snow time!

sickling

My poor baby has been sick with the flu for 3 days now. Hoping this will pass soon

 

How is it possible?

This is our niece Kalle. I'm still trying to gather in my heard how in the world it's possible that this little girl I once knew is an 18 yr old senior? She had her 18th birthday just this past week and in a few months will be graduating High School. Makes me super sad. I remember after moving up here with Jeff that Kalle would call every other weekend and want to come spend the night. She was 8 (Kelsies age :( ) when I moved up here. Hard to believe she is going to be going off to college. I cried the day we went to take pictures of her and her date for her first prom, I bawled when she got her license and I'm not really sure how I'm going to handle graduation day and the day we move her to University of Findlay.
Oh Kalle, we are so proud of you sweetheart. You are a fun, energetic, caring, loving and beautiful young lady!

Mini photo shoot

 Here are a few pics from our "mini photo shoot".  Trust me it was very mini! She hates posing for the camera....(toughen up big girl cause momma isn't done)!
 A couple of years ago I got a big girl camera...you know the kind where you can buy different lenses and all! The kind that real photographers use! Yea, that kind!!! Only problem is..I don't know how to use it. It had gotten it out a couple of times and took some pics but not very often. I always reverted back to my "little girl camera". I decided to learn more about my camera and the skills of photography! Holy smokes, there's soo much to learn! Google and I have become really good friends lately!
Some of these pics were wayy to bright, some were way to dark, some I just liked and one I loved! I still have a lot to learn but I'm not giving up! (so, sorry Kelsie but our mini shoots are not over,  they have just begun!)

Happy hump day! Hope you all enjoy the rest of your week and have a great weekend! I plan on taking lots of photos :)

Cheerleader!

Last year Kelsie decided she wanted to do cheer leading. She loved it! (I mean girlfriend doesn't stop cheering). Since it was her first year she had to be on a squad that they call the Growl. They cheer for the little flag football players. It was sooo cute and such a great experience for her. All summer long she practiced cheering, stunting, flipping ALL around the yard and house. All the practice paid off for her. :) This summer right before school started she tried out for the Grizzlies cheer leading. She made JV! I was sooo proud of her! She was so excited to get pom poms this year and to wear the (big girl) cheer leading outfits! She cheers for the Grizzlies football players. They range from 3rd to 5th grade boys!

Here are a few pics I took at their first game! My beautiful cheer leader! I just love her!
Hope you all have a great day! Speaking of cheering...off to cheer practice we go!

Welcome Back!!

Well, hello there. I welcome myself back! It's been quite some time. Since I was last on here so much has happened. We lost Jeff's dad in February to cancer. That was probably the hardest thing I think I have ever had to go through. My heart hurts so bad for the family. Kelsie finished 1st grade. We had a great summer doing the things we love so much. We swam nearly every day, we rode bikes, we played hide-and-seek, flashlight tag and spent lots of evenings with wonderful family and friends! We had Girl Scout camp for a week, which was loads of fun. Lots of little girls, bigger girls and lots of mommies. I love meeting new mommies!

We learned Belly Dancing! Girl has some moves.

They had water fights with big buckets of water and sponges!

Here is a group shot of my Bunco ladies!

Here is a shot of me and my sexy man!

At the beginning of this month we had our 1st annual Bunco golf outing! Oh boy did we have fun. We laughed, talked, drank, tried to hit balls (I had not ever golfed before) and laughed some more. Oh I just love these ladies. Such great friends!!! Cannot wait until next yr. 

Well, that was the main highlights of our summer! Kelsie has now started second grade. She loves her teacher and is pretty pleased with her class! She has only been going for a week and three days so we will see...hopefully she continues to like it!
 Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend! I know we will!

Needing prayers

We just received an update that Jeffs dad is getting worse. The cancer has spread to his spine. There is no cure for it. They said they were going to keep him in the hospital to do radiation on him to help ease the pain but it wouldn't cure the cancer. It has been a long 3 weeks and I know it's going to be harder. The hardest thing of all is I don't even know what to say to Jeff. My heart breaks for him, Monte, and Linda. I love them all so dearly. I know Jeff and I aren't married but we have been together for 8 years now...I think it's safe to say they are my family also! If we could continue to have your thoughts and prayers we would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks and have a wonderful day!!

Lazy girls!

Today has been one of those days where I could be lazy all day!! OH. Wait. I. Have. Been.!!!!! and I'm not feeling guilty about it!
 This morning Jeff, Kelsie and I went to the hospital to visit his dad. He is not doing well at all. I am pretty sure I told before that Charlie was diagnosed with lung cancer. He is so weak and so confused. It was not a good visit at all for Kelsie. She had to see her papaw all confused in his own little mind..saddens me to see him this way. Please keep Jeff and his family in your thoughts and prayers. We are going to need them for this long journey.
After the hospital visit we came home and did absolutely nothing!! We read some books, played some Just Dance on the Wii and then Kelsie had a friend over to play for a few hours. I love to hear little girls have conversations! Makes me smile :)
Tonight is looking like, showers, Feety Jammies, Beauty and the Beast, wrapping up in our snuggies, and a bowl of pop corn! I love lazy days and nights with my girl.

Hope you all have a great weekend...be safe and warm out there!

Date day!

Today was our day. Just him and I! I love days together with him. We had a fantastic day. We got sis on the bus, went to Muncie to get the oil changed in the car and then went shopping! While we were waiting on the car to get done we shopped around for vans!! Yay me!! I have been wanting a van for quite some time. I have a pacifica and I love it but there isn't much room for long legged people. Getting in the 3rd row seats is a trick and not worth the time. I know I only have 1 child and don't really need all of the space a van has to offer but, I'm hoping someday we can expand our family. First step, get a bigger vehicle!! Ha!
After the car was finished me and my boo went shopping...where sis and I scored lots of goodies, and then we went out to lunch. Days like this are amazing. I love when Kelsie is with us but today was just oh so awesome!
Hope you all have a fabulous evening. I'm off to get showers done, story time and then bedtime!
Loves to you all!

~2012~

 I am so happy that 2012 is finally here! I know I am a few days behind but, better late than never! 2011 was not a great year. Not the worst for us but, not the best either. Jeffs dad was diagnosed with cancer on Christmas night. It horrible. I hate that he has to go through this. I hate it for Jeff and his whole family. We will get through this though...I have faith!

 I'm hoping 2012 brings us good things! I don't have a new years resolution or anything but def am going to work on being a better person. I'm going to be a better mother to daughter, (not that I'm a bad mom). I tend to make Kelsie hold on quite often. I'm going to stop that. I'm going to tend to her every need when she needs me. I'm going to be better at spending more time with my parents and grandma. I'm going to be a better aunt to my niece and nephews and a better sister and friend to my siblings! (that one might be harder than I think considering I have 6 of them)!

 I want to be a better housewife. I want to be more patient with Jeff. (If you know him then you know that might be hard) ha!! No really, I am going to try to not let his kid like ways annoy me so often. I want to be a better friend and a better lover to him. He is an amazing person and I don't give him enough credit. I love him with all of my heart and I want him to believe me when I tell him that.

I want to be a better friend to my friends. I have the best of friends and I don't pay them enough attention. I want to spend one day a month with them..either out to lunch and shopping, or dinner and a movie! I love my friends. I love the advice they give (even if it's not always what I want to hear). I love the fact that I can call on them and they are always there for me! I want to make new friends also...who doesn't like making new friends?!!?
So, there you have it! Goodbye 2011 and Hello 2012!!
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Kelsie and I are off to a Girl Scouts Lock-in tonight. Lots of girls, games, food, and swimming! I have a very anxious 6 year old :)

Santa

Kelsies 2011 visit with Santa!!

Baking

So, on Sunday Kelsie and I did a little baking. For those of you who know me knows that this isn't my thing! But, I did it...just me and my girl! Kelsie had been begging me for a week or so to make something. I had to do something easy because I did not get the baking thumb in my family. (nor did I get the cooking thumb either) which is horrible for me because Jeff does all the cooking in this household. Actually, its quite nice for me...ha! But, I look at other wives who cook dinner for their family, and I want to do the same for mine..

We are taking it one step at a time..first step~COOKIES~

She had so much fun mixing the dough! I told her to mix and of course she had to stop to smile for the camera

here is the dough all rolled into little balls ;) She loved this part!

The final project!!

Much to my surprise the cookies turned out oh so yummy! Now that we have this under our belts we will have to see what we can do for Christmas :)
Have a great day!! Hope you all enjoyed our first snow of the season! We sure did :) It was beautiful!!
Loves!!

Basketball

So, Kelsie has decided that she wants to play basketball. OKAY!! I love when she tries something new totally out of her comfort zone! She has talked non stop about being a cheerleader. When we got the paper sent home about basketball I asked her if she wanted to play and her response "uh... mom, I can't be a cheerleader and play basketball." WOW..Girl wants to be a cheerleader.
She loves all of the high school cheerleaders. It helps that some of them are good friends of the family :). They love showing her all of their cheers and stunts! Thanks ladies...You girls rock!

So.back to basketball! I was glad she said she wanted to play. She did a weeks long basketball camp a few months ago and hated it! ha! ha! She is not very coordinated so I wasn't sure how well it would go for her..but, to my surprise she was a little aggressive in the game. Her first game was Saturday and let me tell ya, girl was not giving the ball up!

I am not sure how long she will continue to play. I am definitely going to encourage her to play. Some of my family members have told me that they think she is into to much.
Maybe but she doesn't do all of it at the same time. So, I don't think her wanting to try every sport is to much. Do you? She does gymnastics on Tuesdays for an hour, she does girl scouts 2 tuesdays out of the month, basketball practice one night a week, and basketball games on Saturdays only. Do you think that's too much for a 6 yr old? Maybe it is...I guess I just let her do what she likes. I have told her that if I pay for her to do something she will finish it out. She's not going to be a quitter.

For some reason I love the picture above. She was about to fall here and I caught her in the act! :) She makes me smile! I am so blessed to have her as a daughter.

Well, that is all I have for now. Hope you all have a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner with your wonderful families! I am working that day so I won't be home with mine...but that's okay. They know I am thankful for them..

Oh and I am off on Black Friday so I get to get my shopping on!! Can't wait to see my lovely friends and shop the night and morning away :)

Bunco Thursday!!!

What is Bunco Thursday?
 Well, today is our first Bunco meeting. Some ladies in my town have decided to start a Bunco club. We will meet the first Thursday of every month (except for this month we had to do it the second because of p/t conferences). I am super excited that they asked me to be part of the club. NO kids, NO men, GREAT food, GREAT people, lots of lady talk (gossip as some would call it) and plenty of laughter....HECK YES!! COUNT ME IN!!!!
I'm not sure what the game of Bunco is about, other than its a dice game played by 4 people at a table so we will have 2 tables going. I haven't had a ladies day out in months so I'm super pumped that I will be able to have one once a month!
I will let you all know how it went tomorrow!!

By the way, did you all see it snowing????? I am soo not ready!!
Have a great night!
Loves~

My Rock..My strength

Faye~

Wow!! Where do I begin? I love her. She is an amazing woman. She is my rock. She is and always will be there for me when I need her. I honestly don't know what I would do without this woman. She is the mother figure I never had. I thank her for that every single day! Her and I have long talks on the telephone daily. I love that time of day! She is my daughters mamaw. I wouldn't have it any other way. We laugh, we tell secrets, we cry together, she helps me be the best mommy I can be. She doesn't get in my way but is sure to tell me when she doesn't agree with something I've done. And. I'm. Okay. With. That. There are not many words that could describe my love for this woman! Thank you Faye for being there for me when I was little and needed you. Thank you for being there for me as I'm getting older and still need you! Thank you for being the best mother to me you could be. Because of you I am who I am today. I have learned how to be the best mommy from you. THANK YOU AGAIN! From the bottom of my heart. I love you!

Joe~

My daddy! The only man in this world who will ever have my whole heart. The only man who can tell me what to do and I do it! ha! He is a very serious man. A man who will tell what he thinks and doesn't think twice about it hurting your feelings. Until of course its to late :( I love him. When they say daddys girl....well in my case Uncles girl. I definitely got my way with this man all the time. My aunt would agree!! He is my daughters papaw! He adores her so much. Now that I'm older Kelsie def has him wrapped around her little finger! Just like her daddy!!! I want to thank you Joe for being that father in my life. Thank you for buying me my first car. Thank you for treating me like I was your own daughter. Thank you for loving me. You mean the world to me. I have taken every word of advice you have given me along my journey. I think you for you kindness and kind loving words. You are my strength! You are the best...and I love you so much

Hope I didn't bore you with my post today but these two are two of the most important people in my life. They have been there for me since I was in diapers and couldn't even crawl! They gave me a lot when I was younger and are still giving. They are A:)MAZING!

Just one of those days

Have you ever had "just one of those days"? I'm pretty sure there isn't a true definition of "just one of those days", but if there was I'm quite positive my day today could be that definition. I have had a day from heck. And it all started by me hitting snooze one to many times this morning and Kelsie was almost late for the bus. I should've known then that something was wrong and would go wrong all day. I felt horrible because she didn't even have time to eat breakfast. What? I know!! I am a horrible mother today...but don't freak out...she was able to eat breakfast at school this morning. WHEW..because we don't leave the house without something to eat!
Anyways, so after the madness of the morning, the afternoon didn't suite me no better. I was late for work. Why? Because I forgot to switch the laundry this morning and my work clothes were in the washer. OH FOR HEAVENS SAKES CATHY! I can hear my mother now! What was I thinking? How could I have forgotten that my clothes were wet...Oh yea! Because I had a horrible morning!
After the afternoon was over and evening came upon us....guess what? It didn't treat me any better. I had to clean up kitten poop from under Kelsies bed. UGH...Thats why I hate animals in the house. You see, we just got a kitten because we have seen a few mice and I was DONE with that!! REAL. QUICK. She finally started using the litter box and then this afternoon she decided to take a dump under the bed. FOR REAL? So I cleaned it up and scrubbed the floor and guess what? Yep, you guessed it...she went back a bit later and did it again. Why me? I will get through this and she will stop...or she will find herself back outside! Sorry, sad but true! NOT  having it!!
And then to top it all off, Kelsie is minding me like the cat is using the litter box. Not sure what the deal is there because she is usually a pretty good kid but man she ate some bad girl candy or something this afternoon. We finally accomplished homework and a shower so girlfriend is going to bed! And so is mama!!
Sorry to vent to you all about my day but you read my blog, you get it all!
Have a great night! I'm going to sleep off my curse and hope for a better morning tomorrow! Here's to NOT hitting the snooze button! he!he!
Loves to you all!

Halloween

This year for Halloween Kelsie decided to be BATGIRL! I'm not really sure why she chose this costume but she sure looked cute in it!
This year we did a little something different than before for Halloween. We trick or treated at the Muncie Mall. It was actually lots of fun and Kelsie got way more candy than she needed. (I say that every year)! We made our trick or treating decision kind of at the last minute. I never knew the Muncie mall passed candy out but when I heard about it it fit into our day just fine! Kelsie and I had dentist appointments right after school so by the time we got done we had just enough time to grab a bite to eat for dinner and go on our merry ways to the mall! Perfect evening I tell ya!! After we got finished at the mall we even had time to hit a few of our favorite houses in Parker.

By the time we were all done we were maxed out! Hope you all had a wonderful time this year trick or treating. I saw lots of cute little costumes!! (oh, and by the way~NO cavities for Kelsie and I)!!!! Woohoo!!!
Have a great day! It sure is beautiful outside :)

A little Disappointment

I have been a little disappointed with some news that I got last evening. To start it off I got word of a position coming open at Monroe Central. It is a full time secretary position. I was thrilled when I got that news...(sad that one of the lovely ladies is leaving) but thrilled that there was an opening at the school! I have been thinking lately about finding a new job. I love my job but second shift is hard to do when you have a little one who is gone all day at school. Some days I don't even get to see her except to get her ready for school and on the bus. :( That saddens me a lot.
Back to my disappointment....I had put my resume in and was expecting a call. I had been keeping tabs on it and was told I would get an interview.
But.
I
Didn't.
:(
I was a little disappointed of course because I was very prepared for that interview! But, I figured going into this that someone would apply that was more qualified than me. I am okay now...I was just hoping to get my foot in that Monroe Central Door!!!!
Maybe that was not for me...Maybe my retail job is my calling. I love people, working with the public, love my boss, love my job.but do not like the hours.
I am not complaining about my job because I am very thankful for my job. I know they are hard to come by. I do honestly love my job...not many people can get up and say that they love their job..most just have them for the money, but I LOVE MY JOB...but am disappointed a little bit.
Oh well!! Have a great night.
Loves

Fall Break

This weekend was fall break for Monroe Central. We decided to take a family trip to Tennessee to visit Jeffs uncle Ted. He is there working and we hadn't seen him in a few months. What better time to go visit than a 4 day weekend!! We had so much fun. We headed out right after Kelsie got out of school on Thursday and arrived at Teds around 11:00. It was pretty dark when we got there so the scenery was very slim. We really couldn't see much...just a few of his neighbors house and the houses across the road. When we awoke on Friday morning I was amazed at what we saw. The scenery surrounding us was absolutely beautiful. Words can't even describe it. Here are a few pictures of what it looked like...

I love this house. I love the wrap around porch!

Kelsie was so excited to go out on the dock. I like this pic for some odd reason!

Amazing.

Beautiful!!!

We spent most of the day Friday shopping and eating out..which by the way is not what I had planned on doing...but we had a nice day with Ted! On Friday night, Teds granddaughter and her husband arrived for the weekend also.
On Saturday, we decided we weren't spending the day in the car so we just went to breakfast at my favorite breakfast spot "Cracker Barrel". I love that place! Everything about Cracker Barrel is so fun! After breakfast we shopped most of the morning~early afternoon at a Flea Market. OMG..the stuff people try to sell is crazy! I did find a few good bargains though.
Anyways...
After we shopped a while we all decided we wanted to go back to the house and fix dinner and hang out at home for the evening. We had so much fun...hanging out, talking, reminiscing. It was so relaxing. We took Kelsie fishing. Which was her first time ever! She didn't catch any fish but she sure enjoyed trying.
Here are a few of my favorite pictures that was taken that evening.

Kelsie and the neighborhood dog "Buddy". Very fitting name.

I love this picture. This was her expression the whole weekend.

This picture makes my heart melt. I love him and the love he has for her.

This is Erin and Dustin. They are such a fun, young, amazing couple.

He makes my heart skip a beat every minute I'm with him.

What a Diva!

I love the water. It was so pretty.

This is Ted. He is an amazing man!

We had such a good time. We definitely didn't want to pack our bags and head home. Oh, the memories that we made were amazing.
Hope you all have a great night..
Loves!

Rockstar?

I just had to post this picture. It really has nothing to do with anything today...but, hey. neither does this post! I took this picture last Saturday at the Flag Football game that Kelsie was cheering at!

With it being Breast Cancer Awareness month the girls decked all out in pink!!! I. Love. It!
She is totally a Rockstar! Oh I love her!
Have a great night and an awesome day tomorrow!!!
Loves to you all!