Release dates and January's top 5

First things first, we must discuss release dates of some very long awaited albums! Up first on February 14th, we have the new Lady Gaga album entitled, "Born This Way." It would be Gaga's junior album, and if your a fan of hers you have been waiting for "Born This Way," since the and of the last track on her sophomore album, "The Fame Monster." My best friend Alyssa and I cannot wait to see what she will be bringing to the dance floor with this new album!!

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1656524/lady-gaga-born-this-way.jhtml - MTV talks "Born This Way," and Gaga :)

The other MUCH anticipated album release happening this year is from none other than Ms. Britney Spears! Her new album is called, "Hold It Against Me." I didn't see this one coming for at least another year, but here we are at the end of January and she has confirmed a release date for the thang! The title track to the album has already been released for sale on iTunes and hit number one for sales in less than an hour.... It has a very (dare I say) Ke$ha sound, but the girl has this one on lock. I think I am more excited to hear this album than the Gaga album.With Britney, it's a guessing game (much like her personal life) but will always be something worth getting in on. While our girl Gaga is a for sure dance-around-the-house hit. 

http://www.britneyspears.com/ - Brits official site :)

Soooo, my top five.

This month I have decided to start blogging about my top five items of the month. These could be anything from make up to socks, to shopping centers, to shoes - it's just some of the best things I have come to love in a particular month. Hahaha, hope this isn't lame.

1. BCBG MaxAzria velour hoodie. I got it at Marshall's and love wearing it. It is bedazzled all over, including throughout a huge graphic on the back. I, in the past, have tried to steer clear of anything velour because it makes me think of hip hop dancers. That was, until I found this hoodie. Sounds ridiculous, and it just might be, but its wonderful. Sorry no pic, but if you know me - then you have seen me wearing it :)

2. Boots Shine Control Moisturizer. It is a water based moisturizer, so it doesn't give an even shinier complexion when dry. The thing I love about this moisturizer, is that it doesn't take forever to absorb into the skin. I have an combination/oily skin type and have a difficult time finding a moisturizer that doesn't make my T zone seem EVEN shinier after I apply make up. Well, here it is!

3. The movie, "A Bug's Life." I used to watch this movie with my brothers when they were growing up, and haven't seen it in quite some time. The kids got it today from Fred Meyer and LOVED IT. Todd has become a during-the-movie talker, so he had a great time with this one. Isabel now wants to be a princess ant for Halloween. :))

4. Adding French Vanilla creamer to my hot chocolate in the mornings. The coffee stand Locals calls this a French Kiss and serve it around Valentines Day, YUMS!!

5. Knight and Day. It's that action/adventure/comedy/romance movie with Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise, where he is a spy and she isn't. I didn't know what to expect when I got it at Wal-Mart for 9 dollars, but it was fab! Funny, excellent stunts and some very funny one liners. Kind of kid friendly... No nudity, no gore but some violence and foul language. Still a must see for a date night!.....Not that I go on those. :-/

That's it! Hope it wasn't too lame for all of you :)

XOXO

Yipeeeeee!!

So here is my first official blog on my new laptop! I’m not even sure what it’s called, but it’s awesome. Period. I am lying in bed writing this as the kids are falling asleep to The Little Mermaid, how awesome is this?!


Anywho, I was able to pick up the car on Thursday after work with the help of my mom , Isabel is starting Princess Ballet on Thursday and my tax return came through! On top of that, it was pay day the same day the refund check came through, so it’s been a really great Friday!

Work is about the same as it usually is and I have been studying like crazy for my re test this Saturday… ahhh! I am very nervous and will for sure be leaning on God that day for a steady mind and less nerves. I think, right now, its fear of the unknown that is killing me! The test in broken into two parts – a written exam consisting of 60 multiple choice questions, and a skills evaluation. The written I am not sooo concerned about, it’s the exam portion that has me nervous. I will have to be able to complete 5 NAC skills in 25 minutes without failing one. They range from finger nail care to peri care to ambulation. Everyone I have spoken to says not to over think it, just relax and get it done. I pray God’s peace and ability to focus that day!

What else….

Well, that’s all Ican think of right now. Keep ya posted!



XOXO

Us lately :)

So I know that I have become the "every once in a while" blogger, but things have become busy again! Ahh!

We haven't been up to anything out of the normal, it just seems that the kids are getting more ansy to be outside! We are so excited for summer to come! Couple of upcoming items to be aware of:

1. Isabel starts dance class in two weeks - still deciding on ballet or tap.
2. I re-test in Bellingham in two weeks, so please be in prayer!
3. Todd might be starting swimming class :)

Other than all of that, my car died on Friday and I have to get it to the mechanic today or tomorrow. It looks to be and alternator issue. All I have to say if that it couldn't have happened at a better time - I get my tax refund by this Friday! Praise God!

As usual, here are some recent pictures of the kids and I :)

Us at Forest Park, it was freezing that day!!

Watching the last hawks game of the season :)

FINALLY they were done!

Isabel making a crayon mustache, haha.

XOXO

Staind - Everything Changes (Acoustic)

:)

Plans, plans, plans....

With my 2010 taxes completed and accepted by the IRS, I now have two short weeks until my return is due into my checking account. With that also being a pay day, I have plenty of ideas on how to spend SOME of it. Yeah, I said it. SOME of the money, not all of it.

As most of you know, I give my folks a lump of it because they let me live here for free. Then after that, my only plans are to enroll Isabel in her ballet class again; enroll Todd in some kind of activity outside of church and get another tattoo. Of coarse, there will be the forward paying of some of my bills, but after that I hope to save the rest.

Now, the tattoo I have been giving some thought too and have come up with two ideas. The first, is to get this helmet tattoed at the base of my neck with the words "helmet of salvation" under it.

Just imagine it without the feathers on the sides, and diamonds or pearls on it somewhere, or maybe a crown on the front.

I want to have it on the base of my neck about medium sized, with the jewels or pearls in color. I look forward to having the people at Sunken Ship Tattoo do this for me :)

Hold that thought, I have to go get dinner out of the oven.....

XOXO

She has the gift of lyrics :)

Banana Boats

I recently led a cooking group at work where I was able to make the delicious snacks called banana boats.... they are fabulous!

I'm not sure where my work got the recipe, but I remember it in my head. So, here we go!

1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
5 regular sized bananas
Foil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

On a cookie sheet, using the foil, create a base on which the banana will not be able to wobble once filled. Place the banana on the cookie sheet in its natural "u" shape. Cut into the banana about halfway down and continue lengthwise, leaving about 1/2" space at the end.

Using your hands, open the banana up a little bit (creating a place to stuff all the ingredients into). Then start filling! We always start with the chocolate chips, because once the banana itself gets heated, the chocolate chips will melt with ease. Then we usually pack in some coconut and the top it off with the marshmallows.

Bake at 450 degrees for just under 10 minutes and they come out looking like this....

They might  not look very appetizing,but they are DELICIOUS!

We have also done this with peanut butter and chocolate chips topped off with the mallows and it is equally as good! Give this one a go, its great :))

Isabel, Conner and I love them!!

XOXO

SLEEK

Ok, so I have been watching the girls at Pixiwoo do make up for almost a year now and they use this fabulous brand called Sleek Make Up. They swear by these products and claim that they are one of the best quality, most inexpensive brands on the UK market. I gave them a look online and its TRUE!!

Here's the link to Sleek. The pallets are only $10..... but be warned, they ship from the UK so I have no idea how much shipping is.... maybe I can find a supplier in the states.....

The new trend for Spring/Summer 2011 is ACIDS. I'm always ready to give brights a try :)

Keep ya posted.

XOXO

TREND: Summer Acid brights tutorial

Love these :))

Isn't he precious!!

What a star!

These are my kids and I LOVE them very much!! They are getting sooooo big!

Look Up

So I tried to blog about this last night, but the blogger website wasn't behaving like it usually does...

I still have not come up with a title for this post, and even as I write that.... nothing comes to mind. I want to write about hearing today.

I pose one question to you: what kind of a 'hearer' are you? I'm not talking about listening and yes, I understand that 'hearer' is NOT a word. I most recently had an "ah-hah!!" moment (I try not to credit Oprah with hardly anything, but here I go) that led me to understand the issue I have been blindly fighting for 4 years now. It has been an ever constant, ever pressure full and often times emotionally exhausting battle that has consumed many a day in my world.

I have been trying to get someone in my daughters world to hear me. To empathize and just straight up hear what I have been saying for her entire life. I have gone to embarrassing lengths at times to be heard; all it does is make me look foolish and I still don't get the satisfaction of knowing that a concern of mine for Isabel has been voiced and received in its full capacity. Have you ever had someone that has seriously let you down, forget to hear what your saying to them because they are so concerned with what their response will be that they miss everything you just said? It can be so disrespectful and very frustrating to know that they neither care or want to hear what you have to say. What's worse, is that this battle of speaking and not being heard is about my daughter. She is one of two primary concerns for me in this world and I have done everything in my power to be heard for her. What I have found is that nothing I can do or say will ever make me be heard by this person. I'm not sure if it's the past that leads them to turn a deaf ear to me, or if they simply think I don't hear them either. Even more, how many times have I doubted my own words because they weren't being received well by the other person. I have filled the remainder of my glass these last few years, with self doubt and anxiety. That is until Christ opened the flood gates and allowed me to be hit by His awesome love.

If you have never given Beth Moore, a women's devotional author and speaker, a looksey I will recommend her to anyone reading this blog. She writes books, leads mass seminars for women, appears on tv every week and is overall one of the most engaging women I have ever encountered. Not only has God blessed her with an enormous calling to lead people to Christ, but she is a huge fan of hair and make up :) My sister, my mom and myself first encountered Beth when I was only a few weeks along in my pregnancy with Isabel. We had attended the women's bible study at our church called, The Patriarchs. This was a series of studies leading us through the first few books of the Old Testament. Then in 2009, my sister and my mom and I attended her nationwide telecast for her newest book called, "So Long Insecurity," and loved that one as well. It spoke specifically to the battles that women of any age face when dealing with all types of insecurities and how Christ died to save us from them. So needless to say, when I found Beth's book called, "Get Out of That Pit!" at the Warm Beach Christmas bizarre, I knew it was a must read. Although, I had started and forgotten about the book many times.

When I was at the end of my rope in December of last year, I was in need of spiritual guidance. I had spoken to my mom and sisters about what I was walking through spiritually, and they encouraged me as best they knew how.... to pray for and with me. I began reading the word more frequently and even got into the second chapter of Beth's book! I can't credit my "Ah-hah!!" moment to Oprah, or Beth Moore or to some kind of desperate need for guidance I have found within myself. I must, and will, credit it to the Lord of my life. How many hours have I wasted waging a battle against something that I will never be able to win? How many times have I raised my voice to just below a yell, in order to be heard?? It's been like yelling into a storm that persists to rage back at me; like trying to scream in a dream, only to find that my urgency and fear go without being heard. It's been.... well.... exhausting! Through the study of God's word in the book of Job and in reading the kind and loving words in Beth Moore's book about being in a pit, I have been able to nail this one to the cross for Christ to bear for me. He will be heard, whether people like it or not.

I know this has turned into a rather long and somewhat serious blog, but Christ has laid this message of understanding and hope in my heart and I can't help but tell people! What a freedom there is to be found in looking up out of my pit, and realizing that the blue sky has been there all along! I have just been too busy trying to make my own way out, that I never stopped to see the hope that lies before me.

So I pose the question again: What kind of hearer are you? Are you willing to empathize and try to understand where the person speaking to you is coming from? Do you focus too hard on your response, that you hit the mute button on the person speaking to you? Have you fallen into a pit of self doubt because you aren't being heard? Whatever your type, I ask you to look up. Stop yelling into the storm, and let God do it for you. I promise, He is far stronger and way better with His words than we are.

^"18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that^[h] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God."   
                            -Romans 8:18-21




I think I have my title now.

XOXO

2011: The Year of the Savings Account

That's right, I said it. 2011 is going to be my year of saving money. Up until now I have occasionally saved money, only to have to spend it on an emergency tire replacement or medical procedure or just an EXCESSIVE  amount of spending on unnecessary items. Well, that ended 2 days ago. I can say with a clean conscience that I have ZERO credit card debt. The honest truth is that I have too low a credit score to qualify for most credit cards, but I can now thank the Lord for that. I hear that credit cards are dangerous for people like me....

Anywho, here is what we did on New Years. Since both kids were either mildly or mid-to-serious sick, we stayed home and I tried to make the best of the evening with.......

 A Massive, floor to ceiling tent!

and of coarse...

Princess punch!!

I had planned on going to Sophie's house for the evening with my kids, but with them AND conner gettting really sick we opted to stay home. I had the idea for the tent on my way home and since I had all of their favorite snacks already purchased, we made it a great New Years Eve :) We started out with the unveiling of the tent, then went right to the first snack. CHEESE FILLED CROISSANTS - Toddie's favorite! All you have to do is buy the pre rolled croissant dough and put a cheese block in it before you roll it up. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until golden brown. YUMS!

Then we decided to play a few games....

Make up for Isabel :))

Cars from the great grandparents for Toddie :))

And then a great game of Hide-and-seek!

(taken just before she found me!)

After a while though, the kids began to get anxious or tired or something and they needed snack and their new Scooby Doo movie. So we sliced some apples, grabbed their boxes of rainbow colored goldfish and into the tent we went.

Overall the night was great. None of us made it to midnight, but that's ok. Maybe next year.

The kids and I have some bigs things poppin this year. Starting on the first, I have started keeping an eating journal (in hopes of recognizing the errors in my eating habbits) and a spending journal (I think that one speaks for itself). I am deciding to answer God's call to get out of this pit and to lead my family to joy in His will. I know this will be a huge benefit to the kids. Not that they are unhappy, but I look forward to having them understand Jesus' love for them this year. I have fallen asleep at the "spiritual wheel" for them and that ended three days ago. BAM! DONE!

I have a huge test coming up that I need to pass for some of the dreams I have to become realities. PLEASE be in prayer! 

Oh, and ofcoarse I did some New Years Eve make up on New Years Eve...

Gotta have the right music on to play make up. 

Eclipse soundtrack in case you were wondering :)

I had the entire weekend off from work, so the kids and I have had a great time together these last few days! Church and football today and then back to the grind tomorrow. Bring it on world, you don't overwhelm us as much anymore because....

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." JOHN 16:33

XOXO