You Make me Live

You're my best friend
Prompt courtesy of Mama Kat.
Song stuck in my head courtesy of Queen!

It was along time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Ok, really I was 7. Not that long ago because I'm not that old! My parents had recently gotten married and we had moved to a new house. Being new to the town, I knew no one. Playing outside one day I saw this girl who looked about my age zooming up and down the street on her bike. Zooming might be an understatement. Of course I say this because at the time I had no idea how to even ride a 2-wheeler bike! So anyone who could ride one was fast in my eyes!

I honestly don't remember who approached who first, but one day we introduced ourselves and we've been inseparable since! To this day we are think as thieves! There have been good times and bad times, but mostly good. We've worked at a few jobs together....good times! Not the jobs - those sucked, but we knew how to make the day go faster. We have so many inside jokes it's not even funny. I'd let you in on them, but you probably won't understand. We've learned that most people have no clue what we're talking about. But we get it and we have a blast so we don't really care what others think!


My bestest friend in the whole wide world is on the left

That picture is from one of the many, many concerts we have been to together. I think I lost count on how many, but they were all awesome!!!


See...here we are again.
Same good times, different concert.
We must like those red cups.
Or at least what's in them!



Now I know this is supposed to be about how I met my best friend, but in reality I have 2 best friends. The other BFF would be my husband. Ya I know, it's kinda mushy and please, please, PLEASE!!!! Don't tell him I called him my BFF!!! I don't think he'd like that very much.

So here's the abridged version of how we met.....


14 years ago when we were in high school, we were both part of the stage crew. FYI - we were the people who built the sets for high school shows and made the whole thing run as it should. Anyway, we seemed to get along. We liked hanging out and he used to tease the hell out of me. Still does as a matter fact!

Anyways, at the time we were both pretty shy. We knew we wanted to ask the other out for a date, but was too afraid to actually do it. Thank goodness for a not-so-shy mutual friend of ours. She pretty much forced us to make a date for a school dance. We dated for 6 years. We finally decided to get married and we are now coming up on our 8th anniversary in a few weeks. I'm sure I'll blog more about "us" closer to our anniversary. I'll probably get all mushy and sweet, so consider yourself forewarned if you stop by and read that day!

I'd like to think I'm pretty darn lucky to have 2 best friends. They have both been there for me when I needed them, whether it be for a laugh or for a shoulder to cry on. Or apparently for a drink if you took a good look at the first set of pictures! They helped make me who I am today and I don't what I would do without either one of them.

Until next time....

Cancer - Know It. Fight It. End It.

I have a friend who is battling cancer. Some of you know about this, and others don't. To refresh your memory or learn about it and my feelings on the matter, check out Stop and Smell the Roses and Pick up the Pace.

There also is a link on the side of my page where you can learn more about Pancreatic cancer.

I received an email this morning asking me to take a challenge and I want to extend this invitation to those out in blogland. Here's a portion of that email......

Pancreatic cancer isn't getting the attention it deserves–not from the federal government and not from medical researchers. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. The number of cases is increasing, but the investment in research for early detection, effective treatment options and eventually a cure lags far behind the other leading cancer killers.

The challenge: Help the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network find 8,120 people to join us in the fight against pancreatic cancer to match the 8,120 people who will be diagnosed between now and the end of National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month this November. Let’s grow the community of support for those facing pancreatic cancer by growing the number of people who know about it and are committed to helping fight it and end it. For each person who is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between now and the end of November we’ll add one more name to the list of people standing up for them.

If you stop by and read this, please take a moment to join me in this challenge.


Know It. Fight It. End It.

You can also grab the button to help spread the word. It will take you to the petition site as well!

Thank you!!!!

Until next time...

Does it ever end?!?

It would be so wonderful if I could just snap my fingers and have a new house that's always clean and everything has it's place. Sadly that's not the case. Right now I'm stuck and can't do much around here. The water heater went out...again. That means I can't do the dishes, I can't do laundry, and I can't shower.

The dishes can wait, and that's usually what happens. That's one of my least favorite chores. Actually, I don't think I like any of them! Anyway, I'm trying to make dinner on the little counter space I have at the moment when I realize the floor is sticky. So now the floor needs mopped, but what's the point of that if I can't do much about the rest of the kitchen until the water heats back up?

And laundry.....does anyone have a 4 year old boy that often gets too busy to use the bathroom? Welcome to my world of never-ending laundry!!! I have yet to put away what I washed yesterday. Today I thought it was a good idea to go through the kids' drawers and pull out what's too small or out of season. I don't see anyone wearing shorts for a while! Thanks Mother Nature! I hate when I everything in the drawers all nice and neat and then come downstairs to see more that I forgot needs put away. Laundry is just a vicious cycle that never ends!!!

Now for a shower...let's not even go there! I'm cold and, well, I just need one! The shower is my happy place. I can go in there, close the door and not be bothered by anyone!

Hopefully we get it lit an it stays lit! I really am not in the mood to call anyone about it! My luck, it would end up like the kitchen debacle from last winter. The kitchen sink clogged and it took 2 weeks to figure out why and to get it fixed. NOT good times!!!

Now I have to finish dinner and get Paige ready for soccer. Let me tell you how much I love Fall soccer season! It's cold and wet and just miserable. I could take a camping chair to the field with me so I'd have a place to sit, but it would probably sink in the mud. Hopefully I remember to take some hot tea or hot chocolate with me because I refuse to be one of those parents who drops their 7 year old off at practice and disappears because they don't want to be out in crappy weather. Oh, yes, we have a few. Even the parents that do stay aren't always really there. Last week a girl on Paige's team kept getting hurt. Her mom was too busy ON HER PHONE to see if her child was ok!!! I couldn't believe it!

Well, grubs on! Time to eat and run!

Until next time....

Random & Shameless - stick it to me

Go check out SupahMommy and come play along!
I promise, it's fun!


So I went shopping the other day at Target, aka the Greatest Store Ever!!! I figured I'd buy the kids their Halloween costumes while I was there and while the costumes were still there. Here's what I saw......



this is not my store, this is courtesy of Google,
but it's pretty much what was staring me in my face


So, next time I go to Target I will stalk find a manager and slap this on their forehead.....



And this one, too....


I'm the type of person who won't decorate until the month that a holiday falls in. In other words, my Halloween stuff is not coming out of hiding until Thursday! But before I can put the decorations outside, I need to do some cleaning up. Especially outside. I hate cleaning up when others aren't cooperating, thus making my job that much harder.



So while I wait for Mother Nature to cooperate, I made a list.



Vacation~deserted island far, far away when the weather is always beautiful. Yes, I will gladly take my friends, but you have to promise to not touch what belongs to me. Yes, I'm greedy!! But I will share my pretty umbrella drinks and Captain and Coke's.

Now over the course of the day yesterday I realized that a certain "friend" was taken and cannot accompany me on my vacation, so I'm going to take these 2 with me...




If I find these stickies are not stuck on my property
I will find you and you will be kicked off my island.
I may not watch Survivor, but I know how it's played!
So don't touch!





And while I'm waiting to leave for my vacation, I'm gonna throw in a shameless plug. Why? Because stickies are fun I want to show some appreciation.



Until next time...

Meme Monday - 5 essentials

Ok, I admit I don't watch Survivor. I think I watched the first season, but then got out of it. But I had to use this lovely logo made by SupahMommy because it really is friggin awesome!


I do have some things that I absolutely CANNOT live without. So now, without any further adieu I present.......


Brought to you by the letter M
and SupahMommy and MommyBrain




5 essential Meme items I cannot survive without

1~Computer
If I don't get on at least once a day, my whole day is thrown off! I have email to check, Facebook to play with, and of course I have to blog. A girl needs her therapy ya know!!!



2~Coffee
Hmm, maybe this should be #1. The first thing I do in the morning is drink me some coffee. Ok, during the week I have to get dressed, get everyone in the car, and drive to the coffee shop, but what gets me motivated is actually getting to the coffee shop and tasting that first wonderful sip (and burning the crap out of my lip!).


My favorite mug!
I don't use it everyday
but I love to show it off!

Most people won't talk to me in the mornings unless I've had at least 1 delicious cup of java.


3~Computer
Yes, I know I already said this one. I'm allowed to have it on here twice because, well, this is my blog! Go ahead, try and stop me!

Anyways, the other reason I cannot live without my computer is the kids. They have their sites and games they play.




By letting them play their games, I get a huge chunk of time to do whatever I want. Ok, usually those things I do involve cleaning and I really don't want to do them, but I have to. And being able to do them uninterrupted is just magnificent!


4~Pepsi
Hold on, let me stand up and take my spot....

Hi! I'm Evonne. I'm a caffeine addict. Nice to meet you!

When I was working, I would go to the store and buy a bottle every day. It might take me forever to drink it because I'm slow like that, but I HAD TO HAVE IT!!!!! If I didn't have any Pepsi by mid afternoon, you know something was wrong. That's how some girls I used to work with knew I was pregnant! I couldn't drink Pepsi - it made me sick. Believe me, I was so pissed about that!!!


5~iPod
Sometimes this necessity is more for the kids than it is for me. If I let them listen to their favorite songs in the car, we have a much better ride.



Right now they're stuck on some of the newest additions to my iPod, which are ABC songs and stuff like Old MacDonald and Itsy Bitsy Spider. But if they're not in the mood for those songs, then their biggest requests are We Will Rock You, Ring of Fire, and Mr. Roboto. Yes I have an eclectic array of music and yes I have odd children. I mean, how many 4 year olds do you know that go around singing

I fell into a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns
That ring of fire
Yep, word for word. Mike's my little party trick!

So there you have it. My 5 essentials. I hope you enjoyed!

Until next time....

What happened?!?

It never ceases to amaze me at how fast time flies! I was thinking about this today. I was thinking of one of my cousins who recently had a baby. It seems like only yesterday that I was at her house getting ready to go to Kennywood. Even though I was finally tall enough, I was still afraid to ride the Laser Loop. Now we're both married with families of our own. She also reminded me on Facebook today that her sister is turning 18. My goodness! I remember playing with my cousin way before her sister was even thought of! And another cousin is about to have a baby. It seems like only yesterday we were kids playing at our Grandma's house.

This past week I have been watching my own kids and thinking the same thing! How fast they've grown!!! I think I've been thinking about this because Mike has been extremely interested in the past lately. He is always asking questions about when he was a bay or when we were babies. Paige is definitely growing up! She is getting more and more interested in clothes and her appearance. She also seems to be getting interested in boys. I think I caught her holding a boy's hand walking home from school yesterday! Ugh! I think we're in for a rough ride with her! And for Mike, he is no longer the baby. He's a preschooler now - a little person! And while they are continuing to grow faster and faster it seems, I continue to look forward to what's to come. Although I do miss the past!


Paige is in 2nd grade and I think she finally got back into school mode. The first few weeks were rough. She had trouble focusing in class and would rather socialize with her friends. She also had trouble remembering to do her homework. I know part of the blame for that falls on me and I accept that, but at the same time, she is also old enough now to take on more responsibility for what she needs to do.

But anyways, I have the ability to go online to check her grades and her assignments, which I have been doing. She also brings home classwork so I can see what she does all day. And I mean she brings home A LOT of papers!!!! Wonder how many forests they destroy?! Over the past 2 weeks, her grades have been going nowhere but up! She's never been a bad student and she wasn't getting bad grades, but I knew she could do better. She's even getting an "O" in handwriting. BTW, "O" stands for outstanding. I think there's hope for her yet that she won't end up with handwriting like her dad or uncle! Sorry, guys, but you know I'm right on this one!

And Mike... my goodness has his imagination been soaring! And his messes have been just as big, too! Last week he was obsessed with a store. We have a kitchen set in the backyard. He put a chair on one side and the customer (me) would stand on the other side. He had a shopping cart in case I needed a lot of stuff. He used his t-ball stand for the candy dispenser and the candy was chalk (yummy!). He also used his bikes for when he had to go buy more supplies or deliver candy. This week it seems to be his train that he's obsessed with. We have a rather large container of GeoTrax. He makes a track from one side of the room clear to the other side. Usually his castle is somewhere in the middle with the track running through the door. Then he pulls out the Duplos to make stores, tree houses, and sometimes diving boards. I don't understand the last one, but he seems to make it work for him! He will play with nothing but these obsessions ALL day! And the story lines he comes up with while playing just blow me away!

He's also really catching on to what I'm trying to teach him. Right now we're learning the letters and he loves to point out the letters he's learned everywhere we go! It seems like yesterday he was learning to count. I couldn't get him to count for the life of me! Then one day when I was holding him, he counted my earrings and he counted correctly. In case you're wondering, he counted to ten. Yes, that's how many earrings I have!


Each and every day, my kids amaze me at what they know and what they can do. One is turning into a little boy and the other is turning into a little lady. I really miss when they were little. They knew nothing of the world and it was our job to show them the way. Now they're trying to teach us stuff! I really hope the future with them is as enjoyable as the past was.

Until next time.....

Thanks for the pictures! Time to brag!

To my awesome cousin's awesome husband....
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

As I mentioned in this post, I don't have a camera to take pictures of the kids playing soccer. My cousin's husband LOVES to take pictures and he sent me the ones he took while they were here visiting.

Both Paige and Mike seem to really enjoy playing soccer and I am so proud of how well they do!


Here's Paige practicing while her brother is playing his game.




And I'd like to mention just how "totally awesome" (to quote Paige's favorite line) it was for someone else to take pictures so I could watch Mike play!!

She seems to like playing defense...

It took many, many tries to get Mike to look at the camera, but we finally snapped a picture. He was digging in the dirt while we were watching Paige play her game.





He's the one on the far left



Go Mike, Go!!!

And if they're not playing, they're taking a water break. That's pretty much what 4 year old soccer is - running aimlessly after the ball and drinking water!

Until next time....

Never say Never

Growing up I always knew that I wanted to be a mom. As I got older and especially when I was pregnant with our first, I made a list of rules and expectations. I was not going to be the mom that never got any sleep because my child would not sleep at night. So to prevent that, I laid out a schedule. Baby would eat at this time, nap at this time, and go to bed at this time. Fortunately for us, it worked. Paige was sleeping through the night by the time she was 8 weeks old. She was an awesome eater and an awesome napper. She ate when I wanted and slept when I wanted.


The only bad night we had was Christmas eve when she was 6 weeks old. We were visiting family like we do every year and we didn't get home til close to midnight. We gave her a bottle and then laid her down for the night. All was good for about an hour. She started fussing. We rubbed her back, rocked the cradle, but as soon as we laid back down, she was at it again. Chris fell asleep and I ended up holding her and walking around with her for a few hours. He got up and took over for the next few hours and FINALLY got her to sleep at 7am. We had to be up and ready to go by 9. Needless to say, we were miserable all day. Well, not Paige because she slept all day. Oh, the life of a baby!!!

One of my big fears (and still is) is choking. That's why she was not to be given ANY table food until I approved. Which wold not be until she was at least a year old. Again, that one worked out in our favor as well.

As she got older and more independent, I refused to let her wear "silly" clothes. Socks with sandals, tank top with snow boots, that kind of stuff. I knew it was good to let her choose her own things to wear - it creates a sense of independence. I didn't want the crazy looks from others. Everything was peachy keen.

That is until Mike came along! I think if you were to pull out your ole buddy Webster and look up stubborn, his picture would be plastered all over the page! Mike got the blue ribbon for eating, but sleeping, that's another story. He refused to nap until he was 3 months old. However he was sleeping through the night by 4 weeks, so I guess that's not a bad trade off. But I couldn't get anything done. And it's not like he would be quiet while I did the dishes. He screamed until someone help him. I swore I would not be the mom the always hold my children. That didn't work out. I also swore I would never give my kids a binky. Ya, that didn't work out either. But he only took it for a few weeks anyway.


I know I said he never napped.
I just find this picture funny because
it was the one time we wanted him to stay awake
and he flat out refused!
Now that they're older, I find myself caving on so many things. Ok, one more show on tv. Ok, I'll let you stay up til 9, but just this once (ya right). Paige usually wants to stay up to watch hockey or football, but I think she just wants more play time. To this day, she still doesn't really know how to play either sport! And the fashion choices that Mike makes, oh good grief!!! He will find the one pair pf shorts I didn't take out of his drawer that are too small or the one pair of pants that are too short. His shirt doesn't always match and his shoes definitely do NOT go with the outfit. But I've learned that fighting with him over this stuff is not worth my time. It's only going to lead to screaming and crying on both parts.

Yes, there are those rules that can never bend because they are truly important rules, but in my 7 years of being a mom, I've learned

NEVER SAY NEVER





Until next time.....