halloween

We spent Saturday afternoon at the Pumpkin Patch with Tasha and her kids.  Tristan loved that they had a section with Pokemon characters...that will be an additional photo post I think.  He was so excited to get his picture taken!!!

Then on Sunday Tasha and her family came to our neighborhood for Trick or Treating.  We had a blast!!!!!!

Tristan as a Bakugan Dragonoid

Adreyn as a Vampire

Adreyn's hair all pulled up...you can barely see the red hairspray in her hair

Rehanyn as Strawberry Shortcake..."dark pink hair, please, mom"

I LOVE the freckles :-)

Another view of Tristan

Adreyn, Tristan, Rehanyn, Ashleigh and Justin at the pumpkin patch

Tristan

The whole crew

5 question Friday!!!

 

 

 

 

 

1. If you could be a fly on any wall, which would you choose?  hmmmm, I'm not sure...I'm not into the whole political thing so that's not an option.  Maybe, it would be good to be a fly on the wall of the hospital CEO's office.  It would be interesting to hear what he thinks on certain things without it all being made "nice" for the staff.

2. Do you budget your Christmas shopping or just get it done without budgeting?  Budgeted...I wish we didn't have to but we do.  This year I've been working extra though to try to help get some extra cash for Christmas.  And I've started coupon shopping so hopefully that would help too.  Happily, I've already started Christmas shopping this year....that is very unusual for me.

3. What is the craziest fad diet you have ever done?  never done one...but I'm thinking about trying the HCG diet...I'm just not sure about eating only 500 calories a day for 23 days...so, I haven't gotten up my nerve to try it...but, I have several friends who have had very good results on it.

4. Is there a TV show that you have seen every episode/season of?  There are several...LOST, Dancing with the Stars, Brothers and Sisters, Criminal Minds, CSI NY, Hell's Kitchen, and many more.  I DVR them and watch them when I have a chance :-)

5. What one song always pulls at your heart?  Somewhere over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

stuff

stuff is going on...i hope it might get more interesting...it just isn't interesting stuff.  It's life, and work, and just plain stuff...kinda boring stuff.  Without saying too much....work has been kinda sad lately.  I hate that!!!! 

I've been working at least 4 shifts a week.  So I'm getting pretty tired.  This week I have 2 night-shifts scheduled and an office day and NICU support group on the same day as the office day., and then a class that starts at 8am on friday after I get off of work at 7am.  Hopefully I can stay awake for the class?!?!?!?!?!?!  But then I actually have a 3 day weekend off.  I am looking forward to that!!!!

Jason is sick...probably a sinus infection caused by allergies but it always hits him pretty hard and makes him feel pretty yucky.  Tristan is starting in with his sinus stuff but overall is doing okay.  Rehanyn has a nice cough but actually didn't need medicine tonight so hopefully that is getting better.  Adreyn is doing good :-)

Tamra and family are coming to the states in 18 days...looking forward to seeing them!!!!

5 Question Friday

1. Who is the better cook, you or your spouse?  I would have to say that it is me...I make more homemade comfort food (swiss steak, beef and noodles, tenderloin, roast, pork chops, chicken and noodles, chicken noodle soup, potato soup, etc).  Jason still cooks...in fact he cooks more than me since I work 3-4 nights a week.  He makes dinner for himself and the kids those days, but he has his "go-to" meals...chicken and rice, spaghetti, tacos, homemade pizza, chicken nuggets and fries, etc.  I enjoy cooking...but I hate the mess it makes and I hate the clean up.  But, I've been doing better cleaning up after myself and lately I've been trying out new recipes and found a few I really like (cheeseburger pockets, meatballs, breaded pork chops, salisbury steak {this one needs more work}, etc).  I also enjoy baking, I make/decorate cakes for friends (and I get paid for them!) and I've been making a new recipe that is a big hit...chocolate whoopie pies! 

2. How often do you talk to your mom?  I email or facebook my mom more than I "talk" to her.  We both work 12 hour night shifts (we're both nurses) and right now we are on completely opposite schedules so it's kinda hard to connect.  But, I love that she lives less than 10 minutes away and is still always there for me and my family.  I LOVE MY MOM!!!!!

3. Are you adventurous in the kitchen or stick to the recipe?   I use the recipe as a jumping off point.  I don't usually make up my own recipes but I'll take a recipe and tweak it to be better or more to our family's taste. 

4. Is your second toe longer than your big toe?  ok, I actually had to look at my feet to figure this out :-)  No, my second toe and big toe are actually the same length. Does it mean something if your second toe is longer than your big toe????

5. Do you dress up for Halloween? (Bonus question: What will you be this year?)  No, I don't dress up for Halloween...mainly because I have no reason to.  I was actually invited to a Halloween party this year and really wanted to go...but, it's on my weekend to work and I won't be able to go.   :-(  

Tristan's Drawing

This is a picture Tristan drew this week...It's the first one where the pictures are actually recognizable.  He is doing so well.  I also love how the person is no longer just a stick person!

He says this is him playing with birds.  There are 3 birds flying around him and a compass rose at the top!

oh, oh, oh!!!!

I'm so proud of myself!  I actually have started Christmas shopping already!!!!!  I've started shopping for the kids already...and I've already bought teacher gifts!  My coupon shopping is paying off!!!!!!!  And I've got all the gifts planned for the cousins...now just to execute those plans!!!!!

weekend

We had fun this past weekend.  Saturday Adreyn got to go to a friend's block party...sounds like it was a great time.  While she was there we took the other 2 to Red Robin for dinner and then went to Walmart.  I found winter coats for the kids for only $14 each!

On Sunday afternoon Adreyn had a birthday skating party to attend so while she was at the party Jason, Tristan, Rehanyn and I went to Main Event and played some arcade games and an hour of bowling.  It was lots of fun. 

Since then, I've been working, Jason has been getting sick with allergies, Adreyn has been being lazy with keeping her school stuff organized, Tristan has been doing good at school but dealing with LOTS of allergies, and Rehanyn has been getting in a bit of trouble at home (any ideas for dealing with a child who is hiding food????) 

We've been enjoying our family time lately!!!!

5 question Friday

1. What is your favorite Halloween candy?  Definitely Rollo's or Charleston chews!    

 

2. Do you fold your socks? Only when there are no longer any pairs left in the dresser drawers and/or the sock basket is full...so about once a month if I have to  :-)

3. What is something that you wish you had been warned about?  I think I would have like to be warned about how the older you get the faster time/life moves.  I remember being in my teens and how a week could take forever.  Now, (no longer in my teens!) a week seems to go by in the space of a few hours!

4. What is the most significant difference between you and your significant other?  He's a pessimist...I'm an optimist.  But this way we get to look at something from both sides.  However, every now and then I do force him to stop looking on the bad side and come over to the good side and take a good long look!!!!  

5. What are three words you would use to describe yourself? (And, just for fun...if your significant other is around, ask him/her what 3 words they would use to describe you!!)

1.  Tired...that would be because I work at least 3 12hour night shifts a week (and lately 4-5 shifts a week)  and because I'm a full-time Mommy to 3 kids and a wife to my sweet husband.  But I love all my jobs and wouldn't trade them for anything.

2.  Involved...my husband would say that I'm too involved with work things...but I have cut back on work committments (a bit) to spend more time with the family.

3.  Caring...my job is taking care of babies...really, what could top that???  I love taking care of my tiny patients and I love caring for their parents too!!!

My husbands 3 words to describe me...I had to get him to text me his picks

1. Sweet

2. Compassionate

3. Understanding

Awww, wasn't that sweet?  Of course that is after I told him he had to give me 3 words not a 3 word sentence.  The first 3 words he texted me were "pain in a$$" !!!!  He's so crazy!!!!!

More free stuff!

This was in the mail today!!!!!

free stuff for me!

I've been trying to use coupons better and more efficiently.  Still have a long way to go on that though...I need a better organizational system I think.  Anyway, I'm getting better about actually taking the coupons to the store and not leaving them at home.

I've got several new websites linked up on the right side of my page (in the blog list) that I check on each day to see deals or how to stack coupons to get stuff for the least amount of coupons.  The other nice thing is that most of these websites also let you know about free samples.  Here's a couple of pictures of the free samples I've already received (and all I had to do was fill out my address...no credit card or anything)

Plus today I also received a coupon in the mail for a FREE bottle of Advil! 

5 question Friday

Questions for Friday, October 8th:

1. What do you listen to while driving?  Well, it depends...in the mornings on the way home from work I listen to the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning show.  Other times I just have on a soft rock station...I just like to have noise in the car when I'm alone...when the kids are with me I keep the radio off and just listen to the "he hit me", "she's in my way", "where are we going", "what are we having for dinner" etc, etc, etc....

2. What is your least favorite thing about Fall?  My least favorite???  That it ends and winter comes.  I love Fall in Texas.  The weather is gorgeous and finally comfortable and it's just plain nice outside.

3. What does your dream house look like, inside and out?  Great question!  I want a house with at least 5 bedrooms (and not little dinky bedrooms either ... at least 12x15 or so), an awesome master suite with a huge bedroom with an attached sitting room, with a huge fireplace.  I want a big fancy master bath with a jacuzzi tub and a large shower, a big walk-in closet at his and her sinks.  I want my kitchen to have lots and lots of cabinets and a huge walk-in pantry.  I want a kids play room that I can close the door on and just block out the mess :-)

4. Would you ever own a minivan? We used to own a minivan...my husband drove it.  I don't necessarily mind minivans...I just would prefer to keep my nice SUV.  I'm only 5'2" so I like being able to be up higher than other people in my SUV.  I am ready to get rid of my surburban though...something a bit smaller would be great!

5. Do you wash new clothes before wearing them? Usually, no...sometimes yes.  It totally depends on how much time I have before I need to wear them :-)

State Fair

Just got to the Fair...checking out the water while Daddy buys coupons!

A cool pair of sunglasses!

BIG TEX

TEXAS STAR--We had just finished riding it

Our sweet boy

Our silly oldest

Our goofy baby

A crazy hat at the train station

5 question Friday

 

 I'm linking up to Mama M again :-)

 

1. Did you have a pen pal when you were little (or now)? Where were/are they from?   No, I don't believe I did...I remember thinking that it would be really cool to have a pen pal...but I know that I would have probably written to them once and then never again...because, that's the way my life works...I know, excuses, excuses :-)

2. If you could do a different job for one day, what would it be?  Well, I LOVE my job and really don't want a different job but I guess if I had to choose....hmmmmm, I guess I would want to be a fancy head chef of a fancy restaurant (but I wouldn't be mean like Gordon Ramsey!)  And if it was just for a day it couldn't be TOO stressful, could it?????

3. Do you remember your biggest fear from when you were little?  I was afraid of our house burning down.  I don't know why but I always had a plan for how to get out of the house safely and had a list of what I would grab to take with me on the way out.  For awhile when I was 10 or 11 the item I would HAVE to grab was the lovely rainbow bed set that mom and dad had gotten for me.  It was under my bed still in it's plastic wrap because we were waiting to put it on the bed until we moved into the new house :-)

4. What do you think is a waste of time? Why? I think it's a waste of time to stress over what people "might" be thinking of you.  If you are always trying to figure out what "they" are thinking you miss out on actually living your life to the fullest.

5. What is the oldest item you have in your closet?  Oh, I know that there are some maternity clothes still back in the back of my closet (that I bought when I was pregnant with my 11 year old).  But, probably the OLDEST is one of my husbands stuffed animals from when he was a little guy...it's a bit the worse for wear!