I Got Not a Lot....

.......LOOK! A cute girlie!

....the only other bit to share is that I'm a'goin' to Big Hoffa's tonight for BBQ.

It's Been A While....

...so I've not been inclined to really do much blogging lately. No real reason. There really isn't much going on here. It's pretty well more of the same. But, alas, my dear friend Judy pointed out that I've been neglectful, so I suppose I'll bore you with some idle prattle. And delight you with a picture of my Medusa-haired little lady. I do love her so...Don't love it when she screams at me. But I will keep her around.

....let's see. The twins started sparring class recently. This past Friday was their second third class. They're doing really well. No crying off the mat for the little lady, which is a big big accomplishment. Yesterday we all went, and man, was the car ride home stinky! Collin has had two weeks now of working out with the adults. At first he was very apprehensive to work out with us, but now I think he's glad he's made the switch. He gave me a big bruise last week, and I accidentally beaned him with a reverse punch to the gut this week, so we're fairly matched. *winks*

...so Erin and I went today to pick out new glasses for her. She will soon sport a pair of blue frames. Aaron was a bit disconcerted by that, but I think she looks absolutely adorable in them. And it's something that SHE picked out for herself. Kind of like Collin and his long hair, I want my kids to be able to express their individuality in positive ways. I don't care what people say about them, so long as THEY feel happy with their decisions.

...after our trip to the eye doctor, we went to Michael's to spend my coupon. I bought some new paper, a box of cards with envelopes (winds up being cheaper in the long run to buy premade cards...go figure!), and a new stamp set. I am excited to work with them!

Cake Balls.... Thanks Judy, Pioneer Woman and Bakerella!

so Judy introduced me to cake balls, that were introduced to her by the Pioneer Woman (google it... I don't read her), that were introduced to her by Bakerella (again, use the power of Google).

this was a good activity to do with the kids. simply put, you take a cake...bake it according to directions... mush it up and mix it with almost a can of ready-made icing. roll into balls. cool. dip in chocolate.

























my fave pic of the day.

...hey look! it's actually ME in a pic!

The BMV and Why Online Renewals Might Not Be the Answer....

Below is the email I just sent to the BMV. Names have been changed to protect the less-than-innocent....

Dear Poor-Unsuspecting-Motherfucker:

Thank you for your response, but I can’t begin to tell you how livid I am right now. And there are a myriad of reasons:

I attempted to pay this well in advance of my due date. If something were wrong with my accounts, I think that I should have been contacted well before I had to inquire into the status of my payment. There have been no such communications until I contacted you via your website a week ago, inquiring as to why the money hadn’t been withdrawn from my account.
I really have to question an organization that handles so much of others’ money, yet will send out items to people which cost hundreds of dollars, yet haven’t seen payment for it! I received the renewal stickers in the mail within two weeks of attempting to pay my registration.
The problem with the account was ONE DIGIT. If someone had contacted me shortly after I attempted to pay, I would have immediately provided you with the correct account number.
Now, after immediately calling the number you provided learned that I am going to be hit with penalties that range from 50 to 80 dollars because of ONE DIGIT.
Renewing online is supposed to be easier, faster, and more convenient. Not only that, you are swaying people to use this site by promising them that they will get $5 off each registration. That’s all very kind, but my $15 worth of initial savings is approaching $65-$95 worth of money that I now have to pay that could be best utilized in necessities for my family.

Please let me know what avenues I need to take in order to lessen the amount of penalties I will have to pay.

Thank you in advance for your help with this.

Regards,
Stephanie

Work....

...quote of the day: "You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth. For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons, and to step out of life's procession, that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite." -- Kahlil Gibran

Kahlil, dude.... I work that I might eat, for to be idle is to go hungry.

That aside, I really do like my daily calendar. The ones I really like are taped on my monitor. Many of them have to do with kindness. And what's funny is that I actually had one of my colleagues call me today simply to thank me for always trying to be polite and nice about things, even when I'm telling people that what they've done is incorrect.

I try. I don't always succeed (ask Aaron and my family, especially.... or the unfortunate ones at work that just push me over). But I do try. There is no sense in not being kind.

A Full Weekend...

...the weekend has been a pretty good one. Yesterday, I went with Stephenie and Judy down to the Indiana State Fairgrounds to a paper crafts show. I loved being able to go and look around, but I didn't see anything that I just HAD to have. So I left empty-handed. We had a leisurely lunch at Steak n' Shake, and then I went home In the evening, Aaron and I went to a local bar, where a few of my friends from high school met us to watch the UFC fight. It was so weird to see people I'd not seen in so long. It was good to catch up with them.

...today, I woke up with a mighty hangover. I was about ready to drag my sorry bum out of bed, when Aaron came in and told me that we'd forgotten to set our clocks, and missed church. Oops. We then kind of hung around and did some errands. The twins had a playdate this afternoon, which went pretty well. I discovered that two hours is a good time for their age. Right about the time it was time for them to leave, the kids all starting getting on eachothers' nerves. So it was time. But they had a good time, and I'm hoping that we can do it again. I really enjoyed playing with friends as a kid, so I want to make sure to do that for them, too.
While the kids were here, though, I took the time to sew patches on Collin's Boy Scout uniform. I don't mind sewing, as I've been getting more familiar with my machine with doing cards. However, I do not like sewing with clear thread. It's so hard to work with. And I also do not like sewing on sleeves. Collin actually learned how to sew patches, which I didn't know. So he got to help. Because, let me tell ya, I was about ready to lose it. But it's done now, and I'm thankful for that.

...After I got done sewing, I discovered that Erin has another fever. It's actually climbed up to about 103 now. So she'll be staying home tomorrow and heading to the doctor. *sigh* I thought we were headed to the end of the sick season.

Almost There!

....Love this pic of Erin. She never ceases to amaze me with her creativity and beauty. I could yum on her all day. Of course, she's a wiggle worm, which wears me the heck right out. But she's a cute wiggle worm.

....I wrote the check for my final medical bill from last year. Am so glad to finally be out from underneath it. Next to tackle the credit cards.... we shall see. I think that I'm going to take part of my tax refund and save it for our family vacation this year. We're due for something fun. But after this school year, our daycare bill will go down to next to nothing, and I can't wait for that. Being broke sucks, yo!

....Have a fun weekend planned out ahead of me. Tomorrow night is sparring. Then I'll take my yucky butt to the Winter Carnival at school (funny that they're having it two weeks before Spring, but you don't see my sorry ass signing up for the PTO, either!). Saturday, I have a date with the girlfriends to go to the Fairgrounds for a paper crafts show. Am stoked. Beyond. Belief. Nothing like a bit of shopping when the mojo's in town. am going to take out a finite amount of cash, though, and take that with me. When it's gone, it's gone. Saturday night, we have plans to meet up with a few of my old high school guy friends to watch the UFC fight and catch up a bit. I can't wait! Hopefully Sunday will be spent relaxing. We shall see.

My Little Man....

...moments like these make it to where you're still amongst the living.

...This morning, you decided that you would be angry at me for not letting you change your undies, even though you'd just put them on after your bath last night. You then wouldn't get dressed. And then you complained that you were cold. So I helped you get dressed. You're six. I shouldn't have to help you. You then dorked around and didn't get your shoes on.....on and on this morning, until you missed the bus. Then got mad at me that you weren't riding the bus.

...Yes, some days you make life incredibly difficult. But you're still my little man, and I love you lots. You're so incredibly lucky that you're cute!

Cards!

...am slowly but surely finding my crafting mojo. Here are some cards I made last night and tonight. They look not unlike the cards I've already posted. Funny how you tend to groove with one style or another.

...not much else ado Chez Byers. Aaron's out tonight to attend the parents' meeting for the sex ed talks that will be happening later in the month. Can I crawl under the covers until he's about 25? The twins will be graduated by then, too. Can I, can I, can I?

Happiness....

...I love the Dalai Lama....

"I believe that the very purpose of our live is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we are all seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness...."

This speaks to me, especially in my quest to find faith.

A Great Day...

....today was a good day. Aaron went with his friend Jon downtown to see an English soccer game. While he was gone, I was able to sort all the laundry, get our taxes done, and file about three months' worth of bills. We then went to McAllister's for lunch (it's a deli). After feeding our faces, the girls went to Michael's and the boys went to Best Buy. When we got home, I scrapped one layout and made four cards. It feels so good to be creating again. Part of me felt like getting rid of all my stuff not so long ago. I wasn't using it, and felt headachy just looking at it. But lately, I've been trying to be kind to myself and have been slowly getting my mojo back. And it feels awesome. I'm tossing up the idea of opening an Etsy store. But my fear is that when my crafting mojo leaves the house, it's very hard to get back. So I'm not sure it's going to work. We'll see. Feel free to head over to my crafting blog to let me know if you'd entertain the idea of buying the cards I've posted.

...and I'm sad that this pic is a blurry, but I love it anyway.