Thoughts and Irrational Fears

I love waking up on the weekends and the rest of the family is still in bed. It's lovely to have these quiet moments to myself, sipping my cup o joe, and reflecting on the week. I have been a little stressed, worrying about things. Things being, my hubby's new hours, my crazy appetite, and the pending move.
Yes, you read correctly. We bought a house, and will be moving out of our little cabin. This home buying stuff is not an easy thing, yet I don't remember it being so difficult when we bought our first home. Though our first home was a brand new track home, and we were living with my mother at the time.  No need in giving notice, or worrying about things falling through, and being homeless. That what I'm really worried about right now! I'm afraid that things will not work out on our new home, that the loan will fall through and by May, we'll be without a home. I do have to say I had irrational fears with our first home.  Once we actually moved into our house, I was waiting for someone to come to our door and said that they made a mistake, and the house was no longer ours! I know CRAZY! But I do know, that I'm not the only one who's ever felt this way so it makes feel a little better, and yet I'm also not constantly thinking this doom and gloom. I am so very excited! Excited to have a place of our own again. OUR OWN! No more room sharing, unless we have visitors! No more climbing over one another because we'll have more space! Painting! I cannot wait to paint, and paint everything WHITE!! A white,  pretty, cheerful house! With beautiful flowers, a larger garden, and hopefully a few chickens! It's a dream come true, and the very best part is that all the schools are in walking distance from our sweet little home, and the local library is about three miles away! Be still my heart!

Hello, Remember Me?

Hello friends! I cannot believe how much time has past since I last posted. Life had gotten in the way, and sometimes you just have to put things on hold until you feel in your heart that your ready to begin again. So this is my new beginning.

Life has been good for us. Last October hubby started a new job, which has been a tremendous blessing  to our family. I cannot tell how the increase in his income has given us such a feeling of security, and room to breath. It is not easy living on a budget of $200 a month for groceries for a family of four, and often we would run out of food by the end of the month. Now if I'm running low on food, I don't have to worry about where I'll be pulling that money from in order to go get! God is good! Hubby loves his new job, and his co-workers. He comes home happy now, and does not dread going into work everyday. I am so very proud of him for all his hard work and determination to do whatever he can to take care of his family!

With this new job, we now feel that we can start shopping for a home of our own, and are in the process of applying for a USDA loan. We're in no hurry and want to make sure we find the perfect home, hopefully with some acreage so that we can have a larger garden, chickens, and just room to grow. We've been looking at another cabin in Gig Harbor. It has plenty of land, even with a large creek so the boys can still fish, but the house will need some work cosmetically. It's very sixties on the inside, with crazy wallpaper and brown/gold shag carpet, but it has amazing potential!  Still, all that work will need time and money. Is that really something that we are ready to commit to? My mind says heck yeah, we could do this, but my heart is quietly saying, this is not the time now, keep looking, and you will find what you need.

One thing for sure, I will miss this sweet cabin by the Green River. I will miss the long drive down Green Valley Road, Green Valley Meats, Mosby's Farm Stand, our lovely views and bonfires by the river during the summertime. It's was four years this last October since we moved here in the cabin from  Southern California.  I was not ready to let go, but now I feel that I have embraced my new "country" life, the slower pace of Washington state and I am so looking forward to the next chapter it has to offer.

Oh Me, Oh My

I can't even believe it's been six months since I posted! Life has been good in my absence. I had a chance to go back home to California in July for my 20th High School Reunion and see some old, dear friends and stay with my Mom. We had close family friends move up our way and many campfires we're had  with the roasting of marshmallow's ~ some gigantic! 10 and 7 have started school again in September and as a family we've enjoyed a new chapter ~ Junior Football! It's been a full time commitment, practices four days a week, with games on the weekends, but 10 is having a ball!

The seasons have change since last I wrote and now the leaves are changing as the days get cooler and shorter. We made a trip to our local pumpkin patch and picked out our family pumpkins on Friday. Can't wait to see how each of the pumpkins turn out. The house has been decorated for Halloween since mid September as I love this holiday and the Fall season. Thanksgiving is just around the corner as is 7's birthday and mine. One more year and I will be 40! Hard to believe as I feel so young inside. Today is a day of cleaning and laundry getting prepared for the beginning of a new week. If only I could get 10 and 7 to clean without complaining and bickering. It's is so warm and cozy here in cabin, does kind of make it hard to get the cleaning started. Can't we just lay around all day on the couch, watching old 80's movies, filling our bellies with popcorn and candy? Oh me, oh my!

A Good Morning

I woke up super early this morning ~ like 4:30 early. I had such a hard time falling back to sleep after hubby left for work that I just gave up trying.  I made myself a pot of coffee and caught up with the latest episode of DWTS all while listening to 7 snoring lightly in the back ground. I really love having this quiet time in the morning before the boys get up, and really kick myself for not doing it more often. I get to sip my cup o joe while watching the river go by. So peaceful!  Man, it's a good morning!

Wednesday's

I seriously LOVE Wednesday's! Wednesday's are my hubby's Friday so that means I get two days while 10 and 7 are in school all alone with my babe.  Yep,  9 is no longer 9 ~ he turned 10 in January. Since the weather has been better and we both are sickness free we started up our hiking again last week on hubby's weekend. It was wonderful to be outside, but man on the first day we could barely make it up our first incline. It was pretty pathetic! Seriously ~ me 38, and my young buck at 36, and we had to stop midway to catch our breath. My legs were shaking and both our hearts were beating so hard in our chest. But at least we were pathetic together. So what is your favorite day of the week?

Loft $100 Giveaway

I know it's been a while but I thought I'd share with you a wonderful giveaway and fabulous blog! I found Really Petite on the Loft Facebook page and she has a $100 Loft Gift Card Giveaway going on right now in celebration of her 1 year blog anniversary. Check my side bar for link to enter!

Dirty, Dirty Bird!

That's what I feel like saying as I look around the cabin! Monday I had it all nice and picked up and then 9 and 7 came home from school and BAM ~ dirty!

Do you ever feel that way. Feel like "I just spent 5 hours cleaning, and it's all undone in 5 minutes!" Coming from a house that was 1500 square feet to one that is just under 1000, I thought it should be easier to keep clean, but sadly untrue. I'm not working anymore, home all the time, but it seems as if my actions make no difference. Should I just let go and figure our home will be in a constant shape of a total hot mess until maybe the boys are in High School? Does it even get any better as they age, or will it only change once they are grown and out of the house? I know once it's gone, I'll probably miss their messes, but it sure is frustrating at the moment. Even my Facebook status reads my frustration as I'm asking Santa, "All I want for Christmas is for my boys to pick up after themselves." Toys, clothes, shoes, books, just junk in general because I have a mini hoarder (7) living amongst me, surrounds me! That, and the never ending pile of laundry! Boys are just dirty, dirty, birds, but I love them anyway.

Thanks for letting me rant. Whew ~ I feel much better!

Starbucks Gift Card Giveaway

Head on over to From High Heels to Sneakers for a chance to win a $30 GC from Starbucks! Yep, you heard right $30! Plus, she's such a fun read!

Tackle it Tuesday

This is my very first time participating in a blog hop! From High Heels to Sneakers started a "Tackle It Tuesday" hop and I'm hoping it will start to motivate me more on getting projects done here at the cabin.

Sunday and Monday I finally put up our Christmas decorations with help from my elves. We still have yet to get our tree, but are hoping to this weekend. I'm think I'm still going to play around with my garland ~ maybe adding some lights. I think it would light up the cabin, and look magical at night!

Garland above our computer now TV hutch. Lights would look so beautiful!

Our fireplace mantel. My hubby's mom made me the wreath many years ago and I just love it!  Yes on adding lights here!

Who doesn't love Santa and snowman buddy!

My boys when 7 was just over 1 year old and 9 was almost 4.  Sorry for the glare ~ my camera is not that fancy. 

I got these rain deer at Goodwill for $1.99 each and then added the bows with ribbon from The Dollar Store. 

A little different angle of the coffee table arrangement. The greens on this are real and smell so good!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving! Enjoy your loved ones, yummy eats, and remember to look back on this past year and be thankful for all the wonderful blessings you've received ~ big or small!

Hello Friend

Have you ever discovered a book that you've read before but had forgotten about? You decide, "I think I'll read this puppy again", and then open it, start reading, and feel like you've been reunited with a old friend.

The other day I unpacked a few of our boxes that had many of our hardback books inside. Hubby and I like to keep our hardback books if they were given to us as gifts, or if we really enjoyed it. Normally, we would donate books we've read or take them to a used books store to earn credit. So I pulled out all these book, most my hubby's, since he is the huge reader in our family. I stacked them on the coffee table, because that's what I do, make piles. When he got home I asked him to go through his books and decide if there were any he wanted to donate to make room. He kept the majority of them since they were pretty much his collection of Stephen King novels that he loved as a teenager and young adult. But he pulled out a few of mine and low and behold there it was... my old friend, "My Sergi".

If you have never heard of My Sergi it is a true love story of russian pairs skaters Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergi Grinkov. Sergi Grinkov died by a fatal heart attack in 1995 during a routine training session, in front of his wife and partner Ekaterina ~ Katia. It is truly a loving tribute to her husband.

As a young teenager and young adult I use to love to watch the two perform. Watching in 1988 when they first won their Olympic Gold Medals, then later in 1994 Olympics', and then various televised competitions and programs. They skated so beautifully, and what girl doesn't love finding out that the two had fallen in love, and eventually married. His death was so very tragic ~ he was 29, a beautifully strong athlete. It was hard for everyone to believe that he died, and of a heart attack. When I saw that Katia had written a book I told my Hubby, at the time he was my boyfriend, that I really wanted it. That year, for Christmas I received it from his folks as a Christmas gift.

It's been quite sometime since I last read it, and I was debating weather I should hold on to it or donate. I thought "I'll just give it a read" to make my final decision. So that night I started to read it as the boys were watching a movie, and then spent the next day reading, and finished it. I tend to do that if I'm really into a book. I zone out, forget my duties around the house, and just read! Hubby came home yesterday to me curled up in a chair, reading My Sergi. I barley even said hi, and he had even brought me a treat home. He was so considerate, and sat there patiently while I finish the last two chapters with my eye's red from crying, and I really wanted to cry towards the end, but I held it in since hubby was there. Earlier I was crying my heart out since I was home alone ~ didn't matter how pathetic I looked, no one would know. After I finished, I took a deep breath and sighed. Yep ~ it's a keeper. Even though it is terrible sad, it is also so very sweet, and romantic. A definite keeper and if you love romance and memoirs I recommend you grab a copy with a box of tissues.

Thelma & Louise

So another interesting thing looking back on the old photos was seeing pictures of myself before Thelma & Louise. Thelma & Louise is what I lovingly call my boobs after my breast augmentation that I had done in June of 2005. I didn't blog then nor did I even know what blogging was, but it would of been nice to read about others experiences with augmentation, so I thought I would share mine.

My breast size was something that had always bothered me as a young teenager. While my friends and I all started at the same size, 32 A, I stayed there as they moved on. Though I was always very petite in in high school, weighing only 90lbs, the size of my breast made it really hard to find any sort of clothing that would fit correctly on top, especially bikini tops. I was terribly insecure, with my boney body and flat chest. I always thought that eventually my body would catch up to everyone else and I would finally grow into a slim curvy women. Never happened. So I really dreamed about the alternative, someday to get breast implants.

Life went on. I fell in love, and married my hubby. At the time, weeks before my wedding, my best friend from childhood and I were at the mall, and she told me that she was getting augmentation. I was a little surprised because I thought she looked great as she was, but even though her breast were bigger, she too was insecure about their size. "I would do it in a heartbeat if I could afford it" I told her.

A few years after being married I got pregnant with 9, and my body started to change, and I LOVED it! I was gaining weight, my breasts were growing and getting fuller. Then my good ole belly out grew my breasts, but I was still amazed that I, 32A, was wearing a 32C! After I had 9 my breast still stayed big for a short time while I breast feed, and then they shrunk back to normal as well as my body, and then some. After being pregnant with 6, same thing happened. Big full breasts, after breast feeding, not so big full breasts anymore. In fact, now my breast were a -A! The only thing that stuck out were my nipples. All of the breast tissue I had disappeared, though only my hubby knew. I still wore my 32A padded bras, but I was completely flat chested! Talk about insecurities! My breast were not an issue to my hubby, they were only an issue to me.

Two years later after 6's birth we were financially able to really consider the augmentation. I was constantly watching plastic surgery shows. My hubby and I were researching on the internet for surgeons and looking at before an after pictures. Then one of my neighbors had plastic surgery herself. She had gained a considerable amount of weight between her two pregnancies and was able to lose it all and more but it left her with really loose skin and deflated, sagging breasts. She ended up having a complete body lift as well as a breast lift and augmentation. After a few months on the mend, I called her and asked if my hubby and I could come talk to her about her experience and doctor since I wanted augmentation myself. We went down to her house and talked about her surgeries, and about her doctor, which she spoke very highly of. She said her augmentation was nothing compared to her body lift, and then asked if we wanted to see her breasts! A little shocked we both said yes, and by God, she whipped those puppies out! I was amazed! Her breasts looked so natural, and her scarring was barely noticeable, and she had keyhole incision marks. I said "You can't even see the scars!" We both were completely sold, and as my hubby put it, she had totally made his day! Lol!

So we made my consultation appointment. The office staff was so very nice. The doctor was nice as well, but totally business like, which our neighbor warned us ahead of time, because her husband was a lot like my hubby and had a sense of humor, which the doctor did not. When we went to my pre-op appointment to pick the size of the implants, our neighbor had warned us, go a little bigger than your first pick ~ the implant is going under your chest muscle. I wanted to be sure that I picked a size that would look natural on my frame, and did not want to go "Pamela Andersen". I ended up picking an implant that would bring my breasts to a C cup, which the doctor agreed, would look natural, and that really my native breast tissue could not handle any more at that time. I still thought ~ "They look huge!" And really thought I should go a little smaller, but hubby reminded me what our neighbor said, and said "you'll look fine honey."

So the big day came. My mom had the boys, and since my hubby could only take a few days off of work, we arranged that my bestie would fly down from Washington and help take care of me and the boys. I was really nervous and so was my hubby. We waited in the waiting room of the surgery center, watching other patients leave, looking groggy and out of it. When they called for me to go in my hubby looked so nervous and we gave each other a quick hug, kiss, and I love you. Later my hubby told me while he was waiting for me he wanted to run to the back and get me out. He said he thought she's not going to look the same, and is it really worth the risk?

The doctor drew all over my breasts and I found out that one breast was larger than the other! Really? No breasts at all and one is larger than the other? I was walked to the prep -room, and then my anesthesiologist came in, gave me a little prick, and then I woke up in recovery. I don't remember much on the ride home, only that I was in pain, and wasn't allowed to take anything until after I was home, which was about an hour and a half away. I'm not going to lie, and paint a pretty picture of recovery ~ it was the worst for me! Now that's not to say it'll be the same experience for anyone else ~ everyone is different. I had never experienced this kind of pain ~ worse than my two c-sections. I didn't realize how much I used my upper body for the littlest things like sitting up! I was totally in the first two days of recovery regretting completely that I had the surgery. I had paid extra to have a pain pump medication right into my breast to minimize the pain as well as the pain meds they had given me. Still I felt horrible! The bandages they had wrapped around my breasts and body were so tight I felt I could hardly breathe. I was a complete mess! The next day I had to go in for my post-op check up. I was wearing one of my hubby's button down shirts, didn't even brush my hair, was slumped over while I was walking as my husband guided me, and had to sit in the waiting room, in front of other women who were coming in for a consult. If I saw me that day for my consult, I would of completely walked right out the door! And would you know it ~ as I was waiting to be seen, another girl who had augmentation the same day as me was leaving ~ full make up on in her Juicy Couture track suit, carrying her little dog, all by herself, as if she never even had surgery!!! I was totally out of it and hardly noticed, but my hubby was pissed! Why is she okay and my wife's a reck? Come to find out later, the Physician assistant said that the patient was high on pain meds, and was not following the doctors orders by driving to the appointment, carrying her dog, and she was exercising to boot, all because she felt so good on her pain meds. Big mistake! Hopefully she did not damage any of the work or cause herself to get a breast infection. Finally they took me back to be examined, the doctor asked me if I felt like a truck had run me over, I'm sure I said yes with a small amount of drool running out of the side of my mouth. My hubby was able to get them to loosen my bandages just a little to make it slightly comfortable, but they needed to stay nice it tight as to not allow any bleeding and to help with bruising.

Each day the pain level got better, and better. It was so nice to have my bestie there to take care of me and my boys. She had made me a quilt and it even had two buttons made to look like boobs in celebration of my surgery. She cooked, she cleaned, she even gave me a pedicure! I wished she could of stayed forever! Finally the big day came for the bandages to come off! It was like Christmas! I was so excited and nervous. Are they going to look okay? Did I make a mistake and am I going to look like a freak? They looked fabulous!! There was only a small quarter size bruise at the bottom of one breast, though they were still swollen, they were not humongous, and were not sitting so high up on my chest which is very common after surgery. They still gave me a band to wear above my breast to help push them down even more into the pockets that were made during surgery. Stitches came out without pain and so did my pain pump, which I highly do not recommend. Did not do a thing for me or my neighbor, come to find out. Now all I needed to do was still take it easy ~ no lifting, vacuuming, driving and continue to take care of my incisions as they healed. I felt great and finally had the nice curvy, womanly body I had always dreamed of.

Now over five years later I still love my breasts and so does my hubby and I have enjoyed filling out my clothes properly. Not many people even noticed the change. I looked natural in my new size. I have no regrets, and I know that they are not lifetime devices, and eventually I will have to have surgery again. Now I know what to expect with recovery, and maybe I'll be able to manage my pain better next time. If you are considering augmentation yourself, research it well. Talk to others about their experience and their surgeons. Ask the surgeon your considering lots of questions, and make sure they are fully accredited by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons and belong to American Society of Plastic Surgeons and American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. It's a very personally journey ~ there are many risks, and everyone experience is different.

Really? I'm Getting Old?

Ah ~ A Young 26



I've been making progress on the mud room and unpacked about 5 boxes or so just within the last couple of days and will be working on some more hopefully today if I can get to it after my chores.

One of the boxes I unpacked had all of our photo's in it and it was like Christmas here in the cabin! I LOVE looking at photo's and not just my own, but my friends and anyone else who'll share. So my sweet hubby and I spent the afternoon looking back on all our memories. Us when we started dating, hanging out with friends BK ( before kids) and enjoying adult spirits, of our wedding day, and then many of our boys ~ their births, first years, birthdays, and holidays! It was like visiting with an old dear friend and my hubby was so sweet to play along, though I know by the end he was getting a little bored. Thanks for bearing with it babe. But then the sad part started to kick in and has lingered around ~ sad being, man am I getting OLD! Inside I still feel 26, but when I have a chance to really look in the mirror I do not look it. But today I'm going to kick that sad right back! To heck with you! I may look old, but that's because I'm soon to be 38, and I've had some really great and not so great times during those soon to be 38 years. I've made some really great friends through those years and happy to say the ones who are important to me are still with me. I've fallen in love and married my best friend and have made it through the good and the bad, and he still makes me laugh like no other. I've made, carried, and given birth to two beautiful boys who like to push me to the very end of my rope, but also shower me with sweet kindness and love. I've had loved ones die, that cause my heart to break, but then have healed by prayer, and wonderful memories. So with every wrinkle, failing eyesight, sagging skin, and scars I'm now going to wear them with pride because "Heck yeah", I'm growing old and I hope to add some more wrinkles to my collection and keep enjoying life!




The Look of a Life Well Lived So Far

Have You Had Your Coffee Yet?

I'm in need of a cup ~ BADLY!



Hope you have a ghoulishly, frightening, safe Halloween!

Autumn Fun

Yay Me!

Last week I received my very first BLOG AWARD! Kelsey over at Courageous Mother was so very sweet to award my little blog. I have only been blogging for less than a year and I'm terrible at posting daily, but I read all my favorite blogs daily and draw inspiration from each and everyone. You can check my blog roll to see all my fav's, but these fifteen I'm always especially excited to read!

1. A Simple Kind of Life
2. Modestly Styled Modestly Me
3. Nesting Place
4. Second Skin
5. Tater Tots and Jello
6. The Bargain Hunter Extraordinaire
7. The Lettered Cottage
8. The Pleated Poppy
9. What Would a Nerd Wear
10. {Cowboy} Phraseology
11. Thirfty Decor Chick
12. Sawdust and Paper Scraps
13. In the World of Me
14. Clothed Much
15. Farming on Faith

As you can see I'm a gal that loves all kinds of different things, but don't we all.

So my fav fifteen ~ thank you for inspiring me, giving me hope, giving me great outfit idea's, and making me laugh!
Now if you choose, pass on the love to your fav fifteen!

Panic in Seattle

Yesterday was a day of all days for me. My very first trip driving to Seattle all by myself to purchase Boys Scout Uniforms for 9 & 6. What I really wanted to do was go with my hubby, but we kinda waited till the last minute so it was up to me ~ Super Kristie!! Hubby had emailed me directions when he got to work in the morning, and wrote " Just follow these direction and you will be fine my love. And to go home just back track EXACTLY." Seriously he wrote exactly all in caps because he knows what an absolute goofball I am. I always, always get mixed up when going somewhere new all by myself, but I though " I got directions, I can do this!"
So after my shower I got all gussied up, grabbed Fritz (our German Shepherd) who is now my partner in crime, and headed out the door. Uh, hello! Aren't you forgetting something? Dang! I left the directions inside! Figures! Grabbed the directions and off we went!
First stop, get some gas! I don't know about you but I hate to get gas for some reason. I always try to time it perfectly that I will need to get gas when hubby is off work. Isn't that bad! So anyway, following the directions we took off. Now most of the way I was totally familiar with because I had been in the area with hubby over the 11 months that we have been here, and I do try to take a look around. So I felt very confident still thinking " I can totally do this!" But then getting closer to my destination, I was getting closer to Seattle, and closer to traffic, "Yikes" and getting a little bit nervous. Then.... you guessed it, I took the wrong exit. I was suppose to exit off to I-90E heading toward Spokane, and well with all the traffic and my nerves I saw "Spokane" on an exit and took it. OH, MY, GOODNESS!!! I knew immediately that I had totally screwed myself and panic totally set in. I grabbed my phone as I was driving over the West Seattle bridge, no way of turning back, and called hubby. Of course he didn't answer! The nerve! Didn't he know his little, helpless wife was driving to nowhere land and would be needing his help! "Okay, I can still do this!?!" My heart was leaping out of my chest, but I made it across the bridge, took the first right I could and turned around. Back over the bridge I went "back tracking" like hubby suggested. Got back on the I-5 going south now, and realizing that the exit I should be taking is further north on the 5! Soooo, I exited again on the nearest exit I could praying to God that it would be so simple to get back on the 5 north. Thankfully again, I was in an area that hubby and I had been in maybe 6 months ago. Back on 5 north, took the right exit this time "Yippee" and got to the area I needed to go.
It took a while, and another turn around and I found the BSA store. Got some help because the Pack did not give us a list of what to get, paid $180, and out the door I went. "Get me the heck out of here!" "Back track, back track" I was saying over, and over in my head. Uh, no way to get back on the I-90 w any where close by. Here we go again!
I finally made it back to my area, pulled over and got Fritz and I some lunch. Then, because I was so distraught, I had to do a little retail therapy to calm my nerves at the local thrift store.
When I got home, I sent my hubby and lovely, caring, "Thank you so much", email and basically told him "Next time you send your wife to an area she's never driven before, keep your phone close by." "Fritz and I are so frazzled we're taking a nap"! And I did! And you want to know what! After getting to the Cub Scout meeting that evening ~ None of the new kids had their uniforms yet. Figures!

Coffee Anyone?

So yesterday I was working on a couple boxes from the good ole mud room and came across the box that had all my grandmothers antique pieces she had given me. I was unwrapping all her tea cups that she had saved of her own mother, my great grandmother Muriel, and then a few newer ones that my grandmother had collected. Back home I had them stored way up high in one my kitchen cabinets, and I thought to myself "Why"? Why had I stored them up so high where I could not easily look at them or even use them? They are all so pretty in their own way, each one different, each one unique. I can just imagine my great grandmother sitting at her kitchen table drinking a cup of tea maybe with a friend or even my grandmother. So I've decided that every morning instead of grabbing my big chunky white mug I'm going to be a lady, and drink my cup o joe from a tea cup!

Free at Last!

YES!!! This last week marked "Back, back, back, to school Week, week, week"!!! The boys started school and the first time in months my hubby and I had sometime alone to have some fun, and well just reconnect as husband and wife. It was WONDERFUL!

So Monday will mark the first time since we moved up to Washington that I will be totally alone. I have such grand plans of what I will do with my time and I sure hope that I stay on track and succeed. I'm going to start exercising at home in the mornings to help lower my cholesterol, and then tackle that good ole mud room once and for all! I already started last week and yesterday we took three large boxes, and one bag of clothes to GW. It felt soooo good! Send some positive juju my way please ~ I will get this done I swear. I will also be tackling the painting of the furniture. I've already picked up some paint to play with and I'm really excited to get this cabin lighted up since fall is right around the corner and things are going to start getting some what dreary here in October.

So with that said I do love my boys to death, but I could also tell that they were completely happy to get back to school, away from one another for 8 hours, and I'm sure away from their lovely mother who was ready for a break. Completely pathetic I know, but remember I was a full time working mom not too long ago and never spent a full summer with my boys. With all the bickering, and fighting between the two, and no matter how frustrated I got in the back of my mind I knew it was a blessing and I would never be able to get those moments back again. I love my lil men!

Windy's Chicken Tortilla Casserole with Jazz

My bestie made this casserole for me and the family right after we got up to Washington last year. Isn't she wonderful! Heck yeah! My hubby and I think it is so yummy and perfect now that Fall is just around the corner! Enjoy!

3 Boneless/skinless chickens breasts
1 Cup of sour cream
1 Can of cream of chicken soup
1 Small can of green diced chili's drained
1 1/2 Cups Shredded cheddar cheese
12 Corn tortilla's

Jazz!
1 Half onion chopped
1 Small can of sliced black olives drained

Preheat oven to 350
Boil chicken breasts till cooked. Cool and cube. Take the corn tortilla's and cut in triangles. In a large bowl combine cut corn tortilla's, sour cream, chicken soup, diced green chili's, onion, olives, 1/2 cup cheese, and cubed chicken breasts. Mix well so the tortilla's are all coated in the creamy mixture. Place mixture in a 9 x13 dish and top with remainder 1 cup of cheese, and cover with tin foil. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve with salad.