme and I thought it was great. So, since I'm feeling like a copy cat today I shall do it to.

A
• Are you available? Depends on your definition of available.
• What is your age? 29
• What annoys you? Lots. Most currently though would be the co-worker that won't leave me alone on my lunch break.

B
• Do you know anyone named Billy? Yep, he's a crackhead.
• When is your birthday? Feb 22.
• Who is your best friend? I have 3-my hubby, my sister and Nichole.

C
• What's your favorite candy? Chocolate.
• Crush? Brendan Fraser-yummy!
• When was the last time you cried? Cinco de Mayo.

D
• Do you daydream? All the time, today it was about winning the lottery and what I would do with 222 smackerals.
• What's your favorite kind of dog? The 3-legged boxer kind.
• What day of the week is it? Wednesday.

E
• How do you like your eggs? Over-easy cut up into my hashbrowns.
• Have you ever been in the emergency room? As a patient-no; as a parent of the patient-yes.
• Ever pet an elephant? No.

F
• Do you use fly swatters? Yes, or a newspaper.
• Have you ever used a foghorn? I don't have a need for one, so no.
• Is there a fan in your room? Yep, two of them as a matter of fact.

G
• Do you chew gum? Yes.
• Do you like gummy candies? They're alright, not my favorite though.
• Do you like gory movies? No.

H
• How are you? A bit ornery because I'm bored out of my mind and stuck at work for 4 1/2 more hours.
• What's your height?. 5' 9".
• What color is your hair? Brown, Red and very little blond.

I
• What's your favorite ice cream? Phish food or Mint Chip
• Have you ever ice skated? I don't know if I would call it skating; more like ice sitting or ice falling.
• Ever been in an igloo? Yep, at the winter carnival.

J
• What's your favorite Jelly Bean? Orange!
• Have you ever heard a really hilarious joke? Yep.
• Do you wear jewelry? Wedding ring.

K
• Do you know Karate? I know a move or two, but please don't ask me to show you-it's not a pretty sight.
• Have you ever flown a kite? Yep! Just brought Zabba the other day.
• Do you think kangaroos are cute? No, not really.

L
• Are you laidback? Most of the time.
• Lions or Tigers? Neither, they could eat me.
• Do you like black licorice? NO! only Twizzlers.

M
• Favorite movie as a kid? Mary Poppins, Ferris Bueller's Day Off or Encino Man.
• Ever shopped at Moosejaw? Never heard of it.
• Favorite store at the mall? Not a fan of the malls, but if I have to go I like the kids stores.

N
• Do you have a nickname? Yep.
• Whats your favorite number? 7
• Do you prefer night or day? Day.

O
• What's your one wish? Healthy family.
• Are you an only child? Nope.
• Do you like the color orange? It's alright.

P
• What are you most paranoid about? Getting hit by a car.
• Piercings? Ears.
• Do you know anyone named Penelope? Nope.

Q
• Are you quick to judge people? Sometimes.
• Do you like Quaker Oats? Eh...
• Know anyone that makes quilts? Yep.

R
• Do you think you're always right? No.
• Do you watch reality TV? Sometimes.
• Best Rock Band of all time? Hmmm, I'm going to have to think on this one.

S
• Do you prefer sun or rain? Sun.
• Do you like snow? Not really.
• What's your favorite season? Spring.

T
• time is it? 12:09pm
• What time did you wake up? 7:06am.

U
• Can you ride a unicycle? LMAO, No.
• Do you know anyone with a unibrow? Yes!
• Uncles do you have? Lots on both sides of the family.

V
• What’s the worst vegetable? Squash, which I think is technically a fruit but it's still disgusting.
• Did you ever watch Veggie Tales? Nope.
• Ever considered being vegan? No, I like dairy too much.

W
• What's your worst habit? I have a few of them.
• Do you like water rides? Yes.
• Ever been inside a windmill? No.

X
• Have you ever had an x-ray? Several.
• Ever used a Xerox machine? I'm a clerical worker so, yes.

Y
• Do you like the color yellow? It's alright.
• What year were you born? 80.
• Do you yell when you're angry? YES!

Z
• Do you believe in the zodiac? Yes.
• What's your zodiac sign? I'm a Pisces
• What do you think of when you hear the word Zero? Nothing.

Beautful

2009-05-24T11:30:00.000-05:00

Beautiful weather out today. Think I'm going to go to a BBQ.

Happy Memorial Day!

Momdot and a boat load of giveaways!

2009-05-21T11:57:00.003-05:00

Tricia from momdot is turning 31 on May 31st and in honor of her birthday a bunch of her friends are giving away gifts and having contests. To enter the contests and to see what's available, check out the various sites.

I personally am entering the one for the flat iron since mine broke and I really need a good one to tame these tresses. This contest is done by a mom with a daughter who has some seriously beautiful hair. Her blog is dedicated to the different hairstyles she does and it's very cute! I love the easy to follow step by step instructions.

I am definitely going to have to try some of these out when Abby's hair get's long again.

I know, I'm sorry!

2009-05-14T18:36:00.003-05:00

I know I said I would be better about blogging and that I had some really cute stories to share; which I do. However, life has gotten in my way yet again. I know, likely excuse, but that's all I have.

So as a fun little hello, I'm still here; here's a video to keep you smiling.

OK

2009-03-24T12:59:00.002-05:00

I realize it's been a month and a half since my last post and I would really like to say-where did the time fly?!

Oh yeah, that's right.

It went right out the window while I was going to school, playing with Abby, dealing with icky tummies (both her's and mine), going to doctor appointments, and going to school full time.

I think it's time I shut the window and try and get some of that time stuff back in my house. So I'm going to be taking some time to get back into blogging and to hopefully give you some insight to what a crazy life I'm leading.

I promise to make more of an effort to get on here and get some things posted. I have pictures and such that I would like to share with you. Some funny, some cute.

Thanks!

You like me!! You really like me!!!

2009-02-10T12:16:00.003-06:00

I apologize in advance, but I must shout!

I GOT MY FIRST AWARD!!!!!!

My friend Jennie B gave me an award! YAY!

It sure did make my dull day brighter. Her son is right "She is the best gal ever"

Ok, so here's what I must do:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in 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."

So here's who I am choosing:
1. Tori over at the sweet jelly bean
2. The Clan Piccini at The Clan Piccini
3. Michelle at Second Chances
4. All the ladies at The Misfits Guide to Motherhood (I do blog on this one as well, but I'm not the only one. The other moms on there have some really great stories)

Satchel Giveaway!!

2009-02-10T05:46:00.002-06:00

So for some odd reason I woke up at 3:30 this morning. Not quite sure why (well, I am, but I don't really want to share ALL of the random thoughts running through my head-I don't want to bore you to death).
Well, long story short, I decided it would be a good thing to get up and shower (you're welcome) and then pop on the computer and see what's happening in blog land.

So I got on the internet (fun thing) and stopped over to my friend Jennie B's at Learning to Adjust which linked me to her friend's blog which is I know, right?! that then linked me to The Sweet Jelly Bean who is having a really great giveaway on these AWESOME Satchels! I personally looooooovvveee #11!

Check it out!

4 by 4

2009-02-09T12:45:00.004-06:00

My good friend Jennie over at Learning to Adjust tagged me in a fun picture game. So I thought I should play.

But first the rules:

Go to the fourth folder in your picture folder

Find the fourth picture

Post it

Tell the story

Simple right! So let's see what we come up with!

This picture was taken at WalMart in Balsam Lake, WI. She is wearing her first Easter dress and she did NOT want to smile for the camera at all. I look back at it now and I can't believe how BALD she was!

Awww...I miss my little baby!

I will have to come back later and tag some folks but first I must figure out their blog addresses....hmmmm

Communication

2009-02-06T21:02:00.003-06:00

When you have a child, communication is key. If you don't have communication, the shi.....stuff can really hit the fan.

Today while Zabba was going potty first thing in the morning, it didn't sound right. I asked her if her butt hurt (meaning is she constipated) and she said yes. I tried to rack my brain and the last time she went that I could recall was on Monday. Well, I gave her some medicine sent her off to daycare.

I called daycare when I got to work because I had forgot to tell the daycare provider about me giving her some medicine to "help" her along. I found out that she had went to the bathroom yesterday-this is where communication would have really come in handy.

I went to pick up Zabba from daycare and she had on a different outfit than what I sent her in. I said "Uh Oh" was there an accident.

Aparently the laxative took effect while she was sleeping...in their bed. Oooops. She ruined their $100.00 bed spread and her new outfit she had on today.

Again, I repeat...communication is key.

Mommy! I got DOG HAIR!!!

2009-02-02T19:24:00.002-06:00

Our boxer, Princess Ilean, is in the process of shedding her winter coat. This means that there is dog hair EVERYWHERE in my home. Well, my husband and my daughter are a little (a lot) OCD about getting dog hair on their clothes and get irritated that she would be so rude as to get some hair on them while they are...*gasp* petting her.

Well, Abby was standing at the top of the stairs and Princess was standing next to her waiting patiently for her to go down the stairs and below is the conversation that ensued:

Abby yelled "OH NO!!! MooooOOOOmmmYYY!!!"
Me: "What sweetie"
A: "Princess got DOG HAIR on me"
M: "Oh no! What are you going to do?!"
A: "Shave the dog."

Kids say the darndest things....

2009-01-28T09:18:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I was playing on the internet during my lunch break at work. As usual, I check on my friends on my baby board say Hi see how everyone is doing, then if I have time I will usually pop over to The Pioneer Woman's website and see what's happening over there. (If you've never been there, it's really a great site and she is so much fun! Also, she's been nominated for several bloggies so if you get the chance, vote for your favorites at the bloggies website).

Well, since she was nominated, she wanted to thank everyone and held a contest (which she does quite often and has wonderful prizes). As part of the contest she asked for blogs that were not nominated. One of sites on there was http://kazooisms.blogspot.com/. This child, whom ever she is, says some of the funniest things I have heard come out of a toddlers mouth in a long time. You should check it out!

It also reminds me of some of the things that Abby will say from time to time.

Like this morning at 3:00am when she woke me up.
Abby: "Mommy, wake up, wake up!"
Me: "Huhn.....What?! What's wrong honey?"
A: "I'm all done going to bed"

Or the time she yelled at my step-dad for saying damnit.

Guest Blogger

2009-01-25T10:34:00.002-06:00

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For those of you who don't speak Zabba, she said My name is Zabba and I'm 2.

Sweet Child o Miiiiiiiinnnnneeeeeeeee

2009-01-25T10:17:00.003-06:00

OK, sorry, that was a really bad attempt at trying to sound like Axle Rose from Guns N Roses. I promise I will never try and do that again. Well, at least in this post.

So I'm sitting here watching my very sweet darling daughter play in the area under the stairs where I store her toys (well, I try to store them there, but they are usually strewn about the house). And this is when it hits me (again) that I gave birth to this child and how blessed I am that this miracle has come into my life.

Then, she came up to me, gave me a great big hug and said "Mommy, you are my best friend ever I see." Awww!

Turns out she was just hungry for some grapes, but that's OK. At least she likes me and now I have documentation of it so when she's older and tells me she hates my guts, I can come back to this post.

A little overwhelmed

2009-01-14T12:03:00.003-06:00

So, I decided recently that I would like to go to school to get a degree so I can make more money. Because let's face it-without money you can't have "stuff" and we all like "stuff"-you know like food and water and clean clothes.

Well, I decided that since my full time job gives me money so I can buy "stuff" that I should keep it and go to school so I can get my degree so I can earn more money. Great idea righ?!?! So, now I work full time and take 3 classes online. This in addition to chasing a 2 year old around the house while I'm also taking the time to make dinner, do the dishes, pick up various toys, play and what not.

So, I'm going to admit something that no one knows (well, now except you). I'm really overwhelmed.

Busy time of year

2009-01-05T13:01:00.002-06:00

Well, it's that time of year at work where everyone one and anyone decides to call in and ask questions. Today while I was on the phone checking voice mail messages, I got 3 more messages. These things don't stop!!! The nice thing about it is that I only work my 40 hours and then go home, put my feet up have my husband massage them and fall asleep while I dream of sexy fire fighters with gleaming bodies and....yeah right!

Then I wake up and realize that I was dreaming and I'm about to go into work and answer the 40,000 phone calls, go pick up Abby from daycare, go home, make dinner, do some homework, give a bath, pick up toys, play babies and blocks and any other game she can think all while watching Dora the Explorer for the umpteen millionth time.

Oh yeah, reality is way more satisfying than that dream!

Random frustrations

2008-12-31T16:13:00.002-06:00

So the last couple of days, I have been feeling rather fenced in. I need some alone time and I have no place to go. I am around people ALL DAY LONG....literally. With Abby sleeping in my bed, I get no time to myself so I can unwind and have some time to myself where I don't have to think, be nice or talk to anyone.

However, I think I may have solved my problem. The only place in my house that I can pick up a wireless internet connection is in the bathroom-so in the early morning, I shut the door, keep the light off and search the internet.

Now that's what I call alone time!!!!

Christmas

2008-12-26T12:05:00.003-06:00

Christmas time is supposed to be a time of getting together with family and friends and being merry and bright. Santa is supposed to come (well if you are of the Christian belief anyway) and bring gifts and all is supposed to be right with the world.

I am going to start off by saying-MAN! Am I glad it's over!!! I am wiped out! Christmas time in our family is a time of chaos and travel-that means we travel everywhere and no-one travels to our house. It's not that I hate traveling, but it really takes a lot out of me when I'm on my way to my 4th party after I have been trying (for the last 3 hours) to make sure a really sugared up 2 year old, who hasn't had a nap, doesn't destroy my Mother-in-Law's house.

Our Christmas usually starts before the actual Christmas holiday. I come from a split family and so this means that we have several gatherings that we are obligated to go to. The first party is usually with my aunts, uncles, and cousins on my Mom's side of the family; this year the party was to be held at my Uncles house on the 21st, unfortunately we were unable to go because Abby had a stomach bug. I like to think of this party as Tropical Storm Rudolph-it's hectic, but nothing compared to the "real thing". After is the calm before the real storm hits-Hurricane Christmas.

On Christmas Eve Jeff, Abby and I opened our gifts between each other and then Jeff and Abby watched a movie while I cleaned up the kitchen (I really didn't feel like watching Robots for the 14 millionth time). Then, after the movie was done Jeff brought Abby upstairs and put her to bed while I finished getting all of the gifts from Santa under the tree an into the stockings. All was said and done by 2am and I was exhausted!

Abby woke up at 8am and when I told her I think Santa came. When she saw the tree, she was very pleased and yelled "DORA!!!!" when she saw a pillow that had some books with it. Then, we read books until Jeff got up. After all of the Santa gifts were opened, we got ready and went over to a friends house where we had some mid morning treats and opened gifts. After the gifts were opened we had to leave right away because we had to get over to my Mother-in-law's house where we had a Christmas meal and then opened more gifts. Which were promptly packed up and stored in the car so we could go to my Dad's house to have yet another meal and open even more gifts. By the end of the evening all 3 of us were exhausted and Abby was gearing up for full meltdown mode so we packed everything up, went home, had some milk, watched a new Elmo movie, and went to bed.

Now most people would be more than ready to swear off any kind of social gathering for at least another 365 days, but we still have 2 more Christmas gatherings to go to; one with my Stepfather and one with my Mom (they are divorced, but he's still our Stepdad). After those 2 are done then I will be able to swear off any kind of social gathering for another 365 days.

I do have to say that we got some really nice gifts and some gifts that we will probably never use, but I really appreciate that the gift giver thought enough to give it. I liked seeing the family and friends and gathering for the happy time, but with all of this, I still have to say that I have one disappointment.

I didn't get any pictures. None. zero. zip. zilch. nada. The batteries were dead in my camera. I did grab the video camera that we bought a couple of years ago, but I wasn't able to get a lot on film as I was very busy helping Abby open gifts.

Oh well, there's always next year!

Hmmm...so I have a blog...huh! Who knew?!

2008-12-24T13:13:00.000-06:00

So, I decided since I set up this blog so many months ago that I should probably start to use it. I mean, why have something if you aren't going to use it....right?!

It's really too bad that I don't use this mentality when it comes to getting rid of things at home. Maybe this is something that I will resovle for the New Year. Get rid of things that I don't use. I shall make a list:

Gazelle (really, it's sitting outside collecting snow-best $200 snow collector I've ever seen!)
Scrapbook stuff (this is an illness. I buy and buy and buy and have no time to actually sit and put together a scrapbook! Shhh....I still haven't started Abby's book!!!)
Dust Rags (seriously the dust bunnies are taking over!!!)
Skinny Clothes (I guess if I would use the Gazelle, I wouldn't need to get rid of these would I?!)
75-95% of Abby's toys that are fighting with the dust bunnies for space (really.)
148,294,204,194,204,876 pounds of bathroom stuff that has been taken over by the dust bunnies

I'm sure there is so much more, and most of this will still be on my list of things to get rid of next year (scrapbook stuff) but I am going to resolve to atleast get some of the things off my list!