Thursday Thirteen - Quotes

1. "Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of being." Johann Wolfang von Goethe
2. "And the day came when the risk it took to remain closed in a bud became more painful than the risk it took to bloom." Anais Nin
3. "There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle." Albert Einstein
4. "Hope begins in the dark the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.  You wait and watch and work, you don't give up."  Anne Lamott
5. "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." St. Francis of Assisi
6. "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do. " Helen Keller
7. "Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." William James
8. "Between two evils, I pick the one I never tried before." Mae West
9. "What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch?" W. Clement Stone
10. "Love is being stupid together." Paul Valery
11. "I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels.  Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass." Maya Angelou
12. "Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another." George Eliot
13. "Reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body." Sir Richard Steele
    
    
    
    

PINT - Can I send her a bill for this?

Music Monday

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

I confess, I love this song. She's great.

Meet Me on Monday

Questions:




1. Crunchy or soft tacos? Definitely crunchy. Soft tacos just seem like a burrito to me.

2. Do you scrapbook? No, but I bought a ton of stuff years ago and was going to start and never did. I just found all the stuff a week ago, so I'm thinking about it.

3. Do you take any daily medications? Yes, tetracyline for acne. I'm an adult, I'm not supposed to have zits.  Never had a problem when I was a teenager, now I have acne. WTH?

4. What is your favorite sound? Kids laughing.  Specifically my kids laughing, but making other kids laugh is pretty good too.

5. Where were you born? Kingsburg.  Lol, the Swedish Village in the central valley. That's hilarious.

It was cute

Saturday night during dinner The Girl comes up to me and starts telling me about what she wants for her birthday. Her birthday is in October. In case you're living under a rock, it's March.  A little premature for starting the birthday gift shopping. Don't get me wrong I appreciate the heads up, but I'm sure it will change no less than a thousand times between now and October.

Any way, the conversation went something like this:

"Mom, for my birthday I want the blah, blah, blah something electronic journal."
(I was listening, she just talks so darn quiet)

"Your birthday is in October."

"I know"

"It's March"

"I know, but that's what I want"

"Okay, well thanks for the tip"

I looked up and saw Jason smiling at us. He heard the whole thing.  We smiled at each other and it struck me later as the type of thing that parents do all the time. The kids are cute, they smile at each other like "how cute was that?" It amazes me how much a part of our lives he's become and how much the kids are getting attached to him and him to them. The summer is going to suck while he's gone. I haven't even told the kids that he'll probably be gone for six months. The Boy is going to have a cow.

Wow, I ended up going a totally different direction with this than what I started with. Oh well. I'm going to publish it any way. Have a great week everybody.

Six Word Saturday

Took a walk in the rain!

It was fabulous.  It wasn't raining really hard and it wasn't too cold. I'd rather walk outside than on the treadmill.  Especially with the lovely trails we have around here.

Fill in the Blank Friday

1. My most prized possession is my camera. I waited for years to get this camera.  I love my Canon Rebel. I love my laptop too, but I think I'm more attached to the camera lol


2. If I could be one age for the rest of my life, I would be the age I am now. I don't really want to go back and do anything over again and I like my life right now. I'd be happier if Jason and I lived together instead of me living with my parents, but life is actually pretty good right now. I have two beautiful, healthy kids, an awesome boyfriend, I'm almost done with school, and I love my job. Sounds good to me! 



3. The best way to spend a weekend is with my love at the rodeo! Woohoo! I can't wait! One more month.



4. My outlook on life is put your big kid chonies on and deal with it.  Bad stuff is gonna happen and it sucks, but it doesn't last forever so get over it and get back to the good stuff. (can you tell I've only had one cup of coffee?)



5. If you want to annoy me, while I'm reading, ask me what I'm reading. Hello, I'm reading a book and clearly you can see it, so read the title and leave me alone!


6. I am completely defenseless when it comes to cheesecake. Come on, you knew that was coming.



7. When dressing for the day one should put on whatever they want. Seriously, if you like it, go for it.  If you're happy, comfortable, and smiling then maybe other people will be too!  Happy Friday!!!!!



Head on over to link up!

Picture This Thursday

My brother being silly.  He loved that hat he felt so cool. Lol

Thursday Thirteen - I'm just tired right now

1. First list item starts here…







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I'm tired and I should be doing my homework, but I don't feel like doing anything. So you get the top 13 songs played on my iPod.

1. I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin
2. Let Me Go by 3 Doors Down
3. Until the End by Breaking Benjamin
4. Train by 3 Doors Down
5. Moose & Zee Winter Wonderland (lol, the kids love this song. It's for work I swear. Damn you Nickleodeon!)
6. Single Ladies by Beyonce ( don't judge, it's fun around the third mile uphill)
7. Coming Undone by Korn
8. Butterfly by Crazy Town
9. Strength of a Woman by Shaggy (I'm going to blame this on my aunt.  Okay it's an awesome song. I am woman hear me ROAR! Lol)
10. Save Me, San Francisco by Train
11. Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC
12. Little Bird by Annie Lennox
13. Maintain the Pain by Miranda Lambert

Wow, what an odd list. Happy Thursday!







The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!





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Wordless Wednesday

I drive by these every day on my way to work.

Post It Note Tuesday - Ye shall not have the iPhone

Head over to Only Parent Chronicles to link up!

Music Monday

3 Doors Down - Let Me Go

This is my favorite song by these guys.

Meet Me on Monday

Questions:




1. What jewelry do you wear 24/7? Let's see, my earrings (lobes and tragus), my claddagh ring, and my necklace that Jason gave me.  I've actually worn the silver off the back of the heart, maybe I should take it off, but I won't.

(google images tragus piercing)

2. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it?
I cut it.  It seems like so much work to twirl.  Lol, wow I'm lazy this week.
3. How many siblings do you have?
Just one, and that's one too many.  I have a younger brother. I don't have a recent picture of us on my laptop.
4. Were you named after anyone?
I don't think so.  I have the same middle name as my mom, but I don't think I'm actually named after her.
5. Coke or Pepsi?
Diet Pepsi without a doubt. 



Six Word Saturday

I vote for seven day weekends!
(work is over rated right?)

(google images)

Fill in the Blank Friday

1. The best deal I've ever gotten is a pair of boots for $5. I'd take a picture but I'm too lazy right now, lol. They were on sale for $10, but it was some sort of special day, I forget. Bottom line, boots for $5. They were on sale! I HAD to buy them.


2. If I were hosting a dinner party and could invite people from my fantasy guest list it would include Scarlett O'Hara, my Grandma Maddie (I've never met her), my Grandpa Emery (he died when I was 2 so I don't remember him), Janet Evanovich (her books are hilarious), and Laurell K. Hamilton (she's an awesome writer). I don't know why I stopped at five. Probably because I should be getting ready for work right now.



3. Something that inspires me is knowing my kids are watching me and that having the courage to do something that's hard can inspire them to do the same.



4. If I could only choose to eat one flavor of food for the rest of eternity (sweet, salty, spicy, bitter....) I'd have to say sweet.  I'm sure it would get old after a while, but how could I choose something else and leave cheesecake out? That's just crazy talk.





5. I dream about lots of things.  Usually it's a mishmash of stuff that's happened over the last few days, and occasionally a bad dream.  The bad dreams have been a little more frequent lately. I think I'm dreading fire season. I'm being a big baby, that's what it is.


6. My weekend will be spent taking my son to PBR tonight, drinks with one of my girls Saturday night while my love is at work, and then a lazy Sunday with him! I'm still in denial about having to work tomorrow morning.



7. If I could only watch one movie or TV show for the rest of my life, I'd probably shut the tv off.  I'd rather read than watch one thing over and over.


Visit to link up!

Five Question Friday

1. Have you ever testified in court? For what?

No, but I've given a couple of depositions, which I think is pretty close to the same thing.




2. Do you still have your wedding dress?
Nope. I gave it away when I was still married to a group that used the material to make christening gowns for stillborn babies. I thought it was better than burning it in the front yard.  Hindsight being 20/20 it might have brought about my divorce sooner!


3. Is there a special place you like to go when you're happy, sad, stressed, etc.?
Yes, to all three and then some. The bar. Lol




4. If you have kids, do they sleep with you? If you don't have kids...will you let your kids sleep with you when/if you have them?
Yes I have kids and I try not to let them sleep with me.  My son is now 11 and I think unless the circumstances are extreme, he's getting to old to be sleeping with mommy.  My daughter can pull it off occasionally because she'll stumble in around 3am when I'll answer yes just so I can go back to sleep.



5. Do you watch late night TV?
I'm watching it right now! Bobby Flay in Ireland. OMG it's midnight! I should go to bed.

Thursday Thirteen - Things I love about my job

1. First list item starts here…







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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!





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Bubbles! I love bubbles and so do the kids.  I can spend an hour blowing bubbles and it's totally justified.

1. The relationships.  I love getting to know these children and their families. I'm in their homes and feel incredibly lucky to be such a helpful part of their lives.
2. Toys! I need to have toys that the kids are interested in and are willing to work for. Toy shopping is always fun.
3. I pretty much set my own schedule and have lots of flexibilty for my own children.
4. Getting to see the improvements the kids make on a daily basis. I watched a child struggle with something for months and suddenly she's taken off and can do things we weren't expecting her to do for months from now.
5. Seeing the love the parents have for their children and how hard they work to help their child.
6. The 40 minute drive to work.  It's a beautiful drive. I can see the mountains and orchards.  It's nice to relax on the way to work and gives me time to unwind on the way home.
7. Hearing the children's voices sometimes for the first time ever.  The joy on a parent's face when their hear their child talk for the first time is amazing.
8. I'm learning something new.  I had only heard of ABA therapy in classes before this.  Now I'm getting to know all the details.  ABA is Applied Behavioral Analysis.  Basically, it's behavioral modification.
9. I'm getting paid to play.  How awesome is that?
10. This job is pretty close to the job I set out to do when I went back to school.  Once I get my Master's Degree, I'll be even closer. But I'm getting some great experience in the mean time.
11. Working this closely with parents is something I've really needed to work on. I'm great with the kids, but talking to parents takes practice. I'm glad I'm getting this opportunity.
12. I gotta say, the pay isn't bad either. It's not going to make me rich, but I didn't go into this field for the money.  But it doesn't hurt to make decent money doing what you love right?

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday Stinky Pete! The boy is 11 today.

PINT - Pray for my sanity y'all

Music Monday

Mumford & Sons - The Cave

These guys are amazing. Enjoy.  Happy Monday!

Meet Me on Monday

Questions:




1. Do you have a fireplace in your home?
Yes, but we haven't gotten to use it yet.  There's a nifty candle in it that looks like a log.  Nobody seems very excited about it though.

2. Can you drive a stick shift?
Yes, I sure can.  When I took my driver's training course I already knew how to drive, so I figured it would be a good idea to learn how to drive a stick shift.  It has served me well. 

3. How many computers are in your home?
Three.  My mom's desktop, my dad's laptop, and my laptop.  Unless you count smartphones, since technically they are computers then we have five.

4. Are your taxes done yet? Do you do them yourself?
Nope, the appointment is for the end of the month.  I have a CPA do my taxes.  It's so much easier that way.

5. What is your favorite meal of the day?
Breakfast.  I loooooooove breakfast.  I especially love going out for breakfast, somebody else does the cooking and cleaning!

Test update

I passed my Geology class with a B!

I'm soooooooo glad that's over.  While interesting, it's just not really my thing. I will say that I was able to explain the recent earthquake in Japan and the resulting tsunami to my children.  I actually knew what I was talking about!

Now, on to Math 121. Problem solving. Ugh.  I'm not good with math.  I don't know what it is.  I can memorize numbers all day long.  I can hear a phone number once and most of the time remember it.  But using numbers for math, yikes.  I took algebra 5 times before I passed it.  The only positive thing about this class is that it's short term and the last time I took algebra it was a short term class and I got a B.  So we'll see how this goes.  This is the last general education class I need before graduation in May so the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter!

Six Word Saturday

I'm not a fan of tests.

(thank you Google images!)

I have one module of Geology to finish before Tuesday. Ugh. Have a good weekend everybody!

Five Question Friday

1. Do you know what your REAL hair color is?

Ummmmm, no.  Some shade of brown. I started dying my hair when I was in high school, which was also when I started getting gray hair.



2. Do you plan ahead for summer, or fly by the seat of your pants?
Totally fly by the seat of my pants. I love to make plans, they just always seem to fall through.



3. What is your favorite meal to cook?
Cook? What is this cooking you speak of? I prefer to bake, cooking is fun, but baking is better. My favorite thing to bake? CHEESECAKE!!!!!!!! Duh



4. Do you get offended by not receiving thank yous?
That depends. I don't expect thank you cards, but if I'm there in person, it's nice.




5. How did you meet your best friend?
When we started dating two years ago, but technically you could say we met in fourth grade.  Awwwww, isn't that sweet?

Thursday Thirteen - Things we can't find since the move

1. Our ziploc bags.  We can only find the gallon size ones.  The ones we hardly ever use.
2. Scotch tape
3. Packing tape. This may seem silly since we moved already, but I'm boxing stuff up to put in storage and now I can't find the packing tape.
4. A place to put all the food.  We went from having two pantries to having none.   
5. Storage space.  Three bathrooms and the half bath downstairs has more cupboards than my full bath upstairs. 
6. Energy.  We moved into a two-story house and my thighs are killing me! I'm sleeping great though!
7. A place to put the vacuum.  We're now using the coat closet as a pantry.  My mom shops in bulk and she don't mess around.
8. Some of us can't find our sense of humor.  We're feeling just a bit snippy. No, it's not me.
9. A routine.  We just finished our first week in the new house and we're still trying to put stuff away and figure out where stuff goes.
10. Peace and quiet.  We pretty much have no yard at all, our neighbors are practically on top of us and boy does sound carry.
11. Time to go to the gym. I'm so busying moving stuff around and getting things situated with the kids and all that. I'm exhausted.
12. Counter space. My parents bought the world's biggest microwave. It's huge. It could be a fifth bedroom, or an office!
13. The kids. I thought I unpacked them, but I haven't seen them in days. Just kidding.

Wordless Wednesday

Act like you like each other!

Okay, you can stop faking it now.

PINT- Notes