"Tink" or Treat...Meowww!

Here are the girls in their costumes tonight. What troopers! We got lots of candy and Daddy had fun scaring all the neighbors in his "haunted garage". You can't tell from the picture but he was playing scary music with four strobe lights, four fog machines and him dressed in a black costume with a Jason mask. We had a great night!

And, it's not too late...if you carved/painted/colored your pumpkins tonight, make sure you enter in the Blog-O-Lantern contest below using Mr. Linky. The winner will be announced at the end of the week. Happy Halloween!



UPDATED TO ADD: If you like this contest head on over to Jennifer's at The Wilson Six to win some free toile stationary! (I'm a sucker for contests...hee hee!)

Blog-O-Lantern contest begins today!

Are you ready? I'm so excited because it's finally time for the contest to officially start today! Our family pumpkin is below...would you have thought it would be anything different with TWO little princesses running around the house? I actually wanted to carve Ariel because of the big DVD release and all, but "slacker mama" was not on the ball this year. Okay, okay "sick mama" was unable to get it done this year. :-)

So, for the first Blog-O-Lantern Contest I bring you Disney's very own Cinderella!

To participate in the Blog-O-Lantern contest please use Mr. Linky below and add your name. I can't wait to see what you've done. Happy Halloween and happy carving!!

Are you a pumpkin?

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff -- including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see.

This was passed on to me from another pumpkin. Now, it is your turn to pass it to a pumpkin. I liked this enough to send it to all the pumpkins in my patch.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Cell phones, realtors, jets and pumpkins

Here I am! Thanks everyone for your recommendations on the coffee makers.

The sad thing is I haven't bought one yet. I know I know.

But here's the thing. The day after I posted that, Sugar dropped my cell phone on the hardwood floor and you know what happened next? Yes, it came apart in TWO pieces. And, I'm not talking about a separated battery pack!

So this weekend's shopping was for a new cell phone instead of the coffee maker. So for now I'm using my current coffee maker since it's technically still working.

Onto other news...
We had a super BIG weekend. A couple of showings, the Goodyear Balloon and Air Spectacular, a trip to Schnepf Farms and the best part... my SIL and nephew were in town.

So Friday night was spent doing some massive house cleaning in preparation for the showings and then Saturday we went to see the Blue Angels fly at the air show. The girls absolutely loved all the planes and the big jets. We had perfect seats in the shade. We got the last spot right under one of the wings of a parked plane that was displayed for the show. And, you know that's a big thing in Arizona...finding shade! The girls also enjoyed some pony rides and jumping in big bounce houses.

Finally on Sunday we headed to the pumpkin patch to meet up with my nephew and SIL. We had a super time...

We spent the day going on the carousel, a hay ride, pony rides, bounce houses, slide shoots, a train ride, visiting the petting zoo and giant playground. We also enjoyed it sipping homemade lemonade and snacking on old-fashioned kettle corn.


We rounded out the day going to the pumpkin patch and picking out our pumpkins for the this week's Blog-O-Lantern contest!










Oh yes folks it's time. I will go ahead and set up Mr. Linky starting this Friday. And, if all goes well this week I plan on posting the first carving (mine) to officially kick off the contest so be on the lookout!

*I would have posted pictures from Schnepf Farms but Mommy left the digital camera on the chair at home! (I'm still kicking myself) Luckily, SIL had a diposable with her so I can post some pictures when we get them developed.

Calling all coffee drinkers

Thanks to BM - The Blawg for reminding me that I need to ask for some advice from all my blogging buddies about an important purchase I'm about to make.

My poor old Mr. Coffee pot is dying a slow death. First, my house doesn't smell like coffee anymore in the morning when it's brewing, the hot plate paint has peeled off in three different places and most importantly, it doesn't match my kitchen. ;-)

I was hoping all you die-hard coffee drinkers can help me select my new coffee maker. I make coffee almost every morning and I grind my own beans of Serena Organic Blend by Starbucks. So to help with the decision, here are a few things I would like for my new toy to have:

1. 12 - cup (at least)
2. Use round coffee filters (I get twitches from the cone shaped kind)
3. Programmable (so it's brewing when I wake up at 5:45am with my 4-year old)
4. Preferably in black or stainless steel
5. Easy to clean

And for pete's sake...I want to smell it brewing in the morning like my old one used to!

So am I a "coffee snob" yet? Well join the crowd, and tell me what you recommend in my comments section.

Oh, and as far as price goes, I'm totally open. I just want a good cup of joe!

Thanks y'all!

Friday's Random Thoughts

1. My Grey's addiction continues with only six more episodes to watch.

2. Back to the doctor today because my incision decided to open back up and bleed. No worries though, the doctor got it taken care of and I'm back home.

3. I've been ebaying a lot this last month and finally found two lp's from my childhood that I've been looking for over three years now.

4. Also, I recently purchased on Ebay a train that used to go around our Christmas tree when we were little. It's a Vintage Marx Electrical Train Set with an engine that smokes.

5. I've been spending a lot of time doing crossword puzzles and word searches. I think I'm an expert at them now.

6. My mother-in-law has been a total life saver during this whole surgery thing. She cleans my house, does the laundry, feeds my girls, takes them to the park and bathes them. I'm going to be so sad when she leaves us on Sunday.

7. The temperatures here in Phoenix have been dropping pretty good. In the mornings it is actually cool outside and you can open the windows.

8. Due to number seven, my allergies have spiked quite a bit. But during my stay in the hospital my doctor gave me a prescription for an inhaler and it seems to be helping a lot! Thank you Dr. S.

9. The girls are growing so fast. Claire went 'tee tee' on the potty today and Victoria is figuring out that 10 minutes is longer than 2 minutes. She also learned how to read some new words this week.

10. Don't forget the Blog-O-Lantern contest is coming up in two weeks. I can't wait to see the pictures and carvings y'all have done. Also, it doesn't have to be anything fancy just take a picture of whatever you carve and make sure you post it.

Well that's all for now. I have to get to Grey's Anatomy...Mere just got thrown to the floor from a bomb going off...oh my! This is good stuff!

The Great Physician

I went to the doctor's today and the staples are officially out. I'm still taking quite a few meds but I'm feeling much better. I can get up and down the stairs now, but I still can't drive or pick up the girls.

But by far the best news today was that the mass they tested is benign! Thanks so much for all your prayers.

I must admit I was a little shocked today when the doctor admitted that he was SO relieved it wasn't cancer. He was practically throwing his hands up in the air and cheering. He said when they see a "solid mass" they get very worried (now he tells me.) Anyways, he said that he has seen two solid mass cases so far this year (me and another gal) and the other girl's came back as cancer. I know I will need to pray for her because this so easily could have been turned around.

So again, thanks everyone for all your thoughts and prayers. I know a lot of you have emailed me directly asking for an update and to see how I was doing, so I thought I would just write a quick post about my status.

Once again, The Great Physician comes through. He never fails to amaze me.

How do you know when Grey's Anatomy becomes an addiction?

1. When you watch episodes on DVD from your computer until you go in reserve power with your battery...and then it goes dead.

2. When you sleep in your daughter's cinderella canopy bed with MacBook in hand so you don't disturb others in the house while watching.

3. When your hubby goes out and buys you a brand new DVD player for your bedroom JUST so you can watch episode after episode without running down the battery on your computer. Oh yes he did!

4. When you let out a loud screeching noise at your 19-month old daughter who almost touched the buttons on the DVD player.

5. When you pause the show every. single. time. someone comes in your room so you don't miss a thing.

6. When you rewind at any time to hear something over, because you're not quite sure what was said behind those little gas masks.

7. When you laugh out loud and look around to see if any else is laughing? Then, realize you're the only one in the room.

8. When you turn up the volume because the air conditioner kicked on or the dog's snore gets a little too loud.

9. When you start dreaming about McDreamy and dream the rest of the cast are actually your friends.

10. When you've watched 16 episodes in four days . . . seriously!

Thanks Addie, Julie, Robin and all you other die hard fans! You've turned me into a Grey's Monster!

Home at last

Can you believe it? Since the last update things got a little worse. My EKG was normal but my chest x-ray showed I had pneumonia. My worst nightmare...more days in the hospital - ugh! Just as my doctor was saying, "I'll check the x-ray, but I've never had a patient get pneumonia after open surgery".

Leave it to me to change that little statistic.

I'm trying to recover now with somewhere between 15 - 20 staples in my stomach, sore arms from all the IV's and blood level checks and enough prescriptions to open my own pharmacy.

I'll probably be living in my bedroom for the next two weeks but there are some good things to look forward to...

I'm home now, in my own bedroom, with hubby, my girls, TiVo, the MacBook and DVD player at my disposal. Plus, I have two family members in town taking care of me, the house, and my children. And ya know what? That's whole lot better than where I was yesterday!

So what was suppose to be a same day out patient surgery, turned into a six day hospital day with open surgery. But, I am thankful to all my friends and family (and yes YOU if you're reading this) for all the prayers and love that were sent my way.

Some say blogging is just a hobby but y'all were the ones that help me through that last hump in the hospital when I thought things couldn't get any worse. Oh, and thank you Lord for inventing this crazy thing we call technology - especially PDA's! :-)

I'll right more when my big, bruised belly can handle sitting up more than 15 minutes at a time.

update

i'll do the best I can from hubby's pda.

I'm still in the hospital. They had to remove my right ovary. I started to have internal bleeding so I went back to have open surgery to stop the bleeding. I ended up having my fallopian tube removed on the same side and needing a blood transfusion. Right now my blood pressure levels will not remain stable and I still need oxygen. I've had a few fainting spells and shortness of breath. I'm going this am to have an EKG and a chest xray. I'll let you know what we find. Thanks for all your prayers that's all I can do for now. T-Lo

No food after 11:00...

No cash, credit cards or jewelry.

Bring photo I.D. and insurance card.

Be at the hospital at 5:30am...


...and go straight to the surgery entrance.

After my pre-opt yesterday and a phone call from the hospital today these are my instructions. So if God willing, I will be in surgery for an hour then, recovery for an hour and hopefully getting ready to head home. I will let you all know how it went as soon as I'm able.

Here's my guess... at home recovering in bed with absolutely nothing to do but watch TV and blog, I'm guessing the update should be sooner than later.

And a quick thank you to Julie the Desert Diva for suggesting "perfect surgery recuperating material" for me...Seasons 1 & 2 of Grey's Anatomy on DVD!

Oh, yes she did!

Right now, I have in my hot little hands Season One with 19 Exclusive Unaired Scenes AND Season Two - The Complete Second Season UNCUT!

Oh, yes I do!

Come to think of it, blogging may be on the back burner after all. If I get too involved, I'll kindly let hubby post and give you the scoop! :-)

P.S. If I didn't get to you directly - thanks everyone for all your prayers!

The Best of WFMW

Looks like were having the 'Best of WFMW' so I just happen to pick my very first one since I got lots of comments on it - and really many more people have joined since this was posted. Enjoy! (Look it's the old logo!) *smile*

I decided to join in with Shannon from Rocks In My Dryer to her new column idea of it Works-For-Me Wednesday. I was contemplating doing this since I didn't think anything I had to share was worth a good tip. But, I thought I would give it a try. Even if your not interested in participating, I would highly recommend you visiting her blog - she Rocks! (pun intended) :)

So here is my Works-For-Me Wednesday tip for today...

Do you hate taking out the trash? Well her is a tip that will hopefully make it a little easier. After removing the trash from the trash can take a handful of new trash bags and put them in the bottom of the can. Then, put in a new bag. Now, the next time it's time to take out the trash a new bag will be waiting for you.

I know restraurants do this a lot because the trash bags are normally stored far away from where the trash can actually resides. It also makes this dirty job much easier and cleaner for the nearby guests who are dining in. Enjoy!

Back in Business

After 6 months of an inexperienced realtor, unsuccessful marketing plan, and crazy housing market we are back in business! How you ask? Let's just say it started last week during my quiet time when I was asking God to give me some answers about how to handle this 'house selling' situation. I had many questions that needed to be answered and God has slowly started to reveal his answers to me.

Well to save face of said realtor, I will not mention which company we were dealing with but, I will say that we are no longer under contract with them. Oh yes! We are back on the market tomorrow with a wonderful new realtor who works for a very reputable company. And, how do I know this? Well, I know this because in the past month, I have been interviewing several different realtors and companies and she my friends, has passed the test with flying colors! Not only is she honest, but she is looking out for our best interest and she knows her business like nobody's business!

Most importantly, she is a woman of God.

So this is a quick and BIG thank you to my good friend Stacy over at Just Me and My Guys for putting this person in our life.

Let the house selling journey begin...again!

Blog-O-Lantern Contest

Well the contest officially has it's own button now. This was designed by my new, awesome friend Sandra over at A Diary of a "Stay at Home Mom". At first I wasn't sure about having one created because honestly, I didn't know how many people would want to join in.

But, then I decided who cares...Sandra already made the button and darn it I want to use it! :-) Now obviously, you don't have to put this in your sidebar to participate but hopefully it will be a reminder to all those who want to participate and help pass the word around.

So, a BIG huge thank you to Sandra for taking the time to do this. I just love it!

The word is out...

A few months ago I posted this and this about some "female issues" that were going on in my little body. Then, after having the cat scan done and getting the automated message on my machine that Saturday morning that everything was "normal", I thought I was out of the woods. But, I just found out three weeks ago after talking to the doctor face-to-face that the cat scan was not exactly normal.

In a nut shell, the radiologists report said that they did see something on my right and left ovaries but it was "umremarkable". Which I'm going to guess in medical language that means they can't tell what "it" exactly is.

After finding this out, you could say I was a tad upset. In a matter of months it went from your okay to oh, there really is something there we just can't tell what it is from the images.

Next step? Well it was to run more follow-up tests to see if there had been any changes in these so called "nodules" that they were seeing.

Then comes along this new doctor (an OB/GYN that I tried to get in to see months before) says it's a solid mass on my right ovary and "it needs to be removed."

That was three weeks ago...and now today, I am one week away from going into surgery.

Of course, it gets a little more complicated. Since I have had two prior c-sections the doctor says he may have some trouble reaching it. Which means laparoscopic surgery may not work! And, according the the radiologists reports the mass is embedded in my ovary (hence the reason they were having trouble seeing it from the tests).

We won't know until I'm in surgery if he can reach it laparoscopically and if he can't, then I will have open surgery and the ovary will have to be completely removed. *sigh*

So, why am I telling you all this personal stuff? Well after mentioning this on a few blogs, people were slowly figuring it out and a few starting commenting on my own blog about it. Sooooo, I felt a little obligated to my bloggity friends to share my news.

Plus, I know y'all are some serious prayer warriors! I have seen God do his work in this blogosphere many-o-times. And, let me tell you, it's amazing stuff! So tonight when you're saying your prayers (for all those others that have way bigger issues than I) can you add me to your list?

Please pray that next Thursday the surgery will be the easier of the two and that whatever they are removing that it's benign and all my little female issues will go away.

Thanks y'all and good night!

Are you getting any R&R?

Have you heard about the new show on CBS? I'll give you two hints: she can cook and her initials are RR.

I will admit, I was a little skeptical about the whole thing. I just thought "here we go another celebrity is getting their own talk show". Then, I got my little remote control and scheduled my TiVo to record Rachel Ray's new show! :-)

And, I'm SO glad I did...ladies if you're not watching or not a fan yet, you just might be after watching her show. I just finished watching the first three episodes tonight and it kicks some tail!

So of course, here are my
Thirteen Reasons Why You Should Be Watching RR:

1. Her set is absolutely fabulous! It's set up like an apartment with a kitchen, garage, terrace, etc.

2. The audience floor moves! It turns to face her based on what room she is in on the set.

3. She has great guests on her show to eat and cook with her! So far, Diane Sawyer and Oprah Winfrey. Oh yes she did!

4. She talks about shoes, kids, dogs, etc. anything her little mind wanders too.

5. She goes from sky diving out of a plane then back to her kitchen to eat.

6. Instead of 30 minute meals she makes SEVEN minute meals!

7. Actually, it was 5 mins. and 52 seconds and it looked awesome.

8. She plays a funny game called "Stump the Rach" that was just down right hilarious.

9. Did I mention she was a hoot? She tells stories of her childhood that will have you on the floor rolling!

10. She is so cheerful and funny you can't help but be in a good mood when you're done watching.

11. Her show covers a lot of topics that keep you suckered in.

12. She is still young, so the show is hip, fresh and definitely unique!

13. She brings the meaning of talk shows to a whole new level...so go watch it already!

Works-For-Me-Wednesday

Happy Fall Y'all! I thought since Halloween is approaching and I'm hosting a "Blog-O-Lantern" online contest I figured I would share one of my tips for carving pumpkins. Okay, maybe two tips!

First, sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves on the bottom of the lid. Then, when you light your pumpkin...ta-dah, instant fall air freshner!

Second, try cutting the lid from the bottom of the pumpkin instead of the top where the stem is located. This makes it much easier and safer to light your pumpkin.

Now get your thinking caps on and start strumming up your ideas for the "Blog-O-Lantern" pumpkin carving contest and win a prize here from Bullfrogs and Butterflies!

And most importantly, don't forget to stop over at Shannon's to get more awesome tips!

Blog-O-Lantern online contest

Well it's my favorite time of the year - fall, pumpkins, hay rides, cool weather, apple cider and all those comfort foods. But, my absolute favorite thing to do this time of year is carve my annual pumpkin! Back in Texas in the old neighborhood I got a few friends together to have an annual block party that consisted of a costume contest and a Pumpkin Carving contest. Everyone was required to bring a Halloween treat and I provided music, drinks, voting cards, and prizes for all the winners. It was always held in the evening so you could see all the jack-o-lanterns glowing at night and it was such a hit! We had our 4th annual before I moved. Anyhoo, it was SO fun and every year we would see some awesome carvings!

So this year, since I'm not in the same neighborhood, nor do I even know my neighbors I thought I would have a drum roll please...

"Blog-O-Lantern" online contest!

It will be super simple, just post a picture of your "Blog-O-Lantern" the week before Halloween and I will judge all those that participate. I would do Mr. Linky but then again I would need some help with that.

UPDATED AGAIN: Anyone can participate in the pumpkin carving contest. I would encourage all family members or friends to help come up with the most creative carving. The only thing you can't do is buy one already carved! Oh, and I'm all setup with Mr. Linky now, so thank you Jules over at Family Jules for your help!

Also, the winner will receive a prize that will actually be mailed to you! So, what do y'all think? Are you in?

*Above is the pumpkin I carved last year. Not my greatest one, and it's Vintage Strawberry Shortcake if you couldn't tell. I will post more pictures of previous years carvings that is, if I can find them on my old hard drive. :)

Sugar was tagged!

* After numerous attempts blogger will NOT let me upload my picture so here is the meme w/o looking at Sissy!

Y'all know Chappyswife over at Journey to the Prize, right? Well, that little cruisin' doll tagged my little girls for a new meme that's been flying around. But in all fairness, since I have already done one for Sugar I thought I would tag Sissy for this one. She would be so excited...and I'll try to get some "real" 4 year old answers just to make it interesting!

1. Something I do well: Sissy's answers was "ballerina tricks". *Ahem* Although I don't like to discourage her, this is not something she does not do well. Who knows with a few lessons she could get better. But, what she does really well right is color, draw and write.

2. Something I'd like to improve on: (Mama speaking) Drawing, she gets SO frustrated if she can't copy a particular picture exactly the way it is. Like the front cover of Scooby-Doo movie H-e-l-l-o! Mama can't even draw that!

3. Favorite Food: This is Sissy talking, "My favorite food is...., my favorite is....Alpha Bit soup!" Yea, that's nice because she's NEVER had them before!! So when I asked again it was cereal but Mama reminded her it was soup, read 'Ramen Noodles'. She said oh yea.

4. Three words that best describe you: Sweet, Bossy, Compassionate

5. My happiest moment: I had to rephrase this question so Sissy could answer. She first pointed at me and I said "me?" Then she responded, "you, Claire, Daddy, Smokey and Daisy".

6. The most important thing in my life right now: Sissy answered, "- - - - - -!" (her sister) and then went and gave her a hug. Awwwww.

7. Then to the Moms, were you surprised by any of the answers: The food one was a shocker because duh, she's never even had them before. She must of saw it in a commercial right before she came in the kitchen. And, #5 because she just got done being punished so I figured I definitely wasn't on the list!

Well that was fun...I'm tagging , Lainee from Lori's over at Rattling Around if she is up to the challenge.

Friday Fun

UPDATED TO ADD: Per y'all's request in my comments section, here is the link where I came upon these little babies. Some of them are hilarious but I didn't want to offend anyone so I didn't post them all. I hope you enjoy!

http://www.cafepress.com/kippygo/1007507

I found these cute little state vintage mottos...and I was laughing out loud! Now, please don't go blasting me in the comments this was just meant for fun. And by the way, I included my own home state, so there!