Happy Birthday Baby!

Today is my son's 11th birthday. Happy Birthday little one (although, not so little anymore :( )!! We love you so much!

A Belated Happy Thanksgiving

image via mediabistro

Although we had set out not to do anything on Thanksgiving this year we ended up doing a quickie dinner and it was really nice. We do have quite a bit of leftovers, though. I hope everyone had a nice and peaceful day with their loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving!

Through It All I'm Happy

It's been a tough year. But, as tough as it has been, in a strange way I am very thankful for everything. It may seem strange but I believe that things happen for a reason and that all we've been through serves a purpose in our life. I'm seeing all the positive things that have happened in our lives in spite of all the negative things that have come our way. It's a cycle and this too shall pass. This is the perfect time of year to express that I am very lucky to be where I am and that I have a great group of people around me to help me get through it all. We need to surround ourselves with people who will uplift us and have a positive influence in our lives. All those people who were once a part of our lives but no longer are have moved on because it was no longer positive and needed to go as far away as possible from us. I truly believe this and want to keep it that way. I am taking a stance and I will no longer allow anyone to keep me from being my true self. I held back too much and compromised myself for nothing. It will no longer be that way. This I promise myself. Life is too short.

Nice!

And yet we gave Bill Clinton a hard time about Monica Lewinsky. For shame, America!

Awesome

This is hilarious!

So Much Fun

Today was one of those days that I look forward to every year. My friend Lizzy and I get together and hit the city for some shopping and a great meal. It was so much fun to spend the day in my favorite place in the whole world with one of my favorite people in the whole world. We always have a great time just talking and walking around. Liz, if you're reading this thanks for everything. I had a great time. My feet are killing me! Oh, and you were right about the lipgloss. I love it.

Food, Inc.

My husband and I watched this movie together the other night and were left speechless by what was shown and what we learned. I find it extremely disturbing that what we eat and what is available for us to eat is pretty scary. I fear for my children's futures and their health based on what our country is trying to sell us on foodwise. It's not good. This movie is definitely one to watch. We've definitely got to make a change, otherwise, we are in for a lifetime of sicknesses and epidemics of all kinds. Watch it--you won't regret it.

www.foodincmovie.com

All Better

Well, we are finally all better. It's been a couple of days since I last wrote and now I'm back and feeling well again. I've been in kind of a funk, though, lately. Kind of moody and down. I don't enjoy feeling this way. I'm hoping to overcome it soon. I am looking forward to the holidays, though. I can't wait to start decorating. My husband says it's too early but I told him that at the sight of the first set of Christmas lights somewhere in town it would be over and I'd start decorating. Actually, we always put up the tree and decorations on Thanksgiving day but I really wouldn't mind doing it already. It's Saturday and we've been cleaning and throwing stuff away all day. We've been cleaning out the attic and I've been stacking things on the side to sell on Ebay. Gotta make a little extra cash for the holidays and what better way than getting rid of the stuff we didn't even know we had. One person's trash is another one's treasure! I'm gonna go have some coffee now.

Sick

This past week has been about being sick around my house. It started with my daughter and then I was sick (still am but not too bad) and now my husband and my mother are sick. My husband had started to feel better going into Saturday and then, out of nowhere, relapsed. Today has been a hot tea, hot soup and lots of rest day. I feel so bad for him. None of us seem to have the flu but something like a really bad cold with all the sickness concentrated in the head area. We've all been laying around trying to get better before Monday. Hopefully, this will all go away soon. We'll see.

What I'm Reading Now...

Not the Kindle Edition, though. I became interested in Anna Wintour some time ago after reading an interview she did with a fashion magazine. Recently, I watched her documentary "The September Issue" and that further deepened my interest so I ordered this book from the library. I haven't quite gotten past the introduction yet but this will be one I will carry with me to read every chance I get. Sometimes I get books and start reading them but lose interest and end up returning them unread but I'm hoping this one keeps my interest. I have a strong feeling it will.

Books

The Giving Tree is very beautiful.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series is very funny.

The Pigeon Series cracks us up!

My kids and I have something in common. We really love books. The other day while waiting for my husband to get back from somewhere (I actually don't remember where he was) my kids and I decided we would go to Barnes & Noble for a bit to kill some time. We took some time to look through the shelves and pull a bunch of books that seemed good. We also pulled some of our favorites. We spent a good 2 hours in that place and we probably would have stayed longer but figured we'd better move on. I think we'll make hanging out at bookstores a priority on days we don't have a lot to do.

I Love Christmas

I love Christmas. Since I was a kid, Christmas has been the only holiday that really makes a difference in my life. I look forward to it, regardless, of how my year has gone and what has happened in my life. And it's not about the presents, that's for sure. It has something to do with the feel of the season and what it represents. I love it so much that just thinking about it makes me giddy (like a child). I look forward to putting up the tree and the decorations and waiting on that special morning where my children's hearts are filled with anxiety and happiness and they can't stop smiling. It's a beautiful thing. It really is. This holiday season may not be as extravagant (not that it has ever been) as other years but I can tell you that I plan to make it a very special one for my family.

P.S. I am also very much looking forward to seeing this movie. Looks like it will be fun.

Isn't This Great?

I love this picture.

--Sigh--

www.cabbagesandroses.com

All Good Things Usually Come to an End (But Why?)

Why is it that almost every magazine that I have ever really, really loved get the ax? First it was Blueprint, then Wondertime, then Child, then Domino and now Cookie. Come on! I'm sure there are plenty of publications that deserve to get the pink slip over these. I take some consolation in the fact that I still have Lucky and Real Simple. Please don't ever take these away because I think that I will actually cry.

Things I Love

I have been in love with this bag for a couple of years now. The price is still outrageous but I don't lose hope that one day it will be mine. In my opinion, this bag is timeless and so beautiful. Love. Love. Love.

I Love Cookbooks

Recently, I have taken an honest-to-goodness, really real interest in cooking and, in the process, have started a collection of cookbooks. I own a good number of them but the more expensive ones I borrow from the library and return much, much later than your average borrow time. I can pour over them for hours. Here is my latest borrow. I would love to get my kids (specifically, my daughter) to try new foods. Her diet consists of milk, cheese, macaroni and cheese, more cheese, cereal, cheese and pancakes. Oh, and cheese! Maybe pasta with meat sauce when there's a full moon but really that is the extent of her diet. I would love to be able to cook up new and exciting meals for her to enjoy and nourish her. I know that children can be picky but this just seems unreal to me. I plan to get her to eat more things. I'm thinking that starting in the new year one of my major goals will be to introduce her to better food. I think it's really, really important.

Really Cool Stuff

Aren't these awesome? There is a man in town who makes these and I think they are great. Check them out.

Halloween 2009

My son is the one without the mask on.

Halloween was a lot of fun. The kids dressed up and, although, the weather was less than perfect it was still very enjoyable. We've got a lot of candy and if we eat it all we will surely die. My daughter dressed up as Hannah Montana and my son was Jango Fett from Star Wars. Looking forward to next year already.