Wow... A whole month flew by!

So, not only has it been over a month since I posted, it's also been TWO HOLIDAYS since the last time I added my two cents! lol

So, with Christmas being over, it feels like a weight has been lifted.. All the anticpation over "will they like the gifts I got", will dinner go ok, just made my holiday such a buzz kill..

The kids LOVED their gifts.. Every single one of them, thankfully! Rob was a big fan of MOST of his gifts.. He wasn't a fan of the style of "lumbar pack" I got him, but I made up for it, in my mind, by getting him a GPS and certain DVD.. :)

Now that the tree is taken down, the decorations have been turned off and mostly packed away, I can concentrate on New Years Eve.. Since my BFF and family are coming over to celebrate it with my family, I know we'll have fun.. Some times the hubbys fall alseep on the counch and love seat, but they always get woken up for the midnight kiss and toast.. I love having that special someone by my side to kiss on NYE... It makes me feel blessed.. THEN, to share it with my BFF and her fam.. It's always priceless..

This year we're gonna try to go simple.. Chicken Wing dip, boxed mint brownie mix, and some salsa (thanks Jill) are topping the menu.. Plus, we're making speghetti with meat sauce (sausage), which is cheap and easy. So, we won't be stressing up a storm in the kitchen. The bar may or may not be grovin', we'll have to play that one by ear.. Wink Wink... I do have intentions on drinking some Espresso Martini's or Mint Baileys on the rocks, though, as they're my staple beverage of choice.... I just don't have a ton of either, so it will have to be drunk sparingly.. If there is such a thing..

I'm sure Rob will find solice in his Jack n Pepsi's and Jay with his beer, in hopes that Dick Clark won't do too bad, this year.. lol... I rhymed! I know I'm a dork!

So, here's to a great, love filled, and safe, New Year!

Lesley

To those who Google their names and find my website...

First off I want to say that if you search your own name, te he he..

Christmas...

So, our kids have a radio in their rooms for when they sleep... They've had it since they were first sleeping in their cribs so we can hide the downstairs hustle and bustle fromt heir tiny ears..

Well, last night I realized as I was setteling Ivan down for his slumber, that some radio station has already started playing non-stop Christmas music... um... am I missing something?

So, now I want it to be Christmas, real bad.. I want to watch my kids rip open their gifts.. I want to be drinking coffee with the worlds best hubby, and father, Rob, as they make a mess with wrapping paper.. I want to see snow on the ground, a burning yule log on my tv, and I want to cook a big feast, for our tiny family...

I'm eager!!!

Excitement in the air!!

So, this year I'm on a mission to make the upcoming holidays... wait for it.... AWESOME!!

My kids are getting to an age where they're excited about everything, even the cheesy Happy Meal toys! So, my DH and I have picked out some great fun things fot them for Christmas, along with the gifts that Santa brings.

I'm also anxious for TURKEY!! I love Thanksgiving.. I love the food, hey... I think I blogged about this already!! You get the point.. LOL

I am uber excited about a recipe I will be trying for the firts time... A Godiva chocolate cake with a cheesecake layer on top, all drizzled with guess.... Yup! More Chocolate!


Super YUMMY Godive Recipe!

Amazing inspiration for full figured women... We CAN be sexy too..

So, in my search for the right look for my "Holiday Outift", I stumbled apon the Pin Curl Magazine's website.

This website is based on pin up and burlesque performances..

One gal in particular stood out, in my opinion.. Black Mariah..

She's a full figure burlesque performer, and in my opinion an amazing blessing for other women with jiggly theighs!

I CAN see myself using some of the styles, as long as I either stay within the bedroom walls, wear it as intimates, or do so from the shoulders up..

I do, however, still dislike my current body.. Pre-babies I was still heavy, weighed the same amount, but yet my skin was firmer, boobs less saggy, and my stomach didn't squish out when I sat... I do LOVE my kiddies, but miss that previous body..

I think I have been inspired by the Black Miriah.. Maybe I'll get out the Wii, hop on the balance board and do something about my body shape..... just not right now... lol

Thanks for the inspiration!!

I've found my new look... Pin Up!

So, I had done shome shopping at the extra special Torrid.com clearance sale.. One thing I bought mysef was a set of two hair clips that were flowers..

Since my hubby was giving me a special night to ourselves, minus our kids and house, I wanted to look nice..

So, I put on some makeup, which included my new found fav, Maybeline Stiletto Eyeliner, and my other favorites.. The HIP eyeshadow, in a glittery dark purple and a shiney light gold for the upper part... I let my hair dry for some el natural curls, and I pinned up the un-banged side of my hair, right above my ear, with the flower clip.. I have to say, I didn't look half bad.. Now, I felt like I didn't look half bad, but I do realize I'm the size of a small condo, so I guess from my 1st chin up, I didn't look half bad.. Plus, check out my crafty work on the brows!!

So, for my work's christmas, and probably my hubby's as well, party this year, I am going retro... First off, I got the sweater to the left, with a gold/cream colored cami..

Add a oversized red and black, or just red large hair cli, and I'm good to go!


I'm sure I will shock my co-workers, or in the least make them laugh..
 
I'll let you know how that went after Dec 12th..

What the...?

Ok, this made me almost pee my pants...

Click Here For a Good Laugh!

I thought I have seen everything...

Please note the separate pockets for each of the necesseties of daddy diaper changes... The only thing missing is the Purell Pocket, and the salad tongs!!

Make sure your bladder is empty for this one ladies!!

A special moment to share...

Today is a special day!

It was 15 years ago today that Rob and I started dating.. I don't recall all of the details, but remember the butterfiles in my belly, the spearmint scented breath he always had, and the spray painted two-tone Ford Escort Wagon he "drove" me in...

He was super sweet, wicked funny, and I was so thankful he came into my life..

Rob, I love you so much!

I am so glad we didn't listen to certain parental units, that we did things our way, and that somehow everything just always worked out for us.. We were meant to be... are meant to be, and will be forever and always!

Rob, I am so IN LOVE with you!

Thank you for putting up with me for the last 15 years, and thank you for every day, when you wake up next to, or near, me!

Here's to an infinite life time together!

I LOVE YOU!!

Your forever wife! (like the forever stamp)... Lesley..

Christmas...

So, our kids have a radio in their rooms for when they sleep... They've had it since they were first sleeping in their cribs so we can hide the downstairs hustle and bustle fromt heir tiny ears..

Well, last night I realized as I was setteling Ivan down for his slumber, that some radio station has already started playing non-stop Christmas music... um... am I missing something?

So, now I want it to be Christmas, real bad.. I want to watch my kids rip open their gifts.. I want to be drinking coffee with the worlds best hubby, and father, Rob, as they make a mess with wrapping paper.. I want to see snow on the ground, a burning yule log on my tv, and I want to cook a big feast, for our tiny family...

I'm eager!!!

There's still 50 days until Christmas!! I am not even close to being ready for it.. I have started my shopping, which rocks, but...

Plus, we still have to go through Thanksgiving, which is another personal favorite holiday.. I love TURKEY!! This year will be small... only us 4 with a small turkey breast grilled on the new-ish grill.. some taters, gravey, buns, and some can-shaped cranbery sauce...

Now, I'm drooling!!

So, all of these thoughts ran through my head last night as I listened to the Christmas music while getting him down for the night...

Yeah, I'm not righ, and I know it!

Zhu Zhu pets... Are they ever going to be in stock or cheap?

So, I've been trying to find one of the buggers for about a month, or it feels like a month, and it's dang near impossible...

There's too many creepy old men stalking the toys aisles at the local retailers, who will snatch them up quicker than you can say BOO!

I've been on my local Craigs Lists and there are tons of people who are selling them for 4+ times the retail amount, and some how getting away with it..

Does anyone in CNY remember the Labor Day storm? There were 1000's of people without power for weeks and there was a hugh demand for generators so the families could stay warm and keep food on their refrigerators.. Well, there wer also people and retialors who were buying them up and then turning around and selling them for twice the original price... An end was put to that, but it's ok to wreck the christmas for 1000's of children just because it's a toy???

Well, I say NO!

I think that Walmart, Target, and Toys R Us should take names and drivers license #'s... They should allow parents to buy them for their kids, over the creepy non-employed, system living people..

Next time you see someone buying ALL of the ZHU ZHU's in the aisle, stop and ask them who they're for.. Because the true wanters of those dang hamsters wont be seeing them under their trees...

Ok, I feel better...

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the design your own piggy banks!

I made this bank for one of my neices because I STILL have not gotten a "Wish List" from them for their birthdays, # 16,btw.. So, I am going to take these hand-adorned banks and put about $30 worth of change in there... Maybe they'll learn to give me a dang list!

I will be making the second bank this week, as their birthday is on the 7th of November!! Am I mean??

Frightening Friday list-a-palooza!

So, to honor Halloween and all it's spooky goodness (tomorrow) I thought I would run through the reasons I like Halloween..

1 - It's one day a year it's socially acceptable to dress in very scary clothing and sit motionless on the front lawn and scare the passing kiddies... Any other day and you might be considered a creep or crazy person..

2 - The Halloween Specials on t.v.... Like the Great Pumpkin, or Supernatural's spin on Halloween, or the regular shows with the main people dressing up... It's just fun to watch the humorous spins on costumes, when there's no budget..

3 - Left over candy... So, you find yourself only handing out a fun size candy one per kid, just so there can be some left over to keep to yourself.. Or better yet... you hand out the not so good candy, and keep the peanut butter cups to yourself!

4 - I love to dress my kids up! Today they went to daycare wearing last years' costumes.. 3 eyed monsters! Although, technically, they are going to be pirates for Halloween night, I didn't want them to ruin the new costumes, so they're little monsters running around Jennie's house.. Ivan, who is uber sensitive to scary things, even wore his today... He ran in Jennies house and said "I'm a scary monster" and "RAR!!!"... lol

5 - I love the different humorous costumes they've been producing lately!! Who ever came up with the outlet and plug, sumo wrestlers, and bacon and eggs, must be fun people! Also, the fake beards, the pretend butt cheeks.. lol

6 - (Yes I have 6 this time) SCRAPBOOKING the Halloween pictures!!!! As if I need a reason to scrapbook, right?! The Halloween pictures just give me one more event to stick down to some fancy paper, embellish with some shiny brads, and even ink or distress the Tim Holtz way.... Just wait until after Christmas d=to do these pages, and then you'll find yourself scrapping happier with newly received tools and scrap stuff... I'm drooling and now I want to scrapbook even more!!!

Remember, as you're driving home from work tomorrow, if you work on Saturdays, please watch out for kids... Please drive slow and pay attention, leave your fingers off your cell phones and keep them on the wheel.. Halloween should be fun and not end up with some little kid getting run over by a car... PLEASE, PLEASE keep everyone SAFE!!

A Few of my favorite things... Wink! Wink!

So, Christmas is coming and there's only 57 days left to get your shopping on!

I am now realizing that the sooner one starts their shopping, the easier it is to absorb into the budget, plus it's less work that needs to be done at the last minute..

Here's some of the things on my Christmas list this year.. Maybe they'll be on yours too!?

- Perl Ex powders... Jill has made her own Glimmer Mist from them, and they look even better than the store bought ones, because you can control color volumne, etc... However, the only way to buy these powders is with a coupon, otherwise they can get pricey!

- There's some fun new chipboard sets at Joann's.. Tattered Angels.. some are victorian, some are vintage, but they all rock! (Again, whip out the coupons for these, which can be found online) OR you can NEVER go wrong with a Gift Card for Joann's...

- Frilly vintagy aprons are a must for the light cooks, or die hard cooks, in your house.. Unless the hubby cooks, then I don't think he'd appreciate wearing a ruffle apron.. I found some great handmade ones on ebay that even cater to the plus size figure! Plus they're not too expensive!

- Some new paper stacks... DCWV actually has some nice stacks out now, that have gotten my attention... They're more distressed looking with better patterns and better sheens.. It's exciting!

- Martha Stewart Glitter, including the foil looking ones.. Jill has made me jeolous! (JERK!) Michaels carriers her stuff, and they do have coupons..

Have I mentioned coupons enough?? If you always use a coupon, more stuff can be bought!!

- a non-zip hoody would rawk the wardrobe.. A nice "Save the Tattas" one perhaps? Torrid has some fun ones, plus they're meant to make the big and beefy gals look whistle-worthy.. Maybe throw in a thong to wear while sporting the hoody, and the men might go crazy-wild!

- iTunes gift cards are a necessity for anyone with an iPod... There's some great music out there, might as well be in your purse... LOL

- Slice Design Cards - Ok, I have a card holder that is screaming to be filled!! There's one that's all fonts, maybe MIXED UP..or something like it... yep.. liking that, plus the embossing tips...

- Jammies from Lane Bryant... Although, I wish they weren't so dang expensive! Has LB gone designer or are they made of gold?? Seriously, WTF?! Anyways, I do like jammies, so they're on my list..

- A hotel stay for a night... maybe two, to scrap with your bff on the $5 Ebay table, away from tiny fingers... We can set up the webcams.. watch the kids like a thriller movie, without the sense that they can attack the stacks of papers at any time... Heck, as long as the hotel isn't near the South Side, yo, I'm cool with cheap!

Lastley, but not leastley...


- Ink refils for my HP A826 printer.. Officemax has the reconditioned ones for only $19, so save some bucks and buy green! Sometimes they have those brown bags in the paper where you can stuff it full and save %'s off the contents... Good time to get the refills! and photo paper, kodak brand is ok wid' me!

So, there you have it... My Christmas list is mostly scrapbooking.. big surprise!!

Remember... Start your holiday shopping early, use LOTS of coupons, and everyone will be happy little beavers! LOL

Enjoy your day, as if it's Friday at 5:01 pm!

Gots lots done, yo!

Give me an 8 hour break from kids, I'll give you a small album completed!

While at my BFF's, one day when I was off from work, I gots some serious scrapping done.. I will admit the pages were shy of 6x6, but it only makes it harder to get everything stuck down, without over killing the page..

Here's some pic's of the small metal binder album I did... there's one page missing because I used massive amounts of Stickles on it and it had to stay at Jill's so it could dry laying flat..

What direction should I go??

I really enjoy scrapbooking, but don't do it as regularly as I want to, but thought I should add some of my works of art to my blog..

I am wondering if my followers want to see it?

Do you follow for my MVP hatin' humor, my twin exeriences, or because you're a big fan of Jimmy fallon?

Please chirp up and let me know what other content I should add, if any!?!?!

Carpe clicker!

Christmas Project! Handmade Ornaments filled with Love!

I have decided to keep Christmas small this year. It seems every year it has gotten smaller and smaller, but so has our bank accounts.

Last year I made cute chipboard ornaments with the twins' picture and some small embellishments on them, plsu gave a small gift for the grandparents.

This year it's stricktly going to be a wonderful handmade gift, a very nice one, though.

I found a great blog of someone who made a glass ornament using a photo printed on transparency paper, some beads, and a little bit of ribbon.

The recipe for the ornament seems fairly easy, but FAR from cheap.. The transparency paper was $40, for 25 pages, the ornaments from Michaels was $1.40 ish each bulb, and then the beads, and misc stuff... It ends up being around $8-$10 per ornament, but they are very special..

I will be making most of them using photo's of the twins, but have a couple in mind for some friends using a picture of their wedding, and their son's first day of school, pictures as the motif..

This Friday will be spent getting these started, as I will be spending the day at my BFF's house! YAY! (Except I have no more macaroni and cheese, Jill... sorry)

I think the Christmas gift from the children, for the grandparents and auntie, will be the special ornaments, and an ornament holder, so they can, if they choose, display it all year round.

I will add pics as I go, so maybe I can inspire someone to be creative!!

This recipe was found on a fellow blogger page - See my side Bar for "Life"

Citibank Raises Rate on Mastercard Holders to 29.9%.. Thanks Tax payers for the bailout money, now we're gonna screw you over!

So, if you click the link above, you can find the "contact Us" page for Citibank.. This will allow people to voice their concerns with the recent interest rate hikes that have happened to a TON of people.

I am a consumer who pays their bills on time, has a great credit score and who tries everything in their power to pay down, and not use, debt..

I found myself opening mail on Friday from Citibank. It said that since I was such a great account they were going to raise my credit limit to $17,900, dang.. That could be REALLY bad, but whatever.. I felt special!!

Then on Saturday I get another letter from them, stating that "To continue to provide our customers with access to credit, we have had to adjust our pricing"... They raised my rate to a violating 29.9%... Seriously!

It was bad enough that they raised my rate from the original 9% to 16%, but to raise it to 29.9%, holy mother of GOD!!

So, I feel that everyone who is effected, and who knows someone who is effected by this, to please voice yourselves to congress, and to Citibank.

We need to put an end to this. It's legalized account rape!! The broke will just get broker, the bankruptcy levels will just continue to rise.. Where will it end?

Hopefully, Citibank will just fold... I kind of hope that the CEO's, or whatever the big cheese's over there are called, feel our pain.. There are more people who maintain middle class wages, and can barely makes end meet, without having to pay out more because a credit company takes too many vacations and need those stupidly large paychecks..

My point is this... If they accepted the bailout money, they should have also accepted goverment take-over... Each one of us should have been given a key to the building, because we "technically" bought some of their business with our hard earned tax dollars...

Repeat after me!

"I earned a key, give me a key!!"

Speak your minds, voice your opinions, don't let Citibank get away with this!

Here's some people who have already... You are not alone!

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GWYG_enUS313US203&q=citibank+interest+29.9%25+2009+consumer+affairs

Let's count it down folks!

So, I have been uber busy between work and being sick, the kids being sick, Rob being sick... I've had zero time to sit on the computer.. Is that like baby sitting,... computer sitting..?

Anyways...

I got thinking about what makes me smile, what makes me laugh, and what makes me almost pee my pants.. There's been not as much of the latter, but enough to make a list... So, here weeee gooooo!! (Peter Pan reference)

5 - Picture this... two bff's walking through Kohls.. (I know Jill is already knowing what I'm about to say).. We're doing a little shopping and while we were walking I hear what I thought was a growl from a rabbid dog.. I turn to see that the only rabbid dog is Jill's butt! Oh yeah.. Seriously her butt growled!!

4 - We've had little nick names for our kids.. Ivan is "buddy" and Emilee is "buggy", neither has ever mentioned them until recently.. I was talking with Emilee and accidentally called her "buddy".. she turns to me and says "Momma, I'm not Buddy, I'm Buggy".. I almost fell over.. I can' t even grasp how perceptive they have become!

3 - Since Ivan sometimes pees while he's trying to poop, we have to make sure he gets tucked down so the spray doesn't go beyond the confinements of the potty.. So, Emilee knows we tuck him down, and that he wont do it himself, so now she will push down on herself, right below the belly button, as if she's tucking herself in... She's a weirdo!

2 -When your child walks up to you and says "Tickle my arm pit", it has got to make you laugh because for one, why would a child ask to be tickled, and two, they specifically ask for their arm pit to be tickled.. Goodness they're funny!

1 - Everything is "SCARY" to Ivan.. The beard on his Gnome Halloween costume, was scary... Closing the bathroom door, while he's pooping, is scary... It's as if he found a new word and was running with it.. We watched Monster House, during which he couldn't tka ehis eyes off the screen, but kept saying "Scary.. Scary.." It's just awesomely funny!

Freedom of speach, power to the people!!

So, after my run in with the law, it got me thinking.. Where is the line between venting and "harrasing".. Anyone who knows me, or has read any of my blog posts, can see I have no ill-intentions.. I rarely get overly upset, and only once swore, I think only once, but unless you consider "crap" being a major swear word, then maybe I do..



Anyways, it really upset me that they would have the police call me at my place of employment. Myt blogs are things I do in my personal time.. On my lunch, or 15 minute breaks, or after work.. Don't call me at work!


Also, the people at MVP could have just sent me en email to let me know they thought my comment was "harrassing", I would've rephrased it then.


I have now begun to think a goverment run health program would be the right way to go. If you ask a Canadian they'll probably tell you the claims take a while to get paid, but that when they go to the doctors, they health issues are covered..


I wonder if they have to go through several appeal's to only be told that there is no definition of "reasonable distance", and that they can make you drive to another state to be seen by a participating physician.. hmm... something to think about..

MVP... Apology for mis-take blog

So, I received a call from the Police Department in Albany advising me that MVP had asked them to look into a potential threat I made on my blog a long time ago... Some employees of MVP felt threatened by a comment.

If anyone felt my blog was threatening in any way, I apologize, that was not my intent.

I had no idea that anyone read my blog, except my bff and hubby..

I am surprised they just didn't ask me to remove it.. I would've, as I vented and had moved on..

I deleted that post, right after the police had called me, as I don't want to be gone after for border-line harassment law suits, as my family has suffered enough financial duress over that past year, that if they did arrest me, it wouldn't do anything but put my family in bankruptcy.

I would hope they would understand why i was so upset, and that I meant absolutely no harm to anyone, just advocacy to the public to know my story. My intentions of this blog was to vent, nothing more.. People would know that if they read it.. It's mostly about potty training my twin toddlers, or camping with my family, or the worst board games..

I am not a mean individual, and apologize if my message was misconstrued in any way. I don't make threats, just get upset every once and a while..

So, please carry on, nothing to see here..

Missing, reward offered..

So, somehow I haven't posted in over 2 weeks.. Wow, where was my head.. It was missing!!

Here's an update on the potty training for my twin 2.5 yr olds...

Emilee is doing fantastic! She pees and poops on the potty, and rarely wakes up wet.. YAY Emilee!!

Ivan has recently been pooping almost every time in the potty, which rawks!! We just ask him if he's gotta poop, tell him he can blow bubbles while on the potty, and then eventually, he poops!! He then gets so excited, he screams "I did it, mommy" or daddy, whichever he decides to call out... He's so proud of himself! As we are of him, that was a huge turning point for him, and our potty training experience as a whole..

We're taking the kiddies camping this weekend in "daddy's camper", as the kids refer to the new popup.. It's the best purchase, since the kids, that we ever made! Camping brings our tiny family so close.. Mommy and Daddy love it, especially with the over-sized beds and privacy curtains.. The kids love to climb up and sit at the dinette, and there's room to have 6-8 people sitting all over on the inside... Thank GOD for loans!!

We're going up to Southwick Beach, which I've heard good reviews about. Going with us, is my mom and step dad, and their ginormous Class A camper.. It's going to be chilly outside, but we're gonna dress right, and enjoy the furnace, and some hot coffee.. yummm...

Coffee is the best, especially with Coffee Mate's Peppermint Mocha creamer.. It's so freakin good!! I just sounded like a commercial.. LOL

Speaking of LOL, has anyone watched Coogar Town, with Courtney Cox?? It's so freakin hysterical!! This week's episode contained a few scenes that were almost identical, except with a few extra fat people, of our friends limo bus wine tour... There was some great times, right there!!

Speaking of great times... I just adore spending an evening in, ordering take out, and watching a few dvd rentals... It's one of my favs.. Especially with a warm blanket covering my toes, and my wonderful husband, of a fabulous 11 years, next to me to keep my other body parts warm.. It's the best!

Speaking of best... Has anyone been to Olive Garden lately?? I want their salad and bread sticks in the WORST way.. Like seriously cra-ah-raving it right now.. mmm.... yummy Italian oily goodness... mmm... warm garlicky bread sticks... if only someone wanted to take me there, right now!!

Speaking of right now... My back hurts.. I went to the doctors last week with a back ache and weird withdrawals.. thinking they would just tell me to wean off a medication, instead of going off cold turkey as they previously suggested.. So, I'm sitting there the doctor comes in and tells me that I all of a sudden had a slight fever, my through was red, even though I didn't complain of that, and it didn't hurt, and my blood pressure was elevated... Well, she then told me she was going to treat me as if I had the flu.. Yeah... I only went in for the withdrawals.. I came out with the flu.. Seriously, wtf?? So, after a nights rest, I decided to go to see a different doctor.. This time I told him my back hurt, and I don't feel sick.. I told him to have me pee in a cup, because I felt I had a kidney infection or something.. Well, a week later, results are in, yup!! No freakin flu, just a bad UTI.. Idiots!! Thank GOD I have a medical degree and can diagnose myself, oh, wait! No, I don't!! Why am I smarter than them?? UGH.. Stupid people!!

Speaking of stupid... It's almost the end of the day and I gotta go... LOL

Enjoy your loved ones, before someone else does!!

A view of my living room almost done..

So, with the super neat panoramic function on my cell phone, I was able to get most of my living room in the shot..

Rob was my hero yesterday, as he hung up the pictures over the sofa.. I like them tons, except I need to do something to the blah small panels on each of the outer pictures, because they blend in with the wall.. I'm thinking altering them to a faux red and gold paint, with small sconce type things..

The final touch will be to paint the fireplace accent wall.. I'm thinking a metallic gold under tone with a red paint over it, so only bits of gold show through.. OR red wall with gold demask stenciled over... So many options..

It was an inexpensive job, as compared to how it could've been, if I didn't hold back...

Well, I should go pick up the two table lamps, as they came in at Walmart... Hopefully they'll match..

Enjoy your day!

Lesley

Twin Toddler Potty Training update SLASH Countdown Subject for today!

So, the kids turn 2 1/2 this month and have been going through the real potty training process since the beginning of July.. It's been one of the hardest thing we've ever gone through with these guys, but rewarding too, because of all the funny moments... So, to celebrate the funny moments, and the not so funny moments, that I have spent in the bathroom with my twin potty-training angels.....

5. Ivan now pees standing up on a stool in front of the big potty.. He gets all excited because he feels like a big boy and it's a big accomplishment.. So, he'll get his bottoms off, get his tiny feet on the stool and stand there belly stuck out, red faced, clenched fists, which is comical.. Then he starts to pee... Now, he's just getting used to the fact that there needs to be some aiming on his part.. However, he'll forget and decide it is way more interesting to watch as the yellow liquid is escaping his tiny body.. So, he'll bend down to look, all the while the pee is no longer going in the toilet, but more like on his pants, or the stool.. Then once shocked into the realization that the pee made things wet, he'll straighten up again, thankfully.. Always a little too late though..

4. Neither of the kids want to use their froggie potties, which bums me out because let's say I have to use the facilities, and then they decide they want to go as well... I'll be sitting there (sorry for visual) and they'll charge in screaming they have to go potty, then they'll grab some T.P. to help me move along faster, which they decide they can wipe for me, which, obviously, I don't allow.. It's quite something to be the main event in the bathroom for two on-lookers...

3. Emilee loves to poop on the big potty, but now she wants help, all of a sudden.. After she's placed on her big potty seat, she'll make the funniest grimace, pushing in on her belly, and say "I go stinky poopies".. As if the odor that now surrounds my every nose hair hasn't clued me in on the event, at that point... She'll, then, lift her shirt and stair through her legs as the massive brown log falls into the toilet water... Then she'll exclaim.. "I went BIG poopies"... YAY Emilee!!, YAY Mommy!!

2. Ivan has been a little stubborn when it comes to pooping on the potty, so he'll hold, hold, hold it all day, then wait to poop until after his bedroom door is closed for the evening. Then when we walk into his room in the morning, and the room is STINK-KAY, he'll tell us... "I'm stinky".. At least he's honest, right?

1. The underwear... tiny little pairs of cartoon-charactered, sometimes-stained, undies that can never be found.. They must have 25 pairs of undies between the two of them, if not more... Can I just say that there must be a small undie thief running amok in my house! I'll dig and dig through dressers, clean laundry bins, etc, to never find a stinkin pair of clean underwear... I'm half tempted to hang them up in their closets by their tiny elastic waist bands... This beats having mis-matched socks... At least you have socks!!

Well, for me potty training is the beginning of a new relationship with children.. The modesty boundaries are all removed, there's no privacy, and you are always well aware of the poop..

I may complain or make fun of this challenging time, but to be completely honest with y'all, I would never change a second of time that I spend sitting on the side of the tub, watching Emilee grimace, or Ivan pee on the front of the toilet, for anything in the world.. These guys are perfect in every way..

Enjoy every moment with your children, even though your nose may tell you otherwise!

New Season begins for most TV shows.. I must loaf now..

So, as another new season begins for most tv shows, my ability to get things done after work must come to an end.. Bummer, as I never got everything I wanted to get done, done.. Oh, well, it'll still be there later...

I'm feeling so saucy today that I want to share the top 5 shows, in my opinion, that's on local tv (CBS, NBC, and whatever that last one is, I forget)

This is a list of the BEST tv shows that graces out tv screens during fall and winter....

1. Supernatural - Ok, first of all, I only consider my hubby hunky, because I get to sleep next to him each night, and I'm not one of "those" girls.. However, this show is kind of based on sexual attraction between the brothers and either lady victims, or demons with boobs, but the attraction is almost creepy.. Like, is the girl they're sleeping with a good witch, or a bad witch.. Also, the last season the plot went from simple finding demons and other gools that go bump in the night, to a plot to begin Armageddon and the release of Satan.. There were angels and demons.. Good angels and BAD angels at that.. Always a nail biter, with a touch of humor..

2. Heros - I personally loved the first season the best, then the following seasons kind of got crazy, again my personal opinion.. I did, however, get back into the die-hard watcher this past season because the suspense and the addition of new GIFTED people kept coming on, and going off, because they'd get killed or captured.. This show keeps you riveted and wanting the next episode..

3. How I Met Your Mother - Ok, this is the single most funniest show on air! Each episode there is a sex-capade between "Barney" and half of NYC, which considering the actual dude, Neil Patrick Harris, is actually GAY.. He's a massive womanizer.. He's also an awesome actor! Plus, the crazy women that "Ted" seems to get involved with are hysterical, and some are so sweet.. Remember muffin girl, loved her!! Bring her back!! This show is.. wait for it.... AWESOME!

4. Chuck - I love this show also.. The tension between Chuck and Sarah, his handler with the CIA... You want them to get together, but they can't due to dang rules.. Then there's Chucks sister, Ellie, and now husband Awesome.. they call him Awesome, because there's nothing wrong with him... he's awesome.. LOL... Get some popcorn, grab your significant other and plop yourselves in front of the tv for some romantic comedy time..

5. Ghost Whisperer - I only started watching this show faithfully a couple seasons ago.. The chemistry between Melinda and her hubby is amazing.. Passionate... and death defying, even.. Jim had gotten shot and died in the 07-08 season and came back via stealing a, fresh dead, body that the soul had already gone into the light.. He jumped into that body because he wanted to be alive again, with his wife.. AWWW...... Then when he jumped into the new body, Sam, he lost all of his memories... Melinda knew it was him in there, she only had to get him to remember... Such an addictive show!! Now, since he remembers, and all is well, with Jim.. I mean Sam... I mean Jim.. again, they are now having a baby, that she conceived while the really Jim body was still walking and talking..... Plus, there's the new guy, who can only hear spirits, played by Jamie Kennedy... He's a funny dude that found his niche.. Love it!

The above was in no particular order, as I'm a nut and DVR them all, so I don't miss any.. Thankfully Rob, my darling, loves most of the aforementioned shows, as well.. It's nice loafing together..

NOW HURRY UP AND WATCH THE SEASON FINALLY, from last year, ROB!!!!

Please take the time to at least watch an episode or two of the above, you wont regret it, and if you do... oh, well... What do I know, anyways...

TTFN

Ivan's appointment.. Ivan 1, Club foot, 0

So, we went to see doctor Tebor in Rochester for a normal check up for his club feet. This was a new-to-us doctor that we had to see due to MVP sucking, but I think it will work out for the best.. (He seems smart and nice)

Ivan and Jill occupied the car with me as we went on our adventure together.. Ivan had his taggie, a Carter's blanket with the normal tag that tells you who made it and what it's made from, with him and he was gold.. He fell asleep for about an hour, while Jill and I chit chatted about stuff... (Don't ask me to remember, as I was in a slight fog that day due to stress)

We found the office, easily, and ventured in.. The waiting room was quite large and clean, which was a nice change to Dr. Polomino's office which was dirty and smelled rank.. I filled out some forms, answered some questions and was told to wait in the waiting room.. So, I got out the goldfish crackers for my little man, and Jill and I kept him busy.. We sat there for maybe 10-20 minutes, and alas, we were called in! YAY, that was QUICK!! The three of us walked in, following the nurse, and were led to the scale to be weighed. Ivan wanted NOTHING to do with it, so as soon as I let go of his hands, he took off running past us, through the office towards the nurses station thingy.. Jill ran one way, the nurse another, and he was caught! The poor nurse who had caught him, picked him up, and he immediately started crying.. The poor kid!! So, I scooped him up and he calmed down long enough for a quick weight and then off we went to the exam room...

The nurse tried to get his height by having him lay down on the paper that covered the exam table, but he was also, not interested in that.. She we improvised and she took the paper ran it vertical to his back and made marks.. 36 inches tall.. Now, as far as accuracy, I'm not sure.. We'll double check that later.. The nurse got her info, and left the room.. While she was gone, Ivan had to pee, so we took out the Potette Plus potty and handy liner bag for a quick sit and as soon as I had tied the bag to dispose of it, the doctor came in with an intern.. He was super sweet, very calming, and seemed compassionate with the situation.. He asked about his treatments so far, when he stopped wearing the brace on the 23 hour schedule, which I completely forgot, and then had him walk the hallway so he could observe his feet in action.. Ivan was not happy about this as I walked in front and he followed like a sad duckling wanting his momma to stop and scoop him up..

We got back in the room where Dr. Tebor had Ivan and I sit on a chair while he rubbed his tiny feet and gave us the low down.. He definitely has Idiopathic clubfoot, bilateral.. He also has knock knees, which may (more likely) or may not (less likely) go away as he grows.. He told me that his feet look good for the treatments so far, that Dr. Bob Cady, had done a fabu job. (Thanks Dr. Cady) He also told me that poor Ivan will more than likely have one pure Flat Foot, his right foot, and that nothing can be done to treat that. He spoke of past theories and treatments that had no success in that treatment, so they wont even attempt putting arch supports and such in his shoes.. He also mentioned that the long term use of the special bracing was controversial.. That some doctors want the children to stay in them until they reach 4 years old.. He felt that until he's 3, would be sufficient enough.. So, maybe very soon, in 6 months, Ivan can sleep shoe less!! I am going to cry that day! I already feel the tears filling my eye sockets!!

Dr. Tebor was a good doctor, and after all was said and done, Ivan was ok.. He survived a scary doctors appointment, and a horribly long drive.. Which is great, considering we have to venture out to see him again in 3 months, on Dec 18th, right before Christmas, YAY!

I know Ivan doesn't know any different... He has been going through this since he was 2 weeks old.. I just feel horrible, as if it's my fault. I want to take his current, and future pains, away from him, so he can live a normal childhood, and accomplish everything and anything he wants.. I know he will do great.. I want him to be treated normal by his class mates, as he will look a little different, maybe wont be able to keep up with the faster runners, or may be on the shorter side, but he is a bright light, a great little man!

If he was given to me to teach me a lesson, I am eager to listen and learn.. Ivan's my little hero!

When life gives you an obstical, access it, try it and if you fail, or you get hurt, drink a little and try again.. Sometimes it's just the fear of the unknown that prevents success the first time around!

Weekly count down.. here we gooooooo!

So, today I have to drive to Rochester to take my 2 yr old to see a Pediatric Orthopedic, who participates with MVP... I think it's so lame that I can't be seen locally, but MVP blows donkey nuts, as I have previously spoken about..

So, because I have an hour and half drive, with my son and my BFF, thanks Jill, I feel like counting down the best road trip songs of all times... Because I'm lame, and can't think of anything else today.. These songs will be a mix of songs you'd sing if the child was awake, and ones for the adult, when they're napping in their car seat (hopefully)..

Here We Go!

5. The Wheels on the bus go round and round... This is a great song, unless your child asks to re-sing it over and over, been there done that.. Yeah, it gets old QUICK!

4. Old McDonald Had a Farm.. Just how many animals does he have, anyways? Seriously!! It gets to a point where you add in a few pieces of farm equipment, because you can't come up with a another animal, plus how dumb do you sound clucking and mooing with your window down at a stop light... lol

3. Convoy... http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYS0Epyyu3k this is a favorite of my DH... He has a whole cd about driving songs, mostly big rig type songs, but this one's good!

2. Cats in the Cradle.. Who doesn't know these lyrics... You're probably singing it to yourself right now, aren't cha!?

1. Wally World theme song from National Lampoon! - Our kiddies wont know this song, but for anyone that has watched the National Lampoon movies, this one was awesome! Especially after they get to Wally's World and it's closed... LOL... my luck! For those who don't know the words... Here they are..

Who's the moosiest-moose we know?

Marty Moose!
Who's the star of our favorite show?
Marty Moose!
M is for Merry, we're merry you see;
O is for Oh gosh, Oh golly, Oh gee;
S is for super Swell family glee;
E is for Everything you want to be.
M-A-R-T-Y;
M-O-O-S-E.
What's that spell?
Marty Moose!
Marty Moose!
Marty Moose!
(Hyuk), that's Me!

Well, that's it for me! Enjoy yourselves either at home, work, or driving in your car!

TTFN

Pictures, so far, of my HGTV livingroom...

This is the entry door way, the cluttered closet will be covered by drapery, as soon as I get a tension rod to hang them..

This is one of the two area rugs I got from Marshall's Home Store.. A Bargain and much nicer in person as my phone camera is only a 3 MP

This wall above the mantle will be a different color, plus I am probably going to paint all of the trim white, including the mantle.. The accent wall will more than likely be red with a tad of gold, some kind of faux finish.. Just need to get the curtains up so I can see the red together.. Plus, note the giant metal pineapple, a total score from Burlington Coat Factory! Also, the mirror will be re-hung to be vertical vs. horizontal..

the other run, which is currently under the coffee table, which were a total steal from a woman off Craig's List.. Retail these are almost $1250.00, I got them for $120.00.. Nice, huh?!

Boring corner, where the dining room joins the living room.. The rocker may be replaced.. just maybe.. Plus, I got some small wrought iron mirrors to hang on the wall..

This is the giant empty space over my couch.. I picked up some canvas art today at Burlington Coat Factory, that I hope will fill this space nicely! Cross your fingers!

Another view of the empty wall, this time also a view of the love seat.. Yeah, definitely white trim.. ????\

The unfinished parts are...

1. 2nd coat of paint
2. Hang the pictures
3. Paint the trim white (?)
4. Lamps
5. redo ceiling with paintable wallpaper
6. dual ceiling fans..

Yep... that's it... I'm exhausted just thinking about it... Well, may all your projects finish themselves in the middle of the night, on their own, while you're sleeping...

Toodles!

Smitten Kitchen Layered Cookies.. thanks Jill!

So, these cookies are only the MOST delicious ever! They're my favorites and every time Wegmans actually has some, which is rare, I scoop up a small pack or two, to eat by myself in the closet.. Kidding, but rarely do I share..

So, Jill sends me the above link to a wonderful recipe site, with humor and normalcy, which is rare these days.. Most good recipe sites are basic or use insane ingredients, so Kudos Smitten Kitchen, you RAWK!

I have the dream to make these someday.. Maybe for Christmas this year, dunno.. My kiddies are quite a handful and at times any kitchen work gets interrupted many, many times.. However, I'm on new meds and I have so much energy now, it's insane! I will make these cookies! I will make these cookies... and sit on the dark closet floor and eat them alone... I guess it's better than drinking alone... right??

So, please send me some luck this Christmas so I can make them PERFECT!

Oh, and check that lady's recipe site, it's awesome!

Lesley

Time again for a countdown of some sort...

So, I find it tougher some days to come up with a topic to blog about.. Some days it's my kids and their stories, some days it's whatever is on my mind.. well today is going to be different..

You see, I'm going camping this weekend with not only my hubby and kids, but also Jill, my BFF, and her family, which hasn't happened since I was pregnant in 2006...

Normally, when we all go camping there's a bit of alcohol, remembering (Drink fest I, II and III), the skunks, the wine tour, and bear country... All included an untold amount of wine, and good times...

So, with that said.. This week's countdown is going to recount the best of the alcohol-involved moments that I spent with my BFF, and our hubby's.... Watch out Jill... LOL

1 . Jill's Christmas party, several years ago, while working for MS Kennedy.. She got pretty drunk that day, thanks to a company paid open bar. She had a co-worker that decided to put his hand down her shirt, in front of everyone, including her hubby, Jay... Yeah, that went well... But besides that moment, she also was pulling down the bottom of her shirt while "WOOOO"-ing, it was an interesting night... lol

2. Wine tour through the finger lakes in a limo bus.. What an awesome event.. Well, we did some silly things on the bus, had a ton of laughs, and REALLY enjoyed ourselves! We had a long day filled with a constant state of DRUNK, and had been dropped off at my house by the chauffeur. We all had started to meander in my house, except Jill, who was still laying on my front lawn, but she did eventually climb into my house.. One in, she crawled into my bathroom and washed her hands, all the while still kneeling... I have pictures to prove it, I'll have to dig them up!

3. New Years Eve several years ago, BT (before twins).. We had the two J's, a couple co-worker friends, including one that worked in my office and that was married to a paraplegic, who was injured in a bad motorcycle accident while they were married.. Well, she was still married to the guy, but had been "chillin" with a much older man from our work, so he also came to the party... She was there a whopping 20 minutes, tops, and gotten herself majorly drunk.. She kept saying... "(Nasty burping)... I NEED TO GET LAAAAAID" the entire time she was there after she got her drunk on.. She ended up outside where she fell over, and my sister had to pull her arse up, and Jill was out there... but I wasn't so you'll have to ask her the rest...

4. The following year's New Year's Eve party.. (evil laughing .. Muw ha ha ha).. We had a smaller party at my house, this time just the two J's, a friend of hers, Laurie and Chris, and then Rob and I.. Well, it was a pretty slow going party, but still was fun.. At some point, the two J's went down stairs, into our basement and... um... they were totally getting it on.. So, then Rob and I disappeared, and reappeared, and we even have on tape the last couple making winks at each other, without knowing the camcorder was running.. That was an interesting party...

Side NOTE: either the first or second New Years Party, was followed up with breakfast for all the next morning. Jill and I made breakfast burritos, just ask Rob how that went... LOL

5. Now, this last tale may not seem important to anyone but me, but it was quite an event... So, the two J's and the aforementioned Chris and Laurie all went to a Buffalo Sabres game in Buffalo, NY one year... I couldn't go, or wasn't invited, something.. Anyways... I'm at work, at maybe 11am, I get a call, again, while AT work... It's Jill.. She is very DRUNK.. She was hootin' and hollarin' and rubbing it in that I wasn at work, and she was already drunk... yeah, what a great friend, right?!

So, for most this may have been a boring countdown, but to celebrate an alcohol-intended weekend with my favorite people, I thought we could reminisce the good times..

Have a great Labor Day weekend! Drink responsibly and don't drink and drive!

Lesley

Copying Jimmy Fallon Thank You Notes

Jimmy Fallon does his weekly Thank You notes on Fridays because he is simply running behind.. So, I thought I could help him out and add a couple to give him a hand...


Thank You, ATM machines for never being wrong.. I would hate to think what would happen if $40 got dispensed when you only asked for $20.. I mean, how horrible would that be? Man!

Thank You, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAk77Kr_OwQ Shick Quattro for Women Trimstyle Razor & Bikini Trimmer for having such a "HIDDEN MESSAGE" embedded in your commercial.. Who would know that this razor slash trimmer actually trims your bushes and topiarys.. I went to Home Depot to buy one, because that's where I buy my pruning shears, but they didn't have it in stock.. huh.. to think!

Thank You, Jonas Brothers, for posting an amazing video of them answering every one's question about their website. I've never heard of the term TWATTER before, but thanks to them I know it causes spontaneous, uncontrollable, laughing and the inability to be on camera... Huh, weird, but thanks!

Thank You, The Ramones, for creating a song that can be easily used in a movie soundtrack that spotlights the porn industry. Every time I hear "I believe in miracles", I think of Roller Girl and Dirk Digler and his ginormous sausage, as if that's an image I need to hold on to... So, thank you for that..

Thank You, The Final Destination Movies... For making me wonder if someone can really almost drown in their suv from a drive through automatic car wash, then decide that sticking your head out of the sunroof, for air, only to have your torso trapped by the sunroof glass so your head goes through the thrill of being thoroughly cleaned, and probably slightly mangled.. Now, I'm off to Delta Sonic for a touch up, and to a car race after I ride some escalators at the mall... So, thank you Final Destination, Thanks!

Thank You, Candyman, for making every night time trip to the unlit bathroom a thrill.. When I wash my hands and look up into the mirror, I wonder ... IS he just waiting for me to call to him 3 times in the mirror, and if I don't did he just watch me pee?.. At least I washed my hands, he should be happy with that... So, thank you Candyman, thanks!

Thank You, Always Maxi Pads, for giving me the advice to Have a Happy Period.. Without that sound word I would probably go into a fit of rage and knock down old ladies and small children because I was having an unhappy period, but it would only last for about a week. Now, I don't have to concern myself with that negativity, as I now know to be happy, and that wings make everything better.. Thank You!

So, that was my weekly thank you's.. Thanks for reading, I'll send you a thank you note next week...

Boo Hoo... Selling my Vespa LX150 Dragon Red..

So, my hubby and I have upgraded to a larger popup and now need to sell my beautiful, yet handsome, Vespa scooter...

We had a small Sun-Lite popup with a full size bed on both sides, even though it felt like a twin size mattress... It is a great camper, but not really for a family of 4.. Especially when two of the four are wild crazy UFC champions in a 2.5 yr old body.. I swear when we put them to bed while camping, there's more fighting going on the UFC fighting camp.. Seriously!

So.. We got a Coleman/Fleetwood Bayside Elite popup.. the thing is HUGE Tom, HUGE! There's 2 queen sized bunks with a slide out dinette that becomes a bed as well.. There's lights everywhere, a refrigerator, hot water tank, a furnace, fancy curtains, and sink and two stoves.. YUP, two... It also came with a monthly payment, but what's more debt, right?

So, getting back to the Vespa LX150.. I need to have the money more than the fun, liberating, (it's a red liberator, lol) exciting Vespa scooter... It gives me a "high" when I ride it... It's so awesome and the fresh air, and not so fresh air (thanks for in-car smokers with their windows down and the chucking of lit cigarettes out their window left smoking on the pavement next to them, and me, for that matter)..

When I took my road test I drove about 45 minutes up steep hills, down rolling hills, and through the woods, Kidding, to get to Auburn NY, it was an amazing ride..

So, can we all take a few minutes of silence to remember a big girl with a CHIPS white helmet, long flowing, snarled, red hair, and maybe a butt crack moment, riding a red Vespa down the road having the time of her life? Yeah.. I'm gonna miss it... (I'll still enjoy it until we sell it though, don't you worry)...

:(

Lesley

It's time again for my unfamous count down!

This week I'm going to pay tribute to my twin toddlers, as they are my favorite people less then 4 feet tall, LOL

Every day they do things or say things that may either make my day or make me sad, but they are still a blessing and I would NEVER trade them for anything!

So, here's my latest funniest/worst experiences, in no particular order, with my toddlers recently..

1. Every night I will kiss the kids goodnight and will be goofy with it. I'll tell them to kiss my nose and forehead or cheek.. well.... Now, it's gotten to a point where I don't have to ask, they just go and kiss me on my entire face, which is so dang cute... Until one day... I had already gotten kissed on my nose, my cheeks, my ear, my nose, and then Emilee gave me a big squeeze hug and said "kissa yur back", and she made the kissing puckered lip noise, emmmm muaw, and kissed my back. I was like "thanks Emilee", then she said "kissa yur bum" and started to make the ever so famous kissing noise, I almost died! I was like "NO, don't kiss my bum", she thought it was funny so she kept trying to climb down my back to kiss me on my bum... She obviously wasn't allowed to, but it was still hysterical.. Until I asked her where she wanted kisses... she said her nose, her cheeks, her head, her hair, and then she said it... "my boobies", I was like "WHAT?", I had to explain that no one should kiss any one's boobies.. OMG, they're so silly!

2. Ivan is still holding his poop all day then pooping in his pull ups while you're not looking, or after we get him in bed for the night, so we still have poopy pants most of the time.. He knows it's yucky, but is too stubborn to adapt to the pooping on the potty... Well, he'll be going to be trying to go pee on the potty when we'll pull down his pull ups and he'll have a a "skid Mark" on them and be like "EW, POOPY"... well, yeah.. he'll say it in public bathrooms, and you can hear women chuckling in the near by stalls.. He's a ham!

3. I love going in their rooms to wake them up... Emilee will be all knock out and she'll either cover herself up, like you can't find me to wake me up, or she'll be motionless and pretend like she's still sleeping... Ivan will mostly be awake and will say HI MAMA! as soon as I open the door and will be happy and excited to see us... He's so charming!

4. These guys think everything said with an upward tone, is something to be excited about... We can say with a cheerful tone.... "Wanna go eat dead bugs" and they'll be like YEAH! LET'S!

5. They get overly excited when I pee or poop... They applaud me and want to look and it just makes my day in an embarrassing, but mommy-ish way.. I will always think to myself, as I poop, YAY FOR ME!! (while clapping and jumping up and down in my head)

Yup, they're beautiful happy kids, most of the time, and I love them beyond words!

May there be someone(s) in your life, or something, that make it worth waking up every day!

Enjoy your weekend!

Lesley

My new dream livingroom ..... but not my livingroom yet

I have discovered potential bliss in a can... The link above is an amazing livingroom by Kenneth Brown, an HGTV designer..

The use of the gold-ish walls and bronzy brown curtains... oooh... ahhh... say it with me!!

A lovely lady from my ESM mom's group has taken my project on, which is awesome... So far she has only suggested I move the furniture back to where it was, except the tv got pushed forward next to the fireplace.. She has, though, approved of my used tables purchase, and of my rugs, which made me feel better.

I'm going to going to Sherwin Williams to get some color swatches, as a goldish color I saw on their "Color Visualizer" made me sweaty with glee.. It's called Mannered Gold, and is lovely on the internet, I just need to make sure it stays lovely on our walls, especially with our crappy lighting..

I am also thinking of painting the diningroom and the stair hallway a brownish color "Jackson Tan" or a reddish color "Cavern Cay", both from Sherwin Williams, called "Jackson Tan", but that's a whole 'nother beast!

I got the Artesia Persia Curtains in Duke Red, and boy do they look stunning up.. It'a amazing how we lived life in our living room without them for so long.. Now, I can see how this all WILL come together.. Look out RATE MY SPACE on HGTV, here we come!

I just need some accent pillows, a throw blanket to cover my recliner/rocker, and some decor, and I'll be stylin'!

UPDATE: I painted a test area on the wall near the new curtains and it's FABU! I'm so anxious to have the room all painted!!

YAY LIVINGROOM!!

Weekly Countdown... Worst games ever

So, I was recently playing Hi Ho Cherrio with my kiddos and my DH, when I realized just how many different games there are... So, here's, in my opinion, the worst 5...

5 - Monopoly - Could this game possibly take any longer? I mean clear about 5 hours because you're gonna be tied up for a bit... As soon as someone buys a property, they're fingers get twitching and then they buy apartments... who can actually buy an apartment building for as little as $500..?? PLUS, it doesn't make for keeping spouse-wife relationships thriving, because it may end up the one spouse made the other, bankrupt, then it gets ugly... Only play this game if you're playing with people who don't understand the game.. trust me!

4 - Clue - The real reason people play this game is because it has a tiny revolver as a game piece.. It's awesome for Barbie though, if Ken's giving her shit about going out with her girlfriends... it almost fit in her purse, she could put a cap in his ass!

3 - Mouse Trap - just as soon as you set the thing up,it's time for dinner... WTF... or better yet, someone sneezes and it sets the little trap spirling down, you go to fix it then all the other peices, the bot, the tub, all gets disconnected somehow.. yeah... plus in real life mouse traps KILL, let's have our kids think that the cute little mousy just gets "contained" for a while, or at least until dinner time, instead of it being smashed by a spring loaded death trap..

2 - Perfection - Ok, for those who know me.. this game whomps big time... You have to put the tiny pieces in their respective slots of the board while a timer is ticking and people are watching, then BOOM the whole damn board pops up and your pieces fly all over the table.. can we say McGruber?? For me it's impossible to get them in with enough time, and like the puff of air blown into your eyeball at your optomitrists office, even though you know it's coming, it still scares the piss out of you...

1 - Life - So you get yourself a car, and a tiny stick figure to stick in it, to represent yourself, blue or pink, depending on gender (what if you're gay and on the outside you're a man, but on the inside you know you were meant to be a woman?)... You spin and move in order to get a spouse... Then you spin some more, pay some bills, loose your house, then all of a suddon you've got 14 stick kids and you're sending them to collage... all this responsibility and you're only 8 years old... Way to go Milton Bradley! Let's scare our kids!

So, I guess if you're board one day, get it board, not bored.. lol Anyways, go out and buy a different game then the ones mentioned above, you'll thank me for it... (Try Scrabble and allow cuss words..)

My UNlivable livingroom

This is the layout of my living room.. Yes, it's got character, but Bart Simpson is a character, so that doesn't mean crap.

This afternoon Rob, the kids, and I, went to a woman's house to look at, and bought, a set of living room tables. They're gorgeous! The pieces are quite huge, but workable, into a couple possible layouts. They're a cherry color, with both light and dark tones, so it goes well with the bamboo roman shades and existing tv corner stand. We definitely need an area rug to tie the dark oak colored floors together with the cherry furniture..

An fellow ESM mom has suggested a couple color pallets for us. Both are similar, one is just a shade darker version of the other. The suggestion is very calming!

I've been fooling around on http://valspaatlowes.com which has an online paint function which allows you to see a room, then change the paint and sometimes the fabric/furniture colors... It's awesome!!

So, I'm still working on it... It will be livable soon!!

I want to be the next person to have HGTV come to my house.

Seriously, how does one get that honor? My house isn't horrible, it just needs some finishing, and a new roof, new garage, landscaping, color scheme, my hardwoods redone, storage, which isn't much, right? LOL



So, I pitched the idea to Bridge Street (WSYR in Syracuse, a local tv station), to do a mini version of an HGTV show.. Get together some local interior designers, a local contractor, and some grunt workers to help make a room or two super special while making the home owners help with the work... Yeah... still haven't gotten a response... I don't expect one either, but it was a nice try..



It's really hard trying to come up with a room scheme that both matches the character of the house and stays within a limited budget... I think I may look for some used living room tables, but will need to go with NEW area rugs.. The new rugs need a design because we have two cats and twin toddlers, so 4 times the messes... no joke.. really messy people/pets live in my house..

I want it to feel warm and cozy, but not lose the kid-friendly aspect, as we do have kids and mess happens.. I'd like neutrals, with a popping color, to add flair.. The problem is our home is definitely unique. It's got plaster textured walls, arched doorways, high ceilings, and it's almost 100 years old, so I'd like to work with that, and not hide it...

I need an interior designer to come to my house, pro-bono, and give me advice, and help me make things from trash, into treasures... lol

So HGTV, please come to my home, donate some funds and some crafty people... Hammer heads, Divine design, over my head, whichever, just visit me!!!

Whetstone Gulf State Park, Ny

What a great mini-vacation! We took our tots and our pop-up to a great NY State campground located just south of Lowville, NY.

We did, though, take a very unique route to get there.. I printed off a Google map advising us to take a few turns off of Route 26, which put us on some "minimum maintenance" roads.. Well, to put it in English, we ended up on 4-wheeler and snow mobile, roads.. It was pretty much the wrong roads to be on with a trailed-popup.. The dirt roads were filled with major pot holes and loose stones and ZERO other people... Even the one stop sign we DID see, had bullet holes in it! EEEK!!

We finally made it to the park, after a couple HELP ME calls to the park office, and the loss of all daylight.. It was a definite adventure! Rob went to fill the water tank and it smelled horrible on the outside of both the Jeep and the popup.. Can we say splattered cow poopy? Yeah, it was pasted to both vehicles... It was such a pleasant aroma, so, I took a picture of it with my cell phone for future scrapbooking-ability.. LOL

The park was awesome! Super tall pine trees gave us the needed shade from the almost 90 degree days, and the country side driving to and from Walmart was so stereotypical "farm land", with exception of the giant white windmills... So, even they were technically green, although they were white.. get it.. Green... lol, I'm a nerd!

The kids loved the nearby farms with the roadside cows and horses... They love cows!

Potty training while camping is always a challenge, as the kids practically live in the bathrooms.. Emilee has to pee/poop constantly, and she doesn't yet realize, even though I tell her every time, that the pottys are not to be touched and manhandled.. Major EW!! Ivan still didn't poop outside of his pull up, so we're still stuck in that rut..

We've gotten him peeing standing up, though, which he thinks is fun.

I wish that Whetstone Gulf wasn't a 2 hour drive, or 3 if you're traveling through the D.E.C. truck trails. lol I would go there more often, because I liked the swimming hole, which we played in on Sunday, and the shade trees are wonderful... Plus, if you forget anything, there's a McDonalds and Walmart right near by! Not to mention the Cheese Store, where they proudly serve 67 flavors of cheese.. Next time we'll stop in for a sample! yumm... Cheese..

Well, back to work for me, it's almost Tuesday!

Enjoy the heat!

Pees on the potty, refuses to poop!

I know I am not alone in the hell called "Potty Training", but it driving me bonkers!

My daughter is pretty much potty trained.. She pretty much wakes up dry every morning, and pees and poops all day long, on the potty.. She hasn't had an accident in quite a long time..

My SON, however... UGH... He wakes up soaked most days, but pees all day in the potty... He will not poop on the potty, though.. He sees his sister poop, gets excited for her, and had pooped litte bits when he would pee, when he first started to use the potty, but even that has ended...

We tell him that if he poops on the potty, we'll give him a piece of chocolate, or a popsicle, but he still doesn't care.. Even when his sister gets her reward, and he doesn't... he gets upset at first, but then doesn't care...

I have looked all over the interweb and they keep saying "it's normal, he'll eventually do it", but damn it, I wan him to do it now!!

Every morning Ivan wakes up with poop in his pants.. He still wears a normal baby diaper, because of that and the fact that he pees a quart every night..

What should we do??

Should we buy a pooping doll?

Is there a poop camp?

HELP ME PLEASE!!!

New Weekly countdown.. Why it's great to be chunky!

Well, since we chunky girls always get the short end of the stick, there are GOOD reasons to be chunky... Here I go!

1. You get more bang for your buck at clothing stores... We'll pay the same for a shirt having MORE material, more sparkles on it, as the smaller version.. Suck it skinny girls!

2. We usually are closet dirty girls... We may dress more conservatively, but trust me.. We're great in bed.. We may pay more attention to our lovers, and want to impress them with our abilities... Turn the lights off and we're simply dirty, dirty girls!!

3. I guess we're more productive at work.. We don't get talked to by all the other people because no one cares what we're doing for the weekend, or compliment our over-sized clothes... We're left alone to work... So, we have more time..

4. More padding, less ouchies! When we fall, we're protected a little more... Those skinny chicks may break their bones, or notice they're sitting on a remote control, but us... Nah.. We're not bothered by the little falls, it didn't even hurt! I can't even count how many times I had been looking for something.. like a remote control, sunglasses., and I discovered I had been sitting on them the entire time...

5. Everything we do, every move we make... Is EXERCISE... a simple set of stairs is like running a marathon... We take a shower and may burn 500+ calories... Bending over... whoa, that's like 1000+ calories.. We could easily burn off a double scoop sundae by getting dressed in skinny jeans, getting ourselves out the door and into the car... All that bending and sweating our arses off in the uber tight jeans... Look out Jenny Craig!!

So, the next time you get depressed about being a chunkier girl, remember there's also a good, lighter side! lol

Enjoy your body, it's the only one you have.. An remember... You're in good shape for the shape you are!