Vegas, Baby!

Last Friday, DH and I jetted off to Las Vegas with our good friends Keith & Debbie. We stayed at the Aria Hotel & Casino - was a beautiful hotel, a great casino - we had a FANTASTIC time. DH's parents watched the kids for the weekend. Poor Buddaroo was sick with the stomach flu, and then passed it on to my M.I.L. Poor guys.

Although I was worried about the kiddies at home, we had the best time. We arrived on Friday the 25th and checked into the hotel around midnight...dropped our bags off, freshened up a bit and headed down to the casino. We grabbed a bite to eat at about 4:30am and then headed to bed - making it about 8am our time before we turned in.

From there, we had a wonderful afternoon with my Uncle David and Aunt Debbie - yummy dinner at Yellow Tail and danced it up at The Bank night club (both at Bellagio), lots of gambling and drinking. We had the best dinner at our hotel the night before we left at Jean George's Steak House - everything was amazing. Possibly the best dinner ever.

It was an amazing trip and we were so grateful to Tim's parents to offer to watch them so we could have a fantastic vacation with our friends. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Our room at the Aria

Me, Uncle David, Debbie and Tim

Tim & I in front of The Mirage

Keith & Deb @ Yellow Tail

Deb & I @ Jean George's Steak House

So Grateful...

Today one of my good friends lost someone close to her. Her best friend's mom passed away after a battle with cancer. We spoke for a while about how hard it would be for a person, of any age, to lose a parent. How do you live your life without the one person who has been there with you your entire life?

I am so very grateful to have a wonderful relationship with both of my parents - I am so grateful for them and can't express the love I have for them. They have always been amazing parents to myself and to my sister - they are the best. I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for them.

I love this picture of us, taken on Christmas Eve by my brother in law, Dennis. I wish it included HoneyPie, as well, but it's such a great picture of the 4 of us.



We never know the love of our parents for us
until we have become parents.
-Henry Ward Beecher
I sure hope my parents know how much I love, adore and cherish them!!!
Love you, Mom & Dad!!!!

3 Today!!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday to my little man!!!


Photo credit: Dennis Barnes

"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way."
- Dr. Seuss

Happy 3rd birthday, to my handsome, Buddaroo.

Yummy Cookie Recipe

Last month, Tim was looking through my Rachael Ray magazine, and came across and ad for Craisins...and there were the yummiest looking cookies...along with a recipe. So I gave them a try. And they were deeeeee-lish! I would highly recommend this yummy recipe!

OATMEAL CRANBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES


INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

A New Year....A New Me!

My friend Gayle sent this to me today....

'Twas the week after Christmas and all through the house,
Nothing would fit me not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number,
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared,
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared.
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese,
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt,
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt.
I said to myself, as I only can,
"You can't spend the whole winter disguised as a man!"
So away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip.
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished,
Till all the additional ounces I've put on have vanished.
I won't have a cookie, not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore,
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

The past 3 weeks, weight wise has been horrible...although I have had a wonderful holiday, enjoying many tasty treats and drinks, I am sad to say I have gained about 5.5 lbs UGH! I know it is my own fault, no will power over the holidays...The new Weight Watchers slogan is "It's a New Day!"...and it's a new year...and I'm ready to get to a "new me!"

So, starting tomorrow - I am going to track every BLT (bite, lick or taste), drink lots of water and get back to exercising. And hopefully soon, I'll get back to where I was at....and then finally get to goal. It's further away now...but I can see it....and I will get there!

sens*i*tiv

Dictionary.com defines the word "sensitive" as:
1. Capable of perceiving with a sense or senses. (√)
2. Responsive to external conditions or stimulation. (√)
3. Susceptible to the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others. (√)
4. Quick to take offense; touchy. (√)
5. Easily irritated: sensitive skin. (√)
6. Readily altered by the action of an agent: film that is sensitive to light.
7. Registering very slight differences or changes of condition. Used of an instrument.
8. Fluctuating or tending to fluctuate, as in price: sensitive stocks.
9. Of or relating to classified information: sensitive defense data; holds a sensitive position in the State Department.

Well, I've got the first 5 down. I wish as a 32 year old woman that I would stop being so sensitive. I take things seriously...I take things the wrong way...I get upset over things that are said...or a lot of times, not said. Today has been one of those days...and I've done a bit of reading up on how to stop being over-sensitive.

E-How.com says:
1) Learn how to take comments less seriously. Generally overly sensitive people get hurt easily when they feel someone said something to them in a 'wrong way'. Most of the time, whatever is said is not really rude or critical or even directly towards you, the person could be having a bad day, or their words are taken out of context.

2) Raise your level of confidence. Having confidence does not happen overnight as it take take time, maturity and practice to be sure of oneself. If someone makes a comment about you and you are either, ready to burst into tears or feel incredibly sad, respond back with a simple comment and do not overanalyze it. Think that it is not anything personal against you and take it in stride.

3) Stop with the 'I care so much about what everyone thinks of me' attitude. For starters, a caring attitude is a great quality and definitely needed in this world, but putting everyone else opinion of you above your own create problems. You have to build self-value in yourself and do not let a person's words ruin your whole day. Look at it this way, their words flies out their mouth, so at the end, they probably would not remember what they said. So if they do not care, why should you?

4)Change your thoughts and you will receive positive feedback. Reflections of own selves tend to bounce back on others so if you are super sensitive about everything in life, there will be people who will seem 'critical' of you. Improve your thoughts about yourself first and you will amaze that anyone's word will not stick like glue.

5)Embrace your sensitivity. There is nothing wrong with being sensitive, it shows you have concern for others but learn how to balance your sensitivity and have a thicker skin. Remember, every human who once lived on this Earth and those living in it presently has experienced a few folks that was not pleasant with their words, or had the tendency to say things without regards for other people feelings. While you cannot change these people way of thinking, take control of your own feelings and the way you express it. Also these types you should stay a distance from to keep negative energy away from you.

So, I'm going to try and work on these things...I'm tired of being the sensitive one. Though, at times, it can be a good thing (like #5 says above)...the majority of times, it's just a bummer.

Birthday Rules:

Stay Cute. Wish Big. Never Let Anybody Count Your Candles!

Today is my 32nd birthday! It feels quite good to be a woman in her 30’s. I think that something happens when you reach 30 and the more into this self-assured decade I get, the more clear I become on what I am after in my world, and perhaps even more importantly, what is no longer worth putting energy into.

I found this quote a while ago, that really rang true to me..."There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama & the people who create it & surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is too short to be anything but happy"

On that note - I had a wonderful birthday weekend "surrounded with people who make me laugh so hard (("La-who-ness..WHO?")) - my wonderful friends and family made this birthday weekend super special.

Friday night, I hosted a Stella & Dot Trunk show. It was so much fun - 17 ladies came over and were able to try on Stella & Dot's beautiful jewellery...and enjoy some snacks and drinks. I had such a great time with some truly awesome ladies....and my children, who were so wired by the activity that they partied til 11 with us.

Saturday was filled with family activities - dance classes for HoneyPie, a 1st birthday party for my adorable cousin "N", some shopping...and a surprise sleepover for my kiddies at my in-laws. We dropped them off at about 530, quickly grabbed a bite to eat, snuggled up on the couch and caught up on some of our PVR'ed shows - Later we went over to our neighbours (K & D's) and had a hilarious night (we sure missed you, G & P) We drank way too much, ate too many salty snacks, played Rummoli (which I'd never played before...but LOVED, you were right, MOM...it's sooo fun!) and laughed til the wee hours of the morning...

DH and I were so excited to sleep in...even if it was only til 930 - it was far better than 6:30/7. We chilled for a while and then did some shopping - some new Christmas decorations from Pier 1...a new scrapbooking desk for me...I am so excited! DH surprised me with a Cricut Expression for my birthday and I CANNOT wait to start scrappin' again! It's been ages and I have so much to do! We picked up the kids around 4 and headed to our friends (D & K) for dinner. Was a fun night, even though I think I experienced my first mild migraine while on the way there...it was so awful!

And so....we come to my actual birthday! 32! OH MY! Overall, it was a pretty awesome day - my kids and the daycare kids were pretty well behaved today, maybe knowing to let me have one stress free day (LOL) After the kids left, DH, HoneyPie, Buddaroo and I met my parents, my sister and her boyfriend, my in-laws, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend and DH's grandpa for dinner at East Side Mario's. Definitely not a fancy restaurant but one of my favourites...had a great dinner and then headed back here for some yummy cupcakes made by my sister.
Boy, were those cupcakes delish! I'm not really sure if I even got to make a wish - the kids were so fast to help blow out the candles. They were so excited to help.

And as I leave this post, which has turned into a short novel...I leave you with this:

Each birthday is a new beginning, full of promise and opportunity and the chance to make dreams come true.

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN

It's been about 10+ years since I've dressed up for a Hallowe'en party...DH and I went to a rockin party on Saturday night as:



And here are our little trick-or-treaters...Woody and Rapunzel



Was a fantastic Hallowe'en weekend.

Good Friends Are Like Stars....

You don't always see them, but you always know they're there.

They are there at a moment's notice. They know that they can be brutally honest with me and I will love them just the same. They are my support, my strength, my sisters, my sanity. They are my BFFs.

My husband is my best friend in the world, but there is something girlfriends can give you that even your husband can't.

In our many years as friends, we have shared in some of the happiest days of our lives, celebrated births, mourned the death of friends and family. We have shopped our asses off and spent way too much money. We have told many secrets and laughed until we peed.

These women are better than therapy. I couldn't live without them!

No, I won't loan them out. They are mine. But if you don't have your own BFFs, you need to find some!

If This Doesn't Make You Teary....

Tonight, while DH was looking at digg.com, he came across a real feel-good story linked to www.asylum.com:

Ike Ditzenberger is a 17-year-old high school student with Down syndrome and a player on Snohomish Panthers football team in Seattle.

Ditzenberger made the news recently with what his teammates call "The Ike Special," an touchdown run designed especially for him.

The Vikings were up 35–0 with seconds to go, when the Panthers quarterback made the hand-off to Ditzenberger. The Vikings sluggishly allowed the Panthers' offensive line to shove them aside, as Ditzenberger sprinted 51 yards to the end zone.

The score now 35-6 as time expired, Ditzenberger performed a touchdown dance with his adoring teammates. Check below for the newly released video of the whole thing, including the tear-jerking screams of excitement from the crowd as soon as they realize what's happening.



One last bit from this story, in case you aren't already bawling (in a manly way, of course). Ike's mother, Kay Ditzenberger, told the media that she couldn't have been prouder of the other players: "They redefined worth. Players often are defined by their scores on the board, but they showed he was worth their effort and time." by: Brian Fairbanks www.asylum.com

As we watched, I sat there and cried. I have a very special place in my heart for children with special needs/disabilities. This story really warmed my heart. There ARE some really great kids out there...I don't even really know what to say...the story was just so sweet...just....amazing!