**DETOUR**

Although this site is still available, I have transferred all my posts to The Scrapbook Speedway. Please be sure to visit and leave comments on there as I rarely visit this site.

Thank you!!!

I Just Can't Let Go!

Ok, so I thought to clean house and keep things more simple! I thought that since I was going to try to keep up more with the other blogs, that I would just let this one go and not post anymore.

I can't!! I just can't!

Don't get me wrong, I didn't plan on deleting this blog at all, just no more new posts. But...that's not gonna happen! I won't post a ton, but I will continue to post. I have to. It's just who I am, I guess. So, enjoy!

Santa Makes Beds, too!!!

I KNEW I heard something coming from Nathan's room Christmas Eve night (while he was at his dad's), but I knew Nathan wasn't home, so I didn't think anything of it. I just thought it was "lonely mom syndrome."

Well, when Nathan came home later on Christmas day, I told him I heard noises and we decided to go check it out. The door was locked! I didn't do that! We unlocked the door and this is what happened!
**I think I was more excited than he was**

Santa Shoppe Rocks!!!

Nathan had his first Santa Shoppe experience at school this year. Which, makes sense since he's in Kindergarten this year! Anyway, when he came home he would NOT let me look in his bag like I always do. He had to wrap all the gifts he got first, then I could look in there. I knew he got his dad a coffee mug, his cousin a pencil and his step-brother stickers, but I had no clue what he got me.

I opened up that bag and unwrapped my gift and got teary eyed! He got me a sun windchime and a dragonfly suncatcher. The windchime - because he knows how much I love to hear the windchimes in the wind. The suncatcher - because he knows how much I love the sun. So incredibly thoughtful!

I will treasure these gifts for as long as I live!!! Much like my mom has kept the tiny vase I bought in the third grade. It sill sits on her dresser next to her jewelry box! I know I will always have these two in a very special place as well!!!

Santa Came!!!!

so, santa arrived at mom's a little earlier than normal this year, but we were kind of expecting that. the kids were upstairs looking through the window, franticlaly looking for santa and his sleigh. but, nathan finally had enough! he decided he was going to go downstairs cuz he "had a feeling santa was here". well, abuelo told the kids they should go downstairs "he didn't want them playing around uop there". so, down the stairs they went. whle ellis was overjoyed at all the gifts santa left, nathan on the other hand was devastated! he missed santa! he didn't see him! "i told you we needed to come downstairs" he says! he was de-ve-stay-ted!!! he finally calmed down a little when he saw that santa had eaten all but one bite of a cookie and drank all the milk AND the reindeer spilled their food out back and left tracks everywhere.

maybe next year i can see if santa will allow himself (or his backside) to be 'seen' so nathan doesn't get quite so upset......it's a tough one, i tell you!

DIsco Fever!!!


Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Half Time - AWESOME!

You gotta check out this amazing video! It is, by far, the coolest half-time show I've seen!!

http://a.images.blip.tv/Soonereyo-USNavalAcademyPerformance283-921.jpg

bball practice, 10 19 10

Check out Nathan's first Basketball Practice! Stay tuned for Nathan's first GAME!

An Easy & Quick Dinner

MILANESAS

2 to 3 pounds of Sirloin Tip Steak sliced to about 3/8”
Bread crumbs, I have used seasoned bread crumbs
about ½ cup chopped parsley
4 eggs
Oil --out ¾’ of skillet (you might need more depending on how many milanesas you are making.)
****************************
--Tenderize the meat to where it is very thin and set meat aside.
--Mix parsley and eggs, you should have a runny mixture and put in a shallow dish.
--Put bread crumbs in another shallow dish.
--Dip meat in egg mix, drip off extra. Put meat in bread crumbs and shake and then turn over and do other side. Gently pat so bread crumbs will stick. Put aside on a plate till they are all breaded.
--Heat oil in skillet. Put a couple milanesas at a time in the skillet and cook each side till brown. Place in a warm dish till all are cooked.
--Serve with mash potatoes, rice salad or mom’s ensalada rusa.
****************************
Any extras can be refrigerated and either warmed the next day or make a cold sandwich , either way they are delicious.

Thoughtless Thursday

Here's one for you!
Yeah! Happy Fathers Day, Dad!

Movie Title Help!!!

ok....the movie is about this little boy. he's around 13 or so and he's like 2 1/2 feet tall. when he was born his mom didn't even know she was pregnant, went to the doc for cramping, sneezed and he was born. the movie is about his life. he had a best friend who was more like a brother. he loved his bff's mother who died from a foul ball blow to the head and he blamed himself.

i can't remember the title to save my life and it's killing me. it was probably in the early 90's or so. the title is the kid's name. ARGH!

someone PLEASE tell me you know what i'm talking about.....

Update on Wayra - 1/19/10

Okay, so through all the emails, the going online to decipher the terminology and going online to translate medical terms....this is what we've gathered so far:

Wayra was going to get a bone marrow test of some kind today, but it was a no-go (i think because they didn't have enough to do the test). So, they are going to take another sample and do the test tomorrow morning. Then, tomorrow afternoon she will go to another hospital where they will do a Scintigraphy. This is defined as such: the production of two-dimensional images of the distribution of radioactivity in tissues after the internal administration of a radiopharmaceutical imaging agent.

The "test" on the tumor itself came back with this: the tumor is 11x9.5x9.5 cm. It (seemingly) is attached to the spine (?) and heading towards the umbilical region. THe left Kidney is displaced (moved?), but all other organs seem to be in the normal range. The results came back with a diagnosis of "Neuroblastoma". It is defined as such: It develops from the tissues that form the sympathetic nervous system (the part of the nervous system that controls body functions, such as heart rate and blood pressure, digestion, and levels of certain hormones). Neuroblastoma most commonly begins in the abdomen in the tissues of the adrenal gland, but it may also occur in other areas. It can spread to the lymph nodes, liver, bones, and bone marrow. The cause of the tumor is unknown. Neuroblastoma is most commonly diagnosed in children before age 5. The disorder occurs in approximately 1 out of 100,000 children and is slightly more common in boys

After treatment children under the age of 2 have a 70-90% chance of survival, while children over the age of 3 have a 30% chance. This, of course, is dependant on what stage the child is in. From the sound of things she is in a Stage 3, possibly.

My mother has forwarded information from St.Jude's hospital to my aunt Lucy to forward to Wayra's parents. I am hoping Wayra's doctor sees this as an opportunity and will contact St. Jude's doctors for a referral. If the doctor refers her to St. Jude and the St. Jude doctors accept her, they will bring her to the States for treatment and, God willing, a cure.

It is hard to say anything with 100% certainty of course. Being here and they being in Argentina makes things much more difficult for us. I know there are a lot of people praying for her and her family, so I am keeping faith in that.

PLEASE PRAY

please pray for my little 2nd cousin (4y) - WAYRA - in argentina.
they went to the hospital in a rush yesterday morning by plane (they NEVER take plane - always bus/train). healthcare is not the best over there. They say she has a fast growing tumor in her belly.

I heard this morning that they have not done the surgery (to remove the tumor)yet. They will be doing another test/exam today on her bone marrow where the tumor seems to be more significant and it goes all the way down to the bottom of her kidneys! The doctors have given them no hope. I don’t know what else to say at this point, except PLEASE PRAY!

The End of Week #1

Well, I lost 3 pounds!!!

I'm so happy! I didn't stick to it 100%, but I must've done something right. I need to incorporate more exercizing in my daily routine. I have to find a time and all to do it. I always feel great afterwards, I just can't seem to get motovated enough to get up off my butt!

Wordless Wednesday - 1/6/10

Weight Loss - 1/6/10

Well, today was my first day on the new "plan." I'm using the Slim Fast plan online. It's free. It's easy and It's functional for me. I'm so finicky, this one is great! I really like this plan and hope to stick with it. It's not like it used to be: "a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch and a sensible dinner." Nope, not at all! I'm actually doing the plan WITHOUT the Slim-Fast products. It's not that I don't like to have chocolate for breakfast, it's that I can't afford to right now.

What did I eat today? You ask. I ate: banana slices w/sugar, tuna salad sandwich, carrot slices, orange, tomato slices, hamburger, green beans, coke zero and water.

I'm full. I stayed full all day.

I didn't exercize today. I wanted to, but with Nathan home in the evenings with me this week, I highly doubt I will get much exercising time in. There's always the weekends and next week.

I hope to be able to keep myself accountable by blogging every day!

179.9 pounds
size 16

Another Sleepy Sunday

Yes, another sleepy sunday is upon us. And what does today hold? A whole lot of nothing!

Let's see, we start the day by getting up at 9am. Nathan wanted to know if it was time to go downstairs. I told him he can go downstairs any time he wants so long as he's dressed and teeth have been brushed. So, I take my shower, head downstairs and make breakfast (left over pizza from movie night the night before). Yeah, he was thrilled!!!

Doing the laundry, gonna vaccuum a little, clean up the kitchen, some more movies and then off to bed.

What a wonderfully boring day it will be. Amazing all the things you can do when you have no money! he he he

Yeah!

Positive Thought 11-22-09

Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

-Sanctus Real "Whatever You're Doing"

Very WORDY Wednesday!

I wish it could be "wordless Wednesday" today, but it's not possible.

PARENTS: BRUSH YOUR KIDS' TEETH! A LOT!!

Nathan has 10 cavities and will need 2 crowns w/baby root canals!!! Doc said it's not common in small children (4y) but it does happen and if he brushes everyday and I help, it's more than likely hereditary. Rich had dentures up top by 28y!! Doc said we're gonna work together to keep that from hapeneing to nathan!!!

PS>>>it's incredibly EXPENSIVE!!!

LASIK

Yup, I got it done. so worth it! I went to Price Vision Group. It cost about $2,000 with Dr. Pereira. Had I gone with Dr. Price, It would've been about 2.5 times more. Now, although, Dr. Price is the doctor who founded and perfected this procedure, Dr. Pereira is studying under Dr. Price. What's more, Dr. Price would NEVER have allowed Dr. Pereira to do the procedure if he didn't think he could get the same results.

The nurse asked me to take a look at the clock before we got started. I did, but couldn't really make out any of the numbers. I knew what they were, but couldn't actually see them. After it was all done, I looked at the clock again and it was like I was looking through watery eyes. but, I could actually see the numbers!

The first part of the surgery was very uncomfortable! But, it really only lasted about 1-2 minutes, tops.

After that was the laser part. It was pretty quick. The nurse counted down from 7 seconds.

Doc said the redness was like a hickey on my eye from the suction and should dissipate over the next 2 weeks.

So the ride home was painful. my right eye was stinging so badly. It wouldn't stop watering. Dad took me to McDonald's for some food and a drink. I took my pain pill and my sleeping pill. I came home, I took the other pain pill and went straight to bed. I slept from about 11am to roughly 540pm. I went pick up m son, Nathan got dinner and came back home.

Yes, there was some pain involved, but it was so totally worth it!

Jumping Around

A typical day for us!

Lighthouse - Everything

Still gives me chills and makes me cry every time!
Lifehouse Everything Drama

My Kind Of Flight Captain!



I think this was the same Flight Captain my parents and I had when we flew to Argentina!!!

Lady Gaga Has Some Unique Outfits

Wanna Get Your Nails Done?

Watch this first! You gotta see what you're gonna get yourself into. This is SO on the ball!

A Positive Thought

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer
(got this from facebook - which brought me to this thought):

But whatever He throws at you prepares you for whatever He has in store for you.

Be thankful to Him that He cares enough to mold you

New Style!

OMG! I totally love it! I made the mistake of going somewhere else to have my hair cut/styled and it was not good and so difficult to style quickly. So, I decided to go back to where I should have from the beginning, Robin's Hair Salon. And.....She did it!! I love it!! And I LOVE her!! Thanks Susie!

A Sad Day, Indeed!

A movie icon has passed away. Patrick Swayze, you will be sorely missed.

He was known for movies such as Ghost, Dirty Dancing, To Wong Fu, The Outsiders, Point Break and so many, many more!

I remember watching “To Wong Fu” and thinking Patrick Swayze made a beautiful woman; nice legs, small waist, great smile; he had it all. I would have to say, though, I fell in love with him in the movie “Dirty Dancing.” That is probably, by far, my favorite Swayze movie.

He is at peace now and pain free. I pray for his family for peace of mind and the ability to keep going.

You can get more information HERE and HERE you can see a slideshow.

Fall Is Here!

This, right here and right now, is my absolute favorite time of year. Not so much the Fall itself, but the beginning of it.

The last few days have been absolutely perfect! You wake up and it's around 60 degrees. No jacket necessary, but a cool breeze and warm sun. Perfect weather for leaving the windows open.

My favorite things: the smell of wood burning, pumpkin spice candle, crisp leaves, crisp air, cool mornings/evenings and warm days, being able to leave your windows open, candle light, fall sunsets, no jackets.

SIGH....what a wonderful time of year!

Momma+Curling Iron+4y old = ....



I couldn't resist! I had to try! He has such beautiful hair and has such a natural feather to it when it's longer!

WOW! What a Catch!

A friend of mine at Imagine That has this posted on her webiste and it is SO worth sharing!

"The story is this: a girl was out with friends having drinks on King St (in Toronto ). This guy approaches her and won't leave her alone -saying how cute she is. She finally gives in and hands the guy her business card to get rid of him. The attached is an MP3 file of not one, but TWO voicemails this guy left. This goes down in the history books - especially the second voice mail. After hearing them you can clearly see why she didn't call him back - instead she called in to the Z103.5 morning show & had them play this on the air. Ladies: He is out there... :)

Click below to listen; you don't have to download it when you get to 4shared, there's a "play bar", so just click the play button. If you do want to download it (it's so precious, all of your friends need to partake) just download it by clicking on "download now" like you would a cut file.
Dimitri-TheStud.mp3 "

His MY SPACE page!

Dancing Queen

Nathan's version of dancing!

for more dance moves, check THIS out!!

Important Women's Health Issue

Important Women's Health Issue:

Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
Do you suffer from shyness?
Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?


If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas.

Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. Margaritas can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything. You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live. Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas.

Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include: - Dizziness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Incarceration
- Erotic lustfulness
- Loss of motor control
- Loss of clothing
- Loss of money
- Loss of virginity
- Table dancing
- Headache
- Dehydration
- Dry mouth
- And a desire to sing Karaoke

WARNINGS:
The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering when you are not.
The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.
The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing...
The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

Please share this with other women who may need Margaritas.

Thank you.

VIDEOS!!

Just a little insight as to our day to day antics around here. ENJOY!




While you're there, feel free to check out the other videos of Nathan!

FOREVER!

A wedding video you won't soon forget! Remind me to do this at my wedding!

Another Day Gone By

Another, nothing day!

I worked up in Carmel today.
I surfed the web.
I picked Nathan up from school.
I bought him 4 books at his book fair.
We came home to eat McDonald's.
He played the Wii for a while.
I played online for a while.
I put him to bed.
I played online a bit more.
Going to bed.

That about sums is up.

Teach Him To Teach Her

Background: I taught my other dog to sit, stay, lay, etc. by using words and hand motions. that way if I didn't want to tell him to lay, I would just snap my fingers and do the hand motion. It worked great! also, if I asked him to do something and he did something eles, I would take my hand away and say no. This is what we're trying to do with Kanela.

Nathan is telling kanela to LAY and SIT, showing her the treat she will get and then hurling the treat at her head instead of giving it to her. I hope you can follow.

Another Thursday!

I’d say this is just another dull day at work! Nothing special. Although, I was able to get a lot accomplished! It’s amazing what you can do when you get on the internet and surf around for a bit. Too bad, it’s not for work! No, seriously, I DID get a lot accomplished at work, FOR work.

I usually have a 25 minute drive to our Indy location (which is my “home”), but when I have to go up to our Carmel location (every Thursday and the 1st and 3rd Monday), I have a 45 minute drive and it really, really stinx! The traffic isn’t too bad. There’s a lot of it, but it flows pretty well. It’s just a long drive for me. Luckily, it’s all highway. My gas guzzling Endeavor doesn’t like it much, either!

Let’s hope tomorrow is a better day. After all, it’s payday!

Another Tuesday Gone By

Well, Tuesday was here and gone!

It started off like any other Tuesday. Nothing special. The day goes on as it always would (although it took a long time to get to 5pm). The highlight of my day finally approaches!

Kindercare (where Nathan goes to "school") was having their 40th Birthday Celebration from 5-7pm tonight! They had a bouncy house, police officer and car, firetrucks (2 of them) and firemen (yay me!!), ball toss (to win fish), door prizes, grand prize, hot dogs, macaroni, chips, lemonade, ice cones, popcorn and lots of heat! We didn't win any of the door prizes, which was fine by me.

Nathan had a blast in the bouncy house and I had a blast watching him. I wish they would have a parents bouncy house hour or something. Now THAT would be fun!

Anyway, we went to look at the firetrucks. I thought it was really cool and interesting, but all Nathan wanted to do was sit in the driver's seat and make the firetruck "fart" by pressing the brake. Of course, the fireman said he was the only kid who did that. Go figure! He kept going in one door and out, then around the truck to get in the other door. Silly child, he is!

We went back to the games and he won two gold fish! Yippee! Yeah, the kind the probably die in a week! Anyway, we headed off to WalMart and got a little fish tank, some rocks, fish food and "toys" for the fishies. He is thrilled. I hope they grow and not die! He named the brown one "Bumblebee" and the orange one "Optimus Prime." Gee can you tell what he's into right now????

We headed home, watched some TV and headed to bed. Let's see if tomorrow will be a good day too.

SUNDAY Happenings

Today was quite busy for us, for once.

We started the day off by going to the fountain at the main entrance to Arbuckle Arces (the nearby park). I took some cute pictures there of Nathan. He decided he wanted to put his feet in the water, so I let him. I thought there was no harm in that. Well, about 5 minutes later, I realized what the harm was! He got off the edge and stood IN the fountain! Yeah, it was kinda deep and his shorts got very very wet! It was so funny!

After that, we headed over to the park. We played for a while. He jumped on the merry go round and had me push him really fast. he tried to jump off when I stopped it, but he fell over upon landing! Well, duh! He was so dizzy! It was hilarious! We then went over to the big slide thing they have. It has all kinds of things that go up and down, sideways, front ways, every ways. He convinced me to go down the tornado slide, which was wet! My shorts were wet in the seat of my pants the whole rest of the time we were there. He made sure he played on everything for a few minutes at least.

Then, we wandered over to the trails. I have never walked the trails before because I never knew they were there. So we walked and walked and walked. I explained what poison ivy was and to stay away. He threw rocks and sticks in the the little creek. We walked for quite a bit. Finally, I realized where we were and cut through so we could finish our walk early. I think I cut about 5 whole minutes off. he he he

We went on over to WalMart from there to get Nathan his blue ice cream (an Icee). He was thrilled. He even got a bag of chips. He drank it all and ate the whole bag. Now, it's lunchtime, so we went to Taco Bell and too it home. Shortly after lunch, i sent Nathan upstairs to take a nap. He did. In my bed. While he was napping, I took advantage of it and finished up some quick pages for my Texas Gals 6x6 album. Yipee!!! It's all done.

So, a bit after Nathan gets up from his nap, we put the hose in his pool to let it fill up. We take a walk around the block with our dog, Kanela. We get back and the pool is overflowing. I leave both him and Kanela outside to enjoy the day and the pool. They both cooled off and had so much fun.

While they were outside playing, I made dinner. Turns out, it was just for me because all Nathan wanted was a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich. Well, he comes in from outside. He takes off his swim trunks and goes upstairs to change. Dinner is over and now we are watching XMen.

WHEW! What a full day!

FRIDAY! FRIDAY! FRIDAY!

Yup, another wonderful Friday has arrived! Anything special today? Nope, not really. I woke up this morning with my little guy next to me and our puppy in between us. I slept thtough 10 minutes of my alarm going off. Fought with Nathan to get dressed. Then I we fought for him to go down stairs. I get attitude from him. So we had to get through that. We get to school and he doesn't want me to leave and throws the biggest hissy fit. I go to work............

My parents are leaving for South Carolina tonight. Mom and Dad have finally decided that if/when they move, it will be to South Carolina. They're going for a week to look around and kind of get a feel for the area. Maybe find a nice town near the wodded areas and go from there. If all goes well, maybe even find a house up for sale and put in a bid. Now, for some odd reason, Mom thinks something may happen to the house. Now, since the women in our family tend to have a sixth sense of sorts (premonition - for real), she asked the neighbor across the street to keep and eye out and to call 9-1-1 if there was anything odd going on. I'm sure nothing will happen to the house, but always better to be safe than sorry. I hope they have a good and productive trip!

Tuesday, Tuesday...

Another Tuesday gone by. Another normal regular day of nothing gone by. I do have to say, though, I was able to update one of my blogs! That makes me happy. I have 4 blogs including this one and I tend to let the three go while I concentrate on The Scrapbook Speedway. I told myself I was going to try and update the other's at least once per week. So, I did!

Later tonight, I'm going to try to get one more Texas layout completed. I'm also going to try to jump around some blogs and see if there's anything interesting going on. You know, something I want to participate in to get a RAK or maybe a new sketch or a new product. Just anything interesting.

I'll pop on and letcha know what I find. 'Till then, have a great one!

Kit Kat & M&M's Cake

Yes! You heard me right!! A Kit Kat and M&M cake!!


Wanna know the secret? Follow the link to Paige's Pantry to get the full recipe. I know this is a cake I wanna try (to eat)!!!

FREE Hugs!

Sometimes, a hug is all what we need.

Free hugs is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, A man whos sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives.

In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal.

As this symbol of human hope spread accross the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs campaign BANNED. What we then witness is the true spirit of humanity come together in what can only be described as awe inspiring.

In the Spirit of the free hugs campaign, PASS THIS TO A FRIEND and HUG A STRANGER! After all, If you can reach just one person, isn't it worth it?


How it all started:


I'd been living in London when my world turned upside down and I'd had to come home. By the time my plane landed back in Sydney, all I had left was a carry on bag full of clothes and a world of troubles. No one to welcome me back, no place to call home. I was a tourist in my hometown.

Standing there in the arrivals terminal, watching other passengers meeting their waiting friends and family, with open arms and smiling faces, hugging and laughing together, I wanted someone out there to be waiting for me. To be happy to see me. To smile at me. To hug me.

So I got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign. I found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words "Free Hugs" on both sides.

And for 15 minutes, people just stared right through me. The first person who stopped, tapped me on the shoulder and told me how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. I got down on one knee, we put our arms around each other and when we parted, she was smiling.

Everyone has problems and for sure mine haven't compared. But to see someone who was once frowning, smile even for a moment, is worth it every time.


Why Did it get banned?

Public liability fear and red tape. But its all okay now! Make sure tocheck your local laws before embarking on your Hugathon!

Submitted by: Josie at Have Your Way With Paper

Crafts, Crafts & More Crafts!

In seraching through Blogger, I found this great site, Crafty This And That which has lots of different kinds of crafts. From cookies, to scrap pages, to recycling items and so much more!

Take a peek and check out the Pop Tab Bracelet, CD Album, Altered Records, Altered Keys, Altered Tobacco Tins, Bookmarks, Angel Pins and so much more!!!