My Wheels Are Spinning And I'm Not Moving

Sorry, I haven't posted in awhile. I am fighting sickness, finishing grand prix cars, sending out bridal shower invitations, getting an oil change, cleaning out the van, and attempting to finish my current real estate course. Of course I'm supposed to get all of this done today, because tomorrow morning is the grand prix and early Sunday morning Kurt and I are getting out of town for a few days to celebrate our anniversary.

I am so excited to be getting out of town for a couple days. It's hard to believe, but we've been married for 12 years. WOW!

I've Been Tagged

I was tagged by Sarah and I am kinda excited about it. I don't think I've been tagged before. At the same time I'm kinda nervous. You are about to find out what a boring person, I truly am. Well, here you have it....The exciting life of a Colorado Native.

4 Jobs you've had in your life:

1. Insurance Agent
2. Gift Wrapper
3. Soda Fountain Clerk
4. Candy Clerk (@Enstrom's)

4 Movies you watch over and over again:

(I don't really watch very many movies)

1. Any good sports movie(In all honesty, is doesn't really have to be very good at all.)
2. Anne of Green Gables
3. The Incredibles
4. Sorry, I'm out of answers

4 Places I have Lived:

1. I was born and raised in the town I currently live in.

4 Tv shows you love to watch:

1. American Idol
2. Amazing Race
3. CSI
4. Friends

4 Places you have been on vacation:

(I've never flown on an airplane)

1. Mexico, Tijuana
2. Yellowstone(Not recommended as the ideal family vacation for a teenager)
3. California
4. Mount Rushmore

4 Websites you visit daily:

1. Real Estate Training Center(I'm currently studying to get my real estate license)
2. Sarah's Sermons
3. Yahoo News
4. Singerzwife

4 Favorite foods:

1. Santorini Pizza(Nick and Willy's)
2. Mole Enchiladas
3. Good Chips and Good Salsa(Fiesta Guadalajara)
4. Chicken Enchilada Soup (Chili's)

4 Places you would rather be right now:

1. In a cabin on the mountains with my family, with no cell phone coverage, internet, or phone service.
2. At the beach
3. In Bed
4. At a spa-with a very expensive package already paid for.

4 People you tag to complete this:

1. Singerzwife
2. It's OK I'm with the Band
3. Knead the Dough
4. Bren>3 (You can use the comments section if you want.)

You Know It Is Going To Be An Interesting Day

When it is 9:00 am and you have already spanked your daughter twice, taken many deep breaths, counted to 5 atleast 10 times, rubbed her back 4 times(to calm her down), shown extreme mercy in the fact that she has only received two spankings, and prayed with her that God would take the bad ideas out of her head(This was her idea and she avoided a spanking with it). She is currently spending her second day cleaning her room, which means for everything we tell her to put away, she is getting out twice as many to play with. I'm guessing, that she will be spending tomorrow in her room as well. Unless, she decides to actually put her toys away. Don't worry Mom, I am not throwing her into her room and without giving her some direction. She is still working on picking her dress-up clothes from yesterday. And according to her it is not her fault, she can't get Sky High(We rented this movie for the kids to watch a month ago) or her bad ideas out of her brain. We can only guess as to what else is floating around in there.

? Giraffe Fairy Tale ?

As you can tell by the title, I will be talking about my daughter and her active imagination. I didn't even know you could put those three words together, let alone use them to describe something. Keep in mind, that along with her active imagination comes a very strong will that sometimes leads to plenty of discussing and explaining. Discussing and explaining things to a girl with an active imagination and strong will is like talking to a brick wall, that can discuss and explain things back to you. The only difference is that my discussing and explaining involves rational thoughts.

So, here's the story. On January 28th is our Awana Club's Grand Prix. The Grand Prix is race involving cars made from a block of wood(7"x 1 1/2" x 1 3/4") and the cars have to be made so as not to exceed cetrain dimensions(7" x 3" x 2 3/4") or weight (5 oz.). That being said you can, within those guidelines make your car look however you want. On the way home from Awana's last night I asked the kids what design they wanted their cars to look like. Kirsten pipes up right away, as is normal, and says she wants her car to look like a a giraffe fairy tale. Now, I'm not educated in princess, princess things, or anything involving pink. So, I ask, "What is a fairy tale?" I'm thinking, once I figure this out I'll be able to figure out how the giraffe fits in. She says, "You know Mom it is what princesses have." Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't princesses have a lot of things? Have you ever heard of any of them involving a giraffe? So I ask, "What do princesses do with a fairy tale?" She replies,"They ride in it to go the royal ball." Ah HA! She wants a carriage, but how does the giraffe fit in. I'm already thinking ahead to the height requirement that can't exceed 3 inches, giraffes have a tendency to be fairly tall. So I say, "The car can only be so tall and what about the giraffe?" She says,"Oh, I want the giraffe to ride in the fairy tale and I want her to be a ballerina princess. I want her to have a crown and wear a ballet thing and a cape." Seeing as we are almost home, it is bedtime, and most importantly I'm not ready for the discussing and explaining I see in my future. I tell her that she will have to draw a picture for me in the morning. So folks, Here you have it..... The Giraffe Fairy Tale.

After some discussing and explaining, she is still adamant that there be a giraffe pulling the fairy tale and that it be attached, either by string or by gluing its tail to it. Also, she will not even think about the possibility of being able to remove the giraffe and just racing the fairytale. As you can see I've got some more discussing and explaining in my future. Also, after some discussion it has been decided that it is called a fairy tale and not a carriage. What can I say, I'm saving my strength for future endeavors and she is very persuasive.

The Boys Are Out Of Town

So the boys left to go hunting this morning at 4:00 am. When I say boys I am including Konrad. Last time they went on one of these hunting trips Konrad came back very dirty and gross. He had helped them gut the elk(I guess that is what you call it?). This time he made sure to take his pocket knife that he received for Christmas so that he could be even more helpful than last time. Last night we packed his stuff and thanks to Christmas he was ready to go. He took his fanny pack with a water bottle, pocket knife, binoculars along with some snacks and orange vest to wear. He also brought along a tin of anchovies. That way if Uncle Troy or Uncle Cody wanted his snacks he would offer them the anchovies as a substitute to his dried apples. Kurt learned from last time and made sure to bring along some wipes to help clean him up. I sure hope those wipes are powerful along with some deodorizing powers.

So Kirsten and I are just hanging out and she is excited because she gets to eat a pepperoni pizza pocket for lunch. These have recently been added to the top of her list of things she will eat. Keep in mind, this is a very short list and we are always happy when we can add something to it. Lately, it has been a toss-up as to her favorite, it is between pizza Hot Pockets and ham and cheese sandwiches. It doesn't get more nutritious than that.

My Weekly Grounding and Pounding

Yesterday, I went to my weekly bible study. We are currently doing a study called "The Bait of Satan". It has been a great study and continually challenged me. Yesterday was no exception. One of the things we read was Psalm 35. As we were reading it I was thinking, "Yeah, that's how I have been feeling!" Now, I'm sure that when David wrote it he was probably facing more life and death situations than I am. After we were done reading it, the author and our leader pointed out Psalm 35:13-14. I was then convicted by that passage as well as a quote in the book. Even though I was praying for these people who have been offending me, I was not praying for them as I should. I wasn't praying for them as if they were close brothers or sisters that I truly love. I was not praying the very things for them that I want God to do for me. I guess you could say I was praying half-assed. So as usual, my weekly bible study was my weekly grounding and pounding experience.

Psalm 35:13-14 - But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; and my prayer would return to my own heart. I paced around as though he were my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother.

And as I tell my kids...

you can only control yourself and your own actions. Therefore, I apologize to anyone I offended in my previous post ,please, forgive me. That doesn't mean that I don't feel that way and that everything is A-OK. It just means that I'm sorry it offended you, even if you needed to hear it. However, if this didn't pertain to you and I offended you I truly am sorry. Although, this might be a good time to do some soul searching. I know I have learned a lot about myself through this.

I have been and I am going to continue to pray about how I feel and for my family and friends.
I invite you to do the same. Sorry for my ranting and raving post. You know, every once in a while you have got to throw a curve ball it keeps 'em guessing.

I'm Tired

....of the lies and deceit that surround me. Everytime I turn around it seems that I am seeing another friend or relative pretending to be someone they are not. Sometimes they finally come out and admit it or they aren't as sneaky as they think or they are just fooling themselves. Whatever the reason, I'm supposed to act like I'm A-OK with everything and that the lying and deceit are perfectly accceptable behavior. They never apologize to me or my family for their actions. They just offer mounds and mounds of excuses and rationalizations that justify their behavior, if we even get that. Needless to say, I know I need to forgive them and I will in time. I know that I'm not a perfect human by any stretch of the imagination. I know that God has forgiven me for my junk and he will forgive them as well(if they ask for forgiveness, meaning they admit they have done wrong). Although, I really don't think that these individuals feel that what they have done or are doing now is wrong. Which means that while they continue to live their wonderfully perfect lives and lies. I'm stuck dealing with their lies and lives and trying to do this in a Godly manner. This is something I'm really struggling with. Partly because these lies and deceit are hurting people I care deeply about even if these same people are doing similar things to other people whom I care deeply about. Talk about a general lack of RESPECT. Since these people are such perfect Godly people you would think that they wouldn't be so quick to judge my parenting style, marriage, or children. Not all of us can attain such high of standards. Sometimes what works for one family, marriage, or relationship doesn't always work for another.

Lost in Translation, #2

I thought I had better post these little tidbits before I forget and they are forever forgotten in oblivion. Konrad has done it once again. Although this time I wondered if maybe he was onto something. I think there is a chance that he is a genuis.

It all started on the way home from the Vitamen Cottage. When he said, "He liked being able to push the cart at Vitamen College(Cottage)." After this comment I just swelled up with pride for my son. What a smart kid, I think as long as he has this attitude, his life can only be fulfilling. Oh, I have so much to teach him.

Then the other night at the dinner table the kids started singing songs from the Sound of Music. I don't know the exact title of the song(but I can spell Echinacea without looking it up and I know the uses for Kava Kava and Valerian Root). I think the song title might be So Long, Farewell. Anyway, it is the song the kids sing during the party for the governess right before they go to bed when they take turns exiting and they also sing it to set up their escape. Whatever the song is called Konrad was singing it like this,

"So long, farewell your waiter says goodnight."

This is where I think he might be onto something. I mean, just think, when you eat at a restaurant, at the end of your meal, instead of the waiter just coming over and handing you the check. They could deliver it with style and maybe a little dance would get them a bigger tip as well. They could sing this when they give you the check.

"So long, farewell your waiter says goodnight, I hate to see you leave, your total came to $34.95."

It's just an idea, but it would definetly be easier on the ears as opposed to that stupid birthday chant done military style at Texas Roadhouse. Although, if they sing like me it might be better if they just handed you the check. That way they don't risk losing their entire tip.

When is Christmas Break Over?

I know there are some of you teachers out there enjoying your Christmas break. I'm happy that you are getting some of your relaxing, rest, and reading in. However, you will be paying for it when those children return to school. If the rest of the children out there are like mine. You are in trouble (insert evil laugh here!!!). We have been doing more crafty activities and we even went hiking on the Monument. Still they have an abundance of energy. They are feeding off of each other. Konrad in particular is losing his mind. He just runs from the front door to the back door making weird boy noises and jumping periodically while carrying a stick, bat, or other strange stuff. After about a 1/2 hour of this I tell him "Go and find something else to do." He then interprets this as "Go and bug your sister." So... about 5-10 minutes later I start to hear high pitched wails and screaming. Upon investigating why I'm hearing what I'm hearing, I find out that Kirsten thinks she is hurt(She has no middle ground. She is either fine or near death.) from being tackled while playing football in the living room, or Konrad has taken the item she was playing with. Konrad then proceeds to act like she asked him to take this item and that he can't hear her screaming about it. Now in his defense, sometimes when she is screaming and wailing only dogs can hear her complaints. However, when we are able to hear her complaints so can anyone within a 100 yard radius. So, at this point I send them to their rooms because after going through this a few times I have realized that I am then guaranteed a few moments of peace and quiet. Atleast, until the cycle starts again.

I seriously thought about moving to a different county for one week because their school started on Monday. I'm starting to regret my decision.

Happy New Year!!!

I'm just spending the day contemplating life. Where I'm at, where I want to be. Setting some new goals and letting some things go. I don't really do resulutions, but I do think it is important to take some time and think about where you have been and where you are going. I'm prayng that God would give Kurt and I the wisdom we need; and that we would listen and heed it.

This is a quote that I have been drawn to lately. Most likely, because patience is usually a word I try to avoid. Enjoy!

Patience with others is love,
Patience with self is hope,
Patience with God is faith.

Adel Bestavros

I Thought This Was Funny!

I was going through my receipts from Christmas and I came across this one. I had bought a pair of jeans for Konrad and a pair of underwear for Kirsten. You have to read the descriptions for each item. Is MDS an abbreviation for merchandise? That would make the underwear-bikini, ass merchandise. I thought this was hillarious and it gave me a chuckle every time I thought about it. Enjoy!

Don't get into a tizzy because I bought my daughter bikini underwear. First off, on her the bikini cut still fits like briefs, the girl has no butt. Second off, I had trouble finding underwear for little girls that wasn't bikini cut. Trust me, this 'ol prude looked and compared to my other options these were a good choice.

Christmas Has Come and Gone

and now I'm sick. You gotta love life. I've been taking my Echinacea and Goldenroot, so hopefully I will curb this illness.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was busy. The day after Christmas I got together with some old high school friends. I will start with Christmas Eve. It was a good day. We had Troy and Danielle over for breakfast, we let the kids open up one gift, and I received my gift from Kurt. Let me just say that Kurt usually sucks at buying gifts, if he even buys a gift. Not this year!!! I got diamond earrings, Baby!!!! I love them! Ok, enough celebrating. Anyhow, we went over to my father-in-laws house for appetizers. Apparently when they say appetizers they mean a meal. The food was good and the relatives were late and insensitive as usual. We are the only ones with children, atleast until August. Except for Troy and Danielle(I'm not just putting that in here because you read my blog Danielle), the rest of them are very insensitive to the fact that children have different needs than adults. We were supposed to start at around 7:00 pm and Kurt said we need to try to leave by 8:45 pm so that the kids get to bed at a decent time and get enough sleep so that they are not cranky beasts the next day. In typical fashion one of our relatives arrives an hour late and doesn't apologize or even try to offer a lame excuse(they told Kurt they were on their way at 7:00, while another relative confirmed they hadn't even left at 7:40). In fact one of these relatives said to me with a straight face, "Even though we'll be up late tonight. I'm sure everyone in my household will be up early tomorrow as well." I didn't pinch his head off, but I almost went after him verbally. The youngest person staying in that household was 25 years old. I would hope that when someone at the age of 25 years is cranky from lack of sleep thay can control themselves enough to not whine and cry about stupid stuff. You know kind of like my 5 year old acts when she hasn't gotten enough sleep. OK, enough venting of my frustrations. We opened gifts and Kurt's father and his wife spoiled my kids as usual. We had a good time even if we didn't leave until 9:30 pm.

Christmas Day was nice, except for the fact that Kurt was sick and he had to do sound at church that morning. The kids woke up fairly early around 6:30 and Konrad was in tears because his neck was bugging him. It was so bad that the rest of the day his neck was bent to the side and he couldn't move it. It put a bit of a damper on his Christmas, you could tell he was definetly in some pain. He was still able to enjoy his new Gameboy games though. Kirsten loved everything as is her nature, except the Sound of Music DVD. Konrad had gotten Charlie and the Chocolate Factory DVD so they both decided to trade each other and they were both happy with the trade. That afternoon, we went to my mother-in-laws for dinner and more gifts. We had a good time. Konrad received a pocket knife(which we OKed for a gift) and everytime we leave the house he asks if he can bring it. It is never far from his pocket. Kirsten received many artistic gifts and everytime she uses one she says, "Whoever got me this must have known I was an artist." And she is right. She also received a knitting machine and so far we have made two scarves, I say we because she can't do it by herself, yet. All in all, we had a pretty good Christmas, in spite of my attitude problem. I will blog more about the day after Christmas and other happenings this week tomorrow. What can I say it has been a busy week.

Christ-y Christmas

To quote Jim Carrey from the Conan O'Brien Show the other night-

"I hope you have a Christ-y, Christ-y, Christmas!"

I don't know if I will be able to post before Christmas, I hope you all have a Wonderful and relaxing Christmas.

Picture of the Lights

I took these pictures last night of the Christmas lights in the subdivision where we were caroling. I think these turned out pretty good and I had fun fooling around with my camera.

Finally, alone time

and I have to work and clean house! This is so my luck! My Mom and Keith took Kirsten home with them(up to Craig) for a few days. So that means that while Konrad is at school, I am all by myself. I can't remember the last time I didn't have someone wanting(more like demanding) my attention. The lack of interruption has been heavenly. I have actually completed a couple thoughts, although I still don't remember what they were. I am SO turning into my mother. Pretty soon I won't be able to remember where I parked or my children's names.

Anyhow it has been an eventful couple of days. My side of the family got together and celebrated Christmas, Konrad was baptised, Kurt baptised him, both kids were in a Christmas program at church, and we've attended two parties. We enjoyed ourselves at both parties, ate some good food, and tagged along for some caroling. I took pictures while the folks who can sing sounded beautiful(most graduated from college with vocal performance degrees).

The Christmas program was good. Kirsten had me laughing so hard that I was crying. The morning of the play she decided to wear her beek on her face instead of on her forehead as planned. It made the costume look better, except that when she went to say her line, she couldn't figure out where to put the microphone. She kept moving it around trying to figure out what to do, and the you heard her say,"uhh, uhh, my beek is in the way." So someone had to help her put the microphone in the beek. It looked like she ate half of it. She was supposed to say," I am just a little dove but I can plainly see a savior in a manger who will live eternally" and instead of saying eternally she said internally. It was so cute and I was so proud of her for how she handled herself. Those of you who know Kirsten, you know that when she gets flustered she tends to freak out and it isn't pretty. In fact it is pretty embarrasing for her mother.

I am including some pictures of Kirsten as a dove and the group of carolers.

High On Paint Fumes

So, it is 11:30 pm Friday night. I am waiting for paint to dry and my glue gun to warm up. I am working on Kirsten's dove costume for a Christmas play on Sunday and tomorrow is going to be busy so I need to get most of it done tonight. I just got done spray painting her beak and feet gold, like shiny gold glitter. I had to spray paint them in the kitchen, because we don't have a garage, it is to cold outside, and I don't want to wake Konrad up by going downstairs. Besides I don't think he should be smelling those fumes all night. So here I am getting high on paint fumes as I wait for it to dry.

She is going to be a dove that is all about the bling. We are using her angel dress-up dress that is white with gold glitter stars on it. To make it look right I am giving her a gold beak and feet. I hope it turns out OK. Wish me luck!

2 Times is Better Than One!

Konrad is planning on getting baptized on Sunday. I am way excited and proud, because he decided this on his own. Having said that, I was talking to him this morning about being baptized, why he wanted to do it, why it was important to him, and to make sure he understood the decision he was making.

"Why do you want to be baptized?"
"Because I want Jesus in me."
"Jesus in already in you"
"But I want him to be in my heart."
"You already asked Jesus to be in your heart. Do you remember when you prayed with me to make him the Lord and Savior of your life?"
"Yeah, but two times is better than one!"

Don't all of you legalist get to worrying your perfect little heads off. After further discussion, it became obvious he was confused as to the different terms between being saved and baptized(which is kinda hard for a 7 year old to distinguish between). He had just intertwined the two. He totally understood that he had already made the decision and prayed the prayer to make God the Lord and Savior of his life. He, also, understood the difference between that and of publicly showing his love and his desire to make God the Lord of his life; And the importance of doing so. After talking to him I am confident that he understands the decision he is making.

Anyhow, I just thought it was a cute quote. Keep in mind that this is the same kid who when asked the question "Hey, what's up?" answers "Good!" and he has been doing this for the last year.

Not Your Average Advent Calendar

We have this nice advent calendar hanging on our wall in the living room. It has 25 pockets, and we have 4 candy canes in each pocket and every day each one of us gets one candy cane. Up to day 14 is empty. Except for yesterday, I went into the living room and happened to glance at the calendar. Kirsten had put a lizard(from her lizard collection) into each of the empty pockets. All you could see was their heads and two front legs sticking out. It was pretty darn funny to look at and if you didn't know how we were doing the calendar you might have thought we took out a lizard every day. I just had to laugh and think, "What made her think that the lizards belonged in the pockets, or that the pockets needed a little something... hmmm... maybe my lizards."

Yes, my daughter has a stretchy lizard collection, doesn't yours? It started when she got a couple of those little stretchy lizards at Chuck E Cheese(satan's idea of a pizza joint, it probably is a lot of fun compared to hell). She then took a wire basket she had and put the lizards in their "cage". In their cage she put a little people bathtub, some plastic palm trees and a few rocks. One of the lizards got broken into half when she tried to put a polly pocket skirt on it. She was so upset over it, that Kurt went and bought her a bag of them for $.88. So now she has a bigger cage for all of her lizards that she keeps in her room. This is normal, right? OK, so maybe my daughter is a little bit weird. She gets that from Kurt, the stretchy lizard buyer.

Just when I think I'm Done

I was so proud of myself last night. I was all but done with my Christmas shopping and all but done with wrapping the gifts. Well, that fell apart at about 12:36 pm today. I had ordered a gift from ebay and they sent me the wrong thing. It was the right thing except that it was supposed to be new and was used. They gave me a refund which was great, except that now I have another gift to buy. I liked being done and now I'm not. I am bit pissed off and stressed about this. This gift was for my sister and my family is doing a gift exchange on Saturday. So I have 2 days to find the perfect gift. Sorry Brenda, better luck next year. Just Kidding.