I've been tagged again, but at least this is a quick one!

I was tagged again!

This one came from Lora.

List five weird things about yourself:

1. I am totally disgusted by feet and toes. I cannot stand them and will try not to touch them if at all possible.

2. I hate being late or not having enough time to finish a project or do something, and totally stress/obsess over it, which in turn causes a lot of over-reaction and anxiety on my part. Yet at the same time I am somewhat of a procrastinator also. Imagine that!

3. I have this thing for gossip magazines and celebrity life. I'm addicted to it. I love watching some of the MTV/VH1/E! reality shows like True Life; Newlyweds; Meet the Barkers; Cribs; Pimp my Ride; The E! True Hollywood Story; Best Week Ever - just to name a few. I also love those countdown shows, the fabulous life, and the decade shows too!

4. I'm anal-retentive (or so Ruben says) and slightly obsessive/compulsive about stupid little crap. I may even be a little bit on the hypochondriac side too.

5. I'm a perfectionist at nearly all I do, and often won't stop doing something until I am satisfied with what I've done - even once others have told me to stop!

Okay, since this one is a quickie, I'm going to share the love. I tag: Cynthia & Donna.

Merry Christmas to all!

I've been tagged!

I was tagged by Cynthia

The rules for this particular tagging are as follows:
Remove the blog name in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add yourself to the bottom slot.

1. Beth
2. Deanna (View of Life)
3. A Scrap of Life (Annette)
4. i am a coconut (Cynthia)
5. Hope, Strength, Courage: The Story of my Survival through Breast Cancer (Angi)

Then you get to select five people to pass the love on to.
1. Lora
2. Donna
3. Jeff
4. Valerie
5. Kenny

Now, on to the questions!

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was just about to turn 21. I had just moved to Vegas to be near the majority of my family, and I had just split with my former husband and we were divorcing!

What were you doing one year ago?
I had just moved to Elko with my husband Ruben who was promoted to Area Supervisor for the office he runs here. I was happy to no longer be working, I was finally a SAHM, and I was pregnant for the 5th time and we were convince that I was going to carry this one to term (however I didn't and lost it in Jan. after 14 weeks).

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Keebler Double Stuff Fudge Elf cookies
2. Neopolitan Ice Cream
3. The occasional candy bar - brand varies.
4. Cucumbers or Jicama w/lemon and salt
5. Chicharrones (not sure if that's how you spell it, but the mexican fried doritos with lemon and hot sauce that you get at the swap meet in Vegas)

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1. The Reason by Hoobastank
2. Welcome to my Life by Simple Plan.
3. These Boots Were Made for Walkin' by Jessica Simpson....courtesy of my daughter
4. My Humps by the Black Eyed Peas....again, courtesy of my daughter
5. Let's Get it On by Marvin Gaye.....courtesy of my hubby who sung it to me the night of our first kiss.

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Scrapbook all day, maybe even make a business out of it.
2. Pay off my home and buy a freaken nice ass house somewhere.
3. Send my child to private school and set up her college fund and trust fund.
4. Buy my hubby any car he wants, and both of us new Dodge's even though we just bought ours last year.
5. Travel all over the world/buy me tons of jewelry/and have plastic surgery on every inch of fat I have.

Five bad habits:
1. Not exercising as much as I should.
2. Not doing the dishes when I should.
3. Not massaging my arm like I should.
4. Not doing the laundry like I should.
5. Not eating all day, just drinking Mr. Pibb.

Five things you like doing:
1. Scrapbooking.
2. Shopping for scrap supplies.
3. Going to Scrap Crops and Conventions.
4. Watching Grey's Anatomy.
5. Sleeping in Late.

Five things you would never wear, buy, or get new again:
1. For now, V-Neck shirts.
2. Bathing Suit.
3. Daisy Dukes or any shorts really since I don't wear them.
4. AquaNet or any cheap hairspray or shampoo/conditioner for that matter.
5. Dresses/skirts....won't ever catch me in one again.

Five favorite toys:
1. My 10 new sizzix dies and 4 sizzlit alphas/window and fram dies.....actually all my scrap supplies!
2. My new Sony Cyber Shot digital camera.....LOVE IT, can't wait to get additonal lenses for it!
3. My new Notebook computer......how did I ever function with wires?
4. My new Palm Pilot....where would life be without my digital brain!
5. My photo printer - although I would like a new one even though this one has hardly been used!.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Yesterday it snowed all day long in somewhat of a blizzard fashion. Yet for all that we barely accumulated 3 inches or so, and there was no snow day today like we had hoped for. So Ruben had to go off to work this morning, and I had to take Natalie to school. It really kinda sucks. It's cold and windy, but the snow is sort of clearing away - guess cause it's rained a bit today.
Today was spent trying to wrap up loose ends so we can leave for Vegas tomorrow when Natalie gets out of school. I need to finish laundry and start packing. I made a bunch of calls today, paid some bills, and went to the post office which was not fun.....the line was outrageous!
This past weekend I FINALLY finished up on the gift album I have been making for a friend. She's like the only one who stood by me during chemo. There were others, but she's the one who hauled my ass out to the park, called me all the time, and tried her best to keep my spirits up or just listen to me vent. I would have finished this long ago if it weren't for all those damn doctor appointments and weekend trips to Vegas for them. But I am so excited It's done, and last night I made a goodie bag packed full of all kinds of extra embellishments for her to use when she puts down the photos. I posted some pics at 2Peas, but they aren't the best photos I could've done. I should have scanned each one, but didn't have time. Kari a friend I met at Natalie's school, another mother, invited me out to play Bunco. Let me tell you, I cleaned up pretty good for my first time playing! I won a HUGE bath basket for having the most losses, and another BIG tub filled with Christmas goodies for having a Bunco in the 6th round and having the bear when the bell rang. It was a lot of fun to get out of the house and not hear mom! They lost a member that night, so I agreed to go from a sub for one player to a regular player. It's $7 a month, one night a month, a few hours away from home with the girls, eating, talking and winning prizes!
I don't know if I will have much time to post later this week. Once I get to Vegas I have a doctor appointment Wed. & Thur. and dinner with a friend Friday. We are only staying down there till the 26th, when we come back to another freezing cold house and bed! If I get a chance I will post about our Christmas, if not I will when I get back. I hope the rest of you have a wonderful holiday with your loved ones!
Merry Christmas!

December 15, 2005 - Staying at home is work also!

For those of you that believe that being a stay at home mom is a picnic, think again. Sure there are some mothers out there that sit glued to the computer all day, or sit on the couch and watch soaps or what-not. But then there are the rest of us, who despite the lack of respect and appreciation work our butts off day to day on minor things that more than likely go un-noticed. For example, today it took me 1 1/2 hours to make 2 phone calls. 1 to my credit card company about fraudulent charges on my account....that call alone took an hour. The other call was to dispute a billing error with the bug spray company. I also finished up my Christmas cards, pumped gas, drove my daughter to and from school, attempted to find someone to clear the brush on our land, get info on appraisals for carpet and tile, call around for new insurance, balance the checkbook, and start dinner. And while the evening is not over yet, I still plan to fold and do laundry, dishes, finish helping my daughter with her holiday cards, shower, pull out clothes for tomorrow, and pay some bills. For someone who is a SAHM I feel more stressed, worn out, and pre-occupied than I did when I worked. Most of the things I do go un-noticed because I wasn't able to get to some big project like wrapping the presents, but still nonetheless I worked hard today and accomplished as much as I could. My job is no 9 to 5 job either. It starts when my daughter wakes me up between 8:00 and 8:30 and doesn't end until it's time for bed. ALL day long I feel like I am making food or getting snacks for my child or helping her with her school work because I want her to have a better life. Do I get to sit around and do the things I love like scrapping? No, I have an album I am 6 pages away from finishing for a gift, yet I've had no time to get to it, let alone half my parents mail. For those of you that take your kids to daycare everyday, imagine what it is like to hear mom, mom, mom, 50 million times a day and have to help out and answer each time. Do you really know what it takes or what is involved in raising a kid and spening EVERY second of EVERY day with them? I'm lucky if I get to pee by myself! I just don't have enough hours in the day to do all the things I would like. And while Natalie does go to school, the 2 hours and 45 minutes that she is there is each day leaves me little time to accomplish much more than a project or two at home or a trip to town to shop or get groceries. Especially when you break down that 2 hours and 45 minutes, because of that I have to spend 30 - 45 minutes on the road to come home or go to town and go back to pick her up.
So to all you SAHM who work just as hard as I do or more everyday, SALUTE! And for the rest of you that think all we do all day is slack off I say F you!

Our list of 5

If you ever were a Friends show addict, then you know all about the list of 5. You know, the scene between Ross and Racheal were they agree that they can have a list of 5 people that they could sleep with if they ever had a chance and both would be okay with it?
Well last night my husband and I laid in bed watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Good movie, we quite enjoyed the sound of it on our new surround sound in our bedroom - we now have a surround sound for each TV in our house! Anyway, after watching half the movie, he mentioned that Angelina Jolie just moved up a notch on his list. I know Jennifer Aniston also graces his list, but I do not know the other three or what order they are in. All I know is mine is forever changing.
Currently my list is as follows:

1) Ashton Kutcher - not the "Dude Where's my Car" Kutcher, more like the current "Punk'd" star.
2) Nick Lachey - hell if Jessica doesn't want him, I'll take him in a heartbeat. He has gorgeous blue eyes, and he's rich and romantic to boot!
3) Patrick Dempsey - not the "Can't Buy Me Love" one, the neurosurgeon Dr. Shepard on Grey's Anatomy. Man if I had a doctor that hot I would have no complaints with always going to see him!
4) Orlando Bloom - Yes, dear elfing Legolas minus the ears. Or better yet from "Pirates of the Caribbean"
5) Viggo Mortenson - I will bow to King Aragon anyday.

So now you know it!

Who are you willing to cheat for?

December 14, 2005 - Stop thinking about it, just do it!

Sometimes ya just gotta stop thinking about everything and just do whatever it is so it's done and off your mind. Yeah I still have holiday cards I am working on, laundry, mail, bills, and presents. But I have bought all the stuff for my daughter's 6th birthday party, booked a spot for the party, and started on various other projects, although I still have millions more waiting to be done.
But before all that, I wanted to share with you a story about a man I met in Vegas just prior to finishing Chemo. My hubby and I met him at Home Depot, and upon seeing my bald head he inquired if I had cancer. He then began telling us his story of how he battled testicular cancer that had spread to his stomach and brain, had a child despite it all, and sits with a prune in a jar on his desk so he can give all his interviewees a hard time. Yeah he might have shared too much info with us, but he gave me the same advice that he followed. When his hair began to grow back, it came back as a fro'. Since it wasn't the 70's he decided to shave it off and try again. He ended up with a rather nice head of hair. So yesterday I just quit thinking about it and did it. My hair was coming back super curly and wirery, or a fro' as you will. So after dropping Nat off at school, I got out the clippers and for the second time in my life I gave myself a buzzcut. Needless to say it certainly stunned my daughter and husband. Ruben's not happy about it to say the least, says I look like Sinead O'Connor, but I'm thinking more G.I. Jane......of course that's minus the biceps and tight abs. My hair had gotten to the point I started blow drying it to straighten it out some, but instead it ended up more spiked than anything. At least now I can just brush my teeth, dress and go. What do you think? Before and after........

December 12, 2005 - Here it is, that time of year again!

With all the recent trips back and forth to Vegas, I nearly forgot that Christmas is right around the corner and I have yet to get the cards and pictures ready, let alone wrap a single present.
We spent the weekend down in Vegas having my stitches removed. The plastic surgeon said things look good and scheduled me to come back in February.....not sure why though, as I can't have the surgery done till around June. While there, we spent a lot of time holiday shopping, and finally took our annual Christmas picture. We came home late last night to another FREEZING house, but luckily NO snow this time. YAY! This winter has been much milder than the last.
I've spent much of today writing out holiday cards, printing pictures, letters, and labels. I can already tell this Christmas will definately be a lot more stressful than previous ones. I find it odd how I feel way more busy, stressed, and worn out now that I am a stay at home mom than I did when I worked last year. Guess it's all the doctor's appointments and traveling back and forth.
Speaking of doctor appointments, last week I had to take my poor dog Lexie to the vet. Guess after the last trip to Vegas, she somehow developed pink eye. Poor thing had goop coming out of her eyes about 7 times a day, and her eyes were so red and irritated that she looked pathetic! And here $85 dollars later she's still not looking much better. She's on antibiotic pills twice a day for a week, eye ointment 3 times a day till gone, plus she had a flourescent eye exam and an allergy/ steriod shot.
As I sit here and look at the stack of mail (both mine and my parents) that I have to go through, bills that need to be paid, the 2 bags that need to be unpacked, the laundry that needs to be done, and thinking about all the presents that need to be wrapped, it's no wonder why I feel as overwhelmed as I do! Yet for some reason I just can't seem to get myself motivated to do any of it. Guess it's because I don't know where to start. The only thing I have decided thus far is that I am ordering pizza for dinner!
Guess you could say I'm not much in the holiday spirit this year and maybe that is why I am having such a hard time getting things done. I feel a bit depressed again. My parents have moved to Mexico, my tissue expander had to be removed which in itself reminds me of the orignal mastectomy....almost like a loss of another child and having to start over again. I'm quite upset and disappointed about having to wait till next year to go through reconstruction again. Not to mention a lot of stupid things running through my head, like should I shave my head again because I'm not happy with the way my hair has been growing in? Why doesn't Dr. Grey and Dr. Shepard get back together again on Grey's Anatomy? Why did Nick and Jessica have to announce their split after Thanksgiving? These 3 thoughts and many others plagued me much of last night, leaving me with a horrible case of insomnia.
Yet despite all the things I should be doing, I sit here and blog and bitch about all my worries and troubles! Guess I should get up and start some projects before the hubby comes home and I have even more things to do!

The first fire of the season....

Don't let the title fool ya, it's not exactly what you think. We've had our pellet stove blazing non stop since we returned from Vegas on the 28th. It's definitely winter here, as it's colder than a well digger's ass. It's currently 21 degrees, and the overnight low is supposed to be 7. That alone is enough to make you want to pull out the thermals! But even before this past week when the weather changed and it got THIS cold, we still had it somewhat fired up. Luckily we changed out our wood burning stove for a pellet stove this past February. The pellet stove burns cleaner and is more efficient, and it saves Ruben from having to chop wood and haul it into the house. The pellet stove runs off a thermostat, we just throw a bag or two of pellets in every other day or so and we're good to go. It's easy to clean and maintain, just open it up and vacuum. Since the clean-out for the piping is inside, it saves you from going out and climbing on top of the two story roof, which is definitely more to say than the wood stove. The clean-out for the wood stove was outside, and we hardly had enough brush links to reach to the top, nor did we have a ladder tall enough to get on top of the roof. That wood stove always scared the crap out of me. There were times the living room would fill up with black smoke. Little did we know that the chimney cap was clogged. As I said, no ladder to get on top of the roof. Coming from Vegas we didn't know the importance of maintaining a fireplace, of sweeping the chimney and inspecting it. We're lucky we didn't die in our sleep from carbon monoxide!

Well on Thursday I think one of our neighbors learned the importance of it all, and a very valuable lesson they will never forget. I was driving home from dropping Natalie off at school, and as I near the Marina & Park where I turn to get to our house, I see the road is blocked to go any further. As I looked over toward where our mailbox is, I saw a huge fire that about 4 trucks were working on putting out. It's my guess that the fire started as a result of not maintaining the chimney as the season kind of snuck up on us this year. It was a damn shame too, the house on fire was a beautiful one too. My only hope is that everyone, including any animals, got out safely.
I have the same irrational fear everyday when I leave my house, that I am going to come home and find it on fire and poor Lexie would be stuck inside. That's why every day when I take Natalie to school, I turn the pellet stove off. Sure by doing that the house cools off some, but if it gets too cold the heat will kick on....and I don't have to worry as much about the heat catching the house on fire. I hope the family that resides there has found a place to stay, and didn't lose it all in the fire, and for all of us around it, I hope we all learned an unforgettable lesson! Please take the time to get your chimney sweeped and inspected, or you could wind up like this.........