Merry Christmas

Is it okay for one to post 19 pictures on their blog in one entry??!!

Thank you to all these gift givers!!! We thought we'd put up a post for the grandma's and grandpa's. We love you!!

Ok... the kitchen set was from Eli and I to both the kids... it's a hit!


Table and chairs from Papa Cox and Momma Jill....

Family Portrait:)...

D Boy in the new dump truck!!

Dane is getting pretty good at standing up!

Is this Ethan Wilson or my son?? Holy Cox......

Thanks to Grandma Shelley's sewing, Naydine has a snuggle robe. Thanks Sam for the cool sweatshirt! I love this blue color!!

From Gma Shelley and Papa Shayne. Cute Gymboree outfit!!

Me and my kids!!

Christmas Eve at the park..... 60 degrees outside. Yeah, we are NOT used to that!

Thanks to Shayne from Eli for the shirt!

Yeah, D Boy didn't really get the gift opening concept, but, NEXT YEAR!!

Gma/Gpa Downey hooked Naydine up with an apron! Perfect edition to the kitchen set! Yeah!!

The 4 1/2 Hour Foil

You tell me. Does this look like I just got my re-growth touched up? Yeah, I didn't think so.



So if anybody is interested in hearing the rest of the drama, here's how it went down:

As you may have read in a previous post, I was doing this "hair model" thing and all I would have to pay for was the color. Sweet! You know, you just have to be able to trust that the 'new girl' will be well supervised and not mess your hair up.

So, I walk (no, make that a run) out of the salon 4.5 hours later with a full foil, no trim, and a blow dry. No style. What the hell was she doing for 4.5 hours?? You've got me!

After inspecting my hair last night, I came to the realization that she was putting shampoo in my foils. [Hehe... I'm so funny.] Because according to my 20/20 vision, I still have regrowth.

I call the salon today and talk to the owner. She seems to think that I don't understand the "hair model" program. That if I want "more highlights" I'll have to book an appointment with a floor stylist and they don't have any more appointments the rest of the year. That includes getting in for a haircut. Wait, then she tells me I could get in next Tuesday for the color and next Friday for the trim. Yeah.... like I have a built in babysitter.

So..... I just told her that I won't be coming back there. Which kind of stinks because I think I really would have liked the owner of this salon. And everybody else who was walking out looked great. I just wanted her to make it right and obviously... that was NOT going to happen. Kind of weird.

But I did get some low-lights... and those look ok. But, then I think the color looks kind of BLAH too. Kind of dull or something.....

On a lighter note......

Is it safe for your child to put a plastic bucket around her entire head? Oh man... we laughed so hard.

And of course... my D Boy..

Has Your Opinion Changed??

This is a terrible photoshop job.... but I was doing it quick just to get the gist. And never mind the Halloween photo. It was the first current pic I saw of myself. I don't even think I notice the cat whiskers anymore....:)

Do you still like red?



How about "go darker"?

Or stay the same?

I didn't even try to "go lighter" because I guess it's not really an option. I have to say that I might just add some dark blonde low-lights. I can't bring myself to do the dark hair. Plus, I think it'd wash out in about 2 days since I'm so light already. I would consider doing some strawberry blonde hair though......???? Hmmm......

EVERY WOMAN

Eli has been gone again and will be back tomorrow morning. As usual, I am cleaning tonight:) I'm going through a box of "office" stuff that hasn't been unpacked and I find a folder from about 6 years ago of things that I wanted to save. In this folder is an email forward that I must have loved. Here's why:


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE:

An old love she can imagine going back to..... And one who reminds her how far she has come.

Enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own even if she never wants to or needs to.

Something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour.

A youth she's content to leave behind.

A past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age.

A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra.

One friend who always makes her laugh and one who lets her cry.

A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family.

Eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored.

A feeling of control over her destiny.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW:

How to fall in love without losing herself.

How to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.

When to walk away.

That she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents.

That her childhood may not have been perfect, but it's over.

What she would and wouldn't do for love or more.

How to live alone.... even if she doesn't like it.

Whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally.

Where to go.... be it to her best friend's kitchen table or a charming inn in the woods.... when her soul needs soothing.

What she can and can't accomplish in a day... a month... and a year.


I obviously received this back in my single days.... but I still like how a lot of it reads. Another thing a woman MUST have is a 7 month old son that is THIS CUTE!!

I downloaded a trial version of Photoshop Elements and have been messing around in there a little bit. It's probably why I haven't blogged in 10 days!! That and both my kids are teething. Dane is CRAZY... worse than a newborn at night. Ugh.... Thank God Eli will be here to help soon!

Kids Pics

Well, let's just say that I'm not dying over the kids pictures. There are a couple good ones but.... crap. I was wanting a little bit more than that. I have NO good pics of them together (I know, I can photoshop a different head in but.... there really isn't anything to choose from!). And I think there is 1 picture of Naydine that I like. Well, that's not true.... but, there should have been WAY more than this.
The session I did with Naydine in MN was a 15 minute mini session and they turned out much better than this time. So I think I was expecting something very good since I was doing a full session. Um, not so much.
I went to visit the photographer today. She's really nice, I like her. She shared with me the shots that I didn't get to proof online. I was looking for a few in particular that I thought were going to be great but weren't in my proofing album. Well, the reason they are not there is because Naydine's eyes were closed! Ugh.... I just can't believe it!! Is it because she was just too late on the trigger or is this just normal to have that many eye closers on the ones I was going to fall in LOVE with??? Ugh....
I guess some sessions are great and some just aren't. I think I'll try again when Dane turns 1. He didn't give that many smiles on picture day but there are some cute shots of him. I can't show them to you..... because I have no idea how to get them out of the proofing album. Any ideas??
Well, all in all, the pictures I'm going to order look good. I just wanted more selection. That's all.
Thanks for letting me vent.

Ooooohhhh man!

I'm ticked. This is the email I got tonight....

Hi Jaime,
I have gotten behind this week and sincerely apologize, but it looks like it may be the first of the week before I get your proofs out to you. Again, I can't apologize enough and if I can, I will get them done this weekend, but I am booked solid with sessions right now and just took on too much right now...so I am sorry.
I will let you know as soon as I get these up for you! Again, soooooo sorry!
Thanks!Dana

This isn't cool..... This is the 2nd time this has happened to me with the pictures. Not the same photographer but..... still, the same... 2 weeks turns into 3.

I better have some Friday night wine with Eli.....grrrrrr.......

Am I crazy?

Ok.... I need to know if I'm crazy!!???!! Wait... I know that I am so maybe I'm just venting.

I had the kid's pictures taken 17 days ago. The photographer told me they'd be ready in 2 weeks (she really said they'd be ready in "about" 2 weeks) and I still don't have them yet!!!! This is like missing your due date when you are pregnant! Kind of. She said I would definitely see them this week. So.... I'm going to have an anxiety attack if they aren't here by the end of the day.

I just need to calm down. What's the big deal anyway?

Also, I wanted to give a report on Kohl's. How many out there LOVE Kohl's? I used to love Kohl's. Then last Christmas, they ran this HUGE toy sale with all these "great" deals. Eli and I went to the store to see about getting some Cmas gifts for Nay and the cousins. There selection was terrible and even though prices were marked down 65%, the prices didn't seem that great. After shopping Kohl's and buying 2 items, we ran over to Target to see if we could find some other items. Browsing through the toy aisle we noticed that Target's regular priced items were the same or LESS than Kohl's huge sale items. Screw it!!! It just ticked us off.
So yesterday we were at Kohl's because I have a gift card and wanted new sheets. I picked out a sheet set and a couple extra pillow cases. They were $100. I brought them home, washed them and put the fitted sheet on my bed. That's when I noticed that one of the corners was ripped out. So I checked the other corners and one other was starting to rip out as well. WTF?? Is $100 not enough money to spend on sheets to insure that get a nice set??? I'm so disappointed! I called there to make sure I could return after washing and I could. But this Kohl's is 1+ hour from my house. If I get another bad set, I'm going to be so pissed. Of course, I was saving 50% on this item. BS. I'm sick of these marketing schemes. They just piss me off!

WHO LOVES KOHL'S AND TELL ME WHY.

WHO WAITS IN ANXIETY TO GET THEIR KIDS PICTURES BACK?

Consumer Report

When one moves to a different town or state, you give up your hair stylist, nail tech, babysitters, bank, cell phone company, etc. So, it got me started on this post.

Ah, the stuff I love. The stuff I don't love..... I'm a consumer. We all are. Let me tell you what works for me and maybe why it does. We'll see how this goes down. There could be something on this list you are in need of... and then maybe not. Just take a peak:)

Health and Beauty:

• Loreal Tanning Wipes: Great for the winter. I like them better than mystic tan because they are WAY cheaper and I think work better. Normally, I will just apply to the face but, purchase the "body towelettes", it's a better buy.
• Pureology Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner (purple bottle): Works great on my hair type, which is colored from light brown to blond. I have a lot of thinner strands of hair so my hair isn't that strong. If this is you and you are looking for a great shampoo, you need to find a friend that goes to the Beauty Supply Store and can get this for you at 1/2 the price of the salon.
• Arbonne Not-S0-Basic Skincare: I just started using this. Definitely satisfied with the face line. DID NOT LIKE THE SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER! The only thing I don't really care for about the face line is the scent. Well, there isn't really a smell to it but.... I wish it were a "nicer" scent. That's all.
• Cover Girl eyeshadow in Mink. I used this in high school. I still use it. I also use Mary Kay and I love the eye primer but.... there's something about this Cover Girl eyeshadow that I just love. It's a light brown/bronze color.
• Hot Tools curling irons: Again, when your friend is picking up your Pureology, have her grab you a Hot Tools curling iron for the holiday parties you are going to. The more heat, the longer the curl stays in. And remember, when you are curling your hair start at the base of your lock, leaving the end out, and gradually get to the ends. This way the heat is distributed along the entire lock of hair. Did that make sense?? That will give you that Hollywood type hair. You can get these for about $30.
• Revlon black tweezers: Sharp and gets at the 'stubborn' eyebrow.
• Hylands teething tablets: A great option for the teething baby. Or, if you think they are teething and they really aren't, then you feel like you went with the 'natural' approach and, no harm done:)

Wow, do I think I'm the health and beauty expert? No.. not really. I just kind of got carried away with it....

Clothing and Jewelry:

• Hanes Her Way: These undies are GREAT. Well, if you have a flat ass and hips, they are GREAT!! hehe.... Love them, minimizes the wedgy.
• Calvin Klein Perfect Fit Bra: This link might not be exactly right. But, if you are in the B, C, or D range these bras make your boobs look fabulous. I haven't had the best of luck with Victoria's Secret bra shopping. They just seem to not have enough support, more for show.... kind of. You might give these a try.
• PINK Sweats and Flip flops: From Victoria's Secret. Love them both. The flip flops are high quality rubber, not like an Old Navy flip flop. Loved them this past summer. And the sweats..... what's not to love?
• I once wore a fake wedding band with my wedding ring for over a year. Maybe it was 2 years!??!! I don't remember. I can't find the website right now but... what I wanted was an eternity band like the one Jessica Simpson had. Of course, not THAT big! So, I ordered a CZ copy of her band to pair it with my ring and see if it would look good. I liked it.. just what I wanted but it was too large. So, I went back to the website and ordered a smaller eternity band and tried that, of course CZ. When I was ready, I went to the jeweler with a custom order and had the ring made. And the reason I had to go through all this was because a lot of jewelers won't make a prong set eternity band. They want them channel set because they are afraid of losing diamonds, etc. and then having to replace them. So, don't be shy to wear a CZ.. nobody will know:)

Home and Decorating:

• According to a previous post, if you love Potterybarn you can find a very similar look at Target!! Especially great for organizing your kids rooms, girls!!
• Upper Case Living: Has everybody heard of this?? I've never used it but I think I'm going to find a very appropriate place in my home and try this out. I think it could be a good thing. And you need to see the catalog, the website just doesn't do it justice.
• I love TILEX SOAP SCUM REMOVER for pretty much all my cleaning! And, of course, DAWN DIRECT FOAM for doing dishes. Rock on... try it.
• Spice Islands Lousiana Seasoning: YOU WILL LOVE. Great in pastas!!

Just dumb crap....

• Wells Fargo Bank: Has the easiest online banking. So EASY and organized. Plus, the have great rewards. I know of a lot of people that haven't been satisfied with WF. Something about getting charged all these different fees for banking with them. I have never had a problem with fees or anything like that. So... watch out for the hidden fees but otherwise the online banking and rewards are GOOD! WF isn't around here so... I'm going to miss you Wellsy.
• Verizon Wireless: Man oh man am I going to miss Verizon now that they don't really offer coverage in this new area. Their website and account management, GREAT. Customer service... never had a problem. I think between Eli and I, we've tried all the companies. We are now going to be on Altell simply because they offer service in our new area. But their website sucks and I haven't been impressed with much but their service. Of all the companies, VW was the best to us.
• LG Cell phones: So far, I like LG phones the best. They seem to 'bounce' off the ground a little bit better than most:)
• Britax Car seats: If you can't figure out how to use these car seats, you must be drunk. They've made it so dang simple. I just love how they work and their fabrics. We bought this other Eddie Bauer type seat for Dane and we just about had a meltdown trying to get it into the vehicle. It was falling apart and we couldn't figure it out!! I just brought it back and ordered up another Britax. Naydine has the Roundabout but we went with the Marathon for Dane. He's a little bit bigger boy than Nay... it's gotta last!

This post turned more into my opinion than a Consumer Report. But sometimes you just want some feedback from others on the products we buy. These work for me.... I'm not trying to be a know-it-all, just trying to eliminate some trial and error.

Now, I'm off to drink some Friday night wine with my husband.

Happy Halloween

I'm going to get a little carried away with the Halloween pictures here but, remember, all our family is out of town and I need to show them my children:) And... I just can't decide what pictures I love best, they were all so cute. Eli was snapping shots all night. Good job, honey!

We did a little trick-or-treating and then we went to a little Halloween Party that the Park and Rec Dept. had put on. It was lame... but free so... it's all good.

Our cheerleader...

Our Sniper...

A little pre-game warm up...

Family portrait...

Run kids... MORE CANDY!!

Naydine was pretty cute. A little slow but, cute:) I remember the days where we would just run from house to house getting as much candy as we could. It's kind of programmed into your brain. So, I think I was trying to go as fast as I could and Naydine just was slow. Then I remembered I was just supervising trick-or-treating. Oops.

Eli was going to dress up as Batman and then I would be cat woman, but he chickened out at the last minute:) We just wore the stuff we had. I had this cheerleader outfit for Naydine from Gymboree so I figured we didn't need to get her anything different, it'd do the job. And Dane... yeah, he was a sniper/soldier/cammo boy... who knows??

Entryway

Maybe there are a few out there who need to see this. It's really no big deal, just something that I'm going to buy.


I'm going to take this buy at Target......

And turn it into this look, from Potterybarn....

And save myself a whopping $320. Is it worth it, we ask? TOTALLY!!! Plus, I bought a bunch of accessories for it today. Holiday type stuff... It's going to be good!! I'm excited. Only downer, the bench set at Target was 15% off last week and.... not this week. Oh well....

I love POTTERYBARN. I mean, who doesn't. Come on.... The day that I can actually afford to buy my furnishings there is going to be a fun day. But until then, I'm going to continue copycat-ing their designers. You'll never go wrong....

So, when I do my kids' rooms, I just look at their paint and color schemes, accessories, etc and then go shopping.

I helped my sister in-law, Amy, do a focal point in her living room a few months ago. It turned out beautiful. We basically took the catalog with us and went shopping.

I'll shop anywhere.... Ross, Marshalls, Kirkland Home, Bed Bath & Beyond, blah, blah, blah. YARD SALES. I took an old ugly 80's end table and had Eli help me distress it and paint it. It sort of looks something like this.... well, totally a different table and it's finished in the blue distress. So, if you've seen the collection, the blue one. I mean, there's is better but it was a good try. You know? Eli rocks at doing this stuff. So, he pretty much did all the work. First you strip it. Then you distress it (chains, burning, nails, drills, just tear it up!). Next, paint. Then what we did was take a stain and try to concentrate on the areas where it would wear first, naturally. Apply and wipe off. We are not pros... we're just trying to make stuff in our spare time.

But I guess the point is that it's okay to copycat. It'll turn out good!!

Under Construction

So, if you ever check my blog, you'll notice that I'm trying something different. Yeah, like changing my blog name, for starters. OF COURSE I HAVE TIME TO BLOG. I'm on here every night, for crying out loud!
I just am the moron that doesn't know how to use HTML codes and I'm just going to use somebody's fun template that they made. So, I tried a few things and now I've lost all my links to the blogs I want to read. I'm seriously so dang pissed.... ugh!
Does anybody read their post back and realize that they totally didn't make any sense? Yeah.. that's me. What the heck? It's like the thoughts are forming in my head and then, I lose track. I was never a good writer.... or is this ADD??
I'm too tired to fix this any more tonight.....

As I Get Older

As I get older, there is so much more I want to learn. Where was thirst for knowledge when I was in school and had endless hours to learn? It drives me nuts. Not that I live regretting anything I do. If I did it, I did it and that's that. Just don't do it again, LEARN.

I just want to be able to do things myself. If something needs fixing, I want to do it. No, kidding. I really don't. I want Eli to do it. I don't want to have to call the electrician and wait 4 days till he can come out and look at my electrical in my garage. I just want it done NOW. So, this thirst for knowledge come from my lack of patience? It's very possible.

I think the other reason I want to be able to do things myself is because people normally don't do things as well as you'd like them done. I'm always finding fault with work people have done for me. It's either sloppy, so they charged more than they are worth. People take FOREVER when you are paying them to plumb, tile, wire, drywall, etc. So I'm glad that Eli is fairly handy. And If he doesn't know how to do something, he'll take the 105 hours to figure it out. And, it normally looks great and I don't critique it. Is that how you really spell critique. I just spell checked it (so I don't look like a moron) and, it looks like I'm right? No way....

But the one thing I have to pay to get done are photographs. I would really like to learn this skill of photography. I think I've talked about it 100 times on here already. I just love all the work I've been seeing. So, if you don't mind commenting on how you started taking photos and getting so dang good at it, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks Jenny, for letting me pick your brain a few times! I'm not going to have time to get as good as you guys, but I'd like to take some great pictures of my little guys. I like to scrapbook. I mean, I never do it anymore. But, I'd like some great photos in their books when I finally do them. And when they get older, I'd like to take pictures of their events. I want to have their life, in pictures. I LOVE looking at great shots. Who doesn't? So, do I start out by just buying a camera and forcing myself to learn? What do I need to start? Just comment and tell me what to do.

I recently (just this past Wednesday) had the kids photographed. Of course, neither would cooperate at the same exact moment, but I'm not worried about it at all. Heck, if they are crying in pictures, that's the real kid. So, I don't even care. In about 2 weeks I'll see them and hopefully they are great. I think Naydine did great outside. I'm going to love those shots... I just know it. The weather was a little rainy, the leaves were colorful, and her eyes were beautiful. And Dane.... he was pretty much done by the time we got outside:) But he was beautiful, too!

Here are a few snapshots I took at home the other day. I had the camera out and trying to ready my manual, seeing if there was something I could learn. But, since I don't know the vocab, of course I didn't learn anything. And, I did buy a book on photography about 5 years ago. And in the 5 moves I've done since buying that book, I can't find it. Imagine that! I'm pretty sure I'd learn something from the book.

You've just gotta love my chubby guy. I mean, he has a huge belly. It's awesome!!

Naydine and I made pumpkin cookies the other day. This is her version of "frosting" them...

All the new things

The one GOOD thing about Eli being gone is that it makes me take notice to all the NEW stuff my children do in a 3 week span. Then I report back to him in detail how Naydine could possibly be smarter than her mom already and how Dane is now interested in putting his finger into electrical outlets. It's crazy....

When Eli left, Dane was crawling [around on the rug]. Now he follows me into the kitchen and crawls around on the hardwoods like it's no big deal. Right, tough guy. I should hand him a rag and some soap, while he's down there.

When Eli left, Naydine would say, "Dear Baby Jesus" before she prayed. Now, she sings her own little version of 'Jesus Loves Me'. Or actually, it's 'Jesus I Wub You'. Good Lord... it is so cute. And I've tried to get it on camera a few times, but she gets all weird about it!!

And.... I've spotted breakthrough for the first of the 2 year molars. Eeeks... Teething with Naydine has NEVER gone well. She seems to be taking it like a champ so far...

By the way, what is with kids and the underwear? She comes downstairs from a nap and this is what I see....

Before Eli left, Dane had 4 white walls in his room and no curtains. Now he has 3 white walls, 1 green wall, and curtains hanging by nails.

Before Eli left, our living room was all white. Now, we have an accent wall, which is a very COOL blue. I love it!!

Ok, those last 2 were new things that I did while he was gone, so.. yeah. Well, Naydine took one look at the new blue wall and said, "Wow mom, cool paint. It's blue." This is the crap I'm talking about. How smart can she get in 2 weeks??!! Hey, at least she didn't take a look and say, "That looks icky". Which it very easily could have been.

Today I ventured out and bought a car full of groceries. Not exactly easy with the children:) I just couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to go to the FRIDGE and look for dinner, not the pantry. I just need something FRESH! It sucks being on a grocery budget.... We just had it way too good at the Cox's!! Thanks again, Gary and Jill!

These are for my awesome husband

Here you go, Eli. I know it's only been 10 days, but don't they look different already?!?!

We miss you hon and can't wait till you get back home!!

D Baby....

Getting some action at the park....

My teeny Deeny.....