Another Meme

I saw this meme first over at Regina's blog, then at Meredith's, Ruth's and Dawn's... I hadn't planned on doing it myself, till I was asked personally by Ruth in an email this morning. So, here you go!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
I was going to be named Elizabeth, but right before I was born, my mom heard the name Jessica and liked it... My middle name is Jo, after my Grandmother Jo Ann. Although my mom's name is Josephine, so it is sort of after her as well. I guess my parents decided they liked they middle name Jo, since my next 2 sisters middle names are Jo as well! Jen was born on the feast of St. Joseph, so her Jo is for him, and by the time they had Jamie, they had a trend going with the girls names, all starting with J and middle name of Jo, so she got it as well!

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
On Wednesday, when I turned 30.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
It's ok.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Turkey... Although, I would pass the lunch meat all together for one of these.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Yes, 5 here with me, and 1 little Saint in heaven.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Of COURSE ;)

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
NOOOOO! I'm NOT sarcastic AT ALL! (giggle, giggle)

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
No WAY! It would SCARE me to death!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Hot Scottish Oats topped with banana, raisins, brown sugar and milk.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No. I use to till I had kids, now I'm usually carrying one of them, and can't!

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
No, at least not physically.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
German-chokolatekake from Cold Stone. It is SO GOOD! It has all my favorite ingredients: Chocolate Ice Cream, Pecans, Toasted Coconut, Brownie, and Caramel. Before I discovered that, it was always Jamocha Almond Fudge and Praline's & Cream from Baskin Robbins, mainly because they reminded me of my grandmother.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their hair and then their smile.

15. RED OR PINK?
Pink! I have LOVED it since I had my first daughter, and had previously been surrounded by boys.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF?
Can I name 2? My wonderful "Irish" temper and my weight (it stinks having twigs for a mom and sisters).

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Oh...There are 2 answers here as well. My little guy in heaven, and my paternal grandmother, Jo Ann. I miss them both SO much!

18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Denim skirt, brown boots. (they are the tall boots, up to knees, but from the foot up is fabric, kinda like leg warmers~sound funny, but I LOVE them, since I'm in skirts all the time, and they are awesome for skirts in the winter since they keep your legs warm)

19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
A bite of leftover chocolate birthday cake that my boys "built me."

20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
My kids talking to each other as they are getting ready to leave for Mass.

21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
I don't know, as Meredith said, this is a weird question. My guess would be forest green, brown or pink... But I'm not sure.

22. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Coffee Brewing.

23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Hubby.

24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Hockey and Bull Riding, from the grandstands. I'm not a big fan of watching sports on TV.

25. HAIR COLOR?
Auburn/Brown depending on the time of year. Right now it has some blond highlights I just added for fun, you can hardly tell though.

26. EYE COLOR?
Green.

27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No.

28. FAVORITE FOOD?
Pizza & Ice Cream from Cold Stone. And THAT is why I hate my weight! :)

29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings. I hate scary movies... I can never sleep after watching them, and when I do, I have nightmares.

30. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
3:10 to Yuma, hubby picked it, too tense for me.

31. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Light Blue, with Brown Coat/Sweater.

32. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer, I get too sick in the winter, otherwise it would be my favorite. If Fall was a choice, that would have been my pick.

33. HUGS OR KISSES?
Hugs.

34. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Cappuccino Mousse Trifle ~ It is SOOOO yummy!

35. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Humilty of Heart by Fr. Cajetan da Bergama... It was a Christmas Gift from one of my brother-in-laws. (among others... I always have at least a few books that I'm working on.)

36. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
I don't use a mouse pad.

37. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?
We don't have/watch TV, just movies. Didn't watch anything last night.

38. FAVORITE SOUNDS?
A newborn babies first cry.

39. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Neither.

40. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
You can see where I have been here.

41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Like Ruth said, Talking ; )

42. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
In a military hospital in Alameda, CA. Dad was stationed there when he was in the Coast Guard.

OK! I HAVE to go... 5 minutes to be out the door! Have a great day!

And the winner is...

...drum roll, please...

Congratulations Trina! You have good luck with online drawings, don't you? Since I happen to have your address, no need to email it to me... I will be popping your new key hook into the mail this week!

Thank you everyone for all the sweet comments, they are always such fun!

You know your old...

...when your mom buys you cellulite cream for your birthday! Thank you mom! I do need it, now that I am officially closer to 40 than I am to 20. ;)

Actually, I guess I asked for it back before Christmas, and she remembered. (I hear it works great on stretch marks!) I just couldn't help giving her a hard time!

I really do have the BEST family and the GREATEST friends. I love you all so much! Thank you everyone for making my 30th birthday such a memorable day!

In spite of the early morning power problems, my hubby helped the children make me the sweetest cards. And then, even after he came home early (with one of my favorite coffee drinks, a sweet card and some beautiful flowers), very sick (he caught what I am finally getting over), he and my boys "built me" a cake. I was so excited, and it made me very happy! It has been a few years since I have had a cake on my birthday... And it was perfect!

Unfortunately, since hubby was so sick, our dinner/date plans had to be postponed. We had planned to go on a double date with my friend Trina and her hubby.

(I have been blessed with TWO very dear friends named Trina! One that lives here locally, and one that has moved away, and I miss dearly! I love them both.)

So, after the kids had dinner and and we all had cake, hubby told me that I should still go out with Trina... After talking to Trina on the phone, we decided to meet at 8:30. That way, I could help get the kids to bed before I left, and hubby could get to bed early. I headed into town to meet her at Applebee's. She told me she was going to invite a few others .. But I was not expecting there to be THIRTEEN of US! It was such a surprise! Especially considering we met last minute at 8:30 on a Wednesday night! I had SUCH a great time.

Amy and humble mama (above right photo) were able to make it! Even my mom came, and I was able to hear the dramatic story of my birth once more! (You can see my mom in the following picture, second from the left.) We missed you Regina, I wish tug would have been in town so you could have joined us too!

Well... I have stayed up WAY past my bedtime, so I am off to bed! Thank you all for making my day so special! I'll see you sometime tomorrow, to let you know who won the key hook! Goodnight.

Loveliness of Planning Fair

Today has been interesting... We woke up to a brown out... NOT good! The last time this happened, it burned up the motor on our refrigerator. Hubby and I quickly unplugged everything in the house, and shut the breakers off, then called the power company.

Before hubby left for work, I ran down to the local bakery and picked up some blueberry muffins... (Unfortunately, I forgot to get a cup of coffee though!) On my way back, I stopped and talked to one of the power company employees, and he said they were still "looking for" the problem.

Anyhow, our power just returned, and I feel connected to the outside world once more! Thank you all for all the sweet birthday comments! They truly are making my day!

Now that the power is on, and we actually got quite a bit of school accomplished this morning, I brewed a nice fresh pot of coffee and am going to head over to enjoy the first Loveliness fair of the year!

This one is all about the Loveliness of Planning! You can check it out over at Plainsong! I'm really looking forward to reading all the posts, and getting some new ideas to help me try to stay on task and organized in this new year, as well as new decade of my life! :)

A Birthday Gift

OK, you all know how much I LOVE comments, so today, I'm offering a bribe for all you in lurkdom "birthday" gift for commenting!

All you have to do is leave me a comment sometime today, January 16th. I will number the comments, place the numbers in a jar, and tomorrow morning, I will have one of the kids draw a winning number!

The prize will be this lovely Dotted Heart FindersKeyPurse Key Hook! Tomorrow, I will post the winner, and have them email me their mailing address directly.

(Right now, I have the Silver Floral key hook hanging on my purse... If you hate digging for your keys, you will just love it, as I do mine! It is SO handy!)

Just remember to be nice, and not rub in how old I now am, or I just might forget to place your comment number in the bowl! ;)

A few of my memories...

I thought it would be fun to post some pictures from a few past birthdays!! It's so fun to look back sometimes!

Here is a picture of my mom and I, right after I was born... I was born in a military hospital, and after that experience, my mom decided, from then on, to have home births. My mom did just that, and delivered the next 7 at home. However, when she was pregnant with the twins, she had to return to the hospital since they were a month early and breach, for a c-section. After the twins were born, she went back to having home deliveries and my youngest two brothers were born at home. I wish I was as brave as my mom, but I am not... Plus, I love the little mini-vacation I get when I am at the hospital! :)

On to my first birthday... I think my first birthday cake was so cute! Don't you? My Grandmother had it made for me! I was the first grandchild on my Dads side of the family, so I was just a tad bit spoiled by my Grandma! I loved her so, so, so, so much! She passed away when she was only 61 (I was 13 at the time) and I miss her dearly.


Below is a picture of me with my parents... Mom is 7 months pregnant with #2, my sister Jennifer, at this point!





Following, are pictures from my 2nd and 3rd birthdays... I just love the picture of Jen in the back ground, trying to blow out the candles! She looks so cute! I don't miss Dad's mustache though! He looks much better now, without it! I remember clearly the day that he shaved it off, and told us that it had been stolen!

And that's it, at least for the next 8 years... I asked mom if the camera broke, or if she just got too busy to take pictures. She said it was both! By the time I was 4, my parents had 4 children already, and not much time for taking pictures.

I was looking for pictures from my 12th birthday, but I couldn't find them. On this birthday, my parents gave me a "real" birthday party, and I got to invite TWELVE friends! I was so excited!

I was able to find pictures from my little sister's birthday that year... Dad gave us rides in the tractor (in the bucket from left to right: My sis Jamie, cousin Heather, me, cousin Sara, and brother Paul). They even had a clown show up! It was such fun!

For the next picture, we skip forward another 6 years, to my 18th birthday. I got the best present ever on that birthday! My parents asked me to be the godmother to my little brother who was born the day before. I was so excited!

And the last birthday picture I found, was from my 21st birthday! Look at that big family! It is missing my brother Sean who was away at the time... In fact, for that birthday, my mom invited my hubby to join us... We started dating right after that!

Oh! Here is a great picture, taken on Jan 16th last year, that illustrates well how I was feeling...

(Chiquita just stuck her hand in the snow, for the first time ever... She didn't like it.)

You see, last year, we had an unexpected snowstorm that hit at 10am, dropping tons of snow, and closing the freeway. NORMALLY, I LOVE getting snow... However, this time, hubby ended up getting stuck in town for the night. The kids did enjoy the snow though, other than Chiquita!

Overall, such wonderful memories!

Good Bye 20's

It seems as though there have been so very many birthdays the last couple weeks. In fact, today is actually my youngest brother's 12th birthday. He is also my godson, and will hopefully be giving us a pipe gun demo soon! Happy Birthday!

For me however, today is a sad day of sorts... It is the last day of my 20's. Tomorrow is my 30th birthday.

I remember not so long ago, when I was 21, giving a dear friend of mine SUCH A HARD TIME on her 25th birthday! I kept teasing her about how OLD she had gotten. Now 25 seems so very young to me!

When I turned 29 last year, I started to stress out about the big 3-0, right around the corner. However, I think I might actually have had a harder time turning 29, and dealing with the anxiety of turning 30 up ahead, than I will turning 30. I guess we will see tomorrow! ;)

Anyhow, I thought it might be fun to list out a few of my accomplishments these past 10 years, as well as a few of the goals for my 30's!

Accomplishments of My 20's

• Spent a wonderful year at Christendom College.
• Won a $1,000 bet I made, at age 13, with my dad, for not drinking ANY alcohol until my 21st birthday! (Had my first drink, a strawberry Margarita, on that 21st birthday. YUM!)
• Fell in love, and got married.
• Hubby & I bought our first home.
• Gave birth to Captain.
• Started my own phone directory business, so I could work part time.
• Became an Auntie.
• Gave birth to Rascal.
  
• Diligently dieted and got down to my wedding day weight of 125! (3 kids later, I REALLY need to do this again... Yikes!)
• Sold my directory business for more than I expected, so I could be a stay-at-home-mom. Yeah!
  
• Gave birth to Twinkle Toes.
• We added on to our home, to make room for our growing family.
• Started "officially" home educating our children.
• Bought a mini-van... (I consider this an accomplishment, because I had previously said, "I will NEVER drive a van!" LOL! Now, I LOVE my mini-van, it's so convenient.)
  
• Gave birth to Chiquita.
• Gave birth to Snuggles.
• Potty trained 4 of those children. (Totally an accomplishment! Don't you think?)
  
• Traveled to Mexico (on our honeymoon cruise), Washington DC (for my sis-in-law's wedding) and many other states on our various road trips.
• Was blessed with 5 more Godchildren, as well as honored to be a Confirmation sponsor for one of my dear twin sisters.
  
• Became Debt Free, other than our house, and have stayed that way, inspite of how difficult it is on a single income.
  
• Celebrated our 8th Anniversary.
• Started my blog to document it all. :)

Goals For My 30's
(In no particular order...)

• Celebrate our 10 and 15-year wedding anniversaries.
• Work on becoming a better wife and mother.
• Declutter our home and try to become more organized.
• Enjoy our children as they grow, I only have these next 10 years till Captain will be a senior, and then off to college... (sniffle, sniffle)
• As far as more children, I'm not going to set any goals, and NO, I'm not trying to catch up to my mom... It is completely up to God!
• Lose 20 pounds a little bit of weight and get in better shape.
• Remodel our kitchen and add on a dinning & family room.
• Remain debt free. (other than the house... and work hard to pay it down/off as well)
  
• Learn how to sew and crochet.
  
• Start Scrapbooking... It looks like such fun.
• Travel... of course!
  
• Grow in my faith and become a better Catholic.

It really has been a busy 10 years! So much has happened and I have been so very blessed. I wonder what God has in store for me, and just what I will be reflecting back on 10 years from now! It will be an exciting journey I'm sure.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow... For a bit of fun, I have a "birthday gift" to give away to a lucky visitor!

He likes to move it too...

Snuggles LOVES his bouncy chair... I just had to share a little video clip of him in it. He is going to have the STRONGEST legs, isn't he? He is a very "physically fit" baby! (This actually might explain his drop in weight on the growth chart... you think?)

Anyhow, his bouncing reminds us of that song as well... In the clip, I just played the beginning of the song, and left out all the junk. Sorry for all the silence the second half of the video.

Along the same lines, I was at Barnes & Noble last week, just me and the baby... He was asleep when we got there, so I just carried in his whole infant car seat. I sat it down as I was browsing through the Christmas Clearance items. A few minutes later I noticed a girl staring at the seat, as it seemed to be rocking itself! Snuggles was inside, pumping his legs and making it rock! I've never seen a baby move a chair like he can... It's too funny!

The sounds animals make...

Kids say the funniest things... My sister told me about this conversation between her and my niece that I just HAD to share.

My niece, age 3 at the time, was quizzing my sister, her mom, on various animal sounds...

My niece: "Mom, what does a cow say?"
My sis: "A cow says, moo."

My niece: "What does a cat say?"
My sis: "A cat says meow."

My niece: "What does a dog say?"
My sis: "A dog says woof, woof."

My niece: "What does a horse say?"
My sis: "A horse says neigh."

My niece: "What does a lemur say?"
My sis: "A what?"
My niece: "A lemur, what does a lemur say?"
My sis: "I don't know, what does a lemur say?"
My niece: "I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, move it."

(This conversation was followed by me laughing, then giving my sis a hard time for letting her daughter watch that movie! LOL!)

Another special person...

... is having a birthday!

Today is my very, VERY DEAR mother-in-law's birthday!

Happy Birthday Bea!
(aka: Mom, Grandma)

We wish that you didn't live so far away! It would be so nice to be there to help you celebrate...but, know that you are in our thoughts and in our prayers!

We LOVE you very MUCH!

Have a WONDERFUL birthday!