To The First Five People Who Read This Blog:

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.

The catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

I don't actually care if you post this on your blog or not. I just thought it was a fun and cute idea. So leave a comment!

The Temple

Well today the youth of our church are going to the Washington DC Temple to do baptisms for the dead. I have a few names that are going to be done by my boys of my relatives some that I had never gotten to know and a few that I did know. I also have some names that need to have other ordinances done. I love going to the Temple and when I am there it is so nice to leave all my cares at the front door, I am so relaxed when I leave that I don't ever want to go out the door. I know once I leave all the cares I left at the door will still be there, but I know that I have gained a lot of insight as to what I need to do to get rid of them. At times I wonder how I will ever get ahead and then when I do get a little ahead it seems that I have more trials waiting for me or the ones I thought I had gotten rid of seem to have grown larger. I like going with Ron but I love when I get to go with just the "girls" and we have such a great time together. I need to go more often to the Temple and I hate going by myself, I love the drive down to be able to talk to someone but with our busy lives and the fact that I can only go after 5 PM or on Saturday is hard for me to find someone to go with. But I know that I need and I have made a promise with God that I will go more often in 2009 so I just need to get my rear in gear and go! So if anyone who is able to go wants to go in the evening sometime just let me know.

I remember the first time I went to the Temple I cried after wards and was so happy that so many friends of mine came and that they showed how much they really loved me and with all that I have been through in my life it is nice to know that I have so many great friends and if you are one that cam to my first session just know that I thank you so much and love each of you dearly.

They Grow up so Fast!

It seems like yesterday that Steven was just born but alas time sure flies by. He is now sixteen and yesterday he went on a job interview and he got his first job. A big SOB to me that my first born is starting to take on some responsibility in his journey to become an adult. I can remember when he used to love Barney and the Bananas in Pajamas. Then along came the Power Rangers, the red one was his favorite then legos, video games (he still loves his video game)and now it's girls, driving, a job and then comes college, a mission, more college, GULP marriage and then babies. I sure am gonna miss my baby. I can also remember my favorite photo of him, he is sitting on my bed holding his stuffed pig my friend Kim noble gave to him when he was born and he was bald headed with the biggest grin on his face (remind me to show it to you sometime). He loved his pig, which by the way he still has in his closet but don't let him know I told you about it.

Just this morning Shawn and I were talking and he asked if he could get a cell phone and I told him not until he was 16 like his brother. I jokingly told him since he was only 12 he had a long way to go. Which he promptly reminded me he was 13 and would soon be 14. Nope I said you will always be my baby and therefore you will be 12 forever not going to happen being a teenager. He drives my crazy sometime with his teenage attitude. Sigh, like I said they grow up so fast so cherish your children each and every day as one day soon they will not be around. I guess i will have to adopt everyone's kids as my own soon.

It's that time again!

I can't believe that it is February and it's almost half over. Thus this starts a new season of craziness in my world as I know it. First we have Lacrosse starting and if that isn't bad enough both the boys are playing! Steven of course for Wilde Lake High School and Shawn will be playing with the Howard County Park and REC League. Shawn will be starting the middle of March and going until June 6th so every Saturday from then on I will be at the Cedar Lane Fields (I think) watching him play. Then any day that Steven has a game I will be at Wilde Lake High School. Plus Steven has SATs on March 14, 2009, I am thinking about letting him get his driving permit during Spring Break (YIKES) and of course we have the usual trying to clean house, laundry, time for myself for my own working out, scripture studying and just plain down time to relax. Then comes SUMMER---Boy Scout Camp, Football Camp, Lacrosse Camp, EFY, a week in Florida at Epcot then football try outs begin on august 15th and then School starts and with that comes FOOTBALL for both boys and I am running the Concession Stand for the next 4 years at least. Anyone want to trade places???? Anyone?? Hello anyone out there in this crazy mad world we live in? Of course you know I wouldn't trade it for the world I love being busy and supporting my boys.

Thankful for Smart kids with a head on their shoulders!

We went to a discussion at the High School the other night for Steven to earn some extra credit points for one of his classes. The course discussion was on Branded D.U. I. and I for one thought it was a good discussion. There was a movie about some teenagers who were at parties and they were drinking and decided to drive after they had been drinking. They all were Maryland teenagers and even one was from Howard County. They all were convicted of one offense or another and even had to do some jail time, community service, classes, one was put on probation and she even had to pay her own way for the classes she had to take. Another girl had one of the breathing machines that would not let her start her car until she breathed into it and pass the test showing that she had not been drinking and that cost her $80.00 per month for at least year and if you add that up it comes to $960.00 that she paid for not her parents. So after the movie they had a juvenile court judge speak as well as the HC police officer in charge of liquor licenses talk and we got to ask questions. During the question and answer section we were told of how that officer broke up a party of Wilde Lake students that was serving alcohol and they also had drugs at this party. One girl ended up jumping off a 2nd story balcony and breaking her foot. I talked to Steven about it and he said yeah and half the kids that were at the party were also attending this discussion session. When I found out who had the party and who was there I was quite surprised at what kids had done this. I made a promise to Steven that if he was ever at a party and those kinds of things going on that he should call me and tell me he needed to leave and I would pick him up no questions asked. He stated that he already knew that he would/could do that and that he would comply. A couple of his friends were there and I told them the same thing that they could always call me and I would pick them up no questions asked and their parents echoed my thoughts and we are so thankful that we can count on each other and that our kids were smart enough to know that they could trust any one of us parents.

All of Stevens friends know that they can always come to me with anything and that I will help them no matter what and they keep telling me that they like that fact and now their parents know that my son will be able to come to them as well and we are all thankful for having such great and responsible kids.

Boys

I hate when school is not in session. It seems that the boys do nothing but call my at work and complain that they are bored. I ask them if they have done their chores and I get the standard answer-----YES! But home i go home it all looks the same as when I left in the morning. If you look at their rooms you would think a tornado had hit them. Steven does not know what to do with a hanger, much less dresser drawers I often wonder why he has a dresser since everything is on the floor, on his bed, under the bed or in the closet. It takes me back to when I told the boys that I was going to purchase the condo that has three bedrooms and they can both have their own rooms. Steven was quick to say well I guess we will see who the cleaner one is of us now that we are going to have our own rooms. Like most siblings they always blame the other when the room that they shared was trashed but it was always the other ones fault. Well, I see that Steven wasn't entirely telling the truth about him being the less messy brother since his room is always the worst of the two. Shawn's clothes (most of them anyways) are either in the closet hung up crookedly or they are neatly laid across his night stand, but I can say that he things that belong in the dresser are in the dresser but just not the correct drawers.

Well you know how boys will be boys. Don;t get me wrong, I did grow up with four brothers and they were the same way. LOL. Now since they have "grown" up you would never know that they used to be so messy. SIGH, I guess I will have to wait until they move out and get their own places before they won't be so messy, but I guess I can live with that for now. LOL.

Decisions, decisions, decisions

I am having a hard time believing that my oldest son is a junior in high school and will be a senior next year. There are so many decisions that have to be made this year and many many more for next year. He is currently taking the SAT prep classes and will be able to take the SAT test on March 14, 2009. But we have to find out where the test is going to be and i just found out today that we have to register for the test by 2/11/09 but trying to figure out how much we have to pay for is very confusing, I am just going to have to talk to my friends whose kids have already taken the test to figure it out. Then coming up next year where he wants to go to college, financial aid, senior portraits, graduation etc. I guess in four years when my youngest has to go through all this I will hopefully remember who, what, where and when but I doubt it since i seem to have half-timers disease (half the time I can't remember anything).

My next biggest challenge is to find a good tax person to help me with my taxes since I just bought a house last year and one that is not going to charge me an arm and a leg to do them. Any suggestions???? Anyone? Hello is this thing on? Oh well, just wish me luck.