The Lone Star Spice Rack

Basketball

2012-01-30T17:25:00.001-06:00

Watching Mikayla at basketball practice is hilarious!! She could be the very best out there, but really wants to just play around!! At least she will rebound!

Snow Skiing!!!

2012-01-25T12:14:00.001-06:00

We put it on the calander in early January that some friends of ours were going snow skiing on the 23 (a day of no school)! So Isaac and I prepared on Saturday to go on Monday. We rose early to get there early, they're only open from 9-5. We got there about 9:30, signed all the waivers, got all of our equipment, and arrived for our group lesson. Since there are 5 of us, there were only 2 people in our group that were not a Ralston!
The lesson went well. Jacob, Erica, and I all listened and worked hard to follow instructions. Poor Isaac spent most of his lesson helping Mikayla who did not take to skiing very well! I think she was the most excited about skiing before we got there. At the end of the lesson, our instructor told Isaac and i that we should go far away from Mikayla. To completely leave her alone on the bunny hill slopes. He wasn't kidding either.

Mikayla during the trip --- So like i stated earlier, Mikayla struggled a bit in the beginning. She wasn't sure she liked this at all. I actually saw her at one point sitting and playing in the snow. So during our lunch break, she watched a movie with a friend. She decided that she wanted to go back out and ski. No one went with her. By the time I met back up with her, the place was closing in about 15 minutes and she was smiling from ear to ear and having a blast. She was sad it was almost time to go. She was skiing really well. She would pop off her skiis and walk back up the mountain (using her skis as canes, of course) then ski down!

Erica during the trip --- Erica never ceases to amaze me. She is such a dear and never gives up on anything. Erica started the day falling A LOT. I think she spent more time trying to roll over and get back up, than she did on her skis. However, we left her alone as well. By mid day she was ready to go to the larger bunny hills, then she even made it to the green slopes (the easiest, but still had to ride the chair lift to get there)! Amazing, right?!

Jacob during the trip --- Jacob is very quick to give up on anything and everything that might be a little difficult for him. I guess he is afraid to fail, so would rather sit out than not try at all. So he went through the lesson, tried a couple more bunny hills, then did the escalator lift with Isaac and fell. he quickly decided he was done. He went inside and Isaac was pretty sure he cried a little. Lucky for us, one of his Young Men leaders from church came by and asked about Jacob. Brother Harmon went to find him. Before we knew it, it was lunch time and Jacob was having a blast. Jacob conquered all the green slopes and even went down 2 of the blues. LIKE WOW!!!! Isaac and I were so incredibly proud of him. I'm so glad he decided to go back out with his friends and Bro Harmon.

Isaac during the trip --- you probably remember that Isaac didn't get to participate much in the lesson. He must've heard a few things, because before i knew it, Isaac was a pro!! He was encouraging the rest of us. Isaac seemed to have a blast. I'm not sure if skiing was what he was most excited about, or just getting to be with us, but he was super happy all day!

Me during the trip --- you can imagine that I was excited for everyone to get to go. The time together would be priceless, but there was a pretty big part of me that was scared. After my year of injuries (being in the hospital in May, hurting my ankle shortly after that, breaking my knee cap shortly after that), and knowing that I blew my knee snow skiing when I was a senior in high school, i was scared! The instructor during our lesson thought I was doing great. Isaac was also very encouraging. I just knew in my heart that there are no "take backs" if you get hurt! LOL! So i had a lot of fun playing around on the bunny slopes. I then worked up enough gumption to go up on the escalator lift and go down that bunny slope! I did that with Erica and Isaac! Lots of fun.

I hope we have enough money to go back on the Feb 20 for President's Day...the next Monday that we are off work and there's no school!!! Thank you Wisp Resort for having cheap Mondays!!!

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2012-01-17T07:09:00.001-06:00

So, during our crazy day this past Saturday (I posted about it in the Asking for Help post), you may recall that I handed off Mikayla to a fellow teammate's mom for transportation between basketball pictures and basketball game. Well, when I returned to her game to watch, I sat beside this particular mom. She caught me up on the game happenings, then started talking about the car ride. She said that Mikayla got in her vehicle and said "Wow! Why is your car so messy?" As I started to apologize, she stopped me and said, "no, it really is messy in there". Anyway, she explained to Mikayla that it would seem that they have one of everything in their minivan. Very cleverly, Mikayla resonded with, "Then why are there three basketballs?"!!
Needless to say, I was very glad to see her laughing as she recalled the situation. Mikayla doesn't really miss a beat!! I guess that's why we adore her so!

Happy Tuesday!!

Asking for Help

2012-01-15T15:26:00.001-06:00

So, for those of you that know me, you know I don't really ask for help very often. However, with Isaac out of town this weekend, I had to ask for help. So many people actually helped. I guess it goes to show that if you actually ask, people are willing! But yesterday, my 3 children were supposed to be in 3 different places all at the same time. Erica and Mikayla both had basketball pictures at 2 different schools, then basketball games at 2 different schools from even pictures!! Jacob had a Scouting Event where they helped run a food drive for an elderly community. Erica also had a birthday party to attend...it was a really good friend or we may have skipped that one. There really was no way I could've made all that happen without help. So after I took the 3 of them for their bowling leagues, I took Erica to her place and asked her coach for help. Then I stopped at Mikayla's place and asked a fellow teammate's parent for help. Then on our way for Jacob to find his Scout shirt, we called and arranged for a ride to his event, and the ride even offered arrangements for Jacob to get home! So I left home after dropping Jacob and went to Mikayla's basketball game, then after that one, headed over for Erica's game, but I had missed it, and her sweet coach waited for me to arrive. Got home in time to gather my stuff for "It's Great to be 8" that I was in charge of at church. I'm so glad I thought enough in advance to remember to plan out the program and make all the copies and the gift bags in advance....cuz there certainly wouldn't have been enough time during the day to make that all happen!
All in all, I'm so grateful that I was surrounded by people who were willing to help me. What a blessing it was to see the kindness of others shine through!

Loss in the Family

2012-01-13T14:02:00.002-06:00

I've been a part of Isaac's family for about 15 years now. In that time, I've been loved and have loved all of them as if we've been in the same family for all my 36 years. Well, Isaac's sister lost her second full-term baby this week. We have all been very sad, but I simply cannot imagine how she is doing. Her and her husband have dealt with the loss of 2 children and his father passing away, all within 4 years.
Isaac has flown there to be with them for the funeral which will be tomorrow. I hope and pray that A & E grow closer together as a couple and as a family with their son through this very difficult time. And even when the family members have all gone back home, they know how much they are loved and prayed for daily.

Dear Sweet Oldest Child of Mine

2012-01-11T13:51:00.000-06:00

My son is such a little terd sometimes! Because he's a history buff, he's really been questioning 'where we came from' and different things about what we believe, etc... So, we've expressed to him that he needs to pray earnestly and read his scriptures, because he can't just go off of what Isaac and I believe, he needs to trust in his own beliefs. I guess he had some sort of revelation and hadn't shared that with us because last Sunday during testimony meeting he shared.
I should preface this with the fact that I'm the Primary President now and with the beginning of the year, we divided the primary into Junior/Senior primaries again (like I can't believe anyone would ever have 3-11 year olds all together anyway....and i don't even care about numbers). We also meet from 1:00-4:00 this year, so the previous primary isn't out until 2:00 and we are supposed to come in by 2:20. So i snuck out of Sacrament at 2:03 to go make sure the room was ready... and it seemed that testimony meeting was slowing down! Well, low and behold, my son got up! He stood up at the mic and began with "I figured since my dad is working, and my mom just stepped out, that now is the perfect chance for me to get up here"! LOL!! Anyway, he went on to say that he'd been questioning a lot of things and finally got his answer and felt good about it and wanted to share.
Needless to say, I found it funny how he began his testimony and am super proud of him..............but still i wish i would've heard it with my own mommy ears!!
Have a Happy Day!!

New Year, New Post

2012-01-10T13:30:00.002-06:00

So I know I haven't written for almost a year!! However, in that year, I've been very busy.... We moved to a new town in Maryland... Gaithersburg! Also this past year I went through 5 weeks of physical therapy for my ankle, which ended up being my arch. Then, shortly after that, I broke my knee cap. So I spent all summer in a long knee stabilizing brace.
Let's see...we planned to go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, but 2 weeks before, Isaac broke his ankle.
Jacob is in 7th grade now, Erica in 4th, and Mikayla in 1st!! They are growing up so fast. In 2 years we will start our like 7 year stint of having kids in Seminary! LOL!
Now that I realize I can post from work, and can't Facebook from work, I will have to get on her more often. I read some of my old stories that probably would've been forgotten had I not kept it in a blog!! So, I guess I won't have a lot of memories from 2011, but 2012 will the year of blogging for me!! So many funny, happy, sad, crazy things happen, I need to work harder to blog so I can remember.

Stupid Weight

2011-02-08T14:58:00.003-06:00

Well, I have started working out harder again and am even in a contest at my gym!!! Wow...i guess this will be a long road....it is one that is really hard to stay on. it seems so easy for some people and harder for others...im one of the "others"!!
Anyway, I will keep trudging along!!
Hope everyone else is doing okay...let me know what you do to workout and to stay motivated and maybe even what your favorite snack is....

HOLY TOLEDO!!!

2011-01-20T08:18:00.002-06:00

So, this blog is going to be used to post my weight and my workout routines, etc for a while!! I need the accountability!!! I have officially gained 25 pounds....well, have lost 2 since Saturday, but still was 25 pounds up!!! I was so sad when I realized it too. Now, you do the math....if I was 175 when I moved here in April, and I've gained 25....just imagine how the change of the first digit from a 1 to a 2 hit me?!! Oh it hurt me so bad to see a 2-0-0 on the stupid scale!!!
My lap band is empty with no intentions of using it at this point!! I know what to do and I know what needs to be done to be successful!!!
I need to get my ankle on the up and up and I should be a lot better. I go back to physical therapy in the morning (barring they don't close again due to weather)!!
So today starts my blogging journey of this stupid weight control issue that I have.
No more excuses....my most recent ones have been.....well, I don't have a job, i'm out of my routine, i need a set schedule, i need accountability, i feel like a loser (ha...when i'm really a gainer), i love ice cream, it's harder with isaac around,
BLAH BLAH BLAH.....I"M DONE!! no more excuses because i'm smarter than that!!!

Thanksgiving was FAST!!

2010-11-29T12:17:00.003-06:00

Hello friends and family!!! I hope this finds that everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving!! I can't believe December is almost here. This holiday was super blessed because our friends from church, The Chadwicks, invited us over for the feast! YUMMY!! They have 6 children so our kids (with all their quirkiness and craziness) fit right in at their house! Thank goodness for good friends who also love your children!

Isaac and I enjoyed doing some Black Friday shopping. We made stops at Toys R Us, Best Buy, & Dick's Sporting Goods. So much fun!! Then after we rested we took the kids to see Tangled....what a great movie! I laughed and cried!
The kids and I spent some time making some really cute Christmas ornaments on Friday night. I got the idea from a favorite blog of mine....Mod Podge Rocks! I posted some pics on Facebook of them making their ornaments! I'm not sure what we will do with the ornaments as I haven't decided where or if to put up a tree since we are headed to AR for Christmas!!!

Saturday we simply took the girls bowling and then came home to watch football! Isaac and I snuck in a date night and went to an Italian restaurant and then to see Harry Potter 3. I'm not sure how i felt about the movie but I'm sure the next, the last one, will be the BEST!

I'm still hoping for a job! Keep your fingers crossed!! : ) Happy Monday!

Tutoring

2010-11-18T11:43:00.002-06:00

So....my "job" was a bit of a disappointment. I interviewed with Baltimore County Home and Hospital and got the job and was thrilled. Then I found out that it is more like a substitute position. They call on you when they need you.
HOWEVER, it seems to be a pretty important job, I guess. I was called on for a Senior who was listed as "chronic". This means that she is very sick but can go to school sometimes. If she misses 2 consecutive days, then she qualifies for a little bit of tutoring. I do not have to do any lesson plans for her but simply help her with her work. She has 2 tutors (me - for LA/Social Studies, and tutor #2 - for Statistics and Science). So far we have done assignments (refreshing my memory) on Beowolf and The Mayor of Casterbridge.
Then I was called to see if I would tutor an 8th grade boy who is suspended for all of 2nd quarter. His mom has to miss work for his tutoring so I only see him once per week. Through his suspension he ONLY QUALIFIES FOR 4 HOURS OF TUTORING PER WEEK. In that 4 hours we are to cover (with lesson plans that i make) LA, math, science (chemistry), and Social studies. WHEW!!! We met this past week and he is the sweetest thing. He was so super organized and so smart. It seems like an honest story of "I can't believe I messed up ONE TIME, and now I can't go back to school till the end of January"!!
Anyway, I also have an interview on Monday with the same BCHHC dept for a .5 position for some sort of a telecomm class. I will find out more on Monday, but was pleased that I was called to interview for the spot!!
I have been to two job fairs at area colleges recently as well. Some of them have adjunct faculty positions in their College of Education available. Even if nothing comes of it, I believe they were both a good experience for me. AND I was a little shocked at how little they get paid, but it would be a "foot in the door" if i do get anything with them.

Oh Little Spice....AKA Mikayla

2010-11-10T09:54:00.003-06:00

Mikayla is notorious for cracking us up!! The other day she woke up, came downstairs and said, "Mommy, my nose can't breathe!"!!

She told Isaac the other day that she wished her legs would stop growing since nothing else is growing. Isaac asked her if her legs had been hurting (cramping) at night again, and she said "yes and it hurts, Daddy, it really hurts. But nothing else hurts"! So she has concluded that since other parts of her body aren't cramping but her legs are, then her legs must be the only part that is growing! Isn't that precious?!

On a daily basis she enjoys telling me what everyone ELSE in her class did wrong, while, of course, she is innocent of any wrong doings!

She is so sweet and her eyes will melt your heart.....BUT SHE IS SSSSOOOOO ROTTEN!!! And Isaac is still swearing that since he was deployed for half of her little life thus far, that I completely ruined her all by myself!!! : )

Sewing again!

2010-11-08T12:38:00.003-06:00

She's sewing again!!!
Yes, i finally pulled the machine and thread out again. I haven't sewn since....well, i can't remember, but it was in TX!! I made 5 wonder wallets, an oven mitt, and a purse this weekend!!!
I like the purse that i made for myself, but it's a little smaller than i prefer!
Unfortunately, sewing allows the cleanliness of the house to go downhill!! So, today I am catching up on laundry.

My mom sent a box on Saturday that arrived today! That's amazingly fast!! It had enough gloves and tights for the girls to have one pair for each day of 2 weeks!! LOL!! Of course the girls got cute scarves also. JAcob landed himself some hats, gloves, and a neck thing!
Undershirts for each of the kids, some silver precious boots for the girls!!! Oh and some "smartphone" gloves for me! Supposedly you can wear them and still use your fingers on the screen of your smart phone. Pretty cool. SHe didn't forget about Isaac, he just has a lot of this stuff from the cool Army stuff he has left over...top of the line stuff too!!
Can you tell that we have never lived somewhere that gets this cold???

Well, try to stay warm, wherever you are!!! Happy week!!!

This Week!!

2010-09-30T14:06:00.003-05:00

So this week has flown by! I can't believe it's Thursday already! I had a great time in Chicago over the weekend!! It was great to get home and get caught up on life! Many of you know that we have spent quite a few months trying to get our insurance straightened out since Isaac got out of the Army....now that we are in the Guard, we still have Tricare, just Tricare Standard, not Tricare Prime. We are blessed to pay only $180 per month to cover our whole family of 5. It's just been pure hell trying to find the proper people in the proper office to be able to fix our problems of getting enrolled. So, TODAY it is all fixed! Today marks the day where we do not have to worry about our healthcare coverage!! Whew, it feels like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and i know my sweet hubby feels the same way!
We fed the missionaries last night. I always love having them but last night they were on splits, which means that we had one missionary from our ward (congregation), and one from a different local congregation. One of the Elders brought his guitar and just so happened to play "O Lord, My Redeemer". Isaac mentioned that i had done that song before at church and so he asked me to sing a verse with him and he harmonized with me! It was so so cool.
The first time i heard that song was when Brooklyn said "come over here and sing this"! She started playing and made me sight read it...which i'm not very good at! Then later I got to hear her sister, Monica, sing it for some meeting. It was beautiful. i don't know if Brooklyn knows or not, but i think i've probably sang that song at almost every ward i've been since then! The strangest part is that I wasn't even a member of the church when she made me sing it the first time!
Anyway, we had Jacob's physical on Tuesday this week and we have Erica's physical tomorrow!! Mikayla's is sometime next week! Jacob's doctor have him the opportunity to ask me to step out after helping with the background stuff. Jacob assured me that he was glad i wasn't in there for the part where the doc checked his boys....yes....i about died!!!
so that's it for me for the week....i am praying for nothing "out of the ordinary" to happen at Erica's physical....but I guess that's one thing i've learned while being a mom....NOTHING IS ORDINARY!!!

Maureen's 40

2010-09-24T04:24:00.003-05:00

So today I am headed to Chicago for my best friend's birthday!! This is a surprise to her!! Her family has actually had this planned since May or so! So, here is to a quick, memorable weekend!!!!

Crazy....I can't think of anything

2010-09-20T15:16:00.003-05:00

Today, i feel like i should update something but really can't think of anything!! we went to Sam's club twice last week to stock up on stuff and not have to go for a while!
I've thoroughly enjoyed watching the first week of Oprah's last season of the The Oprah Winfrey Show. I really really really enjoyed it. I enjoyed my weekend in May with her so much and appreciate all that she does to better people and their thinking.
Will you watch "Waiting for Superman"? I'm intrigued now that Oprah has done this show today! The movie is a documentary on Schools/Education!!
I guess I see the desperation now that I live in a neighborhood where we are one of the only ones that are NOT on Section 8 living. These poor children don't have educated parents, don't really know how to speak, and don't know how to aspire for more. I hope they have a teacher somewhere that loves them and helps them strive for more in life!

Dermatologist

2010-09-13T20:55:00.002-05:00

So...today I took Jacob and Erica into see the Pediatric Dermatologiist!! They both have the childhood virus that causes warts. Erica has 3 on her hands and one large one on her knee and Jacob had 3 on his hands. So...they were very brave at first then decided that they wouldn't have all the warts frozen off! I mean I know it hurts, but i was shocked that the doctor didn't just take care of it for me! I was certain to reassure them that with me starting a new job and them already missing school today, that I wouldn't be making another appointment for warts!! So Erica had the one on her knee done and jacob only had 2 done! The warts should fall off by this weekend!
Also, while there they gave us some stuff for Jacob's complexion! He now has a Benzoil Peroxide wash and some Retin A. He has never been so eager to wash his face as tonight. I made sure to reassure him that it wouldn't work over nite...LOL!

Movie Theater Alone

2010-09-10T13:38:00.002-05:00

So, right now I am without a job and now am without children during the day....since they are all in school now! So, I have visited the movie theater by myself twice now. It's quite nice actually. I don't have to worry about seeing "chick flicks" and wondering if Isaac is suffering too much!!
What's really neat is that I still laugh out loud at the funny parts...so my laugh is not "just for show"! I love to laugh! Enjoy a movie alone and don't worry about chomping on the popcorn....cuz you're by yourself!!! Try it, you might like it!!

NFL Bowling League

2010-09-09T16:58:00.002-05:00

Isaac and I begin our NFL bowling league tonight!! We are excited, however, the first NFL official game is tonight and it's the Saints vs. Vikings!! My husband grew up in New Orleans and we are huge Saints fans. So for him to join this league with me and miss a little football is a really big deal and a true testament of his love for me! I really appreciate it.
I grew up on bowling leagues and even went to college on a several bowling scholarships!
I'm super blessed to have a mom who sent us $$ for bowling shoes so we don't have to rent them each week. AND at the end of this 12 week league we get to choose the NFL bowling ball of our choice! Of course Isaac will choose the Saints and I will probably choose the Cowboys (I'm a childhood fan)!!
So here's to our definite 12 weeks of having a weekly date night!! So exciting!!

Middle School Band

2010-09-09T03:36:00.002-05:00

Who knew Jacob joining band would be a thorn in my side and 2 weeks of school hasn't even passed yet?! So i have ordered all the supplies, but being new to the area, i ordered online to get the "Best Deals", and now the band instructor told the kids that they couldn't be in band if they didn't have everything by Friday!! Well, that is not a guarantee for us due to the mailing system!! And after spending over $110, I am upset. I have lost sleep. Tonight, or this morning at 3:45 I sent the band director and principal of the school an email asking that i be reimbursed if my son is kicked out of band!! I don't want Jacob to "be the exception" but honestly we had to wait for my Unemployment $$ to come in so that I could order all the crap he needed!!!! Gggrrrrrr.....
The first time my son is interested in anything musical and this band director may ruin it for him!! I'm just a little upset!!
Otherwise, I love the school he attends...LOL!!
I really should be sleeping!!! I think Isaac's alarm will go off in an hour or so!! Oops!

Live Your Best Life!

2010-05-12T16:48:00.002-05:00

Well, this past weekend I was able to attend Oprah's Live your best Life Weekend!! It was so amazing. On Friday the welcoming was just "so Oprah"! On Saturday there were several "life shops" and I was able to attend Suze Orman, Donna Brazile, and Peter Walsh and loved all 3! I loved that Oprah provided us all with a journal and pen so we could take notes.
What a wonderful experience to get to listen to Oprah talk about her entire life on Saturday evening at Radio City Music Hall. There were many tears shed and even more laughs! I can't wait to see what she will do with that recorded 2 hour session!
I wonder what her and her friends did during the day while the rest of us were blessed to attend the life shops?! hhhmmmm....
This was truly a dream come true.

While I was there, Isaac and the kids were busy unpacking. The recent move from TX to MD has truly been a huge change for all of us. WOW....the army "family" is what i miss, I guess. Of course I really miss my class and teaching too. And I truly miss my job and my friends. With all of this change, it was great to be able to have dreams come true and be able to enjoy a "deployment weekend"....and be all alone to self reflect!
Love to all!!

Home from Cruise!!!

2010-01-24T17:48:00.002-06:00

We are just home from our cruise!! We traveled to Progresso, Mexico and Cozumel! It was amazing to say the least! Please check out Facebook to see the pics I posted. We are currently watching the Saints play. If they win they will be in the Superbowl!! How awesome would that be??! I go back to work tomorrow after being gone all week.....a little scared to see what I come into!!
Well, enough rambling!! Later fellow bloggers!!

I've missed you Spice Rack

2009-11-16T20:09:00.002-06:00

so it has been forever since i blogged!!! Isaac will be home next week though so i have lots to talk about. let's see....he leaves iraq on saturday, then be in kuwait for a little bit, then be headed home!! how exciting. I just can't wait to get started with the next chapters in our lives.
he'll be home just in time for thanksgiving and then christmas. we've even already made reservations for the kids at wazoo's for 5 a.m. on black friday. they will get to play and we will get to shop....isn't that awesome?!
let's see...about me.... well, i ran in a half marathon yesterday and finished it at 2 hours 45 minutes. i was very excited and felt pretty good afterward. i've lost a lot of weight since i've seen isaac so i really can't wait to feel his arms around me and then some...(wink wink). i also attend boot camp two nights a week and i think my gym is starting a spin class on tuesday evenings that i will go to. the kids love going to the gym with me.
the kids are all doing great and never fail to remind me how blessed i am to have them in my life.

isaac recently got a new job and will be out of the army pretty soon. we will be moving to augusta, ga soon. so like i said, we have many new chapters beginning. it's all very exciting.

He Made It!!

2009-06-17T09:47:00.002-05:00

Finally....he made it!! We have had such a wonderful time so far!! It hasn't even been 24 hours yet and we've gotten so much done!! Well, since i'm supposed to be relaxing in the tub....I better enjoy!!! It's hard to focus when there are no interruptions. I'm so used to knock-knocks, Mommy's, and screams....I'm not sure what to do since no one needs me right now!!!!

Anxiously Awaiting!!

2009-06-16T08:19:00.002-05:00

I know he'll be here soon, i just don't know when exactly. I wish it was early this morning like i had hoped. I'm so shocked that i haven't heard from since 3:45 yesterday morning.

An update: I have finally read Twilight. It only took me about 3 days to read and I absolutely loved it. I'm almost half way through New Moon but Isaac asked that I not be reading while he is home!! Gosh, I can't imagine that he has other things in mind, rather than curling up with a good book.

The kids are all fine just anxiously waiting for their dad to get her and then leave for Disney World.

We've had a good week and a half of summer break, and Mikayla is still alive!! LOL!!

More updates to come!

SORRY!!

2009-05-11T13:49:00.003-05:00

I'm sorry to all of my followers!! I have been so wrapped up in facebook recently that I forget to type an update on my blog!!! Life is actually pretty good for me right now. Well, Sunday was a little weird for me, but all in all I have no room to complain.
I babysat over the weekend for a teacher friend. That went well. She and Erica are close to the same age and on Friday evening they 2 girls went to a girl conference called Smart Girls. It was here on post and lasted from 7-10:00. They really had fun.
On Saturday the kids went to a friend's house so I could run a race in Copperas Cove. I tied with my friend for 10th place out of 77 in our category!! I was so excited. I didn't even care that i slowed my time by 2.5 minutes from my last 5K! The hills (which i really like to call mountains) were excrutiating!! My friend and I decided it might have been easier to bear crawl up the biggest of the hills.
Saturday afternoon I took all of the kids to see Monsters vs. Aliens, 3D. It was really good, with only a few slow parts.
My friends plane came in early so she picked her daughter up early, which was nice. Another friend of mine has her life crumbling around her.
I'm pleased as punch to have so many blessings in my life! Isaac and I are already preparing for how we can ensure this return from deployment (like in December or January) will be smoother for all of us!! I love that we are strong enough to discuss these things to make our lives happier!!

I've also recently enjoyed seeing the Hannah Montana movie....I actually cried in that movie!! CRAZY ISN'T IT??!!

I'm going to be participating in a book study this summer to do the Twilight series with a couple of friends. 1st book in June, 2nd in July, and 3rd in August! I want to try to be better at just picking up a book to read and i think this will be an easy way to help me get started!!

That's about all i can think of right now! Oh...all 3 little spices are doing really well!!!

I guess I am going to have to abandon the anonymous name thing on here because I always end up using our names!!! Maybe it's the teacher in me!

Races, etc...

2009-04-26T19:08:00.003-05:00

I am really enjoying these races!! I have completed 4 of them recently. I've completed 3 5K's and 1 10K! My time has gotten better with each race! I'm glad that my children are starting to see that mommy has more energy! Ya know, when i was weighing in at 254 all my energy was going to keep me walking from place to place and make it to the recliner!! Since that was not the life I dreamed of, it's nice for my children to notice a difference!! At 34 I know I still have a way to go, but I can achieve a healthy life that will help my children grow into healthier adults!!
Now, back to the races....my times are not army standard yet...but could be in a couple months!! I always joke with Isaac that if he is getting out...then maybe I should get in, just so we could both fully understand the whole army experience!!! LOL....
I better start dinner and some laundry....

McHenry

2009-04-19T23:32:00.002-05:00

As I sit here finishing up some laundry, I'm very consumed with missing my husband. Although R&R will be here in June, I still am missing him pretty badly. I was pretty spoiled on the first deployment and if any of you know me, I'm pretty used to being spoiled. Well, being spoiled is a great thing at the time, but then when things don't go your way, you seem to take it even harder than the unspoiled person! So, Isaac is moving around a lot this deployment. It has actually worked out okay until Thursday. Now, he's in some remote place with no internet service and the cell phone that he got over there doesn't get reception there either!! What's even worse is that he is scheduled to be there until like a week before he's due home for R&R.
I guess I just feel a little out of the touch with the world. When I get like this, it seems to be easier to not talk to anyone. I feel like it's a little easier to transition Isaac back into the house when i've talked to him at least every other day or so. I don't remember feeling this desperate to talk to him for quite some time. What's even funnier is when I do finally get to talk with him, I'll be at a loss for words!!!
I'm blessed in so many ways! I love explaining how wonderful my husband is to everyone but i truly just wish he were here to prove it to them himself!!!

Easter Pictures!

2009-04-12T23:17:00.002-05:00

http://www.shutterfly.com/lightbox/view.sfly?fid=276d9c90b8d7a33a6276141d224b0f78

This link should take you to my album where you can view them as a slideshow! There's probably an easier way....but it's late and I have to work tomorrow!
Love to all!

10K Here I Come!!

2009-04-11T00:07:00.002-05:00

A few prayer requests....since I can't sleep!
1. That I wake up on time!
2. That I finish!
3. That I'm not too sore to move afterward!
4. That I feel good upon completion!

I'm afraid 6:35 is going to come rather quickly, so goodnight for now!

Party at Wazoo's!

2009-04-05T15:13:00.000-05:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

Running Smoothly.....

2009-04-04T17:55:00.002-05:00

If only everything ran smoothly, life would be easy! However, when things don't run as smoothly as I would like, it is a helpful reminder of how much I miss Isaac, how much I need Isaac, how much I love it when Isaac is here with me!!
I've really tried not to complain too much....but enough is enough!
If only the garbage disposal still worked...
if only the light in the stairs could be reached to change...
if only the sprinkler system still worked...
if only registration/inspections never expired on cars...
if only brakes on minivans lasted forever...
if only the extra refrigerator still kept things cooled/frozen...
if only children never vomited in their beds...
if only i wasn't out of the house 12+ hours five days a week, then perhaps all the minor things listed above wouldn't seem like MAJOR things in my life!!!

HURRY HURRY HURRY Sweetie....come back to me!!!!

HOORAY!!!! TAKS TEST RESULTS

2009-03-23T10:00:00.003-05:00

Okay so it's the first day back to school after spring break and reading TAKS results are in!!! As gradelevel leader, I quickly checked our scores to see that 94% of our students passed and 38% commended!!! After that I was able to disect my own class's scores to see that all 16 of my students passed and 50% of them received a score of commended with 1 person making 100%!!!!
I AM SO EXCITED!!! MY HARD WORK PAID OFF AND ALL OF MY LITTLE DARLINGS CAN PROMOTE TO 4TH GRADE (so long as they are passing all subjects, of course)!!!!
I know there are some who don't really understand the excitement....but several of you do!!!

Spring Break!

2009-03-21T10:49:00.003-05:00

Well, I just dropped my mom off at the airport! She got here last Friday night and left this morning. We had a good week. First, I am trying to get back into running and living healthy so I did a 5K last Saturday with my friend MR. We had so much fun even though it was a little hilly and we beat our goal time. My mom's luggage was lost so we stayed at home the rest of Saturday. We got a lot of shopping done here in Killeen, in Temple, in Waco, and in Austin. We took the kids to eat and play at Ghattiland. We visited the Dr. Pepper museum. Let's see...Vader was groomed, christmas boxes were broken down and recycled, all my papers were graded, Paprika got a haircut, I made it to a doc appt, I got a pedicure, kids were registered at Central Registration, we played Bunco for a cancer fundraiser, took some pictures, and some other stuff.
We ate well also. Let me remember....Cheddar's, Fuddrucker's, Ghattiland, Bush's, Taqueria, Jason's Deli, oh and we did eat at home a few times also!!!

Thanks mom! We had a great time!

Not much happening!

2009-03-10T23:40:00.003-05:00

There isn't a lot happening with us....just the normal stuff, I guess! Math tutoring started today and I have 8 kids in my group. SOmetimes i wonder why i sign up for 1 more hour of teaching, but i know the kids need and deserve it!

I joined Gold's on Saturday. I even signed up to have 9 sessions with a personal trainer. My first session with my PT is next Tuesday! I'm excited. I'm also running in a 5K this coming Saturday with Maureen (she's walking it) but it'll be nice to have someone with me! I've done one race with my Houston Mom-in-law which was better than the race i did alone! It really helps to have others around...especially for the motivation to keep going!

My mom is coming this Friday. It would great if everything was perfect by the time she gets here, but i'm not seeing that happening yet! Here it is 11:45 at night and i'm waiting for laundry and YES i have to be up at 5:00.

Jacob and Erica have new haircuts that i need to post pictures of! they both look so awesome!

I'm excited to hear what Aria's baby will be on Monday and am thinking my bro-in-law is insane for having another baby! But no one asks me these things.... although i find it crazy that his family is about to out-number mine and he's almost 10 years younger than I am!

Today was a field trip day for the 3rd graders....boy were they actin' crazy! I am most excited for Spring Break to be here but wish I didn't have to grade papers and finalize grades during that time!!!

Just my random thoughts..... see.... now there's no more wondering why i can't sleep.... my brain won't slow down!! These are all the reasons I crash when Isaac gets home!!!

Huge Bouquet o' Flowers

2009-02-28T17:44:00.003-06:00

These are the flowers that my sweetie had delivered to me at school yesterday!!! It is absolutely huge and beautiful!!!!

My Awesome Sweetie

2009-02-27T09:40:00.002-06:00

Many may not know that tomorrow is my birthday! I really wasn't too excited about this year, but my awesome sweetie has gone above and beyond to help me celebrate another year of life.
First, he had me order a Shiatsu Massager for myself, from him! So, I did that a couple of weeks ago and have been thoroughly enjoying it! You see, he's so wonderful that he normally massages me whenever I'm feeling stressed. He always usually massages my feet with lotion almost nightly when he's home.
Then, on Monday, I checked the mail and lo and behold a box! This box contained a set of silver hoop earrings with diamonds on each edge.
This morning before work I checked the mail again and had another box!! This time I received a pair of diamond and amethyst earrings. That's my birthstone!
Now...words can't express how special I feel knowing that my wonderful husband is half way around the world and can remember to do all of this for one day of my life! He makes my new year exciting.
I know my Eternal choice was the best choice I've ever made in my life. Because of that choice I have my children and so many more blessings that one could not even begin to count!

Missing my One and Only!!

2009-02-22T12:11:00.006-06:00

Well, with Valentine's day just passing and my birthday coming up....thinking of all the fun things that Mr. Nutmeg usually does for me and with me....really makes me miss him a LOT!!

I miss you, Sweetie!! Here are some pictures I took before he left....I knew these would be the things that I missed....plus some!!

When he's home, ALL the Army stuff (oh, there's so much) is everywhere! But when he's gone and there isn't much Army stuff around...I really miss it!!
The top of this dresser has been cleaned off since right after he left. It will remain cleared until he gets home!!
I couldn't get this rotate for some reason, but he always takes his clothes and leaves them. When he's home, it annoys me! When he's gone....oh, how I wish his clothes were on the bed!
The infamous leaving of the shoes!!! Just where ever he is standing when he feels like taking them off...that's where they'll stay!!! I miss stubbing my toe on his big shoes!!
SSG Nutmeg hung this beautiful towel rack in my bathroom and for some reason his WET towel would somehow still end up on my side of the bed!! We actually usually always laughed about this....I miss him!!!

Annoying 1 Bright Light

2009-02-18T19:20:00.002-06:00

This morning on the way to work, a car was behind me that had a missing headlight! The main problem was that they were driving with their BRIGHT lights on. SO, one side was on the bright beams and the other side was on regular beams. I don't know why it annoyed me so badly this morning. I guess I was thinking that you can buy a headlight pretty cheap and if you get it at AutoZone, the nice salesman might even put it in for you!!!!! So, I had to drive blinded all the way to work this morning! Anyway, hopefully none of you will EVER do that to fellow driver.

Just me and the kids!

2009-02-16T11:44:00.003-06:00

With SSG Nutmeg being gone, it was just us for Valentine's Day! I guess I sat around the house a little down all day, then it was time for the plans I had actually made! About a month ago, my teacher friend, AW, had suggested going to Chuck E Cheese's. Our thought was that with most people going out on dates and such that CEC's would be a little empty! SO, we invited some other friends whose husbands had to work or are deployed....and boy did the plan backfire! CEC's was busier than ever. We had to wait at the door to be seated like a REAL restaurant! Luckily we all got to sit together in side by side booths and we ate in shifts with the kids. Anyway, here are a few pics of our good time.

I had this one taken as proof that i was there also!!
Even though the girls look washed out, I still like this picture! Little Paprika looks pretty sweet in this one. I'm sure that Sage and Rosemary wouldn't call her that very often.
An action shot!
The motorized Chuck E was good enough for Paprika's picture. She just wanted to stand on the stage with him.
Rosemary with her friend, AW! They were inseparable that night!

Pinewood Derby '09

2009-02-07T10:45:00.005-06:00

We had a lot of fun last night at the Pinewood Derby! Sage's truck won 2nd place! Can you believe 2nd place 3 years in a row???

On this smilebox creation, be sure to view all the photos on each page. You can click on most of the smaller pictures to see what the numbered text is referring to! Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Busy Week!!!

2009-01-26T09:15:00.002-06:00

This week is very very busy for us!!!

Monday - school, dance, sign papers in temple with doc

Tuesday - school, tutoring (i teach), mikayla's dental appt

Wednesday - school, dance (til 6)

Thursday - school, tutoring, cub scouts

Friday - school, same day surgery to fix my port...ugh!

So normally I feel like our weeks are busy when Isaac is gone, but this week when you add 2 trips to Temple, the dentist, & cub scouts (not on Saturday)....it just seems like a lot!!!

Any and all prayers are accepted!

Best Buddies!!!

2009-01-24T15:17:00.003-06:00

They love each other so much!!! Paprika was watching TV and Vader was there as a pillow then Paprika became the pillow!!!
She was concerned that Vader wasn't making his "pretty face"!
She thinks it is the greatest thing when he kisses her!!!!

Staying Busy!

2009-01-24T14:54:00.002-06:00

I can't believe my husband has been gone for only 2 1/2 weeks! Maybe it's because he's not at his permanent location yet that time seems to be practically standing still! I knew I needed to post something new when he told me it had been a while....he's usually the last person to remind me of those things!!! However, I did tell him that I felt bad for nagging my sister-in-law for not updating her blog more often....now she's posted like 4 new posts that I had to catch up on.

Anyway, here in central TX the weather is appropriate to talk about. Yesterday it was almost 85 degrees outside. I wore capri pants and short sleeves to work. Then today I woke up to a frigid house with the temp outside sitting at 35! Brrrr....

We ran our errands and quickly came back home. Actually we didn't leave until 11 or so (cub scouts was cancelled today) and returned home by 1:15.

This week little Paprika experimented with a white crayon and became very frustrated when it "won't work"! She said, "Watch Mommy! It doesn't work". So her 6 year old sister was quick to her (and my) rescue by showing her on a blue piece of paper that it DOES work...it's just white and doesn't show up on white paper! She even went a step further and showed Paprika how the blue crayon wouldn't appear on the blue paper but it does on the white paper! Oh how sweet to be so inquisitive!!! And how lucky to have a sweet big sister willing to explain.

Keeping Busy with Friends

2009-01-10T19:28:00.004-06:00

So, Mikayla spent the night with Tonya & kids on Friday. Instead of driving all the way to get her, Tonya suggested we go skating in Cove. It was SO fun! She had her 3 kids, I had my 3 kids, and Maureen had 3 of her kids there. The picture above is of Tonya and I just before we participated in the adult race! I think we finished 4th (me) and 5th (her) out of a mere 6 racers!
These are her girls. She also has a son that's the same age as mine (Sage).
Watch out Erica! Kearston is moving in....and Eduardo is pleased as punch!
Just before taking off our skates....we nabbed a picture of me and the kids!

A Tuesday Goodbye!

2009-01-10T19:11:00.006-06:00

This picture on the left is of SSG Nutmeg and the kids!

This was Tuesday morning just before he had to leave!

I was able to take him to post! He drew his weapon....he named his weapon....I'm so upset I forgot it already!

Here we are just seconds before they walked away!

3 year old spirit

2009-01-04T16:46:00.003-06:00

So...with all the stresses of leaving, SSG Nutmeg and I toyed with us not "having time" to go to church today! His destination has changed, the day he leaves has changed a few times, all the details still are not finalized for this deployment! Crazy, huh? Well, as we were chatting about whether or not we should go to church, Paprika walks up and starts to cry. When we asked her what was wrong, she said "I need to go to Primary. I'm in Sunbeams now. I need to go!"

Needless to say, we were quickly put in our place as her sweet spirit touched us (it really gave us a swift kick for even thinking of skipping on his last Sunday here)!

So, even though SSG Nutmeg had to accept all the calls and texts during Sacrament and Sunday School, we were still blessed by hearing all the testimonies and lessons shared!

Clean for the cleaning lady????

2009-01-02T11:42:00.002-06:00

What is wrong with this picture??? Why would someone clean before the cleaning lady comes?? Well, I don't want her to think we are nasty! I don't want her to think I can't keep up with the house....except.....why else would I need her?? So, during the last deployment Isaac surprised me with a cleaning service! It was the greatest thing ever.....seriously!

So, even before we knew he was leaving on Monday, we had the appointment scheduled for today!! So she'll be here at 1:00! Isaac told me what he is willing to pay, so hopefully she'll be under the quote, so I don't have to do this again! Like I told the lady last time, "We live in our house"! It has to be functional....not necessarily perfect!

So, I guess I'll do one more walk through real quick....maybe put on some make-up and a bra!

Time for Deployment....So Quick??

2009-01-01T11:54:00.004-06:00

I think I'm in shock more than anything. I cannot believe that we got a call this morning saying that SSG Nutmeg leaves on Monday instead of the 10th! I mean part of me believes it, but other parts of me doesn't want to believe it! It's really just me being selfish. All of me knows that he has a very important job to do, but none of me wants him to be so far away for so long! I guess my real prayer is that he's safe and returns to us ASAP. I also pray that his mission is successful. I also hope and pray that the other guys meet up with him safely. Isaac is going on the Strat-Air flight which will take him straight to his destination. The others will be about a month in Kuwait before meeting up with SSG Nutmeg again! Anyway...I'm still sad, but will hold up for his sake. He pulled out about 3-5 loads of laundry that he was going to take care of next week while i was at work...but it looks like we'll get that done today and tomorrow. :0)

I think maybe I'm a little more emotional today because Baby Spice, Paprika woke up vomiting today. There doesn't seem to be any apparent reason...I'm just hoping that it stops with her and doesn't go around to all of us, like normal!

So, here is to a Happy New Year for all of you!

Kids with Grandparents

2008-12-30T17:42:00.004-06:00

Aren't they so blessed to have so many people who love them?? Our first stop was to see Grandpa, Meme, & Aunt Lily at The Woodlands, TX! They took us ice skating. Our middle spice was amazing at ice skating, oldest spice kept trying & trying (we were super proud he didn't give up), and the littlest spice tried for about 3 minutes and stopped!

Our next stop was in Fort Smith, AR to see Nana! I absolutely LOVE this picture of all of them!
And our final set of grandparents to see came to our house! Papa and Grandma came and got to stay and play for several days!

Double Date...

2008-12-30T08:22:00.003-06:00

Last night we went on a double date with Aria & Eddie. We had a great time. We went to Taqueria Mexico for dinner and then bowling. It was their anniversary so that made it a little more special! While bowling, Isaac & I kept referencing an episode of "Friends" so we came home and watched that episode before turning on the football that was on.

I'm not sure when they're leaving, but it has been a great visit. I'm pretty sure that we will all feel lonely when everyone is gone! We've had people at our house since last Wednesday and now Isaac will be leaving in a little over a week.....so if anyone needs to plan a trip, we'll be really lonely around the 15th of January or so!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-29T11:31:00.004-06:00

Our Christmas celebrations started on Dec. 20 when we went to SSG. Nutmeg's dad's house. They live in The Woodlands and took us ice skating and shopping. We had tons of fun! Then we went to my mom's house in AR for a few days. We went shopping there as well and visited Santa at the mall. THEN we came home and we were at OUR HOUSE for Christmas! Sage (oldest spice) is 10 and it's his first Christmas at his home. My mother-in-law and her husband came as long as well as SSG Nutmeg's grandfather.

It was also my first time to prepare a traditional Christmas dinner. It turned out to be pretty good, according to everyone.

SSG Nutmeg's sister and her husband are here now. It's been a fun visit. We are going out to eat tonight for their anniversary. I think we will do Mexican....yummy! Plus, since she is expecting, she'll be able to choose from a variety of foods and not get too sick.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Christmas!