Thirteen things that begin with "A"

1. Apple Crisp-

2. Antonio Bandaras-

3. Albuquerque-Not only because it is home to the World Famous International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta every year in October, but because of the gorgeous sunset display of the Sandia Mountains.

4. Apricot Jam-

5. Acapulco- This is the only beach I have been to on the Mexican Riveria. Besides it's gorgeous beaches and international restaurants, the most amazing thing I saw were the La Quebrada Cliff Divers.

6. Asparagus-

7. Arial-from the Disney movie "The Little Mermaid"

8. Victoria Secret's Dream Angel perfume

9. The movies "Are We There Yet", and "Are We Done Yet"

10.

The following is a sponsored review by: BabyBlogs.

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Here's a sample page for you to look at. You can have your own Baby Blog up in less than a minute. You just create your own private page URL, pick your template, upload your photos and write your journal. It's that simple.

I would recommend this as a great way to post an online photo journal without publishing a complete blog.

Thursday 13 Things that if you knew me, You'd know this About Me!

1. I love the Ocean. My favorite part is through walking through the surf, holding hands with the one I love while watching the Sunset.
2. I love to cook, simple, but nutrious food, that the family can get together at the table and relax and talk about their day. Now this doesn't happen every day at our house, but I love when it does.
3. I love my family, my husband and my kids to pieces.
4. I love pretty flowers. Thanks to Green Thumb Sunday, there is hope for my brown thumb yet!
5. I prefer cats to dogs. I like dogs too, it's just that Cats purr and can fit in my lap better, when I pet them.
6. I love to travel. Somebody says, "Road Trip!" I'm all packed and Out the Door before you can say, "Let's Go!"
7. Both my husband and son are Type 1 Diabetics. I'm very proud of my husband for stepping up and being a fine example of how you take care of yourself for our son. I just pray for a cure everyday. It just kills me to see them go through what they go through on a daily basis. Sure they try to maintain a normal sense of blood sugars, but it's gotten easier with technology. Seriously though it scares me half the time taking care of my son because he is so young, and he can't tell me all the time how he's feeling, if he's low, or if he's high.
8. I'm closest to my Grandmother.
9. My father passed away almost 10yrs ago at 52, and it was real hard for me, because he was the second closest person to me. He taught me to listen to people, and you really don't know a person, until you walk a mile in their BOOTS!
10. I've wanted to open my own restaurant. I like to eat. I love the idea of entertaining, so I'd invite everyone I'd know, just to come in for a good meal and a good time.
11. I love to do things with the kids, like finger paint, going to the library and feed the ducks,just listening to them. This is a good one. After watching CARS, my son asked me if we could go on Route 66! So I thought we'd cruise that one day!
12. I'm really starting to like taking pictures. PIC OF THE DAY!
13. What is one thing if we knew you, what would we know??

Picture provided by Lucianne

As nice as it is to Get Away, it is always so Nice to come HOME! We had a great visit with my Grandparents. My husband got me a new digi cam for Christmas, so I'll post pics later as soon as I figure out How to upload them to the computer. The funnest part of the trip was taking the kids about 20 min North towards Jerome,AZ up to play in the snow. It wasn't fresh snow, but they got to have their snowball fights. My grandmother had a couple little patches of snow up at her place, but most of it had allready melted. My favorite part of the trip was just spending time with her. I like helping her in the kitchen, and playing cards with her. With the pics I'll post more, but There is No Place Like Home! Hope everyone had a fun and safe New Year! I don't know about you, but I must be extremely technically challanged. I spent a couple hours going over the new camara's manuals on how to upload pics, and finally gave up. My husband came home and had it all ready in less than a minute. All he had to do is flick one switch! Argggggg!

I'm also starting Project 365 which I first saw over at Local Girl's last year, but decided I'd wait until New Years to start mine. Here's Pic 1! Let me know if you start one too, and I'll come over and visit yours.

It's Pass the Torch Tuesday-Classics Week!

One of my favorite PTT posts was written from Kelli.

10,000 Miles in Blue Streak.

She writes about what is her greatest memory about her mother.

Here is one of my own favorite posts about my daughter Marissa, and why she is my Right Hand daughter.

Pass the Torch Tuesday Guidelines: Every week, we share simple and stupendous times kids MAKE US PROUD. Just write about CATCHING A KID BEING GOOD, or if you’d prefer to share your story in comments, that’s fine as well! Complete guidelines and former PTT links are HERE .

Everyone have a Happy New Year!

Here's to another great year full of good times, laughter and love to all my good blogging friends!

I'll see all of you in 2007! Myspace Layouts

We've survived Christmas vacation so far, so good. Now we are off to find some SNOW! Some of our Christmas plans were remade. My grandparents who live in Prescott, AZ, were going to stop by and visit us on their way back from CA. They were visiting my Aunt and Uncle,my cousins, and their new Great-Grand baby who was born a little before Thanksgiving. My grandmother hasn't been quite diagnosed Type 2 diabetic, she's more borderline right now, just taking care of herself by monitoring her diet, wasn't feeling well, so we made plans to do our Christmas gift exchange with them this weekend. It's been raining the last couple days, so I'm hoping Sunday morning the kids will get to see Snow. They've been wanting to make a snowman and have snowball fights and maybe do a little sledding, so will just have to see what Jack Frost has planned. We should be back sometime later Sunday evening. What are your plans for this weekend? Do you have anything planned for New Years?

#124

Appetizer

How do you usually celebrate on New Year’s Eve?

I usually make some appetizers and finger foods. Call all my family, wishing them Happy New Year. The kids try to stay up, while we watch the Ball drop on TV. One year I'd like to go to New York to see it for real.

Soup

Name one thing unexpected that happened to you in 2006. Lindsay was born. Katelyn was supposed to be our last one, so having Lindsay was a very nice surprise. Salad

Where was your favorite place that you visited in 2006?

Our trip to Las Vegas. If I could afford it, I'd like to go once a year. Not to gamble, but just to do all the touristy things.

Main Course

What resolution is your top priority for 2007?

Eating healtier at lunchtime. Thanks to Candy Minx for offering her great lunchtime tips. It's not that I'm trying to diet, but eating out gets expensive, and I would like to eat better things for me than french fries and hamburgers. Dessert

Using just three words, describe 2006.

BUSY, Fast, Fun

Still hungry for more, check out these other great places to dine HERE!

For those of you who didn't play FF, I'll ask you

Where was your favorite place that you visited in 2006?

Thirteen Things I'd like to do in 2007!

Thanks to GoofyGirl for this cute TT Header!

1. I'd like to take the kids on more outings. More trips to the library, fun museums, join a Mom's club.

2. To read more. I'd like to try and read a book a month!

3. I love to cook. I'd like to get the family involved more with cooking dinner. Right now I cook 2 large meals for leftovers the next day, and then 2 regular meals, and leave one night to eat out, but.....

4. Lunch time is when I eat too much fast food, because I'm on the go from about 10:30-5:30, and have very little time for me to have a healthy lunch. So, I'd like to try and eat less fast food.

5. Start making scrapbooks for each of the kids.

6. I'm going to be looking in to Homeschooling Katelyn, possibly Josh too next year! For Katelyn because she would be a late starter in K, because of her late birthday, and I don't want her to miss out. Josh because of his health, I'd like to find a Mom's group of Juvenille Diabetics, so he could have some friends who also are learning to deal with the same thing.

7. I'd like to start drinking less Diet Pepsi, and more water. I'm not giving up my Coffee.

8. I'd like to try and be more patient with the kids and my husband. Have more laughs and fun!

9. Be more organized!

10. Take a room in the house a month and do something different with it! I'd like to paint our bedroom, fix up the bathrooms, put wood flooring in my daughter's room, just some examples.

11. This should have been #1, before the kids go back to school, I'd like to take them up to where the snow is. Katelyn's never seen snow, and Josh was 6mos old the last time he saw it. Maybe make a snowman, just depends on how much snow we see!

12. I'd like to take the whole family camping this coming fall, up North to Pinetop,AZ!

13. To have a more Peaceful Year, my whole family. We've had some situations, where we all could have had a little more patience and understanding, maybe even compromise more, or just to let it be!

As 2006 is coming to a close, I found this not only a wonderful way to start a New Year 2007, but a way to keep the spirit of giving going. Kelly at Pass the Torch is doing a wonderful fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She has been authorized by Empowering Youth, Inc. who will donate $1.00 per comment to this post. In your comment let her know I sent you. If you have time stop on by and help her raise money to help find cures to save children.

Wordless Wednesday

We had a really wonderful Christmas, How was yours?? We spent Christmas Eve at my SIL's. All the cousins running around, Christmas wrapping paper covered her living room. The baby was crawling through it we could barely see her. My husband's other two kids were there. His son has his drivers permit, so my husband let him drive his truck! He won't even let me drive it!! That was pretty special for him to get to spend time with them. His son also bought presents for all of my kids which I would have never expected. I thought that was really cool. That night Marissa helped me wrap presents. We had baked cookies for Santa, left them out. Usually all the cookies get eaten, so it looks like Santa ate them all. Even my husband was completley stuffed from my SIL's, so Marissa wrote a letter (from Santa) to Joshua, Katelyn, and Lindsay, saying the cookies were really good, and he could only eat just one, because he wanted to share the rest with them. Christmas morning, about a quarter to 7, we hear Josh get up. We hear him searching through presents. Paper being unwrapped, and he comes running down the Hallway screaming," Look what Santa brought me!"

The funniest thing, the baby had more fun playing with all the other kids toys!

Merry 1st Christmas, Lindsay!

She loved the Purrfect Princess Kitty!

The camera says, "You look Pretty as a Picture!"

This is how I look, first thing in the morning before my cup of coffee. Love her eyes!

Nana, bought the Hummer! You know she has to buy the Best!

And my husband did good this year!

He bought me my very own digital camera, so I would stop using his.

Wasn't that sweet of him!

This morning as the kids were waking up, and Josh was the first one. I was sitting on the couch, snuggled up in a blanket (Yes, it's getting that cold here in AZ), sipping my morning coffe. When Josh climbed up on the couch and snuggled up next to me, looked up at me with his Big Blue, and this is how our converstion went.

Josh: Mom, How do Reindeer Fly?

Me: They are magic Reindeer.

Josh:Where's their magic?

Me: (Me trying to be creative.)...They have Star dust, something like Fairy Dust.

Josh: ( Didn't work.) Mom, reindeer are not like Fairies, they don't have Wings!!

Me: That's because the Magic is in their Antlers!

Josh: No, Mom, the Magic is in their NOSES!

This will most likely be my last post until After Christmas. On Tuesday, I'll have Christmas Day pics posted.

On Monday I posted a wonderful Christmas Memory I have, and Southeren Girl, posted one of her special Christmas Memories.

If you are traveling this Christmas to go visit family and friends, I wish you safe travels, and if you are Home , Enjoy and Relax!

Wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas!

Thursday 13-#30

Here are 13 Random things about my week!

1. There are only 4 more days until Christmas.
2. I still haven't finished my shopping, and I'm not looking forward to going to the malls.
3. Today was the kids first day of Christmas Vacation, I like saying that than saying they are on Winter Break.
4. They still have 2 more weeks. I'd like them to go back now. And I don't know why they didn't get out on Friday. Why on a Weds?
5. I've been buying my Christmas gifts for me. Some mint lipgloss form Bath and Body Works.
6. I bought a Vanilla Spice gift set from The Body Shop for my Aunt, I'm going back to buy one for me.
7. I found some 400 count sheets that were on Sale for $20.00.
8. When I stopped into Starbucks to buy GiftCards for the Nurses, I splurged and got a Peppermint Mocha.
9. If you haven't read my post below, yesterday we spent the day baking, and the Eggnog bread really was a hit. Even my son liked it, and he doesn't like Eggnog.
10. Both my husband and I have tried staying awake to watch Polar Express, but end up falling asleep halfway through.
11. The kids loved watching A Charlie Brown Christmas.
12. It was funny to hear Josh come around the corner and say, " OH, Good Grief!"
13. The baby loves Candy Canes, and since we put them a little higher on the tree, it gives her more incentive to stand up and walk around the tree! Which is a good thing, she's learning to walk, NOT a good thing, she yanks the candy canes down, potentially the tree? Which hasn't happened.

13 Bonus Christmas Trivia Questions

1. Name the three reindeer whose names begin with a "D"?
2. In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, what biological shortcoming made the Grinch so mean?
3. How many pipers piping did my true love give to me?
4. What song contains the line "Somebody waits for you, kiss her once for me"?
5. Who wrote A Christmas Carol?
6. What was the gift my true love sent on the sixth day of Christmas?
7. What was Scrooge's first name?
8. What fruit is St. Nick's nose like?
9. What Saturday Evening Post artist was known for his whimsical pictures of Santa Claus?
10. What 1990 movie told of a boy's experience when two men break into his house during Christmas?
11. Visions of what dance in children's heads?
12. What is the name of the most famous Christmas ballet?
13. On every street corner you hear what song?

I just realized how not only is it a Small World, but a Small Blogosphere. I stop in and visit Sandra every once in a while, to see how her Type 1 Diabetic son Joseph is doing. While reading Perfect Post Awards, I noticed she was nominated for a November Perfect Post. It's a wonderful post on, as mothers of Type 1 Diabetics on Insulin Pumps, what we go through on a daily basis. Brought tears to my eyes. Truly a fantastic post. On a good note, the other day at the nurse's office at Josh's school, she told me that Josh looked the healtiest out of the other Type 1 Diabetics there, which made my day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A BLESSED NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Thank you to all of you who have stopped by to visit me through this year. For your wonderful supportive and caring comments.

I'm sure some of you are all cookied and baked out, but today Marissa, the kids, and me had so much fun baking. We had the radio playing Christmas songs, and Marissa was playing "Christmas Bells" on her violin. The house was warm with the heat of the oven, and smelled so good with all the Christmas goodies.

So help yourself to some virtual goodies, they are absolutely, 100% calorie FREE!

Pecan Swirl Bread

Chocolate Chip Cookies with a Caramel Drizzle

EggNog Bread

I found the recipe from Kelli at There is No Place Like Home! It had such a wonderful smell while it was baking. I didn't get a chance to put on the Eggnog glaze. If you have time to bake, I'd really suggest you make this.

Cranberry Orange and White Chocolate Chip Cookies with White Chocolate Drizzle

We also made some Peppermint Fudge, but Blogger is not letting me post a pic of it.

Wishing you all The Very Best Christmas Wishes!

With Christmas upon us, I've been really busy. Buying presents, baking, and sending Christmas cards. I often miss something, and can't remember everything. I like to have my kids give their teachers a little gift. This year, I bought their teachers Apple Ornaments that I had personalized. As much as my kids say they want THIS for Christmas and they want THAT for Christmas, I was so surprised when my son this morning spoke up and said," What did you get for the nurses at school, Mom!" That made me feel really good, that he was thinking of them, and helped me to remember I'd almost forgotten them. So I ran over to Starbucks and got them gift certificates. I don't know how much of my ,"It's better to Give than Recieve" talk they listen too, but it was a refreshing change to hear him being so thoughtful.

For more Pass the Torch Tuesday stories you can read over at Kelly's.

When my brother and I were growing up our Mom would take us to the Mall right around Christmas every year. This mall, some of you may have heard of it called South Coast Plaza. It's one of the most amazing malls in So. California. I haven't been back recently, but I do have this fond Christmas memory. The mall every year we've gone, and been has always been gorgeously decorated. Bright lights and Huge Christmas ornaments. Bright red pointsettas and those White Reindeer light decorations. Simply beautiful to look at. When I think of Shoppers rushing home with their treasures, I think of this mall. There are some of the same shops in there that you would find in Beverly Hills. Back when I was growing up, those shops didn't exist, but the mall was just as bright and beautiful.

At the center of the mall, was an old Merry-Go-Round, and my mother would take me and my brother to see Santa, and then to ride on this Merry-Go-Round. Of course 20+ years ago it was only 10 or 20 cents a ride, but there was something magical about it for me and my brother.

While shopping for gifts at Toys-R-Us a couple of years ago, we wandered over to the mall next to it. When what to my wondering eyes did we see, but a Merry Go Round. Although it's $1 a ride now, I'd hope to continue a wonderful tradition I grew up with and continue with my children.

Do you have a Christmas memory or Tradition that is very special to you?

This story had me ROTFL, The Truth about Reindeers. Enjoy it, I did!

MY PICTURE OF THE DAY!

Why do weekends seem to go by so fast? I started feeling the pressure of the Holidays. We did a little baking. Marissa made us brownies. Which were gone in less than one day. Then Marissa, me and the baby did a little shopping. For Katelyn, I first wanted to buy her some Disney Princess Dressup clothes and shoes, but couldn't resist buying her a Pink Purrincess Kitty doll from Build-A-Bear with a Fairy dress and wings , and the good news I would save $15. What was really nice was getting to spend time with Marissa shopping. Being that she's almost 13, growing up for most of her life I worked nights, and felt like we really didn't spend a lot of time together. So it was so cool, picking outfits out for Christmas Eve and just having her try on jackets was alot of fun. On Sunday morning my Mom invited us to Church for their Children's Christmas Pagent. Can anyone relate to getting 4 children ready for a church service by 10:30. Thank Goodness, doughnuts and juice were served between services, because I did not have time to make a nice breakfast. Hearing the Christmas story of Jesus's Birth really made my soul refreshed. I felt my heart soften a little. Not that I have a hard heart, but with my son's illness, I realize I do harbor some resentment towards God for allowing this to happen to a child, and our family. I almost wish he'd of made me Diabetic, so my son wouldn't have to suffer. I came away from the service glad that I've known all along , this is God's way of getting me to trust him and have faith in him, that he is taking care of our family. After that I took the kids to see Santa. I must have this inner timing of year after year, for the 3rd. year in a row, we get there and then 1/2 an hour later Santa takes a break, and we end up waiting another 1/2 hour. The kids were all right waiting, not an easy thing for a 3yro and 6 yro to do. Josh surprised me, last year he didn't want to have anything to do with Santa, this year he just jumped in his lap and started talking about wanting an XBOX360, and a Basketball. Well, I can get the Basketball. Katelyn was more than a little scared, she didn't sit on his lap, she kind of sat next to Santa and told him she wanted a Pony! I'll have to go buy her a My Lil Pony. My husband found a mini Donkey online for $700, he was just teasing. You know what I like about this picture, they are both smiling. Last year, they were both annoyed about having to wait so long to see Santa.

I've still got plenty of baking and shopping to do. If you have time stop by Tuesday night, I'll have some Fresh Baked virtual goodies for y'all. Everyone have a good Monday tomorrow!

Are you all finished shopping? What do you have left to do?