No Christmas Traditions

Well, since we don't have our family close by we will have to invent things to do for the Holidays. I guess you can say we will be starting our own traditions. I'm so used to someone else cooking and cleaning, stressing and fretting and I guess this year I just might have to put on an apron and pull my hair out! I said "Might".
Last year on Christmas Eve we went to Pets, Inc. to make a donation and spent most of the day there. The owner allowed Peaches to sit inside the kennels with the pups and kiss and love on them. It was a very rewarding experience but we were so sad to say goodbye (well, two of us were).
We then went to eat at Popeye's for dinner.....the story behind this is every Christmas Eve my mom hosts a party and they eat tons of goodies AND Popeye's Spicy chicken. I was not going to miss out on that last year. I think that we just might do it again this year. I eat fried chicken once a year and this would be the day.
It can be very lonely here during the Holidays and if I let it.....I will get depressed and upset and have a hum bug of a Holiday. I am determined to be in the spirit this year and be festive........dag-on-it.
So.....not sure what our plans are just yet. We still have time to fly to Vegas! That would be a cool tradition.
We might end up at Waffle House for all I know. I guess as long as I am with my family, it won't matter. Merry Holiday to everyone (to be politically correct).

November 2011

My family acting crazy at the park. We had such a good time that day. My kids were so dirty and exhausted but it was worth it. I've stopped worrying about how my kids look in public. As long as they are dressed and hygienically clean (is that a word?) they can go out in their pajamas for all I care. Life is too short to worry about that kind of stuff. I want my kids to remember how much fun they had growing up and how "we" let them dress themselves in whatever they wanted to wear.
Here is Peaches passed out after she shopped til she dropped on Black Friday. She was gone from 9:30PM until 7:30AM with my mom & sister. I dropped out at 2:30AM and came home to sleep. I'm so proud of my little girl for hanging tough and keeping up with the big girls.
Em at Bass Pro Shops in VA. The girls didn't get to see Santa (cuz we weren't waiting in that crazy line just for a free photo)...they had fun anyway playing with all the cool stuff. Who can say Wal-mart Santa here we come?
I had to get creative with the only DVD player we have for the car. Since we are so frugal and we refuse to spend $$ on upgrades like built-in DVD players or the double DVD players......the girls had to take turns watching movies. Hey, I'm happy with my 9 year old van that makes noise and needs a few band-aids. It runs, is reliable and the best part is......I haven't had a car payment for 3 years straight. Who can say that?
Coolest birthday cake ever! That is my kind of frugal right there.
Enjoy! You probably won't see one of these anytime soon. I do have a Rudolph nose in honor of the Holidays.

Routine Screening

So I had my health screening done at work last week. I had an EKG, blood pressure and ultrasound done on the arteries in my neck. I then had a consultation with cardiologist, Dr. Butterfield.

In my consultation, Dr. Butterfield said this to me:

"The good news is that you have the lowest blood pressure of the day".
"The bad news is that you have the most abnormal EKG of the day".
He strongly recommended that I get an ultrasound done this week!

With my family history of high cholesterol and heart disease I thought I better fax my results to my doctor immediately (thanks to my father for passing down his genes to me-my father had his first heart attack at age 50 and is now disabled due to his heart disease).

Well, I have since made an appt to have more tests done. My primary care doctor called on Friday and said that my EKG did look abnormal and that instead of an ultrasound, I needed to have an echo-cardiogram done first.
Little scary!
I'll keep ya'll posted on the results.

October 2011

Love this photo. Em was on top of a ladder (yes, a ladder-you can stop gasping now).
Em discovers bubbles. Now she can't stop saying that word.
Peaches Roller Derby Diva costume for Trunk or Treat. Yes, I am a bad parent. I forgot to take a picture of her entire get up before it started.
Peaches and BFF getting ready to fill their bags with loot. Treats NO tricks for them.
Fish Eyed Fool Gang!
Em's first time trick or treating. She got the hang of it after about the 4th house. At one house, she pointed to the inside of her bucket......to remind them that the loot goes inside HERE. Hilarious!
This is Halloween dinner at our house. French fries and M&M's. Whose hungry?
Me making out with a dead man.
The hayride at Harmon's Depressing Tree farm. I am so upset that they are closing at the end of this year. The place looked so pitiful it made me want to cry. Now we will have to come up with another tradition for our "fall family outing".
My rat race cake. Yeah the cheese is upside down in THEIR picture.

Guess who?

You wouldn't have known that this was Peaches if the date wasn't at the bottom. She looks just like Em or should I say Em looks just like Peaches.
Em or Peaches?
John told Peaches that the reason we don't have pictures of Em in the house is because she looks just like Peaches......we will just keep Peaches baby pictures up and no one will no the difference.