Twas Christmas day and all through the house...

I think Christmas with my family is the best! On Christmas eve we all gather together (this year about 60 people) at my parents house and everyone...well almost everyone...piles onto a trailer that is filled with bales of hay and we go caroling around to our cute little (Christmas card like) town. As near as we could guess this has been a tradition for close to 40 years. Then we go to my uncles house and have a pot luck dinner with different soups and Christmas treats, followed by the nativity, reenacted by the younger ones (we have LOTS of angels). Then my dad's oldest brother reads the Christmas story from the bible and then we go home for more Christmas traditions.

When my parents and I got home we brought back a tradition from my childhood of getting a new pair of pajamas on Christmas eve. This year there was an upgrade because I was the only one home and all of the pajamas were silky!!!! Then we sat in the front room with a roaring fire and laughed and talked. Then we went to the computer to a website called Norad something or other and we tracked Santa...he was in Brazil.

At 8:30 my dad was ready for bed so my mom and I went downstairs and watched an old movie called Christmas is Connecticut. After 15 minutes my mom was snor...er...a...sleeping so Bella and I watched the movie and tracked Santa again...still not in the US. In the morning my parents woke me up 8:30 to open presents because we had to be at Diana's at 11:00. We all got great stuff, but I didn't even think about getting my camera. Then we headed to Diana's for our annual Christmas brunch.

Diana and I were trying to make homemade gifts this year and this was two of the things that I came up with. Diana helped my make pillows for my mom and sister Emily. My mom's said "Best Friends" and Emily's said "Sisters"...and when I finish Diana's I will get a picture.



Diana's kids were so excited to show us what they got. This is Sam with his DS.



Tanner and Ashlyn both got Rip Sticks...basically a skateboard on two wheels.

Ellie got her first bike and was very giddy, if you couldn't tell!

They all got a sleds for "EXTREME SLEDDING!" Maybe it just seems extreme because I am old!!!

Tanner and Sam got these Frog coin purses from their grandparents serving a mission in the Philippines...the gross part is that they were real frogs, just dried and gutted. It still sends shivers up my spine.

Then Diana made homemade cinnamon and orange rolls and biscuits and gravy for us to eat while we watched Kung Fu Panda...I brought the hot chocolate...still in the container...I like to contribute where I can.



Christmas was GREAT!!!! But I am already sad that it is over. I will end in the words of Carrie on the little house on the prairie Christmas episode in season 1, "happy birthday baby Jesus!"

Happy Birthday DAD!!!

At 6:40 this morning we were all awake to celebrate Happy Birthday #62! The night before as I was wrapping my dad's presents my mom and I decided to play a little birthday prank on my dad. Every year for his birthday, as far back as I can remember, my dad has been given a box of Florence's chocolates. They are so good you could just die!! But, instead of using wrapping paper I wrapped the entire box in duct tape. Leaving only the F on the front uncovered so he would know what it was. After some frustration and the help of a big knife, he finally opened it.



These were his other gifts. Three of the best westerns that Tom Seleck ever made (which I am sure I'll get to watch plenty of) and a new shirt.



Then came the cake and ice cream. Diana's family was able to come down and join us for the party.

Getting ready to blow...



And, almost all of them went out and my Dad said that he must not be as big of a wind bag anymore.



Then we all gathered in the family room and watched a home movie of my sister in law Sarah. Her parents sent it to us with a Christmas card. It was awesome!!!

I am so grateful to have been blessed with such an amazing man for my father. Even though I tease him all the time, he knows it is out of pure love. I love you dad!!!

How do you entertain yourself during a blizzard?

On Saturday morning I woke up and this is what I found outside! It was awesome!!! The first blizzard (I should say white out) of the year. We could barely see our neighbors house across the street. The power was out, so the heat didn't work...thank heavens for wood burning stoves!! But I was ready to get a dutch oven and start cooking over the fire. For as many times as I have watched Little House on the Prairie (yes, I am addicted and I am not ashamed to admit it), I could probably cook a gourmet meal over the flames!!



A blizzard is really only fun for a while and then boredom sets in. So what do you do? I decided to play with my camera. This is how my zoom works.

Close...



Closer




Closest!!! I think he was a little irritated at this point. Not really, I told him to make his angry face!


There were many other pictures I took that day, but I decided to keep those to myself. I am pretty sure no one wants to see an up close picture of my throat, or the one I took up my nostril. But, boy did I have fun!!! You may notice that most of my pictures are of my dad. That is because my mom likes having her picture taken as much as I do (which means never) - not because I love her less. I have the best parents any one could ask for!!

AMAZING music!!!!

I don't know if any of you have heard of a guy named Israel Kamakawiwo'ole but he is amazing!! I guess in the music industry he is known as Iz. But he made a different version of Somewhere over the Rainbow and it is sooo beautiful! Every time I listen to it I feel like I could just melt away, especially in the beginning. So, I hope all of you check out the link below and let me know what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4NQJxa8FuU

No InSoMniA allowed....

I don't know about the rest of you but I didn't sleep at all last night. I have had insomnia since I was in elementary school. There have been times that I have gone 2-3 nights with not a wink of sleep!!

But, I guess it isn't all bad because you can learn some very interesting and amazing things on t.v. at night. I generally stick to the safe channels like HGTV, Animal Plant, Discovery channel, the news, but what I love the most is all of the old shows they play on Nick at Nite or TV Land. I can usually settle down with some Home Improvement, The Cosby Show or a little Full House.

Last night on the Discovery channel they were talking about giant rats!!! The biggest one they ever found was in New Jersey and it was (and I am totally serious) 3 feet long and weighed 15 pounds!!! They called it Ratzilla. And then in the Florida keys people were finding large animals walking around at night and when they finally called animal control they caught a rat that was breed in Africa and raise for food. And of course some dumb person had to bring them here where they are mating out of control. These were ONLY 4-5 pounds and 1-2 feet long.

Anyway they are totally taking over the Florida keys and they had to call in a swat team. They go around every night near the swamps and end up shooting 150-200 a night...17,000 in all...so far. They are over populating and could destroy the entire area. Can you imagine a 5 pound rat running around your house? Look at all of the knowledge I gained from one annoying night of insomnia!!!

Attempted Homicide by PIZZA HUT...what did I ever do to them?

The other night we decided to have a little fun and order pizza for dinner and maybe watch a movie. That was great for me because I didn't have to cook! So we ordered a supreme pizza from Pizza Hut. As we were enjoying it I noticed some white chunks, I thought it was onion and kept on eating until the moment hit and I knew what was wrong. My face was itchy, my tongue started to feel unusually large, my lips were getting big lumps on them, the inside of my ears were itching intensely, the inside of my cheeks were swelling, and the inevitable tourcherous stomach cramps started. Those white chunks were not onions....they were CHICKEN!!!! Some of you might not know, but I am deathly allergic to chicken. I can take one or two bites of something and if there is chicken hiding in it I know within a minute. So I ran upstairs (well not really ran because of the brace that I still have on my knee due to a very ungraceful incident the day before Thanksgiving) and took 3 benedryl to see if I could stop the allergic reaction before my throat started to close. Luckily I was able to breath, but got to have all of those other uncomfortable symptoms all night long!!! After 2 more benedryl (total of 5) my face started to shrink back to normal. Some may wonder how a few little pieces of chicken got onto a pizza that wasn't supposed to have it, so we made a phone call to Pizza Hut and let them know about what happened and to tell them they needed to be more careful. They said that the chicken is right next to the mushroom and some could have accidentally fallen on to our pizza. So to make a long story short...I'm ok now and maybe we will get some free pizza out of it!

Potpourri simmering on the stove or soup?

The other night I had made clam chowder for dinner and my mom wasn't feeling well so I made her some tomato soup. I also had some yummy potpourri boiling on our stove filling our house with the sweet smell of Christmas. My dad was a little confused and thought we had 3 different soups to choose from. I am not sure why he thought that this looked appetizing but he tried it without telling anyone. The next day he told me that he had a taste of that "different" soup on the stove and his comment was something like when I bit into the things that look like sticks, they really tasted like sticks! Some may say that I am heartless but I couldn't help but chuckle a little...well it really was a full on laugh after I picked my jaw up off the floor. Sorry dad!!!



Here's the recipe:

Christmas Fragrance Simmering Potpourri
5 to 6 cinnamon sticks, broken
half a lemon peel cut into pieces
half an orange peel cut into pieces
1/2 c. whole cloves
1 Tbsp. nutmeg
1/4 c. whole allspice
1 Tbsp. bay leaf pieces
2 slices dried apples, optional

Combine ingredients, add water to cover and simmer on stove top or in potpourri pot.

Who says a 3-year-old can't take a good picture!

As I have been looking through my pictures today I came upon some treasures and thought I would share. If you don't see any posts after this you will know something happened to me and I think you could find possible suspects below.

When you give a camera to a 3-year-old no one thinks they are really taking pictures unless you are like me and taught that 3-year-old how...aren't I tricky!!!!




I think Grandpa Gee is ready to hit the sack, or table in this situation...

I have always wondered what really happens to parents when they say their kids are driving them crazy...I think I have the answer.







And who do I get to thank for all of the fun I am having?



My sweet Ellie!!!

Family Home Evening at the Gee house....

I was on the Internet and I found the Elfyourself website and I knew I had to do it. So the post below is what I like to call family home evening at the Gee house. Hope you enjoy!!

I had to include Bella...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Thankful Day #5

Since this is my last "Thankful" post I am going to try and make the most of it.

1. I am very thankful that this holiday is almost over so that everyone will start blogging again. I have been very lonely without my fellow bloggers!

2. I am thankful that Christmas is coming!!!! I love Christmas and everything that it entails. The lights, the snow, family, the gift giving & receiving (I'm only human), fires in the fire place, decorations, Christmas caroling, exchanging goodies with neighbors, cheesy Christmas shows on t.v. every night, and sending out Christmas cards. I love it all except for one itty bitty little thing...ICE!!!!! I am petrified of ICE on the sidewalks, the roads and especially on stairs!

3. Unfortunately, I think I am a little thankful that this is my last day of being thankful...this is kinda hard!

Thankful Day #4

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Today makes me thankful for so many different things.

1. I can walk better than I could a few days ago!!!!

2. Everyone working together to make great food!

3. Today I am especially grateful to have been able to spend time with my brother Jeff's family because I hardly ever see them.

After the dinner my nieces and I made Christmas sun catchers, it was a blast!!!




This is Hailey's Joy to the World. It would be the first of many!




Cambria started off with santa and a reindeer.




As we sat and talked while we painted the girls were telling me what they wanted for Christmas and kept reminding me that their dad had Santa's phone number. They knew if they weren't good Jeff would call Santa up and let him know...they were petrified! A few years ago while all of my nieces and nephews were at my parents house there was some fighting going on so Jeff called up Santa and they were each able to talk to him and promise to be better. I think we were all there that night....except for Brian!

Thankful Day #3

1. Today I am most thankful that I didn't end up breaking any useful body parts when I had let's say a less than graceful moment (in my last blog).

2. I am completely grateful for BYU-I catering services so I don't have to make rolls and pies especially now that I can hardly move!

3. I am thankful for people who step in to help when I have less than graceful moments!

4. I appreciate and am thankful for Wal-mart cashiers who know how to do their jobs, are courteous, fast and careful with my bread...Not that I had one today, but I am grateful for them when I do get them!!! I know I was a perfect Wal-mart cashier in Utah :D

Snap, Crackle, Pop...no rice krispies!!!

This morning as I was getting ready to start preparing our family's secret stuffing recipe (it is from England, passed down through my mom's family, and it takes at least 3 hours to make) while my mom and I were in the living room playing with the cat. She (Bella, not my mom) was starting to pull down the beads on the Christmas tree and I ran over to stop her. But on my way, my foot slid on the carpet causing me to go into a split like pose. But, my body doesn't do that...so I fell and hit my head, my knee cracked (not literally, just the noise), then came the loud pop which I think pulled every muscle from my knee to my foot and then I managed to twist my ankle. What ever happened to the tuck and roll advice we got as kids, or how about just falling strait down? WHAT WAS I THINKING!! As I lay there in agony on the floor my mom ran over and kept saying "what can I do for you?" The only thing she came up with was "can I hold your foot," because it was in the air. So we assessed the damages and wrapped the swollen parts, thus the picture, knee to foot and have been adding ice and heat off and on. So who knows what tomorrow will bring. With my luck I am thinking it's going to be amputation.



Will I ever have a normal, plain, run of the mill holiday? I'm not holding my breath!

Thankful Day #2

I have decided to start out today's list by putting a positive spin on a negative situation.

1. I have been told that in the body department I got a dud, but there are several body parts that I have that work quite well. For example, my ear lobes. They have been true to me since kindergarten, holding up various sizes and shapes of earrings. My fingernails have never given me any problems! They grow like they are supposed to, they hold paint well and hold up nice after cleaning the house. My nose has always been good to me, warning me of places I should or shouldn't go or and always letting me know if I needed a shower that day or if it could wait when I was running late somewhere. So here's a shout out to the body parts I have that do work!!!!!

2. I am paraphrasing this to the best of my ability. My sister was saying that it would be nice this year if we could focus more on things that were home made and from the heart, making Christmas more Christ centered, instead of getting into all the hustle and bustle of seeing who can spend the most or get the greatest gifts (am I any where close Diana?) Anyway, I thought about that and today I met with the lady in my ward that is in charge of the humanitarian aid. For the next year...maybe longer...I am going to be sewing quilts and bags and all sorts of things for the church. So I am thankful I was given the idea to have this holiday season more Christ centered.

3. I am thankful for Lyrica!!!! It is a fibromyalgia medication...I think it is the only one that is FDA approved and it really works. I tried it before, but the side effects were really hard on me. Of course it causes weight gain and it made me really dizzy. But since I have hurt too much to hardly even walk for the last few weeks I am going back on it. Today I cleaned the house, did all the laundry, ran errands, did grocery shopping for thanksgiving, made lemon and herb baked halibut and salmon, scalloped potatoes and corn for dinner and I am still going. I hope I can handle it better this time...at least the next month will be AWESOME!!!

Thankful Day #1

I have decided that because Thanksgiving is this week, this would be my thankful week. So, I am going to try and attempt to remember things that happened today that I was thankful for.

1. Feeling well enough to run errands for my mom after being sick for so long and having side effects from some new medications!!!

2. Finding kitty treats that will hopefully make Bella less gassy! Cross your fingers :D

3. The laughter I got at my 3 year old nieces PG-13 rated song lyrics to a song she didn't quite understand...It was AWESOME!!


Today's Funny:
As a side note I was in Wal-Mart today and apparently was having trouble speaking. I asked an associate where I could get a Flick and Tea (Flea and Tick) collar, and at the register I told the cashier that I had already prayed (paid) for my prescriptions at the pharmacy.

TWILIGHT here we come....

My mom and I have tickets to see twilight Saturday at 1:50. I told her that I was going whether I was tethered to an IV pole or not. But, I feel like I am doing a little better so BRING IT ON!!! Go team Edward!!! It is really fun to get excited about something so silly!

Ice packs, heating pads, rice bags, nebulizers, inhalers, humidifiers and medications, OH MY!!!

The make shift Shelley Gee Memorial Hospital has been set up in my basement and I must say that I am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish. If I didn't know better, I would say that I was in a first rate hospital. Notice the cat sleeping on my chest every morning whether I like it or not, I guess you could say she has grown on me.



The day time nursing staff has been very attentive to me as you can see. Boy am I glad when the night shift comes on...thanks Mom I LOVE YOU!!!

I must admit that the food is much better than that of a hospital cafeteria.

The first few days have been very painful because my fibromyalgia is in a major flare up right now because of what my body is going through and it just sucks, but I am having a hard time relaxing and falling asleep because of the high dose of steroids I am taking...thus the time, 2:44 a.m. Well I will keep record of my journey to keep myself occupied on something other than my pain.

A polite no thank you...

I have been having problems with my asthma again, constant coughing, and difficulty breathing. I called the doctor and got in that afternoon (yesterday). After a few tests he determined that my lung tissues have filled with fluid again (which is what put me in the hospital for 5 days last month). He suggested I go back in the hospital where he could treat me with high doses of IV steroids and IV antibiotics. My response to that was a polite, but firm NO THANK YOU (followed by a little begging). I am so sick of hospitals, the thought makes me want to puke...and then set $10,000 on fire because it feels like I am just throwing it away. So the doctor and I compromised and this is what we came up with. A REALLY big shot of steroids right in the bum, big doses of prednisone, 2 inhalers, breathing treatments every 4 hours, always sitting under a humidifier to loosen me up and an antibiotic (just in case)! I get 4-5 days to show that I am improving and if not, I go to the big house (hospital/jail they are one in the same). But since yesterday I discovered I have a bladder infection, *WARNING: All men close your eyes, or be embarrassed, I rate this PG-13* a yeast infection and my period started :c CAN LIFE GET ANY WORSE!!!! Oh, crap I just jinxed myself...

Kids say the darndest things...

Tonight my sister and her family came over and we were visiting for a while. We were up in the living room where we have some nut crackers under our Christmas tree. The kids were playing with them and then Ellie, who is 3, picked up the white one. She was playing around and all of the sudden she turned to me with all the innocence of a child and said, now with two pieces in her hands:

"It comed off!?!"

(Blushing with a half grim smile)

Not knowing if she should laugh or cry her big brown eyes starred at me and as I smiled she knew it would all be ok!

How sweet is the innocence of a child! And isn't it nice to know we have the face of the Savior to look into and say "It comed off" or "Oopse, can I get another crack at this" and know it will all be ok. What a great privilege!

I am NOT the weird cat woman!!

As our sweet Bella has become more comfortable in our home she no longer sleeps in a cute little ball. She like to spread out as much as she can. Can you see where she was shaved when she was spayed? Poor kitty...



As you can see she has out grown her bed and this is how she prefers to sleep!



Don't let her fool you, Bella isn't just a cute long thing...she turns into a vicious animal when it comes to felt fishes.

I am so VERY BLESSED!

This has to be one of my all time favorite pictures of Christ. For some reason it just gives me so much comfort and peace. I have been thinking and praying a lot today because tomorrow a member of my family is going to the doctor and the outcome could be very scary. I have been stressed, depressed and very anxious so I decided to think about all of my blessings and realized that it made me remember a time in my life that was amazing.

While I was at USU I was going through some very difficult situations and I stopped going to church, reading my scriptures, praying and eventually lost my testimony...that isn't the part I wanted to share, but it was kind of necessary so you could understand the next part because if you don't know the sorrow, you can't know the complete joy! I decided after years of living in this misery that I was sick of it and I was going to get some help from my bishop and a counselor at LDS family services. I worked sooooooo hard to get myself to a place of light, where I had felt I was in the darkness for so long. I had decided that I was going to make being worthy to go to the temple my goal. I worked for close to 9 months and I remember the day that I realized that I was truly a daughter of God! I was ready to burst out with my testimony at any moment!

When this realization came over me I wanted to shout from the rooftops that the church is true! I wanted to tell everyone that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God! The atonement is real! I was reminded of the old saying "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it! And it is SOOO worth it!!! I have truly felt Gods love envelop me and I know he will never leave me alone. And I know that temple work is one of the greatest gifts we can ever give to ourselves as well as to others! But most importantly I know families are forever, and no matter what happens it's just all going to be ok! As the D&C says "Doubt not, Fear not!"

This is what I know!

(I feel like I need to end this as a testimony so, amen)

The Grinch!!!

My sister-in-law in an actress on Broadway and right now she is doing The Grinch. I got these pictures off of her facebook page, so I hope she doesn't care (I love you Sarah, don't hate me:) I think it is so cool so I wanted to be the proud sister-in-law and show off. She is touring right now in Baltimore and Boston.



This is the sign outside of the theater.



Sarah is one of the Who's down in Whoville (is that how you spell that?)




I tried to get a close up and it turned out too blurry, but you can still see her!


Sarah, we are all so proud of you and love you so much! Break a leg!

Happy Birthday to me

I have been dreading this birthday for 364 days. So when the fatal day came around I decided that to make myself feel better I would put up all the Christmas decorations!! How fun is that, I mean Christmas is my most exciting holiday and I wish that I could celebrate it all year long. Even though November 6th is a little early to some people I thought it was the perfect day. Although none of it would have happened with out the help of my sister Diana and my mom. I wasn't planning on telling my parents until my mom came home from work that night when it was all done and I had sworn Diana to secrecy. But my mom had the flu that day and it was a little hard to hide!!

Starting in the basement we decorated the ledges only to find out when we were done that the lights didn't work...typical!!! This is half of one ledge...



...and this is the other half.



This is the small ledge my the book shelves. Moose's and Santa's and snowmen oh my!



And of course the stockings were hung by the chimney with care!!! A very lonely 3 stockings I might add.




This year we bought a new tree and downsized quite a bit. I was disappointed but I decided I LOVE this tree!




Diana and her kids came over for birthday cheesecake and afterwards we took a picture under the amazingly decorated tree! Again, thanks Diana, it would have taken me days to do it alone because I have felt so sick!!!

I wish the flash had worked out better because I LOVE these kids!!! And one of the best things about my birthday is that Diana is going to help me do some redecorating in my room!!! I am so excited. When we are done I will be giving guided tours :D (and for those of you who don't know, this is a sideways smiley face, and it means that I am really happy). I had to explain that to a few family members!!!

10 Greatest Moments

Hey everyone it is me! I really hate putting pictures of myself up so this may be the one and only that you see. But I always think it is more fun when there is a picture with a post so this is what I came up with.



Anyway this point of this blog is something I got from my cousin and I thought it was a really cute idea. She wrote about the 10 greatest moments from her week, but I couldn't do that so some are from my last week and some are really old!!!

Shelley's top 10

1. Going through the temple. That experience totally changed my heart and my mind for the better and temple work is one of my favorite things to do!

2. Moving home to serve my parents.

3. Moving home for my parents to end up helping me as much as I help them.

4. From 5-8:50 every night my parents and I are together for dinner and good old t.v. watching, but we usually do so much talking and laughing that who knows what happened on the t.v. Unless it was Dancing with the Stars or Survivor :D

5. Graduating with a Bachelors Degree!!!!

6. Working for 7 years with people who have disabilities and truly helping to make a difference in their lives. That is amazing work!!!!

7. Learning to trust in the Lord even if I am in the hospital, in tons of pain and they are trying to kill me. I know the Lord has a plan specifically for me and that is what is going to happen.

8. The lifelong friends I made and amazing experiences I had at Utah State!!! I learned so much there about my testimony and the Lords plan for me. I met people that are friends you can only find once in a lifetime...although I also have amazing friends that I didn't meet at USU.

9. Most people wouldn't want to say this but it is true. One of the greatest moments in my life was when I lost my testimony and then found it again stronger than I ever imagined it could be!!!

10. Finding out that the tumor in my pituitary gland was GONE!!!

These are my greatest moments!!! And I know that I couldn't have accomplished any of it without my savior!!

Gratitude

In the church we are often told that we need to have gratitude and a few years ago a friend of mine told me that she kept a gratitude journal . Anytime she was feeling a little low she would either read it or add to it. So a few years ago I decided to follow her example and it has done wonders for me, especially when I feel like I am sick all the time and life isn't fair and all of those other whiny things we all say to ourselves. So I just wanted to share some of my gratitude with everyone else!

First there are the obvious ones:

Family

The gospel

My Savior

TEMPLE WORK!!!

My nieces and nephews

SMART doctors

Scriptures

Then the not so obvious ones:

A breeze on a calm spring, summer or fall evening

Bamboo wind chimes

Sunsets

Star gazing

Cannon in D with ocean sounds (CD)

T.V and movies on a sleepless night because of insomnia

Reba's show

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Avonlea

Books

Buying books

LDS Fiction (Anita Stansfield, Michelle Ashman Bell, Betsy Brannon Green...)

LDS non-fiction

Christmas crafts

Hot chocolate

Old T.V. shows

Little House on the Prairie

Forgiveness and starting over

Fresh peas from the garden

Lilac's in bloom

Fresh garden carrots

Shopping for purses

Reading friends blogs

Blizzards that keep you inside with your family and in front of a blazing fire

Frogs - not the real kind

The fact that I am not a pioneer woman because I would have died at least 7 times by now

Sewing

Cross stitching

Baking

Hearing my parents laugh hysterically, even if it is at me

Taking pictures

Spring and Fall

A cool breeze coming in the window on a hot night

Sending thank you notes, AKA: Love notes

Noodle soup when I am nauseated, which is about 50% of the time

The new and improved Rexburg Hospital...well, maybe just the new rooms

I got to see my first temple marriage in September

Buying tons of stuff I don't need at the dollar store

Some people might think that I am just silly because I am grateful for Bamboo wind chimes and any other kind just won't do or that I am ok with being nauseated 50% of the time because I have grown to love noodle soup. But all this really is, is focusing on the positive. We all have PLENTY of the negative, but do we spend enough time thinking positive? I challenge everyone to start a gratitude journal...it has to be written down...and see what a huge difference it will make in your life, no matter how silly it is!!!!

Evil kitten = Kitty jail

So I decided last night that Princess Bella might not be the best name for my kitten. I should have gone with my first impression. SHREDDER!! My kitten was totally freaked out last night and attacked anything in it's way and I was one of those anythings....with 6 scratches and 2 bite marks. After the last bite Bella went to kitty jail for the night...which translates to the laundry room with food, water, her bed, the litter box and I felt bad a little later so I threw in a toy. Thank heavens she is getting declawed tomorrow!!!!! And I did sit her down and explain why she spent the night there and gave her a sweet warning that if her kept biting me we would have her deteethed also...just kidding.

Like father, like son...

A few years ago, my little brother competed in the Iron Man competition and did very well. I am pretty sure the the Iron Man entails: swimming 2 miles, biking 112 miles and running 26.2 miles (sorry if I got it wrong Brian). One morning my dad was getting ready for his bike ride and said that he felt like an Iron Man so I knew this had to be documented!! So is it...

Iron Man...or


IRON MAN? You choose!


In preparing for his 5 mile bike ride my dad knew it would be cold so this is what he came up with...an Elmer Fudd hat underneath his bike helmet!!



So, is this an Iron Man or the next cover for GQ magazine?!?!