Last Christmas we got our oldest son a nice keyboard because he expressed an interest in learning to play.  For whatever reasons (baseball, swim lessons, etc.) we never got going on lessons.  That is changing come 11/11! I got a flier in our mailbox about a teacher that will come to your house...how perfect!  It turns out our neighbor two doors down takes lessons from her and says she's great.  I contacted her and not only are we set to start my son on lessons, I'm going t...

Here's my crew just before they headed out on Halloween.  We had fantastic weather and a good time was had by all. Don't they look great?!

    Here are the red and blue jello brains.  I think they came out pretty well.  I'm done with making brains for now.  Happy Halloween!!

I had the bright idea to volunteer to make jello brains for my son's school Halloween party.  I just got a new mold that I figured I'd use for our own Halloween party.  I plan to put it on a platter with a place card that says "Abbey- normal".  I've never made a jello brain and now I'm signed on to make 4! So you have to prop the mold up in the frig and then pour the jello in.  Guess what happened...yep, I spilled purplish red jello all over everything in my frig.  Fo...

I just had to post this because I thought it was too funny not to share

This will be one of my rambling, just feel like writing it down blogs. First off, my coffee grinder died!  This is a very big deal.  I survive mainly on coffee and have become pretty picky about it.  I'm picky about the coarsenss of grind, strength and type of creamer (my current fav is Italian Sweet Cream).  I had to resort to pre-ground coffee.  It still sure beats no coffee! I woke up with what I wouldn't call pain but more discomfort with two of my teeth. ...

This is basically what my washer and drier are like.  They are really tall and are really crammed into my little laundry room.  I have never liked my laundry room but dislike transitioned to downright hate this morning when I discovered the painful little room was flooded! At some point during the last couple of days, my stupid washer started leaking from the cold water connection.  It is close to impossible to see behind the huge machine so it wasn't discovered until t...

My hubby recently bought me and himself pedometers.  We have a little competition each day to see who takes the most steps.  Apparently we should take at least 10,000 steps each day.  Most days that isn't too difficult but some days we need to take a nice long walk to accomplish 10,000. I better get off the computer and get moving!  That number on the pedometer keeps me moving and reminds me not to sit at the computer or anywhere else for too long.

  Ashley with her pumpkin last year   The cool breezes and turning leaves have me thinking about Halloween.  The kids are already talking about what they want to dress as.  I must admit, I really enjoy Halloween! I'm a Fall person.  I love the sweater weather.  I love the beautifully colored leaves and the smells.  I just wish Fall was longer and Winter was shorter! I look forward to decorating with gourds and pumpkins.  I love...

Brad has his benchmarks of his myriad of computers. So what computer do I get? I thought I'd check it out... His laptop is 5 times faster than my laptop and this the only computer I get access to. Shame on him!

I realized one of the reasons I feel so relaxed at our cottage...it isn't filled to the brim with crap!  Our home is so overrun with stuff that it just weighs me down sometimes.  I feel like renting a dumpster or calling a truck and having it all hauled away. I'm not a hoarder but I do have the curse of feeling that the moment I get rid of something I'll need it.  I also feel guilt over getting rid of anything anyone gave me as a present.  My husband and I have been marrie...

Most of us know what is good for us.  Knowing it and doing it are very different things.  How many times do we say "I know I should exercise, but..." or "I know this pop isn't good for me, but...".  We make decisions between knowing and doing constantly. I am addicted to coffee and chocolate.  I KNOW that for a fact.  I have tried to cut them out of my day before and am not convinced that my life will be good without them.  I am aided in my addiction by some repo...

Happiness has been a subject on my mind a lot lately.  I have been taking a look at my days to figure out what made a "good tired" or a "bad tired" at the end of each.  The things that seemed to lead to a good day are pretty consistent: -I got to spend time with my husband (especially if we ate a meal as a family) -I enjoyed some coffee in the morning -I enjoyed watching my children play and truly listened to their voices -I spent some time outdoors even if it was just for ...

I have lived a very blessed life.  I grew up in a family short on money but big on love.  I had everything I needed and my parents did the best they could to get me things I wanted when they could.  I look back and wonder how they did it and now am in awe of them. My parents did a good job of teaching me to appreciate what I have.  I have always followed the "Happiness is wanting what you have not having what you want" approach to life.  In turn, I have ende...

I just reported this problem but wanted to let the people know who have been commenting on my blogs, I have been wanting to respond but can't.  Every time I try to respond, my comment won't get submitted.  So, I'm not ignoring my articles, I just can't add a comment!  I appreciate those who can and do though.