Thoughts by Tammy

Destry and Justice

2010-01-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

My nephews came over for a visit today so their daddy could join Mike on a trip to see their dad and goto a VIKINGS game tomorrow. Their mommy was at work all day, so Paige said she would keep them. How sweet is she??? They are such handsome, happy little boys!!!!!

Dad's New Packers Jersey

2009-12-25T10:17:00.000-08:00

Dad got a Packers jersey from Tommy and I!!!

Littlest drinkin from grandma's hose

2009-11-29T17:36:00.000-08:00

I've been a little bit busy....

2009-11-29T13:53:00.000-08:00

My oldest has said to me "Are you ever going to blog again? We have had about 49 events, you know."
Brandi has said she is going to remove me from her blog list, so here I am.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving at home with my dad joining us. Mike and I cooked together and we ate at about 12:30. I loved eating at lunchtime this year. After dinner, Dad and Mike watched football, the kids played and/or napped, and I washed every dish and pan in the house by hand. My hands were so dry!! It was awesome to have it all done though.

Mike and I got up at 4am on Black Friday and hit Wal-Mart, but decided not to go to the "city" to shop all day. Another wise decision. I then napped for a while and we had taco pizza for dinner. All that wonderful food and all I wanted was taco pizza. Wierd!!

Since June, Brandi and I have both lost 45+ pounds with diet direct. I feel so much better!! Our friend Cara has also been doing this plan and has lost. I'm not sure how much though. She looks great! I have been off-plan for the last month or so and have only gained back about 3 lbs, because my cravings really have changed and I am making wayyyy smarter choices. YAY!!

The kids are doing very well in school this year. Oldest is working at Pizza Ranch and has saved quite a bit of her money. She is better at that than I am for sure!!
Middlest is in middle school now and involved in youth group, band, chorus, and bowling.
Youngest is in the PLUS program and bowling.

I have taken on another county working at WIC and doing the preschool fluorides 3x per school year, so I am basically working fulltime. How the heck did that happen??

My brother and his sons and wife came to Iowa this summer and brought along my mom, so we had a little reunion of sorts. We had a super time and had family pics done together. They turned out really nicely. We all were together along with my dad for some "fake family dinners" It is something that doesn't happen too often, but is quite entertaining. (My parents have been divorced since I was in 3rd grade)
If you are interested in seeing the photos, goto www.memoriesbybrandi.blogspot.com and look at late August.
Well, I am off to fold some more laundry. Happy Fall to all!!!

Puppy Photos

2009-06-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

These photos were promised to Tommy yesterday, but alas I am always a day late and a dollar short. (Or several thousand as the case may be) HAHAHA
These are some fun pics with Pinkie.
She seems to be enjoying her new home except for the bath and the dress. The bath is a necessary evil, as she is a digger. The dress was only on long enough for some pics and then promptly removed.
She is doing very well at night. She sleeps through although she is quite an early riser. Fortunately, Oldest and Middlest are also early risers. She loves her Iams food and really adores the treats she earns. She has had some accidents in the house, but she is doing very well overall. Pinkie is interested in Bella, but Bella just wishes she would disappear I'm sure.
One night last week, Bella chased her to the basement, with 3 kids running after them, and had her boxed into a corner. We (the humans) have been waaaay more upset about this dog and cat war than they have. I am hoping and praying that they will end up being friends someday soon.
Pinkie also loves to nap with her sisters.

It's a girl!

2009-05-31T05:31:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago today, we had another baby girl.....A puppy named Pinkie. She is too darling and quite smart. Middlest has been diligently getting up with her at 5:30am every day and taking her for a walk. She also taught her to sit. I think she is 12 weeks old now, but we don't have the exact birthdate. That kind of makes me nuts. We like to celebrate EVERYTHING around here!

That brings our tally up to 5 "daughters" now. Oldest, Middlest, Littlest, Bella the cat, and Pinkie the puppy. YIKES!! I have been so busy it is gross.

Mike has begun traveling a lot again so I am doing it alone. Oldest is the best assistant I could ever ask for though. I am really grateful to have such wonderful kids.

Work has been over the top busy the last 2 months. I always procrastinate and I ended up doing about 20 site visits to preschools and Head Start for their fluoride varnishes at the last minute. I did complete all of the visits and the little darlings got their fluoride. Now, I have an incredible amount of paperwork to do. Government jobs!!

Two weeks ago, on Friday night, we got to have Marley for the night!! That was sooo fun. She is such a sweetheart and so easy going. Only trouble we had with her was that she wanted to sleep too much. Not bad!! She is certainly welcome here anytime. Her mommy is attending cosmetology school and has class Tuesdays - Saturdays, so all of her family and friends are taking turns with Mar on Saturdays. I feel very blessed to be the only non-grandma whom has gotten the little darling for an overnight. I think I have made it pretty clear on this blog and in real life how much I adore Marley!! Her mommy knows she is in excellent hands here.

That Saturday, Littlest had a dance recital and Marley was soo excited to attend. She sat very well on Middlest's lap so her nana could take pics of my acrobat.

Later today, Taylor is graduating from high school and having a lovely party. I am contributing homemade brownies that I tasted earlier this week. They were the best ever! A lot of my friends are cake lovers, so there will probably be a sugar coma going on later. haha

Since summer is coming, I will probably be able to blog more regularly. I hope to do better.
Have a great week.

Good Friday To You

2009-04-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hello!
I was on the way to work this morning and saw 4 people on a busy intersection holding rather large crosses that stated: "He died for you" I gave the one gentleman that I met eyes with a big smile and a thumbs up!! It got me to thinking...

Middlest decided to join me at work today and actually did a lot of folding dental hygiene instructions and emergency tips and putting them into envelopes. She then stapled papers for me. I really worked her!! She decided to color with my highlighters about 10 minutes before we left to meet Grandpa Dan, Mike, Oldest and Youngest for lunch. We.had a nice lunch and then I went back to work and my dad went off to do whatever it is that happily retired men do. Mike and the three girls went to see the Hannah Montana movie. I am soooo lucky that my girls have such a wonderful daddy that would take them to see such a girly-girl movie that also happens to have Billy Ray Cyrus in it.

We have been trying to split the kids up lately because the constant fighting is driving me to insanity! Tomorrow Littlest is having a friend over and for once in my life I am not going to let Middlest also have a friend over. She isn't thrilled, but she got to come and work in my sweatshop today, so hey... Last weekend between the 2 nights and the 3 girls, we had 5 overnights. Way too much.

On Easter we will be going to an Amish town with excellent German food. My dad will be joining us. He has been treating me to lunch a lot lately due to my financial diet, so we will treat him to a wonderful Easter dinner. It is the same place we went in September for Oldest's 16th birthday. Oldest and I are already starting to salivate. It is our FAVE!!

Happy Easter to everyone.

Windy and Rainy Weekend

2009-03-08T17:42:00.000-07:00

This whole weekend was rainy, gray, and crappy outside. I was in pajamas the entire time!! I did shower and put clean pjs on. :) My best friends and I are on The Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover. Brandi and Skip began their makeover several months ago and have paid off their new vehicles and have a rather beautifully-sized savings account. Kelly and Randy are in better shape than we are, but I have begun the process. I have always spent a ton of money on crafts, decorating the house and dressing the kids. Mike has tried to reel me back from the ledge, but I was not interested at all. I am going to the bank tomorrow to find out where our automatic withdrawal for our van and truck are going. I think Mike is very excited that I finally saw the light!! Let me tell you, it was burning the retinas right out of my eyes!! I want to participate fully in our lives and get out of the debt we have accumulated. I have noticed that Mike is sleeping better at night the last few nights. I have accepted my share of this burden. YAY!!!

ALL ABOARD

2009-03-01T18:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my friend Dawn and I went on the train to Chicago for a dental convention. It was sooo much fun, but such a long and exhausting day! I got up at 4am. I was sick all week with the crud and thought it would suck, but God bless zithromax!!
We got to Chicago and grabbed a cab to the McCormick Place and spent the next 6 hours basically trick-or-treating from dental vendors. We then jumped into a cab and went back to the train and came straight home. What a day!! My shoulders and back are killing me from the haul I got. I had eaten a snickers at 5:45am and realized once we were in the cab that I hadn't eaten all day. Not normal for me. Dawn was on a mission and said if I even had to pee excessively, she would move on without me. Luckily I don't have Brandi's bladder. HAHA
It truly broke my heart to be in a city and not goto dinner. We had microwaved cheeseburgers on the train and $2 cans of pop. I was so hungry I probably would've eaten the cardboard box I carried my $9.75 meal in.
I arrived back at my house at 10:oo pm after driving 1.5 hours from the station. I went to sleep and slept til 9:30 am, got up and ate Mike's fantastic chocolate chip pancakes, had a quiet family reading time, as suggested by Tommy, and then went back to sleep until 5pm. I got up and made potato soup and biscuits for dinner, cleaned that all up and got the kids ready for bed. Not a very productive day, but I feel so much better than I did all last week. I missed 4 1/2 days of work due to bronchitis and strepish throat. Oldest had it the week before and I thought I did to, but had a negative test. 2 trips to the doc last week. UGH!

Congrats to our State Champ!!

2009-02-21T17:57:00.000-08:00

Our nephew took first at the state wrestling meet tonight!! Our family is a wrestling family and this was our first state win. His father and 2 uncles made it to state, but didn't win. (Not my husband--He wasn't a wrestler)
That is why when we got the 2 new nephews in the family this past few months, I put their weight as their first weigh in. HA HA

His Uncle Bobby has been an awesome coach and support to him!!
Congrats Sawyer!!

A Productive Weekend--with a bit of snow!

2009-02-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

Saturday I got up and got laundry going and began organizing the kitchen cupboards. I needed to make a few logical changes and am pleased to have gotten that done. I now have a special shelf in a cupboard for my camera and it's case, etc. Mike was very helpful and kept up with my diet pill high very well. He hung a paper towel holder that I have had in the kitchen towel drawer for at least 18 months. He also hung Oldest's hooks, magazine rack and cork boards and moved her room around for her. She was thrilled!
We had to take the kids to bowling, but fortunately hardly anyone was there so it went really really quickly.
I finally undecorated the Christmas tree and got all of the snowmen and santas put away. Mike then took down the tree. I decided that we needed to clean out the closet where all of the Christmas and Halloween totes and the Christmas tree go. I had the kids drag out everything!
I then went in there and vacuumed all of the drywall dust and mouse poop. ----Anyone who knows me at all knows that I am completely terrified of all things mice. Their corpses, their traps, their poop, and most especially the live mice.---- I'm so proud of myself. No dead or live mouse sightings. YAY!!!! We are storing some boxes of stuff for Peggy and looked through a few photo albums. The kids loved seeing their dad in childhood photos. 1970's hair and collars!
While all of the totes were out, I decided that they should be gone through and condensed. Don't worry Peggy, I didn't touch your stuff!! I very easily start a project and get sidetracked into doing something else, but happily completed all of the projects I started. I had wanted to watch a movie with my honey, but he decided to watch SCI-FI/nerd tv, so I went to bed and read a great book.

Welcome To The World Justice!!

2009-02-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

Justice Scott ******

February 9, 2009 @ 5:04am

8 lbs 13 0z--first weigh in

Mike's brother, Joe and his GF Tracy had a second son today. He is quite a love!! So cuddly and sweet. I just loved holding him and kissing his soft little head. I even got to change a poopy diaper. (I always seem to do that with babies in the hospital, don't I?)

Mike went out at about 2:15am to get their first son, Destry, at the hospital and brought him home with him. We were fortunate that our kids didn't have school today so Littlest and Middlest were spending the night with friends last night. Mike and Destry went to sleep in our bed and I went to Middlest's bed and got a couple hours of sleep. We were really excited, so we didn't sleep much. ;)

I had lots to do today including breakfast out with Middlest, Jena and her 2 kids, dental appts for Midd and Litt, and a haircut for Littlest. Destry joined us for all that fun stuff and some newborn shopping at Kohl's. We went then to the hospital to visit the newest member of our family. I realized at about 3:30 that I had forgotten to give the kids lunch, so they got a granola bar and I made a nice dinner of grilled chicken, green beans, and everyone's fave...Kraft mac and cheese. Everyone ate like champs. Wonder why??? I am such a WONDERFUL aunt and mother!!

During dinner I realized that Littlest had dance class in 15 minutes and my friend Jena called to see if we could watch her boy while she and her daughter did something with her kindergarten class. We raced to dance class and left oldest with the 2 extra boys and Middlest and a bunch of dirty dishes. It was the only day for parents to watch the dance class for the year.

Now the five of us are home alone, Destry went home with his daddy and I am downloading pics and realizing just how horrible I have been at blogging. I have 1,586 pics in a new folder. GEEZ!!

Cara is AWESOME!!!

2009-01-31T09:09:00.000-08:00

I had a really fun time last night. A group of girls got together to watch Fireproof. It was a rather cheesy movie with poor acting, yet still I loved the story of it.
I sat next to Cara and we had a great time making fun of the movie and enjoying it and even crying a little. She is a really great lady!!

My trip to Arizona was emotional and lovely and relaxing and stressful. Peggy had a chest scan while I was there and they found s0mething on her lung, so they delayed her first chemo appt. I was really disappointed to miss that, but happy to find out that what they found was just calcium spots. I wonder what they are from and how they got in there? She did really well with her first round of chemo, but is in a lot of pain and really exhausted now. She is taking really great care of herself and thankfully she is very strong!! Now if Ron's blood pressure would go down.....

While I was in Arizona, I got to spend some time with my nephews, sister-in-law, and my brother. Tommy and I went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast on Saturday and had the worst waitress known to man....
Tom had ordered chicken fried chicken and easy scrambled eggs. He got chicken fried steak and hard scrambled eggs. When waitress of the year stopped by to see how things were going.....
Tom: I'm pretty sure my chicken fried chicken is chicken fried steak.
WOTY: I did write that down wrong. I'm really sorry. Do you want chicken fried chicken??
Tom: No, thats ok. (He was too nice to mention the eggs)
WOTY: Gee, I hope you aren't a vegetarian.
Tom and Tammy: Stifling laughter. WOW!!
So I learned that day that chicken is a vegetable. Who knew???

After running all over Phoenix all day looking for Pittsburg Steelers Tshirts for the boys, we went to Red Robin for dinner and to see the movie Mall Cop. We had a lot of fun and had a nice visit. Sunday I got up at 5am to get home and work all week.

Thank you Tommy for all the driving around you did to get me from the airport to Peggy's and picking me up from Peggy's and bringing me back to the airport. You are great!!!

CLUSTERF**K

2009-01-15T14:27:00.000-08:00

Middlest is going to a birthday party tomorrow right after school--if there is school--and needed a gift, so she and I set out to purchase one. I used my remote start and waited awhile to bring the temp of the van up to only -10 or so. It is currently -21 degrees. We went out and got in the van and I was surprised that it wasn't running. I went to turn the key and heard the ever-dreadful CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK.
I thought for a moment of abandoning our journey, but Middlest was really looking forward to having some time alone with me and out of the house. I decided to dig Oldest's car out of the drift and give it a try. It started with only a small amount of begging. I had to back around the damn dead van and did so quite well--I thought--but we will get back to that later. Ok, so we were off like a herd of turtles to get the gift. When we approached the first light in town, I noticed that Oldest's tires were pretty bald when we began spinning out of control when some guy backed out in front of me. Middlest shed a few tears of fear and didn't ask to abandon our journey, surprisingly. As I began again I said that geez maybe we should buy Oldest some new tires. About 9 miles down the highway I heard a big thump and then dadut dadut dadut.....
I pulled over on the side of the highway and got out. YEP! FLAT! Middlest decided to have a meltdown at that point and vowed that this was the worst day of her life. I explained that things could've been a whole lot worse. (maybe???)
I called Mike's office and asked one of the guys to come and rescue us, which he did. Thank you so much Darryl!! Mike is still in Utah until midnight Friday. Does anyone notice a trend here? Mike is always out of state when these clusters occur. The refrigerator.
When we were dropped off at home I noticed one of our lovely lanterns laying flat in the snow. Apparently I didn't back up as neatly as I thought I had. I arranged to have a friend, Emily, pick me up for work tomorrow if my neighbor doesn't jump my van tonite. AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!
I am staying home for the rest of this day.

UPDATE

2009-01-15T04:52:00.000-08:00

School is cancelled. I am scheduled to go to 2 different preschools and screen their teeth and put fluoride on them. I don't know if they are open or not.....
Currently it is -17 degrees with a wind chill of -33 degrees. Yikes!!

I am freezing to death

2009-01-14T23:31:00.000-08:00

Today it was -5 degrees before the wind chill. It actually registered on my van that way. BRRRR! The kids had no school and are planning on more of the same tomorrow. They are calling for -26 degrees with the wind chill at 6 am. I believe that school will at least be delayed. I have to work tomorrow, so I am glad that I don't have to make sure they are all up and ready before I go, but then again, I am afraid about how Littlest will look without my help. She did her own hair today and WOW! She sucks bad at ponytails. There were huge loops on top of her head. I winked at her and said "If anyone says anything, tell them it is from your hat" (She wasn't wearing a hat to bowling) We went out in the arctic air to bowl to make up for Saturday. Mike and the kids will be dropping me off at the airport 1 1/2 hours away from here for my trip to AZ. I spoke to Peggy tonite and she says it is 75ish. Bring it!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

2009-01-11T07:43:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe you are 62 today!! I am glad you liked your gift of the digital frame filled with photos from Tom and I and our broods. Tommy had a great idea!!

I wanted to let you know how much I love and cherish you. You are more than a mom to me... You are a wonderful friend. I always love talking to you and visiting with you. I am sad that we can't enjoy the simple little things that local moms and daughters get to do. Tonite we will get on the phone and enjoy a cup of tea together and just chat.

I love, admire, respect and enjoy you.
Love,
Pinky

Another Sunday

2009-01-11T07:29:00.000-08:00

Not much happening around here today. I thought I may finally take the Christmas tree down. Actually, all I can do is undecorate it. It is 9 feet tall and beyond heavy. Mike will have to take it down when he returns from Utah. It has snowed for the last couple of days and the county street sanders didn't hook us up for whatever reason. After bowling yesterday, I turned into our neighborhood and began a spin/slide combo toward the ditch. I remained very calm and decided to do as Carrie Underwood sings about and let "Jesus Take The Wheel". Fortunately the front of my van entered the ditch and not the side because I am 100% sure we would've rolled. I decided to drive through the field and came out on the low part. That got my heartbeat jumping for about a half an hour. Does that count as cardio?? haha

When Mike is gone, Littlest believes that it is her duty to sleep with me. It always amazes me that my 8 year old little girl takes up more space than my rather large husband. Anyway, last night my friend Jena kept the little 2 overnight. YAY!! I woke up in a panic this morning when Littlest wasn't in bed with me.

Weight Watcher Results for this Week

2009-01-08T20:14:00.000-08:00

Apparently, I enjoyed the heck out of the Christmas season. I gained 2.4 lbs in the last three weeks. The truth is, I almost didn't go today, but my pal Chris said "Come on, we gotta do it!" So I went and I guess that is good....

Mike is gone to Utah until the 16th and I leave for Arizona on the 17th. Life will be interesting this week when I am trying to save money and watch what I eat very carefully and my chef is in Utah!! The good news is that while I am visiting my mother-in-law, I will probably wither away. She and her husband barely eat anything and are in terrific shape.

Middlest is planning her 11th birthday party. I will be taking 4 girls to a hotel with a really awesome water park. I will sleep in a cot and give the 4 girls the 2 queen beds. Aren't I nice? Hopefully, they will let me sleep in the room and not the bathroom. haha

My bestie is taking a course in Feb. on Dave Ramsey's money tips, etc. She will give Kelly and I the lessons the following evenings. We will all be rich soon, I hope. Brandi will be. She has an incredible sticktoitness about her. She lost over 8 pounds since December 18th. What a brat!!!

Surprise Visit from Marley

2009-01-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

We were delighted to have a visit from Marley and her mommy and grandma and Willie.

They were passing through town on their way home from dinner.
Middlest and I were the baby hogs this time.

I especially love the pic of Middlest and Marley bumping fists.

In keeping with the theme of the day.....BABY FEET!!

It's the End of the Year as We Know It....(Giant Meme)

2009-01-03T16:17:00.000-08:00

2008

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Attended a birth. I hope to do this again someday.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn't make any this year. I didn't eat french fries at all in 2007, so I took a year off.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My sister-in-law, Jamie and my "bonus" daughter.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thankfully!
5. What countries did you visit? Only this great country. I went to New York City, Washington D. C., Colorado, California, and Illinois.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? Better skill with money
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? September 11th. I had the honor of visiting all of the crash sites from 2001 in June. It was really much more meaningful this year on the anniversary after having been to all of them.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I got an awesome job in public health that I really enjoy doing and I really do like everyone I work with.
9. What was your biggest failure? Organization!!
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I sprained my ankle when I fell down at the doctor's office. I was late to get middlest and I knew she would be upset. I ended up in the ER and Middlest ended up with a cell phone.
11. What was the best thing you bought? I buy soooo many wonderful things, it is hard to pick 1
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? All 3 kids do very well in school. We are very proud.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Rex's.
14. Where did most of your money go? Fun times with the kids 
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Being in the delivery room and NOT in the stirrups.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Anything by Nickelback
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:  a) happier or sadder?  b) thinner or fatter?  c) richer or poorer? Happier, fatter, poorer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?  Exercising, but to be fair I should say that I wish I'd done some of...
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Gaining weight
20. How did you spend Christmas? My mom and stepdad and dad came to our house. It was very relaxing and fun.
21. Did you fall in love in 2008? With "our" new babies. Kane and Marley 
22. What was your favorite TV program? Desperate Housewives!!
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Hate only hurts me, so No, but see my answer to # 13.
24. What was the best book you read? Twilight series
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? ???
26. What did you want and get? happy & healthy children
 27. What did you want and not get? A big ol diamond
28. What was your favorite film of this year? Marley and Me--I was proud to help Jen crush Brad at the box office.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I attended an all day course in Pediatric Dentistry on my 38th birthday.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Having a better handle on our finances
 31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Mostly scrubs and sweats
32. What kept you sane? PROZAC baby!!
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I am always ready to look at Matthew McConaughey ;)
34. What political issue stirred you the most? I don't really get stirred by politics 
35. Who did you miss? I always miss my mom and my brother and nephews.
36. Who was the best new person you met? I love Annie!! She is an awesome friend and I really enjoy being with her. We enjoy a rather sick sense of humor!
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. It is not my place to judge people!
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I'm in over my head!!

A Visit From Kane

2009-01-03T12:28:00.001-08:00

Today our nephew came over for a visit. We were sorry we didn't get to see big brother, but we had a fun time with the baby. Mike was quite the baby hog though.

Look at those shiny, beautiful eyes!!

The kids were trying to get a smile by tickling him with a feather Christmas ornament, but instead we were treated to an Elvis snarl. Too stinkin cute!!

This little piggy went wee wee wee wee......... What is cuter than little toes???

Grandma Peggy made this soft, fuzzy blanket. He was licking it!!
I think he LOVES it, Grandma!!

Get Well Soon Peggy!

2009-01-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She will be receiving radiation and chemotherapy for it. We are feeling confident that she will make a full recovery, but I am going to Arizona to be with her for a week. I will spoil her rotten and be her personal nursie. I told her that she will rock the GI Jane look!! I will be leaving on the 17th and returning on the 25th. Mike is going on another trip to Utah and will return on the 16th, so it was the soonest I could go. Mike is starting up his travel schedule again.....Yippee!

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

We are enjoying a lovely (and freezing) Christmas. The kids went outside and used the sleds for a very little bit yesterday. I went out to get a few pics and came right in for hot tea and to safely watch through the window. We went to the Children's Christmas Eve mass at 5pm and came home and ate a delicious tortiere. It is a french pork pie and it was my grandma's recipe. YUM!!

The kids opened their traditional Christmas Eve gift--pajamas, and I annoyed them all with pictures by the tree in their matching sweaters.

This morning we were all up early and had a great time opening wonderful gifts. Mike, my dad and my step-dad are all in the basement attempting to assemble a full sized air hockey game. I haven't heard any cussing, but I also haven't heard any air hockey playing. ha ha

We are having ham and mashed potatoes with scalloped pineapple for a midday dinner. I look forward to that. My weight watching isn't going so great, but I will be downstairs on the treadmill later tonite. We bought it last year and it hasn't helped me at all, so far. OH! You are supposed to turn it on?? I got it! My mom got me a bunch of shirts and hopefully I will be too skinny for them soon!!

Love and Happiness to all my readers!!

Tammy

This and That

2008-12-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

Hello! Today has been a very weird one. My kids' school decided to have their Christmas parties today because they were worried that school would be cancelled tomorrow due to the nasty ice storm we are expecting. Middlest's teacher had someone come in and discuss table manners recently and they decided to have a brunch party and practice the manners. I look forward to hearing all about that later. My contribution was the egg casserole I posted in September from Jamie's baby shower. I got up at 6:00 to bake that. We got everybody ready for school and out the door with a fresh from the oven casserole wrapped in a bath towel. As we got into the classroom, Middlest remembers that her clarinet is still sitting in her room and would I please go get it??? Of course.
I ran home and got that and delivered it to the school. I then decide to head to BTown for my weight watchers meeting and to do some work things. I get to the meeting and had to wait forever for it to start. I almost left, but did wait the 40 mins. (I had the time wrong)
I didn't lose any weight this week, but I didn't gain any either. I am disappointed, but I figure that my 6.2 lbs from last week, averages out ok. Anyone buying this???? giggle
I then had a lunch date with my dad at Applebee's. They have a ww menu and it makes it easier for me so we go there just about every week. We had a nice time. During our lunch, I received a call from Oldest saying that they were being released from school at 12:40. Just in case the ice storm hits!!! I can't believe it! They had an it-might-snow-day!!! WTF???
Mike asked me to go to Lowe's for some table legs so he could turn an antique dining room table into a coffee table. I have a real problem with this plan, so I bought a 48 x 20 piece of wood to make a tabletop. I also got some beadboard for Oldest's bathroom walls. He is none to thrilled with me. As if he has time for all of this right now, but oh well.
My dad joined me at Lowe's and helped me select all the right boards. (No cracks, nicks, warping, etc) At the end of our shopping experience, he said"Tammy, you know what I like best about shopping with you?" I answered him with my matching wit, "Absolutely nothing??" I was correct!!

P.S. It is now 4:10 pm and there has been no crazy ice storm. Middlest didn't have band either. AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLY!!

2008-12-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

I called and sang to you this morning, but wanted to blog a very Happy 36th to you today!!
I look forward to spending time with you on Friday and celebrating with you.
You are a really special friend and I am soo blessed to have you.
Love you,
Tammy

I'm a Weight Watcher

2008-12-17T09:22:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to publicly announce that on December 4, 2008 I joined Weight Watchers...again. The program really does work if you follow the instructions. I am a lifetime member since 2001, so I KNOW it works!! The first week I lost 6.2 lbs. I have been really trying very hard. My mother-in-law sent us a fabulous box of cookies, and I have sampled those this week. DAMN!

Today, I am home and working on my list. Shannon suggested I write it down, and I think it is a great idea!! The kids had a 2 hour delay today, so that cut into my day a bit. I have already gotten my teeth cleaned at the dentist, and tanned today. I spoke to my sister-in-law earlier and invited her and her 2 boys over for dinner. B-I-L works second shift. Mike is en route from Boston and won't be home til late if everything happens as scheduled, so we will have a moms and kids dinner/evening. It will be fun. It also forces me to stick to my cleaning list. smile

My list for the rest of today

switch Littlest's clothes out of her dresser and put winter ones in--I know, its snowy here.
scrub all 3 bathrooms
scrub kitchen floor
vacuum the upstairs
dust the furniture
wrap some gifts for the kids and put them under the tree
goto Walmart and get gifts for the kids' school exchange
buy teacher gifts--I'm thinking of gift cards this year
get ingredients for egg casserole for Middlest's class brunch tomorrow morning
LAUNDRY--I could carve that part of the list in stone!!!
photograph the kids for the Christmas card
photograph baby Kane and his big brother
be a charming hostess tonite
fall into bed dead and in pain from this list

My mom and her husband will be here on Monday and I am having a Christmas potluck for all my work friends on Monday, so I am feeling soooo far behind. I am done Christmas shopping for the family though.

I spoke too soon!

2008-12-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

Mike left at 4am today for Boston. I think he is supposed to return tomorrow, but the weather is quite nasty so we will see. Meanwhile, the kids got out of school at 12:40 and we are making chicken and noodles served over mashed potatoes. Oldest's boyfriend's mom gave us her recipe. I think I owe her a daughter now. LOL!!

I am so thankful for my family

2008-12-13T17:29:00.000-08:00

Today Oldest and I volunteered at the local agency that helps people in need. It was the day that the clients got to come and get their turkey, misc. Christmas food and items, and gifts for their children. It was so wonderful to be able to help out this wonderful place. We really enjoyed it. There are so many people in town that need some help. It is astounding really. There were about 350 bags full of gifts for children. My children and I "adopted" a family and provided things for their 3 girls. It was fun and I think the kids are learning about opening their hearts. Oldest was really bothered that some of the bags only had a couple of items and that those kids wouldn't get anything else. She is really growing up and I am so proud of her. She just jumped right in and offered to carry bags and boxes for people to their cars, and made a little friend in a boy named Joe. He is 11 years old and they had a lot of fun. In fact, Joe said to her"You and I should go to Subway and eat with my dad's money" I thought that was so stinkin precious.

Meanwhile, Mike has been in town for about 3 weeks in a row, which is a real blessing. He took Middlest and Littlest to their bowling league today. It is funny... Middlest does so much better when I am not there. I think I am a jinx!!

Digital Christmas Card 08

2008-12-09T19:07:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Tis the Season......

2008-12-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!
I have been soo busy lately I have been neglecting my blog. I feel guilty about that on top of everything else I feel I am doing half-assed. I am preparing for a lovely Christmas at home with my mom and her husband and my dad.....hmmmmm......should be interesting. ;)
I just got my little brother's wedding book back and am so excited to get it sent to him tomorrow. I hope he loves it. It turned out so much better than I dreamed. It really was worth the 5 hours of laying it all out. Giggle
Work is a little stressful due to year end reports that are coming due and meetings to wrap up the year. I am planning a potluck at my house on the 22nd for my work-friends. I am really excited about that!! My Oldest and I will be volunteering at the local "food pantry" on the 13th and Tandly and husbands are going to a comedy show out of town this weekend. I intend to try to just enjoy myself and my husband and friends and not stress about anything. We'll see.
I don't know if everyone else is fighting off the crud this year, but we have been passing it around like no other. I am thinking of us all going to the Dr. and getting Z-packs for everyone.
Mike and I went shopping on Friday and got a LOT of our shopping done. We decided to go for bigger ticket items this year. Less shopping, Less wrapping, Less crap laying all over the kids' bedroom floors. Win-Win-Win!!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas season and tries to take the time to smell the roses. I will try to be more thankful and just do one thing at a time. Its really all we can do, yes?

Baby Marley

2008-11-18T07:40:00.001-08:00

Last night I got to experience one of the greatest pleasures in my life. Giving birth without any pain. My friend's daughter--My "bonus" daughter gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. I was able to help her with the delivery and cut the cord. I wasn't planning on the birth being yesterday so I didn't have my camera with me, but will be getting some pics later today. Marley Jade weighed in at 7 lbs. 12 oz. and was 19 inches long. She arrived at 9:51pm and I was there for her first burp at 11:08pm. She is really lovely and when spoken to stops fussing and looks at you. She remembers our voices for sure!!

A Mouse in the House--EEK!

2008-11-03T08:38:00.000-08:00

About 2 weeks ago, Middlest was playing in the basement with Littlest and Jena's girl. I heard a terrified scream and then some stumbling up the stairs. Apparently, Middlest saw a mouse running along the top of the couch and she shouted to her sister and Jena's girl that there was a mouse on the couch. We were shocked when Littlest and Jena's girl never came upstairs. I am so far beyond afraid of mice, that I was already packing our stuff for the hotel. Mike went down there and discovered the girls standing on the couch. They thought Middlest said get on the couch!
So we went to Wal-Mart and bought 12 glue traps and put them all around the basement. We never did catch anything, but Oldest said that there was a smell. I finally began sleeping again when the smell appeared. (After one night in the hotel, we had to come home.)
Middlest decided that her room in the basement was no longer desirable, so she has moved upstairs to the office. My computer is now in the basement, which is why I haven't blogged.
So, on Halloween night Oldest and her boyfriend were in the basement watching scarry movies and Paige noticed that there was a horrible smell. She looked up and there was that mouse--dead and hanging on the back of the couch.
Well, of course, I think we need to buy a new couch........

Mike is gone again

2008-10-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Mike got home late Friday night and we spent the day together Saturday doing not much really. I made his favorite dinner-manicotti. I haven't made it in many many years and now I remember why. Lasagna is soooo much easier. It was good. He left for Vermont this morning. He is going to be home on Friday so he can take the kids trick or treating with me.

Welcome Baby Kane!!!

2008-10-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

Announcing Baby Kane

Born Wednesday, October 15 2008 @10:51pm

First weigh in: 6lbs, 13oz.--Sure to be lots!! ;)

19 1/2 inches long

I just returned home from my first visit. He is soooooo sweet. I changed his poopy diaper and he pooped during the change. He missed me though. ha
I will be returning to visit with Oldest when she finishes school.
Welcome Wonderful Little Kane!!!!

Annie's Birthday

2008-10-08T17:06:00.001-07:00

Annie had a birthday today and I showed up at lunch with a birthday hat and a cake. She is one of the ladies I work with and they were working in a town about 45 miles away. I was off :)

This hat is worn by everybody in my family on our birthdays. (If we remember it)

Grandma Herr made the beautiful cake.

Happy Birthday Annie!!!

Middlest plays the Clarinet

2008-10-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

Middlest is very proud to be learning this new skill. I am impressed with how quickly she is picking it up. I find myself recognizing songs already!! First concert is next week. Can't wait!

Homecoming, Friends & Fun!

2008-10-08T16:44:00.001-07:00

Kevin and his beautiful fish hat. Can't wait to see what he wears to prom!! He has the cutest smile, doesn't he???
The fab four. As you can see, there was more than one photographer, which did cause some issues. They were with the wrong fellas in this photo. Littlest is in the back. She wanted to be in a photo soooo bad. I told her to go in the back thinking she was so short, she wouldn't show up. I was wrong!!!
~Grace and Kevin~
Oldest's shoes.
Oldest and Grace

Carefree Whimsy

2008-10-08T16:18:00.001-07:00

I "encouraged" oldest to spin around in the driveway. I did NOT force the smile.

Homecoming 2008

2008-10-06T18:38:00.001-07:00

Oldest looks like a stunner!!

Oldest and her friend, Grace, smiling pretty.

<3Oldest and her boyfriend, Ryan<3

I think it's plain to see how Ryan feels about Oldest!!

Oldest and her friend spent the day getting their hair done and getting beautiful, while the guys spent the day playing in the yard. The girls had a ball letting me get all kinds of fun pics.

Then.... the boys came.

It was a real challenge to get both guys to look at the camera, much less smile.

Baby Shower Menu

2008-09-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

I never ate any of this, but everyone raved about it!!

Wake-Up Casserole

INGREDIENTS:
8 frozen hash brown patties
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 lb. cubed fully cooked ham
7 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place hash brown patties in a single layer in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and ham.
2. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt and mustard. Pour over ham.
3. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Fruit Salad--with no "filler fruit" :)

Fresh pineapple chunks, cut strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, green grapes, red grapes and black grapes. Mix together all fruit with the juice of one freshly-squeezed orange. I chill it together for at least one hour.

Ducks and Frogs were the theme today.

The really delicious cake along with candy corn, peanuts and pretzles.

Jamie's Baby Shower

2008-09-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

Today, I hosted a baby shower for my sister-in-law. Jamie will be giving birth to Kane next month and we are all very excited to meet him. Unfortunately, I didn't get a very good pic of the mommy to be. She is the beautiful blonde in the black and white dress. We had a nice time and had some good food and cake. She got some really lovely gifts. I love Shirley's cakes!!

Cute AND delicious!!!

Happy Birthday Peggy

2008-09-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today is my Mother-In-Law's birthday. While we were celebrating the upcoming arrival of Kane, Peggy wore Littlest's "Birthday Girl" crown. Hope your day is special!!!

The New Whitman Family

2008-09-28T13:36:00.001-07:00

I love, love, love these pics!!!

J turns 10

2008-09-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

My brother has a little tradition for his boys that when they turn 10, he bakes and assembles a 10-layer cake for them. Luckily, I was there to enjoy the tradition this time. It sure was good. J felt like a superstar! Happy Birthday to my wonderful nephew!!

Tommy and Jessica's Wedding

2008-09-28T12:12:00.001-07:00

I had a wonderful time at my brother's wedding to his sweetie!! I am so grateful that I was there to see such a beautiful and touching ceremony. I have never been so moved at a wedding as I was at theirs. You can feel the love they have for each other. I have never seen Tommy so joyous and Jessica was a beautiful bride.

This is the gazebo where they had their ceremony. The rest of us were right up with them. The moms were literally 3 inches from their kids. My Mom says it was AWESOME!!! I was behind Jess's mom and step-dad, but got a great view of Tommy's face. What I saw was pure joy and his eyes never left hers. Magical! The view just breaks your heart, doesn't it???

Brandi and I went down to the beach during the rehersal the previous night and she carved this into the sand with a stick. I was still having some trouble with my ankle.

Tommy and Jessica are thrilled to be married!!!
After the ceremony, I asked them to look out into "their future". Tom said, "Our future sure is BRIGHT!!!" I agree little brother!!

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Whitman September 20, 2008

Sprained Ankle

2008-09-23T05:51:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday, I was rushing out of the pharmacy to pick up Middlest from band and fell flat out on my back. How embarrassing!! Luckily Oldest was there to drive me to get Middlest (We were already 10 mins late) and then to the ER. After they completed X-Rays and sent me home, Littlest decided to be sweet and made me supper. I "ordered" a ham and cheese sandwich, which I got along with a PB &J, butterscotch pudding(YUCK!!) and some grapes. Imagine my delight to open the sandwich and find this cute little smiley face.

LA INK

2008-09-23T05:34:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Brandi, Tommy, My mom and I went to some fun tourist spots in LA. We went to LA Ink. Unfortunately they were filming an episode and we were unable to go inside. There was a guy guarding the door. Brandi isn't even a little bit shy and found out he makes $175/day to make sure nobody goes into the shop. We went around to the back and got these pics of Kat's mural, Kat's car and we were actually able to purchase T-shirts for Oldest and Brandi's girl. One of the guys that was hanging around at the craft services table went into the shop and got them. $30 bucks each!! We were like giddy school girls.

Bowling-Week 1

2008-09-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

Littlest is all smiles on week 1

Middlest is happy to have a new sport

Have you ever seen a happier bowling team?? This is my friend Jena's boy and girl.

I don't know--It looks like they are plotting something to me.

Middlest does her own hair

2008-09-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

The Weekend From HELL!!

2008-09-15T05:10:00.000-07:00

The weekend started out ok. I got Middlest's room all cleaned out and we have quite a huge pile of stuff to donate. Saturday Littlest and Middlest had bowling league. I got some cute pics. The bowling alley hasn't gotten the teams divided quite evenly, so we were there f-o-r-e-v-e-r!! Later on, Middlest asked if she could have an ice cream sandwich. I said sure. She asked me why was it so soft? I assumed that the freezer was going through a defrost cycle. You know what they say--NEVER ASSUME!!!
Sunday morning I walked into the kitchen and slid because the ice had all melted and dripped out of the ice/water door. I thought "Oh Shit!" I tried to convince myself that there must have been ice stuck in the door. Wrong. I opened the door and everything was thawed out.
I realized very quickly that the freezer was kaput! I was kind of flipping out because Mike is in Utah for two weeks and this is definitely his department. I got busy cleaning out the freezer and putting some stuff in the fridge. I decided to gut the freezer completely and clean it out. It looks awesome!!--It's not cold, but whatever.
After that I decided to start cooking some chicken for lunch and noticed that the lovely 3 lbs. of ground chuck was BROWN! It was wayyyyy to soon for that so I quickly opened it and to my amazement it didn't stink at all so I browned it all with onion and made chili w/ 2 lbs. and kept 1 lb. for something later. Who knows what?!
I was calling Mike this whole time to see if he could work his machine fix-y magic over the phone. No such luck. I called our friend Tami to see if she knew a guy who could come out on a Sunday. She laughed and then sent her wonderful husband, Randy and their son Ryan over to lend us their garage fridge. I figured that they would put theirs in the garage and I would be putting on the miles between the kitchen and garage. They decided to remove ours from the kitchen and put theirs in its place. I was soooo happy and thankful!! Our refrigerator is a Kenmore and only 5 years old. It is a large side-by-side and they had to remove our front door to get it outside. By the time all of this was accomplished, it was 8pm and I had 3 garbage bags full of groceries. (I had just gotten groceries on Friday for $174.00) The kids had chili and warm milk for dinner. The knot in my stomach prevented me from eating until lunch today. Nobody has vomited from the milk yet, so I think I am ok.

Wedding Bells

2008-09-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

My little brother is getting married next weekend in California. I had a friend of mine stitch this darling little piece. I love it!! I may order one for Mike and I. I found an awesome sale on scrapbook paper at Hobby Lobby and only bought 1 piece of it. I left the store having only spent 21 cents!! I was able to pay cash. LOL!! Brandi and I are leaving for LA next Thursday. (She grew up next door to Tom and I) I am planning to do the pictures of the wedding. I did them for my brother-in-law and his bride Jamie last year. Happy Anniversary to them soon!!! I will blog some great stuff after that trip. I am excited to get away and see my little brother marry the love of his life. Welcome to the family Jessica!!

Oldest is driving really well

2008-09-10T19:28:00.001-07:00

Tonite my beautiful oldest daughter took me all over town driving. She did so well that I wasn't even nervous this time. I have been attempting to steer with my right hand on the arm rest. Since my shoulder surgery 1-1/2 years ago, I have been in a lot of pain, so that isn't good.
She surprised me with her confidence this evening and I was really proud that she decided to run through the carwash with her own money. Then to really delight me, she treated me to Dairy Queen. I only ordered a small cone, but I think it was the most delicious cone I've ever had. I am beginning to understand how special I must make my mom feel when I spoil her.
I am a HAPPY, HAPPY MOMMY!!
Mike is on a two-week trip to Salt Lake City. Middlest is sad, but daddy has been playing games on MSN with her. I spent the entire day in Littlest's room organizing and purging. I promised Middlest that I would work in her room Friday. I feel like I'm nesting. NO!!-I am NOT pregnant!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDI!!!!

2008-09-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my oldest, dearest, bestest friend!!
Love you!!

Oldest turns 16!!!

2008-09-10T11:56:00.001-07:00

I have been extremely busy lately getting rid of old junk. We have had our third flood in 4 years in the basement. (None of which is due to rainfall, by the way) Everything is out to survey the damage and make decisions about. I have found boxes of clothing that I was saving for the littlest to grow into. Well, of course I am too late. They are too small already! I am so frustrated! I plan to donate all of this stuff!

We did celebrate Oldest turning 16 at her favorite restaurant. She got to enjoy her fave meal of chicken schnitzel with spaetzles. Her party will be later in the month. Her friend, Ryan joined us for the event. He said "Chic-fil-ay is just as good" He won't be joining us there again!!

Jumbo Turkey Legs

2008-08-31T16:25:00.000-07:00

Today my friend Annie came to town to visit an annual outdoor fair. I got to meet her parents and her kids. What a nice bunch they are!! I really enjoyed them!!

Littlest and Middlest have been waiting all year for this weekend, so that they could enjoy one of their favorite treats--turkey legs. After the fact, Mike told me that he has never gotten them each a leg before. I think it's plain to see why that is....

Littlest attempts to dig in to the leg. After her recent oral surgery, she doesn't have too many teeth left and it was quite challenging for her. She had lost a tooth about a week before having 3 pulled last week, so she is missing 4!!! She only ate about 1/10 of her leg.

Middlest is better able to get into her leg and managed to eat about 1/3 of hers.

Annie's boy and girl are enjoying corn dogs and nachos!!

After the kids "finished" (HA!), the girls decided that they would like to go to our house. We thought that was a fabulous idea and were left with just Annie's boy. The whining level went down considerably and we were able to shop for treasures. ;) My husband is a wonderful guy and came into town to pick up the girls, even though Annie's girl had just met my girls about 30 minutes before. Annie's boy enjoyed some homemade ice cream. (Don't tell the girls that)
Annie and I decided to purchase these cute little bowls at one vendor and got a scoop of rosehips and cinnamon sticks at my all-time fave vendor. We have matching little cute bowls with wonderful smelling potpourri. I buy at least a scoop a year and they really retain their scent for many months. I already had this napkin basket, placemat and salt and pepper holder. I am really excited because I didn't spend a fortune and I have a new/cute little display.
P.S. Upon further inspection, I realized that these bowls were from Wal-mart!! Oh well, it was fun anyway.

Sweet Sixteen!!!

2008-08-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

Oldest is going to be 16 at the beginning of next month. My best friend is the best photographer ever and I had her take some pics with my dad's 1962 Nova convertible. We found the most charming little lane and got permission from a man on a mower to use it. Brandi had to wait for him to get out of the shot a few times, but she did a fantastic job on the pictures and we could not be happier with them. If you care to look at them, click on her blog at the right of my page.

First Day of School-2008

2008-08-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

Middlest ready for the 5th grade!!!
Oldest ready for 10th grade!!!
Littlest ready for 3rd grade!!!
Middlest & Littlest starting the school year.

You will note that Middlest has a second bag with tissues in it. Who doesn't have a 1st day of school picture of themselves with at least one box ???
Oldest and her BFF outside of the high school.

(and extremely embarrassed to have me taking their pic--even though it was from the window)

Today was the day. We all got up and got ready in record time, so I was able to drop off all the kids this morning. I painted Littlest's fingernails and toenails and Middlest's fingernails this morning and packed Littlest a lunch. I worked today and then picked up the kids for some shoe shopping. We finally found some tennis shoes for the younger 2 kids. We then went out for dinner. What a shock!!! (Not really) haha

Mike is in Lake Villa, IL this week doing some business and what-not with the boss. He is going to have to make another trip later this week. Hopefully, he will be home this weekend. We are having a sweet 16 party for Oldest on the 6th, and have lots to do project-wise in the basement. Oh, and we miss him, of course!! smile:)

Friends and Fun--The Tandly BBQ

2008-08-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

After posing for a lovely photo with their cupcakes-as seen in my previous post-things got a little bit out of hand for my oldest and my middlest. Middlest began the chain of events. I ended up having to use the hose at full blast to remove all of that frosting. The little 4 kids went back to swimming after being cleaned up. GOOD TIMES!!!

Tandly Family BBQ

2008-08-24T12:53:00.001-07:00

In case you are wondering what "Tandly" is......(and I'm sure you are. HAHA)
Tandly is a group of three girlfriends that started our own little club. The name is made by combining our three names. Ta=Tammy nd=Brandi and ly=Kelly (Tandly)
We attempt to get together for dinner or a fun activity every month, but sometimes life flies by a little fast and we are unable to stick to that. Once a year we encourage our husbands to take us out to do something fun. This year we are going to the Friends of Bob & Tom comedy show. A couple of years ago we saw George Carlin in concert. Once a year we do something with our kids like baking and decorating cookies and once a year we do a family get-together like a BBQ, which was last night. We got together and had a pot luck dinner/BBQ with lots of wonderful treats.
I brought a wonderful fruit salad that I think was so good because I didn't put any "filler" fruit in it. Filler fruit is the less wonderful and less expensive fruit that I feel ruins a good fruit salad. Giggle! It could be that I am not a melon or apple and banana gal. I also brought some brightly colored cupcakes, broccoli salad and chips and salsa from a fave mex restaurant.

Littlest puts some mustard on her hot dog.
Oldest putting mustard on her burger.
Middlest thinks that fruit looks good!!--No mustard for her though.
from left: Kelly's youngest, my youngest, my oldest, Kelly's oldest, and my middlest.
We had a great time!! Thanks for hosting, Brandi.

Middlest & Littlest have oral surgery :(

2008-08-22T14:32:00.000-07:00

Today was the day we've been dreading for some time now. The two younger kids had to have small oral surgery procedures done. Littlest had to take valium 1 hour before the appt. time to keep her relaxed. She was less nervous than middlest even before the valium. Hmmmm???!!!

Middlest went first, due to her anxiety. They did sealants on her permanent molars (I highly recommend for all kids!!) and then they used a laser to remove the tissue between her front two teeth. It was prominent and was keeping her teeth apart. All of this was likely exacerbated by middlest's thumbsucking until approx. age 5. She did quite well and we were proud of her. Next was littlest's turn.... She had 3 baby teeth pulled to make room for her permanent teeth. She had 3 cavities treated. Two with fillings and one with a stainless steel crown. Our previous dentist had never been successful at getting radiographs on her, so her cavities were kinda deep. She became ill from either the gas or the valium and vomited. She was pretty upset about that!

After getting them settled in at home and after the anesthetic wore off, they both proceeded to eat everything they could get their hands on. (Popsicles, ice cream, pudding, chicken nuggets & jello) They hadn't eaten since last night and were "STARVING TO DEATH"

My new ficus

2008-08-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

A good family friend decided that her ficus had outgrown her living room and wanted to get rid of it. Actually, I think her husband wanted to dispose of it! I was in the right place at the right time and was thrilled to adopt George. Yes, the ficus has a name. I wanted my mom to see it, so George makes his debut on my blog. Thank you very much Dona!!! I love George and think he looks AWESOME in our living room.

Fall is just around the corner

2008-08-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

As I came up to the front door, I noticed that my burning bush is really starting to turn red. It is sooooo pretty and I love how the ladybug flag looks next to it. Then I began thinking that fall is just around the corner and decided to take photos of my mums.

Bella goes to the vet

2008-08-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

Bella checks out the outdoors.
Bella hunkering down, not wanting to come out.
That's ok, they'll just take the top off to get her. "Mom, have I told ya that I don't care for shots?"
Bella said that she knew how upset I was about the whole vet thing, so she said I should have an ice cream cone!!

Bella, the cat, had to go get her shots today. She hates the carrier, the van, the outdoors, the ride, the shots(of course) and being at the vet. Our cat is anti-social and hates pretty much everybody that is not a member of our family. You can imagine the trauma of loading her up and getting her there! Being the new blogger that I am, I brought along the camera to be able to capture just how much she really doesn't like it.

Oldest has lost her tin grin!!

2008-08-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I brought Oldest to the orthodontist where she had her braces removed. It is such a joy to see her beautiful teeth that we paid so much for!!! Her father/my husband had braces for about 4 years. The very day he had his removed, he went outside to rollar skate and his mom said: "Don't do anything to those teeth" Cut to him walking through the front door with 1/2 a tooth and a handful of blood. As a family joke said to Oldest: "Don't go rollar skating and break your teeth" It has been 24 hours and her teeth look GREAT!! As a special treat, this morning I took her to the dentist and got her an extra prophy, just so her teeth would feel perfect. Am I awesome, or what?

Littlest is 8!!

2008-08-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

Today was littlest's 8th birthday. Mike and I worked all day, but after that we dropped off the oldest at a friend's party and took the other two to Fun City. We bowled, played games and had a nice dinner at the Boogaloo cafe. I forgot my camera though!! Bad Mommy!!! My baby turning 8 really has me thinking..... The oldest will be starting college in 3 years. YIKES!!! I am wayyyyy to young to have a kid that old!! Tomorrow's agenda includes braces removal for the oldest and new school clothes and shoes for all 3 kids. I plan to take pics of the orthodontist appt. Check back for that. Have a great night!

The Littlest's Birthday Party

2008-08-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

We had perfect weather today for the carnival. We had a bouncey house, cotton candy machine, horse-shoe game, bean bag toss, musical chairs, a pinata, face painting and a toss a ball into a series of buckets game. (Not sure what this game is called) We had several friends and family members over for lots of fun and tacos and cake and ice cream!! Thank you Kelly for all of your help!!!!!!

The littlest got a lot of great gifts too. I think this was one of the most fun parties I've ever thrown. Happy Birthday my sweet girl.

End of Summer Already???

2008-08-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

I have been off work this week and have been busy registering kids for school, scheduling hair appointments, dental appointments, and buying school supplies. I can't believe that summer is about to end. My job will be getting a lot busier when school starts, so I am torn. I am enjoying the relaxing pace of summer, but know that the kids are really ready for school to start. I know that I feel like a better mom when we have a routine and schedule to adhere to. Next week, the oldest will be getting her braces off!!! YAY!!! We are beginning pre-ortho with the middlest and starting all of this all over again. OH JOY!!! Mike's trip to Utah got put off until September, which is great, but he left yesterday for a quick trip to Boston. I have a lot to do for the youngest's birthday party this weekend. We are renting a jumping castle/bouncey house, which is quite large and heavy and hard to manage. We also rented a cotton candy machine and are making a carnival themed party. A good friend of mine is making a two-tiered cake for the event and I am really excited about that!! Her cakes are wonderful! The oldest is very excited to be planning the party, but we need to get the games built. I am trying something new in having the party from 10-1 this year. It will A) Lessen the torturous wait for the birthday girl and 2) Beat the Iowa summer heat. I think I might be on to something.

I'm a single mom again this week

2008-08-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

Hello! Mike is in Minnesota for work all this week, so I have been working every day except Wednesday, which was filled with appointments for The Oldest and our cat, Bella. I am soooo glad that I have my Oldest. She watches the other two whenever I work. The Youngest has a birthday coming up on the 18th. We will be having a carnival theme 8th birthday party on the 16th. Hopefully the weather will be ok. It seems to always rain on her birthday. Our friend is having a birthday party on the 9th, so we will go and enjoy some couple fun there. Happy 41st to Skip!!! The oldest will be 16th on September 5th. She already has a car, but is nervous to drive and still needs to take drivers ed. Mike will be gone again from the 20th-Sept. 1st. OH JOY!! The kids will be starting school on the 25th, so I am anxious for that. They really are starting to climb the wall. Tomorrow is my honorary daughter's birthday. She will be 17!!!! Happy Birthday to you!!!! She is soooo much like me it is wierd. Her mom and I have been friends since growing up next door to each other in the mid-70s.

Getting Organized!

2008-08-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I had quite a burst of energy and cleaned off the garbage dump that used to be our dining room table. I threw away a LOT of stuff. The littlest had a fort going on next to the table and it was taken down much to her dismay. Oh well, we got to have dinner there on Saturday night. We haven't done that since about December. I cleaned and organized the linen closet on Sunday. It looks great. Hopefully, every weekend I will attack a room or area in the house.

The Things Littlest Says:

2008-07-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

Littlest got into dad's truck and found a juice box in the drink holder. She looked at him and said "Really, dad?? A juice box??" After he explained that it was her sister's juice box from the day before. She said "Oh, well that's ok then."

The First One

2008-07-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Hello!
My name is Tammy and I am going to begin the fabulous life of a blogger with input from Memories by Brandi!!

I have three daughters, whom I will call The Oldest, The Littlest & The Middlest. They are 15, 7, and 10 and keep me very busy. I also have a loving husband, who travels a lot for work. I joke that I am divorced with none of the hassle. LOL

More soon~
T