Seven Lists of Seven

Two blogs in one night...but this one I have been working on the side.

Seven things to do before I die:

1. Publish a children’s book
2. Visit Australia
3. Learn how to ski
4. Run a marathon
5. Bring someone to Christ
6. Meet Oprah Winfrey
7. Live in the UK

Seven things I cannot do:

1. Give up chocolate or carbs
2. Math, Algebra, Geometry, Calc, you name it
3. Play Volleyball
4. Read fiction books
5. Watch TV all day
6. Speak a foreign language fluently
7. Drive slow

Seven things that attract me to my spouse:

1. How he is the spiritual leader in our family
2. His love for the girls and me
3. His priorities are always: God, Family, Work
4. His generosity
5. His willingness to help me around the house
6. His drive to be a better person and husband
7. The sacrifices he makes for his family

Seven things I say most often:
1. “Victoria, settle down”
2. "I have to go to Wal-Mart for ________"
3. "You’re turn” (to John when it's his turn to go check on Claire in the middle of the night)
4. “We’re running late”
5. "Look at me” (when I’m talking to Victoria)
6. "Victoria/John... check on Claire"
7. "Where’s a bink?” (referring to Claire’s binky/pacifier)

Seven books (or series) I love:

1. Read my answer to - Seven things I cannot do: #4
2. Fatal Distractions by Ed Young
3. The Creative Marriage by Ed and Lisa Young
4. Growing Kids God’s Way by Gary & Anne Marie Ezzo
5. Any self-improvement magazines (Parent’s Magazine, Fitness, Runner’s World, Shape, etc.)
6. Currently reading, There’s a Perfect Little Angel in Every Child by Gigi Schweikert
7. Scrapbooking and Sewing magazines

Seven movies I would watch over and over again:

1. Sound of Music
2. Annie
3. The Usual Suspects
4. The Thomas Crown Affair
5. Notting Hill
6. The American President
7. Anything Shirley Temple

Seven people I want to join in, too:

1. John
2. Robin
3. Holly
4. Richelle
5. Tiffany
6. Brian
7. Y'all have been tagged! (I look forward to reading all your blogs!)

I'm addicted to Rachel Ray...

I have joined in the media frenzy over Rachel Ray and I'm hopelessely addicted. For those who have not seen the news, talk shows, etc. lately...Rachel Ray has been a media craze due to her cooking show on the Food Network channel called 30 Minute Meals. I believe now she has up to four shows and several cooking books published. I started watching her in November and I'm so addicted. I anxiously look at any stores that sell books looking for her 30-Minute Meals cookbook, I TiVo her show everyday and just upped it to keep 10 shows at a time.

Tonight was my first night to actually prepare one of her meals. (Besides her five-minute fudge and hot chocolate for Christmas - but that doesn't count). I'm proud to say that I successfully made Crustless Chicken Pot Pie and Apple Pie without the Pie! Fairly easy dish to make but was looking for something healthy. I actually cooked with real white wine, a bay leaf and hold on to your chair - fresh ginger root! Wow, not that is some heavy cooking for me. I'm the typical "Betty Crocker" in a box kind of girl (unless I'm cooking pasta of course). But, I must say it was LOTS of fun and my hubby loved it. Tomorrow on the menu is Salmon burgers with Ceasar Slaw topping. I can't wait!

Thank you TiVo and thank Rachel Ray!! (My friend Robin would be so proud of me).

Jeweler in Uptown

This is a quick blog about our jeweler in Dallas, TX. His name is Matthew Trent. He makes the most amazing, unique, and beautiful jewelry. He specializes in platinum and 18 karat gold. Each piece is brilliantly handmade by him. He made John's and I wedding rings and a few years ago John had Matthew make me a pair of platinum earrings for my birthday. His unique taste leaves you with a piece of timeless jewelry that no other person will most likely own. How cool is that? I still have yet to see anyone with my wedding rings.

If you would like to see his work, you can visit his website at www.matthewtrent.com. The reason I am blogging about this is because first, I just recently checked out his site (as I periodically do) to see what new stuff he has added and there is some beautiful new pieces. Secondly, I wanted to share his work with all my family and friends. Enjoy!

Barbara Walters Special...

Heaven: Where is it? How do we get there? It's that time of year again where people comment, disagree/agree and asks questions about what the true meaning of Christmas is? This was especially addressed the other night during a Barbara Walters special. If you didn't catch it, she basically covered various religions across the world and asked numerous religion leaders, prison mates, etc. what they thought about Heaven. It was very interesting to see throughout the interviews that no matter what religion you were most people believed in some sort of Heaven. The common factor among all, was that Heaven will be peaceful place if you go there. The most disturbing part of the show was when BW interviewed atheists and their "special camps" for non-believers.

One final note, I am amazed when people are asked what the true meaning of Christmas is, the majority of the answers are "giving". Since when did the birth of Jesus Christ turn into a giving day?

For anyone who thinks the true meaning of Christmas is about giving, love, etc. , I have another thought for you...

The true meaning of Christmas is because of the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

A Family Tradition

Well it was that time of year again to take our annual Christmas vacation to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. This year was even more fun with Victoria being so into the "princesses" and me not being pregnant this time. Also, Grandma Twyla made the trip with us this year and we had a blast. Our favorite ride was Peter Pan's Flight and of course Small World.

Victoria's favorites were all the princesses and getting her picture taken with Minnie Mouse. We didn't leave the park without getting her a Minnie Mouse dress, shoes and ears. She looks absolutely adorable in it. Claire's favorites were holding on to the fences (that were just her height) at Mickey and Minnie's houses. Everytime we had to pick her up to move in line she started to scream! Her other favorite was getting into everything back at the hotel room.

Again, we ended the trip by driving to Hollywood, Beverly Hills and taking a stroll down Rodeo Dr. The girls had fun getting their picture taken with Santa one more time.

Fake Snow!

Okay, I know I am in the valley of sun and all but come on...I read in the West Valley Views newspaper that there is a real company that will come and dump snow all over your house and yard so you can have a "White Christmas!" How cheesy is that? Okay, maybe I'm being a little harsh being from the North and all... but I'd rather drive 100 miles north to Flagstaff and see the real stuff. :-)

Santa Claus at Arrowhead Mall

Tonight we waited one hour in line to see Santa Claus and it was worth it! The girls were such troopers!! I took this picture and I think it will be probably the first and last time I will ever get the both of them smiling and looking at the camera on Santa's lap. Victoria told Santa she wanted "Cinderalla Talking Kitchen and Dora Castle" while Claire tried to remove Santa's glasses from his face. It was soooo fun. I love Christmas time.

I'm Back...and so Blessed

Sorry, I haven't blogged in a while. But, here are my excuses! I've been sick and to the doctor twice now in two weeks and secondly, I have had company in from out of town - the wonderful "Gamma Twyla"!

For all of you who can't get along with your in-laws you may want to stop reading now. But, I have been SO blessed with the best mother-in-law EVER!! Not only is she so loving, caring and thoughtful but we get along perfectly. In short, I am never ready for her to go home and I never get sick of her. She is best mother-in-law who flys to see us on a regular basis.

Since I have been sick she has cleaned my house, taken care of my girls, fixed meals, the list goes on and on. Not to mention she wakes up every morning with Claire (9 mos.) at 5am sometimes 4am so that I can sleep in. Now, how cool is she?

Well, that's my thoughts for tonight...You're the best Twyla and I love you!
(I couldn't have hand-picked a better mother-in-law myself!)

Light at the end of the tunnel

Finally, I see the light. After waiting 8 months for our new home to be started it finally has arrived. Ever since our house hunting trip we made back in February we decided to build a new home through D.R. Horton here in Buckeye, AZ. The market here in the Phoenix metroplex is nothing like I have ever seen. Believe it or not, this was the cheaper choice than buying an existing home. Nor, is the building out in the West Valley even crazier. Basically, we were told by our salesperson that they would finish building in Oct - Nov. then we could move in...not such the case. They started building in Oct- Nov. It's been a long summer and now we can actually see the house and it's expected to be done at the end of February - yeah! I can't wait to setup the girls room and my first scrap/sewing room. It's going to be a beautiful thing.

Stay tuned for more pics as the light at the end of the tunnel gets brighter.

NO clothes...Let's stay!

Well, at least for a few days. After meeting some friends at DFW airport during our layover back from Alabama - my sweet, sweet friend talked my husband into changing mine and the girls flight to stay in Dallas instead of continuing on to Phoenix. To both of our excitement, my wonderful husband John made a few calls and it was a done deal!

One pit stop to Chick-Fil-A in Grapevine, ended up being a three night stay with the Storch's - yahoo! With NO luggage except for a backpack stuffed with diapers and formula we were thrilled to be back in Dallas.

Now for the BIG plans while we were in town...the first stop, Hickory Creek WAL-MART - of course! (okay, so we needed some clothes!). Then we're off to, let's see awwww Chuck-E-Cheese in Denton. Next, El Chico and the soft play area at the mall (we needed some sort of Tex-Mex). Then, shopping at all the new stores on Loop 288! Our final stop was on Thursday to Alderbrook Drive where Jay and Mary so graciously opened their home for us at the last minute.

Finally, I wanted to say thanks to everyone who met us at CEC, and stopped by on Thursday to see us. We had so much fun seeing all of our old pals - ya'll mean so much to us. We sure miss Denton and all that is there, we can't wait to come back and visit again, hopefully with our clothes next time!

We Love You Angie!

Last Wednesday we received some scary news about my sister-in-law Angie. After performing a MRI the doctors found an Aneurysm behind her left eye. Since surgery was going to be scheduled soon John, I and the girls flew to Alabama the next day. We were somewhat relieved to find out that the surgery was canceled and that the doctors wanted to run some more tests. Currently, she is feeling a little better and is being referred to a doctor here in the Phoenix area. Even though this is not the conditions we would have like to gone and visit for, we had a great time seeing her and the rest of the family. Please pray for Angie that she will have a calm heart, her symptoms will go away and that the doctors have the knowledge and skills to do the right treatment.

"A" - we are so glad we got to come see you and we are praying for you everyday! We love you!

Trick or Treat - oh so sweet

Well, Halloween was a bang last night. Victoria was Strawberry Shortcake (even though she screamed and cried because she wanted her spots off her face). Claire was a sweet little flower. After cruising around Sundance with some friends of ours we got a little lost on the way home. But, one friendly family passing out candy gave us a little direction and we made it home. Also, lots of people went all out with decorations, music and costumes but no one had the smoke-filled garage with scary masks and fog horns like we had at our house last year. Maybe when we move in the new house we can start that tradition up again. Needless to say, we have lots of candy now and still no dentist!

Proud Parents

First, I claim "bragging rights" before you continue to read....this is something to definitely blog about. Victoria has learned her very first bible verse! Yes, we have been attending church since she was and itty bitty one and I never knew this day would come so soon when she could start Bible Memory. This is one of my fondest memories of church, was memorizing Bible verses when I was little (next to singing) of course. But, this is one of the most exciting things as a christian parent I think you get to witness. (The first best thing was when she did "praying hands" before lunch.)

Well, here is what she learned, "God...made the whole world." Acts 17:24. (She even knows the chapter and verse too). Yeah! I was so excited I almost cried. This week we are learning "God has made us what we are." Ephesians 2:10a. I am so thrilled to see our little angel start to grow spiritually. God is awesome!

Pumpkin Masters here I come

For those of you who do not know this...Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Why you ask? Carving pumpkins of course! Every year I try to pick out a unique pumpkin to carve. Just to give you some in past years were, the statue of liberty (picked due to 9/11), baby carriage (because we just had our first lil' one). Then, from that point on it has been all about Victoria.

Last year I did Dora the Explorer and this year's winner as you can see, drum roll please...the vintage Strawberry Shortcake! Victoria is dressing up as her for Halloween this year but she is going to be the comtemporary SSC. Therefore, I have made the decision to carve whatever character, animal, etc. she will be dressing up as.

Now I must admit, this is not one of my better carvings for two reasons. One, no one (on the planet) could provide a pattern for SSC and two, I made this pattern from scratch. That is...find a picture, print it, enlarge it, enlarge it again, Finally, try and figure out what the gray areas will be to carve without having the pumpkin cave in! This is very hard I might add. Needless to say, next year we will have a pattern for what ever costume Victoria chooses. Did I mention, I have a broken right index finger as well? Okay, nuf said...Halloween is still a favorite holiday. Smile

P.S. Anyone interested in carving pumpkins www.pumpkinmasters.com by far makes the best tools and patterns in the business.

Zoo in the Desert

Well last week we got together with a friend of mine and took the kids to the World Wildlife Zoo. It's only five miles from our house. This is the first time I have been to a zoo in Arizona and it was quite interesting. It was like walking through the desert and viewing animals in cages with only grass at their feet. Not so many trees but enough to make a little shade.

The coolest thing about this zoo was that you got to feed so many of the animals. (Note to self, bring more quarters next time!) Anyways, the coolest feedings were the birds and giraffes. When feeding the birds the zoo supplied apples and you got to go in their cage and let them fly on you to feed them. Then, to feed the giraffes we walked up a huge stairway (to the 'Giraffe Feeding Station') and got to feed them by hand.

This particular zoo had lots of animals (especially monkeys) but no elephants or bears. Hmmm, I guess it's either to hot here or there was not enough room. We also packed lunches and ate outside by a huge playground and petting zoo. Needless to say, it was really cool and Victoria and her friends had a blast!

Testing the upload

Okay, I have been trying to post picture(s) to my blog and I have failed miserably...let's try this again and see if I can get it to work.















Yes! For anyone else who is having problems make sure you turn off your pop-up blockers and choose the image size small - Bingo! Now I'll go ahead and upload a picture of princess #2...



Now that I have this down...more to come later.

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

Recently, since Claire has been a little more mobile - crawling around, climbing stairs, pulling herself up on everything, etc. Victoria has been a little bit jealous. This is because Mama has been all over Claire twenty-four seven - holding her so she doesn't crack her head open on the ceramic tile floor, picking her up, moving her, not to mention still feeding her bottles, changing diapers and rocking her to sleep.

So, with all the attention Claire is receiving right now Victoria has been showing a little resentment towards her baby sister. You know the usual sibling things, patting her too hard on the back, accidently pushing her into the floor (face first I might add) so Mama has been disciplining her quite a bit.

This weekend was like no other, Claire was getting attention, big sister pushed her, Mama punishes Victoria. I guess Victoria had enough and went downstairs to tell Daddy that, "she wants Claire to go back into Mommy's tummy"!

Can you believe it? I guess John and I will have to work on giving Victoria some "special attention" until we get through this jealousy phase. Who would of thought sibling rivalry started so young? And, I have a big hunch this is only the beginning. :)

Family Days

I love having family days when John, I and the girls just spend the entire day together. It started off with breakfast some mochas/lattes, then off to IKEA. This is my second official visit to the store and it was much better this time around. Victoria was finally tall enough to be in the children's play area and Claire was a gem. I am personally not a fan of the contemporary style of funiture/accessories they carry but I love all the gadgets, organizers, window treatments and of course of the kids department. After spending the morning there we headed off to Schnepf Farms Pumpkin and Chili Party in Queen Creek, AZ. Victoria got to enjoy her favorite ride of all time on their 1912 antique carousel. She also enjoyed riding on the John Deere tricycles through a hay maze! We played in the playground, rode rides, and ventured through a corn maze. Finally, we ate lunch got homemade lemonade, nuts, and kettle corn, then headed off to the patch to find our pumpkins. It was a wonderful day. As soon as we headed home the girls were passed out in the car. Family Day - mission accomplished!

The Web Got the Best of Me...

Okay, here it is...my first official blog! I've been fighting the "tech demons" inside me for far too long. After months of reading numerous friends blogs (and being the tech geek myself), I have finally decided to join the rest of you bloggers of the world. However, I do have a small disclaimer that I would like to mention once..."I will not guarantee posted thoughts on a daily basis. Nor, will I promise they will give you great insight." My only prayer is that this will be an exciting experience and that 'Thoughts with Theresa' will hopefully make you laugh from time to time! With that being said, let the journey begin...