Not Me Monday

So my friend Sarah fell in love with a blog where people talked about what they "did not" do. She loved it so much that she has started a similar blog and convinced me that I need to join in the craze. So here I go.

I started out last week with great anticipation of the kids starting school and getting my house back. I did not dance in my front yard when the bus drove away while my mother took pictures of me. I did not have to convince my Polish neighbor that it was too early to start drinking alcohol to celebrate the kids going to school. I had such great hope and long list of things I was going to accomplish that first day. Well, I did not completely lose that list and spend the morning comforting my friend who just sent her first child off to school for the first time while realizing I too was a little sad about my last child starting school too. I did not squeeze in a quick birthday lunch with the hubby and rush off to do grocery shopping including finding him a present. So the college students are back and the parking lot of Walmart was deceiving. The aisles were packed full of rude parents and their clueless freshmen. I did not dream of running over them with my buggy full of after school snacks. I did not giggle while listening to parents explain to these same clueless freshmen how to do things my 5 year old already knows how to do like shake the orange juice container before they pour it. I did not whisper morons under my breath while walking by more clueless students who's mommy was explaining that buying the extra large box of goldfish was not a good idea just because that what mom buys for home. I mean really, are they that stupid but they made it into Tech. I did not then tell everyone I know about how pampered and clueless the new freshmen I ran into appear to be. After fighting the crowds in Walmart and reminding myself to have the doctor prescribe me xanax before I ever go back in that store again, I rushed home to put away the groceries and sit in silence for 10 minutes before the bus arrived home. I did not welcome them with open arms and admit openly that I really did miss them.

CKC Charlotte

So it has been 3 years since my last CKC. I'M BACK!!! I have escaped the nut house and am on the loose with Sarah. We arrived this evening and having been enjoying the freedom of no rescue pager, children, or dishes. I will go to bed tonight without telling someone 100 times to get back in bed. I will sleep tonight without the soft roar of snoring beside me. The best part is I don't have to change any diapers. We have a class bright and early so it isn't a sleep in vacation. I'm ok with that cause I get to use paper and scissors and I don't have to share.

Where did the summer go

So I realized today how quickly the summer has gone. In only a few short weeks I will be packing lunches and shooing kids out the door. I remember my summers being much longer. We got out before June and went back after Labor Day. There were so many activities I wanted to do this summer and now I have less time to do them. Oh, well there is always next summer. lol

Today one of the restaurants in our area honored first responders. We were given free meals. I took the kids and met up with my partner in crime, Swalker Paramedic, and a few police officers. My kids aren't ever gonna be able to do anything wrong in this town when every police officer knows their mommy. They will immediately be hauled home. lol I almost feel sorry for them. It is nice to live in a small town where everyone feels like family. The kids had a great time surrounded by cool people in uniforms. There was even a clown there who painted faces.
They were willing to let me wash their face after I took these pictures. So, thank you Texas Roadhouse for the honor and the free steak. It was very yummy.

What now?

So a few months ago I decided the store was more than I could deal with right now in this economy. My focus was so scattered any way. So the question comes, what now? I am finding myself scrapping more and stressing less about advertising, shipping, researching... Having a store was awesome while it lasted. It allowed me to do fun things and buy awesome stuff. I can happily say I was able to go to CHA. It was a blast. I have a nice amount of scrapbook paper left over to use and share with my friends. It was an experience I'm glad to have had. Now I turn my focus to the husband, kids, and rescue work.

The play set
After many years of begging, pleading and whining, the husband finally bought the kids a play set. We spent the entire weekend putting it together. Every ache and pain later was worth the squeals of laughter that float through the air. I have gotten more "thank you mommy" and "I love you mommy", than I ever have before. The neighbor kids are peeking out and waiting for my kids to emerge so they can come over for a little outdoor fun. Jasmine decided it should be titled, The Earley Monkey Gym. I think I like that. It fits!

Playing Catch Up

Ok so it has been a while. I have had some time to scrap but not as much as I want. So much has happened in the last few months. On Christmas Eve I got a new niece. Her name is Chloe Lynn. She is just beautiful. I can't wait to meet her next week.

My adorable nephew is still living here. As much as I love him he has helped me get over wanting another baby. I didn't realize how much I'm over the middle of the night feedings, diaper changes, and projectile vomiting. This cute little bundle looks like he needs an exocist after a feeding. I didn't realize such a small baby could spew vomit so far across the room. The diapers clear half the house. But his smile will melt you into a big puddle of goo. Jamie is 3 months old now. He is at that age when he thinks the ceiling fan is the funniest thing in the world. You can't find a more proud aunt than me. I even have his laugh as my ringer. He gave me one of the first chuckles. I found the tickle spots. He has become my favorite photography subject. My kids are still cute but they move to fast. Jamie isn't mobile yet so he has to suffer through my snaps.

We have had so many days out of school but no real snow. How am I suppose to get these snow layouts out of my head I we don't get snow? We keep getting the dusting/sleet/single digit temp without the real stuff. My feeling is give me snow or give me heat.

They held still

We haven't done a kid photo for a long time. The last one was like pulling teeth. While I enjoy my snap shots of my kids, I have wanted a professional photo done. With the new nephew in tow we headed to the mall photo studio. It was painless. Ok, almost painless. We had to convince Jasmine that the 5 missing teeth could not be in the photo. If it were not for molars that child would live off of soup and mashed potatoes. She agreed to a closed smile. I think we have finally reached a point of paying someone else to take their pictures.

Thanks to Lee Ellen

The featured layouts on the site are compliments of Lee Ellen. Lee Ellen is a very talented artist. I will be adding more layouts over the next few weeks. If you would like to have your layouts posted on the site let me know.

Mommy broke tradition and it wasn't good

I broke the family tradition and I made a little girl very unhappy. Every year we go to the pumpkin patch, do the hay ride, and buy a pumpkin. It makes for great scrapbook shots. Yep, I think about the layouts with each shot I take. Well this year the school sent home flyers about a new pumpkin patch not far from our home. It was a great flyer enticing me with petting area, snack counter, hay rides, and pumpkins. I am all about buying from the small business. I just didn't know how small. We drove out looking for this place only to find a folding table set up with syran wrapped goodies for the snack counter. The petting area had a goat, a sheep, 3 chickens, and a rabbit. I did get good shots of the kids feeding the animals. We got on the wagon and went out to the patch. Once the wagon stopped we looked around to find a large field with about 5 pumpkins. Now I know we waited until the last weekend to get a pumpkin but this was nuts. The pumpkins were either blue in color or rottening. It was pitiful. We settled on a tiny pumpkin that was actually orange and not soft to the touch. My oldest looked like someone ripped her off and I agree with her. We got back in our car and rushed out to the other patch only to find it closing. That is when the tears started. Taylor was crushed. She had been looking forward to this trip for an entire year and the disappointment was more than she could take. We ended up at Walmart and let them pick the two biggest pumpkins Wally World had. By the end of the night we had smiling children but it was touch and go there for a bit.

The Beach

We are off to a busy start to the school. This is the first year we are getting homework. I now remember why I'm glad I'm not in school. I am doing the typical mommy run everywhere. While balancing my position as training officer on our Volunteer Rescue Squad, running the online scrapbook store, and teaching cpr; I am running kids to piano practice, art club, doctor appointment, and school functions. When is winter break???

As always the end of September is convention time. The Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads hold the annual convention in Virginia Beach. It's great because I can take the entire family along while I take classes. This time around proved frustrating from the beginning. We arrived late at the hotel, pulled sleeping children out of the car, and tucked them into the bed. I pulled the covers back on our bed only to find stray hair all over the sheets. EEWWWWWWW!!!! I quickly pulled my clothes back on because this required a face to face with the front desk. The next day did not get any better when I discovered the poor cleaning in the bathroom. I had a long chat with the lady who is in charge. Now usually my husband does school work and beach time with the kids while I'm in rescue classes. Mother Nature did not like the idea of beach time. A Nor'easter came through for the first 2 days with extremely high winds, horizontal rain, and cold temperatures. Did I mention everyone in the family had a cold? My youngest, nicknamed Ebola, shared germs with us. For an extra special touch, he got pink eye the second day in. He was fine all day long but hacked up a lung all night long. Between his hacking and husband's snoring I almost chose to sleep on the balcony with the Nor'easter. The weekend did get better. We got to spend time with the wonderful family who took care of my daughter before we were chosen to be her forever family. That visit is always the highlight of our trip. We didn't just gain a daughter, we gained an entire extended family. The kids were able to check out the aquarium with daddy. We all were able to spend time chasing the waves. As usual, daddy had more fun than the kids. Next year we will need to be in another hotel even if I have to pay the difference. No more yuck place.

Wow where did the time go

Where did the time go? The summer seemed to rush by. The kids are all in school. Yes, I did do a small happy dance today. The funny thing is I look around and I wasn't the only parent smiling as the bus drove away. I actually saw a mother skip to her car. As much as we love our children, a little separation is good for everybody.

A few new products arrived today. I fell in love with the 12" flourish by Glitz Designs.

I can't wait to try it out. I was also curious about Tim Holtz retractable craft knife. I was drawn to the convenience of it being retractable.