We Have A Winner.... (Book Giveaway)

I used random.org's number generator to pick the winner for me and they chose NUMBER 5.

So Deborah that left this comment:

I'm following your blog. asthenight at gmail dot com

April 16, 2009 4:06 PM

Come one down. You are the winning contestant!

I truly hope that you enjoy the book.

Bedroom Makeover Giveaway

After surfing the internet, I came across this giveaway & couldn't pass up the opportunity to share it with you.

I remember as a child flipping through store catalogs picking out the "child themed" bedroom that I wanted... I liked My Little Pony.

Now years later I STILL do the same thing, I'm more into the contemporary theme these days... LOL, no more My Little Pony.

What's funny is that as an adult I struggled with buying the "child themed" stuff for my kids. I wanted to do their bedrooms in a more creative deco-style, but ultimately I gave in and let them choose the themes. They are so lucky that I remember my childhood desires so vividly. hehehe. I will try to take pictures of their bedrooms soon to share with you.

Identity Direct is having a bedroom makeover giveaway.

So click on the picture link below and enter!

Bloggy Kudos

It wasn't long ago that I started blogging and I fell in love with it. At the time I wasn't taking on any projects and I am a stay-at-home mom with limited adult contact outside of our family. So in a sense I guess you could say that it was an outlet that I desperately needed. I remember the moment when I received my first comment. I thought... she is so funny. Her comment made me laugh out loud. Then I thought, who is she... do I know her.... then I asked Corey, do YOU know her... after a few weeks of her reading my blog & then me reading hers... I can honestly say that she was my first friend made over the internet. A phrase that I thought I wouldn't ever say.

At the same time, there have been days that I can say that I have felt so close to my "internet friends". They are the ones that email & have checked up on our family during tough times and that have chosen to pray for us when we needed it most. I really enjoy watching their kids reach different milestones and being there for them when they need it. We bounce different ideas off each other, give each other support, and learn what works and what doesn't about technology, cooking, parenting, and well life.

Okay before I get too mushy on everyone, I wanted to extend a BLOGGY KUDOS and let everyone that reads this blog know how very thankful I am for all of you for being a part of my life, and to tell those that leave comments how much I appreciate your thoughts. Those comments always let me know that someone is out there & someone cares enough to take a second.

To show how much I appreciate all of you I am going to "Pay it Forward" in a bloggy kind of way. I am going to introduce & share other blogs that I have enjoyed reading.

Just today I came across this blog. I always try to return the favor when someone leaves a comment and visit their blog and return the love. Kel at Girl in the Glasses found my blog and I am SO glad that she did. This girl cracks me up. I am getting a new alarm system installed and the technician had to keep checking in on me to see if I was ok. I love her mischievous & playful sense of humor... after all I can relate!!

Here are a few of her posts to get a taste of her style:

This brought me back to the days of teen innocence...
Would you Rather: 80's Edition #2 Electric Boogaloo

Make sure you go to the bathroom before you read this one, otherwise you just might have an accident.
The Patron Saint of Irritated Husbands...

This little Diddy reminds me so much of Lauren that it is scary...
For the Love of Chickens...

Now for the woman that comments regularly and started that "Feel Good Feeling" with her comments, Heidi from Sacred & Profane has a great blog that isn't the "typical family blog". She has quite a few different memes and hosts contests to keep her readers involved. She posts about her family, cooking, her faith, and her newest venture has been her seriously sacred and seriously profane posts. She allows people to post their vents and/or the things that they appreciate, are thankful for, and hold sacred.

I have read so many of her posts that I truly don't know where to start. Her everyday wit makes me laugh.

Here are a few samples from her Blog:

I couldn't decide which one to pick so I picked her most recent post...
You are Rightly CORRECT

Yes I know that I need to get out more but this story had me rolling on the floor laughing.
CRIKEY! SMOTE AGAIN.

Now this post gives YOU the chance to vent...
Seriously profane

And I can't forget about her weekly Friday Freebie's posts...

I hope that you all enjoy these other blogs.

Again thank you for all your comments.

Jessica

Book Giveaway

An author that I really enjoy reading is Nicholas Sparks. His books have the tendency to draw me in and fall in love with the characters. I truly enjoy both the suspense and the romance that his books produce. So on that note, I am going to giveaway one of his books.

I have a hard cover version of The Lucky One, that I will be giving away this week.

The giveaway ends Monday night at midnight and I will announce the winner sometime next week. (Until the book project is completed I can't make promises on exact times & days that I will be able to blog).

You have four ways to enter.

#1 Leave a comment about something that you did or are going to do for yourself this week.

#2 Follow this blog or if you are already a follower tell me what kind of reader you use or how you follow it. (I love learning about new ways to keep up with blogs & feeds).

#3 Post about the giveaway & either link to this post or let me know that you posted about it.

#4 Twitter about the giveaway.

********************

Thank you so much to all that have entered. The winner has been announced & received her book.

One hand tied behind my back

At this moment, I should be working on my client's book! But I can't. Yesterday was so much fun and my mind keeps drifting to all the silly things that the kids said and the funny things that they did. I had a house full of kiddos under the age of 4, and by house-full... I mean six (6) kids under 4 yrs old. It was hilarious.

My little niece & nephew came over to spend the day & play while mom & dad were working. We all love company, and Lauren & Evan adore their cousins.

Baby Taylor, she's kicking back & soaking up the sun rays. Don't let this picture fool you, she is the most smiley baby ever. She was just a bit concerned when my head disappeared behind the massive black camera. However, she does need to come with a warning. Babysitting her will make your insides tingle & give you the desire to have three more kids just like her.

It was such a beautiful warm day that we were able to spend most of it playing outside. I broke out a few bubble guns and bottles of bubbles for the bigger kids and we all had a blast. Jett enjoyed showing us all the "correct procedures" for operating the bubble gun. After we all graduated from his class we were allowed to play at our own will.

Everyone take note of this child. He will probably be one of our future presidents!!!

This picture makes me laugh so hard. Not only is it a cute picture of Jett but if you look in the background, this picture also BUSTS Evan. He was dumping bubbles in the dog's water bowl. (So they could all wash their hands... of course).

If we lived in a house that had VERY VERY soft water this boy would be in heaven. He loves that soft sudsy feeling on his hands.

Yeah, he knows that he was caught in the act. This cute little look gets him off the hook EVERYTIME. Especially when it is followed with " Mommy, I wuv you SOOO much, can I have a kiss pwease." Hook, Line & Sinker.

My sweet little Angel taking a break from playing in the mud to blow bubbles. (Don't all little angels play in the mud). While Evan loves washing his hands, if I gave Lauren a mound of dirt for her birthday she would be on cloud nine. I would get 4 best mommy awards for that!! (I get best mommy in the world awards for "fun days" and gifts... or just giving Lauren her way. This child is something else. Full of entertainment.)

We also had more cousins join us. This is sweet little Hayden, she is 1 and 1/2 going on 13. Since day one she has been the most motivated child I have ever known. She has always known what she wanted but would get so frustrated that she couldn't get it herself & communicate what she needed. Once she began to walk, her entire world & disposition changed because she could FINALLY meet her own desires & needs. She is always a blessing to have around & I LOVE LOVE that she makes her mom bring her WAY out to our house to play. She will wake up saying my name over & over & over until Kristen finally packs up the car & says ok, we'll go see Aunt Jessy. I get the giggles EVERYtime I think about her doing that to her mom. I love harassing & teasing my sister, and the fact that my little niece helps is the best gift that she could ever get for me. Plus I get the bonus of spending the day with all of them too. What more could an aunt ask for?? Little does Kristen know, but Hayden & I talk on the phone everynight planning this out. Kristen just THINKS Hayden is asleep in her crib. LOL. (Truthfully Hayden has me wrapped around her finger & she knows it)!

Now this little charmer is Koah. She is only two months old. Her mom, Kristen, feeds her buttermilk (not really), she is growing so fast and is so strong that it's hard to believe that she is so young. When I stuck the camera in front of my face she began posing for me. It was absolutely hilarious. I hadn't seen a two month old do that before. Her little personality was shining through. She is definitely going to be a little ham.

It was an awesome day. Kristen & I enjoyed watching the kids playing & having so much fun. I'm sure that Corey regretted having to go to work and missing out on all the entertainment. I'm sure of it.

Happy Birthday Evan!

This year Evan had a hard time deciding between a Cars (Lightening McQueen) birthday and an OU Football party. When he saw the cake pan for the Cars cake he quickly changed his mind. I absolutely loved celebrating my son, however I did feel a bit of sadness as I watched him blow out his three candles. Another year older. This is all happening way too fast. It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing home our sweet little boy. (I can imagine that this is a feeling that I won't be shaking anytime soon... and it may just reappear every year at about this time).

Lauren is such a good big sister. I love the way that she always wants to take care of Evan. I was in the middle of swinging Evan and she moved me over, "Um, Excuse me Mom. This is my job now". (Well, okay then).

It didn't take long before all of the cousins began to arrive.



We just had a small birthday party with all bajillion of Evan's cousins... all under 4 years old.



This concentration tongue is hereditary... he gets it from his Dad.

This look of concentration is also hereditary.... I claim this look. I also have the traffic tickets to prove it (my high school years... I grew up). We set the speed governer as LOW as it would go... I don't want ANYTHING to happen to my baby.

I can't believe how fast he is growing up!!!

Puppy Love

Earlier this week, Corey was hurt and so I haven't had much time to spend on the computer. However, what little time I did have I spent just looking at pictures of this little girl. Now I haven't put down a deposit yet (only because Corey is not on board).

It's time for confession, I do have to tell you that I've got it BAD! I probably look at her pictures at least 20 times a day. I have them saved on my phone and look at them constantly. Pictures of her can brighten my day instantly.

She lives over 10 hours away otherwise I'd probably be camped out on her owner's front porch every morning to see her. I'm hoping that no one else wants to buy her and then her owner's will send her to me because they know how much I already love her (obsessed I am about her). Unlikely, I know but I can't PURCHASE a puppy that my husband flat out asked me NOT to buy. I was supposed to get paid for a project this last weekend & had to ask them to hold my check. I know myself!! I know that if the money is in hand then I will be on the phone buying her within seconds. I am TRYING so hard to be a good wife, so I had to ask them to hold the check. It's sad I know. I know my limits and this little beauty is definitely testing them.

I have looked at over 2000 pictures of other puppies and parents, looking for parents so that I can put down a deposit on a future litter. I didn't find any other parents nor puppies that struck my fancy quite like this little girl.

So all this to say, PRAY FOR ME. PRAY FOR STRENGTH. PRAY THAT I DON'T CAVE.

And if you don't mind, it wouldn't hurt to pray that my husband will cave. :-)
Wishful, yet unlikely, thinking.