Monday, May 30, 2005

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!

well, i wish i could say that i am having a lovely weekend of cleaning and organizing all the shit in my house but i can't. i have either been on the couch or in bed since friday night. friday night i fell asleep before 8:30 p.m., woke up saturday feeling slightly fine. started tackling some laundry while mike got ready to go to work. and then it hit. i literally felt as if i had been hit by a truck. the rest of the day i sat on the couch. thank goodness i discovered that i now had the channel fox reality (reality tv 24 hours a day...hell yeah!). so i proceeded to watch 8 hours of the first joe millionaire while my kids ran a mock around the house.

woke up sunday hardly able to hear outta one of my ears and exhausted. so i am reporting from the bed and cannot wait to feel well enough to get outta it. oh my back is killing me from being in here for two days. plus, it doesn't help that i keep looking around at all this crap knowing that i am not able to tackle any of it.

on another note, i think i have decided that i am going to create another blog to sell some of the goodies that i make. this would include a buncha vintage sewing patterns that i scored at a yard sale last year. they range from the 50's to the late 80's. would anyone be interested in that? i may spend the rest of the day writing the patterns down and maybe venturing to the other computer so i can start to scan them. who knows though.

lemme know if anyone is interested in taking these patterns off my hand. i would def. be willing to work out a trade :)

Friday, May 27, 2005

HAPPY ONE YEAR BDAY MY OWN LIL SPACE!!



well, it was one year ago today that i decided to join the wonderful world of blogging. in that year i have made some excellent bloggin' friends and have enjoyed reading the day to day activities of their lives. i just hope that i can provide the same enjoyment to them.

i look forward to many more years of blogging!

happy birthday my own lil space!!

I'VE BEEN INTERVIEWED!!!

well, my bloggin' pal christa has interviewed me.

if you would like to interview you, just follow the instructions after my answers.

okay, here we go...

1. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? Why?

this is kinda tuff, b/c i would have a hard time choosing. if it was in the states, i would say maine. the pictures i have seen are gorgeous. i would want to live on the water and eat lots of lobster. if it was another country, i'd prolly choose italy. but it was have to be a house like the one on under the tuscan sun. with the same realitor ;)

2. Do you have any pet peeves? What are they?

do i have any pet peeves??? are you friggin' kidding me. i've dedicated a post to the top five. if you missed it here they are: cabinets (esp. in the kitchen) left open, people who drag their feet, people who use toothpicks in public, people who cut their nails in public. yuck!!

3. What’s the last book you read? Did you like it?

i started candy freak by steve almond and i luved it. the only reason i didn't get to finish it was b/c it was way overdue at the library and i needed to get it back. actually i just lied to ya, the last book i read was called lunch by karen moline. it was my second time reading that one, so yes, i liked it.

4. Have you ever cheated in a relationship? On a test?

no.

5. What was your first job?

besides all the babysitting i did when i was younger, my first real job was at crafts n stuff on st. simon's island, georgia



The Official Interview Game Rules

1. If you want to participate, leave a comment below saying "interview me."

2. I will respond by asking you five questions - each person's will be different.

3. You will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Monday, May 23, 2005

NEW BLOGS!!

some great new blogs that i have discovered when i am not posting on my own blog :)

ali edwards-scrapbooking blog
this girl has totally given me the inspiration to get back into scrapbooking. my kids are going to be teenagers and i still haven't caught up to the past year and a half.

grouchy frog
another crafty goddess

thats it for now. happy reading.

TOM AND KATIE!!!



okay, i have to just say that i am so excited about this relationship. i love the fact that katie used to daydream about marrying tom cruise when she was younger. prolly while cutting pictures of him out of teen beat and taping them to her bedroom walls. now she is dating him!!! i saw him today on oprah and he just seems so smitten with her and she is just so cute.

yes, i know i am a big ol dork, but this gives the rest of us hope.

do you still think there's a chance for me and kirk cameron????

THE NEW MANNA ADVENTURE!!!

well, last week me and mike purchased 1.8 acres of land to put our new house on!!! we finally made a decision on what we were going to do and went with it. we had looked at this subdivision last year and have been kicking ourselves in the butt for not buying a piece back then. the land has gone like hotcakes since we first looked. what really got us moving was the fact that the major (my boss) bought a piece in the same neighborhood and told us we better move on it. there wasn't too many lots left. so now, not only am i going to be in the same office with my boss, i am going to be living right down the street from him...lol. its only about 2 minutes from where we are right now, so it is still going to be in the country.

we should close on the land on wednesday and then this place is going on the market and i want ya'll to keep your fingers crossed that we can sell it fast. i really don't want to start the process on the house until this is about gone. i don't wanna get stuck with two house payments...OUCH!!!

so right now, we (okay mike) has been on the net non-stop getting ideas and hints on how to make this the easiest project possible. we are going to subcontract it ourselves and try to get as many of the house building police and firemen that we know to help ;)

over the weekend, i finally found a house that i liked (poor mike spent a few days looking at nothing but houses and everything he pulled up, i said "nope"). i love the set up of this house and love the fact that there is an extra room for another baby and a room that will be my "studio".

so the next few months, if i am more away than usual, it's b/c i am heave-hoing crap outta this house and getting ready for the headache of a new one.

here are some pics of the land and the house we decided on.



a closer shot of the front of the property from the street


another close shot


mike, mikey, and bella checking things out


mikey scoping the area


another shot, mostly of the trees


OUR FUTURE HOUSE!!!!!!!

Saturday, May 21, 2005

THE HORRIBLY MESSY CRAFT AREA!!!

this post is for robin, my newest internet friend ;) i was telling her how i needed to spend the day cleaning up my craft corner and she expressed how much she liked to see before and after pics. i cringed when i pulled the before pictures up to resize and such. how could i let it get like this?!?!?!? and the after pictures aren't that great either. i just have way TOO MUCH SHIT!!! and i still keep buying it. and if you think this looks like a lot of stuff...think again sista! i have four iris carts full of stuff in my closet, two huge totes full of ribbon in my closet, two huge totes and a large rectangular laundry basket housing fabric in my bedroom, my craft stuff occupies two cabinets in my kitchen. its insane. its an addiction. i keep telling myself that i am not going to buy anything else until i use up a good bit of what i already have and then guess what.....michael's, hobby lobby, or some great crafty site on the net has to go and have a sale or get some great new stuff in. or another thing i do, is i want to craft something that requires me to go out and buy new stuff b/c believe it or not, i don't have the shit on hand.

hello, my name is elizabeth and i am a crafty supply hoarder. bows head in shame


before


before


before


before


after


after


after

THE BUG-A-BOOS!!


bella enjoying her latest hobby...coloring. that girl loves to color.


today mikey built a fort between the wall and our recliner. he even had him a lil table to set his drink on. of course when he saw the camera in my hand from something else, he wanted me to take a picture of him. he has been trained well ;)

MASON'S BDAY PARTY!!

the day after bella's party, it was time to head on over to mason's bday party (mason's bday is a day before bella's). we had fun. it was at fun factory which is a more laid back chuck e cheese. the kids had a blast.



LIL BABY BIRD!!!

last friday, i had the day off to get ready for bella's party and mike had to come home early due to a plumbing problem we were having (why does there always have to be a problem going on?). anyway, when the plumber drove down the driveway, i guess he noticed our newest house guest hanging out. i think he is the cutest lil thing (and i HATE birds). we didn't know what to do with him, so we called the humane society and they said to place the bird back where we found him that his mother would find him and that believe it or not, he was supposed to have gone far from the nest that he will be venturing on his own soon. so that is what happened to our lil house guest.

isn't he the cutest....

BELLA'S BDAY PARTY!

well, isabella's bday party went off with a bang. she had so much fun playing with lauren, mason, melana, and mikey. the dora cupcakes were a hit and bella got so many wonderful presents. she recd. a bike, a ton of dora stuff, dora clothes, some play balls, a ring, a bracelet with her name on it, some dress up shoes (which she can not get enough of), dora coloring book and crayons, scooby doo movies, and i think the list still goes on. everyone had a blast and i was so thankful that the weather held up since the party was outside.


the party locale


bella being a good lil hostess


mikey helping bella open up presents


bella trying out her new wheels


bella's new jewels


the dora cupcakes

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

ON THE DAY THAT YOU WERE BORN....!!!

happy second bday bella-boo! i cannot believe how much you have grown the past year and i cannot believe that you are already two! time just flies by!

you know, the day that bella was born was both a magical one and a heartbreaking one all at the same time.

here's the story.....


on may 9th, 2003, i went to what ended up being my last dr. appt. i had discussed with my dr. that i wanted a vbac (vaginal birth after csection). and i wanted it badly! i didn't do too well with the first csection and i wanted to give my all with a vaginal delivery. due to having a small pelvic area, the dr. decided to induce me at 37 weeks. i couldn't belive it. the next day we were going to have our lil girl.

on may 10th, we arrived at the hospital to be induced. after hours of boredom, i started to have major contractions. bella was a lil difficult and would move around too much and the nurses were unable to get a good readout on her heartbeat since she wouldn't stay in one spot. around midnight, the contractions were so bad that i finally got my epideral. at this point, i was still only around 2cm, but the pain was bad. i was having some bleeding and couldn't handle it. after the epideral came complete relief and i pottied on one of the nurses shoes ;)

around 5 a.m. on the 11th of may (mother's day), the dr. came in and told me that if i did progress to 4cm by 7 a.m. i was going to have a csection. i began to pray that i would progress. around 7 a.m. a nurse came in and checked me and told me i was 7cm. hot damn, i was going to have a vaginal delivery after all. they started setting everything up, i handed my mom the camera, told her to take pictures regardless as to whether or not i would want to see them later, and told them to get that mirror between my legs. i was already planning on how i was going to pull bella out by the shoulders on my own. tears of joy streamed down my face.

the dr. came in shortly thereafter and checked me. the nurse had made a mistake (note: i had an cathider (sp?) and the heartbeat monitor in my hoo-hoo). i was still only about 2cm. i was going to have to have a csection. me and michael were crushed. i couldn't believe it. you cannot imagine what it feels like to be so elated and then crushed the next minute.

they prepped me for my csection and in i rolled. after a few minutes, my lil bella-boo was born. mike and bella got to head to the nursery while i recovered. so much for recovering. i couldn't wait for the time to pass so i could hold my precious lil girl. when it came time, that is when they broke the news to me. bella had a breathing problem and i was not going to get to see her till the next morning. my heart was broken.

the next morning rolled around, and she still couldn't come to my room. i however mustered up the strength to walk down there. that is when i saw that she was under the lil breathing tent. i couldn't even hold her. i headed back to the room and waited for her to be checked out so she could be brought to me.

she was never brought to me. the peditrician came in and told me that bella was going to have to be sent to a near by hospital and entered in their nicu! i think i stopped breathing. i thought bella wasn't going to make it. i still hadn't held her. i wanted my lil girl and i wanted her in my arms. they transported her that afternoon and i think a part of my heart had been ripped out.

my doctor released me a day early so i could go spend time with her at the other hospital. my lil bella-boo was there for a week and made a beautiful recovery (i bless part of this on us being there almost every waking minute despite the fact that hospital is about an hour from our house and i was still in great pain. you would not believe the poor babies that were roomies with bella that didn't have one visitor. broke our hearts).

then we finally got to bring our lil bella home and our lives have been blessed ever since.

bella, i love you more than words can even describe. i look at your sweet lil face and imagine what wonderful things you are going to do with your life and what a powerful, strong woman you are going to be. every time do something, you completely blow my mind. i pray that you get everything you want out of life. i pray that you find such great joy in things and that every minute of your life is an adventure.

happy birthday bella-boo! i luv u!!!


the first time i got to touch my lil girl


bella's two!!!


bella at toys r us on a lil shopping spree

THE POST YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!!

finally, an opportunity to post about our trip. so me and greta got off work at noon last friday and headed over to the nail place for our pedicure. after our piggies were looking like new, we hit the road. this is where we had our first lil snag. there was some stuff flying around in the back of greta's car so we pulled over on the interstate to check it out. while we were looking around, a huge ass 18-wheeler drove by going 90+ and damn near blew us away. its a wonder that greta didn't get hurt. we finished doing what we were doing when it happened. we couldn't shut greta's rear driver side door. the friggin' 18-wheeler blew her door about an inch closer to the driver door. we managed to make it to the next exit (with me leaning in the back seat holding the door shut) to call greta's husband to come and do what he could. luckily he was able to shut it but we couldn't open that door again. we both prayed that this was not a sign as to what was yet to come.

we finally arrived in new orleans and checked into our beautiful hotel. after we unpacked we headed to some place to eat and then hit what i consider to be heaven on earth, the cats meow. the best fucking karaoke bar on the planet. this place is awesome. we were drunk by 8 p.m. and had the best friggin' time. i didn't want to leave, but if we wanted to make it back to the hotel room, we had too ;)

saturday we woke up and hit the streets to do some shopping. i found the coolest stationary store and bought some of the best paper (pics yet to come). after shopping for a few hours and walking about 10 miles, we decided to hit the bed to get a nap for the exciting night we had instore.

we got up, got all doodied up and then hit the streets again. we were wanting to hit a drag queen show, but there weren't any, so where did we go? heaven again folks. hit the cats meow again and had another night of listening to some awesome music (despite some of the horrible voices out there) and getting smashed. and smashed i got. unfortunately, i made the horrible mistake of mixing some drinks (about 5 vodka/cranberry with an alabama slammer and then two glasses of hurricane). not a good combination people. wanna know how i know? lemme set this up for ya, i hit the bathroom to go potty, pants down to my ankles when i felt it was going to happen. i was going to throw up. i knew it was coming but knew i was too drunk to make the quick flip around (you know, to get my face in the toilet instead of my ass) and so it happened. i don't think i need to tell ya exactly what. i think you guys can figure it out. so after i managed to get out of the stall, i found greta and told her we needed to go and NOW! so unfortunately, that is how saturday night ended.

woke up sunday to check out and headed home with the worst hangover in my life. we only had to get on the interstate once so i could hit the bathroom in one of the most disgusting gas stations ever.

when i got home, of course it was mother's day and my family was a gem!!! the house was cleaned, there were wildflowers on the table and i got....an ipod mini!!!! i know i am prolly the last person on earth to get one (no strike that, i had to explain to some people what it was ;) but i absolutely love it. it arrived yesterday in all its green gloriness. tonight i purchased an itrip for it and have been having a ball with it.

so needless to say, last weekend was one of the best weekends ever and me and greta are currently planning our next trip to the big easy with a list of things to do and things not to do (like mixing drinks you stupid idiot...but they were free (wink wink) drinks, so how could i turn them down ;)

here a few pics...i didn't get the opportunity to take that many. i had problems with my camera and who wants to carry their camera when they go out drinking (even though i really wish i had). i am waiting for greta to get some filmed developed, so based on how those turn out, i'll have to see if i am going to share em ;)









Tuesday, May 10, 2005

A PROMISE TO MYSELF....

...that i will post all about my fabulous trip to new orleans over the weekend, tomorrow or thursday. i am finally recouperating from a weekend filled with major drinking and getting into the groove of getting everything i need for bella's bday party saturday. unfortunately i am not going to have many pics to show from the trip. and the *good* ones, greta hasn't developed yet (of course i will have to see how bad i looked in my major drunken state before i post them).

Friday, May 06, 2005

AHHH...THE WEEKEND I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!



well, today is the day that me and greta leave work at noon, go get a pedicure, and then head to the big easy for a weekend filled with shopping, drinking, and drag queens.

we have been waiting for this weekend for about two months now and we are so ready to hit the road. it will only be about an hour and a half drive, so not too bad. this is where we are staying here and i am quite beside myself about it.

well, i will be back sunday and hopefully i won't be too exhausted to post about the trip.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

SOME THINGS I NEED TO LEARN!!!

ya know, i'm 27 years old now, so its time for me to stop acting like i am 17 at times. below is a list of things that i really need to learn to make life a lil bit easier for myself and those around me.

*quit overacting to things that i have absolutely no control over.

*realize that life is not like the movies (regardless of how much i wish it was like under the tuscan sun).

*not everyone is going to like me.

*life really is not fair. accept it. move on.

*to quit emotionally connecting myself to people who are not worth my time and effort.

*quit overthinking things that do not require that much thought.

*more patience.

*whats most important is right in front of my eyes.

*stop trying to please everyone.

*laugh more.

*to let things go.

*quit over-analyzing!!!!!!!

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

THE TOP FIVE.....

...things that people do to aggravate the living shit outta me.

drum roll please....

number five- a child who does not just scream, but schrills (yes, bella that includes you)

number four-cabinets (i.e kitchen) left open for no apparent reason

number three-people who do not know how to pick their feet up when they walk and drag their feet (c'mon folks, how lazy can ya be to not pick your feet up a few inches from the friggin' floor).

number two-people who use toothpicks in public.....GROSS!!

and the number one thing that people do to aggravate the living shit outta me is......


PEOPLE WHO CUT THEIR NAILS WITH CLIPPERS IN PUBLIC!!!!!! MAKE ME FUCKIN' THROW UP WHY DON'T YA!!

there ya have it folks, the top five things that you can do that will repulse me to no end :)

GOD I *HOPE* THIS IS TRUE!!

You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.


1. There are at least two people in this world that you would die for.

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3. One of the reasons why anyone would ever hate you is because they
want to be just like you, and can't.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like
you.

5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. You are special and unique.

8. Someone that you don't even know exists, loves you.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.

10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take another
look.

11. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the
rude remarks.


So......If you are a loving friend, send this to everyone, including
the one that sent it to you. If you get it back, then they really do
love you. And always remember.................When life hands you
lemons, ask for tequila and salt!!!!

Sunday, May 01, 2005

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY!!

you would have never thought that yesterday was a day filled with rain after the beautiful day we had today. hardly a cloud in the bright blue sky with a great wind that had a nice chill to it. in the 10 years that i have lived here, i cannot remember a time that it was this cool this far in the year.

today, mike went outside to mow the lawn and the neighbors gave him a basket of different colored roses/flowers from their garden (my goodness do they have a beautiful backyard filled with gorgeous flowers, a pond, a sitting area, and veggies). so after mike came home with the flowers we all went over there and they wanted to know if i wanted some of their plants to pot in our yard. of course i said yes, and mentioned that i had a major black thumb and i hope that they survive (this would be why we hardly have any flowers or plants in our yard. this of course does not include the fruit trees that mike has planted and the half dead plants on either side of our front door ;)

we had a nice time visiting with them. they are an older couple and i never really have had a conversation with them (mius the usual hello and goodbye) and they have lived next door to us for three years!!! this is due to the fact that in the past four years, me and mike have been hermits. hardly going outside but to mow the lawn and to go to and from the car. i don't know why we have been like this. my poor kids right? well, i vowed at the beginning of the year that we would get outside more. so far we've been good. grilling out all the time, sitting outside with the kids, etc. we are saving to build a better deck on the side of the house, so i am hoping that the summer will be filled with more outdoor time.

also, while mike and mikey were outside mowing the lawn, mikey picked some wild flowers for me. how sweet. i hope he grows up to be just as much of a sweetie :)

now for your viewing pleasure....


beautiful flowers from next door


another view of the flowers from next door


flowers that my darling lil boy picked for me


onions that the neighbors gave me


some parsley, chives, and basil i am growing on my window sill. can't believe i haven't killed these yet. time to repot these in bigger pots and start some new ones for gifts and such


some 3-leaf clovers i am growing from a 4-leaf clover kit i bought at books a million