blog stalking #6

blog title: jam's own reality
author: J.A.M. (just a mom)
the goods: jam found me through batw
i don't know her
(in real life)
but as soon as she left a comment on my page
i went to hers
and became attached to her blog!
i love it!
on a daily basis,
she makes me smile
and laugh!
you can tell through her blog that she is an adoring wife and mom
and she blogs about the people that mean the most to her
and i must say that even though i don't know jam,
i feel like i get to know her more each day
and i thank her for letting me into her life!

the other day.....i was quite excited to receive my first blog award from jam
she gave such a great reason to gift the award to the bloggers she did....
her only rule....was to pass the award onto others...
i'm passing the award onto blogger friends
who make me smile
that....is my rule!
so i'm giving this sweet award to....

brooke
allison
danielle
leah
mrs. g
marcia
aly

thank you all for continuing to make me a happy blog stalker!
and thank you jam....for thinking of me, and giving to me!

and.....
ive decided to come up with special awards of my own
because....
it would be fun!
:)
so be looking for that!

happy blog stalking!

christmas want list

for a good few months,
flake's parents had been asking us for christmas ideas
i honestly felt like i didn't need anything
so i felt bad giving them any sort of list
but after it was made very clear to me
by flake
and his parents
that if i didn't give a list,
i would just get pot luck....
so as much as i hate surprises,
i decided to email them a list
of wishes wants

one of my wants was fun/crazy/cute socks
because.....socks are fun
and....i wear them to keep the kids at school happy
(ok really, that is just an excuse!!
i totally wear them to make me happy,
and the kiddos just get a kick out of them too!)
so when i opened up my present and found these....
boy was i ever excited....
and surprised (in a good way....the kind of surprise i like)

i got 5 sets of
mismatched socks
all the socks.....
in the set....
go together
but don't match
how cool is that!

so as soon as i got home with my new socks....
i had to look up the mismatched socks online
at Little MissMatched Socks
needless to say....
i am hooked!
i love the fact that the whole company
was started based on the fact of the "missing sock"
i have a drawer full of them myself
so i totally get why someone would want to
profit from something that haunts my everyday life!

my greatest thanks goes out to mr & mrs g
for opening my eyes to such a wonderful world of socks
flake on the other hand
is quite upset that his parents have created a monster
being that i have already picked out the next sets i would like to have
(can we say....all of them!)

would you rather wednesday

jam got this idea from kel
when kel started
would you rather wednesday

kel came up with some questions....
would you rather ..... or .....
and then challenged people to answer them,
and then come up with their own would you rather questions
so jam did just that

kel's questions...
my answers:
beautiful house, ugly car
tv
totally be paris hilton!
and jam's questions....
my answers:
snowboard
job i love
ugly dog
both were totally hard to answer,
but i was sucessful!
(thankfully, i had a week to think about it!!....look below to find out why!!!)

and like they asked....
here are my would you rather questions...

would you rather......know your future or change your past?

would you rather.....speak your mind (even if the truth hurts) or keep your thoughts to yourself?

would you rather.....sing everything that comes out of your mouth or text every thought you had?

have you missed me

.....well, have you?
yeah, probably not,
but i've missed you!
a lot!
since last wednesday morning
i have been taking a break from blogger
not because i wanted to,
but because blogging on my phone isn't as easy as facebooking on my phone! :)
so, you might wonder, why on earth was i taking an uninvited break from blogger....
simple....
(well ok, not really)
so here is a run down of how i've been spending my time without you!!

wednesday (12.17)
i worked .... and as soon as i sent my little friends on their way
flake was at school to pick me up
so we could head down east
we arrived in beaufort, making great time,
even after we stopped in raleigh for some amazing bumper to bumper traffic fun!
when we arrived, i was totally shocked to see the temperature at 8:30pm to be 68
seriously?!?! it is the middle of december....not september!

thursday (12.18)
flake and i woke up.....
thinking we were on a little vacation,
and then it hit us...
we realized that this wedding we were in town for....
was no where ready to be had
flake and i, spent the entire day,
helping robbie make list, cross things off, rewrite list, buy things, drop things off,
and then do it all again!
that evening, we decided we were going to have a tacky christmas sweater party....
and then quickly thought better of it, being that it was just me, flake, robbie, and b-rad (her hubby to be)...along with the dogs and cat
so instead we drank and played scrabble....
and just so you know, i am not a good speller....
but when i've had a few drinks in me, i can't even comprehend what the letters sound like....
so putting them together to form a word....not a pretty picture....however a funny one!
so when b-rad started the game off with JIHAD....i pretty much needed to throw in the towel!
needless to say, i didn't win!

friday (12.19)
robbie and i spent the day checking more things off her list....
and i was able to convince her to let us get our nails done....
(which was totally on my list!)
flake spent the entire day cleaning robbie's car (seriously!)
then it was off to the rehearsal (where i got to hug allison! :))
and then dinner (and pictures!!)
i had some wine....i typically don't drink wine, i have never really liked it....
but my thoughts have changed! :)
after the dinner, robbie, flake, kendall, and i went over to robbie's store to print her wedding programs
(well, they printed, while i took a rest on one of the beds at the store!)
and then we headed to wally world....
after getting some essential things for the wedding....
we finally arrived back at robbie's house too close to 2am for me to be happy

saturday (12.20)
the big day....a beautiful spring day, sunshine, 70 degrees...only problem....its supposed to be december! robbie wanted a december....christmas....cold weather wedding....
(and i kept thinking....if you wanna make god laugh...make a plan!)
i woke robbie up, earlier than she probably wanted me too....
but the list....was not complete by any means! (?!?!?)
there was still packing for the honeymoon, gathering things for the reception, finding people to clean up, figuring out how ____ would get ____ to _____.
way too much stuff to keep up in the air at once for my little brain!
we finally left to go get our hair done, and then made it to the church....
a lot of the afternoon was a blur....
i do remember...i was dressed like a present...
we were standing in line to walk into the church....
the music began
the solo began
and then it happened!!
the flower girl vomited EVERYWHERE!!!
seriously!
all over herself, me, everywhere!
and then she did it again, in fact 2 more times!
somehow, by the grace of god
we got her cleaned up, the vomit somewhat off my dress,
out from between my toes....
and were ready to walk into the church....ON TIME!
the wedding went off with out a hitch....
smiled pretty for the pictures....
everyone was ready to go....
until kendall realized her keys....were in her purse....with flake....already at the reception....
so after we got another set from her parents...
we were on our way
we arrived at the reception
flake did his dj thing
robbie left happy
saying it was exactly what she wanted
....
so i must say....it was a success
however...
i realize now... more than ever....
there is a good reason i did not plan my own wedding!! :) god bless flake for doing it all!!

sunday (12.21)
flake and i stayed in beaufort for some "away time"
and volunteered to take care of beau, tater, and casper
robbie and b-rad's dogs and cat
even though we were given specific care instructions for the animals....
we didn't exactly follow them
we were told to feed casper once a day (check)
we were told to feed tater twice a day--a scoop each time, and water in the bowl (check)
we were told .... for beau.... he likes hardee's combo #2 .... with straight fries, and a water.... he likes to drink his water out of the bathtub faucet...and he expects to sleep in the bed....
.....
needless to say..... beau...got the same treatment as tater....

flake and i spent all of sunday on the couch, watching tv and sleeping
we were both worn slam out!

monday (12.22)
it came quickly....mainly cause we were so tired
monday, we decided to walk downtown....we quickly realized winter had come back to town
as soon as we walked outside....we felt that a ride down town would be a better idea!
after our "walk"
we decided to go see a movie, have dinner, and then rent a movie....
oh and we took care of the animals....
it was a good day for us, being together, not having to worry about any agendas...or list...or anything!

tuesday (12.23)
the flake and i got all our stuff in the car and ready to leave ....
heading to my parents house....
we stopped in raleigh,
where my mama had reserved us tickets to see polar express at the imax theater.
it was awesome!
flake had never seen the polar express before, and i had been really wanting to see it in 3d....so i was totally excited! :)
so much so that we had to have our picture taken in the glasses!! :)
i was NOT disappointed!
it was amazing!
and after we left....
flake actually said....
in one way or another....
he liked it too! :)
we arrived at my parents house, had some great time together, before dinner, had a great dinner, made by good old susan....
and then more conversation...(i'm still shocked....my father never turned the tv on!!)
and then off to bed :)

wednesday (12.24)
here we are....all caught up! :)
i woke up early....
early enough to see it snow!
which made my day!
i had to go tell flake....to which he replied....
it isn't nice to lie on christmas eve!
then took a little nap, until everyone else woke up....
and now i sit....feeling very accomplished that i have recapped my boring week!
and i'm beyond excited to see my brother, nina, and family....
spend time with all my family....
go to church....
and then head to bed....to wake up tomorrow, on christmas....
and get to spend time with my new family back at home! :)

merry christmas
from me to you!
:)

happy in my heart (again)

god bless these faces!
however
i must say that i'm super excited
and happy in my heart
that today is the last time i am going to
see their faces
or
hear their voices
for 18 days!
woo-hoo! :)

i will tell them today,
as they leave
"i love you,
i will miss you,
but ... mrs. boy is
going to LOVE her home days!"

movie characters

i love movies
i love to watch them
i love the stories
i love the characters
i love to buy them
i love to have them
i love to watch them again

movies are fun!

well...allison came across the list of top 25 movie characters of all time
and she didn't completely agree with it
so she made her own

i loved her idea so much i thought i should do the same
so i told her i would
and then...
i didn't
so sent me a little reminder....
so...here is my
top 25 movie characters of all time

25. doug dorsey ... the cutting edge















24. ralphie parker .... a christmas story






















23. scarecrow....wizard of oz






















22. kevin mcallister....home alone













21. ben wrightman....fever pitch

















20. carson mcbride .... shag













19. mikey walsh .... the goonies






















18. guss guss.... cinderella








17. ferris bueller

















16. dory....finding nemo















15. vada sultenfuss....my girl

















14. lane frost....8 seconds

















13. chazz reinhold...wedding crashers











12. & 11. et and elliott....ET













10.brennan huff.....stepbrothers






















9. ninny threadgood.....fried green tomatoes











8. napolean dynamite




















7. danielle de barbarac....ever after






















6. & 5. sandy olsson and danny zuko






















4. cinderella






















3. buddy....elf












2. big bird....follow that bird













1. woody....toy story

i'm up for a challenge!

Danielle tagged me...
i had to follow through!
and plus i'm always up for a challenge....
especially one that involves pictures and memories
so....here we go!!

Here are the rules:
1. choose the 4th picture folder on your computer

2. choose the 4th picture

3. explain the picture

4. tag at least 4 people to do the same

HA! HA!
this picture was taken thanksgiving 1991. (i was in 7th grade)
these are the "girl cousins"
(left to right, top to bottom)
me, sarah jane, dorothy, jennie

as you can see, i was the "cool" one, especially with my
star teddy sweater
and my cool bowl hair cut!

and some things never change,
sarah jane and jennie were always (and still are) the girly ones, dorothy and i...not so much
i've still got that huge dimple.... and still smirk just like that!

this makes me laugh so hard!
what a great way to start the day!

:) thanks danielle!


i'm gonna tag
brooke
allison
marcia
mrs. g

blog stalking #5

blog title: blog around the world
author: debbie
the goods: debbie has made blog stalking.....so much easier :)
and is working magic to connect bloggers together to allow them
....to find...and indulge in....
as she puts it .... blog crack!
awesome!!

i found her blog....and was totally excited that not only does she showcase new blogs all the time, that us a fellow bloggers can begin to stalk read...
but she has done it in such an awesome and organized way!!

to get a better understanding of why she decided to make this blog, you can read all about it here

to get your name on her list....
you go to her site,
click on your state name (on the left sidebar)
add a comment under your state

then grab a widget

happy blog stalking!!

it is just mean

for some reason i wake up most mornings before it is socially acceptable
most of the time, i don't know why, it just happens,
and then i find myself looking for things to do
this morning is no different, except for this morning i know why i'm awake
(ugg....to sinus pressure....)
i woke up around 2:15, and after 45 minutes of tossing, i decided to get up
most of the time, on mornings like this, i have some good blog stalking quite time until the races begin

around 4 each morning turbo begins her races
the flipping cat runs from one end of our apartment (full speed) to the other
and back again.....for about an hour straight
(how flake can sleep though this, i'm not sure, because part of her racetrack includes the bed...and the pillows...)

this totally frustrates me.....
if i am able to sleep until 4, she wakes me up with this annoying behavior....
which as you can imagine, does not make me happy in the least bit! :/

this morning has been no different, when it comes to the race
she has been going and going....
but she has a new trick
which she started about 2 weeks ago
her newest trick isn't one that i'm excited about either
in fact i think it frustrates me more than when she runs on the pillows
(and that is a lot)

turbo now runs runs runs, then will stop and sit beside me at the computer for a few minutes and face the guest room door.....mind you, the guest room, could also be know as the "diesel's sleeps in her crate" room.....she will turn her head back towards the front door, then back towards the guest room door.....over and over

and then it happens,
she slowly walks towards the front door, turns around
then takes off
and pounces on the guest room door
which makes it fly open
and then....
she hisses the meanest loudest hiss
and then runs away....

seriously
why?
why has that cat got to be so mean
and why ....
does she feel the need to wake every living animal in this apartment up at ungodly hours, just for her own pleasure.

all i can say,
that poor dog
has got to be thinking
"lord honey, haint i been momicked this day!"

blog stalking #4

blog title: matt, liz and madeline
author: matt logelin
the goods: i started reading matt's blog, when leah posted about him.
the blog focuses on maddy, matt's daughter, and matt's day to day life. matt's post are full of sweet pictures, and heart warming stories about this precious baby girl.

matt began his blog before maddy was even thought of, but as expected, when matt and his wife, liz, grew closer to becoming parents, matt's topics of choice shifted. when maddy arrived on march 24 of this year, you can imagine there was a precious post. (wanna read it??) the happiness that is expected during this time, was changed 27 short hours later when liz passed away. to completely understand what happened, it helps to start reading here.

matt and maddy have been blessed on a daily basis, by people who don't even know them, but have become attached to them through matt's blog. (like you will!!!) matt is very matter of fact, especially when it comes to liz. he uses words that my mama would gasp over, however, if you are ok with that, or can look past it, i think you will fall in love with his blog as much as i have!!

happy reading!! :)

mosaic meme

i stole this from allison

she filled out this survey months ago....
but i remembered it
and decided when i had a blog
i wanted to "fill" out this survey

so......
thanks allison
for giving me something to do
----------------------------------------------------------
This is a mosaic meme created by me, about me, but using public photos.

Wanna Try it?!?!

Here’s how it works . . .Answer each of the questions below.
Surf over to Flickr (set up an account if you don’t have one–it’s quick and easy) and type your answers (one at a time) into the search bar.From the choice of pictures shown only on the front page, click on the one that moves you.Once the page with your picture opens, copy the URL.Surf over to the Mosaic Maker, set up your mosaic, and paste your URLs. Click “Create!”

The Questions: and my answers
1. What is your first name? l.o.v.
2. What is your favorite food? popcorn
3. What high school did you attend? east carteret (i didn't like any pictures for "northern")
4. What is your favorite color? purple
5. Who is your celebrity crush? joel mchale
6. What is your favorite drink? woodchuck
7. Where would you go on your dream vacation? northern lights
8. What is your favorite dessert? keylime pie
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? teacher
10. What do you love most in life? faith
11. Choose one word to describe you? laughter
12. Your Flickr name? lov

happy turkey day!!!

on this day 13 turkey days ago,
i was marching through the streets of
new york city
with my high school band
in the macy's thanksgiving day parade.

it was an unbelievable experience
something that i will never ever forget
something i will always be thankful for

but today,
on thanksgiving
i am thankful to be able to have
warm clothes
a warm place to be .... inside
the option to stay in bed til a decent hour
(which were NOT options 13 years ago)
an amazing meal
great conversation
good laughs
and most importantly
time to be with my family
today and for the next few days to come!

so.....remember


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


and.....happy birthday allison and alyson!

happy in my heart

"that makes me happy in my heart"
is a phrase i say a lot with my little friends

this past few weeks,
i personally have had a hard time feeling "happy in my heart"
when it comes to work
i really have had way more times in my days where i was feeling "sad in my heart"
i have felt so overwhelmed with particular things that i have been neglecting to focus on the things that made me "happy in my heart"

so here are somethings that made me say
"that makes me happy in my heart"

1. hearing one of my friends "use his words" for the first time.
we have had a long and hard battle with how he handles his frustration....and watching him solve his problem by using his words and then walking away gave me the greatest feeling of accomplishment..... (we just wont talk about the fact that he kicked the snot out of someone less than 10 minutes later)

2. SNOW (and 2 hour delays)

3. laughing so hard at this letter from a parent

yes she wrote it to.....
mrs. boy

4. getting to wear jeans to work :)

5. "special teacher's meetings" with school bff and others! :)

6. when my friends from last year come by to say hey in the morning.

7. hearing one of my friends say to another friend (while rubbing his back)
"are you making good choices today?"

8. finding new materials for the sensory table, science center, and art center at the dollar tree!

9. kindergarten thanksgiving feast.....and hearing all the kiddos say what they are thankful for

10. my friends trying to earn a trip to the "pizza party" by being caring

11. kiddos coming to school like this


12. pe week=no recess
usually this would make me sad that my kiddos don't get to go outside
but with no recess my friends get a whole hour in learning centers

13. getting kids names off the angel tree

14. getting gifts for the angel tree kids.....and not breaking the bank! :)

15. last bankable day of the month (aka payday!!)

16. hearing the popcorn song

17. my little friends writing our class book.
(each week we make a book based on our predictable chart....so not only do they feel accomplished that they can read the book when they are done, but they love to look at their pictures)

18. realizing i still have no concept of how to teach ordinals
(you know; first, second, third, fourth, fifth, etc.)
each time i try, i end up laughing at myself!

19. hearing my kiddos sing the "days of the week" song to figure out what tomorrow is

20. realizing that one of my little friends looks just like a babydoll in our class.....
and laughing so hard about it that i couldn't breathe


so....
even if i have a lot going on,
which tends to make my heart sad
i am oh so glad and thankful that
no matter what,
i have moments each day that
"make me happy in my heart"

39....from allison

thanks allison for letting me steal this from you!!! :)

39 Things You Can't Possibly Know About Me

1) What is in the back seat of your car right now? in baxter .... an umbrella
in theodore....currently stuff for flake's race today
2) Name 3 people who you talked to today? robin and flake (thats it so far)
3) What were you doing at 8 am this morning? wondering why i was feeling so icky
4) What were you doing 30 minutes ago? trying to figure out if i am considered "highly qualified" in texas?!?! still NO clue!
5) What is your favorite board game? candyland (i play it a lot with my little friends at school)
6) Have you ever been to a strip club? a band i like was playing in one....so yeah, but the only reason i know it was a strip club was because someone told me....i saw no naked bodies!
7) What is the best ice cream flavor? good old vanilla
8) What are you wearing right now? hoodie, lounge pants, fuzzy socks
9) What was the last thing you ate? wheat thins
10) Have you bought any new clothing items this week? nope....its been a while
11) What's the last sporting event you watched? last sunday i went to cyclocross with flaker
12) If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? somewhere with lots of snow, a cabin, and a fire
13) Who is the last person you sent a message to on Myspace? i deleted my myspace about a month ago! never thought i would!
14) Ever go camping? yes, its been a while....
15) Have you ever lost anything down a toilet? nothing of importance....i flushed a kidney stone one time....even though the doctor needed to test it....i just couldn't see picking it out! :/
16) Do you use smiley faces on the computer a lot? yes....and in texting
17) Are you someone's best friend? yes i am! :) and boy am i thankful for that!
18) What are you doing today? nothing....dz and i are hanging out, i'm feeling icky, she is taking care of me....by licking me
19) Where is your mom right now? probably leaving church
20) Look to your left, what do you see? laundry basket
21) What color is your watch? which one...my fav is a toy story watch....and it is lots of colors....(i was holding out for a barry watch :))
22) What do you think of when you think of Australia? funny accents
23) Do you have a dog? sure do....diesel
24) Do you love someone right now? yep....i do i do
25) Have you met anyone famous? don't think so
26) Any plans tomorrow? work (and wear jeans....which should make for a good day!!)
27) Are you happy? yes....and icky feeling too
28) Where are you right now? on the couch
29) Favorite pair of shoes? crocs, and i never ever thought i would want a pair, but now that i have a pair, i can't wear them enough!
30) Are you jealous of anyone? sure, even though i pray about it a lot
31) Is anyone jealous of you? i'm sure! i mean, wouldn't you want to be living with the evil cat too!! :/
32) What time is it? 12:13
33) Do any of your friends have children? yeah
34) What do you usually do during the day? work
35) Do you hate anyone right now? no, but there are people i really don't get along with
36) Do you use the word 'hello' daily? sure do.....especially monday - friday....while greeting my kiddos when they come into our class
37) How many kids do you want to have? i'm thinking 2 or 3, but only god knows for sure
38) How old will you be turning on your next birthday?30
39) How did you get one of your scars? a cat bit me ...... but it was not the turbo cat

cheering

i love waking up to snow!

even if it is just a itty bitty tiny bit.....
it is SNOW!!!!!!!!

so i'm hoping
with this early snow (for where we live)
....
we will have a COLD!!!!!!!!! winter
(and brookebaberfarr is praying for the opposite!)

either way, i'm cheering for snow!!


go snow go!



*****the day just got even better cause our schools are running on a two hour delay....
which technically means i get 2 hours to work without the kiddos this morning!
i think god is trying to remind me that he is with me....every moment of every day.....
but that it a totally different story....for a different day!

baby its cold outside! :)

this morning i woke up
and was totally excited to see
current temperature: 21 degrees
high: 41 degrees
i was soooo excited
winter is right around the corner
i love winter
i love the cold
i love the smell
i love seeing my breath in the air
i love the holidays
i love the sounds in the air
i love the songs
i love the fires
i love the clothes
i love using blankets
i love being so cold i want to snuggle
i love scarfs
i love toboggans
i love big fluffy jackets
but my most favorite things about winter is
getting to wear mittens
i love mittens!
having really fat fingers,
i have always had a hard time finding gloves to fit my hands
so i discovered mittens
i just love them!
i love when my fingers get to stay warm together
i love that my fingers don't feel crowded in them
i love how cute they look
i just plain love mittens!!!

to understand, you just have to see with your own eyes

i have store bought mittens ..... totally cute, totally useful

and i have nina made mittens....just my size, totally cute, totally useful

currently i have 15 pairs of mittens,
(i have two pair of nina made black ones....not sure why!?!?)
and each and every pair is special to me
but the nina made mittens are extremely special to me.

nina, my grandmother, has been knitting forever
and each and every time she ask me what i would like
my response is....
mittens
over the years i have gotten so many pairs from her
but each pair has a special place in my heart
i know one day, (i pray many years from now)
i will cherish these mittens even more than i do
in this very....cold....moment
but until that day
my fingers will be happy to be warm together! :)