All Done

Tonight is the last night of NaBloPoMo, as I'm sure you all know. I barely made it through. I seriously do want to start blogging more. The inspiration is what seems lacking. Anyway, it's over (even if I did cheat a day or too lol.)

I hope to see you soon!

Don't Bother

No need to read this post. I am stumped for something to say. I'm sleepy, it's been a long day, and I'm just sort of done. BUT I couldn't let it go. I just couldn't lol. One. More. Day.

Simple Woman's Daybook for 11/28/11

Find it here.

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...it’s dark and cold.

I am thinking...about bedtime.

I am thankful...for a pleasant day with 7 kids!

From the learning rooms...school is still off til Wednesday.

In the kitchen...we had ravioli and tossed salad! Yum!

I am wearing...pjs.

I am creating...a plan for Christmas.

I am going...to bed in just a few minutes!

I am wondering...what time I'll be getting up tomorrow.

I am reading...actually, I'm between books at the moment.

I am hoping...to start and finish Christmas shopping soon.

I am looking forward to...Christmas.

I am hearing...Jay and Britt getting ready for bed and being silly.

Around the house...I'm not doing anything else and you can't make me!

I am pondering...how to answer this question. I'm not in a philosophical place right now lol.

One of my favorite things...quiet time in my room.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Errands and the usual.

A picture thought:

Some Odds and Ends

*The Eagles lost. BOO!

*I could use some prayers for some upcoming opportunities.

*I've had a lovely holiday with the boys. We still have two more days but I'll be sad to see it end.

*I am stuffed. We had homemade pizza and ice cream cookie sammies (also homemade)for dinner.

*I can't believe NaNoBloPoMo is almost over!

*My car needs inspected. Thank you God for my dad, who's going to take care of that for me.

*I'm off to watch the Steelers game!

Calling All Chefs

I've mentioned before that I am a good cook. I'm pretty sure, if I was honest lol, that I've mentioned I tend to be timid in the kitchen. Cooking new dishes can overwhelm me until I get the hang of it. So here's my dilema. I bravely got spareribs, which I've never made, and am ready to try something new. Here's were you come in! I want to hear your recipes! Please, help me out!

Get Ready, Get Set...

UGH. Here we go....the Christmas rush is on. I LOVE Christmas, I really do. I just hate the pressure that comes with it. I want to try to get Christmas shopping and wrapping down ASAP because then? I can enjoy the boys and the season. Well, the countdown begins. Wish me luck!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a great time with lots of family. I hope everyone had as blessed a day as we did!

Music

Today's prompt is to write about a song (the prompt called it a piece of music)that changed your life. It mentions writng about how it makes you feel now.

I've certainly had life changing moments. There have been people who've changed my life. I've read books that changed my life. But a song? Don't get me wrong. I LOVE music. It's just that I guess I've always thought of it as a way of expressing or emphasizing the way I was feeling at any given moment. So while I wouldn't say a song has changed my life, there are songs I associate with the things I've lived through. Perhaps my favorite is "Angel Lullaby" by Richard Marx. It touched my heart from the first time I heard it because it said so perfectly how I felt about being a parent. I loved it so much I used it in a montage of the boys. (Please note: I've posted this before but I thought I'd put it here again since I'm talking about it.) I've watched that video so many times I can see it perfectly in my mind just listening to the song. Whether I watch the video or just hear the song now, it always makes me cry, especially the lines "I'll never catch all those memories I'm chasing, never be ready to let go."

"Angel's Lullaby" lyrics:
I was never alive
til the day I was blessed by you
When I hold you late at night
I know what I was put here to do

I turn off the world
and listen to you sigh
and I will sing my angel's lullaby

The one forever near
The one you call always call
Right now all you know to fear
are the shadows on your wall

And I'm here close enough
to kiss the tears you cry
And I will sing my angel's lullaby

So tell me how to stop the years from racing?
Is there a secret someone knows?
I'll never catch all those memories I'm chasing
Never be ready to let go

And when the world seems cold
You feel all of your strength is gone
There may be one tiny voice
Your reason to carry on

And when I'm not close enough
to kiss the tears you cry
You will sing your angel's lullaby
Let this be our angel's lullaby

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

More Jokes

Tonight's post is again brought to you by Cory and there's one from Ty too this time!

Cory: Yo mama's so stupid she threw a rock at the ground and missed.

A blonde girl decides to do a puzzle so she grabs the puzzle and pours out all the peices and tries to put it together. After a while of trying she gets frustrated and calls her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asks, "Honey, whats wrong?" She says, "I'm trying to put this puzzle together but I can't do it." Her boyfriend asks what the picture on the front of the box looks like. The blonde says, "Well, the background is blue and there is a tiger on it." Her boyfriend sighs and says, "Honey, put the cornflakes back in the box."

Ty: Yo mama is so fat that when she wears her raincoat, everyone yells "Taxi!"

Simple Woman's Daybook for 11/22/11

Find it here.

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...it’s dark and cold.

I am thinking...about Thanksgiving.

I am thankful...for opportunities that come my way.

From the learning rooms...The boys did their homework lol.

In the kitchen...we had burgers! Yum!

I am wearing...pants and a shirt.

I am creating...nothing. I'm not that crafty and I HATE thinking of answers to this question LOL.

I am going...to have a busy day tomorrow!

I am wondering...what's in the near future.

I am reading...a mystery series with a caterer as the main character.

I am hoping...to start and finish Christmas shopping soon.

I am looking forward to...Thanksgiving.

I am hearing...silence. The 3 older boys are upstairs and Logan is VERY quietly watching tv.

Around the house...I'm not doing anything else and you can't make me!

I am pondering...how to answer this question. I'm not in a philosophical place right now lol.

One of my favorite things...ice water.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Errands and stuff tomorrow, babysitting Wednesday, and Thanksgiving Thursday! Woot!

A picture thought:

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

I stole this meme from Camille's blog, who stole it from a blog, and so on lol. The entire premise is to steal memes/prompts/ideas from other blogs. That's so fantastic. The tag they signed off with was:

"Cheers to us thieves!"

1. Have you ever licked the back of a CD to try to get it to work? No. There's no proof and I'm sticking to that. LOL

2. What’s the largest age difference between yourself and someone you’ve dated? 15 years and it was the most serious bf I ever had.

3. Ever been in a car wreck? Yes

4. Have you ever been on a blind date? Yes...2 of them

5. Are looks important? To a point, yes. But only because society seems to tell us they are. My opinion is the most gorgeous person will be ugly to you if you don't like them and the homliest will be attractive to you if you like who they are.

6. Do you have any friends that you’ve known for 10 years or more? Yes.

7. By what age would you like to be married? I'm 40 and not married. At this point, it's probably not gonna happen.

8. Have you ever made a mistake? ME? Never! LOL...come on. This is kind of a stupid question.

9. Are you a good tipper? Very. As long as you’re a good waiter/waitress.

10. What’s the most you have spent for a haircut? About $20

11. Have you ever had a crush on a teacher? Yes but not one of MINE lol.

12. Have you ever peed in public? No

13. What song do you want played at your funeral? Whatever makes anyone left behind feel better.

14. Would you tell your parents if you were gay? Yes

15. What would your last meal be before getting executed? Lasagna I think but how do you really pick?

16. Beatles or Stones? Beatles

17. If you had to pick one person on earth to die, who would it be? I can only think of one person and (s)he will remain nameless. I bet those of you who know me could guess, though.

18. Beer, wine or hard liquor? Wine. Rarely. As in a glass every few years rarely.

20. Do you have any phobias? Bees. And being restrained or unable to move.

21. Do you ever walk around the house naked? Yes

22. If you were an animal what would you be? Why? I guess a dog as it seems to fit a lot about my personality.

23. If suffering an injury, would you rather be left blind or deaf? Let me think a minute....um deaf because I already am!

24. Do you have any special talents? Meh

25. What do you do as soon as you walk in the house? Check my voice mail and computer.

26. Do you like horror or comedy? Both.

27. Are you missing anyone? Yes. Very much.

28. Where do you want to live when you are old? Right here I think.

29. Who is the person you can count on the most? Me.

30. What did you dream last night? I don’t remember any dreams from last night.

31. What is your favorite sport to watch? Football

32. Are you named after anyone? No.

33. What is your favorite alcoholic drink? Wine

34. Non alcoholic drink? Water or iced tea

35. Have you ever been in love? Yes

36. Do you sing in the shower? Yes.

37. What is your favorite Holiday? Christmas

38. Would you ever get plastic surgery? Yes

39. Have you ever caught a fish? Yes.

40. When was the last time you felt like crying? Last Wednesday.

41. Can you cook? Yes, yes I can.

I saw IT

I saw "Breaking Dawn: Part 1." I took Brittanie to it, actually. I'm not going to go into details because most people either love it and want to see it or hate it and don't want to hear about it. I loved it. It was exciting, close enough to the book, and ended in THE perfect way. I'm so excited for Part 2!

Joy

Today's prompt asks for the happiest moment of your life. Oh my smurf! How do you quantify that and pick only one moment?


I think most mothers would probably pick the birth(s) of their child(ren). Similarly, many people might expect that the days that the boys' adoptions were finalized might be mine. I can't say that, though. I was happy, most certainly. I wanted to be their mother so very much. But the joy of that day was tempered because while I gained that day, they lost. And no matter what the situations were, four sets of parents lost. Add to that that the finalizations were, because of the situations in foster care, the end of several years of stress for everyone. I guess it felt more like relief mixed with happiness.

Looking back, I just wouldn't pick one happiest moment. The happiest momentS for me? Are those silly, peaceful, loving moments with the boys that can happen at any time and are too numerous to count.

Cheating? Me?

Ha....I don't think I need to say anything more about that.

Growing Up

Today's prompt: What is the moment you leave childhood and enter adulthood?

I think this is a hard question because obviously we mature in steps, not in the course of one moment or event. The ways in which we react to these events are what prove if we are children or adults. Even if you WERE going to narrow it down to a single moment, how would you do that? Not everyone experiences the same events at the same time in their lives. Duh. A sixteen year old girl whose parents have died might become an adult in the course of dealing with that event. Does that mean that someone who is 40 and whose parents are still living is NOT an adult? Of course not. And what about graduating, getting married, having children? See the difficulty there?

Finally...I'd just like to say that I am a 40 year old mom to 4 kids and there are days I'm not sure I'm an adult yet! I still have my share of "Holy crow! I'm the mom!" moments lol.

My Favorite Place

Today's NaNoBloMo prompt is:

Describe a favorite place, Focus on how that place afects your sense of taste, touch, sight, sound, or smell.

Over the past summer, I realized that one of my favorite places was the lake. I took the boys fishing but mostly? I'd just sit and relax. The air is fresh and cooler there. The breeze bears the smell of the water. I can't describe that smell, but anyone who's experienced it knows what I mean. There's something so peaceful about it that even the boys were quieter and got along better there. Well, usually. I think it's the visual beauty surrounding us there combined with the quiet sounds of waves lapping at the shore and birds as they fly overhead. It all comes together to make it a favorite place of mine.

Simple Woman's daybook For 11/14/11

Find it here.

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...it’s dark and dreary.

I am thinking...about tomorrow night.

I am thankful...for my friends.

From the learning rooms...It's hard to get the boys to do their homeowrk with extra kiddos here. Imagine that!

In the kitchen...we're having a casserole!

I am wearing...jeans and a tee.

I am creating...some organization out of this chaos.

I am going...to bed early tonight!

I am wondering...when I'll have some answers.

I am reading...a mystery series with a caterer as the main character.

I am hoping...to start and finish Christmas shopping soon.

I am looking forward to...Wednesday night.

I am hearing...kids loudly playing.

Around the house...there are lots of toys out.

I am pondering...how to answer this question. I'm not in a philosophical place right now lol.

One of my favorite things...chocolate!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Errands and stuff tomorrow, babysitting Wednesday.

A picture thought:

Gotta Love Sundays

I can't say enough how much I love fall/winter Sundays of good food and football! I'm babysitting today and tonight though so I don't have much of a post in me.

I hope everyone's Sundays were as nice as mine!

92 Questions

I got this from my friend Camille's blog. It looked cool so I did it.

Full Name: Rebecca Jean
Age: 40
Birthday: May 10

1. Last beverage : Ice Water
2. Last phone call : My cousin Dawn
3. Last text message : My brother Kevin
4. Last song : "Follow Me" by Uncle Kracker
5. Last time you cried : Today

HAVE YOU EVER:

6. Dated someone twice : Yes
7. Been cheated on : Yes
8. Kissed someone & regretted it: Yes
9. Lost someone special : Yes
10. Been depressed : Yes
11. Been drunk and threw up : No

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:

12. Blue
13. Yellow
14. Sage green

SINCE LAST YEAR (2010), HAVE YOU:

15. Made a new friend : Yes
16. Fallen out of love : No
17. Laughed until you cried : Yes
18. Met someone who changed you : No
19. Found out who your true friends were : I think I already know that.
20. Found out someone was talking about you : No
21. Kissed anyone on your FB friend's list : No

GENERAL:

22. How many FB friends do you know in person: In person? They're all people.
24. Do you have any pets : Yes (3 cats, 1 dog)
25. Do you want to change your name : No
26. What did you do for your last birthday: Nothing. It sucked.
27. What time did you wake up today : 5:15
28. What were you doing at midnight last night : Sleeping.
29. Whats something you can't wait for: Thanksgiving
30. Last time you saw your father : I week ago when I was at my parents' house.
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life? I'd really only change 2 things...my health and finances.
32. What are you listening to right now: The tv blaring in the other room.
33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom? Yes...my most serious ex boyfriend.
34. What's getting on your nerves right now : The blaring tv in the other room.
35. Most visited webpage : Facebook
37. Nickname(s): Becky, Beck
38. Last Book you read: "The Body In the Gallery" by Katharine Hall Page
39. Zodiac Sign : Taurus
40. He or She: Eh?
41. Elementary : Charleston Elementary and Don Gill Elementary.
42. High School : Wellsboro Area High
43. College: Bloomsburg University then Mansfield University
44. Hair color : Dark Brown
46. Height : 4' 7"
47. Do you have a crush on someone? Not currently
48. What do you like about yourself? My intelligence, my sense of humor, I could go on lol
50. Tattoos : No!
51. Righty or lefty : Righty

FIRSTS :

52. First surgery: Open heart surgery
53. First piercing : Ears
54. First best friend: Ann.
55. First sport you joined : Softball.
56. First vacation : I honestly can't remember.

RIGHT NOW :

59. Eating: Nothing. I'm actually full! That's rare.
60. Drinking: Ice Water
61. I'm about to: Finish this note
62. Listening to: Um...the stupid blaring tv in the other room lol.
63. Waiting for: Bedtime.

YOUR FUTURE :

64. Want kids? : I have four. I'm done but I think that means yes.
65. Get Married? : Maybe.
66. Career? : Mom and teacher

WHICH IS BETTER :

67. Lips or eyes : Eyes.
68. Hugs or kisses : Both please.
69. Shorter or taller : Taller
70. Older or Younger : Older
71. Romantic or spontaneous : Romantic
72. Nice stomach or nice arms : Arms
73. Sensitive or loud : Sensitive
74. Hook-up or relationship: Relationship
75. Funny or Shy?: Funny

HAVE YOU EVER :

76. Kissed a stranger : No
77. Drank hard liquor : No
80. Broke someone's heart : I hope not.
81. Had your own heart broken : Yes
82. Been arrested : No
83. Turned someone down : Yes
84. Cried when someone died : Yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

86. Yourself : Yes
87. Miracles : Yes
88. Love at first sight: Yes.
89. Heaven : Yes
90. Santa Claus: I am Santa Claus.
91. The tooth fairy: I am the Tooth Fairy.
92. Angels : Yes

Thank You!

I just want to take today to thank all the veterans for all they've done for me and this great country of ours!

Happy Veteran's Day:

Mom
Dad
Grandpa C
Grandpa K
Uncles C
Uncles K
Kimmi
Cory (my cousin)
Victor (cyber nephew)

Each and every service man and woman...past or presently serving!

Thanks! I owe you my life and my freedom!

Thirty in One

I've seen lots of people doing "thirty days of thanks" but I didn't get started earlier so I thought I'd just list 30 things I'm grateful for.

So, I'm thankful for...

1. God.
2. My sons.
3. My parents.
4. My brother, sister, and their spouses.
5. My other close family members.
6. My friends.
7. My furbabies.
8. My home (dumpy as it is).
9. Having enough to eat. Well, food in general. I love to eat!
10. Music
11. The health of my loved ones.
12. My computer.
13. The internet.
14. Coffee.
15. Chocolate.
16. For living where the older boys can walk to and from school and sports practices.
17. Football (It's fun but mainly? It brings me closer to my sons)
18. Books.
19. Answered prayers.
20. My bed.
21. The wonderful memories I have of growing up and my sons' childhoods.
22. Laughter.
23. Fresh air.
24. The stars.
25. My car.
26. Lilacs and irises.
27. Lightening bugs.
28. Hot tubs.
29. Hugs.
30. T.V. lol.

Jokes

I was having trouble coming up with a topic tonight. It's been a struggle this year but you can probably tell that by the lame posts. Here is Cory's attempt to help me out with a joke.

A brunette is walking down some train tracks repeating, "23, 23, 23..." A blonde hears and asks her why she's saying that. The brunette doesn't answer, so the blonde just joins her. Hearing a train coming, the brunette clears the tracks while the blonde stays on the tracks repeating, "23, 23, 23..." The train hits the blonde. The brunette hops back on the tracks and chants, "24, 24, 24..."

A Quick Note

The last two posts are both supposed to have links in them. I can't seem to get them in and working. I'm not giving up....just letting you know lol.

Now, since I am tired tonight...that is all.

Simple Woman's Daybook for November 7th 2011

Find it here.

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...it’s a dark, late fall night.


I am thinking...about everything I need to get done tomorrow.


I am thankful...for all the food that's in my freezer.


From the learning rooms...the boys are all doing well in school and are pretty independednt when it comes to homework. I did help Jay with a few equations tonight but he got the idea fairly quickly.


In the kitchen...we had baked ziti for dinner. Yum!

I am wearing...my pajamas. It IS 8:30!


I am creating...ugh! This one gets me every time lol.

I am going...to bed soon!

I am wondering...when I'm going to get a job.

I am reading...a mystery series with a caterer as the main character.

I am hoping...to start and finish Christmas shopping soon.

I am looking forward to...Thanksgiving.

I am hearing...Ty yelling for me to come watch the Eagles game with him.

Around the house...meh lol.

I am pondering...my occupational future. maybe teaching isn't going to work out.

One of my favorite things...the Eagles game!

A few plans for the rest of the week: None are really set. I'd like to wrok if I can.

A picture thought: I LOVE this picture of Cory.

Check It Out

So. I love to read. It runs in my family...if you know me or have read my blog, you most likely know this. We love to read so much that my brother has a a little indie bookstore. It's awesome really! They are great at finding what you need and they ship. They're updating their site so check it out.

Fall

I love fall but we seem to have skipped it this year. At least fall weather. It seems like it went straight from summer to winter. And with 4 kids in 5 sports? Time just flew! I can't believe it's November and that Thanksgiving is just around the corner. It just seems the older I get, the faster time flies. It's my least favorite part of aging I think.

Anyway, I HATE the cold weather outside and, as my friends will tell you, I am a total snow grinch but I DO love cold weather cooking and making the house as cozy as I can. I'm so excited for lasagna, roast, and all the other great meals cold weather brings. Of course, I'll be ready for grilling by the time it's all over lol.

More of Miss Britterbug

Just because!

Halloween 2011

Cory was The Crow and went trick or treating with friends. Jay was Freddie Krueger and Logan was Scream. The beautiful Kitty is my niece Brittanie. I have no pics of Ty because he didn't want to go since his girlfriend wasn't allowed to. Sigh...the teen years.

Update November 2011

If you're reading this, you're awesome! Here's the promised update:

Cory: His back has seemingly FINALLY recovered and he's had a fantastic season with cross country. He's doing good in school. At 16 now, he's anxious to start driving lol. Mommy? Not so much. He turned out ot be my first case for stitches hehehe. I recently got a call from school that he'd chiseled his hand in wood shop and could I come take him to the ER? He's fine now, though.

Ty: He's doing great in school and had an AWESOME year for soccer and isn't too shabby at his first year of football, either.

Jay: He's doing well in school and has grown up so much since I last wrote. I'm so proud of him! He's just doing so well. He had a great year for soccer as well. He made a wicked good goalie!

Logan: He's an ace at school and is just plowing happily through life. He's currently sick but it's just strep throat and a round of antibiotics will have him fixed right up.

Me: Well, there's not much new here. I'm doing ok...plugging along, still looking for some sort of steady job.

We offically welcomed my niece Brittanie into the family Oct 17th. We love you, Brit!

There's not much in the way of actual news...we're just keeping on keeping on round here!

Holy Crow!

It's November again and that means NaBloPoMo. I'm going to give it a go but I'm not making any promises lol.

I haven't written for almost a year. It seems hard to believe so much time has gone by. I'm not entirely sure WHY I haven't posted. I've started posts several times and deleted them. I guess there are a few reasons. It's a little weird for me to post given that most of the people, if not all, who read my blog are people I see or talk to everyday and already know about almost anything I'd have to say here. Then of course there's the fact that we've been busy, especially lately. This fall has brought on a slurry of 5 sports for 4 boys. Soccer and cross country are over and football nearly so now. I hope that means more time to just hang out and relax but we'll see.

Anyway, here I am and I'll post an update tomorow.