Family, Adventures, and Gadgets Collide

Summertime for some means HOTter days and LLLOOONNNGGGer nights, but for me it means sleeping later and spending more time with my daughter! One might also assume that since I'm off work for the summer, I could post more on my blog. Ahhuumm, well I've been busy: sleeping, driving my daughter to her morning trainings {EVERY} week day, watching TV with my daughter, enjoying my couch, catching up on movies, going to my daughter's soccer practices and games, sleeping, playing soccer, trying to get a work-out in here and there, sleeping, hanging out my hubby, and catching up with friends. Whew! I think I need to rest just thinking about all of the sleeping, um work! ;-) Oh, and I'm addicted to playing "Words with Friends" on my new iPhone4! Anywhoo, just thought I'd drop in and check on all of the blogs I stalk (though, I've been lacking in the stalking area also!). Check out this mini video about my *exciting* summer. Summertime Fun   PS - the last ...

It seems as though I've fallen off the blogosphere, again . However, this time the culprit: a virus-infected laptop. But thanks to the generous husband of a dear friend, my computer is back up and running better than new! Can't beat that! So, hopefully I'll get back on the blogging saddle and you'll hear a lot more from me in the near future. In the meantime, here's a mini video of some recent fun times with the family. I created the video using one of my favorite programs, Animoto . (You too can create 30 second videos for FREE ! and it's as easy as pie to use!!!) Oh, and last week while at a technology workshop for school, I learned that you can post on your blog from your cell phone, like this post here . (There are two easy ways to do this; via an email or a text both made directly from your cell phone.) Wish I had learned that sooner! Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Are you a creature of habit? I certainly am, especially when it comes to cooking dinner. {Of course, I'm more in the habit of picking up dinner!} When I do cook dinner, I typically cook the same meals or at least use similar ingredients in most of my recipes. Rotel and Cream of Chicken soup are staples in my pantry! =) Well tonight, I crawled out of my shell and tried something new. As my husband and daughter were headed out the door for soccer practice {Yes, my husband's awesome like that! He'll take Kailey to practice so that I can get things done at home.}, my daughter says "Mom, can you make spaghetti for dinner?" Now, spaghetti is one of my daughter's FAVORITE foods; however, it is NOT anywhere near my list of favorites. But remember, this is a time when I was feeling bold and was willing to experiment. So, I called my parents and invited them over for dinner to test out my experiment. I just wouldn't be satisfied with feedback from my husband and...

Really, it was! A MANIC MONDAY!!! While I wasn't really ready for my Spring Break to be over, I certainly did not wish to start my week back to work in Manic Madness! Has this ever happened to you??? ... You go to bed late, wake up a time or two in the middle of the night for a bathroom break, and then the next thing you know you open your eyes, look over at the clock, and ... [Image from WikiMedia Commons ] Scream! That's right, you scream because the clock says 7:25 and you are supposed to be at work in 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes! 5 MINUTES!!!!! Even if I didn't have to take a shower, dry my hair, get dressed, put on some make-up, grab some breakfast, pack my lunch, and run out the door. I still couldn't make it to work in 5 minutes. It takes me 15 minutes just to drive to work! You do the math on that one! So, I called school to let them know I would be late and then hit the floor like a MANIC! MAD!! WOMAN!!! {My husband says I should take a shower that fast a...

I received this comic in an email from my aunt. LoVe it! Which fairy tale princess do you relate to the most? =)

Around 5:45 this morning, we received the call, "No school today due to inclement weather." Woot, Woot! So after my husband went off to work (Yes, the poor guy has to go in no matter what.), I went back to sleep. Aww! Sleeeping late on a "work" day ~ bliss! The rest of my day was spent enjoying time with my daughter. We bundled up and braved the cold. Oh what fun, it is to ride a one horse open sleigh giant exercise ball! Most people go down a snowy hill on a sleigh, sled, or even trash-can lid. Not this family! We rolled down the hill on a giant exercise ball. Oh what fun! I also found out the hard way that punting a giant ball while standing in the snowy driveway = UpSiDe DoWn!!! That's right my feet went over my head! After dinner tonight, we made some DeLiCiOuS cookies! I had a roll of sugar cookie dough; I split it in half so that we could each make our own cookie creation. Kailey added peanut butter and sprinkles to her dough. I added chocolate chips, c...

Do you watch NBC's Biggest Loser ? It's a family favorite at my house! On Tuesday evenings, I cook dinner (Yes, I said cook! Remember, I'm working on eating at home at least 3 times a week .) and then we set up TV trays in the living room. My husband, daughter, and I all eat dinner off of our TV trays and watch the Biggest Loser together. LoVe this family time! Tonight after we ate dinner, we also completed some chores during the commercial brakes. We My husband rinsed the dishes and my daughter and I loaded the dishwasher. We also folded a load of laundry. Not bad for a family night, eh?!? Oh, and in case you've read my posts about my running adventures, the big date is getting closer! Yikes! Not too sure I'm ready, but we'll find out soon enough.

I have to admit, this weekend has been nice! On Saturday my daughter had a mid-day soccer game. On our way home we picked up lunch from Rosa's Cafe - delicious! Afterwards, the two of us hung out at home: some computer time, satisfying our munchies, and watched the crowning of Miss America. (The hubby was called into work.) Today, we actually had zero soccer games. A typical Sunday afternoon/night for us is usually spent at an indoor soccer arena. My husband and I play on three, yes 3!, co-ed soccer teams. However, today we somehow lucked out without a single game. Ahh! The comfort of my Snuggie, my laptop, and my reclining spot on the couch! But don't worry, I did manage to get a run in today! So I haven't been completely lazy! I met one of my running buddies at the gym and ran 5 miles on the treadmill. It was WAY too cold to run outside!!! Can you believe my half-marathon is only 4 weeks away!??! Woohoo! Well, all good things must come to an end. This is going to ...

Today I have a simple Saturday craft created using materials I had on hand. The entire project took less than an hour!  A wooden plaque Acrylic paint and scrapbook paper - I cut the letters out with my Cricut. I used Mod Podge to adhere the letters to the sign.   I plan to create a family photo montage on a hallway wall. I think this sign will be perfect to include. I'm linking this up to: Crafts in Bloom - 1st Craft Club Project Finesse Your Nest - Shop the House Sunday !

"What a man, what a man, what a man, what a man. What a mighty good man!" ~ lyrics from Salt-n-Pepa Should I feel bad that my husband has been asleep for the past two and a half hours in his recliner? While I've been on the couch lost in blogosphere? (Shh, don't tell him.) What if I told you that when he got home from work today at 4:00 he made the kitchen sparkle and finished off a load of towels (folded & put away)? Then he cleaned the dishes after I cooked dinner. Do you think he deserves to nap? I do! I'm very grateful for my hubby! He's quite the man!!! He always finds a way to lift me up and make me feel special. Not to mention, he's an excellent father! Today, coming home to a clean sparkly kitchen was just the pick-me-up I needed. Love this man! You didn't expect to see a picture of him asleep in his chair, did you?

For many of us the month of January is focused on improvements: home, health & fitness, family, relationships, etc., etc., and when we make those improvements we're gonna "be livin' that good life." As for me, I am doing just that! In 2010, Imma be living that good, good life! (Not that my life hasn't been good up to this point, but I'm finding ways to make it better.) No, I'm not talking (or singing) about New Year's resolutions. I'm making goals for myself and my family; small attainable goals such as training for a half-marathon or my family eating FROM home (not just AT home) a minimum of three (3) nights per week . I've also been working really hard to make sure that my washer and dryer are both EMPTY before I go to bed. And just not washing clothes all together does not count! And neither does taking the clothes out and piling them in a chair. Yes, I admit. I am guilty of both. Or worse, I'm guilty of leaving clothes in the d...

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it! I cooked something new and my family liked it! Oh yeah!!! ... Do you want to know what I cooked? It's probably something you've cooked numerous times. I, however, am guilty of cooking the same things over and over again. Actually, if I'm really being honest, I hardly cook. In fact my family eats out or gets take-out on a regular basis. Sad isn't?! Would you think better of me if I told you that I'm working on changing this horrible dining out habit? I'm setting a goal for myself: My goal is that my family eats FROM home (not just AT home) a minimum of three (3) nights per week.  So far this week, we had take-out on Monday, ate at a friend's house last night, and FROM home tonight. I think I can count last night's meal at the friend's house as eating from home, don't you? Yep. So that means, I just need to cook something up tomorrow night and I've met my goal for the first week. =) All ri...

Since we just had our final Christmas gift exchange on Sunday, I decided it's not too late to share the gifts I whipped up on a whim. I always have the hardest time trying to figure out Christmas gifts for all of my cousins' children (without breaking the bank of course!). So the last two years I decided to make them something small and pair it with a small ($10) gift card to Target. This year I made each of them a simple monogram picture frame. (Please pardon the quality of the pictures. I forgot to take them with my camera, and the lighting didn't go well with my phone.)   The two "K"s went to a set of sisters (10 and 7) and the three black and red coordinating frames went to my favorite cousin, for her kids of course. (Okay, so I intentionally used colors that I knew my cousin would like and figured that all three of her kids' frames would end up in her room anyways. Is that wrong?) ;-) I bought the frames in a set of 13 various sized frames for $...

One of my favorite gadgets, Animoto ! " Animoto automatically produces beautifully orchestrated, completely unique video pieces from your photos, video clips and music. Fast, free and shockingly easy. " (from the Animoto website) I discovered Animoto at my Library Conference in Houston last April. (Read about the perks of this coference here and here .) Since then, I have used Animoto to create several videos, including one for my dear Dad on Father's Day. But my newest use for Animoto has been creating mini videos with my Animoto iPhone App! LoVe It! I can take pics with my phone, upload them to Animoto directly from my phone, and it spits out a  fun little video to share with others. Check out the video below. It was all done from my iPhone!!!

First, I should warn you. Today's blog is not for those with a weak stomach! It was nearly a year ago that I blogged about having the Holiday Blues , and low and behold today my daughter wakes up with a stomachache. Yes, this means that I have to stay home with her again this year and deal with vomit! If you recall from my Holiday Blues post, I do NOT handle vomit. Lucky for me, the first time she wretched this morning (in the kitchen), my husband had not left for work yet. In fact, he had the pleasure of seeing it all unfold. Thankfully, I am blessed with a husband who makes an excellent nurse (and clean-up crew!)!!! Hopefully, she'll make a quick recovery and we can get some holiday decorating done.

There is definitely a lot to be thankful for this season! I have a wonderful husband and daughter, supportive parents, a perky puppy, and most importantly a forgiving and loving God. I am also blessed with a generous network of friends and a great job. Yes, I have a lot to give thanks for in my life! And today, on this Black Friday, I am thankful for something else a little more, should we say, materialistic. I bought myself a little something, something. One of the many bargains purchased today during our bright and early shop-athon! I am the new proud owner of this precious baby: Oh yeah, baby! I've got a Cricut Expression and I'm not afraid to use it. =) I can't wait to start crafting with this little gadget!

Okay, so I haven't been so good with this whole blog thing. However, I have been busy getting in touch with friends (old and new) through Facebook . I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted anything new on here! Time sure does fly! My family had a wonderful Christmas together. I did, however, miss not seeing my big sis this year. Hopefully she'll come home from Florida some time in the near future. I hope everyone has a safe and blessed 2009!

This holiday season (as always), I have a lot to be thankful for: 1. God's love & forgiveness 2. An amazing husband 3. An incredible daughter 4. Two wonderful & supportive parents 5. A dog who fills our life with energy 6. Having a cozy little house 7. A job that brings me joy 8. Friends to laugh and cry with 9. Good health 10. Peace & happiness May this holiday season bring you and your family many blessings!

My family celebrated Thanksgiving by watching the Dallas Cowboys pluck some Seahawk feathers! Love this tradition; we'll see if it continues once the new stadium opens. Tickets may be beyond our limits then. I guess we'll have to come up with a new tradition. :-)