Just for fun!

1. WHAT TIME DID YOU GET UP THIS MORNING? 7:40ish...the morning is always kind of a blur.

2. DIAMONDS OR PEARLS? What, like that is a question. DIAMONDS - gotta have the bling.

3. WHAT IS THE LAST FILM THAT YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA? Semi-Pro...very funny

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? OMG...LOST, One Tree Hill, Charmed, Friends, Any crime show, The Hills, America's Next Top Model...I think that i stop embarrassing myself now.

5. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY HAVE FOR BREAKFAST? Cereal or waffles

6. WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME? Michelle

7. WHAT FOOD DO YOU DISLIKE? Anything with a weird texture - milkshakes, pudding, etc.

8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CD? Anything and everything from the 90's

9. WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE? GMC Envoy

10. FAVORITE SANDWICH? Turkey

11. WHAT CHARACTERISTIC DO YOU DESPISE? self-righteous people, people who lie, and people that are fake.

12. FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING? Socks

13. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ON VACATION, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? Anywhere with Dave (husband) & Brooklyn

14. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHROOM? White

15. FAVORITE HOLIDAY? Is my birthday a holiday?

16. WHERE WOULD YOU RETIRE TO? Somewhere with great shopping!

17. WHAT WAS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE BIRTHDAY? 19

18. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? WVU Football & WVU basketball, NFL, cheerleading competitions

19. FURTHEST PLACE YOU ARE SENDING THIS? All over!

20. WHO DO YOU LEAST EXPECT TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? N/A

21. PERSON YOU EXPECT TO SEND IT BACK FIRST? N/A

22. FAVORITE SAYING. 'It's always in the last place you look' - it just doesn't make any sense. Why would you keep looking after you already found it!?!

23. WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY? 9/26/79 - 3 days after Brooklyn's birthday!

24. ARE YOU A MORNING OR NIGHT PERSON? Morning or night doesn't matter!

25. WHAT IS YOUR SHOE SIZE? 10

26. PETS? 1 cat - Ginger

27. ANY NEW AND EXCITING NEWS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE? Going on a date tomorrow night. Exciting for me...

28. WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE? Teacher

29. HOW ARE YOU TODAY? moody

30. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CANDY? Peanut butter and chocolate anything

31. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER? Daisies

32. WHAT IS A DAY ON THE CALENDAR YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO? Any weekends

35. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Spaghetti

37. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Purple

38. HOW IS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW? Raining but kinda warm maybe 50ish

39. FAVORITE SOFT DRINK? Sprite or IBC Rootbeer

40. FAVORITE RESTAURANT? TGIFridays

42. SIBLINGS? 2 Sisters, 1 Brother

42. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? My birthday and Brooklyn's Birthday

43. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD? I don't know...I would hope that it was something cool though.

44. SUMMER OR WINTER? Fall

45. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses

46. COFFEE OR TEA? Coffee - Grande White Chocolate Mocha please!

47. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate

48. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO EMAIL YOU BACK? N/A

49. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Can't remember maybe this week!

50. WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED? Ginger and maybe a couple of socks.

51. WHO IS THE FRIEND THAT YOU HAVE HAD THE LONGEST? Kate...maybe

52. WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT? Made dinner, went to Tae Kwan Do, watched TV

53. FAVORITE SMELL? My house

54. WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? Not being a great mother or not being around for Brooklyn

55. SALTY OR SWEET? Salty then sweet

56. HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR RING? a few

57. HOW MANY YEARS AT YOUR CURRENT JOB? 1 year or less but now I SAH.

58. FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK? Thursday - The weekend is still all ahead of you, by Friday you have already lost a day of the weekend.

59. HOW MANY TOWNS HAVE YOU LIVED IN? 3

60. DO YOU MAKE FRIENDS EASILY? Oh yeah!

Not so 'sweet'...

Tonight, WVU was defeated by no. 3 seeded Xavier 79 - 75 in OT. I don't think that I took a breath at all during overtime. Ugh...

I know that all Mountaineers are proud of our boys for coming this far and can't wait to see what next season has to hold. If you are able to go and cheer on the team when they come home please do! I know that Shannon and I will most likely be there. :) I won't forget my sharpie this time...

PS. In my bracket I put WVU losing to Xavier, so at least my bracket wasn't messed up again. LOL

PPS. We got our WVU Football Season Ticket order form today, so onto football season!

Happy Half-Birthday Brooklyn & Happy Easter!

I know that I am a day late in saying this...but oh well! It is better than not saying it at all, right?

~ Happy Easter 2008 ~

Easter also fell on Brooklyn's half birthday. ~6 months, 26 weeks~ I can't believe that my baby girl is half a year old.



Time is going to fast...I feel like I will walk into her room tomorrow to get her dress for kindergarten then next week watching her her drive down the road to college!

Ugh...I know I am crazy! Oh yeah I forgot!

~ Happy Half-Birthday Brooklyn ~

On to Easter. It was a lot of fun! We of course, had all our friends over that didn't go home and some family too.



We had about 12 - 13 people sitting around 3 different tables. We had our normal 6 person table, my scrapbooking table (sits 4 people & is also our old dinning room table), and a card table that sat 3ish people. It might have looked a little ghetto but it worked. Everyone ate themselves silly and for dessert we all watched some March Madness on TV.



All in all it was a great, relaxing, exciting, exhausting day! It was also really great because ~all~ the adults were able to eat while all the kids slept! Woot! Here is Brooklyn and J sleeping away while we stuff ourselves. This might be the only year this happens! LOL





I want to ~thank~ everyone that came and brought your great food. Yum-o!

Hugs...

Ah... The ~SWEET~ Sixteen

If you know anything about college basketball you already know what I am talking about. If you don't, I will fill you in a little bit!

March = NCAA Tourney

WVU just made it to the Sweet Sixteen! That means that their are only ~16~ teams out of 64 left in this tournement! Let's Go Mountaineers!

Well they played in DC this afternoon and came back to town this evening. A bunch of people were there to greet/cheer for them. It was great to see them excited as they got off the bus.

<3 Here is a pic of Smalligan and me! <3



Anyone that really knows me, knows about my crush on Jamie. What can I say...I like them nerdy! LOL

PS- I forgot to say that during the picture....he put his arm around me! Ahhhh....

Buggys -n- Babies Class

This post is really for all my Morgantown Mommys; unless you would like to travel from wherever you are reading this post to take a class with me.

Any who, Buggys -n- Babies class is starting April 1st. It is offered by BOPARC and is FREE! WOO HOO...you know me, anything free and I am there.

The class is sounds like it will be a lot of fun. Here is what the site said about it. Buggies and Babes is a fat burning cardio and strength training workout. The class begins with a calorie burning fast paced walk using your stroller, combined with strength training and interval circuits all designed to help you lose that baby fat.

The classes are being offered on Tuesdays/Thursdays at 10:00 until 11:00. You don't really ~have~ to register BEFORE the class starts but if you don't want to be filling out paperwork during the first class (there is a lot, Trust me; I got mine today in the mail) call them and they will send you the paperwork. All it basically is are release forms for you and you kid.

Here is the number - 304-296-8356! Call! It should be fun...

Happy Easter!

Ugh...one step closer to a minivan!

On Friday, I was a new mommy with a cute little sportscar and on Saturday afternoon that ~all~ changed!

Dave and I have been talking about me trading in the Saab for something more 'pracitcal'. I hate that word...it makes it sound like it isn't fun or that it will be painful. Anyway I digress....

Over the past winter, I relized that if it snowed (over 3 inches) I could no longer leave my house. Having a small child and knowing that they is NO escape to Target all day is a little scary. If you are a SAHMommy you know what I mean! LOL
That coupled with the fact that Morgantown's road crews SUCK at powing the roads. In addition to wanting to leave the house in all the seasons, the Saab was just too small for more than one carseat. (NO...I am not pregnant) If Dave and I only wanted one kid we would be set but I doubt that Brooklyn will be an only child. SO...on to a more practial car!

Before I show you the ~new~ car, take a look at my old car.

2006 Saab 9-3....Loved it, miss it, remembered after we left the dealer that I don't have a picture of it. :(

This is just a picture of the car that I had...my car was blue but looked just like this.



Isn't it cute!

Well, I know that this rambling sounds like like I don't like my new car...but that isn't true. I LOVE it! It is so awesome and I can't wait until the next winter storm so I can take it out and not fear death. LOL

Here it is....2007 GMC Envoy





So it is not a brand new car but it is only a year old. It has only had 1 owner and is FULLY LOADED!

Here are the options:
~Leather Seats
~Dual Climate Control
~BOSE stereo
~6 disk CD Changer
~XM radio
~Onstar
~DVD player with headphones or I can pipe the sounds through the speakers
~Sunroof
~Power Front seats
~Power windows/locks
~tinted windows
~Roof rack
~Trailer hitch...I have no idea what to with that though!

I am sure that I am missing some things but Oh well! I love it.

Your Welcome Doug!

Easy Ways to go 'Green'

Over the last several weeks Brooklyn, Dave and I have been trying to 'go green'. I have been looking and searching different ways to help the Earth. Some ways are really easy which don't require too much effert and others are a bit more time consuming but still are great ways to help the earth and enviroment.

Below you will find a list of several different ways to go green! As a blog reader, I am challenging you to pick ONE thing to do for the next 30 days. You don't have to keep it up after the 30 days but if you do that would be AWESOME. I am doing this to show you how ~easy~ it can be. You can do it. Leave me a comment to tell and all the blogging world what you are going to do. I will be encouraging you as well as picking a few things to do as well. We are in this together!

1. Be picky about produce
Download the "Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce" at ewg.org. The wallet-size list sorts out the fruits and veggies that tend to be higher in pesticides (like apples and spinach) from produce with a lower count (like bananas and peas).

2. Support local farms
At eatwellguide.org, you can plug in your zip code and find suppliers of organic and sustainably produced meat, poultry, eggs, and more. If you buy locally, you won't have to rely on farms that ship food nationwide, which helps to decrease our dependence on oil and to cut back on gas emissions.

3. Tote your own grocery bag
Paper or plastic? Neither! If you're shopping for a small load, bring along a cute sack like the polka-dot tote (cathkidston.com). Another practical option: the ACME Workhorse Style 1500 (reusablebags.com), which crunches into a tiny pouch that fits in your purse.

Dave and I do this and love it! You can buy the bags at Wal-mart and Target for about $1.

4. Save money in the bathroom
Buy water-efficient showerheads. With low-flow models, a family of four can cut water usage by as much as 280 gallons a month-and yet not feel much difference in water pressure. Two we like: Kohler's Master Shower Eco (kohler.com) and Niagara Conservation's Earth Massage (niagaraconservation.com).

5. Recycle rechargeables
Cell phones, digital cameras, and camcorders have made these batteries more popular than ever, but in certain states-Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Vermont-it's illegal to throw them away. Wherever you live, you can find a nearby store that will recycle them for you; just go to rbrc.org and type in your zip code.

6. Adjust fridge and freezer temps
Refrigerators eat up the most electricity in the household. Maximize efficiency by keeping the fridge at 37°F. and the freezer at 0°F.

7. Lighten up with energy savings
Consider using compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). They cost a bit more than regular bulbs, but you'll lower your electric bill and pay less in the long run-CFLs last up to ten times longer than traditional ones.

8. Protect the earth while you picnic
At your next outdoor party, ask people to write their names on disposable cups so they'll use only one (to make it easy, put out markers). If you use disposable dinnerware, buy the kind that won't clog landfills or kill trees. To try: EarthShell plates and bowls (www.earthshell.com). They're made from corn, potatoes, and limestone-and cost less than 6 cents per plate. You culd also use washable plastic plates. You can find them at PamperedChef.com. We love ours!

9. Put it in park
Avoid drive-through windows, especially if there are long lines.

10. Buy a laptop
It uses considerably less power than a desktop computer.

11. Get off junk mail lists
Register with the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service (dmaconsumers.org) and you'll see a significant reduction in mail after three months.

12. Teach kids to be green
Give your little ones responsibility for your family's recycling and match whatever they make in deposits at the store. They'll learn about money and recycling at the same time.

13. Change the thermostat setting and install energy saving devices.
Setting your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer can translate to substantial savings on your utility bills.

14. Use your local library and other public amenities.
Borrowing from libraries, instead of buying personal books and movies, saves money and printing resources. Consider donating the money saved to your local library.

15. Make your own cleaning supplies.
Using simple ingredients such as baking soda, soap, and vinegar, you can make cheap, easy, and non-toxic cleaning products that really work! Save money, time, and your indoor air quality.

16. Use the dishwasher.
Doing a full load in your machine is far more efficient than washing the same number of dishes by hand. This is especially true if you have an Energy Star dishwasher, which requires an average of 4 gallons of water per load, compared with the 24 gallons it takes to do them in the sink. Using one will save you 5,000 gallons of water, $40 in utility costs, and 230 hours of your time each year.

17. Go from scalding to just hot.
Turn your water heater's temperature setting down from the standard 140 degrees F to 120 degrees. Not only will this save you some bucks, it'll also slow down mineral buildup and corrosion, prolonging the life of your tank. Since a new water heater costs about $900 installed, each additional year of use saves you money as well.

18. End the water torture.
One drip per second from a leaky faucet or pipe can waste up to 5 gallons of water a day--and 1,800 gallons a year. While you won't notice much of an increase on your water bill (around $3 annually), if an overlooked leak soaks through your kitchen floor, you could wind up with a $1,000 repair job--money that could have been saved by simply replacing a 50-cent washer.

19. Wipe your feet.
Equip your exterior doors with a series of mats--or one long "walk-off" mat--so everyone enters with clean shoes. As long as there's room for five steps on the mats, you'll drastically reduce the amount of grime tracked in. That means fewer pathogens that cause disease and less chemical cleanup. It will also mean improved indoor air quality, since dirt embedded in a carpet can become airborne when it's tromped on or agitated by a vacuum.

20. Print smarter
The average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year.
Make it a habit to print on both sides or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts. Avoid color printing and print in draft mode whenever feasible.

If you can't find something in my list PLEASE google "Ways to go green". Let me tell you it feels great knowing that you are helping!

Hugs...

Cloth Diapering Update

Hello all!

Well, I have been cloth diapers (CDing) Brooklyn for almost a month now ad let me just say that I LOVE it! It is so great...we are helping the enviroment, keeping chemicals off Brooklyn bum, and making the world better as a whole.

~GO US~

I love everything about CDing espeacially getting package of fluffy mail through out the week. ~~~ In case you wndered: Fluffy Mail - packages of fluffy goodness (CD) that CDing mama (and Papas) get in the mail. It is very exciting to wait/watch for the mail guy to see if he stuffs anything extra in the mailbox and try not to run out of the house like a crazy person after the pull away! LOL All I can say is that it is addicting...yet something else to take up Brooklyn's nap time and make the house never clean. OH WELL...it is crazy fun!

There is this site diaperswappers.com where you can buy/sell/learn about CDing. I never thought that I would have learned so much. We Brooklyn naps, I can't wait to get on diaperswappers to see what is going on. My favorite diaper would have to be the Bumgenius 2.0 One Size. I love the one size because I can use it from about 10lbs until 35lbs+. WOW...that is infant to potty training! What is even better is that ~when~ Dave have another child they can be in the same diapers.

So here is what I have in my statch so far ( It think that I am do with Brookyns CD statch but ~may~ have to buy a few larges as she grows out of the mediums that I bought.

~ 3 Happy Heineys One Size
~ 5 Medium Bumkins (very cute with loads of prints)
~ 1 Medium Knickerdoodies fitted
~ 3 Bumgenius All-in-One
~ 2 Haute Pockets One Size
~ 4 Medium Happy Heineys
~ 1 Medium Chunky Monkey fitted diaper
~ 14 Bumgenius 2.0 One Size
~ 1 Mothers Eve One Size
~ 1 Mommy's Touch One Size
~ 1 Medium Fuzzibuns Snap
~ 12 Bleached and Unblached Prefolds
~ 2 I.V. Covers - Farm Animal Print
~ 1 sanppi (holds together the prefolds instead of using pins)

All in all I have enough diapers and prefolds to only wash about every 3 - 4 days. When I started buying diapers I was just looking to have enough to wash everyother day but as you can see I got a little carried away!

Here are some pics of my favorite diapers: (These aren't even a drop in the bucket compared to what I have total, some are waiting to be washed or on Brooklyn now)

Bumgenius OS


Bumkins


Chunky Monkey Fitted


Prefolds


Rubber Ducky Cover


Happy Heinys Mediums


I don't think that anyone has been as excited as me to change a diaper than me! LOL

Hugs...

She is my daughter!

While in Frederick my mom gave me a picture of me when I was 4mths old! Dave says that she looks just like me and there isn't any of him!

You be the judge...

Me at 4mths...


Brooklyn at 4mths...


Hugs...

Extreme Makeover Home Edition ~ Remender!

Just wanted to remind everyone (or tell you if you didn't know already) that the family from Fairmont will be on Extreme Makeover Home Edition on Sunday at 8pm.

For those of you that don't life near me...This is a special family that has the smallest home that they have ever redone on the show. The family also lives about 30 min away from Morgantown!

I hope that EVERYONE watches!

Eat S?#% Pitt

We went to the WVU - Pitt game last night!

Loads of fun...the best part was that we won! Woo Hoo...

Lets Go.....Mountaineers!

I made some shirts for Brooklyn and I - Here they are:

Brooklyn's shirt -




My Shirt -




The 'whole' gang (minus Gerogie, Aaron & Ginny - they left before we ould get a picture) after the game. -

Weekend in Frederick~

My mom (Grammy) has been asking when she was going to see her granddaughter again and since Dave and I were just itching to hang out with all our Frederick Friends. So, on Friday early afternoon we loaded up the Saab and headed East.

There was a snow advisory for I-68 but it said that they would only get about an inch. Well they were wrong! We got about 20 minutes into our trip and the rain turned to snow....heavy snow....and then a few white outs! Dave drove like a champ though, he kept telling me that we would be fine and not to worry. After about 40 minutes of driving through that, the snow then chaged back to rain. Ahhh...sweet relief.

Once we finally got to Frederick, we had a blast. It's February and that means kinklins! If you don't know what kinklins are they are basically fried dough covered in powdered sugar! YUM-O! My family makes them every year and we ~all~ gain about 6lbs each after eating kinklins for breakfast, lunch and dinner. LOL It was so much fun making/eating them. I don't have any pics of the making (didn't think about it until after we left) but I do have a pic of what kinklins are.



My whole family was there this weekend, so my mom had ALL of her grandkids in town and under one roof! She was just beside herself. She didn't even do her normal cleaning routine on Saturday...If you know my mom you know how Saturday means cleaning day!

Here are some pics of the weekend!

"The Boys" Destry and Declan - My sissters boys


Destry playing with Brooklyn


Extra pic of Brooklyn eating her first helping of cereal


Hugs...