Christmas Exchange?

Anyone up for a Christmas Exchange this year?  If so- we could set a limit & use Elfster again.  Post a comment if you’re in/out and I’ll set it up (life’s kinda boring with PJ back at work)!

Recipe

I remember we kinda started a recipe exchange.  I posted one on my blog so I figured I would post another one on here.  Enjoy.

Doesn’t that just look good?  Its a better for you margarita recipe from Hungry Girl.

I of course haven’t tried this myself but it looks like it would be good.  I figure I won’t post the entire recipe on here since you can just click the link and see it.

I’m sure it would make without the tequila for those of you who are expecting.

Later!

happy (belated) bday caiti!

I’m getting even worse about the birthday thing (if that’s possible), but Happy Birthday Caiti!  Hope you had a great one and got to go enjoy a few of your favorite things (considering its your first one back stateside).

ugh

I feel like I can never, ever finish anything.  I always seem to start things and even get most of the way finished, but something happens and it sits there.  We have been working on this house for what seems like forever and nothing is really done.  The guy doing my work has personal issues and will not show up for a day here and there, which is fine.  But for two, three…two weeks.  I mean WTF.  Come finish my work or tell me to find someone else.  I still owe him money, so he isn’t getting over on me but I’m not going to find someone to do the same work for the same price.  I told him I wanted him done by the 25th.  I don’t want to have him here right after my surgery.  He said, sure yeah oh we will be finished.  Looks like they won’t be.  What still needs to be done?

• put up the 2nd part of the banister and hand rail, stain.
• put in the wood on the stairs and entry, stain.
• paint the base boards
• put up the shoe molding
• paint the molding around the doors
• install 4 windows
• repair drywall around windows

I’m sure there is something I’m forgetting.  He has been working so long I’m starting to think I should have just had him do the windows and let the other people do the floors.  I’m just venting…thats all.

Dates

Hey ladies.  I’m taking the initiative and finding out what, if any, dates would work for a weekend get-together in late October or November.  As the year draws to a close I know that lives will get busier so I figured if we did it prior to the Holiday season it may be easier.  And, I think the kids may love getting together too, so if the hubby’s are overwhelmed having the kids all weekend long we could do a mommy/kids weekend.

So, talk to your hubby’s and leave a few ideas of when you are available and where you’d like to meet up.

Happy Birthday Jackie!

Hey birthday girl, here’s to 25 trips around the sun!  I confess I’ve been a bit of a bad friend and in my business I haven’t even managed to get as much as a card on its way yet, but I hope you have a great bday!  Wish we were all in the same place to celebrate again this year, but I hope you and PJ will have a good relaxing evening–with presents and cake and such too.  :-)  Miss you, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Girl Names?

I’m pretty sure we’re set here, but which do you prefer?

Anything not on here you like better?

belated summer reading

Towards the end of the summer I finally started reading the book that I bought to read on the plane (The Story of Edgar Sawtelle).  I finished it this weekend and it was so disappointing.  600 pages and the ending was so depressing.

But I really liked having something to read over my lunch break, so today over lunch I ran to Barnes and Nobles and picked up a couple of $6 previous best sellers.  I picked up Mad Dash and The Last Summer.  I’ll let you know how those go.

Anyone else read anything good recently?

We made it & etc…

Well, we made it. Our flight left Frankfurt around 12pm on the 11th. It was a LONG flight…Braden did much better than I imagined him doing. We ended up sitting in a row where the arm rests wouldn’t go up– so his carseat didn’t fit and then he couldn’t lay his head on my lap either.  Each seat had its own little TV screen- which would have been cool expect Austin’s and Braden’s didn’t work at all…I also had a flight attendent spill water on me so I spent the first half of the flight cold, wet, and pissed off (She didn’t even apologize!). When we got to Charlotte, we cleared customs and then ran to the gate to make our next flight– which was canceled. We were put on stand by for a flight leaving 2 hours later which was booked (So why they put us on stand by is beyond me). Anyways, come like 9 pm, we find out that flight is postponed– and we decide to just get a flight the next day and go to a hotel. The guy at the US Airways counter says to go down to luggage and they will bring our bags to us…We wait for over 2 hours only to be told that they have been misplaced and are being put on the first flight to Chattanooga…Awesome…So come midnight, we get to a hotel and sleep for 4 hours before getting up to be at the airport by 6 am. We go to check in and hear that our bags made it out the night before and are already waiting in Chattanooga for us….Anyways, we got in, waited around for our bags (everything made it) and then we went home…It was a very long and frustrating experiance and I will never go US Airways again.

Our car is here- Austin picked it up…So now we just have to decide when we want to drive to Arizona. We may leave this weekend. We have a trip in mid September to FL with the inlaws and Austin’s brother & his wife.

Everything we shipped made it here safely– except Austin’s computer that he made. So we are in the process of filing a claim and hoping to get re-embursed for the case.

Nothing too exciting. The first day or two we were back, it felt so weird…but now, I am just on cloud 9. I don’t ever want to leave again, lol. Wal-Mart, Target— wow, when did we get all these new things to choose from!?

Braden is attached to Grandma Karen’s hip when she is around. It’s really sweet…And Duke hasn’t let me out of his sight since we got back.  I can’t tell if its his age catching up to him or the heat– but he has mellowed out alot.

Well, I am trying to make Braden take a nap…Mostly because I want a break. I’ve been getting things unpacked and settled today and I am tired :p Hope everybody is doing well– I miss you guys! I am kinda lonely- no friends to hang out with…:(

The Crazies

Have you ever had a day where your kid wakes up way too early, won’t take a nap, and come a half hour after bedtime is still running around like a little lunatic?

Where do they get this energy?!

…And why can’t I have some of it!?