A Glimpse into the Owen family

switching blogs....

2011-07-14T19:36:00.001-05:00

I am too lazy to update two blogs and since my other blog has more content, I will be updating that one only. So be sure to bookmark The Owen Family Happenings. I may change the name so don't fret. =)

Seat belt covers

2011-07-14T19:27:00.000-05:00

***This is a cross post from my crafting blog.

I've been having a problem with Annalynn in the car carrier, for starters she doesn't like to ride in it because she can't sit straight up. As I was bathing her one night, I saw cut marks on the sides of her neck and I figured it was the car seat straps cutting into her. Her neck is so huge that it always rests against the straps. So, I made covers for her inspired by Make It and Love It. Be forewarned, I am not a master seamstress, I just learned how to sew last summer so you will see imperfections.

I haven't had her model them yet and she was napping when I took the pictures but I'll try to remember to get one the next time she's in it.

I have two more projects in the pipeline, bibs and a tag blanket. Hoping to get around to starting the blanket tomorrow sometime provided that Annalynn naps. =)

A reflection....

2011-06-23T10:11:00.004-05:00

Since school has been out, I've been having trouble with disciplining my 6 year old. Upon talking with other parents, her "acts" have been similar to their children. But there are some "acts" that are not to go unpunished. I have been struggling with this. Growing up, if we deserved a butt beating, we got it. Nowadays, people are pushing this "don't spank" policy. I don't agree with that at all, if my child needs a spanking, she will get it. Not a spanking that's so hard that it leaves marks, but something to get her attention.

Last night in church, our associate pastor challenged us to read Proverbs, a chapter a day starting with chapter 23 since today is the 23rd. He said, "You ever hear about those people who are struggling with issues and they open the bible blindly and they read something that they needed to hear that day? This morning I thought yeah right, nothing ever jumps out at me but I grabbed my bible and read anyhow. The first 12 verses I just skimmed through and then verse 13 & 14 HIT me! That is what I needed to read this morning. Here is what it reads:

13. Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.
14. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

Now, I am not saying I will beat her to a pulp, but of she needs an appropriate swat, she is going to get one.

*** If your child is the type that you can reason with, then by all means, reason with them. But mine is not the type that you can reason with.

Crock Pot Mediterranean Chicken

2010-02-21T17:33:00.003-06:00

Tonight for dinner, I am making Mediterranean chicken in the crock pot. Another very easy recipe and it is smelling so delicious!! I am going to cook some rice and green beans to go along with it.

Ingredients

1 jar (1 lb. 10 oz.) Ragu® Old World Style® Pasta Sauce
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup sliced pitted ripe olives
1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
Pinch ground cinnamon (optional)
3-lb. to 4-lb. chicken, cut into serving pieces

Directions

In slow cooker, combine Pasta Sauce, onion, garlic, olives, wine and cinnamon. Add chicken to sauce mixture to cover.
Cook on HIGH 5 to 6 hours or LOW 8 to 10 hours. Serve, if desired, over hot cooked rice and garnish with fresh rosemary and additional olives.

New Crockpot

2010-02-20T18:06:00.005-06:00

I bought a new crock pot earlier this week since I badly needed a newer and bigger one. The one I have is at least 20 years old and is 4 quarts. The new one is 6 quarts, has a timer, a retractable cord, a locking lid and more features that I haven't read up on yet. Here is the one I got:Last week, my secret pal at church gave me an awesome Crock Pot cookbook with a ton of recipes. Now, I'm not the type of person that can throw things together by memory. I have to use a cookbook for everything. That includes tonight's dinner of chili. Here is the recipe that I am using out of the cookbook:

Weeknight Chili
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans, undrained
1 package ( 1 1/4 ounces) McCormick Chili Seasoning
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Chopped onion (optional)

1. Brown meat in large skillet until no longer pink. Drain fat.
2. Put meat into crock pot. Stir in tomato sauce, beans and seasoning. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 to 2 hours or cook on HIGH for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until done.
3. Stir chili before serving. Top with cheese and onion, if desired.

Beautiful Weather!

2009-03-08T10:32:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, we had tornadoes on Saturday and on Sunday, it snowed 2.5"! What messed up weather we had!

This weekend it was beautiful! Emily and I got up early and headed to the flea market. I couldn't find a place to park so we went on to Wal-Mart and picked out some plants. While shopping, I got a call from my mom saying that my brother and his 5 year old daughter were flying into the Wetumpka airport. So we met them out there and had a picnic lunch and visited a few hours. This is a small airport and it has no security. In fact, you can walk right up to the runways. Emily and Hannah had a blast playing with each other! It's pretty cool that you can just hop in a plane and go whenever you want to. It normally takes 3.5-4 hours to drive to their house, flying only takes 1.5 hours. And since Rick needs to have a certain number of hours to keep his pilot's license, he and his family jet sets to places on the weekends! Now that is just awesome!

Anyhow...today is another pretty day! I, however, had a head cold. It sucks. I took some medicine and I'm feeling better. I may go out into my craftroom and get some scrapbooking done.

Catch Up

2009-01-11T21:18:00.004-06:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone. Over all, we had a fabulous Christmas. Emily was excited with the whole concept of Santa Claus this year. She got the two things that she really wanted from SC, a dollhouse and a Tinkerbell shirt. Jim's dad came down on the 23rd and stayed through the 26th. We went to my parent's house Christmas night and then went to Jim's mothers on the 26th. On the 27th, we went to Stone Mountain Park and stayed the night at their new Marriott resort for Jim's 40th birthday.

I have started my weightloss efforts again. In 2007, I had lost 45 pounds but I have gained 25 back. Our church is have a 12 week program to see who can lose the most percentage wise. Having that accountability will help me alot. I am also a part of a weightloss group with some stamping/scrapbooking gals at StampHaven.com. Tonight ends our first week over there.

I'm hoping to lose 30-40 pounds by May 2008. Then my goal is to be 140 by December 2009. At that time, I'm hoping to become pregnant with #2. I am still on the fence about that though and I pretty much know Jim is as well. When all is said it done, I'm hoping for a weightloss of 80 pounds! I do have a weight loss blog.

In May, Jim and I will be going on our first cruise. We are doing a 5 day cruise out of Mobile, AL. And since it's sorta low-budget, I am expecting plenty of rednecks! LOL But it'll be nice to get away and relax.

So Jim turned 40 last month. That was the big one for him.

Emily will be 4 in May! My how fast time flies!

I will be 34 in February.

I guess that's about it for now.

Time for some Christmas Shopping

2008-12-08T09:23:00.002-06:00

I have my list all made out and I'm ready to go. I know exactly what stores to go to, what I'm buying and for whom. Emily is all taken care of. I'm buying for family and Jim. I'm going to go during my lunch hour to one store where I'll be making a huge dent on my list.

5 years ago today.....

2008-12-05T08:02:00.002-06:00

On this date, 5 years ago, Jim and I met in person for the first time. Every year on Dec 5, we go have dinner at the place we met, Panara Bread Company in EastChase. Last year was the first time we took Emily with us and she'll go again tonight.

I never would have thought that I would be where I am today 5 years ago. I was in the process of putting my life back together when Jim came into the picture.

Thanksgiving in Atlanta

2008-12-03T09:04:00.004-06:00

So we went to Atlanta for Thanksgiving. All in all it was a pretty good trip but I am so glad to be home and in my own environment. We went to Stone Mountain, Lake Lanier and Callaway Gardens. Here is a slide show of some of our trip:

Girl's Night!

2008-11-18T10:49:00.002-06:00

I decided that Emily and I would have a girls night tonight! We started off with a candlelit bubble bath (yes we took one together), ate dinner, made some puppy chow and painted our fingernails.

Here are some picture of Emily and I making puppy chow:

Girls Night In

2008-11-17T13:01:00.004-06:00

I decided that tonight, Emily and I are going to have a girls night in. I think we'll start with a candlelit bath while daddy makes dinner, then we'll make some Chex Muddy Buddies (aka Puppy Chow) and top the night off by polishing our fingers and toes.

Here's what we'll be making (photo courtesey of Chex):

Ingredients:

9 cups Corn Chex®, Rice Chex®, Wheat Chex® or Chocolate Chex® cereal (or combination)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation Directions:

1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:15 min
Makes:18 servings (1/2 cup each)

New XM Stations!

2008-11-13T11:52:00.002-06:00

Since Sirius and XM merged, XM has redone their lineup. I've had XM going on two years now and I hardly ever listen to regular radio anymore. When my mom and I went shopping last weekend, we took her Explorer which has Sirius in it. I found a station that I totally loved called Hairbands. I told my mom that it was too bad that XM didn't have that one because I would listen to it all the time.

Well, guess what??! As of 11/12/08, XM now has Hairband Nation on their lineup! That's all I have been listening too at work and in the car. It's awesome! Hairbands rocked!

XM41 is the station if you're interested. =)

A new vacuum!

2008-11-10T08:57:00.002-06:00

I bought a new vacuum this past weekend. The current one I use is at least 7 years old. I decided it was time for a new one since I'm not happy with the results and it uses bags. My mom and I were in WalMart and I picked up the Bissell PowerForce Turbo Bagless Upright Vacuum. It was priced at $69.94 and I thought why not? I brought it home and put it together right away. I vacuumed part of the rug with my old vacuum and then went over it with the new one. I was disgusted! It picked up so much hair, dust and dirt that the old vac didn't! We clean our rugs at least one a month with a carpet cleaner and we are disgusted by that! So hopefully since I got this new vac, the water in the carpet cleaner won't be as bad!

I went to Walmart's website to read the reviews of the vacuum and it looks like I bought a great one! Pretty much everyone had great things to say about it.

I vacuumed the whole house yesterday and I've emptied the container more times than I want to admit! I've already had to clean the filters! I plan on vacuuming a whole lot more than I do now!

My first gray hair

2008-11-07T09:17:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I got my hair trimmed up after work. Lynne (one of my co-worker's) came in this morning and was looking at the back where it's more noticeable that I got my hair cut. She then exclaimed, "I see a gray hair!" I was told her to pull it out so that I could see it. So she pulled it out and sure enough, it's a white as a gray hair can get! I taped it onto my black wallet so that I could see just how white it looked in my hair! OMG! It was definitely a stick-er-out-er. She didn't see anymore though. LOL

Toy sorting

2008-11-05T19:13:00.002-06:00

Today's room to clean was the playroom/craftroom. I have been dreading cleaning that room up partly because of all the toys Emily has. After work, I threw myself into the daunting task. I opened up her huge wooden toy box and began to sort through the toys. In one box I put the baby toys in and in another box I put in the toddler toys minus all the batteries. You wouldn't believe the things I found in that toy box! I am going to save them and put them in the attic.

But it didn't end there! Emily has a play kitchen that I had her help me sort. I have two bins near the kitchen, one for food items and the other for cooking/utensil items. I like to have the things seperated because I'm weird like that!

On top of that, I threw away a trash bag full of trash. Things like the happy meal toys that I know she won't play with and other stuff that I can't even remember but it was trash. Then I ended with vacuuming.

Now I just need to clean up my craft area and that room will be done. But that's for another day.

I am beat!

2008-11-03T14:28:00.002-06:00

Emily had a fun time trick or treating this past weekend. Jim took her out for a little bit while I gave out candy and then we switched. She was so excited to be walking around in the dark and seeing all the decorations. We saw a few hayrides throughout the neighborhood that were all decked out. People had hooked up flatbed trailers that were decorated with hay bales and lights to their trucks and tractors hauling kids around the neighborhood.

Saturday morning, we got up and went to my sister's for the weekend. Jim and I had a chance to have some adult time and did some shopping. I saw quite a few things to put on Emily's christmas list this year for the relatives. We got home Sunday night around 7:00. I gave Emily a bath and then cleaned up a bit while she watch Jack Frost.

Today is bathroom cleaning day. Emily's won't be too bad but ours is going to take a bit longer to do. Yuck! I hate cleaning the toliets!

Tomorrow is election day. I won't lie and won't tell you that I'm not apprehensive. I'm not going to tell you which way I'm voting, but I just wish people would reseach their candidates for themselves and not believe what their opponnet is spewing for the truth. But, God is in control of the situtation and what will be will be.

Blessed with a nephew!

2008-10-31T15:14:00.002-05:00

My sister and her husband has welcomed their second child, Connor Evan McLendon into the world at 1:31pm today! He weighed in at 7lb 8oz and measured 21 1/2" long. We will be on our way to Dothan, AL (about 1 1/2 hr drive) early tomorrow morning and stay the weekend.

Lots of grandkids being born to my parents. But this is it for them.....6 grandkids is the final count. Unless by some miraculous miracle that Jim changes his mind about him wanting any more. 3 granddaughters from my brother/sister in law, 2 grandsons from my sister/brother in law and 1 granddaughter from me/Jim.

Weekend Travels & More Baby News

2008-10-29T08:37:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday, October 22, 2008, my brother and sister in law welcomed their third bundle of joy, Hensley Elliott, into the world. Emily and I (Jim was home sick) left Friday early noon to make the 3.5 hour trek to Columbus, MS to see this new miracle. We went straight to the hospital after we got into town. Hannah (their 4.5 year old) was excited to see her cousin Emily. They played all weekend together. We left Sunday noon to come back home.

My sister and her husband are getting ready to welcome their second child into this world. She is due sometime between now and Nov 3. If he (the baby is a boy, Connor Evan) isn't born by Nov 3, then Sarah is scheduled for an induction on Nov 3.

Jim's cousin and his wife, are expecting their second child (a boy) sometime in December.

Baby bleassings all around us! And I have joyful yet bittersweet feelings about all the babies being born. Joyful because babies are blessings from God and the parents of these new babies are welcoming them with open arms, bittersweet because I want another one but the other party doesn't. I know I need to be grateful because I already have a beautiful daughter and there are people out there that can't have kids at all due to health reasons and such, but I just feel sad. Anyhow....it's not going to change so I just need to accept that fact and move on with life. Emily will be the apple of my eye!

Quarterly update??

2008-09-24T06:23:00.002-05:00

It seems like I update once a quarter. I guess that's because there's not a whole lot to tell. But at any rate, here's the skinny:

Emily: She has been going through the terrible 3's. I've always heard them called the terrible 2's, but I think that's a huge misconception! She was awesome up until 2 weeks after she turned 3. But I guess it's to be expected since she is at the point where she can make some of her own decisions. But it can be nerve wracking. Other than that, she's doing awesome in preschool. She loves going everyday and she is learning tremendously. She's pretty much self sufficient at this point. Now she just needs guidance. And that's where church comes in. We recently switched churches. We were going to a mega church in Montgomery but we decided that we would like Emily to grow up with kids in the church that she'd be going to school with. So we ended up joining a little country methodist church not far from our house. I say little because compared to what we came from, it's little. I think they have about 450-500 members at this new church. Emily asks everyday, "Are we going to the new church today?" I'm glad she enjoys it there as well.
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Jim: Not much to update. He still works at ADEM and is enjoying it.
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Elisabeth: I've got to get back on track to lose some more weight. I was doing so good this time last year. I've gained a few pounds (ok...20) since I stopped so I am bound and determined to try to lose that 20 by Christmas time. I've lost 4 pounds since Monday. Watching what I eat and exercising. And drinking lots of water.

I've been doing alot of card making and scrapbooking. I love having that creative outlet. But once I get into my craftroom, the time just seems to fly away. I get so involved in what I'm doing that my track of time is non-existant.

I'm still at the same job that I started after I went back to work. I've been there for 2.5 years. There are days that I want to quit but for the most part, it's an awesome job. I plan on being there for a long time.
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Well, I guess that's it for now. Until next time, may God bless you all!

Not doing too good in updating

2008-06-30T12:13:00.006-05:00

I seem to be neglecting this blog but not my craft blog. Let's see...what has happened since Feb 25 which was the last time I posted here.

Jim and I celebrated our 4th anniversary on April 10th. We arranged for my parents to pick up Emily from school and Jim met me at my office at quittin' time. We went to a nice, quaint top dollar restaurant around the corner from my office. Then we went to Best Buy and Michael's to buy each other an anniversary present. We walked out of both stores with nothing. Couldn't find one darn tootin' thing to buy. LOL

On May 12th, Emily turned 3! I can't believe she is 3! She had a Cars birthday party complete with a Cars cake that my mother made:

In June, I got Emily a kitty. She has been wanting one for a while so I figured she was old enough. Of course I'm the one cleaning the litter box. But that's ok. She named him Sweetheart. I know...strange name for a cat but that's what she chose. He's a sweet kitty and he loves to snuggle.

I guess that's about it. We are going to Atlanta for the July 4th weekend.

Family update

2008-02-25T07:01:00.004-06:00

Not a whole lot to report. So I'll do a brief update on the three of us. There is one excellent piece of news though!

Emily ~ Emily is fully potty trained and completely out of pull ups!! No more pull ups! Even at night! She goes to bed in big girl panties and wakes up dry! We still have her crib set up. I guess I'll have to bite the bullet soon and convert it into a toddler bed. She shows no interest in getting out during the night and if she needs to use the bathroom, she just hollars for us. She normally doesn't go by herself during the day, she wants one of to go with her. Then we usually wake her up in the morning. When she sleeps, she sleeps with her face right up to the slats so I'm afraid if I take it down, she'll fall out. Maybe I should just set her mattress on the floor but inside of the toddler bed? We have one of those convertible cribs that transform to a toddler bed, daybed then a full size bed. Hmmmm....something to think about.

I can't believe how big she is. It's amazing watching her grow up before my eyes! She'll be 3 in about 2.5 months! She's independent and head strong like her mother! LOL Which can be good at times. I'm going to try to watch for any anger issues like I have. I don't want her anger to get out of control like mine does sometimes. We all know how angry I can get. =) But she's also very well mannered and considerate. I pray everyday that I raise my daughter in a Godly way that would please Him.

On my front, I've decided to get back up off my lazy hiney and start my exercise/weightloss program again. I haven't done that bad. I'm at 195. When I originally started on Jan 03, I was 198 and got down to 190. So I guess I'll start my weight this time at 195. I've just been to engrossed into my crafts. I've posted alot of my creations over at my CRAFT BLOG if you want to check it out. I guess I need to discipline myself to not do anything crafty until I exercise for the day first! It really doesn't take that long and I need to remind myself how good I felt when I was done. I'll make some post it notes and put them on my computer. =)

Jim is doing well. He's suffering from sciatic nerve pain right now. I don't envy him that's for sure. I know what it feels like. When I was 8 months pregnant with Emily, she was sitting on my sciatic and it hurt! Thank goodness it was remedied when she was born. LOL

Jim's parents are coming down this weekend. This is their annual beach trip to the condo. They usually stop by here on Friday night and then head to the beach on Saturday. We usually try to join them for the last 3 days of their trip at the beach. Not sure if we'll make it this year, it totally depends on what I get done this week at work. A bunch of year ends are due March 15. So, if I can get all my year ends done by THIS Friday, I should be in good shape. With that said, I have about 10 I need to get done. Most of them are on hold because I am waiting for information. But I'll start harping on the clients on Wednesday. =)

Anyhow...that's us in a nutshell. Doing wonderfully! Life is grand! Except for the minor arguments which are to be expected in all relationships. =)

A Busy Past Weekend

2008-02-13T11:58:00.003-06:00

This past Friday (Feb 08), we headed up to Blairsville, Georgia. We (Jim/I, Bill/Michele and Sandy) threw my father in law a 70th birthday party at the Lodge in Young Harris. I made the invitations and sent them out. We had a great response and the party was great!

Friday night my in-laws took me out to dinner since my birthday was Feb 12. They also presented me with my gift and I was surprised even though I knew what it was. I had asked for the Cricut Design Studio but gave them a few other less expensive gift ideas as well. They ended up getting me the Design Studio! I was thrilled!!

Saturday we went to the Lodge for the party. I was asked to do the opening speech and did so gladly. I met alot of George's (my father in law) friends that he always talks about. They treated me as if they'd known me for years! After the party, a group of us went to a glass blowing place in Hayesville, TN for a private tour. It was actually pretty coo. It was about 20 minutes from the lodge so it wasn't that far. Then the family headed back to George's cabin and we stopped at a pizza buffet for lunch. Our next stop was the grocery store so we could buy marshmellows to roast on the fire. That was a lot of fun. Emily even got to roast a few.

Sunday, we headed back to Atlanta from the mountains. Jim and I went to the Van Halen concert at Phillips Arena Sunday night. It was a pretty good show. David Lee Roth can still sing and kick high! LOL

We left Monday around noon to come back home.

Last night, we went to my parent's house for dinner. It was my birthday so we decided to celebrate over there instead of going out. Plus, my brother, his wife and 2 girls are visiting so that made it nice. Emily and Hannah enjoyed play together. Hannah will be 4 in a few weeks. I got lots of scrapbooking paper/cardstock and stickers from my brother and Jen. From my parents I got an ACMoore gift card! More scrapbooking stuff! =)

It was a busy weekend/first part of the week, but it was nice.

Houston....Mission accomplished!

2008-02-04T08:36:00.001-06:00

Emily is fully potty trained!!! Wooohooo! We went to the zoo Saturday without any pullups in tow for the first time. She went potty twice on the big girl potty while we were there! She was so proud of herself!! As is momma and daddy!

Potty Training success and a raise!!

2008-02-01T14:40:00.001-06:00

Potty training has been successful!! Woohoo!! She's going like a pro! Most of the time we don't even ask her....she tells us! She wears big girl panties all day at school and at home and stays dry. I have yet to take the plunge and let her wear just big girl panties when we go out on errands. Guess I better go ahead and do that and take a change of clothes with me. I do put a pullup on her right before bedtime. The night before she called for us around 330am and said she had to go potty. So we went and then she went back to bed. This morning she was dry. Now I need to convert her crib to a toddler bed so she can go by herself at night. =(

I got a raise at work. Woohooo!! I got a .75/hour raise. I'm salaried so I'm guaranteed the same paycheck each week but that's what the raise figures out at. I've only been here 1.5 years and I've received 3 raises totaling $2.75/hr. I got a $1.00/hr raise 3 months after I started, another $1.00/raise 5 months after that and then this one.

New Craft Blog

2008-01-28T10:34:00.001-06:00

I have a craft blog set up seperately from this called Bug Creations. It's called that because I use my Cricut and Cuttlebug for alot of my cards.

Some of the things I post may be just stamped cards but I don't want them to feel unworthy and left out! LOL

More kudos to Emily

2008-01-28T10:25:00.001-06:00

She woke up dry this morning!! Woohoo!! We went straight to the potty after she got up. She is so proud of herself! It's fun to watch her eyes light up and say, "I did it!"

Emily bragging

2008-01-27T20:48:00.001-06:00

I need to brag about Emily!

On Saturday, we attended our HOA meeting at a local Christian School. We took Emily with us thinking it wasn't going to last more than an hour. Halfway through the meeting, the director (who we don't know but it turns out that his wife and I have taken aerobics classes together) of the school came up to us (we were sitting in the back just in case we had to take Emily out) and complimented us on how well behaved and patient Emily was being. I just beamed! LOL

My other brag is her potty training success! Her teacher told me Wednesday that I needed to bring in some big girl panties for Emily. At this point I was thinking ok, we'll see how long this takes. Saturday morning I put her in big girl panties and she did good going to the bathroom on the potty. For the HOA meeting, she didn't want to take the panties off so I just put a pull up over them. Well, she told me not once, but twice that she had to go! The first time was #1 and the second time was #2. She had one minor accident on the way home but since she had her pull up on, she didn't get her jeans wet. She then had an accident while playing outside (Dawn was on the phone with me and heard about this one when it happened....LOL). But since then, no accidents! She even woke up dry this morning!! She told us three times tonight in a 20 minute period that she had to go potty. And sure as sure is, she went all three times. She's had the same pull up on all day and has kept it dry!

Here's to crossing my fingers that she'll keep on going. The one thing I'm not looking forward to, is changing her crib to a toddler bed so she can go during the night. You heard right, Emily is almost 3 and still sleeps in her crib. LOL But she hasn't tried crawling out of it, only in.

I must knock on some wood because even though she has her bad moments (like we all do) she is actually a really great toddler. She has her manners by saying please, thank you and you're welcome and she's very loving and sensitive. I know it makes me look conceited and stuck on myself for saying it, but it's true. Jim and I have so far raised a beautiful girl.

Potty training 101, etc.

2008-01-21T09:18:00.001-06:00

Emily has been potty training since last June. This is some job I tell ya! She's been good about going to the big girl potty when I ask her or tell her that we're going to the big girl potty.

This past weekend on three seperate times, she has told me that she needs to go potty. So off to the bathroom we go. She sits on the toliet for about a minute and then we hear that familiar tinkle sound. She gets so excited and her face lights up and she'll say, "I did it!!" After we finish up and flush, she'll go find Jim and say, "I did it Daddy!" Of course we shower her with praise, hugs and kisses! Hopefully this is the start of regular bathroom trips!

Oh the homefront, my decluttering and exercising goals have taken a backseat. I've been busy cranking out birthday invitations, birthday cards and sympathy cards. No, I don't know anyone who has passed. I am making sympathy cards for my church. I've actually made a few samples and then the committee is going to decide which ones they like the best and then I'll mass produce them. But at any rate, I plan on starting more decluttering tonight.

The weightloss has been pushed aside until Feb 1. I'm still watching what I eat but I haven't been exercising. So my weight is staying steady. I am working my rear end off getting W-2's and tax returns out before Jan 31. Very rarely do I take a lunch hour. But that will change on Feb 1. My work will slow up until April so I'll be good to go. But when I start up again, it's going to be with a vengence! My driver's license is due to be renewed April 22 and by golly, I want to be less than the weight it says I am. Which is 180. I'm at 191 this morning so I see no reason why I can't be below that.

Snow. We had some here in Central Alabama. It wasn't much for us but it was still snow. Jim and Emily had a blast playing in it. Here are some pictures:

Declutter Files pt.2

2008-01-06T20:37:00.000-06:00

I have continued with my decluttering goal. I have done Emily's room and the little hall closet. Now all I have left to do in her room is to get it painted and hang all the stuff on the walls.

Rooms Left To Do:

Computer Room
Entry way closet
Kitchen
Our room and bathroom
Emily's toy box

An interesting tip......

2008-01-06T20:34:00.000-06:00

Since I seem to be posting a lot, I figured I'd pass along a tip to you.

If you want to read posts that pertain to a certain subject, you can. For example, if you only want to read posts that mention Emily, you can do so by clicking Emily listed under Labels on the menu to the left.

I label all my posts so hopefully that'll be easier and less "junky".

Declutter Files pt.1

2008-01-02T08:44:00.001-06:00

So I've started to declutter my house. I can't believe how much stuff I have that is not being used. I weeded through my Christmas stuff as I was putting things up and found some cookie jars and miscellaneous items that I probably won't use and set those aside to sell on eBay. In doing that, I was able to purge my Christmas stuff and get rid of two large boxes.

I also did the laundry room last yesterday. We have a long shelf that sits above the washer and dryer. It was all junked up and you couldn't find a free spot to set anything on, not even a pen! I had a box top sitting up there that had a ceramic mock cukoo clock that my mom made and various other ceramic pieces along with a windchime. I've been meaning to hang them up since I've had them for about two years but never did it. Just pure laziness on my part. My parents came to dinner last night and during halftime of the Rose Bowl (my dad is a HUGE USC fan since that's where they hail), my father hung them all up for me. And while he was at it, I had a huge picture of some magnolias that he hung in our bedroom.

I think I'll start on decluttering Emily's room tonight. That way, I can hopefully get it painted this weekend. I'll get the paint while I am out today. And I'm also going to pick up some swatches of the colors I would like for the living room. I'm going to hire someone to paint the living room. A co-worker knows someone who does it on the side for about $100. Heck, I'll even pay them $200 as it'll be well worth it. All I have to do is supply the paint. I'll give him a jingle later today.

I'm actually excited about all this. How sad is that? LOL I mean heck, we've lived in the house for almost 2 years and I've have hardly done anything to it. I want it to look inviting and lived in. Well, we've got the lived in look about it now I just need it to look inviting and decorative.

Christmas Pictures & Video uploaded

2008-01-01T15:51:00.001-06:00

I have just finished uploading the Christmas pictures. Remember to capitalize the first letter of the password. If you didn't receive it, email me and let me know. When you sign in, look to the the left and you will see the albums labeled At Memaw house, At Nannah Papa house and Christmas at our house.

And I couldn't resist sharing this cute video of Emily.

New Year's Eve happenings

2008-01-01T11:15:00.000-06:00

I had to work until noon yesterday but that wasn't bad. The three of us met Carmen, Geoff, baby Will and Tim at Pizza Hut. We then went to the zoo to see the Christmas lights for the last time until Christmas 2008. After that, we went to our respective houses to ring in the new year.

We bought Emily some fireworks that didn't make a whole lot of noise, but she was scared of them. She had no problem with them on July 4th, but all of a sudden, she's afraid of them. So I took her in the house while Jim set off some more.

We played with CandyLand. Notice I said played with. She took the characters and the castle and play make believe. She also played with a few other toys. We stayed up until 11:00pm CST and watched the ball in New York drop. Then we were off to bed. So we cheated and didn't stay up until midnight our time, but we were tired. LOL

Today we will be taking down all the Christmas stuff. How fun is that??!

Happy 2008!

2008-01-01T11:10:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how fast 2007 went! But then again, I say that about every year. It seems the older we get, the faster the years go by.

I sat down the other day and wrote down some goals that I would like to accomplish this year. I don't like to call them resolution since I never keep those. So here are my goals:

Lose 50-60 pounds. (I've already lost 46 but I need to lose more)
Finish Emily's room. (I started it Memorial Day 2007 but shamelessly, haven't finished it)
Do more scrapbooking. (Slacked off since I started making cards)
Use my Cricut and Cuttlebug on mose, if not all, projects. (I've had the Cricut for almost a year and got the Cuttlebug for Christmas)
Declutter my house.
Control my anger. (Boy is this one going to be hard)

I know I'll probably add to this list. I'm going to make a list on the side and strike them as I finish them.

To blog or not to blog.....

2007-12-31T08:27:00.000-06:00

One of my goals for 2008, is to keep an updated public blog. Much of our family is scattered and this would be the easiest way to keep everyone in the loop. I'm a little weirded out about posting pictures of us on the internet for all to see, so I'll probably post them on a website that will be password protected. If you want the site address and password, email me at ElisabethKOwen@gmail.com and I'll give that info to you, but only if I know who you are.

So stay tuned for the addings of our life and Emily's daily antics. =)