Mimi's Blog

Good Morning! I was just checking out my mom's blog and she's finally posted some new pictures of the pool/pool house and some from the Starr's Mill shoot. A lot of my favorites are on there so go check them out!
http://www.georgiarectors.blogspot.com/

Joints, Drizzle and Mileage

We had a serious cold front blow in Thanksgiving day. Our highs have been in the low 50's and in the 30's at night. I'm having a hard time this year with the weather changes. My left hand was so sore on Friday and Saturday it was basically useless. I'm doing much better today but it's one more reminder that I have arthritis (due to my Lupus) and it's only going to get worse as I get older.

The joint pain may be due to the rain we've been getting since Thursday as well. It's been on and off and I shouldn't be complaining since we're in a severe drought, but the dreary skies make me want to curl up on the couch and not move. Sort of impossible with work and 2 kids running crazy through the house. Thoughts of dropping the boys off at Marguerite's and crawling back into bed were in my head as I made my way to the shower this morning at 4:45. Mondays suck, but wet Mondays suck more.

As I was driving to work today (in the rain which I hate), I noticed I have reached 65,000 miles on the Expedition. Holy cow! In one year, I've put on 30,000 miles. I thought you were only supposed to put on 15,000-20,000 in one year. Maybe I should add this to my new year's resolution list...drive less.

BTW - I totally neglected my camera on Thanksgiving. I remembered to take it out while Bumpa carved the turkey and I also took a picture of the yummy food on my plate, but other than that it just collected dust.

Button Ornament

Sorry Debbie, but buttons are really in this year. I made this ornament in about 5 minutes with the boys running circles around me so they're definitely nice and easy. I think they'll be a nice addition to our tree this year.

Joy To The World

I made this today while the boys took a nap and Jason was at work. It's an altered hanging canvas.

Lovely Fall Days

It's been so beautiful here lately. The temps have been in the low 70's so the boys have been playing outside a lot. Ayden especially likes playing in the leaf piles that haven't made their way into the fire pit yet. Jameson wouldn't stay put long enough for me to get a good picture. He kept ending up as a big blur. Oh well.

Button Trees

We're going with a fun, bright, non-traditional color scheme this year for Christmas. I knew I wanted to make these button trees and asked for Ayden's help with picking out the buttons. This is what we ended up with and I have to admit that I'm very happy with how they turned out. Unfortunately, the medium sized tree is only half finished because I ran out of buttons and JoAnn's needs to order more.

Redneck Yardwork

If one has a massive black walnut tree in one's yard that drops thousands of walnuts every 2 years, how does one go about disposing of them all?

With a shopvac...duh!

It was actually very effective! By God Steve, he is your kid!

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I was driving into work today (no traffic at all!) they had people calling in on the radio to say what they are thankful for this holiday season. It made me stop and think that I have so many things to be thankful for.

jason and the boys - I'd be lost without them
my parents - wisconsin and georgia
fabulous in-laws
boo boo & clyde clyde - both are a total waste of space but complete our family
our home - it may not be huge, but it's ours
seat belts - they have kept me from getting seriously hurt during 2 car accidents
my job - not too many people can say they truly enjoy their job
good friends
good health - i've been steroid free for 7 months and my lupus is still doing well

I could go on forever it seems! I hope that all of you have a full list of things to be thankful for going into the 2007 holiday season. The Payne's wish you the a very happy Thanksgiving.

BTW - I have some pictures to post from the past week, but haven't downloaded them yet.

Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies

Ingredients:
1 package Pillsbury Classic Fudge Brownie mix

1/4 cup butter, melted

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 canPillbury Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degree. In a medium bowl, beat brownie mix, melted butter, cream cheese and egg until well blended (dough will be sticky).


2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets to make 24 cookies (I only got 18); smooth edge of each to form round cookie.


3. In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and peanut butter with spoon until mixture forms a ball. with hands, roll rounded teaspoonfuls peanut butter mixture into 24 balls. Lightly press 1 ball into center of each ball of dough.


4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until edges are set. Cool on cookie sheets for at least 30 minutes.


5. Spread thin layer of frosting over peanut butter portion of each cooled cookie.

Day 4 and Acclimation

It's been a really long week. We're now on day #4 of Jason being gone. In some ways it's easier when he's gone. The house stays cleaner, the boys seem more well behaved, our routine stays intact and I can do whatever I want after the boys are in bed...scrap, watch TV, read in bed. On the other hand, it sucks. I just miss him so much. It's also been tough at work...lots of different things going on that don't make me happy but I have no control over.

Yesterday was truly the icing on the cake. It was a really bad day at work...one of those days that makes you wonder why you bothered getting out of bed that morning. I spent my entire drive home venting to mom on the phone (thanks mom!). I ran to my mom's to let her dogs out and then picked up the boys. It smelled like crap when I walked into Marguerite's. Ayden was sleeping on the couch so I immediately sniffed Jameson...he's known for his stinky diapers. Nope. Not Jameson. Marguerite and I assumed that it was Britton, who had just woken up from her nap. I woke up Ayden and pulled him onto my lap so I could get his shoes on. It was at that moment that he started crying and apologizing. I realized that the incredibly nasty odor was coming from him and not Britton. My poor baby had a loose poopy while he was napping. All I wanted to do was get him home so I could clean him up properly. Good luck we only live 2 miles away...it took everything I had to not vomit during the trip home. Holy Buddha! So instead of just letting the dogs out I had to clean up poopy pants and wash out the underwear (I almost just threw them in the garbage, it was that bad). Just as I got Ayden in fresh clothes, Jameson came up to me with Ayden's nightlight in his hand. I noticed that the light bulb had some blood on it. Apparently Jameson had taken the cover off, put it in his mouth, cut his gum and then decided to suck on the light bulb. Before anything else could happen, I rushed the boys out of the house to meet Mimi for nail night. Welcome to my world.

This morning I came to the conclusion that I've totally acclimated to the Georgia weather. It was only 30 degrees when we left the house and you would've thought it was 20 below. I've been in my office since 7:15 and I'm still trying to thaw out. I love and miss everyone back in Wisconsin but there is absolutely no way that I could handle the ultra frigid temps anymore.

In other news...Jason thinks that he'll be home sometime today/tonight. They worked their little butts off and are ahead of schedule. Yeah! I can not wait to see him, hug him, kiss him and tell him how much I adore and love him.

Ya'll have a fabulous weekend!

Beach Baby

Quick layout I did tonight. It's amazing what I can do when Jason is out of town!

Journaling reads: Jameson had such so much fun at the beach on St. George. 10-07

1st Bubble Bath

Okay, so call me a bad mom but my boys had their first actual "bubble" bath tonight. I have good reasons for never adding the bubbles to their bath before though. I have very sensitive skin. My mom found out the hard way when I was a kid and she put Mr Bubble in my bath water. I broke out in hives and it was then we realized that I had her sensitive skin. I've been hesitant to test the waters (ha ha ha...get it) with the boys. I broke down tonight though when Ayden saw some SpongeBob bubble bath at Target and almost went into hysterics because he was so excited. He said please in that sweet baby voice that I simply can not resist and he had the most adorable pleading look on his face. So the SpongeBob bubble bath went into the cart. When we got home he practically ran to his room to get ready for bath time. I was so totally amused by both of the boy's reactions to bubbles in their bath water that I had to break out the camera. I'm also happy to report that they seem to be hive free.

Today's The Day

That my bunny leaves me for 5 days. I almost cried when he left this morning at 5am. He's been working so hard lately so it worries me about him driving to Alabama. At least he has Bob in the truck with him and I made him promise to call me as soon as he got to the job site. He worked 12 hours on Saturday and Sunday to get ready for this week's trip. I practically threatened him with his life yesterday if he didn't come home and have dinner with his family. Not only did he make it for dinner but he also gave the boys their bath!

Despite Jason working all last weekend, the boys and I had a great time. We spent the majority of it with my parents. It was so nice having a couple extra sets of hands. They sort of take over with Ayden so I can handle super high maintenance Jameson. I swear that baby zaps all of my energy! We had an awesome photo shoot at Starr's Mill (even though Jameson slept through the entire thing). Ayden was so good and really enjoyed having all the attention focused on him for a change. I'll try to download my pictures tonight. My mom has some really awesome shots.

Here's another shot from St. George. This was right before Jameson fell asleep on the beach. When he's not being naughty, he's such a little lover!

Spanish Rice Bake

This is a new recipe that I tried out Monday night. The boys gobbled it down and I took leftovers to my parents house for Peter to eat Tuesday night. It ended up getting fantastic reviews from everyone and it was easy to make.

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can canned tomatoes, sliced
1 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 cup taco sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch black pepper
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain excess fat and transfer beef to a large pot over medium low heat. Stir in the onion, green bell pepper, tomatoes, water, rice, taco sauce, salt, brown sugar, cumin, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper.
3. Let this simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, then transport this to a 2 qt casserole dish. Press Down firmly and sprinkle witht he shredded cheddar cheese.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Just Saying Hi

Seriously! This week has gone by waaaaay too fast. I've started making some progress on our messy house and I got all of our vacation/Halloween photos downloaded, edited and sent out so that feels good. On Wednesday I took Jameson in for his 18month check up. Can you believe my goober is already 18months old??? Any hoo, he's doing great. His right ear is infection free. They did a hearing test on him that they normally reserve for 3 year olds because you have to sit completely still and not talk. He passed with flying colors! It's reassuring to know that after all of his ear infections, there isn't any permanent ear damage. He has also gained a pound since his 15month checkup, but he grew 1 1/4 inches. So at 24lbs, he's in the 35th percentile for weight and at 34 1/4 inches he's int he 94th percentile for height. All the nurses are amazed at how tall he is. Try getting pants to fit him! He has to wear 18month jeans for the length, but they're still big in the waist. 24months pants would truly be the ideal length for him, but they fall right off. I know I'm not supposed to compare but Ayden was wearing 2T's at 18months!

Starr's Mill

It's going to be a good weekend. On Saturday, mom and I are going to start our Christmas shopping and take the boys to Starr's Mill for pictures. It's so beautiful there and the trees are in full color right now. Sunday we plan on getting some stuff done around home. We have thousands of black walnuts to pick up, leaves to burn, a refrigerator to fit in our kitchen and the never ending housework to tackle.

Jason leaves next Tuesday for work in Alabama. He won't be home until Saturday so that means a really long week for me. I'll be sure to post pictures of our "photo shoot" with the boys this weekend.

Halloween Costumes

Just a few pictures of Halloween with the boys in their costumes. I feel I had the cutest Scooby Doo and Devil out there. Jameson didn't really need the costume though...ha ha ha.

Book Update

I totally forgot to tell you! I finished reading the 2nd and 3rd books in the Twilight series while we were on vacation! Jason was actually getting mad at me because I couldn't stop reading...especially the 3rd book (Eclipse). She left it wide open for a 4th so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I gave all 3 to my mom to read and I highly recommend them to the rest of you.

My latest obsession is Real Simple magazine. Love all of the ideas in there!! I've found some great recipes, gift ideas and decorating/organization tips.

Is anyone reading anything spectacular right now? I can only live off of scrapping magazines, Real Simple and Rachel Ray, US and People for so long.

Serious Issues

Daddy got home from work on Saturday and we packed the boys up to head out to Senoia (way out in the sticks) for dinner at a friends house. We brought Ayden's 4wheeler so he'd have something to do. Bob had one other couple over besides us and it was sooooooo nice to socialize with more grownups. Jason bought me a 6pack of Corona (more than enough since I rarely drink) and we hung out outside while Bob did his magic at the grill. Next thing I knew, I asked Jason to get me another beer and he informed me that I drank them all. Holy cow! No wonder I was having a hard time making complete sentences.

Okay....this is funny. We have a very tiny master bathroom and there's a window facing the toilet. (laugh laugh snort snort) I had to tinkle but was slightly intoxicated so I ended up underestimating how close to the toilet seat I was. (laugh snort laugh) I slammed my forehead on the windowsill and almost peed all over the place. (snort snort laugh) I woke up yesterday morning with this painful bump on my forehead.

No, no, wait...it gets better. This morning after dropping the boys off, I'm walking back to the truck and totally forgot about the paver edging separating the grass from the driveway. I tripped over it, slammed towards the hood of the truck and before I could I get my hands out to support myself my forehead made contact....right where I had hit the windowsill Saturday night. (laugh laugh snort) It hurt so badly all I could do was stumble my way to the truck door and fight the tears swimming in my eyes. Now I can't touch my forehead without wincing in pain.

And people wonder where Jameson gets it! I'll leave you today with a family photo.

On the beach at St. George.

Much Better

I'm doing much better today. Actually, I was over my pity fest yesterday afternoon. I must have been in a better mood since Jason went to dinner with an old co-worker while I struggled with a sleeping Ayden and a crazy Jameson at nail night and I wasn't annoyed! Actually, my mom is a huge help in that department, but it's also because I need him home next Tuesday for a scrap meeting and dinner with the girls so I didn't want to seem unaccommodating.

I'm trying to get a head start on year end so when we have our department meeting next Tuesday I'll look like the great ass kisser that I'm striving to be. That being said, I'll make every attempt to post more about our vacation this weekend. If you didn't get the pictures that I sent out via Kodak Gallery, let me know and I'll forward them on. I'll leave you with one of my favorites.

Have a great weekend!

Pity Fest for One

Warning - Do not read unless you're up for a good pity fest

i'm tired
my entire house is a wreck
i mean a serious wreck
the boys rooms, our room, the kitchen...everywhere
i'm so sick of our ugly stained carpet
can't wait until we get our tax refund so we can finally start working on the floors
don't even get me started on our pathetic kitchen cabinets
i have laundry coming out of my ears
i need new clothes in the worst way
our hr director is a whiney ass
i'm super busy at work
i'm depressed that I can't find 30 minutes at night to edit our vacation photos
i think clyde ate "something" at the beach
he's seriously raunchy and i don't have time to give him a bath
ayden woke up in a pissy mood this morning
i feel like the worlds worst mom as i'm yelling at him to go potty and brush his teeth
seconds after he woke up
great way to start the morning
packed peanut butter and jelly for lunch today
i was so annoyed while driving to work that i ate it
now i don't have a lunch
i hate that i'm in a crappy mood
i'm normally the cheerful teamplayer at work
i just want to shut my door and ignore everyone
i seriously hope jason doesn't have to work this weekend
okay, i'm done