favorite memories

My dear friend and fellow blogger Hilltopper from life on the hilltop, tagged me to share my top 4 in each of the categories listed.
Here they are...

 

favorite memories of 2008

#1 30th Birthday get together with just the girls

#2 watching/witnessing all the new things C is learning each day

#3 starting my blog & making awesome new friends

#4 going on a date with just P to see Fireproof and have lunch @ Cracker Barrel.

favorite movies of 2008 (not necessarily 2008 movies)

#1 Fireproof

#2 Sweet Home Alabama

#3 Catch Me if You Can

#4 CARS

favorite foods of 2008

#1 one of the specials that Olive Garden had over the summer, can not remember the name of it.  (argh)

#2 pb toast

#3 veggie pizza

#4 tacos

favorite places of 2008

#1 home

#2 Aha

#3 Target (how SAD is that?)

#4 church

events in 2008

#1 C's 3rd birthday & party

#2 announcement of my (step) sister's 2nd pregnancy  & her wedding

#3 P starting a new business venture

#4 our FIRST wedding anniv.

things i liked in 2008

#1 buying our (much needed) and new (to us-2005) car/suv

#2 getting new carpet in most of our house & finishing the interior painting

#3 having monthly family dinners with my brothers/sisters and Mom & step dad

#4 being able to spend another year @ home with C. (Thank you Lord, for the small things)

things i look forward to in 2009

#1 C being 100% potty trained. (we are almost there)

#2 becoming closer to Jesus and honoring him more each day

#3 selling our house

#4 getting pregnant

 

Now I will tag 4 to play along...
#1. MiMi @ He & Me + 3
#2. Lisa @ MY JOURNEY THROUGH INFERTILITY

#3. Susie @ Mommy, Just One More Minute!

#4. Nancy @ Faith, Family & Friends

would you like to know more?

Lisa @ MY JOURNEY THROUGH INFERTILITY tagged me to tell you all 16 things you may or may not know about me.  I enjoy doing these, bc I always enjoy sharing more with you and even more, I enjoy learning more about all of you.
I am not sure that I can come up with 16 things that I have not already told you, but I will give it a shot.  :)
ENJOY.

1. I had no intentions of getting married before I was 30 and no intention of having kids before I was 35.  I had C @ 27 and married P @ 28.

2. While I was pregnant with C, I wanted a boy SO BADLY, that everyone was just sure that I would have a girl. (obviously they were wrong)  ;)

3. I am a very picky eater.

4. I would like to have red hair. (like Marcia Cross, from Desp. H-wives)

5. Until I had C, I did NOT cook...AT ALL!!!

6. I always wished I came from a big family.

7. I would love to have twin boys.

8. I do not like to have my picture taken, never have.

9. I have never once smoked a cigarette. (not even one puff)
    ( I am VERY proud of this, since my Mom, Dad and sister ALL smoke/d)

10.  I love the show/family Jon & Kate +8 and want to meet them some day.

11. P & I have been trying to get pregnant for seven months now, with no luck.  :(

12. I collect Boyds Bears.

13. We (as a family) made the decision to turn off our cable for 2009. We are now deciding to turn the tv completely OFF. (as it getting rid of it)

14. I was excited to 30 and did not dread it at all.

15. I am ten months older than P.

16. P and I sat next to one another in homeroom for two years, went to school together for four years and had a lot of the same friends, yet never "knew" each other until "meeting"  in 2002. (I knew who he was and vice versa, but we did not talk, hang out, etc)

So there you have it...16 things you may not have known about me.  :)
Now for the hard part...picking who to tag for this.
I am going to tag any of you ladies who have not yet done a getting to know you post. (or at least not done one recently) I enjoy getting to know each of you more. Please let me know if you choose to play along.

And please continue to pray for Harper. She is in stable, but very critical condition. She is also showing some improvements. She and her family have a long road ahead of them.
God is AMAZING and if you want to see that amazement yourself...check out Kelly's blog,Kelly's Korner and read her posts re: the outpouring of support they have been shown by fellow bloggers. 

Fabulous

Do you think I am fabulous?  (ha ha ha) Well my dear bloggy friend Stacey @ McCrakensx4 does. She even gave me an award telling me so.  YaY!

Isn't it nice to be told we are fabulous? I think so. Thank you so much Stacey. If you've never stopped by Stacey's blog, please do so. She is an amazing woman and friend. She has a great family that includes her hubby and two sons. (one of which shares a name with my little guy) (great minds, huh?)

Well here it is my award for being F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S.

The "rules" that accompany this award are to list five addictions I have and then to pass the award along to five fabulous blogs.

My 5 addictions...

1. Jesus
2. my family
3. blogging (this is a new addiction)  ;)
4. pictures (taking them,receiving them, etc)
5. traveling

5 blogs I pass this FABULOUS award along to...
come on, there is NO way I can choose just five of you. I think you are all FABULOUS!!! Besides to be honest, I have NO clue who has this award and who does not. (I did not do my homework, sorry) I also do not know who likes to play a long with these awards and who does not.
So if you read my blog you are awarded this FABULOUS award, bc to me you are FABULOUS if for no other reason than coming back day after day and catching up with life in my home. And for letting me get a peek into your lives.
(I hope I did not break the "rules")

for me? Thank you!!!

 

I received a couple of awards over the weekend and want to take the time now to post them and once again say THANK YOU so much for thinking of me.

First Stacey from McCrakensx4, gave me this award...THANK YOU!!! I am so blessed to have met you through this bloggy world.

 
"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find, and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."

The rules: pass along to eight bloggers who are to include the text above and then they pass it onto eight bloggers.

I know I say this A LOT, but there is NO way I could pick just eight of you. So, if you do not have this award, I am tagging you. PLEASE, take the award and pass it on to others. I consider each of you my bloggy friends and I heart you all.

 

Second, Keli @ Dream.Imagine.Live, gave me this award...I am so excited to get this. I have seen it floating around out there and secretly wanted it. ;) So THANK YOU Keli for passing it my direction.

The Rules are simple:
You must be a true Christmas lover to receive this award.
The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with Christmas.
You must link back to the person who gave you the award.
You must list 5 things that you love about Christmas.
If you can't limit it to 5 things, then keep going till you run out of space! :o)
Pass the award along to as many people as you like. That can be 1 or 45; it's up to you. But, you must pass it on to at least one person in order to keep the Christmas cheer going!
Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving them a comment on their blog.

5 Things I love about Christmas:

1. celebrating Jesus' birth (we are starting a new tradition with our son this year to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and as dessert have birthday cake)
2. getting together with family & friends
3. going out looking at the Christmas lights
4. baking
5. candle light service @ church
6. CJ with his ?'s..."can I have this for Christmas, and this and this and this" and when he saw the first snow flakes this season, he announced to EVERYONE..."it's Christmas". I love his innocence.

Ok...for this I must choose at least ONE person to pass this on to...I choose three.
1. Lisa @ MY JOURNEY THROUGH INFERTILITY -
(bc I share her Christmas decorating style)
1. Susie @  Mommy, Just One More Minute! 
(bc she is an awesome Mom. She has an advent calendar and puts a gift in each day for her adorable daughter, Sophie and they do Christmas crafts together, etc and she takes pix of all of this to share with us)
1. hilltoper @ life on the hilltop 
(bc she is opting for a "free" Christmas and has made several of her gifts this year. Neat ones too)

Check out these ladies if you have not already. They are all AWESOME and my life is more blessed each day by getting to know them more.

Did anyone notice that all three of the ladies are listed as 1. ?   ;)

Christmas questions...

             (this is last Christmas' picture 2007)

I found this on Nancy's blog. ( Faith, Family & Friends ) And thought I would play along. Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends, read on to find out a bit more about me!
1.Wrapping paper or gift bags? both
2. Real tree or Artificial? artificial ( I am scared of real trees)
3. When do you put up the tree? After Dec. 10th
4. When do you take the tree down? Dec. 26th
5. Do you like eggnog? No
6. Favorite gift received as a child? any Doll that I was ever given
7. Hardest person to buy for? my Mom, she has everything
8. Easiest person to buy for? CJ
9. Do you have a nativity scene? No, but I have my eye on one that I want
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mailed
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? when I was little there was this doll I wanted, it came in a large box, I wanted that doll so bad. I saw a box under my G-parents tree a couple weeks before Christmas that had my name on it AND was the same size box as the doll I wanted. I just knew it was the doll. WRONG....it was the most hideous looking coat EVER. (ok, hindsight being 20/20, it was probably not that bad, but since I was so sure it was the doll, I never did like that coat.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I really don't have a favorite. I like How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Elf.
13. When do you start shopping? it is different every year, but I try to start no later than October
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I am really not sure. I think I have, but I can not recall a specific gift
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? EVERYTHING
16. Lights on the tree? Yes
17. Favorite Christmas song? lol...right now...I want a hippopotamus for Christmas...it is so cute. Really I like most all Christmas songs
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? both
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? if I sing the song :)
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? both, we have Christmas with my Mom and step dad and all my siblings on Christmas eve.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? rude people
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? my snowmen ornaments, no fave color...I can not wait or CJ to start making ornaments for our tree.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? rolls, dessert
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? SNOW.SNOW.
I would love for you to play along too. If you do, be sure to let me know, so I can learn more about your Christmas'.

I was tagged...x2

I feel so loved!!! I was tagged by Lisa @ MY JOURNEY THROUGH INFERTILITY and by Stacey @ McCrakensx4 . If you have not already you should check them both out. They are awesome women who LOVE the Lord. Thanks girls!!!

The rules are to list 15 things I am not ashamed to admit. And then tag a couple other bloggers to join in the fun. Let's see what I can come up with. ENJOY!!!

1. I love the Lord!

2. I miss my Dad, everyday!

3. I am afraid of dying before seeing my son (or any future children of mine) grow up.

4. I do not believe in divorce AT ALL.

5. I am still friends with half of my ex-boyfriends.

6. I only have two ex-boyfriends.

7. My husband and I "met" in high school, but were not friends. We sat next to one another in home room for two years. We ran into each other several years later while sharing most of the same friends at that point.

8. My heart breaks that my son will never remember/know my Dad.

9. My husband and I want to move, but do not want to leave our church, so we have opted from moving out of state TWICE for this reason. We LOVE our church family.

10. I wish I were more outgoing and not so shy. (this will shock some people)

11. I want to have a large family, but time is running out.

12. I also want to adopt a child.

13. I gave my cabbage patch doll a bath with out asking when I was little. She had to hang on the shower rod to dry for a week and still to this day has a huge water mark on her belly. My son (3.5) gave his plush Handy Manny doll a bath the same way. Manny bathed in the sun for a day and was OK.

14. I love my bed and could spend all day in it.

15. I did not know if I could some up with 15 things to post here.

I tag...

1. Jill @ The Hutchison Family I enjoy her blog so much.

2. Heather @ Life at Sonic Speed She just got the best news ever and I could not be happier for her.

Go check out all their blogs out. You won't be sorry.

I've been tagged (and more)

OK, so I was tagged by MiMi over at He & Me + 3 . Thanks for including me.

So, here are 7 weird/random facts about me. (please don't laugh too hard)

1. I microwave my ice cream, so it is not too hard and I rinse my ice cubes and popsicles off to ger rid of the little "crystals" on them.

2. I think I enjoy the toy dept more than my 3 yr old son. (or any kid of that matter)

3. I do not like the smell or taste of coffe, but I love cappacinos and coffee ice cream

4. I do not care for shoes. (with the exception of a good pair of tennis shoes and/or flip flops)

5. I have more chapstick than I can ever use in my lifetime.

6. I get "stressed" watching tv shows, movies, etc. ie) worst week (and more that I just can not think of right now)

7. my hubby and I are trying to have another baby (and I want to have twins)

There you have it, seven weird or random facts about me.

Now I have to tag seven others....

1. Jen @ Cheaper than Therapy--Musings of a Mom of 3

2. Susie @ Mommy, Just One More Minute!

3. Monica @ life on the hilltop

4. Kelly @ Kelly's Korner

5. Nancy @ Faith, Family & Friends

6. Becca @ matt.becca.will.cy

7. Ariel @ View From the Fish Bowl

(sorry if any of you have been tagged for this before) Have fun and I look forward to reading your weird/random facts.

Yesterday

REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE

A few months ago our church formed a Go Green team and introduced the church to recycling and encouraged us to implement a few of the suggestions in our homes. PJ wanted to start recycling at home, so we bought some bins and got started. We have several spots around town that we can take our recyclables to drop them off. CJ LOVES going with us and helping to put the things in the correct bins. Yesterday two of the spots we went to to drop off were overflowing, so PJ suggested going to the recycling center itself. So we did. The way it works there is you drive into the building and there is a trash compactor with a conveyor belt type thing and there are several large dumpster style bins to put your recyclables in. CJ LOVED seeing this. He was so excited to watch everything that was going on. He talked about this all day. The little things that amuse kids. I contributed his fascination with the recycling center to his All About Garbage and Recycling dvd. When we got home, he wanted to watch it. I wish I woiuld have had my camera with me to capture his face, but who would have thought to bring a camera to the recycling center????

FALL PICTURE DAY 8

this is CJ last Halloween at my Mom's house. He went to a few houses on her street, but enjoyed sitting on her porch handing the candy out more. He was Handy Manny from Playhouse Disney. (I made his tools) Of course just after Halloween they came out with an actual set of Handy Manny tools, complete with tool box. Go figure. He was happy with his "costume" and his tools. And it was a money saver.